I Have An 8 Year Old GSD. Long Story Short: An Animal Dermatologist Is Pretty…
I have an 8 year old GSD. Long story short: an animal dermatologist is pretty sure he has allergic vasculitis.
Symptoms:
-Yeast/bacterial issues with skin (lots of licking, odor, grossness)
-Swelling in legs (possibly elsewhere but always noticeable in legs)
-Spikes fevers
More recent symptoms
-Eating dirt, big time. Not sure if it’s related to condition or what.
– Noticeable weight loss while we were away for ~2 weeks. Thought other dog stole his food when caregivers weren’t watching. Now thinking its from eating dirt. ?
We have ruled out food as the source of allergy problems. The vet seemed certain that it’s a local/environmental allergy as we lived in the area almost 3 years before this started. Also, he’s always seemed to have dry, itchy skin.
He gets relief for 2-3 weeks depending on meds. Hes been put on antibiotics, anti fungal, and a steroid. Two weeks on meds brings 2-3 weeks relief. Then we are back to itching, licking, odor, swelling, etc.
We did not take him back for allergy testing after the vasculitis diagnosis. It was just too costly at that time. I am hoping to get him into his usual vet very soon for his regular checkup but I really want him out back on medication.
Please tell me someone else had experience with this issue or something similar with their pup!
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My Dog (male 9 Yr Old Shitzu Cross Rescued 2 Yrs Ago) Sneezes Alot Is…
my dog (male 9 yr old shitzu cross rescued 2 yrs ago) sneezes alot is this healthy?
he also weezes in his sleep are his lungs bad?
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Anonymous Sneezing isn’t normal. Wheezing isn’t normal. Please get your dog to the vet.
Hiya, My 6 Year Old German Shepherd Has Been Limping Oddly Since Last Wednesday But…
Hiya, my 6 year old German Shepherd has been limping oddly since last Wednesday but doesn’t seem to be upset or anything by it. She is really happy and still playing etc which is weird as normally if she hurts herself she acts like she is dying! But occasionally, especially when she has layed down for a while she can split her legs ever so slightly. She can still jump on the sofas etc too.
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Anonymous Have you tried putting her on crate rest for 24-48 hours to see if the limp will resolve on its own? Allowing her to continue behaving normally is preventing it from healing and may be making it worse.
Crate rest means in the crate for the duration, and all potty breaks are on leash. Out to toilet, then back inside…no walks, no play.
My Dog Got Desexed Only 4 Days Ago But He Had A Sudden Change In…
my dog got desexed only 4 days ago but he had a sudden change in his behaviour. He is currently barking all night (which he never used to do), and finding more things to ruin and chew up during the day. is this normal?
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Anonymous Desexing *can* cause behavior changes, but I’d be willing to bet he’s bored. Is he crate trained?
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elisha sama what do you mean by crate trained?
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Anonymous I mean does he have a crate for his own personal space? This is the easiest, safest way to keep a dog in your home. It ensures your dog is safe from chewing and it ensures your house is safe from his chewing.
Crate him when you can’t supervise him. Work on training. Reinforce obedience until he’s 100% reliable, then work on fun training like nosework.
Please Help I Need Answers Now I’m Worried
Please help I need answers now I’m worried
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Anonymous This puppy needs a VET. Consider this an emergency.
My Puppy Went On A Short, Hot Hike Yesterday. Today He Is Very Lethargic And…
My puppy went on a short, hot hike yesterday. Today he is very lethargic and lays or sits down every chance he gets. There is no vomit, diarrhea, discolored tongue/gums, and he is eating and drinking. Should I worry about the lethargy?
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PK Dennis Yes, I would worry – give your vet a call, explain your concerns and see if they can get you in to see the doctor for a few moments.
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Eric Paulsen Thanks. I did call my vet, but based on the normalcy of everything else he wasn’t concerned and figured he was exhausted from the hike. Better safe than sorry!
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PK Dennis It is good that you had the conversation – you are right about safe/sorry!
Someone Left Their Jack Russell Terrier (Jaz) On My Street Two Days Ago And I…
Someone left their jack russell terrier (Jaz) on my street two days ago and I took her in. I currently have a 5 year old pitbull mixed with a chihuaha(Taco) taco is little bit bigger than Jaz. Every time Jaz sees taco Jaz snaps and growls at her. We give them both attention I don’t think it’s a dominance or jealousy issue because taco doesn’t fight back, Jaz would wait for taco to be vulnerable and then try and bite her. For example today we took them both walking both were fine and we both went inside and taco looks at me not paying attention to Jaz and then jaz tried to bite Tacos leg. Taco stays with me and i have jaz in a room she listens good with everything. she doesnt leave her room even if we leave the door open and she doesnt have a leash on. She just cant be around taco. I’m not sure what to do or what’s wrong, we want to train Jaz so she can be part of our family. Any suggestions?
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PK Dennis This is MOST definitely a dominance issue! Jaz is telling Taco that Jaz is the person in charge of this new house! And while Taco may not be fighting back, Jaz is going to continue this behavior until she is satisfied that Taco understands the situation. It is your job to help them get on an even keel. Is Taco a male or female? Jaz is more likely to settle down with a male (females tend to rule the house and males usually let them).You need to go back to square one. Put Jaz in a room where Taco can not see Jaz. This could be a guest bathroom, or mud room, etc. You want a closed door between the 2 dogs for the next 3-4 days. Give each dog their own time with you – but separately. This allows each dog to become familiar with the smell of the other dog. They get to know each other this way – but without any confrontation.
