mirajam

My vet in the inner north of Melbourne always discusses vaccination protocols with us, and delayed desexing on our little silky because she was so little! Our cat has dreadful reactions to vaccinations and we now have a vet letter saying she is not vaccinated on veterinary advice - the vet even offers to board her if we cannot find accom for her because of her vacc status.

Sounds like you are trying your best to help them back to good health - bad teeth / skin can also mean there are systemic problems (eg: internal infections, poor nutrition) - so boost the diet if you can. Why not see how they go with a bit of extra oil (omega 3 - fish oil etc) in their diet - and perhaps some Vitamin C to boost the immune system?

We really like Kathy DALY at Kensington Veterinary Clinic in Epsom Rd - she's been our vet since 2002, when we moved to Melbourne. Removed our cat's eye due to melanoma, really good surgical skills. Good with animals and humans too. We trust her advice implicilty - I drive 45 min to see her with the latest pup!

I've been a RN (Human!) for about 19 years, and I'd say it needs re-stitching. Unless you have a close look and are *certain* it's dry blood, it might be muscle tissue that is exposed. It needs to be covered in a normal saline soaked bit of gauze, and then covered/taped /bandaged up securely to keep it moist/clean until you get to the vet. Good luck.

Our littlest pup (silky X shihtzu) has thick silky hair, and is getting 'dandruff' - the vet said it's part of the growth spurt puppies go through! We are feeding her omega pet oil with her dry biscuits (1/4 tsp daily) in addition to raw bones/ vegies etc as alternate meals, and her coat is improving greatly

oooh, I'm going to ask for sub-cut suturing when Lucy gets desexed ... no more tugging at external sutures like the big (older) dog did ..

If your dog is swallowing whole, it does seem best to give them something so BIG they must chew /gnaw at it!! When our 4 yo westie X was a pup, she found one of those chicken leg 'knuckles' - the gristly bit. I asked her to give it back and she inhaled it in her haste to keep it !! (literally inhaled it ) As I watched, she started choking/ coughing and running wildly in circles. I called to the OH (silly me!!) to 'help, call and ambulance' Then realised that was not an option So I tipped her upside down and squeezed her tummy just below her ribs - a puppy Heimlich maneuver ! It worked, and out popped the chicken knuckle. I had to grab it before she could though, b/c she was still determined that it was hers! After that I taught her to 'give' anything she picked up and I needed to check out

Both dogs' clotting times were tested last night and they are within normal limits - they don't need any more Vit K. Phew. It's been a stressful month, after what was going to be a nice weekend away with the dogs... Now I will collect / send the bills to the B&B owners and ask them to pay up!

Hi Fifi I have decided to wait and send all the bills with a lawyer's letter once I know the outcome... Little Lucy has a suspicious cough that developed about 5 days after eating the stuff.. the bigger dog is fine. Thankfully they were both wonderful taking their tablets - I turned it into a 'training game' - they sat, waited and then got the tablet as a reward - worked every time

Fingers crossed - the 4 week course of Vit K ends today . Now I have to wait 3-4 days then do blood tests to see if their liver has excreted the poison... otherwise it's more treatment.. If their blood clotting is still affected, this is when we'll find out...

Poor girl! Our older girl gets irritated around her vulva from time to time - I just wash her backside with salty water and give her a tablespoon of natural (no sugar) yoghurt for a few days in case it's an imbalance of bacteria/fungal organisms. Clears it up in no time.

