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MissySki

MissySki

Angel Diva
RachelV said:
and we're about to start down the path of specialized vets (a vet internist! I feel ridiculous) to scope her lungs etc and see if we can figure out what's going on in there.
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You should not feel ridiculous! I've been to veterinary neurologists, respiratory specialists, and acupuncturists with Zoey in the past and to a dermatologist with Sookie recently. They can have the same ailments and medical needs as humans, especially as they age.

Hope Lark feels better soon! There have definitely been some respiratory things going around in dogs this year that sound pretty scary. Definitely something to stay on top of.
 
TNtoTaos

TNtoTaos

Angel Diva
MissySki said:
You should not feel ridiculous! I've been to veterinary neurologists, respiratory specialists, and acupuncturists with Zoey in the past and to a dermatologist with Sookie recently. They can have the same ailments and medical needs as humans, especially as they age.

Hope Lark feels better soon! There have definitely been some respiratory things going around in dogs this year that sound pretty scary. Definitely something to stay on top of.
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Same here -- if you don't already have a specialty vet in mind, see if you have a Blue Pearl Specialty Vet Hospital near you. I've had quite a bit of experience with them, and have always received exemplary care from them.
 
Christy

Christy

Angel Diva
Gosh, no @RachelV, luckily I've never had to deal with that with 4 dogs and 8 fosters.

@TNtoTaos we had such great experiences with Blue Pearl too, but since Mars (the candy co) bought them, they shut down the one near us after staff demanded higher wages. It was really shocking--so many of the staff were making minimum wage, they collectively asked for more, and Mars said, oh yeah? Nope. We'll shut you down instead. This from hands-down the most expensive vet around with deep corporate pockets.

It's kind of scary how much vet care they control. They also own VCA but run it separately.

Mars doesn't get to $35 billion in annual sales on Mars bars alone. The Mars Petcare line includes Banfield Pet Hospital, Blue Pearl, Pet Partners, Iams, Nutro, Pedigree, Royal Canin and Whiskas, among several others. The company also owns Wrigley gum and candy (Skittles, Life Savers, Starburst, Altoids), Mars Chocolate (3 Musketeers, Snickers, Combos, Dove, Milky Way, M&M's), and other food and drink brands.
 
TNtoTaos

TNtoTaos

Angel Diva
Christy said:
@TNtoTaos we had such great experiences with Blue Pearl too, but since Mars (the candy co) bought them, they shut down the one near us after staff demanded higher wages. It was really shocking--so many of the staff were making minimum wage, they collectively asked for more, and Mars said, oh yeah? Nope. We'll shut you down instead. This from hands-down the most expensive vet around with deep corporate pockets.

It's kind of scary how much vet care they control. They also own VCA but run it separately.

Mars doesn't get to $35 billion in annual sales on Mars bars alone. The Mars Petcare line includes Banfield Pet Hospital, Blue Pearl, Pet Partners, Iams, Nutro, Pedigree, Royal Canin and Whiskas, among several others. The company also owns Wrigley gum and candy (Skittles, Life Savers, Starburst, Altoids), Mars Chocolate (3 Musketeers, Snickers, Combos, Dove, Milky Way, M&M's), and other food and drink brands.
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That's really unfortunate to hear. I've used Blue Pearl vets in both Kansas City and Nashville, and was so impressed with them. In fact, one of the vets I saw in KC was the co-founder of Blue Pearl. I haven't had a need for their services in about 6 yrs (thank goodness!), and I had heard that they were purchased by Mars, but wasn't really aware of the labor issues. That totally sucks!

Nevertheless, if one of my pets needed specialty care, I would probably still bring my pets to them, because the quality of the vet care is so high. Between KC and Nashville, I dealt with 3 or 4 Internists, 2 Cardiologists, and an Emergency vet, some of whom were double-boarded, and again, I couldn't have asked for any better care (BTW, I'm a physician, so I feel I'm a pretty good judge of med/vet providers). I and my friends (who do a lot of rescue work) have also dealt with a few vets (not at BP) that were not very good, or even terrible; needless to say, when my Furkids need care, I would do anything I could to be sure the care they're getting is the best available.

Unfortunately, with the takeover of the US medical, and now veterinary system by Big Medicine, we're all at the mercy of these terrible corporations. But remember, the providers who are employed by them shouldn't be judged by the corporations that employ them -- they're just trying to practice. How many of us have medical providers who work for big corporations -- again, it sucks, but we all have to do the best we can to find good providers. So when you find a good provider -- med or vet -- stick with them.
 
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TNtoTaos

TNtoTaos

Angel Diva
Those are the biggest paws I've ever seen on a puppy! :eek:
 
RachelV

RachelV

Administrator
Staff member
RachelV said:
...
Wondering if anyone has experience with this - Lark has had something that started off as kennel cough (which is I guess just what they call it anytime your dog gets a cold at the kennel, no matter what causes it), but it's been about 6 weeks and she's still sick. We've been through 3 rounds of antibiotics, she's currently on steroids just to make her feel better (she's quite wheezy when not on them), and we're about to start down the path of specialized vets (a vet internist! I feel ridiculous) to scope her lungs etc and see if we can figure out what's going on in there.
...
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Update: Lark has been on deworming meds for 3 weeks now and I feel pretty confident that it was, in fact.... (drum roll).... nose mites! Huge relief, was starting to come to terms with the fact that she might just have chronic inflammation and be a snotty, coughing mess on steroids for good.

Her she is this morning breathing out of her nose like a goddamn champion.
lark.jpg
 
S

SparkleBunny

Certified Ski Diva
RachelV said:
Update: Lark has been on deworming meds for 3 weeks now and I feel pretty confident that it was, in fact.... (drum roll).... nose mites! Huge relief, was starting to come to terms with the fact that she might just have chronic inflammation and be a snotty, coughing mess on steroids for good.

Her she is this morning breathing out of her nose like a goddamn champion.
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Nose mites? I have never heard of those. Did the dewormer fix that or did she need some other meds to cure them?
 
RachelV

RachelV

Administrator
Staff member
SparkleBunny said:
Nose mites? I have never heard of those. Did the dewormer fix that or did she need some other meds to cure them?
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The dewormer fixed them! Despite the fact that they're called nose mites, from what I understand they're similar to heartworm, just in the nose. Same meds, but taken on a more condensed schedule. I also had never heard of them before.

Lark is still feeling good and enjoyed licking my chili mac n cheese bowl at A-Basin today:
lark-abasin.jpg
 
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