giraffez

When it was squirted out onto the slide, it was clear, no colour at all. There was one where the vet wasn't sure because he said it didn't feel right, so sent to the labs - it also had no colour. Didn't even microscope it and I'm not sure why. It came back as a lipoma also. I'm beginning to wonder whether I need to change vets. My boy has seen this vet since he was little. He is now 11 and I'm not sure changing vets now is a good thing.

I actually get the impression that microscope work isn't performed at this vet. He doesn't even check it, just sends it to the lab. Some he would look at the specimen on the slide using the naked eye and say this looks like a lipoma and not nasty so we won't send this one to the lab. But i'm not sure how he can tell without a microscope. It seems simple enough to diagnose from the above youtube video. I wonder why they don't do it.

Thanks everyone. Could I just clarify something to make sure I'm understanding correctly, the FNA you are referring to is the test to extract a bit of the lump into a needle and put on a slide then view under the microscope? Exactly what @Boronia 's video shows. The thing is, my vet does the first two but doesn't view it under the microscope and they refer it as fine needle aspiration. They send the slides to the labs to get checked out instead. Is it common for vets to be able to understand how to use the microscope?

I'm struggling to find a good vet. The one I'm going to has the best reviews in the area .... by a long shot and I've been seeing them for a while too. I would think they would know how to do a fine needle aspiration but doesn't seem to be the case. Finding a good vet is a bit of hit or miss. Until I actually get into the consult room, I won't know whether they can do this and there is no point asking them over the phone because the receptionist is usually a younger kid (I say kid because they are like in high school) taking the call with very little (or none) animal medical background.

My vet didn't give me this option. He basically said need to send to the labs, thats the only way to tell. So its $200 per lump. I also went to see a specialist for some other matter and I asked him to look at the lump as a passing comment, and he basically told me the same thing, he can't tell without sending to a lab as a biopsy.

My schnauzer is 10 and I've noticed a lot of lumps and bumps on him now. We got a few of them tested and they turned out to be lipomas which are benign, but there are more appearing and my vet says he will just continue to get more as he ages. At what point do i stop testing? Its a very expensive exercise - around $200 per lump and he now has around 6 new ones. Are lumps common to appear once a dog is over 10? I read today at an animal hospital that 50% of dogs over 10 have some form of cancer.

Did you try it with adaptil?

Great suggestions, will try that next time

@Boroniathanks for raising this to my attention otherwise I wouldn't have seen this @Garret, I'm sorry to hear this. I ended up taking my dog to the hospital to see a specialist. Put him on some nerve medication and he has remarkably improved significantly. Hasn't relapsed since (knock on wood). He seems to be back to normal, however, I keep a close eye on his movement, I don't let him bolt out the door into the yard like he used to. But its all looking well. He is no longer on the meds, was only on it for around 2 weeks. It has help my boy, not sure whether it has the same effect on yours but worth asking the vet. I'll PM you the name of the med once I find it, I wrote it down somewhere. We did go for an MRI and confirmed he had a protruded disc. Doesn't seem to be bothering him at the moment when it hasn't flared up. Surgery was an option (albeit a risky one due to the angle) if the meds didn't work but in my mind, probably not worth putting him through the pain and long recovery at his age. I'm thank my lucky stars that the meds worked, I hope it does for you too. All the best!

Wouldn’t have a clue, it is most likely in a warehouse. Not sure whether that is air conditioned. But I think the volume they sell the stock goes out the door pretty quickly

no freezer space. Wouldn't it come out all wet? If the bag is not opened, does it go bad in the foil packaging in such hot weather?

The dog food I want is currently 30% off however I’ve probably got one month worth of kibbles left. Given the hot weather lately (high 30s everyday) I’m thinking I shouldn’t stock up on more even though the saving is tempting as it’s not often it’s on sale. The bags are in foiled bags so I’m curious whether the hot weather will make the food go bad, or less fresh. Your thoughts?

Wow so much cheaper! Does the costco one always have stock or is it a rotational item where it only appears once in a while?

Thanks The strength and brand and packaging is all the same. @karly101 Why doesn't the vet just write a script rather maintain all that overhead? Its bad for the vet in terms of storage and packing and dispensing etc, and bad for the customer as it is so much more expensive. Wouldn't it work better to just get them to go get their own meds from the chemist and keep the ones that you need for emergency/surgeries at the clinic?

can it go under local anesthetic without putting my dog under?

Thanks @Divawhat are the websites you are referring to? How do they fulfil and order online if it requires a prescription?

Thanks. Is it the same recipe as taste of the wild, just different brand? How much is the costco one and how many Kgs?

My boy has some loose teeth. Don't want to put him under to get it removed. Will it fall out on its own? It has been loose for a while now. Doesn't seem to bother him but its gone a bit brown on the edges.

Why are pet medication so much more expensive? The same med for dog and human, costs about 50 times more if i get it at the vet hospital. My dog went into hospital recently and the specialist dispensed me some drugs. Because it is for long term use, he says he can write me a script for the future to get at the chemist. I'm not sure whether this means cheaper prices and what it means for my pet insurance claim. If i have it dispensed at the chemist, can I still claim under insurance? I looked up the drug on the chemist warehouse page and it only costs peanuts, but i paid hundreds at the hospital.

i used TOTW salmon for my boy. I did it because of the good reviews and it seems to do well with them. Its one of the few brands that only have fish as the protein. Other brand chuck in chicken fillers which my boy has a mild allergy to when he was young. Does the costco brand have fish?

Very fair point. The MRI/CT I was told would most probably pinpoint the problem. At the moment, my dog keeps relapsing into pain once the pain killers wear off. So in effect, I'm just masking the problem. Wouldn't the likes of bowen, accupunture, chiro and physio be all in the same boat ? Gives the pet relief but doesn't fix the issue. If left unattended, all the symptoms will surface again. Since getting the pain he can't go a day without the pain killers and even when he does, he can still be in excruciating pain. With surgery you have a very good point. At the moment I'm not 100% clear whether surgery can fix the problem. Can IVDD be fixed at all? @karly101 seems to imply there are success stories and I also read online from some of the websites @persephone kindly sent me that its not all doom and gloom. Does pet insurance offer coverage for MRI and CT? I know there is still a huge out of pocket but any coverage will help significantly. @Dogsfevr how often do you see a bowen and while i understand they do help, do your babies still experience pain. Do you still need them on pain relief medication with these alternate therapy treatment? I did a google on canine Bowen therapy NSW and I couldn’t find any practitioners. Where do I start if I was to find one?

inner west what kind of specialist am i looking for for IVDD?

Thanks all. I’m not sure I can find a Bowen. Is i t worthwhile to see a physio, how effective are the treatments? @karly101 a specialist is probably the way to go. what kind of specialist look into ivdd? Do I need a CT or MRI first?

Thanks, when to use cold and when to use heat. If he has an inflammation (which I think he has) heat will agggrevate it more wouldn’t it? Usually when the pain is new, you apply cold and few days later heat. But this pain comes and goes. surgery I don’t think is an option, I was told it’s very invasive and recovery is long and he may not walk after that. He is nine so I’m more leaning towards making him as comfortable as possible. im also worried about the meds he is taking for long term, tramedol is a pain killer and seems to be effective when he is in pain but I worry it’s going to have adverse effects.

vet diagnosed him with IVDD for the back. No xrays done yet, vet doesn't think anything will show up in the xrays. If anything, will need a CT and/or MRI. He is only on tablets at the moment. When it get bad, i ice pack him but given the cold weather lately, the cold pack is not ideal.