[InkedMarie]

My pbgv, Boone, the dog in my avatar, is 13 today! He is the oldest dog that we’ve had since he was a puppy. I credit that to him eating raw for the second half of his life & minimal vaccines. He’s a pain in the butt but the most awesome dog!

[Debbie D]

I went to gravatar, signed up with my gmail/wordpress account but Gravatar is not clear how you are to use the service, no instructions.
What does one do once the gravatar is created?
Note, DogFoodAdvisor also has no instructions for using this service.

[pitlove]

Hi BaileysMom-

It seems like each time you notice his symptoms come back you attempt to resolve them by throwing a lot at him all at once. Sometimes this is counterproductive because you can’t be sure what is working and what isn’t. I made the same mistake with the dog in my avatar who has allergies and yeast.

What we did that worked for us was an elimination diet. We used Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein, fed that food and only that food for 3 months during winter time. We noticed that his symptoms went away. Now elimination diets are tricky because they can not have any treats, any flavored meds, any dental treats, table scrapes, nothing, but that prescription diet. If your dog gets ahold of anything other than that food you must restart the trial.

Now as far as his seasonal allergies go, we’ve been trying to manage them with medicated baths either with https://www.chewy.com/malaseb-medicated-shampoo-dogs-cats-8/dp/119232 or https://www.chewy.com/miconahextriz-shampoo-dogs-cats-16-oz/dp/114184 if Chewy.com is out of stock of Malaseb. I try to bath him once a week and soak his feet frequently (though I admit I slack on it). We also just the other day got him the Cytopoint shot as well. It works…unless he goes outside and comes back in. Then he still licks. The problem with Cytopoint is that it is not guarenteed to work for every dog. It also isn’t guarenteed to last for a specific amount of time. Also just as a note, Apoquel is not a steroid, though it can have some long term side effects. IMO it would be worth trying even for a few months to see if it helps at all. I think that is the next step for us with our allergy dog.

For us, we’ve come to find out that as long as we do not feed Bentley a grain free food, he doesn’t have any of his food allergy symptoms. The peas are what we’ve seen to be the issue for him. We fed Purina Pro Plan for over 2 years and that went very well, but we recently switched to Victor because it was a little cheaper than Pro Plan for a larger bag size. So far, so good.

A low carb food will not help at all. Carbs do not feed yeast on the skin. The only thing that will cause a secondary yeast infection from food is if the dog is sensitive to an ingredient in the food. Not to mention dogs can only react to protein, not starch, fat, vitamins, minerals, carbs.

[pitlove]

You add a profile picture with gravatar.com

[anonymous]

You’re welcome! I added an article above, hope it helps.
PS: I like your avatar, he’s a handsome boy 🙂

[poodaddy]

For those who get confused with internet gadgetry way finding details omitted, like old folks such as me !, the “Create a Custom Avatar – Gravatar …” is the same as ” How to get your photo beside your post” – Put your favorite photo on your PC desktop, create a WordPress.com account, import photo(s) into your new WordPress account, select which one is to be desired to be tagged to your email address (ensure this email address is the one used for the website forum), and the photo MAGICALLY appears beside your posts. Amazing stuff lol.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by poodaddy.

[Atlas T]

Thanks! Yup, his name is Atlas. That Gravatar thing seems too complicated for right now, so I’ll just share a link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Q50jedeAOcFPGKcp2

[anonymous]

I suggest that all regular posters review their “Replies Created” by clicking on their avatar.
I recently did a check due to a regular poster alleging that I was deliberately reposting the same comments over and over again with ill intent.
To my horror I found several duplicate posts. Don’t know what the problem was? My computer? Someone erroneously pressing the abuse button, resulting in posts being removed temporarily, then being returned, meanwhile the poster reposts the comment assuming that the original post didn’t go through?
Anyway, the moderators here have been extremely helpful and most of my repeats have been removed 🙂

[pitlove]

Hi Dewper-

Welcome to the forums!

The hallmark signs of a food allergy noted by doctors are “ears and rears”. So, ear infections, itchy ears, licking the rear end (anal opening). Feet licking is most often associated with grooming, or environmental allergens. My chocolate Lab, who has no allergies, will lick his feet sometimes after its rained or when they get wet to groom himself.

I would not change his food just yet, but instead look to see if the paw licking stops when fall/winter hit. It took a couple years for me to figure out that the dog in my avatar most likely had environmental allergies because I kept realizing that the symptoms started when summer hit.

[HoundMusic]

I fed Purina for years, without a single issue. Started with a rescued GSD in 2003 who was so thin and malnourished, her body could no longer even handle food. I went with Purina ONE because a.) I was desperate b.) the Vet had recommended a lamb & rice diet just to get her system back into order c.) it was higher fat, protein, calories than most lamb based foods.

