I think she has an allergy going on here. She has been gnashing at her feet, (And I THINK it happens when she has been outside, so I will have to track that) and when I go to look at them she snarls. So I waited until she was not doing it and gave them all a good look and there is nothing visibly wrong. Patty, is this what Willy does?
Also, the weirdest thing. We have a big pine tree that leaks sap. Occasionally Zuzu would get a spot on her fur and I would have to cut it out. I saw what looked like a sticky patch on Loki--a little tuff of hair was sticking up--but when I gently tugged on it it fell out. She has had 3 or 4 of these now on her back end, legs and underbelly. There doesn't seem to be any significant hair loss. Just a little patch the size of my index finger nail. They are not bothering her.
I will bathe her this weekend and try some Benedryl (Didn't want to give it to her before I left for work.)
Any other suggestions? She has no other symptoms and does not feel warm (Yeah, YOU take her temperature!)
Thanks!
Aren't there strip thermometers you just put on the skin (foreheads for people). If so, does she have a bare spot on her belly that it could be held against (ooooh, look Mom's giving me a belly rub)?
My parents had a Brittney Spaniel when i was growing up that would bite at her feet. SHe would chew on them till they bled. She was allergic to grass and stuff outside we later found out. We got some special shampoo from the vet and bathed her once a month in it and it seemed to keep the itchies away. She also had patches of hair fall out too, from biting her skin. Is Loki doing that, perhaps when you aren't there to see? Otherwise i'm not sure why she would be losing hair like that. Let us know what you end up finding out when the mystery is solved.
Hallie has been biting her feet like crazy too. She also has no sores or redness or anything. With her it's definitely an allergy flare up, it happens this time every year (she also is more itchy on her head and to a lesser extent, her sides/back). I took her to her dermatologist two days ago and we are going to now give her an allergy shot every week instead of every three (until she's better...these are immunotherpay shots not steroids). I am also going to go get Chlorpheniramine for her (Benedryl knocks her out and makes her sleep all day even at a low dose and didn't help her itchies but every dog is different). If this all doesn't help he suggested small amount of pred just for the summer but I won't do that.
On a dog health board someone suggested using black tea...make it really strong (a few bags to a cup), cool it and you can add a few drops of tea tree oil too if you want. You put it on their feet (spray or stick their feet in it...you don't have to soak it) a few times a day. She says it will really help. I have not tried it yet but just got the tea bags so will be doing that today.
You can also wipe their feet off everytime they come in from the grass (I've been doing that ad nauseum) I use a wet paper towel. Hallie hates it but puts up with it in usual polite Hallie style. I have a feeling the tea treatments aren't going to go over big either! :wink:
I have no idea about the hair clumps coming out?? Is she shedding a lot right now?
Poor baby - definatly sounds like some allergy going on. Sending rays that you can find something to help her !
Emma was like this all her life. liquid phenegane helped. So also was corisone cream, as it is topical and not the same effect on the rest of the body as tablets or jabs.
Emma we did have skin tests and we knew grass was one of her allergies, so we never let her out or onto newly cut grass, and kept her in on high pollen days (with us it was a north wind).
Don't laugh, I used to cut down on a pair of ladies nylon half hoses so they covered from paw to under her leg on the two legs then tied them over her back, we found she could not chew them off or through them. Plus putting the cream on under it usually put a blocker on it for a while. I never left them on if we went out for a long time.
Apparently they can become OCD with chewing and it becomes a habit, we even tried prozac on her, as hers eventually became allergy\habit. This was done under the vets advice. But thats another story.
I also always used Neutragena T gel shampoo on her as it seemed to calm her skin down.
Roberta
Poor Loki. I hope her feet are less itchy!
I haven't been able to catch up because we are dog sitting my sister's beagle...... and she is naughty! With three hounds in the house, I'm ready to start chewing my feet, too or at least start pulling my hair out. Casey, the beagle, makes my babies look like perfect angels :angel4:
You mentioned tree sap in your post.... I am very allergic to pine sap. It makes me break out in a nasty and extremely itchy red rash, so maybe that is the culprit.
You might want to try the black tea soak that was suggested or I know they make a topical Benadryl spray. I would be cautious about using tea tree oil, however because I remember reading in one of the DORG newsletters (can't remember when) that tea tree oil can be toxic to dogs if injested.
I know in most stores you can usually find various "hotspot" topical creams, ointments, etc specifically for dogs.
Dawn
Quotetea tree oil can be toxic to dogs if injested
Good night!!!! That is why I am always a little reluctant to try things I hear about on the net. I will definitely not use tree oil then, any chance ingesting black tea could be bad for them? (the bit they would get on their feet...). Gads. Thanks so much for letting us know this.
