# What health problems has your dog had?



## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

I thought it would be interesting to see what different health problems everyone has delt with in their poodles. With all the health issues poodles have I would like to see how many of our dogs are affected. 

Ill start. Over his life Riley has had: severe enviornmental allergies that no medications help, vaccine site reactions, severe life threatening reactions to steroids, middle ear infections, dry eye, entropion, bad sore back flair-ups, addisons disease, and a torn patellar ligament in his knee (this has by far been his worst injury as it will affect him for life). 

It seems like every year we some new bad problem. He is just the best boy ever though! He will let anyone do anything to him. Everyone adores him. He is such a stable and loving dog! I adore him and would do anything to fix him as long as he will have a good quality of life. I am thankful i am able to afford and take care of his problems.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Tony (standard poodle, passed away 3 years ago at the age of 11)- had 2 or 3 seizures but we never identified the cause. He got Rocky Mountain Spotted fever at the age of 10 or 11 and to be honest, that was the beginning of the end. Everything was downhill from there and he died at 11 from a cancerous tumor on his lung.

Henry (standard poodle, currently 2 y/o.)- Absolutely 100% healthy with the exception of bloat/torsion 2 weeks before his 2nd birthday. He has been tacked and is now without health problems (Although he does have some acid reflux occasionally but it is most likely due to the surgery and will hopefully go away in time). I will never forget being in the waiting room and being told that he may or may not survive. We would just have to wait and see. I was in tears. I still give his scar on his tummy a little kiss sometimes because I am so thankful he is still here. I am also so thankful that we had the money to pay for his expensive emergency surgery as that is what saved his life.

*Bigpoodleperson*, Poor Riley has had quite a list of health problems! He is very lucky to have you as a mommy who will care for him, treat his health issues and make sure he lives a quality ilfe


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## whitepoodles (Jul 5, 2010)

I have issues with food allergy to poultry, strangely not to duck.

My dogs will come down with diarrhea if I will feed them even boiled chicken breast.

I wouldnt mind giving them ( as a treat only) the occasional RMB (Raw Meaty Bone) which is referred to by raw feeders to the chicken necks, carcases and wings, but my dogs will have bloody diarrhea if I do..except for one, Lola.

The only raw they will tollerate is the beef, better cubed than ground and the Satin Balls ingredients.

I have been fortunate with health and long lived dogs in my line with the occasional bloat a few Epi and Ad cases but not significant at all.

For the past 5 years I have only heard of 1 epilepsy case and I do keep tabs on all puppies I sell. 

I no longer breed from the girl who produced the Epi case and spayed the puppy I kept out of her, so that I do not perpetuate this disorder.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

whitepoodles said:


> I have issues with food allergy to poultry, strangely not to duck.
> 
> My dogs will come down with diarrhea if I will feed them even boiled chicken breast.


Millie gets diarrhea from boiled chicken too!! That is why I suspected a chicken sensitivity - but her kibble has chicken in it....:doh: So, I really have no idea what is going on there.


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## whitepoodles (Jul 5, 2010)

ChocolateMillie;118171 said:


> Millie gets diarrhea from boiled chicken too!! That is why I suspected a chicken sensitivity - but her kibble has chicken in it....:doh: So, I really have no idea what is going on there.


Chocmillie:

This is so strange.. really.. I have no idea why... 
Check you bag.. what are you feeding (kibble ??) what is the 1st ingredient listed on the ingredients list.

my guys are much more allergic to turkey than to chicken.. but all the same to both, big time.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

whitepoodles said:


> [/COLOR]
> 
> Chocmillie:
> 
> ...


Turkey, Chicken, Chicken meal are first 3. Hmmm...either it was a fluke the 2 times I gave her boiled chicken or maybe I should try a new protein. She does occasionally have softer stools on her kibble...


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## whitepoodles (Jul 5, 2010)

The Wellness carried the chicken with turkey etc... and my dogs were so sick on it it was not funny. My yard had poop galore and some tinges of blood in it.

I put them all on FROMM Salmon A La Veggies and swear by this food from that day onward. FROMM is by far better than Wellness and their quality control much higher as well (I know
someone who visited both plants and can attest to this)

Now that Surf and Turf (Fromm) is no longer preserved with Citric Acid I will be giving my growing pups this food as it contains a bit more protein as does the Fromm Salmon but still low enough that I am not worried about the protein level.

I fed Fromm Surf and Turf and it is an amazing food unfortunately here it runs $90.00 and up with tax included.. WOW


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## rubymom (Apr 24, 2010)

Ruby is currently on Wellness Puppy and seems fine with it (loves it, firm stools) but, I've always thought the ocean varieties are better choices for protein. Cali used to eat NB Sweet potato/fish. Maybe I will look into this Fromm kibble you mention WP!


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## Winnow (Jan 2, 2010)

My dogs have been very healthy.

They sometimes get eye infections. The ears are always good no problems there.
Dima can not get food that has to much protein then she gets itchy.

Other then this they are 100 % fine.
There tummy's behave most of the time even when Dima is eating pure garbage, not the diet we choose for her but sometimes she gets into some bad stuff :S


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## *tina* (Jan 3, 2010)

So far, we have been lucky. Besides Captain being a cryptorchid, he has been very healthy in the 6 months we've had him. Funny thing about chicken, he can have raw chicken, but can't tolerate chicken in kibble or in canned foods. He occasionally gets a raw chicken leg or wing as a treat, and has NO problems with them.


