Is there anything I can do to help?

My eight-year-old spayed dog had been off and on her food for a fortnight. She is on Previcox for arthritis in her elbow but was also lame on her hind leg on the same side. When the vet weighed her she had put more weight on in spite of not eating so they wanted to give her a scan. This was on the Thursday and by Monday last, the 21st, it was obvious that something was very wrong. She was given a scan and blood tests, which showed that her kidney and liver were working all right, but the scan showed a growth. She was operated on and the extra weight was blood; her spleen and the tumour were removed but on the Tuesday her blood count was very low, from loss of blood, that she had a transfusion. I collected her later that day and up to Saturday we have had to take her back to the vet for injections of painkillers and antibiotics and she did not want to eat. As well as this she was leaking urine which made her very sore in spite of changing her bed, but ointment has helped a lot and she is now eating and much much brighter. We are waiting for the result of the biopsy and this is what I am afraid of, and would like to know whether there is anything that will help her.
Kind Regards
Carol

Has anyone else had a dog go through this procedure? I think Carol would value any insight into what the post operative situation has been like for others.

Alison Logan, vet, advises:

I feel guilty at not having seen your query before now because you are needing reassurance. A combination of school half term, extra hours at the practice and sunny weather have kept me away from the internet.

It is amazing how long dogs can accommodate problems without outward signs making them apparent to us. All too often I have encountered dogs of a similar age to yours who have suddenly started to show vague signs of being unwell, perhaps reduced appetite, reluctance to exercise or simply lethargy. There may still be no abnormality found on a routine examination, further investigations such as blood tests and imaging being needed to reveal the source of the problem.

Having a spleen removed is a major surgical procedure, on a patient who is not at all well. Together with blood loss, your dog has experienced a great shock to the system and will require a longer convalescence than from more routine surgery. The need for pain relief by injection, for example, is not surprising. Much like ourselves, the loss of appetite is to be expected in the immediate post-operative phase, and the fact that she had started to eat when you contacted the Think Tank is a sign that she is starting to feel better. Wetting her bed was, I would hope, probably more a reflection of being too sore and uncomfortable to reach the back door in time and should also have improved. Vaseline on the external genital area is a useful barrier against urine which can scald.

I would imagine that you are in receipt of the biopsy result by now. I sincerely hope that the growth was benign and that your dog has continued to make a smooth recovery.

Anxious of separation

We have recently given a home to a lovely little Tibetan Terrier. She is seven years old and an ex-breeding bitch, who has spent her entire life on a puppy farm. The poor girlie was so traumatised and timid when she arrived, but now after just five weeks she has settled really well and loves all members of the family. She has a particular affection for me as I spend the most time with her and, unfortunately, she cries when I leave the house even if she has another family member with her. This has started to improve slowly and I have faith that, in time, she will accept whoever is with her. However, the real problem arises when she is left alone in the house at anytime, she becomes totally stressed, pacing back and forth. She howls and cries, scratches at the door and rips at the carpet. The damage is not a huge issue, but the fact that she is so stressed is my real worry; her little heart races; she shakes and pants. I am trying to build up by popping out for short spells and making a huge fuss when I come back (if she has been quiet, which she will do for very short spells sometimes). The maximum that I would ever leave her is two to three hours and only occasionally. Incidentally, I can leave her strapped in my car and she is very happy.

Therefore I need some ideas please as to how best to deal with leaving her alone in the house.

She also has a habit of chewing and licking her paws; I read that the breed can be fussy about dirty feet, so I wipe them off when we come indoors. But the biting at her paws does worry me as this may have been a way of stimulating herself when she was stuck in a pen all day. She has no idea how to play and is not interested in dog toys; she does, however, love chews, but only if she has company and is happy.

I would really appreciate any tips on how to make life better for this darling girl, she has made such great progress with housetraining and walking on her lead, so we know she is a clever girl.

Many thanks.

Caroline Harris, by email

Suffering from an allergic skin disease

My Japanese Shiba Inu has just been diagnosed with Canine Atopic Dermatitis (CAD). She is not four years old yet and I noticed she seemed very sensitive after I had had her for just a few days, so she has been tested for many things.
It is a horrible disease. She scratches - and not like a normal dog - she removes all the hair from parts of her body. She can’t go outside on a sunny day as she is so sensitive to heat and over the past few weeks has gone downhill and it has become very difficult to get her to go outside as she has no energy and spends most of the day sleeping.
I have a very good consultant who has tried putting her on steroids, but she has had a bad reaction. We are now trialing her on deflazacort, which is an anti-inflammatory, for the next two weeks to calm her skin. If this proves unsuccessful we will try her on a lower dose of steriods, together with antihistamine tablets. However, she has had antihistamine tablets before and they just knocked her out, and I don’t wish to tire her out anymore than she already is. She really perks up when she sees people so I have asked friends to come to the house and see her as she is just too tired to go outside. I am very worried I will soon have to let her go but am very much hoping to hear from anyone with a dog who has CAD and how you have coped with it. I completely trust my vet’s decisions but I do not want to keep her on steroids that cause her further problems and would rather she was at peace.
My vet says in his opinion it is hereditary and this is the first case he has heard of in the UK. Does anyone else in the country have a Shiba Inu with this problem, or know anyone who does?
Thank you very much.

D. Mills, by phone

A sting in the tail

I have a six-year-old Jack Russell Terrier who is obsessed with his tail. He has an exceptionally long and fluffy tail which curls over his back. He has never liked his tail since he was a puppy, and seems to view it as competition to himself. Now and again he would have a go at it, then he would forget about it for months and then start again for a few days. During these times, he did not severely attack it, drawing blood etc but within the past few months he has started to really attack it and draw blood. We have had to start putting on a muzzle to protect the tail. However, as soon as we take off the muzzle, he starts on the tail again. Any suggestions?

Ann Gillies, by email

Rolling in it

Firstly let me say how much I enjoy your magazine. My daughter has a problem with her Newfie in that when on a walk she will insist on rolling in anything smelly and nasty - why does she do this? Molly remains unconcerned when shouted at by my daughter to get up, then carries on with the walk and will do the same thing again.

Any advice would be most helpful.

Sallie Moorhouse, by email

Should I re-dose?

I dosed a four-month-old puppy (who is likely to have worms) with the correct amount of Drontal for its weight (3kg). I mixed the crushed tablet into a small amount of dog meat for easy application. A couple of hours later said puppy had his lunch-time feed of kibble. A further two hours later we embarked on a bumpy car journey resulting in sickness. The vomit looked like partially digested kibble but I am unsure what to do about the worming. As the puppy is likely to have worms, ideally if I need to re-dose I don't want to wait too long. But at the same time I don't want to overdose him, if he did have time to absorb part or all of the Drontal I gave him.

Does anyone have any advice as to what I should do?

Claire (aka scoutelicious on Blogger)

Dogs' - or frogs' - legs?

I've heard from a few people that when a dog lies on its belly with its back legs sprawled out (a bit like a frog), it means they have good hips.

Has anyone heard of this themselves and is there any evidence that this is true?

Claire (aka scoutelicious on Blogger)