Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Health and Medical Issues (for our pets)
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Over the years that this group has been in existence it has assisted many doodles and their humans. It has offered advice, a place to vent, etc. This group MUST be a place where people can turn and be confident that the advice they will get is based upon FACT - medically and scientifically accepted FACT- not "I heard", anecdotes, advertising claims, or other unfounded or misleading advice. The moderators of this Group will delete any post that we feel does not meet this criteria.
Discussion Forum
Inflammatory matory Bowel Disease
Started by Rita and Fazzy. Last reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle Aug 20, 2019. 18 Replies 0 Favorites
Hi all....after a scare of bloat without torsion in May, my7 year old labradoodle Fazzy was diagnosed with IBD via biopsy. He was doing OK once he got back to eating again until I thought it might be a good idea to switch to raw...didn't go well. Switched him back to what he was on prior, Canidae kibble, variety of canned "flavors" as well as chicken breast, turkey breast, low fat hamburger...just depending on what we had on hand and cooked for the dogs. I've never been able to get his stools back to normal and consistently solid and in the past week its just been yucky. He went to the vet yesterday and per their suggestion, we carried home a bag of Purina HA both dry and canned. He ate a few bites yesterday but wants none of it today. Over the past couple of weeks he has become less and less into eating, needing plenty of encouragement and hand feeding. Vet also sent us home with Cerenia, metronidazole and Diagel. Waiting for results of stool sample. I really don't want to deal with the rx diet, but we also need to get his gut back to feeling better. A couple of friends are pushing me to see a holistic vet, which I'm not opposed to, it's just expensive. I hate that I have to even throw that word out there, but seeing a holistic is not out of the question. Jolene suggested I reach out to Karen for some words of wisdom/suggestions ..and I know she'll see this.Any suggestions, feedback etc would be great!!Rita and Fazzy Continue
Denamarin for elevated liver enzyme
Started by Michelle and Chloe. Last reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle Aug 6, 2019. 1 Reply 0 Favorites
Chloe is turning 10 years old in October. I recently took her to the vet to check out some new masses on her flank and to see if there was a correlation with these masses and her increased water intake and occasional vomiting. Her 2 masses were lipomas ( needle aspiration) and the vet checked lab values. Although most of the values came back normal, her ALT was slightly elevated at 213 (nl 12-118) so vet recommended placing her on Denamarin. She is also going to have an abdominal ultrasound and a chest X-ray. Has anyone have experience with Denamarin?Continue
Dinah has an enlarged heart and mild left ventricle dialation
Started by c zoomer. Last reply by Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie Jul 3, 2019. 15 Replies 0 Favorites
the Doctor (cardiologist) has ordered me to take her off of the grain free dog foods and retest in 6 months.Continue
Emergency stomach surgery and the after effects
Started by Gracie, Jade, & Barkley. Last reply by F, Calla & Luca Jun 30, 2019. 6 Replies 0 Favorites
It's me again. We are having the worst luck when it comes to our doodles this year. :( We lost Gracie who was only 4 in February to Hemangiosarcoma which appeared out of nowhere and hit us pretty hard. Now Jade who is 3.5 yrs is having issues. She was vomiting for hours early morning on Thurs and after getting a dose of cerrenia (She had gotten sick 2 weeks prior and we had some leftover), she was drooling excessively. The vet had us drop her off to observe, take tests, and xrays. She said it sounded like an obstruction of some sort. When she called, she said bloodwork was normal for a dog who had become dehydrated and was what she expected. But, had sent the xrays to a radiologist - which they didn't do two weeks prior. The radiologist said there was some sort of blockage in the upper gi and so the vet asked if we could do a barium treatment to see where it stopped - which was the stomach.I agreed to surgery and the blockage was caused by excess fluid and the pyloric muscle was thickened and the entry (exit?) was narrowed. The vet asked if she had had any issues prior as it looked like she had pyloric stenosis and maybe some ulcers as in the fluid there were flecks of blood. They do not have a flexible endoscope at their office, so she could only surmise that the flecks of blood came from ulcers. The only vomiting Jade has done previously was for car sickness which she outgrew. Then the episode 2 weeks ago which was an expulsion of her breakfast and she collapsed afterward which is why we took her to the vet. The vet took care of the fluid in her stomach and sent her home with sucraflate, famotidine, and omeprazole.Jade hasn't been eating much. She refuses the science diet l/i that they sent home, but she has ate some chicken and rice.She also continues to regurgitate small amounts of liquid. Sometimes it has yellow blobs in it. Usually this happens after she drinks some water. I am going to call tomorrow to update them, but am concerned we really haven't gotten…Continue
Flea and Tick Prevention Choices
