stormie

Yep I think I will always continue, just like I will always get my puppies vacc'd. Even in winter, I just couldn't be sure that some of the mozzies aren't coming from homes with heating etc in some way too.

The incidence of HW used to be quite high before prevention was routinely used, so if you tested a dog that hadn't been on prevention at all, then it was more likely than not that it was come back with a positive test. The question is, have we created a herd immunity by the more frequent use of prevention? And if we then stop preventing, will we see it rise again slowly? I was just told there was a positive case in Manly, Sydney just two weeks ago, from a dog that had moved to that area from Western Sydney. So that one dog has the potential to infect other dogs in that area that aren't on prevention - possibly a low risk, but still a possible one. I'm not one for giving things unnecessarily, but I do believe that like vaccines, they are still important in maintaining herd immunity.

Did you work out what was causing the allergy first though? My vet said cortisone is only a bandaid and isnt actually getting down to what is the problem and didnt recommend due to the side effects. Yep, we've done (and continue to do) food elimination trials and have also done two lots of blood tests (which determine the allergens) and a course of desensitising injections. The success rate of desensitising injections isn't really all that high, so the chances of working out the allergy and avoiding it is pretty low. There's no avoiding allergens either - even if you rip up every plant, tree, weed etc in your grass, the pollens from next down, down the road and even km's away are still blowing around and will affect them. Cortisone isn't really just a bandaid. When the dogs encounter the allergen and their bodies release histamine, the effect on the skin is an inflammatory one. Cortisone is an anti inflammatory (and also an immune suppressant at higher doses) so takes away that inflammation which keeps the skin happy and reduces the chances of secondary skin infections. The reason Cortisone and Cyclosporin are used so frequently really is because they're the only things that work. Like I said, unless you keep your dog in a bubble, you cannot keep it away from many of the allergens that are the problem. They're literally everywhere. If you want more answers and to find our the definite cause of the dogs scratching, then you should do to a dermatologist. There's no 'test' for Atopy and the only way to properly diagnose it is by eliminating every other possibility (fleas, scabies, bacterial or fungal infections, food allergies etc), which in itself is time consuming and very expensive.

Try having a Great Dane on Cyclosporin :laugh: What about just using Cortisone? I know a lot of people frown upon it due to potential side effects, but it's cheap and it will provide quality of life for your dog. If managed correctly on as low dose as possible on alternate dogs, your dog could still live a normal life. My boy's been on Cortisone for nearly 4 years now (along with Cyclosporin - he's bad and needs both) and while I'm aware he may not live as long, I'd rather he have quality of life now.

Except that liver shunts don't often show up on blood results - the liver enzymes can be normal in dogs with liver shunts so often they don't show up until they become more sick with other problems. And it is possible that the dog wasn't showing as obvious signs of spinal pain at the time of the first visit when the OP thought it was the mouth.

How much does your dog weigh? The dose of Metacam is 2 drops per kg as a maintenance dose but the starting dose is often double the maintenance dose, which can be done for several days. I suggest calling the Vet for guidance on the dosage before changing it yourself, as if you're not giving enough your dog may still be in pain. As others have said, you can try to make a complaint but I'm not sure if you'd get anywhere. The first vet thought it may have been the Atopica, which can cause swollen gums so isn't completely out there as an idea and told you to return if there's no improvement for further investigation.

Pretty sure we don't spin it down but it's been ages since we last did one so I can't remember We've been offering it for 2 1/2 years now and I think in that time we've only done about 6!!

Sorry, I'm a nurse at our clinic :) VetPath provide us with all the packaging, ice packs etc, so it's just a matter of packing it up how they request and sending it off with the courier (all this is included in the price). We generally try to send samples off in the beginning of the week and in most cases get the results by the end of the week.

There are possibly a few in house titre tests but the one that was offered to us worked out costing pretty much the same as it is for us to send samples to the lab (direct to Vetpath) - about $80. But not many clinics up this way would be sending direct to Western Aus so prices with a regular lab would be significantly more than that. I know Pfizer make an in-house test - you could possibly try to contact them and they might be able to tell you which clinic stock their tests? Or contact the Australian Vaccicheck company?

Great thank you! I might contact them for dosages too. I've found a place in Aus to buy the Sun Chlorella tablets - adult dosage seems to be about 15 tablets per day! If I go ahead with it I'll definitely report!

Interesting! Where do I buy! :laugh:

I'm pretty sure true Inflammatory Bowel disease (which is commonly treated with steroids) can be diagnosed by a biopsy of the bowel. But glad to hear the Slippery Elm has worked. eta quote

This is taken from the WSAVA Guidelines link I posted on page 2, with regards to Vets using vaccines off label...

