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 Bonnie and Kona on July 9, 2019 at 4:23pm
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Karen, I used to give my daughter VSL#3. I haven’t been able to get it for months. Can you still find it? Costco used to carry it and I used to be able to order it on Amazon.
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Comment by Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie on July 9, 2019 at 2:37pm
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Thank you, I have Amazon prime so usually get things next day but your right it's always good to have on hand especially when we are traveling and away from home. The dogs first aid box is twice the size of ours. lol
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Comment by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on July 9, 2019 at 2:23pm
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VSL#3 doesn't have an expiration date, so I thought that might be true of Proviable as well.
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Comment by F, Calla & Luca on July 9, 2019 at 2:18pm
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Just about everything has an expiration date nowadays whether it’s meaningful or not. I ignore many of them. Pay attention to them if you take aspirin, digitalis or antibiotics!
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I would re-order it, just to be on the safe side. I don't think it has an expiration date, and even if it does, with 3 dogs, you're bound to use them before they expire.
Better safe than sorry. If she's been off it for several weeks and hasn't had an issue, you're probably fine, but I find digestive issues can come and go so I like to have probiotics on hand just in case, especially with a dog who's had issues in the past.
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Karen, quick question. Maisie has been on the probiotic you recommended when we first brought her home back on October. We ran out and I am wondering if she's good now or if it should be part of her daily intake from here on? She doing great with no tummy issues (I actually ran out middle of last month). Getting ready to do an Amazon order. Ü Thanks
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His coat will come back, but there will continue to be cycles where he loses it again. If the dermatologist diagnosed S.A., it's S.A., and that's immune-mediated and incurable. You can get it into remission with drugs, but there will be periodic flares.
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Comment by Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie on June 23, 2019 at 8:55pm
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Diane, I had a dog that lost his hair down to the undercoat due to thyroid and his coat grew back once that was corrected. I had another dog that had a skin condition that caused him to have crusty, pussy sores like boils that erupted; he also lost his fur. He was treated by a vet dermatologist. His fur fully grew back. Both of these dogs were shedding dogs with fur not non-shedding hair and I realize that neither had your dog's diagnosis, but I wanted to give you hope that your dog might regrow his coat.
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Here are the results of a search I did on Sebaceous Adenitis in our forum; looks like a number of members' dogs have been affected.
https://doodlekisses.com/forum/topic/search?q=adenitis
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Hi Diane,
This comment section really doesn't lend itself very well to questions, answers or discussions.
Sebaceous Adenitis is an incurable genetic disease that runs in Standard Poodles. We have had some owners whose dogs have had it. It's important to notify your breeder of this, because it was absolutely inherited, which means that it's in her Poodle lines.
S.A. can be managed, and I've seen coats come back, but there will always be flares, and treatment will be ongoing for life. It's difficult to deal with, but the good news is that it's basically cosmetic and doesn't cause the dog any pain or distress, or shorten the lifespan.
http://cidd.discoveryspace.ca/disorder/sebaceous-adenitis.html
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