karly101

Did you get a chance to visit the dental specialist in regards to the teeth as I remember he was having problems early last year? I really think that would be a good idea as they have the greatest ability to be able formulate a plan so hopefully Mandela can keep as many teeth as possible. It's good that for now the plaque off appears to be working.

malaseb is good - malacetic otic was my first choice and you could buy it in large bottles but it has been unavailable for ages.

I purchased a few off amazon which was cheaper than buying here. The one I used the most was Anesthesia and Analgesia by Thomas & Lerche. It has so much detail on anesthetic and monitoring and common procedures. The other book we were required to get was the BSAVA veterinary nursing textbook which is good but very general and a lot of info I found in it just wasn't detailed enough.

A wipe down after visits to the park could also help to remove the allergens from the skin - calendula tea could be used especially if she finds it soothing. A topical steroid cream or short course of steroids may also be helpful to relieve the itch.

I know a kelpie who had surgery for it at 11 and is now 14 and still doing well. O says if she knew the difference would have had surgery much earlier. I'd consider asking a specialist about surgery especially if he has no other health issues.

I gave my vet this list which is also linked on the above website - http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-VCPL/drugs.aspx

I only managed to get about 70% out with a lot of vigorous vacuuming with the dyson and mini turbine head. In some parts I gave up and just plucked it out as it was so woven into the fabric! I think one of those sticky rollers may have worked better in some parts. But that got it to a decent enough level to sell without dog hair everywhere!

The nobivac 10 week would be the one I go for as I like the early finish for socialisation ...I'm on ny mobile so not sure what breed he is but if he is black and tan or from high parvo area I would go traditional vacc schedule and do a third. I would still try and encourage good manners and gentle play with other dogs.

You can only buy killed vaccines so no C5 only parvac. Just be sure at the cheaper places you are getting the whole vaccine vial and it is not being split between multiple dogs which is a favorite activity by a few vets. Some will also give discount if you bring multiple dogs in at once.

There are a couple things you could do.. you could do a diet trial and just rule out its not diet. Best to speak to a vet on the best options for one. Otherwise an antihistamine trial may also be helpful and they are fairly cheap. Simply washing his skin after outside time will also help remove potential allergens. If its just certain areas (ie. feet) you can also trial boots.

3 months isn't very long to settle a dog in and then add another into the mix (and one that requires tonnes of training initially!).... I'd prob consider going the other way round - get your pup and get your training in and then add another dog. But yes I think a smooth collie would suit your requirements. If I had kids I would either go breeder or a rescue that fosters dogs for some time before adoption. Shelter dogs its too hard to gauge how they are actually going to be in a home environment.

Keep a close eye on it as the grass seed may have scratched the eye. Pulled a massive one out of a dogs eye the other day at work and the dog was so stoic! Would never have guessed there was a massive foreign body in their eye!

I have seen this website before and was devastated that a dog of my chosen breed caused an incident in which a child lost its life. They were not very forthcoming on what they thought caused the dog to react the way it did (they detailed the incident but not what they thought was the reason for the dog's reaction) and from time to time I still wonder about this. I thought the same but reread it recently and basically they say they just didn't read the signals and the dog had always been uncomfortable with their toddler and they did not realise. The toddler may have got in the dogs face or made her feel trapped in the small room and perhaps thats what did it. The parent wasn't watching at the time so perhaps they don't even know what exactly triggered it off.

I'm so impressed with how tolerant the rottie is - the poor dog. I find this website great for educating - http://www.liamjperkfoundation.org and they also have a facebook page which goes through many of these type of videos where again you can often see these warning signs/anxiety relieving behaviours.

threaten them with the ombudsman, that's ridiculous and this is coming from someone who works with these insurance companies all the time sending off histories. We had one declined because a vet mentioned 'possible ringworm' it was successfully argued that there was no diagnosis so it should be covered. Ask your vet if they can write them a letter as well. I would be looking into other companies and let real know your dissatisfaction and that you know many pet owners.

Advocate every 2 weeks and then monthly once skin scrapings are clear.

I think the problem is ... how much is her current state caused by all these health issues for which there are medications available for. I've seen countless oldies have greatly improved quality of life simply by doing a dental! Manky teeth make them feel like crap and once they are scaled and any nasty teeth removed they feel better, their appetite improves, they are nicer dogs... it seriously makes a HUGE difference. In one visit they could do the dental + lump removals, take some blood, start her on long term arthritis medications/trial meds for dementia. For me... I would like to say I tried the treatment option. But I wouldn't judge you for giving her her wings.. as long as some decision was made so she isn't suffering.

I can only speak of her as a teacher but she seems very knowledgeable, caring/has a great manner, I saw some interesting videos of her working with behavior issues so I'm sure she would have some helpful advice.

My boy is on Atopica every 2nd day... you can also ask if your vet can prescribe the human equivelent which is Neoral which is a lot cheaper than the dog version. Some vets won't do it (because technically they should prescribe the dog version) but if you couldn't otherwise afford the treatment its worthwhile asking. I would choose to do the injections if my boy reacted strongly enough to the test (he tested positive to many things but not enough that they would start them). Because add in your costs of repeated vet visits, medications and the injections will probably be much more cost effective in the long term.

Hills A/d ... its a prescription diet specifically for that purpose, its balanced but high calorie so you won't need much and doesn't need much water added, the more you stir it the runnier it gets.

Perhaps try calendula tea - medicated shampoos can do more harm than good on certain conditions and shouldn't be applied to any open wounds and a lot of them strip oils out of the skin which can cause further issues. Instead of frontline I'd consider switching to revolution or advocate - if demodex mites is a possibility they seem to work better.

I remember reading from one of the specialists that they had a couple of infection issues - they paid for swabs of the surgery and discovered the source and it was remedied and they also provided a certain discount from the cost (it wasn't all of it though). So it would be interesting if the specialist you went to did the same with their surgery. Did you have a discussion with them about the costs involved and if it was their fault why you are responsible to pay all of it? But yes even then infections are just one of those complications of surgery... poor girl I guess everyone has their limit on how far they would go and I'm trying to imagine myself in your shoes and I would probably say no more joint surgeries from there on in but just to make her as comfortable as possible with whats available and when she is no longer comfortable to kindly put her to sleep. But easier saying that when I'm not in your shoes!!

Another option is the nobivac 10 week vacc (or u could do it at 12 weeks) which will allow you to socialise at 14 weeks. Otherwise I would not risk it at the beach at that young age. Yes its a great opportunity to socialise but imo the risk of parvo is too high. I would rather meet some friends dogs (vaccinated) in their yards or carry pup. With KC vacc just keep in mind you will not be able to go to kennels or many dog clubs without one. I chose to use the intranasal vaccine which gives better protection, he had KC 2 times on just the injection but hasn't had it since with the intranasal. You can change heartwormers, as above poster I also like the monthly heartworm+wormer ones just because they are easier to remember. Intestinal wormers don't stick around in the body so I don't really see it as overdosing on those but understand if you want to minimise it. I believe it is Sentinel and Interceptor that you can actually give every 6 weeks and it will still protect against heartworm.

Yes they are out there and I think with some explanations and showing them the paper work more will accept it. Another option is to use the 3 yearly vacc as that has to be accepted by kennels and obedience clubs as its registered for extended duration - it will also be cheaper than titre testing.

Panoramis is my vote....really good value product just feed with a meal as can get vomiting without.