Rappie

Yes it does. Both Interceptor Spectrum and Sentinel Spectrum cover hydatids. Advocate does not cover hydatids, but does cover 'flea tapeworm'.

There isn't a great difference between them. Both the Milbemax and Interceptor Spectrum tablets have the same active ingredients, but with different amounts of the active ingredients. You can see that the dose rate is also a bit different, to account for the variable dosage schedule. One of the main benefits is that Milbemax are quite tiny tablets, but that would depend on how much of an issue that is for you.

Distemper only vaccinations have been available previously but are no longer produced in Australia. I have vague recollections that one of the US companies is / was going to be producing univalent core vaccinations, as I seem to remember seeing a poster for them at the WSAVA conference.

It's possible and can be quite serious, however clinical infections in dogs are uncommon. I have been unlucky enough to see one case of sudden onset blindness caused by toxoplasmosis, we suspect that the dog became infected after constant snacking on "aged" cat poo. How bad really depends on which body system is affected.

The three main ones I can think of would be Hills i/d, Eukanuba Low Residue and Royal Canin Digestive Low Fat. All are available as dry and canned food.

It may not neccessarily be a delay of a week, but they can certainly display mild signs for that long. In all the cases, there was a vague history of not wanting to move much, not wanting to eat much and they present clinically looking a lot like tick paralysis. It was only by delving deeper into the history that we discovered the contact with a snake, and determined that the symptoms had probably been present since the time of contact but were very mild. They were treated with antivenom because although the progression was slow, they were not improving, however all recovered well after the antivenom was administered. One thing I would recommend though, if you're a dog, is not getting bitten by a death adder. Apart from a sea snake, death adders are about the only snake not covered by the Tiger-Brown antivenom. I have seen two death adder bites (two dogs, same snake) and one survived - only by virtue of being the second dog bitten and the fact that we (through a pot luck donation from the local hospital) had a single vial of death adder specific antivenom in the clinic.

I have a worm farm specifically for dog poo - I have two small dogs and live in an apartment, so during the day they have to poo on the balcony. Have had it for over a year, I think it's the Can'o'worms brand with 3 layers - we've only just needed to add the second layer so they (the worms) do a pretty good job. They are quite picky though, so if you want worms for compost you need to have another worm farm.

It can vary quite significantly. Continue monitoring closely are you are - reasonably I would expect a window of about 48 hours but I would also point out that I have seen dogs bitten by tiger snakes and RBB present up to a week after they were bitten, with reasonably vague clinical signs of lethargy and inappetance.

That sounds about right - I would expect it to be in the $90-120 region. It can vary between labs. It will take 3 days minimum as the lab needs to grow some decent colonies in order to be able to identify the bacteria specifically and determine the antibiotic sensitivity.

I would guess that the drug your vet is referring to would be piroxicam (Feldene), which is often used for transitional cell carcinoma in the bladder. It's an NSAID and is often administered with another drug, misoprostal (Cytotec) to help protect the gut against side effects.

I can see where the thought comes from, but I think it's unlikely that you would see this using Scourban in puppies. Sulfonamides that act systemically, when given for long periods are known to occasionally cause keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eye). There are two sulfonamides in Scourban - sulfadimidine and sulfadiazine. The drug most commonly associated with KCS is sulfasalazine and usually in situations where it is used for things like long term (potentially life long) treatment of ulcerative colitis. Hope that helps.

Occult blood is still a faecal test - it looks for minute traces of blood in the faeces, it's not very specific but it included in general faecal anaylses. Depending on the lab, most routine blood tests should have a turn around time of about 24-48 hours. The more specific tests (if they were run) like the TLI ad CPL can take a couple of days as they are often only run a few times per week. Both EPI and chronic low grade pancreatitis can take a while to settle and can also flare up with only reasonably mild triggers. Natural yoghurt may help but I would be a little wary of the fat content given the potential diagnoses and maybe suggest a probiotic like Protexin (as I assume that the yoghurt was recommended for the "good bacteria").

