scottie

Recently we acquired an 8 week old GSD bitch pup to add to our existing family of 8 year old GSD desexed bitch, 5 year old desexed Schipperke dog & 6 year old cat.Other 2 dogs live in complete harmony both with each other & the cat(who is very dog imprinted - sleeps with them,comes for walks etc).Puppy is now 14 weeks old.She is a great little dog,quick to learn ,already pretty much housetrained,walks nicely on lead etc etc. BUT - I can see 2 problems developing & want to nip them in the bud & don't know how so would love some advice. 1) She is already trying to bully little dog - very mouthy with him, jumps on him, tries to drag him around generally. If I call him to me she will try & intercept him & jump on him far too roughly. Similar behaviour with the cat - absolutely fine if he is in the room & asleep/not moving but given half a chance she will chase & try to mouth him. 2)Can see she is going to be a dominant character already & watching the way she plays with my older (also dominant ) bitch I am anxious to quite ensure that I handle things correctly so I don't end up with a inter-bitch warfare down the line. So far I have cracked down on all rough play involving teeth & keep the pup on a long line in the house so I can intervene whenever I see a problem arising. I never leave her alone with the other animals unwatched - if I can't be there she is firmly in her crate. I feel really sorry for the other animals though as they aren't really doing anything wrong but have to endure either being mouthed/bullied generally or listen to me getting cross with the pup which is obviously confusing them. Think I am getting it wrong somewhere !Think I have 2 problems to deal with - a pup with a strong chase instinct (never had one of these before) & also a dominant bitch pup entering an existing hierachy with an established Alpha female in situ. Think I helped create the problem when she first arrived as I allowed her to play relatively freely with the other dogs thinking they would teach her manners - all it seems to have taught her is that she can bite too hard !

My GSD girl was bred in this area & I know her breeder thoroughly recommends Karen Hedberg who is a very well known vet/GSD expert. Her contact details used to be : North Richmond Vet Hospital 36 Bells Line of Road, North Richmond PH - 0245 712 042 Never used her myself but I know a number who swear that they won't take their GSD anywhere else.

Thinking of changing my epileptic dog onto a homecooked diet (cooked chicken/vegie base). Does anyone have any good well balanced recipes for such a thing ?

Apologies for cross posting this - thought some people on this forum might have experience of these ! Some on here may remember that I am flying back to UK in December & taking animals (2 dogs & 3 cats) with me. One of my dogs appears to be suffering from mild epilepsy (so far 'petit mal' type though of course this may change). From what I have read any stress, including heat stress, can bring this on & overheating can be concurrent with fitting.I am desperate to try & minimise the chances of this happening but to meet UK import regulations the dogs have to leave Sydney on a mid afternoon flight in mid December - just about the hottest time of the year. I've been trying to think of a way of keeping their temperatures down & was wondering about Cooler beds - does anyone have any experience with these ? Would they be appropriate for a 24hr+ flight ? I think the export agency handling the animals thinks they might get too chilled once they are on the flight - I simply don't know as I've never used them. There is also the issue of what happens when they pee in the crate - otherwise they would be on newspaper lined crate with dry bed on top which would obviously drain a lot better. Any thoughts /experiences much welcomed !

My GSD girl has seemed quite a bit less stiff since I added Joint Guard & Green lipped mussel oil to her food. She has also had occasional courses of weekly Cartrophen injections (over 4 weeks) which I think have helped. It's hard to work out how much these things make a difference - but a lot of people in my local dog park have commented that they have never seen her look better or enjoying life more - so I think something must be working !

PugRescue can I ask what strength the fishoil caps you give your guys are ? As you may remember my Schipp has recently been diagnosed with suspected epilepsy & I'd like to give him Fish oil but am not sure of the dose (he'd be the same sort of size as yours).

I have always had my dogs on Frontline - more because I've never had a problem with it than because I understand the science of it. We had a really bad flea problem (from some rescue kittens) & Frontline just wasn't doing the job so I swapped all animals over about 4 months ago to Advantage,which I have found much more effective. In the last couple of months my Schipperke has had a few 'petit mal' type episodes which my vet thinks are epilepsy (done full neuro assessment/bloods etc & can find nothing organically wrong). I can't remember the exact dates of the times I gave him Advantage so can't make a direct connection (& tend to think that if it had happened on the actual day I applied it I would probably have remembered). Just went to give them their monthly flea treatment & pulled myself up sharp - could the change of medication have anything to do at all with the seizures - or is it most likely to be absolutely coincidental ? I have a memory of reading somewhere that certain breeds of dogs showed hypersensitivity to certain flea medication but can't remember the details. Just wondered whether anyone on here knows anything about Advantage or has had any negative experiences with it ?

