*kirty*

In Victoria, cats must be registered and you can only have two without a permit. Many councils also have laws about containing cats to your property and some have cat curfews. A terrified cat can be very dangerous - that doesn't mean it is aggressive and should be PTS. One of my own cats attacked me once when he got a bad fright, but he is a lovely placid cat normally.

The fluids are for the anaesthetic, not the tooth removal. All of our patients recieve pre-op, during op and post-op fluids. It helps keep them hydrated and flush the drugs through, etc.

Thanks both of you. I'm finding it a bit hard to deal with really. Yes Maisie was very destructive and naughty when she was younger. I was reading about the cholodin and wondering if a pure choline supplement would do the same thing? I'm also going to start her on some omega 3 and will keep going with the vivitonin.

An 'am staff' that is not good with other dogs and jumps fences.... Yep, great idea rehoming that one. Surely the pound should grow a set and declare the dog not suitable for rehoming?

Is it OK if I join this thread? My gorgeous Maisie is not doing very well and I think she has doggy dementia. For the last 6 months or more she has been 'off'. She has become increasingly naughty and destructive and often seems to be on another planet. I started her on vivitonin and it seemed to help for a while, but now she is worse again. I have ordered some Hills B/D but I guess I just wanted to chat with people who are going through the same thing. Maisie is a Kelpie x BC and she is only 11.5yrs old - she seems too young to be going through this. My only comfort is that she seems happy in her own little world.

Has she been tested for dry eye?

Definitely not. We know which patients have insurance because we ask up front (so forms can be organised during consult) and we charge the same fees for everyone. The 'similat problems' could have had very different treatments - eg. UTI needing antibiotics vs urinary blockage requiring surgery, etc.

An ulcer can't cause blocked tear ducts. The duct could be blocked due to gunk or scarring, or she might have been born that way in which case nothing is likely to fix it. Sometimes the ducts are small and surgery can help.

I'm so sorry Sheridan. RIP Grumpy dog xx

I spoke to the vets at work and they agreed that Mark is great. Good luck and let us know how you get on!

What have you tried to stop it? Feliway is often helpful but you also need to retrain him. Is he an indoor cat? When was he desexed? Very occasionally vets can 'miss a bit' and this can cause excessive spraying. Rehoming him to an only-cat house might stop him spraying, and lots of people are willing to adopt adult cats. :) The best cat forum I've found is www.cat-world.com.au/forums

Haha oh dear...

Really? Bugger that's what I use here.

There are very few eye specialists and they all know each other so pretty much anyone will be fine. I will ask at work if they recommend anyone in particular though. :)

Yesterday I had to make the heart-breaking decision to have my 'foster' dog Stevie PTS. Unfortunately she developed Canince Complusive Disorder - she was a severe spinner. We tried everything to stop it - from behaviour modification to drugs to natural therapies - but nothing helped. She would spin all day every day, and always in the same direction. As a result, her back was arched and her legs were severely uneven - one side were strong, the other side were weak. She became emaciated despite being fed more and more food. Watching her spin out of control in the heat yesterday was the final straw. I couldn't leave her like that. Stevie came to me when she was 8 weeks old through my work. She was born completely blind (optic nerve hypoplasia) and the breeder was going to have her PTS. But both the breeder and myself saw a spark in her, and I offered to take her on and see how she went. She took life in her stride. She loved meeting new people and going out on adventures. She became more cautious as she matured, but she was such an honest dog and she always tried her hardest. At home, she was perfect. She loved the kids and she would hoon around the yard like any visual dog would. She constantly amazed people with her spirit and her courage. I knew fairly early on that she would be with me for life, but I hoped it would be a long life. At the start of the year when my son was diagnosed with diabetes, she started spinning. It started off slowly but quickly progressed to a point where we couldn't stop her. She began damaging her tail and no amount of bittering agent would stop her from chewing it. I don't believe the spinning was linked to her lack of sight, but I guess I'll never know for sure. All I know is that my heart is shattered. Goodbye Stevie, I wish I could have fixed you. I hope you are now resting at the bridge. Please wait for me xxx

A brindle marked lab was brought into our clinic a few weeks ago. He was a pedigree. :)

The surgery (called a Parotid Duct Transposition) should be considered a last resort. Approx 80% of dogs get good results with this, 10% produce too much 'tears' and 10% still don't produce enough. Surgery is usually only performed if the drops don't work at all. It is a specialist procedure but they recover quickly. There is some after care/management involved following surgery. Panalog is not a cure for dry eye. It is simply lubricating the eyes. I would take the dog to see an eye specialist. Most cases of dry eye are immune mediated - the dog's immune system destroys the tissue that produces the tears. Cyclosporin (optimmune) will help the dog produce more tears by suppressing the immune system. At our clinic though, we prefer Tacrolimus. It is a bit more potent, causes less irritation and also reduces the corneal scarring caused by dry eye. Alkhe, there is no cure for dry eye. They need to be medicated for life. Even if the dog had surgery, the eyes generally need some medication afterwards.

My gorgeous foster dog had to be PTS due to severe spinning and I have some leftover meds if anyone wants them. I have approx 15 clomicalm 20mg tablets, 10ml of calming paste and a few iron/mineral tablets left. I also have an almost full bottle of ester c tablets but a friend has first dibs on those. If she doesn't need them, they will also be available. Pick up from Melbourne CBD, Malvern or Knox area.

OMG so gorgeous!!!

Hehe gorgeous BIG ginger boy!!

I think the Rotti would have put up a fight if confronted. And I feel sorry for the GSD because she seemed quite distressed. I didn't like the way he cornered her and 'pushed' her into reacting. The others were just plain cute! LOL!

If you are not ready to let her go yet, why not try some vivitonin for her dementia, and some glucosamine and sashas blend for her joints. They are easy to mix into the food so no stress for her. Whatever you decide, I'm sure it will be the right decision for Sally. :)

Honestly, if she is 13yo and doddery, I wouldn't do the surgery. Give the meds time to work, keep her lean and on joint supplements. If he thinks she is still painful, he can do surgery at a later date.

My dog did one cruciate, and I had the TPLO surgery done. Then she did the second one and I opted for medical management. She was on anti-inflammatories for a fortnight to settle the initial swelling and pain. Now she is on Sashas Blend and glucosamine. She is totally sound but I do have to be careful about how much exercise she does. I also keep her lean to take the pressure off the joints.

I thought he had pneumonia?