KF_in_Georgia

Obviously, your vet isn't going to do a referral to a specialist until he's seen the dog first. But my vet did a lot of "I'm not sure. Let's try this" for my dog. Nothing showed on skin scrapings, and we tried antibiotics, prednisone, ivermectin, topicals, changing foods, etc. I love my vet, but I had to ask him for the referral after we'd spent a year giving various things a try. So unless your vet looks (or does a scraping) and says, "I know exactly what this is," and gives you a definitive diagnosis, you might need to push for a referral. My girl saw at least three different vets in two months (animal control's vet, rescue group's vet, my own vet); each vet prescribed exactly the same thing--cephalexin and prednisone after scrapings that showed nothing helpful. Her problem turned out to be a fungal infection (ringworm) below the surface of her skin--didn't show on scrapings--and a bacterial infection at the surface and was only diagnosed after a biopsy. The biopsy wasn't cheap, but I'd spent more than that in the previous year ineffectively treating the wrong problem.

I can't tell you what it is, but I can tell you the kennel manager is flat-out wrong. The tear-staining dogs get is stained fur, not reddened skin. It also happens below the eye, not all around it. I'd ask the vet for a referral to a veterinary dermatologist.

Call your vet and get your boy some methocarbamol (aka Robaxin)--a muscle relaxer. It's not expensive, you can get a prescription to fill at your local pharmacy, and I've always seen good results within the first few hours. It's something that's safe to take alongside an NSAID. When my old boy had a sore neck, the chiropractor recommended the methocarbamol, and my vet agreed. Your vet may be willing to prescribe the methocarbamol without seeing Hester, given the recent back exam. Then you could set up a chiropractor visit for once your boy is able to move better. But make it clear to the vet's office that moving Hester is painful. P.S. Muzzle him before you try to move him. Even in pain, a hurting dog can move fast.

Tara, my Sam had arthritis and a number of other issues--not osteo. He was taking gabapentin and methocarbamol and tramadol and a host of other meds, and he was maxed out on the pain killers. He still loved going for walks (although he had back-end issues). He still loved cuddles. And he loved his food and his toys and his naps. But he had one night where he panted all night long. He didn't cry out in pain or anything, but he just couldn't sleep--despite all the meds--and that's what did it for me. Yes, he might have had better days left. But he most assuredly would have had nights as bad--or worse--so I took him to the vet that next morning and we let him go. That was in August, and I've missed him like crazy. But I don't wonder if I acted too quickly. I'm glad I didn't wait until he no longer enjoyed his food and cuddles. I've wished he could have stayed longer--for my sake. But for his sake--once I was no longer able to make the bad times be less bad--it was time.

Drs Foster & Smith have a chart on their website that compares the various heartworm preventatives, listing the ingredients and the additional parasites they control. In some cases, the manufacturer may guarantee their product as long as you use meds you obtained from your vet. Meds ordered by mail are at risk of not having been stored properly, and those usually aren't covered. But if you go read the guarantee, it may be something that's virtually impossible to meet the requirements on--there often are disclaimers about you have to have used the product for x months since your last negative heartworm exam, stuff like that. But use caution if you order online from overseas companies. There have been reports of counterfeit or out-of-date drugs shipped from some companies.

So far, the FDA has not been able to figure out how chicken jerky treats have killed 600+ pets, but most of us believe there's a correlation between the treats and the pet deaths and have stopped feeding our pets the jerky treats. So I'm not impressed when the FDA and Elanco (the manufacturer) say there's no correlation between Trifexis and the deaths of 700+ pets. I have a hard time believing in that big a coincidence.

ABC's "house vet" Marty Becker has severed his relationship with ABC. The 20/20 producers pressured him into delivering a statement they could use in support of their pre-determined slant for the article, and Dr Becker won't be doing business with ABC any more. Becker discusses the details here. Other vets comment here. Apparently, 20/20's other "expert" quoted at length is an ex-veterinarian with a for-profit website with a "free DVD"; after 30 days, there's a subscription charge just to view his website. ABC did a disservice to honest vets and their clients with this report.

Oh--and I've just remembered. I'm not sure why, but the E-vet got very different platelet numbers depending on whether it was a machine count or a manual count. On weekends, the ER was super-staffed. During the week, especially early in the day, there were fewer people on hand and so we wound up with a machine count on Monday morning, before the technician arrived. That count for Jacey was higher than other counts had been, and I was optimistic. The manual count later in the day was devastatingly accurate and showed we were losing the fight on her fourth day in the ER. Moral of the story, then: you want to ask them whether it was a manual count or a machine count on blood values. Then at least you know whether you're comparing numbers tallied the same way each time.

I'm so sorry to hear about Venus. When this happened to Jacey (including the blood in her eyes), the e-vets put her on mountains of pred and doxy (in case it was a TBD). In her case, the ultrasound and x-rays didn't show cancer, and the eventual results from the tick panels didn't show a tick-borne disease; I lost her without knowing what triggered the crisis. But the pred gave her her only chance. I'll be thinking of you both today.

