Rappie

Vets are individuals - don't forget that. I think the majority of dogs I see (and cats for that matter) are overweight and I believe that about 60% of my clients think I'm just mean for saying that their dear little Fluffy is not just fluffy, but is actually obese. Sometimes saying they are "tubby" gets the message across, but I have had people stare at me blankly when I've suggested "morbidly obese" (and that owner was a human cardiologist). I have actually had a client insist that I do a fine needle aspirate of her JRT's bilateral lumbar tumours because she would not have a bar of them being "love handles". :rolleyes: Some clients listen - I've had some delay their dog's annual check up until they had got some weight off, just to placate me I try to keep both my dogs (Min Pin x and a....um....lets call her a JRT x) fit and lean, and one of my own colleagues (same graduation year, very good friend) berates me because they are far too skinny.

Yes Jed - small animal work

Puggles - it's a 3 year vaccination protocol based around core vaccines and selecting any additional vaccines as appropriate for individuals. I haven't actually seen the document, but I gather it is similar to the AVMA guidelines but updated and not as US centric. New job is still Western Sydney - but a lot closer to home

I have been at the World Small Animal Veterinary Association Conference for the past 4 days, and haven't been near my computer at all if I've missed anything please let me know. It was a fantastic experience that has left me feeling most inspired! For everyone out there that has discussed, or even just wondered about current vaccination protocol there has now been an official (independent) presentation of international vaccination guidelines. It is a bit of a "watch this space" development, but they will be formally published next month and available to the public soon after that. Admittedly, it has taken a while, but change is coming to Australia (even if it is slowly). On a more general note, I am starting a new job in the next few weeks so may not be around on the forum as often as usual. Please feel free to PM questions, or alert me to threads or email me if you wish. If you have PM'd me recently and I haven't replied I do apologise - please just send me another message! I do plan to get back on track soon - I am willing to post on most threads if thats what people would like, or I can continue just watching and offer occasional input, you can sort that out amongst yourselves

The dose of fish oil is generally 1000mg / 10kg of dog.

My mistake - serves me right for doing too many things at once (eating lunch at work, while posting, answering the phone, researching and writing records, lol). Interceptor Spectrum still contains praziquantel which covers tapeworm, just not lufenuron for fleas. May not be related to this situation at all, but is commonly why dogs vomit Drontal etc.

The parts of Sentinel that cover intestinal worms are not systemically absorbed, so they kill parasites by passing through the intetines and causing their effects locally. This does mean that they sometimes act as an irritant and cause vomiting. If you're only seeing it after dosing with Sentinel, then I would say that it is related. You can mix Sentinel in food if you need to.

Pyoderma can be triggered by internal problems (hormonal, nutritional, organ disease etc) but generally you will see some other evidence of this through poor coat and skin condition, itchiness and so on. Creating an environment conducive to healing is important - improve air circulation, remove debris, deal with bacteria and so on (which is sounds like you are on top of). The inciting cause can often be insignificant compared to the mess you end up with - a scratch, or insect bite that was irritating enough to because traumatised a lot can be enough to get one started.

In short - prescribing Rimadyl (or any other NSAID) in this situation would be appropriate. It was a course of short duration to treat inflammation at a surgical site. Rimadyl use often gets met with a hysterical response from owners. It is true that there are many horror stories published and NSAIDs in general have recognised side effects, keep in mind that carprofen (under all brands) is probably one of the most widely used NSAIDs in veterinary practice and has a wide safety margin. All drugs have potential side effects, and in a lot of cases NSAIDs especially can be used inappropriately and in patients where they are not the best choice. I quite enjoy it when I can talk honestly to people who have researched drugs on their own and we can discuss the how and why of what I am doing, so I hope that this isn't construed as denying that they can cause problems. I try to inform all my clients of potential problems, I want them to let me know ASAP and I try to encourage regular monitoring of liver / kidney function of any animal that happens to require long term treatment.

Anal sac removal is something that needs to be considered very carefully and must be something that is done only for the welfare of the dog, not for aesthetic reasons. There is a risk of faecal incontinence associated with the surgery, as well as the potential for infection, pain (lots of) and discomfort during recovery. Although every case is different, I would generally only recommend it if a dog was having regular, or chronic problems with impacting and / or abscessing anal sacs despite interventions and treatment. As someone else mentioned, one thing to try to work out is why the sacs are getting so full. The problem with highly digestible diets is sometimes the small faeces they produce - they don't have enough bulk to actually put pressure on the sacs on the way out. These cases are often helped by adding fibre (in the form of psyllium / Metamucil, pumpkin etc) to increase bulk. Some dogs have the opposite problem - soft faeces aren't solid enough to compress the sacs, so "digestible bones" like chicken necks etc can help to create firmer stools. Sometimes it's an anatomical problem with small ducts, or very mobile sacs that manage to escape any poo.

