Bodhi to the VET again!

Greetings Fellow Boxer Lovers,

Today I took Bodhi to the vet!   He has been licking his foot and I looked between his toes to see some gnarly bumps, it looked really raw, red and OUCH.  In addition he was shaking his head again and had some of that brown 'goop' in his ear.  (sorry for the graphics, but this may help someone who has something similar)

So the Doctor said his foot is an infection, similar to the one he had back in February.  He said probably due to a food allergy.  Entirely possible as we've had some friends over recently who snuck Bodhi food (and BOY did it PI**ED me off too).  Not to mention he stole an entire loaf of french bread off the counter, and enjoyed every crumb (and some of the paper too).

The Vet said that food allergies manifest most often in foot chewing/licking, constant licking keeps it damp in between the toes creating that happy little place where infection wants to grow AND ear itching which then results in ear infections (scratching the ear makes the ear red and hot, which in turn makes it a great breeding place for bacteria) 

So in addition to all that, Bodhi had a foxtail in his ear!

Bodhi of course was not so fond of the idea of 2 Vet Techs holding him in place while the Vet attempted to remove the foxtail.  Bodhi is so strong and his eyes were looking at me like 'SAVE ME MOM!'.  The vet was fearful that one strong squirming motion and he'd pierce Bodhi's ear drum.  So that instantly made the visit about double in cost, as they now had to knock his 85# butt out in order to remove the foxtail!  LOL

AND they are doing this new laser treatment on his foot, it costs about the same as long term antibiotics so I told them to go for it.  At $25 a pop it's far more affordable than any laser treatment people get!

In addition to one today, he needs 2 more laser treatments this week,  2 next week and one the week following.  One must be prepared to invest in their pet's health!

Bodhi is happy and well, he was a little 'drunk' when we picked him up today though!

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today???

Boxer Allergies : Boxer Itching Ear : Boxer Shaking Head : Boxer Losing Hair

Greetings Boxer Lovers!

I'm back!  I know I'm always on the web working my home business, always blogging on my other blog, but I've been neglecting my Boxer Blog for some time.  I most certainly have stories to share about this duo of crazy critters LOL

So Bodhi has been in and out of the vet for visits several times since late Summer 2009.  It all started when we noticed he was tilting his head, but not the curious cute way that Boxers do.

Then  he started shaking his head and holding his ear up in the air....  Then he started itching his ear....

I peered in the canal and it was icky and gross... So I cleaned out his ear, nothing, still itching and shaking.  SO, I called the vet.

The Dr. checked his ear and said he had an ear infecton, so he got drops I had to put in twice a day (have you ever given ear drops to a dog who does not like it?)  EEK no fun!

The Dr. said often ear infections are caused by a simple itch.  Like they get a little cut in their ear, they scratch it, when they scratch the ear gets hot and red, perfect breeding ground for bacteria...

After the 14 days of drops were given, his ear still bothered him.  So BACK to the vet for a checkup.  Different medication, treating it as bacterial instead of viral this time.  So pills and a different ear drop.

Just about 2 months later, back again, ear still bothering him.  Now the vet thinks it is a food allergy!  He recommended we swap out his Nutro Chicken, Oatmeal and Rice for Taste of the Wild, a 100% natural, no grain dog food.   He also said to watch any people snacks he gets as it could be a cracker, a cookie or anything someone is sneaking to him.  So I've been the people food patrol and getting house members and guests to cooperate is very frusterating!!!

In the middle of all these visits we had Bodhi checked for some lump appearing on his side.  One the size of a pea, the other the size of a BB.  Dr. said just to 'keep watch'. 

Well this past week we brought Bodhi BACK to the vet (ear still bothering him a little bit not much), but now his rear end and rear feet are losing hair.  He's looking like a little bald butt!  And, 2 of the lumps have grown a bit...

The vet told me to change his food... we're going to.  Also he said since the balding is equal, i.e. it's both rear feet, and on both sides of back, like a mirror image, that it is most likely internal.  (he said if it were a patch here, patch there it'd more likely be a skin disorder or something)

Since Bodhi tends to be a bit lofty in the weight area, the vet also suggested a Thyroid test, as this often is a cause to balding in Boxers.  So we took the pre-test (the $30 vs the $100) and it showed low levels, meaning he 'might' have a thyroid problem.  SO.  He is now on Thyroid medicine!

To top it off, my precious Bodhi is at the vet today having surgery to take the lumps out.  This is one expensive Boxer!  (he's the one we got papered from a "Boxer Breeder")  It's going to range from $200 on up depending if they need to biopsy one or all of the lumps (there are 3 now, we noticed another)

Fingers crossed they find these lumps to be NOTHING.  I told Bodhi he is not allowed to have any more lumps and bumps!

I'll update tonite when he gets home from the vet.  I wonder if he'll have stitches and a lamp shade on?

Alethea Anderson
Boxer Blogger

Have you Hugged YOUR Boxer today?