Jed

Low fat, low protein is important. No bones with marrow, no fatty food. Mine has potatoes, brown rice,( both cooked) raw veges processed in the food processor. He also occasionally has egg, sunflower oil, sardines and he has a little meat. Chicken breast boiled and allowed to cool so the fat can be removed is good. I also give him Vit. C, E and B12 - I am careful with Vit E (essentially a fatty acid) The dry foods are, I think better, and easier to cope with. But some dogs wnnt eat them. I also think boiled chicken breast (no skin) with the fat removed, and raw processed veges would probably be ok, but best to check with your vet, he knows what's going on with your dog. Too much fibre is not good either - you need carbohydrates. I'd hate to give you incorrect advice - what works for me may not work for you, because the problem is different.

You can buy - from wholesalers, or from your vet, viricides which will kill the parvo virus - and will kill it in the presence of soil. Bleach will not kill it in the presence of soil. You can then spray anywhere you do not want to bleach - ie, car interior, your clothes, shoes etc, and the garden. I had a couple of parvo pups (rescue) - they were quite well for a couple of days, and then became ill. So they were spreading it from the day they arrived. I sprayed absolutely everything with a viricide - carpets,walls, shrubs, gadens, lawn, fences, car, and washed all clothes in it. That was a few years ago (I don't live there any more) but had a few litters, and no problems.

Incubation period is 2 - 10 days. Vaccinated dogs can catch it - usually the more susceptible breeds (staffies, rotties, dobes, chis) Your dogs could carry it home from the park Symptoms are - lethargic, ("bit flat") not eating, diarrohea, vomiting. The diarrohea has a distnctive coppery smell, from the blood which is part of the diarrohea. Vit. C could help - before the dog shows any signs - in quite high doses, but not sure how high, Morgan will probably know. I personally would give the dog 10cc (less for a small breed pup) intramuscularly twice a day. Or if you can't manage that, crush Vit C tablets and put them on the food, or administer orally. Any of the above signs take the dog straight to the vet. And I would put up a sign on the dog park fence. Every dog who goest there could pick it up. Various authorities say it remains in the soil from 3 months to 7 years. Dunno who is right, but it's a problem in the dog park. Whether adult dogs catch it depends on their immune systems. As there are now suggestions that vac. every year can negate the protection, it's all very difficult. I would be worried, and watching carefully. Good luck.

What Cavandra said. I have found this excellent for bites, and particularly for abcesses - the peroxide permeates into the wound, and cleans it out. Also, you don't have to sit on the dog to get it into the wound. Just pour it on, or syringe it on from a short distance. Betadine is excellent, and I have found Colloidal silver works wonders too, and big wounds will heal without any scarring. Big closed abcesses on cats have been treated this way, and healed very well. Edited to add -- interesting bonny beagle, but there can be complications with antibiotics, and other treatments too.

Dogs' guts are adapted to deal with salmonella/Campylobacter/E coli. My vet says he has dealt with ONE case of salmonella in dogs, in 30 years of practice - the dog got the Christmas turkey, which was left on the bench on a hot afternoon, while the humans did Christmassy things. The dog was sick, but survived. He said he had never seen E coli or Campylobacter cause a problem. Neosporran is a problem - and beef should be frozen priior to feeding to dogs ---- just in case. When we lived in the country (the real country) dogs were always bringing back juicy bits of roos, cows and some things too far gone to identify, but smelly enough to suggest the bacteria coating it could probably walk it to America!! Added to various types of fresh and rotten excrement as dessert, and no dog was ever ill. Edited to add - a few dead snakes, and some dessicated cane toads -- the stud dog views the dessicated toads with the same delight as pigs' ears. I often wonder if he gets a bit high!! Take my chances with a fresh diet at least I know what goes in to it.

Certainly tell the breeder. I like to know everything that happens, good or bad, because it helps with the breeding program. I would also like to see x-rays (for my own information, a breeder can never know enough). Sounds as if you are just unlucky, if the breeder hip scores. Just s##t happens, I guess. Have you discussed with your vet the option of building up his muscles to support the hips? It may not work, it may be too bad, or he may be too old. A vet I knew had a lot of success with HD with controlled exercise over a period of time - swimming, exercise, and the muscles in the affected dogs did build up enough to support the hips, so no medication was necessary. This vet is in Q, and although this treatment is not universally practised, it is not uncommon, so someone (or your own vet) may know about it. Of course, your vet may know, but may have decided it would not help him. May be worth asking though. Good luck with him, it's a nasty thing to happen.

