karly101

My work has a client that I put onto a smuzzle but they use it for walks where the dog scavenges (and has had surgery for foreign bodies). I wouldn't recommend it for use in the back yard unsupervised because I also think it's possible they could ingest it. 

I would strongly recommend pet insurance.. if your dog has no prev vet history (yet) of foreign body ingestion it will ensure you will cover if you do need to surgically remove something... you are looking at anywhere from $2000-4000 for surgery if those pips do get stuck (and I've had dogs were they do!) 

My dog had his retained until 9 months and then suddenly it popped down! Desexed him just as that happened. Is pretty rare for that to happen but at a younger age the vet could feel it and push it into position. My plan was to desex at 12 months.

Don't give bone broth.. it's extremely fatty even skimmed!

Enzyplex may not be suitable.. the problem is the enzymes in the pancreas are activated prematurely and are effectively digesting the pancreas causing inflammation. In extremely severe cases this can then result in EPI (pancreatic insufficiency) in which case you do supplement but I haven't seen many cases that require this.

What will help your pup is a very low fat diet. Be extremely strict. She may cope better with a diet change outside of hospital environment.. I find they do tend to like the low fat royal canin GI cans.

You want a dry food with fat content of 7-8% .. the lower the better.

If you continued with the roo and pumpkin you should probably add a multi vitamin to it.

But also be very very wary with anything else the dog gets - quite often they will flare up again after been given some treats (particuarly if they've been really good for a long time on the prescription diet).

Ask your vet the price for 100 tablets ... you may find its cheaper as most clinics charge a dispensing fee inbuilt into the price so it is generally cheaper to buy more tablets.

You've got a pretty easy test.. stop the bath service and see if the skin issues go away :)

A common culprit is not rinsing enough, of course he could also be reactive to the shampoo they use.

I don't think all physio's are equal. Was it one recommended by her surgeon? I hope that the massage technique was taught to you so you could continue it at home. I have seen a couple where there is a strong behavioral component and those can be quite tricky in recovery. I hope you do notice an improvement soon it can be so frustrating when you spend all that money and time in surgery and the outcome isn't as expected.

I took my dog to a physio for a 2nd opinion too and hoped to learn some massage/exercise techniques to strengthen the leg. Didn't really think I got a huge amount out of it too.

I would recommend trialing paws nutriderm instead of your aloveen. I find it better moisturizing for my allergic dog. I have used the QV stuff in the past too.

Two clinics I've worked at have a box for donated meds - the majority go to the rescue group the clinic works with but a small amount also go towards clients who could not otherwise afford to treat their pet.

I looked up how much I spent at my vet (also my work) since I started there and I wish I hadn't... lets just say it's in the realm of a nice new car.

$2000 on meds per year alone for my 5 year old atopic dog but he also requires hypoallergenic food + a dental at least yearly since he can't tolerate bones, thankfully it is all cost but still a lot of money!

I'm really not sure why you would use advocate and interceptor together?? Interceptor and Advantage would be ok (but doesn't do ticks).

Interceptor monthly and bravecto (3 monthly) would cover everything and not double up if you are looking for tick protection.

Interceptor and Advantix also a good combination (if you want a spot on for one of them)

Interceptor and Nexgaurd also would work! (monthly)

Roo tendons work ok for my allergy boy but he has to get them every day to really make much difference to his teeth. Antlers are ok for him too. I just have to brush his teeth as he is allergic to beef and pork and gelatin most of those treats have one of those. The vegetable protein ones I've tried but don't think they do much for plaque.

The only other product I haven't tried yet but is supported by the local dental vet is Maxigaurd (http://addisonlabs.com/products/maxiguard-oral-cleansing-gel.php) which I am considering trying for my dog too.

Many clinics are following the AVA protocols. There is a reason we vaccinate, in VIC parvo is still rife and there has recently been an outbreak of canine distemper in the ferret society here. I agree that titre tests are a great way to check your dog is protected.

BUT Blood tests are more expensive up front than the vaccine so for a lot of the canine population it is easier just to re-vaccinate at 3 yearly intervals (yearly for canine cough). Also the annual check up is really important - there are so many times health problems are discovered when a dog is just visiting for its vaccinations (I'm referring to the general population, dol owners are probably a lot more in tune with their dogs health).

An ADAPTIL collar may help take the edge off - put on on now and it will last for a month.

Every dog is different which is why there are different solutions - I found it best to not react but redirect (practice 'Watch me') and reward a different behaviour instead - sometimes that's enough to let the fear pass and then I would walk up to the object again and let my dog check it out at a lower level of fear, then redirect and keep going. For a fire hydrant that was particularly intimidating my dog LOVES the ball so when he saw that fire hydrant (but BEFORE he reacted) that's when the ball came out of the pocket and a game began.