Quote from: Dee Dee and Hallie on July 29, 2006, 10:31:14 AM
Good night!!!! That is why I am always a little reluctant to try things I hear about on the net. I will definitely not use tree oil then, any chance ingesting black tea could be bad for them? (the bit they would get on their feet...). Gads. Thanks so much for letting us know this.
Well, now here's a thought. How about painting her feeties with that stuff they use for trail dogs to protect their foot pads? If it effectively seals the skin, mebbe it will keep the allergines from bothering her so much.
p.s. Loki got her bath today. She clearly did not want to be lifted, but tolerated the bath well (she usually does.) She sulked for a few minutes and I gave her some metacam. Not ten seconds later she was runnng around like a puppy. Happens about every time I think she needs meds and I give it to her--she sproings and my wallet goes Ka-Ching! Still I would NEVER deny her any anti-inflams, she's got a hook in her spine, for goodness sakes, I'm sure she is uncomfortable sometimes.
p.s. DeeDee check out my reply to your comment on the handsome handy man under "Don't tell mom :grin:
Hi! Here is a link to the tea tree article I was talking about....
http://www.dachshund.org/health_tea_tree_oil.html
I was going to copy and paste the article, but wasn't sure about the whole copy-right issue, so I hope the link works.
Dee Dee, I hope you weren't offended.... I didn't want to contradict your advice. I remember being told that tea tree oil was good for skin issues in pets & people, too. However, something struck a bell in my brain that I read somewhere that it was bad. I managed to remember the article, which is no mean feat since I'm 231 in dog years.
Weak black tea would probably be OK, I have heard people use for foot problems ( the tannic acid in tea is what relieves the itching, etc).
Everyone have a great day :grommit:
You are a thinker Les! :thinik: That is a really great thought about sealing the feeties. Wonder if that would work! May have to try that. A hook in Loki's spine?? What is that? Ouch!
LOL OK off to check out the handyman post...hope he's in a treat box coming our way!
THANK YOU for that link Frankys Mom! Of course you did not offend me. I am sooooo glad you shared this! Freaks me out how close I came to using it. That is the scary thing about researching on the internet and trying things that are suggested...you never know the whole truth. You weren't contradicting my advice at all, I was just relaying what someone else had suggested and am very glad you caught the error. Good to know the tea is OK though. It was suggested several bags to a cup so that would be pretty strong tea, maybe I should make it weaker. Or not use it at all LOL YIKES.
Thanks again for setting the record straight. :thumb:
Quote from: Dee Dee and Hallie on July 31, 2006, 11:51:36 AM
You are a thinker Les! :thinik: That is a really great thought about sealing the feeties. Wonder if that would work! May have to try that. A hook in Loki's spine?? What is that? Ouch!
Well, when Loki was first at the vet for the sore back the vet felt along her spine and diagnosed "disc". THEN the next day, when she decompressed she got a spine x-ray. The "hook" grows out of one vertebrae to try to connect to the one next to it, "bridging" the weak disc. (And this is best way I know to understand/describe it.) Vet #2 diagnoses: Spodylosis, which is the fancy name for Arthritis. Is arthritis in her spine the same darn thing as IVDD? or is it a concurrent condition? Or did one cause the other? But the treatment remains the same, at any rate.
p.s. we have been giving both girls Glucosemine/Chondritine supplements ever since. Loki has never had an "attack" as bad as the first one, although there are days when she is clearly not up to speed. Because we all have days when we are not 100%, I will give her a half dose of the anti-inflams.
Fred had a really bad case of spondylosis (my sweet Great Dane boy). His started at 1 yr old. When the spine is unstable it tries to immobilize itself by fusing the area that is unstable. That is the "bridging". Fred's whole spine "bridged". He was in horrible pain until it completed. The rest of his life he had a big hump in his back and was stiff but not quite as painful. It is not the same as regular arthritis. Although arthritis can occur at the same time. It doesn't sound like Loki's is too terribly bad? If she has times when it doesn't bother her...? And no, arthritis of the spine isn't the same as IVDD. Isn't it fun to have all these variables to confuse us. :thinik:
Its technically not and arthritis, but is an Auto immune disease, have to read up my immuno books again.
Roberta
Quote from: Dee Dee and Hallie on August 01, 2006, 11:02:58 AM
Fred had a really bad case of spondylosis (my sweet Great Dane boy). His started at 1 yr old. When the spine is unstable it tries to immobilize itself by fusing the area that is unstable. That is the "bridging". Fred's whole spine "bridged". He was in horrible pain until it completed. The rest of his life he had a big hump in his back and was stiff but not quite as painful. It is not the same as regular arthritis. :thinik:
Poor Fred! At one year old it sounds like a genetic thing. How horrible!
