Dixie update...sigh.....
She is not responding to the antibiotics any more. Ears are still bad, she is still scratching and licking and she has now lost 2 pounds. I give her yogurt in her food, but she has decided she doesn't like it anymore, so I stopped giving her any. We have her on prescription non-allergetic food for skin, and she gets Benedryl to help with the itching. She wears a T-shirt and where she is covered it seem to stay stable, but not going away. Her neck and hindquarters get all inflamed and bleed with her licks and scratches. A cone is not an option, as she has lesions all around her neck. So, we are continuing to control the itching, monitoring her intake, feeding her LOTS and waiting 7-10 days with no antibiotics so we can do more testing...bloodwork and urine culture. But you would never know she is sick. She is bouncing around like the "Tigger" we picked up at the airport 2 months ago, and is happy, happy, happy. No dog-park for her, but we will take her for car-rides that she LOVES. I took her into a pet store a couple of times, and some people frowned as us, and stayed clear away. But at one store an employee got right down on her knees, and gave Dixie a big hug and wished her better. Dixie wiggled in her arms and gave her lots of kisses. The gal told us to be sure to bring her back in with updates. I almost kissed her. |
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Poor little possum her skin does look so sore. 
Maybe now that the hair is gone and some air getting to it, it might help a bit. Hoping and sending hugs and kisses to dixie that they can find out what is causing it and it all settles down for her.  & hugs to you for all the care you are giving this sweet and special girl. 
AND give that store employee a cuddle from us next time you take dixie in. |
| Oh no! Poor baby. But I'm glad she has found a loving place with you guys and can be taken care of. I think Dixie is such a beautiful sheepie-her face gets me everytime. (HUGS) to all of you.
What a wonderful store employee! Aren't you glad this world has people like her? |
| In the human world they are getting great results from salt water rinses used on wounds that will not heal. It's being used in standard medical practices to treat the persistent wounds of diabetic patients and it's gaining popularity in the piercing world. I don't know if this would be an option for Dixie.
Here are a couple of articles on it, http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/home/health ... cing.shtml www.infinitebody.com/aftercare/acbasic.html http://www.meredy.com/nursetips/skinhealthtips.html Most of the sites you can find are from the piercing world, the nonacademics seem to share more than the medical people. Guess they figured that they payed for their medical degrees so everybody else has to too! |
Ohhh, poor Dixie!  That little girl has such a beautiful face, and it must hurt so much to see her in such discomfort. Thank God she's with someone who cares for her so much, at least her attitude will stay happy.
And you still can't convince me, Nicole, that Dixie is JUST a foster!!  |
| Look at that sweet face. Poor baby. I so hope you'll be able to find the right treatment for her. What a love she is. |
| The picture of her face is so adorable and sweet! I am so sorry that your sweet girl has to endure such miserable skin and ear conditions. I am so happy that she has you to take care of her. I hope she gets well soon. |
| Poor baby girl.. hopefully the shaving might help a bit....that face is the sweetest. Give her big hugs and kisses from us.
I think about her all the time.. sending good thoughts your way. Brenda, Dud and Murph |
| Poor girl! Have you tried flavored yogurt in her food? Maybe she'd like a berry flavor or vanilla? |
| Poor sweet Dixie doll! She is so cute. I hope something will work soon! She's so lucky to have found you. |
| Hugs to poor sweet Dixie!!! I hope she gets better soon!! |
| She is darling. She is lucky she is with you Nicole and hearing about that pet store worker who hugged her warms my heart. Sometimes people forget that animals have feelings too. |
Quote: Poor girl! Have you tried flavored yogurt in her food? Maybe she'd like a berry flavor or vanilla?
I will try other flavours, but need to watch the ingredients. I'm not even sure if she should be having any dairy at all. I'll check with the vet. And Chris, as for fostering her....right now we could not afford her, even if we did apply to adopt her. She is extremely high-maintenance... Not that it hasn't come up in conversation.  |
| Poor girl - I wish there was a magic cure to stop all the problems. Good thing you all are so patient and kind with her - she loves you for it for sure! |
| If your worried about the yoghurt and her allergy try and get Goats Milk yogurt. It has all that is in normal yogurt without lactose in it and goats milk also has anti-inflammentry & lower Allergenic qualities as well. |
| Poor girl I know how horrible you must feel to see her in such discomfort.
Is it an allergy? Have you tried switching her to a lamb and rice food? We had great luck with our allergic Sharpei once we changed her cereal. |
She has recenlty been put on a prescription Royal Canin that only has fish and rice. She LOVES it and it stinks...  Won't be a few weeks until we can see a change, though, if it is that.
