Rappie

I hear a lot about breed sensitivities to general anaesthetic, but rarely come across one that was actually a breed specific problem, rather than a characteristic about the patient. Often, the information that is supplied may refer to drugs that are not commonly used, or to drugs that are better choices for a lot of patients. The contraindication of using ACP in Boxers is well known. It's also well discussed and often under question but most vets still don't use this drug on principle. Sight hounds (or really, any dog with very little body fat) will be affected by some drugs to a greater extent than a "normal" dog and this is due to way that specific drugs are metabolised. Lots of patients need special consideration when planning an anaesthesia - are they fat? skinny? heart murmur? arrhythmia? history of seizures? brachycephalic? very young? very old?

Is it possible that the pup is just more enthusiastic about eating this particular food, and finds it worth protecting?

You might be thinking of Cortavance - its a dermal steroid spray produced by Virbac.

Then you probably got charged for "intravenous fluids". Again, depends on the fee structure but many vets charge only for the service of providing fluids for 24 hours - which includes all the catheters, giving sets, fluid bags, additives, use of a fluid pump 24/7, the time taken for people to go in and out of an isolation area to check the situation when an alarm goes off on a pump etc. It's not just 'a bag of saline'. Again, I'm not going to comment specifically on price, but often there is a set up fee, followed each day by a 'daily fee'.

I'm not going to get into specific prices, but I think that something more important that the cost is what you are actually getting for your money. Prices will vary between males and females, and between large and small dogs. Most desexing surgery is already charged at a discounted rate, to ensure that is affordable enough for it to get done. Castrating a male dog is a fairly simple procedure, reasonably "superficial". You will probably notice less variability between different sized males, to different sized females - they need more of the induction drug but the procedure takes about the same time regardless of size. Desexing a female dog is still abdominal surgery, regardless of how "routine" it might be. There are at 3 major times during a spey that it can all go wrong no matter how skilled the surgeon (but it rarely does), then theres a longer time to close the abdomen. A 6mth old Maltese is very different undertaking to a 5 year old fat Lab or Rottie spey. Big dogs take longer, a longer surgery needs the vet and nurse to be there longer, uses more anaesthetic agents etc etc. As for what you get for the price I will give an example - our clinic is priced at the higher end of the local market. - All animals undergoing sedation or surgery have a preanaesthetic exam by a vet, have a premed administered that includes opiate pain relief and sedation, and have an intravenous catheter placed prior to surgery (a safety measure so that a vein can always be accessed if needed). - We use Alfaxan for our injectable induction agent, its one of the more expensive induction agents, but also one of the safer ones. Some clinics might use other drugs that are cheaper, some clinics still mask all patients down with gas, or don't give premeds or preemptive painrelief (current standard of care). Then our patients are maintained on isoflurane. - Every patient is constantly monitored by a veterinary nurse for the duration of the procedure (including pulse oximeter, manual checks of anaesthetic depth etc), and afterwards during recovery - All our suture material comes in individual packets, and is the same as used in human medicine. A new pack for each patient, it's not cheap but it is high quality and has fewer reactions and maintains strength for longer than other materials. - Where possible all skin closure are intradermal so there are no visible external sutures, it takes a bit longer to do but the healing is faster and we don't see many patients licking their wounds. - All desexings go home with a pain relief injection "on board", plus additional take home pain relief. We don't consider pain relief to be "optional". This is just what we do. Every veterinary hospital is going to do something different - but it's important that you feel informed of what you are receiving for the money you pay.

*blushes* Thanks InspectorRex As a note for everyone else - I read the forum most days but often don't post if everything seems "under control". However feel free to PM me or whatever if you want to ask anything. Remember that I can't give specific advice on the forum, but happy to help out where I can.

If a young dog is showing signs of discomfort or pain from hip dysplasia then there it is likely to show up on an xray even at a young age, because there are usually already bony changes taking place within the joint. If you are concerned about HD then I would recommend an xray - if the hips are fine then good, if they indicate a problem then you can start all the supportive treatments knowing what the problem is. I have no major issues with chiro / massage / accupuncture etc but I feel that they are best implemented after a diagnosis has been made.

Cephalexin is a commonly dispensed antibiotics - the most common sides effects we see are signs of a gastrointestinal upset such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea. I can't take it as I break out in severe urticaria (hives). Macrolone is prednisolone and although the most common side effects we see are an increase in water intake and appetite, I have had several clients mention behavioural changes in their dogs while they are on the medication - usually either lethargy or seeming more irritable than usual. These effects are short term, and wherever possible I try to avoid long term use of steroids because they are not without side effects (this does not mean that steroids do not have appropriate uses, or cannot be used safely). It is important that once a course of steroid treatment has been started, it shouldn't be stopped suddenly - we always try to taper the dose down before stopping as the body reduces the level of production of its own steroids fairly quickly once there is an exogenous source. Leaving the body without ANY steroids is a bad thing. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions. If you have immediate concerns then speak to your vet before you alter the treatment plan.

