That’s what Cooper gets every day to treat his SLO.
Cooper's daily regimen
My regular vet and dermatologist vet worked together to prescribe this regimin:
- Morning: 400 mg pentoxifylline, 3 salmon oil capsules (for 540 mg EPA and 360 mg DHA), and 400 UI vitamin E
- Afternoon: 500 mg tetracylcine, 500 mg niacinimide, and 2 salmon oil capsules
- Evening: 400 mg pentoxifylline, 3 salmon oil capsules, and 400 IU vitamin E, and 1/2 tsp biotin concentrate powder (for 2500 mcg of biotin — when we travel, I use a capsule instead)
If you read around about SLO, you’ll no doubt eventually find the most common recommendations, which are for niacinimide/tetracyline, plus the EPA and DHA. The amounts are based on the dog’s weight. Pentoxifylline is a more recent recommendation. Some vets also recommend steroids, which we are avoiding. If we are lucky, Cooper’s SLO will go into some kind of remission, which we’ll then be able to maintain with just the fish oils and vit E.
The purpose of the tetracyline is not for its antibiotic properties — it, plus the niacinimide, is intended to increase circulation to the feet and toes. At first, we had three doses of the niacinimide/tetracyline per day, but when the pentoxifylline was added, the tet/nia was reduced to once per day.
And it all takes so long to see if anything works. Nails take about 90 days to grow out, and the damage is done at the nailbed, before that part of the nailshell even emerges from the under the skin. So, if a nail has already been damaged, you won’t see if for months. And then it splits or breaks off, and you have to wait another 90 days to see if that nail will grow in healthy.
We are still waiting.
In deciding on to follow dog grooming very seriously, one does a lot more than merely taking care of your dog. The more often you groom your pet, the more your pet will learn to see it as a time for connecting and relaxation.
I don’t know about this. I groom my two at least once a week. I don’t think either of them see it as a time for relaxation. They do enjoy the treats that come with the grooming, though.
[…] a previous post, I listed out all the medicines that Cooper is taking for his SLO. That regimen has changed a bit since we started him on […]
Thank you so much for sharing your journey with this horrible disease. Your blog has been invaluable to me. My german shepherd has lost 4 nails this month and multiple surgeries and is now on steroids. I am bringing her to a dermatologist to get her off the steroids, but your blog has brought me much comfort knowing I am not alone in this very moment by moment fight.
Thank you from both of us!! 🙂