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## amerique2 (Jun 21, 2009)

My mini, Cherie, died at age 19. She had less than 5 seizures that began later in life. Other than that she was super healthy.


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## kanatadoggroomer (Jan 24, 2010)

One of my three standards has a chicken/turkey intolerance and gets diarrhea from eating even a teaspoon. That problem started at 5 years old.

One of my other standards has a ragweed allergy every August and has to go on cortisone for a few weeks every year. 

Otherwise, very healthy dogs.


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## CelticKitti (Jul 1, 2010)

Kodi has a luxating patella, chronic ear infections possibly due to a grain allergy, and had a severe vaccine reaction as a puppy. Hopefully his ears will clear up with switching back to a grain free food. The vaccine reaction was very scary but his patella is likely to cost me a pretty penny to fix.

Mia has had an eye infection and a stomach bug or something last month ... but that's it! (Puppy, lets keep it that way!!)


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## whitepoodles (Jul 5, 2010)

CelticKitti said:


> Kodi has a luxating patella, chronic ear infections possibly due to a grain allergy, *and had a severe vaccine reaction as a *puppy. Hopefully his ears will clear up with switching back to a grain free food. The vaccine reaction was very scary but his patella is likely to cost me a pretty penny to fix.
> 
> Mia has had an eye infection and a stomach bug or something last month ... but that's it! (Puppy, lets keep it that way!!)


Celtickitti:

I hope you no longer vaccinate your dog after he came down with this reaction. 
Did he react to the DHPP or to the Rabies or was it given at the same time?


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## Skye (Feb 19, 2010)

amerique2 said:


> My mini, Cherie, died at age 19. She had less than 5 seizures that began later in life. Other than that she was super healthy.


Where did Cherie come from? I'd like one just like her, please!


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## whitepoodles (Jul 5, 2010)

amerique2 said:


> *My mini, Cherie, died at age 19.* She had less than 5 seizures that began later in life. Other than that she was super healthy.


I was just about to say what Skye said... although I have a mini here at home, I trully hope she will also live to such an old blessed age.

WOW 19 years old that is definitely a record.


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

_My two spoos have showed no health problems to date but Billy is just going to turn two on the 16th of this month and Taffy is a bit over a year and a half. They seem to be able to eat anything and have no environmental allergies. No ear infections nor skin problems. We have been extremely lucky.

My golden, however, has severe seasonal allergies and I just ordered a cortisone based shampoo for her and give her benedryl when she needs it. Other than that, she, too, has been quite healthy all of her six years. Brandy has a cast iron stomach. She actually ate a large Hershey bar that she stole off of the counter once and it didn't even phase her!!!! Horrified me!!
_


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## *JP (Aug 10, 2010)

Houston is about 4 1/2 years old and so far he has had two Urinary Tract Infections caused by crystals ... at least one was we think. A dose of antibiotics cleared him right up! I hope that is all the illness we see!


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## partial2poodles (Feb 11, 2010)

My 21 yr old went thru sever allergy problems, tested and got weekly shots, never cortisone and is doing well the past 10 yrs. Cooper got parvo. Jetta had sebaceous cycts removed. Keisha had mastitis. Between 7 dogs, they have had maybe a total of 5 ear infection in 10 years. My toy poodle and my westi poo have never been to a vet for any health problem ever...just for neutering and spaced-out vacs.


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## CelticKitti (Jul 1, 2010)

whitepoodles said:


> Celtickitti:
> 
> I hope you no longer vaccinate your dog after he came down with this reaction.
> Did he react to the DHPP or to the Rabies or was it given at the same time?


He got his third "puppy shot" a DHLPP. He did not get his rabies the same day. After talking to the breeder I asked my vet if he even needed the lepto vaccine. She didn’t give it because it wasn’t a concern in her area. Well that vet was(is) a bit of a vaccine pusher, but it's who my family used for years. The vet assured me the vaccine was safe. I think he got a little annoyed at my questioning to see if he was even at risk. I was uneasy about giving it but the vet assured me he should get it and it was safe. I should have gone with my gut feeling but I was younger (I'm still young but have done much more research now) and the vet pushed me around. 

So I noticed he was very very sore when I pulled him out of the car when we got home from the vet. Within 30 min he was laying on his bed screaming. I called the vet and the office staff assured me soreness was normal. HOW can screaming be normal????? 

After this experience I came across my new vet. She is willing to listen to me and was very worried about his reaction. After a discussion we both decided to revaccinate Kodi a year from the reaction with Distemper and Parvo separately and premeditated before both. I was worried about taking limited vaccination to far, and this is what she recommends to her clients. I wasn’t sold on the quality of the research for a very limited protocol. It works for some people, but I am not comfortable with it. He did fine with distemper and parvo last year. He will get titered every 2-3 years from now on. Parvo is a bit of a problem in this area and he travels everywhere so I don't want his titers to fall. And even though titers aren’t perfect, dogs with high titers can still contract the disease, this makes me feel more comfortable.

In Maryland I am required by law to vaccinate every 3 years for rabies. Unfortunately titers are not recognized. He did not have a reaction to the rabies vaccine, but he has been and will always be premeditated for that too just to be safe. 

