~Anne~

I am another who doses every 45 days, instead of 30.

At his age, I would suspect that there are other conditions causing the seizures. Seizures that come on in old age can be caused by many things. Are they investigating the seizures at all?

I don't dislike all of his ideas...but I do dislike that he actually 'markets' his own dog food range successfully by dumping on all other commercially purchased dog food.

infidel. :p

He's not a god to me though.

Absolutely it could be related to his meds. My Pug is a canine vacuum. He walks around hoovering up everything. We treat him like a toddler and ensure that all small mouth sized things are off the floor where we can but he still manages to eat some doozies. The pica should settle a little once his body adjusts to the new doseage. I recommend that thye feed him 2 - 3 smaller meals a day if they can, particularly if they are currently only feeding once daily. Pb can also make them feel a little nauseous if given without food, and as it is adminsitered 12 hourly, I would suggest that a minimum of 2 meals a day be fed.

I can't really say. Pugs are very, very food orientated and so as a consequence, my boy now suffers from pica. This in turn also increases his need to drink water. The majority of people I speak to with epileptic dogs that are on phenobarbitone do not have issues with this. Pugs, as you may be aware, will eat anything normally anyway and always behave like they are starved. I do not see the side affects as anything that can not be managed and in my case particularly, with a dog that suffers clusters of seizures and who can have 60 seizures a year, I feel the side affects are nothing. Keep in mind he has this number even though he is on quite a high dose of pheno and he is also on bromide. As I sadi, if you are concerned there are other drugs such as bromide and even keppra. These would need to be considered with the Vet's advice naturally. In the US, Bromide is given as the drug of choice quite often. In Aust we still give pheno as the drug of choice.

They have to be on pretty high doses for the ataxia to really be a huge concern. Most of the lethargy and ataxic symptoms settle within 4 - 6 weeks.

My Pug has been on phenomav for over 4 years. He suffers from some ataxia, polydipsia and polyphagia to varying degrees... he is a Pug though and so the latter is even more noticeable. Overall though, his seizures have more chance of killing him then the drugs. Edited to add: If the drug is being prescribed as an anti-epilpetic, Bromide may be more suitable but it also has it's side affects. As the Vet correctly said, there is potential for side ffects from all drugs and you have to weigh up this when looking at treating anyone or anything.

Spotted Devil - fabulous and informative posts. Well done.

I am so srry to hear that.

Are you sure they vaccinated him? I am not an expert but I would think it was dangerous to vaccinate a dog that was suffering already from a life threatening virus and I can't imagine a Vet would do this.

Eucalyptus removes sticky residue and there is also a product called something like 'goo-off' but you would need to check hwo safe these options were.

Thanks Rappie, I really appreciate your advice. I will leave the ears alone till her Vet visit, which is likely to be during the week.

Thanks Rappie. I have things such as Surolan, Malaseb ear cleaner, Ilium Oticlean, Ilium Neocort and some Dermotic dropd (to name a few ) and a few other bits and pieces here. Would any of them help while she is waiting to see the Vet or is it best just to keep them dry and clean?

I have just taken in a little Pug that has an issue with her ears. I just bathed her and noticed that the inside of her ears feel rough and scaly. Upon investigating, you can not see the canal, the inside is greay/discoloured and the skin is covered in fine lumpy roughness. There was also a lot of congealed gunk sitting there. They don't appear to be sore at all as I cleaned them up as best I could and she showed no real discomfort but she did lean towrds me as most dogs do when you rub their ears. There is obviously some kind of bacterial thing happening but I am unsure what. I am also unsure if her canals are just covered over naturally of if her ears are perhaps swollen?? It is hard to test her hearing as she is a bit of an active dog and doesn't sit still long enough to test. She will be off to the Vet shortly anyway for her check over and becuase it appears she has brachy syndrome and is a very, very, very bad breather!

I would still think she was breaking the rules as judging by her posts (14 out of 16 of them involve her selling her wares and most before she was closing down) she joined in order to sell her products. Personally I don't care what she does but I do think she is breaking the rules.

Dont think that applies in this case- surley Good luck i have a big box full of ezy dog products in my salon atm that i have marked down to try and get rid of, i always found it difficult to sell/ Actually, if you have a look at all of the OP's posts, they are to sell her products so therefore she IS breaking forum rules in my view.

Exactly, it would not be epilpesy at this age I wouldn't think. Seizures in geriatric dogs are usually caused by metabolic disorders such as hypoglycemia and hypothyroid issues to name a few. It can also signify cancer of some organs.

An aural haematoma is similar to a blood blister, for want of a better description, and so you are correct in saying that a hard lump would not be this. If it tiny it is prbably just a pimple or simialr and nothing to be concerned about. If it grows, spreads or moves then visit your Vet.

*hugs* for you and your dad Teebs.

Really? The brochure I picked up for 'Niulife Extra Virgin Coconut Oil' actually states; "Coconut oil has no cholesterol, no trans-fats and is lower in calories than all other fats and oils. It is the premium high-heat cooking oil, enhancing the flavour of many foods." In another part of the brochure it states; "The healthiest cooking oil - free of trans fats and not damaged by heast as other oils are"

I've been checking out this coconut oil theory and it seems that is might just be good for you. The only places that sell it though is Health Food shops which is a bummer as they hike the price up. The cheapest container was more then $10 and it was only the size of a peanut butter jar. I think I will check the web and see if I can get it cheaper. I think it would be great as a cooking oil too. Thai coconut chicken sounds great!

Pugs are quite energetic as youngsters Raz but by the time they hit about 3 - 4 years they start becoming sloth like. I am very determined to keep my Pugs slim. In my view, they should come in at the waist...although there are some who feel that if mine come in at the waist then they are too thin. They're are far from thin that's for sure. Obviously it would be different for a show Pug but mine are only pets and so lean is preferable. I have seen far more fat and obese Pugs then I have Pugs in good shape or thin. I'll pm you a clip Raz of a rescue in the US, you should see how skinny one of the Pugs is in it. Edited to correct grammar.

Recovery is sually dependant on the dog, its age and health. Some dogs are sooks and are still gingerly walking around for days and days after, whilst others are tearing around almost immediately. The stitches are removed around 10 days after the surgery, if there are no complications, so I would hold off anything for 10 days after her surgery.