Suggestions Needed For Mac

[cowanbree]

I am looking for suggestions. I own Mac, now aged 9 years and have had ongoing health issues with him for over 2 years. I had given up hope of finding out what was causing it and for the past 6mths have been managing the symptoms as the vets (multiple including a skin specialist) have said they think he has allergies. However I visited the owner of his sire this weekend and I now realize that his Dad has exactly the same symptoms. He lives in a different town, is fed differently and lives a very different life to my boy so to my mind this means whatever they both have must be hereditary.

Here are their joint symptoms

Excessive thirst and appetite

All their coat is falling out – you can see skin

Loss of muscle tone, all over even in the face. The sire is to such an extent that he is having trouble walking

Very hot body, not a temperature but to touch him he is about twice as hot as any normal dogs

Gurgly tummies that means they don’t eat. Mac has mostly resolved since starting thyroid meds

Hot spots

Here is what we have done

Thyroid (Mac is low and being treated but the sire isn’t)

Full bloods, both normal

Mac – Pancreatitus

Pancreatic insufficiency

Montee – Cushings

Mac is currently on a huge array of pills, mostly to keep his skin under control but as far as I am concerned we are just treating the symptoms Obviously a vet is already involved, in fact multiple vets but they are stumped . Suggestions anyone?

[poodlefan]

Cowanbree, I'd be recommend a telephone consult (if you can't go in person) with a holistic vet.

Perhaps alternative medicine may assist where conventional medicine has not.

[Flaves]

Could it be Lupus?

[cowanbree]

Cowanbree, I'd be recommend a telephone consult (if you can't go in person) with a holistic vet.

Perhaps alternative medicine may assist where conventional medicine has not.

Have tried a number of alterative therapies including a Bowen Healer and a human naturopath with no luck. The sires owner is currently consulting with a homeopath with limited success

[Cavandra]

Straight up without thinking Thyroid/tonsillistis

Thinking, muscle wasting such as face Masseters Muscle Myosis (auto immune disorder, many cases due to feeding ethoxyquin used as a preservative, but also used to make RUBBER (usually in Eukanuba)

Just quick ones off the top of my head!

[Cavandra]

Could also be VACCINOSIS............that would have any Vet stumped LOL..........if they both have unnecessary annual vaccines they are completely overdosed & reacting to it...............That is the easy & most common solution to most disorders in dogs!

[dogbesotted]

My first thoughts are thyroid. as he is being treated.. a few questions:

firstly is the thyroid level being regularly monitoried?

If there is no respons to thyroid supplementation perhaps look at cushings.. he Mac been tested for cushings?

also look at autoimmune thyroiditis ( hashimotos disease).. not to mention vaccinosis.

all have similar symptoms but differing causes and different treatments.

i would also be consulting a reputable holistic vet .

maybe have the bloods analysed by Dr jean Dodds .. simple to do and Dr Dodds is a world expert in this area.

Cheers

H

[cowanbree]

Mac hasn’t been vaccinated in years, this started about 2 years after his last vac.

I haven’t retested his thyroid, perhaps something I should look at although his fathers thyroid was normal. Thyroid supplementation has stopped all the tummy issues Mac had which apparently his Dad has never had.

His sires owner is convinced it is Cushing’s but there is no hereditary link that I can find?

[Mizzi]

I also think that you need to find a good holistic vet.

Without knowing what is causing these symptoms, I would try to get his own immune system functioning as well as possible.

Echinacea and Golden Seal are fantastic natural products for this purpose.

[Cavandra]

I also think that you need to find a good holistic vet.

Without knowing what is causing these symptoms, I would try to get his own immune system functioning as well as possible.

Echinacea and Golden Seal are fantastic natural products for this purpose.

I agree, I would be seeing a Holistic Vet, and detoxing both dogs etc. Kelp & Apple Cider Vinegar together do boost the glandular/immune system also

[dogsforall]

i know high protein causes skin problems in my dogs

have they had there kidneys tested could they not be getting rid of the protein properly?

if they have had kidney test what was their upc and did the ultrasound show and cysts?

dfa

[cowanbree]

Had a long talk with my primary vet today. I said I wanted Mac fixed but he tells me I am being unrealistic. He said it is definitely some sort of auto immune issue and if I wanted to he would do the tests for me but in the end none of them were fixable and it was just a matter of managing the symptoms which we are already doing. I can see what he is saying but think I might try a phone consult with a holistic vet

[Mizzi]

Had a long talk with my primary vet today. I said I wanted Mac fixed but he tells me I am being unrealistic. He said it is definitely some sort of auto immune issue and if I wanted to he would do the tests for me but in the end none of them were fixable and it was just a matter of managing the symptoms which we are already doing. I can see what he is saying but think I might try a phone consult with a holistic vet

Please do cowanbree. You'd be amazed at the results alternative treatments can achieve.

[Tali]

HI Cowanbree

Just a thought - he sounds similar to my old Kees that we lost last year (but his appetite was still up - just lost weight despite eating huge amounts). The vet that finally PTS said that he felt it was definitely thyroid related - felt either Cushings or Parathyroidism, which is known in Keeshonds. Jarrah was about 10 or so when it started; again we were told probably allergies, paid hundreds over the following years for tests all showing nothing. We switched vets but the new vet felt he was too far gone to be able to treat by that time.

Could be worth a look at least if you haven't looked into the last one - don't know of it in Shelties (Mac is a sheltie right? or a collie?) but at the time I was just paying attention to Kees cases. Try Googling for PHPT in Keeshonds and see if the symptoms match what Mac has.

Hope you can find out what it is - very hard to watch an old dog wasting away like that.

Tali

Edited December 5, 2007 by Tali

[peibe]

Sorry to hear about Mac

I do not have much to add, but my Pei bitch Jewel was diagnoses with Systemic Lupus a few months ago, while it is nothing like Mac has it is an auto-immune disease

I tried her on all the convential medication given by the vet and nothing was helping, my last shot was chemo, which she had one dose of and it made her violentally ill

My vet recommended a holistic vet and after a consultation, we started treatment

Jewel is now stable, fur grown back, has not vomitted or poo'ed blood in 3 weeks, she is over weight, but due to her bad thyroid I cannot get the weight off

The holistic vet achieved the results that the vet could not

Give it a try

[monsterpup]

Had a long talk with my primary vet today. I said I wanted Mac fixed but he tells me I am being unrealistic. He said it is definitely some sort of auto immune issue and if I wanted to he would do the tests for me but in the end none of them were fixable and it was just a matter of managing the symptoms which we are already doing. I can see what he is saying but think I might try a phone consult with a holistic vet

Sorry to hear about Mac

You might be interested in joining this group. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Auto-ImmuneSupport/

Hopefully it might help you to chat with other owners who have been through the wringer with the many different problems that can be caused by AI diseases.

Good luck with Mac, hope you are able to get some help.

Edited December 7, 2007 by monsterpup

[poodlefan]

Had a long talk with my primary vet today. I said I wanted Mac fixed but he tells me I am being unrealistic. He said it is definitely some sort of auto immune issue and if I wanted to he would do the tests for me but in the end none of them were fixable and it was just a matter of managing the symptoms which we are already doing. I can see what he is saying but think I might try a phone consult with a holistic vet

If you don't mind phoning over the ditch Cowanbree, I'd be talking with Dr Barbara Fougere here Most importantly, she's very happy to work in conjuction with your current vet.

Hopefully there's a good one in NZ.

Edited December 6, 2007 by poodlefan