sandgrubber

One tiger tested positive. Other big cats (3 other tigers and 3 lions) in the zoo showing symptoms but not being tested. Sedation of big cats is dangerous. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/04/08/mystery-how-tiger-caught-covid-19-has-experts-chasing-their-tails/

I've lived around pot heads with dogs (including my father, which may be why I don't smoke). I've never sensed that the smoke harmed the dog... though being zoned out sometimes leads to inconsistent training and care.

Yes. I'm in NZ. The ferret thing may be a worry here as mustalids are widespread... I don't think anyone has looked at whether stoats can catch or carry. Not many tears if they get hit hard.

Note this is in Nature... Top of the pecking order for science journals https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00984-8 Coronavirus can infect cats — dogs, not so much But scientists say it’s unclear whether felines can spread the virus to people, so pet owners need not panic yet.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2020/03/18/coronavirus-dogs-pets/ Bottom line is no surprise. No decent research. Your own dog, probably fine unless you are infected. Best to be cautious about other peoples' dogs. Interesting that dogwalking is permitted in the Bay Area lock down.

I don't know what Hamish is suffering from. When Patty was on her last legs, prednisone took her from not eating to normal Labrador food gusto. She still went downhill, but I think she was happier as she went to the end of her road.

Follow up. I was immediately left sad by the absence of a warm body and eyes and wagging tail. As time goes on I'm finding the other dogs fill in the gaps. I don't think they are in mourning. Quite the opposite. Bonza, Patty's mother, age 10, has been more playful and Yoli, the youngest, has been less naughty. No point interpreting... only to say that there's more to dog society than I can predict.

Occasionally one of my dogs gets the shits, making it almost impossible to pick up poos. I generally try to look innocent and put grass clippings or dirt over it. Then stomp the mess down a bit. Curios to know what other people do.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/new-sense-discovered-dog-noses-ability-detect-heat Extract Dogs’ noses just got a bit more amazing. Not only are they up to 100 million times more sensitive than ours, they can sense weak thermal radiation—the body heat of mammalian prey, a new study reveals. The find helps explain how canines with impaired sight, hearing, or smell can still hunt successfully.

I feel selfish saying so, but it's a relief. Patty was an excellent bed dog. Sharing a bed with a seriously ill dog, then worrying through vet appointments, wears you down.

There have been a few permanent on collar (not dangling) dog tags recommended here. Here's another one that looks good. The link below will give you a $5 discount. http://roadid.me/oOsNr

Patty is now at rest next to her grandmother. I've never lost a dog as young as 6 1/2 years. It's hard. But watching slow and painful deterioration would have been worse.

Just spoke with the vet. She said it was likely to be a long painful end, so I've booked Patty in for the green dream tomorrow morning. :-(

This morning Patty didn't stand up, much less come up on the bed, for morning cuddles. I fear she's on the way out.

Prednisone gives a boost, if nothing else, by increasing appetite. A Labrador refusing food is a worry, and not eating for a few days must bring a dog down. Patty is now gobbling down chicken necks (just learned that a local meat distributor sells them in 10 kg lots at a reasonable price) and her poos have firmed up. At least I'm sleeping better. So hard to say whether she's improving or I'm deluding myself, and all indicators are that the prednisone improvement will be short lived. To ward off false hope I've been digging a hole...hopefully not a grave... but useful for poo disposal if no miracle happens.

I suspect some dogs will itch given the slightest reason to do so. Most, not sensitive to mozzies

Vestibular disease sounds like Meniere's disease in humans (my mother had it).

Prednisone + diuretics is what one vet said. I don't know if prednisone will help with the fluid accumulation. If it comes to being so bloated that breathing is difficult and she seems miserable, I favor the green dream. Of course death makes for heavy sadness, but there are worse options.

Up and down. She's not eating much... Boiled chicken in small amounts, not the rice I cooked with it. She puked a big feed on chicken... so now she gets several little ones. The vet gave her diuretics, which have reduced the fluid in her belly, but it's clearly still there. We talk to the vet tomorrow and maybe schedule the specialist visit. The more I think about it and read, the more I conclude it's better to just go paleative and forget the specialist. None of the possible diagnoses lead to cures... mostly it's supportive measures, some of them pretty gruesome, like draining the fluid buildup. On the positive side, Patty remains cheerful and despite her bad digestive system, acts pretty healthy.

I cried help on our village Facebook group and got two offers. It's hard to ask for help from strangers, but it's something us oldies gotta learn.

Poor Patty. The antibiotics didn't do the trick. She looks like she's about to whelp a big litter, except no boobs, and she's spayed, so it's not pups. She's now having trouble eating. We just got back from seeing a third vet, who was inclined to different recommendations (basically he said he couldn't diagnose, but prescribed a diuretic to get the fluid down) than the first two, but agreed that it's messy. He recommended seeing a top rate ultrasound-ographer. Unfortunately a few hours drive. My arthritis makes it hard to drive that far... so it comes down to trying to find someone who can help. Sigh. I sure hope the diuretic helps relieve the pressure on her gut.

Do you mean King shepherd?

What were the 'excuses'? If they had to do with waiting for the Canine Association to send stuff, I'd say it was a reason, not an excuse. There was a time when I let puppy buyers choose their pups' names. Result : I couldn't file for pedigree papers until the last pup went home. And sometimes the K9 folks end up way behind schedule after the holidays.

Glad I'm in NZ. Australia seems to be going crazy.

I rebooked, but did some reading and saw another vet, who says her energy level and condition are not indicative of a heart problem. The aspirated sample of abdominal fluid was inconclusive. Possibly a sarcoma. Possibly an infection. All in all a difficult diagnosis. The bloods ruled out liver disease. Patty responded so well to antibiotics that I decided to put her back on and watch and wait. If a longer course of antibiotics takes care of it, good news. If not, waiting awhile may result in a clearer reading on the aspirated fluid. If it's a sarcoma, there's not much hope of a cure...just prednisone and measures to reduce fluid buildup. When I has the kennel I watched a few clients go through expensive and difficult testing only to have their dog die soon after. Unless there's likely to be something curable, I think I'll settle for paleative care. Who knows, the antibiotics may do the trick.