Rappie

At the risk of annoying all the people in Off Topic... Tramissa, I have sent you a PM.

So does our Miss B - the only way to get them under GA for less than $150 is if we're castrating your cat With regards to me saying that we keep animals in hospital overnight, it's only really in cases where there are several extractions. We have a nurse that lives on premises and who can hand feed tasty chicken, or give pain relief if the vets want it administered during the night. If they stay overnight, they will often stay on fluids as well. Generally you will pay a half day hospitalisation for a day procedure, so the difference between that and staying overnight is often not that much. If the dog (or cat) is going to stress too much then we send them home on the same evening, it really just depends.

Really depends on what is being done but it is not an unreasonable price for a higher end practice. Prices around here would be similar, for pre-anaesthetic bloods, IV fluids, GA, local anaesthetic nerve blocks, gingivoplasty, high speed drill resection of tooth, suture material to close the extraction site, scale and polish of remaining teeth, overnight in hospital (for large extractions to make sure pain relief is under control and the dog is happy to eat - though this is negotiable and only makes about $15 difference) and pain relief and antibiotics to go home with.

If we're talking about the same product, Glyde is a powder for dogs that is available over the counter. There is probably a horse version too (as there are companion versions of both Pentosan and Cartrophen).

I actually had a patient a little while ago, with teeth that I think were held in place by tartar, not tooth roots. He was very happy considering, but he stunk our whole treatment room out so badly all our nurses were running around looking for disgusting things in bins...

I have several clients using it on their dogs with good success (also others on Joint Guard). Alanglen - it's another joint supplement made by Parnell, slightly different to some in that it contains glucosamine, chondroitin and omega oils as well. They also have their own PSGAG injection called Zydex, which is the same concentration as Pentosan and Cartrophen. ETA: The name of the product is actually "Glyde".

Tartar definitely comes in green, often accompanied by pus, 'death breath', exposed roots and loose teeth.

I've only heard of clinical problems from cod liver oil, fish oil has a much greater margin of safety. Generally I use between 1000mg / dog and 1000mg/10kg. The problem is the source of cod liver oil being liver, the same problem can be experienced if liver from other species is fed consistently in larger quantities.

They need to be attached for a while, no specific time frame but usually between 1 and 3 days. They also need to be adult (so grey, rather than brown) and have been feeding - although they are often not huge, they are generally at the 3-4mm stage. The ascending paralysis is caused by blocking of neuromuscular junctions and once this occurs, the only thing that will reverse it is time. The tick antiserum treatment is used to 'mop up' circulating toxin and stop it from binding. Recovery from tick paralysis takes days rather than hours and unless there is a concurrent infection (usually aspiration pneumonia) their attachment does not lead to pyrexia.

The mites are present on all dogs, but some have a genetic predisposition to actually developing clinical disease. Any form of stress can cause a dip in immune response - environmental, nutritional etc so it's possible that while the immune system is preoccupied dealing with a vaccination that we can see then signs of demodicosis. Having juvenile demodicosis doesn't neccessarily mean that it will be a problem in adulthood (and adult onset demodex is a more serious problem). Sorry this is short, I'm working on some other things atm.

Hypervitaminosis A is not so much of a problem with fish oil as cod liver oil, it is the liver with the high vitamin A content.

Many dogs with food allergies will show dermatologic signs, including recurrent or persistent malassezia infections. They itch, then they scratch, and all that self trauma and 'unhappy' skin is an excellent place for malassezia to grow. As they replicate, each yeast wall that ruptures releases a small amount of protein that is irritant to the tissues and so they cycle continues. So yes, an allergy to meat protein can lead to yeast infections (however I initially read the OP as meat causing a yeast allergy, which is harder come to grips with).

Is she really? I would be more inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt and think that what she's really learned is that you will pay attention to her if she barks. If she barks, you acknowledge her presence. Even being scolded, or touched to be put outside can count as attention. She may be determined, but I wouldn't think its determination to be dominant. More that most of the time it works, and when it doesn't the natural response is to try harder out of frustration. I'd ignore the barking completely, carry on doing whatever you're doing until she's quiet, then tell her she's great. If she's responsive to praise then you don't have to touch her to do that. I'd also make sure she has plenty of exercise and mental stimulation and if you're not already, then start the 'nothing in life is free' program to give her a way that she can get attention. Also when you take attention for barking away, it's likely to get worse (temporarily) before it gets better so you've got to be consistent. Don't forget to reward "calm", it's easy to get wrapped up in all the things they aren't doing right

It might be time for some more investigation instead of further medication. Older small breed dogs may begin to have problems with dynamic airway disease but the change in bark would also make me consider checking out his laryngeal function. I would also suggest some thoracic radiographs as a starting point.

Most commonly we see signs of gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting or diarrhoea, of most concern is either of those including blood. It is prudent, particularly in older animal to run check hepatic (liver) and renal (kidney) function on a semi-regular basis if they are on long term medication.

