Thread: Vital info for Dog Lovers From Harrell.

Hi David,

I think I mentioned I am writing a “Field Care Manual” for dogs and so in this letter I am including some of the material from it. I know it is a lot and you don’t have to do all of it for your dog friend, but I thought I’d send all the things you can do so you can choose. You may have another dog in the future who can benefit from some or all of the stuff below, so I am sending you a massive amount of info.
WAGING WAR TO GAIN PEACE
I like to think of myself as engaged in warfare with aliens, because fleas, ticks, mites, worms, fungus, bacteria and the other things that are trying to eat and kill my dog friends look like they came from another planet. I have a Buddhist outlook on life, and try to do no harm, but when it comes to these aliens I don’t hesitate to use pre-emptive war--air strikes, defoliation techniques, chemical/biological warfare, mechanical crushing tools like tweezers—to strike at the heart of these creatures who cause so much suffering.

I definitely think giving the 1) oral antibiotics for the sores and 2) worm pills for worms and 3) topical antibiotic cream and/or iodine on the sores is a good place to start with the dog you’ve described.

I am currently in U.S. but will be returning to Thailand hopefully in the next few weeks—if I were there now I could easily send you a ‘kit’ of all the stuff I recommend below to use. I will tell you all of things that you can do and you can either do all of them or choose the ones that you know you can actually do. It all depends on your circumstances and whether the dog will let you get close to her and bathe it and put stuff on her.

That is great you are feeding her especially since so many dogs are protein-starved in Thailand. They usually get just rice which alone isn’t enough to make a strong body or immune system. She does need clean water, good food and antibiotics and probably the other stuff, too. But at least start with the water, food and antibiotics. The mites burrow under skin, shit there, die there, lay eggs there, bite them there, suck blood there---all of which creates inflammation and infection—so she needs antibiotics. And giving her worm pills could really help as she probably has worms and worms make it more difficult for her to get better. In fact, there are some worms that can directly cause sores on skin in both dogs and humans.

So here’s what you can do which should fix up your dog. Do numbers 1, 2 and 3 for sure. Do number 4 and 5 if you can easily find the worm pills and flea/tick medicine, otherwise wait till I get back to send them to you. Do none, some or all of the numbers 6 through 8, depending on your time and resources.
1) clean, fresh water in a clean bowl for the dog at all times. Rinse the bowl & change the water daily if you can. Feed her rice and meat with fresh, unused corn (or soy) oil added, or just dry dog food with fresh, unused corn/soy/etc oil added.

2) antibiotics 2 times a day for 2 or 3 weeks. 20mg per kg body weight. But if you can only do it 1 time/day it’s okay, but 2 times per day is much better. Amoxycillin 20mg per kg of body weight. So if dog weighs 10 kg pour half of a 500mg Amoxycillin capsule into a bowl of milk morning and the other half in the evening. (10kg x 20mg/kg= 200 mg or about half of a 500mg capsule morning and night).

Cephalexin is a superior antibiotic but more expensive and maybe harder to find. I use amoxicillin all the time with great results. You can try the available-everywhere amoxicillin for 10 days or longer (after sores go away, keep giving antibiotics for another week) and if that doesn’t work go to Cephalexin. But amoxicillin will probably clear those sores up, especially if you use it in conjunction with all or some of the other things here.

You can buy the 500 mg amoxicillin capsules in the blister-packs of 10 caps for about 50 baht for 10—that’s 5 baht each. If she weighs 10kg then you give half of one 500mg capsule morning and the other half at night. But you might only be able to do it one time per day—that’s better than nothing. If you buy amoxicillin in the huge bottles you can get it really, really cheap—a baht or so per capsule, I think. But don’t buy huge amounts if you’re not going to use them. (I can send you plenty of extra really cheap when I return, if you need a lot.)

Give the dog the antibiotic in (real, not soy) milk—or chicken soup, or on really delicious food--when she is hungry, not when she is full, because the antibiotics taste terrible and they are more likely to drink it/eat it when they are hungry. Experiment.

3) Iodine. Buy a little yellow bottle of Iodine available everywhere in Thailand and put some drops every day on sores. And/Or use antibiotic cream. Or both cream and Iodine. But sometimes dogs won’t let you touch them so you have to use iodine drops because you can hold bottle over dog while she eats and you can squeeze drops onto her sores from above when she isn’t looking. But Iodine can sting and if it really bothers dog then you might want to just spread a little antibiotic cream on sores—cream stings less than iodine, but iodine kills a much wider variety of organisms.

