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A visit to the Vet-good news and not so good news

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  • A visit to the Vet-good news and not so good news

    The good news first. Harley now weighs 60.0 lbs and stands 20.5 inches tall at 5 months of age. I was so proud of his behavior. He sat promptly on command and yes, it's obvious that we still need some more work on the stay command. He was interested in everything around him and was a real gentleman during his examination. He received the last of his puppy vaccinations today so he's good on all that until his next kennel cough booster in 5 months.
    The bad news next. The small but noticeable amount of hair loss around his eyes and on his left front leg is due to demodectic mange. It is most likely due to an elevated stress level while he was on the street, then a shelter animal as well as poor diet and an immature immune system. He's now on a high quality food and has been for the last 6 weeks. I have the meds to treat his mange in hand and he will need to return for a recheck in one month. Thankfully, his mange was caught early and he should recover fully as the meds are administered. He doesn't require heartworm meds while on the mange treatment. It's a clear liquid form of Ivermectin and is administered orally with a measured syringe. For the first time also, he readily entered my garage while on a leash and hopped into the Batmobile for the ride to the vet. Progress is progress and I'll take it.
    His vet strongly recommended a tummy tack for him but wants to wait until about 8 or 9 months of age. We're good with that.
    Last edited by Texas Don; 07-18-2017, 02:00 PM. Reason: clarity

  • #2
    Good The mange will clear rather quickly and now he is being cared for and being fed a good food he should not have any issues with it.. I'm very surprised though that the vet gave him vaccinations while he has mange... most will not because it is so taxing on the immune system plus the drug companies clearly state not to vaccinate a dog that isn't 100% healthy. As far as the Tacking" goes it should NEVER be done under at the very least 12 months of age with 18 months or older being best same goes for neutering. Glad to hear you are progressing so nicely.
    sigpic
    Dale AKC CGC Evaluator
    Associate Member GDCNE
    Member GSPCA
    Member NAVHDA
    Member Central Maine Kennel Club
    High Hopes Great Danes & German Shorthairs

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    • #3
      kahluadanes, thank you so much for the advice concerning the elective surgery. I'm not ready to rush into it even though I know that it's highly advisable. Eighteen months sounds about right to me so that's what it'll be. It's too late to heed your advice on neutering as the shelter policy where I obtained Harley is that no pet can be adopted out without being neutered or spayed, microchipped and given their rabies vaccination. He had his neuter surgery the day before I laid eyes upon him for the very first time. All I can do now is to insure that he receives the very best of food, medical attention, exercise and indeed, anything else that he needs and then hope for the best.
      Last edited by Texas Don; 07-18-2017, 02:11 PM. Reason: clarity

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      • #4
        Sounds like you are on the right track
        sigpic
        Dale AKC CGC Evaluator
        Associate Member GDCNE
        Member GSPCA
        Member NAVHDA
        Member Central Maine Kennel Club
        High Hopes Great Danes & German Shorthairs

        Comment


        • #5
          Awww, hope the mange resolves soon. Our Kahuna had it right after her first rabies vaccination. Ugh. I wish I had researched vaccines more thoroughly back then. AND early spay/neuter. But we were fortunate and she lived a day shy of 12 yrs, despite being from a BYB and her early spay (which left her tall and gangly with incontinence issues). Harley sounds like such a ham. You should try to post some pics - I noticed that pics in the thread about Luna looked great - no microscope needed!!!
          -Lisa (Zoomer's mom)

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          • #6
            Actually, the liquid Ivermectin is having a pronounced effect on Harley after just 6 days. He was moderately active before I began giving him the meds but now, his activity level has ramped up and it's obvious that he feels much better. He played in the yard with me and Buster yesterday afternoon until he wore us both down to nubs. I had no idea how much of a burden the mange mites had placed on his system. He has enough medicine for a 4 week course even though his Vet is fairly certain that the issue will be successfully resolved in two weeks. The extra time is considered insurance against a recurrence and from what I can read, pretty standard fare. His hair loss has ceased. I wish I had known of this miracle cure when my hair began leaving home! I just attempted another picture upload but cancelled it after seeing that the size issue still isn't resolved. Even a link to an external hosting site uploads a tiny, tiny file. I'll keep experimenting.
            Last edited by Texas Don; 07-23-2017, 04:39 AM. Reason: spelling

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