As often as you can, drive Dunk by the vet's and let the staff give him a treat (you can take the treats with you). Someone might have to come out to the car the first time or two. No exam rooms or doctor visits for anything, just a treat at the door, later a treat in the waiting room, a treat when he gets on the scale, and eventually a treat in the exam rooms. The sooner you can replace the Mom-left-me-here memory with These-guys-give-treats, the better. I've been fortunate to have greyhounds who would forgive anything if treats were involved--and just about every person on the staff at my vet's office offers a small treat at each encounter. (The billing clerk needs to start offering me treats when I'm paying the bill.) My dogs have gone into an exam room and headed straight for the counter, to surf for treats there.

You can even try an ordinary skin moisturizer on his feet at bedtime to soften the pads. Smooth, slick pads have a harder time gaining traction on hard floors. If you put skin cream on to soften the pads, that might give better traction--as well as providing you a chance to keep an eye on his pads for trouble caused by ice/snow/salt.

Whether you use anything for snow and ice, you're going to need to wash and clean your dog's feet thoroughly when you come back inside. Some of the chemicals used with the salt to help thaw ice are not good for dogs to lick, and you'll need to get that off Brady's feet.

Pictures are too small to see clearly, but I'd get him to the vet tomorrow to be checked out. This is spreading (on him) and may be contagious to you and anyone else that comes in contact with them.

A broken tooth could cause an injury to the inside of Brooks' mouth, so you could see blood on a stuffie without having a tooth damaged that badly.

Vets are supposed to test annually before they write prescriptions for heartworm meds. In theory, pills might fail (older pills or pills not stored/shipped properly might not be at full strength), dogs might vomit a pill unnoticed, or owners might miss a dose. And it seems it's dangerous to give heartworm meds to a dog that's actually heartworm positive without certain precautions (restricted activity, etc.), so that it's not safe for a vet to prescribe a year's worth of heartworm meds for a dog that hasn't been tested. My guys get tested once a year--generally on their annual wellness exam (where they get annual vaccinations).

Check with your vet for the dosage, but I think Gas-X is fine.

Has she had any treats? Jerky? Pig ears? Rawhide? It wouldn't have to be anything new. It could be a bad bit of something she usually eats without a problem. (And I wouldn't recommend Pepto if the vet didn't suggest it.)

That's true, but it's amazing how many vets still give greyhounds opioid pain relievers that leave greyhounds antsy, panting, and anything-but relieved of pain after surgery.

I think a swollen gland almost always indicates an infection rather than a reaction to a bug bite/sting.

Ask dog owners you encounter out for walks which vets they use--and which ones they don't. That's how I found the vet I've had for 12 years.

If you have a PetSmart nearby, you can weigh your dog there. The Banfield vets inside the stores have a scale in their lobby areas, and you can weigh your dog there any time the store is open. Otherwise, you probably can stop by your vet and weigh her for free any time you want. (My vet's scale is accessible if I just walk in.)

Wool blanket: no washer, no dryer. Put cedar (or mothballs) in an airtight bag with the blanket and seal it well. Check it in a month or so to see if there's any animal life. You might want to bag the blanket anyway when moths are around (although you're probably safe through the winter). But wool shouldn't have water or agitation or heat--and especially not any combination of those things. The blanket might already be felted (rather than woven), but I'd be really careful with it. Your clothes in closets and drawers are probably okay. But fleas (and moths) don't like cedar, so you might want to invest in cedar blocks for your closets and drawers. (As the aroma fades, just lightly sand the wood to expose fresh, scented wood.) Some dogs and people can have allergies to cedar, but it's usually a contact allergy: as long as the dog's skin isn't actually on cedar shavings, there should not be a problem. But if you use mothballs, make absolutely certain there's no chance Atticus can get to them. Put "FLEA TREATMENT" on your calendar. Even through cold weather, I'd still treat. The treatments are so much less trouble and expense than de-fleaing your home, and they'll be more comfortable for Atticus than the bites and itching.(I have my Google calendar set to send me an email each month.)

Thanks for the links. I've bookmarked both. My guys get Missing Link Hip and Joint. My girl's arthritis is less painful these days, but that's probably more because she has lost the extra pounds she picked up finishing Sam's meals for him. Foster boy is young and healthy as a horse, and I haven't seen any improvement in anything in the seven weeks he's been here taking Missing Link. I'm unlikely to reorder when this bag is gone.

You may need to get him a pair of a toddler boy's pajama pants. Put them on him backwards, so his tail can come out the fly. Then you can put a mini-pad in the pants to keep them from sticking to the wound, but leave the wound unwrapped.

Yeah, people always ask about my boys, too. But I'm short, so I have a better view of a boy dog's equipment. I think most of the folks who have to ask (or look) are just too tall to have a good angle.