Serious skin issues we need your help. Pictures *

Food, Fitness and how to keep them healthy.

Postby Malli » May 13th, 2009, 3:39 am

here in BC, if I took Oscar to Canada West (the specialist hospital), it'd probably run me about $500-1000....
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
_______________________________________
"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07
User avatar
Malli
E-I-E-I-O!
 
Posts: 6341
Location: CANADA EH?

Postby call2arms » May 13th, 2009, 10:09 am

Ooooh, Malli, do you have insurance for Os? I'm thinking of getting it for Jessie, and not sure which one to take.
“Your birth is a mistake you'll spend your whole life trying to correct.” Chuck Palahniuk


I love pus but I hate people.

I can say words like undifferentiated gonads now!
User avatar
call2arms
Boys Stink
 
Posts: 2349
Location: sunshine, lollipops and rainbows everywhere...

Postby pitbullmamaliz » May 13th, 2009, 10:37 am

Check this sticky - the website lists Canadian insurers, too.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=29234
"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

http://www.pitbullzen.com
http://inaradog.wordpress.com
User avatar
pitbullmamaliz
Working out in the buff causes chafing
 
Posts: 15438
Location: Cleveland, OH

Postby call2arms » May 13th, 2009, 10:55 am

Thanks, I've checked it out already... I was asking Malli specifically cause she's in Canada, and works at a vet, so it's a different point of view than the cnsumer reviews...

Petsecure seems like a good bet, but Vetinsurance sounds great, is more expensive but no premiums... Anyway, not looking to hijack the thread here! oops.
“Your birth is a mistake you'll spend your whole life trying to correct.” Chuck Palahniuk


I love pus but I hate people.

I can say words like undifferentiated gonads now!
User avatar
call2arms
Boys Stink
 
Posts: 2349
Location: sunshine, lollipops and rainbows everywhere...

Postby Malli » May 13th, 2009, 8:41 pm

Don't get petsecure. My coworker friend had it and had major medical stuff with her 2 dogs, after that, they dropped coverage to 50%.

I have Petsecure for Oscar, and I figure I'm about even for what I paid into it and what I've claimed, but its all been pretty small stuff ($300-500).

I'm honestly thinking of just setting aside $40/month(what I now pay) in a savings acct, at this point. I wonder if at his age any other provider would cover him, or if the payments would be realistic...

I've heard good things about Vetinsurance.
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
_______________________________________
"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07
User avatar
Malli
E-I-E-I-O!
 
Posts: 6341
Location: CANADA EH?

Postby call2arms » May 16th, 2009, 4:40 pm

Hum, thanks! I guess I'll just make up an account for her... I got her mass and her submandibular lymph nodes (they're always larger than normal) aspirated today and everything's good...
“Your birth is a mistake you'll spend your whole life trying to correct.” Chuck Palahniuk


I love pus but I hate people.

I can say words like undifferentiated gonads now!
User avatar
call2arms
Boys Stink
 
Posts: 2349
Location: sunshine, lollipops and rainbows everywhere...

Postby pitbullmamaliz » May 16th, 2009, 4:54 pm

:rock:
"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

http://www.pitbullzen.com
http://inaradog.wordpress.com
User avatar
pitbullmamaliz
Working out in the buff causes chafing
 
Posts: 15438
Location: Cleveland, OH

Postby call2arms » May 16th, 2009, 5:41 pm

Liz, I knoooow! I wanted to kiss my vet.
“Your birth is a mistake you'll spend your whole life trying to correct.” Chuck Palahniuk


I love pus but I hate people.

I can say words like undifferentiated gonads now!
User avatar
call2arms
Boys Stink
 
Posts: 2349
Location: sunshine, lollipops and rainbows everywhere...

Postby Malli » May 16th, 2009, 5:53 pm

call2arms wrote:Hum, thanks! I guess I'll just make up an account for her... I got her mass and her submandibular lymph nodes (they're always larger than normal) aspirated today and everything's good...



hmm, except, I asked a new vet at work and a tech of 15 yrs and they unanimously agreed on Pet Insurance - their reasoning was for specialist stuff, since it is so expensive.
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
_______________________________________
"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07
User avatar
Malli
E-I-E-I-O!
 
Posts: 6341
Location: CANADA EH?

Postby dlynne1123 » May 17th, 2009, 9:27 pm

Ok, I'm a little behind here, but I"m going from personaly experience, have a dog that is allergic to what it looks at!!!


ALLERGIES! To what, no sure, cold be anything and everything, grass, mold, mites, food, dander, etc.

long term control, and i mean control, no cure. Work on keeping things to a dull roar. Douxo treatment, steroids, pulse antibiotics, Cyclosporine (atopica).

You need ot keep a journal, record when outbreaks happen, seasonal, all year round, certains foods trials. Its a commitment though and I'm seeing it more in bullies off all sorts, as well as some random pure breeds. Goldens, labs, westies, bullies, dobes, boxers....bull dogs...allergy testing shows waht it is, and you can't always sort it out of your life style....all you can do it keep on top of it and keep irritation down to a dull roar.

good luck! I feel the pain, but my rescue girl it totally worth the sacrifices of some skin issues....makes me a great side kick!
Ryder - Rescue APBT
Panser on a Roll - APBT (American Bully?)
Gretchen - the red headed cat that thinks shes a dog
Prudence - the new cat on the block to put the dogs in their place!
Punchlines Better Than Lojac - APBT (RIP)
User avatar
dlynne1123
Hyper Adolescent Bully
 
Posts: 289
Location: New England

Postby Malli » May 18th, 2009, 3:39 am

hey, do you find the Duoxo works?
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
_______________________________________
"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07
User avatar
Malli
E-I-E-I-O!
 
