stormie

Agree with sas. Unless you have an allergic dog, don't try to tell someone to get off the cortisone. Obviously they would be better without it, but I'd much prefer to give my boy a low dose rather than see him eating himself raw. Side effects from low dose cortisone (0.5mg/kg every second day) aren't actually very common. Using antihistamines and omega oils in conjunction with cortisone can help to bring the dose of cortisone required down. We have tried omega oils, all different shampoos, lotions etc, vit c, msn, a multitude of herbal, holistic and homeopathic drugs etc etc. Antihistamines only work to keep the cortisone levels down. Under dermatologists advice, we have ruled out fleas, scabies and food allergies. We are on a raw, grain free, preservative free diet. I wash him every second day or after a roll in the grass. Dogs can absorb pollens through their skin, so a rinse off after any contact with the outside world can help. Dogs can also have allergies to dust mites, so again, regular rinsing can help reduce the absorption. Finally now, we are working towards being cortisone free in order to have tests done to find out exactly what he's allergic to. These tests DO NOT diagnose atopy - you need to do that by ruling out everything else. We need to be free of cortisone for 2 weeks (as he has previously been on 0.25mg/kg every other day or less, any higher than this and you need to be off it for 4 weeks). Sounds easy, but anyone with an atopic dog will sympathise with just how difficult it is.

A few of our clients have had success with the Demadex rinse. It's amitraz so you need to be careful with it, but it has brought infestations under control within a couple of weeks. Some have found success with Preventix Collars.

I actually use an old juicer - and use the pulp for the mush and add a bit of the juice. I tend to juice the carrots, celery & fruit first so I can drink some of it cos I'm not that keen on spinach/cauliflower juice myself! Haha I made the mistake of trying it one day - never again!

Smells like anal glands! They might be full and need expressing - maybe a quick trip to the vet to see if someone can empty them for you?

Danois, what would be a high fat diet? (He's fed Orijien mixed with half a sardine and given 2 x chicken wings a day.) My understand is that is isn't the protein that's an issue with growth acceleration, but rather a diet too high in calories (ie fat). Any food that is balanced for either regular puppies or large breed puppies should be balanced. The general rule for pups is to keep them lean and not overweight. So if you are feeding extras like chicken wings and sardines, just remember to feed a little less of the dry food than you otherwise would if you were just feeding dry.

Just out of curiosity, why did he get a C6 two weeks after a C3? And do you mean he got vaccinated WHILST he had kennel cough?

So if I'm reading this right. When feeding a chicken frame on that day feed nothing else? Thanks It depends on the size of the dog. Orbit, for example, gets meat for breakfast, and about 3 chicken carcasses at night.

Orbit gets told "into the bath" and in he goes! I have a $5 pet shower attachment from kmart.

Maybe, but I think you'll find that growth will start to slow down soon and you'll get more 'outwards' growing rather than 'upwards' growth. Orbit weighed about that at 9wks!!

There is a surgical procedure for correcting HD that is much less invasive but can only be performed up to a certain age. What the vet said is correct. There are plenty of dogs who already have terrible hips at 5months of age. Whilst you cannot give a hip score at this age, in a lot of cases, you most certainly can see hip displaysia.

I've seen this many times. Our golden retriever had it at about 15yo. Usually the first 2-3 days are the worst, and then they start to improve. I have seen one or two be pts, but these dogs were VERY severe and suffered other health problems too, which contributed to the decision. Nursing is the best thing you can do. Keeping them quiet for the first couple of days can help, as they are often feeling quite sick from being so dizzy. I handfed our golden for the first few days until she was able to reach the food herself, but even then I had to hold her steady, as focusing on the food often made her lose balance. She never went back to being completely 100% - she still retained a slight head tilt.

Couldn't agree more with what I've highlighted in bold, Cosmolo. A question for your other point - how can they reliably detect HD before 5 months of age? Everything I've read says that there is little point in x-raying before 12 months of age - I'm more than happy to be corrected though I know of several cases of puppies with shocking hips that were under 6 months. I guess in some cases it is so bad that its really obvious early on. The fact they have a procedure to fix it means that it must be around. One of our vets' girlfriend's pup was diagnosed at about 5 months.

The growth issue is more of an problem with large/giant breeds. Smaller breeds generally stop growing much earlier than giant breeds, so in many cases, the growth plates have already closed in a small breed at the 6month point. Large/giant breeds still have tonnes of growing to do at 6months. I can kind of see where the vet was coming from. IF i dog has HD, then it is much easier to surgically repair at that age. But usually that's done in cases where the pup is already displaying symptoms. To say they can scan now is a bit odd, because even if it comes back looking ok, it can still change with time.

Yep, it would be a pimple - called a 'pustule'. Relatively common in skin folds as its a perfect place for bacteria to live, being warm and moist. Keeping it clean as you are doing helps.