He will NEVER again get a Lepto vaccine, and even though it is present in this area and Kodi LOVES to swim, and usually ends up drinking a ton of pond water while playing ball it isn't worth the risk. I am now educated for the symptoms of lepto and he will just be monitored.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I hesitate to say Poppy has no health problems, as it feels like tempting providence. She has had a couple of bouts of stomach trouble - one caused by dining "not wisely but too well", one a bug that was doing the rounds. She had a sore toe - cause unknown - which sorted itself out after a few days and a couple of doses of pain killer. And retained deciduous teeth, which eventually dropped out by themselves.

My vet is moving to the internationally accepted protocol for dog vaccination, so Poppy will probably get her first annual booster this year, and then it will be a phased three year cycle. Lepto is a tricky one - I will have to discuss the local risk levels with him. Rabies, thankfully, is only needed here if you choose to passport your dog to travel outside the country, so can be avoided altogether.


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## whitepoodles (Jul 5, 2010)

fjm said:


> I hesitate to say Poppy has no health problems, as it feels like tempting providence. She has had a couple of bouts of stomach trouble - one caused by dining "not wisely but too well", one a bug that was doing the rounds. She had a sore toe - cause unknown - which sorted itself out after a few days and a couple of doses of pain killer. And retained deciduous teeth, which eventually dropped out by themselves.
> 
> My vet is moving to the internationally accepted protocol for dog vaccination, so Poppy will probably get her first annual booster this year, and then it will be a phased three year cycle. Lepto is a tricky one - I will have to discuss the local risk levels with him. Rabies, thankfully, is only needed here if you choose to passport your dog to travel outside the country, so can be avoided altogether.



The lepto vaccine vets administer to their clients' dogs do NOT cover all strains of Lepto.

A client of mine had his dog religiously vaccinated for Lepto and the dog at 9 years old came down with Lepto in a most severe way he nearly died, as the cure is lengthy and very intense, not to mention costly.

The dog's immune system was as such that he faught the Lepto and came through it. Had his immune system been weak he would of succumbed to Lepto as it is a disease which is rare to overturn.

So as you can see the dog DID get Lepto vaccinations yearly until 9 years old and YET he did come down with Lepto.

The lepto vaccine vets use may cover SOME lepto strains but NOT all. This is the main reason I do not let my dogs have Lepto... and YES they swim, but not in stagnant water , The lake they swim in is flowing water, very slow but still moving...

We have problems though or have started recently to have Blue Algae problem which is toxic to dogs and this worries me much more than Lepto.

I have to admit that the U.S. has much more problems with canine distemper and parvo than Canada does. We have been very fortunate in some areas in Canada not to experience that much Parvo , Lepto , Rabies and Distemper...
I am fortunate I live in this part of the country which can afford me minimal or no vaccinations.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

There is blue green algae blooming in the Lakes this year - a definite worry.


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## whitepoodles (Jul 5, 2010)

fjm said:


> There is blue green algae blooming in the Lakes this year - a definite worry.


FJM:

All the way in England as well wow !! soon enough we wont be able to take our dogs anywhere...:(


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## rjen (Apr 7, 2010)

Belle is 3 and no health issues. She's a bit of a pig and will eat anything although she's on a combo of grain free kibble and raw.[no food issues so far] I've had her heart,eyes,patellas checked, all clear. I use Dr Dodds vaccine protocall. Belle also travels well and has gone NY to Al twice, Fl & Ar once. She did have really bad reaction to a spider bite and has a scar from that, and she got bit by a neighbors Ger Shep that came onto our property [not real bad]and has a scar from that.


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

I will not use the lepto combination shots (the ones with parvo, distemp, etc). At my clinic we use a seperate lepto vaccine only for clients whos dogs are at risk. We do not give it to every dog, and we talk to the clients about risk of vaccination vs. risk of getting lepto. The vaccine we use covers 4 of the 6 serovars of the lepto strain. The 4 most common ones. So yes, a dog can still get lepto with the vaccine, but there is a good chance they wont. 

We live near Chicago, and lepto is becoming more and more common in my area. Just a few years ago (i think perhaps still going on) Chicago had a Major letpo outbreak at their dogparks. 
Riley is vaccinated against lepto as he is at high risk. We have alot of wild animals that go through our property, we do tracking, he goes (went) to alot of forest preserves and parks to hike/track. Besides contaminated water being a lepto source, infected animal urine is the main source. Even just smelling infected urine can infect a dog (gets through the mucous membranes of the nose).


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## christinelmn (Aug 21, 2010)

*Health probs*

My Danielle has had both knee's (luxating patella's) surgically fixed, She has epilepsy and a heart murmer...Abigail has had both knee's surgically fixed...


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## Teffy (Jul 4, 2010)

Tessa @ 6.5 years old, nothing at all. 

Buffy @ 3.5 years old, minor allergy to wheat/corn. She gets itchy.

Knocking on wood.


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## schpeckie (Jun 29, 2010)

My toy poodle lived to 18 1/2 years and I thought that was a record! She had developed a heart condition at the age of 14, to which 3 kinds of medication was given to her daily. Otherwise, she was a active and healthy dog. I think this is why I stick to poodles - you know their temperment and also their ailments that you can always bet on later in life.


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## whitepoodles (Jul 5, 2010)

schpekie:

WOW this is wonderful.. I wish more breedings will produce such long lived dogs in all three varieties.

