Cassie's first vet visit

[4Scrappy]

Hi all,
We took Cassie to the vet yesterday and here is what she had to say:
Cassie appears to be older than 14 months because the pads on her paws are enlarged and she has tarter build up on her teeth. She also has dry flaky skin and a double row of molars on one side. She also said she is a little small at just under 5 pounds and we should feed her a half an egg a day until she's over 5 lbs. She said Cassie has not been in heat yet but she doesn't want to spay her until she gains some weight.

We had an intense dicussion about a Rabies vaccine. I am very frustrated that the talk about the Rabies vaccine resulted in her telling us a few horror stories about Cassie possibly scratching someone and us having to have her impounded. She told us rabies is in our area with many bats and raccoons having it. OK, Cassie lives in the house and when she goes out to our tiny yard, we are always with her. Nothing we said seemed to sway her. So, we paid for the rabies vaccine and are bringing her in Monday morning for the shot. In case there would be adverse reactions, the vet office is open, we were in there near closing time yesterday. I guess we have to go through with it. All six of our other dogs have had all the vaccines and I never thought twice about it. But I am wiser now and have read a lot of scary information about vaccines. I'm not feeling good about her getting the vaccine but since it's the "law" here, what recourse do we have?

As for Cassie's paw pads, I did notice her feet seemed huge for her size. Vet said it happens if the puppy has to stand in moisture, it can make the pads thicker. Painted a picture of Cassie's life at the breeder's house. Cassie is the fourth Yorkie we got from her. The others were young puppies, 10 or 12 weeks. Of course, puppies would not be subjected to standing on wet paper (if that is what it was) long enough to make their paw pads thicken. I am not going to bash this breeder for several reasons. The important thing is, we now have Cassie.

I am now scared that I am hurting by having her get the rabies vaccine, that it could unleash horrible symptoms. We will get her spayed, after we fatten her up, and they will do a dental on her then, perhaps extracting an extra molar if they can ensure the roots aren't tangled. So, rabies shot Monday, then maybe spay on Thursday or the following Monday. I wanted to have the spay while I'm off work next week. At least my husband is home though if we have to postpone it.

On the drive home I said to my husband that I thought we had a healthy dog until we went to the vet. I am just down about this whole thing. They regulate the shots but it is not based on science, it seems to be based on fear. The cynic in me thinks it's all a money making scheme. Not to say every vet is out to make money at the expense of our dogs' health, but it seems to me all of a sudden so many dogs have allergies, need vet prescribed foods, and other things only vets can provide. Next time I talk to our vet, I'm going to ask her about doing a titer test to see if Cassie really needs "boosters" for the vaccines other than rabies. And I pray pray pray that Cassie has no adverse reactions to the rabies shot she is getting Monday. Oh, and after having six other dogs vaccinated there, she finally told me there is a rabies booster that lasts three years! Alice had horrible reactions to rabies shots and none of those vets told us that. She also said if the dog has reactions, she can write a letter to the county to excuse Cassie from further rabies shots but that would not absolve her having to be impounded when this mean aggressive 5-lb Yorkie takes to biting and scratching strangers. Again, none of the other vets in that practice ever offered any of these options, even when we told them, in tears, how awful Alice's reactions were! The vet we saw is the newest one in the practice.

I asked for a blood test; all the vet suggested was to test for heartworm but after Alice, I wanted to be sure Cassie's kidneys, liver, etc were working properly. Vet called this morning and said her blood work came out great, everything normal and no heartworm.

I'm posting this in hopes of hearing from other Yorkie veterans. I want to be informed about all this in a realistic way. Some websites about this issue are just frightening and I leave just as confused as before.

Please share any and all opinions, experiences, or other information as you see fit.

Thank you!

[JaxsonsMommy12]

I got Jaxson over a month ago so i'm still new to this new lifestyle of ours but I just wanted to tell you that I hope everything works out, hopefully someone on this site can offer you some tips, advice, or just comfort you to ease your heart! Hope everything goes well Monday. Good Luck & please update!

[Maximo]

I believe in rabies vaccinations. We do them every 3 years. Visit the YT library for info on the latest vaccination protocols and which ones are core vaccinations and which ones are to be considered on an individual basis.

I'm glad you asked for blood tests. Those are essential whenever a dog is going to have anesthesia.

I don't agree with fattening up a dog to reach an arbitrary 5 pound mark for spaying. There are many dogs here well under 5 pounds who have been spayed and neutered. What if Cassie's body frame is not meant to be 5 pounds?

Read the sticky post on anesthesia here in the YT health section and talk to your vet about her anesthesia protocol, what type she uses.

I would also be careful with the egg suggestion. If I fed that much egg to my younger boy, he would be very sick.

