SchnauzerMax

UTI?

He's gorgeous isn't he?

Minis and giants are very similar in nature barring size (obviously). Our experience of all 3 sizes is that all 3 are stubborn in nature but standards are often a bit softer.

There are different types of bladder stones. struvite (calcium oxalate?) stones cannot be dissolved. Complete blockage of the uretha is deadly. you cannot tell the type of stone without pathology. I would not be mucking around with this.

Dissolvable stitches don't always dissolve completely. I was told it depends on the individual dog. When my mini schnauzer Max was desexed, he had dissolvable stitches and they didn't entirely dissolve. The remnants worked their way out over a couple of months. The vet did snip one and pull it out because it was irritating him. If he ever needs surgery and stitches again, we will ask for the non-dissolvable ones.

Max has just cost us over $5000 for emergency surgery for bladder stones. There's not a lot of options when they are peeing blood But for Remy, the most I have had to pay was $350 for xrays because he ate a box of staples - he was fine because he chewed them very carefully and we gave him lots of soft food afterwards to help things 'pass'. So I guess it evens out in the end.

Not quite right and pale gums, to me is straight to a vet, but I live in the city. Can you ring the vet and ask them without getting them out to the surgery?

I have heard good things about "Benny & the Pets" which has 2 locations Belmore and Kogarah. We are not customers though. For routine stuff we go to Erskineville Animal Hospital but we usually ring up and find out which vet(s) are on before we go down there. Also, if it is an emergency we are straight to SASH in North Ryde.

Some vets are responding by charging an annual consultation subscription. Pay $300 up front and visit as many times as you need to. Good for dogs with chronic illness. Do you know if the insurers are paying this subscription or rejecting it? How does it work in terms of trying to get that money back do you need to wait until you have a claim for a chronic illness and pay the money up front then? The short answer is I don't know how pet insurers treat this subscription. The person (and dog) that I know that took this up did not have pet insurance.

Some vets are responding by charging an annual consultation subscription. Pay $300 up front and visit as many times as you need to. Good for dogs with chronic illness.

April Fools right?

...my kids feed on chocolate, peanuts butter etc....while this is not always the healthiest diet for kids, the ingredients are not - in the product specific dosage - toxic for them. It seems that some people don't understand that the digestive system of a dog works totally different, e.g. you can use one Xylitol tablet in your coffee and it won't do you any harm, however, one Xylitol tablet is enough to kill a dog....as chocolate does... BTW: Xylitol is not necessarily classified as artificial sugar replacement as it is a sugar alcohol and - in small conc. - prevalent in many fruits (hence a natural sugar). Therefore human food might contain Xylitol without the term 'Xylitol' mentioned on the package. ETA...some funny spelling errors :D ... ETA: ...instead of 'Xylitol' the package could state 'natural sweetener' for example... Yes but according to my reading of the food standards, if it is declared as "natural sweetener" or "humectant" or "stabiliser" it must also specify the E number e.g. "Humectant(E967)". So, you can either name it "Xylitol" or classify its use and specify the number. It should not be labelled as just "natural sweetener".

Bambi ?

It was my dog :) And she is back to normal now?

Wonderful news! I'll second the photo request!

Yes. Totally!

It could be the painkiller. My standard schnauzer had a similar reaction to Tramadol. It affected his balance (and his vision I think). He was very jumpy and hyper but reluctant to move. Having said that, the cone of shame, by itself can have a similar result because it obscures the dog's vision. If you can watch her, you can take the cone off. Put it back on when you can't watch her (and don't forget to put it back on!)

Because until the registration is completed, it easier to give both parents' pedigrees. Max is registered in Queensland and that is exactly what the breeder did. Nothing shonky, just couldn't register the litter until she had all the details because the puppies are registered in the new owners' names not the breeder and one new owner was not prompt with all their details.

Most pet insurances wont cover a dog who is 9 years or older for illness. They will cover for accident.

:kissbetter: Read it again and you will see that I gave it to her as a treat and because of her dental.sorry, but ice-cream is not an appropriate treat for a dog! For elderly dogs it is wonderful! Edited for formatting

Medibank have just started limiting claims and tightening restrictions. For example, you can only claim $300 in consultation fees in a policy year. When we started with them, 5 years ago, it was 100% reimbursement after whatever excess you had specified. It changed to 80% and then the excess is deducted. Now, it is more and more restrictions.We have has 1 claim rejected because it 'might' have been kennel cough and another pro-rated because Max 'might' have had kennel cough at the same time as an infection on his toe. The result was both claims were not paid. The vet notes did not state kennel cough, but rather bacterial infection but Medibank chose to hide behind the clause that says they don't pay for illnesses that can be vaccinated for.We are seriously tossing up whether to continue. Also, the excess is taken out of every claim / illness. Read the prospectus very carefully.

If you want to use turmeric you need to make 'Golden Paste'. Turmeric needs additional foods with it to be absorbed effectively. From memory pepper and oil.

Jared82 Enlarged right side of the heart sounds like cardiomyopathy which is usually caused by the body's reaction to a virus. The enlargement causes scar tissue in the heart which makes the heart floppier and weaker. The fluid on the lungs is the result of the weaker than normal heart. If you have been giving him heartworm meds for over 4 years, it is very unlikely to be heartworm.

No, but Max owes his life to a plasma transfusion when he was critically ill with HGE. We are forever grateful for that donation. I would like to "pay it forward" but Max is teenie-weenie and even Remy is not big enough to donate.

What a cutie !