Isnt this wonderful to have our beloved poos live such long and healthy lives.


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## CelticKitti (Jul 1, 2010)

My childhood dog... a Schipperke is currently around 17. While she's slowing down and has very bad cataracts and very limited hearing at this age she's still going. Its going to be very rough on my dad especially when she finally leaves us. And he is the one who didn't want the dog! I can only hope that my two live that long!

Some pictures of her and my parents 4 year old Mini Tye.


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## schpeckie (Jun 29, 2010)

whitepoodles said:


> schpekie:
> 
> WOW this is wonderful.. I wish more breedings will produce such long lived dogs in all three varieties.
> 
> Isnt this wonderful to have our beloved poos live such long and healthy lives.


I totally agree! Eventhough Shayna wasnot a total purebred, she was a very good dog with all the "smarts" of a poodle. She is the picture in my avitar.


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

Atticus hasn't had any health problems, except he has terrible teeth. He's going in for a dental next week and he JUST turned a year old. He also had an undescended testicle and when they were doing an ultrasound to try and find it, they noticed one of his kidneys is bigger than the other so hopefully that doesn't problems later on. I think because of his tiny size he has more problems...he also broke his leg on valentines day of this year but it healed perfectly and you'd never know he broke it besides it being a little crooked.


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## puppylove (Aug 9, 2009)

Jackson is still being treated for Valley Fever. This is related to the area I live in and is not a breed specific problem. He has had an ear infection but is otherwise healthy with a healthy appetite.

I met a young couple last week at the dog park who had just had to put down their 2-year-old standard boy after he reacted very badly to a Lyme disease vaccination. What's especially sad is that we don't have to worry about it here in Arizona but his father's vet in California suggested it because they camp in the California mountains once in a while.


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## whitepoodles (Jul 5, 2010)

Puppylove:

What type of reaction did the poor dog exhibit that it necessitated putting him down ?


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

puppylove said:


> Jackson is still being treated for Valley Fever. This is related to the area I live in and is not a breed specific problem. He has had an ear infection but is otherwise healthy with a healthy appetite.
> 
> I met a young couple last week at the dog park who had just had to put down their 2-year-old standard boy after he reacted very badly to a Lyme disease vaccination. What's especially sad is that we don't have to worry about it here in Arizona but his father's vet in California suggested it because they camp in the California mountains once in a while.


So sad! 

I found out there is a holistic vet about 30 minutes from me and I am considering taking Millie there (in addition to her regular vet) because they use titres and limited vaccinations. I never knew the adverse effects that could be caused by vaccinations until I joined this forum. Now I want to protect my dogs from overvaccinating or reactions.


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## Curlydogs (Jun 28, 2010)

Cosmo is just about 3 and he has had two eye infections, several ear infections (bordering on chronic) and loose stool. We have been keeping his ear hair short short lately, which has cleared up the ear infections completely. We recently changed his food from Solid Gold to Fromm Salmon a la Veg (I chose Fromm after reading a great string of posts here - thanks everyone) and I am happy to say that his stool is finally firm. Yay! I think he has some food allergies - possibly duck/turkey/corn - but I have not really nailed that down yet. I know that the fish based diet has worked wonders.


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## whitepoodles (Jul 5, 2010)

I know that the fish based diet has worked wonders.[/QUOTE]



Curleydogs:

This is precisely the reason why I have fed fish diet for 6 years now, after feeding some raw and some Innova/Wellness. I did not like them at all and my dogs did not thrive on the latter mentioned foods.

Once I switched my guys to Fromm Salmon based protein and cooked some home food for them, they started to gain weight and are now in optiumum condition.

An equally good food you can put your dogs on if Fromm isnt available is the ACANA PACIFICA, which contains six fish and a 30 % proteni and 19% fat, where as the Salmon Veggies Fromm containes only 26% protein and 14% fat.
Fromm four stars is for all stages of life and all my puppies are weaned nad stay on the Fromm Salm/Vegie for the duration of their life with at times rotating them on the four star flavors duck and potatoes, white fish , surf and turf, and pork and applesauce without having to risk diarrhea.

LOVE FROMM SALMON VEGGIES. Company with great quality control


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## poodleholic (Jan 6, 2010)

Maddy, who turned 9 yrs. old in May of this year, has been very healthy, with nothing much other than a few sebaceous cysts (self-resolving so far), a couple of ear infections (yeast) early on, and that's it. Her teeth are nice and white, healthy gums, and never has had a professional cleaning (which blows my vet away! haha). 

Beau came to me at the age of 16 months with severe GI problems, necessitating hand feeding him up to 7 times a day, so he could keep his food down. I fed him a bland home-cooked diet initially, then put him on EVO, with poached chicken breasts, poached ground lamb, live culture plain yogurt, probiotics, and GSE (grapefruit seed extract). Gradually increased his diet to include wild alaskan salmon, sardines in olive oil, low fat cottage cheese, and other fresh meats (bison, venison), along with blueberries, apple slices, and pears. He's doing great, and just LOVES his food now that he doesn't gag and puke constantly! He also was diagnosed with OCD, left shoulder (joint "mice"), which was successfully treated with Adequan injections for a time, along with Cosequin DS. He's been fine ever since, and very healthy and active. He's 9 yrs. old old now.

