What’s New

I am the wrong person to ask about the various flea and tick products. Rarely do I see either on my grooming clients. Tick season isn’t very long. Fleas usually don’t do well in Colorado’s dry climate. Add the altitude I’m at and…well, it’s just ‘bug friendly’. So, those of you in Minnesota, what do you do for flea and tick control? Or heartworms? Rick and Sharlee asked me about heartworm preventative, which they gave to their previous Apso, Jenny.

Here’s Susan’s post:

On Friday all four dogs went to the groomer.  I was pleased that Kathy
felt that both Sammy and Raji were no longer overweight.  She cautioned
me not to let Rinchen get any thinner, which surprised me a bit, because
he hasn’t actually been on any diet;  in retrospect, though, although I
give him more food than I give the other three, he has definitely gotten
less treats than he once did, so maybe he really has gotten thinner. 
Anyway, I’m giving him a few more bits of kibble with his evening meal
and slipping him a treat or two when no one else is watching.

That was the good news.  The bad news was that Raji had a tick over her
eye;  looked like it had been there for about a day.  Now, my dogs don’t
go anywhere except on my own property anymore, so I had been having them
on Advantage only.  Advantage kills fleas but not ticks.  Kathy seemed
to think that our tick season here was about to be over and that I could
chance sticking with Advantage for the next 6 months or so, then switch
to Advantix in November.  Sounded fine to me.  BUT Saturday morning I
went to remove a bit of debris on Rinchen’s face, and  — it was a
tick.  Yuckerooo!!!!!!  Anyway, I dashed off to the vet’s office and
spent $135.00 for two months worth of Advantix for the four dogs.

But the whole issue of fleas and ticks and seasons and toxicity still
has me tormented.  Kathy says we have seasons for both;  the vet says
they are both here year round; last year I almost lost all four dogs to
what was suspected to be a “bad” or “bootleg” dosage of Frontline.

So, what’s a girl to do?  Advantage, Advantix, Frontline, Revolution
have all been suggested and/or are used by folks I know.  What else can
you tell me?

Yesterday, while Julie was showing dogs in Milwaukee, Eli and I took a trip to the barn.  A long-time client of mine, LA, invited me to bring Eli to see her vet, Dr. Debra Mayo. One of LA’s Newfoundlands, Bow, battles allergies year-round. He is kept relatively comfortable with injections, now and again, from Dr. Mayo. LA exhibits and breeds Arabian horses. Dr. Mayo was coming to LA’s barn Friday to ultrasound Wild Lily, checking to see if she was pregnant. She could give Eli a ‘cocktail’ then.

Eli’s year-round itching began to intensify the beginning of April. This year the results came fast. He developed a large hot spot under his chin, where the tags from his collar hang. His ears were swollen, inflamed. He was miserable…as miserable as a big-hearted, happy-go-lucky dog can be. I applied topical hydro-cortisone cream, which provided immediate relief. His ears calmed down. The hot spot disappeared. The scratching continued. He looks like an old moth-eaten sweater.

Wanting to provide some relief for Eli, I took LA up on her offer Tuesday to ask Dr. Mayo to bring a ‘cocktail’ for Eli on Friday. I almost decided against going during the next couple of days. Eli’s scratching has subsided a bit. I really, really wanted a day at home, a day where I didn’t have to be anywhere, go anywhere. I’m not fond of big-gun drugs, which the cocktail was most certain to be made of.

Early Thursday morning, lying in bed in that mid-way state between wakefulness and sleep, the subject floated in my mind. Dr. Mayo is a vet, a vet that has a large horse clientele. LA has invited me to her barn before, but I’ve never gone. I’d like to meet some of the horses I’ve heard about over the years. I’d like to see Bow and Arrow on their turf. This vet might be Old School. This vet may practice the Art of Diagnosis. It wouldn’t hurt to establish a relationship with another Old School vet. They’re becoming fewer and farther between. What did I have to lose but time? 

I loaded up Eli - almost as big as horse - and drove to LA’s barn. Click here if you’re interested in the specifics of Eli’s treatment. I liked Dr. Mayo. Years ago she worked with Doug, my new vet. Their philosophies are similar. She commented that a teacher in vet school told her to remember that veterinary medicine is based on Science and that there’s an Art to Diagnosis. Yes! Yes!

