Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Infection, disease and allergies? Crying...help!
My doodle is a mess. 104 fever. Diagnosed with left side hip displasia, allergies, and a infection around her urethera. Just had xrays under general anesthesia, three medications, a joint suplemnent for her pain, a consult with a orthopedic vet this week with possible surgery. Vet said to discontinue Taste of the Wild immediatley and switch to a brand that is 80$ a bag! (CA Natural). My dog hasn't moved in three days and wont evenplay ball. That is how bad she is hurting. I want to cry. She is only one yr old! $600 vet bill. Plus lifetime monthly medication for almost a hundred a month plus that special food? Please, start throwing out opinions... I need some hope.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dori & Rua on
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I wish I could give provide you with opinions...all I can say is that you both are in my prayers. Rua & I are sending pawsitive thoughts your way!
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Permalink Reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on
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Emily, I'm so sorry to hear this.
Regarding the allergies, you need a veterinary dermatology specialist for skin testing. Blood tests for allergies are worthless. I don't know if the lifetime monthly medication is related to the allergies, but if so, there's a better way to treat most allergies than immunosuppressants.
I'm assuming that the food change is because of allergies as well. Is it the Cal. Nat. Kangaroo/Lentil formula? I don't know what size bag would be $80, I was feeding it, there are some other DK members feeding it, and it was nowhere near that price. But if your girl does have allergies, it's most likely not food allergies anyway. That's why you need a specialist, the general practice vets always assume it's food and it's rarely the case.
I'm sorry about the orthopedic issues. Did you get a two year health warranty from your breeder? if so, you can probably get a refund of half your purchase price. That will at least help with the bills.
I hope you can get some help for your doodle and she's feeling better soon.
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Permalink Reply by Emily on
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The monthly medication is Dasuquin, it's for her hips. Terribly expensive. People say it works wonders. Yes, it is California Natural Kangaroo/Lentil. A 30 lb bag was $78.00 plus tax. It's even about that online.
Right now she is on an antihistamine because the infection caused her grooming sani clip to be inflamed and beefy. It looks like Freddy Kruger ripped her a new one. Plus her toes were all brown from chewing, a weepy eye, and a pink ear with scratch marks. This all just blew up in my face Friday after the Xrays that is why I was thinking maybe it was from the medications they gave her, but she has been chewing on her feet since her first birthday and that's when she went off puppy food and on Taste of the Wild.
There was a guarantee on the purchase. I can't find her business card. We bought her when we moved to a new state and we then traveled to PA to get her shortly after.. There was so much going on I can't even remember what city we drove too. So awful I know... I think the financial and emotional stress is causing my brain to fog a bit.
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Emily, I can help you with the allergy issues. But even if she has to stay on the CN food, that can't be all that much more than you would pay for a 30 lb bag of TOTW, is it? California Naturals also has a frequent buyer program, so you can save there. But if this is a food allergy (and it's doubtful that it is, because only 10% of any allergy symptoms are related to food), she would be allergic to a certain ingredient in the TOTW, and not the brand or everything in it. So if we know which formula it was, we can try finding another food (Natural Balance makes a lot of LID formulas for this purpose) that would be less costly. All you need is a "novel" protein, one she hasn't had before, which is why the vet picked the kangaroo formula. But there are others, I'm sure.
It's really important for you to try to remember the name of the breeder or the breeding business. You don't have to find the contract, the health warranty will be on the website if you have the name.
I know this seems overwhelming, but you can manage it. A lot of us here are dealing with dogs who have chronic illnesses, and you just have to take it step by step. take a deep breath and focus on just one thing. For today, try to remember the breeder's name, and let's hope it was a legitimate breeder.
Hang in there.
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TOTW is only $40 for the large bag so CA Nat is twice as much. I didn't know about the frequent buyer program. I didn't buy it online, a small petshop here in the area had it. They didn't mention anything about it. That's good to know.
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The lowest price I found for TOTW Pacific Stream was $47 for a 30 lb bag at Petflow.com
They sell the CA Nat kangaroo formula for $75 for a 30 lb bag. So it is more expensive, but not twice as much.
Also, you are going to use less of the Kangaroo formula than you were using of the TOTW, because it is more nutrient dense, with 434 k/cal per cup versus only 360 k/cal per cup for the TOTW pacific Stream. So each bag will last longer, you will not need to buy as many per year, and that's a savings, too. When you take that into consideration, the Cal. Nat. food is not as expensive as it first appears.
I can tell you that you will go through the Natural Balance Food much faster. I have to buy a 15 lb bag of Nat. Bal. every two weeks as opposed to buying 15 lbs of my dog's previous food every three weeks. So you can't always go by price alone.
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Also, I just looked up Dasuquin, and it isn't really a medication, it's a supplement. There are no drugs in it. You can find it on-line cheaper, I'm sure. http://www.1800petmeds.com/Dasuquin-prod10913.html
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Permalink Reply by F, Calla & Luca on
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Dasuquin is really just glucosamine/chondroitin. Human studies have never shown it to be of much use but you can get generic brands for not much at all. Places like Costco carry it.
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Yes, It is a supplement. I just call it medication because she has to have it. The vet believes it's a miracle supplement and he states the supplement WILL make her more active and improve her life so I consider it a mandatory "medicine" for her health..My vet offers it for the same price as online. He says this brand Dasuquin is the only safe kind to take and is regulated and that the people kind add fillers.. I'm sure an alternative would be fine...I'm just telling you what they think. I do like 1800 petmeds. Another family suggested an alternative that Is much MUCH cheaper. I printed the information and will ask them at our follow up appt later in the week.
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You vet is either ill informed or untruthful. Human supplements are all regulated by the FDA. Dasuquin is most definitely not a miracle supplement. Here is what Consumer Reports says:
Here is a list of ingredients for Dasuquin, everything beyond active ingredients id filler:
ctive Ingredients (per chewable tablet) Amount Glucosamine Hydrochloride* 99% 600 mg † Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate* (Low Molecular Weight) 250 mg † ¹ Avocado/ Soybean Unsaponifiables* (ASU) Powder 45 mg † ² Natural Liver Flavor Dextrose Dried Brewer's Yeast Microcrystalline Cellulose Gum Resin Soy Protein Isolate Tea Magnesium Stearate Mixed Tocopherols Natural and Artificial Flavoring Silicon Dioxide † Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profile.
* Dasuquin contains FCH49® Glucosamine Hydrochloride, TRH122® Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate, and NMX1000 Avocado/Soybean Unsaponifiables, Nutrimax Laboratories® veterinary-exclusive proprietary researched specifications.
¹ Reported on a hydrous basis
² Standardized to contain a minimum of 30% avocado/soybean unsaponifiables.
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This is the response to Karen & Jack...
My vet said NEVER give people supplements to dogs...has your vet said anything like that?
Yes, It is a supplement. I just call it medication because she has to have it. The vet believes it's a miracle supplement and he states the supplement WILL make her more active and improve her life so I consider it a mandatory "medicine" for her health..My vet offers it for the same price as online. He says this brand Dasuquin is the only safe kind to take and is regulated and that the people kind add fillers.. I'm sure an alternative would be fine...I'm just telling you what they think. I do like 1800 petmeds. Another family suggested an alternative that Is much MUCH cheaper. I printed the information and will ask them at our follow up appt later in the week.