Whereabouts in Sydney are you Gomez ? I think you may be in the east somewhere near me &,if so, I have lots of friends who have their dogs groomed so I could ask around for recommends. If this is the case also perhaps you could PM me the groomer to avoid ?!

Mine have always had pain relief, both here & in the UK. Same goes for cats - just had a boy kitten desexed & he too was given injectable 24 hour pain relief before being discharged - & his op is a far less invasive/painful procedure (no stitches even !). I think your girl should definitely be given something asap.

Spoke to my vet - apparently animals can sometimes react to the carrier ointment in these products (paraffin based) - which is what they think has happened in this case. I hadn't even thought of this as a possibility ! Apparently if this is the case you revert to eye drops rather than ointment - & problem solved !

Excuse the cat question - but this is a medication that is prescribed for dogs as well so I thought someone on this forum might have had experience ofthis medication. I have a couple of rescue kittens slowly recovering from cat flu - one of them is suffering from a 'gunky' eye which I am trying to get rid of. After a couple of weeks on fusidic acid eye drops it is marginally better,but still obviously there & my vet today changed his medication to Chloropt P ointment (which I've never come across before).By this evening his eyes look worse not better ! He was also vaccinated today which of course may be the reason behind his more miserable appearance. Has anyone had any experience of this medicine ? Not sure whether I should persist with it or whether it's an adverse reaction & I should stop it. I can find very few references (good or bad)on the internet to it at all. Any input appreciated !

With this sort of history I really,really would get her tested for EPI. We messed around for years with our girl before we had her tested & I feel guilty that we didn't do so earlier.If they are diagnosed with EPI this means that they actually can't produce the correct enzymes (amylase/lipase) etc for digestion & however many band aids one applies in the way of anti diarrhea medicines etc - one is not addressing the route cause of the problem. It really isn't a hard condition to treat if that is what she is suffering from. EPI is a condition which gradually deteriorates - which fits in with what you have told us about your boy.

I would absolutely agree with the people on here suggesting that pancreatic insufficiency might be a problem. My GSD suffers from this & before diagnosis her symptoms were not at all dissimilar to those you describe. I've lost count of how many different foods/medicines we tried before she was diagnosed. GSD's are one of the breeds more predisposed to it. It really is well worth your while asking your vet to do a blood test to check this - the test gives you a definitive answer & if positive could save you an endless amount of time/money/heartache chopping & changing foods etc. If it is EPI it's eminently treatable (though not curable). Dogs with EPI also have a tendency to a bacterial overgrowth in their gut - might be worth asking your vet about this too ?

Yes - I am pretty certain that the vet's diagnosis is right in this case.He's a very typical cat flu sufferer (not uncommon for them to relapse when they've had it so badly & at such a young age). We've always managed to stop the secondary infections before they reach his lungs but he is a sporadically 'snuffly' cat whom I would dearly love to get as right as possible before rehoming.His chances of being rehomed are obviously much better if he is fully fit (plus I don't think it's fair to pass on a problem to someone else).He & his sister will make spectacularly good pets if I can stop his snuffling - I really want to give such a young animal the best possible chance - he could give many years of wonderful companionship to someone if we can just get him 100% fit. Dogbesotted - Thanks for confirming that these particular vets are OK - I remember reading a number of posts in the past by someone who was very happy with their dog's complementary medicine treatment - couldn't remember who it was but I think they were probably your posts - so it's good to know that I'm not heading to someone who'll sell me 'snake oil' !

This is actually about a cat ( I've posted in Cat Chat but thought that many people with good advise to offer wouldn't visit that forum). Briefly I am fostering an approx 4/5 month old rescue kitten who has had a shocking start in life & who is now,despite excellent medical care/nutrition /masses of TLC,still tending to relapse with cat flu (which he first had at about 5 weeks old). Traditional medicine,whilst treating the symptoms with antibiotics, doesn't seem to prevent the relapses & I am anxious to try & get him right before rehoming. I have been thinking about seeing the naturopathic vet here in Sydney (nearest one I know of is a bit of a drive away from me in Drummoyne - though I'm happy to go there if it's likely to help him) but knowing nothing about this type of treatment am just a little anxious that I will be charged large amounts for something which is essentially useless. Has anyone had experience of this type of treatment - specifically relating to upper respiratory issues &/or cats ?

This is actually about a cat ( I've posted in Cat Chat but thought that many people with good advise to offer wouldn't visit that forum). Briefly I am fostering an approx 4/5 month old rescue kitten who has had a shocking start in life & who is now,despite excellent medical care/nutrition /masses of TLC,still tending to relapse with cat flu (which he first had at about 5 weeks old). Traditional medicine,whilst treating the symptoms with antibiotics, doesn't seem to prevent the relapses & I am anxious to try & get him right before rehoming. I have been thinking about seeing the naturopathic vet here in Sydney (nearest one I know of is a bit of a drive away from me in Drummoyne - though I'm happy to go there if it's likely to help him) but knowing nothing about this type of treatment am just a little anxious that I will be charged large amounts for something which is essentially useless. Has anyone had experience of this type of treatment - specifically relating to upper respiratory issues &/or cats ?

