~Anne~

I also use phenyl, in fact I use every product known to man.... and the only ting I don't like about phenyl is that your yard ends up smelling a little like a toilet. I walked into a petrol station the other week and was greeted by a gorgeous scent. I asked the cashier waht it was and she said they used a lemon disenfectant. Lemon is such a fresh smell. I guess it wouldn't kill the odour though and would only mask it.

Epilepsy you will find is a quite specialised veterinary field and so although most Vets know what epilepsy is, they really only know the basics unless they have spent time treating and researching the condition. My Vet has ofetn phoned me up over the years to ask something or requested urls and things from me. Between us I think we have it down pat thogh, I sitll couldn't manage the condition without him and his knowledge, it just needs to be a team thing. It may take him up to 6 weeks to settle in with the drug. At first he may be clumbsy (usually termed 'ataxic' and is primarily in the hind region) and spaced out but as his body adjusts to the Pb these side affects will lessen. Depending on the dose they may dissappear altogether. His thirst will increase as well which also means he will urinate more and so you will need to be mindful of his access to outside for toileting (assuming he is a house dog). His hunger may also increase... which usually makes it easier to medicate them anyway but be wary of letting him get fat. The head jerking is a worry? Is he like this all the time? If so, then I would suggest that this may be seizure activity... and I would think there may be a neurological disorder? If it happens on and off then it will also be seizure activity (not all seizures are grand mal) and his meds may need to be adjusted to try and stop this. One of the most important things is to keep him cool as his body temperature will rise dramatically during prolonged seizures and to prevent further injury. You should try to get the cluster under control to minimise damage. We actually give valium orally and or rectally to stop the cluster. The valium is only administered at the time of the seizure activity. The brain damage will occur only if the seizure is prolonged as he will not breathe during parts of the seizure. That is exactly what Monte does. I actually try to nurse Monte as much as I can in between the seizures to stop him walking into things and to allow his body temp to drop (no activity also helps drop their temp). This phase is called post ictal (although with clusters, he may not be coming out of the seizure entirely and so it still could be part of the seizure). Some dogs can be post ictal for up to 24 hours, but most are like your dog. I am sure that a few brain cells are killed off with every seizure a dog has... but I am not so sure that many dogs suffer serious brain injury. It is the pressure on the heart and overheating that is more of an issue. My Monte has always been dumb... and I think he is a little dumber these days but he is still awfully cute. :cool: Thanks, we are happy with his recent health too. Good luck with your guy.

I don't have many left to pick up thanks to my Teddy Bear.....but the ones that for some reasons he doesn't eat I pick up with a grocery bag over my hand and I drop it into another grocery bag and then tie and toss it in the bin. Edited to add: I do it daily.

My Spaniels, you will find as you deal with your dogs epilepsy that seizures have no rhyme or reason. What you have experienced is called a cluster seizure. Some dogs are clusterers, others are not. Some dogs never have single seizures. Some dogs only have focal seizures. Some dogs may have a seizure every day for 6 months and then none for 6 months. Some dogs may have a rhythm of a seizure every 21 days for 3 years and then change to every 30 days. There is no rhyme or reason generally for seizures in most epileptics. In this case it is called idiopathic epilepsy. 'Idiotpathic' meaning it doesn't follow a sequence and 'epilepsy' meaning seizures of no known cause. I live with a dog that has idiopathic epilepsy and has clusters seizures. This year for the first time ever he is experiencing single seizures. He has only had 4 that we know of. It has been a great year so far. Up until January of this year, Monte's rythms changed regularly. He would have a cluster every 14 days. This would then alter to a cluster every 12 weeks, then it might go to a cluster every 4 weeks. There is nothing that sets him off. The rhythm he is in currently is easily manageable and I hope it remains this way. Your dog has started having seizures at the classic age. Most dogs diagnosed with epilepsy are between 18months - 3 years. The phenomav is 'phenobarbitaol' or Pb. If the Pb doesn't control his seizures adequately they can add another drug. The most common drug added is Potassium Bromide of Kbr. Sometimes both drugs are needed to control the conditions. Monte is on both Pb and Kbr. Without medication, the clusters could mean an ealry death. The heart is put under enormous pressure during a seizure. A cluster of seizures obviously adds to this. He needs to have his seizures controlled regardless of why they are occuring. There are many causes for seizures apart from epilepsy. Some Vets will recommend brain scans to check for abnormalities of the brain, there are also blood tests that can be performed, all of which can be expensive. I hope this info helps you.

