Rappie

I would follow up with the specialist and consider a biopsy. As opposed to a macroscopic liver shunt, it may be something like microvascular dysplasia. The cases of this I have seen have been identified in younger, asymptomatic small breed dogs and for the most part have not required specific management. There is a limit to what the blood test can tell us, and the next step after that is to get an idea of the structure of the organ itself. The bile acid results tell us that the function of the liver is 'abnormal' but this does not necessarily imply that there is disease that will cause clinical signs.

I have treated several cases medically - I'm only just home from work, but feel free to PM me if you like.

It's a very uncommon side effect and only normally seen when there is rupture of the tympanic membrane (ear drum). That normally requires a chronic, nasty infection to have been present first, which itself has often already caused hearing loss. If you are concerned about using it, you should go back to the vet to ensure that the infection has actually resolved first. Is your pup only yelping when you touch one ear? If so, it is probably painful. I usually clean ears by using a liquid cleaner, filling the ear canal up, massaging for about 30 seconds then letting the dog shake it's head and finish by wiping the discharge out with cotton ball. Although you can use cotton buds, I generally only advise using them in the folds of the external ear canal - or anywhere that you can still see the end of the cotton bud. If it's both ears that make the pup yelp and only one is affected, then it is probably just a matter of being a pup - in which case, patience and practice playing with ears is going to be of more use :)

Some vets "affiliate" or refer to/with emergency hospitals. My vet refers to SASH, when the Animal Referal Hospital at Homebush is closer. Many vets will prefer a particular referral hospital based on which specialists are there and what their particular areas of interest are, rather than who is closest. We refer to a particular hospital because we appreciate of their style of operation and also because we are very familiar with the specialists that work there. Apart from an excellent working relationship there's not much else in the way of kick backs. In some cases, the vets may have been taught by, or previously worked with the vets they refer to.

The general principle behind the WSAVA guide lines is to vaccinate MORE animals, LESS frequently in order to decrease the vaccine load but still maintain herd immunity (which generally requires 70-80% of a population to be vaccinated). The 2-3 puppy vaccinations are still considered essential, as a 'booster' given 12 months after the last puppy vaccine, then moving on to a 3 year protocol or titre testing. The 3 year interval ONLY applies to the core vaccines of parvovirus, distemper, hepatitis (and rabies in some countries) and not to non-core vaccines. For the most part the non core vaccines are bacterial and don't confer the same level of immunity as viral ones and are unlikely to last for more than 12 months (if that long at all). The vast majority of dogs will maintain adequate titres for at least 3 years, but it is a bit more variable beyond that time. Some dogs will maintain life long immunity, some wont. The main inconvenience that we currently have in Australia is that if immunity to CPV, CDV or CAV is low then we need to give a combined C3 vaccine to remedy it - we don't have monovalent vaccines here. The other thing to note is that some dogs will just be non-responders and will not get a measurable titre no matter how many vaccines we give them. It's only now that titre testing is more common that these dogs might be identified (without them getting an infectious disease).

Yes I would think so PuddleDuck. In the more chronic cases we generally have a history of not being right over a couple of days so unless it was a sharp foreign body we'd initially expect a slow progression of signs (relatively speaking).

Monitor what goes in (ie appetite) and what comes out (either end) very closely. I would monitor closely for at least 5-7 days. Any signs of subdued behaviour, inappetance, vomiting, absence of faeces or abdominal pain warrants a vet visit. They can and do get pooped out, but equally they can and do get stuck and often the clinical signs in the early stages are quite non specific and the dog (or cat) is just 'not right'. If it does cause a foreign body it can be slow moving and be ok, but more often than not they're ok until they actually get stuck and then things can go downhill rapidly.

Having been taking dental radiographs with a much greater frequency over the last 18 months, it's still 'when'. The absence of external signs of pain and infection does not mean that there are no changes occurring within the mouth, or even that it is not painful. Even if the nerve shrivels up and dies, that will still leave an empty pulp cavity that is open to the mouth. At this early stage, with a carnassial tooth I would recommend referral to a veterinary dentist to discuss the options. I would certainly discuss removal if referral was not an option. Most commonly however people choose to monitor (usually due to cost), and we end up still removing the tooth down the track. Keep in mind that dogs and cats with horrendous mouths will continue to eat, even with loose / broken / eroded teeth and pus erupting from their gums. Edit to add: I would certainly discuss with with Christine Hawke or another veterinary dentist. Christine is lovely - I had her as a tutor at university and have since had the good fortune to have hands-on training with her as well.