Hi Agatha, and welcome to the forum. So sorry to hear this devastating news. there is plenty of information on lymphoma here, and lots of treatments, and how they worked, so you have come to the right place. May I ask how long it was since yu had your dog vaccinated, and what it was vaccinated with, and did he have an annual heartworm shot at the same time> Anyone else with a dog with lymphona who would like to answer the question is very welcome too. Will cross my fingers for a good outcome.

Welcome to the forum, gilbert grape. See the vet, but it might also be a good idea to see a good dog chiropractor, or a vet who does chiropractic work. Sometimes it is simply that something is out of alignment - rough play, fell off the bed, jumped and landed awkwardly - I know a cav which was sometimes lame - and a few people suggested lp - in fact, he had a partially dislocated hip. Obviously, this was a case for the vet. Another which was very low behind and not walking properly had put his back out. A couple of visits to the chiro, and he is now cutting a very wide swathe through the show ring. Good luck with the diagnosis, and let us know how you go.

Hi JAL, like Steve, Showdog and me, Cavandra is only trying to help. Clare Rushbridge is not the only expert in the world, but she is accessible, and has a lot of knowledge. As I said in my post, dogs are often not diagnosed, or mis-diagnosed - the symptoms don't always equate to syringo. And there are not a lot of cases in Australia. As Cavandra says, plenty overseas, but not many here -for which I am enternally grateful. As a consequence, plenty of vets in Aus know very little about it - which is not surprising, as the majority would never have seen a case. Cavandra didn't delete her posts - posters are unable to do this, only the mods, and I have no idea why it was done. I haven't read her posts, so don't know about "verbally bashing" you up, but syringo is a huge subject, Cavandra probably knows as much about it as anyone else, and we can all learn from others posts, particularly when they have the knowledge.

So sorry to hear about your pup, JAL, syringo is not a nice thing to be faced with. Something every cavalier owner, and more particularly, breeder, fears. I must admit, if one of mine seems to be scratching constantly, that's what I worry about. I watch them very carefully. So far, so good. I did have one girl that I often wondered about, but it never got worse, so maybe I was wrong ("neurotic" is the word) and she went to the bridge at 14 from plain old age. To date the condition has been also reported in King Charles spaniels, Brussels griffons,Yorkshire terriers, Maltese terriers, Chihuahuas, Miniature dachshunds, Miniature/toy poodles, Bichon Frise, Pugs,Shih Tzus, Pomeranians, Staffordshire bull terriers, a Boston terrier, French bulldogs a Pekingese, a miniature Pinscher and a couple of cats. Steve, I don't think the mode of inheritance is certain as yet, but research is being carried out to hopefully identify the gene. But what you are suggesting seems likely. Dr. Sarah Blott, a geneticist with the Genetics Department of the Animal Health Trust is part of the research team. Her particular interest is developing breeding schemes for pets. The team is attempting to identify genetic markers. Although it seems to be a big problem in USA and UK, I am not aware that many Cavaliers in Australia have been diagnosed. Or indeed, are sufferers, although there are some. I am sure there are some undiagnosed cases, and perhaps some misdiagnosed cases. The reason all breeding stock is not tested is because it is nearly impossible to have MRI scans carried out on dogs. There is currently a scheme in Aus. which will test Cavaliers. Apart from the dogs having clinical symptoms - in which case, one would hope they would not be bred with, there has not been any way of identifying dogs which may carry the gene until the scanner was available, but because of distance, obviously all Cavaliers will not be tested. CT and radiographs have limited value, and there is no point in using these methods to screen the population at large. 95% of CKCS with a maximum syrinx width of 0.64cm or more will have associated clinical signs. So, not an easy diagnosis, particularly as CT and radiographs have limited value, but can be used to rule out other causes. Other factors can cause the symptoms, so it is important to have an accurate diagnosis. . The "old" and unfashionable way of gene testing breeding stock - that is, by seeing healthy ancestors, particularly parents and grandparents, and checking as much as possible on the pedigrees, is at the moment, the only way of identifying lines which may be at risk, until scans are available for all breeding stock. The biggest problem is that the malformation may be present, without symptoms. The symptoms may never increase. Some do, some don't. There are operation options available - so far, (as far as I am aware) only utilised overseas. Decompression, which I imagine would need to be repeated. Shunts have been tried, but without great success. 43% of cavaliers with early diagnosis survived to 9 years of age. Management can help too - raising the food bowl, removing the collar Cavalier Clubs world wide have combined to discover as much as possible about syringo. JAL, there are a couple of lists for owners of dogs with syringo. If you are interested, I will post a link for you. There is also quite a lot of information on the web, particularly from the UKCKCS club. I also think the USACKCS club has a site with information on research there. There are also a couple of hysterical websites, which are probably better to avoid. The information is sussy and the presentation sensationalistic. Oh, and I truly wouldn't worry about your pb Cavalier. If you have any doubts, ask the breeder whether there have been any problems with any dogs in the line.

