JackieW

You could try this email list - http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CanineC.../?yguid=7813515 They've got loads of info in the files, and very knowledgeable moderators.

This is the holistic vets website, you might find someone local - http://www.ahv.com.au/officers.php. My vet didn't do titres either (I was the first person to ask apparently) but his vet nurse did some research and I did some more research and found out how to get the sample to the lab in WA, and they were happy to do that for me. Can't help with the insurance question, but do know that most kennels won't accept titres.

I recently bought a Canine Cooler. It's foam filled and you tip water in. Much to my surprise Jamie actually doesn't mind lying on it, though he does prefer the tiles. The point of getting the mat was to cushion his elbows etc... I'm not sure that it's cooler than the tiles but it's certainly softer . Weighs a ton though so not very portable.

Or you could try Garry Pitt in Morayfield 5497 8378 if you're on the north side of Brisbane

I pronounce it teeter. Drs Fougere and Dodds go for tytre. Maybe you could just say antibodies . I was the first person to ask my vet to do it, so if your vet's the same they won't know how to pronounce it anyway .

Anti-oxidants are good (vitamins A, C, D, E and selenium). I recently had a hair mineral analysis done on my dog who had insulinoma (specialist thinks the cancer is back though it didn't show up in ultrasound) which showed very high levels of manganese and boron. My naturopath has prescribed supplements to try to bring him back into balance. It takes ages preparing his dinner , but he actually gets 5 meals a day to help keep his glucose stable.

The old thread seems to be closed but I wanted to let you know there's a list for insulinoma - http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/insulinomadogs/message/1. I've joined (I think) but nothing has happened so I'm not sure what's going on... I'm in touch with a lady from NZ who's trying a treatment for her GSP, and my Jamie has been put on steroids which seem to be controlling the hypoglycaemia well, though of course steroids have their drawbacks... How's your dog going?

I don't, but you may find this email list useful if you're not on it already. There's a huge amount of info in the files and extremely knowledgeable people - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CanineCushings-AutoimmuneCare/

I've been going to Eric Broad in Caboolture for years (near the showgrounds).

Staff'n'Toller mentioned the WSAVA guidelines - here's the info - Go to http://www.wsava.org/SAC.htm and then to the link to the Vaccine Guidelines 2007.

I say "teeter" too. Daggles, there's a lot of info on this website http://www.canine-health-concern.org.uk/. If you go to Vaccine and then Pet Vaccination, that'll give you an overview of the situation from a non-vaccinator's point of view. Some of it may seem anecdotal or even hysterical, but even the World Small Animal Veterinary Association have come out saying annual vaccination shouldn't be necessary. Go to http://www.wsava.org/SAC.htm and then to the link to the Vaccine Guidelines 2007.

Mine was a bit perplexed why I wanted to go ahead with it, but complied. Now the results are back I assume he can see that I had a point (though I guess he's still worried about the things that weren't tested for). Surely it's no skin off your vet's nose if you want titre testing - he's still getting money out of you for the annual check-up (which is one of the reasons vets give for the importance of annual vaccinations), but I guess if he won't, you'll have to find someone more open-minded. Which isn't necessarily all that easy.

Name Jamie Breed GWP Age 11 yrs Vaccinations: Every year culiminating in C5 in December 2006 Titre test Parvo >/=1:80 Distemper >/=1:20 Name Aja Breed GWP Age 7 yrs (in June) Vaccinations: Every year culiminating in C5 in December 2006 Titre test Parvo >/=1:80 Distemper >/=1:80

The blindness wasn't caused by the steroids, the steroids were tried to treat the blindness. The only thing about her being blind was that she couldn't see me sneaking up to blow stuff up her nose. She hated that! Another thing you might need to do is watch what you feed Raffles. Some things feed cancer. Actually a really good book about cancer is general is The Answer to Cancer by Sharma & ors. It goes into diet, stress etc. Written from an ayurvedic perspective which makes a lot of sense to me.

My male GWP has just turned 11 and has been slowing down over the past few months. Mind you, in the last 18 months he's had a cruciate op and a pancreas op so I suppose it's not surprising, plus he's had mild arthritis for a few years. At 11 I don't think he's old before his time, and I think he's doing pretty well for his age, bless him.