Over the years, I have transitioned from believing in only western medicine to incorporating complimentary and alternative methods for myself and the dogs under my care. I know from personal experience the benefits of massage therapy and chiropractic adjustment. Our bodies - human and canine - are programmed to heal. Jason, my chiropractor, shared his opinion about drugs. It made sense to me, so I’m sharing it with you. Drugs are beneficial if they help the body return to normal.

In addition to the cocktail - indeed consisting of a short-acting steroid and a long-acting steroid - Dr. Mayo prescribed an antihistamine to be used as needed, down the road. I like her. I’m certain I’ll use her again. I like having two - TWO!! - vets I’m comfortable with. Wow! A year ago I felt desperate about being able to afford and provide appropriate care for my dogs. Now I have two vets!!

Here’s that information I mentioned yesterday:

Special care for the dog with knee problems:  All puppies’ knees are evaluated prior to placement, including a grading of each patella. Your Gompa Lhasa Apso may be prone to luxating patellas. A great deal of increased strength and comfort can be obtained through appropriate exercise.   Marty Peace, Physical Therapist with Veterinary Referral Center of Colorado (Englewood, Colorado), makes the following recommendations for dogs with luxating patellas (knee problems):·         Regular daily walks of 10-15 minutes, or more than that if the dog can tolerate greater length.  Two short walks may be better than one long one if the dog gets sore; if your dog limps, you’ve overdone it.  A steady, maintained walk on the leash (rather than run and stop, run and stop) is excellent therapy because the dog makes use of all four legs symmetrically.·         Going up steps strengthens the quadriceps. Walking uphill and walking on uneven terrain (off the sidewalk) are also good strengtheners.·         Standing on the back feet and “dancing” 5-10 steps for 10-30 seconds, two times a day, helps considerably.·         Going over small obstacles and walking in figure eights or through cones or weave poles will help build strength and flexibility.·         Swimming in a deep tub or Jacuzzi (moderate the temperature to mid-80s) strengthens the muscles without the strain of bearing weight; start with 5 minutes with a goal of 30 minutes.·         Massaging the front of the thigh or holding above the knee and stretching a leg back can help relieve discomfort. How do you know if your dog has a knee problem?  A veterinarian can make the diagnosis, but you may see signs on your own, such as an odd “skip” in the dog’s gait, or “bunny-hopping” to protect the loose knee joint.  The dog may be carrying up to 90% of its weight on the front legs instead of an appropriate 60-70% of its weight on the back legs. In severe cases where the dog is in continual pain, surgery may be warranted. Take care if you know or suspect your dog has knee problems, but if your dog is asymptomatic, don’t limit activity, since exercise is good at warding off problems.  Keeping your dog on the lean side is a good idea, since excess body weight stresses the joints, and it’s also a good idea to give your dog glucosamine supplements to support joint health.

Not only did the news of Chris hit me with a punch to the gut, but I spent Saturday morning to and from the vet’s office. Friday morning Tango was greatly bothered by the incision left by his neutering the previous Friday. Checking daily, the incision was healing normally. Figuring the healing was really itching Tango, I slipped an Elizabethan collar on him, loaded him up with the gang to be groomed, then down the hill for training class. Through out the day I cold-compressed the area along with slathering calendula gel which seemed to provide relief. By Saturday morning, the area had ‘blown up’ to use Katy, the vet tech’s words. It did not look infected. Besides that made no sense to me, this being eight days after surgery. It must be an allergic reaction to the dissolvable sutures. Once again, I loaded him up - sans the rest of the gang. Once again, down the hill we went. 

Sure enough! Allergic reaction to the dissolvable sutures (which are under the skin). Doug says he does about 5 neuters per week. Although he uses the least reactive dissolvable suture material available, this happens about 4 times a year. Tango was injected with a long-acting prednisone for the itching and allergic reaction, along with antibiotics as a precaution against infection. The site wasn’t infected, but those pesky bacteria look for opportune moments to invade.

By Sunday morning the area was no longer ‘blown up’. Tango bops his way around. He bulldozes through, no matter the collar. It doesn’t stop him from eating, drinking or playing. It does hinder his ability to reach the reaction site. Bop! Bop! Bebop! That Elizabethan collar will never be the same!