4) worm pills with any or all of following ingredients: Praziquantel, pryantel, febentel. (The pills I buy have all three.) Put each tablet in a high-quality hot dog from, say, 7-11. Do not use farang breakfast sausage from restaurant because hungry street dogs will often not eat the farang breakfast sausage because they can smell the formalin (embalming fluid) the Thais routinely put in a lot of the meat instead of refrigerating it. Or crush the pills in very delicious food when she is hungry.

5) tick and flea medicine in the tiny bottles that will kill the fleas/ticks for up to one to three months and pour it onto skin of shoulders. If dog won’t let you touch it then you have to pour it from above while she is drinking or eating and not looking at you. If dog has long hair then try to part hair and pour directly on skin. I often cut a patch of hair on the shoulders to expose the skin really good. I feel long hair acts a wicking sponge and ‘sucks’ the medicine away from the skin up into the hair. So I always carry a pair of scissors with me. I can buy the Thai brand a lot cheaper than the U.S. brands and I can send you the cheap stuff when I get back. But the expensive stuff is good quality and if it is easy for you to find and buy it now, then use it. Some of the vets sell the less expensive, Thai-brand, also.


6) Dog shampoo. If you can, then shampoo dog with dog shampoo, (not human shampoo) that have some or all of these ingredients: Salicylic acid, (coal) Tar, sulphur, benzoyal peroxide, ketoconazole. I often pour 2 or 3 different shampoos on dog to get all those ingredients onto their skin. Before I start bathing her I put a leash or rope around dogs neck and run loop on other end around my arm—this way she can’t run away when she’s all soaped-up and I still have both hands free because it is my arm that is through the loop of the leash. Leave the suds on the dog for a full 10 minutes. Then rinse.

7) Buy a bottle of Mitoban (Mite-o-ban) (semi-chemical name is ‘Amitraz’ but Thais know it as ‘Mite-o-Ban’) and sponge it on dog once every two weeks for 6 weeks for a total of 3 treatments. (Use leash or rope as per above). It is available in every animal farm and feed store—and pet shops--as they use it to kill ticks, mites, lice, etc on water buffalo, etc. The box the bottle comes in will probably have a picture drawing of a mite, a tick, a louse (lice), and another bug I can’t remember. This is amazing (but foul-smelling) stuff that you mix with water and sponge onto the skin of the dry dog. Do not put it on when the dog is wet from shampoo. Wear gloves, shake bottle, pour medicine into cap of Mitoban bottle (about 2 ccs) pour cap into a liter of water, and use a sponge or a cloth to get it all over dogs body—everywhere except eyes and mouth. Get them real wet with it. Do not rinse off. Sponge it over entire body, under feet, between toes, all of tail, under tail, abdomen, inside ears, head, neck. Do it when the sun is hot so it will dry fast, and try not to let the dog lick themselves when they are wet with this poison (a little won’t kill them). Mitoban also kills ticks extremely well in addition to mites (mange). I fixed a couple of dogs that had 200 ticks each. Just sponge the mitoban on per above directions and ticks die instantly and many bugs will steer clear of dog for at least a month after. Amazing stuff. This stuff will kill the mites because I’m not sure what medicine you gave her before and it is very possible she still has mites (mange). By the way, Thailand has the variety of tick species where one single tick can cause paralysis (starting in hind legs) which can then paralyze their lungs and kill them. My wife and I just had one of our home dogs die from one of these aliens. Use tweezers to pull ticks carefully off your dogs—pull from the head of tick. Don’t use your fingers, as fingers can squeeze tick stomach contents into your dog. I pour a half-inch of Hei-terrrr (bleach) into a cup that I add a little water to and I put tweezers with ticks into there—kills them quick without crushing them and squirting tick guts everywhere.


8) If you’ve shampood or “Mitoban’d” the dog then wait 4 days to put flea/tick medicine on, otherwise the flea/tick medicine won’t absorb into skin that has been wet recently.

9) If you can’t put Mit-O-Ban on dog then maybe you can take the dog to a vet then have him give an injection of Ivermectin (or wait till I get back and I can send you ivermectin to put in her milk). Give the correct doseage one time per two week interval for a total of 2 times. I don’t know what medicine you gave her for mites but it might not have done the trick. Mit-o-Ban or Ivermectin will do the trick. (Never give both medicines at the same time.)

