rsieg

I guess the other thing is, whatever active ingredient is on the collar must, presumably, move around and coat the entire body of the dog -- otherwise it would not work to detach/kill ticks. So touching the collar might mean getting a higher exposure, but there must be some exposure where ever you touch the dog (unless the collar does not actually work :-)

I switched to Preventic collars a few weeks ago and had the same question. So far I don't worry too much about touching the collars and have not had any adverse reaction to doing so. I pet both dogs around the neck and just try not to touch the collars too much. Will be interested in other responses here.

I give my guys these: http://smile.amazon.com/Dentleys-Natures-Center-Stuffed-Cheese/dp/B016069HDI/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1463850646&sr=8-10&keywords=dog+filled+femur+bone They don't work the bone very much, just lick out the filling, keeps them busy for anywhere from 5 min to a half hour or more depending on their dedication. Probably not beneficial for teeth, but at least takes them more than the 5 sec to wolf down a dog treat. They have never tried to swallow them, and I think they would be too big to do so though perhaps a young dog might try.

I don't have cats, so others can provide better information. However, my understanding is that the "cat friendly" or "not cat friendly" listings are approximate. They usually bring a cat in and gauge the dog's response. However, that response can depend on a lot of factors, such as where the test is performed (at a kennel? at a foster home where the dog just arrived?). So I think you need to not assume that the "cat friendly" dog will be, or that the other will not. Muzzle both, at least initially, as per the earlier posts.

I haven't seen any mess, I thought they mentioned a drain inside the bandage but honestly I was worrying more about how I was going to get him into and out of the car so I may have misunderstood. Anyway he seems to be doing well, still strongly favoring the bad leg but putting weight on it, and I think part of the problem is the bandage is wrapping partway over the foot pad so that may be affecting him. Last night (~3 am) he wanted to go out and when I opened the back door he actually ran out after something. He is not supposed to be running, but on the other hand no apparent damage and I guess it is good he wants/is able to run. I noticed him licking the bandage this morning but not (yet) chewing it. Since it comes off tomorrow I'm not too worried on that point. He finally ate last night for the first time since I think Thursday morning -- he is hungry but I think he is afraid of Logan. (Usually I take him into the back bedroom to eat to avoid the conflict). I started with the peanut butter covering the pills (he has been eating that with the pills, but he loves PB and I give Logan some at the same time so no conflict) and I think it primed the pump so to speak and he then ate his food from my hand. My other concern is I found out Friday I will be required to go on a week-long business trip May 23-28th, so hopefully he will be fully recovered by then.

Got the antibiotics, still supposed to stay on the antiinflammatory. He has a huge yellow bandage wrapping the whole leg, and he goes back Tuesday to have it removed. I think the bandage is wrapping something to ensure it continues to drain, but not sure.

Got back from the vet. Turns out it was not a sprain, but rather a small puncture wound that was now abscessing. It has been cleaned out, drained and Max already looks much better. Explains why he was crying last night and this morning -- it must have been getting worse over the last 24 hours or so.

He is on Vetzrofen Ch 75 g #30 (probably misspelled as it is handwritten), one pill am one pill pm. I just gave him his latest pill a few minutes ago (8:25 am). He seemed more restless last night and is not bearing much weight, so I plan to call when the vet opens at 10 am and expect I will be taking him for a recheck. As I said, my big concern is making it worse during the car transport. I have styrofoam steps so getting him in should be ok, just point him up the steps and I can lift his rear end ok. Problem is getting out as there is no leverage to grab him he has to jump out. I'm sure I can get assistance at the vet end though, so should be ok. Thanks for your comments. I did some Internet reading last night and it does seem like a sprain can take weeks to heal, but he is closing in on 12 yo and I can see it is putting physical strain on him. Also, not on crate rest since I have no crate (and he hates the crate). But he is not interested in wandering, except that he gets excited when I take Logan for his walk. (BTW, Logan is getting screwed here as I am not taking him to avoid upsetting Max :-) I will mention that to the vet and will see if I can borrow a crate if it is recommended.

So Max sprained his right rear leg on Sunday morning, I think getting into or out of the car. He could not put much weight on it. I took him to the vet worried about osteo or an ACL tear, but the vet looked at it and was pretty sure it is just a strain, and x-rays did not show anything. The lower leg is swollen. The prescription was an antiinflammatory drug am/pm and icing it. I have done a probably less than good job of icing it though I have done it every day for 10-25 min. (Vet said once a day 10 min). My concern is the leg still is swollen, and Max still can't put much weight on it. Been four days. He does not appear to be in pain except when putting weight on it, and has been eating (though he skipped breakfast today and only ate part of his dinner, I expect he will eat more later tonight). So my questions are: (1) is it normal to stay swollen for that long? (2) Could I be keeping it aggravated by letting him move too much? I let him go outside to go potty on his own which he does, and he gets upset when I take Logan for a walk as I hear him crying three houses down, I'm afraid he may be jumping around when we leave in spite of the bad leg but not sure how to make him not do it. (He loves his walks and I think is very depressed at this point). I was told to follow up with the vet in one week (which would be Monday), so he will be checked again then. Should I be hitting the panic button and taking him back tomorrow? (They are closed Sunday, and Saturday is extremely crowded at the vet). I'm thinking doing so could just aggravate the sprain since it is hard for him to get into/out of the car and I am not good at helping him. So my current plan is to wait till Monday but would be interested in any feedback if the medical experts think I should take him back tomorrow. I simply don't know what the typical recovery time is for a bad leg sprain. Thanks for any thoughts, Rob