Is he having ACV in his water or meals? Wiping him over daily with an ACV & water solution will help too. I'd watch the Livmol too - it's great on some coloured horses, but a no no for palomino, as it produces dark hairs ("smut") which is not allowed for show palominos. I am not sure what it will do to a blue dog, but it made the dapples on my dark blue dappled horse nearly black (looked STUNNING!!), and my brown horse was covered in black dapples - it takes time though - through a coat change. So, if I see a dappled grey, I'll know who it is??

When I've had little skeletal ones, I've stuck with the chicken mince. The type I get is bone in, but the bones are very fine. Like grains of sand. I have resorted, in a couple of very fragile cases, to proper chooks from the supermarket, which I have then steamed to get the meat off the bones, and fed them that. Raw is better, but imho, any food they will eat (and which doesn't go straight through them) is the best!! Some Lenards mince has biggish bones in it, some doesn't. Guess it depends on how carefully or finely they mince it. I tend to go for "safe" - and as i actually haven't had any die on the mince/milk/eggs/oatmeal regime, I tend to stick to that. Sardines in spring water should be ok. If the dog wont eat, warming the food in the microwave to blood heat often releases more of a smell. Cats which have lost their sense of smell often wont eat, because part of their physiology is to smell what they eat. I don't know about dogs. All the ones I have had would eat, unless they were sick. I had a little mini foxie which was so skinny his back end swayed when he walked, and he could fall over very easily, he was just so fragile. Tough little blighter, and very keen to live, he just ate everything, and in a short time, was just a little porker!!

And yet more - from Catherine O'Driscoll this time

But wait, there's more. This is from Dr. Bob Rogers, DVM - in America. Just ignore the bits about rabies and Lyme disease. We don't vac for them as routine in Australia.

Frankly, I'd be prepared to put my trust in Dr. Jean Dodd DVM, and American vet, who has been researching vaccines for over 20 years. Dr. Dodd is not the only one giving this message, and those of us on this forum who have been passing it on for some years DO take our own advice. No one is against vaccination, we are against OVER vaccination, which leads to many problems. Lillysmum may put her faith in her vet and do what he tells her, but based on all the information on vaccinating, I am the one paying the bill, so I am the one telling my vet how often and with what my dogs will be vaccinated - and have been doing so for the past 10 years, as have others on this forum Here is the protocol - for about the 10th time. Remember, we didn't invent it!! We simply relate it for your information. For anyone who wants to know more, try googling vaccines + Jean Dodd + O'Driscoll + Dr Bob Rogers - any or all of them, and see what comes up. Happy reading!!

Sorry to disagree, KitKat, not meaning to be disagreeable, but I have found with emaciated oldies, it is better to go for meat, rather than wings, necks, bones, as they get more meat, more easily. Sometimes, the effort of getting it wears them down, and the bones themselves can be a bit hard on a digestive system which hasn't been doing too much digesting. Sardines too, in the early stages, can be a bit rich, leading to diarrohea, which then pulls more condition off them, and sometimes can be hard to cure. As showdog says, bland is best in the early stages. Eggs are high in protein, and help with conditioning. Only 1 at a time though. When the dog is in better condition, bring on the wings necks and sardines as part of a balanced diet. Also, if you can avoid clipping, the hair prevents the bones sticking out of the dog being rubbed or made sore from lying down.

Just good quality food - 3 or 4 meals per day. I'd be going for the basic barf thing - meat and a little veg + I would be giving her milk and rolled oats with eggs for one meal - just make sure she is not lactose intolerant, by testing her with a spoonful of milk. Feed small meals often. Chicken is good for starving dogs, and not too expensive. Sufficient fat, and easily digested. When she is a little fatter do a search on here for satin balls, and give her them as well. I have found rescues seem to do better on milk, eggs and meat rather than dry food - they fatten well, and eat more readily. Just don't stuff her full of food in the first few days!! Good luck!!