I'm totally agreeing with you with regards to the 6wk shot. IMO, pups should have a 9-10wk and 13-14wk and that's it.

A pup can get one at 8-10 weeks & be covered........titer it & see....T cells are T cells, immunity is immuntiy, you cant get any more immune than immune LOL I'm agreeing with you! That's what I'm trying to say, thats why I don't get what you mean about pups that get a 6wk shot get parvo more than those that don't. If they get one at 12wks and it works, they are covered. If it didn't work, they aren't and can get parvo. I don't see how this has anything to do with whether they had a 6wk shot or not.

Thats good, as that is not what I said ! Pups that have had a shot at 6 weeks is the same as a pup that has had NO shot at all........when the 6 week old goes for its 12 week one, that is in fact its FIRST one (as the 6 wk one did nothing), yet is out in public etc thinking it is immune, and it is not.......This is why so many 6 week vaccinated pups get parvo.........I hope that is clearer for you :D Sorry, but this still doesn't really make sense to me. I don't get why the issue is that it would only be the FIRST shot?

All the reading I have done has suggested a lowered immune system is usually the cause behind allergies and ear infections - that is, that dogs would cope better being exposed to foods that are high allergen should their immune system be in peak condition. The many vets I have spoken to over the years have told me the same. However I am always keen to learn more so if you can point me in the direction where I can learn more about your theory stormie, I would be most interested My understanding is they don't know exactly why some dogs get allergies, but that some have a malfunctioning immune system, and others have an overactive one. If you google allergies and the cause in general, there are quite a few articles on the causes of allergies as being an overactive immune system. And the drug Atopica (widly used to treat atopic dermatitis) is cyclosporin, which is an immunosupressive drug that works by reducing the activity of the immune system. But in saying all this, whatever the cause, I think anything that you can give to generally improve the general health of your dogs is definately a good thing. Whether the immune system is under of overactive, making your dog healthier will, IMO, help.

Sounds like he needs a trip to the vet. Could be a lot of different things. Maybe taking a urine sample to the vet could give some clues, and is cheaper than doing bloods right away? Just a thought....

How old is he, Ruger?

I feed Orbit raw - no grains at all. He gets about 2-3% of his body weight in food each day. I personally don't really care if he doesn't feel full after his meat meal - he maintains perfect weight and is hungry for his next meal, so IMO he's eating enough!

Orbit got a frozen one by accident this winter. It was quite awful to watch him shivering Agree with others - supervision is the key!

Or, are allergies caused by an overactive immune system, reacting to things that an otherwise 'normal' dog wouldn't?

We have an AQIS approved Vet here & his clients are constantly complaining to the AVA about his negligence, so it doesnt really mean much to me LOL Your vet is following the outdated protocol, which has been proven to be wrong.......he is following the Drug company recomendations, and not following the scientific evidence. .... he can run his own personal study himself if he wants to, he can vaccinate pups at 6 weeks then Titer test them & see that they have ZERO immunity....he can then take other litters & vaccinate them at 8-10 weeks & Titer test them & see that most if not all WILL have immunity........ The reason so many puppies get Parvo virus is due to the fact they have been done at 6 weeks & have no immunity I agree with you that puppies get no benefit from a 6week vacc, but assuming they get a 6week shot, then they'll also get a 10, and then a 14week, which according to Jean, is adequate (one shot before 12wks and one shot after, 4 weeks apart), but just renders the 6wk shot pointless. So to say that so many puppies get parvo BECAUSE of the 6week shot, IMO, is not correct. The reason that puppies get parvo is because they are allowed to come into contact with the virus before they have adequate immunity. I'm all for the new protocol, but I believe titre testing is important if you are not going to vaccinate regularly. And I think each dog needs to be treated as an individual. Australia has such a low incidence of canine diseases because of our current or 'outdated' protocol. It's going to be really interesting to see how things go over the years. I'll start referring to the new protocol as 'scientific evidence' when I know 100% sure that it keeps dogs safe. In my area, it's all relatively new (as in the last couple of years), so I don't think you can be sure that it's proven for many years to come. As for the vets just trying to make money, well that's a whole other topic (which personally, really irritates me). So often on dol I read threads about people complaining about incompetent vets because they gave the wrong advice/diagnosis. How long will it be before someone is complaining because their vet told them not to vaccinate but then their dog gets parvo? And no doubt it will all be the vets fault again... Not all vets are perfect, but they've all done the hard yards at uni and most of them are trying to do the best for the owners, but at the same time, following guidelines to cover their arses from clients who want to sue them for everything.

Jigsaw, I haven't had a dog with a heart problem, but I just thought I'd ask about the irregular heart beat while she's sleeping. Could it be that it's just a sinus arrhythmia - that is, the heart rate changing with the breathing patterns (generally speeds up as they take a breath and slows down between breaths)? Sinus arrhythmia's are completely normal. Hopefully it's nothing to worry about and it never causes her problems.