Sorry for this being a little brief and abrupt - I just found your message and am about to head to bed. German Shepherd, the results that you have posted appear to be those of a faecal analysis. Positive faecal trypsin means that protein breakdown activity is present (I think this should read "gelatin digestion test" by the way). There is undigested fat and starch present, but muscle (hence proteins) are being digested. There are traces of microscopic blood, but this can also be a reaction to meat by products. The faeces are negative for two parasites - giardia and crytosporidium. Enzyplex is a digestive enzyme supplement, pink syrup I'm not so sure about - could be something like Ensal or Peptosyl. As Athena posted, both exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and pancreatitis are diseases that affect the pancreas, and they occur through two different mechanisms. It is possible for both to occur in the same patient - a severe bout of pancreatitis can destroy sufficient numbers of the exocrine cells and cause EPI however it is something usually seen in more chronic cases. German Shepherds as a breed have a tendency to EPI, along with associated conditions small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and secondary malabsorption and enteritis. Do you know which blood tests are being run? Faecal tests are qualitative, not quantitive - they can supply useful information but alone they are not diagnostic, and can have both false positives and false negatives. There is a definitive test for EPI - it is measurement of serum TLI (trypsin-like immunoreactivity) which reflect the pancreatic function. "Normal" blood work will show if there are any other issue which may be related to the symptoms, evidence of inflammation etc. There is a test called canine SpecCPL which is a reasonably new blood test for diagnosing pancreatitis. I hope that helps a bit. Please feel free to PM if you have any more questions.

I try to advocate using common sense with bones. If feeding large shin / shank bones, then feed them with meat on them and take them away when you're just left with bone. The benefit of these bones is the ripping and tearing involved in removing the meat, which helps to "floss" the teeth. The actual bone is generally far harder than a dogs tooth and I see slab fractures of the carnassial teeth quite commonly. I know people split marrow bones in half - but be careful, fragments of semicircular bones are just right for getting wedged between teeth, and marrow is very good at causing gut upsets. Old bones might as well be considered the same as cooked bones in the way that they can splinter. Alternatively feed smaller bones that are edible in their entirety - so necks, chicken frames, wings etc. Make sure they get chewed!! Also watch the bone content of the diet as too high a % and constipation often results. ALWAYS raw bones too.

You may have more luck searching for idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis, it is thought to be an immune mediated condition affecting spinal nerve roots (similar to Guillan-Barre syndrome in humans). It's colloquially called Coonhound paralysis due to the link between contact with racoons and clinical signs. There are limited options for diseases causing generalised lower motor neuron disease - myasthenia gravis, tick paralysis, botulism, and a polyneuropathies due to endocrine or protozoal causes. Polyradiculoneuritis certainly can be diagnosed in this country, and the prognosis is usually good so long as the owners are prepared for the supportive care with can be weeks to months and quite intensive.

A diet change is a great place to start, as well as a massive reduction in food intake (which will in part be taken care of by reducing all the treats). Some dogs will do better on two small meals per day (ie. half of their daily intake for each) rather than one - see how you go. If she is smelly despite bathing and also has signs of skin disease, then it may be worth using something like Malaseb because secondary yeast infections are common especially in Westies. The primary problem could be food, environmental etc but a medicated shampoo might be worth a shot along with strict flea control just to keep her comfy. Omega oils are a good choice, as is switching to a narrower food spectrum - both of those are going to take a while to work, so at least the shampoo will cover the lag period. It doesn't have to be a permanent change. If she is on prednisolone then that will be complicating things for you because it often causes a really profound increase in appetite, the dogs start begging for food and if they pester enough they generally always end up getting fed. These situations are difficult for me to deal with as a vet also - I have had families bring their elderly parents and dog in so that the parents can "hear it from a pro". Sometimes when the owners are prepared for intensive help (weekly checks, lots of encouragement and simple instructions) it does go well, but sometimes it doesn't matter who tells them what. It is hard, but you're doing a great thing by stepping in and trying to help - lots of people would stand back and say it's all too hard. PM me if you like.

Seeming lethargic or a little "off colour" after a vaccination is acceptable. However, a pup that is refusing food, is weak and has vomiting and diarrhoea is not normal and if you called me and told me that, I would want to see her ASAP.

