Wundahoo

What scares me most is the advice given at the surgery to 'do the dosing' without the testing. Takes consumer confidence to discuss with the professional other options. Owners need to be proactive these days and it's best to always have the bigger picture in mind, especially when drugs are prescribed without proof of need. Just a one-off dose for this puppy may not hurt but if it isnt the fix for the problem then begins a cycle of "try this, come back if it doesnt work" and so on, sometimes with more money being spent than on a work-up of the problem to determine precisely what the issue is. There is also the very important and bigger aspect of multi-drug resistance often brought about by indiscriminant prescription and use of drugs without proper testing or proof of need.

I agree Sandra, Organism resistance to many of the biocidal chemicals (antibiotics, drenches, anthelmintics, ectoparasite treatment or preventatives etc etc) is becoming a huge problem and to be truthful what used to be called "bucket pharmacy" should no longer be practiced. Any substance given to our dogs or to ourselves should only be administered with proof or high cause to believe that it IS necessary.

The wording is the same across each state but the colours are different from state to state. In Western Australia the document paper is white, printing of the pedigree information is black and the ANKC seal, artwork and wording "Certificate of Registration and Pedigree Main Register" is gold, or "Certificate of Registration and Pedigree Limit Register" is silver. Limit Register dogs also have "LR" after their registration number.

Actually, to give medication without knowing that the dog has the parasite in the first place could place a heavier strain on an already upset GI system. There are many things that could have given the signs that this dog has and while it is a possibility that he may have picked up something from cat faeces it doesnt sound to me as though it has been proven to be the case. I'm sure that you dog would have been tested for giardia and coccidiosis and then prescribed the relevant drugs, not just simply given them to treat a possible infection. My dogs do not get any medications unless I know that there is a need for them, same for myself...... no meds without an appropriate test that indicates the relevance of a prescription drug.

I was just telling what the vet said but..ok, so i'll just ignore what a QUALIFIED vet says and take advice from someone on a internet forum shall I???? Sorry mate but I have no idea who you are. I just had a pervo test done 5 days after a vaccination and it was negative Hey Benz, I think that it would be best if you quit with the attitude ! Be nice ! :) You came HERE looking for advice and opinion..... you got that. If you dont want it then dont post !! ..... just go to the QUALIFIED vet rather than look for advice on an internet forum. Just to put you in the picture..... you say that you dont know who people are on this forum so I will tell you that there are a lot of people on this forum with enormous experience AND qualification to boot. You are new here and I suppose perhaps dont realise what a wealth of knowledge there is available to you. If you get narky with people that have offered opinion and advice (which is what you asked for in the first place) you may find that there is a certain reluctance to help you in the future. ...... just wondering what a "pervo test" is....... the mind boggles....... reminds me of the old joke about the lab test and the cat scan

Young Rotti pup + lethargy + off food + squirts + bowel mucous = need for vet check ASAP. The cause for all of his signs could be one of many things, some not serious and could clear up of their own accord but some other causes could be dire in consequence and so a check up for him as soon as you can will be the best way to go. * Edit for shokin speling !!

AAaah but Prof Michael Day (Chair of the WSAVA Vaccine Guidelines Group) pronounces it Tee-ter..... enough for me !! It can be pronounced either way, but I believe that Tie-ter is the US version while Tee-ter is the UK preference. I guess that we are looking at tom-ay-to and tom-ah-to !

Pronouced teeter...... same as litre.

