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  #1  
Old September 3rd, 2012, 04:26 PM
ConnerMom ConnerMom is offline
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Hello from a Malamute/Husky Mom

Hello, Everyone
I am happy to be able to join this group. I am hoping to learn about ways to help my 3 yr old Malamute manage rheumatoid arthritis.
Thank you.
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Old September 3rd, 2012, 11:46 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Welcome to the board, ConnerMom! Sorry to hear about the arthritis.
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Old September 4th, 2012, 12:31 PM
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Rgeurts Rgeurts is offline
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Welcome ConnerMom! Glad to see you decided to join
The people here are wonderful and a wealth of info and knowledge. I don't know how I would have ever made it through all of Nookies issues without this forum

Hazelrun is one of the ladies I was telling you about with the knowledge of tick-bourne diseases, as well as Maxalisa. Did you ever talk to Jennifer about the possibility of a false negative? And how is sweet Conner doing on the new treatment?
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R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012
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Old September 4th, 2012, 02:30 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ConnerMom View Post
Hello, Everyone
I am happy to be able to join this group. I am hoping to learn about ways to help my 3 yr old Malamute manage rheumatoid arthritis.
Thank you.
One thing you should do it to make to keep your dog does not get over weight, that would put more stress on his/her joint. Is your dog getting less active with the rheumatoid arthritis? If she/he is it may help to adjust your dog diet so it will not get too heavy. I had to this when my dog got arthritis.
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Old September 4th, 2012, 03:37 PM
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Dog Dancer Dog Dancer is offline
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Welcome to the board, I'm sure you'll get some great advice. Don't forget we are going to want pics!
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Old September 4th, 2012, 06:26 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Was there tick exposure at some point, ConnerMom?
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Old September 4th, 2012, 06:57 PM
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Rgeurts Rgeurts is offline
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Hazel, Conner went downhill in a hurry. He went from being an active boy to lethargic, not wanting to eat, and not being able to walk.. all in a very short time, and he's only 3 yrs old. He had been to at least 2 different vets and a chiro who all gave a different diagnosis, from hip dysplasia, to his back being "out" to arthritis. He was on some pretty heavy pain meds and I believe an anti-inflammatory (please correct me if I'm wrong, ConnerMom!), but he wasn't responding to anything. He got to the point that he couldn't stand and had to be hand fed. She thought it was the end for him. She decided to see one of Nookies vets, Dr. Stelfox and she thought at first it may be Lymes because he had a lot of muscle waste and very swollen joints, and everything just happened so fast. She did the test for Lymes and it came back negative, as well as other bloodwork... not sure what all she did. So she put him on Pred and he's starting to respond (I think it's been just a few days ago that he started it). I just spoke with her and asked if she would mind me giving you a little background, and I'm sure ConnerMom will come on and add to or correct any misinformation. Hopefully they can figure out what's wrong and get this gorgeous boy better.

DD, you will fall in LOVE lol... he's one of the best looking Mals, (and well natured) I've had the pleasure of seeing (and hugging!!)

Oh, he goes to the dog park on a regular basis. Lotsa wooded areas and scrub brush, in the Edmonton river valley.
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"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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Old September 5th, 2012, 10:16 AM
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Rgeurts, it didn't go unnoticed by me that somebody else has a mal! I'm still waiting! Have we seen Connor pics yet??
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Old September 5th, 2012, 10:28 AM
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Rgeurts Rgeurts is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dog Dancer View Post
Rgeurts, it didn't go unnoticed by me that somebody else has a mal! I'm still waiting! Have we seen Connor pics yet??
I think I may have posted his picture a long time ago, not sure. But I'll post one now. He's just GORGEOUS!! And he's as lovable as he is beautiful. He also has a sister named Grayson who is a Husky/Mal cross... she's just as sweet and gives th best kissies

Do you have any idea when the next litter is planned for your baby?
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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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  #10  
Old September 5th, 2012, 11:15 AM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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The Lyme's disease screening...in fact all the tick-borne disease (TBD) screenings...are inaccurate--lots of false negatives. Plus there are newly emergent TBDs that they don't have tests for. It might be worth a course of doxycycline to see if there is any improvement. If there's no improvement after a couple of weeks, she can always stop the doxy. If she tries it, she should add a probiotic to Conner's food. The doxy can be really hard on the intestinal fauna.

It's not unusual for the symptoms to appear suddenly and cascade as happened in Conner. Symptoms vary, but the three he showed (lethargy, no appetite and lameness) are classic.

I sure hope she can find an answer soon! Poor boy!!
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"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
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  #11  
Old September 5th, 2012, 01:17 PM
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BastienBully BastienBully is offline
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Welcome to the forum!!! Beautiful dog!
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  #12  
Old September 5th, 2012, 03:23 PM
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Rgeurts yes I recognize that pic now. He's one of the ones that you were looking to help rehome and then neighbours and friends pitched in to help the lady keep them. Sorry to hear that they're having issues.

Sadly no news yet on a pregnancy from our breeder. I expected a grandson and puppy at the same time and now the grandson came early and puppy very late! Go figure... I do have a friend scoping out breeders in Ontario, but I haven't heard back from her yet.
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Old September 5th, 2012, 04:46 PM
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Welcome ConnorMom. So glad you decided to join pets.ca as rguerts already said there are some very knowledgeable people here that may be able to guide you.
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Old September 9th, 2012, 09:12 PM
ConnerMom ConnerMom is offline
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I tried to reply earlier - a couple of days ago. I'm not sure where my reply went to. I am not too savvy on how these forums work...on how to post, reply and then find things so I'll have to keep trying.
I want to thank everyone for the information shared.
Conner cannot take doxycillan at this point because of the other drugs he is taking and because his stomach is very fragile right now. But thank you for the suggestion.
I will be seeing the vet weekly to monitor his condition and to keep a close eye on liver and kidney function. My main concern right now, too, is getting the diarrhea under control. I was just glad to get him eating again, but now we have to get the food to stay with him.
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Old September 10th, 2012, 10:21 AM
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ConnerMom, I sure hope you are able to get everything under control soon. Diarrhea is no fun for either of you to say the least.
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