Are you looking for pet advice?

I have a pyrador/labrador mix who gets a lot wax build up in his years. My wife cleans them regularly and gets a lot of wax out of them, but I think he still has a hard time hearing [compared to perfect hearing anyway]. Is there a deep cleaning kit we could use? Thanks!

 

Not

Not that I know of. What do you guys clean them out with now? If you are cleaning them appropriately you should not need to stick anything(qtips) down in the canals. They also make medicated ear cleaners that may do a little better than an OTC. One that I like is TrizUltra + Keto ear cleaner. good luck

 

Our about 1.25 year old rescue, pit or lab mix depending on the vet, is shaking her head a lot. Shaking it such that her ears make a lot of flopping noise. I've always heard that this is a sign of ear mites or an ear infection. She wiggles too much to get a really good look in her ears, but they look OK at a glance. She was at the vet a month ago and her ears were checked then. Our other two dogs aren't doing it, and she isn't scratching at her ears. Is there anything we should look for, or is this just something she likes to do.
Gratuitous picture of said dog (Winter) from October.

 

Unlikely earmites unless you have recently brought a new pet into the home, could be an infection. I would just flush the ears out with either an OTC ear cleaner or mix your own using 50:50 mixture White Vinegar/water or White Vinegar/rubbing alcohol. If not improving see a vet.

 

I just found this thread! Awesome! I do have to admit that I haven't read the entire thing yet, so hopefully this hasn't been asked! My senior in High School has been admitted to an animal science program at a major university. She has wanted to be a vet for as long as I can remember. Any advice on paying for vet school? We were never in a position to save for college. Once they get to vet school do they usually get TA ships? Work for tuition? Or is it all loans? That last part scares me to death. Just thought I'd get some info from people who have been through it.

Thanks for offering your advice!

 

Good for her and good luck on the $$$$ part.

 

I paid for my entire vet school enrollment with student loans. I honestly don't think you have enough time to work while going to vet school, especially during your last clinical year. There just simply aren't enough hours in the day and it would be impossible to schedule imo. I had one stretch on equine surgery rotation were I stayed awake for 48 hours straight because it was one emergency surgery after another. Most of us graduate with enormous student debt. Unless you're independently wealthy, student loan debt is part of becoming a vet. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. I truly enjoy my job (most of the time). I wish your daughter all the luck in the world. Follow your heart.

 

Same here all loans. Unfortunately the average debt now days is over 200k and average pay out of school is in the 70s. Borrow as little as possible, work during summers and pay every extra dollar she has towards loans after graduating. Another option would be find a clinic in a rural area, work for 10 years and the rest of her debt be forgiven if the area qualifies.

 

Jared and Kerch,

Thanks for the replies. I don't really like the idea of $200,000 plus in loans, but it looks like a reality. If all goes well, she will have basically one year of generals out of the way by the time she graduates from high school, so there is that.

Thanks agai,

Bill

 

You bet. Any other questions just let me know.

 

Sorry, I totally forgot to follow-up on this. Thanks so much for the reply.

After the third vet visit (and another $200, including updating his vaxx), we basically got nowhere. Antibiotics. Didn't want to do a third round of prednisone, which we totally agreed with.

A few people had recommended another clinic a little over and hour away, so I put my buddy (his name too) in the Tundra and we gave it a shot. It's a country place in KY that wasn't all fancy like our original spot. Lots of livestock and horse work, etc. The vet took one look at his spot, said it's probably allergies, and gave him a cytopoint injection. It took a few days, but for the most part he's leaving it alone and the fur is coming back. I still believe this all started after the groomer cut him too close. I think after the fur comes back we'll see it wasn't allergies, But thank god for that vet and that medicine.

I also got out the door for $42.00, although we had something like $240 (not counting the vaxx updates) in this adventure before that visit. Our regular vet nickel and dimes us to death.

They have a $12.50 "office call" fee that we still don't know what is, but it's in addition to $40 for the exam (which never really seemed unreasonable). $16 for a cone. $14 for the equivalent of 7 pepcid tablets one time when he had a vomiting problem, which they also couldn't resolve after two visits. We figured out ourselves that it went hand in hand with times he made it a day without a bowel movement. Sorry. I don't want to bash vets to a vet, but we've never come out of there without feeling like we weren't overcharged for lackluster effort.

