Five questions for the price of one?

[Jennifer and Jack]

Sorry I know I should probably find spots for these questions in each section but the same people are most likely to answer 

As you know I switched vets and am much happier with his care. This vet does not use Heart Guard they don't even carry it. THey said Tri- Heart Plus is just about the same... It is a few dollars cheaper and as you know for me with Jack that isn't even an issue.  Is this drug safe. I tried to google it but I am sick right now to say the least so I am not comprehending much... It is made by Merck. also do you know is it safe to give with Frontline?

Ear infections.. We have come to the conclusion Jack is EXTREMELY sensitive to any even the slightest amount of yeast in his ears.. He has been scratching like crazy.. His canals look good but on smear he had a TINY bit of yeast... They gave me yet another antibiotic to treat him bi-laterally but she offered me a steroid spray for his ears? Anyone hear of that?   I am so tired of Jack being on antibiotics for his ear and the Vet saying they barely see anything yet he seems so bothered by it.. I do weekly washes on his ears and I also use ear dryer after a bath...   So much for my big fat idea of raw food solving his ears.... eye roll..

Weight...... WOW.... I had no idea that Jack needed to lose as much weight as he really did... I feed raw because IT IS WAY BETTER THEN ANY CRAP YOU FEED YOUR DOG. Just kidding... LOL you know I am just kidding... I feed raw because I was removing the starch as much as possible because he is on steroids and he gained weight.  Here is the thing. He was almost 20 pounds in June and now he is just under 17 pounds....  He lost this weight because I MEASURE his food and weigh it exactly and because I ride a stupid scooter around my neighborhood and he walks at least a mile and half or more a day.. not for any other reason...... The vet today after taking his stitches out for a cyst he had removed said she is happy he lost weight but keep going????  

Jack is 16.9 pounds now and she wants a least another pound.. My mom and I both are willing to do that because we know it is best to be a little under then over but how fast is it safe for a dog to lose weight??? I mean he is a little guy and I don't know what is acceptable time frame for him to lose weight in. 

The last thing is.. even at 20 pounds Jack still have a rather sharp tummy curve tuck in and didn't look overweight to me at all, I could still feel his ribs except on the sides I had to push in a bit... so it is rather stunning to me that a dog that had a good curve tummy tuck could have still been so overweight... Five pound for a dog his size is a lot..

[F, Calla & Luca]

I don't know about the medication for heartworm. But you have a vet and on some things I would trust the vet including weight loss. There is no scientific reason to think raw is a miracle and would prevent ear infections. But it doesn't sound like Jack has infection. Yeast is ubiquitous. My dogs' ears smelled a bit yeasty before I cleaned them today. I would clean regularly. Jack is already on steroids but a spray might calm things down for the moment. An antibiotic? Fir yeast. I would think an anti fungal and I would avoid it if possible. You need to try to not react to every little thing with Jack.

[Jennifer and Jack]

no, sorry, nystatin, not an antibiotic.. I was kidding about the raw diet preventing ear infections.. 

it is hard not to react to every little thing with Jack when he who never scratches is scratching his ears so hard all night long that he is shaking the bed and I do clean his ears on a very regular basis. 

I would trust my vet more if she didn't sell Science Diet, if she was aware of the new virus killing dogs or at least heard of it, and was not aware of the latest heart worm recalls.. I think as a vet they need to know these things and she is a big improvement from what I had.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Nobody knows everything it is true. But some vets know a lot about things like weight etc. That doesn't change with every fad. As to the virus, I'd say we are more aware than many since we have an international network : ) Maybe the steroid pill is worth a shot. Topical Nystatin can't hurt I guess.

[Jennifer and Jack]

thanks.. I guess you are right.. it is just a sore spot for me these days and I am probably projecting it on to Jack but darn if people can't know stuff in their own line of business who can? 

I will try to keep cleaning his ears, he is getting groomed tomorrow and if he is still itching I will try the nystatin......

[BG and Gavin]

Sounds like you are on the right track with his diet.  I would not change it.  Maybe up his exercise from 1.5 to 2 miles and that should cover it.  I don't know about the ears, but maybe up your cleaning from once a week to twice a week and leave it at that?  And like F. said - try not to worry about him too much.  He is a young healthy guy and he will be just fine.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Thanks .. He is already losing weight at this rate I was just worried he was losing it too fast and that I need to increase his calories because he is getting so much exercise.... 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Tri Heart Plus is ivermectin and pyrantel, the same two ingredients that are in Heartgard Plus.Whether the amounts are the same or not, I can't tell, as that information is not included on the Tri Heart website. As far as being safe with Frontline, I've used both Frontline Plus and Heartgard since 2004, and there have been no problems for either of the dogs being treated. 

Regarding trying to eliminate starch from Jacks' diet for weight loss purposes, carbohydrates have the exact same number of calories per gram as proteins do, 4 calories per gram. I agree that the protein percentages in a dog's diet should be significantly higher than the carbohydrate percentages, but that's because of nutritional needs, not weight control. Calories are calories, regardless of what type of food supplies them. 

I agree with F on the ear issue (and also on the fact that raw food is not a miracle cure nor a cure of any kind of anything, lol). Some dogs have more trouble with ear infections than others, and that's often physiological. It has to do with the shape and size of the ear canal. Food of any kind will not affect that. I don't know if that's the case with Jack, but it's very possible. 

I also agree that most vets should be trusted when it comes to weight and body condition. There is no reason for a vet to say that a dog needs to lose or gain weight if he doesn't. 

I wouldn't worry about any of this, none of it sounds like anything major to be concerned about. 

[Jennifer and Jack]

THanks I am not really concerned except for the rate of weight loss I didn't want it to be too fast.... I HOPE you know I was only making a joke about the raw food because some raw food feeders truly believe the joke I made....  

I know that Jack lost weight because I weigh it with a kitchen scale and I stopped treating for the most part, so you are right a calorie is a calorie and I know that... I was really trying to be funny but it didn't come out that way about the raw feeding being the cure all.....

I don't know enough to know so I should be quiet in all honesty... I just know that being on steroids can make you more carb sensitive and raise your blood sugars, which Jack's were on the high end of normal and I attributed it to the carbs he was on... which again, I have no information other then that is how it works with me, the higher my steroid dose the more I need to watch carbs  because the higher my sugars go

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't think it works that way with dogs, though. JD has been on steroids for almost two years now non-stop, and his blood sugar is perfect. It has been right along, since he was first diagnosed. It's barely changed at all in two years of continuous steroid use, despite the fact that the carbohydrate percentage in his diet has risen.  

[Kary, Sparty & Stella]

Karen, you always have the vest advice. I always looks for your responses.

[a.k.a. Rodney]

Ditto/ a voice of reason

[Enid Ferner]

Putting a dog on a raw diet certainly will help with conditions like ear infections. Often those are caused by allergies or sensitivities to the additives found in kibble. Jasper had non stop ear infections as a pup, when I switched him to a raw and totally natural diet he never had another ear infection.