Rappie

Some great points Mita - I'm glad you mentioned the bacteria..... Hotspots start off innocently enough as an itchy spot that gets scratched and turns a bit red. Once teeth and toenails start getting into it, the normal skin flora gets innoculated into the skin and starts an infection. The chewing and scratching destroys the normal protective mechanisms that the skin normally has and the bacteria have a field day. Theres "superficial" pyoderma and theres "deep pyoderma", both can be treated with antibiotics but with the deep, gooey version there really isn't another way. Topical treatments really depend on the dog, sometimes antibiotics and Pyohex is enough. The Pyohex takes a bit of the itch out, sometimes enough to stop the scratching and let the area heal. Steroid creams like Neocort sometimes work, but are sometimes counterproductive. The hydrocortisone dampens the inflammation but decreases the local immune response. It's often best just to use it briefly to take the redness and puffiness out, then let the antibiotics / Pyohex do its thing. You might also find (just one of those things) that chlorhexidine works a little better than iodine - it has a longer residual action which means that the more you use it, the less often you have to use it (our usual routine is daily for 3 days, then every 3 days). Really depends on whether your dog licks, scratches, rolls in the dirt etc. :D

Bayer produce both Advantage and Advocate. Advocate is the replacement for Advantage Duo which has been discontinued. Advantage contains imidacloprid. Advocate contains imidacloprid and moxidectin. The only difference between the two products is the addition of moxidectin which has no effect on the "flea" part of the treatment - just the heartworm, intestinal worms, lice and mites. Imidacloprid kills both adult fleas and larvae. The occasional dog will have a reaction to treatment, but of all the most common reaction to a routine preventative treatment is vomiting after being dosed with Drontal. I'm not denying that you had a reaction, and I'm not sure why it stopped when it did, but there isn't any difference between the two products.

Mita - yes certainly you can reproduce that Huskymiko - good point about the Aerogard, anything like that that is safe to put near / on people will do. The main difference between that and pulling them out is that the tick will fall off intact, whereas it is possible to leave the head behind pulling them off (which causes a tissue reaction more than them injecting more toxin). Just a note about the colour - most ticks that dogs in suburban bush areas will pick up are paralysis ticks. They have 3 stages of growth and for the most part don't need a host to survive. During each stage of growth they find a host and suck blood - that goes for about a week each time. The nymphs are the little brown ticks (that a great many people say are "bush" ticks or "brown" ticks. They feed once and get a bit bigger. It is only the adult (female) paralysis ticks that are grey with the dint in the back. All stages can feed but it is usually only the adult females that cause paralysis. There are two other types of tick that are common in rural areas - the cattle tick (Boophilus spp, in QLD) and the Bush tick (Haemaphysalis spp). Another way to tell the difference between them is the colour of the legs - a task that may well require very good eyesight or a magnifying glass. The Ixodes ticks (paralysis) have 2 sets of brown legs and 2 sets of white legs. The Haemaphysalis (bush) have 4 sets of brown ones. The Boophilus (cattle) have 4 sets of white ones.

Mita - I hope you didn't think I was referring to you with my little dig at the instructions. Dividing the dose onto different spots on the dog is fine (thats actually in the instructions too) - it was more to do with the practice of splitting a large dog dose between smaller dogs :rolleyes:

Tick prevention medication: easiest methods are tick collars or Frontline Plus applied fortnightly. They are designed to kill the tick before they attach, but aren't fail safe - they only reduce risk. You should check your dog over daily even if it ends up just being out of habit. Get a routine happening - check head and ears, walk your fingers through the entire coat, run your hands down their legs, check 'arm pits' and 'leg pits' and under tails. Keep an eye out for unusual quiet behaviour, tick paralysis usually starts with a hindlimb weakness progressing to paralysis and depending on severity may notice a change in the dog's bark, difficulty swallowing, trembling and so on. If you find a tick, you can spray Frontline spray on it or just remove it - take it and your dog to your vet if you notice anything unusual about the dog. I'd suggest you ring up your local vet or go into see them and ask about any particularly bad tick areas around you. They should also have a brochure from Bayer on tick identification which has some good general information in it. If they don't, PM me and I'll be happy to mail you one.