Thanks again for the help. If you have any other advice for us going forward, I'm all ears (eyes?).

 

Get that Cytopoint injection once a month for at least 3 months. That should clear it up. And monitor the site for recurrence. The second you see it potentially start to come back, start the Cytopoint again. It's probably going to be a seasonal thing. Some dogs only need Cytopoint once a year, some need it more. Glad you got it on its way to healing.

 

Thank you! She said it's a month dose but it could work for as much as three. So I should just schedule two more months of shots then see how it goes?

 

Good call, shortly after posting she started shoving her back feet into her ears. Vet said infection. Got some cleaner and antibiotic, started improving quickly. It's a PITA putting liquid in her ears, but only 9 days left. Another gratuitous picture, who doesn't like pictures of dogs?

 

That's exactly what I would do. She's right, I've had some dogs only require one shot, others need one monthly. Difficult to predict, so see how it goes.

 

I see them occasionally, they are usually benign and do not require further treatment. However if they do affect vision, ie cyst floating in front of lens or rarely glaucoma they can be removed via laser by veterinarian ophthalmologist. I would not worry about them to be honest nor would I consult a specialist if they are not causing a problem. Bostons are predisposed to them. Now more importantly why do you think she has cushings? lab work?

 

Have they tested for cushings? Diabetes insipidus? Could be psychogenic polydipsia(behavioral). Easier rule outs would be bladder stones, transitional cell carcinoma, urinary incontinence.

 

I think that's a great alternative personally. I did consider it at one point. Not a bad deal at all.

 

@jaredmillerdvm @Kerch71
So after dealing with the skin issues my dog has been having a minor limp off and on for about a week on his rear right leg. This weekend we were out of town and he was at boarding. They said he slipped on sat and wasnt putting weight on the leg. Slipped and fell again sunday. Barely any weight on the leg when I got him last night.

Went to the vet today. Seems to have a swollen knee. No issues with the hip. After x-rays the vet is certain he tore his acl. We’ll have to have an apt for anesthesia for better exam and then most likely surgery. What do you guys think from the xray.

good leg


bad leg

 

There are definitely a few things I see on the right hind xray. There is joint effusion (excessive fluid and inflammation in the joint) and cranial displacement of the tibia (the bone below the knee). Both findings are consistent with a cranial cruciate ligament tear. I probably do 3-6 knee surgeries a week. I do the lateral suture technique. You can also consider a different surgery called a TPLO, but it's often cost prohibitive for most owners ($3-5000). In a recent study, there is very little difference in outcome 5 years out from both surgical techniques. We charge $1200 for the lateral suture technique. The main goal is to mimic the CCL and stabilize the knee. Over a 12 week period, the body will increase the stability by adding fibrous connective tissue around the knee. It's a long recovery, but most dogs recover very well. The downside of CCL disease in dogs is that it is a degenerative process, which means there is a 50% chance that your dog will rupture the other ligament. Our clients will come from all along the eastern seaboard to my practice in Richmond, VA. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions.

 

Much appreciated brother!

 

@Kerch71 Not a pet advice question. But do you know a vet named Mark Estienne? I went to high school with him. From what I hear, he's a pretty big equine vet in VA.

 

No, I'm not familiar with him. I also haven't practised as an Equine Vet in VA in 12 years. Had I stayed with equine, I would probably have known him. I worked for one of the largest equine referral practices in VA.

 

I am too lazy to scroll back, how old and what breed is your pup?

 

He’s 7 years German Shephard.

 

I would be a little concerned about the circled area. With breed, age and location I would monitor this spot closely or send out for radiology consult with a specialist before you jump into surgery. Not trying to freak you out but it looks a little suspicious of cancer(OSA). It could just be arthritic changes but looks funky to me. This wouldn’t be changes consistent with CCL tear IMO. Maybe @Kerch71 will give his opinion.