Not wanting to miss out on Fun Day at the Vet’s Office, Champ participated. Here’s Susan’s posts from the last several days:

3/1/2008

or..How we overcame Malassezia Pachydermatitis starts:

When Sadie first came to us in early November 2007, we noticed that she was “itchy” but attributed it to her move from humid Minnesota to very dry New Mexico.  I bathed her with “dry skin” shampoo and conditioner, but the itching continued.

By December 21, I noticed that the fringes of her ear leathers were encrusted with yellowish, flake-like scabs that came off when I scratched them, but did not bleed like a true scab covering a wound. She was, by this time, scratching her ear leathers and ear canals furiously. She was also biting her toenails and licking her feet..

Katy, thank you so much for taking the time to write this informative article, complete with photos. About a year ago, in an attempt to help Eli, my husband’s Labrador Retriever with his incessant scratching, I educated myself just a bit about yeast after reading about it in Whole Dog Journal. Here’s what I wrote on the Veterinary page of the website as that time: 

One suggestion is that an overgrowth of yeast in the intestines eventually leads to gut leakage. The body identifies these toxins and mounts an attack, which manifests as ‘allergies’. Treatment for ‘allergies’ may provide temporary relief; what is needed for total relief is to decrease the yeast population with the use of diet.

While I haven’t been nearly as diligent with the diet as you, Eli’s diet is largely made up of a raw meat. Yeast - at least yeast in the intestinal tract - feed on carbohydrates, so the approach is to not provide the yeast colonies with carbs. And…I admit to using an anti-histamine to help during particularly bad times.

While still with Julie, Sadie along with several other dogs went through several sessions of ‘itching’. I am wondering now if yeast was the actual culprit. Perhaps Julie will fill in the details… Although skin scrapings showed no irregularities, Julie treated her dogs with Ivermectin (which has the added benefit in mosquito country of preventing heartworms). The itching subsided and we jokingly named the entire episode “The Mutant Mites”. Couldn’t see mites upon microscopic examination, but the response to treatment was positive. The obvious question is would yeast respond to Ivermectin?

I groom a little Scottish Terrier, Wally, every two weeks. He is the nicest little dog, but lives in constant misery. He has been to a skin specialist, has had numerous tests to determine what he’s allergic to, is on a kibble diet that doesn’t contain any of those ingredients. It hasn’t made any difference. Yesterday I asked his owner if he’s been tested for yeast. Yes! She said, “sometimes he has it. Sometimes he doesn’t.” She’s at her wit’s end.

So, what comes first? The yeast or the allergies? The chicken or the egg?

In the past two days I’ve received emails from two different people about Rabies vaccinations. Katy has a wealth of knowledge on the subject, along with very strong opinions. Click Katy and Ken’s Critter Advocacy in the left hand column for resources. Katy, to follow the latest on the research funded by the Rabies Challenge Fund, where would one go?

Here’s my response to which is safer, the one year or three year vaccination:

This is a good article to start with, especially if you’re new to alternative thinking regarding vaccination.

