giraffez

My dog had some back pain and after this I noticed one of his front leg has spasms.  The spasms are uncontrollable and sometimes the twitching is severe and sometimes its very mild.  My vet started him on onsior, its still early days but i havent noticed much of a difference.  Has anyone had these spasms before?

****apologies I should have posted this in the health forum, mods can you please relocate?****

 

My boy was diagnosed with IVDD six months ago.  Vet gave him a cortisone injection and sent him home with prednisone and tremedol and strict rest and he recovered well ( I don’t think fully but he didn’t show signs of pain).  Recently, it came back again but the treatment isn’t working this time.  He gets instant relief after the injection, but relapses a week later with a sore back and hunched up.  Repeated the same treatment again, it’s been another week and yesterday I thought he was doing well and was nearly back to normal, but today signs of soreness appeared.  I have yet to see the vet again but in the last consult, my vet says it’s a mild case so we are not in the severe territory yet.

 

im not sure where to go from here.  If I get an mri, im not sure its treatable without causing him too much misery,  My dog is nine and I’m not sure surgery is the best thing for him at this stage.  I worry about recovery time as it’s an invasive procedure, vet said depending on what it is could take 12 months to recover and worst case he may not walk.  

 

I read some post about chiro and was wondering whether this is worth exploring?  I can’t imagine a chiro session on a dog particular one that is in pain.  Are there any long term medication he can take to lessen the pain?

 

 

Thanks all

 

i haven’t tried it on my dogs yet, I wanted to be the guinea pig first.  It tastes nasty, so strong and over power the food I add it to.

I was just looking through the threads to see whether there are anything beneficial for joints and I found this

 

It was created in 2015 so I thought I start a new thread rather than replying to the old one.

 

i read up on this and one of the side effects is thinning blood.  If my dog had an accident or need emergency surgery, wouldn’t being on this long term be an issue?

 

I would appreciate some peoples reviews on this formula and whether they actually see a difference on the dog?  I’m also thinking of taking it myself so any reviews on human is also welcome

 

A quarter teaspoon is nothing, is it really that effective?

 

thanks

Thank you for all the responses.  We live seperately and they are sussing each other out between a baby gate when the pup comes over.

some very good tips provided.  Thanks

Is it possible at all to calm the barking down.  I can keep them apart and don’t expect them to play but the adrenaline rush when my boy sees the slightest sight of the pup is disheartening 

My dog who is 8 hasn’t been properly socialised.  Recently my sister got a new puppy.  As soon as he sees him, he will bark and bark and bark and he will start panting and heart rate goes on overdrive. And he doesn’t stop.  Even if I sternly say no.

 

i don’t know how to get them to play, my other dog who is 9 is more accepting.  But once the other one starts to bark, he too will bark at the little fellow.  If he is alone with the puppy, he is relatively okay as I treat him heaps for good behaviour.

 

how can I get the other one to calm down?

 

The puppy is not scared at the barking and wants to play.

 

all males.

Thank you

Thanks

 

do you oil the blade after the alcohol dries?

I don’t have any blade cleaning solution,  how do I clean and disinfect it?  Will rubbing alcohol do the job?

It’s disgusting.  I have the same issue with my renewal, went up by an extra $400 a year per dog.  I have two.  I can’t comprehend how premiums go up by that much.

 

When i called up to enquire whether this this was a mistake, they said that the price was indeed correct and if I couldn’t afford it I can cancel but there is nothing they can do.  I called twice on seperate days just to make sure the person I was speaking to knew what they were talking about and both responded the same way so obviously they must had a few enquiries.

 

I cant switch because of pre existing conditions so they have me cornered.  

 

They were making money under the old premium, imagine how much profit they are getting now!  I thought I was the only one affected by this because I haven’t seen much press about it in the media, I would’ve expected much more exposure of this in the media or taken up to the ACCC for investigation.  

 

They claim this is to cover the increasing vet costs but my argument would be my standard vet  costs increases by 10 pc a year so how is it justifiable that insurance premiums increase so much more?

 

My insurance premium with petplan renewal went up by a whooping $33 per month for one of my dogs.  Thats almost $400 per year!  The reason they have given is that they changed underwriters.  This increase is way too much, making pet insurance very unaffordable.  Anyone have the same issue with them?

thanks both.

