10 year old Dalmation
Discussion
Domino the dalmatian has itchy ears. We visited the vet last week who gave him a prescription and a 15ml bottle of something and took £75 off me. Domino is most definitely not a fan of the vets. We get full jelly wobbles and he is a great fan of being behind my legs.
While there he did the equivalent of an MOT on him. It felt to me like a main dealer find work inspection rather than a check over with useful advice.
In particular, Domino has some fatty lumps. They have been there for years. He suggests a biopsy, although this would leave him looking somewhat patchy.
He also said he might have a slight heart murmur. He was not sure because it was difficult to hear over his shaking. He graded what he heard as a 2.
I'm a bit confused. He is insured so we could spend some money. But he would find investigations distressing. and he's nearly 11. not a young dog. one might expect some wear and tear. He's certainly happy enough (not so much tonight as there is Domino's in the kitchen and not in his belly where he thinks it belongs).
Am I being an irresponsible dog owner? I'm unsure...
PS I don't like Doctors. So I get where he is coming from, but it's harder to make these decisoins about pets.
While there he did the equivalent of an MOT on him. It felt to me like a main dealer find work inspection rather than a check over with useful advice.
In particular, Domino has some fatty lumps. They have been there for years. He suggests a biopsy, although this would leave him looking somewhat patchy.
He also said he might have a slight heart murmur. He was not sure because it was difficult to hear over his shaking. He graded what he heard as a 2.
I'm a bit confused. He is insured so we could spend some money. But he would find investigations distressing. and he's nearly 11. not a young dog. one might expect some wear and tear. He's certainly happy enough (not so much tonight as there is Domino's in the kitchen and not in his belly where he thinks it belongs).
Am I being an irresponsible dog owner? I'm unsure...
PS I don't like Doctors. So I get where he is coming from, but it's harder to make these decisoins about pets.
My Dalmatian wasn’t overweight but did develop some lumps at around 11 years old, I figured that at his age, it wasn’t worth investigating these lumps as long as they remained relatively modest and not bothering him. The vet agreed.
His ears were often a bit mucky in later life, after lots of conflicting advice, since it wasn’t massively bothering him - I just cleaned them myself every so often. (be careful though and don’t go right into the ear with anything!)
This is him at my fathers house (anticipating stealing some food I suspect!) He’s 13 here and you can see a couple of the lumps in this photo. Around a year after this was taken, he could no longer stand properly and I was devastated to have to call the vet to our house…….
His ears were often a bit mucky in later life, after lots of conflicting advice, since it wasn’t massively bothering him - I just cleaned them myself every so often. (be careful though and don’t go right into the ear with anything!)
This is him at my fathers house (anticipating stealing some food I suspect!) He’s 13 here and you can see a couple of the lumps in this photo. Around a year after this was taken, he could no longer stand properly and I was devastated to have to call the vet to our house…….
At 10, you have roughly 4more yrs left with him. I wouldn’t be thinking about doing any of what the vet suggests, instead just enjoying your life with your dog. Bella, our Dalmation is 12 in a few months and I accept I’ve only got another cpl of yrs left with her. She still runs around the fields, but slower and the next day we know she will be still. Her rear haunches ache, so she gets massages and stretches.
Just enjoy you dog and accept that things become limited as they get older.
Just enjoy you dog and accept that things become limited as they get older.
Two Dalmatians here (7 & 11) the younger has ‘itchy ears’ and we use Thornit powder… he generally hates anyone touching them but get the Thornit out… instant goofball and calms the itching.
Older one is at the age of lumps, bumps and arthritis, cold weather is a problem but he goes ‘swimming’ (hydro) once a month and the difference is amazing, albeit not permanent. He also has CBD oil (I wasn’t a believer originally but quite surprised by the benefits)
We too had the MOT, basically at that age it was a case of ‘if there are issues, now is the time to do something’, any older and operations/anaesthetic become problematical.
We keep an eye on the lumps, but would choose to keep down the level of ‘trauma’ and avoid unnecessary stress, etc. should they be cancerous. We would cross that bridge if/when it comes, but quality of his life is our main approach.
(the younger broke his hock in December… running in a straight line in a field… external fixator now removed, no insurance and a nightmare to keep him separate from the other two… we have a GSP as well, like 2 Dalmatians isn’t enough :-))
Older one is at the age of lumps, bumps and arthritis, cold weather is a problem but he goes ‘swimming’ (hydro) once a month and the difference is amazing, albeit not permanent. He also has CBD oil (I wasn’t a believer originally but quite surprised by the benefits)
We too had the MOT, basically at that age it was a case of ‘if there are issues, now is the time to do something’, any older and operations/anaesthetic become problematical.
We keep an eye on the lumps, but would choose to keep down the level of ‘trauma’ and avoid unnecessary stress, etc. should they be cancerous. We would cross that bridge if/when it comes, but quality of his life is our main approach.
(the younger broke his hock in December… running in a straight line in a field… external fixator now removed, no insurance and a nightmare to keep him separate from the other two… we have a GSP as well, like 2 Dalmatians isn’t enough :-))
Bella had hydro when she was younger because of hip problems. Fortunately insurance paid for it! Was great actually and helped very much of getting her back in shape. Her hips are still very much her weak area now she is older so we stretch and massage her. No lumps or itchy ears for her, but she is obsessed with licking out other ears!
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