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Vaccinations and heart worm prevention UPDATE post #21
I am taking the dogs to the vet today for their blood tests (to check for heart worms prior to starting their yearly preventative.) Theo suffers from seizures which I think might have been caused by the Revolution he uses. I don't want to use this product again but want to try something else. This product protects against fleas and ticks and I have never seen a flea in my life nor a tick so does anyone know of a product that is safer then Revolution maybe one that is only for heart worms and other worms. If I see a flea I will treat as we go. I don't want to over load his system. My vet is big on protection and so am I but Theo is not up to par and I am worried. Also, he is due for a rabies shot. Everything I read says not to vaccinate a dog that has seizures. I am really not sure what to do now. He had all his shots as a pup, then the following year but has not had one for 3 years, as you all know they are required every 3 years so he is due. My gut says NO, any advice from anyone that has gone through this? I'd appreciate it. Thanks
Last edited by Kasianni; May 11th, 2012 at 02:11 PM. |
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Kasianni, ask your vet if they can titer (not sure how to spell that) test him to check for rabies antibodies. It may be good enough, I'm not certain with the rabies vaccine, but I know with other vaccines a test that proves they have the antibodies is normally sufficient.
Good luck at the vet,and trust your gut. |
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Can you switch vets? Is there a vet in your area that takes a more holistic or minimalistic approach in their practice?
Depending on where you live you may be fine with no preventative such as Revolution. Many people who take a more holistic approach to their dog's care never use these products and never have any issues. Garlic and certain essential oils can be a great pest deterrent and are not harmful to your dog. Regarding the rabies shot, depending on your local laws and your vet, your vet may be able to write you a note excusing your dog from the rabies shot due to medical issues. You're absolutely correct, sick dogs or ones with compromised health should not be vaccinated. Alternatively you can look into doing titers and using that in lieu of the vaccine but that can be fairly expensive. |
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Oh and btw, I just had this discussion with my vet a couple weeks ago as I regularly travel with my dogs to areas with high tick populations. If you live in an area where ticks are a problem and you're using Revolution for that reason, my vet does not recommend it for ticks. He said in trials it was found to be ineffective for ticks unless you doubled the dosage!! He told me not to waste my money on Revolution and pick up Frontline, only available in the US but you can buy it over the counter at Petsmart (just like any of the pest meds). The active ingredients in Frontline are supposed to be the best on the market for killing ticks.
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Quote:
I love my vet but feel really sick as I am about to leave. He pushes Revolution and Advantage multi. I don't have fleas or ticks, never seen them. Going to try to protect for HW only. I might have to change vets sadly. I did find a vet in Boucherville (close to here) that does acupuncture so might just go see her for all the other stuff as well. I am trying acupuncture next week with Theo to see if it helps with the seizures. Thank you all for the input. |
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Revolution was useless for ticks around here when a neighbor was using it.
Frontline has a spray that you might use if you only need tick protection sometimes? REI has a lemon eucalyptus, DEET free product that is supposed to be pretty good, as a spray. I have had sensitive dogs. For heartworm, I always have used Interceptor at 1/5 the regular dose (called the SafeHeart dose, which has an approved data sheet by the US FDA for this dosing). At this dose it's effective against heartworms, but not the other stuff on the label. Problem is that Interceptor is not readily available in most places now. I would just use regular heartguard every 40 days (45 is okay, but I give myself a few days to forget!). My old girl was severly damaged by her vaccines, diagnosed with an immune complex disease through Cornell from them. She lived to until she was 13 1/2, and the last rabies shot I gave was at a year old. I was fortunate to have a vet that wrote a waiver letter and also that my county accepted it. Her last multi shot was at 2 years of age, which definitely shouldn't have been given. There are risks and benefits to each of these decisions, and the key is not only finding the right combination for your odg, but also finding a vet that is on the same page. |
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Back from the vet. Not changing vets, he is awesome!!! Didn't think the Revolution was the cause of Theo's seizures but none the less, gave me heartguard instead of revolution, and we will deal with the flea's if ever we see them, he was concerned about ticks but I will check Theo often. He didn't even push the Rabies shot!!! He said "not now" and agreed totally with me. What a relief!!! Also, he gave me Valium to give to Theo (rectally) if he had a bad seizure which lasts more than 5 minutes. I really really didn't think he would give it to me but in case of an emergency he didn't hesitate. I loveee my vet!! I feel so relieved. Theo was tested for heart worms and lime disease..both negative, my other pup Mika was negative as well. Mika has a sore on her little toe (maybe from a bite of some sort) that she didn't stop licking so she was given a shot of antibiotics and will also wait for her rabies shot till this issue resolves. So happy
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That's great! Just fyi, the test for lyme in dogs is some what useless. Dogs can test false positive.
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Quote:
You said he gave Mika a shot of antibiotic... it wasn't Convenia, by any chance, was it?