 

I posted a thread about plaque off a while ago about how amazon no longer ships to AU and the prices are ridiculously high if purchased locally.  Since then, I have read that people have sourced locally a cheaper alternative called Ascophyllum Nodosum (which is kelp powder i think).  Has anyone used this with their dogs and found it effective for healthy teeth?  What is the dosage?

 

  

Our council said basically our dog would not be the one in trouble as it was on the lead.

But if you had to drop the lead in order for the dog to defend itself??

Also in the spur of the moment, I can't see myself being able to grab my phone and switch it to video mode to record the incident - even if i was calm and collected. I would be trying to get rid of the other dog from attacking my dog. I can't see how recording is a possibility.

A lot of good suggestions, thank you all!

I think more than half the time, some owners don't realise that is an offence to have their dogs leashed. They think its within their property, the dog can do whatever. What they don't realise is how dangerous it can be when their dogs run out.

While i also heard that in the event of an attack, the best time you can do is drop your dogs lead. But I have been reluctant at the thought of doing that - not knowing where my dogs will run to (eg chased/chasing onto a busy road).

Just a thought, if there was an attack and one dog does get hurt.... whether its yours of the offending dog, what do you do? If the other dog gets hurt by self defence, would your dog be deemed dangerous?

Thanks all

Changing the route isn't going to help, theres nothing stopping another dog from running out on the other route. I've walked the route hundreds of times without an issue. And yesterday I was caught with unleashed dogs twice in one walk! What are the odds?!?

i don't want to harm the other dog in any way. Declaring it to council may lead to it being put down (esp since they deem it as dangerous) if it happens many times wouldn't it? To me, its not the dogs fault, its the idiot owners being careless. The dog shouldn't have to pay for the owners mistake.

I used to carry a squirt bottle with me, but the water pressure isn't all that powerful so when the dog is excited, i'm not sure its going to do anything. A squirt gun is a bit better but not very practical carrying on a walk.

Desensitising my dogs are not going to be easy. I don't have another outside dog to work with.

I was walking my dog today and suddenly out of nowhere a dog ran out of the gate and charged towards my dogs barking. And so a bit of barking and chasing started. Lucky it was a small dog, if it was like a larger dog, I wouldn't know what to do and some injury could have happened.

I was wondering whether there is something i can keep on me to scare the other dog other in the future. Like a loud bike horn, would that work? Any suggestions?

https://www.budgetpetproducts.com.au/m/product/plaque-off-for-dogs-green-40gm-healthier-teeth-and-gums/2495/

It's also at vet n pet direct but more expensive. You'd have to factor in shipping though.

Thanks but this is really expensive, the batch one i picked up from amazon for this price incl delivery was 180g. This is 40g.

i used to be able to order plaque off from amazon. Now they don't ship to Australia. Where do you source your plaque off from? I don't want to get it at the vet or petstore for 3 times the price.

But here's where I get a bit controversial! If your dog has any dandruff, flaky skin, comedone bumps, yeasty issues, etc.......start with a twice weekly bath of Selsun Blue shampoo. Make sure it gets into every little nook and cranny like between toes, ear folds, lip folds, genital areas etc. make it up in a squeeze bottle with warm water and a good shake into a prediluted solution and soak the dry dog. (Instead of trying to disperse globs of shampoo through a pre wet coat. Let it soak for several minutes and rinse thoroughly. Then, rinse with plain white vinegar and don't rinse. Make sure you get the vinegar into all those nook and crannies too. The vinegar smell on the dog will dissipate quickly enough. Do this a couple of times a week for a few weeks and back off to once a fortnight over a few months. Do not use conditioner. If you are seeing results, keep using the Selsun Blue and use the vinegar rinse intermittently.

Which one do you get? There are different formulas

http://www.selsunblue.com/max-strength/

And skin supplement like essential six

But here's where I get a bit controversial! If your dog has any dandruff, flaky skin, comedone bumps, yeasty issues, etc.......start with a twice weekly bath of Selsun Blue shampoo. Make sure it gets into every little nook and cranny like between toes, ear folds, lip folds, genital areas etc. make it up in a squeeze bottle with warm water and a good shake into a prediluted solution and soak the dry dog. (Instead of trying to disperse globs of shampoo through a pre wet coat. Let it soak for several minutes and rinse thoroughly. Then, rinse with plain white vinegar and don't rinse. Make sure you get the vinegar into all those nook and crannies too. The vinegar smell on the dog will dissipate quickly enough. Do this a couple of times a week for a few weeks and back off to once a fortnight over a few months. Do not use conditioner. If you are seeing results, keep using the Selsun Blue and use the vinegar rinse intermittently.

