Rappie

The duration of the course may depend also on the particular anticoagulant ingested ie. Warfarin vs brodifacoum. The volume of bait vomited back up confirms ingestion but does not guarantee the poison has not been absorbed, particularly with the wax baits. Ideally you would run a PT 24-48 after the course of meds finish, and if it is prolonged the course would be continued for 28 days (total). The ACT that CavNRott mention can be used but it is an insensitive indicator of clotting problems.

Possibly alprazolam (Xanax) - it is now an S8 medication so more difficult to dispense for this purpose. When it was just an S4 I preferred it but was still cautious in dispensing it.

I'm glad she is feeling better given her improvement without relapse I wouldn't completely discount something painful being the cause of the trembling and signs of anxiety even though no focus of pain was found. If it was related to tension or muscle spasm, a decent dose of diazepam may have been enough to relieve the problem.

As Kirty has said the dose range for diazepam is quite wide and depends on the individual. Being very slightly wobbly is a good thing as it is indicative of a therapeutic dose (as it is a muscle relaxant) but it can be tweaked on repeat doses. It will wear off in a few hours. It is for this reason I always ask owners to supervise their pet for the first few doses of diazepam so we can monitor the response. If you start low, the dose can be repeated if there is little effect but this is not ideal if the stressor is already present, like a thunderstorm.

It can be done if there is constant and significant subluxation or dislocation of the joint. It really depends on the dog. Some have horrible looking hips on rads with significant degeneration and only mild clinical signs, other will have few changes and be really painful. Because the procedure involves removal of the femoral head there is no going back so it would generally only be considered once all other avenues for management have been exhausted. Edit to add: the results are often remarkable, conceptually its a huge thing but on a base level it removes the source of pain so dogs and cats tend to bounce back pretty quickly.

The procedure is a total hip replacement unfortunately. The ball and socket come as a unit. If they were done separately you would have issues with the fit of the ball (as there is a limited selection of sizes) and difference in wear of the metal ball vs bony socket etc as well as function of the joint itself. The only other way of dealing only with the ball is a femoral head ostectomy with is a salvage procedure and not generally recommended as a firs line treatment in large dogs.

Neck and spine radiographs won't demonstrate disc or soft tissue problems in most instances. They can rule in or out other bony pathology like bony neoplasia, infection or spondylitis. In some case one might see calcified discs which in themselves mean very little but occasionally they may be displaced, sometimes the presence of a disc problem is assumed or implied by a significant narrowing of an intervertebral space. So yes, an MRi is required to specifically diagnose disc problems but that is of most importance prior to spinal surgery. That isn't to say that it is not the best way to achieve a diagnosis but for many people it is not viable and the options for management remain only conservative.

Neck and spine radiographs need to be very well positioned. Light sedation may still not result in sufficient relaxation to take diagnostic radiographs, particularly in a dog with neck pain. In a dog without any issues preventing it, a (light) general anaesthetic would be my preference too to ensure immobility, reduce the time of the procedure and limit exposure of the pet and personnel to X-rays. I can elaborate further when not feeding a newborn and consoling a sobbing toddler.

That's a great update :)

I appreciate what you're saying Showdog and don't agree, but that's ok. There are a great many more considerations in treating ear infections than just hair and in my experience of treating (hundreds of) cases of otitis it is rarely the reason for treatment failure. Additionally, most of the really chronic, horrible otitis cases I see are in dogs with short hair and hairless ears so apart from poor generally hygiene and failure to notice an ear infection due to the hair, the fact that it is there is not a huge concern for me. That's not to say it will never be a problem but for the vast majority of dogs it is not, much like possessing a tail or dew claws. IMHO there is no good reason to pluck the hair from the ear of a dog with a current infection while it is conscious. The ear will already be painful, swollen and inflamed and if it is not possible to put topical medication in from the outset due to these factors then options such as GA and an ear clean or systemic medication with oral prednisolone and/ or antibiotics are definitely appropriate options. There is no point applying topical medication to a swollen, stenotic ear canal because it will not end up where it is needed and it will be painful and potentially become progressively more difficult for the owner to apply.

hallelujah! I completely agree. I do not do glands normally. But I get so many clients come in and ask for it to be done. I ALWAYS ask why they feel this should be done. Most of the time its just "something they heard about somewhere". So I explain I will take a look down there and if it all looks normal, there is no need to 'fix' it, and if it looks like problems, I will not be touching it and send them off to the vet. A very small number of clients I make an exception and do glands at each visit , with owners consent, after vet has specifically asked this be done. I also agree with you :D I will express as a one off if a client mentions there has been scooting, frequent leaking or excessive butt licking etc so we can try to determine whether the anal sacs are a contributing factor. Different story for a chronic problem though - some dogs have very mobile anal sac, or very dry discharge or previous scarring etc but these dogs are then not really 'normal'.

It may have been Synovan - it contains pentosan polysulphate (same ingredient as Cartophen and Pentosan) and acetylene glucosamine. in my experience of using it, we often see results a bit more quickly but the long term effects are much the same as the other products.