IVDD can have very many ways of presenting. It can range from a slow onset, niggling pain with no neurological deficit to acute, complete paralysis without any deep pain below the area of the spine where the disc has ruptured. Discs can rupture at any point along the spine and so each place has a slightly different way of presentation. All of the presentation types are graded according to level of pain sensation, degree of neurological deficits, whether the dog is ambulatory (able to walk) and the rate of onset of signs. Certainly where there has been an acute onset rupture with paralysis and no deep pain present, there is a narrow window of opportunity of around 48 hours to get the best outcome via surgery, but other types and grades can allow a longer time frame. In fact, not all IVDD cases need immediate surgery and some can be managed quite well to full recovery without going to theatre at all. Much depends on the grading. This really needs to be assessed by a specialist and most spinal cases (where the dog is non-ambulatory) are referred to a practice where the facilities are present which allow staff to make the diagnosis and prognosis with some accuracy. Sometimes FCE is diagnosed via exclusion. ie xrays, myelogram and CT do not show a disc rupture or tumour, therefore FCE is likely. However, the only high percentage diagnostic tool for FCE is MRI. Recovery from FCE is usually pretty good but it can take a very long time and the nursing care can be quite challenging at times, particularly if the patient is large or has tendencies that make some aspects of the care difficult.... eg some aggression regarding handling when being moved or when passive physio is being done, or when bladder expression is attempted. Some dogs need indwelling urinary catheters with the ongoing care that is needed to prevent infection. Often with large dogs, two people are needed to safely turn the dog and then once some improvement commences to get the dog up and involved in physio. One of the most important aspects to dogs in this situation is that of bladder care. Most animals can cope without defecating for a few days but it's really important that their bladder is emptied several times each day,. If a dog is paralysed often the nerves which allow the bladder to empty are also affected. If the bladder becomes over stretched the nerves and muscles can be permanently damaged by the stretching and will never work properly again. It's really important that it is established whether or not your friend's dog can urinate properly without assistance. If not then it either needs to be expressed manually or needs an indwelling urinary catheter placed, This is something that CANNOT wait. It must be attended to immediately. Simply waiting a few days is unlikely to show any improvement for either an IVDD or FCE so if you friend has decided to go down that road they must be willing to wait sometime before they make any other decision for the dog.

This puppy may have a problem with the innervation to its pharynx..... possibly a problem called crycopharyngeal dysphagia. I have seen this before. The newborn pup will suckle well but will have milk coming from its nose and may snuffle and splutter. It looks very much like a mildly affected cleft palate puppy which can suckle but gets milk going through the cleft into the nasal area. Puppies with crycopharyngeal dysphagia DO NOT have a cleft anywhere in the palate. However they do have a problem with the coordination of the act of swallowing. Sometimes the correct sequence doesnt happen because the nerves to the muscles which control the act of swallowing are not properly developed. It's all about timing. In order to swallow milk, firstly they must suck until they get a bolus of milk into their mouth. These puppies can do this because they dont have a cleft palate. Once they have a bolus of milk in their mouth they must force the milk into the pharynx, then the oesophagus must open and the trachea must close over so that the milk can enter the oesophagus and flow into the stomach. If the oesophagus doesnt open when it should and at the same time, the tracheal opening remains closed, the milk is forced into the nasopharynx and then through the nostrils because the opening to the oesophagus has not released to allow for the milk to flow into the oesophagus and into the stomach. The milk has to go somewhere and if it cant get through into the oesophagus it will go into the trachea (if this is open when it shouldnt be) or into the nasopharynx and then enter the nasal passages. If the milk comes out of the nose this is not a huge problem, but if it enters the trachea and then the bronchi, the puppy will often die of inhalation pneumonia. Affected puppies that seem to direct the milk through the nose can sometimes do OK either through careful monitoring of their feeding, or by tube feeding until weaning age. Once they have reached weaning age some can be managed on a dry food diet. Some puppies will improve with age and can go on to live normal healthy lives and seem to "grow out" of the problem. There is no predictor for which pups will do well and which will not. It seems to affect some breeds more frequently than others and in my breed I believe that there is a mode of inheritance.

Agree with you SO much !! Very few vets would tell their clients to rehome pups at 4 weeks old !! Can I mildly suggest that you read the OP's Post #5 :) :) Yes you can, and I did, along with post #1 Can I mildly repeat that very few vets would tell their clients to rehome pups at 4 weeks. One would assume that the "breeder" would seek the vet's advice before they did this and so it's 99.99% probable that they would be told that it was not acceptable to rehome at 4 weeks or even at 6 weeks.

Agree with you SO much !! Very few vets would tell their clients to rehome pups at 4 weeks old !! Most will vaccinate pups at 6 weeks but would not suggest that they be rehomed until at least a few days after vaccination. For so many reasons this is a BAD situation and I think that the OP would be doing themselves a favour by walking away from this..... I suggest a very fast walk, breaking into a trot !!!!