There are Triennial Vaccines available that are registered as such. But this is a TRIPLE dose. No way in hell I'd let my dogs have that! FWIW, this isn't what the AVA is recommending, they are saying a single dose every three years. It's not a triple dose. It's pretty much the same vaccine as the annuals. I understand that most of the vaccines available now have longer than annual registration. Off the top of my head I think only one company still insists on annuals. One has an open registration on their vaccines, so the Vet can decide whether they want to use it annually or triennially (maybe even 4 yearly?). Oakway I believe they are available. I'm not sure how popular they will be though, as I believe there's something with them that means once opened, they have to be used up quite quickly? I can't actually remember off the top of my head, but I'm sure I remember them suggesting we get a group of clients so they're not wasted? Prise wise I think it worked out similar to if we sent the bloods to the Labs, so for now, our clinic will be sticking with the labs rather than in-house

In SA, the only way to get a titre test done is to have the blood work sent to the US. As far as I know, you can't get titre testing done in a lab in Australia. There are quite a few vets who are happy to send the lab work off though. Cost me the same price as the vaccination to have the titre test. Was happy with that - especially peace of mind. My girl is much better (less allergies) without annual vaccination. Her immunity is the highest level. All the major path labs in Australia offer Titre Testing and Pfizer now have in-house titre testing. Our clinic has an account with VetPath in WA, purely for the purpose of Titre Testing. Just for interests sake, here's an article about Vaccination from the Vet Path Lab Newsletter: http://www.greatdanerescue.com.au/Docs/vaccination_vinfo.pdf And here are the latest recommendations (2010) from the Vaccination Guideline Group, which was set up by the WSAVA: http://www.wsava.org/PDF/Misc/VaccinationGuidelines2010.pdf

Thought this might be interesting to you all. The following is taken from this months Newsletter from our Pathology Lab who does our titre testing :) Probably most of it we already knew, but it's nice to see it printed and going to vets! The 2010 Guidlines from the WSAVA are also really good reading too. http://www.greatdanerescue.com.au/Docs/vaccination_vinfo.pdf

No they are 2 different formulas-we have a dog that can only have the response FP (fish and potato based) which you get through your vet :) I have only had experience with the prescription lines and mainly Royal Canin and Hills - but while searching for an ingredients list there were several sites that indicated that the Response FP had been renamed / replaced by the Custom Care line. I've seen the Response FP around when we've ordered it in - so nice to know it's still an existing line. Yep the Response FP has been renamed to Skin and Coat but pretty certain the ingredients are still the same. They also have a Sensitive Skin which is fish, rice and barley.

Unfortunately your Vet technically isn't meant to write you a script for human equivalents if there are already veterinary specific medications available. I've heard of some vets writing their clients scripts for Mobic, which is the human Meloxicam, but my understanding is that this is a no no with the Board and they could get into strife for it. Perhaps have a work with your vet about some of the other NSAIDS available and see if a generic might be more cost effective.

Orbit and I play bitey face/leg all the time. He's very gentle and never bites, it seems more like a game of tag but with a mouth instead of hands, than actually biting :laugh:

I do agree with you. However the same should be said to the OP. Putting animals to sleep is one of the hardest part of my job and I admit to getting quite upset about it at times. So to call me and others in the industry who do this task uncaring, callous and also infer we're lying to our clients about the process, is pretty hurtful at the same time.

This has to be the BEST three lines I have read on DOL this year. Absolutely gold, but so true. Second that!! Sooo funny!!!

Actually the vet only mentioned a 24 hour hospital after I said I would take Percy home, and she frankly made it sound like not a necessary thing. You insist on critising my every action and I am quite capable of blaming myself. The Lethabarb injection was painful, and you are incapable of understanding that. You are exactly the kind of vet I do NOT want to have to deal with. Good thing I'm not a Vet then. I haven't critisized your every action. I initially offered you an explanation from someone who works in the industry to try and put your mind at rest and explain to you why some things may have been. And my question about what the vet did that was so wrong is a genuine question. I still fail to see what the Vet actually did wrong. You keep saying the lethabarb injection was painful, but your alternative seems to be to withhold vet treatment and allow them to die a slow and more painful death at home.

Can I ask exactly what the vet did that you consider wrong and uncaring? You were offered an alternative for Percy to go to a hospital where more would and could be done - you declined and agreed for Percy to stay where he was. You also elected for Percy to be put to sleep after this time in hospital, without having his condition worked up to find out what was wrong. Percy was given a humane, lethal injection in an appropriate manner, through an IV catheter. Lethabarb is an anaesthetic agent. I fail to see what the Vet actually did that was so wrong and uncaring.

A vet is a business like anything else and there are plenty of businesses who can't legally charge when the job is unsuccessful and have to absorb their losses, why is a vet exempt from the same rules of business is what people are referring to? But what is 'successful'? To me, successful is doing what the owner requests. If you take an animal that has been hit by a car to the vet and ask them to do everything they can, which they do but the animal doesn't make it, surely they have done what was asked of them, by giving whatever treatment they possibly could at the time? One has to be realistic in that nothing lives forever. So to say that you shouldn't have to pay if the Vet was unsuccessful in keeping an animal alive is crazy.

The needle may sting as it goes in, if it they miss the vein (however in Percy's case there was already a line in so wouldn't have had a needle and couldnt have gone outside the vein) but I can tell you 100% that I have never seen an animal scream once the lethabarb is being injected. If it were possible they may feel something as it passes through their veins, it's only for a matter of seconds before they are unconscious and personally I still feel this is much more humane than otherwise allowing them to die on their own, which may be a long, painful passing.