Greetings!     The Rabies Challenge Fund is pleased to announce that the canine rabies challenge studies have begun!!!  Permission is granted to post and cross-post the text of our press release below.   Regards,  Kris L. ChristineFounder, Co-TrusteeThe Rabies Challenge Fund http://www.RabiesChallengeFund.org  CANINE RABIES CHALLENGE STUDIES BEGIN !              One of the most important vaccine research studies in veterinary medicine is underway at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison.  Dr. Ronald Schultz, a leading authority on veterinary vaccines and Chair of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences, has begun concurrent 5 and 7 year challenge studies to determine the long-term duration of immunity of the canine rabies vaccine, with the goal of extending the state-mandated interval for boosters.  These will be the first long-term challenge studies on the canine rabies vaccine to be published in the United States.  Dr. Schultz comments that: “We are all very excited to start this study that will hopefully demonstrate that rabies vaccines can provide a minimum of 7 years of immunity.”             This research is being financed by The Rabies Challenge Fund, a charitable trust founded by pet vaccine disclosure advocate Kris L. Christine of Maine, who serves as Co-Trustee with world-renowned veterinary research scientist and practicing clinician, Dr. W. Jean Dodds of Hemopet in California.  The Rabies Challenge Fund recently met its goal of $177,000 to fund the studies’ first year budget with contributions from dog owners, canine groups, trainers, veterinarians, and small businesses.  Annual budget goals of $150,000 for the studies must be met in the future.             Dr. Jean Dodds, DVM states: “This is the first time in my 43 years of involvement in veterinary issues that what started as a grass-roots effort to change an outmoded regulation affecting animals will be addressed scientifically by an acknowledged expert to benefit all canines in the future.”  Scientific data published in 1992 by Michel Aubert and his research team demonstrated that dogs were immune to a rabies challenge 5 years after vaccination, while Dr. Schultz’s serological studies documented antibody titer counts at levels known to confer immunity to rabies 7 years post-vaccination.   This data strongly suggests that state laws requiring annual or triennial rabies boosters for dogs are redundant.  Because the rabies vaccine is the most potent of the veterinary vaccines and associated with significant adverse reactions, it should not be given more often than is necessary to maintain immunity.  Adverse reactions such autoimmune diseases affecting the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin, kidney, liver, bowel and central nervous system; anaphylactic shock; aggression; seizures; epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at injection sites are linked to rabies vaccinations. Study co-trustee Kris Christine adds: “Because the USDA does not require vaccine manufacturers to provide long-term duration of immunity studies documenting maximum effectiveness when licensing their products, concerned dog owners have contributed the money to fund this research themselves.  We want to ensure that rabies immunization laws are based upon independent, long-term scientific data.”              More information and regular updates on The Rabies Challenge Fund and the concurrent 5 and 7 year challenge studies it is financing can be found at the fund’s website designed by volunteer Andrea Brin at:  www.RabiesChallengeFund.org.

Over the weekend, a friend shared this excellent, excellent article with me. Having been responsible for the health and well-being for numbers of dogs since I was a young teen-ager (Mom owned a boarding kennel and caring for the large dog building was my chore…meanwhile my sister Lori’s chore was cooking…hummm - enough of nature vs. nurture!), along with working at a small animal veterinary clinic in high school and graduating post-high school with a degree in Veterinary Technology, I have witnessed the transition in veterinary medicine. This author’s words are right on! And, I could elaborate regarding the experiences of my grooming clients. Because of my own knowledge I wouldn’t allow the veterinarian to try to revive my dead dog, but I can tell you plenty of my clients would. I have wondered, in the past few years, what happened to the option of euthanasia with pets. Veterinarians seem not to present the option. Rather, my clients will bring up the subject with me, as if seeking approval for something they’ve been thinking about. Off the top of my head, I can recall client dogs that tried to die, tried to die at the time their body seemed programed to leave this earthly world. Over and over, intervention prevented this from happening. My heart goes out to these dogs. I’ve even told a dog or three that if he/she wanted to die, go ahead and do it right here, at my grooming shop. I’ll hold you. I’ll be with you. And I won’t call in the ambulance. Now, I’ve never had a dog take me up on that…and I’d probably contact the owner, but, hey, why not give the old dog a fantasy!

I find it very disturbing that insurance companies have become involved in veterinary medicine. Isn’t it interesting what a mess our health care system is in, and now we, as consumers, have opened that door for veterinary medicine. And, isn’t it interesting that many of us have made a living will, expressed our desire not to have heroic methods taken to prolong our lives. Some of us would like to see euthanasia as an option for humans. Yet, that final gift, that legal gift, the gift of release from an aged, diseased body, is being used less and less on our animals.

I have been searching for a new veterinarian. David, my former vet, I really really like. He is skilled. He is competent. He learned to do kidney biopsies for me. He’s a good man. But, his prices have become unreasonable. So high, in fact, several months ago I wondered if I’d be able to continue breeding dogs! The last health certificate I got there cost me nearly $250!! Tests were ran on the dog’s eyes (and, no this wasn’t Panchen) without my permission. The final straw was an entirely new staff.

So, Edie and I headed off to an old-school vet for the health certificate she needed to fly to Houston for the National. I had done plenty of research trying to find a compatible veterinarian. My criteria is somewhat different than the average owner. It’s a pain-in-the-behind to establish a new relationship with a new vet and staff. I knew I had made the right decision when he told me, unsolicited, that he didn’t like the way veterinary medicine is headed!