If the pulp is exposed, the question is not if infection occurs, it is when. A fracture like that might take more than 18 months to turn into a full blown abscess (usually appearing as a swelling under the eye) but there are likely to be radiographic changes of infection and bony changes well before then.

You can see the tympanic membrane in most cooperative animals with normal ear canals, but it takes practice, coordination and a degree of skill. Most of the indicators of ear disease that are of relevance to an owner are able to be determined without an otoscope - such as odour, discharge, signs of irritation (altered ear carriage, pawing, head shaking) and inflammation (redness, swelling).

I don't know of any payments for stocking the foods. The best I know if is having the company supply a few bags of food for feeding hospital patients, a couple of branded scrub shirts and maybe some lunch at the training seminars. We stock primarily one brand, plus the prescription lines from another but I will quite happily discuss other brands of food or other feeding regimes (including raw / BARF). I'm only really interested in changing it if it clear that it is not working for the patient. I feed my own dogs one of the brands that we don't stock on the shelves because I think they do better on it.

I have a lovely one of those growing right next to the dwarf oleander & the dogs do zoomies around them. I don't really see why a dog would bother to eat it or the leaves from any other bush as long as they have some good grass to nibble on. A good idea for dogs is to plant some Cat Grass...they love it. Maybe put some in a pot & get it established. I have seen a dog with toxicity from Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow - it had eaten a bunch of seed pods (edit: apparently berries - all the parts of the plant are toxic but in this case we were identifying things in faeces!). Never say they'd never eat anything stupid, but in this case it was a Labrador, so maybe that explains everything. I've also seen a small dog (Maltese x) come very close to losing it's life after eating a few leaves from a Kalanchoe plant. I'm not sure of which species in particular but it was a succulent variety - they seems to be very popular at Bunnings too.

My poor dog doesn't really get a lot treats, lol. As far as I can tell, he thinks Christmas comes twice a day at breakfast and dinner and sometimes three times if he gets a treat as well :laugh: :laugh: He'll eat anything if he thinks it's something I would eat... including lettuce leaves, carrot tops and broccoli stalks. He gets fed twice a day and gets a Dentastix most days. Licking empty yoghurt tubs or peanut butter jars clean is his idea of heaven .

What you're seeing there (if it what I think you are describing) is called a nutrient foramen. It's a normal structure allowing for blood supply to the bone. It's possible to sometimes see dark lines where other structures overlap and that is just our brain messing with and trying to make the image make sense (it seems darker than it really is).

Ingesting small amounts of the cream wont do any lasting harm but it is best to avoid it at least for the first 5-10 minutes. The ingredients are absorbed fairly quickly. Distraction will hopefully be sufficient, otherwise you could try a soft t-shirt or similar. There is a steroid spray available as well which can sometimes be useful but it has no antibiotic or anaesthetic agent.

Do you have a higher resolution copy of the radiographs? Is that the only view of the limb that was taken? It's difficult to assess the radiograph at the size that it is posted and it a survey radiograph rather than a joint focused study. Without being able to zoom in the on the joints and maintain clarity it is hard to comment. There may be some evidence of calcification of the biciptical tendon (shoulder) but again it's difficult to make any comment and it's significance is questionable.

Sorry this is brief - just home from work and about to eat dinner. The blood work has two functions -firstly to screen for underlying metabolic causes of seizures, which although uncommon can include things like liver disease, low blood glucose, low calcium etc, and secondly ensure that there is no expected issue with starting medication if required. It is most common that these results are normal, which then suggests that the cause of seizure activity is within the brain. Very generally, if seizures are not closer than 4-6 weeks apart, monitoring is a very reasonable option unless the seizures themselves are life threatening (they do not resolve within a few minutes without treatment). If you have them closer together than 24 hours, then there is a risk of excitation of the nervous system and you can end up in a cluster of seizures (several within a couple of hours) or status epilepticus (a seizure that doesn't stop by itself). If they are happening this frequently then treatment is indicated regardless of cause. Phenobarbitone is the most common drug to be used - it can initially cause ataxia (wobbliness) and sedation but patients on it generally develop a tolerance to these effects within the first week and return to normal. The occasional dog with have more significant side effects and in this case other drugs may be a better choice. The aim of treatment is not to turn them into a zombie, but sometimes dogs are started on quite high doses when they might not need to be. PM me if you have other questions otherwise I'll keep an eye on the thread.