Has he been titred? The presence of a dog of questionable immunity at my local vets would piss me off big time. What a dog contracts and what a dog can incubate and spread are not one and the same thing. Actually Haredown, The dog with "questionable" immunity, according to the WSAVA paper will have adequate protection. It has been vaccinated several times and a normal dog will seroconvert. Also, if it regularly visits a place such a a vet hospital it will have developed a good "wild" type of immunity (or street immunity as it used to be called) simply because it has been placed in a situation where it will have exposure to all sorts of bugs and viruses...... sick dogs go to vet hospitals too !! It will be a very healthy and strong individual. "What a dog contracts and what a dog can incubate and spread are not one and the same thing." I dont understand what you mean by this. Could you please elaborate a little bit more. Just one more word on KC. It's possible for KC to be passed from human to dog. Some of the bacterial upper respiratory bugs that we get can be transferred to our dogs via aerosol contamination (ie when we cough), so to blame another dog for passing on the disease is not always correct. Some of the bordatella infections that we get are also the same as those that dogs get. We dont quarantine people who have a cough..... half the country's population would be locked at home if we did. Dont get me wrong, I'm not saying that coughing dogs should not be kept at home, I'm just drawing attention to the fact that there are other sources of U/R infections in dogs and the matter is not as simple as many would like to think. A lot of people dont understand immunology well. Do you have any sources to support the idea that humans can transmit KC to dogs? I dont have the references close at hand, (I'm not at work right now), however I'm aware that some bordetella sp, respiratory coronavirus and strep can be transmitted from human to dog and will cause upper respiratory signs.

Have had LOTS of experience with this !! I have one dog who is now nearly 8 years old and still gets terribly travel sick no matter what we have tried for him. I now reluctantly take him by car only if it's absolutely necessary, or if the journey is less that 10 minutes. He is a rescue who came to me almost 3 years ago and the poor dog had rarely ever been in a car..... just left, neglected, in a back yard for 5 years. Things that I've found can help with some dogs...... Empty stomach. Travel-calm ginger tablet half hour before leaving. Front seat. Aircon or fan running. Air vents closed so no road fumes into car. Loud music. Smooth road. Short trips. If a passenger is in the vehicle, wrap the puppy tightly in a large towel (a bit like the thundershirt principle) and sit it on the lap of the front seat passenger. Allow the pup to snuggle its head under the arm of the passenger. DO NOT DISTURB once it has assumed this position. I have also tried to desensitise puppies to travel stress by simply putting them in the car and driving a short distance. I have a long driveway and at first it was just to the end of the drive and back again. I would do this three or four times a day and then after a week, increase the distance. It seemed to help some dogs. Someimes its just a matter of a tincture of time and they seem to grow out of the problem........ sometimes they never do. Good luck !!

They can actually vaccinate against coronavirus. Its included in the C7 vaccine, along with leptospirosis. My first dog Cody was given a C7 (with me naively believing the vet when she raved on about how much better they were than other vets because they gave the 7 and not the 5). Neither disease is commonly found around Sydney or Canberra so have never given a C7 since. I remember when the lepto/corona vaccine first became available in Australia there was much discussion regarding the combination of the two. WSAVA and AVA class coronavirus vaccine in the "Not Recommended" category. Lepto vaccine, if given should be repeated every 6 months and considering that this is only available in combination with the corona vaccine I think that it's not a good thing to be so frequently injecting an antigen which actually falls within the "not recommended" category. In spite of the WSAVA's recommendations and categorisation of these two vaccines, the manufacturing company still persists in combining these two vaccines..... one that needs to be injected twice a year to be effective and the other that should only be used in exceptional circumstances. One has to ask why ??????

Find a boarding kennel that is up to date and will accept a C3 (triennial) or a titre test result which indicates that the dog is covered. There are some boarding kennels that will accept this and some require a signed acknowledgement from all owners which indicates that they are aware of this, even for those whose dogs have been given a C5. The number of boarding kennels which are now moving to a more enlightened attitude is growing. Some say that it's a "duty of care" to ensure that all dogs have a minimum of C5 within the last 12 months but there is now so much science that proves this to be at the least unnecessary and in some instances could be considered detrimental to the long term health of the dogs that use their facilities. If my choice was to give my dog a C5 every year or be inconvenienced by finding alternative accomodation, I would take the inconvenience any day ...... for my dog's sake.