Posts: 6341
Location: CANADA EH?

Postby dlynne1123 » May 18th, 2009, 4:15 pm

Well, so far its working great....we also have a few clients dogs on it and they are happy. We find there are still occasional flare ups, this time of year, or during stress, but there isn't the need for long term steroids. We are back to pulse treating when flare ups occur. My poor girl isn't itching her legs like corn cobs any more and we have much less break outs.
Ryder - Rescue APBT
Panser on a Roll - APBT (American Bully?)
Gretchen - the red headed cat that thinks shes a dog
Prudence - the new cat on the block to put the dogs in their place!
Punchlines Better Than Lojac - APBT (RIP)
User avatar
dlynne1123
Hyper Adolescent Bully
 
Posts: 289
Location: New England

Postby Malli » May 18th, 2009, 4:29 pm

And, do you just use the skin treatments, or the shampoo as well?

I ask because I've stopped bathing Oscar, and found he's done much better with it(not during infections though, no choice really then). I'm a bit scared to try bathing him again when I have to (we've just been swimming in the lake! :)). I've also been able to keep him off AB's for probably 2 months...

He's been stuck on the 'roids for about 2 years, wich I'd like to get him off as well.

How do you use it? The skin treatments when you notice a flare up? Or continuously? In combination with anything?

I had done it on Oscar, I remember a couple of shampoos and a treatment etc... I'm trying to refresh my memory...
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
_______________________________________
"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07
User avatar
Malli
E-I-E-I-O!
 
Posts: 6341
Location: CANADA EH?

Postby dlynne1123 » May 18th, 2009, 4:36 pm

We started the shampoo treatments at first and she was still on steroids. After bath three her skin was significantly calmed and she didn't react to the spray at all. She was weaned off the steroids by week two of the spraying. We now use the spray as a maintenance program to avoid chronic break outs. We only get a break out during stressfull occasions or seasons and they aren't as bad or as long. Before we started this, she was starting to need pred almost daily, or she would get random, oozing hot spots on her head and neck, it was freaking me out and I was looking into Atopica. Even though I'm a tech, this price was inhibitory for the time being. While I was saving up for it this product came to us, and I love it. Its also not a medicine shes ingesting, its only topical. Her allergies are primarily environmental. I'm not sure how it works for food allergies.

Ryder is 3.5 years and its been progressing. This seems to have put the progression on hold for now. I'm seeing better results than the immunotherapy, simply b/c she was allergic to so much on her serology, they couldn't make a defined enough injection.
Ryder - Rescue APBT
Panser on a Roll - APBT (American Bully?)
Gretchen - the red headed cat that thinks shes a dog
Prudence - the new cat on the block to put the dogs in their place!
Punchlines Better Than Lojac - APBT (RIP)
User avatar
dlynne1123
Hyper Adolescent Bully
 
Posts: 289
Location: New England

Postby Malli » May 19th, 2009, 4:05 am

Oscar's allergies are highly suspect as environmental(not tested, but they're just too, "constant", you know? never seemed to even be impacted by food trials...) I totally get the Atopica thing, I'm a Vet assistant and make even less then a tech!

I didn't get the spray, I got topical applications that look similar to Advantage... I wonder if its the same stuff? Is the spray similar to topagen? Or maybe just the same application base (isopropol alcohal, I believe)

He just seems to react so poorly to bathing, skin dries out and gets all itchy. I only used allergy related or medicated shampoos and probably over the last year, maybe more, the baths have just seemed to make everything worse, and then its like a vicious cylce because eventually he makes even more oil on his skin and again, has to be bathed... I know Rick (our vet) will think I'm nuts for it but Oscar hasn't had a bath in months and is doing -for Oscar-so well.
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
_______________________________________
"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07
User avatar
Malli
E-I-E-I-O!
 
Posts: 6341
Location: CANADA EH?

Postby hugapitbull » May 19th, 2009, 5:27 am

Trouble seems to do better with a weekly bath. We have used Melesab shampoo for years now with pretty good success. The longer you leave it on before rinsing the better the results.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble
We beat osteosarcoma - 27 months 20 days cancer free
'Spirit' Trouble departed for the Bridge 3/16/2011 a victim of aging
Visit - http://k9cancer.org

Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain--and most fools do. ~Dale Carnegie
User avatar
hugapitbull
The Better Half
 
Posts: 1570
Location: My heart lives at Rainbow Bridge

Postby Malli » May 19th, 2009, 2:45 pm

Yes, and Oscar used to be that way, but as I mentioned, the longer I leave on the shampoo, the more it dries out his skin.

It just seems to be a new direction his allergies have taken; I've noticed in the 7 years he's had them that the affected places on his body kind of move around, first, it was always his belly with pustules, then oily skin and a couple yeast infections, then he started licking his feet frequently, and then we moved back to bacterial infections more on his sides or chest wall.
With this latest type of reaction and location any bathing with shampoo seems to really irritate him and he'll start scratching like crazy until he's raw...


I stopped bathing him, at first due to my own laziness, and then I noticed that his skin seemed better; He'll go for a swim in the lake, I give him a good towelling down, and his skin feels great.
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
_______________________________________
"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07
User avatar
Malli
E-I-E-I-O!
 
Posts: 6341
Location: CANADA EH?

Postby shady-angel » May 25th, 2009, 2:28 am

hugapitbull wrote:Trouble seems to do better with a weekly bath. We have used Melesab shampoo for years now with pretty good success. The longer you leave it on before rinsing the better the results.


My shampoo is the same. it's called dermaleen and it's a cool green gooey colour.
User avatar
shady-angel
Kiwi
 
Posts: 102

Previous

Return to Nutrition & Health

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users

cron