When I first noticed that Strider's left ear tip was getting a bit crusty and lost some fur I realized he had fleas. His right started to crust too. Not to mention the two I found in his fur... Scrubbed him down, killed them. Now has a flea collar on that is also suppose to prevent their eggs to hatch.
I thought that was the end of it. He now itches his neck, possibly from the powder on the collar... though yesterday rubbing him I noticed, but I can only guess, a patch of scabs piled on one another and trapping his fur in it on his neck. I couldn't pull it apart to see his skin Also I think his right ear got a little worse. Any idea if I could just put something on his ear tips so that they heal? I was contemplating peroxide then vitamin E. Goldbond I mean. My pure E has avocado oil and I don't think that's a good idea.
My mother mentioned something about getting him dipped? I haven't the faintest of what that is.
Get comfortis or something like that. Cost like $11-20 for a chew tablet and lasts for a month. Within 24 hours Tasha didn't have a single flea. We had flea collars but they didn't work. Mabye around her neck but towards her legs, hind end, and face, there were still fleas. Anyways, we've been giving it to her and hadn't had a problem since.
"Flea collars work one of two ways - by emitting a toxic (to fleas, anyway) gas, and by being absorbed into the animal's subcutaneous fat layer. The toxic gas is usually only effective in the immediate area of the head and neck."
btw, thanks Mikey for the article. I have a better idea of what to do now. I wondered about the collar, my bf and I were like.. how the hell is this suppose to help? I think I'm going to have to clean my room again.
For the fleas I would get some Frontline Plus and topspot him. AFTER you take off the collar.
I have had more animals react badly to collars than not. I just don't like them. That and cheap topspots do more harm than good IMO
Crusty ear tips may warrant a vet visit. They may be a mange starting or be a secondary reaction to the fleas or indicate some weakness in his immune system/stress. You can try breaking a vitamin e oil capsule over them and rubbing it in. If this doesn't clear it noticably in a week I would be in the vets.
Vet visit sounds like a great idea actually -_-; I woke up this morning to a nice bald spot on his side! It's so embarrassing! he's going to look unloved at this rate!
Oh and another thing. When we gave her the flea tablet and it killed alll her fleas, we let her roam upstairs for a while to help kill fleas (cause a cat we were watching had started the whole flea thing and the cat was kept upstairs). Using her as bait sounds kind of mean though, lol.
Hey stormy, instead of throwing away the flea collar, you should break it up and put in in your vaccumm canister. That way when you vaccumm and the fleas and eggs that do get sucked up will die in the vaccumm instead of just jumping out when you open it.
I don't leave Tasha with anyone without writing them a full out list of pratically all the do's and don'ts. Then a number for anything not on the do list, lol. Ppl say I worry way too much, but I'm glad.
if its any help, bathing him so soon after the drops are applied will wash most of it off him. I think you're supposed to wait a week or so...do you know which drops they used?
Yeah I realized that when I bathed him. I didn't expect to get the shampoo that night. the drops were Hartz Ultragaurd Drops for dogs 31-60lbs.
::watches him rest next to her:: My poor baby lol..
His ears I noticed have scabbed so I think they are starting to heal. His left eye though I notice small patch of fur missing and a bit of crust... This morning I noticed him chewing his foot and he broke skin on both sides of his toes and he licked that bald spot on his side that it's shown tiny dots of redness. Seriously needs to go to the vet... I'll call later today...
So... today I was going to training class when they immediately noticed the bald spot. They thought it might be contagious and told me to go to the veterinarian next door.
I couldn't get in contact with his regular clinic today to even make an appointment. Voice machine recommended leaving a message through e-mail. Which was what I did.. I haven't gotten a call back.
So I went to the vet next door like asked. They were super nice unlike North shore and also gave me a puppy kit since I've had Strider for just 3 months.. I was going to just get everything I needed to get done at North Shore and I should have. They took scraping from him... gave him a shot for heart worm protection I believe... They don't think he has a fungus since he didn't glow, but they aren't ruling it out so they think it might be mites even though he didn't see any in the scrapings. So I got some cream and drops for him. Not sure what they took a blood sample for. I actually forgot. I was worried though when I saw the medications. I knew from the beginning since no one spoke of money that this might be costly.
The bill was a whopping $306.00. I died a little inside. I had paid last week for glasses and contacts because Strider ate my lens that cost me about $354.00. So I was defiantly in pain. I certainly can't afford my student loans this month and have to relay on my parents. I can't even tell my parents that I spent more money on him. Mom's already on my ass that I was paying for basic training which I was doing small 50 dollar payments towards what would have been $400 together!
So afterward I went back to my trainer and he asked me how much they asked for. I told him the 306 and he winced with me. I whimpered a bit and he was like, look I'll help you out as long as you don't cry. Since I'm doing 8 classes with him, he'll only ask for payment on 4. I huffed in disbelief since he already gave me a 5 dollar discount on day care for no reason.
::sighs:: Well... to me the vet was a bit of a waste because I wanted to get his vaccination, and all other stuff including making sure my ownership papers were set since I STILL didn't get anything in the mail... and I know it's just going to be more money. He needs help and I'm now about broke. I'm getting paid this week but I know my hours were cut. I could cry right about now.
that said the vet should have given you a written estimate before doing anything...in the future don't be shy about asking for one, even though IMO they should have provided it unasked.
as far as the mites go...do they mean mange mites? And yeah, not seeing any doesn't mean they aren't there...but if he did have mange, and they scraped a bald spot...they SHOULD see mites...