Mita, I am very sorry to hear what you've been through It is very hard to say what really happened but you were doing your best for her the whole way through. It may be that there was another problem that was not related to the clindamycin and loss of appetite is a very nonspecific sign, so please don't think that you have failed her in any way. Major side effects in dogs and cats are uncommon, they are seen more in people and herbivores, and when seen it is a very serious fatal necrotising diarrhoea due to Clostridia proliferation. The class of drugs can cause vomiting and nausea (and loss of appetite) but these are not due to the same mechanisms as the diarrhoea. Again, I'm very sorry for you loss.

I think a check up with your vet is a great idea. Agree with others about starting a joint supplement (for anyone who is interested Joint Guard Treats for dogs and cats were advertised in a vet journal that arrived this week - I assume that mean that they are / will soon be available) prior to having real problems, I would also add an omega oil supplement. Regular gentle exercise is very important, it doesn't matter if it is only short walks - anything that keep the joints moving, involves some weight bearing and isn't strenuous is fine, even if it's only a stroll or a potter around the block. With giant breeds, if you can encourage them to sleep on something that is raised off the ground (trampoline bed, foam mattress etc) it can make it a little easier for them to actually get up from lying down. Often the combination of mildly uncomfortable joints, slightly reduced muscle tone due to age and a big body can make it that little bit harder to stand up. Obviously something warm and soft to sleep on as well. I recommend trying a course of cartrophen too - the way I explain it to clients is that sometimes we may not see a huge effect from the injections but I think that in the 20-30% of cases where there isn't a marked clinical improvement, there is still a positive change at a cellular level - there are just other factors that mean that the benefits of the drug cannot make a visible difference. I always start with the aim to support the function we've still got without "serious" drugs. If I think pain is the major problem then I will start pain medication (not always NSAIDs) to see if we can keep them more comfortable. Sometime however, we really need an antiinflammatory drug to make a difference and that is when I add the NSAIDs - preferably checking blood work first.

My own dogs have a diet that is primarily Eukanuba, with the addition of chicken necks / frames / odd edible bones / occasional table scraps. They have on occasion existed on entirely kibble without any ill effect. I work long hours and I'm often time poor so kibble is a solution that suits both myself and the dogs. IMHO they maintain excellent condition and do best on Euk compared to other brands - but a lot depends on the individual animals.

I would certainly start with joint supplements, however I would also consider adding in an omega oil supplement as well. Glucosamine etc will help with joint function in general but the regions that spinal arthritis / spondylosis occur are not typical joints - although it is certainly a good idea to support all the other joints. Often some kind of anti-inflammatory effect is needed to help with the neurological effects that you're seeing with the reduced proprioception (knowing where the body / limbs are in space). Omega oils and MSM are a good start.

Not sure whether this was clear in the rest of the thread: Propalin and Incurin are two very different types of drugs. Incurin contains oestriol which is a short acting naturally occuring oestrogen. Propalin contains phenylpropanolamine hydrochlochloride which is an alpha adrenergic drug similar in action to Sudafed. Stilboestrol (diethylstilboestrol) is a synthetic hormone that has a lot of reported problem in the human medical field, however the incidence of clinical problems when used at the recommended doses for urinary incontinence in bitches is very very low. It is cheapest treatment and often very effective, but has a lower success rate than Propalin.

Glad to hear that it went well! Must be a big relief for you

If the vet has suggested that there may be meniscal damage, then the click that that is associated with this doesn't have anything to do with the patella. When luxating patella is diagnosed, the actual patella can be felt to move out of it's normal location (as you know, normally medially). The menisci are actually within the stifle joint and are the cushioning cartilage "wedges" between the end of the tibia and the femur, if they are torn, or loosened then there may be a palpable click on manipulating the stifle itself - from within the joint as the edge of the menisci catch. This may be "real" damage to the menisci, but injury to the ligaments surrounding the stifle can make the whole structure "loose" and you can get slight abnormal movement within the joint.

If you have some Pyohex / Malaseb you could use that, it won't cause a problem with the wounds (we use chlorhexidine as a surgical scrub / wound flush) and shouldn't sting either. Just make sure you rinse well and dry the wounds as best as you can.