Clyde

Try washing her feet in Malaseb (leave on for ten minutes) then dry well. My little guy used to get this all the time, from going outside damp grass, etc.... then it turned in to a habit for him. He stained where he licked all the time etc...... I washed his feet in Malaseb twice a week and it eventually cleared up for good after only a few washes.

Dru - mites are not a bacterial infection though a secondary bacterial infection can establish with mites. Mites are a parasite - an arachnid like ticks.

Oops, thanks Mags for pulling me up on that...I knew it, but didn't write it properly. Copied most of the above info from my dermatology vet notes (and not very well, lol).

Rappie, I realise that the dog is 'weaned' on to the ivermec, but was just giving Bully an idea as I am sure the vet will talk her through those particulars. Just letting her know that she will be looking at the cost of ivermec. as may be using a fair bit.

I agree about the Amitraz, but it worked for me and I was careful. I didn't use it for prolonged periods or go out of my way to sniff it, lol.

Mites are a bacterial infection and will need to treat with antibiotics - cephalexin is best, but clavulox still okay .

An antibacterial shampoo twice a week is necessary using Pyohex (which has residual and degreasing action.)

Plus a body rinse at least weekly of Amitraz...leaving it to dry on the skin.

Dermatologists recommend oral Ivermectin , as this is off label (ie. not registered)you can buy this cheaper through pet supplies rather than the vet - either cattle or sheep ivermectin...and this works out cheaper by the dose. The dog in question will start at a fairly high dose.

The dog should have a rescraping every fortnight to check for live mites. Will probably take at least 12 months for this particular Staffy. 2 negative scrapings at least one month apart before discontinuing treatment. The dog will not be totally in the clear until about 12 months of negative scrapings without any relapses in between.

Anything stressful for the dog will set her back.

Basically it is very expensive to treat....or at least it will be for this poor girl due to the generalisation of the demodex.

I believe they are a combination of cortisone and antihistamine. I haven't heard of them being used for anything other than skin before though. I have had dogs on Pred before, the only known reaction was weight gain.

Roz, I am so sorry.

May Luther rest in peace

What a beautiful photo.

He certainly looks as though he lived the good life.

Vaseline over the fly bitten areas will help keep the skin supple, and should reduce their attractiveness to the flies.

This is what I do, then I spray fly repellant on top so it 'sticks'. I use Permoxin (does flies and fleas).

Another Eukanuba fan here. Not a fan of Science Diet

I'm so sorry for your loss Tornado - Lassie was a stunning looking girl........ I don't think you can blame yourself no matter what happened, you obviously love her with all your heart - I'm sure she knew that.

One year on I am sure she is still with you

Roz, sorry to hear that. Run free little Zoe

Just as an aside - and I don't mean to be rude - while your signature is lovely, it's very wide, which means that I have to scroll right in order to read all of your text. I don't know if others have this problem but is there any chance you could remove one of the photos in your signature or shrink the width so that it's the same width as everyone elses? Thanks! (Lovely photos by the way.)

you took the words right out of my mouth.

Very cute pics though

Am not expecting anyone to actually read all of this...

OMG, this had me in tears Lisa ;) I hadn't ever thought a rat could be this way, now I understand why people get so much enjoyment from their company. Bryce certainly sounds very special, I am so sorry that he's gone hun.

Big hugs :p

This vet is a university trained vet

Which vet isnt? Is there another way for a vet to be qualified?

Hi. If you do a DOL search you will find that a few have. I cant remember the particulars becuase the topic was a while ago.

Cheers

Thanks so much Wundahoo

The Rotti pup looks as though he had a Varus problem, caused by a discrepency in the growth rate between the ligaments (tendons) and the bones of his forelegs.

Hi Wundahoo, it was 'bilat carpal hyperflexion syndrome' is that the same thing as the 'varus' thingo? Had a couple with simply calcium deficiency, the treatment was the same though ie. premium puppy food, splints and rest.

I can't find much online re. varus...is this caused by growing too quickly?

What causes hypertrophic osteodystrophy? All I can find is a suggestion of too much calcium and vacc. reaction?

Here's Hogan, 2 weeks of rest and restricted exercise, Eukanuba puppy food and legs splinted and he was off to his new home. New owner advises absolutely no problems so far

Posted at the same time..........

Give them some very burnt toast, apparently this helps...something to do with charcoal absorbing it. Can't hurt to try anyway.

From the same site

If you suspect your dog has ingested chocolate, call your veterinarian immediately. With their instruction you may be able to induce vomiting greatly increasing the odds of your pet surviving. Time is of the essence in these cases - seek emergency care immediately if chocolate has been consumed.

"Chocolate contains theobromine (a compound similar to caffeine) which is poisonous to dogs. A dose of 50 mg/lb can be fatal to a dog. Milk chocolate contains 45 mg of theobromine per ounce and unsweetened baking chocolate contains 400 mg per ounce. Just one ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate can kill a small breed dog. Theobromine when ingested by dogs causes release of epinephrine (adrenaline) which causes the heart to race and serious cardiac arrhythmias to develop. Signs of chocolate poisoning in dogs include vomiting, diarrhea, excessive urination, hyperactivity followed by depression and coma, seizures, and death. "

Jenti - I would ring your vet now! Chocolate is toxic to most dogs. That is a helluva lot that they have eaten.

If infected (pus) Pyohex would be more beneficial than Malaseb...it has a higher level of Chlorhexedine.

I have Osters and love them TO start I would have 2 blades...you get a #10 when you buy the clippers, so will only need to buy one blade.

But a #10 is quite short - great for rescues, but not for your own. The lower the number the longer the hair ie. #7 is moderately short, #5 is a bit longer and so on.

At training they suggested to me to have a doll in a nappy and an outfit smelling of baby. Teach the dog how to behave around the doll, "gentle" etc..... Although this was suggested during pregnancy, so not sure if it would simply confuse the dog when the real thing (child) is already around?

I made the mistake of leaving the doll on the coffee table, Victoria pinched it, took it out to the yard and destroyed it

Please note: I do not leave my baby unsupervised on the coffee table

do chami cloths work for drying dogs?

The doggy ones do

My twin tank is extra big so hold heaps of water.....30 litres washing tank and 20 litres of warm rinsing water.....I can wash Victoria (Saint Bernard) no problems. And as the newer ones are auto fill....you don't ever run out of water, it automatically refills as the water gets below the float. I think most of the new ones are like this.

Holly - you can request where you want the door(s) when you order your bath.

lol, when I started up and was using towels, I had blue and yellow ones - looked pretty snazzy...for about two months, rofl. Plus the coloured ones didnt show stains.