Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[appps]

Got a call from our vets after he had spoke to the specialist and the specialist says it's more than likely cancer. He did say there was a slight chance of it being an infection in the bone but because of the position of the thing showing on the xray he (our vet) thinks that is unlikely. So really all I can do now is to monitor him and see how he goes. So far he is still walking with his slight limp and eating and drinking well and wagging his tail when you come to the room.

Can they do a blood test to rule out or in infection? Know when my mum had the infection in her hip joint that's how they monitored it.

 

[Fancychooklady]

I'll need to look for something to treat the roost with as I move it from to the new coop. I was thinking used sump oil as that should drown any bugs, but I will look for neem to see how much it costs

$2 at woolworths, spray the walls , roosts and every nook and cranny. It's permethrin based and doesn't smell half as bad as sump oil.

 

[satay]

Can they do a blood test to rule out or in infection? Know when my mum had the infection in her hip joint that's how they monitored it.

Honestly i have no idea as he wasn't really interested in that as an option.

 

[Ashburnham]

$2 at woolworths, spray the walls , roosts and every nook and cranny. It's permethrin based and doesn't smell half as bad as sump oil.

A mixture of sump oil and kerosene was the classic old-timer remedy my father used.
Probably a bit harsh these days. I use a mix of vegetable oil and cheap supermarket pyrethrum based insecticide,
painted on all perches, and for scaly leg mite painted on birds legs.

xxxx M

 

[sjturner79]

Shadows after her spa treatment. I should have done a before shot. Will do that when I get to steaks. It turns out the two silkie girls have pretty bad scaly leg too, though the younger chooks such as red and KC seem to not have them, or at least not as obviously.

 

[Anniebee]

Thank you Anni and everyone else. Osteosarcoma is what they suspect he has but as it can show very similar signs to the fungal infection I guess that is why the specialists said it could be a small chance of that too. I think our vet finds me frustrating as I question everything he says but oh well you get that. I get the feeling he thinks I should just put Zeus to sleep now and if I though he was suffering in anyway I most certainly would but until then I am sticking to my guns. Thank you for the info too Anni it was not at all upsetting to read but very helpful so thank you.

satay .... Osteosarcoma is not the grandest news, that is if that is what Zeus has. I cannot find a post by you, as to what breed of dog he is .... although I think you did explain it, many pages back now. Large to giant sized dogs seem to get it more.

As for your vet finding you frustrating - that should not be happening. You have every right to ask as many questions as you can think of, and keep on asking. Is there another Vet at the clinic you attend, who you could ask to see - just for some kindness in attitude. ?? If so, I would ask to see that person.

The current vet. has no right to impart any sign of wishing you to put Zeus to sleep. Frankly, I think I would be seeking another vets' opinion altogether, but it is very costly - and with specialist Uni oncologists on his case, I doubt you could get any better information ---- except for what appps said.

Blood tests - and as I mentioned before, if possible a needle biopsy if the tumour is surrounding the bone. If totally in the bone that would be problematic for testing by biopsy. Again, the vet should not flick away with disinterest, any form of test that will give other definitive answers.


I have just read on PetMD site, re osteosarcoma, that ongoing management is " monitoring of the dog's white and red blood cell counts will be recommended, and chest X-rays are often used to determine remission.

So much can be learned from scans, ultra-sounds and x-rays etc. these days - far more than we could possibly have imagined.

Keep up the good work, and enjoy being with him.

Anniebee .......

p.s. .... have now read your answer to appps question ... and no Vet should 'show disinterest' when asked questions. "He wasn't really interested in that as an option" ?? If YOU want Zeus to have a blood test ( they are expensive but I doubt that would matter ) .... then you should be able to have one done. Simple as that.

Before asking for a B/T if that's what you decide you want, read up on what it might be able to show - in terms of what any full blood test ( FBE ) could or would show in a dog. Don't let that vet throw you, satay.

He is being PAID for his services and should comply - it is not the other way around. You are not there to please him.

 

[satay]

Thanks anni you are very kind. Hubby is going to call him in the next few days. I told him i dont wanna deal with him anymore. You have cheered me up this morning with your kind words so thanks

zeus is a border collie x lab so yes a bigger breed.

 

[tandykins]

Thanks anni you are very kind. Hubby is going to call him in the next few days. I told him i dont wanna deal with him anymore. You have cheered me up this morning with your kind words so thanks

zeus is a border collie x lab so yes a bigger breed.

So sorry to hear of your diagnosis. Our pug Bruno was diagnosed last year with mastocytoma and we made the decision not to treat him. Even the next round of tests after the diagnosis was far more than we could afford. Our vet had assured us that it was unlikely that it was going to progress quickly and some research told me that his life was unlikely to be significantly shortened by the cancer. Even so, our vet pressured us to treat his cancer, implying that if we weren't prepared to spend tens of thousands of dollars on treating his cancer, we shouldn't have taken on the responsibility of a dog in the first place. (Bruno had his tumours removed over a year ago and so far hasn't shown a single symptom).

It wasn't the first time he'd done it. 3 years ago I lost a cat to rat poison (she was indoor and ate a mouse which had eaten it) and he spent about a day trying to convince me to consider incredibly expensive blood transfusions to save her life. When he could not find a cat of the same blood type as River, he suggested I find a stray with the same blood type. When I asked how that would help, he stated that River needed close to a full blood transfusion to survive and the stray would be sacrificed to save her life. Even if I could have afforded it, I wouldn't have gone that route. It flies in the face of my animal welfare philosophies.

I appreciated my vet's do-anything attitude when it came to animals, but he had a really crappy attitude toward people who were experiencing some of the most stressful experiences of their life. There is a heavy focus on bedside manner for people doctors and we often let that go completely by the wayside with animal doctors. It's unfortunate.

 

[tandykins]

$2 at woolworths, spray the walls , roosts and every nook and cranny. It's permethrin based and doesn't smell half as bad as sump oil.

REALLY? I used this stuff once in my coop because I had nothing else and I felt -SO GUILTY- because I thought that it was surely not good for my hens. If it's possible to use this, I will save -so much money-. It currently takes me one whole $18 spray bottle of Avitrol to spray down all of my coops.

EDIT: XD I replied to the wrong comment.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Thanks anni you are very kind. Hubby is going to call him in the next few days. I told him i dont wanna deal with him anymore. You have cheered me up this morning with your kind words so thanks

zeus is a border collie x lab so yes a bigger breed.

Some vets , like doctors don't have very good ' people skills ' or bed side manner. Perhaps if hubby lets them know ' quietly ' , that you didn't feel that he had any empathy for you and your situation he will realize his shortcomings and be a little more tactful.
My girlfriend is a GP and she often says ' I should have been a vet, at least animals don't talk back ' . Hehe.
Stick to your guns , you are zeus 's advocate and nobody knows him like you.