Deeds

We adopted a dog when he was 14 months old. The dog was sold to the previous owner as a pure bred with a pedigree. We have always had this one breed of dog so we thought this dog wasn't pure bred. That's not a problem as he is a lovely dog. It turns out that out of 10 pups in the litter at least 5 have cluster seizures . He didn't start having seizures until he was nearly 5 years old. For the past 2 years he has had cluster seizures almost monthly and sometimes more. The problem is the post ictal period after the seizures. It lasts for up to 3 days where he just paces and paces and tries to get out doors & windows etc. It's a nightmare for him & a nightmare for us. Sometimes he can have 5 seizures in a day despite the medication. The anti seizure pills make him hungry, thirsty etc. Then there is the medication has to be given 8 hourly so depending on when he has the fit we are often up @ 3am to complete the 8 hour turnaround. And because he has cluster seizures we sleep with one eye & one ear open in case we have to medicate him with seizure medication again. So it's stressful for everyone. We absolutely adore this dog but we are at the end of our patience with the seizures. We have been to a vet neurologist & have adjusted his medication several times. We are thinking of having him PTS because it's just so difficult. We are aware we can't cure the seizures but we have done our best to manage them but sadly that doesn't appear to be working as well as it did previously. We feel really bad about this because we think we have failed the dog. Whoever bred this dog must have known one of the parents suffered seizures. The breeder owned both purebred dogs that mated. What a sad story this is for the poor dogs and the owners. We took him so he would have a wonderful forever home and now he has this problem. It just breaks my heart to know that someone knowingly bred with an epileptic dog.

I agree . Bonnie or Applaws. My breeder always used Bonnie for his dogs. Pups as well as adults.

I would go to SASH where they have 2 Dermatologists. https://sashvets.com/our-team/ I wouldn't waste anymore time or money with your local vet as what they have given you is only working for a short time.

And it may well have the same health problems if it is an inherited disorder from 1 or both breeds

Check with the vet re Gabapentin vs tramadol. It won't hurt to ask. The Tramadol is slow release which may be better for your dog. Being big & hairy my 2 also love the cooler weather as do the 2 humans in the house. I can't wait for daylight saving to finish this Sunday.

WoofnHoof I have just spoken to a friend who has a 14yr Golden Retriever . The dog has arthritis in the back legs & has started limping on her front leg. Vet x-rayed the 'leg to make sure there was no bone cancer & there wasn't. As the dog is already on Onsior for arthritis he also prescribed Gabapentin which is for chronic pain. So the dog has Onsior (anti inflammatory) every 2nd day with Gabapentin each day. The vet said Gabapentin was inexpensive. https://www.wedgewoodpharmacy.com/learning-center/professional-monographs/gabapentin-for-veterinary-use.html Hope this helps.

When one of my Giants had Osteosarcoma the vet prescribed Tramadol which worked quite well for him. He was lame in the back leg. I have used both Onsior & Previcox for various Giants with arthritis. Previcox has been around for a while . Onsior is a newer arthritis drug. The vet used to give us a script for Tramadol & we would get it filled at our local chemist. This worked out a lot cheaper than getting it from the vet. He looks like a lovely dog.

Used Budget Pet Products online for years. Also use Petceutics for all prescription dog medicines. Both consistently good. Used to use Pet Circle but went off them after they expanded the business and moved.

Try here https://www.thevetshed.com.au/buy/nutrigel-200gm/NUTRI?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImZnRzZeh6AIVihaPCh0cIgopEAQYBSABEgIPy_D_BwE

Normally I would never give canned food to my dogs but I gave Pepper those small cans of Applaws dog food in her last few months. She loved them because it was soft & easy to eat. Probably like Mars Bars for dogs but it did the trick.

That's good news. My old Giant was like that. If we had to take her to the vet she would always make it clear to us that it wasn't her time to go. You could feel the relief coming from her once we left the vet surgery. Dear Pepper lived until she was 16. A good innings for a Giant Schnauzer.

It could be this https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/vestibular-disease-in-dogs

Cardisure 10mgs @Petceutics costs $199.90 for 100 flavoured tablets. Free express shipping .

If you do get a script from your vet make sure you ask for one or more repeats. We use Petceutics in Sydney . They are very good we usually receive the drugs the next day after ordering.

https://www.buildsomething.com/plans/P2BC3ED1049F866AD/Bailey-Chair-For-Dogs I hope this may help.

Sorry. Pick up the pup from Quirindi.

I would hire a car to and pick the pup up from Toowoomba.

I buy mine at Chemist Warehouse. Thompsons have slippery Elm tablets & they also stock slippery elm powder.

My Giant can open baby gates with his paw. Luckily we don't have any cats but we wanted to keep the pup from going upstairs. Rolf however can open every door in the house including the baby gate.

https://perthvetspecialists.com.au/perth-veterinary-oncology/ My Giant Schnauzer had a melanoma removed when she was 12. Went to the Oncology specialist at SASH in Sydney where she was given a vaccine. Still with us 4 years down the track. The link I posted above refers to a similar type of treatment. Worth checking out anyway.

Has the vet x-rayed the dog's chest?

What about a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.

I forgot to add to be very careful with your dog running around etc because if they fracture the bone where the tumour is it is very painful for the dog and will bring about the end sooner rather than later. Our dog had the tumour in his back leg . He was a very active dog and ran to the front door & fractured the bone. He was in a lot of pain after that and we had to put him to sleep as a result. Until then then he was doing well on the tramadol. We had a script from the vet & had it filled at our local chemist. It was a lot cheaper than the vet. I hope this helps you.

One of my Giants was diagnosed with osteosarcoma around 4 years ago. Our vet told us it was hopeless as the cancer would be everywhere. They didn't x-ray his lungs to see if it had spread. They told us if they amputated he would have to spend months in a cage/crate & he would be miserable and it would probably only extend his life by a few months. We treated him with tramadol and he had palliative care by way of radiation. He was diagnosed in very early November and had to be put to sleep late March. The radiation was expensive but it bought him some time. We were absolutely heart broken.

So sorry to hear this Sheena. You have made the right decision not to have the surgery and you have done your best for her.