As has been mentioned in other similar thread, it's important to establish exactly what the estimate includes. If a castrate is $252, pain relief is $40 then the other $110 may easily be an estimate including intravenous fluids and pain relief, or deciduous canine removal if required. If you're to compare prices, it's best to know what is actually getting done.

Both phenylpropanolamine and pseudoephedrine have their effects on alpha adrenergic receptors - swapping between them is not likely to make a great deal of difference.

They certainly can suffer from tendonitis (commonly in the biceps tendon) and bursitis. It's not a common diagnosis but definitely possible.

Any of the major specialist centres in Sydney have vets that are very experienced orthopaedic surgeons (Veterinary Specialist Centre, Animal Referral Hospital, Small Animal Specialist Hospital, University of Sydney Camperdown). David Lidbetter works independently out of Parramatta Veterinary Surgical Specialists and is very, very good (and very highly qualified).

From the outset, I think it's important to keep in mind that the general dog owning population and the DOL dog owning population are quite different in levels of knowledge. We stock one brand of food because the prescription diets are very good. We also stock the 'consumer' range because they are good quality. We also stock the consumer range, because its quite common for new puppy owners to be completely flustered about what to feed and would like to buy their food with advice. Plenty of my clients feed raw, or home cooked, or brands of dry food that we don't sell. Our general principle is to encourage good nutrition, not push a specific brand. In terms of bones, I always discuss 'appropriate' bones with clients. They can choose whether or not to feed them. It's naive to assume that feeding bones is without risk, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence - so just because YOU have never had a problem with feeding bones, not all dogs can eat bones without incident. There's two types of bone: Hard, weight bearing bones are best fed when meaty for recreation, and keeping the incisors and canines clean through ripping and tearing the meat and tissues off it. These bones are harder than teeth, and slab fractures of the carnassials are quite common. Best fed when they are bigger than the dogs head Cutting them in half for the marrow might elicit warm fuzzy feelings but it's also a great way to trigger a case of pancreatitis. I also recommend that they bones are taken away once theres nothing left on them. Softer bones that can be eaten entirely - really need to fed with care. They need to be chewed to have any effect on teeth. If chicken necks and wings get swallowed, then you need to feed something bigger like frames, or brisket or lamb flaps. I recommend that these bones are fed while the dogs are supervised - they also need to be appropriate to the size of the dog. Crunching the bones up keeps the back teeth clean. The dogs I have seen with issues have usually been fed cooked bones, a random size chunk of bone that was really too big to swallow but too small to chew and then gets lodged somewhere in the digestive tract, have had so many bones that they poop (or have difficulty pooping) bone shards and need enemas, or have split their teeth in half chewing on the shin bone they've had for the last week.

Sorry to hear the update We have recently had a lovely young Cocker Spaniel with tetanus in intensive care for a week, and saw another case about a month ago in a 6mth old pup. Unfortunately, the Cocker developed severe respiratory difficulty and the owner chose to let him go. It was a hard slog for everyone involved - the vets I work with have successfully treated a few cases but as I'm sure your new vet has told you its (sadly) a matter of treating the treatable and waiting for time to show us which way things are going to go. The fact that he's eating, drinking and is mobile is a positive sign at this stage. If you want to PM me, feel free. I can't guarantee a quick reply though - I am going away over the weekend and will be back on Monday night. I will have net access but you might have more luck sending me an email through DOL. I hope you have some good news over the weekend :rolleyes:

If there is a would around the elbow, the swelling could be related to that, or if the lymph node in the axilla (arm pit) is enlarged it may be blocking the flow of lymph fluid from the leg back into the circulation.

There's a wide range of opinions on what a 'good vet' is, just as there is a wide range of opinions on how much it should cost. Vets offer a professional service, put many more hours into their work than they are actually paid for, yet are (frequently) undervalued. How much should veterinary services cost? Have you picked that figure because it's what you've been paying for ever, or what you think the service is actually worth? Do you feel that the professional and medical skills possessed by your veterinarian are less than say a GP? I work with excellent client who want the best for their pets. Sometimes that involves an involved diagnostic work-up, sometimes it is a simple problem. Recommending diagnostic tests doesn't mean the vet is lining their pockets, not that they have no clue, it means they are gathering specific information to make medical judgements with. Unfortunately, everything costs money and having a system such as Medicare means that many people have no idea what things actually cost.

Tetanus is rare but not impossible. We have seen 2 cases in the last month, and I know of another 2 cases in the surrounding area (Western Sydney) just from talking to my colleagues generally. If the dog is very stiff, with a wrinkled face I'd definitely be considering it. If it is tetanus, then it can be progressive especially if generalised and not all cases end well. I'd be searching every inch of dog for a puncture wound. Edit: I suspect that the antibiotic you're referring to is "Metrogyl" which is metronidazole.

"Dispelling the Dominance Myth - Sarah Heath"