That dog went from eating 8 cups of ultra expensive designer food to about 4-5 cups, gained weight to boot, and I fed Purina, from Dog Chow to Pro Plan, on/off for several years, until a formula change in the Dog Chow. I used it on rabbit dogs being run 2-3x weekly, in whelp and nursing bitches, and later, conformation show dogs, all without a hitch. One of my bitches had her milk dry up within a few days of whelping on Merrick – after one meal of Purina ONE, she started producing it again. Her puppies mysterious skin condition also cleared up. So which, in that instance, was the inferior food?

I recently tried Dog Chow again and it wasn’t half bad. My dogs just do better on another feed. That is what it really comes down to. What food does *your* dog do well on? Listen to your dog, and not scare tactic sites on the internet.

@ Bobby Dog
Is that the rear end of a bluetick Beagle I spy in your avatar? 😀

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by HoundMusic.

[anonymous]

Pruritus can be very uncomfortable, untreated it can lead to skin infections, ear infections and malaise and sometimes even aggressive behavior.
This subject comes up at least twice a week. Rather than treat the symptoms and change the diet multiple ways. The first step would be to get h1s condition diagnosed by a veterinarian. Atopic dermatitis is often caused by environmental allergies, not the food.
Food sensitivities fluctuate and tend to result in gastrointestinal disturbances rather than pruritus. Food allergies are rare.
Environmental allergies tend to wax and wane, they may be mild and may be treated with prescribed meds such as Apoquel certain times of the year or severe and need year round treatment such as allergen specific immunotherapy (desensitization) which is now available sublingual (by mouth).
I got the best results after going to a veterinary dermatologist. I spent a year going back and forth to the regular vet and didn’t get any answers. Although, they did offer temporary comfort measures. Allergies are complicated, they don’t go away, there is no cure.
However there is effective treatment.

Here is my response to a similar question:
“Have environmental allergies been ruled out? What you describe sounds like that’s what your dog may have vs food sensitivities”.
“They usually start around 1-2 years old and get worse with age. Environmental allergies tend to wax and wane making it almost impossible to tell which foods work or not”.
“Everyone blames the food, but I have found my dog tolerates a lot of different foods since beginning allergen specific immunotherapy (desensitization). The treatment tends to be lifelong, but no more ear infections, rashes, anal gland issues (5 years in)”
“The initial testing, intra dermal skin testing is expensive, maintenance isn’t that bad.
For best results, an accurate diagnosis and treatment options that work, I would make an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist. Allergies are complicated and often require the expertise of a specialist.”
And another:
“When you call for the appointment with the veterinary dermatologist, the office will explain how to prepare the dog for testing, depending on the results of the exam, the specialist may recommend intra dermal skin testing to identify environmental allergies. The expertise of the specialist in interpreting the results is crucial to the treatment he will recommend.
He may want to do a blood test, in my dog’s case we skipped it as he determined the symptoms to be clearly environmental.”
“We were in and out in about an hour with a list of allergies and a course of treatment to begin”.
“Allergen specific immunotherapy, 5 years in and my dog is doing very well, we see the dermatologist once a year”.
“Now, if your dogs allergies are mild/seasonal he may suggest medication certain times of the year instead”.
“Forget about hair and saliva tests they are scams (imo)”
“Ps: Let us know how it goes, I was very pleased with how smoothly the testing went.
They say it may take a while to see results, but I saw improvement right away”

If you click on my avatar and scan “replies created” you will find a multitude of comments I have provided related to allergies.
Ps: I can’t stress this enough. I would not apply anything to the rash, no over the counter meds, creams (nothing) unless recommended by a veterinarian that has examined the dog. Also, too much bathing may make the rash worse.
You can’t treat a condition until you know what it is 🙂

I agree with pitluv, if Iams works, stick with it. Maybe the fish doesn’t agree with him?

This is not veterinary advice; consult your veterinarian.

[pugmomsandy]

Sign up at gravatar.com for your avatar. For pictures, they need to come from a photo hosting site.

I’ve used Pro PAC Ultimates Grain Free and Nutrisource Grain Free while fostering and it worked well. Fosters didn’t have any GI issues with transitioning but my personal dogs get around 35% (sometimes more or less) protein and various levels of fat as well. They stay muscular and they’re 10-12, maybe 13 yrs old.

[pitlove]

Hi Kristen-

I do understand how some people, even veterinary professionals might have come to that conclusion since what you’re saying can be true for Candida yeast (gut), however Malassezia yeast that lives on the surface of the skin is not effected by starch. Malassezia is a fat loving yeast, not starch loving. And not dietary fat, think oils on the skin. You simply can’t make yeast work differently than it does despite even the most well meaning opinion.

Also regarding the sugar arguement. Don’t forget, glucose is needed by the body to survive. It will convert other nutrients into glucose whether fed carbs/starch or not.