Glad to hear he is doing well :) Pain relief is really important, so if he is responding well to it that is great. It means he can keep moving which helps the joints and muscles - it is not the be all and end all by any means but it is central to managing pain. Tramadol is a great drug if the dogs tolerate it well as the dosing can be very flexible, as compared to the NSAID medications. The other medication which we often use is gabapentin alone or in combination even with the other two meds. If a temporary increase in tramadol is all the is required that is great

The main concerns with using cartrophen injections with NSAIDs are in the immediate post operative period and if there is any evidence of liver or kidney disease (in which case the use of NSAIDS is questionable anyway) or if there is any blood clotting disorder. A multi modal approach will be most beneficial - adequate pain relief (this may mean dosage adjustments or a different combination of medications), nutritional support with supplements and additive), and some physical therapy - as have been discussed already, massage to relax muscles, acupuncture for pain relief, moderate exercise (not so much as to cause fatigue or more soreness), stretching to maintain(or develop) flexibility and some as Jumabaar has mentioned other exercises to improve proprioception and muscle tone and strength. Other basic supportive things are some soft, often slightly raised bedding and maintaining a lean body weight.

It will depends on what you paid for in the first place. If you only paid for as many views as were taken, then you may be asked to pay for the extra X-rays but as 'additional views'. There is normally a tiered pricing where there is for example a base set of 2 views includng set upmetc, and then a much reduced charge for each extra view after this. Sedation is a different negotiation point and will depend on what was done the first time - whether it was a general anaesthetic or sedation. It may be done at no charge (out food will) or perhaps charged as an extension of time on the first procedure. Unless a critical situation demands it, I do not manually restrain animals for radiographs (even when I'm not pregnant) and I don't allow other staff or owners to do it either. The rare animal may lay in position for an X-ray but not normally in the positions required for joint or spinal views. Other vets may have different rules in their work environments.

Yes, a veterinary dermatologist I will see what I have at some point :laugh:

Thank you Rappie. You have pretty much summed up exactly how I feel about it. can you suggest how I can counter the ' but my vet said the groomer should pluck the ears' ? there are some clients who will only listen to their vet and whatever they say is gospel. I'd like to tell them, get a new vet, but that is probably a bit too cheeky ! Well you could try that but it may not go down well, no matter how much it may be the case D You could say that you prefer not to interfere with non-essential procedures and that if plucking is required by their vet they could have it done there. It would probably help to have some evidence to back up your position. You could perhaps try contacting a local dermatologist to see if they have any client information sheets or are willing to go 'on record' as being opposed to it.I am happy to (at some point , pending baby arrival) see if I have anything suitable.

The dermatologists do recommend not to pluck. Although some individuals grow hair to excess it exists as a protective mechanism for the ears. I don't appreciate a particular increase in ear infection in hair ears vs non hairy ears. Plucking (particularly extensive plucking) serves to cause irritation, inflammation, pain and swelling all of which can contribute to the development of ear infections. I also tend to be of the opinion that healthy ears don't require 'maintenance' cleaning - the occasional clean after swimming or a bath is ok but ears are generally designed to be able to maintain themselves. Obviously in a patient with a history of ear infections it is a different situation.

A thorough physical exam and some general blood and urine tests would be the best starting point. What you describe could well be the beginning of canine cognitive dysfunction / senility / dementia but it is important to rule out medical problems and perhaps some simpler explanations like poor vision or hearing loss.

Sounds like regurgitation then. I'm not sure if it had been mentioned already but feeding with the bowls slightly raised may help. There's multiple,potential causes for the licking including anxiety, pica, pain etc etc Speak to your vet about the appropriate dosage of Maxalon if you intend to use it.

DDD, when you say throwing up, is he retching and having abdominal contractions prior to stuff coming up, or is he just kind of belching and the fluid / food comes out? It may well be a combination of both, but the latter is regurgitation rather than vomiting and does happen with physical / functional problems affecting the oesophagus. If it is vomiting then nausea may well be associated with it and the cerenia will help but if it's regurgitation then something like Maxalon might help too.. Of course he could have a degree of both just so nothing is simple for you

In the training information, there had been no adverse reactions reported during the trials in Australia. It is 1 month for ticks as well and they made a point of saying that this was a full month rather than the 28 days for topicals.

I think you're referring to NEVS - it is an existing after hours / emergency hospital that has just moved to a new location. They don't have specialists or do GP services. At least it's closer than SASH in the case of emergency. The local paper said that it was a co-op of 30 vets in the area. If it's replacing the one at Forestville, that's a good thing. NEVS is the cooperative hospital but it has moved to Terry Hills from its location within Forest Animal Hospital (which now operates as Forest 24/7). However NEVS did temporarily exist in Forestville Animal Hospital for the last few months, just to confuse the issue.

I think you're referring to NEVS - it is an existing after hours / emergency hospital that has just moved to a new location. They don't have specialists or do GP services.

They don't have what many consider as a traditional stroke as they don't typically suffer from cholesterol related heart or vascular disease such as artherosclerosis or fatty plaques. They can certainly suffer from 'strokes' in the sense that their brain function can be affected by ischaemic disease (lack of oxygen / blood flow) due to blood clots or transient ischaemic attacks. these are usually related to a more serious underlying cause though, it is rare for them to 'just happen'. Edit to add 'don't typically suffer' in the first line. Nothing is absolute