I have a great book, “Skin Diseases of Dogs and Cats” by Dr. Melman, DVM, and he points out that it can be difficult for oral or injected medicines to reach the skin which is why he recommends the shampoos and/or Mitoban. You may not be able to catch, hold or touch dog so you won’t be able to do either shampoo or Mitoban. In which case, then pour little bottle of flea/tick medicine on her shoulders while she is eating near you and not looking at you. But you might not be able to get near her to put any flea/tick medicine on her, either. You just have to do what you can. Start with the antibiotics and see what happens.

THE BIG THREE WEAPONS: Worm Pills, Ivermectin, Flea/tick medicine
Just so you know: I treat so many dogs that I can’t possibly shampoo and also pour Mitoban on so many dogs. Too much work for all the dogs I see and most dogs don’t need that detailed care anyway. So for most dogs I personally just 1) give them worm pills 2) pour ivermectin in some milk or squirt it in their mouth (and, if they have sores/infection, I put antibiotics in some milk) and 3) put flea/tick medicine on shoulders. Those 3 things—worm pills, ivermectin, flea/tick medicine (and maybe antibiotics if they have sores)—those three things will slaughter most of the aliens attacking most dogs here.

But if you’re only dealing with one dog then maybe you can do the shampoo, etc . But if you can’t, like I said, all you have to do is give her clean water, good food, antibiotics for a couple weeks, de-worm her, control for fleas/ticks, and then make 100% sure mites are killed by either sponging on Mitoban. OR waiting till I come back to send you the correct dosage of Ivermectin to pour in her milk. But if her skin is really messed-up and unhealthy looking then the dog shampoo with the specific ingredients above can make all the difference.

But maybe you don’t want to wait till I get back and if you can’t bring her to vet, and you think the mites are still there (itching won’t go away or hair won’t grow back) you have a choice of using Mitoban sponged on her skin or Ivermectin.

IVERMECTIN RULES!

Imagine a world without Ivermectin. Before the 1980’s there wasn’t any. The discovery of this stuff has made life-saving difference not only in animals besieged by parasites but also in humans—especially in Africa—where a certain parasite causes ‘River Blindness’. Just a little Ivermectin—inexpensive at pennies per dose—will prevent River Blindness in the millions of people it infected before. Ivermectin is indeed amazing medicine and at 500 or so baht (16 dollars) per 100 ml bottle in Thailand you can kill the mites on a hundred or more dogs. 5 baht (15 U.S. cents) to alleviate major suffering in one dog. What a deal!

Why bother to inject when there is an easier and safer way?
I will give you the Ivermectin doses here for your future reference, just in case you need them. Ivermectin is toxic in too-large doses so it is important to get it right—but it’s not hard with a little practice and using a very small, very slim 1cc syringe. And I only use syringes without the needle. I don’t inject Ivermectin because it is too much trouble to do it, too easy to get the needle dirty and make the dog really, really sick from dirty needle, danger of needle stick to me in the field where 10 Wat dogs can be jumping around me, etc. Oh, and not to mention the fact that there are many dogs with mites at the temples who won’t let me get within 5 meters of them much less stick a needle in them! If you inject you have to use a new in-the-package needle each time and be really careful not to touch needle with your dirty hands, etc. This is a big hassle in the field! And, plus, there is no need to inject Ivermectin as it works fine given orally. I can squirt Ivermectin into many dogs mouths in the same time it takes to inject just one.

Ivermectin comes in bottles with the rubber stoppers sealed in bottle opening, so you have to get the ivermecin out with a needle and syringe. So I stick a needle into the rubber-end of Ivermectin bottle and then I tape the needle in there so it won’t come out. You don’t want somebody coming along and thinking they can use that needle to inject a dog. And I try to keep bottle upright in my backpack as some Ivermectin will leak out if bottle is tilted. That way when I’m ready to start dosing dogs I can take my 1cc syringe, insert it into needle that is stuck/taped in bottle, suck up the ivermectin into syringe, then pull out the syringe ­leaving the needle stuck in the Ivermectin bottle. Using the plastic syringe without a needle, I then squirt the correct dose into back of dogs mouth if it will let me, or into milk or chicken soup. The dogs at the Wats learn to like and trust me when I come there with oil-soaked dog food and most of them get close enough to me so I can squirt it in their mouths thereby dosing a lot of dogs quickly. The stuff tastes terrible (I’ve eaten it, I ought to know) but the dogs get their treats and food so they put up with me squirting this stuff in their mouths.