We don't know if it is allergies, or demodex mites, or both or what. But she probably has a compromised immune system, so the scratches and sores do not heal well. She also is spot peeing, and licking her area so it is swollen, and has bad ears, so we suspect a yeast infection that is not clearing up with antibiotics. Tests are being done next week, as we need to wait until the antibiotics are out of her system. My vet says that it has taken a long time for her to get into this condition, so it will take a long time for her to get over it. Sometimes we feel we are taking 1 step forward and 2 steps back. She has good days and bad days. |
| Hi I am not sure if you have done this already, I just came across your post, but have you had her allergy tested. Back in the 80's I was living in Houston , Texas and I had a male Irish Setter show dog flown in to me from Illinois. When he arrived he was beautiful with a long flowing coat. After a short period in Texas he blew all his coat and was scratching and bleeding like crazy. His skin looked very similiar to what your girl's skin looks like in the pics and he also dropped weight. I went to several different vets who tested him for mange, mites etc., tried different shampoos and many different foods and after spending several thousands of dollars on him trying to determine the cause and correcting it, it was recommended to me to have him allergy tested. I took him to a specialist and found out he was allergic to just about everything in Texas. I use to have to give him a needle every week to keep it under control. When I moved back to PA his allergies seized and no more shots. Just a suggestion to have her allergy tested if you have not already done so, it could save you dollars in the long run. |
| I hope you can find the cause and that Dixie gets better soon! |
| Aww Poor Dixie
I hope you can find out what is causing her problems and fix it. She's been through so much. Wishing her a speedy recovery. |
| I am just in love with Dixie. If I could have another dog she'd be for me, so I am truly sorry to know what she is going through. She is in my prayers. And her in the T-shirt is classic. |
| Poor Dixie! She is absolutely adorable--what an expressive face and such beautiful, soulful eyes.
I'm pretty new here, having just joined in Feb and just this past Sunday brought our rescue boy home, so please forgive me if I'm replowing old ground--I'm just trying to help. I wonder if you've considered trying Traditional Chinese Medicine (acupuncture and herbs) to help her? Believe me, I'm all for Western veterinary medicine, but there are some things that TCM can manage very well, sometimes better than allopathic medicine. Digestive problems, allergies, lack of appetite and skin conditions are among them. My Berner boy goes to a regular vet of course, but he has a pinched nerve in his neck, and also as he ages I want to give him as much support as possible to age well (so far so good!) so I started taking him to a veterinary acupuncturist last summer and it has done absolute wonders for him--no more steroids, improved energy, gorgeous coat and healthy skin, and he bounces around like a puppy (for an 8.5 y.o. Berner, quite remarkable). My guy is also a DVM, so he's the best of both worlds. I have spoken with Dr. Panzer quite a bit about ways that acupuncture can help animals and he has successfully helped many dogs with anorexia and skin problems. I'm attaching a couple of links, one is an article about veterinary acupuncture (quite long and comprehensive, but written so us mere mortals can understand it!), one is a linke to the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (the certifying organization), and one is a specific link to the list of IVAS-certified practitioners in Ontario. Might be something to consider. Meanwhile, please give Dixie extra hugs and ear skritches from me and BMD Otto and Sheepie Quincey. We're sending best wishes for a speedy recovery. Marjorie http://www.acupuncture.com/animals/dog.htm http://www.ivas.org/ http://www.ivas.org/members_search2_pub.cfm |
| Just a little note of thanks to all of you who have expressed concern, suggestions and PM's with information and good wishes for Dixie's better health. I check out all the websites, and we are going to try everything we can, as long as it is with the treating vet's blessing. She is keen on natural stuff, so that is great.
We've got some tea-tree oil, and have used salt and water, and we are looking into other suggestions. There is a specialist in the next town who does allergies for humans and animals. She goes by electrons or something like that...Hmmm. More research required, I think, but my vet knows of her. Blood/urine tests will be done later this week, with results hopefully early next week. Dixie is amazing. We broke down and took her to the dog park a few days ago, and she ran around like a mad woman for a full hour. She raced by everyone like the Roadrunner on Bugs Bunny, with her ears flopping in the wind. She is back to being very hyper, and excited, and her ears have cleared up by themselves, so we are hoping her immune system is kicking in. She doesn't scratch her ears, anymore, and they are nice and light pink. I have been able to pluck most of the hairs out of them, so that probably helped. She is not scratching herself for hours any more, so is able to relax and sleep easier. She has got a great attitude, and enoys teasing us to no end. However, the prior sores and red skin areas are still there, but not getting worse. New ones show up every once and a while, and they cause her great discomfort, when they flare up. She is also chewing are her toes...and still licking herself, a lot....sigh. She is shaved right down, and in the middle of the night she hops up on our bed and snuggles where the electric blanket is giving off some nice, warm heat. That and her T-shirt pyjamas keep her nice and cozy to sleep. So thanks for all the good wishes. It is really heartwarming to know folks are concerned enough to try to help. We feel like we are not alone in this, and that support really helps. Hugs..... |
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