You may be able to get just the two KC strains. I wouldn't do the entire lot again for fear of over vaccinating. Unless your dog is under risk I would wait for the 12 months and then do a C5.

Neither pup will be fully covered until after the second vaccination. Be careful when taking them out in public areas, avoid putting them on the ground where possible. KC is a virus. There are many strains of the virus. Vaccination will not cover every strain but it will lessen the degree of severity of the symptoms if your dog develops it. C3 only vaccinates against dist, parvo and hep. C4 includes parainfluensa (1 type of KC) and C5 includes the rest and bortadella (another type of KC).

My recommendation is a C5.

Is this the breeder that sold or gave you a puppy that was not vaccinated and not microchipped? Gee, I'd really be listening to what they have to say, not!

Why is your thread titled C3? I would request a C5 for your pup. Your pup is not adequately protected until after the second vaccination.

Shaving also cute the hair off blunt at the end so the hair appears thicker.

Live vaccine or killed?

But they would still lose their hair anyway?? The hair that they lose would be shorter though. I don't understand the thinking behind shaving a dog to stop hair loss......

I spoke with my MIL and she stated quite clearly that Tasha's hair has not changed one iota with her being clipped. It has not grown any thicker then it was and Tasha seems quite happy about having it shaved off. It certainly makes the task of grooming easier too.

I was just going to point that out too. My ex husband also had a theory about shaving a human baby's head to make it's hair grow thicker. I threatened him with divorce if he ever tried to shave our daughter's heads.

Not true. She gets it clipped in Spring/Summer and sometimes a second time during the warmer months. It grows back all through the colder months. Her coat is gorgeous. I will ask the MIL if she thinks it is grwoing back any thicker. She has done this for three years running now.

My MIL's BC gets clipped every few months. She looks just like an oversized puppy. It hasn't harmed her coat any and she certainly feels much better for it I think.

The only tinned food I will feed is Nature's Gift. I have been assured that this is the only tinned food that is close to being all natural and it contains a hig proportion of real meat. A fellow Pug lover has actually apparently cisited the factory where it is canned and she vouches for it being real meat too. I did try the kibble but I prefer to stick with a low fat kibble and Nature's Gift do not have this range.

There are many strains of the kc virus. Just like the human flu vaccine, the chances of developing the virus are not eradicated with vaccination. The severity of the symptoms are however reduced, regardless of the strain, if the dog is vaccinated. All rescuers and foster carers should have their dogs vaccinated against kc. Edited to add: And just like the human flu, it can be deadly for the young, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. I would still vaccinate. ;)

Yes, I know it can be persistent. The query though was on the fact that it 'migrated' from upper layers of skin to layers further down. I have never heard of a demodectic mite burrowing down to a layer where it can not be eradicated. Bad case of demodex, yes. A case that seems impossibe to control, maybe. Mites burrowing further down the epidermis layers of the skin... I am not certain of. ;)

Only your Vet can really determine what is causing the seizures. I would say that, in my opinion, it is not epilepsy though and I would be speaking with my Vet about the possible causes of the siezures. You also should look at the fact that at 12 years of age, she doesn't have a lot of time left and if the valium controls the seizures and she is happy, this might be better then putting her through a lot of invasive tests to determine an exact cause.

Not sure although, I must say, I have never heard of other dogs getting them??

I would think it was perhaps some kind of reaction to an irritant perhaps? He is licking it becaus eit is either sore or itchy or both. I would take him to the Vet to have it looked at if it doesn't go away in or if it gets worse.

If you were told be a Vet after your dog had been assessed, then yes, I would say you were given correct information. ;) Not all dogs that reverse sneeze have problems with breathing. If you are concerned then I would recommend have the palate looked at by your vet.

Raw chicken can cause problems as it contains salmonella. I would be very wary of using any chciken mince that didn't smell and look fresh. Keep the chicken and the vege mix well refrigerated.

Someone has in their signature "The best food for your dog is the food your dog does best on" and I think that is applicable here.