That's funny. My dog comes to work (vet) and has since he was a puppy. His last vaccine was at 16weeks and (touch wood) he's never contracted anything. Annual vaccines are outdated. Most of the vaccine companies recognise this and MOST now have 3 yearly vaccines available. With the guidelines available from the AVA and WSAVA there is no reason clinics should still be pushing annual vaccines. If a dog does not seroconvert a vaccine, then it likely never will and vaccinating annually will not improve that. We need to be aiming to vaccinate more dogs/puppies, not less dogs more often! Stormie, I agree completely as do many people on this Forum, that annual vaccinations are outdated, but unfortunately there are still very many vets who will routinely recall all of their clients on an annual basis for revaccination. Many dont even stock C3 any more and simply have C5. I have had a very distressed puppy owner phone me from the vet hospital after being told by both nurse and vet that their pup would be "incompletely vaccinated" if it didnt have a C5, that it couldnt attend obedience school or puppy preschool, couldnt be boarded and that they were "negligent" to fail to complete the vaccination programme that they recommended. As the pup's breeder I was also under fire from both vet and nurse. After I finished with them both they were somewhat apologetic and they had lost a client, who went elsewhere for their vaccinations and of course everything else that was needed for their new puppy. This method is hard core sales pitch by guilt and scare tactics. It is a method that is used very frequently I'm afraid. On another occasion I had one friend bring their dog to stay with me. They also brought a letter that they had recieved a few days earlier from their vet, telling them that their dog was now "overdue for its annual vaccination and that its immunity had now fallen to unprotective levels"!!...... I kid you not !!!!! This dog had been given the recommended 3 x puppy and one adult vaccination abd was now 2 years old. Many vets are aware of the recommendation of WSAVA and AVA but choose to ugnore them, giving every dog that comes through their doors a C5. So many clients when phoning to book for a vaccination are simnply TOLD it WILL be a C5. Bo choice, no discussion.

Has he been titred? The presence of a dog of questionable immunity at my local vets would piss me off big time. What a dog contracts and what a dog can incubate and spread are not one and the same thing. Actually Haredown, The dog with "questionable" immunity, according to the WSAVA paper will have adequate protection. It has been vaccinated several times and a normal dog will seroconvert. Also, if it regularly visits a place such a a vet hospital it will have developed a good "wild" type of immunity (or street immunity as it used to be called) simply because it has been placed in a situation where it will have exposure to all sorts of bugs and viruses...... sick dogs go to vet hospitals too !! It will be a very healthy and strong individual. "What a dog contracts and what a dog can incubate and spread are not one and the same thing." I dont understand what you mean by this. Could you please elaborate a little bit more. Just one more word on KC. It's possible for KC to be passed from human to dog. Some of the bacterial upper respiratory bugs that we get can be transferred to our dogs via aerosol contamination (ie when we cough), so to blame another dog for passing on the disease is not always correct. Some of the bordatella infections that we get are also the same as those that dogs get. We dont quarantine people who have a cough..... half the country's population would be locked at home if we did. Dont get me wrong, I'm not saying that coughing dogs should not be kept at home, I'm just drawing attention to the fact that there are other sources of U/R infections in dogs and the matter is not as simple as many would like to think. A lot of people dont understand immunology well.

Yes it's possible that there could be a higher rate of affected dogs however it's more likely that a natural immunity would form and that many dogs would develop a "wild" type of protection. Naturally developed immunity is thought to be of greater strength than that which is developed via artificial means ie vaccination. I strongly believe that vaccinations are necessary, particularly against the killer 3.... distemper, hepatitis and parvo, but I seriously question the routine and blanket administration of non core vaccines to each and every dog. The WSAVA Vaccine Guidelines Group states several times "We should aim to vaccinate every animal with core vaccines, and to vaccinate each individual less frequently by only giving non-core vaccines that are necessary for that animal." If a dog has reached an age and stage in its life where its immune system is unlikely to be able to ward off a dose of kennel cough then consider beginning a programme of annual kennel cough vaccinations for it, but until that time of life is reached perhaps it's wise to allow the dog's immune system to work the way that it was intended and to figure out for itself how to fight these lesser infections.

KC is not able to be titre tested as it is a bacterin and as with our flu vaccine, the make up of the vaccines changes each year. This is why many dogs that have already been vaccinated for KC will get a different strain. I do not use KC vaccination at all. Kennel Cough is generally a mild, self limiting infection which usually runs a 10-14 day course and most dogs recover spontaneously. The infection often causes more stress and distress for owners than for dogs because of the sound of the cough. People think that if they coughed like that then they would have to be really ill...... dogs cough in a different way to us and because of their different anatomy it has a much louder and harsher sound, hence the "owner distress". Many vets now actively discourage the use of antibiotics to treat KC because of the issue involving antibiotic resistance, just as most doctors now wont medicate patients for mild upper respiratory infections. Of course there are some dogs which do need some antibiotic help to get over the infection but most vets will simply suggest to owners that they manage the dog at home with rest, good food and perhaps some humidification to help release any secretions that might be a bit hard for the dog to shift.

