Pandoras Box of Health Problems

Question
I have a four year old golden retriever, Max who was in excellent health up until about 2 years or so ago when he started to have seizures.  Very concerned about this I took him to the vet whole put him on medication but that made him very lathargic and almost comotose.  The vet told me that Max wasn't feeling any pain when he had to seizures so that it didn't matter if he was on them or not... well, then about six months ago I relocated and took Max to a new vet who told me that the other dog was wrong and that Max's epilepsy needed to be treated... so now he's a very very relaxed dog (which, I'm not complaining!) but the thing is that he's having skin problems as well.. the vet diagnosed him with a Staff infection and on top of that he says that his thyriod is as low as it gets along with something else that's making him fat and balding..

This dog is my baby and I love him dearly but it's gotten to the point that I don't know if I'm doing the right thing anymore.  I mean, is he okay?  Is he really not feeling pain?  Am I being selfish in wanting to keep him alive?  Prolonging his suffering?  

These are the following medicines that he is taking DAILY:


Cephalexin - 500mg (twice a day)
Prednisone - 5mg (once a day)
Qoloxine - 8mg (or) .8mg (twice a day)

The writing is barely ledgible so I'm not sure if I got these right, hopefully you can tell what I'm talking about.  

I also have to bath him twice a week with a special medicated shampoo for his flaking skin.. it's.. always red and sore.

Anyother note, I catsit a friend's cat for a little bit and the cat had fleas.. Max got the fleas and I don't think he even noticed... I never saw him scrathing.  

Answer
Dear Leah;
This would be so easy if you lived in my area. I live in Irving, a suburb of Dallas, and I am fortunate enough to have a Veterinarian that has taked such wonderful care of my dogs for the ;ast 26 or so years.
My dogs have had just about everything you can name, severe allergies, Arthritis, Asthma, PARVO!. That was hairy. The first year this dreaded diseae lifted it;s head in 1980, my little dog got it, he was 3 months old, and it was terrible. He had it and as soon as the symptoms showed up, I took him in, and that was the first time I had heard of it. He survived. It was touch and go for a couple of days, but he came out of it with flying colors, and then a couple of years later, another puppy I had got it. He was 4 months old. I smelled that odor in his vonit, and I called mt Cet and said "Little Britches has Parvo, I am nringing himin".Once you smell that odor, you never forget it.
Because his treatment started only 3 hours after the first sympton showed, he was fine in no time at all, and really didn't have the deeper level of suffering, even for a day.
Two years ago I rescued a litter of 5 puppies and brought them home, and 3 days later was told the skin break-out was not a flea allergy, but Sarcoptic Mange.
THAT cost us a bundle!
We couldn't juet let them die, so we paid the bill to cure them, and had to end up keeping them for 3 months until they were completely well, and their hair was all grown back and they were pronounced healthy enough to be adopted out to good homes.
My Veterinarian has seen me through so many catastrophies.
The last puppy to get Parvo also had a tumor on his Esoophogus when he was 7 years old. He was so small, and it was in such a vital area, Dr. B. said there was no more serious and dangerous surgery. I had to take him to Texas A&M for the surgery, as there was no facility in this area that could offer the 24 hour care he needed to survive. He could not be transported back and forth for treatments. He had to stay in one place.
Little Britches lived 8 more years after that surgery.
I know this is long, but I wanted to let you know what I look for in health care for me dogs.
Dr.Bischofhausen
is that kind of a Veterinarian.
He treats your pet like it is his own, and he feels the pain his patients feel.He has a kind and lovong touch, and all my animals he has cared for love him, and have no fear when Dr, B is with them.
He graduated A&M at the top of his class. He staffs his hospital with the top graduates, and they learn more there, and offer some good services and expertise while that are at his clinic, before going into private practice.
There is just no better care for my animals, and I trust his judgement to the poing that he says give this, I just do it.
In the Veterinarian field as in the human Medical field, there are some that are born for it, and should do nothing else, and some that should not be doing it at all, and all degress between.
I shop as hard or harder than I do for a doctor for myself.
I look with the same critical eye I looked with for a Pediatrician for my children.
These little fourlegged kids are my children too.
I am faced with one of those hard choices now.
Silky, my 14 year old English setter is blind, as well as crippled up with Arthritis and allergies that give her skin problems.
She is a good candidate, medically, for the catarac surgery, but it is a more involved surgery than it is for humans. I have to decide if I want to put her through that.
I think her being able to see would give her more motivation to move around more, and that might help her hops and joints, but it would be some pain and difficulty, the surgery and recovery from it.
the life expectance fopr English Setters is 10 to 12 years, and she will be 15 in april.
Right now, she gets a lot of pain relief from Accupuncture treatments every two weeks, and the T-Touch massages I give her.
Realistically, she should not still be alive, and she is not that made miserable by pain. \Do I risk making most of the time she has left, going through pain, with little on the plus side to make it worth her while?
OR, do I make her last times as comfortable as possible for as long as she has, since she is is not in a lot of pain ?
It really is putting me through the mill.
So I know that confusion and douby you are having. I havd been there a lot of times.
When they are in a lot of pain, and the quality of their life is NOT worth it, I will put them down.
I can't see them suffer just so I delay the grieving process for me. But as long as they are enjoying some quality of life, I will stick it out with them, regardless of the cost or inconvenience.
Ultimately, only you can make the decision.
When Dr. B. comes up against something he is not the top exert in, he sends me to a specialist. The dallas area has Specialists in every field, just as there are in human medicine. And he sends me to the top people in that field.
I just wish you had all these people available to you.
As for the medications.
I have been through so many medicines with my animals and myself, that the names are running together.
I have a medical web that I look them up in. I can find out what is in them and what they are used for in there.
   Here is that site
I looked up the druga and am sending the page for that medicine. copy and past the address in your browser, and read about them