[Britster]

Well, rabies is unavoidable in most cases (unfortunately). You do not want to have your dog NOT UTD on rabies because if God forbid anything happened like a bite or a scratch, your dog could be taken away and the only way to test for rabies from what I've heard is to decapitate the dog. So yeah best to avoid that. In most places, rabies vaccine is given around 4-6 months old, then again at 1 year, then after that is every 3 years.

I follow Dr. Dodd's vaccine protocol. I do believe our pets are being way over-vaccinated and it IS a very big money maker for vets. But I won't break the law by not giving rabies every 3yrs. Hopefully someday soon it can be amended to a little bit more time in between.

FWIW, my boy has shown to be a bit sensitive to vaccines in the past and has no reactions to rabies. We do give benadryl before hand just to be safe.

Here is a good thread: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...-not-give.html

Good luck with everything. I'm sure all will be fine.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Maximo

I believe in rabies vaccinations. We do them every 3 years. Visit the YT library for info on the latest vaccination protocols and which ones are core vaccinations and which ones are to be considered on an individual basis.

I'm glad you asked for blood tests. Those are essential whenever a dog is going to have anesthesia.

I don't agree with fattening up a dog to reach an arbitrary 5 pound mark for spaying. There are many dogs here well under 5 pounds who have been spayed and neutered. What if Cassie's body frame is not meant to be 5 pounds?

Read the sticky post on anesthesia here in the YT health section and talk to your vet about her anesthesia protocol, what type she uses.

I would also be careful with the egg suggestion. If I fed that much egg to my younger boy, he would be very sick.

[bamawife]

I also agree with getting the rabies vaccine. We get them every 3 years. We have one vet nearby that requires the yearly (obviously a money maker for him). My babies LOVE eggs and have them a couple of times a week! I have never known the eggs to cause them any problems other than begging for more!

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by bamawife

I also agree with getting the rabies vaccine. We get them every 3 years. We have one vet nearby that requires the yearly (obviously a money maker for him). My babies LOVE eggs and have them a couple of times a week! I have never known the eggs to cause them any problems other than begging for more!

A lot of dogs do fine with eggs. It just depends on the dog. I only meant to go slow in introducing that much egg - half an egg a day for a dog under 5 pounds.

[4Scrappy]

Thank you for the replies. It is heartening to know so many dogs are getting their rabies vaccines with no problems. I never questioned vaccines before. Cassie is our 7th Yorkie. It's only recently that I've been reading up on them. I feel a little better about the rabies vaccine and I will update on Monday.

As for the vet wanting her to be 5 lbs.... I do not think it is an arbitrary weight. Cassie is not tiny. She's tall and a little long. Since we got her, I thought she seemed on the skinny side. Looking at her size (height, length), I would guess she should be around 6 lbs. I was surprised she was under 5 lbs. But I agree, I've had Yorkies who were less than 5 lbs at spay.

I mixed in some Fromm Chicken a la Veg with the egg knowing pure egg is probably a little rich. I learned the hard way not to change their diet suddenly!

[Maximo]

Since she is on the thin side for her frame, it makes sense to put weight on her.

My boys eat Fromm Chicken a la veg. You can add any type of fresh food to help her gain weight. As you know, go slow. It doesn't take much. I use fresh chicken, a tiny bit of plain organic yogurt (less than a teaspoon a day for my big boys).

[Lovetodream88]

I think that most dogs handle the rabies shots well and unless your dog does have a reaction that it is a very important shot to get. A rabid animal is not scared of anything so all it would take is a minute to let your dog in the yard and the rabid animal to bite them and then its all over. There is no cure for rabies the dog would have to be put down. Why risk something that will kill you dog when there is a vaccine for that? Even if your dog rarely goes outside its just not something to risk.

[4Scrappy]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

I think that most dogs handle the rabies shots well and unless your dog does have a reaction that it is a very important shot to get. A rabid animal is not scared of anything so all it would take is a minute to let your dog in the yard and the rabid animal to bite them and then its all over. There is no cure for rabies the dog would have to be put down. Why risk something that will kill you dog when there is a vacacine for that? Even if your dog rarely goes outside its just not something to risk.

Rationallly, I totally agree. Having had Yorkies since 1987, I never thought twice about rabies or any other vaccines. It wasn't until my Alice (RIP) had a bad reaction to rabies vac that I even thought twice about vaccinating. It never bothered any of my other dogs. I know my fear is just emotion. We paid for Cassie's rabies vaccine and were going to bring her this morning but since we have an appointment and have to leave at 1:00, I decided we should take her tomorrow (Tuesday) morning because then I will be home all day with her. Just making sure she does not have a reaction. In the meantime, she's enjoying the 1/2 egg she's getting with her Chicken a la Veg. I hope she's "fat" enough later this week so she can get the spay too.

