trifecta

Sonic, Mobic is the human form of metacam... the actual drug is meloxicam. Mobic 7.5mg tablets are dosed at the rate of 1 tablet per 100kg. My girl gets 1/4 of a tablet daily as she is about 22kg ( she is BSDxBC). The tablets are made by Boehringer Ingelheim & cost me $44 for a packet of 30 tablets, ie enough for 120 days. Mind you my vet is very cheap! They have not been extensively tested on dogs, & I was told that there has been one mortality in Victoria. However, my vet feels that they are very safe, as safe as the suspension. Moreover, at one time I had 3 old girls on meloxicam, & there is no way I could have afforded the Metacam. I hope this is of use to you. Please let me know if I can give any further info. PM me if you like.

Cairo, I really think Metacam/ Mobic is the way to go with Mayo. I have a 14 year old BSD x, who has been on this drug for over 12 months. Recently she had a gastric episode & due to the diarrhoea was not absorbing the drug... well you should have seen her, her arthritis was pitiful. She could not stand to eat & fell in her dinner one night! Now she is better, she is once more a different dog. The important thing with metacam/mobic is to give it with food, like all NSAIDS meloxicam can cause gastric ulcers. However, it is really important to seek the advice of your vet, obviously you cannot rely solely on internet advice

Cairo, my old longhaired GSD girl lived to about 14 years of age. We rescued her at about the age of 2. Most chondroitin & glucosamine supplements help the oldies out for a while, but funnily enough seem to have less of an effect on BARF fed dogs.... probably because they are already getting lots of cartilage through their food. Metacam is probably one of the safest NSAIDS, available from your vet. Ask about Mobic tablets - the human form of Metacam & therefore much cheaper. Also better absorption in tablet form as the liquid is a suspension & has to be mixed properly. Steroids are usually the last resort. Lots of scary stories about steroids but they can often give an old dog a few last weeks of pain free, quality time. My old girl finally gave up, just would not get up one morning, after going dramatically downhill over a period of about one week. You see, Cairo, Hera had had enough, & my last responsibilty to her was to see that she could leave us with dignity & no pain. It was my last gift to her, & even now as I type, the tears roll down my cheeks, for although I had her PTS 2 years ago now, she holds a special place in my heart.

As you can see Kate H methods of training are a contentious issue. Read as much as you can about different methods & choose one that you are comfortable with & one that suits the temperament of your dog. Obedience schools mainly teach positive reinforcement training these days because the inexperienced handler cannot "ruin" his dog using these methods. However if you decide that the Koehler method is for you, I would encourage you to have one on one sessions with a trainer skilled in Koehler's methodology. I do not consider it a suitable method of training for the unsupervised novice handler, nor should it be put into practice simply by reading a book. It's a matter of horses for courses..... & there is a training protocol to suit your dog.... you just have to find it :rolleyes:

Hi Guys, Don't get into this forum much, spending most of my time in Rescue. For those of you interested in herding, check out the Rescue Forum & go to the thread about Jack, the rescue Kelpie x from Queanbeyan. You'll be AMAZED ;)

Missymac - it depends what you want from your vet. Do you require all the diagnostic equipment, heaps of diagnostic tests, all the latest drugs & veterinary protocol, & a vet that will refer you to all sorts of specialists? Or do you want a tried & tested vet with many years of experience to draw on, who, over the years, has become adept at many facets of veterinary medicine & who charges much lower than most vets & to be honest cares more about the comfort of the animal & the emotional & financial welfare of the owner? If the second one is for you, PM me. I have worked for several vets in Canberra, both equine & small animal, during the 22 years I have resided in the area. I think the forum is too public a place to discuss individual practices; especially in Canberra, which, let's face it, is nothing more than an overgrown country town.

See your vet tomorrow, there is not much he would be able to do today. While it could be serious, it doesn't sound like an emergency. Your good relationsip with your vet will be maintained if you respect his/her days off. I'm assuming your practice does not have consultation hours on Sunday.

Lenni, did your vet discuss putting your dog on meloxicam? It is a NSAID, so has less side effects than a steroid. Metacam is the animal medication, but my dog is now taking the human version - Mobic. Only 1/4 of a tablet daily is needed for 20-25kg dog, so on second thoughts as your guy is small, you would be better off with metacam. It really does work wonders. Over a long time it can predispose the dog to stomach ulcers, but as your dog is aged it should not be an issue.