PLAN B for hard-to-approach DOGS
But I’ve had dogs with skin so messed up that needed my hands-on care but they wouldn’t let me get close to them and I couldn’t put a bowl of Ivermectin-laced milk down because the other temple dogs would drink it. So I devised Plan B for these situations. I set two bowls in front of me on a ledge so dogs couldn’t get to them. In one bowl—the ones for the non-sick dogs-- I put a couple handfuls of dry dog food and I pour a little milk on top of it. But in the other bowl I only put 10 or so pieces of dog food and I pour just enough milk to coat the ten pieces and then I squirt the Ivermectin on those ten pieces and I mix it—food, milk, Ivermectin-- well. I then pick up some of the round (round is better, it rolls)—round dog food with milk-only coating and I toss it in direction of main pack of dogs. They all run that way to chase the rolling pieces of milk-coated round dry dog food. I then pick up the Ivermectin-milk dog food and toss pieces of that to the sick, unapproachable dog. Yes, some of the healthy dogs will eat some of the Ivermectin pieces but it’s no big deal. This is war and mites are literally eating the sick dog alive and a little Ivermectin isn’t going to hurt the healthy dogs—it’s good for them, too. (Besides, I try and give all the dogs at the Wats Ivermectin because mites are contagious, plus Ivermectin kills some worms. Like I said, the three things that all Wat dogs get from me is 1) Ivermectin 2) worm pills and 3) flea/tick medicine.

SAUSAGES FROM 7-11 as medicine delivery vehicles
If the sick dog has really messed up skin, with infections, etc, then I pull out my trusty 7-11 sausages, shove an Amoxycillin capsule into it and before I toss it to sick dog I make sure and toss some other sausage pieces the OTHER way to get the pack moving away from sick dog. I then sneakily toss (maybe from behind my back so pack won’t see me throw)—the Amoxycillin-sausage to the sick dog. But often I can get close to most sick dogs and put the milk and amoxicillin in a bowl of milk, letting sick dog drink it while pushing other dogs away—or I can just shove it down their throats.

IVERMECTIN DOSAGES—More is not better.
(Note: cc and ml are equivalent. And I will repeat myself a bit to make sure doses are understood.) Each cc/ml of Ivermectin has 10 mg. So in each 1/10th cc (or ml) there is one milligram of Ivervectin. A good, strong dose of Ivermectin is .5 (point 5) mg per kg body weight, so a 10 kg dog times .5mg/kg = 5mg or .5cc (point 5 of one cc). Or another way to say it 5/10ths of one cc, or half of one cc for a 10kg dog. In her milk, give her a half cc every two weeks (if she weighs 10kg) for a total of two treatments. So if she weighs 10 kg that would be .5 cc--a half cc—half mililiter--of Ivermectin orally in her milk every two weeks for a total of two treatments. If she’s 5 kg then give her half of what I just said. So, for 5kg dog, that would be half of half, or one-quarter cc, or .25 cc, 1/4th cc for a 5 kg dog. If she’s 20 kg then give her twice that amount: 1 full cc for a 20kg dog. DO NOT GIVE MORE THAN THESE AMOUNTS. MORE IS NOT BETTER. If you’re using the 1cc (1ml) syringes I recommend below then figuring out these dosages is easy. See below.
Note: It is possible that a dog could have the kind of mites that requires more than just two doses of Ivermectin spaced two weeks apart. If the two doses don’t work then you might have to think about doing it daily. However, in these cases, instead of giving Ivermectin daily I find sponging on Mitoban every week for 6 weeks is easier and works better. And if you can’t put the Mitoban on every week there is good evidence that doing it just once every two weeks, for a total of 3 treatments over six weeks—will work.

ALWAYS USE THE SUPER-SMALL 1CC (1ML) SYRINGES FOR IVERMECTIN
I always use only the very narrow and slim 1cc (1ml) syringes because it makes overdosing the dog harder. If you have a 3 cc (3ml) syringe and dogs are jumping around you, and you’re distracted, you might pull too much Ivermectin into a 3 cc syringe. So with a 1 cc syringe, for a 10 kg dog, you would fill it half full (.5cc). For a 5 kg dog, a quarter full (.25). For a 20 kg dog, full (1 cc). Much easier to measure and much harder to overdose with a 1 cc syringe—the very, very tiny, very slim syringes. A box of them is inexpensive and you can reuse them for oral administration until they break or won’t work anymore.

