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Do you have questions regarding the health of your greyhound? Do you need tips what you should feed your dog? Or do you need advice in curing an injury?
Carol Mogan United Kingdom (Verified User) Posts 26 Dogs 0 / Races 0 03 Jul 2014 09:49
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Hi - In january I asked about greys shaking their heads a lot - and decided my grey was doing this due to an irritation to a flea collar but.... 6 months later, no collar , no fleas, nothing wrong with his teeth, no ear infection but he is still shaking his head - his ears do not hurt him if you touch them - when cleaning get some wax out but not huge amounts - the shaking is almost continuos at times and varies between ears , or can go for several hours whilst he is sleeping with nothing -then suddenly he will jump up and start shaking his head and rubbing his ears on the floor groaning - he will get up if called and let you clean his ears with warm water or a wipe and then let you stroke his ears gently for a while does pant a lot when you do this I think he gets really stressed, then he settles but never really stops shaking unless asleep - the vet can find nothing wrong - I have bought a dust mite spray and electronic device that is supposed to kill them i spray his bed - we have laminate flooring other thana rug I treat , - we hoover every day - any ideas what it could be - could he be allergic to something - his food - or something in the house- he doesn't do it as much when he is laying outdoors , I am putting him in kennels in two weeks where he will be unattended for long periods and am worried he will cause some damage to his ears - he is ten years old - very active - eats well and other than shaking his head is a happy dog, playful , loving etc any help would be appreciated
Richard Gray Australia (Verified User) Posts 2231 Dogs 11 / Races 9 03 Jul 2014 09:58
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IMO off to the vets for a look at the "inner ear" may be a grass seed or similar deep inside.
Rich.
Carole Brown Australia (Verified User) Posts 32355 Dogs 185 / Races 2 03 Jul 2014 10:02
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Carol, does he get milk to drink ?
John Spracklen United Kingdom (Verified User) Posts 504 Dogs 0 / Races 0 03 Jul 2014 10:21
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I have a dog does that if I ask him if he's gonna win that night.
Sorry
Carol Mogan United Kingdom (Verified User) Posts 26 Dogs 0 / Races 0 03 Jul 2014 11:54
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no he doesn't have milk - he has chicken and rice mince with some kibble at night and a chicken and rice mix in the morning - he has various treats I was wondering if he could be allergic to any of the ingredients of the treats- some are quite bright in their colouring
Carol Mogan United Kingdom (Verified User) Posts 26 Dogs 0 / Races 0 03 Jul 2014 11:55
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the vets have had a good dig around and have taken swabs for infections and all come back clear - can a grehound just develop a habit ?
Carol Mogan United Kingdom (Verified User) Posts 26 Dogs 0 / Races 0 03 Jul 2014 11:57
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LOL if he was racing I would think he was trying to tell me something ...
Carole Brown Australia (Verified User) Posts 32355 Dogs 185 / Races 2 03 Jul 2014 14:43
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Carol, we have a German Shepherd dog who developed very red eyes, severe eye and nasal discharge, which would turn crusty, and his head swelled up as well. He also seemed depressed and sometimes itchy. Antibiotics didn't help. We took him to a vet, who diagnosed a food allergy. He had been recently eating some coloured dog biscuits, whereas before he had just had plain ones. The vet said that some dogs are allergic to the coloured ingredients in the food. Well, we cut out the coloured dog biscuits, he was given a short term course of Macrolone tablets, and he is a totally different dog now. Maybe your dog is reacting to the same cause ??
Carol Mogan United Kingdom (Verified User) Posts 26 Dogs 0 / Races 0 04 Jul 2014 06:12
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hi carole - it is a thought -he has mainly plain biscuits but of a weekend we normal buy him a "special treat" and often these are not plain -will not get him anything this week end and see - he had me up at 4 am this morning howling and rubbing his ear on the floor , running around the room shaking his head and crying as if he had been stung- it took more than 20 miinutes to calm him - he woudlnt let me look in his ear it felt hot so I applied a cold water compress on it which helped stop him running around , he then panted so badly after wards I had to put some rescue remedy in his water and sit with him stroking his head to get his breathing back to normal - two hours later he was up and about like nothing had happened eating breakfaset and wanting a walk - still wont let me look in his ear but it is no longer hot I think it is sore from rubbing it on the carpet - am at a total loss as to what it is , so worried about putting hin in the kennels in two weeks time if I cant sort it
Carole Brown Australia (Verified User) Posts 32355 Dogs 185 / Races 2 04 Jul 2014 07:39
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Carol, it certainly is a puzzle. Our Shepherd's head was hot, as well as swollen, but he is fine now. Is there a possibility he has a yeast/wheat allergy ? Some of these allergens cause awful symptoms in dogs. Could you cut out the biscuits altogether and see how he is ? Head shaking, ear inflammation, and rubbing the head on the floor are some symptoms of wheat allergy.
