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I too have had to deal with ear infections. Both of my dogs (Lab & Pyr) seemed to suffer the worst when we lived in Virginia. We recently moved to Oregon (hubby is in the Coast Guard) and their ears have finally cleared up. We have been prescribed a number of products - I didn't notice that one works better than another. The Pyr's last infection was cleared up with oral antibiotics, an ear wash called Epi-Otic, and a topical ointment called Mometamax. I have also had to deal with hip dysplasia with my Lab. He is AKC registered, and has certified hips, but........... At the age of 2, Timber started limping on his left side. We took him to the vet, and an x-ray showed severe dysplasia in both hips. When drugs didn't help, our vet suggested a procedure called FHO surgery (Femoral Head Ostectomy.) This is usually done with smaller dogs, but she said that Vets were seeing good results with larger dogs (Timber was 80 lbs then.) Since his right hip didn't seem to bother him, we decided to try the surgery on his left hip. Hip replacement just wasn't something we could afford. He did very well with the surgery, total recovery (drug free) was 6 months - but he was walking on the leg (surprising the staff at the clinic) hours after the surgery. Exercise is encouraged after this surgery, since the muscle is the only thing holding the leg to the hip. Timber is now 7 years old, and you would never know that he had surgery - both in looks or in his activity level. Thank goodness the right hip has never given him a problem, since it was just as bad as the left when he was 2. He takes Rimadyl occasionally after a day of hiking - but it is his knees, not hip, that bother him. I also have both dogs on a Gluclosamine (sp) regimen. A few years back, someone on this list asked about this surgery - and reported a good result. I will see if I can find that old message. Best of luck to you and your pyrs. Melissa Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2010 18:27:32 -0700 From: darla.d.g@sbcglobal.net Subject: [pyrnet] Food To: pyrnet-l@pyrnet.org
Well, my dogs probably wish they were as spoiled as yours. I have a 4 YO puppy mill girl, who I adopted at 9 weeks. She is some 96 lbs, and has a heart condition called subaerotic stenosis, and she has allergies. I had her allergy tested and there are 24 things in the environment she is allergic to. Dust, human dander, grass. oak and birch trees, you name it. She is on allergy shots and I won't know until next summer if they helped. She is also afraid of eveything that moves or make a noise. Then I have a 3 YO adopted PYR boy, who is pretty normal health wise expect for severe hip dysplasia. He limps every day (right hip) even though I have him on Rimadyl. These are inside dogs and they get Taste of the Wild, Pacific Stream with Smoked Salmon. They eat 2 cups twice a day. In the hot weather, the may not eat all of it. They are inside A/C dogs, but in St. Louis they are loving the cool weather. They will stay outside in an ice store and just love it. Coleene gets severe chronic ear infections (I treat them almost daily) and staph skin infections (antibiotics). I have found that they are much more comfortable if I keep them shaved (I know many of you don't believe in that) but they are indoor dogs and the humidity in St. Louis is 90+ in the summer. It really helps with Coleene's skin infections, and they are so much more comfortable year round. Would be interested in any info you can prove re: ear infections and hip dysplasia.
Darla, Coleene, and Bone |