morgan

This is a controversial subject which can sometimes get a bit heated. Look at this link and read some of the research and info. It should answer a few questions. http://www.canine-health-concern.org.uk/ For the record, I haven't vaccinated a dog after the two puppy shots in 3 decades, but most recommend another shot a year later. After that some never vaccinate again, others do it every three years, others still insist on annual boosters. Your choice PS - the injection site developing tumours is usually in cats with the F4 shot.

Heartworm meds were designed to last for 6 weeks (safety margin) but manufacturers felt that owners couldn't remember to give them at this interval, so recommended every month to simplify things. The fact that they also sell more this way is beside the point

There is a difference though WSM saying that they can 'possibly' cause them to saying "they DO cause them so don't vaccinate your dog anymore' which is what Morgan originally said. If vaccinations cause epilepsy, why is the average age of onset of convulsions 2 years? A dog commences vaccinations at 6 weeks. Where have I said in this thread anything whatsoever about possible causes of epilepsy? All I did was quote the advice of two different vets and offer a link with comprehensive info on a diet to assist with treatment of epilepsy

CRAP! Ignore Morgan, she has a 'thing' about vaccinations in humans and dogs. Innocent here - am going on the vet advice given to a couple of people I know with epileptic dogs - they were both told, by different vets, not to ever vaccinate them again. Seeing as I often look after one of the dogs and have to make sure he gets his medication and watch out for seizures his owner has explained the full medical history to me. Nothing to do with my personal views here!

I don't think any of those lines are available here. Well, don't know about the vet lines, but haven't seen any of the others.

Have a look at this site - lots of useful info - Epilepsy and Diet Don't let him have any more vaccinations - not good for epilepsy sufferers or any dog with neurological or auto-immune problems. efs

The vet is quite right - desexing is unnatural. But in the wild, dogs/wolves only breed once a year, naturally lose pups, starve to death if they can't catch enough food and die of injuries and disease, so there is never an overpopulation problem. "Survival of the fittest" sees to that. Try telling the vet that it is also "unnatural" to perform surgeries, treat disease or injury or feed dogs instead of making them hunt for it. Vets would be out of business very quickly if they never performed any "unnatural" procedures Ask the vet to perform a hysterectomy leaving an ovary intact if his objection is over loss of hormones and see what he says. It is "unnatural" for an entire bitch not to be bred, and this will cause pyometra in a number of bitches.

Hydatid exposure is relatively rare, so why worm for it unless necessary? The only time I have ever been worried about hydatids was when my bitch was catching and eating wild rabbits. I don't feed raw offal or lamb or mutton unless it comes from a butcher - this meat has all been inspected to prevent people being exposed to hydatids. Ordinary flea tapeworm can be treated quickly as they are easily noticed.

Vitamin C is essential as it improves the connective tissues to help keep the joint together. Ester C is a very good form of this as it is easily tolerated and not too acidic on the stomach. Syn-Flex from the US is the best form of glucosamine and chondroitin around, together with anti-oxidants, enzymes etc. As it is in liquid form it is much more easily absorbed than tablets or powders. At the moment they have it in beef flavour for pets, instead of just the apple flavour for people, which is used for pets as well.

Eerrrkkk - I remember hormonal teenagers Couldn't go there again! The experiences I have had with a couple of aggressive, nervy, fear-biting desexed shar pei males, I wouldn't have liked to deal with hormones as well! Of course once they settled with me, they became absolute sweeties, but hormones I could do without! Not an easy breed to do rescue work with, but very rewarding once you do it.

That must be why they are currently perfecting the desexing op that splices some ovarian tissue (not a whole ovary) under the skin to still make some hormones, just at a much lower level. My bitches sometimes get a bit narky with each other if they are coming into season, but it doesn't worry me - I simply manage them so that they can't cause problems. Obviously this could be difficult in a normal backyard situation without a kennel for separation, although crating works fine. IMO a few weeks of monitoring a year is preferable to the chronic, lifetime health problems that can occur. If I ever started having a problem with pyo, leaving ovaries wouldn't bother me in the slightest, as I'm used to entire bitches behaviour - would have the added bonus of no mess! But I would think that there could be some big differences between breeds when it comes to hormonal behaviour. I have only owned entire girls in 8 different breeds (with no problems) so there are an awful lot of breeds that I have no experience with whatsoever

Personally I wouldn't touch sausage mince - too much other stuff in it. Just get the cheapest beef mince your supermarket sells, as it has a higher fat content. It isn't usually labelled hamburger mince, if that is what you have been looking for.

