Weather been rather hot and stuffy these days, as much as I like sunny days ( I'm able to take out 2 rounds of laundry for drying compared to previous 2 days once during rainny season), Teh Pao seems to suffer more during these season. This time, while I took the extra efforts since the beginning of sunny season to curb her allergy by cleaning places she usually hangs around, wiping her belly and spraying her body with diluted apple cider vinegar, restricting her access to grassy areas... things still don't turn out too well for her.
Poor girl... it is environmental allergy, known as atopy
Had no choice but to put her on prednisolone 5mg once a day for three days previously ( as per prescribed by her vet), spoke to her vet about her condition and was adviced to work up on the amount- one 5mg tablet twice a day. =( There is a possibility that Teh Pao has yeast or bacteria infection due to her allergy condition though, been washing her with medicated shampoo ( Malaseb) as prescribed by her vet. I'm actually thinking of getting an allergy test even if that would mean sending specimens overseas for a lab test, now I do really hope there is at least one vet specialized in dermatology here in Malaysia, or at the very least, allergy test should be made available.. Oh wait, they don't even have much choice nor market for insurance, never mind about my rant. Have stopped the kibble from Teh Pao's diet entirely, now it is either raw feeding or home- cooked with selected ingredients for her. Did some research online, seems that potato, grains and a couple more things which are good for doggies doesn't suit dogs with certain condition, condition like Teh Pao's. Other than the increase of scratching, which I tried to put on a socks of shame to stop her from hurting herself, Teh Pao managed to rip 'em off and destroy them * sigh* she just doesn't like the idea of having anything wrapping/ touching/ restricting her paws.
Went shopping for the PAOs' today in local petshop, nothing much offered and I still prefer buying online, but the shipping fee cost almost twice as much as the goods I usually order, currency exchange! ARRGH!! It is also strange that sales personnel in local petshops are actually giving veterinary advice to innocent/ ignorant pet owners, like the lady who was standing at the other end of the same row I was, facing supplement sections, I guess she wasn't sure what to get for her dogs and instead of consulting her vet, she checked with the sales personnel ( which is perfectly fine if these people knew what they are doing). From the description given, it is most likely that her dogs suffered from skin issues and needed veterinary attention -huge amount of shedding result in bald patches especially the armpit and inner thighs, constantly scratching, one dog got it first then now the other dog has it too... ( does this rings a bell? No?). Cutting story short, the innocent/ ignorant lady ended up buying a couple of bottles of skin supplements costing near 400bucks ( Yea, almost RM400 just for supplement). To add to the irony, the sales personnel whom I believe must be laughing his ass off secretly, tried to sell her some dog food made of craps yet had a wonderful marketing team after learning that the lady been feeding both her dogs PedXgrXX. Switching from one crap to the other.. and oh, the poor creatures are actually expensive pedigree dogs, so... =X If one were to buy a pet, thinking that spending five grand is expensive, then the maintenance of the pet would cost even more, that's the universal unchanged rule of owning pets at the first place. Do not commit into something long term unless you understood the consequences, and able to embrace it, otherwise get something with a shorter lifespans and lower maintenance, something small.. guppy fish or mice made good pets too.
I'm perfectly okay and understood that's their job, to sell, and in order to make a living, they have to sell. Been there, done that, no big deal. But at least, if you're going to jump into a particular sales industry, please please please at least do some reading, brush up your basic knowledge and get your facts right. I often found it offensive for sales person from any petshop to try to "advice" me in getting supplements but not knowing what they were talking about. I once had a staff from local pet chain store tried to sell me a particular brand of dog food, of which that time I had only Teh Pao and feeding her on an above- average grade type of kibbles. I was amazed that this staff here was able to glorify ( sorry, couldn't find any more suitable word to describe) that particular brand, yet when questioned about the reliability of the source of protein ( is it human grade or not, any by- products...etc) and the chemical used to preserved the kibbles, he could not give a definite answer yet insist that I should buy and give it a try. Usually I would decline in a polite manner and proceed to scan and read the labels on the ingredient and nutrient breakdowns, manufacturing plants, made some notes on my notepad and do some research on the product then decides whether to buy or not. My younger brother used to teased me as the fussy buyer, the devil from hell for sales person and would probably the last person they will want to serve me ( if they ever knew my character). Well, he got a point there, but then why would I spend huge amount of money buying supplement for the PAOs' and then resort to feeding crappy food? Might as well get the budget for supplement to upgrade their daily feeding, at least their health improved and there are generally no need for supplements ( both the PAOs' hair shines, even my regular groomers refused to believe that they do not take any skin and coat supplement) and cutting down trips to vet does spare my piggy bank's from being slaughtered.
1 more paper to go on the 29th then I shall have my 3 months holiday.. Off reading now, chao¬
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