Is the patella still actually luxating on palpation? This would be the first place to assess (and I assume that in the process of having other people examine her it has been done). Most of the surgeons I have spoken to would usually still "tweak" the anatomy of the stifle somewhat if they are entering a joint for a MLP repair, but obviously the surgeon is the one making decisions on the day. I see low grade hock soreness a bit secondary to stifle disease, but I also wouldn't discount a polyarthropathy just because it is unlikely. My own dog had a mild case, and while my "spidey senses" as an owner told me there was something wrong with him he was examined by all of the vets I work with and declared normal, even up to the point I asked one of them to tap his joints under a GA. Unfortunately the only way to diagnose it is with joint taps under a GA. Has she been trialled on pain relief again? It is a crude diagnostic test, but if the lameness is happening most days and does not occur while taking pain relief, it does at least provide some confirmation that pain is the problem (as opposed to a structural issue like MLP).

The safety information does. It says one tube treats dogs (that weigh) 25-50kg. That means one tube for single dogs that weigh between 25kg and 50kg. It does not mean one tube treats a total of 50kg of body weight regardless of the number of dogs. As for unlawful: "NOT TO BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE, OR IN ANY MANNER, CONTRARY TO THIS LABEL UNLESS AUTHORISED UNDER APPROPRIATE LEGISLATION". That is not a side comment from the manufacturer, it's a specifically worded legal restraint that prohibits the user from using the product in any way other than described unless they have an approved permit to do so.

I have heard many times about dogs having ticks attached even though they have been treated correctly or are wearing tick collars. So does that mean there is poor performance on those products??? One thing that bugs me is how these products(and heartworm products) have a weight range yet they say you cant split the product if your dog is on the low side of that range. But it is OK to give your dog the full dose, so they say. ie your dog weighs 47 kilos. The product covers dogs from 45 through to 70kgs. So in effect you are overdosing your 47 kilo dog?????????? The dose contained within each tablet or vial contains at least the minimum dose required for effect (for the largest size patient) and a dose that is still within (ie. does not exceed) the safe, therapeutic dose range of the particular drug (for the smallest size patient. The most important aspect of the treatment is making sure that the dose give is "enough". In the case of most heartworm treatments the dose rate used for heartworm prevent is much lower than dose rates used for for the same drugs to treat other problems (the most common example is ivermectin for heartworm vs demodectic mange).

Probably. There is specific legislation regarding ectoparasiticide treatments that prohibits veterinarians from altering the product usage instructions. As mentioned, the carrier may not have the active ingredients evenly suspended, and there needs to be a specific proportion of carrier to actives to ensure the dose is absorbed properly.

Apologies in advance for the brief reply - I should be doing other things... At a very basic level if I'm contemplating using medication to treat a dog with a behavioural issue I try to determine whether it has a 'problem behaviour' (it's annoying but does no one harm) or a 'behaviour problem' (there is a risk of ongoing harm / distress to either the dog or the people around it). The situation described by the OP is certainly one where I would discuss using medication in conjunction with behavioural modification. Instituting behavioural modification is a given, but in some cases without reducing the level of background stress and anxiety with medication they just don't have the capacity to respond well to behavioural modification alone. Most of the commonly used behavioural modification programs are loosely based on obedience training but not such a regimented fashion. The most basic process is introducing deferrent behaviour which is, essentially the 'nothing in life is free' concept. Certainly for dogs that are under-stimulated then formal obedience training will help but that is not generally the focus of treatment for anxiety disorders (where the focus is providing 'coping strategies').

Clavulox should not cause any side effects like drowsiness, but can sometimes cause a mild gut upset. He may just be taking his time recovering from surgery or be a little put off by his changes in routine etc. If you have any concerns, contact your vet.

I have no experience with Melbourne but have spent a fair bit of time at the quarantine station in Sydney. The kennel staff there are very good, many are experienced dog handlers or vet nurses and do a great job with the resources they have. They are hampered by staff numbers, lack of 'extra' time to be dedicated to individual animals and sometimes communications (which I suspect is no different to other government offices). The kennels (and cattery) cleanliness is fine - in the kennels at least there are day and night runs on opposite sides of a walkway and pets are swapped from one side to the other while they are cleaned.

I know that you don't want to go back to the original vet, but did you speak to them about your concerns at the time?