Hi Tracie,
I’m Betty from Waterford with the adopted poodle who is about 11 years old. Coki has been having a bad time with lethargy and nausea. I’ve spent the better part of the last two days at the VCA Animal Hospital in Waterford. Lab work shows that she is positive not for Lyme disease but another parasite caused by tick exposure. She’s a pretty sick puppy and may still end up in hospital but I’d rather take care of her at home.
My real question for you is what is better than Frontline. This is obviously a failure of Frontline. I live near Harkness Park and Waterford Beach so ticks are plentiful. I, in fact, have just finished the treatment for Lyme disease after being bitten by a deer tick. A friend just gave me a tag called Shoo which is supposed to be good for tick repellent. Have you ever heard of it? I’m a little leery of something that is supposed to be good for 4 months and it’s a tag you put on the dog’s collar.
Any advice you can give me I’d appreciate, and yes I do have The Dog Bible.
Betty
I am SO sorry that Coki has been knocked flat by a tick-borne disease — and so sorry that you, too, got nailed by a tick. As you know, I have been talking about VECTRA 3-D on the air for so long, trying to get people to realize how serious the illnesses are and how important it is to have safe and effective protection. I am surprised you didn’t recall my having spoken of it because had you gotten it on Coki she would very likely not have been bitten and gotten so ill. I have talked so often on Dog Talk® about how the older anti-tick products have become ineffective against the ticks that have adapted to older technology — as you have found yourself with Frontline, which is an older product. There are numerous horrible diseases caused by these parasites, which can be protected against by using Vectra 3-D, but the recommendation is to use it every single month year round. As soon as Coki is better you need to start her on Vectra 3-D and use it religiously every month, now that she has been weakened by one tick-borne disease already she could become even more seriously ill if another tick were to infect her with a different disease. I am baffled why the doctors at the VCA hospital didn’t tell you about First Shield, which is made for them by Vectra and is the exact same product, always requiring a veterinarian to dispense it. As for that tag, I have never heard of it but it cannot possibly work as effectively as the full body coverage that Vectra 3-D gives.
As for your copy of The Dog Bible, did I already send you an autographed bookplate for it? I seem to recall having done that.
All paws crossed for a speedy and successful recovery for Coki- and just as soon as the veterinarian says she is ready for it, please start that Vectra 3-D and make it a year round habit.
Tracie
Thank you Tracie. I did remember you talking about Vectra but I couldn’t remember the name. On Saturdays when I’m listening to your show I’m usually driving around so I couldn’t write down the name, then there were a couple of family emergencies which took me out of town and, frankly, I forgot about it. Coki is now doing mush better and I’m hoping to get her back on the medicine soon but will go by the doctor’s order. I have been impressed with them and their follow through. The vet called me yesterday just to check and see how she was doing. They really would have liked me to leave her with them over the weekend but I had to take her home and take care of her myself. We had a couple of rough days but we made it. The big concern to me was dehydration on a 17 pound animal. People don’t seem to realize that animals are a lot like little kids, one minute they are really terribly sick and then suddenly greatly improved, but watch out because they can go back down again really quickly. If I sound like a nurse it’s because I am. I’ll ask about the First Shield this morning when we go back to VCA.
Thanks again,
Betty V
Betty replied:
The VCA Hosp here says they are unfamiliar with First Shield so I’ll have to get it elsewhere. She is doing really well now but had to have a little more subcutaneous fluid again yesterday. She is finally drinking water instead of the reduced sodium chicken broth so I thing we are close to normalcy if there is any such thing.
So I smacked my forehead and said:
I am such a DOPE — it is the Banfield clinics that carry Vectra as First Shield.
Sorry about that. Use the Internet to find a Banfield clinic near you. What great news about her recovery — rather than chicken broth, I suggest you buy a canister of Ice Pups right away — it is made by the Honest Kitchen and is ground up chicken & herbs that dissolves in water — really great for recovering dogs because they get protein & other nutrition from the fluid. I use it for one of my dogs who doesn’t drink enough water. Go on my website and see the listing of all the East Coast stores that carry The Honest Kitchen products — otherwise go to the link for the company on my website and they will ship directly to you. It’s such a wonderful and unique product and although it was intended to be made into ice cubes you could give your dog in hot weather, I think it makes a great meal alternative or fluid booster.
Keep up the good work.
Tracie Hotchner
Clik here to view.
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