My previous dog Giz went blind seemingly overnight (but in hindsight her sight had been going for a short while). I can't remember what the possible cause was that the vet thought treating with steroids might fix, but it didn't. What it did was make her blow up like a balloon, develop a huge appetite (to the extent of eating her own poo) and drink huge amounts of water. When she went off the steroids she became incontinent which was treated with human medicine (which I had to blow up her nostril with a straw). That was fun, because she slept on my bed, so I had to set the alarm to take her out for a wee in the night. Eventually though the incontinence was cured and she lost all the weight and got back to normal. The prognosis even with successful surgery isn't great, 2 years I was told. It's not good for humans either, it seems to be a particularly bad sort of cancer to get. Jamie was 3.6 at his last check. My vet wasn't too worried about that result as it was after fasting. He did suggest check ups every 2-3 months, and more meals. As does the doggy naturopath. The trick is to avoid the highs and lows. One vet didn't think giving honey if Jamie got a bit wobbly was a very good idea but another thought it was OK. Touch wood though, he's going along quite well, no wobbly spells. And he's never had seizures, unlike Raffles, poor boy. The specialist asked if he'd had any seizures when I took him along for his ultrasound. We went to the specialist centre at Albany Creek and have seen 3 of the vets there, including the chap my vet says is 'the' oncology person. Might be worth a chat with him? http://www.bvsc.com.au/www/index.php?optio...2&Itemid=32 There's also a lady vet at UQ vet school who is supposed to be cluey on insulinomas.

I've got my dogs booked in for titre testing, yaaay. I had a response from Symbion as follows - "With regards to you enquiry canine vaccination titres can be doneeconomically through QML Vetnostics . these samples are sent to ourlaboratory Vetpath in WA. They do parvovirus and distemper antibodies,others eg hepatitis involve sending samples to an overseas lab." So there you go, if your vet will take the blood it might be just a matter of getting them to arrange a different lab to collect it. QML isn't my vet's usual lab. My dogs will be getting their annual check while they're having their blood taken. The whole process is going to cost more than annual boosters, but I don't care.

Hi there. No, no pancreatitis. They suggested bland food for a couple of days (one of the vets wasn't all that impressed when I said I fed raw :p ) and then back on his normal diet. I am a little more careful about feeding fatty bones than I used to be. No large tumours, but there were some small ones. There was nothing showing up in his follow up ultrasound (phew). Advice re feeding is to feed more meals. I was already feeding him twice a day (three times during the week as I leave the dogs with bones when I go to work), so I've now added a meal at bedtime (I hold back some of his dinner). Plus as he lost weight before the op and then while he was in hospital, I've increased the amount. He's very happy about that . The vet I saw last time said if the tumour comes back they can treat it with corticosteroids. Personally if it was operable and Jamie's health was otherwise OK I'd prefer an operation. I had a nasty experience with steroids with Jamie's predecessor. All I'm really doing is the follow up ultrasounds and blood tests, plus the extra meal/s. And no more vaccinations. >Hi JackieW. Did Jamie get pancreatitis as a result of the surgery and was there a large tumour visible in ultrasounds prior to the surgery? No tumours were visible in my boy Raffles' ultrasound which makes me suspect there's multiple miniscule tumours. Have you found, certain foods or a particular feeding regime have helped to keep Jamie's blood glucose stable. I hope Jamie continues to do well.

Hi there My boy Jamie had an insulinoma removed last year. He was 10 1/2 at the time and has recovered really well. Despite the fact that they said they got it all and that his other organs were clear, the prognosis is only 2 years. For follow up we're doing 6 monthly ultrasounds (fine last time) and 2-3 monthly glucose checks (a bit low but not too bad). He's not on any medication. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have but only check in on the weekends.

My vet's been looking at titre testing at my request. They're happy to take the blood but I'm being quoted hundreds to put it on a plane and fly it to Perth or the US, which is just crazy. I rang Animal Options to see if they'd test blood on another vet's behalf, but no. So it looks like the best option for me is to trek down to Ormeau (from near Caboolture). I have been told however that Vetpath in WA uses Symbion lab, which is also in Brisbane, so I'm going to see if I can contact them to ask if they can set up titre testing here. There's obviously some demand for it, but not enough people seem to know about it yet - I'm the first person who has asked my vet for it.

http://www.flyball.org.au/ Under Links there's a list of clubs.

Some dogs consider bones extra special for some reason. One of my dogs does and he gets them every day, it's not like it's some special treat . You might find some of these articles helpful - http://www.k9events.com/behaviourR.htm#resource

There are a couple of TTouch seminars coming up in Qld and Vic, check on the k9events site. http://www.k9events.com/events1_2007.htm http://www.k9events.com/TTouch_Flyer_Melbourne_2007.pdf

You could try the contact section of the Polapaws website http://www.polapaws.com.au/, Nicole is sure to know.

It was a very moving moment when the award was announced at the APDT conference dinner. She seemed to be a very popular winner. I'd only just met her the night before. The conference was great BTW - Nicole Wilde is an excellent speaker, Ian Dunbar was in good form and the other speakers were good too.