Worried over Primo

I'm sorry and I'd feel the same way, but you made the decision for all the right reasons. I think it's a great idea that you're going over there. Just tell your cousin that you really miss Primo. If it's as bad as the friend said it is, then have a chat with your cousin and offer to do what you can to help. I don't think you stopping by to visit him and take him out will stress him out. I think it's a great idea and will keep you up to speed on how he's doing. I hope it's not as bad as it sounds too. You should be able to spot signs of fleas either by looking for the dark specks on the skin or using a flea comb. I actually hope it is fleas and not a stress reaction. Fleas would be much easier to treat.

Thanks Cakana! Thinking more on it he is due for flea meds so I'm going to head over with some Advantix no matter what. Rory still loves to play with him so I'll get him out of the house for a bit anyways and my cousin better pray nothing is seriously wrong.

I cant take Primo back but I can help the situation. Plus my cousin is a great guy and if there is a probem it will just take pointing it out to him and staying on top of it.

Whew....sorry for my freak out there, I get so worked up lately.

If he's got fleas, it's usually easy to tell but not always.  Look for little black specks (flea dirt) by the base of his tail or on his belly.  They're fairly easy to deal with. I was just thinking that you could tell your cousin that Rory misses him & needs to play with him.  That way you could take him for a play/spa day. :o)

Hmm -- fleas are one thing .. flea allergy dermatitis is completely different. 

If he has "fleas" you'll see flea dirt (little black specks that you can crush easily in your fingers - it's flea 'poop' - dried blood essentially).

Flea allergy dermatitis will cause nasty skin problems -- it starts at the base of the tail and works forward on the back and down the back butt/flanks area.  It's very 'staph-y' (scabby, sore, inflamed, nasty-looking skin, VERY sore, VERY VERY itchy).

That's a result of **allergy** to fleas.  One bite of one flea will cause weeks of problems and typically it requires a vet visit, and almost always some prednisone to calm the skin down.  For a dog like that, they can NOT just live outside, and they need to have something on that will kill fleas on contact (like Advantage or Frontline) because it's the flea **spit** that causes the reaction.  One bite is months of agony for them and it is that one flea that bites and dies that can cause the problem.

Make sense?

It could also be contact allergy -- depending on what kind of grass, etc. -- feel free to holler at me if I can help you.

 I hope everything is ok with him.  I'm sure its nothing serious.  But either way, let us know when you find out.

calliecritturs

Flea allergy dermatitis will cause nasty skin problems -- it starts at the base of the tail and works forward on the back and down the back butt/flanks area.  It's very 'staph-y' (scabby, sore, inflamed, nasty-looking skin, VERY sore, VERY VERY itchy).

That's very true and I've only had one dog who ever had this and it was awful. It was also when I lived in Ventura County and I was told that it was a real problem there. Why? I have no idea, but I've had 4 dogs since I've lived up here and never had a problem. We don't use any flea treatment and have never had a single problem - whew!! I'd forgotten about the tail/rump biting and the loss of hair.

AuroraLove

Whew....sorry for my freak out there, I get so worked up lately.

LOL!!  No need to be sorry.  That is perfectly normal during pregnancy!

Thanks everyone. My friend said it wasnt horrible but I'm still going in guns blazin, LOL!

I never knew that about flea dermatitis and thats good to know.

I hope Primo is better than you think and the problem be just a little thing. Go visit Primo and tell him we all are thinking about him!

Any update?

Aw sweet relief....well kind of.

He is not nearly as bad as I imagined. He is biting because of fleas, I gave him his meds and him and Rory played like old times.

I got to pin my cousin down and tell him they need to play more, he obviously missed Rory. He takes him jogging and around town in the back of his truck secured properly but says Primo isnt so enthusiastic about jogging....he's always been lazy, LOL

He is a considerate dog owner but not of the same ilk we are. He cares for Primo but dosnt take pride as much as any of us do in our dogs. Its hard for me becuase technically he's not being neglected but he isnt spoiled, LOL.

Next weekend I'm going to have him for a whole day and I'll try and get some pics. It was so nice to see hwo happy he was to see us. I left him with a big bully stick, a clean bed, and a bath!

AuroraLove

I left him with a big bully stick, a clean bed, and a bath!

That made me smile and I bet he was very grateful 

 glad to hear that everything turned out ok.  was your cousin not giving him flea meds? is he going to give them to him in the future?

He says he will but he also says that Primo never had a flea problem like that before so I'll just make a point to do it. I cant do it myself since its says pregnant wiman wont do it but DH will.