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Thanks for the info. The vet didn't seem to think it was Cushings either. I did order an allergy shot. It take 10 days to manufacture.
The question is, How much money should you spend on a 12 year old dog? Granted I love my Jet and we have been through a lot together but it has already cost me 6K in tests with no diagnosis.
martin
It is always a hard call when it comes to our pets and when is enough, enough. I have spent a fortune on Koko so I know how you feel. I have probably spent 6k+ on her and she is just 4 now. I had a $3700 bill for double CCL surgery when she was less than one.
Although 12 is considered old in retriever years I know you still want to do all you can to keep your beloved Jet comfortable..
You might try some of the things I posted that worked with Koko. I think her food was one of the issues we were fighting in addition to the allergies to household mold/dust mites etc. If she still has scabs you might try the lime/sulphur treatment along with the Etiderm shampoo.
Good luck to you and Jet.
Didn't know I had to give him shots. Hate needles. I thought it was going to be 1 big shot the vet gave him. This is the last medical thing I can do besides bringing him to the Mayo Clinic for dogs, where ever it is.
martin and jet
I give Koko her shot once a month. I hate shots myself but I have found that Koko doesn't even know when I give her the shot. The shot in combination to finding her the right non allergic food has her completely free of scale and dandruff. I hope the shots will help your dog. Give it time to work. It took several months before we say results. The Lime/sulphur dip along with the Etiderm shampoo helped clear up the lesions that she already had. These are things you can do yourself also.
KOKO, I think they are working. It's been 2 months and the scabs are much smaller. No more gigantic ones. I just shaved his hair and his skin looks ok.
He looks funny since I only shaved his back and sides.
I wash him 1 a week in Chlorhexaderm 4% and a Chlorhexiderm spray.
martin
Good to hear that you are starting to see results. I know it seemed like
forever before I saw results ,but the lesions did heal and have stayed
away. I had given Koko a lab cut last year and the sores were very visible
with her short hair. This year there are no scabs or dandruff and her coat
is nice and shiny.
Hang in there.
Bill
hi i hope that your dog is doing better sometimes a change in food to a natural raw meaty bone diet can help really helped a friends spaniel when she tried it. just a thought!!!
2 days ago I got a bottle of 45 ppm colloidal silver. I started spraying it on Jet's head which was full of scabs. Very very gross.
I think it's working. His skin is looking better and no new scabs are forming.
Today I am getting some colloidal silver for him to take internally in his water.
It's been only 2 days and I will keep you informed.
martin
Hello all,
After 4 years and $8,000 plus in every test possible, visits, specialists, special diets, shots, creams, special shampoos and more, I CURED MY 13 year old OLD BUDDY MYSELF!;)
So how did I do it? It's an interesting story.
I just spent the last 4 years of baths for Jet with a special shampoo, using my fingernail to scrape off his scabs, which he had all over his body. The scabs would never heal. It was the ultimate in grossness. SEE THE PHOTOS I POSTED. GAARRROOOSSSS. And it smelled to high heaven. The blood on the walls and carpet made my wife cringe. My wife wanted to put him down.
In February, I got a case a case of Ringworm. It started out as a 7 raised red bumps. After a couple of weeks of scratching, I went to a dermotologist. She tested it for ringworm. It was negative! So the dermotologist then gave me some cream to stop itching and went of vacation for 3 weeks. Over the 3 weeks, I got the worst case of ring worm anybody has seen. On my stomach a circle of 10". It was pure torture. Saw the dermo after 4 weeks and she tested it. Walaaa, it was ringworm. She put me on ring worm pills. (My wife knew it at the beginning)
After 6 weeks the, ringworm got smaller and the pills were working. Still isn't totally gone yet. It's been 5 months.
I asked the dermo, why she didn't recognize this as possible ringworm. She said it is sometimes likely that the first test of ringworm is negative for fungus. I asked my neighbor, an ER doc and he confirmed this.
(I didn't ask the dermo, knowing this, why didn't you just treat me for ringworm?) It would have saved me 4 months of pure torture of itching.
Anyway, I said to myself, maybe the dog dermatologist's lab result also tested negative for fungus. So I looked on the internet about dog fungus and saw they gave the same medicine as I was taking!!!!
So, I gave him 1/4 of a 250mg terbinafine (lotrimin) After 1 1/2 months, the scabs virtually disappeared. A couple of days ago, I bathed him and found a couple of bb sized scabs. His hair growing back and for 13 he's got a new life. (I know he going to doggie heaven but at least he's going with a shiny healthy coat of hair)
WE'RE NOT DONE YET WITH THE STORY.
So, I called my vet and said I cured Jet. All you vets (3 of them) and a specialist didn't know it was a simple fungus infection. All is need is a perscripion of 250 terbinafine at Walmart for $4 a month. Cut in 4's, that's $1 a month.
You see, I have given Dr. Bolton in Albuquerque 10 thousand+ of dollars in business in the past 5 years. He has seen Jet with his scabs a dozen or more times. In fact, he saw him last February and said he is not going to last past the Fall. He's 13.
Did he give me prescription for terbinafine?
HELL NO. HE WANTED TO SEE HIM FOR A $50 OFFICE VISIT. The vet wanted more money, even though he said, himself, Jet is going to die this year. Even though I spent thousands at his office. Is it greed. Is it arrogance. I just don't know.
He is fired. So Dr. Bolton, if you are reading this, YOUR'E FIRED.:p
Also the dog dermotologist, Dr. Thomas Lewis of Albuquerque NM and Chandler AZ, you are going to get one hell of a letter. This whole thing snowballed with your fungus tests which were negative and you could have treated him with a simple medicine. :mad:
AM I ANGRY? YOU BET I AM.
I can't blame you for being angry. Even if the test was negative for Ringworm, a vet with very much experience should have recognized the symptoms and possibly done a trial treatment just to see if it would help.
Where I work they also sometimes use a Woods Lamp (blacklight) to help in diagnosing Ringworm. But often they'll pull on years of experience with the symptoms despite negative test results and have had much luck with it.
I don't know that your bad experience with vets is just greed, or a fear of making a medical decision based on experience vs having proof positive lab results to confirm them. Sometimes vets, and human doctors, get so frightened of not being 100% positive on something until they have lab work to back it up that they won't do anything without it. I think it hinders them.
Glad to hear that after all that your dog is scab free now.
CAT, I agree with you but I think arrogance comes into play also. Even my dermotologist didn't treat me for ringworm until it REALLY looked like ringworm.
OTOH isn't ringwrom and fungus infection basic dermotology 101?
4 years of scraping off bloody scabs every 5-7 days is mind boggling.
Shouldn't they be responsible? I already talked to 1 arrogant vet. Still have to talk to the other 2 who have no idea I cured Jet for $2.
martin