As long as you're aiming for the skin, it doesn't matter if some gets on the coat. If my memory serves me correctly (it may not!) imidacloprid is absorbed through the skin and secreted in the oily layer coating the hair. Not getting the entire dose on the skin is also factored in the dosage in each little vial. So long as it is "on dog" everything should be ok. And just as a point of interest (and because...well, you know I like things like this )...... There's a couple of lines at the end of the product insert.... Not to be used for any purpose or in any manner contrary to this label unless authorised under appropriate legislation Thats one tube per one dog (or cat, if you're that way inclined ).

Advantage does smell, its due to the base liquid that the active ingredient suspended in. On the last occasion I got too close to it it set me off coughing and wheezing for the night. But then, I did manage to inhale some of the fumes, and seem to remember it saying somewhere on the pack or insert to apply it in a well ventilated area Kierra - Advocate contains imidacloprid (Advantage) and moxidectin....I'm curious as to how you can use it when it contains the same ingredients?

It may well have been too much - I don't think I've even gone close to the recommended feeding amounts on the pack for any of our dogs. One of the nurses at work feeds her two Border Collies (very very fit agility dogs) 1.5C of Eukanuba light daily - thats not much at all.

Yes there was a Waltham / Royal Canin merger - has anyone feeding the veterinary diets noticed a difference in palatability? Just a question of curiosity as I've heard a couple of our clients mention that their cats don't like the low pH diet anymore (despite eating it for the last 3 years) and that the turned up noses coincided with the new bags of food? Personally, although I know the pet food spiels backwards (and am taking part in the big companies nutrition programs) I think the most sensible advice is to feed the best quality food that you can afford and that will provide complete and balanced nutrition to your dog. Obviously there will be differences in ingredients and quality but even most of the supermarket brands meet the AAFCO nutritional guidelines.

Susan, I'm not Riayn, but in answer to your question, Stilboestrol does have the potential to cause some nasty side effects. However, at the doses normally required for controlling incontinence they are highly unlikely. Most of the documented effects apply to an injectable form in an oil bases that is not available in Australia - where only the oral form is used. The side effects can be bone marrow aplasia which is usually dose-responsive but is rarely caused by the oral formulation. High doses can precipitate endometrial hyperplasia (again, dose responsive) and are more of a problem if the administration coincides with progesterone. High doses in young bitches may induce malignant ovarian adenocarcinomas - however most cases requiring its use are in mature adult bitches. It is rarely a concern given that the aim of treatment with stilboestrol is to give the minimum possible dose that will maintain an appropriate effect - often only one tablet a week. At this level, the documented "nastiness" is unlikely to be a concern.

I'd look into the environment, there may well be flea eggs hiding somewhere - either from the cats or they could just be fence hopping from your neighbours. General control would be flea bomb the house (spend a day out with your dogs) wash all the bedding etc. Perhaps consider a change to Advantage - we've had a lot of people complaining that for whatever reason Fronline isn't packing the same punch that it used to and that Advantage is working better for them.

Will try to set this out so it makes sense Most cases of urinary incontinence, particularly in female dogs fall in the category of 'urinary sphincter mechanism incompetence'. Generally, this condition is oestrogen responsive - hence giving stilbeoestrol, and also why early desexing if often touted as a reason for incontinence in bitches. Although its one of the last choices - testosterone can be used to treat incontinence in male dogs but carries a higher risk of adverse effects so other avenues of treatment are usually trialled first. The other class of drugs that can be used are the A-adrenergic drugs - which includes the staple pseudoepedrine (Sudafed) and also Propalin (only fairly recently released). These drugs work to increase the tone of the urinary sphincter. Neither drugs is perfect - however in cases of oestrogen responsive incontinence both should work. The adrenergic drug will increase urethral sphincter tone regardless of the cause, while stilboestrol wil provide the neccessary precursors. Often cost comes into the choice of treatment. Neither is without side effects - Propalin can cause hyperexcitability, panting or anorexia, while stilboestrol (at increasing doses) can lead to the development of oestrus like behaviour and bone marrow toxicity (which is why there is an initial loading dose, then reducing to the lowest possible dose that will keep the incontinence under control). The drugs can be used in combination in certain cases - of course under guidance of your vet. What do when neither works? If the incontinence is causing the owner or patient a problem, then further investigation is probably indicated. - Often there can be some underlying conformational fault in the urinary tract somewhere that may become exaggerated with age. - Chronic, subclinical urinary tract infections are another possibility - chronic irritation of the bladder lining can lead to occasion, uninintenional contractions of the muscular wall and let small amounts of urine escape. There are other drugs that can be used to control the signs of this - but getting rid of (or at least attempting to) the infection is important rather than modifying the behaviour of the bladder. Chronic irritation and inflammation of the urethra can usually be managed well with medical treatment. - Neurological causes should be at least considered in the investigation. Often these cases will have urine dribbling, but with a full bladder. - In older dogs, the possibility of a tumour interfering with the function of the sphincter should be considered. These are usually diagnosed either visually doing an exploratory laparotomy or using ultrasound. Unfortunately, although chemotherapy can be used for palliation they nearly always turn up in the "trigone" of the bladder which is difficult to operate on. Also, by the time it begins to cause clinical signs, it has often already become locally invasive. Now that list isn't meant to scare anyone - I just thought I might as well be thorough (and besides, it gave me some reason to avoid studying something else )

