Start a health-diary early!

We have ever since Manuel was a pup been writing notes about his physical and mental status.

Why?

It is good to have an over all picture of your dog – especially when everything is “normal” – so you have something to compare too.

• When is he shedding, how does it look?
• What is the normal body temperature?
• What is the normal look of his  mucuous membrane and teeth?
• How does how does a normal stool look like?

Reviewing Manuel’s health diary

When looking back, with the knowledge I have today I must say that  there have been NO signs of  SA in early years .

However, he has always been a “picky” Akita when it comes to his skin.  Always pointing out to us: “Look a bug, look a mosquito bite, look I am wet, look I am dry after the bath”.

This year, I actually was so his coat condition that I planned to enter him to a dog show – “My Dog”,  wanting to show how great a 6-year (nearly 7) old can look. Just shortly after I had paid the fee it all started…

• The winter 2011/2012 was perfect – great skin, great coat, no problems.
• The summer 2012 he had a perfect summer-coat – no dryness “no nothing”.
• The past years he has also been a much more confident guy and handles situation where fear is involved much better (forgets faster).

So – to us – 2012 was a very strange year for SA to debut. 

Now when I look back, I can see there could have been even earlier triggers and signs.

• Just too many ticks this summer/autumn – ticks I did not find until they were big (this we have avoided all previous years). No suspicion of tick borne diseases though.
• Catarrh of the foreskin, hard to get rid of – thinking it was “just” because of so many bitches in heat in the city for such a long period of time  this year (hormones).
• Spring 2012 – ONE runny eye (no injury, nothing strange at vet’s examination) – so “just” dry mucuous membranes (currently not runny).

• Late summer 2012 – A bit flaky and less fur at one spot of the tail. I cleaned it up and thought it was “just” an inflamed pre-caudal gland (hormones). THIS I should have monitored more carefully and for sure been suspicious more early if in 100% of control of the tail-status during that early autumn.

These are just thoughts,  and speculations but still…there are many ways of stressing the immune defence and many early signs of SA that I am sure of that human fail to notice.