OzDallyGirl

Her name is Naka Masimba (Naka for short) it means Good Power in Shona (an african dialect). She hasn't had a transfusion yet, but I noticed her stools have turned black so I have to talk to the vet tonight. I'm at work at the moment and only getting feedback from a very nervous mother who can sometimes exaggerate things through pure stress! Apparently she still tried to have a play with our other dog after lunch (even though she was stopped), so that's a good sign. One of the worst things is that my vet who I trust completely is on maternity leave and I only have her boss to deal with and I'm really not that confident about him. He has one of those I don't give a damn attitudes and thinks all death is just 'one of those things!'.... The only other vet is over 40mins away - through the city and I'm worried that if she bleeds and it's an emergency, a 40min trip, even if it's completed in 20mins may just be too long, so I feel like I'm stuck with mr nasty.... He seems to be doing everything by the book so far, I'll see what he says tonight, if he's still a sh*t I might just take her over for a 2nd opinion at least....

Thank you to everyone for their best wishes and support. The vet was gobsmacked about how quickly it all happened. Wednesday night, at midnight no less, I was throwing a ball for her up and down the hallway as she was so full of beans and I knew I wouldn't get any sleep if I didn't! Thursday she was sick with a fever and had a hematoma burst on her neck, but at the time we thought it was a bite from our other dog. Thursday night she developed what we thought was a severe rash on her tummy and Friday she went in for blood tests and ended up with a huge hematoma on her shoulder and blood under her skin everywhere, especially on her tummy. Her platelets were 1 and the vet was shocked. Her white blood cells were also very low which he was concerned about. Naturally her blood was low (43) but he wasn't too concerned at this stage. Luckily the hematoma on her shoulder has gone down, I was really worried that it might burst at one stage as it started out the size of a pea and ended up the size of a tennis ball in less than 2 hours! We're hoping the best, she's such a strong girl. She spends most of her time sleeping, which is good, but after a bit of a feed she perks up and wants to play, which I'm taking as a good sign. Even though I try to keep her quiet(the fact that she's still a baby can make it difficult) that she wants to have a bit of a play means that she's fighting.... I'm trying to stay positive, she's being constantly monitored. When I have to go to work tomorrow, my mum will be with her all day and if she has to go out, I'll take time out from work to watch her for a couple of hours. It will be tricky to organise, but I'm not risking her being alone while she's in this dangerous period. Will post an update once I know more. She's due to have another platelet count later in the week so hopefully I'll have good news to report! **positive thinking**

Hi Guys, My Rhodesian Ridgeback has just been diagnosed with Immune Mediated Thrombocytopenia. Her platelet count was 1!!! She's been put on prednisone and Imuran and basically we've been told to cross our fingers and pray. She's just turned 6 months old. Just wanted to know if anyone else has experienced similar and had success with treatment...

I'm having a 'duh' moment... Never even considered a UTI! :D

Why would that be the cause? Both traditional and RAW/BARF vets recommend vegetables.... I've been feeding dogs for 25yrs on veg without these issues before... I'm just curious.

She doubled her size in 2 weeks and has just kept growing from there. She hasn't got flat feet, she looks just how she should now for her age. She's just had to play a massive game of catch up. She's just getting wholesome foods: rice, vegetables, meat, chicken, fish & lots of bones. She also gets EVO dog biscuits in the morning. Our whole family is gluten free, so she is too.

Yep, I couldn't believe it either....

Tell me about it. I bought her interstate from photos. I knew she was lean, too lean IMHO, but not the skeleton that arrived! I'll get some standing up photos tomorrow.

Part 2 of the saga "see Luxating Patella in Rhodesians" for background info! How common is diabetes in puppies? I have a 17wk Rhodesian puppy that drinks continually and as a result is constantly peeing. Most obvious at night when we have to keep letting her out but it's every 5-10mins sometimes less (not exaggerating!). During the day we just keep the back door open and she goes out whenever she wants so it's not as noticeable. She has EVO biscuits for breakfast but has rice/veg/meat/bones for the rest of the day. I'm going to get her tested, but I just thought I'd ask here first.

Hi Guys, I'm hoping someone may have experienced similar and may be offer advice/hope! I have a 17 week Rhodesian puppy. I've had her since she was 10 weeks old. When I got her from the breeder she was emancipated. She couldn't even sit on her bum because it hurt as the bones were jutting out and she couldn't lay on her back for the same reason. She had trouble sleeping, use to be really restless and cry/whine constantly in her sleep. I intended to put her in the show ring as 12 week old 'baby puppy' but she was waaay too thin, no way would I have presented her to a judge! I've slowly built her up and she now has a nice little tush and a bit of padding around her bones. She's still very lean, but healthy. She's had a huge growth spurt. Because she was smaller than she should have been at 10 weeks (her feet and joints were tiny tiny)since she's now having foods she's seemed to grow overnight. She now has massive 'plates of meat' for feet and her joints are looking how they should for her age and size. She was 6.1kgs when she came and now she's 21kgs. All going well except.... Every now and then she'll be playing and either a) bump into something (as they do) or b) twist slightly and she'll suddenly start screaming the place down and hold up her leg. I give her leg and hips a good massage and a few minutes later she's fine. It's like her hip dislocates or she gets a massive cramp or something. I never feel anything click back in when I massage/rub. The vet had a look last week and she thinks she may have a luxating patella, even though she couldn't move it herself. But we'll just have to wait and see how she grows up. Vet didn't suggest any treatment or further explorations... Do you think that maybe it's simply a matter of the ligaments/tendons not being strong enough due to her stunted start and quick growth? If so, is there anything I can give her to help her and maybe prevent a problem? She's full of energy, verging on hyperactive at times! Apart from this occasional problem she's a healthy girl. I was hoping to flyball/agility train her when she's older, but what will be, will be.... There's also another problem, but I'll start another thread about that one, don't want to confuse things Any advice/similar stories would be appreciated!

Thanks, that's good to know.

Thanks for the replies. I think she may be too thin, but she is put together lovely and once I put a bit of weight on her she'll be a stunner. I was just curious about what was average for this breed.

Hi Guys, Hoping someone might be able to give me a bit of an idea. I just purchased a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy from interstate. She is a lovely girl and has some fantastic bloodlines so I'm really excited... Anyhoo, I arranged transport for her and the transporter was REALLY surprised when I told him her weight. He thought she should be at least 4kgs heavier! So what is the average/approximate weight of a 9 going on 10 week old female Rhodesian puppy? Dals