Rappie

The intranasal vaccination is modified live vaccination against both bacterial and viral disease - antibiotics are indicated in the case of accidental injection of these vaccinations due to the risk of developing infection from the bacterial components.

I have treated a couple of patients with a similar condition. The calcium deposits can slough to leave the resulting ulcer as the defect. There aren't a lot of alternatives, obviously you will be best guided by the specialist - I've seen some discussion of the use of contact lenses, but other than that the cases that I have seen have been treated conservatively with loads of lubricant eye drops, antibiotics (topical and oral) as required, pain relief as required and crossing fingers. One of the benefits to being aged is that the corneal basement membrane is a little less delicate but rupture is still possible as even once the ulcer heals the defect is not entirely replaced with normal cornea. If the cornea ruptures then enucleation is recommended.

Desexing procedures are generally heavily subsidised by the practice and should not be a measure for comparison of other procedures. For smaller patients in particular, the cost of a castration may be less than, or only a small amount more than the regular general anaesthesia fee. With respect to the cost of dentistry - there will be a wide variation in price that is somewhat dependent on your location, the 'inclusions' (blood tests, intraveneous fluids, dental radiographs etc), the pricing structure, the extent of dental disease and whether the extractions performed are surgical or not. It is important to know what is included in the cost to be able to make any comparison but no, that doesn't sound unreasonable for a dental that required extractions. The cost will be variable based on difficulty of extractions (often charged based on time or number of tooth roots), length of anaesthesia etc.

From the photos you have posted, it does look like there is entrapment of the lower canine. If this is the case, then yes extraction of the tooth is recommended. If the tip of the tooth is indenting the hard palate, then it can / will restrict the growth of the mandible and, as you have noted there is already some malocclusion occurring. Extraction of the offending tooth remove the restriction and allows normal growth and development. There can also often be significant trauma to the hard palate from the tooth which can lead to pain and infection. The photo that karen15 has posted represented a persistent deciduous maxillary canine - which is a different scenario. Extraction for these is still recommended but for different reasons.

Try the above suggestions but unfortunately it tastes nasty so can be difficult to administer. I usually have more success with even tiny fractions of tablets in food but even this can sometimes be difficult if there is oral pathology,

It will depend partly on the the particular vaccines used, the local area and incidence of parvovirus and which protocols the vet is following - it doesn't mean any of the vets are 'wrong'. Protech vaccines have an early (10 weeks of age if first vaccine given at 6 week and using a 4 week interval). The World Small Animal Veterinary Association recommends a late finish (16-18 weeks) regardless of the type of vaccination used. If you start early at 6 weeks and use the 4 week interval then 14 weeks would be the finish time. If you start at 8 weeks (preferred by many) then that becomes at 16 week finish time. In higher risk areas, then an early start might be preferable and perhaps even requiring an extra vaccination to extend to the full 16-18 weeks if there is an endemic problem. Perhaps ask a trusted vet why they use a particular protocol over another - it may help clear things up (or muddy the waters even more!).

It is a personal decision for you but it should be based on you being given appropriate information. If pre-anaesthetic blood testing is in house then it is available to every patient. It generally tests basic organ function by measuring liver and kidney parameter, protein level, blood glucose and in some cases will include haematology as well. The majority of young patients will not have any abnormalities but without checking, it's not possible to say there is nothing wrong. There can be other complications that arise that cannot be predicted with the blood test. If there are changes, it may mean the procedure is postponed, or that the anaesthesia protocol is modified. I do recommend them for animal from around 7 years onwards, sometimes I will strongly recommend a full blood screen before a procedure. For young animals, a baseline level is nice to have but it is ultimately your decision. Ideally, I would have all animals on IV fluids if they are undergoing anaesthesia. They will help to maintain blood pressure during anaesthesia (which can be reduced by premedication drugs and anaesthesia itself) which in turn maintains organ perfusion with blood. If there is an urgent need for them (bleeding, anaesthetic emergency) they can be adjusted quickly. While young animals have a better ability to compensate for the changes through multiple physiologic pathways, it does not negate the fact that they do still occur.

It sounds like you have most of the factual information that you require. I have been involved in the treatment of a couple of cases after diagnosis with a specialist but not had other personal experience with affected dogs - hopefully you will find a discussion / FB group with owners that have.

Either would be appropriate options. If you are concerned about the Milbemax dose, use two of the small (0-5kg) tablets for <10kg.

I work in a shelter practice and we tattoo any animals that we desex, or where we have proof of desexing and they are under anaesthesia for another purpose (eg dentistry). Some animals that are surrendered or strays that fulfil their hold period and are already desexed are not tattooed.

I agree @KobiD. Certainly wasn't trying to suggest vets are the only source of information, just that they could be a good one along with many others. You're right though, that some people will never be inclined to do any preparation and are unlikely to change.

