Hello Alice
New to the board but posted earlier in the summer as a guest. We have a very allergic black lab and because his skin problems were bad at the time the vet postsponed his booster for 3 months. He is 18months old on Monday. We thought about (not the vet) doing it the homeopathic way but he is not covered by his insurance if he doesn't have the injection. I am afraid we need this with all his problems. Wondered if you have insurance and needed to check. Others might need to as well. We would have rather him not had them.
tangle

Tangle - I'm glad you pointed that out. I've been toying with whether to do boosters this next time round and in all the arguments for and against I'd never even thought to add insurance terms to the list (just to mix me up even more).
I've checked my policy and it says :
You must take your insured pet for regular annual check-ups and vaccinations with licensed products as recommended by your vet.
Still mixed up what to do for the best - Sara :)

Sara
Yes it's a real risk all ways especially when like us your old dog had 2years the homeopathic way. But we know that our Lab will need treatment for the rest of his life. When he has antibiotics he has to have Marbocyl which are £3-70 each and he recently had 27, thats without the rest of the eardrops, earwashes, shampoos, medicines etc, skin tests and consultations. We just have to try and do the best we can for them. Hope your dog gets on ok. Keep you awake with worry don't they.
tangle

oh bless Tangle - he sounds he sounds like a poor chap - luck was on his side though when he got you from the sounds of it.
I have 2 Goldies and do really want them insured as I know how expensive bills can be - lost my last dog to cancer after operations and treatment which added up to rather a large bill. I like to know that I can afford any treatment they need should the worst ever happen (heaven forbid).
Seems to me you're damned if you do and damned if you don't !!!
Sara

Hello Sara We had never insured a dog before but as my husband has not been able to work for 17years due to health problems and now we are both new OAPS (still sounds funny) we thought it best to insure. We have always seemed to pick the problematic puppies over the years eg. one with mental probs which we managed to keep for 5yrs, the others living to 10 plus but having kidney, cancer and arthritis troubles. The trouble with our present boy is that it is not just the one thing. I sometimes wish we hadn't had him but the next minute am pleased we did as at least we try to make him comfortable and happy, not to say spoil him a bit. There are times though when it gets you down (only sometimes) when he gets hyper and I feel I could strangle the breeder who told me when I rang him with the vets results from the Lab that it was all a load of c***p.It does take away a lot of the pleasure of having a puppy but we do have lots of good days when he is a very good boy now he is getting older. 18mths tomorrow. We love him to bits but that makes it harder to bear when he has his horrible itchy times. Hope you don't have any problems with yours.
tangle

Hi Tangle, don`t know whats the matter with ypur boy except he gets iychy so have puy a link for you to have a look. I`ve used the Tavist with good results.
Christine2

After reading this discussion I was dithering about getting Thistle's first booster done, but I went to the vet's on Weds with the cat and they said that Parvo was in the area, so I took Thistle on Thursday and had the booster
Jane

Hi Christine
Sorry but this will be quite long. When we got him at 10wks he drank loads, and did so for a few weeks and did 4 wees in 5mins sometimes. Rang the breeder who said moisten his food which we did. He also had earmites and worms. Vets the next day. Sick,vets on the third day.He was also very itchy so it was medicine for sickness and Frontline (puppy) He has never been totally free from being itchy on feet, ears, bottom and body. His real problems started last March when his ears and as I thought anal glands really got a lot worse. the vet cleared them although there wasn't much there, he still scoots every day.Had them cleared quite a few times since. His skin problems then started, little spots at first but they develop into what looks like ringworm. Various antibiotics didn't make any impression on them so that was why the vet sent the scrapings to the lab. They were making him worse as he is allergic to almost all but Marbocyl. Everything he has, ear drops and washes, shampoos and food, he gets used to after a while and it starts to play him up. He can't play for long either as his blood overheats and knocks him up. His ears and tummy go very red and hot. If you didn't watch him he would eat grass nonstop, rather than play. Just getting excited waiting for his lead to go on is enough to make him hot and shake his ears. It is him that causes the infection in them by scratching. He is sick, mostly bile every week or two. usually on bedroom carpet. This and the itchy bum has made a lot of the hard work. I am like Mrs Mopp, always with my bucket. Having said this we have never had a puppy housetrain so quick. 3DAYS! with only one mistake afterwards. The vet says this is a definite weakness in his breeding. Hope you can understand all this.Another thing besides being hyper at times he seems to be really attracted to the smells of hairsprays,polishes ect. The only time he seemed "proper" was when the vet gave him a steroid injection but he daren't give him any more. He's still happy in spite of all this.
tangle

Oh Tangle your poor dog & you!! What a nightmare & of course the more he scratches the worse the itch & infection, going round in a vicious circle!!
You might like to try this link for an alternative remedy for his ears, I use it & it`s been very good for my dog who has been suffering from her ears on & off for a few yrs now & it has finally cleared them up. You have nothing to lose & it should do some good.
http://itsfortheanimals.com/BLUE.HTM
I got all the stuff from the chemist & made it up very easily & it doesn`t stain their coat!
I would say all the things you describe in him are down to allergies, what do you feed him & what were the results from the lab? Have you considered feeding him a natural food?
Christine2

Hi again Christine .Yes he is allergic to just about everything including medications, grass and food. He is on James Wellbeloved at the moment but gets used to things and then develops reactions to them. Like the Maleseb shampoo, did him three times and then it started making him worse, so you have to stop. The same with earwashes.The lab results said he was allergic to almost all antibiotics. I don't think tests for the other things are too reliable, or so I have read.
tangle

Christine Forgot to say there was no link in your reply, also if you look on Pet education.com and go to allergies and atopy also food allergies that describes my dog right down to how many times he poos. I can't remember if it was on that site but have also read the type of dog that suffers has his nose into everything. This also is him exactly. It's an American site but dogs are dogs the world over.
tangle

Christine Forgot to say there was no link in your reply, also if you look on Pet education.com and go to allergies and atopy also food allergies that describes my dog right down to how many times he poos. I can't remember if it was on that site but have also read the type of dog that suffers has his nose into everything. This also is him exactly. It's an American site but dogs are dogs the world over.
tangle
Found your link now

Sorry Tangle here is the other link for itches

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_itch_relief.html

Christine2

Thanks Christine, have added this site to favourites. The alternative vet we used to go to was very much in favour of Aloe but always said only the plant, not the "rubbish" in the tubes although I have used the 99% I do use the plant on Bingo's places as he licks everything off.
tangle