Lucia is only 2 yrs. old, and she's just fine. She did have an ear infection in her left ear, but this girl is a hair factory, so I think our hot, humid climate, coupled with unbelievable amounts of ear hair, is what created that. 

I really think diet plays a huge role in health, as well as not over vaccinating them. Buddy, a Poodle/Schnauzer/Cocker mix from the Humane Society, lived 17 years with us, and was 2 yrs. old, or close, when we got him. He, too, ate mostly "human" food, as he didn't like dog food. 

OT: I had 5 cats, all of whom lived to be in their mid-to-late 20's, save one who died at age 19. The last to go, Babe was 2 months shy of her 28th B'Day when she died quietly in her sleep. They were all fed fresh meat with EVO cat food, but mostly a home-cooked diet. None of them were vaccinated for anything after the initial kitten shots. The cats I vaccinated died early, and from one of the very things they were vaccinated against: feline leukemia. Never again!


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## puppylove (Aug 9, 2009)

whitepoodles said:


> Puppylove:
> 
> What type of reaction did the poor dog exhibit that it necessitated putting him down ?


Well, I have to be honest, they were very distraught - she was crying - and he did give me just a few details but I can't remember. Apparently he had some kind of organ failure within two or three days of the shot. They had him in intensive care for less than a week and he just kept getting worse.


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

I wonder if it could of been lyme nephritits. Its a kidney failure that can result from being vaccinated for lymes (most commonly seen in labs). That is one vaccine i will never give any of my dogs, and we are in a high lymes area.


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## CelticKitti (Jul 1, 2010)

bigpoodleperson said:


> That is one vaccine i will never give any of my dogs, and we are in a high lymes area.


I agree with you there! Lyme is easy enough to treat and if you know the signs you can catch it early. 

Kodi has already had a bad reaction to a vaccine so I'm not going to give him another vaccine that is known to cause bad reactions.


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## flufflvr (Mar 20, 2010)

Liberty has Addison's disease, which occured about a month after a _horrible_ vet gave her a rabies shot one month after she had already had it. I was LIVID. The reason I went in was because I wanted the vaccines separated, and along with the proper vaccine, she repeated what was done the month before. Of course there's no proof that Addison's is caused by over vaccinating, but I think it triggered it, just taxed her immune system too far, and when I went out of town and left her with a friend a month later, it just did her in. Because of her Addison's, she has a sensitive stomach, and does great on Wellness Core and daily probiotics. Also because of the Addison's, if overly stressed she develops an overgrowth of clostridium, a normal bacteria in the gut. That's only happened twice in 5 years. She hasn't had any ear infections since I stopped plucking 4 years ago, and she does have some harmless lumps, that have all been checked out and are nothing to worry about. As long as she's on her meds, she's very healthy...the vet says she's in perfect shape and should live a normal lifespan. I know that if she ever gets sick with anything else though, combined with the Addison's, well I don't even like to think about it. I just appreciate and treasure every day I have with her.


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## puppylove (Aug 9, 2009)

Since you stopped plucking, how do you clean her ears. Does the hair stop growing or do you cut it out?


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## jazzi480 (Sep 19, 2010)

Ear issues (Ella) we think grain allergy.Both Jazzi and Ella had giardia (yuck) all clear now. Stinky farts (Jazzi) grain again. Other than that healthy active and happy girls. Jazzi is 2yrs and 10months Ella is 2yrs and 4Months.


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

Vasco is 15 months, black miniature, and so far nothing serious.

Minor but recurring ear infections as a pup, and the vet says he has a mild heart murmur.


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## whitepoodles (Jul 5, 2010)

I know that if she ever gets sick with anything else though, combined with the Addison's, well I don't even like to think about it. I just appreciate and treasure every day I have with her.[/QUOTE]

Flufflvr:

I am SO sorry to hear of your misfortune and the lack of concern this vet had not only for the veterinary medical profession but for the welfare of your dog.

I hope your girl lives a life free of complications and you are right you should not think about the worst now and take it each day at a time and enjoy enjoy enjoy her to the fullest.

These vets should be taken out of the medical profession and sued !!
As to you saying that there is no proof to indicate that vaccinations cause an autoimmune reaction this MAY be true although I doubt it, but OVER vaccination has been definitely proven to do the damage.. and your vet KNEW this prior to giving her the repeat shot.. Sad !


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## flufflvr (Mar 20, 2010)

puppylove said:


> Since you stopped plucking, how do you clean her ears. Does the hair stop growing or do you cut it out?


I just leave the hair in there. I clean her ear leathers, and use a damp cloth to clean just inside her ears, but I don't take the hair out. 

She was having recurring ear infections, and my vet suggested that I stop plucking, as it could be irritating the sensitive skin inside the ears. I stopped plucking, and started using teeny amounts of Thornit every once in a great while, and she hasn't had an ear infection since. 

I admit, I have twisted a q-tip in in the outer ear a few times and pulled out the hair that wrapped around it, but only once or twice. I know, I have no idea how air gets down there with all of that hair, but it works, and if it works, I'm not going to try fixing it. The only time I've every heard her yelp is when I was plucking. I don't miss it even a little bit.


