Went to see vet yesterday about Louis' skin thing! Basically, when we got him he had a few tiny patches of fur missing. Hubby and I joined a vets practice, and the vet said looks like where he was playing with litter-mates, nipping, rough-housing etc. fair enough!!
Went back following week as more patches had appeared and we thought it was ringworm (after much web surfing,comparing pics :) ) vet didn't really agree but did skin scrape and used the light thingy but said there wasn't really any 'glow'. NO TREATMENT
A few days later, we phoned vet to ask for shampoo to try but was told no, lets do culture first. again, fair enough.Took sample to culture and said she'd phone with results. Gave us shampoo

2 weeks passed with no call so we phoned her and was told the culture had been ruined cos someone exposed it to light (well thanx for letting us know ), carry on with shampoo for 10 wks.

10wks passed,saw a different vet yesterday. we tell him its got worse so he says lets do another culture ( which we have to pay for again!!). He then tells me I'm feeding rubbish so what can I expect if he has dire rear :) when Ive only asked if teething will cause Louis to be loose!! and said im feeding orijen and toppers of boiled chicken, scrambled egg or naturesdiet. I know he wants me to buy his Hills or whatever he has in the surgery!!!!!

I then ask him to check because Louis' t*st*cles havent appeared. He said he can feel them, they are not in abdomen but as they should have come down by now they probably wont so he wants to wait 1 month and castrate him! NO WAY - HE will be 6 months and thats far too young isnt it? Shouldnt I leave it for at least a year.

At the moment I really want to change vets, I really dont like him. Maybe im the one who's wrong. HELP!!

so sorry to here your boy is unwell.
I would def get a second opinion from another vet surgery.

my friends dog kept scratching and losing patches of fur kept going to her vet who just gave her AB's and shampoo and then finely she took my advice as the poor dog was still the same and took him to another vet surgery, they took a blood test and a skin scrap under GA.  She is waiting for the results but they think he might be allergic to something.

I am no expert but I would say the testicles should have dropped by now if he is 6 months old, castration is an option but I would def get a second opinion soon.
And I would refuse to pay for another test if your vets were at fault by exposing the orginal test to sunlight, that is not your fault it is there's! good lukc and let us know how you get on xx

in response to castrating - I'm with you on that one - 6 months is way too young.

depending on when your boy would normally mature re breed, is what I would go by for castrating. If the testes are not causing any problems then wait. I actually got a catalogue of herbal dog stuff and they have something which is said to encourage descending, never heard of it but I can post details if interested?? I think it's strange that both have made no appearance as yet.

I would be inclined to find another vet who is more open to different treatments and prepared to discuss your concerns properly.

Good Luck!

When searching for my pup I had my eye on one that had a retained testicle I, enquired with my vet as to the cost of castration at 6 months old (because I thought that's waht would have to be done being he had 1 reatined testicle), the vet told me that even if it hadn't descended at 6 months old, there was still plenty of time for it to come down and it's possible to take over a year.

Personally I wouldn't have a dog castrated before he had finished growing (unless there was a very good medical reason), as long as the testicles are only reatined there isn't a problem, it is generally advisable to have them removed later on (into adulthood) if they stay reatained, but give it time, they may pop down :)

That must be really frustrating for you with your pups skin problem :(  Have you tried eliminating certain food from your pups diet to see if that makes a difference to his bald patches. My old dog started to get repeated ear infection and very itchy, with the occasional bald patch, through ellimination I found that chicken (in ANY form) was the major contribitor to it. I'm not saying your pup has a white meat sensitivity, just that dogs can be sensitive to different things, and these things often don't show on allergy tests. They can also have sensitivity to things they don't eat, such as dust, grass, flea bites etc..

You're not in the wrong - if you don't like your vet or the way he does things, you have every right to get a different one :)

diarrhoea
just to let all those who dont know how to spell it!

Dearlady, about both not showing   it is strange isn't it? We have even joked thsat maybe he isnt as old as they told us - when do they normally drop any way? Never had a male before so not quite dumb :) We would compare him to pictures online and he always seemed more 'slight' we thought he was the runt and as he was the last one we never had litter mates to compare. Also he's only just started teething and up until 8 weeks ago, he only had tiny little white marks for teeth LOL Now he has 2 layers of teeth up top !!!

Mastifflover, Louis had a very upset tummy when we got him with a little blood and mucus with every very loose poo. We tried a few foods with the same results but as soon as we put him on naturediet his poo firmed up and no more blood etc. Everything I've put him on since has been chicken based, his dry and wet food and i would have to change everything which I am reluctant to do due to his seemingly sensitive tummy- usually if i try him with a different brand even, he will get loose (which is what happened this time- tried him on forthglade chicken )

His coat itself is very glossy and only has a few tiny patches of fur missing. He doesn't scratch either. Its just I noticed a few days ago that his skin across his back and shoulders is very mottled but only when the sun hits him at a certain angle and he almost looks motheaten and its spreading!!!

How do I get a second opinion? do I just walk into another vets? Thank you, both

I wouldn't do anything about his testicles until another 6 months.  If they haven't come down by 12 months then I would personally have him done myself.