Have those of you who have had this surgery (or surgeries) done spoken to your breeder? If so, what was the reaction? This seems to me to be a hereditary problem, and if I had bred the dog, I would want to know - but I don't know a lot about it, so any enlightenment welcome.

Re cooking the bone in chicken mince - apart from any issues with cooked bone, cooking destroys the calcium, which then skews the calcium:phosphorus ratio. I don't think there would be any issues with chicken skin and interal organs in the mince - probably add something, unless the dog was too fat.

LSA is linseed, sunflower and almond. I feed a pretty heavy handed sprinkle on their dinners, and I buy it from the health food shop. Livermol -(from the bag) Ingredients include molasses, protein & oilseed meals, cod liver oil, added vitamins and minerals. Selected omega-3 fatty acids and high oil protein meals improve coat and skin appearance. Coat colour may be affected to dietary levels of minerals such as zinc, copper and iron. Livermol has been forumulated to supplement daily intakes of protein, fatty acids vitamins and minerals including calcium and phosphorus. Active Ingredients Vitamin A (Retinol) Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) Vitmin B1 (Thiamin) Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) Iron Copper Cobalt Iodine Manganese Zinc Dogs - 20 to 50g (1 to 2 tablespoons) Might give the Royal Jelly shampoo a go, someone else used it and thought it was good. Maybe in conjunction with royal jelly orally.

It;s amazing, isn't it? The woman who owns the dog down the street recommends Woolmix, or Pears or something, so they use it!! Like going to a gardener for advice on dog breeding!! I tell my puppy buyers I'll smack them upside of the head if they use Woolmix or human shampoo on their dog!! All dog shampoos don't suit all dogs either, so you need to make sure the dog isn't scratching or anything after his bath.

A vaccination protocol came out of North America some years ago. Reseach by Dr Jean Dodd DVM and others. The AVA recommended the 3 yearly protocol a few years ago for Aust, but a lot of vets aren't following it. According to research, it appears that once dogs have 2 puppy vacs, and a booster at 12 - 14 months, they are covered for life. Rappie also attended this years AVA conference, and the matter of vaccinations was on the agenda. She has posted it elsewhere on this site. Those of us who don't vaccinate annually didn't decide for no good reason that we wouldn't. We read the research, consulted with our vets, and made an informed decision. Bethmd - older dogs can contract parvo. Staffies, rotties, RR and chis amongst others are very susceptible. Also, with the vaccination regime which was in use, it is believed that too many vaccinations negate each other and the dog is not protected at all. Which is why I believe some adult dogs get parvo and die --- but there is insufficient evidence. Most pups are protected by maternal immunity. This fades at around 6 weeks. The pup then receives his first vaccination. However, no one is quite sure whether there is maternal immunity or not. If there is maternal immunity, the vaccine may cancel that, and the pup is then unprotected. Then he is given another vac. at 12 weeks - and if the first one didn't work the 12 week one will. The one at 12 - 14 months is a booster. Some vets believe the dog is then protected for life, but the protocol is to vaccinate every 3 years. Some protocols recommend first vac at 8 weeks, when maternal immunity is very likely to have faded, and I am leaning towards this. I personally don't vaccinate every 3 years, but I don't recommend others do this. I occasionally have had my dogs titre tested at 6 or thereabouts, and their antibodies have always been very high. There is quite a lot of information on this forum - if you search "Dodd" and "vaccination" it should come up. Incidentally, there is considerable anecdotal evidence of older dogs being vaccinated and within a very short time, contracting lymphoma, or some other form or cancer, and the belief is that the vaccine was responsible.

LSA in the food Jurosil

Hi, Ben - there is no entry level to do the MDBA courses. Being able to read and write is about the only one - and you can obviously do that. It's designed for distance education too, and is self paced. The only other requirement is to want to learn and do the study. The course is very comprehensive - I helped design a TAFE course, and have seen a few others. IMHO, the MDBA courses are better and more comprehensive.

Is there some reason why you do not wish to continue with the diet the breeder recommended? If not, continue with it, the pup is used to it. 4 small meals a day should be adequate. Sounds like a valid reason to me PR - a couple of days in unusual circumstances, providing the pups were forward would be better than going somewhere else for 2 or 3 days and then to the new home. Less trauma all round.