FOO News

[davidc4430]

As can be seen in the photo, Foo has had a blood test done today.

i noticed a swelling on his snout on friday morning so took him in to the vets friday afternoon.

the swelling is thought to be a tooth abcese.

whilst at the vets the vet noticed looking at Foos weight he had lost over 2 kilos since last december and about 5 kilos in a year!

hence the blood test, i will get the results tomorrow afternoon.

hes on anti biotics for his swelling and its allready gone down since friday.

the vet his holding off on the tooth problem until she gets the results from the blood test.

hes 11 years old, i'm not panicing but i am worried.

fingers crossed its not what it might be, cant even say it.

[kopenhagen5]

Haven't read all the responses but has worms been considered ?

[sandypas]

I buy my dogs tick/flea/worm treatment here and they are a lot cheaper than the vets.

https://www.budgetpetproducts.com.au/new/tag/1938

[davidc4430]

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@kopenhagen5wrote:

Haven't read all the responses but has worms been considered ?

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hes been on worm tablets every month since ive had him, so they shouldnt be a problem

[davidc4430]

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@sandypaswrote:

I buy my dogs tick/flea/worm treatment here and they are a lot cheaper than the vets.

https://www.budgetpetproducts.com.au/new/tag/1938

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he has 'heart guard plus' chews monthly, so worms shouldnt be a problem.

i buy them from budget pet products

[sandypas]

No, that site sells cheaper science diet food and other - just for future reference.

[chameleon54]

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@davidc4430wrote:

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@kopenhagen5wrote:

Haven't read all the responses but has worms been considered ?

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hes been on worm tablets every month since ive had him, so they shouldnt be a problem

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As a sheep farmer in a high rainfall area, intestinal worms are a constant problem in our stock. I carry a drench gun in the ute all of the time and on occasions we get veterinary worm tests done on sheep manure. We also " rotate " our drenches every time we buy a new drum. ( rotating is using a different active ingredient to last drench )

With worming tablets for any animal its very important to change them around on a regular basis. ie. use a tablet or gel with a different active ingredient. Once a product has been on the market and used by the same pet owner for awhile, a few worms build up a resistance to the active ingredient. While most are killed a few resistant ones survive. These then breed up creating more resistant worms until eventually the product has no efficiency at all in your animal. This is called worm resistance and is a very common problem.

This is also a problem with many of the dog flea treatments on the market, particularly those sold in supermarkets. They simply no longer work. With the wifes guide dog living in our house and going into restuarants, public transport etc. it is essential it is kept free of fleas. We have had to go to an expensive vet supplied product as the common supermarket products are known by the experts ( Guide dog service providers, vets etc. ) to be ineffective in gaining full flea control.

Probably worth mentioning this to the vet to see if rotating with a different brand will help.

[davidc4430]

i'm 100% sure neither Foo or Rosie have fleas.

i have dealt with fleas in the past, usually after my sister in law who was a bit oblivious to her little dogs fleas problem would come for a visit. many years ago now.

fleas are one creature i have no sympathy for in our house! lol

Foo is given a Hydro-bath monthly and afterwards is inspected for signs of fleas. (not by me but a trained professional)

if even 1 flea was found you can bet it would be a problem dealt with right away.

another good reason to not get into 'meet n sniff' with strangers dogs on walks. i really try to avoid people with dogs when we are out walking.

the main reason he is on the worm chews is stopping 'heartworm'

most worms can be dealt with easily but once heartworm gets in there is no stopping it.

the 'heartworm plus' chews cover heartworm and the other types in one dose.

can i say 100% he hasnt got worms, of course no, but i have seen no tell tale signs, like in his droppings which i see way too much of close up LOL

however i will talk to the vet about that possibility too, thanks for the reminder.

[lyndal1838]

I am with chameleon here.....a regular change of flea and worm treatments is advisable.  We also used to do it with our horses.

There is an annual vaccination available for dogs now for heartworm control but from what I remember of a conversation I had with my daughter some years back it is not as safe as tablets.  Apparently there is no way to reverse it if the dog has a bad reaction.

[lyhargr_0]

David, I am soooo pleased that FOO received a good report, hopefully he will be with you for a while yet

Fleas are also dependant on the type of area your dog lives in, they are far more prevalent in sandy soil, than clay. Where I am is a heavy clay area and have never seen a flea on any of our dogs, in my home etc. etc., whereas my cousin lives near the coast and has a constant battle re fleas.

Heart worm is also more prevalent in certain areas than in others, we used to medicate our dogs for heart worm but now we dont bother. In Summer if they have any allergy prob we use Comfortis but also haven't need to use it for a while, so if def depends on the type soil/grass etc you have in your yard

We use Aloveen for their bathing, it seems to take care of any skin dryness or itching which "may" occur

[davidc4430]

anything 'medicine' related i give to my pets, is only ever with vet aproval.

i will talk to her about all these sugestions for why Foo has lost this weight.

if she thinks i should change brands of worm contol i will

although i google a lot, i would never just google a problem and blindly start giving either Foo or Rosie anything without first getting a vets ok.

when googling this particular problem, wow, you read some crazy 'sugestions'

just to let everyone know, Foo is in his usual position, fully asleep, on his bed, right next to me having doggy dreams.

rosie is asleep in the sun on my bed.