[kjc]

Did the breeder have her vaccinated against Rabies? (I would think so) Can you get her vaccine/health records? Pups should have had 2 Rabies vaccines by the time they are one year old, then they are usually required by law once every 3 years. Rabies vacs can only be given by a vet.

Am I understanding your posts? You had to insist on additional bloodwork? If this is the case... I'm confused, as the vet thinks she's a bit underweight, bloodwork would be the first thing needing done to rule out any medical reasons for her being 'light'.

Also, to be on the safe side, any vaccine will activate the immune system, as will any surgery, or injury. I would separate any vaccine and surgery by 4 weeks.(JMHO)

IDK, again JMHO, I think I'd be looking for a new vet, one a bit more intune with small dogs and aware of the dangers of overvaccinating... Also I wouldn't vaccinate her till she puts on a bit more weight, if she's that lean.

[4Scrappy]

Originally Posted by kjc

Did the breeder have her vaccinated against Rabies? (I would think so) Can you get her vaccine/health records? Pups should have had 2 Rabies vaccines by the time they are one year old, then they are usually required by law once every 3 years. Rabies vacs can only be given by a vet.

Am I understanding your posts? You had to insist on additional bloodwork? If this is the case... I'm confused, as the vet thinks she's a bit underweight, bloodwork would be the first thing needing done to rule out any medical reasons for her being 'light'.

Also, to be on the safe side, any vaccine will activate the immune system, as will any surgery, or injury. I would separate any vaccine and surgery by 4 weeks.(JMHO)

IDK, again JMHO, I think I'd be looking for a new vet, one a bit more intune with small dogs and aware of the dangers of overvaccinating... Also I wouldn't vaccinate her till she puts on a bit more weight, if she's that lean.

I do have paperwork from the breeder showing the dewormer and vaccines Cassie had along with the dates. She did not have a rabies vaccine. Just to clarify, I did not have to insist on bloodwork. I wanted it and they would have done bloodwork before spaying so actually the vet and I agreed. The vet does seem to understand small dogs. Cassie is the 7th Yorkie I've had at that vet. I really have no complaints except financial but I've researched other vets in this area and they are comparable. These vets worked with me through Lucky's heart condition and kept him alive longer than his heart wanted to. They worked with us during the horrible time we had with King who had many congenital problems eventually only living to 3 years of age (he was from a different evil breeder). They worked with us during Ziggy's first scary months and his eventual liver shunt diagnosis. They referred me to the wonderful specialty vet surgury center where they fixed Ziggy's liver shunt for good. They saw us through many issues during Alice's 13 years. So I do trust them. I wish we could wait for the spay but we want it done before Cassie goes into heat. I really appreciate your concerns and opinions. That's why I am posting here, to get opinions and knowledge.

[4Scrappy]

Cassie had her rabies shot this morning. It's been five hours and she is fine so the only one have a reaction was me! Cassie gained a few ounces and is now 5 lbs 3 oz so we scheduled her spay for Thursday.

I'm going to post some pictures of her with her haircut. I will try to post them, anyway.

[kjc]

Originally Posted by 4Scrappy

I do have paperwork from the breeder showing the dewormer and vaccines Cassie had along with the dates. She did not have a rabies vaccine. Just to clarify, I did not have to insist on bloodwork. I wanted it and they would have done bloodwork before spaying so actually the vet and I agreed. The vet does seem to understand small dogs. Cassie is the 7th Yorkie I've had at that vet. I really have no complaints except financial but I've researched other vets in this area and they are comparable. These vets worked with me through Lucky's heart condition and kept him alive longer than his heart wanted to. They worked with us during the horrible time we had with King who had many congenital problems eventually only living to 3 years of age (he was from a different evil breeder). They worked with us during Ziggy's first scary months and his eventual liver shunt diagnosis. They referred me to the wonderful specialty vet surgury center where they fixed Ziggy's liver shunt for good. They saw us through many issues during Alice's 13 years. So I do trust them. I wish we could wait for the spay but we want it done before Cassie goes into heat. I really appreciate your concerns and opinions. That's why I am posting here, to get opinions and knowledge.

That's fine... I see I did read into it a bit... no harm!

Originally Posted by 4Scrappy

Cassie had her rabies shot this morning. It's been five hours and she is fine so the only one have a reaction was me! Cassie gained a few ounces and is now 5 lbs 3 oz so we scheduled her spay for Thursday.

I'm going to post some pictures of her with her haircut. I will try to post them, anyway.
Attachment 372367

Haha! You had the reaction! Too funny! Glad she took the Rabies vacc well. She's a little cutie... so pretty!