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## grab (Jun 1, 2010)

I just adopted Newt in April, but so far, aside from her leg issue (which was injury based) and a luxating patella on the other leg, she's only had one issue, which was a tiny cyst on her uterus found during spaying. She had gross teeth when found, but a dental cleared that up and access to raw bones and other chewing items have kept them clean. Her bloodwork, etc has always been perfect

Our poodle cross has allergies..both environmental and food (chicken), as well as megaesophagus (developed at age 11) and a very sensitive stomach


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## cavon (Aug 10, 2010)

Finnegan will be 14 months old on Oct 4th and my guy has had quite a summer. He contracted Giardia which took about 3 months to clear and now we are working on clearing pyoderma (a skin infection) that the vet feels is a secondary infection resulting from the medication for Giardia lowering his immune system a bit. 

During the giardia episode, he developed a sensitivity to chicken, so I now cook for him using the Hilary's blend plan. His protein source is beef. My challenge is to find training rewards for him. I have made little tiny meatballs, but he gets tired of them, so I recently started adding liver as a reward. He loves it, but I am careful about how much of it he eats because of the richness. His stool has been so good for the last month that I don't want to chance the diarrhea again. 

The good news about the whole episode is that his temperment, appetite and activity level never changed and he held his weight, so I am very thankful for that.

Finn has had some ear issues and when he was quite young he had an eye infection.

I am planning on taking him to a holistic vet that is very highly recommended in my area to have him tested for allergies. I have noticed that his nose sometimes runs just like a person with allergies and I would like to know exactly what foods I should avoid.


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## Ray-Ray's World (Sep 30, 2010)

Ray-Ray is a mini-poodle, was born blind and has Epilepsy. He's just a bit over a year old.

He's not from a reputable breeder and is a back yard breeder pup.


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## LuvPoo (May 8, 2010)

Our first black standard poodle was very healthy. (1992 - 2007) He was prone to ear infections when we were lax about plucking and cleaning. He would sometimes get eye infections if we were lax about face shaving. (Though we found they would often go away on their own if we cleaned his eyes several times a day with a moist, sterile cloth.) He would get an occaisional allergic reaction to what we believed were spider bites. (His face would swell.) In his later years (12 onward) He began to have some kind of spinal/nerve issues that impaired and weakend his back legs gradually. We treated him with a steroid/NSAID medication from the UK. (Our vet was from Ireland.) It was a wonderful medication with many less side effects than what is typically prescribed here. He eventually got a melanoma on his lip at nearly 14.5 years. We left it alone, spoiled the crap out of him and he passed several months later. We attributed this to old age.
Our 2nd black standard passed away this past April at age 3.5 years from severe liver disease. We were not aware of this condition until he got accutley ill about a month before he passed. The autopsy also showed that he had pancreatitis. The symptoms of this condition, which was always attributed to a sensitive stomach, was constant on and off loose stool/diarehha, a need to poop 4 to 5 times when taken out in the AM, very picky eater, very thirsty (especially the last year of his life). Behaviorly, he was quite anxious and hyper. He was also small for a boy. (42 lbs) But a sweetheart. We miss him so much.
We are on to Standard poodle #3. He's 13 weeks and doing well so far. Hoping for good things.


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## FozziesMom (Jun 23, 2010)

Fozzie's just turned 15 months. (At what age do we stop counting in months? I think 18 mos plus).

He came to me at 7 months with Giardia and some kind of ear infection as his ears were very hairy and had never been cleaned. (long story...). He recently was diagnosed with ectopic cilia (genetic--hairs growing inside the eyelid and neither the sire nor the dam had the problem so it must be recessive) and some type of allergy or irritation. We just finished a week's regiment of eye wash and steroid/antibiotic drops and I am keeping a diary of eye irritation for the next 2 months while we decide whether or not to do surgery to remove the cilia. If we have to do that surgery, it's a permanent solve, and relatively low risk, with no stitches, so I'd rather do that than have to remove the hairs every few months. 

My understanding is that genetic diseases can take up to two years to show so of course we watch and wait. 

I had him on Hund N Flocken, and stools were normal but he just didn't like to eat. He needs a lot of exercise to maintain his sanity, and I didn't want him to run out of energy when working out. So this past week I've switched him to Primal Raw patties (Starting with Beef). I started slow, but the transition only took 3 days since all poos were normal. He loves it and now he only poops once per day. tiny amounts and zero smell. amazing. I have also noticed that he used to scratch one of his legs a lot and also nibble on one paw and that appears to have stopped. 

I have a VERY good vet in SF who is not vaccine happy. We did a series of titers at the year mark and only vaccinated as needed. I know the titers aren't perfect but I loved that my vet knew poodles were very sensitive to vaccines and wanted to move cautiously.


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## BellaDella (Sep 25, 2010)

Wow, I learned so much by reading this thread.

Bella had a reaction to her second set of shots. Now, she gets a pre-shot and has not had any reaction since and we now split her shots up over the course of three weeks instead of all at once.

Bella has had one ear infection as a pup.

Best to all,
BellaDella


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## whitepoodles (Jul 5, 2010)

BellaDella:

GOOD for you... way to go. I too separate my vaccines and give nothing but X 2 DP (Distemper Parvo, modified live).

I do not do the entire cocktail... and I never combine Rabies with the DP

I am not surprised your dog had a reaction many do. 

The important thing is to learn from our first experience... and not repeat it again.

Enjoy your baby.


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## whitepoodles (Jul 5, 2010)

Ray-Ray's World said:


> *Ray-Ray is a mini-poodle, was born blind and has Epilepsy. He's just a bit over a year old.
> 
> He's not from a reputable breeder and is a back yard breeder pup.*





But, he has you now and this is wonderful ! Enjoy him.