Treating her for the mites again by doing what I recommend here is a good idea, even if you think you already killed them before. Mites are tricky little aliens, hard to kill, and only a few of them can make a big problem. Also, a dog you’ve already cured can pick them up again from another animal and get re-infected.
FLEA CONTROL—Basic Warfare Tactics
People see 10 fleas on their dog and think it has only 10 fleas. Actually, it probably has 500 or a thousand fleas because most are sleeping around where the dog lives and jump on her when they want to eat. Fleas are not a little problem. They are a big problem—causing inflammation, suffering, worms, infection. So I always put the little drops of the long-lasting flea/tick medicine on all the dogs I treat because controlling fleas and ticks is basic warfare tactics. If the dog is really dirty and has a lot of flea dirt (flea feces) then it is a good idea to bathe the dog. The flea feces is blood-rich and is necessary as a food source for baby fleas. Yes, that’s right, the baby fleas must eat flea shit to survive. So bathing a really dirty dog can help control the terrorists because it deprives them of their food source. If I didn’t have the special dog shampoos mentioned above I wouldn’t hesitate to use human soap if the dog were that dirty. Still, it’s better to use dog shampoos with the ingredients listed above.

FLIES AND MAGGOTS (Pearl Harbor on a Dog)

If you see flies buzzing around a dog you should hear a ‘Red Alert’ siren go off in your head. In order for flies to ‘raise’ their young they must provide the young with a food source—such as the blood and flesh of your dog friend. From the tiniest scratch or dog bite, flies can begin laying their eggs in or near the wound and when they hatch these aliens—baby flies—begin eating the dog, enlarging the hole, causing infection, inflammation, disease, terrible itching and suffering. This is a serious medical condition know as “Myiasis” (or ‘fly strike’). It (miaisis) is a medical condition which means “invasion of the body by the larvae of flies”.
The other ‘red alert’ is an often round hole in the dog’s skin that he’s scratching terribly. If you smell a foul smell near this hole it is probably maggots. More on how to remove and kill the maggots in a minute. But first a few words on the importance of bathing a dog that has flies buzzing about it but no wounds or holes. The dog may have long hair that has gotten dirty, or he may have a wound that the flies ‘smell’. In any event, the flies are probably looking for a place to lay their flesh-eating eggs/maggots. So, first look for open wounds and smell them. If you don’t see any, then bathe the dog because bathing it will keep the flies away. If you do see an open hole or wound that smells extremely foul—especially if dog is scratching it—then you have a couple of options for treatment.

Negasunt (coumaphos) and tweezers to the Rescue
I would always give Ivermectin orally because it will enter the blood stream and help kill some parasites including maggots. And I would also give antibiotics for 4 or 5 days to help with infection. But it is not enough to rely on Ivermectin and antibiotics. You can buy a small plastic bottle of powder known as Negasunt in Thailand in most any pharmacy or pet store or farm/animal store. The plastic bottle has a cute little picture of squirming maggots on the label (no kidding.) If the dog will let you then it is better to get your tweezers and flashlight to pull out as many of the squirming flesh-eaters as you can—before you sprinkle the Negasunt in the open wound. You want to remove as many as possible before medicating because the more maggots that die inside the wound the harder it is on the dog. Much better to pull them out with tweezers before sprinkling the powder on. Having a bright light, sunshine or headlamp, or someone to hold a flashlight for you—get the bright light shining right inside the hole/wound. Take a cotton cloth or tissue paper in one hand and tweezers in the other, dab the bloody goo from inside the hole so you can see the aliens (maggots). You will just see what looks like the end of a grain of rice. Stick your tweezers in there and grab it. When you pull it out you might be surprised to see two maggots not just the one you thought you were grabbing. Put the maggots in your cup/bowl of a little heiter (bleach) and water. Dab up some more bloody goo with your tissue so you can continue having visibility inside the hole. Keep working like this until you’ve gotten as many as you can. The maggots eat along the outer rim of the circle hole so you will be amazed at how many you can pull out of a 2 cm hole. You might need someone to hold the flashlight so you can use one hand to lift the perimeter of the hole and your other hand for your tweezers. I carry a one-AAA battery light that I can hold in my teeth. I wear it around my neck on a string so I have it handy at night at the Wats, etc. If the dog won’t stay calm and hold still while you do this then you should just give them the ivermectin and antitiotics orally and sprinkle on the coumphamos. I would also give some prednisolone so the dog would stop scratching and making the wound bigger. 1 mg prednisolone per kg bodyweight. (1mg/kg) If the dog has really big wounds with large numbers of maggots then he probably needs to see a vet who can anesthetize him to facilitate removal of the maggots.

