chelseaB

I am very sympathetic to your situation, I had to have my 14 yr old german shorthair Annie euthanized last month & I understand how we cherish every day with our wonderful senior canines. Is your vet a board certified orthopedic surgeon? A second opinion wouldn't hurt. Annie had many deep seated infections over her life due to acral lick granulomas. These required weeks- sometimes as long as 3 months- of antibiotic therapy to clear up. You said it was cultured, obviously sensitive to cephalosporin- was it sensitive to any other drugs? Cephalosporin is the drug I used to treat Annies infections, but she did not have osteomyelitis which I think would require longer treatment. What is the longest period of time she has been on antibiotics? I know weeks to months of antibiotics seems to be a long time, but they tolerate it very well. You have to keep her from licking the wound. There are other collars besides the dreaded lampshade. Inflatable, soft e-collars & the one I used on Annie called the "bite-not" which doesn't stick out from their body it just keeps them from bending enough to lick. I bet Kirby has a long body & long legs, so she can probably manipulate herself even in collars to get to her leg which makes it even harder to prevent licking. The bitter apple stings like a bugger so that will want to make her lick more. My vet told me anything I tried to apply topically would be like pointing out & drawing attention to the wound, so I stopped all topical stuff. If you still want to apply something topically, there is a newer treatment called Zymox, either in a cream or spray. You don't need a prescription for it. I used the Zymox Otic to treat a chronic ear infection in my Rottie & it cleared it up & she hasn't had a problem in 3 years! None of the stuff from the vet would clear it up & he wanted to anesthetize her & flush it out. I decided to try the Zymox Otic first and it worked awesome! I t sounds like you have really tried everything, these are just a few things that popped into my head when I read your post. Also, there is a yahoo group called Ortho Dogs that you can join & run your situation by all the people in that group- maybe someone has had to deal with a similar problem. I hope you can find something to work, & bless you for rescuing this sweet baby. She is so lucky to have you!

So funny! Biscotti "sneezes" Ah choo than laughs like a lunatic & says "Bless you!" The laughing part started because I used to startle him when I would suddenly sneeze, so I made a game out out it & laughed afterward. So now he sneezes & laughs really loud! So funny to hear. Aren't they wonderful!

He is a very funny fellow! I love to hear them entertaining themselves with all their words & sounds.

Dayo is sure having a wonderful time! Like judygram said, he sure was quiet! I was waiting for a loud scream. Love his laugh near the end.

That is just too cool!! I would love to do that!!

Biscotti loves music too, I have the radio on way more than the TV. I listen to all different types of music too, he seems to really like songs with a fiddle in them. He will bob around and say "whoo" when he likes a song. When it's over he says "I like that one, that's a good song!". Cracks me up. They are so entertaining! I have a wii but haven't tried any of the dance games, I'm sure Biscotti would be laughing at me!

Congrats on being so patient & taking the small steps to reach your goal with Zak!! It really feels good when you teach a new behavior in a way that nobody gets upset.

Merry Christmas to you and your fids!! Hope you all get lots of nice goodies. Biscotti says the joy is in the box!!!

Thanks for sharing this! I have given Biscotti the Starbird Brainiac Block which he whittled down to just a solid core. These look very interesting & challenging! Biscotti will be getting a late Christmas present.

He is a real cutie!! He loks like a CAG to me, very black beak. But that is just my uneducated guess. I'm sure more experienced members will let you know. Congrats on doing such a great job with him!

He is a real cutie! So glad you are loving life with Egan. Thanks for the update!

Aaawww, so sweet! You are going to have so much fun with her!! Thanks for sharing the pictures.

Happy Bird Day Quinn!! Hope your day was extra special & that you enjoyed your bird day outing!! Your a lucky boy to have such a loving parront!!

Peanut butter is Biscotti's very favorite treat, as any of you that have watched his videos know ! He gets that in very limited amounts. He also loves peanuts, almonds, sweet potato, persimmon & a warm spoonful of baby food or oatmeal!

He is adorable Rose & looks so content and healthy!! Congratulations, Tindo is a lucky fellow!!

Issac is a beauty!! And a happy one to boot! Nice that he just thumps his beak on stuff, Biscotti has customized a few door moldings around here. Gotta love them!!

Hi Katy, you are going to love it here!! Lot's of great help & information, and we are ALL animal lovers! Most of us have other pets besides our greys also. Simon is going to bring so much joy to your life! Love his name!

Happy Bird Day Talon!! Wow! Six years!! Hope your day is very, very special, it sounds like mommy has already treated you to special birdy goodies. Love from, me & Biscotti

Great idea!! You showed that little smarty pants!!

So sorry to hear this Rose, I understand the emptiness you are feeling. Tumba was so lucky to have such a wonderful life with you & your family. I do hope you will be able to some day take in a grey that needs a home, they are such wonderful companions.

This is such good news! Makes you wonder if it could be from the same breeder ( purple band ) or even possibly a clutch mate of Murphys???? Wouldn't that be something! If it is mean't to be, this little grey will become a part of your life. I sure hope it does!

I know I have been thought of as being a little "touched" all my life because I have a deep love & respect for all animals. I have been called the "crazy dog lady" many times, because you may see me with a car load of dogs out for a ride- because the dogs enjoy it! My life basically revolves around the care & comfort of my animals, I even treat my cattle with tenderness & respect which some people really scoff at, but others remark at how quiet & easy to handle they are. I know people don't "get it", I can see in their eyes that they think I must be warped because I love my animals so much. I too, don't have may people to talk with about my wonderful pets & all the amazing things Biscotti does, that is another reason this forum is so great! We all "get it" here! When I got Biscotti it was because I had wanted a grey for a long, long time & I knew at this point in my life I would have the time to devote to giving him the best life I possibly could. Also knowing that he would probably have a very long life span, I wouldn't have that terrible pain & loss that you get after about a decade with each and every dog you bring into your life. But, as Dan touched on- there is possibility that Biscotti could out live me and that thought scares me to death. Even so, I would not trade the time I have with Biscotti for anything! And if people don't like hearing about him, too bad for them. It's nice to reach a point in your life where you really don't care what other people think!

He is a cutie, I can't get videos of Biscotti out of his cage very often because he won't leave the camera alone! Looks like Oscar is pretty interested in the camera too! Thanks for sharing the videos!

Beautiful!! Such a pretty, content looking fellow! He is one lucky parrot. Thanks for sharing!

How wonderful that everything was in place at just the right time to "rescue" Sunny! I am so happy he is back home.