[HoosiersDaddy]

Well, I took the the fugitive to the vet after tearing apart his crate. He had a few scratches and threw up...I wanted to be sure that he didn't eat something dangerous (afterall, he did destroy some blinds and chewed on the window sill). I also wanted to investigate some patches of hair the he had missing after his boarding over the holidays. Stomachs fine, but.....dude has demodectic mange. WTF? The vet says it probably happened when his immune system was vulnerable; I told her he lost mega-weight during boarding.

THey want to put him on an antibiotic for an infection and Ivermectin (sp) whose side effects include GI tract problems...after I just got this guys stool to firm up! He has to be on treatment for like six months at about $100 a month. I just needed some place to vent. It just seems like one thing after another with this pup...

 

[Alicia]

Poor Hoosier.  I'm so sorry for him and you to be going through this.  
Are you going to "talk" to the boarding place and by "talk" I mean rip them a new one?  
I'll keep Hoosier in my thoughts!  Big get well kisses from Lola!

 

[Ky_IsisnOnyxsMama]

ya im right there with Alicia..thats aweful im sorry for you annd Hoosier...

i hope hes feeling better soon ! was he tearing up the crate before boarding? or is it the worst after?

 

[sully]

Man that sucks.  Oggie had all sorts of issues after his first few doggie daycare days.  But what can ya do really....you can't lock them inside and shelter them.  Some stuff is just unavoidable

 

[Skylar]

Poor Hoosier! We had Lucy on the liquid Ivermectin. You can buy it at a feed store. I think we paid like $30 for the whole bottle (I think we had her on it for 3-4 weeks) and we didn't even use it all so I donated the rest to the Boxer rescue.

 

[tootsie]

Ugh...So sorry to hear about this!    Poor Hoosier. I know demodex can happen when they get stressed over something when their immune system is down, maybe that's what happened. That sucks!
It is great news that his stomach is fine, and maybe the meds won't irritate his GI too bad. Hugs to Hoosier. I hope he beats this thing real quick!

 

[slobound]

Ahhh... what a bummer!  Hope Hoosier is ok.

 

[48Dodge]

Check around on the ivermectin.  I'm using Eqvalan which is about $12/tube which lasts about 7-10 days.  Also, 6 months sounds like an awful long time.  I was told 2 months after a clean skin scrape, so about 3 months.  Another vet in the same practice told me 2 months total would be plenty, but I wanted to be safe.  Also, Cooper's stomach hasn't been messed up as far as I can tell on it.  The antibiotics did mess him up, but that was temporary.

 

[JeanenesBoogerBabies]

I'm so sorry to hear that...did the vet say ANYTHING about Goodwinol? It's a topical for Demo that is great on localized demo(spots of it) once it becomes generalized(or they start losing hair all over) you can do a dip(can't remember the name to save my life, but Sharon knows...and if you searched posts on demo, I bet you'd find it...anyway, it's not as hard on their system!

We ran into some of that with Indy...he'd tear up anything within reach if we had to leave them for any length of time...we bought a 7.5 X 13' kennel and put it in the garage with a Dogloo in it...we still had messes if he could get blankets or anything(to poop on to express his displeasure!LOL!) BUT< he couldn't do much with chain link fencing that is 6' high...so at least it was minimal!

I hope you BOTH feel better soon! It can be very frustrating!

 

[southerngirls]

ahhh poor hoosier! atleast his tummy is ok

 

[HoosiersDaddy]

I'm so sorry to hear that...did the vet say ANYTHING about Goodwinol? It's a topical for Demo that is great on localized demo(spots of it) once it becomes generalized(or they start losing hair all over) you can do a dip(can't remember the name to save my life, but Sharon knows...and if you searched posts on demo, I bet you'd find it...anyway, it's not as hard on their system!

We ran into some of that with Indy...he'd tear up anything within reach if we had to leave them for any length of time...we bought a 7.5 X 13' kennel and put it in the garage with a Dogloo in it...we still had messes if he could get blankets or anything(to poop on to express his displeasure!LOL!) BUT< he couldn't do much with chain link fencing that is 6' high...so at least it was minimal!

I hope you BOTH feel better soon! It can be very frustrating!

Yes. I use the Goodwinol as well. I used some of it this morning and I pick up the ivermectin this afternoon. I was under the impression that he needed both the topical and the oral meds.


