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Post by Hezz on Sept 29, 2012 3:22:21 GMT
Thanks, Rachael and Skysmum. These are a whole different ball-game, Skysmum. Evil little b*****ds. I will be doing my damnest to make sure it doesn't happen again! Still very little food passing his lips, but more water today, which is a really good sign. His urine is back to a healthy colour. Everything is such an effort for him though ........ he just lies in his kennel and finds it hard to get his hind legs up under him to even sit up. But he is improving slowly, and he will make it - the vets wouldn't have agreed to him coming home if he was still in danger. Just that it is so hard seeing him so rotten.
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Post by samwiseg on Sept 29, 2012 6:33:41 GMT
They do sound evil little b******ds at that! They almost sound like mutant bugs?! How do you get them off Hezz? Is it just meds alone? Or is it like over here where they used to say you use the end of a cigarette to burn them off? Mind you, that is probably old hat by now and there is a more hygienic/better way of doing it? As you know tho, Rome weren't built in a day - but am confident Mac will be back to his normal bounding self in no time
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Post by Hezz on Sept 29, 2012 9:54:18 GMT
Hi Sam. They/we usually just use tweezers or long fingernails to pull them off, same as a regular tick, but the damage is in how long the tick has been feeding, and therefore injecting its saliva, that does the damage. The good news is that I had some scraps of raw meat from making a curry for dinner, and offered him these mid-afternoon. A big hit! Gave him half then, the rest an hour later, and took some of the meat I didn't need out of the freezer just after I had put it away and cut those up really small too and he has just finished that (with some biscuits I added with each piece of meat), so I am much happier with the food he has had this afternoon. Will go out and get him some cheap cuts of meat tomorrow. He has lost so much weight, he is nearly back to being how he was when we first got him. Last Sunday night was the last decent feed he had - nearly a week! He still coughs and half chokes if he eats or drinks too quickly, and this is the major cause of any relapse - they can inhale food or water because their digestive and respiratory systems are still a little compromised, and this can lead to pneumonia in an already compromised animal. So it is all very steady, steady. We are getting there. More food, more energy, a real test of slow and steady wins the race.
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Post by samwiseg on Sept 30, 2012 7:09:33 GMT
Oh thats fantastic news Hezz! Great that he is eating a drinking a bit more. You are doing everything you can for the little guy (Bet he loves the attention too )
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Post by Hezz on Sept 30, 2012 10:10:08 GMT
Oh thats fantastic news Hezz! Great that he is eating a drinking a bit more. You are doing everything you can for the little guy (Bet he loves the attention too ) Not yet with the attention bit, Sam. He is too weak to be bothered. I come along with food and almost force him to take some; the same with water. It really is hard work. Every time he has a wee I feel like I have had a win! I got some great meat today from my local supermarket - not sure if the woman I talked to was a dog-lover, but I explained what I was after and why and got this whole kilo of meat, no fat, for next to nothing. Cutting it up really fine and trying/enticing/threatening him to get him to eat. I do get worried that he is going to end up with pneumonia - I am sure I can hear his breath rattling. But we aren't going backwards, and that is the biggest win. My poor wuff.
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Post by skysmum on Sept 30, 2012 15:37:50 GMT
Oh love him, he must feel rough, labs NEVER need coaxing to eat normally do they, so glad he is taking bits now. As you say steady steady, evil bu**ers arn't they. Im keeping everything crossed that he doesn't develop any other complications. Tilly and i send love and hugs to you all. x
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Post by Hezz on Oct 1, 2012 4:22:32 GMT
Thank you; you are both too sweet. He isn't a typical piggy lab with his food, so when he didn't eat for a day, we thought nothing of it. But a bit of enthusiasm this morning, could almost say he gave me a smile. We are getting somewhere at last.
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Post by Shirls on Oct 1, 2012 6:00:30 GMT
Only just seen this too Hezz. Feel so sorry for you and poor Mac. Sending good vibes to Mac hope he recovers really soon. Keep your chin up Hezz!