Well, 3 kg down is a great effort! Sounds like you're doing well so far - just find the treatments that suit you best and stick with them . Don't forget stuff like acupuncture also....

Rimadyl is a very useful drug that I think certainly has its place, particularly in the early and acute management of pain. Don't discount it entirely because of bad press from the US. Certainly investigate other treatments - there's plenty of options. Veterinary treatments include Cartrophen / Pentosan injections. Cosequin capsules and Sasha's blend. Waltham also produce a diet with a "Joint Support " formula that some of our patients do well on. Other things: - It's really important to get his weight down, often just this can lessen the clinical signs significantly - Regular gentle exercise on lead, try to avoid or limit activities with sudden changes of movement like ball chasing. - Raised beds, with a warm place to sleep - Certainly try some kind of joint supplement - glucosamine, MSM, fish oil capsules etc. Herron's Osteo-eze was recommended to use at uni and I've heard about some good results using that.

I wasn't trying to be mean - I know what you meant Just that ringworm isn't an intestinal worm (or any kind of worm).....didn't want anyone getting their hopes up.

Perhaps you mean tapeworm, whipworm, hookworm and roundworm?

The all in one treatments generally don't contain more than 2 active ingredients - they just have a wide range of action or more than one mode of distribution.

My own opinion is that the core vaccinations ie. C3 should be given as the series to puppies and then a booster a year later and continue as appropriate whether it be never, yearly, every 3 years of whatever. Distemper, infectious hepatitss and parvovirus are still existent and can cause disease - however the incidence of disease for at least the first two is virtually zero. This isn't because the pathogens have disappeared or been eradicated, rather that there is, and has been for some time a sufficient proportion of vaccinated individuals in a population to prevent unprotected individuals from being exposed. Even with parvo, the incidence of disease in vaccinated animals is low - but the disease itself in unvaccinated animals is often fatal. I don't think the kennel cough component or leptospirosis / coronavirus vaccines are neccessary unless you are trying to reduce transmission of disease in a population eg. a dog show, kennels or there is a known risk, such as Lepto in northern Australia. I also read on a veterinarian only discussion board that there is suggestion that titres, while showing antibody levels, do little to accurately determine the efficacy of response to an immune challenge. I suppose its a good direction to head but I would be hesitant to think of it as a complete alternative to vaccination.

C3 = Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus C4 = C3 + Parainfluenza virus (viral component of "kennel cough") C5 = C4 + BB (the bacterial component of "kennel cough" - Bordatella bronchiseptica) The recommendations are that all dogs and cats should receive at least the initial course and first yearly booster of the core vaccines (ie. C3). Best to make the decision on further vaccines after discussion with your vet. Including the kennel cough component is only really neccessary for dogs that regularly hang out with other dogs whether it be at the dog park, shows, training etc or are expected to go into boarding kennels (although the kennel cough component can be added later). It wont prevent a dog from getting 'kennel cough' but will limit the clinical signs, which in turn limits the spread of the infectious organisms in mucus and nasal secretions.

Anytime :D Best not to be around a bunch of vet students at meal times then!

How to put this delicately..... Although it probably isn't, consider the possibility of "eau de dogue butt". If they've been licking their anal glands....well, you get the idea about the referred smell. :D

I'm not really sure what you're getting at An SG is 1.020 does mean they are hydrated (but urine concentration isn't usually used to determine hydration, rather renal function - a PCV is the measure of dehydration), but it would make me happier to see it up closer to 1.030 to show that renal function was fine. An SG of 1.000 is the same as water, but that isn't a problem so long as there is water going in. An SG that is the same as plamsa 1.012 one multiple occasions is the biggest worry. Also in addition to the original question, a high level of protein in the diet (such as high "just meat" content without vegies etc will also do it.