Loki is 95-100% well most of the time, with her "episode" I guage at a 65%--knowing how much worse it can get, with a full blown disc episode at "0". She is quite restricted from jumping, but the little booger DOES get away with it. Sometimes, since there are two dogs in the household, if one if feeling punk, I can guage it against the other one. If they both seem subdued, I reckon it's something else, like a really hot day. One thing she no longer does, though, is stand up on her hind legs to greet me. Other than that, she runs like a thoroughbred and does wahtever she darn well pleases, rolling over, licking her hiney, whatever you think a dawg with spondylosis would NOT be doing. Still, she is 7 and this could change at anytime.
Leslie, about Loki's back episodes....my Ginger is not doing well, about 8 months ago she had a problem draggin one rear leg, we took her in, vet suggested surgery, we took anti inflam meds and went home, a few weeks later, almost spontaneously she got better, jumped onto the couch and shocked us all. Now yesterday she is down to dragging both hind legs and in severe pain. Back to the vet, vet said "disk" and surgery. I resist the surgery thing until last resort, I hate to think the choice of either surgery or euthanize. (sob) We got pain meds and anti inflam, she is resting comfortably at home being fully pampered. I sure hope she improves, I don't want to do anything drastic with her. Anyways, my point is that after reading your posts about the episodes coming and going, I am encouranged that she may improve on her own with lots of rest. crossing my fingers...........
QuotePoor Fred! At one year old it sounds like a genetic thing.
He started with entropian and ectropian as well as demodectic mange at 9 months. (bought from a well known show breeder and judge). Then the spondylosis, followed closely by tonsils needing to be removed, which caused several bouts of pneumonia, he suffered from a mysterious disorder where he would suddenly panic and gulp and gulp like he couldn't swollow and he'd want to go out and eat grass and would vomit (never diagnosed...not megaesophagus). This would go on for up to 8 hours until we were both so exhausted he would just collapse. He had one kidney removed due to cancer (I tried to donate him one of mine but...). He would get strange fevers and be very ill for a few days at a time. Never diagnosed again. He bloated and almost died, he had the horrible pain from the spondylosis, eye surgery to correct the entropian, three unrelated cancers we were always removing lumps from him. Twice Jessie and I spent up to 2 weeks on the vet clinic floor with him 24/7 watching him and making sure he was breathing and had the will to get through it. I'm sure I'm forgetting other problems...it was one after another. I spent over $10,000.00 trying to save my boy, did holistic home made food (which I dont have much faith in any longer) as well as acupuncture, chiropractics, natural "remedies" voo doo stuff, (which I also have no faith in any longer) nothing worked. I lost him at 6 yrs old, two weeks later Jessie went down at age 4 and had the surgery and suffered from that for the rest of her life til I lost her at age 10. That is why I tried so hard to not get another dog after Jessie died and why I freak out so much over every little thing with Hallie, I do not want to go through years like I did with those two suffering like they did,I don't think I could take that again. I lost my sister, Jessie and my Chester kitty within 5 months. No fun. But I do think you are right I think Fred had a very poor immune system which led to most of not all of his problems and most likely all were very genetic. Jessie also lived in a crate for her first 4 months laying in her own waste, bred by a show kennel and a vet, both of those kids goes to show that rescues don't only come from rescue groups and sometimes even show bred dogs need rescueing more than the "rescue" dogs.
OK done venting. :wink:
That is great Loki feels so good most of the time. She won't necessarily get worse...Fred leveled out and didn't seem to change after his spine bridged. All we can do is take one day at a time with these little boogers!
Laurel I am SO sorry to hear what you are going through with Ginger. How old is she? Is she able to stand and walk? Did the vet suggest surgery right now for her? Maybe you already know...but when they are down like that and need surgery you only have a short window of time where the surgery is most likely to help them. Hopefully she is doing better on her own and will be ok these doxie back problems are a nightmare and it seems the majority of doxies will get it. I hate it. I think it's all of our worst fears. I hope you'll keep us posted on her.
Our Ginger is 6. The vet did not say there is only a window of opportunity.....dang nammit!! now I don't know if bringing her home was right, it felt right tho.. :confused:...She doesn't like me much right now, I am the icky medicine dispenser. She won't eat for me. Trust is gone. So my daughter is the food giver. Everything that comes from her is good. Hopefully she will gain some strength.
She can't stand at all on her back legs. She will drag herself, its so sad to see. We keep her still, take her out to potty, keep her clean and warm. waiting. .. :pray:......thanks for the thoughts.
Laurel I didn't mean to put doubts in your mind...you might check out this web site, www.dodgerslist.com. There is a forum there dedicated to doxies who are down and different treatments, etc. They are very knowledgable and helpful. If you post about Ginger and her symptoms there I'm sure you will get some great information for her. Each case is so different, and what works for one may not work for another. It is a heartbreaking thing to go through but most do recovery and do really well. She is very lucky to have you. Please keep us posted.