Miss Martha has not been feeling well. She has never had a very strong constitution but things have gotten worse for her since last November.
Skin issues with Golden Retrievers is pretty common. Seizures are common. Smelly ears are common. Allergies are common. The list could go on and on. And she has them all.
Martha started to get really obsessive about scratching and licking. We were fussing at her all the time to stop. Forget about letting her sleep in the same room with us at night. And she smelled horrible. Her breath was awful and if you pet her you had to wash your hands right away because they would smell so bad.
I brought her to the vet and he prescribed Cyclosporine and gave her a prednisone shot. She was on the Cyclosporine for 3 months and we attempted to ween her off but she started scratching all over again. We tried to start the regimen again but never got the desired results.
Back to the vet again (well actually many times) we had a scare of possible Lymphoma, a round of Doxycycline, weight loss, swollen gums, swollen paws,swollen elbows that were raw and bleeding, no appetite, and then she started limping. It was time to switch vets.
The new vet did a full blood work-up, took x-rays of her leg and did research on the cyclosporine.
Come to find out that a side affect of the Cyclosporine is : heavy callusing on the footpads, red/swollen ear flaps, and proliferation of the gums. Hmmmm, you would think the vet that prescribed the medication would have been aware of the side affects especially after we came back with the problems.
So now we are off the Cyclosporine. The side affects should hopefully be gone in 3 months.
She was placed on an antibiotic, medicated shampoo and another form of prednisone. But most importantly we have changed her diet. We have taken her off traditional dog food and is now on the BARF diet.
I told you that her breath and coat smelled horrible. You really could not stand to be near her.
Well not anymore. I started her on the raw 2 days ago and the smell is GONE. I am not kidding, GONE. I expected it to go away but I never though it would be so profound and so fast.
I do not give her any grains. She is only getting raw beef, chicken, fish all with the bones. All whole, not ground up. Selective fruit and veggies. Whole egg with shell and loves every bit of it. She used to be such a pest when it came to food, always begging for it, now she seems much more satisfied. I am really looking forward to seeing how she is 3 months from now