Cephalexin

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/search.aspx?stype=DRUG&query=cephalexin&go.x=13&go.y=...

Prednicone,
http://www.webmd.com/drugs/search.aspx?stype=DRUG&query=Prednisone


I tried to fine the last one, but cannot find anything about it.
Whaich of the problems is it for?
You might look that one up by condition.
Has your vet tested Max for diabetes?
Yep, dogs have that too.
That can come along becaue of the weight gain, and it also contributes to balding.
My hair has becom thinner since the onset of diabetes.
Max just really needs a good diagnostician to run tests and find out all that is wrong with him.
Dr. B. Is a great believer in pinpointing with thest so the maximum is done in the beginning.
does Max sho signs of being in pain and suffering?
does he cry out a lot from pain?
does he respond to love and attention, or seem to just not really notice it?
They can milk these things, just like some people do.
Silky goes into her "Camille" act when my daughter comes over.
Terri is a registered Massage therapist , and she REALLY knows how to give the animal massages. Silky gets up and starts to go outside. she bumps into every piece of furniture, every wall etc on her way out.
She limps a lot more.
Terri gets full of sympathy and gives her a deep massage. Silky lays there like she wants it to go on forever.
When Terri is not here, Silky goes outside, and doesn't run into anything unless someone has put something where thewre is usually nothing. It is just an affectation to get sympathy and a good massage.

Now about these massages.....
They are easy to learn to do, and you can go to this site and read about them, and the woman who developed this particular technique of animal massage, and order a video to teach you to do it.
Silky can be very stiff, and can hardly walk at all. I give her a message for about 30 minutes, andshe can walk much better. I am abl to give a lot of relief from pain, with fewer medications for pain.
I have calmed dogs out of fear of thunderstorms with one massage session that lasted only about 5 minutes.
I have cured dogs of aggressive behavior and excessive barking with these massages.
You can read about these massages and the woman who developed this type of massage and order the video to learn to do them.
You can also detoxify the body to a good extent with massage.
It is the best money you will ever send.
The video costs about $35.00 now.  Go to,,,,
  www.lindatellington-jones.com

There should be an Antibiotic for the staph infection, as well as topical medicine.
Staph just does NOT clear up with topical medications only, got to take antibiotics too.
This is so lengthy, but it really is such a hard call.
Go to those pages and read about the medications he is taking, and go to Linda's site and read about the massages.
Then please write me back.
Give me any more information you can think of. Notice how Max reacts to everything.
That staph infection is tiring. I know, I have just gotten over one. The meds you take make you tired.
Taking antibiotics takes a little out of you anyway.
I agree the Epilepsy needs to be taken care of.
That other vet must have giotten his degree out of a wheaties box or someplace.
It sounds like the one you have now is a better, more knowledgable one, but maybe not being quite aggressive enough with the treatments.
I can't tell, because I am NOT a veterinarian,and haven't even observed the dog.
I just know when mine get sick, it is the same as it was with our children, I am ready to move heaven and earth to make it better.
Id he is not showing visible signs of pain and suffering, then I would not jumop the gun about putting him down.
Don't think you are that close to that awful to make decision yet.
Ask the doctor what specifically is causing the skin problems.
Id it allergies, or the staph?
One thing we use on our dogs when allergies make their skin red AND RASHY, IS bAG bALM.
It is an ointment made for a cow's teats when ghe nursing calves make the skin on the udder dry and raw.
I use it on skinned knees on my grandchildren too. It soothes and lubricates right away, and heals fast.
It seems to calm the itching of allergy rashes faster and better than the ointments Dr. B. prescribes for them.
I used to have to go to tghe dees dtore to get it, but Petsmart carries it now.
If you can't find it, let me know,,and i will see if I can find it online for you, or send you some from here if we can't find it online.
Bet we can though.
The low Thyroid makes you feel like laying around a lot.
I am Hypothryoidal, and some days, it is almost imnpossible to pull myself out of bad.
I am mispelling a lot, and am not going to correct it, because my computer is doing this weird thing again, when I erase one letter, and trye in the right one, it erases all the ones after it.
Try to make sense of all this I have written and qwrite me back.
I promise the next one won't be so long.
I am just really concerned about Max, and you being able to make your friend and child better, so you don't have the pain of putting him down, and he can be well and live a long life with you.
My little Lasha's name is Max.
Charlotte