Erny

Are you talking about "scurf" ? Does it have a bit of a greasy feel? And are you sure that this is not occurring anywhere else on the body at all? Candida was one thing that came to my mind. But hard to tell without seeing. Rinse/wash over with a brew of Calendula Tea and see if that settles it down. If it doesn't go away or returns, you might need to look a bit deeper.

Thank you, Kelpiecuddles. Appreciate the explanation. The "tetanus analogy" made it make sense. :)

I'm sorry to hear the disappointing news but hoping this little guy will be ok. As an off-side question (to any forum Vets or people who know) …. is it wise to administer a vaccination to a pup/dog who has already been exposed to a disease the vaccination relates to?

Thanks everyone. A couple of links already up on the blog. I'll be checking in with the Volare Photography (Warren) who is the 'inventor/creator' of these 'information' audio interviews to add some more links. Cheers :)

Hi all. I'm doing a blog following an audio interview regarding getting pups at Christmas (and it extends from there). In the blog, we'd like to include some links to some good rescue groups/organisations. We can't flood the blog with all, but would like to make access to rescue groups for the purpose of seeking to adopt a pup (or dog) easy for those who are thinking about getting a dog or pup for their family. To make this a bit easier for me, can you provide me with the links I need by posting them up here, also advising location (suburb and State) please. Any help would be most appreciated.

Hi Erny , when you said give them 2-3 course of Manuka, how much would you give at a time? A tea spoon? Yeah - a teaspoon at a time. If he is a small dog, and under other circumstances, I might suggest a little less. But initially, a teaspoon until you see the redness and swelling receding, assuming you do. I don't like the sound of the swelling increasing even though he's on antibiotics. If they are targeting the issue, results should show fairly quickly. Might be wise to keep in touch with your Vet even via telephone. But I know what you mean by being confusing when you look at it so frequently day after day.

Hi Erny, thanks for the tips. I just realised there is a difference between AMH and UMF. Will UMF helps? As I have the UMF +25 instead. "Active Manuka Honey" (AMH) is the name of it. The "UMF" tells you the strength/saturation of the really good qualities (i.e. the "Active" component). You have a good UMF level. I like +25 and upwards. +20 at the Minimum.

Actually - a good quality Active Manuka Honey can cure, per se, and is certainly capable of more than just "soothing". But I agree that a Vet check to at least determine cause is warranted as it depends on WHAT the cause of the sore throat is, as to whether something such as AMH would target the problem. For example (and I'm not saying this is what the problem is with the OP's pup), if there is a foreign object lodged/embedded somewhere, AMH is not going to remove it. When my boy was a pup he contracted Canine Cough. One of the early signs was an obvious discomfort eating kibble which I used to feed him back then. AMH in some warm water worked a treat as an immediate relief, and 3 or 4 doses throughout the day had his somewhat red sore throat back to normal quite quickly.

In the meantime, frequent daily applications of Calendula Tea. You never know …. this might just do the trick in helping them to heal and you may not even need the visit to the Vet. If they recede/dissappear but a fresh lot spring up, you know there is a continued underlying cause. At the very least, the Calendula Tea rinse will help to sooth and ease discomfort and due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities will help to prevent secondary infection. Edited to add : Unless fleas are a particular issue, I'd be inclined to ditch the flea collar. It may not have been the initial cause but it could (possibly) contribute as an aggravation. Avoid any chemical applications wherever possible and avoid shampoos.

Do you know what brand or which 'seller' you purchased from, Fluff1234?

Thanks everyone for the tips and suggestions. I've linked my friend's daughter into this thread so she can see the responses as they come in. They are proving really helpful and we both appreciate them. :D Erny

Is it possible that what the Vet's seeing as spinal and hip problems is only because of how your dog might be holding her abdomen? If the abdomen is sore, it will cause arching (in various degrees, from slight almost unnoticeable, to severe). This will cause the spine to become more noticeable/stand out and potentially do the same with the hips. I wouldn't turn my attentions off a possible issue concerning the stomach.

Thanks Clyde and Poodle3081. I've passed on each of the suggestions to my friend. Very helpful to get some heads up guidance so we both (my friend and I) appreciate it.