... I found this forum because I googled "rat bait dogs". My 5 month old pup (Kelpie X Bull Mastif) ate 3 trays worth (a lot!) of 2nd generation rat bait 2 1/2 weeks ago from the farm next door. It was 24 hours before I knew he had eaten the bait, which I knew because his scat was bright green. I took him to the vet and they put him on a course of Vitamin K. It was only because I could confirm he had eaten the rat bait that the vet didn't need to do a blood clot test. In any case, even if you suspect rat bait poisoning it's better to be safe than sorry as Vitamin K is completely non-toxic to healthy dogs. A few days ago the vet upped his dosage to 2 tablets twice a day just to be safe...and gave him a booster injection. .. Hi Johnnybegood - so very sorry to hear about your dog. It's a dreadful experience. We are still watching our two dogs closely and they need blood tests in a fortnight to see whether the bait is still in their system.. The first vet we spoke to said we should watch the pup's and other dog's poo, but also warned us that the green dye doesn't always show up (I guess it depends on the proportion of bait ingested in relation to other diet etc).. In our case the dogs had TWO NIGHTS opportunity to eat the rat bait and we missed the opportunity to collect fecal specimens because we didn't know to look until we found the 3/4 empty box (15 grams of bait at 50mg/kg of poison). The literature says that multiple dosing over several days is more dangerous than a single 'dose"- that may be why your vet has upped the dose... I'm waiting to put all the bills together and have a lawyer write a letter of demand. If we have to go to VCAT (small claim) we will ask for a full refund of the accom fee as well for lost enjoyment and legal expenses.. I can't understand why rat bait is not sold with instructions about placement - I'm told the professional pest companies put it into wire cages that rats can access but not dogs/cats.. and even then they put it into roof spaces/ wall spaces where it can't be reached. It's a frightening chemical /terrible death - I wonder if the the animal rights people have protested its use?

Our little Lucy (13 weeks) torments the 4 yo Poppy in much the same way! She's tiny (1.2kg!) and i could just pick her up, but I'd rather teach her self-control. So, every morning they come into our room for a romp on the bed. When they stop for a 'rest' (even if it's a second or two), I'm rewarding her with a treat and "that's enough". The older dog has figured this out, and will stop immediately and wait for her treat, even while the little pup is persisting... It may take a while, but I'm hopeful

It's ironic - Doing the right thing, I left full payment in cash on the bench, alongside a note and the box of bait. Tried to call her before we left, but no answer. Maybe she'll calm down and send money back for spoiling our weekend and offer to pay the vet bills... (wishful thinking) [edited to add:} Yes, Emilyszoo, the owner was asked directly "are you pet friendly" when I booked the place During one phone call when the owner said that all country places used bait, I did point out that the rat bait would be a danger for children as well - her young grandchildren were outside playing when we arrived....

Thanks all. I'm pretty worried - I'm told some dogs can die without symptoms. The littlest pup is just over 1kg and probably ate enough to kill 10 dogs Once they're out of the woods, then I'll send all the vet bills - two visits so far, and more for the follow up blood tests, even if all goes well. I'm so glad that I remembered that this stuff is slow acting and got onto it even though she looked OK... probably thanks to this forum for the educatin' !

My vet said it should be an easy small claims case - and of course it was reasonable to treat immediately - she even provided her notes etc. I have enough experience to run a case if necessary... but I would have hoped the owner would just say "So sorry, let us pay the vet bill"! [edited to remove accommodation name...] I felt really horrible - sick to my stomach - when I realised they'd left out rat bait. Why would somebody be so careless? My poor girls.... Some of the technical papers say this stuff can stay in animals for months. They will need blood tests and further treatment if their blood clotting isn't normal even after 4 weeks treatment

We planned a lovely weekend away in Country VIC at a 'pet friendly' Bed & Breakfast in Murindindi It was lovely - an old school house, converted. The owner met us and our two dogs on the first day, made sure all was OK (blocked gaps in fences etc). But they left RAT BAIT under the bed in the house!! Our teensy puppy (12 weeks old silky terrier X) got under there, of course and ate some. We thought she was playing with a cereal box we'd left for her to play with - it was a yellow coloured box of "2nd generation" rat bait . ... This means it lasts about 4 weeks in her system, according to the vet. So she needs 4 weeks of Vitamin K treatment because the bait prevents her liver recycling the Vit K and she could bleed internally/die. How horrible. Our older dog (Westie X) started acting oddly, and the Vet said she also needs treatment in case she ate some too... So, two dogs on 4 weeks of 2 x daily Vitamin K tablets The B&B owner is being HORRIBLE about it - told me first that her vet doubted that 4 weeks treatment was needed (said only 5 days). Clearly wasn't told the chemical name on the box - I looked it up, and the after hours country vet's advice (which I confirmed the next day with our regular vet) was correct.... Now the B&B owner says she won't pay vet bills unless we prove 100% that the bait was eaten. Does she want us to wait until the poor soul starts bleeding internally and needs hospitalisation? How crazy is this?

