Sharpshot

I'll be there once again running the American Lurcher Project booth. Please stop by and say hello!

Is there anyone from NE Ohio/Cleveland attending GIG? If so, I need a favor...

Any word from Corey?

Hi Briana, I would guess bacterial or fungal, too. Be sure to let us know what the vet says. If you haven't already, send an email to Corey with the link to this thread. She may have some ideas for you. Do these spots develop on areas that are under pressure as he's lying down? Mary

Hmmm, barring a medical emergency, I think my vet bills are pretty low. I do my own teeth scaling at home, or, when a dog is completely uncooperative, my vet lets me go into the office and do the scaling there (I'm a dental hygienist) while she puts my dog under. My vet charges no more than 25-50 bucks for the anesthesia, and she does any needed extractions for about $5/tooth. There's a great dentist I know who lets me bring my dogs in for any necessary digital x-rays (no charge), so I can email the x-rays to my vet for evaluation at no charge. I use liquid ivermectin for heartworm, so the cost is about 50 cents/dose. I buy Frontline spray through my vet by the case, and it works out to about $4/dog/treatment. I haven't seen a flea here in 12 years, and ticks are scarce because my peafowl eat them, so I only dose each dog 2- 3 times a summer. 3-year rabies vaccine - $15. I do my own distemper vaccines, but keep them to a minimum. They cost about $4 each. I staple or stitch my own wounds if necessary. Usually I just let the wounds heal on their own. When I have had an emergency after hours, I've driven my dogs to my vet's house and she's treated them in her driveway. She's a large animal vet, too, so has her mobile vet truck at her home. Her house is about 3 miles away, her clinic is 5. No emergency charge either way. Once I had a dog pierce its lip with its own canine tooth. I couldn't release the lip from the tooth. It was a Sunday evening. Called my vet at home. She met me at the clinic, put the dog under, un-pierced the lip, stitched it up, gave an injection of antibiotics, and sent me home with oral antibiotics, just in case my stash at home was inadequate. Total charge: $90. I love living in a small town, and I love my vet!!! Taking home-baked goodies into the office on a regular basis does an awful lot to keep my costs down, and, the folks at my vet's office understand if they find a dog hair in their cupcake or cookie For situations beyond my vet's capabilities, I've had some bigger bills: $1500 for a dog with aspiration pneumonia, $1500 for emergency bloat surgery at a vet school, etc. But at least I save so much on general vetting that the bigger bills are not such a shock. Life is good!!!

Hi, I think a lot of vets give antibiotics prophylactically for an exposed nail quick (usually cephalexin). I remember emailing Dr. Stack about this, and, if memory serves, cephalexin was her recommendation.

Wow, thanks! I checked out the Eddie's Wheels website and they sound wonderful. Thanks for the thumbs up. CampWhippet, can you tell me more about Zoey's situation? What is her medical problem that caused her to need a wheelchair? Thanks, Mary

Thank you all! I will check into these. Any others?

I have a 12 year old grey who was born with a deformed pelvis and weak hind legs. Additionally, the left hind leg has undergone surgery to repair a broken femur (not osteo-related). Getting around has been difficult the last year or so, but last night he fell and now can't use his left hind leg. I started him on anti-inflamatories and tramadol, and will talk to the vet today about acupuncture, steriods, tens, etc. I'm thinking he'd benefit from a doggy wheelchair, and I'd like to order one for him yesterday! Help, from anyone with experience using a doggy wheelchair with a greyhound, is needed immediately. Any particular brand/model that did or didn't work? Thanks, Mary

One of my females who NEVER messes in the house disappeared into a spare bedroom and peed the other day. She even has a dog door, so she can go outside anytime she wants or needs. She just really, really hates the cold and snow, and hasn't been taking care of business outside. Could aversion to the lovely weather we've been having play a role in Fritz's behavior? Once he pooped in that spot, it became a habit maybe.

Has anyone here ever given their dogs Himalayan Dog Chews? I was at a pet show and got some free samples. My dogs love them. They are made of Yak and Cow Milk, salt and lime juice. They're very hard and they smell mildly like cheese. My dogs enjoy chewing them for a while, then leave them and come back to them later. I'm always a nervous about food/treats with a foreign origin. Does anyone use these? Does anyone know any more about them? I guess I'm mostly concerned about impurities/toxins that may be in them.