Started by Cindy and Olive (Ollie). Last reply by Stacy Jun 26, 2019. 44 Replies 0 Favorites
It is tick season here in NJ and I have always given Olive Sentinel (every 39 days) and Frontline Plus every 27 days. What’s the deal with Frontline Plus vs Frontline Gold - I see one new med added to the Gold, but figured I’d ask the experts. I’ve stuck with Frontline as it has been the forerunner in this and is tried and true, and I’m a bit leery of those oral tabs. But should I switch her to Frontline Gold? Thanks!Continue
UTI infections
Started by DonMarie and Picco. Last reply by Jane, Guinness and Murphy Jun 24, 2019. 10 Replies 0 Favorites
A friend of mine has a sweet yellow lab that frequently has urinary tract infections. We were discussing cranberry pills since it works for humans. When I Google it I'm finding some sites it is okay but also finding that in larger dosages (who know what that is) that cranberries can be toxic to dogs. These aren't necessarily referring to the pills but dried or fresh fruit. I can't imagine a dog eating the fruit or juice, that's why we thought of the pills! So anyway I figured I'd pose this question here. Does anyone know or can clarify if cranberry pills can be helpful or harmful to dogs and can actually help UTIs?Continue
Fatty deposit
Started by Murph and Me. Last reply by Bonnie and Kona May 20, 2019. 4 Replies 0 Favorites
So Murphy has on his stomach some fatty deposit that the Vet has checked in the past and said no big deal he said. It has gotten bigger of late. It feels like a small balloon. Does not bother him when you squish it around. I'm going to bring him in for another checkup of it. I trust the vet but it doesn't hurt to ask here in the group if anyone has had any history with a similar situation. and if so what did you do about it. Thanks in advance.Continue
Recessed Vulva (this is a new one) and an ear infection
Started by Stacy. Last reply by Stacy May 20, 2019. 13 Replies 0 Favorites
Willow went to the vet yesterday with an ear infection, and Karen you should be pleased to hear I do finally have a vet who cultures ear infection goo. We treated it with a medication I hadn't heard of before called Claro. It's still a combination of antibiotic, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory. But the nice thing about this drug is it's a one time treatment that is supposed to work continuously for 30 days, so I don't have to squirt anything in there. She has an appointment for a recheck in 2 weeks. The vet said as an isolated event it's not a big deal, but if it becomes a chronic problem it's often associated with food allergies and we should do a food trial. I have mixed emotions about that. Right now I'm hoping it isn't a recurrent problem so we don't even have to go there. The other thing I brought up to him is that Willow always seems to pee on herself. The hair surrounding her vulva is always dirty. And she had that UTI a while ago. He looked at her and said she has a recessed vulva, and if it's a problem they can do a vulvoplasty to resect the skin folds there so the vulva protrudes more. Or if it seems to be more minor we can just keep the fur clipped from around that area - something I knew needed to be done but clippers, delicate skin, wiggly puppy and I have not been able to accomplish that on our own.This issue is something I haven't experienced before but I had been reading about it and I couldn't figure it out. The trick is, she looks normal when you look at her lying on her back with her belly up. But if you look at her from behind when she's standing you can see that her vulva is surrounded by skin folds and does look different than the other girls. I had heard that they usually grow out of it, but that's not really what I'm reading in the veterinary articles. But I'm still hoping that if she grows a little more she might grow into her skin folds. He also mentioned that slightly delayed spaying may help with this. We are doing slightly delayed…Continue
Struvite Crystals (Also posted in Food Group)
Started by Laurie, Wally & Charlotte. Last reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle May 14, 2019. 1 Reply 0 Favorites
For the past six months, Charlotte's pH has been fluctuating and she has had a number of urine tests with some showing struvite crystals and some without. An x-ray was taken in December and revealed no bladder stones. Our vet concluded that Charlotte's pH just goes up and down, and without any stones, this is Charlotte's "normal." About 10 days ago, she was showing physical signs of a UTI and was put on an antibiotic since we'd be traveling, but the urine evaluation did not find any bacteria. We have been flooding her food (Acana Grasslands) with water to dilute her urine, hoping that this will help keep the pH down. Next week, she'll have another x-ray done as well as a sterile urine culture. Here are my questions: If the x-ray shows no stone/s and the culture indicates no bacteria, but possibly struvite crystals again, should I change her food to one without starches (since starch alkalizes pH) and one without magnesium and calcium? Should I give her any supplements such as ascorbic acid, cranberries, d-mannose? Some of these are just for bacteria prevention if I understand it correctly. And if she doesn't have any bacteria in her urine, what would be the point? I'm hoping to find some additional perspectives to help inform our decisions moving forward. Continue
Spay & Gastropexy Surgery - After Care Advice?
