Flick_Mac

Justrace - my clinic has a kitten adoption program and used to give them a 'desexing voucher' for them to bring the kittens back at 6 months - included in the adoption price. More often than not they didn't come back, or came back pregnant or with a bunch of kittens. We now desex before they go to their new homes.

Agree with BSAVA books being good - I use some of them (especially the exotics manual) at work.

She has multiple problems but mainly we're managing hers with harness (no collars) and weight loss. Her other problems don't really make medication viable for her unfortunately, but luckily it's not as bad as it could be - only when she gets over excited or stressed.

From my research the stenting surgeries are complex and have a pretty high complication rate - my parents mini schnauzer has a collapsing trachea and we're just managing it medically unfortunately. Re not being able to hear the valves, I'd think the vet was trying to listen to his heart and hear for murmurs etc - but the coughing and honking probably meant they weren't able to hear it. Harsh breathing is enough to drown out the sound of the heart. Sorry to hear of the diagnosis - that sucks.

No words, just hugs. RIP Buddy - loved forever

A physical exam is more than just a TPR - it's looking for things that the majority of nurses would not be able to pick up. Murmurs, lumps, lamenesses etc. I am a (newly graduated) vet and will be getting one of my colleagues to look at my dogs at least once a year because they are likely to pick up things that have come up gradually (a friend picked up a lump I hadn't noticed already!) so I think having an independent physical is very very important. Not only that but vaccine consults don't usually charge for the consultation so you're actually saving the consult fee. I say shop around but don't do it yourself.

I'd be very careful about putting anything in eyes that aren't prescribed for that specific condition - eyes can go badly very very quickly. You especially have to make sure that there are no steroids put on ulcers. I would watch the eye very closely and at any sign of pain (holding eye closed/partially closed) or strange discharge I'd go to the vet.

Been in this position before no... in the industry - almost. I'm not talking about facts - I'm talking about the steps that are taken by the majority of vet surgeries when conducting surgeries. If these hadn't been taken I would think you have a case for negligence - and taking them to court, as well as informing the Vet Surgeons Board. Simply putting it out there that complications happen that don't neccessarily involve negilgence. Your situation might, I have no idea but it could all be horrible luck for you and your dog. Good luck to your dog.

I'm sorry for the complications that have come about with this surgery and generally with your poor newfie, but I have to defend the vet for a second: their attitude may not have been the best, but it is highly likely that the Staph actually came from your dogs skin (or possibly from someone in the room). The surgeons should have been scrubbed, gowned, gloved and masked to prevent contamination from them. The surgery should have been clean to prevent contamination from previous surgeries. Many vets will do orthopaedic surgeries first too so that they don't have a chance to be contaminated by 'dirtier' surgeries. Finally, your dog would have been prepared aseptically as is standard - but missing even one cell could have been enough for the infection to seed. In addition, implants breaking happens sometimes. I guess what I'm saying is that I believe this is probably due to bad luck more than anything - I think the vet in question should have been more sympathetic to your situation, however complications are possible with all surgeries and I don't know of any vets who cover the costs for semi-predictable complications - outright mistakes (which it doesn't sound like to me) is a different story...

Last I knew Petbarn had 2 'homebrand' crates (not sure of the exact dimensions) for about $50 and $90 for the larger one.... ask for' Osi' pet carriers/crates etc

Gosh YG - that's so scary - are you going to the police?

YG - there are other drugs that work differently to Clomicalm and may have a better effect - I'd second the recommendation of a veterinary behaviourist, or a vet with an interest in behaviour. ETA: from some quick research into my lecture notes and the veterinary forum we have access to fluoxetine (prozac) seems to be popular for OCD type behaviour - maybe you could trial it? The other thing to consider (I'm sure you have) is that maybe she has some arthritis in her lower limbs - although from what you've said this does seem more behavioural - worth thinking about though! Good luck :)

Well done Zug Zug - I'm on my 3rd attempt of the couch to 5k - after several sprained ankles... both my boys come with me and love it!

X-rays will show arthritis - ultrasound won't... it only shows soft tissue structures. Radiographs will show bony changes associated with arthritis, however these changes take time - if it is a recent injury it might not show on xray yet. The other thing about arthritis is that it doesn't necessarily represent how painful the dogs is. E.g I've seen dogs with horrible hips on xray be almost sound at a walk, and conversely dogs with very mild changes on xray who are so lame they can barely walk... Ideally you'd get a GA, especially for spinal films, but depending on the dog they might be able to do it sedated, especially if he's a sensitive boy. However - if you want his hips done, they have to stretch them into weird positions, so I'd probably go for a GA if I had the option.

