I love my dog..........what to do?

I have an 8yo black lab who has been my best friend since she was 3mths old. I've since married and have three children and she still continues to be the best dog.....great with the kids and everything. Okay this has nothing to do with my question.

Anyway, two years ago she developed a tumor on a lymphnode in her neck. It is benign, but has affected her immune system in some way. About one year ago she got a severe case of mange and now has it chronically due to her compromised immune system. The mange, of course, causes her to lose large amounts of hair and she develops sores and skin infections from itching. This flares up about every three months and I have her dipped at the vet's office. This consists of three dips, each three weeks apart, and costs me about $200. I can no longer afford to do this, but I can't allow her to live with sores and itching all the time either.

Are there any other options? Remember she is 8yrs old.......I can't bare to put her down for this, though.

I love my dog..........what to do?

talk to your vet and see if thier is some kind of home remedy you can use at home to make the infections go away. My beagle mix dog constatnly gets ear infections and i acutally came on here, and got information how to make a home rememdy of the same stuff the vet uses. It was a simple mixture on my part, and i am sure yours can too.. check at the pet store too, because they sell stuff for sores and to stop itching it will most defitly be cheaper than the vet,

Good luck to you! DOn't put her down and don't give her away find another way to make it work!

I love my dog..........what to do?

if you have to go through all that then just put her down

I love my dog..........what to do?

Have a chat to your vet or maybe see someone else for a second opinion. If this is compromising her quality of life and does not look like it will get any better maybe having her put to sleep is a better option, for her sake.

Otherwise you could look at rehoming her.

I love my dog..........what to do?

You should by now have a relatonship with the vet. See if you can talk with him/her about this and ask if there is anyway that you can purchace the dip and continue the treatments at home. Dipping a dog is not a complicated procedure and you can learn it easily. This could cut the cost WAY down and make it more affordable to you.

If this vet says no and does not have a good enough answer as to why... Ask your friends for the names of their vets and hunt, hunt, hunt... You will find a compassionate vet out there somewhere that will help you.

Good luck to you and your poor itchy pup!

~Tyed~

If you do not mind. Can you tell me the name of the dip. I would like to do little research and call a couple of vets that I know and see what their take on this situation is.

I love my dog..........what to do?

Perhaps you should do some reaearch and see if there is some sort of immune support vitams and minerals that you could give your dog to help to support her immune system. Ask another vet for a second opinion. Mange can be treated in different ways. Perhaps another vet can come up with a therapy that will eliminate the mange.

I love my dog..........what to do?

If you can't afford to treat the pet, look for a local dog rescue place that might be able to place your lab into a home that can take care of her. I would also look into seeing another vet first, not all vets have your or your pets best interest at heart. Try to find a vet that specializes in Labs. Mange is usually caused by mites or food allergies, and labs are known to be sensitive to food allergies.

John

I love my dog..........what to do?

First off, unless you trust your vet implicitly, get a second opinion. There are 2 main forms of mange, one can be treated and one cannot. I am unsure as to why this infection keeps returning (even with her immune system impaired).

Second, see if there are any people that would be willing to help you with the financial part.... if you love the dog, maybe you and the family could do your own fund raiser!! Go to a local dog park and hand out "FREE" doggie treat bags.... but then have a sign that says "DONATIONS EXCEPTED to raise money for VET bill". People will hear your story and often give you $5-10 bucks for a few cents worth of treats.... Same concept as a car wash for fund raising. MAKE sure your doggie goes with you and the kids.... It would be great family time also!

I know you do not want to consider euthanasia, so I will not offer it as an option, you already know it is an option.

I had a black lab, she finally passed when she was 13 years old... WHAT a GREAT dog... her name was Raven... I will miss that dog FOREVER!

Good luck,,, I know it is hard... and one that says "it is JUST a dog"..... has NO idea!!!!!! It is like saying it is "JUST" a child!

I love my dog..........what to do?

Poor dog!!!! Spend the 200 it is probably the best deal. If you don't do it who will. Don't let your dog suffer

I love my dog..........what to do?

Just like any other profession, all vets have different ideas and different treatments they like to do. I would talk with a couple other vets and see what they recommend. Maybe another vet will actually be able to solve your problem. No vet knows it all so talking to other vets just might help you.

I love my dog..........what to do?

Are you sure, about you not being able to purchase the dip, my mom's dog a sheltie named Daisy developed demodex mange after having a tumor and her spleen removed. I dipped her every two weeks and she was fed homemade dog food. We used to order dip through 1-800 pet meds, mind it did have an anesthetic effect. The mange itself was kept in check, can you consult another vet for a second opinion. Daisy was 9 and happily lived another 3 years

I love my dog..........what to do?

Sounds like demodex mange, it is due to a weakened immune system that causes it to return. Yes it is a mite, but is not past from one pet to another. All dogs carry that mite, but most of the time a strong immune system keeps them in check. Most likely the dip your vet is talking about is Mitaban, which is very toxic and should not be used by people that are not trained in the dangers of it. There are other means of treatment for demodex, ask your vet about an Ivermec treatment.