Carol - It really depends what your Vet was looking for and how thoroughly the testing was done. Ear infections usually involved takes swabs and firstly looking under the microscope to see if its a possible yeast infection or bacterial. Then a culture and sensitivity follow up test. Also, slides should be done to look for microscopic "ear mites". These would account for the intense itching and shaking etc. These little devils are a real nuisance and sometimes hard to manage. Just some thoughts as well as the other good suggestions regarding food allergies.
John Watts Australia (Verified User) Posts 976 Dogs 7 / Races 6 04 Jul 2014 09:33
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wheat intolerance? sorry Carol seen after your post.
Have a Poodle cross here, developed these symptoms after a move, poor little bugger Vets just wanted to prescribe higher levels of cortisone, I did a google search came up with wheat allergy, changed his tucker and for the most part he is much better. Still has a relapse now and again.
Our little fella also chews his paws
Carol Mogan United Kingdom (Verified User) Posts 26 Dogs 0 / Races 0 04 Jul 2014 11:39
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thanks everyone for your replies- I have been out and bought some different food for him -he has been on chicken and rice for a very long time and I have seen on a lot of sites that dogs can get an allergic reaction to chicken protien or for food they have been on a long time - so I have bought some duck and venison organic dog food with no wheat in and a whate free mixer - no biscuits for him either - wheat allergy could be a definite possibility as he does have a slice of bread most morning too - not any more! - as for the vet they took slides and swabs and all came back clear - his ears don't even get a lot of wax in when I clean them - I am sure he has no infection as the attacks are too random - they also tested for dust mites too - will see how a change of food does him over the weekend - no miracle cure but if it eases the symptoms a bit at least I will have an idea I am on the right track - will update everyone as we go - keep the suggestions coming please -in case it is not food induced although I know a diet change will take a while to kick in so heres hoping..
Carol Mogan United Kingdom (Verified User) Posts 26 Dogs 0 / Races 0 04 Jul 2014 14:39
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quick question - if my grey has developed an allergy to the food I am feeding him how long should it be before I see any improvement in his head shaking? any ideas.. just so I can judge if it is working ...and bearing in mind I am putting him in kennels and made need to supply the food
Carole Brown Australia (Verified User) Posts 32355 Dogs 185 / Races 2 04 Jul 2014 20:44
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Carol, I guess dogs have different response times to change, but I think we started noticing a difference in our Shepherd by about 2 weeks. However, he was also having the course of Macrolone tablets at the same time.
There's a good range of hypo allergenic pet dog food produced nowadays . Have a look at most of the premium brands , First Class , Arden Grange , Tom & Co , some of the Pets at Home range etc .
All are wheat free and although expensive they will be cheaper than trying to create your own and the balance of minerals and vitamins will be correct . I find this site can be useful for heath problems sometimes EXTERNAL LINK
John Ratcliffe Australia (Verified User) Posts 31 Dogs 2 / Races 2 05 Jul 2014 06:40
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Carole Brown wrote:
Carol, does he get milk to drink ?
Carole, just interested in your question. I work with a dog that does a lot of head shaking and he gets milk everyday .
Carole Brown Australia (Verified User) Posts 32355 Dogs 185 / Races 2 05 Jul 2014 07:08
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John, a couple of ours, and some others I know of, were doing this head shaking and getting milk daily. With a few experiments on diet, we cut out the milk, and the head shaking stopped for ours, and the other dogs that were doing the same thing. It may not be your dog's problem, but it is worth cutting it out and seeing if the shaking stops. Good luck.
Andrew Gavenlock Australia (Verified User) Posts 195 Dogs 0 / Races 0 05 Jul 2014 08:06
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I had a young dog contract a cryptococcus infection of the sinus. Head shaking was the first symptom I noticed, followed by a dripping nose. Broke my heart when the extent of this yeast infection was made clear. It had gotten into the poor buggers skull, and 'eaten' through it. Hope this isn't the case with dog in question. Sorry for sounding alarmist but may be worth looking into.
Do you have questions regarding the health of your greyhound? Do you need tips what you should feed your dog?
