Muttaburra

So you are only a half pleasant......woops Pheasant plucker! Happy Birthday too. Anyway I pluck Gracies snout near her stop, other wise the fur fans out in front of her eyes. But if the new thought is to trim would be happy to do that. She's not for showing so whatever is practical and works I will do.

Hi Kel Hope Sash improves soon. Would some charchoal help the tummy? Also how about seeing if a vet can do a home visit, use a DAP diffuser and try getting her used to you holding instruments etc.?

Would there be issues with mercury levels in some oily fish? I know the fish oil capsules state on the front whether or not they are free of mercury.

Snr, for now follow the vet's instructions, staph bacterial infections can be very stubborn and also contagious. Although usually they do not attack healthy skin, the bacteria lives on the skin anyway. So may have been a combination of something irritating in the dog wash water, then a bacterially contaminated environment at the dog wash. Listerine is useful for hotspots as mentioned, but that is more when it is a fungal infection, these dogs now have a secondary bacterial infection. Be careful putting curash on wet wounds or skin disorders, it contains corn flour, so when dry will turn to starch and go hard like plaster. I would only recommend it for dry skin conditions or for moist zones on the dog but not on weeping areas. Also it contains zinc, so use only short term, since zinc is toxic in large amounts. It's very important to wash your hands before handling a dog with staph infections, and preferably use rubber surgical gloves, since it is possilbe to spread the infection around from one spot to another on the dog, or to another dog. So use a fresh swab to apply treatment to each area if you are applying cream or similar. Wash hands thoroughly afterwards, keep your fingernails very clean. Wash the dogs bedding several times a week and dry thoroughly in strong sunlight, or use old sheets cut up, that you can throw away. Avoid woolly or furry surfaces for the time being.

Contact allergy is a likely cause, plants like Plumbago and others that are mentioned. Although it is to be noted that Contact Allergy is the least common allergy, food being the more common one. However it is always worth eliminating to the possiblility of Contact Allergy first, since that is environmental and you can control the environment to some degree. A typical Contact Allergy starts with small red spots and a red rash, and is commonly seen on the belly or armpits, like with your dog. The small red spots then develop into pustules, within hours, or overnight. The pustuels (like a pussy blister) then break and a scab remains for a while. There can be a secondary bacterial Staph infection develop. So keep in your medicine chest a tube of 1% Cortisone Creme ( available non-prescription over the Chemists Counter). As soon as any red spots appear, apply the cream, rubbing well in for at least one minute. You can do this 3 or 4 times per day. Make sure your hands are very clean and washed, and wash hands thoroughly afterwards. You can also check at your next visit to the vet about adminsitering an anti-histamine such as Claryntine, you will want to check the dosage with the vet. So keep a packet of that in your medicine chest. Once it has reached the scabby stage, you could try applying some Savlon, to prevent Staph infection. If the scabs, sores and redness do not improve within a day or two of the above treatment, definitely take the dog to the vet. If in any doubt at all - take your dog to the vet. This can also be a Flea allergy, so take all the steps for flea prevention and removal. Flea allergy causes great discomfort, because everytime a flea bites, all the other places where fleas have bitten in the past can flare up in some cases. If steps for flea control and contact allergy strategy are not getting any results then it could be a food allergy, and will need further investigation at the vets. Pork and the ingredients in some treats such as Shmakos can sometimes cause reactions, so try the dog on a diet of raw chicken necks, wings or drumsticks.

Thanks for the well wishes. I just popped in here to see how your dogs are all doing. Wishing you all many good days ahead.

So sorry for your loss Wagsalot, I love rabbits they are such dear little animals. Rest in Peace little Pepper.

What a terrible loss for yourself and OH, I'm so sorry Rest in Peace Paris :p

So sorry for your loss GP :p run free little Zapper

The results are back and it is good news. It is cutaneous lymphocytosis (a bit of a generalised term) but the information was specific - this one is benign in nature and non-metasticising and nothing suspicious around the margins. This particualr form can occur if a dog has contact allergies, which Maxi has (to Plumbago and some plants and grasses). There were some mast cells at low density and within normal bounds for this kind of cyst. So as you can imagine I am very relieved. It was certainly a weird looking thing that underwent changes, and I am glad I had it removed. I suppose the only way to get good pathology is to send the cyst off (when a needle aspiration is inconclusive), and not much point taking away a suss lump without taking margins, so it worked out ok. It's wonderful to have this thread here, and hear of the progress of all the dogs and what loving owners they have. Thanks to everyone.

A sad time for you Trisven, but a blessing she passed away so peacefully. She does look like a wonderful and special dog in the photos, and it was great she was cared for and loved in her last year. RIP Grandma

Thanks RMC, its good to have him home and he is back to his usual self today.

Thanks for all your encouragement, yes cautiously optimistic and hoping for confirmation of clear margins. Poor Maxi, I picked him up late this afternoon, very sooky indeed. Big wound sites and stitches too (he's only a little bloke), so looks dramatic, I guess there will be some pain too. Anyway I had to carry him up all the stairs, and when he arrived he took himself off to his bed. I gave him a little nibble of vegimite toast, then half hour later a bit of milk and water (his favourite treat). It took him a couple of tries, but he has now toileted, opened bowels etc, and is a lot more comfortable. Later he had a couple of kibbles then a full dinner, he was really hungry. He is now up on the bed burrowed under the polar fleece blanket resting comfortably, and seems to be managing getting up and down on his own. He's got 5 days of antibiotics too just in case, then goes back in 10 for stitches out, unless something else needs looking at before hand. It's so good to have my littel furbaby back home.