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Post by samwiseg on Oct 1, 2012 15:32:40 GMT
Oh thats fantastic news Hezz! Great that he is eating a drinking a bit more. You are doing everything you can for the little guy (Bet he loves the attention too ) Not yet with the attention bit, Sam. He is too weak to be bothered. I come along with food and almost force him to take some; the same with water. It really is hard work. Every time he has a wee I feel like I have had a win! I got some great meat today from my local supermarket - not sure if the woman I talked to was a dog-lover, but I explained what I was after and why and got this whole kilo of meat, no fat, for next to nothing. Cutting it up really fine and trying/enticing/threatening him to get him to eat. I do get worried that he is going to end up with pneumonia - I am sure I can hear his breath rattling. But we aren't going backwards, and that is the biggest win. My poor wuff. Oh bless him! How is he doing now? With all these little wins, it is bound to make a big difference surely How long is he on his meds for Hezz? Is he going to have to go back for a check up? Sending positive vibes all they way
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Post by skysmum on Oct 1, 2012 22:19:10 GMT
Good news Hezz, so glad he is improving, bless him. So is it just a case of checking him all over on a daily basis? is there nothing you can put on him as a deterant from these awful critters. I have read that feeding a dog Garlic or rubbing on Tea Tree can deter the regular flees and ticks, but again i dont know if it will work on this type of devil tick . Just a thought .
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Post by Hezz on Oct 2, 2012 5:39:48 GMT
Only just seen this too Hezz. Feel so sorry for you and poor Mac. Sending good vibes to Mac hope he recovers really soon. Keep your chin up Hezz! Thanks Shirl. He is getting there - I think the raw meat is getting him back on track faster than anything. It is something hi is actually looking for to eat. Good news Hezz, so glad he is improving, bless him. So is it just a case of checking him all over on a daily basis? is there nothing you can put on him as a deterant from these awful critters. I have read that feeding a dog Garlic or rubbing on Tea Tree can deter the regular flees and ticks, but again i dont know if it will work on this type of devil tick . Just a thought . We now have some very gung-ho repellent (two of), one of which is a bit like spot-on for the budgies, and costs an arm and a leg; and another which is sprayed on and around and only costs your first born ( ;D joke), both used together and more vigilance on my part. I hope this will be enough.
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Post by Hezz on Oct 2, 2012 5:47:43 GMT
Not yet with the attention bit, Sam. He is too weak to be bothered. I come along with food and almost force him to take some; the same with water. It really is hard work. Every time he has a wee I feel like I have had a win! I got some great meat today from my local supermarket - not sure if the woman I talked to was a dog-lover, but I explained what I was after and why and got this whole kilo of meat, no fat, for next to nothing. Cutting it up really fine and trying/enticing/threatening him to get him to eat. I do get worried that he is going to end up with pneumonia - I am sure I can hear his breath rattling. But we aren't going backwards, and that is the biggest win. My poor wuff. Oh bless him! How is he doing now? With all these little wins, it is bound to make a big difference surely How long is he on his meds for Hezz? Is he going to have to go back for a check up? Sending positive vibes all they way He isn't on any medication, Sam, the antivenene was administered at the vets and then it was just keeping him calm to make sure there was no extra damage done to his heart and his breathing wasn't compromised. We have had to be very careful he didn't develop pneumonia over the first few days. So no, he doesn't have to go back and be checked out - he was wheezing there for a day or two and did wonder, but he is able to just get his back legs up under him now and so can actually get himself onto his feet. Before, I was doing it for him. The vets also started him on the preventative treatment too, so he is safe for all the time he is recovering. It only lasts two weeks and then needs to be reapplied. All the good vibes must be doing some good as he is getting a little spark back, and a wag to the tail.
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Post by skysmum on Oct 2, 2012 9:02:55 GMT
Oh that's good. At least there is something you can use to ward them off. It makes me cross what they charge for these things, i know Tilly's Advocate seems to go up each time i buy it. They have the monopoly on it though because they know we have to have it . Still prevention is better than cure as they say. My old mum says,( i don't know why you have to use all that stuff, all our dogs had flees when i was a kid and they got on with it ) . Well it was 80 odd years ago i suppose .
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Post by Hezz on Oct 3, 2012 0:45:56 GMT
"Few fleas on a dog is good for a dog; stops him thinkin' about bein' a dog" ............. this is a quote that for some weird reason I have always remembered. ;D I know what you mean though, skysmum, the prices are really over the top! I think the Advocate is made by the same company that makes Advantix - the best thing apparently for resisting paralysis ticks. It repels the tick, preventing them from attaching, let alone feeding. And any already on are killed once it is applied. It is raining today, here, and in between showers I walked Mac around the house - not the easiest task as our block is on a slope. We stopped three times before we got to the top but he still has a decent pull on him when he was heading back to his house!
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May 18, 2024 13:20:46 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2012 1:13:15 GMT
im so glad hes improving .... . well done mac keep it up ... .
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