Thanks Clyde. Looked on Pet Network but couldn't ID any "Liberty" tables. Am I right to presume Pet Network are a recommended place to buy from and that "Liberty" is the better/recommended brand of table?

Yeah they do ;) Pretty much only what they sell.. I get the suggestion but why change when he's doing well on what he's on? *shrug* He's also had a pooing problem since day 1 - he can't poo solid so they said change his diet for 2-3 months and if its the same to come back and start doing fecal tests.. so atleast I have a few months to save for that trip! Personally ….. I'd suggest you contact Augustine's Approved. Had same problem with my boy - perfect poop since feeding the Augustine's Approved suggested diet plus the AA SuperBoost they sell. And all of it is completely natural. Speak to the guy there - he's really helpful. And/or go the hair-DNA analysis that I mentioned. I can tell you now that I spent a small fortune (not to mention time) dotting from one commercial food to another, not to mention Vet bills. Things might improve on the switch over (sometimes a little, and sometimes not at all) but never totally right for long and eventually deteriorated back to square 1 and wished I'd done the above two things two years before I did. If your dog's poops are right, I'd suggest that's why he is sporting the skin issue and potentially doesn't need antibiotics (which can add to upsetting an already upset stomach as well - depending on the dog). Edited - added words to para to make sense of what I was expressing.

Hi everyone. A friend of mine has a Cairn Terrier and a couple of wire-haired daxxies. She tends to the regular grooming herself. Her daughter would like to purchase her Mum a grooming table for Christmas, but doesn't know the best place to purchase from. Can anyone assist with some known good places (on-line or otherwise). If an actual store, can be in South-Eastern suburbs area (thereabouts) or over Geelong way. Thanks in advance. Erny PS - I know nothing about grooming tables, so any advice of what to avoid; what is great/handy; etc. would also be appreciated.

I think we miss something when we think of "dietary" in terms of allergies. The dog might not be specifically "allergic" to any component of the food s/he is eating, but diet can bolster the system so that it can better deal with things that would otherwise show up as "allergy reactions". Has the OP re-visited here since the thread began and response posts have come in?

Why do you say this? Allergies are common in my family and it is not uncommon for reactions to be localised around the mouth, surely the same could apply to dogs? And if it were a contact allergy, one would expect the skin irritation to be more generalised, I would think.

Apple Cider is good stuff ….. but would sting that already sensitive and sore skin, wouldn't it? Must admit, I like something that will offer immediate soothing. Like, ummmm, Calendula :D .

Pimples/acne, can occur as a result of hair follicle inflammation. This can progress to small ulcerated sores. I'm not a Vet, but "small ulcerated sores" is what it looks like to me and they do look irritated and angry. Mastiffs are one of the breeds prone to this, but this doesn't mean it should be considered "normal", IMO. Thing is, if the follicle/s rupture, it can turn into furunculosis and so this does require some attention. Impressing upon you that I'm not a Vet, but that I have had a lot of first-hand experience with skin eruptions with my own boy. To soothe the skin, use a rinse of Calendula Tea. I'd start with a fairly strong brew for the first number of applications until you can see a reduction of inflammation (redness) and the sores settle back. I would apply the Calendula Tea after each meal and in between as necessary. Start with this now (i.e. urgently) if for no other reason than to soothe the skin and help prevent and stop further bacteria growth. Calendula Tea has remarkable anti-inflammatory and antibacterial qualities and its effects are fairly immediate in the provision of relief and fairly quick in helping the skin to heal. But it is not a cure in itself - there's usually an underlying reason for the problem and that's what needs to be investigated. However, I have found countless times over that the use of Calendula Tea 'buys' the time needed for those investigations and in my instance especially (but not necessarily only), has resulted in being able to avoid the administration of antibiotics and cortisone treatments that were otherwise suggested by numerous Vets along the way. Diet still could be a factor - I'd investigate into a natural whole raw diet with a blend of raw veggies. If it were me. (And again, basing opinion on own experience with own dog.) It might not BE the diet that is causing the problem (although it could be), but the best and most suitable diet for your dog can help the system to strengthen and stabilise, resulting in a reduction of the problems and their severity, being experienced. The above would be a start. Again - if it were me - I'd avoid vaccination boosters (I'm assuming he's already been vaccinated and would therefore have immunity - a titre test would be able to confirm this) and I'd also avoid shampoos and/or any other chemical based applications. His system is fighting whatever is the cause of the problem and doesn't need the assault of other things to deal with at this time. Naturally, you need to take into account your immediate environment and weigh up what preventatives are absolutely necessary and which are not. A hair-DNA test would reveal imbalances within the body and natural herbal supplements to assist the body heal itself would be beneficial.