As above posters say, please finish the course properly, technically they need to see 3 negative skin scrapes for the dog to be deemed free of them. If you cease treatment early you will likely have a flare up and your dog will need a even longer course of insecticides. Just try and and treat once and do it properly :)

Improve the diet, try and limit any other stresses.

Firstly food allergies causing itchyness is actually NOT common but most dermatologists do use a diet trial to rule it out. Usually it's a home made diet with a new protein + carb source that your dog hasn't had before. You can use the z/d or royal canin analergenic but the derms I've seen prefer home made.

Don't believe all you read on the internet on cyclosporin - it's been around for a long time, is very well tested and studied. It can't be compared to human use....after being on it for a little while you can try and reduce the dose as well until you get them to a level that's comfortable. It's most common side effect is GI upset. (http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/174/Suppl_2/3.full) For my boy it's the only thing that has given him relief and he is on it every day for half the year and I can get it down to one every 3 days when his allergies are less. YES it is expensive but its cheaper than constantly dealing with skin infections and an uncomfortable itchy dog.

I recommend a referral to a dermatologist - they deal with this all the time and will put you on a step by step plan to get a diagnosis and treatment that will work.

glad to hear that for now the issue is resolved and he is tolerating a less specialized food! Many dogs cannot tolerate bones, hopefully once you reach stable you could try and work out more what is okay for him. The tricky thing with food allergies is that they can change!

royal canin also has a new diet anallergenic which is apparently getting good results.

Without an anaesthetic it would be a mostly cosmetic procedure - they can't scale underneath the gums which is what is done under a veterinary scale and polish. Underneath the gums is where the problem lies!

So the company that created the drug shouldn't profit from making the drug despite putting $$$s into research and then marketing? Thats the cost you are paying for as the base price. Then also there's the wholesaler and the retailer that need to make money too.

I have had major issues with bones. I used to feed chicken carcasses but one of my dogs who was never overly keen on them didn't chew it properly and ended up with an obstruction in his throat. A very long road to recovery with many hurdles and he has never been able to eat solid food again due to the scaring in his throat. Every single meal has to be blended and made into a liquid.

Most likely a freak accident but no bones here anymore

You are lucky - vet I was at previously had a dog die from similar incident, the frame was perfectly wedged in the mouth enough to completely block the air way. Always recommend care with gutsy dogs with chicken frames.

I think there is always a risk with bones but it's very much based on the individual dog and choosing the right bone. There is still a risk of fracturing the teeth which is why many dental specialist vets do not recommend them.

Have you tried the dentipet one? It has a bit of abrasiveness about it which is good for cleaning I find. Dogs seem to like the taste too (chicken or beef or cheese flavour)

I have to clean my dogs teeth as he gets a upset tummy on bones and things like that - I'm using the triple pet vanilla toothpaste but will switch to above when it runs out. He still gets a scale and polish at the vet yearly.

What is his current weight and most importantly his body condition like (are ribs visible)? 25kg would be a massive staffy.

It's definitely an individual thing, my collie can't tolerate bones - he's allergic to beef and pork, I tried some lamb bones recently and he ended up with diarhoea and needed a course metrogyl to get over it. Chicken bones are too small for him to safely eat.

As a vet nurse I've seen many issues - obstructions, constipation, teeth slab fractures, wedged in mouth, salmonella infections. But at the end of the day still recommend bones a couple times a week under supervision for short periods of time (ie. 20 minutes, enough time for the dog to chew the meat off). Since my boy can't have them it's a constant battle to make sure his teeth stay clean!

I got a set of Wahl 2 speed for home and pretty happy with them. I don't groom pretty I just shave all the coat off (my sisters dog who is a pain to groom). What I do recommend is a smaller/quieter set of clippers (either battery or rechargeable) - I use them more frequently to do quick tidy ups and he tolerates them a lot better and they make doing areas like legs/ears/face a lot easier.

Also recommend buying a couple sets of blades so you can send them off for sharpening :)

Your vet should be able to put you on the comfort club with atopica where the 2nd box is free and then I think it's every 5th box is free. It costs nothing for the clinic they need to contact the Novartis Rep.

So Atopica is actually cheaper.. and what is even more cheaper is feline atopica which comes in a liquid form. It comes in 17mls as the larger bottle. See if your vet will dispense that instead - it s the equivalent of human neoral. A bottle of that is cheaper per dose than the tablets. Remember this is 'off label' use though so your vet may not do it.. you also don't qualify for the comfort club so really the comfort club is the best deal to get the cheapest per dose.