Haredown, titre tests are not a substitute for vaccination. They can indicate immunity or not and so the results of the titre test must be within the accepted scale to confer immunity. Vaccination alone also does not necessarily mean that the dog is immune. The ANKC rule on vaccination is very clear. It states that dogs MUST have been vaccinated. It doesnt state a time frame (eg within the last 12 months) nor does it say that the dog must have proof of immunity. If a dog has not been vaccinated at all for whatever reason, or is a non-responder, then it will only be a threat to the health of any other dog if it is shedding virus. ie if it has been infected. Any dog that has been vaccinated by whatever effective method will not be at risk by associating with an unvaccinated animal. In actual fact dogs that have had a MLV vaccine administered WILL shed virus for a short period after so they can also be a threat to dogs that are not immune...... or to foxes or dingos. In answer to the OP's question........ I vaccinate my dogs but I do not do them annually and they are revaccinated when appropriate.

When I asked my vet about titre testing they quoted me around $200. I would say that is expensive! Hi Kavik, Yes that does seem high. Titre testing should not be expensive..... this is what I said. I also said that IF your vet is charging a lot of money for the service then shop around. There are a number of people who have indicated that the test is available at a very reasonable price. Titre testing is a far better, safer and healthier alternative than needlessly vaccinating a dog when it is already immune. People vaccinate their dogs because they want them to be healthy..... but vaccinating needlessly is NOT contributing to their health and can have some deleterious outcomes.

There's quite a few that we take together - like MMR for starters... Taken from the WSAVA Vaccine Guidelines Group (my highlight) QUESTIONS RELATED TO ADVERSE REACTIONS TO VACCINES 52. Is there a risk of over-vaccinating a pet (e.g. injecting it too often, or using vaccines that are not required for the specific pet)? Yes. Vaccines should not be given needlessly, as they may cause adverse reactions. Vaccines are medical products that should be tailored to the needs of the individual animal. Also, when administering bacterins it is advisable to give them at separate times rather than giving them together. As an interesting aside, The Chair of the VGG is Prof Michael Day of Bristol Uni UK. He is considered to be one of the world's foremost authorities in Immunology and vaccines. He is an Australian (West Aussie actually) and is a product of our country's University system. Sadly, some Australian vets have been reluctant to fully embrace the new protocols and when they were first introduced into this country there was much debate regarding the implications (mostly financial). The AVA's statement was originally produced as a "Policy" document (ie binding on members) but was later revised to a "Position Statement" which is voluntary, hence there are still many vets in this country who recall their clients every year for vaccination and routinely give C5 rather than discussing the need with the client first. Australia is one of only a few developed countries in the world to have done this..... most others have produced their document as "policy".