Don’t breathe the Negasunt powder and wash it off if it gets on your skin, eyes, etc.

Dry dog food is infinitely better than just rice alone. The best food to feed a dog—and cheaper than dry dog food—is rice with some fresh uncooked chicken or beef in it. (Don’t feed a dog uncooked pork.) If you only have cooked meat then that is okay, too. Pour a little fresh, unused corn or soy oil –a capful—on any food to really boost quality calories and necessary high quality fats. As I said, if you sit down with paper and pencil and calculator you will see that it is cheaper to feed rice and real meat than it is dry dog food. But I use tons, literally, of dry dog food because it is convenient and I can carry it easily to temples and give it to protein-starved dogs. But if I have a really, really sick or run-down dog(s) then I always bring real meat for them in addition to dry dog food. I always pour (unused, fresh) corn or soy oil all over the contents of a big 20kg sack of dry dog food—dogs love it and they really benefit from calories and high-quality fat. Because the dog you are caring for sounds run down you could also try some vitamins hidden inside meat because.

Real Vets and Fake Vets in Thailand
Note that not all people who say they are vets are all Real vets. Some of the vets who are 40 or 50 years old got to be ‘vets’ years ago when Thailand gave them crash courses and a ‘degree’. Still, some of these older ‘fake’ vets know a fair amount. But I feel if you have a choice then go to a real vet, who should read, write and speak English. Medical textbooks are in English; therefore, real vets and real doctors will read, write and speak English. If I go in a ‘clinic’ for people or for dogs and the ‘doctor’ can’t understand English then I know they can’t be a real doctor. Being able to speak with your vet really helps! I won’t let a ‘fake’ vet operate—including spaying and neutering—on any dog. I’ve had very bad experience with them screwing that up that made big problems for me later.

RABIES—Soap and Water First Line of Defense if bitten
Finally, if you are bitten by a dog—or get dog saliva in an open cut or sore—then the first thing to do is NOT run to the hospital for rabies shots. The first thing to do, immediately, is to wash the bite with soap and water for 5 full minutes, also alternating pouring whatever you have at hand into wound—such as Iodine, bleach (Thais call it Hi-Terrr with long accent on second syllable), hydrogen peroxide (Thais know it as ‘hydro gennnn’ with long accent on second syllable), rubbing alcohol, booze, rum, whiskey, vodka, whatever, then more soap and water, then more Hi-terrrr, iodine, alcohol, etc then wash with soap and water some more, all for 5 full minutes.

If you can observe the dog for 10 days and the dog doesn’t develop symptoms of rabies in that ten day period, then you don’t need the shots. If the dog starts showing any signs of rabies then get vaccinated immediately. And if the dog runs away and you can’t observe it for 10 days then of course you need to be on the safe side and get the series of shots. (But if a baby/child is bitten on head or neck then you should go to hospital immediately after washing wound.)

Still, if you’re going to be helping dogs in Thailand, where rabies is prevalent, I think getting the series of vaccinations is a good idea.
“Rabies vaccine is safe and recommended for preexposure prophylaxis for people at risk, including veterinarians, animal handlers, spelunkers, workers who handle the virus, and travelers to endemic areas.” (Merck Vet Manual) (Note: Rabies is endemic in Thailand.)
The shots are really cheap in the countryside hospitals, a couple dollars each for 5 or so injections over a period of a month. Injections are in arms--not stomach-- as they used to do a long time ago. I put my hands, often un-gloved, into many dogs mouths every day to shove pills down their throat, and so I am exposed to a lot of saliva where rabies virus is carried. Plus I’ve been bitten more than a few times. So I am trying to wear surgical gloves but they tear, and I forget to put them on, so I am up-to-date on my rabies vaccinations, If I’m bitten by a dog that I won’t be able to observe for 10 days, then I go the hospital and get a two booster injections spaced 4 days apart. The hospital often tries to give me the entire 5 or 6 series injections each time but I tell them I only want the two booster shots because I already had the 5—that is all you need if you already had the 5-shot series.

Everybody thinks the number one sign of rabies is a crazed dog foaming at the mouth. Not true. The number one sign of rabies in any mammal is unusual or strange behavior for that animal. Examples are normally placid cows appearing agitated/alert; nocturnal animals wandering around in daylight; normally cautious animals approaching humans; dogs acting ‘nice’ one second, and aggressive the next. Foaming at the mouth only happens to some animals some of the time.

