Rappie

There is no problem switching between brands / products so long as there is continuity of treatment and no doses are missed.

Treats are coming out "soon" and the company that makes Vets Best Rewards (liver treats) are involved in the production - so maybe they'll actually be tasty, lol. Apparently there is also a smaller tub size being released in a few weeks - it's going to be marketed for cats

Ketoconazole can be used it cats - but it's not without side effects so only with good reason.

I hope this doesn't come across as being pedantic, I am just musing on those parts of what you have said that piqued my interest (and there will be loads of opinions to be had!). This is just paraphrasing with addition thoughts, not criticism: You have identified that your dog seems to be in pain, the pain is in the hind leg, and appears after there has been strain on the leg (after lying, or after a day's activity). The fact that this condition responds well to a NSAID (Mobic) suggests that the problem is one / both of pain or inflammation. She is also overweight, she is losing weight but the problem continues. Your vet thinks it might be "arthritic". You're concerned about continuing with pain medication because it might be masking an underlying problem, or making it worse. It is not normal for a young, healthy dog to have an ongoing problem with pain. In a Labrador, I would be suspicious of degenerative changes in it's hips, but if presented to me for a consult, I would most certainly check the stability of both cruciate ligaments, as well as both patellas and do what I could to assess the hips in a concious dog. How will you know if there is an underlying condition if no radiographs are taken? What is the existing condition? Arthritis isn't really a diagnosis so much as a description of a process. Getting her weight down will certainly help with long term management of joint disease, as will chondroprotective supplements. I think chiropractors / massage therapist / physiotherapist / accupuncturist etc definitely have a place in long term of management of lots of conditions, but I think given the range of possibilities that it is important to get a diagnosis (with radiographs) FIRST.

How long ago were the tests (I assume this was the intradermal skin tests?) done by the dermatologists? Did you pursue the allergy vaccine therapy? Was the Nizoral commenced after an actual diagnosis of a yeast / dermatophyte infection? Have you done a food trial of any sort? Antihistamine trial? I suspect that the expensive drug is cyclosporin (Atopica) and it is a very successful, cost prohibitive treatment. With atopic dogs, a multifaceted approach is usually the only way to get long term relief - at the very least I would try adding some kind of omega oil supplement to her diet. Malaseb is an excellent product, but only if there is a yeast infection present (ditto previous question). If she's not currently yeasty, then something soothing like Aloveen would probably be a better choice.

Older baits are generally warfarin (although warfarin baits are definitely still available), while the newer ones are coumarin based - usually brodifacoum. Warfarin is quick acting, but the effects are usually short lived - so in most cases 7-10 days of treatment is enough if you KNOW that it was warfarin involved. Brodifacoum etc are cumulative and the effects may not be seen for some time (up to 2 weeks) after ingestion and treatment for this particular group needs to continue for several weeks. Generally the newer baits don't induce secondary poisoning (ie. dog eating dead rat) unless there is some undigested bait still available. Definitely worth rechecking, and checking either clotting time in, or getting blood sent off to check the clotting factors etc.

Revolution is heartworm preventative as well as a flea product. The Canex tablets are an intestinal wormer that includes cover against tapeworm, so you would not need either the Dimmitrol or an additional tapewormer.

I would think the ultrasound would be for the 'other' eye, not the one with dry eye.

Yes - Advantage / Advantix / Frontline are all safe to use in conjunction with Sentinel, as are products like Permoxin.

Probably better that you don't :D If you ever actually knew the truth, you'd think we were all insane :D

LOL - I own a horse, I've been sprung cleaning willy-goo off'a him more than once :D Takes more than a bit of goo to scare me

It is not uncommon to see a small amount of yellow or white discharge at the end of the prepuce (it is smegma, as someone else has mentioned). If the dog has not urinated for a period of time, it can dry out and get stuck to the surrounding hair or skin, or appear to seal the preputial opening shut. Some dogs will produce more than others - if you are concerned then get it checked out, but in the absence of other clinical signs it may well be normal. Oh - the official term amongst staff in our practice is "willy-goo". It is appropriate to squeal like a girl if it inadvertently contacts you. :D

Don't forget that there are differences between the Protech vaccines - the Duramune is the new 3 year, and the Protech C3 is the annual (which used to be called Duramune). Also different manufacturers will have different cut off ages and protocols. You will find in the label information for the Protech C3 / C4 that the information states: For primary vaccination of pups and dogs 10 weeks of age or older. In previously unvaccinated dogs of 10 weeks or older a single dose of Protech C3 or C4 is sufficient to confer 12 months protection. It then goes on to discuss optimal protection and revaccination. Tha is normal for a C5 - two exposures (vaccinations) are required to give protection against parainfluenza for 12 mths.

