stormie

Was there an accute onset? Could be vestibular syndrome, though most cases of that come on suddenly and then symptoms fade. My 15yo golden retriever sounds almost the same. She has lost most of her hearing and her sight is also fading, particularly in one eye. This means she often walks with her head slightly turned to one side, to allow her to see in front of her easier. She also has arthritis which makes is harder for her to keep her balance and steady herself. I have noticed that when she tries to do zoomies (very cute to watch!!) she almost runs side on and is quite unsteady. Maybe next vet visit have the vet evaluate her sight and hearing - might give you more of an insight with her behaviour.

I personally think you're better off having the regular C3 and then titre testing.

Yep, and they would need to be chewed to release it. Generally the seeds pass through whole so it's very unlikely the seeds would every cause a problem, unless of course you just fed seeds as the sole diet!

Sorry to hear about your girl. May I ask what her exercise/retriever training regime has been since a puppy? Have you considered a visit to a chiropractor? They might be able to help the rest of her body stay free which might help her to cope with her bad elbow...

No worries.... I didn't think you were Yeah, allergies are a lot more complex than people realise... its worth doing some research to have a look at symptoms etc. because there are plenty besides the itching... there's some good stuff out on the web if you search... also there's a difference between allergy and intolerances which most people don't realise either... At the end of the day I suppose the important thing to remember is that a dog that has true allergies has an immune system that isn't working properly. It's amazing how much there is to learn about atopy etc huh. I have learnt so much through this process and there's still tonnes I don't know. But having a plan to follow with an eventual target really helps get through it all. Zayder I really admire your determination and you have helped me and so many others enormously. This is a thread that everyone with an atopic pet should read, to know that there are things you can do and potential treatments out there.

RosieFT - maybe you could speak to your vet about getting a referral to a Dermatologist? The sooner you can start eliminating the causes the better and once you know what the causes are, you will know what products and foods etc that your dog should avoid. I have started on the testing process for my young boy who has had allergies since a pup, and have recently found out that oatmeal and fish are amongst several things he is allergic to, so fish oils are out as are oatmeal based lotions and shampoos. There are simple blood tests available now that can give you similar results to intradermal skin tests. They are a little pricey, but well worth it IMO if it means you can work towards relieving the itchies. Food elimination diets can help rule out food allergies, but you need to be careful what you use, as many commercial elimination diets still have things like corn, soy etc that might actually be the cause of the problems. Hope this helps!

Another thing, RosieFT Human drugs do not work the same on dogs as they do on people. I would not give my dogs antihistamines no matter how bad their rash is. There is no way you can work out a corrrect dose or even if it works on them. My vet said No Way to my discussion on antihistamines. You're vet needs to update his knowledge! Antihistamines are very widely used and doses are well documented. They are commonly prescribed by Veterinary Dermatologists and many people have found them very successful in relieving allergies. They are quite safe to use.

hilaryo - start measuring how much water your boy is drinking per day. It may be nothing to worry about, but there are a few conditions which can lead to dogs drinking excessively which dilutes the urine.

Ruthless, I'm not sure exactly where in Sydney you are, but I'm more than willing to have a look for you! Plus our vet who oversees orbits treatment is pretty good with allergies (poor guy has to look at orbit every day and discuss every little lump and bump!!). Wise words from zayder I know of a couple of dogs who get quite bad staph infections through the spring/summer months, though don't scratch much. Something in their environment irritates the skin and breaks the natural barrier and the staph just goes nuts. Thankfully they don't scratch too bad with it, but it just gets worse if not treated.

Keep in mind that pollens are also absorbed through the skin, so while it may appear that its simply a contact allergy, it's quite possible its still pollens. Allergies can be a real struggle to deal with, and as already said, expensive. Keep in mind that atopic dogs also generally get worse with age. If you do decide to adopt this dog, I suggest you find a good dermatologist and get started on the treatment process asap.

I think people often forget that dogs are essentially scavengers, and can survive (and often quite well) on foods many people would frown upon. I knew someone who pretty much fed their newfoundland dogs nothing but roo meat for most of it's life, with a bone or two every couple of days and dinner left overs. The dogs lived into their teens and suffered no ill effects. I'm not saying that that I recommend this diet, but i don't think an adult dog would necessarily get sick from it. Obviously puppies have more specific needs than that, though...

Not sure how long HESKA will take. SPOT serum was submitted on the 19th of Nov and took till today to come back, but it was free so I can't complain about the time.

I'm not sure what the HESKA panel is, but this is the SPOT one.

Oh boy... what a nightmare for you! I'd be really interested in seeing the panel. Not sure if you know what the SPOT and HESKA panels are like but more than welcome to see them - I can email you through results. Good news for us is that Gribbles are now adamant that you don't need to withhold drugs to do the HESKA, so that really helps us out at the moment. Sending you lots of good 'no more food allergy' vibes!!