If you're referring to the Suprelorin implant for temporary neutering of males, you shouldn't show a male with one of these. It shrinks the testicles to about one third of normal size, which is not within any breed standard ("apparently normal" testicles are required) and as it alters temperament is simply unethical in the show ring. If a male is too aggressive to be shown, it shouldn't be shown or bred from IMO - just desexed or kept on the implant for life (apparently the implant can make a dog quieter than ordinary desexing, which might not calm down a nasty dog) As for breeding afterwards, I would not like to do so in case there was any damage done to the testicles which could affect the quality of the sperm. I remain to be convinced that chemicals can shrink testes by two thirds yet don't cause any permanent damage whatsoever. I would be interested to see the clinical studies that show that there is absolutely no damage to future breeding capacity, and I'm not talking simple fertility here. Also don't like the idea of a tubal ligation - an intact uterus means normal seasons with all the smell and discharge to attract males and the risk of pyometra. Some vets are now starting to do a hysterectomy and removal of one ovary as an alternative - enough hormones to keep a bitch healthy without producing problem season type behaviour. No chance whatsoever of accidental babies this way!

My vet flatly refuses to do a spay during a caesar - he says that to combine feeding puppies, major surgery and stopping hormone production all on the one day is just cruel - also the blood vessels to the uterus are much larger during pregnancy and it is better not to interfere with them at this time unless it is an emergency (major uterine rupture or torsion) "tennis" - snort

Glad it all helped! :D

My cats have all been fed RC + wet food exclusively for almost 4 years with great success. Have used a number of different formulations, but haven't needed the veterinary ones, so can't advise on those. Have stopped using the Queen and Kitten foods due to too much L Lysine causing problems, but still use the Sensible 33, Fit 32, Indoor 27 and Maine Coon varieties.

Of course veterinary advice should be taken, but not all orthodox medical practitioners are current with research and studies tend to be limited in non pharmaceutical fields anyway, especially when it comes to GARD type regimes. Could this be part of the reason so few proper studies are conducted on non-chemical methods of treatment of chronic or terminal conditions? There have been many cases where vitamin D supplementation has enabled the gradual and complete withdrawal of anti-convulsant medications. Under medical supervision of course.

Many vets might need to be pointed in the right direction as they might not be up to date with research into vitamin usage.

There has been a large amount of research into vitamin D lately, and they are finding that it drastically reduces the chance of getting cancer, colds, flu etc. It has been linked with seizure activity for some time, due mainly to it's effect on mineral and electrolyte imbalances. Rickets, Seizures and Vitamin D Scientific study - Anti Convulsive Effects of Vitamin D Links to studies on vitamin D -Links As anti convulsants reduce vitamin D levels, it should always be supplemented for those on such medication. The GARD regime has eliminated epilepsy in many dogs and humans - GARD I had a really good link to vit D/seizure stuff, but can't find it at present..

Any toxic chemicals can cause problems in both animals and people - of course for dogs, who are so much closer to the chemical and have a smaller body to help process it are in more strife. You only have to look at the incidence of bladder cancer in dogs who are regularly exposed to lawns full of chemicals. If chemicals have to be used in the home, vitamin C should be given to reduce the effect of toxins and vitamin D should be given if there is any chance of seizures, as it has an anti-inflammatory effect and reduces seizure activity significantly.

Late term abortion is a caesar, which is very expensive for a rescue group and totally unwarranted surgery, especially for a poor girl in such neglected condition. Major surgery is hard enough on a person or animal in excellent condition. Why not give her the chance to whelp naturally? A few more days will see an improvement in condition, and to pts an entire newborn litter IMO is just too cruel for words. If it is a huge litter then maybe cull a few smaller ones to make it easier for her to look after them and to find homes for, but the mental anguish the poor mum would suffer if her whole litter is taken away just doesn't bear thinking about.

The average time span for onset of spay incontinence is 2.9 yrs after the op, and is more common in larger breeds, but it has been known to happen within weeks. As your girl isn't even 4 mths old yet she really should be left longer in order to mature her genitalia and bone structure a bit first. She can be booked in for the day she turns 6 mths, which will keep the breeder happy and allow her body a little bit more normal growth. If she was from extremely early maturing lines I'm sure the breeder would have specified desexing at 4 or 5 mths. It is usually only the toy breeds that can come into season before 6 mths, not large terriers.

You will find that most sighthounds eat more than a similar weight dog in other breeds. As there is not much body mass with a larger surface area they need more food just to maintain their body temperature. More compact breeds don't have this problem They also usually have more muscle compared to fat which raises the metabolic rate (same as in people). Many of them are more alert and watchful, which again speeds up the metabolism - just like people who don't sit still for long and move around a bit have a faster rate. Of course couch potatoes in dogs or people tend to need less

Went to Karen for over 20 yrs until I moved right out of the area. Expertise and compassion always available, even at 3 am with problem whelpings or emergency bloat surgery.

Dogs can get bored with the same food - why not seal the food in a bag and store it in a cool dark cupboard for a month while you try some other food? She will probably eat some now and then to help finish off the bag.