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## Ixion (Jun 23, 2010)

My first poodle Tiffany (white mini) had an tumor on her abdomin, although other then that she was pretty healthy, from what I remember (I was fairly young when she passed but she did live to be 12), my next poodle was a black toy named Matty May. She was the most loving dog and had an absolutely gorgeous pitch black coat, but had hip dysplasia and a low thyroid. Keeping her weight down was difficult with the thyroid issue and so I know that was partially what made the hip issue more obvious. We had to put her down in the end at 10 yrs because of pyometra. The 3rd poodle was a very small toy Autumn (only 7 inches tall, and about 2 1/2 lbs) ended up being our most love lived poodle. She also did get pyometra at about 6 yrs (a yr after we had to put Matty May down) but we were able to save her with surgery. After the issues with Matty May, when my mom started looking for a new poodle puppy, I stressed the importants of health testing and that is when we found our current toy poodle Ella that visits my house for afghan torture and agility training and spoiling at my mom's LOL. ^.^

Also wanted to mention since several were mentioning chicken allergies, one of my afghans has a chicken allergy also, although it takes a couple days before I notice anything wrong. She scratches constantly when her food allergies bug her. So I feed her a beef based kibble and the itching has stopped. Although after talking to the vet something I found intersting she mentioned, is the reason dogs have allergic reactions to chicken is because of the growth hormones used and that is usually what they are allergic too. I have expermented with this and have noticed when I give her 100% organic chicken I don't notice the itching.....food for thought....


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

> reason dogs have allergic reactions to chicken is because of the growth hormones used and that is usually what they are allergic too. I have expermented with this and have noticed when I give her 100% organic chicken I don't notice the itching.....food for thought....


I have heard this before too. I have actually known some people who had dogs that were really allergic to chicken kibble. When they switched to raw diets and introduced organic chicken the dogs were fine.


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

Food/stomach issues. I still don't know why. I had her on grain-free kibble (Venison was the "meat") and green tripe diet when we got her just b/c I'd heard from a few people that their Standards didn't tolerate grains. She was healthy and well for several months until she got her first Rabies shot (and possibly her dog food formula changed). Months of weight loss and diarrhea and trying all sorts of limited food diet (home cooked) later, she is now strictly on a Z/D diet which has grain and all sorts of other awful junk in it, but she is doing well. We're keeping her on this for one year then will start again trying to find a healthier kibble she can eat.


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## Salukie (Dec 18, 2009)

Wow.. this thread is so interesting!

Dana, 1 year old in 2 days, ALLERGIES!!!! :scared:

I've been having a hard time figuring out what she's allergic to, but I've come to these conclusions: Wheat: no allergy. Beef: no allergy. Chicken: mild allergy. Dairy: mild allergy. 

Shampoos and conditioners: Strong allergy! I'm not sure which component of the hair products she's allergic to. I suspect the fragrances.

I have yet to try her with turkey, eggs and soy.

Apart from that, she walks funny. She runs okay, she trots okay... but her walk is ODD! I hope it's not hip displasia. :shocked:

Dogs have to be 2 years old to diagnose HP, right? I've been debating taking Dana in for a hip X-ray. :afraid: But I don't know if I'd be wasting money on an x-ray now, since she's just one. (?)

Something else: Dana sometimes has vomiting fits for no reason. She'll vomit bile several times over half a day. Then she'll be fine for 3 weeks... then she'll vomit again.

I'm thinking this might just be her allergies... :doh:


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

> Shampoos and conditioners: Strong allergy! I'm not sure which component of the hair products she's allergic to. I suspect the fragrances.


Also be careful with the clipper blade coolent. Alot of dogs are sensitive to that, and people often overlook that as a problem.




> Dogs have to be 2 years old to diagnose HP, right? I've been debating taking Dana in for a hip X-ray. But I don't know if I'd be wasting money on an x-ray now, since she's just one. (?)


No, they dont have to be 2 years. We have done hip xrays on some dogs at their 6 month spay/neuter and have Clearly seen severe hip dysplasia. If you are concerned then i would take some just to see and also compair as she gets older. They have to be 2 years old to have them certified by OFA. 
Does she ever bunny hop when she runs? In what way does she walk funny? Is it in the front or hind end?


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## Salukie (Dec 18, 2009)

bigpoodleperson said:


> Also be careful with the clipper blade coolent. Alot of dogs are sensitive to that, and people often overlook that as a problem.


*gasp* I never thought of that. Thanks, Bigpoodleperson!



bigpoodleperson said:


> No, they dont have to be 2 years. We have done hip xrays on some dogs at their 6 month spay/neuter and have Clearly seen severe hip dysplasia. If you are concerned then i would take some just to see and also compair as she gets older. They have to be 2 years old to have them certified by OFA.


Okay, that's what was confusing me. I'm going to book an appointment for Dana tomorrow. :afraid:



bigpoodleperson said:


> Does she ever bunny hop when she runs? In what way does she walk funny? Is it in the front or hind end?