It's a long shot I know but I just thought that some DOL'er might have come across this UK based dog trainer or know something of his reputation ? I'll be back in the UK sometime soon & know that he runs a number of courses which look interesting but I have no idea of his reputation. He looks pretty good. Please feel free to PM me if you would prefer.

Got the blood results back - all well apart from the fact that her white blood count is right down - not sure what the readings are in but hers is about 2.5 while the normal range is apparently between 5 & 12. Having another test tomorrow to recheck & see if they're stable or have gone up/down. Anyone ideas gratefully received !

Took my GSD in for a regular Cartrophen injection today - she's put on a bit of weight ( I think due to recently being on lead exercise only as she has been lame) & before giving her the shot my vet felt her abdomen & thought that her spleen felt enlarged. She's now been ultra-sound checked & whilst her spleen is apparently definitely enlarged they can't see any signs of tumours or anything else 'nasty' on the ultrasound. We're running a complete blood screen to see if there are any markers for anything suspicious & are waiting on the results of this. Does anyone have any experience of anything similar & should I be asking for any further tests ? I know GSD's can be predisposed to tumours in the spleen but can an enlarged spleen also be of no significance particularly ?

I've got a GSD with EPI too - if you do a search you'll find details of her history. Food wise it's horses for courses - mine can't digest the specialist diets ( & believe me we've tried the lot, from prescription to homemade) but bizarrely enough does OK on straightforward regular Eukanuba. Won't be the same for every dog though so a bit of trial & error I suspect. DO make sure that the dog is getting the correct enzyme replacements though - we've found that this is the real secret & it is a process that needs occasional tweaking over the years. Try Enzyplex (worked for mine for years & available without prescription from good pet shops or the vet) or failing this we've found the prescription drug Creon has been fantastic. Good Luck with it - & take heart, it is a manageable condition (but avoid fats at all costs !)

After a really horrible night - multiple attacks of diarrhea - we headed off to the vet this morning. Previcox is under the most suspicion as the cause, even though we did give it with food. She's been taken off it to see how she goes for a couple of days & been given something called Tagamat (?sp) to try & calm her guts down, along with electrolytes to rehydrate her. She doesn't seem 'ill' in herself if that makes sense - just violently upset intestinally. Thanks for the mention of Cartrophen - sadly she's been on this for a bit & although it has made a bit of difference it's not been majorly effective. Not sure that there's a drug in the pharmacy we haven't had for her !

My 7 year old Shepherd has recently been very lame on a front leg (couldn't even put paw to the ground)- X-rays confirmed she has early stage arthritis. She's been put on Previcox & Joint Guard & I've also added one tablet of green lipped mussel to her food. She rattles with meds as she is also on Creon for her EPI & Propalin for urinary incontinence. Since starting the new meds she is incredibly flatulent, & this evening has a very upset tummy & has vomited extensively. Anyone have any ideas or experience about which of the new meds is likely to be causing the problem & any alternative suggestions as to treatment options ?

Does anyone have feedback on John Richardson ? I've enjoyed his books which seem to make sense but haven't been overly impressed by the local "Dog Tech" franchisee .... I know he sometimes runs training courses & wondered whether anyone had ever been to any &, if so, how they had found them ?

Gomez - I haven't yet got to agility with my black devil Schipperke but may well go up to St Ives sometime over the next couple of weeks . Are you in Sydney yet ? Maybe see you there (I think we'll be in the beginners class for ever !!).

EPI is an old friend in this house..... Foodwise I think it is horses for courses - we've tried the lot (prescription etc) but come back to Eukanuba Large Dog maintenance which seems to suit my girl better than anything else. On paper you should be sticking to a low fat diet -eg Senior dog foods - just takes a bit of time to work out which works best for the individual dog : I would DEFINITELY steer clear of PAL though...... We've used Enzyplex for many years - tell your Dad that you often need to use more than it says on the packet to get a result. I've checked with my vet & apparently you can't overdose on it so he should just up it until he gets a good result. Also remember to soak the food with the Enzyplex & water for 10 minutes before feeding. We used this for years & it worked - my girl has recently got worse but has been stabilised for the last few months by the addition of CREON to her food - this is the human med designed for the same affliction. So now my 32 kg GSD has 2x huge heaped measures of Enzyplex & 1 Creon tablet in each meal (which is far more than you would expect to give a dog of her size) & she hasn't had a problem for months. It is cheaper if you get your vet to write a script for Creon & pick it up from the local pharmacy.There is quite a lot of word of mouth evidence that fresh pancreas is good for this affliction but we have found it impossible to get hold of....