On the 4th day, pick up all toys, balls, bones, and put them up out of reach of the dogs (and keep them up for the time being – this prevents fights over these resources. The toys belong to you, and the dogs only get access to them while you are there to monitor things). Then take the dogs on a long walk together – put leashes on them and then right out the door, don’t allow them to sniff each other or anything – just “let’s GO – walking here!”. By the end of the walk they should be more comfortable with each other.For the next few weeks keep a short leash on Jaz at all times – let her drag it around the house and yard (I like to attache the leash to a harness for this). This allows you to step on the leash or pick it up to get Jaz away from Taco. Monitor their activities and head Jaz off at the pass when she is paying too much attention to Taco – you might want to teach Jaz ‘leave it’ and tell her to ‘leave it’ when she is looking at Taco, etc.If the days of separation, and then the walk don’t solve the problem you will need to find a behaviorist or trainer that can come to your home and work with you – after all, Jaz is a terrier, and a Russell to boot. My experience is that Russell’s can be very challenging!Other ways to fix in Jaz’s mind that she is not in control of the house is by not allowing her up on any furniture. Taco can be up, but not Jaz for the foreseeable future. Not on the sofa or especially the beds. Control food – make Jaz work for every meal and treat by sitting nicely, or by doing a trick. She also has to sit nicely to get access to any toy, and she can only play with the toy with you – when you are done playing the toy needs to go back up out of reach/sight.These are the things I do with fosters when they come to my home – some respond quickly, others take months to decide they will settle into my pack. Give things a good 4 to 5 weeks before you give up on this girl!, but get some help if you feel things are not improving.Good luck! -
Erica Bowlen Thank you! They are both female. Taco is spayed and Jaz is not we are taking her to the vet soon to get her spayed.
I Found A Baby Rabbit In The Road. I Been Feedin It 2% Cow Milk…
I found a baby rabbit in the road. I been feedin it 2% cow milk. this is my 3rd night havin it An its in a cardboard box with grass and cloth. tonight the rabbit is hittin itself everywhere in the box what should I do an what does it mean?
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Shiria How old is this baby rabbit? Does it have its eye opened? If possible make a picture. Cow milk is not a good food for baby rabbits, it can cause bloating and pain for them and can lead to death.
Try to find someone who has experience in wildlife rescue and let them show you how to care for it if you want to raise it yourself. This is really important. It’s always best to learn from someone experienced.But to get started: get special milk that is used to raise kittens (no ordinary catmilk). It needs to be mixed 1:1 (with lukewarm chamomile or fennel tea). Also give a drop of sab simplex inside, to ease bloating and belly pain.
They need to be fed every 2-4 hours, depending on age (also at night!). With around two weeks they start nibbeling on solid food and with around 4 weeks they can eat the same as an adult rabbit can additionally to their milk. So depending on age you have to offer different herbs, grass, hay and everything that a rabbit would eat in the nature, so that it learns what it can eat. The more it gets to know the better.Do you massage it’s belly after each feeding time? Does it pee/poop?
If it is older than 6 weeks it doesn’t need milk and more but special food (here it’s called herbi-care-plus). You start feeding this food mixed with milk at around the age of 4 weeks. You have to start very slowly, only a few drops, as they need to adapt to the new food.
If you can’t find womeone to show you, read as much as you can about raising rabbits. It’s not an easy task.
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Chasity Knighten Yes. The eyes and ears are opened and it has a full coat.
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Chasity Knighten And yes it is using the bathroom.
We Took Her To A Vet And He Told Us That It Could Be Bone…
We took her to a Vet and he told us that it could be bone problems such as arthritis, or a broken bone, but recently I noticed that she started off with the pain in the back right paw and and it transferred over to her front right leg, does anyone have any past experience with this with their dog?
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Dawn Ferara, DVM Ok I’m really not sure I understand exactly wha happened. However, I think what happened is she was normal before grooming and not after. This makes me think she got hurt at groomer. So, she may have arthritis but it was an injury that made it more painful.
So, likely the pain will be lessened in time and if it hasn’t gotten better in 7 days I would return to the vet.
Good Luck
Dr D
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Edgar Disz She has not gotten an x-Ray, our Vet gave her some medication for us to give her and they seemed to help her with the pain, and he also gave her a shot to calm the pain for 12 hours, and thank you for your response
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PK Dennis I would worry that your pooch took a fall from a grooming table, or twisted something while being groomed. I would ask the vet if this is likely – and would have a conversation with the groomer. Ask the groomer if they noticed any thing wrong, or if something happened while your dog was there. Accidents can happen – don’t assign blame, but explain that knowing if something happened will help your vet diagnose the problem.
My Dog Has Small Lumps Under His Skin At First There Was Only One On…
My dog has small lumps under his skin at first there was only one on his shoulder now he has maybe 5 or 6 from his neck to hind legs they don’t seem to be causing him pain
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Anonymous Unfortunately, we can’t diagnose lumps and bumps online. A vet needs to examine them in person. Please get your dog to the vet this week.
Thank you! I’m actually relieved that you’ve seen cases like this.
We will be getting him to the vet soon. I will try to remember to update when we do.