“Rabid animals can often be recognized by their strange behavior; they may be agitated and vicious, weak, or paralyzed and may show no fear of people. Nocturnal animals (eg, bats, skunks, raccoons) may be out during the day. Bats may make unusual noises and have difficulty flying. An animal suspected of having rabies should not be approached.”
“Skunks, raccoons, bats, foxes, and most other carnivores are to be regarded as rabid unless proved negative by laboratory tests. Consider immediate vaccination. Because detecting bat bites is difficult, vaccination is indicated if a bite is reasonably likely, as when a person awakens with a bat in the room or a young child is found with a bat.”
(Merck Vet Manual)

When to vaccinate dogs for rabies.
Dogs need their rabies vaccinations in the following way. Two initial vaccinations spaced one year apart. The first shot can be given as young as 3 months but no younger. The next shot is given one year later. After those two initial vaccinations that are based one year apart the next shots are given every three years. Thais think all dogs need vaccinations every year, and they are wrong. The correct sequence is: 2 initial vaccinations spaced one year apart. Then, every three years after that.
Don’t let Thais (or anyone) inject your dog with a used needle.
The Thais send the batsusat (local animal official) or his helper to everyone’s house to vaccinate. Note how these guys never change the needle, using the same dirty needle over and over. This is a prescription for making the dog sick or killing it. The Thais are too cheap and ignorant to spend the one baht for a new needle each time. These guys have killed numerous dogs in my village with their dirty-needle vaccinations. And even if you make them use a new, clean fresh-out-of-the-plastic needle for each dog, watch to make sure they don’t drop the needle first or touch it with their fingers—all signs of idiots. If they do this, make them start over and tear open a new needle package.

Okay, that’s enough information for now!

Regards,

Harrell
harrellgraham[at]yahoo.com

Beg to differ, but if it works for you.
I changed my dogs' water bowl 3-4 times a day for a start.

Hi Luckydog and Harrell,
I wish to thank you both for Harrell's excellent thesis on attacking the enemies of our pets. I wish to congratulate Harrell as an unsung hero in his defence of man's best friends. I see so many helpless pathetic cases of mange which have taken on seemingly epedemic proportions here in Thailand. Helping a few where I can comes no where near what you and Harrell manage. I salute you both for your compassion and direct intervention. As an aside, our pets not only have to fend off disease but elude capture by those who sell them to dog and cat 'restaurants'. I have reason to believe my dog was rounded up in CMai to be taken to SanpaTong 20km south where there is such a restaurant. I recently had occasion to view the horrific pictures of dogs and cats skinned alive and singed of remaining hair by blow-torch whilst still alive at so-called restaurants. Bejing autorities ordered many of these restaurants, in possible view of vistors during the recent Olympic Games, to close or move to hidden locales. Stray dogs are skered onhooks and dragged as shark bait by boats in Reunion Island. Images can be seen at the website of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)-The animal rights organization- Fur Is Dead: Learn what happens on fur farms and in the wild and PETA TV // Animal Rights TV and http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article101695.ece
and dogs butchered in China - Google Image Search

^ Many thanks JJ.
But I was horrified at the way Dogs are killed and eaten....Bastards!

Originally Posted by Luckydog

IVERMECTIN RULES!

Imagine a world without Ivermectin.

Ivermectin is great stuff but note that it should not be used in Collies, Collie breeds (crosses) and Australian shepherds, because it can cause serious side effects in these breeds.
If you are unsure about using it, then don’t, and use Mitoban (amitraz) ‘dips’ instead.

Originally Posted by November Rain

Am I missing something, LD? Just why are you supposed to be giving antibiotics?

In another place Lucky Dog asked about a sick soi dog with oozing sores on her skin and this is why the long letter was drafted with that specific advice, including giving antibiotics.

The last time I bought both Cephalexin and Amoxycillin from a wholesaler, Amoxycillin cost 2 baht per 500mg capsule, and Cephalexin cost 4 baht per 500mg capsule. If you can can find it cheaper than those prices could you share the name of your source so we all can take advantage? As mentioned in the long piece, Cephalexin is the preferred antibiotic for many bacterial skin infections but some may only be able to find Amoxycillin and it often works fine. I have cleared up many cases of skin infections with amoxycillin. Use cephalexin if you have it.

Originally Posted by guyinthailand

Originally Posted by November Rain

Am I missing something, LD? Just why are you supposed to be giving antibiotics?

