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Hawthorn

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Posts posted by Hawthorn

    Hi From The Uk

    in Introductions & Biography

    Posted

    Thanks for the update - how sweet that she put her head in your lap. :wub:

     

    Chronic stress is another thing that can contribute to bald thighs (from the excess cortisol) so this may improve once she's settled in a relaxed home environment, but either way it's not usually anything to worry about as Silverfish says.

     

    Hoping all goes well next weekend! :goodluck

     

    PS: I agree about her name - really doesn't seem to suit a sweet girlie like her.

    Pet Insurance - No Medical History At All - How Does It Work?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by Hawthorn

    I've insured four greyhounds with ages from 2-7 years with three different companies. I never had any history with any of mine and it wasn't an issue at all. I just answered no to all of the questions about has your dog ever suffered from this, that and the other, which was the truth to the best of my knowledge. I think it just complicates matters if you start saying I don't know and I never got the impression that they expected me to know anything about my dogs' history before I owned them or to have previous medical records etc. When I insured Sophie the second time around at the age of 7, I was truthful about her medical history in the five years I'd owned her, and there weren't any exclusions in the policy coverage.

     

    As for premiums shooting up, this is my biggest peeve with dog insurance, and there's nothing to stop it shooting up even if your dog doesn't have a lifetime condition or even if you have never made a claim, or only made one or two small ones.

     

    You may find it useful to speak to a broker who specialises in dogs. I can highly recommend VIP, telephone 0845 6018575. I spoke to them about my situation with Sunny, and although ultimately they weren't able to help me, I did find the person I spoke to very knowledgeable about the different companies and levels of cover etc.

     

    ETA: Not sure why, but I thought you were in the UK; if you're not, the number above won't be much use to you!

    Is Pet Insurance Worth It?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    but we decided to open a savings account and put the money we'd have spent on the insurance into that account.

     

    I made the same decision when my two were 6 years old when their insurance premium went up to £1000 per year per dog, but I have to say that I regretted it very quickly. Only three months later, one of them became very ill, required emergency hospitalisation twice at a specialist centre and months of treatment, costing us £6000 in total, and now he is pretty much uninsurable. Admittedly, we were extremely unlucky, but I will never have another uninsured dog, much as I dislike insurance companies. My other dog is now insured.

    Some Good Thoughts Needed For Niles

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I wouldn't be too concerned about the increased peeing as it's completely normal with steroids and will go back to normal as the dose reduces. I assume he's on the steroids for their anti-inflammatory effect, and perhaps this is why he's feeling better, so I wouldn't worry about trying to reduce them sooner. 30mg isn't a big dose for a big boy and he's only going to be on that dose for a week. I know it's inconvenient having to take him out more often, but it'll soon pass. I doubt that the lack of pooing has anything to do with the steroids and, as Batmom says, is more likely because he hasn't been eating much.

     

    Hope the improvement continues. :goodluck

    Polyarthritis In My Iggy?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I'm a big believer in specialists for things like this. My boy had autoimmune polyarthritis 2 years ago now: very severe, he couldn't even stand. Our GP vet initially told us it was wobblers and put him on a lowish dose of steroids but the diagnosis didn't feel right to me and he continued to deteriorate so I requested a referral to a specialist. They did joint taps and other tests which did confirm autoimmune polyarthritis and he was put on a very high dose of steroids. Within about 24 hours of him being on the high dose steroids the joint swelling and fever came down and he could move normally again. He did relapse once when the steroids were reduced too soon, but recovered again quickly once back on the higher dose. He's still on a very low dose of steroids every other day now, but he has no problems with his joints at all. My understanding is that GP vets don't see a lot of autoimmune diseases and are sometimes unwilling to use a high enough dose for long enough to bring it under control. There are also other drugs that can be used and a specialist is likely to be more familiar with these.

     

    You could also have a look at this forum for dogs with autoimmune diseases: http://cimda.co.uk/ . They were very helpful to me when my boy was so ill.

    Hunger Strike

    in Food and dietary discussion

    Posted

    Your vet doesn't think that being a picky eater and skipping meals could be symptoms of chronic pancreatitis? Could be symptoms of something else, of course, but absolutely could be symptoms of chronic pancreatitis, as mentioned in the article I linked to above. If she were my dog, I'd be doing a trial now of a very low fat, moderate protein diet. Easy and inexpensive and you'd soon see if it made any difference or not. Nothing to lose and plenty to gain IMO. I wish you luck in finding a way of helping her.

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