Erny Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 (edited) As per the Title, Mandela has developed ulcers on his gums. I suspect these relate to auto-immune issues and I will be taking him to a Vet/Professional for consultation and treatment (I've read that in some instances the ulcers are due to a reaction to plaque on teeth and that the only resolution to the problem is to remove all the teeth .... OMG, no!!! - I hope the Proden PlaqueOff hurries up and does its job!!!). In the meantime, to soothe them and to try to help stop infection I am going to irrigate them with some Calendula Tea - just for today and tomorrow and until I can get him to the Vet. Is there a worth in adding a little salt to the Calendula liquid that I use to irrigate them with? Will it do harm to Mandela? Edited February 11, 2012 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Poor Mandela and poor you Erny. The poor boy has had a run of problems hasn't he. He's a very lucky dog to have you as his owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 11, 2012 Author Share Posted February 11, 2012 (edited) Thanks cavNrott. It is a continuous run of problems, I'll admit. Appreciate your sympathy/empathy :). I just keep up a war against the symptoms to make him as comfortable as possible whilst I'm doing as much as I can to hit the nail on the head as far as what the cause might be. Mandela is such an intelligent dog - he blows me away with his quick IQ. He's a lot of dog and more than I expected. I hope he'll be around for a long time and I purposely named him "Mandela" for this reason. Life would be boring without him. Edited February 11, 2012 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilly Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Vegemite is fab with ulcers in humans ... maybe a little wouldn't hurt (even though it is rather salty) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 (edited) Latest update : Have still been at a bit of a loss regards the ulcers on Mandela's gums and they continue to persist. BUT there's been a few things I've been doing to address the other of Mandela's health concerns and one specific thing I've been doing to try to address the gum ulcer problem which might either be helping individually or as a whole. The specific 'treatment' I've been trialling is the application of Active Manuka Honey (the strong stuff) on the ulcers. This is something I've been doing for the past 3-4 days, at least 2 x daily but 3-4 x daily if I can. Last night I decided to use the AMH on a tooth-brush (combining the necessity to brush his teeth and the application of the honey). Today I was completely blown away by the improvement that I saw. The ulcer is still there, but not as inflamed as it has been and is a bit smaller in size. I am reserving any major celebration for when the gum ulcer completely goes away, and hoping like heck that's possible. Other things that could be contributing factors to the result I'm recognising is the addition of prescribed herbal supplements Mandela has been having administered for the past 2 weeks. The ultimate designed effect of these supplements is to encourage and allow his digestive system to absorb nutrients properly/more efficiently. What makes me begin to hesitantly believe these might actually be beginning to work is that the plaque on Mandela's teeth is subsiding big-time. Mandela has been on Plaque-off for at least 18 months now, with only very little and very limited success. But I have noticed over the past week (even before I began using the AMH on his gums) that the plaque that had been re-forming beyond my ability to control it, had suddenly receded dramatically! Rhetoric question to self : Is it possible that the additional prescribed herbal supplements are allowing his system to absorb the Plaque-off where before perhaps it wasn't? I am hopeful the answer to this is "yes" because that means his system would also most likely be able to more fully absorb all the other good stuff that is contained in Augustine Approved Super Food that he is being fed. With some more time I'm hoping this increased efficiency in absorption will help his system come to optimum balance and performance and that the other of his digestive issues will self-resolve. This is early days and I bide my time tending, watching and waiting. I'll update further when there are any particularly obvious signs of improvement or otherwise. Edited February 2, 2013 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Any improvement is GOOD , erny - well done. I'm sure he feels better for it. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 (edited) It's nice to be able to report something good, Perse - not something that has happened often. I am only scared that this "good" ends up being short-lived, but I can only hope that it's not. So far : With the Augustine Approved SF, we have (amongst other things) good stools and none of the horrible farting that was common-place previously. With the additional prescribed herbal supplements Mandela's now on, maybe that's the next step to getting his system running right. The AMH might just have been the extra that was needed to assist topically. Holding breath. Edited February 2, 2013 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karly101 Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Did you get a chance to visit the dental specialist in regards to the teeth as I remember he was having problems early last year? I really think that would be a good idea as they have the greatest ability to be able formulate a plan so hopefully Mandela can keep as many teeth as possible. It's good that for now the plaque off appears to be working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 (edited) Karly101 - I went to our general Vet - Dr Bob Cavey (who is very good) and he took photos of the gum ulcers, as they are unusual. These photos were passed on to an animal dental specialist who apparently works at the Melbourne Zoo. First suggestion was to scale and clean the teeth in and around the gums. This was done. It made no difference to the ulcers. More photo's taken recently, including photo's of the inner cheek/lip and also photos of the inner sides of the molar teeth (the inner side is clear of ulcers). (Thank goodness Mandela is well trained at being handled - he was completely compliant and still whilst I held him for all these investigations and photos, alleviating the necessity for sedation :) . ) Waiting for opinion to come back from the Melbourne Zoo dental specialist. In the meantime, I just continue to try what I can try. Edited February 2, 2013 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karly101 Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Poor Mandela! Yes hopefully something will work for him - its good you are willing to try things outside the box :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Milk of Magnesia works on ulcers in humans. Just keep dabbing it on a few times a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 Thanks Dancinbcs - I will give that a try. Once of the DNA results evidenced a stomach that was too acidic (which we are trying to bring into balance), so perhaps there is a connection there? (Rhetoric question to self.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 (edited) Specialist opinion regarding Mandela's mouth ulcers are that they are the result of hyper-sensitive gum tissue that is reacting to abrasion by the mere act of eating food. Good news is that they are not cancerous and won't impede on Mandela's life span in any way. Ulcer is still evident, but not as angry looking as was previous to the Active Manuka Honey treatment. There are times when it looks more pale and then there are times when the redness returns to it, but I'm hoping that with continued AMH treatment it will become less and less and then I can work to simply keep it in check. Dancinbcs - I have tried 3 places so far to get the Milk of Magnesia. 2 x pharmacies and 1 x supermarket. So far, no go. I've been asked at two of those places "do they even MAKE that anymore?". I'll surf around a bit on the net to see if I can find somewhere local(ish) that might stock it. Why on earth wouldn't they make it anymore? It's such an old, tried and tested true, remedy ??? I hope they haven't taken it from the market. Edited February 4, 2013 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 Mandela's weight now increased from 36.2kg (11th January) to 37kg (4th February). :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boronia Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 You will find Milk of magnesia hard to find but if you search for Magnesium hydroxide (same thing) there is a company in Victoria that sells it: Ultimate Agri-Products Pty Ltd 13 Olive Grove, Keysborough, Victoria, 3173 Australia Free Call: 1800 003 244 Phone: +61 3 9798 3544 contact page: http://www.ultimateagri.com.au/Contact-Us.aspx and scroll down in this link to find magnesium hydroxide http://www.ultimateagri.com.au/Our-Products/Industrial-Products/WATER-TREATMENT/General-Water-Treatment.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 Thanks Boronia. That's a big help. I'm in touch with them now :). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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