In another place Lucky Dog asked about a sick soi dog with oozing sores on her skin and this is why the long letter was drafted with that specific advice, including giving antibiotics.

The last time I bought both Cephalexin and Amoxycillin from a wholesaler, Amoxycillin cost 2 baht per 500mg capsule, and Cephalexin cost 4 baht per 500mg capsule. If you can can find it cheaper than those prices could you share the name of your source so we all can take advantage? As mentioned in the long piece, Cephalexin is the preferred antibiotic for many bacterial skin infections but some may only be able to find Amoxycillin and it often works fine. I have cleared up many cases of skin infections with amoxycillin. Use cephalexin if you have it.

I often get mine at a discount through my vet (he heavily discounts everything he can for us). We also order wholesale through a BKK based pharmaceutical stockist - one of our senior volunteers' sister-in-law is high up in the firm. I'll ask her for the details & if it's OK to post them.

Some other points I didn't have time to answer yesterday. In most points I agree with the points made, though

Originally Posted by Luckydog

IVERMECTIN DOSAGES—More is not better. (Note: cc and ml are equivalent. And I will repeat myself a bit to make sure doses are understood.) Each cc/ml of Ivermectin has 10 mg. So in each 1/10th cc (or ml) there is one milligram of Ivervectin. A good, strong dose of Ivermectin is .5 (point 5) mg per kg body weight, so a 10 kg dog times .5mg/kg = 5mg or .5cc (point 5 of one cc). Or another way to say it 5/10ths of one cc, or half of one cc for a 10kg dog. In her milk, give her a half cc every two weeks (if she weighs 10kg) for a total of two treatments. So if she weighs 10 kg that would be .5 cc--a half cc—half mililiter--of Ivermectin orally in her milk every two weeks for a total of two treatments. If she’s 5 kg then give her half of what I just said. So, for 5kg dog, that would be half of half, or one-quarter cc, or .25 cc, 1/4th cc for a 5 kg dog. If she’s 20 kg then give her twice that amount: 1 full cc for a 20kg dog. DO NOT GIVE MORE THAN THESE AMOUNTS. MORE IS NOT BETTER. If you’re using the 1cc (1ml) syringes I recommend below then figuring out these dosages is easy. See below. Note: It is possible that a dog could have the kind of mites that requires more than just two doses of Ivermectin spaced two weeks apart. If the two doses don’t work then you might have to think about doing it daily. However, in these cases, instead of giving Ivermectin daily I find sponging on Mitoban every week for 6 weeks is easier and works better. And if you can’t put the Mitoban on every week there is good evidence that doing it just once every two weeks, for a total of 3 treatments over six weeks—will work.

Re dosage:

Not necessarily true. Check the dosage of the solution you are using with your vet. I use two; Fenomax & Dectomax. Fenomax is 1cc per 10kg (injected subcutaneously), Dectomax 1cc per 15kg bodyweight. Not all have the same strength of ivermectin in the solution.

Originally Posted by Luckydog

Give the dog the antibiotic in (real, not soy) milk

Do not give antibiotics with milk unless you have checked the contraindications. The effects of some antibiotics are negated by dairy produce. Cow's milk can upset some dogs' stomachs & give them diarrhoea. Goats' milk is far better digested.

Originally Posted by Luckydog

I would also give some prednisolone so the dog would stop scratching and making the wound bigger.

I wouldn't give steroids for this reason. Better to bandage the wound (added advantage of no more flies getting in!) or use an Elizabethan collar if needed to stop biting/scratching at the wound.

Some other important points missed:

If you are to undertake a treatment & feeding programme of soi dogs, you should also be undertaking a spaying programme. By feeding dogs & making them healthy, you are increasing their breeding potential - which in the long run makes more potential for disease & misery for the dogs. To start a feeding & treatment programme without a complementary spaying programme is irresponsible & detrimental to animals & community.

Vaccines:

If giving rabies vaccines, I think combined vaccines should also be given. Govts are (obviously) concerned with rabies because it is communicable to humans. Far more dogs get infected with (& die from) distemper, parvo & lepto etc.

There are arguments against vaccines, which are worth considering, as a dog owner. However, if dealing with street dogs, I think the pros of vaccination far outweigh the cons.

Anyone know where I can buy Mitoban here in Pattaya? I cant get it......

Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon

I changed my dogs' water bowl 3-4 times a day for a start.

you must have a big pile of dog bowls by now