We got one of those Var-kennels and it seems to be pretty sturdy. Today we'll see if he managed to do anything while in it. I took him for an extra long walk this morning before I left and he has Kongs in there again, so hopefully it'll take some of the edge off.

 

[HannaBanana]

Hope he feels better and becareful with the ivermectin, need to be real strict with the dosages or it can cause more harm than help.

Keep us posted

 

[Tiggy]

oh man that sucks!  Poor guy  Hopefully it's not too upsetting to his tummy and has no more problems from here on out.

 

[Boxerpop]

Hears hoping and praying Hoosier gets over his issues real quick. Sound like you have a domestic terrorist on your hands when hes running on all 8.  

 

[HoosiersDaddy]

ya im right there with Alicia..thats aweful im sorry for you annd Hoosier...

i hope hes feeling better soon ! was he tearing up the crate before boarding? or is it the worst after?

He's been worse since the new year, after boarding. I didn't put those two together until now. The place that we board him doesn't use crates though, so maybe he got used to life without one? It was only 10 days though, and we only crate him when we aren't home. He sleeps on a dog bed in our bedroom.

We complain to the daycare, but they are honestly the best place in town. I asked the vet if this or his bout with Kennel cough could be connected to his boarding and the vet(s) reply is that Hoosier just seems to be more succitible (sp) because of a weak immune system. They are actually concerned because of his immune system, a heart murmur and his sensitve stomach of something more serious (fingers crossed). Do you all think the daycare is more at fault? THey've already been "talked to" about his weight loss and not calling me to feed him extra, should I be looking to them for more blame? I took the vets word, but I welcome other opinions.

 

[HannaBanana]

In my honest opinion you can try to figure out who to blame but what good is it going to do?  

Main priority is getting the little guy better (which you are doing) and boosting his immune system.   Pups are like newborns and have weak succeptable immune systems that grow stronger as they get older.

Best to do is get him better and supplement him with immune system boosters like fish oils, and maybe some drops of echinacea to his food.   KC can come from anywhere, its a virus and happens like you pick up a cold.   The Bordella vaccine is not 100% to cover from being infected with is since there are numbers strains of KC and its only effect against some.

 

[sully]

Tough to blame the kennel really.  It's like calling the school to complain that your kid got sick there.  All they can do is check the health records of all that sign up and keep the place clean.   I would call them to let them know, their reaction to the problem might give you an indication of their concern.

Is there any evidence that echinacea works in animals?  Beacuse from the recent studies I've read, I don't personally believe it's effective in humans.

Do they make vitamin C for dogs?

 

[HannaBanana]

Benefit of Echinacea  


<Echinacea
It is a nutritional herbal supplement to boost the immune system by promoting the production of white blood cells, which build resistance to skin disorders. Well documented by holistic vets as excellent for fighting viral-, bacterial- and yeast infections. Echinacea is also beneficial for various skin disorders such as eczema, acne and ringworm. This herbal supplement cleanses the blood, liver, lymph glands, and kidneys. Echinaceas alternative and antiseptic properties are a valuable aid in wound healing. Echinacea has been used successful to treat eczema, strep throat, staphylococci infections, urinary infections, and ringworm.
Until the advent of penicillin and tetracycline, Echinacea was the most widely used antibiotic in US hospitals.

http://www.petcarenaturally.com/handouts/echinacea.pdf

http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Home_Tr ... nnel_Cough

http://www.k9magazinefree.com/k9_perspe ... 5p14.shtml

 

[sully]

Good stuff, thats funny because the only real studies that hinted toward it being effective in humans showed it may help in upper respiratory infections.  According to those links, thats the same for dogs.  

I just personally (in my opinion) wouldn't count on it to prevent colds or "boost the immune system" or any other vague terms used by manufacturers just trying to boost their sales.

 

[tootsie]

I believe that Vitamin C for dogs is mainly used to prevent UTI's by acidifying the urine making it more difficult for the bacteria to survive in the bladder. I've also heard that it will decrease joint pain in dogs that have hip dysplasia. As far as helping boost the immune system, I haven't heard anything on that. Also, Ascorbic acid, a form of vitamin C supposedly increases the risk of bloat when it is moistened in the dry dog food. But, that's a whole other discussion!  :wink:
Who knows? I sometimes feel we need some type of degree to care for these babies!  :lol: