Brutus is not feeling too well
 

Last week Brutus started scratching and it was getting worse. He was making his little belly and under his arms all red. I took him to the vet yesterday and she believes it's allergies and if it happens again we're going to have to run a lot of tests. Where he scratched is infected so he's on antibiotics, Temaril-P and two different ear drops plus a medicated shampoo. I don't believe it's his food since he's been on the same food for a while. She mentioned it could be seasonal allergies but we don't know for sure.

She also told me that his two canine teeth look red at the gums which could indicate serious problems AND when she felt his legs she told me he has luxating patella!! She said right now it's not bad since it popped back into place quickly but we need to keep an eye on it and if it gets worse he'll need to take Cosequin for his joints.

After he gets better I need to take him in to get the dental. If the canines aren't good they'll need to be pulled!

I'm so upset and shocked and I left the vets office in tears. He's only two years old and seemed so healthy to me! He acts normal and plays hard so I had no idea he was having problems. I feel a little guilty.

Plus the vet is soooooooo expensive! The dental alone is going to be over $500! I'll do anything I have to do to get him healthy and keep him healthy though. He's my baby!

I'm glad that the medication seems to be working already and he's not scratching as much.

I know I haven't been around much lately since I have alot going on but you guys are the only ones that would understand how I'm feeling.:sad:

Oh poor Brutus, we hope you feel better soon buddy!!!

I completely understand the LP (Simon has it) and it's very scary but Simon has had it for 3 years and it's not getting worse but I also know that it will in time.

Give that little man lots of love from us and I hope the medication starts working soon.

awww i'm soo sorry brutus seems to be having so many problems. Allergies aren't as bad as your vet made them seem. You can keep them under control with shampoos, or topical creams. Or you can take medication for them, like benadryl or hydroxyzine (Rx).

As for the k-9's did she say why she thought just the k-9s needed to be pulled? Does he have a slight red line right above the tooth line and is it only by the canines or does it o above every tooth? this would be gingevitis or perialdontis disease which can be fixed with a cleaning. However $500 for a dental in NJ is ridiculous. Where do you live in jersey? the vet i go to doesn't charge that much for just a cleaning.

And the LPs, you can start him on joint protection now like missing link plus to try to prevent them from getting any worse. i know Jodie (luvmysissy) has sissy on this for LPs. Since Brutus only has a slight problem now you can do things to make sure it doesn't get worse fast. not letting him jump up or do stairs could help. However he will probably eventually have to have knee surgery. :(

Brutus is still an overall healthy dog. allergies, dentals, and knee problems are all common and can happen to any dog really. it just stinks that you were hit with all three at the same time. :(

Thank you!

Thank you Kellie! She said it was just the canines. I'm in Ocean County. The approximate bill for the dental is a whole page long! It has the anesthesia, bloodwork, cleaning, xrays and a lot more. Also if he does need any teeth pulled that's even more money!

Where can I get missing link? Thanks!

Aww we hope you feel better soon!

oh no Carolyn ...I was going to write you cause you've been mia....

Poor little guy - :( :( :( I hope the medication works and his teeth will maybe clear up with the antibiotics ?? I know you must have gone into shock :( but sometimes vets can give us worst case scenarios - maybe he needs to be seen by one more just to make sure this is all needed ? that IS alot of money at such a young age for teeth cleaning.

oh if you were in north jersey i would recommend my vet to you. :( if i were you and morgan had these problems this is what i\'d do. First for the allergies, i\'d stick with shampoos and topicals first to see if that helps. if it doesn\'t then i\'d try hydroxyzine from the vet because benadry makes them sleepy. then after trying these methods for a couple months and having nothing work, i\'d do an allergy test and get a serum made up for her specific allergies. As for the teeth, first i\'d try petzlife gel and spray to see if that would help clear up the tartar and perialdontal disease on its own. Petzlife has worked for many dogs with bad teeth. does brutus have lots of tartar on his teeth too or just the red line? And for the knee\'s i\'d start on missing link plus, which you can get at petco or petsmart or order online. it has glucosamine in it which is good for the joints. there are other products besides missing link that are also good for joints.

I wouldn\'t jump right into that expensive procedure your vet has worked up for you. its an insane amount of money and i know for a fact that x-rays aren\'t needed for a simple cleaning. the x-rays are only needed for teeth that need to be extracted and usually they only do this with back molars because they are hard to get out.

good luck and keep us posted on brutus\' condition. i hope he gets better without you having to spend a small fortune.

I\'ve had an older dog that had allergies and my vet just had me give her one little steroid tablet each day in the summer months. She did just fine with it.

chester used to have alot of problems with the itches, I started used grizzly salmon oil on some wet food with his dry, his skin is the best it has ever been. I also use food that has no wheat, corn or soy, the same with the treats. They use hypoallergeniic tearless shampoo. The fatty acids are a good thing.

Wow, I can totally understand. Plus I just watched your video of your baby, and he is beautiful. It stinks that vets are so costly and yet I know our pets are like our children and we will do whatever it takes to make them better, or keep them healthy. How could you not, look at that precious face. Good luck and I hope everything works out.

kathy

Sending healing prayers for Brutus.

awwwww I hope Brutus feels better soon!

Poor little Brutus - and poor you getting hit with all of these things at once. The allergies and the teeth sound fairly easy to treat. The vet sounds very expensive though. Have you thought of a second opinion?

Prayers are coming your way for Brutus to be a healthy, happy little guy.