Hey Zayder how did you go today? We got Orbit's SPOT results back today... 25 positives and 7 borderlines, not including food. Foods to apparently avoid are chicken, soybean, corn, wheat, oatmeal, barley, brewers yeast, fish and duck. Fish isn't surprising, and I was suss on brewers yeast too. He also reacted to Aloveen so I guess thats the oatmeal. Unfortunately we also have cat epi, mozzies, cockroaches, and dust mites as positives, which if true, really suck. Blood is being sent off tomorrow for the HESKA, so will be interesting to compare results!

Goodluck!! We got a free SPOT allergy test voucher, so Orbit's results will be back on Thursday. I'm not convinced on the validity of the results, but it's a start, and something to compare to when we do the Heska...

Could be a contact irritant - a plant is highly possible considering where they bumps are. Do you have any wandering jew? Are they itchy? Are they all over or just on the belly and face? Have they come up suddenly? If they aren't worrying the dog in anyway way I wouldn't be too concerned with needing to give any medication, unless they get worse. You can give antihistamines to dogs but the dose rate varies with each one. Your vet should be able to give you specific dose rates. I use a dog specific coal tar shampoo for my dog and that does help to relieve his dry itchy skin. A cool water rinse might offer some relief if he's itchy, and will also help to rinse off some of the irritant if its from plant pollen etc...

What a terrible thing to have happened. Sorry for your loss I don't think that the first vet has mucked up. It's up to the owners to request and authorize an autopsy. Seeing the first dog didn't show any symptoms, I don't think you can assume that their health problems are related. Is it possible that the second dog is stressed with the loss of its friend? Have you spoken to your vet to inform them that there has been no improvement? If their first course of treatment hasn't worked, you need to tell them and take the dog back so that it can be investigated further.

Have you tried foods like Orijen or Eagle Pack? Orijen is grain free and made with meat, fruits and veges etc, so might be something to look into. Also, I'm not a vegetarian so I can't really relate, but a dog is a carnivore. Is there any way you could bring yourself to deal with the meat for the sake of your dogs? Could your partner store the meat in portions that just involves you opening a container and feeding it straight to your dogs without you needing to touch it?

Interesting he got worse about August... that's when we started to flare up again too this year. Does correspond with the pollen season. With the food trial, our Dermatologist said we needed to do ours for atleast 12 weeks? Zayder_Asher gave me some great advice. We are now avoiding all the new generation non-drowsy antihistamines and are having some success with Phenergan, giving him about 1mg/kg twice a day. We have also upped the amount of fish oil (salmon oil) to 1000mg/5kg. Sucks having to open up about 13 capsules every day but it does seem to help and means we can reduce the amount of cortisone he needs. I also use a dog pine-tar shampoo every couple of days and also rinse him off daily (easier for me with a short coated dog) and that helps too. IMO, Dermatologists are invaluable. They are the skin experts and have a lot more info to give than your general practice vet. My vets are awesome, but they have learnt a fair bit by watching the process we have gone through with Orbit. There are also a couple of new blood tests that are now available in Australia that claim to give results that are as reliable as the skin testing. One is the Heska Allercept Serum test, and the other one I can't quite remember the name, but I believe my clinic is going to the launch of it tonight so will have more info on that one tomorrow. As with all tests though there is a drug with holding period you need to follow before you test, so if you do go down that path, make sure you follow it strictly so your money isn't wasted on false results!! ETA: Our golden used to get hotspots all the time. Hers were from flea allergy and just one bite was enough to make several large areas. They suck

FTPO - Have you seen a dermatologist? We thought about running the same bloods on Orbit after my vet and I went to see Jean. But when we really looked at his symptoms, history etc, we are sure it is atopy and are going to so skin tests instead. It's not cheap, but I'd much rather do that with the hope that we can lessen his symptoms and reduce the need for meds. Atopy sucks majorly, I know. Orbit has it pretty bad so I totally get your frustrations. Just keep going through the antihistamines, but again, I've learnt its probably best to do this under guidance of a dermatologist as they'll have more knowledge on doses etc. Remember goldens are also prone to have atopy too

It's just that Dexapressen doesn't appear in the IVS, nor can I find anything on it on google. I know that Dexadreson is a cortisone based drug so was just wondering if you were meaning that.

Sending you lots of positive thoughts, IR. I have been following your topic in general and I hope that it's nothing sinister. to you.

Dogs can have reactions to any types of drugs, be it non-steroidals, antibiotics, even herbal remedies. Drugs like Rimadyl (carprofen) can give dogs upset tummies and GI symptoms, just like drugs like Nurofen can with people. We have many clients with elderly dogs and cats who use non-steroidals with no ill-effects. Seeing that they are so commonly used (most dogs and cats would have them at some point in their lives, be it for post-op pain relief, or arthritis), its not surprising that there will be some reports of side effects. In any case, side effects should be reported to your vet asap so they can re-evaluate the treatment plan. Inspector Rex - I've not heard of that drug before. Do you mean Dexadreson?

Just make sure they are sure it is in fact constipation. Animals often strain when they have diarrhoea too and quite often nothing comes out - its just that feeling of needing to go that they are experiencing.