I was just going to suggest fungal.... haven't seen anything like it before though... Is he on any other medications eg prednisolone?

I would be interested to know if the pup is deaf, blind or maybe has some other underlying condition that might be exacerbating the aggression... I don't think the desexing will solve the problem and still would agree with everyone about seeing a veterinary behaviourist, but perhaps if the pup feels 'snuck up on' because it is missing a sense/senses this is contributing.

I've been part of the PMs at uni with pets that have been donated for teaching and learning and also for those who want answers about why their pets were sick. Any that want private cremation just get packed up separately so they can be sent back to their owners - it is 100% doable. Like everyone, I hope I could be brave enough to do it, but I'm not sure I could.

Yep, that's another one, as well as HOD. There are many things it could be - don't stress yourself too much until (or if) you get a diagnosis. Then make a treatment plan.

ED is only ever diagnosed on xrays. There can be suspicions of it with lamenesses at certain ages in certain breeds. Good luck with your pup - hopefully it's nothing. I'd also ask about OCD (osteochondrosis) which is common in some large breed pups. If you really want to get to the bottom of it don't be afraid to ask for xrays sooner rather than later!

So sorry for your loss. RIP little man.

Drooling is often a sign of nausea. We often give metaclopramide or other anti-nausea drugs. Might be worth seeing a vet for. Cerenia (injection) lasts 24hrs I think.

LMBC - I'm not sure how long ago that was, but as far as I'm aware now the RSPCA don't allow gifts to be purchased... the only way you can buy for someone else is for them to come down and go through the adoption process and the present giver pay. A change for the better I think :) I agree with you Aussie3 - have seen way too much PTS of animals due to lack of room - and will agree to disagree with the others like Steve etc although I see your points. :)

They are vaccinated before they come to us - they're ready to go to their home. People are also asked to disinfect their hands before and after and it's not millions of people, it's a few throughout the day (less than 5 probably). The dogs in the store are fine - the cats are well secured and there isn't much interaction. The majority of the dogs aren't interested at all in the cat or are only marginally interested. In my opinion it's quite good for the kittens to get used to seeing dogs. From a medical point of view it's more risky to be at a shelter where it is very likely they will contract ringworm or flu or even both. I don't think it's perfect, but like i said, I think it's the best of a bad situation.

I'd just like to add for those who are interested that at the Petbarn I worked at the RSPCA volunteer was there (more often than not NOT doing an adoption) and was sitting, cudding and playing with kittens. Very valuable enrichment. These kittens also got pats and cuddles from interested children (with no pressure to adopt). I see it as making the best of a bad situation. Selling desexed pets to the public who might otherwise buy undesexed, dubiously sourced petshop puppies and kittens will contribute to decreasing the unwanted pet problem. Yes, it's not ideal to have them in a petshop, but there is a massive shortage of foster carers, and space in the shelters themselves. The only other option is PTS which I'd rather not happen if the price of living is a few days or maybe a couple of weeks in a petshop being cared for as I've seen over an extended period of time.

The normal adoption process is followed as at the RSPCA - Photo ID checked - Other animals identified - RSPCA background check (if they've surrendered before) - Written permission required if renting - Lots of info given with the kittens re info on care, health and RSPCA support contact details - 1 bag Hills food (included in the price) - 8 weeks RSPCA pet insurance I've seen people refused if no written permission for rental properties are obtained, numbers of animals are more than the council allows, people are 'blacklisted' with the RSPCA for some reason. The other thing to consider is the risk of cat flu is significantly decreased in the petshop environment - my old work only ever had 7 kittens max at one time, and they were taken for treatment at the first sign of flu. Stress and overcrowding are big risk factors for flu. The other thing that should be noted is that these kittens went to new homes very quickly - if they were at one place for an excessive amount of time (weeks) they would change locations to increase exposure. If people want to buy a petshop kitten why not make it a rescue cat? Each to their own but I think this is a very decent (maybe not foolproof) but a decent screening process. ETA the reason they don't put puppies in stores as far as I'm aware is that they require more 'matching' of owner to dog and this adoption process is more intensive - hence it being done at the shelter where there are more adoption staff available.