Rappie

The virus can remain in the nasal passages for up to 3 months or so , so potentially it can still be spread. Vaccination against parainfluenza and bordatella doesn't guarantee that vaccinated individuals wont be infected - but with some immunity the clinical signs are limited (not non existant). Limited clinical signs (sneezing, coughing etc) limits the spread of disease to other individuals.

What Charles said :D If you are comfortable with your vet and they are comfortable doing the surgery then there shouldn't be an issue. Now if she were a big, old, fat Rottweiler that would be different... Edited: Too many adjectives, lol.

No. Around these parts *cough* the correct term is "willy goo". :D Ok, ok. It's really called smegma.

Advocate is the only registered treatment for Demodex that isn't amitraz but the results from using it to treat generalised demodex haven't been that exciting. It's a good choice for treating dogs with localised demodex that need heartworm / flea / intestinal worming treatment. It does make a difference but it doesn't always resolve the mite problem, rather keeps it at a low level.

You're welcome. Once a canal has become stenoic and calcified there isn't a lot we can do to change the physical state of it without surgery. Occasionally in the short term I'll use steroids to open the ear canals as much as possible (by reducing inflammation) because it will make the treatment more effective. If there is an infection that can be treated adequately with malaseb (ie. cocci or yeast) then creating an *environment* that is resistant to infection (through the residual action of the active ingredients) is far preferable to creating a resistant infection through continued medication. I would be careful of putting "other" things in the ear - if the infection has been going on for a long time it's quite likely that the ear drum is long gone so we need to be careful about what sort of irritants go down there.

The current advice for dilution of Malaseb is 1:50 in luke warm water. It was previously 1:30 but that has been revised.

What type of infection is in the ears? If it's a chronic yeast infection from the environment and anatomy of the ear then regular, life long cleaning with malaseb would be an option to consider. However, it really does depend on what's actually growing down there whether or not continued as to which treatment is most appropriate.

Thats about what I would expect, higher if there are any extractions, take home meds or options such as preanaesthetic blood tests and intravenous fluids. It is a full general anaesthetic, with a full scale and polish, including subgingival cleaning, as well as the day in hospital.

I have removed one, it was between the dog's thoracic inlet and the point of it's shoulder - about the size of a tennis ball. It was doing fine for the few months after surgery, but I'm not sure what happened after that as I moved to a new practice. The histopathology indicated that it was removed with clean margins. As you've mentioned, they are locally invasive and it is quite unusual for them to spread to other parts of the body.

Pectineal myectomy is a procedure with a similar aim to denervation - it provides symptomatic relief pain associated with degenerative changes, but has no bearing on the development of further changes / pain / osteoarthritis. It's a fairly superficial procedure that involves transecting part of the pectineus muscle (you see this muscle when dog lie on their back) to reduce tension on the underneath surface of the hip joint. It's not a permanent procedure and the benefit can last for months to years. The TPO is quite a different procedure where the whole hip socket of an immature dog is realigned, with the aim of their active bone growth remodelling the hip to prevent further degeneration.

I tend to do fine needle aspirates of most lumps, if I can. I assess all the slides myself within 5 - 10 minutes, I don't claim to be a pathologist and I'm more than happy to send the slides off to a lab - but there are a few things that can be identified under a microscope fairly reliably. I use FNA's to develop a plan (monitor, treat, or remove), rather than make a firm diagnosis. It won't always give us a straight answer, but for the $30 odd it might cost for the chance to find something sinister, I think it's worth it. If I take a few good samples and they are all fat, with very little, or no cellular material then I (tentatively) call it a lipoma. Histiocytomas are also reasonably straightforward to identify. Mast cells are easy to identify on smears and FNAs and the cells tend to exfoliate (be collected) easily. I would much rather take a single, clean sample of a mast cell tumour and know that it's a MCT before I remove it, so that I can take sufficient margins at surgery. IMHO the risk of disturbing cells in a discrete tumour with a clean needle stick is less of a problem than spreading tumour cells during a surgery. Pus and evidence of inflammation and infection can also be identified readily. These are about the only things I'm willing to "call" on an FNA. If I don't recognise a cell type, or the appearance of the cells under a microscope look a bit odd then I recommend lumps come off ASAP. Although we can make educated guesses about what a lump might be from palpation and the behaviour of the lump, the only way to get a firm diagnosis is through histopathology. Mast cell tumours especially like to look like every other type of lump, so I feel it's always worth checking. So while sometimes a client might elect to leave a lump, it is always with instructions to monitor it closely for changes in size, appearance, shape etc.

There are several NSAIDs on the market and some dogs will react different to each of them. Sometimes also we may not see a great improvement if there is a functional problem altering the gait (this is not always the case, just a possibility) such as severe degenerative changes where there is an actual limitation to movement. NSAIDs aren't the be all and end all, but if the patient isn't benefiting from them then they don't have to be on them (but others may work better). Like I said earlier, a multimodal approach is most effective.

There is a lot of information out there and it can be hard to get your head around. A multi-modal effect is going to give the dog most benefit - so a combination of joint supplements, moderate exercise, supporting mobility (massage / acupuncture /physio), diet, pain relief and surgery if indicated. I know there's a lot of info out there regarding the negatives of the NSAIDs, yes, I try to limit my use, but for many dogs it can be a quality of life issue. Sometimes they are used for the first few months while all the other supportive treatments start to have their effects and then you can taper the dose to minimal levels that keep the dog comfortable. As for surgery there are a few different approaches, and some are time limited. Juvenile pubic symphysiodesis can be performed in young dogs, up until about 20 weeks of age. Triple pelvic osteotomy can be performed up until about 9-10 months of age (sometimes later) but whether this is indicated really depends on the state of the hips and any degenerative changes that may already be present. In an older dog you are basically left with a femoral head excision, or a hip replacement (a specialist procedure). Both of these are essentially salvage procedures, meaning that they occur later in a management plan. An FHE usually has a very good success rate in small dogs, and variable success in large breed dogs. Hip replacements are only available for dogs >20kg and can have a limited lifespan. Feel free to PM me if you want to.