__________________
"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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I think if Theo has more than one, or one that is lasting unusally long or more severe (grand mal), I'd give the Valium. As for Convenia, there is much controversy. Some people have had great success with it, while others have had heartbreaking results. There are several stories of people losing their babies to this injection. It affects more cats than dogs, but there have been instances for both. I'll paste a couple of links for you. Both of our vets have strict instructions that none of mine are to ever receive Convenia, under any circumstance. The problem is that it's a long acting drug and takes over 2 months for 97% of the medication to be gone from the body. So if your baby happens to have a reaction, there is no getting it out of their system. From what i've read, the best chance is to be hospitalized for the duration, monitored and symptoms treated. Here are a couple of links with owner accounts: http://www.dogheirs.com/drbenzene/posts/114-convenia http://forums.petlovers.com/vb/showthread.php?t=48857 This is a link of possible adverse reactions. I will also paste it in case you don't want to check out the link itself: The safety warning for Convenia states: Convenia is not for use in dogs or cats with a history of allergic reactions to penicillins or cephalosporins. Similar to other cephalosporins, side effects for both dogs and cats include vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite/anorexia and lethargy. The safety of CONVENIA has not been determined in lactating or breeding animals, or in animals less than four months of age. Convenia was tested on 320 dogs and 291 cats, with the adverse reactions reported as above. However, in markets outside of the USA, additional adverse reactions were reported after Convenia was approved for use in cats and dogs. These adverse reactions included: death tremors/ataxia seizures anaphylaxis acute pulmonary edema facial edema injection site reactions (alopecia, scabs, necrosis, and erythema) hemolytic anemia salivation pruritus lethargy vomiting diarrhea inappetance It just hasn't been on the market long enough for anyone to know exactly what all the issues are, or if it has any long term effects. They market it as "convenient". I'll take the hard road and be safe, but that's me! I'm sure you won't have any issues with Mika, but if you do, you know what to watch for. There is also a FB page dedicated to pets (cats and dogs) who have either had bad reactions, or died and owner accounts. Just type in Convenia, if you use FB
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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Yes please, I'd love to see a picture of your "kit". The vet tech asked me if I wanted the valium in the bottle and I could do it myself. Thing is, I have never done it and when I seizure is going on I figure I'd have to be really fast preparing it and such. Its in the syringe already and she wrapped it in something so the light would not effect it, she says its light sensitive?
When your baby has seizures you say he looses consciousness? What does that look like, is it like passing out? Thanks so much don't know what I'd do without all the help and advice you have shared. |
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No need for thanks, I know how scary it can be, especially when you love them as much as we all do This is a picture of the kit. I got one of my make-up brush kits, took the brushes out and now carry Nookies seizure stuff in it. I keep it in my purse, we have extras in his medical cupboard and they have a kit at daycare. It's amazing how your priorities change when you have a special needs baby. If someone had told me 2 yrs ago that I would be trading in my manicures and trips to the salon for vet visits, and my make-up kit for a seizure kit, I would have said they were nuts lol. The first 2 links here are just random seizures in dogs, on youtube, which I found so helpful when Nookie first started having them. It was almost a comfort to know that others were going through the same thing, though I felt horrible for the dogs and people who love them. But it was definitely a relief to see that Nookies grand mals are pretty typical, they just last longer than most. The 3rd link is the tail end of the seizure Nookie had the day after we lost Thorin. But the ones in the youtube videos, especially the GSD, are what Nookies look like, except he screams in the beginning. Oh, and no, it doesn't look like he passed out. His eyes are usually wide open, but they have a "blank" look, so mentally, he isn't there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyL-xKXMSIY&feature=fvsr http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-jen...eature=related http://www.facebook.com/video/video....63151582&saved
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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Oh, and yes, Valium has to be kept out of the light and at room temp, it cannot be allowed to freeze (forgot it in the car once and it froze... had to throw it away). One question though, when they gave you the syringe filled with valium, I hope it is in a glass syringe. If not, the valium will be ineffective. I know storing it in plastic does something, but I can't remember what. I'll try to see if I have it in some of my bookmarks. That's why we get the small glass vials. In the pic, you can see the small end at the top... it's "scored" lightly and you can just snap it right off. I save the top because the rubber tip doesn't reach to the bottom of the vial, so I empty the rest into the small top part, then draw the rest into the syringe.
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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Ok, found it!
This is the link: http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-...20administered and this is what it says in the section that explains it: How should I store the Valium? Store the small brown bottle at room temperature, away from direct light. Valium should not be pre-filled and stored in plastic syringes. If having valium pre-loaded is more convenient, pre-filled (2 ml.) syringes of valium, made using disposable glass, are available. However, plastic binds to valium and will render the valium ineffective if stored in a plastic syringe. Following is from Dr. William Thomas, DVM, MS on storing valium: "Theoretically, diazepam (valium) solution will bind to certain plastics. That's why it is not recommended to store diazepam liquid in a plastic syringe. We dispense liquid diazepam in a glass vial and have the client draw it up into a syringe immediately before administration."
