morgan

Very true - mine were all recently exposed to KC after a bitch came out of boarding kennels and developed it (she had been there for 2 weeks whilst in season). She promptly gave it to her brother, who had a very bad cough for a few days, but he had lost a lot of weight and been very stressed over her season, so was definitely very vulnerable. All the other dogs were exposed to it and only two others caught it - ten didn't. Not one of these dogs had ever had a C5 or had it before and some hadn't even been off the property in 6 years to be exposed to it. One of the dogs that caught it also has an autoimmune problem so I expected her to get it. They all responded very quickly to colloidal silver. Bubbly - agree with the disclaimer on the rottie - this breed is notorious for not responding to vaccines.

Saw a post on this homeopathic product on a US list today - apparently it has controlled, and possibly cured a 5 year long case of spay incontinence in a very short space of time. The medication she was on for all those years could not have it's dose lowered without incontinence recurring, but this remedy has been stopped for a few weeks with no recurrence. Even if she has to be put back on it, it is completely safe and much cheaper. "Leaks No More" - HomeoPet Ingredients: Plantago, Gels. Semp., Canth.,Caust., Alumina, 6c & 30C in 20% USP alc. in purified water.

Don't know about Victoria, but Diana Hayes in Perth gives advice over the phone - Wholistic Animal Medicines.

:p

I would like to know what studies have been done as to the sperm quality after the implant - provided a dog returns to full fertility, what guarantee is there that the actual manufacturing process has not been slightly impaired? Motility? DNA intact? I keep my girls where the boys can see them and know that no-one else is getting to them. If there is a big show coming up and I have a boy entered that will drop weight, the bitch is kennelled off the property with friends. Some old time breeders recommend doing semen collections every 6 mths from boys that get highly stimulated by bitches in season to protect their prostates from problems. Basically similar to recommendations to men - regular "activity" is good prostate protection.

Because this is not appropriate for the show ring - it is the chemical alteration of a dog being exhibited, which is not allowed by the canine associations. The dog could only be shown once the implant had worn off.

Turmeric is worth checking out - I know a lot of people use it for cancer, so it is a pretty powerful substance. Must admit, hadn't thought of using it for coughing!

The best treatments for KC are homoeopathic Bryonia 30c, several times daily for a few days and/or colloidal silver. If you know someone with their own colloidal silver generator that can give you a decent supply just replace the drinking water with it. The very best product for it is Bionaid, but that has to be brought in from the US and will take 6 days to get here. It will usually get rid of it in a day or two.

There is a homeopathic remedy that will dry up milk in a few days if you have a friendly local homeopath. Unpasteurised apple cider vinegar is what we always used for the cows and horses - in their water and sponged on diluted in water. Ditto on the cabbage leaves for any discomfort to prevent mastitis. That 25% figure for pyos in entire bitches is a bit of a furphy - my personal figures for it are under 2.5%, less than a tenth of that figure. Checking on the temp of a bitch every couple of days for a month or so after each season could help pick up any problems before they become too extensive. For the truly concerned, a blood test checking white blood cell count will let you know if pyo is developing or not.

May I cuss at the idiot vets as well? Like the eejit who gave an unhealthy, skinny 12yo dog a C5 11 mths after his last one, because he was going to be boarded later that week? Dog ended up with pneumonia from getting KC, so the vet made heaps more money out of that one, only 3 weeks after the jab. Poor old dog nearly didn't make it though. I have had more arguments than I can count with vets over this issue - they assure me that the adult dogs have absolutely no problems being exposed to strange dogs or environments from the day of the shot, that their immune systems are not compromised and that they are fully protected..

I would rather run the risk of the occasional bout of KC than subject my dogs to the risks of the C5. As long as a dog is healthy and not stressed, with a good immune system, KC is no big deal. Can be cleared up within a few days with the right treatment. However, some of the adverse effects of C5s are permanent, especially for the occasional pup that dies. Parvo is the only thing I worry about, but my adults have never had a moment's illness despite being exposed to it on a number of occasions over the decades, even elderly ones who haven't had a vacc for ten years.

Once you have seen enough side effects from C5s you might understand why some prefer not to keep doing boosters Of the five dogs I know of with kennel cough in the last week, every single one of them has had a C5, two of them in the last month. So why risk side effects when it doesn't even work? Personally I would only do titre tests to avoid annual boosters if a kennel or club demanded it, otherwise why bother? Once dogs have had their puppy shots they really don't need any more. Oh, and my dogs have been exposed to KC lately, never had a C5 in their lives, no shots at all since puppyhood, and no problems. It was only the ones with C5s that caught it...

If it is ringworm, lavender oil applied a couple of times a day for a week or so usually works. It is a traditional antifungal and antiseptic, used for centuries.

Why do you say that? Almost all of the adult dogs and bitches I have known have changed personality after desexing. Some better, some worse. You could always try the implant so that you can change your mind if he does change too much I know quite a few people doing that with adult dogs at the moment.