Coming a bit late to the discussion .... To start with, I know the author of that article personally - she is an excellent veterinarian and journalist and in addition to all the other stuff she does while somehow bending space and time, she has just co-authored a textbook on veterinary Ethics. I would be doing well to be half the person that Anne is, let alone vet. It's Secondly, the average DOLer is already well ahead of the average 'never owned a pet before in my life' prospective pet owner. I see a lot of new puppy and kitten consults where the owners have clearly not done a scrap of research about what they're embarking on (active working breeds in apartments, buying a dog and being completely surprised when it grew big, having no idea that pets require toilet training or that you need to spend time with them etc ). I think vets are well placed to give general advice in this situation considering often the alternate place of contact might otherwise be a large chain pet store who are, of course only going to give unbiased advice. Regardless of who the prospective owners see, the idea of having an idea of what you're in for PRIOR to bringing a new family member home is a great idea.

Yes the Milbemax is very much the same but has only two dosing brackets: 0-5kg and 5-25kg. It can be given monthly for heartworm or 3 monthly for intestinal worms. It is sometimes more economical than interceptor depending on the size of the dog. Sentinel is good at what it does so long as you understand the mode of action (as I see you do) but there are other similar products that are better for flea control.

If you're treating for hydatid tapeworm specifically it is every 6 weeks (with praziquantel). Routine intestinal worming treatment is every 3 months. With many of the combination products on the market, the monthly frequency of administration is for heartworm and often the intestinal worming is a 'side effect' (for want of a better term) of the main active ingredient. With respect to heartworm, the most important consideration across all of the options is whether the treatments will be given frequently enough to provide continuous coverage (ie no point getting a monthly treatment if they are given every few months when you remember!). Combo products are great but equally there would be no issue with monthly heartworm + 3 monthly intestinal worming (+ dose of praziquantel at the halfway mark if you need to cover hydatids). It also important to check what your "allwormer" covers - it can include "all" worms (heartworm + intestinal worms including hydatid), all intestinal worms (including hydatid) or 'most' worms (so includes tapeworm but not hydatids).

Praziquantel is the medication used to treat tapeworm and it is very inexpensive if purchased alone.

Probably the latter unfortunately. I've seen this type of injury many times and the majority have just been through ignorance. The others have been from allowing children unsupervised access to both elastic bands and the pet dog.

What a difficult situation for you to be in I can't give you the right answer but you need to discuss it enough with the vets you trust for you to be comfortable making a decision. Certainly a specialist referral will be an option for you, and the benefit of that will be an experienced dentist with the aid of specialist anaesthetists, internal medicine specialists and an ER / ICU team for monitoring. It isn't possible for any of us to say whether this is 'necessary' in your situation. If you don't pursue a referral then I would suggest you talk to whichever vet you feel most comfortable with (or a new one) and find out from them all of your options, if they recommend proceeding or not, how they intend to manage the medical case and anaesthesia if you go ahead, potential complications and outcomes etc. In general, it can be easy to underestimate dental disease as a lot can be going on under the gum line that is not visible to the naked eye and will require either thorough examination under general anaesthesia at a minimum and often dental radiographs as well.

Classical lymphoma usually present with most of, if not all of the peripheral lymph nodes being grossly enlarged. A single enlarged lymph node usually means that it is reactive and doing its normal job in response to some kind of inflammation. A consultation, thorough examination and cytology (if indicated) will go a long way to sorting it out. (That's also not exactly where you will find the axillary nodes, so it more likely that it's just a lumpy bump)

I agree, I always suggest cytology when we come across a new lump or bump. It's a simple test to do, often results can be given to you in the same consult (if assessed in house) or within a day or two if sent away to the lab. I would be disappointed if one of my nurses told an owner not to worry about something like this.

We do occasionally have to use a different wormer to treat hookworm but it is important to remember that it is an environmental problem (general hygiene, over crowding) as well. The liquid puppy wormers are pretty useless for anything other than roundworm (and not necessarily that good at that job either).

It's not pretty. The outbreak has been occurring for many weeks now, but glad the message it getting out to the wider population.

Occasional cases are appropriate candidates for outpatient treatments but always with several caveats, they need daily or twice daily rechecks (usually with a repeat consultation fee), meds, dedicated home nursing care and an understanding that at any point the pet may require admission to hospital (which is best done early on), or as is often the case, euthanasia. It's not the 'easy' option and it will still require a reasonable financial investment as well as a significant time / emotional one and it comes with the risks of further contamination of the home environment, risk of exposure of other animals and so on. It is unfortunately one of those time where prevention is the best cure, as once they are infected treatment is primarily supportive given that it is a virus (and a very good one at that).

Have replied Scottsmum :)

It should still heal well. Often a matter of preference, or necessity to leave extraction sites open however I now predominantly do 'surgical' extractions with gingival flaps and find the healing time to be quite rapid. In many cases having no tooth is much more comfortable than a fractured one no matter how it was extracted

I'm so glad she is improving. Just a brief comment on dose rates - they are usually discussed on a per dose basis, with the exception of a few medications which are certain dose rate per day and then that total dose may be divided into 2-3 smaller doses. The published dose range (even in one the 'standard' drug bible) for metronidazole in dogs is quite wide, but the information you have been given by your specialist is consistent with current trends.