Birni, my heart goes out to you. My old girl, BSD x Border Collie was diagnosed with lymphoma 3 weeks ago. However, my dog is 14 years old, she has had a full & happy life after being rescued from the Queanbeyan pound with her litter sister at 5 months of age. Your dog should still have many years in front of her, you must feel terribly cheated. Belle, too, is on macrolone tablets. They have made a huge difference to her wellness, but she is always ravenous... always looking for food. She is now the skinny one, whereas she has always been the fatter of the two girls! I put this down to the cancer cells dividing rapidly; they take all the nutrients & render her so tired, she has little energy. Fortunately we have not experienced the bloating & urinary incontinence that cortisone can cause. Chemo is not an option for me. I don't know how people can say that chemo does not have the same effects on animals that it does on people. Chemo kills healthy cells as well as cancerous ones - it has to have an effect. While working as a vet nurse I too remember remarking that most patients only usually had one or two treatments of chemo & on rare occasions, three. I expect Belle to be with us for around 6-8 weeks, although the prednisone can carry them for 9 months or more, as someone above has posted. My quandary will be the predicament of her sister... they have been together for 14 years. Bijou is a little deaf & her eyesight is beginning to fail. She is also somewhat arthritic. My head tells me that I should have them both put to sleep together, so that they will not make the journey to rainbow bridge alone; but I don't know if I have the strength to do this. I only hope my heart lets me do the right thing when the time comes. ;) ;)

Cat, Sorry for taking so long to reply. As you are aware, iodine is a constituent of thyroxine for thyroid function & control of metabolism. Excess iodine intake inhibits thyroid hormone synthesis. All glandular structures, respiratory organs & circulatory system are especially affected; they atropy. With rapid metabolism, the animal has a voracious appetite but becomes thin. Goitre also occurs (confusing, as this is also a sign of iodine deficiency!). Reproduction is particularly affected causing birth defects. It is interesting to note that the feeding of excess amounts of seaweed meal is the most common cause of feed related mineral toxicity in horses. I do not know if any research results have been collated with regard to mineral toxicity in dogs. I do not know what amounts are recommended for dogs, but do know that the RDI for a 500kg horse is 1-2mg. This is iodine itself, not the amount of kelp. You would have to check the analysis to see how much iodine was available in a particular product. Sorry I can't be dog specific, but most vets consider feeding in excess of 20g daily of pure seaweed meal to horses weighing between 450-500kg harmful. This is about 1.5 tablespoons. For this reason I consider daily supplementation of kelp too frequent, preferring to add it on a weekly basis.

There has been a lot of talk about kelp recently. I would have thought supplementing with kelp once a week was enough, if at all. We see a lot of kelp overdoses at equine vet hospitals.... too much iodine is as bad as not enough. Furthermore kelp contains heavy metals, it is probably the copper that enhances coat colour. Again, trace elements are just that - needed in very small amounts.

We do have ticks in Canberra, but not paralysis ones, unless people have bought them back from the coast. Are you sure he hasn't suffered some trauma to the tongue? Reminds me of a racehorse that is running around somewhere, (possibly Qld), called "Ticklicker"

Is combantrim effective against hydatid tapeworm? I have a farming friend who has just had surgery to remove a hydatid cyst from his liver. Not nice.... a lot of stress beforehand, hoping none of the buugers would break loose

Rozzie, I know you won't appreciate me saying it, but how lucky you are that your previous oldies have gone in their sleep! It 's something I always wish for. My old long-haired GSD became less interested in food, & finally gave up eating, could not pass faeces & just lay in the laundry. The final morning she did not lift her head when I entered the room, & I could not push her haunches up so that she could stand. She had quite simply given up. She did not want to live. My neighbour helped me lift her into my car & I drove straight to the vet. He put her to sleep in the back of my car, where she lay. She did not even raise her head when the hair was clipped back to expose the vein. When the needle was inserted she closed her eyes. This was a dog that wanted to die.

Roxanne, have e-mailed you re vet in Canberra.

You are right noisymina, Sudafed/pseudoephidrine is "speed". It should certainly NOT be administered to hyperactive dogs.

Have really enjoyed your tricks, bigbum, & agree that monthly, rather than weekly, gives us more time to consolidate training. :D