I'd change vets - you should have been advised of the possible side effects, not just told that she could be a "bit tired". C5 vaccinations are notorious for causing adverse effects in puppies, and IMO should never be given to them unless they need it for boarding. As the KC component only lasts for 6 months anyway, it can be given later if needed. The adverse effects can be serious, even lethal. Most cases of KC I have seen have been in dogs vaccinated against it, frequently within a fortnight of getting it - it only covers a few varieties out of many possible ones.

Did the trainer also mention that for most puppies humping is a normal thing, that is grown out of as they mature? But that desexing while in this growth phase means they frequently just don't grow out of it? Discouraging one who does it excessively is fine, but desexing it before puberty is going to create lifetime problems. I know many, many serial humpers that were desexed at a few months of age. As he is going to be a large dog he shouldn't under any circumstances be desexed prior to 6 months - early desexing such a young lab will cause him to grow too tall and increase his chances of hip dysplasia and cruciate ligament rupture. Preferably don't get him done till later, but never before 6 months.

Wasn't it in Newcastle a couple of months ago too?

Here in NSW boarding kennels can make their own decisions. There is a Dept of Agriculture Code of Ethics which requires annual boosters, but it is not a legal requirement. Victoria has annual boosters legally mandated for kennels, so each state sets it's own requirements. ed for dodgy keyboard (or user)

The CHC survey in the UK found that approximately 75% of all vet visits, diagnoses of epilepsy, Cushings, Addisons, allergies etc came within 3 months of an annual booster, not 9 months as would be statistically expected. This study was done with a sample of around 4,000 dogs, so not statistically insignificant. I have put the information relating to children in italics. http://www.canine-health-concern.org.uk/

Ditto on any vet spaying a pup with a recessed vulva. Disgusting. In the meantime you could try putting a good quality calendula ointment (in a lanolin base) on the affected area a couple of times a day. It will heal the irritation as well as protect the skin from further urine scald and retained moisture. Even if she licks it off within a few minutes the calendula will have had time to penetrate the skin and start the healing process. What she licks off will go into her system and help from the inside. Generations of mothers used to use lanolin to protect their babies from nappy rash! The ointment from Newton's Pharmacy in York St Sydney is excellent and they will post it to you if needed. This will give you time to work out whether or not to have her operated on.

Puppies AND children DO need those first vaccinations! By not vaccinating (children and puppies) at all, you are risking their health by leaving them exposed to catching those diseases 'full on'. On the other hand, I believe that the Rubella needle given to Yr 7 girls compromised my oldest daughter, who 9 months after the needle was diagnosed a Type 1 diabetic. My personal dilemna is that my youngest girl is going into Yr 7 next year and I dont know what to do :D Off topic I know, but many, many children go through life with no vaccinations whatsoever and thrive. Mine are all in their twenties, as are many others I know - and none of these kids have ever had the health problems of their peers. No measles, no allergies, no eczema, no asthma, no autism spectrum disorders, no ADHD, no leukemia, etc etc. Even simple bugs that have made their friends ill for a week have only kept them home from school for a day or so. All of these kids have had high IQs and most have been in "opportunity" classes in primary school. Admittedly they have also had good diets (very little junk food or soft drink) but the one thing in common has been no vaccinations. However, as parvo is not a natural disease (laboratory-made) and is lethal, I would never not vaccinate a pup for it. There is no equivalent deadly disease in children that can be vaccinated against. In fact many childhood diseases are actually designed to help strengthen the immune system and have protective effects. For example, catching the mumps helps protect girls from ovarian cancer later in life. Being exposed to kids with chicken pox helps protect adults from shingles, which can be much more deadly than chicken pox ever could be. For the record, mine are never vaccinated after their second puppy shot - and my adults have never caught parvo despite being exposed to it.

Go figure - Proheart 12 has 3 times the active ingredient of Proheart 6. Obviously different labels for different countries :rolleyes:

My vet stopped using it after several cases of autoimmune haemolytic anaemia occurred after the shot. He said that it is supposed to be a 1 in 10,000 occurrence, but he only vaccinated a few hundred dogs. This link has been posted in almost every Proheart thread, but here it is again for those who have not seen it. http://www.wyethah.ca/pdfs/Canine/EngLetterMarch16.pdf The boxed warning on the caution section of the label is as follows - As far as I'm concerned, vets should be showing this label to their clients and giving them the ability to make an informed choice.

Very well said Miranda........As breeders it is our job to be "experts" in our chosen breed & our duty to be up to date on health , nutrition etc.........IMO We dont expect our human GP doctors to know everything........... Yes, some vets need to be given a very wide berth by informed owners. A friend took har very, very itchy poodle pup to hers for treatment, so the vet gave her a C5 "while she was there" to save her a trip a few weeks later. Needless to say, the poor pup nearly tore herself to shreds after the jab as it made her so much worse. When she mentioned desexing the vet and the two vet nurses insisted that she breed "oodles" from her first as she could get $1500 a pup. She never went back to that vet to find out his opinion on heartworm shots

Wow - that's some serious info. Thanks for that, looks like I will be adding some to the shopping list!