Jed has a history 'hot spots' which are places on the dog that just become really itchy (usually during the summer months) but due to all of the stress he's been under lately he has been chewing around the base of his tail. We brought him in to the vet today and she prescribed us with some Vanectyl-P (a mild steriod take the itch away) and some Novolexin (to be sure that there is no infection). He should be done both medications within 2 weeks time but until then he is wearing his cone 24/7 to allow the area to completely heal and he is being such a fantastic sport about it! Most dogs get disoriented, bump into things or have trouble doing basic tasks with a cone on (like eating, drinking, stairs etc.) but not Jeddy! Due to the fact that Bichon's in particular can be prone to flea sensitivities (which could be a root cause of the hot spots), we are going to be starting him on monthly flea and parasite prevention - this is the regular preventative that all dogs need to go on 6 months out of the year, but Jed will receive it year round just to be on the safe, proactive side.
The vet also confirmed that Jed does have luxating patellas in both back legs (the right being worse than the left), which is very common in small breed dogs. Luxating patellas is literally the slipping of the kneecap. This means that sometimes when Jed walks he may hold up one leg for a few steps (until the kneecap slips back into place) and then puts it back down again. While being assessed, when his kneecaps were pushed outward, they slipped right back into place with ease (which is a good thing!) the problem is when the kneecap cannot slip back in. All that is required at this point is keeping Jed's physique nice and lean (like he is already!) as extra weight can really cause pressure on the joints. We are also supplementing him with glucosamine as a proactive joint measure ($4/month). Other than that he still enjoys his walks like the best of them!
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