OH yes in the future ask cost for every little thing; I often just tell them up front-I have x amount of dollars today-anything above and beyond will have to be set up on a payment plan.
Wonderful trainer-so nice of him to help you out like that
Guessing a catch all-and to see if there is any immune problems?
I think with my vet bills in the past month and ongoing I am going to be giving everyone a picture of Chuck and a copy of his vet bills for Christmas LOL
SHW-you should do the same-cute picture of Stryder, a flea and the receipts
I looked at the invoice last night. I assume the blood sample was a heartworm test. I didn't OK that and it was 45 bucks a lone. Apparently just seeing the doctor was 65 bucks too. But I think he thought it was important to immediately know since I knew he has worms but no one has told me what kind. I thought they were going to do a stool sample not blood.
At north shore with a visit and a stool sample the bill was 55 bucks. And I was late to my appointment from getting lost.
lol and yeah I guess the Greeting card would be funny to do. I think I'll do it like a Mastercard commercial X3.
Hopefully I'll sorta recover from this by January. I'll try to talk to my boss for more hours. I'll bring my bank statement and bills and cry to her LOL She might ask me to lose my Saturdays completely in exchange..
Hmmm-just thining aloud-but if you type (and you must type OK or better to be on here)-perhaps you can look online for some transcribing jobs-they pay by the page and you type from handwritten notes or recordings, that might be a good way to make a little extra change this season
So I had almost forgotten that the vet also injected something into him that makes him have to drink and pee a lot more. The last few days he's been having accidents. Even though I take him out at 8 am, 12pm (if I'm home), 4pm(brother shift), 8pm, and 12am, he still has to go while I'm sleeping! Dad has him pee sometimes at 4am.
The other night I woke up in the middle of the night to pee myself, I heard a second stream in my room! I couldn't stop him because I was stuck on the pot till I finished first. Then had to soak it out the rug quickly.
He also peed in front of me when I was talking to my mother on her rug. which was bad cause dad thought I was neglecting him because of that I had just taken him out couple hours prior.
And I woke up to it this morning too...
He usually can wait til I take him out, but he doesn't tell me he has to go. Do I need to get a diaper for him or something?
Just found a bug of some sort in his ear. I caught it and placed it in a jar alive, so I'mma run to the vet to see what the hell it is. I'll tell ya guys later
First off, the bug I saw was a baby flea. Not a problem i thought, we just have to fumigate again, which I haven't found time yet for. Think I have tomorrow off though. They told me the spot-on type of medicine they had given me will kill the fleas left over on him.
I don't know what the hell this vet injected him with. He told me he'd pee and be more thirsty more often for a little while but when he was really at first peeing, he's now very very runny in his poop and is doing it all over the house despite how much we walk him.
My grandmother suggested rice to my mom last night since I was at work (2pm-11:30pm because of an large order backup due to malfunctions I fixed) Mom fed him the chinese rice from our dinner couple nights ago and mixed it with his food. He threw it up on my bed while I was sleeping in my new bedding. Plus he had snuck up the stairs and pooped again. Then this morning he pooped right in front of me. I feel really bad because I know it's not his fault, but breathing in bleach and other cleaning products this often is hurting my lungs. mom with the rice of course she's like, I tried but he's not responding. I think she's too impatient.
Basically, my mother said she had enough of him and she wants to give him back to the shelter he came from. She recognizes he's sick and we can't afford to pay vet bills. I also had to admit to her that I had taken him to the et and how much he charged me. I don't want to give him up, but I am afraid of the health hazards. Especially when we are getting ready to take care of a terminally ill person.
I had also noticed a growth of skin showed up right behind his right elbow I think yesterday. His wound and sores seem to be healing fine, but he keeps licking the medication off the bald spot. I want a cone for his damn head. I also had been running peroxide on it to clean before putting on his medication.
I'm planing to call the shelter that picked up that chow chow and see if I can find out what they found wrong with it to give me a clue towards Strider. Then find out what the injection was for clarification. Then seek advisement from North shore where he came from originally. I don't want to give him up that easily if I can. Mother wants me to pick out another dog. I told her I will not. If I can't take care of him, why would I try another dog? besides, I love him and I don't want to start over with a stranger dog. I will let him go if truely necessary.
What I am going to put is what I do when we get fleas in our house. We have 3 dogs 4 cats 3 children. First I bath the animals in Fresh n clean shampoo it helps with the itching and irritation from flea bites. After everyone is done I then put on frontline plus. Then I change everyones bedding (human and furry kids) cause the animals sleep everywhere and wash everything in the hottest water the cloth can stand. I put baking soda on the beds while the bed clothes are washing and drying. Then I vacuum ever soft area in the house, move couches, chairs, under beds, on the beds, desks everywhere. Then empty the vacuum in a outside trash can. I will then get Avon skin so soft bath oil and dilute it with water in a spray bottle. About 1/4 oil rest water and spray it on the carpets, not extremely heavy as this will leave a residue but fleas dont like it.
Keep vacuuming for everyday for a week and I dont have fleas. Only pesticides I have to use is Frontline plus.
I only have to do this when someone comes and visits with thier dog who has fleas or when we move to a new house.
BTW the flea collar in the vacuum is a great idea too for long term upkeep!
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