Kaz - depends on the vet. The vaccination schedule for pups starts early to try to provide protection from deadly diseases, and is repeated as they get older incase maternal immunity interferes with the early vaccination. Once a pup is beyond 16-18 weeks of age, if they are not receiving the parainfluenza / bordatella vaccination (so only getting a C3) then one dose should be enough - although many vets will do a second vaccination in a month. It will also depend on the particular vaccination used.

That's fair enough Tilly - it's certainly a difficult situation to be in, for everyone involved, human and canine.

Tilly, sorry to hear that the news isn't good If an ultrasound is easy to come by, it will give you more information and it is not an invasive procedure - it can often be done with no, or only light sedation. Does the vet think it is a tumour involving the prostate, or a different organ? The prognosis for benign prostatic hyperplasia (even with prostatitis) is different to prostatic neoplasia. You're welcome to PM me if you like.

Contact Dermcare and ask It was previously 1:30, but last time I spoke to the rep they had been trialling 1:50 and it worked just as well.

The dilution rate for Malaseb is 1:50 with luke warm water - it wont hurt an ear drum. Just keep in mind that if you clean out all the goop tonight that it may make it difficult for your vet to get a swab to examine microscopically tomorrow.

Hip dysplasia is multifactorial - while there a dog must have a genetic predisposition to develop HD other factors like nutrition, exercise and environment will play a part. If a dog doesn't have a predisposition, then everything can be "wrong" and HD will not occur. If a dog does not have a predisposition then the outcome is quite variable - it may be possible to prevent overt clinical signs of HD with good management, but sometimes despite all good intentions the condition will progress. I don't think BARF is a wonder cure - but I think I should qualify that before I get flamed I see lots of dogs (and cats) every day, and as part of my general questioning I do ask what each animal is being fed. It's not so I can promote a certain food, it's because diet plays such a big part in an animal's health and there are often clues in there that relate to a certain clinical situation. The answers are varied, and the "care factor" of the owners is equally varied! By virtue of it's composition, a BARF diet is generally lean - which will certainly have an impact on diseases that are 'affected' by obesity - HD being an obvious one. I don't gasp in horror if someone tells me that they feed BARF, the majority of people that do feed BARF show that they take a vested, proactive interest in the health of their pet. There are just as many people who feed a commercial food and who have exactly the same level of interest and dogs who are equally healthy. There are just as many people again who would have no idea what brand of dog food they feed their dog, and only notice a problem when it starts to impact on their life (diarrhoea on the carpet etc). What if we edit that statement: "If you feed your dog a diet that keeps it in optimum health, then it will be less likely to develop some serious diseases that can be influenced by nutrition."

Yes it is safe for use in cats. Whether or not cleaning ears of cats is "safe" really depends on your cat

As a general rule, I would dribble enough solution in so that you can see it in the ear canal. Massage well, then clean the floaties away or let the dog shake them out.

How old is Tango? (Just asking as often the liver enzyme ALP can be elevated due to bone growth or remodelling, and is a reasonably common finding in pups and young dogs.) I have seen a 6mth old dog recently, with a very similar presentation - a bright and alert dog, deathly white mucus membranes, signs of ataxia, had been observed vomiting then collapse in the last half and hour. The rest of her physical examination (including packed cell volume and clotting times) was normal. I treated it as an anaphylactoid reaction (steroids and antihistamines) and she recovered rapidly. The owners had been present with her in the backyard for the 2 hours prior so gross intoxication and snake bite were highly unlikely, but she did have a history of eating various insects. The type of reaction you're describing may well be a sting or bite of some sort (but does not rule out other causes).

My two eat Eukanuba medium breed adult maintenance. On occasion they will eat Royal Canin, but they do best on the Euk. They also get chicken necks and odd bits of leftovers.

The current dilution rate is 1:50 as Dermcare found that this more dilute solution was just as effective (cheaper and less chance of irritation). Malaseb is a great product for problem ears, as others have said - fill the ear canal, massage well (squelch it around) then stand back and let them shake, then wipe out with cotton wool. The Malaseb binds to keratinocytes (skin) so in essence actually provides a prolonged effect with regular, repeat usage usage.

It is not always possible to positively identify dermatophyte infections on physical examination and Wood' lamp examination alone. Only approximately 50% of Microsporum canis infections will fluoresce under UV light. Positive identification is best done via implantation in culture media and this is easily done in a clinic setting - the downside is the 7-14 day wait for a result, so treatment is usually started on a presumptive basis and modified once results are actually known. Direct microscopy using KOH is highly user dependent and therefore considered less reliable.