You'd think so Steve, but sometimes it just doesn't happen that way. This is one of those cases that goes in the category of complicated diarrhoea. From what I've read, the vet is doing the right things but I feel may not be thoroughly explaining what they are thinking and doing. For uncomplicated diarrhoea the treatment is as most people would guess (through dealining with it themselves if nothing else) withholding food for 12-24 hours, gradually reintroducing highly digestible food (like chicken and rice, or cottage cheese and rice etc). Depending on whether there is likely gastritis or whether the diarrhoea is originating from the small or large bowel, an enteric mixture like Peptosyl might be added. When diarrhoea becomes complicated, so does the diagnosis and treatment. There's a great many things that can cause it, some sinister and some not so sinister. The aim of diagnostic plans is then to start with the most likely causes, see if they can be identified, if not, move onto the next one. Often this is done therapeutically, so treatment trials - easiest first......if small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is suspected then antibiotics may be given, so even if it were some other bacterial problem - a positive response to treatment might narrow it down a little. As for the faecal culture - a great many cases will grow Salmonella - certainly can cause diarrhoea but its also normal gut flora, just like E.coli (but nearly all young animals can be killed by it.....). So its only if you're looking for something specific that it really becomes more useful to rule things in or out and thats really what making a diagnosis like this is about, getting the greatest amount of information with the least, or the most appropriate tests. It would be interesting to know if the radiographic series included a contrast study, but it would show if there were something grossly (as opposed to microscopically long). The next step after that I suppose could be ultrasound to check out the structure of the intestinal wall, lymph nodes, stomach etc for other small masses or thickening. Exploratory laparotomy is always on the list somewhere (even if at the very bottom) because you can always tell a lot more by actually seeing and palpating and biopsying everything that you can - theres no other way to do it. Then at least you can get a histologic (microscopic) diagnosis but often, that only puts a name on something that you still need to work out how to treat - and even then individual dogs will respond differently. As an example - we have a Cavalier King Charles that comes in to work who has had chronic episodic vomiting and diarrhoea for 2 or 3 years. We've done treatments trials and found him to be stable on Hill's i/d - then it started behaving differently so he was referred to a nearby specialist centre. There they did intestinal biopsy, examined the inside of the stomach and so on and found that the lining showed intense inflammation and ulceration as did the intestine. Definately the prime candidate for the diarrhoea? The pathology report said that apart from a change in structure of a couple of the glands it was essentially normal. I guess the point of this story is to just show how difficult things can become, we've got a diagnosis of "normal" but there is definately something happening......so what to do? Find something that works, treat the symptoms, stick with the treatments that result in an improvement. Unfortunately....if it is IBD, the nature of the gut being inflamed impairs its ability to function hence the need to anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs like corticosteroids or azathioprine or cyclosporine. Also, added fibre can both help and hinder - really depends on which part of the bowel is affected. Sometimes it can bind really watery diarrhoea, sometimes it can make it worse. Also, although I know you all love your BARF (nothing against it!) the presence of food that makes the intestine work can increase the irritation to the gut lining and exacerbate the inflammation - hence food trials with low residue food, or food trials based on ingredient exlusion - sometimes it is a reflection of an atopy problem. Edit to add: My Dog Stinks - if you are going to go to another vet, consider asking your own vet for a referral to a specialist. If not, let the other vet know why you are seeking another opinion so that they can obtain your dogs record from your vet. That way the vet giving the second opinion will have a clue what has been done etc and you'll save a bit of money from not having to redo tests.

I have to be quick at the moment, but will have more time later tonight... First "faecal analysis" is a pretty generic term. There's a couple of sorts and not all go to a lab. A faecal flotation is done in house using a microscope and looks for protozoa and parasite eggs and is usually done fairly soon after diarrhoea doesn't appear to be resolving (ie. a couple of days). Then theres faecal culture which is what I think a couple of people are referring to - it is of most use if you know what you are looking for. Faeces are chock full of bacteria, so growing things is relatively easy - but growing the right thing and having it show its face as a problem is more difficult. The other thing I noticed is people referring to IBD - this is a diagnosis of exclusion which means that you trial all the other therapies that should work, and when they don't then you take a biopsy of the intestine. This just confirms that it is IBD rather than some other process - IBD is idiopathic meaning that there isn't just one cause - rather just confirmation that you're dealing with something thats difficult to manage.