Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
I have a 47 lb 1 yr and 10 mo boxer mix. I rescued him at 8 weeks old when he was severely infested with tapeworms and malnourished. At 6 months he began developing severe eye problems, they were constantly itching and the hair would fall out around them and he had chronic conjunctivitis. After hundreds (possibly thousands) of dollars and being told everything from allergies to entropion, we finally found a new vet who did a skin scraping and he tested positive for demodex mites. He began a regimen of 0.8 ml of liquid ivermectin daily (he has been on this for five days now). He is also a cryptorchid, so we needed to have him neutered so we had a cbc and chemistry blood test done which showed some slightly high levels in the kidneys. We did a urinalysis(we could not catch a first morning urine, so we brought in his third urine of the day, i dont know if this made a difference...) and the urinalysis revealed a slight high white blood cell count. He is on clavamox for is eye infection and any skin infection around the eyes due to the mites. The vet is now telling me to leave him on ten more days of clavamox and get a clean urinalysis before I neuter him, but he also told me that depending on the position of the retained testicle, it could be causing the problem. I forgot to mention that 3 weeks ago he came down with a sudden fever (103.5) and loss of appetite and was also prescribed clavamox then as well as receiving subcutaneous fluids. I have already spent nearly $500 in less than two weeks and am now pushing back his neuter (which i wanted to get done asap because of his increased risk of the testicle turning cancerous) another two weeks IF the urinalysis comes back clean. I am someone who is very into holistic and naturopathic medicine and a minimalist when it comes to medication but I am at a loss here and have no idea what to do. The dog is on a mixture of a home cooked diet with supplements as well as high quality kibble. So here's my question: is it unsafe for him to be neutered if he does have an infection? And also what can I do to help him fight a possible infection and the mites? Am I doing my dog harm with all of this medication? I'm desperate and going broke please help! Thank you!

For a number of his problems, antibiotics are a good choice. A retained testicle may lead to cancer, but only years down the road; the neutering does not need to be done right away. It is more important to get rid of the urinary infection before operating. It does sound like your dog has a weakened immune system. You could help this by giving him echinacea on a regular basis, along with a good immune stimulating supplement containing astragalus, golden seal, and mushrooms.

Thanks! We have a female chihuahua who is currently in heat (she's diapered and they are always supervised) and I noticed a very light greenish discharge from his penis. Is this normal with him going so crazy from the female dog or would it have to do with the infection? I know that the vitamin store sells a human prepartaion of the Echinacea/astragulus/goldenseal, would this be appropriate and if so what dose? Thanks again!

This green or yellow discharge from the penis is normal for an intact male dog. Of the Echinacea/astragalus/goldenseal combination, give one capsule twice a day.

I thought it was normal, just making sure! I couldn't find the combination so I'm just giving him echinacea right now. Should I keep him on the ivermectin or is this a dangerous drug? I have tried feeding neem leaves for the mites as well, and he's always been on a good diet, so I'm desperate to get rid of the demodex, but if the ivermectin is doing more harm than good then please let me know. Also (I know I'm probably getting annoying now) I have a 7 year old min pin. She is obese at 14 lbs but goes on daily walks and is on a low fat/low cal diet. She had her thyroid tested with results being VERY slightly low and she was placed on thyro-tabs which seemed to make her lethargic so she was taken off of them. Her weight fluctuates between 12-14 lbs. She suffered extreme physical abuse as a puppy before we got her from a rescue and had her nose and eye sockets broken. She has suffered uveitis on and off as well as breathing problems/snoring. She had signs of congestive heart failure and a recent x ray revealed a slightly enlarged heart and inflamed bronchial tubes. She was also diagnosed with hypertension. She was placed on amlodipine and theophylline but now a month later she is acting extremely lethargic and i think that the amlodipine is lowering her bp too much and I'm sure that the theophylline makes her uncomfortable as I am on a bronchodilator and it makes me restless and uneasy. I want to take her off these meds asap and substitute something more natural. How would I go about weaning her off the meds and what could I use to give her some support more naturally? I purchased some hawthorne berry capsules as I have heard they do wonders for heart health and blood pressure but I'm not sure what to use in place of a bronchodilator. Thank you

Ivermectin will not harm your dog. It is contraindicated for collies and collie types, but seems to have no bad effects in other breeds.
I think your min-pin should be on thyroid supplement, but as to her other problems, they are too complex to try to try to sort out in one paragraph. She really needs to have a consultation with a holistic veterinarian, who can go over her whole history, examine her medical information, and look at the whole situation.

We have tried A holistic vet out here but he really did not seem to be holistic to me as his first choice was drugs and he told me we could try something "more natural" if they did not work, which they arent. The only other one I know of in the las vegas area is Dr Nancy Brandt, who due to her status is very hard to get an appointment with and very pricey. Is there someone you could reccomend in the area (Las Vegas) that is fairly priced and reputable? Is it immediately dangerous to take her off of the blood pressure and bronchodilator medications? I plan on weaning her off of both, I just have seen more harm than good with them and would like to have a clean slate to work with when taking her to a new vet. I plan on starting her on the hawthorne for now, to give her some support, is there a natural thyroid supplement that you could reccomend for use in dogs with this problem, or are "thyro tabs" more appropriate? I am at a loss here as these closed minded vet I have been working with are very frustrating, open only to drugs and chemicals, and I have not had much success in locating a holistic vet. Any help is appreciated, I just need to figure out how to help her in the meantime until I can get her to someone I trust.

Dr. Joanne Stefanatos(?) is a reputable, experienced holistic veterinarian in Las Vegas. You should be able to get her number in the phone book. If she is unavailable, go to the AHVMA directory on the internet; I am sure there are other holistic vets in the Las Vegas area. If all else fails, we can do a telephone consultation, but it would be better to have the dog seen. In the meantime, don't change anything without having a comprehensive evaluation.