So following up on a previous thread, I just received Preventic tick collars from Amazon and put them on the dogs this morning. Seem to be working fine for them, no scratching or acting like they are uncomfortable. I was a bit worried about this since they are usually collarless in the house. My question is - what precautions do you take for your own safety with them? Looking on the Internet seems like they are considered safe so long as not ingested (I think I can handle that :-) and so long as human contact is not prolonged (example given was don't use the dog's neck as your pillow). I do usually pet both dogs along the neck, sometimes for a few minutes at a time. I am thinking this is fine but maybe should wash my hands afterwards. Am I just being a hypochondriac on this or do others take precautions, and if so what? Thanks in advance,

I switched from Frontline Plus to Comfortis last fall after Frontline Plus failed to prevent or even slow down a flea infestation.Based on feedback here on GT, it seems many people have been finding fleas are becoming resistant to Frontline Plus. The Comfortis worked great, have not seen a single flea since switching. We just switched to Trifexis which has the same active ingredient as Comfortis and adds worm preventative. However, as I understand it neither Comfortis nor Trifexis work on ticks. I just picked up Preventic collars and will be putting them on this weekend, again based on recommendations from GT.

Ditto for me with Frontline Plus, we had a flea infestation last fall that FP failed to prevent or control. Can't speak to its effectiveness on ticks, though.

Just got an email from Amazon moving the delivery date for the Preventic collars up to April 29th. Yay...

racindog, thanks for the info. I ordered the 25" size on Amazon, but did not notice until the checkout confirmation that they will not be shipped until late May. tbhounds, thanks for the comment. They are only on Trifexis now and going forward (at least that is the plan), the website lists the active ingredients as spinosad and milbemycin oxime.

I think I'm sold on trying the Preventic collars. Last question - 18" or 25" neck size? From my measurement looks like 18" would fit, but the package indicates the 18" is for dogs up to 60 pounds, my guys are 75-80 pounds (ok, 81 for Max :-)

Thanks for the replies. Looks like a big contingent likes the Preventic collar. Do you put that on only for the walk, or does the dog wear it 24/7?

Looking for ideas for tick control. We switched from Frontline Plus to Comfortis this fall when we had a flea infestation FP could not control (and Comfortis wiped it out :-) When I went to the vet yesterday, they were out of Comfortis and so we went to Trifexis, which also is a worm preventative. My understanding is that Trifexis has the same active ingredient as Comfortis. Only one pill per month - yay. But, Comfortis/Trifexis does not prevent or kill ticks. I have heard of the preventic collars, but don't like the idea of an additional collar. Also have some difficulty seeing how a collar actually works to prevent ticks, but maybe I am being biased here due to the bad reviews for flea collars through the years. I suppose I could give them Frontline Plus just for ticks, but hate the idea of the excessive medicating. Plus, if it didn't work on the fleas I'm not so confident it will for the ticks. Another option is to forego tick protection. I have heard that Comfortis actually works on ticks for a couple weeks, and though we do walk in the park a lot it is city parks with wide trails. I don't think northeast Ohio is a hotbed of TBD (?) Any suggestions/recommendations are welcome. Thanks in advance...

Thanks for the confirmation. They seemed alive and well this morning :-)

Quick question: I screwed up and gave Max & Logan their Interceptor tonight, then realized it is due next week. Specifically, they got it Feb. 18 and now March 9. I would think that should be no problem, yes? (Obviously they will not get it March 17th now). Thanks in advance for any confirmation/alt response.

Not really helpful, but whenever I hear something like this I remember a quote from Clifford Simak's SF novel City (Nathaniel is a dog): "There's lots of things that dogs know that men don't know," bragged Nathaniel. "We can see things and hear things that men can't see nor hear. Sometimes we howl at night, and people cuss us out. But if they could see and hear what we do they'd be scared too stiff to move."

Two questions: (1) Does anyone else's dog REALLY like peanut butter? Max is nuts about it (pun intended :-) to the point where he will actually come over and stare at me when I am eating a PB&J sandwich. I think he might actually like it more than meat. Logan will eat it, but more like eh, its ok. (2) Any downside to it? I am giving him maybe a spoonful in the evening, but it is getting to the point that he insists on it every evening. I do go with the au natural version, with the oil on top. Too much? (I do know not to give him grape jelly).

You may enjoy this thread: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/308680-peeing-on-paws/?hl=golden

Max had a similar situation. He shows dominance and growls at almost any dog we meet. But there was one couple in our neighborhood who adopted a senior dog, something like 14 yo but still in good shape and walked well (eventually passed due to kidney failure). Max would never bark at that dog, and we could let them meet, they would sniff each other briefly and that was it. Apparently he could tell she was not going to be aggressive, and she never was. I think dogs pick up on non-verbal queues between each other, maybe pheromones or other odors, that we cannot possibly hope to detect.

Another thought, if the vet thinks the muzzle is needed (say, because they are going to do something that hurts :-) they may not be willing to rely on the racing muzzle since the dog can bite (or at least nip) through it. They may prefer their own soft muzzle which keeps the dog's mouth closed.

Have you tried driving her somewhere to walk? If you have a public park nearby that allows dog walking that can be a good option, the dog may get so excited about the exotic smells she forgets to be scared. Plus if you drive somewhere she doesn't know a direction to go home (though she may just want to go back to the car).