If you are concerned then just go for a quick visit to the vet and get someone to have a look at the wound - there should not be a charge associated with this. Generally speaking, I don't recommend applying anything to surgical wounds, nor routine cleaning (although there will obviously be the exceptions involving rolling in something filthy etc). With intradermal sutures in place, I would not scrub with anything, if you feel that you must apply something then you could dab a little betadine on it.

Vasectomies are done, but uncommon to see. I would second (third? fourth?) what other people have said and say that the swelling you noticed is probably the left over tissue and some swelling. I've been asked more than once if i really did take the testicles out ;)

She may have had an epidural as part of the anaesthetic.

He does require a referral, but you might be able to get an appointment sooner than with the VSC . There ane also two ophthalmologists at the Animal Referral Hospital - the main clinic is in Strathfield but there is a branch clinic at Baulkham Hills.

Without surgical debridement of the dead tissue, there isn't a lot else to do except treat with antibiotics and keep a very close eye on the demarcation between healthy and necrotic tissue. I have had some success on really manky (a technical term, obviously ) dirt filled degloving injuries using a product called Intrasite. It's a gel that comes in a squeezy tube and it helps to debride necrotic tissue while providing nutrients to healing tissue - I bandage it on with some melolin (non stick dressing), gauze and vetwrap. You'd need to check the wound underneath regularly but it might help.... you can buy Intrasite from pharmacies. It is a strange presentation, and an awkward situation to be in - good luck.

Anytime! With respect to the original post, most of the problems with spey wounds that I have seen in practice have been related to some kind of reaction to the suture material itself. The odd over exuberent dog will end up with a seroma, but usually I see an intense inflammatory reaction. Sometimes it will settle down with time, sometimes it just continues until you either go back in and replace the suture material with something else, or worse - the sutures get "expelled" by the body and that is the classic horror story dehiscing wound. It is usualy a response to things like catgut, but it can occur even in reponse to the most benign absorbable monofilament (same as is used in humans) - it's secondary to them being absorbable. It is uncommon, but can happen.

Actually Puggles and Bickle - you're both right The ovarian pedicles and uterine stump are ligated with dissolvable suture material. Then the abdominal muscle layer is closed with dissolvable sutures, then the subcutaneous (fat) layer is closed with more dissolvable sutures, then the skin is closed. This may be another "internal" layer of sutures (known as intradermal or subcuticular) or with nylon sutures that need to be removed.

Parvac is a killed vaccine that covers parvovirus only. The vaccines administered by veterinarians are modified live vaccines, which provide better protection and are multivalent thus cover multiple infectious diseases (including parvo).

The fatty meal is to help with the absorption of the drug because it is poorly water soluble. When she can be taken off will depend on the response to treatment and needs to be continued for a time after the active lesions have resolved - be guided by your vet on that one, as they will know whether they have a positive culture by your recheck in 2 weeks time.

The long answer: I wouldn't want to be your vet nurse if something goes wrong. If a vet nurse does the vaccinations (once you find some way to obtain a prescription animal remedy without going through a registered veterinarian) you will not be able to provide legal proof of vaccination either. Just because people do things on the cheap does not mean it is the right thing, or even (and most disturbingly) the best thing for the puppies - just take a deep breath and take them to a vet for vaccinations, most will offer a litter rate at a discount price. The short answer: Just don't.

The most common side effects are related to the gastrointestinal tract - decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea. Sometimes animals can seem depressed or incoordinated and you must let your vet know if you see signs like this. Long term treatment in can lead to effects on white and red blood cells, and also the liver but these effects are generally seen in debilitated, very young or very old patients.

I think the sentiment regarding omega oils and the effect on the inflammatory cascade is shared - however the specific concern with large doses of cod liver oil (compared to fish oil) is the potential for overdosing Vitamin A (which is fat soluble). Hypervitaminosis A is a classic cause of ankylosing spondylitis.

If you're going on mucous membrane colour, it might be abnormal, it might be normal for her. Pale mucous membranes in animals tends to be either poor perfusion of blood to tissues (shock, dehydration, cardiac problems etc etc) or due to anaemia, which is most cases is due to loss / destruction / inadequate production rather than iron deficiency (although malnutrition can certainly play a part). I would provide all your normal supportive care, and then next time you are at you vet just mention your concern and ask them if they could run a PCV - that way you'll know if it is 'real' or due to some other factor.

I have a couple of patients with orthopaedic conditions that I think would benefit from swimming as part of their management. Does anyone know of somewhere in the Penrith / Blue Mountains region where there are facilities available?

Your vet would be the best person to contact for a dosage.