Poor thing, I can see why you don't want to change his food, defiantely not woth the risk :(

As for the second oppionin, yes - just go to another practice or ask to see a different vet at the practice your with (I don't know if that works in all practices? At the one I go to you can see whichever vet you want (choice of 5)).

For me i would go to another vets, no hesitation.

Just a thought but have you contacted the breeder? what do they say about his skin/coat?  Is it something they might be able to give advice on?

Bit like one of my friends vets.  Her Cav. is going blind and he's given her 7 drops to use each day and hopefully one will work!  Still doesn't know what's wrong with the eyes.  Going to a show next week where they are doing eye testing so I'm going to take him there.  How on earth will they know what's wrong if she's giving the poor dog so many drops?

>He then tells me I'm feeding rubbish so what can I expect if he has dire rear :-)  and said im feeding orijen and toppers of boiled chicken, scrambled egg or naturesdiet.

Rubbish????!! What a load of Rubbish!! Orijen and naturediet are two of the cleanest,premium foods available in the UK.The only problem i can see with them are that they are chicken based and your dog may have an intolerance,although this is highly,highly unlikely at his age.Intolerances/allergies don't usually show themselves until around the 2 year mark.
I would definitely see another vet,ask other dog owners if they can recommend any decent ones,and then just ring up and make an appointment.
I also wouldn't be forking out for another test.THEY made the mistake and should do another test free of charge!

He's also under 6mths old,right? I would also be looking into why he has such a sensitive digestive system at his tender age.

Has mange been ruled out, thinking Demodectic (weak immune system) which would tie in with digestive sensitivities too, which could be immune linked.

Immune boosting supplements could do not harm and might help.

Looks like he is tryng to sell a certain food to you if he thinks Orijen and naturediet are rubbish!

Has an allergy been ruled out???

I believe that it's vital to have a good, mutually respectful, relationship with ones vet and you clearly don't. In your position I'd definately move practices to one I felt comfortable with.
On the matter of the little chap's un-descended testes, don't give up hope of them coming down normally until at least 12 months. At 5 months and still in the throws of teething, he is very imature and has time on his side.

He was checked for mange on 2nd visit, Brainless. Yesterday we were given Stronghold as his first flea treatment, and I see on the Demodex Mites thread that this is recommended, Phew :) I also asked about Imaverol but he said it was too potent !?!? but on the thread it has been used on guinea pigs and I read they use it on hedgehogs too!!!

As far as food is concerned Naturediet puppy,chicken and chicken and tripe are fine. With Forthglade chicken, I think it is just too greasy. Real chicken is fine :)

Sardines no noand white fish hes only had a mouthful( and I know its in Orijen, hes fine with that )

Veg he loves and doesn't upset him

Treats - tend not to give him most pet shop ones as they smell too strong and are too brightly coloured (especially Bakers bacon Twizzlers )so probably have lots added to them. Have given him Greenies :)  JWB Fish biscuits and Paws fruit cookies - fine with them all

I'm sure his loose poos the last few days are due to teething ( he hasn't even lost 1 tooth yet but his gums may be sore as he went off his dry food )or something from the garden - he's firm as anything now and i'm glad I didn't give him the gigantic tabs the vet gave me to firm him up!!!

I think I will definately look into getting a supplement to boost his immune system.
Bt the way, vet rolled his eyes when I asked about adding salmon oil, Kronch etc !!!

Don't worry people - there is NO WAY I would get Louis castrated yet. I've read so much on here about 'them' dropping even after a year old....

where abouts in the country are you i know of an excellent vet in chesterfield if he,s still practicing let me know if you need his No this is re- undescended testicles

Has he had a skin scrape yet?  That is exactly how Barneys Demodex started - patches of fur missing  but no real scratching.  Because our vet delayed so long the condition got to the stage where we thought he would have to be pts.  Thankfully, eventually, we were referred to a specialist, and now 2 years later, he is fine.

He had a skin scrape on his 2nd visit back in Feb. Also we were given Stronghold as his flea treatment yesterday and reading the leaflet its for sarcoptic as well! The thing is , whatever it is, we haven't got it and we are literally all over him!!!

Hmm my first thought too was mange but if hes been checked !!!!
I would change vets the castrating thing is far too young, 6 months poor boy leave it until hes a year to 14 months..

The food youre feeding him is great, vets so annoy me, mine questioned me about feeding raw, I told them what I thought of their suggestions..hee hee.

One thing that has been suggested for skin problems, scratching, etc, is raw liquidised spinach a desertspoonful twice a day, seems to have worked wonders with some dogs, especially with undiagnosed (coz they cant find out the cause) allergies....Its often been mentioned in Jane Lilleys column in DW with great results, may make the poo look a bit green but could be worth a try. !!!!

Hi new to posting but i had a bulldog that had really bad allergy probs,got her as a rescue at 2 yrs old and had been on steroids most of her life.Someone mentioned nettles to me so I tried her on dried nettles and within 3 days all her skin probs stopped, I could,nt believe it.You can get nettles in Denes Greenleaf tabs might be worth a try for you.

Actually it is the Advocate that will tackle demodex, the stronghold witll deal with sarcoptiv mange (the kidn they catch).  So if it might be demodex Advocate woudl be my choice.

Has he had a test for eczema? when I was at the vets a dog came in with it, apparently it isn't that uncommon in dogs, although I had never seen it before.