Keep using moisturiser on the dry belly if you need to.

I know it's a bit left of centre and off label. only you can choose whether to use this stuff, but I have used it on many yeasty funky skin dogs who have failed with everything else and had remarkable success.. A few dogs it changed nothing. In no dogs have I seen side effects.

You might not really think your dog is yeasty or funky but we see it over and over with so many schnauzers it creeps up slowly. A bit of flaky skin, a bit of yeasty ear, a flew infection, chewed feet, 'sweaty' armpits, dry skin, etc and slowly but surely it gets worse and worse

Thank you for sharing this. Yes my dog is a mini schnauzer. He doesn't have yeast, just a super dry tummy.

How long do i need to apply the essential 6 oils? I've just ordered some. I brought the one for large dogs for a couple dollars more hoping I can use one pipette and split it across 2 weeks. I hope it keeps okay.

I just googled Selsun Blue shampoo, is this shampoo for humans? Just out of curiosity, how did you come up with the vinegar rinse? very interesting! But wouldn't vinegar dry out the skin even more as vinegar is quite strong, does it need diluting? Would the frequent rinse dry his skin even further?

What moisturiser do you use? QV?

Thanks

The QV products are fragrance-free and suitable for people with skin conditions such as eczema. I've taken to buying the bulk packs as one of my kids has eczema and can't use soap. Yes, I do think it's helped my dog's dry skin though. And it's mainly what's been working for him as I've had to stop giving fish oil lately. He does get a blend of omega 3, 6 and 9 already in his dry food though (Natural Balance Delicate Care- skin and stomach blend). I haven't used the QV moisturiser as i think my dog would just lick it off. Actually I know he would.

It does sound as though your dog's diet is pretty good and contains plenty of fish oil, between the salmon kibble and sardines.

The other topical oil our Dermatologist recommended was PAW Essential 6 oil spot on. It's a blend of safe essential oils and emollients that you apply to the dogs neck/shoulder after a bath. It spreads over the skin and coat and moisturises it. Smells divine too. Cheapest to buy it online though.

Thanks I just put in an order for the essential 6 .

I bath once every month. I know some will say i bath too often but he is an inside dog and he gets a bit too dirty for once every 6 months. towelled then blow dry.

My allergy dog has dry skin. Apart from adding omega oils to his diet, our dermatologist vet recommended using QV (human) products available from most pharmacies.

I only wash him with QV wash and give him a final rinse of QV bath oil diluted with water. I also spray his coat after walks with a solution of QV bath oil and water. I mix up 10ml of bath oil to every 400mls of water in a spray bottle.

Thanks all.

Trinabean i'm glad you mentioned this because this was what i was thinking. I think i'm going to use QV next time when i give him a bath. The shampoo i'm using at the moment is Dr Oz, its all natural and ph balanced. How about the QV moisturiser, that is quite moisturising too, can that be used? Does the QV bath oil help, I may give that a go, that that fragrant?

Yeah the conditioner is the aloveen. He used to get dandruff on his back after a bath, he doesn't get it anymore, but the tummy area is very dry and i think this is why he is constantly scratching.

I'm sure he ingested most of the oil, his bowl is squeaky clean everytime, so i'm not too worried, it could stick to the beard but i think only minimal. The only thing i'm worried about is he is a mini schnauzer as as such prone to pancreatitis so I don't want to give him too much oil. He is good weight at the moment. He is already on flax seed oil and i sometimes put good quality olive oil in his food. Would fish oil be better than flax seed oil (using fourflax)? I give him sardines twice a week and his food is salmon kibbles (taste of the wild). I add bananas and sweet potato as fillers.

He lies on the floor - mainly carpet, tile or grass. Sometimes concrete. I'm not wiping down his tummy with anything like baby wipes.

Thank you all again.

My dog has very dry skin in the tummy area. I put loads of conditioner on it but it doesnt help. I also give him flax seed oil every second day. The skin is so dry it has white lines.

Is there any moituriser/lotion I can apply? will paw paw cream help?

Thanks