Hello to all.
I recently acquired a mixed breed dog (Black Labrador/Black Great Dane) and am trying to figure out both breeds in order to be the best parent possible.
My beloved Mr. Buddy Love, showed up at my house the morning after this past Easter 2012.
After numerous days of me combing lost and found articles around the surrounding area, to include veterinarian clinics, I decided to call the local animal shelters to see if they had received any calls from an owner who may have lost their pet as well as fits the description of my new visitor. No luck, but they did offer to take him if I could not keep him.
Although I appreciate all their efforts, I was not willing to “turn him in”, so I went to the internet and found yet another local animal shelter that was not listed in the phone book, but gave it a try anyway. Walla! Mystery solved!
As it turned out, the night before he show up at my house, Buddy Love had escaped from their animal shelter, which just so happened to be only a couple miles down the road from me. Apparently, an old oak tree fell on his outside kennel and broke the fencing allowing him to get out…again!
They also stated that they had him adopted out 3 times in the 3 months they had him, but then sadly returned to them within a week after each adoption for various reasons.
After hearing his story and knowing that he was a handful for the average “Dog Shopper”, bringing him back to the shelter did NOT seem like a great option for either of us, so I offered them their full adoption fee and begged my husband to let me keep him.
I made a promise to my husband, Buddy, as well as the 5 rescue cats that I could not say no to either over the past 10 years, to create a happy and harmonious environment for all of us. It has been lots of work, but I am committed to never letting him be without a loving home again and the only way I can be certain of that is to do it myself.
So far, we are all doing quite well and aside from the expected bumps along the way, Buddy has blended beautifully with our furry family. Not only that, but I have mastered the skill of wall repair in the process…don’t ask…just know that I fixed it...(that's all my husband wants to here too). LOL.
On a more frustrating note than just simple wall repair, recently however, Buddy was diagnosed with Giardia on Friday June 1, 2012 and prescribed Metronidazole (500mg/day for 10 days). He was retested this past Friday June 22, 2012 and both the Fecal Float and Giardia SNAP tests came back negative. This is great news!
However, from the time he starting the medicine on 6-1-2012, my dog has had a tremendous amount of hair loss and now has scaly bald patches all the way down his back.
I mentioned this to his Veterinarian on 6-22-2012 during our follow up visit/retest and he stated that it “may” simply be a reaction to his medication. I suggested doing a skin biopsy to be certain what the cause was, but was told that I was “overreacting” and to simply keep an eye on it in case it worsens. He then gave him a Cortisone shot, said this should help, and then walked out of the room. What? That’s it? Wait a minute…aren’t I paying you to hear my concerns? Rude!
Anyway, I still have a ton of questions, but now reluctant to ask my dogs Vet., in fear of more ridicule…like is hair loss a typical reaction to Metronidazole? If so, then how long will this “side effect” last? How bad will it get? What can I do about it now? What if it is not the medication and a genetic issue that I need to be aware of and try to combat as much as possible, etc.
I welcome all comments or suggestions that may help. Thank you.
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