Periodontal sealants for dogs are a "might help, won't hurt" kind of thing, as far as I can see. From what I've seen, research is lacking on showing that it really helps in the long term, but short-term studies are good. If you can afford to do it, go ahead. There is no FDA approved product for human use that is similar to what is used on dogs, so I can't speak from any experience on my human patients. If you do decide to try it, please let us know what you think. It might be interesting to try it on one side of the mouth (for half price??) and see how the two sides of the mouth compare after some time.

Human sealants are a completely different thing. They help prevent decay - something that dogs rarely have.

Go easy on the Hydrogen peroxide, as it is pretty rough on the gums. Occasional use is ok, but I sure wouldn't recommend using it daily. For my patients that insist on using it, I recommend diluting it 50:50 with water. And be aware that Chlorhexidine (CHX) rinses can cause brown staining of the teeth. CHX is indicated for treatment of gingivitis (infection of the gums) and is not approved for treatment of periodontitis (infection of the bone around the teeth), because it does not stay present on the periodontal pocket (the space under the gum, next to the tooth). That said, CHX rinses are wonderful for killing oral bacteria and will help with reducing the number of oral bacteria that cause malodor, and will help keep the gums healthy if gingivitis is a problem. CHX breaks down when exposed to light. When supplied by script for human use, it's provided in a brown, light-blocking bottle. When I've seen CHX rinses in pet shops, it's always been in a clear bottle, which doesn't make any sense to me. You may want to stop in a local dental office, explain what you're planning to use the CHX rinse for, and see if they'll provide it for you. It comes as many different brand names (Peridex, Periogard, etc), but all will be a 0.12% Chlorhexidine solution. All the different human brands seem to have a minty/anise type flavor. It usually runs between $8 and $22/bottle, depending upon how much the dental office marks it up. Hope this helps, Mary Registered Dental Hygienist and Greyhound Lover (not necessarily in that order!)

When my boy Scirocco was in his last days, the ONLY food (human food included) I could get him to eat was Gaines Burgers! Remember those awful dried Play-doh looking "hamburger patty" things wrapped in celophane? I used to buy them by the case at Petco (then Petcare) and hope that nobody I knew saw me in the store with them in my shopping cart! Do they still sell those things? I hope people are a little more educated and enlightened about dog food these days!

So sorry for your loss.

Many years ago we had our dogs at a backyard birthday party. There were lots of balloons that the kids were popping, and we didn't notice that one of our dogs ate a number of the popped balloons . . .until the next day when it was REALLY easy to find the colorful poop that needed scooping. The balloons all passed without incident. I'd imagine a single condom won't likely be a problem.

Hi, Is she doing any better Carrie and Matt? Poor girl! Another good option in situations like this is Kaopectate - but make sure the label says it contains Kaolin and Pectin (I think you can still find it this way), as there are actually a few different formulations of Kaopectate (you do not want the kind that has bismuth subsalicylate - see below). You can get plain Kaolin at Farm and Fleet by the gallon in the livestock section. It's pretty cheap. I had my vet order me a gallon of Kaolin/Pectin and I think it only cost about $8. It's great for coating the stomach. From Wikipedia: The active ingredient in Kaopectate has changed since its original creation. Originally, kaolin was used as the adsorbent and pectin as the emollient. Attapulgite clay replaced the kaolinite in the 1980's, but since 2004, bismuth subsalicylate has been used as the active ingredient in U.S. marketed products. BTW - it was great seeing you, Blueberry and Bunny yesterday. Hope to see you at the GPA Gala on the 26th with some healthy hounds!

Yes, let us know!

Oooh, interesting. Does anyone know if the veterinarians have any kind of contracts with this insurance company? Do you have to use certain vets, or can you go to ANY vet?

Atta boy! Great news!

Since I free-feed, I have no idea how much each dog eats. I go through about 40# of food/week for 6 dogs.

What a lovely tribute! Thank you for sharing!