Yes! She sometimes bunny hops! :scared:
I'm gonna cut and paste what I wrote in another thread earlier today:

http://www.poodleforum.com/3-poodle-pictures/10136-playtime-2.html



Salukie said:


> When Dana walks, her whole back end wags from side to side. It's as if she has to swing her hips extra hard to move her legs forward. I wish I had a camera so I could post a video. Or, at least bring a vid to the vet because I'm sure she won't do it when we go. :doh:
> 
> I can't figure out if the weird movement originates in her hips, her stifles or her hocks. Sometimes, her right foot points slightly inwards when she walks, but never when she stands or trots or runs. I knew a dog with knee issues that would turn his toes inward to walk.
> 
> ...


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

Hmmm, I would have the x-rays done for a piece of mind. I would also get knees and lower spine just to be sure if she was mine. Sounds like she could possibably have a hip issue. I could be very wrong though. 

I am such a hypochondriac when it comes to my dog too!! Unfortunatly, Riley as given me a reason over the years to worry. We know our dogs though! 
Riley has a weird walk/trot sometimes after his knee injury. Its almost like in his bad knee that he cant use it as "quickly" as his good leg. Its like he is a second behind when bringing it forward. If i didnt know he had a ligament injury then i would be looking into a nerve thing. 

I have had Rileys hips done, oh, twice i think. He OFA'd "good" at 4 years old. I dont think you would need to send them in to OFA though. Any compitent vet can read them and tell you if she has a problem or not. I hope its good news!

As for the clipper coolent, if you dont have two blades to switch out then i would lay the blade on a ceramic tile or concrete. I do that often, and they both draw the heat out very quickly and make it cool.


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## Salukie (Dec 18, 2009)

I haven't been on the forum a little while... I thought I should probably give you guys an update on Dana's hips (in case anyone was interested. LOL)

We saw Dana's vet a couple weeks ago and of course, she didn't do her hobble for the vet to see when we were there. The vet examined all her joints and he didn't find anything wrong with the palpation. 

He said that the symptoms I was describing did sound like the early stages of hip displasia and he recommended an x-ray. 

The vet mentioned that there aren't many dogs who stay still enough on the x-ray table for a good hip x-ray without sedation... but since Dana was a good quiet dog and that she isn't actually limping at this time that they could try an x-ray without sedation. (Dana took extra long to come out of the anesthetic when she got spayed and I was concerned.)

The x-ray turned out pretty good, I was told Dana was a perfect angel! :angel2:

The vet said that he couldn't see any signs of degenerative disease on the x-ray so he said not to worry... that it was probably just bad conformation. He did mention that it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get a follow up x-ray in a year to see if there are any changes.

I was happy with the whole visit and it didn't even cost as much as I thought it would. Bonus! 

I even got a digital copy of Dana's x-ray.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Midnight had UTIs through much of her life and died from bloat at 5.5 yrs.

Mia has linguoverted lower canines (when her mouth is closed, the lower canines dig into her upper jaw instead of lying on the outside). She had surgery to remove her baby canines, and she will likely have surgery again, now that her adult canines are coming in. Other than this, she is a very healthy and sweet 5 month old puppy.


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## Yaddaluvpoodles (Mar 20, 2010)

Hi Liz,
Just now reading this thread.

re: Mia's bite.... I'm not familiar with the term you used. What I am familiar with is something called Base Narrow. It's not uncommon in standards (unfortunately) and formerly used to be treated with surgical removal of the canines. Helen King at Jility has a poodle with it and has an informative site with lots of photos. 

The reason I'm writing you is... if there is a chance that this is Base Narrow... Mia may benefit from rubber ball therapy! If so, it's really important to get on it fast because of her age. There are some speculations that Rubber Ball therapy is curative in as much as 75% of the cases.

It's obvious you've already had Mia evaluated and treated... so I may be totally wrong to suggest this... but it would be awesome if it would save her teeth!

I'll attach some links here:

http://www.toothvet.ca/PDFfiles/ball_ therapy.pdf (oh look... linguoversion!)

WSAVA 2001 - A Removable Orthodontic Appliance for Dogs

Isabella's overshot and base narrow teeth (Helen King's website)


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

Fonzie (now 1 1/2 years old) was a rescue from a puppy mill that got busted. Before we adopted him from the rescue, he had parvo so badly that the attending vet wanted to put him down. The rescuer, a vet tech, refused, and she nursed him back to health, keeping him on an IV for a couple of weeks or more. She said it was the worst case of parvo she's ever seen, with the dog surviving.

Fonzie's teeth were terrible when we got him at 5 months, but the use of Nylabones has them pearly white again, w/out having had a dental done. He has a strong chewing urge, so these bones have been a God-send.

Since we've had him, we've noticed a problem with depth perception. He'll jump over the threshold of the doorway, only to land on it, and he has trouble jumping up on the couch, often landing at the edge of it and bouncing off, rather than on it. He's getting a little better, with age. The vet doesn't notice anything wrong with his eyes. 

Fonzie had to have 2 upper baby canines removed when they wouldn't fall out on their own, and the adult teeth were already in. We had that done at the same time as his neuter. 

He has symptoms of LP; he'll kick out his hind leg rapidly a few times when lying on the couch. It doesn't seem to bother him otherwise. We're just keeping our eye on it; hopefully, he won't need surgery some day!

Fonzie doesn't have any dietary issues, thank God (knock on wood!). I've had enough dogs with them, that it's nice to have one that seems to have a normal digestive system. I feed TOTW Pacific Stream, which my dogs do well on, and that they love.


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