sorry to be blunt but it's not as expensive as your dogs dying on you from a reaction. This is what you have to weigh up. Actually titre testing should not be expensive ! If your vet is charging you a lot of money for the service then shop around for another vet which does the test at a reasonable price. The laboratory which does the testing charges a standard fee and this is not a huge amount. Anything else that is added to the cost is done so by the veterinary practice. Invest in a titre test and even if it's more expensive than one annual vaccination you will probably find that your dogs levels are very high and you will probably not need to revaccinate for quite a few years (if ever again!!). Your dogs cannot be any more immune than immune..... annual revaccination does not "boost"their immunity unless they are below the line, and if they have had multiple vaccinations it's unlikely that will have been a non-responder. I'm sorry that your dogs have suffered a reaction to the vaccination. They have probably developed a sensitivity to something included in the vaccine. This is usually something like the adjuvant or vehicle which is used to carry the actual antigen. I have had a young dog come up in hives within 20 minutes of vaccination. My vet made enquiries to the vaccine company and was told that sometimes thre is a carryover of a small amount of abtibiotic which is used in the production of the vaccine. She obviously had a sensitivity to this. Titire testing wasnt available at that time and she needed another vaccination to complete her puppy course. We used a different brand of vaccine and also gave her an antihistamine 20 minutes before she was vaccinated and we saw no reaction. We didnt ever vaccinate her again just in case the reaction might have been worse at some stage in her life. I know that you have said that you dont want to start a debate about vaccinations however annual vaccinations for DHP are really a thing of the past and in the interests of your dog, should not be done. You say that many places need "uptodate" vaccinations. The world protocols now say that this is triennial vaccinations. For the health a safety of my dogs I do not vaccinate any more frequently. Here is a section taken fronm the WSAVA Vaccine Guidelines Group paper. Question 54 (my highlight) is particulalry relevant to your siruation. QUESTIONS RELATED TO ADVERSE REACTIONS TO VACCINES 52. Is there a risk of over-vaccinating a pet (e.g. injecting it too often, or using vaccines that are not required for the specific pet)? Yes. Vaccines should not be given needlessly, as they may cause adverse reactions. Vaccines are medical products that should be tailored to the needs of the individual animal. Also, when administering bacterins it is advisable to give them at separate times rather than giving them together. 53. Are certain vaccines or combinations of vaccines more likely to cause adverse reactions than others? Yes. Although the development of an adverse reaction is often dependent on the genetics of the animal (e.g. small breed dogs or families of dogs), certain vaccines have a higher likelihood of producing adverse reactions, especially reactions caused by Type I hypersensitivity. For example, bacterins (killed bacterial vaccines), such as Leptospira, Bordetella, Borrelia and Chlamydophila are more likely to cause these adverse reactions than MLV viral vaccines. 54. Should dogs and cats with a history of adverse reaction or immune-mediated diseases (hives, facial oedema, anaphylaxis, injection site sarcoma, autoimmune disease etc.) be vaccinated? If the vaccine suggested to cause the adverse reaction is a core vaccine, a serological test can be performed and if the animal is found to be seropositive (antibody to CDV, CPV-2, FPV) revaccination is not necessary. If the vaccine is an optional non-core vaccine (e.g. Leptospira or Bordetella bacterin) revaccination is discouraged. For rabies, the local authorities must be consulted to determine whether the rabies vaccine is to be administered by law or whether antibody titre may be determined as an alternative. If vaccination is absolutely necessary then switching product (manufacturer) may be helpful. Hypersensitivity reactions are known to be related to excipients contained within the vaccine (e.g. traces of bovine serum albumin used in the virus culture process). The use of antihistamines pre-revaccination is acceptable and does not interfere with the vaccinal immune response. Revaccinated susceptible animals should be closely monitored for up to 24 hours post-vaccination although such reactions (Type 1 hypersensitivity) generally occur within minutes of exposure. Other types of hypersensitivity (II, III, IV) can occur much later (e.g. hours to months). 55. Can vaccines cause autoimmune diseases? Vaccines themselves do not cause autoimmune disease, but in genetically predisposed animals they may trigger autoimmune responses followed by disease – as can any infection, drug, or a variety of other environmental factors. 56. How common are adverse reactions to vaccines? There is no definitive answer to this question as it is difficult to obtain accurate data. Determining the frequency of adverse reactions relies upon the veterinarian or owner reporting such reactions to the manufacturer or national authority (where such routes exist). It is currently accepted that the vaccines that we use are very safe with a very low incidence of possible side effects. The benefits of protection from serious infectious disease far outweigh the risks of developing an adverse reaction. Recent analysis of a major US hospital group database has allowed publication of data based on very large numbers of vaccinated dogs and cats. Adverse reactions (of any kind, including very minor reactions) were documented within the first 3 days following vaccination in 38 of 10,000 vaccinated dogs. Adverse reactions (of any kind, including very minor reactions) were documented within the first 30 daysfollowing vaccination in 52 of 10,000 vaccinated cats. However, many other animals had reactions that were not reported to the practice, but were reported to other practices or emergency practices where the animal was seen. Some breeds and families of pets will have a much higher evidence of adverse reactions than the general population of animals.

This puts a different light on things. If you had mentioned this in the first place then I think that just about everybody's opinions would have been that it's highly likely to be the cause and that it's far more likely to be this than some form of immune mediated issue. I think that you are lucky all that she has is some skin irritation to show for it. A very good vet once said "when you hear hoofbeats, dont look for zebras" ...... so true in this case !!