Lordy Mercy, do I ever need some help. I've taken my aging dacshund to
several vets for his neverending ear infections with subsequent
treatment w/ antibiotics, steriods, and ear drops. Nothing seems to
help. My poor baby was put on Cipro, Baytril drops and Cortisone today
and had a severe reaction with hives, difficulty breathing, etc. This
is after 12 years of healthly life and I have to wonder...why now &
what is the cause. He drinks at least a gallon or more water each day.
My latest vet did not even bother to help me when I called for "WHAT
SHOULD I DO NOW?",when I found him tearing around after 20 minutes
following the dosages, so I researched the net and blasted off to the
nearest drug store for Benadryl. He's better, but now I don't know how
I should continue his drug regimen or what to do now. I live in a
small town and no one seems to work on the weekends. If you've got an
emergency with your pet, you'd best get ready to wait until Monday thru
Friday. Does anyone have anything they can share with me, even though
I know my post can't possibly address all the issues.

Thanks

Thank you for your assistance. Again, living in a small town seems to
limit you to minimal care. I was actually told today that I "should
put him down" to keep him from suffering. That IS NOT an option. He
is a loving dog and my best friend. I will take him wherever need be
for care, but most local vets don't like having their "territory"
invaded when some patients try to tell them what should be done. I
will continue to make every effort and see that the necessary tests be
done, but the only option I was given was today was a study to see what
antibiotics might work best - at a additional cost of $90 since that
test would be sent out of area/state. As far as surgically flushing
his ears, that option was never suggested and the only one given was
surgery to remove the small flaps at the very bottom to improve
aeration and/or drainage. Gosh, I feel as though I'm living in the
dark ages when it comes to health care for pets. His sudden thirst has
confounded me, but I couldn't figure out what the cause might be.
Reserach lead me to cushing disease, but again, I'm a novice at online
assistance, so......THANK YOU!!

How far is your Small Town from a Large Town with a weekend/emergency vet
clinic? It could be worth a drive of an hour or two to give your dog some
comfort and you some peace of mind.

Use the internet 411 search for a clinic in the area you're willing to
drive, phone ahead to make sure they can take you, and take *all* the meds
you have or have been given with you. When searching for a clinic, consider
any universities that train vets: they often have clinics with *really nice*
diagnostics.

Hope this helps.

Marie

"Dog Lover" wrote in message
oups.com...
Lordy Mercy, do I ever need some help. I've taken my aging dacshund to
several vets for his neverending ear infections with subsequent
treatment w/ antibiotics, steriods, and ear drops. Nothing seems to
help. My poor baby was put on Cipro, Baytril drops and Cortisone today
and had a severe reaction with hives, difficulty breathing, etc. This
is after 12 years of healthly life and I have to wonder...why now &
what is the cause. He drinks at least a gallon or more water each day.
My latest vet did not even bother to help me when I called for "WHAT
SHOULD I DO NOW?",when I found him tearing around after 20 minutes
following the dosages, so I researched the net and blasted off to the
nearest drug store for Benadryl. He's better, but now I don't know how
I should continue his drug regimen or what to do now. I live in a
small town and no one seems to work on the weekends. If you've got an
emergency with your pet, you'd best get ready to wait until Monday thru
Friday. Does anyone have anything they can share with me, even though
I know my post can't possibly address all the issues.

Thanks

"Dog Lover" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thank you for your assistance. Again, living in a small town seems to
limit you to minimal care. I was actually told today that I "should
put him down" to keep him from suffering. That IS NOT an option. He
is a loving dog and my best friend. I will take him wherever need be
for care, but most local vets don't like having their "territory"
invaded when some patients try to tell them what should be done. I
will continue to make every effort and see that the necessary tests be
done, but the only option I was given was today was a study to see what
antibiotics might work best - at a additional cost of $90 since that
test would be sent out of area/state. As far as surgically flushing
his ears, that option was never suggested and the only one given was
surgery to remove the small flaps at the very bottom to improve
aeration and/or drainage. Gosh, I feel as though I'm living in the
dark ages when it comes to health care for pets. His sudden thirst has
confounded me, but I couldn't figure out what the cause might be.
Reserach lead me to cushing disease, but again, I'm a novice at online
assistance, so......THANK YOU!!

I am also not a vet.

Drinking lots of water in people can be a sign of diabetes.

I don't know how common it is, but I know that dogs can get diabetes. The
water drinking coupled with difficulty getting rid of his ear infections -
IMO you should have him tested. Get to another vet if at all possible.

flick 100785

"flick" wrote in message
...
I am also not a vet.

Drinking lots of water in people can be a sign of diabetes.

I don't know how common it is, but I know that dogs can get diabetes. The
water drinking coupled with difficulty getting rid of his ear infections -
IMO you should have him tested. Get to another vet if at all possible.

This was my first thought also. Diabetes - which dogs can certainly get -
could explain the thirst AND the recurring infections. High blood sugar
levels lead to chronic yeast infections. If it is diabetes, the longer the
blood sugar levels are allowed to be high, the greater the danger of organ
damage.

Go wherever you have to to find a vet that will address the problems. This
is something they should be able to figure out.

~~Judy

Drinking lots of water in people can be a sign of diabetes.

I don't know how common it is, but I know that dogs can get diabetes. The
water drinking coupled with difficulty getting rid of his ear infections -
IMO you should have him tested. Get to another vet if at all possible.



Maui drinks a ton of water and I explained my concern of diabetes to the vet
when Maui was just a 3-4 months old (it was the only other time I saw that
man vet in my practice). He said puppies don't get diabetes and his
drinking a lot is probably because I feed dry food. At the time, I trusted
the vet but now with this latest experience with him, I am thinking
otherwise (since Maui also has ear problems). Guess, I need to mention it
to the woman vet when I go back for Maui's heartworm test?

"diddy" wrote in message
...
in thread : "MauiJNP"
whittled the following words:


Maui drinks a ton of water and I explained my concern of diabetes to
the vet when Maui was just a 3-4 months old (it was the only other
time I saw that man vet in my practice). He said puppies don't get
diabetes and his drinking a lot is probably because I feed dry food.
At the time, I trusted the vet but now with this latest experience
with him, I am thinking otherwise (since Maui also has ear problems).
Guess, I need to mention it to the woman vet when I go back for Maui's
heartworm test?




Actually, puppies DO. We had two rescue pups that needed insulin
injections
twice daily. A nurse adopted them both, because she had an overwhelming
need to "save" something. Both pups were under 5 months old.

IMO, there are too many dogs that need to be saved that are healthy to
waste time and effort on the sick ones. But there are those who feel the
"need" and it's those with bad starts that they feel they NEED to save,
because they would perish without them.

And they are right, they "would".
But then when I see a perfectly wonderful young dog, with wonderful
manners/temperament/disposition get NOT saved, because there were no
foster
families or openings or adoptive families, I just puke.

I guess that's just me.

But back to the topic, puppies "Do" get diabetes.



at the time I trusted my vet even when my gut told me otherwise. anyway,
Maui is going on Tuesday for his heartworn test (with the woman vet) so I
will mention the diabetes issue again and see what she says