Question by hayley2192: What are possible reasons for my dog itching all the time?
My dog ( a 7month old lab mix) started itching constantly about a month ago. Its so bad at night he stays up biting and itching himself. Mainly his paws, legs and thighs. So we took him to the vet and they gave us hydroxzine to give him twice a day thinking it was allergies. We were told it took 10-14 days to see results. He was still itching so we got oatmeal baths and the cool spot spray. The bath would help for a day and hed be back being miserable. He also began developing small bald areas on his ears and scabs in his ears. After there was still no resolve and the new developments we took him back. We saw another vet at the practice. He decided to do a skin scrape (Which broke my heart because I could hear him screaming). He didn’t see any mites or scabies in the sample but thought we should treat anyway because of the clinical presentation. So he is getting Ivermectin injections every 48hours x3 then once a week for a few weeks. They are slowly increasing the dose since he is a mix and we are unsure of what hes mixed with and want to avoid the herding dog reactions. Hes getting his 3rd injection tmw and we haven’t seen any improvement. What else could be causing the itching? Does the Ivermectin take awhile to work? Thanks for taking the time to read all of this.
Also, he does not have fleas and gets the appropriate preventative

Best answer:

Answer by hoffmankiara
fleas, thats all I can say.

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Question by gizzer777: Border Collie bath time?
I have a 6yr old rough coated border collie that is quite a-typical. She stays pretty clean and is not an active BC…her thyroid was checked again this month and is normal. I adopted her from our Humane Society last year and they warned me she hates baths! (I found that out last time I bathed her at a self service doggie wash about 5 months ago.)

Question: her skin and coat are in excellent condition (with a few grass allergies) and she is quite the shedder! She is brushed daily (and Furminated monthly while shedding) with a bristle and pin brush and steel comb. Her summer coat is in, and she looks great and loves to be groomed (but still hates getting wet).

I am going to bathe her again in a few weeks since the weather where I live changes very quickly comes September and I want to do it while it is still hot outside. I only use an Oatmeal shampoo and do not really want her to smell like roses or anything else.

NOW: some advocate the use of a doggie conditioner on all dogs after a bath and some do not.
Any BC owners have experience here? if so and the use of conditioner is recommended, what brand is the best (no chemicals or other stuff…natural only!) She does not have dry skin or a dry coat either!
TIA
Thank you Lindsay. My BC is basically an inside dog and she does shed dirt but usually in my house!
(not a major problem) My desire to give her 2 baths per year is to get rid of the excess undercoat, dander, and to encourage the growth of her new coats! Again, this is not a working BC but a really great Home Pet! I am also a believer that any dog needs some type of gentle bath every year if only to get the skin clean (but never too many)
BTW: I only use the furminator TOOL, not the shampoo or conditioner! I also have foun (even when she is dry, she has a VERY thick coat!)d that the Rubber wash Mit and curry brush work better than the bristle or pin brush on this pooch! I also have an undercoat rake and a complete arsenal of grooming equipment.
I have read the label on the mane and tail bottle and it contains alcohol (I do not like to use that on my dog, but thanks for the tip)

Best answer:

Answer by Lindsay B
There is NO need to bathe your B.C. I have 5 of them, who work sheep, and they shed dirt. I can’t remember the last time my dogs were washed.

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Question by ladymah3: Is it time to put my dog to sleep?
My dog is 17 years old. He is a lab mix and has been a joy in our lives. Three years ago he developed food allergies and has been on prescription food since. In the past year his hearing has significantly deteriorated and in the past month he has lost all most all of his eye sight. He also has arthritis in his hips and getting up and down stairs is starting to be a hefty challenge for him and us. Our family loves him so much and we can’t make the decision. We do not want him to suffer, but we don’t want to make the decision too soon either. He has lived a long fulfilling life….we know we have to consult our vet. What would you do?

Best answer:

Answer by Sheena
I would say it is time. 17 years is a very impressive age for a Lab mix, and he has certainly lived his life fully.

I’m sorry, and my thoughts are with you and your dog.

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Question by Marina D: My beautiful female shihtzu is in heat for the second time and she’s almost 3 in August.. Is this normal?
My beautiful female shihtzu is having her second heat cycle and she’s almost 3 years old in August. I have not had her spayed because she’s been having issues with food allergies and is on medication. She survived parvo at 10 weeks of age and after going through treatment. Did the parvo mess up her cycle? She had her first heat at only 6 mos and its been a while and she’s in her second heat cycle and like I said she’s turning 3 years old in August.

Has anyone had this happen to their shihtzu?
I know the heat cycles are different on some dogs but could the parvo caused her cycle to be irregular?

Best answer:

Answer by Night_owl
I have known plenty of dogs who had parvo at a young age who didn’t have long lasting problems in adulthood.

No, it isn’t normal that she is only having her second heat cycle at an age of 3 years- generally female dogs have two heat cycles per year. Your pup should have had at least 4 of them by now.

Food allergies aren’t any real reason to avoid spaying your girl- I have seen plenty of allergy prone dogs make it through surgery just fine. As long as your vet is confident they can spay her without a problem I would get her spayed- she will be healthier and happier in the long run.

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Question by cap20coke: When is it time to put your beloved pet to sleep or keep having joint surgery. When is enough enough.?
Hi, i am desperately looking for realistic, sensitive advice regarding my beloved 6 year old black lab. She has been ill a little over a third of her life. She has battled a R-torn ACL surgery with a hard long recovery, (even with all the recommended physical therapy) multiple ear infections one nasty bacterial infection (6 months until the cure was finally found, steroid treatment), food allergies, a R-ACL re-injury sprain with 5 months recovery, also she has been found to have bad hips and arthritis in both hips and some in her R-knee(daily pain medication and joint supplements are given with premium allergy food). I was also told that if she gets really bad, a hip surgery is then needed. Now just days ago on her 6th birthday she tore her Left ACL. This was her strong leg as her left leg was finally just starting to become stronger and have muscle mass. I have sought out 2 vets opinions and each one wants to perform yet another ACL surgery. I don’t care about the money, I care about her and her quality of life and her suffering. She can’t run, play, fetch. The best she has been in almost 2 years is going out for walks and of course being my dedicated companion and winter house dog. I feel pressured from the vets, that I am being dramatic and should keep operating and that she’ll recover, but with all her medical issues I am really torn. I am concerned that this surgery will add more arthritis in the hips and knee. Also this would be the 6th time she has been put under anesthesia (eye surgery, x-rays, spay, chest cut injury, knee surgery,). I know a lot of dogs have multiple knee surgeries but given her struggles and circumstances I am not sure if this is the best for her. I am not sure if she is strong enough, I am just sick about it… Should I just let my baby go to sleep and remember the good times or make her, help her to keep fighting? I love her dearly.Thank you for your time…

Best answer:

Answer by Char
If she is in pain and there is a chance the surgery can put her in more pain then I would put her down. We had to put our 6yr old springer spaniel down because his epilepsy got so bad. I got home from school and he just wasn’t there no one told me, so I guess would you prefer to be there and watch her pass away peacefully or in pain. Or you never know she could get better from the surgery. I’d try the surgery and if it doesn’t work maybe you should start thinking about putting her down.

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