Technical talk: In human terms, a high calcium level tends to put other body chemicals out of order - (digs in the memory banks... :rolleyes: ) I think it's because calcium binds to bicarbonate as it's filtered by the kidneys in humans and leads to alkylosis or acidosis (wrong pH in the blood) - panting can be the respiratory system's way of trying to re-balance. I wonder if this is the same for animals? Personal experience: I had a lovely old ginger cat who got melanoma of the iris, had the eyeball removed but it had spread. We treated him holistically, using herbal drops thought to help in human melanoma. It was a long shot, but so long as he agreed to drink the drops voluntarily, we decided to give it a go. He lasted 18 months longer than the prognosis! :D When we eventually said goodbye, it was gentle (very sad, of course) and he'd had a short reprieve, and It's so sad when the 'time' seems close. My sympathies go out to you.

Bought macromeats roo meat (human grade mince) the other week. Other than the freshest bits (which I made into patties with loads of rosemary, oregano, thyme, wostershire and soy sauce), I found the smell too strong. But I froze it into portions, and gave it to the dog intermittently, and she loved it!! How did I know? Her little nose twitches at the cup (held above head height) to check out what she's getting, and she does 'wheelies' when it's really yummy

I've used olive oil very sparingly on cats's ears for years, and more recently on my dog to clean smelly ear dirt/wax which was not obviously infected. I put 2-4 drops on a cotton wool ball, and use it to remove visible wax/residue. Then I use a fresh cotton wool ball and moisten it sparingly again, and twist it into a long 'tube' which I put lightly (holding onto the end!) into the ear canal and twist. The oil removes wax by dissolving it. It's only very mildly antibacterial (if at all), and the excess is wiped off without problem. Think of it as a moisturiser/soothing agent. This approach worked on a cat with chronic fungal ear infections, when her ears had become terribly irritated by alcohol based solutions. She used to hiss and carry on with ear drops, but used to 'lean' into the cotton wool /oil treatment when it was offered. It won't hurt to try, IHMO

Disclaimer: I've never needed to try this on animals, but have had good results on myself... (edited to add, but not for kennel cough!) - here goes ! 1. Sage leaf is a fast and soothing cough/throat infection remedy 2. thyme (red thyme, preferably) stronger taste, but great anti-infective qualities I prepare them as a 'decoction' - take 1tablespoon of dry herb plus 2 cups water, bring to boil then simmer on low heat until reduced to one cup, for 3-5minutes & strain /discard herb leaf - this could be added to a BARF pattie or made into a 'soup' with some kibble. You could also use lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar in a barf food diet for a week or so...

Tee hee! We have a combined approach - a digging bowl where authorised digging is rewarded; occasional 'pooh in hole' and criss-crossed bamboo sticks around new plantings (for about 1 month). We still get 'diggin' dawg' days, but they are reduced when there is plenty of stimulation from other sources - a fresh bone, toy rotations and outings to distract and occupy. The funniest thing happened recently, though - Poppy decided to teach the neighbours' dogs (2) about digging, and they spent 10 minutes digging the BIGGEST hole together in the common lawn at our apartments.. oops! Until then, the other two were disinterested in digging: it only took one little dawg to corrupt them...

Poppy (little terrier X pup) is great with bach flowers - she takes one trop from my hand - I just put a drop there and she licks it up. Very sweet behaviour - just sniffs and delicately laps it up. I used white chestnut with great results to help her stop 'worrying' at her post op sutures.

I recently went to the (human!) dentist and there's this new (human) product made from milk protein (casein) that they paint on your teeth, leave for 4 mins then rise - it stops 99% of sensitive tooth (exposed dentin) pain, and is said to help resist decay/gingevitis. My teeth felt great afterwards - I wonder if the vet has anything like this for dogs/cats? Our cat had her teeth cleaned recently and is now on a 'teeth diet' with great results Puppy is going fine with meaty bones every day - lovely pearly whites!

In humans, the omega 3 'good oils' are great for arthritic changes and joint irritation - I've seen some people here also use these oils in their dog's diet. I've used flax seed oil (keep it in the fridge for best medicinal benefits, and only buy stuff that's been properly refridgerated) with fantastic results on mobility and pain due to a spinal fracture (mine ) Good luck.