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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One more thing, I am probably going to sound stupid but you said Nookies eyes are wide open, so are Theo's when he is in a seizure. How do I know then if he is conscious or not? The last one, I got up to get ice right away and he was in a seizure and tried to follow me the poor thing. That was a mistake because he fell of the mattress. Let me first say, I took my bed off the frame so my mattress is directly on the floor. (I did this because they are both Dachshunds and are prone to back problems and since they sleep with me, I didn't want them jumping off the bed) So I scooped the poor thing up and brought to the bed and he was on my lap. He seems aware of everything, he looks at me but also looks like he is freaked out, its hard to explain. I just watched your video, first, Nookie is gorgeous and second it breaks my heart to see them like this. When he was on the floor, was he conscious?? He looks like he was because he was lifting his head and such?? Theo does not foam at the mouth. The only thing he does is pee a bit at first but nothing else. He has the seizure, comes out of it and then tries to run around as if nothing happened. Last two times he was panting, does Nookie pant during seizures??
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Quote:
And again, no need for thanks, just glad I have the info to share with you Quote:
The video of Nookie, he was concious, but confused. He was just coming out of it. I don't know if you watched the other 2 videos (youtube), but that's how his seizures look at the beginning. He screams and throws himself, sometimes several feet (like the Boston terrier), then, his seizures look very much like the GSD, with his eyes and mouth wide open, looks like his jaw is going to break. He gets very rigid, the screaming stops, then he starts paddling and will sometimes scream when he's paddling. It's quite horrifying to watch. He always foams at the mouth and drools heavily. He either urinates or deficates, sometimes both. When his eyes are open, they look "blank". He's completely non-responsive. If we talk to him, he doesn't look at us. If we put our hands in front of his face, it doesn't phase him. He's just mentally not there, even though his eyes are open. I would say if Theo got up to follow you, he was conscious. Or if he responds when you talk to him (perks his ears, looks at you etc), then he's conscious. The wide eyed look could just be fear and/or confusion for the poor little guy. As for the panting, Nookie does pant, and sometimes will drool a lot after a seizure. It also takes him awhile to recover. He's only had 1 or 2 where he just got up and acted like nothing happened. Most of the time he will pace, and pant, and whine... sometimes for hours. The seizures take a lot out of them physically, and it can affect all the muscles, like a major workout, so I wouldn't worry too much about the panting, especially if he's had some longer/more severe seizures. It could be exhaustion, or anxiety from the seizure, or even both. One thing I would watch for though, is drooling and laboured breathing. If that ever happens, check his gums. Press your finger on them lightly and see how long it takes for the color to return. If it comes right back, you're fine. If it takes more than a couple of seconds, then he could be lacking oxygen. I think I mentioned this before, but Nookie aspirated with one of his seizures and had pulmonary edema (lungs filled with fluid), then ended up with aspiration pneumonia. A lot of Vets will say that seizures aren't "harmful", but they can be and I think it's irresponsible not to warn people about things that "can" happen, regardless of how unlikely it is. It's better to know and be prepared than to have something happen and your baby could possibly die because you had no idea and were told they're harmless. When it happened to Nookie, I googled for excessive coughing and drooling after a seizure and all kindsa sights popped up warning about pulmonary edema, so we rushed him to the emergency hostpital, and sure enough, that's what it was. He could have died. And I hope I'm not scaring you, that's not my intention. I just think it's good to know the possibilities and be prepared in the event that something unlikely does happen. Robyn
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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Oh, and BTW, Nookie thanks for you for the compliment!! He's our sweet, handsome baby. But if you stick around here, you will see that he's just a big, goofy puppy. And he has the funniest faces I've ever seen... he just cracks me up. It's makes it very difficult to get a serious picture of him
I also thinks it's wonderful that you put your bed on the floor so your babies wouldn't hurt themselves. It shows how much you love them
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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I do think Theo is conscious, he wagged his tail my niece said when she walked in to help me during the last seizure. Theo never drools, I have never seen him. He did pant as I said for about 1 minute after his seizure, but when its over, its over, no issues that I see afterwards. I will check his gums next time, each time to make sure. It is scary but knowing all this helps because I will be prepared. You have helped me so so much, your very kind!! I went back to the vet, and she gave me the vial. (I am suppose to give 2ml, is this too much? Theo only weighs between 12/13 pounds. He is a little guy) She have me a catheter which I will cut, and she gave me a plastic syringe like in your picture to use with the Valium and a needle to draw up the valium, I think I will use the catheter, it looks like your plastic tip to put on the syringe only mine is very thin. I am some what freaked out and nervous and don't want to have to use it, and not sure when to use it because it was only the last 2 times he seemed to start another but came right out of both so I think if it goes past 5 minutes I should use it?? Thank you so much again, don't know what I would have done without your generous help. Forgot to ask one thing, you said watch for drooling and labored breathing, is there coughing with that too or just the drool an breathing issue? Last edited by Kasianni; May 10th, 2012 at 08:05 PM. |
#21
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Vet called with Theo's blood test results, all is normal and he is healthy. (apart from his seizures that is) Love getting good news.
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