Beat this if you can!

[Booboos]

I have been posting on various people's questions about doggie medical problems, and realised that all my knowledge comes from Jakey, so...

I challenge you to beat this for the title of HHO's sickliest (if there is such a word) dog:

Jakey is only 10 and he has:

- elbow dysplasia on both fronts, he is on Metacam as and when he needs it

- luxating patelas on both hinds

- food allergies, he gets severe gastroenteritis unless fed a prescription diet

- respiratory allergies, he in on an inhaller twice a day

- a hear murmur, at 2/6 we are monitoring this at the moment

- what my OH describes as Clinical Dirtyness, a rare condition that results in compulsive dirt attraction to the point where there is more dirt than dog!

Beat this if you can!

 

[Vizslak]

Lmao! Nope definately can't beat that, you win!

 

[Lucy_Nottingham]

!!!!!!

Errr no! However I do have to be honest that right now not sure I could afford beau if he had this many medical dilemas!!!! your insurance must be mint!!

 

[CorvusCorax]

Well my 28mo has....

- severe allergies/sensitivities which result in skin infection

- a dicky back

- an enlarged prostate

- a malformed urtethra

- no sheath

- low heart rate

-low tear production

Ah, I do love DisasterDog

He did have pretty bad dog aggression (my fault) but we are all bettered now

 

[Booboos]

No insurance I am afraid!! He is my 'cheap' dog though, Betty's heart murmur (5/6) costs a bomb in medications and tests...she is still with us 4 years after being told she only had weeks to live so that's pretty priceless!

 

[BuzzLightyear]

Booboos how do you manage your heart murmur doggies?

I have a 3 year old boxer with a 2/6 murmur (aeortic stenosis) on one side of his heart and an irrgegular heart beat. He's seen cardiologists had ECGs and bloods taken and there best advice was to limit his exercise.

This is not an option with him and he's bouncing off the walls without a good 3 hrs exercise a day.

 

[Booboos]

They are both being looked after at Leahurst.

Jakey we are just monitoring as he was first diagnosed in November so we are waiting 6 months to see what happens and its a low grade murmur. He is slim so no need for any further dieting and no one mentioned anything about exercise so we continue as normal (ideally he should not be jumping because of his legs, but try telling him that!).

Betty had a poor prognosis and I think everyone is surprised with how well she is doing. She has a problem with her mitral valve which leaks into her left atrium so she has a seriously enlarged heart. At first she was being seen every month, then every three months and when she still refused to deteriorate now every six months.

Every time she goes in she has bloods and ECG, at first she also had x-rays, but they have skipped the x-rays recently as her rate of deterioration is very slow.

She is on a diet food to keep her weight down, she has a halter on as the collar makes her cough, but no one said anything about exercise so she runs around as normal. She does not seem to get at all tired with exercise though and is very perky.

She is on quite a few medications:
- Vetmedin: there is some evidence that early use of vetmedin helps with long term survival

- Fortecor: I think this facilitates blood flow

- Frusemide: diuretic

- Corvental: also has some diuretic properties as it has caffein, but can't remember why exactly we added this one to the mix!!

- Prilactone

She is also on Invemectin for bladder incontinence

When she was first diagnosed I had a long chat with a specialist in London who performs the op, but she was not a good candidate. Basically he said that larger dogs (10 kilos plus) do better as there is a better chance of being able to repair the valve. Valves can also be replaced but then dogs have to be on anti-coagulants (sp?) which apparently cause problems. On the whole the stats for the op did not sound like they were worth the risk for Betty and in retrospect it was a good decision as 3 years later she is fine on the meds.

PM me if you want more info or to discuss things!

 

[Charmaine18]

Cor! I certainly can't beat that - I'm very lucky that Leah is mostly a healthy girly. She has seizures very occasionally (maybe every two or three years) and when she was a pup the vet mentioned a slight heart murmur but no-one's said anything about it since so it can't have been that bad... he didn't tell us to change anything. That's pretty much it... nice and cheap for vets' bills!

What happens if your dog gets ill and you can't afford the treatment? Is there any kind of free clinic for animals, or do you have to PTS?

It seems so awful to have to let an animal die because of money.

 

[cellie]

I had a horse that could

 

[CorvusCorax]

[ QUOTE ]
Cor! I certainly can't beat that - I'm very lucky that Leah is mostly a healthy girly. She has seizures very occasionally (maybe every two or three years) and when she was a pup the vet mentioned a slight heart murmur but no-one's said anything about it since so it can't have been that bad... he didn't tell us to change anything. That's pretty much it... nice and cheap for vets' bills!

What happens if your dog gets ill and you can't afford the treatment? Is there any kind of free clinic for animals, or do you have to PTS?

It seems so awful to have to let an animal die because of money.

[/ QUOTE ]

The PDSA