Ditto the above responses regarding blood work and a urinalysis, excessive intake of water is something that should be checked out. There are some benign causes but no one can say what the cause is over the net - dogs that spend time inside while there is active heating going on may also need to drink more water.

I went to a very interesting lecture at the WSAVA conference last year that discussed dominance as a "myth". Sarah Heath was very engaging and the lecture was particularly interesting. The general notes are here: http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings...3&O=Generic. It does not suggest that dominance does not exist, rather that dominance is relative to particular situations and relationships.

Thanks guys, thats great Now, to actually do the assignment...

Somewhere I have written a long post about demodex. The mites are on every dog and they are transferred from mum to pups soon after birth. The recommendation to desex entire bitches is twofold - first is the suspicion that the tendency to develop demodicosis might be inherited, so not neccessarily that all offspring WILL be affected but that there may be a common factor related to the immune system. Secondly is that the fluctuating hormone levels during the oestrus cycle can cause a degree of immune suppression that in an affected dog could be sufficient to cause a relapse.

I'm doing some study in behavioural medicine at the moment and need a bit of quick help from the forum. I'm trying to construct a list of common myths relating to dog training and learning (not wanting to start a debate about whether or not they are true - just need a list of ideas). If you've got one, I'd love to hear it. Some example of the things I'm after: "He is deliberately disobeying - he knows what is expect of him" "He knows he has done something wrong" "There are no bad dogs, only had owners".

Depending on the location, it may also be a lump from one of the injections.

Ideally, a dog with a partially torn cruciate ligament or even a suspected cruciate injury shouldn't be running anywhere. This is an injury that does require strict rest and then a gradual reintroduction of exercise. As for the surgical options: TTA = tibial tuberosity advancement TWO = tibial wedge osteotomy TPLO = tibial plateau levelling osteotomy You may also hear about the traditional / De Anglelis suture method - this is still commonly done on large dogs, but the other techniques are often a better choice for large active breeds if it is financially viable. They are all different surgical methods that have a similar aim. The De Angelis provides physical support to 'recreate' the ligament (a very simple explanation), while the other methods try to neutralise the forces on the stifle joint itself to reduce strain (again, a simple explanation). I will have some time later if anyone would like to see some basic sketches of what the surgeries involve.

The only part of the post that makes sense is that Metacam 20mg/ml is packaged in a 50ml bottle which is what I assume is listed on the receipt. It only describes the drug that was given, not the quantity injected. Edit: Snap with Sir WJ.

Anyone have a "stash" legal or otherwise?

I have had clients treat their cats with l-lysine with some success, it is given daily in an attempt to stop viral replication.

The referral hospitals will have plasma but I suspect they will be expensive. Some local clinics (referring to Penrith area)may have frozen prepacked plasma on hand which is probably going to be in the order of at least $400-500 (the last bag I used was in this range). Whole blood may be cheaper if the clinic has an available donor however whether or not this is appropriate would depend on the problem. Edit to add - that is the cost of the plasma only, not the hospitalisation ,fluids etc.

It would depend on the C3 used. Nobivac C3 + KC provides protection from a single administration, sometimes given at 6 weeks and then repeated at 10 week (or may just be given from 10 weeks onwards). If another brand of C3 was used, with the single dose Nobivac KC, then it may require a repeat administration (not all vaccine brands carry a 3 year duration of immunity, or a claim to overcome maternal immunity).

It can be given later, it just provides adequate protection from 10 weeks of age.

Technically yes Tinea is region specific name for a fungal infection of the skin, often with one of the organisms that causes ringworm. Dogs (and cats / horses / cattle etc) can certainly have ringworm (dermatophytes like Trichyphyton and Microsporum spp) infections, some of the organisms are common between people and animals and some affect particular species. However, the organism most commonly associated with itchy feet and as a secondary infection with allergies is Malassezia pachydermatis, which is a fungus that behaves like a yeast (so usually just referred to as a yeast infection). So yes, they can get "tinea" as ringworm, but it's not associated with itchy feet.

One of the most useful things for an owner of a diabetic dog is a supportive vet. It is important for them not to try to self manage blood glucose and insulin dosing also, no matter how tempting. A good source of general information is www.veterinarypartner.com

Normal blood glucose range is roughly between 3 and 7 mmol/L - however that range is for dogs without diabetes. Managing diabetic patients is complex - we do not aim for tight, accurate control as in human medicine. Our main aim is to reduce the clinical signs of diabetes mellitus through insulin therapy, by lowering the blood glucose levels. It is nice if we can get a nice steady BG level, however it does not always happen. The "ideal" for a well managed diabetic may be between 4 - 10 mmol/L however what we accept as "good" control really depends on the individual and their clinical condition.

I reckon if you got discharge out and have all your limbs intact you were probably on track. I always offer to teach owner how to express anal sacs, yet they keep coming back :D Golden rule: Always keep your mouth shut.