Fish-Flex

A small update on our dog medication just in case anyone is searching for a cure for skin problems in retrievers. Our retriever has been suffering from a skin complaint and ear problems for a hell of a time now. Treatment by the vet was a little half hearted, but he did tell us that it was not the nasty business carried by some species of burrowing mite. Anyway, I went on a research tour for possible sources of antibiotic that might help and found a reference to fish-flex, an antibiotic for aquarium fish. This was apparently in wide usage among dog owners to treat alsorts among the canine fraternity. I ordered some and mentioned to a friend that I had done so. He then said that he had a bunch of antibiotics left over from his medication and volunteered them for our dog. So our initial treatment was with a 10 day course of somethingymycin and a pretty strong steroid. The dog immediately perked up and one of those fat cyst about the size of the end of my thimb that he had been carrying on his back for a while decided it didn't like living inside him any more and started making a bid for freedom. That initial dosage was very encouraging, so I have continued with the Fish flex. Two 500mg capsules twice a day for about two weeks now. This may seem excessive, but according to my calculations the dose is correct and we are seeing a definite reversal in the skin infection that had almost completely covered the underportions of the animal in blackened scabby skin. We now have the return of proper pinky skin areas and a return of hair growth where appropriate. I think we should have taken some before after shots to prove our case, but perhaps it would have been too much like doggy porn. Anyway, initially I hid the drugs in pieces of banana that pupster was happy to catch and eat when thrown them. Unfortunately he became suspicious of banana and eventually started to spit out the stuff even when it had no capsules in. I should have been more careful to doctor the banana where he couldn't see me doing it. Of course I just stuff the capsules in his bowl for the morning dose, but I needed a new method for the evening as he only gets the one meal. In the end I just tried throwing him some little treats of a similar size to the capsules, then threw in a capsule between treats and he snaffled it down just as if it were a treats too. He leaves them on the floor if he misses and drops one, but when I pick it up and throw it again he will swallow it the next time around. Hiding in plain sight is a very effective method of concealment.