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I could really use some support right now :/ After much debate, I decided to go ahead and have all of the testing done; xrays, flexion tests, etc. And the results were as expected....Although terrible.
So Zeus is supposed to be 4 possibly 5 years old... And he is now diagnosed with mild Hip dysplasia and moderate arthritis. His right elbow is also considered dysplastic. This dog honestly can never get a break. Now at the age of 4 (maybe 5), he has severe atopy, allergic to everything, can not eat wheat, corn, chicken, beef, bison, turkey, duck (any fowl), and does not do well on high sources of pea protein, he has hypothyroidism which is *barely* beginning to be under control thanks to a 1mg dosage, and he has suffered numerous infections over the last 2 years (under previous 'owners') which have destroyed his skin leaving him with a severely antibiotic resistant yeast infection. Did I also mention he broke out in hives due to cephalexin? Guess we can mark that option off our list....
Thankfully Acana is now selling Lamb and apple in the states and our store is distributing it, so we will be rotating that and the pacifica. His hair is 'finally' starting too grow back (I think), but it is very slow progress. So on top of his other problems, I have now confirmed my suspicions of his severe joint abnormalities. Its saddening to me considering how much he enjoys activities that are too rough on his joints for me to allow him to do much. He was really really showing a love for agility (very very low jump heights), but I now feel like I should quit in order to preserve what he does have. Am I right in doing so? And holding him back from an activity that could worsen his condition?
Despite all of this, absolutely no one understands how he has so many issues. He gets complements everywhere, is flying through his therapy dog process, and is everyone's 'favorite mini horse' who knows him. I got him only 8 months ago and was told he'd only cost me $30/month for dog food and was 'healthy'. Boy were they wrong, and boy was I being thoughtless in believing this.
So Zeus is supposed to be 4 possibly 5 years old... And he is now diagnosed with mild Hip dysplasia and moderate arthritis. His right elbow is also considered dysplastic. This dog honestly can never get a break. Now at the age of 4 (maybe 5), he has severe atopy, allergic to everything, can not eat wheat, corn, chicken, beef, bison, turkey, duck (any fowl), and does not do well on high sources of pea protein, he has hypothyroidism which is *barely* beginning to be under control thanks to a 1mg dosage, and he has suffered numerous infections over the last 2 years (under previous 'owners') which have destroyed his skin leaving him with a severely antibiotic resistant yeast infection. Did I also mention he broke out in hives due to cephalexin? Guess we can mark that option off our list....
Thankfully Acana is now selling Lamb and apple in the states and our store is distributing it, so we will be rotating that and the pacifica. His hair is 'finally' starting too grow back (I think), but it is very slow progress. So on top of his other problems, I have now confirmed my suspicions of his severe joint abnormalities. Its saddening to me considering how much he enjoys activities that are too rough on his joints for me to allow him to do much. He was really really showing a love for agility (very very low jump heights), but I now feel like I should quit in order to preserve what he does have. Am I right in doing so? And holding him back from an activity that could worsen his condition?
Despite all of this, absolutely no one understands how he has so many issues. He gets complements everywhere, is flying through his therapy dog process, and is everyone's 'favorite mini horse' who knows him. I got him only 8 months ago and was told he'd only cost me $30/month for dog food and was 'healthy'. Boy were they wrong, and boy was I being thoughtless in believing this.