Yes its the same volume regardless of size. Each vial of vaccine contains sufficient viral particles to invoke an adequate immune response in the average dog. The 1ml part of the equation I gather is fairly abitrary - big enough to prevent unneccessary tissue irritation as well as resuspending the particles, in a small enough volume to inject easily.

I would either look carefully into a BARF diet, or speak to your vet. They should have access to nutritionally balanced recipes for home cooked meals.

No flea injection available for dogs. There is a short duration one available for cats (Program) but its not used very often, and only sterilises fleas and does not kill them. The active ingredient in that injection is lufenuron - which is the flea control ingredient in Sentinel tablets.

There's only one (actively practicing) veterinary neurologist in Australia - Georgina Childs who is now at SASH in NSW. Some of the other specialists do rounds interstate etc, but I'm not sure whether Georgina does. Second best bet would be to consult an internal medicine specialist.

Hi all, A quick general note for anyone has sent me a PM in the last few days, I apologise for not responding yet. I'm not ignoring you, I've seen them arriving in my inbox but I'm currently snowed under with other work. Once I've finished (next few days) I will get back to you, I just haven't got the time to scratch right now. Sorry guys! Cheers, Rappie.

"Epilepsy" is a diagnosis of exclusion, essentially meaning that to properly diagnose it all other possible causes of seizures have been ruled out. The first step is usually to run some blood work to see if there is a metabolic cause for the seizures, most often there isn't but it is still neccessary to do the tests to determine this. In the absence of an "extra-cranial" cause, an "intracranial" cause is suspected - meaning that theres something amiss with the electrical conduction in the brain. Sometimes a trigger can be identified, but it may fairly non specific like over excitement. Usually it's very difficult to identify a trigger. With a regular seizure frequency of 6-8 weeks I would be considering treatment. I am guessing that the valium is given to prevent cluster seizures if the "typical" seizure is only of moderate intensity. However valium is very poorly absorbed from under the skin - IV is the most effective method of administration, followed by IM, a subcut injection of valium probably isn't going to do very much. It would be more effective to give the injectable solution rectally but obviously speak to your own vet about appropriate dosages and administration.

TB Some vets will give a C3 & C2i - C3 + coronavirus + leptospirosis. Most call it a "C3 and C2i" but if they're calling it a C5 that might be why it doesn't include kennel cough.

It's Parramatta Veterinary Surgical Specialists - obviously specialising in surgery. His practice is very close to the Church St McDonald (it's on whatever the street you exit the drive thru on is...)

David rocks :D Edit to add something more sensible: I've sent several cases to be treated by David and have always found him to be great (from a veterinary perspective) with advice, arranging urgent appointments, reviewing radiographs and also follow up information. Feedback from clients is also very favourable, he's very reasonable his recommendations and does an excellent job. I have previously referred a young Lab for a TPO and the surgery went very well but unfortunately the dog ended up with other debilitating problems and was heartbreakingly let go by his owners many months later.

Full mammary strips are a big deal, and to do it bilaterally ideally requires two procedures. In most cases you wouldn't do a strip unless there were multiple mammary glands involved (as this suggests lymphatic spread). Lumpectomies with adequate margin are usually sufficient for individual masses.

Most clinics use isoflurane, some use sevoflurane (which is a newer, almost odourless gas used in human med). I'm not sure that you can even buy halothane any more. There is a lot of talk of breeds being sensitive to anaesthetic, but sensitive to what? We know for example that Collie breeds are sensitive to some drugs (including ivermectin) due to a genetic deficiency. Most sites that I have come across instruct that owners should tell their vet that "XYZ" breed should always have a certain anaesthetic. It's usually to be masked down with isoflurane, or to be administered propofol (a short acting IV anaesthetic agent). Or comments such as this: You need an understanding and experienced veterinary surgeon. Sibes are sensitive to some drugs, particularly anaesthetics, sedatives and tranquillisers. This is due to their relatively low metabolic rate and lack of body fat. Also the bulk of their fur can lead vets to overestimate their weight and so overdose them. Sibes should always be weighed accurately beforehand to avoid this. All dogs should be dosed at a lean body weight. Dogs without a lot of body fat may metabolise some drugs (like barbiturates ie. thiopentone) more slowly than others. Dogs with a lot of body fat may require less than their bodyweight suggests. Dogs that are obese often don't ventilate well. Brachycephalic dogs have difficulty breathing etc etc. All animals should be weighed prior to being dosed with any sedative or anaesthetic agent. Not only this but nearly all intravenous induction agents are dosed "to effect", which means that you draw up a dose sufficient for a body weight, then should administer this drug slowly until the desired effect is reached. Sometimes you use less than the "required" dose, sometimes you need more. All animals are sensitive to anaesthetic, that's how they work... and all anaesthetics carry some degree of risk - this also applies to humans. A breed might have some specific traits, but your vet should still be anaesthetising an individual...

I haven't come across any Huskies that have had particular issues because of their breed - but it will depend on the individual and obviously the vet that is planning the anaesthetic. Where possible (in every patient) I try to apply a balanced anaesthesia including a sedative and opiod premedication and a short acting induction agent. A lot of the reported issues that I have come across are precautions with ACP (it's a vasodilator so can lead to blood pressure issues) and prolonged recovery times using thiopentone, issues with halothane (now replaced by isoflurane) or even references to pentobarbitone (which hasn't been used for GA for a long time...).