Started by Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie. Last reply by Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie May 6, 2019. 44 Replies 0 Favorites
So my baby girl goes in this week for the double surgery, I'm just reaching out for feedback/advice on aftercare. I know the gastropexy is much more invasive than the spay and I know I'll get a checklist of things to do from the vet when I pick her up but looking for feedback from those who have already been through it (hits, misses, things to watch for, etc). I'm just real nervous for her, she's my odd little wild child so I'm concerned about her plus the surgery facility is not local so any issues will fall on my vet and/or at an emergency facility. The more I know the better prepared I'll be. This poor girl had a rough start in the beginning so I want to make this as easy on her as possible.It's been a while since my other two were spayed and neither had any interest in the stitches luckily but Sassy was extremely hyper (spastic) the week following her surgery so keeping her calm was a real challenge. I'll be home with her the first few days then will do a tag team with my daughter.Any advice on keeping her from the stitches if it poses a problem, resuming her normal diet (vet office briefly mentioned transitioning slowly back to kibble), walking, stairs, downtime, etc.Thanks in advanceJolene and Miss MaisieContinue
Comment Wall
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Comment by Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie on January 19, 2013 at 8:35am
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An old home remedy we've used for years for hot spots and itching is equal parts Listerine, baby oil, and water. The Listerina kills any bacteria and calms the itching while the baby oil keeps the skin from drying out. It's never failed and might buy you some time until you can get to the vet during normal business hours.
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Comment by J and Riley (and Luna) on January 19, 2013 at 8:29am
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Thanks! We do have some cortisone cream, so I'll try that if she fusses over it. So far so good and she hasn't even touched it since covering it in a sock.
I'm not even sure it's a hotspot, it's not very red - I'll take a picture if I can remember to next time I take a look at it.
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Comment by F, Calla & Luca on January 19, 2013 at 8:15am
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I think the Polysporin might help if it is getting infected. But there is no reason you couldn't add hydrocortisone cream/ointment too if she won't leave it alone. The Polysporin ointment itself may be soothing since it moisturizes too. You might be able to avoid a vet visit, I hope.
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Comment by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on January 19, 2013 at 8:03am
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J, the big thing is going to be keeping it from itching her. Even if she can't get at it, you don't want her to be suffering.
Instead of polysporin, it would be better to use something with cortisone and/or an anti-itch ingredient. The antibiotic ointments treat and infection, but won't do a thing for inflammation or discomfort/itching, and hot spots usually itch intensely.
If it seems to be bothering her, I would soak the foot in tepid water with epsom salts, dry it very thoroughly, and then use something that will relieve the itching until you can get to a vet.
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It looks like Luna may have a hotspot on her back paw in between her toes (from a combination of road salt exposure and obsessive licking most likely). She's been fussing over that paw for a few days.
We cleaned it, put on some polysporin, wrapped the paw in a thin layer of light gauze (for padding) then put a little sock around her foot up to her hock to keep her from licking. She's sleeping soundly now, so I'm guessing it's not bugging her much.
Any advice? The vet is closed today so we can't call them :(
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Comment by Jeanine Bandini on January 14, 2013 at 4:26am
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I agree with Karen. Wally had dry skin and was itchy until I started him on omega supplements (The groomer confirmed he had dry skin) He is also on TOTW.
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Comment by Kelly & Bentley Beau on January 13, 2013 at 10:59pm
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Thank you. I did purchase some fish oil and he has been getting it 1 or 2 times a day. I will make sure he gets two servings. I also heard sardines are good in their diet so I thought I would add some. My gut feeling is it is dry skin. He loves to jump in the shower and only gets water on him. But maybe this is drying skin out as well. Thank you for your response.
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Kelly, it's not his food; he's too young to have developed any kind of food sensitivity, he's only been eating solid food for three months, and it takes considerably longer than that for any type a food sensitivity to have developed. Itching is rarely due to food anyway, in dogs of any age, despite what many people believe, but in a puppy this young, you can be sure it isn't food. In an older dog, it might be inhalant allergies, but he's really too young for that, too. There are other kinds of parasites that can cause a dog to itch besides fleas, like mites, which you cannot see with the naked eye. Or it very well might be dry skin. I would take him to the vet and have him looked at and possibly do a skin scraping for mites. If they don;t find anything, you might consider adding some fish oil to his diet. TOTW is a very good food, but it doesn;t have the best Omega 6:3 ratio, and the Omega 3s in fish oil can help dry skin. Whatever you do, do not let the vet sell you Rx food. More info on this in the Food Group.
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Bentley is 4 months old and scratching all over his body several times throughout the day. I'm not sure if its flea's [which I do not see] or he is having a reaction to his food or diet? he eats Taste of The Wild- salmon flavor. I give him kibble mixed with wet can food. But he also has other items in his food diet. I'm not sure if its food or fleas of dry skin. I also gave him a flea treatment about a month ago. Has anyone had a similar experience or have suggestions?
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Comment by Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie on October 25, 2012 at 6:34pm
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Laurie, Science Diet is NOT a good food so you might want to drop that. I feed my dogs kibble rather than canned food or raw meat but they do chew bones. Only one of our dogs has ever had dental problems and his was a slab fracture - most likely from crunching down on a hard bone or genetic.
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