Hi again. Well Maxi has pulled through the surgery ok. The suspect lump on his chest/shoulder removed with whatever margins that could be managed, deep muscle and jugular obviously could not be removed. Showed with onsite cytology to be possible mast cell but not definitive or showing either diff or undiff cells. Both vets checked it. Will need to get the pathology back to get a definite analysis of what was found. The vet noticed after shaving his chest that he had a few little scabby things, that need to keep an eye on. She gave anitihistamine prior to surgery and seems to be up with all the latest mast cell procedures and has done recent cytology workshop etc. Elbow, smallish mole thingy, no mast cells or suspicious looking cells, removed with some margin, due to being where it might get bumped a lot. Small 1 cm limpoma on chest wall, behind front leg, needle aspirated and came out looking like fatty cells, not removed. So no definite answers yet, but I am glad he has had it removed. It's just not the same without him being around here, so looking forward to picking him up soon.

Staffyluv, thanks so much for your support and being there.

Thanks Helen, I really appreciate your encouragement. We go there at 8.30 in the morning, but I don't know if that means he is first on the list or will be waiting his turn. The Vet said he was pretty good for his age, 8yo, his teeth very good, and overall quite sound, she said he had a good relaxed heartbeat too. He's had surgery before, after being attacked by a dog, so as far as I know he handles the anaesthetic and recovery ok.

sorry, double post

I think the bulk of salt ingested would be either stored in the body or excreted through the urinary system, since it is water soluble and would travel through the membrane in the gut where fluid is extracted from the fecaes in the bowel. However there could be some salt still in the remaining poo I am guessing. The person is a complete idiot to be allowing the dog that much salt and the sausage, ham and bacon, would be full of preservatives and chemical additives too. Could some of that content be giving your dog the runs? As for the solution, I see none if the person can't be convinced to change their dogs diet or pick up their dogs poos. Seperate yards perhaps?

Helen, it's very heartening to hear that Lucinda is doing so well. Up until yesterday, I knew nothing about Mast Cell Tumors, although I had heard of them I had never taken the time to learn about them. Maxis lump does not resemble a Hemangioma. The lump is perfectly spherical, sits well above the surface of the skin, and appears to have a fine mebrane over it, there is no normal skin layer or hair over it. Thanks for the clarification Staffyluv, re: the antihistamine, I will mention it to the vet anyway. I am beginning to wonder if a fine needle aspirate, then in-clinic assessment, then sending the sample away would be better, but wouldn't a biopsy need to be done to get conclusive results? This could confirm MCT or any other kind of irregular growth and whether benign or not. But when I weigh this up against the characteristics of the lump, how it gets bigger and smaller, and what I am learning about MCT, it certainly seems suspicous. Therefore going straight in and removing lump and margins, in a fairly accessable region of Maxis body, where there is plenty of loose skin and tissue, to compensate for tissue removal, then sending the whole sample with margins away for pathology, would be more conclusive, in terms of incomplete/complete lump removal and indicate more clearly the next step that would need to be taken. I spoke to another practice to get an overview of how they handle this kind of thing, and while doing a needle aspriation is common, I was advised that with most obviously suspicious growths, the vet often recommends removal straight away. With the other Lipoma type lump, it is very ambiguous, and would not rush to remove it at all, however will certainly be anxious to get the result of the needle aspiration, and if positive for MCT will give a go ahead for removal. I'm just trying to get it clear in my mind so that I can respond quickly and make informed decisions. If the surgery was more radical and on a less accessable part of Maxis body, I would think more conservatively.

Thanks Dogbesotted, RMC and Staffyluv, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your kind thoughts and advice. The one on the chest is highly suspect, protruding through a thin layer of skin, about the size of a small pea, like a cross between a fluid filled blister and a blood blister. It's very ruddy, strange looking thing, the vet thought it immediately high on the suspect list. It also looks fragile like it could easily burst or something, so I wasn't keen to suggest sticking a needle in it. I can't help but feel once it is disturbed, then it might spread or travel, so that is why I agreed with the vets opinion to remove it and the standard "margin" area as a first line of treatment. The lipoma (at least that's what a vet thought a while back) behind his leg on his chest, has been there a while, so it would be a good opportunity to have it needle aspirated while he is under anaesthetic. Is there a vet in the Northern Beaches of Sydney that would be better for this kind of thing? The one I would normally go to has left the area permanently. Should I ring the vet about the antihistamine treatment first?

Hi, on Thursday Maxi goes in for surgery to remove a pea sized lump from his chest/shoulder. It appeared before Xmas. The vet thinks there could be cause for concern but didn't do a needle aspiration, and we are going to go ahead and remove the lump with margins straight off with the first surgery. I might also ask her to do a needle aspiration the "lipoma" on the side of his chest just behind the foreleg while he is under. I am trying to stay positive and hoping it doesn't show anything too difficult to treat, but still looking through this thread to prepare myself just in case. The histamine factor is interesting. The anti cancer diet sounds interesting, is there a website with details?

Ruffles, so sorry for your sad loss of Cujo, he sounds like he was a great mate.

Sheriden, just as an afterthought, watch out giving too many pigs ears and things, some have chemical flavourings and preservatives. If to much sulphate preservative is eaten then this can cause Thiamine deficiency, (beri beri) and neurological symptoms, ultimately some other serious problems. Also kangaroo meat, pet quality does have sulphates in it, and you can never be too sure about human quality either. There is on brand of roo meat for cats that claims no preservatives. How's grumpy getting along now?

This is just the saddest thing Run free over the bridge Charlotte

So sorry for your loss. baby Lucy RIP