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Is there is a Good Medical Site (WebMD-like) for Dogs?

My 12 year old Lab has something and we're not sure what. We went to the Vet today but aren't convinced the diagnosis was correct. He's got raw skin all over his body and it just started within the last week but exacerbates by the hour I swear. His elbows are raw and bleeding, his pelvis is raw, covered in pus, foot pads cracked and bleeding, nose and ears cracked, crusty and beeding and he can barely walk - like his arthritus just kicked in beyond repair. I'm planning to take him to another vet tomorrow but I want to research anything I can myself. It's breaking my heart to see him sufffer. If you know of any web sites that I can look at, please share!

Tags: advice, disorder, dog, medical, senior, skin

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Permalink Reply by Heather on April 30, 2008 at 6:18pm: Tanya, I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. Could it be possible that it's some kind of allergy? It sounds too severe, though, to be an allergic reaction. My vet has sent me to this site a few times. I'm not sure if it would be helpful to you?
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/
I hope he starts to feel better soon. Hang in there.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tanya Vaughan on May 1, 2008 at 8:24am: Heather - thanks for this resource! I really appreciate it. Mokie has been to 2 vets now - lots of tests in progress. We only know there is a lot of yeast and bacteria but not sure what the underlying cause is. His entire body has been consumed by this within a week's time. He seems to be feeling a little better as he's wagging his tail again - but maybe that's the pain killers. I haven't seen much improvement otherwise. :( Praying a crossing fingers for my guy. I want him to get better and be able to swim in the pool this summer.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Heather on May 4, 2008 at 7:04am: I hope Mokie is continuing to do better this weekend? I'm sure you've found some of this information already, but it seems that the infection typically occurs when a dog's immune system is weakened or compromised for some reason. I'm sure since he is 12 years old, his immune system isn't the same as a younger dog? I found these sites with some recommendations for changing diet as a way to control the infection. It sounds like this will cause all sorts of other issues in dogs, like allergies and digestive issues. Hope this helps:
http://www.petstyle.com/dog/health_well_article.aspx?id=215&sec...
http://www.thewholedog.org/ArtYeast.html; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tanya Vaughan on May 4, 2008 at 7:28am: Thanks Heather - you are so right on! I have been thinking it's an immune system problem myself. Friday was rough - I really thought it was going to be our last. My vet squeezed him into an already packed day and really worked on him - sedating him to clean up the extremely sore areas (placing a stitch here and there) and clean out/treat his horribly infected ears. They took some skin biopsies but realizing we didn't have much time, they went ahead and put him on steroids (i.e. last resort) to see if that would do the trick and Heather, he is night and day different. I don't know if it wil last long term or how long he can take sterroids but he's walking, eating and wagging his tail again so we'll take whatever we can get! Speaking of which, I'm off to give him his 8 pills and 3 topicals and hope for another good day. Praying, keeping fingers crossed, wishing good luck, etc. :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Heather on May 4, 2008 at 8:03am: Hang in there, Tanya. I'm glad Mokie is doing so much better today and hopefully that will continue. Thank goodness for your vet!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tanya Vaughan on May 6, 2008 at 3:31pm: Mokie is really improving!! I am so excited. We have a follow-up appt with the vet tomorrow and I can't wait for them to see how awesome he is doing. Jut crossing my fingers that the biopsies come back showing an immunity issue and not the C word...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Heather on May 6, 2008 at 6:09pm: I bet if he's improving that it probably was an immunity/allergy issue. The fact that the skin rashes & sores developed so quickly & responded quickly makes me think that you'll get good news tomorrow. (Then again, I'm not a vet...just being hopeful). Fingers crossed for you & Mokie...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Christopher Hendrix./ CHICO & BRYCE on May 19, 2008 at 11:47am: Hello, Although I don't have any medical knowledge to offer, I would suggest that after your dog has had his immune system issue resolved, you might want to switch him over to another food. Possibly a grain free food????? I know that foods such as ORIJEN, EVO, GO NATURAL, WELLNESS CORE (non grain formula) are all top of the line foods which are grain free and would be more than likely not to have anything in it that could create allergies. If you are uncomfortable with a grain free food then I would recommend: INNOVA, CANIDAE, WELLNESS (with grain formula) CALIFORNIA NATURAL, KARMA (all organic) BLUE BUFFALO, and MERRICK, these to me are some of the Best of the Best foods on the market. Although your vet might put him on a special diet during this immunity problem, once he is back to his normal self, you might look into changing his diet to one of the above foods, or one which has top of the line ingredients. One sight I go to is www.dogfoodanalysis.com and I also look at the annual edition of the Whole Dog Journals review of their recommended foods. This journal has been around for quite some time and they are a knowledgeable resource for dogs, they even discuss medical issues as well, go to www.wholedogjournal.com its NOT an online monthly it comes in the regular mail to you. GOOD LUCK, Chris; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tanya Vaughan on May 19, 2008 at 11:58am: Thanks for the resources. I really appreciate it. I will look into the food options for my other dog as well. Thanks a lot!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Debra on May 25, 2008 at 9:24pm: We have two lab mixes. Several veterinarians strongly suggested that we put our eldest lab down because she kept having mysterious liver bleeds. She also has arthritis. We give her mangosteen juice (it's anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory). That was six years ago. She's running up and down the stairs and she is now 12. I sell mangosteen juice because it has saved my family (incl our dogs!) over and over again. The kids with their ear infections, dogs with their arthritis. I can ship the mangosteen juice to you. It's the xanthones in the rind that is sooooooooooo healing. Amazing stuff and worth a try. I cannot guarantee anything. But, I know if it were my dog, I would try this. I work at a nutritional store and I sell this to many customers (same product that I sell at Fabulous Pet Store.com).; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by sadieandlily on May 31, 2008 at 5:11am: Hi Tanya, Sorry to hear about your lab's health problems.

Here are three sites that provide information about assessing what different pet symptoms might mean for your dog's health. Best of luck in resolving these issues.

Dog MD Net - http://www.dogmd.net/ensuring-health.htm

Pet Place Guide to Dog Symptoms - http://www.petplace.com/dogs/guide-to-dog-symptoms/page1.aspx

I Village Pet Symptom Solver - http://home.ivillage.com/pets/symsolve/0,,hg5z,00.html; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tanya Vaughan on June 12, 2008 at 3:51pm: Thank you so much for these great resources! I've bookmarked all of them!; ▶ Reply to This