| Trips to the Vet. I am sure I have been to the Vet many more times than I have ever been to the doctor. In fact I much prefer Vets- to treat my pets, of course. All the Vets I have dealt with over the years have been very helpful, offering lots of information in a friendly, unrushed fashion. The downside is that dogs need so many medications- immunisations, pills for worms and heartworm, and treatments for fleas and paralysis ticks; and these chemicals are not cheap. However, without these products, dogs will suffer, and so I guess I should be thankful for their development. Probably lots of people can't afford to protect their dogs properly. It's also a challenge to remember when to administer each dose. Rusty rushes to the Vet. For no apparent reason, 6 month old Rusty's nose and lips began to swell. He looked so strange that his buddy Butch had trouble recognising him, and growled at Rusty, alerting us to his plight. 'Straight to the vet' was the verdict. We were worried that the swelling may cause problems with his breathing, and so were anxious to get him there as quickly as possible. Poor little Rusty continued to swell all the way to town. His nose became blocked and runny. He was quite a sight, but wasn't much bothered by the ordeal. The drive to town was done in record time. Rusty trotted happily around the Vet's rooms, oblivious to his strange appearance. The Vet and her assistant made jokes about the new breed of dog, and we laughed along , but underneath we were worried. It seems likely that he was stung by some sort of insect, and had reacted to this. Three injections later (antihistamine, cortisone and penicillin), we were feeling much better. (The dog had the injections.) The vet assured us that the swelling would now start to go down, and fairly soon it was indeed improving. A couple of hours later all that there was left to see was a bump on one side of his face where the bite must have been. Our handsome boy was back. Rusty after the trip to the vet.  Butch has yet another tick scare. Since moving to our Northern New South Wales country haven, ticks have been a constant worry. These are paralysis ticks, and can kill dogs. So far our dogs have not become sick from a tick, but we often find ticks on them, not that ticks are easy to find. We have been fortunate so far, finding the tick before the dog has shown any signs. Now we use a product which is applied to the dog's coat, and offers protection from ticks for 2 weeks at a time. The last tick we found was dead, so it seems the product works. Recently we were a few days late applying the tick poison, and became concerned when Butch developed a cough. At about 2 am we heard him coughing, and so, on a rather cold night, we got out of bed and went to check him over for ticks. Nothing was found, but we decided that a trip to the vet was a priority for the next morning. After a thorough examination, the vet decided that, as the dog was not showing any other symptoms, and because his nose was running a little, he suspected that an upper respiratory tract infection was a likely cause of the cough. This was treated with an injection, and a course of tablets. Poor old Butch objects somewhat to the indignity of having pills shoved down his throat, but he is expert at detecting a pill hidden in food, so it really is the only way. He is a very good dog though, he lets us, or the vet examine him without any resistance. He knows the tick search routine now, and seems quite concerned if we find one. He also knows the word 'tick'. Here at Barking Buddies, we would love to hear your Vet stories, or any dog tales you can share. We understand that you have the most intelligent, wonderful dog in the world, so why not take this opportunity to tell the whole world about your best friend?  Back to Dog Tails
Another Wolf Web Solution |
||||