High numbers can indicate 'recent' exposure to disease where dog hasn't been vaccinated for disease for some time. I like reading the numbers, even though low numbers or even no numbers doesn't mean low or no immunity. Either immune or not immune. There's not much grey in that.

I use Ross Wilson for this. If you'd like to email me (NOT PM, please) I'll send you his contact number. He's in Victoria (Coburg). I forgot to look where you are before I began to post this response. Steps to the process are : Post hair sample in. Fee = $125.00. Analysis report done (and this tells Ross what areas your dog's system is not functioning optimally/what your dog might need to support and supplement). Assuming you wish to proceed, Ross will arrange for the appropriate supplements to be sent to you along with instructions on what to give in what amounts. 6 weeks later post another hair sample in for a re-test. This tells Ross how the dog's system is responding to the herbal treatment he's prescribed. Fee = Nil, for the re-test. With Mandela, I've done the initial test and two re-tests over a period of about 12 months. The most recent (additional) re-test I've only just sent in and I've chosen to do so because so much time has passed since Mandela's been on the supplements (which were altered slightly after the first re-test, to accord with his body's requirements) and I want to make sure I'm still on the right track with what I'm doing or whether another twist/turn can possibly make things any better than they have already become.

I do believe that one CAN make an allergy "better" - at least to a certain extent. I've worked hard and long with my own boy, trialling this and that over the years. And it's taken a long time because I agree with Fbaudry - it's not something you can do quickly. You narrow down to a single protein and need to stay on that for a good while, whilst the body rids itself of the residue toxins its body hasn't been able to cope with and also so you can see whether the body will cope with the new protein you've introduced. Evidence of allergy doesn't present itself visually in quick time. At first, because it is a novel protein, there is no allergy as the body hasn't developed a line of defence against the new protein. The body's objection to the new protein can develop bit by bit over time UNTIL it gets to a point where the body does do a dummy-spit over it. In my boy's case, some food proteins showed up as unsuitable inside 3 months. Some others in 7 months. One after 10 months. This is where the time built up to years. Trials, and a case load of patience ….. and hope. Regards my initial statement about one being able to make an allergy "better" - just to quantify that statement. I do think a digestive system can be 'worked-on' through very careful diet, permitting the system AS A WHOLE to stabilise and then strengthen and work to its absolute possible optimum. When its working to its optimum, the system is more capable of dealing with food proteins that it previously rejected 'violently' (e.g. massive skin out-breaks). The system may still be sensitive to the 'offending' protein, but able to manage the toxins from it in a more normal process (i.e. through liver, etc). As an aside to the above - I do believe that something we are not looking at or considering more carefully, is the focus on what the meat protein has been fed itself before it became meat for our dogs. My thoughts are that the system is being rendered sensitive to these things, where we only think it is the meat protein itself. As a further thought, I think it's possible for the body to pair these more obscure anomalies with the actual meat protein and that the sensitivity then learns to carry over to the meat protein itself. Ok - just my thoughts and theories developed through my own personal learning curve, but still thoughts that I think have some validity. My boy got so his body could not handle chicken at all. In fact, he would turn his nose up at it (even though he'd loved it prior to the reactionary problems surfacing) no matter how hungry he was. I can now offer him chicken as a meal and he eats it enthusiastically. And his body does not dummy-spit over it. However, when I feed him chicken it is "organic" chicken only. And the cost of that is enormous and not that easy to source where I live (to my knowledge so far - I'm still searching in the limited time I have free to do so) so it goes to follow that I can't feed it to him terribly often. I found having a hair-DNA Analysis done a really good thing. And the supplements that were put together specifically to his needs have assisted a lot as well. These include supplements to help the body de-tox as well as to support the organs which are paramount in processing the food and sorting out the rubbish from the good stuff.

A Hair-DNA Analysis will help set you in the right direction. Has helped me with my boy immensely.