The dog in my avatar has food sensitivities and we were able to keep his yeast under control with a kibble that was almost 50% carbs/starch. He is doing excellent on it. Far better than when I was fooled by Karen Beckers advice of simply avoiding carbs and not actually finding out what was causing the yeast. His immune system was suppressed by his allergies and caused the yeast bloom. Once we figured out a food he could eat, the yeast stopped. Only time he gets it now is when his seasonal allergies hit around this time of year.

[pitlove]

Hi Cameron-

The dog in my avatar is predisposed to seizures and has a variety of allergies and food intolerances, so I have to be careful what I give him. I’m in the south too and have been using Bravecto for a good while now with zero issues. I feel it’s a good product comparatively.

[InkedMarie]

The dog in my avatar has a grade 1-2 murmur. His holistic vet recommended giving him Thorne Research Bio-Cardio. It’s a supplement. I honestly wouldn’t know if it’s helping or not.

[InkedMarie]

It was Boone…my oldest (11) and my avatar pic. Thursday night, I noticed him limping. Left a note for my husband who was at work thst night but off Friday. Still a limp Friday but not that bad. Saturday he was really limping and when I touched his left front paw, he yelped. Our vet was open til 4pm but was booked until tonight! Took him to the ER vets. She didn’t feel a break so didnt x-ray. Thought soft tissue, did bloodwork (said you’d never know he was 11!), sent him home with an NSAID & Rimadyl. By Monday morning, he was back to his usual self!

He & Ginger go to the vets tomorrow for exams etc and I’m glad he’s normal. Well, as normal as a pbgv can be LOL. Thanks for asking!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Kenneth-
Check out the feedback and suggestions tab. There is a yellow highlighted stickie thread written by Dr. Mike with instructions on how to make a custom avatar. It will instruct you how to go to gravatar dot com to do it. Good luck!

[InkedMarie]

Kristen: he has occasional fruit (berries mainly) but no veggies. My holistic vet thinks the veggies may be his trigger. He get grinds (meat/bone/organ/tripe) plus eggs 2-3x weekly, salmon oil 2-3x weekly and condition specific supplements.

PS: it’s the dog in my avatar: Boone, my almost 11yr old pbgv.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by InkedMarie.

[HoundMusic]

@ Susan W

Thanks so much for the Verus recommendation – it looks to be exactly along the lines of what I have been trying to find, at least ingredients wise! Will definitely have to look further into that one.

@ Pitluv

I always thought large breed foods might be the way to go for this problem, but I’m seeing evidence that what these dogs do best on is low to moderate phosphorous levels with higher amounts of calcium – the LB foods I’m seeing have decreased calcium to slow down growth, so IDK anymore if that would help 🙁 That’s why I’ve been so frustrated, here.

@ Inked Marie

You must be tempted to strangle me about now for always taking my sweet time about checking the forums *grin*

The pup in question is the blueticked hellion (a.k.a. Brady) in my avatar, with his breeder @ about 10-11 weeks 🙂 He’s 4 months now, and already making a fine start harassing the rabbits. If you can believe it, I only have one other pic of him giving me a dirty look after being taken home from the airport. Probably need some incentive to take more 😉

[Jenn H]

CC, thank you for the kind words.
The dog in the avatar is actually the uncle of the dog I was talking about earlier. Sadly I lost him to HSA of the aorta. That was one of the worst nights of my life. I guess that’s part of the reason I have become so hypersensitive and obsessed with Chevelle’s health. She’s special in her own way and the living connection I still have here.

It pains me when anyone’s pet isn’t well. I understand all too well the fright, uncertainty and helplessness. Any one of us would trade places with them in a second.

I am not crazy about the ingredients of the food she is on now, but for some reason it agrees with her. I don’t know if it’s broken down more or what. It’d be nice to know why and if I can find another that yields the same results with better quality ingredients.
When I contacted Science Diet about the ingredients and asked why they don’t use chelated minerals and source some supplements from China I got a response that had a defensive tone with the excuse that China is largest supplier of a lot of supplements and it’s cost effective.
I’m considering going back to Wysong. She seemed to also do well on that for a good long time. They have always been really polite, helpful and open.

I hope soon we won’t need to have these discussions and our animals can finally have foods that truly maintain and improve their health.

[Ritchy]

HoundMusic – I’d like to say thank you for your post. I am really new to raw, so this is very helpful.

…I’ve got to figure out how to update my avatar with my dogs image 🙂

[goldenstar]

pitluv…Thanks about the avatar…she is changing so fast. She is now in her dumbo faze. Her ears and nose are bigger in proportion to her body. BTW…I adore yours.
Thanks for the info….I have been feeding her Orijen Puppy Large, and I think she has developed an intolorence for it. She had done well on it. But in the last week….Major potty problems. Everytime I reintroduce in small quantities, she again has major potty problems until it is out of her system. At this stage of her development, not being able to give her all the valuable nutrients she needs is so bad. So I am searching for a replacement and fast.
I had a fecal sample tested and it was clean. The vet gave me something to help, but it has not really worked. She is already slim. I don’t want her to lose any weight.
Thanks for all of your information.

[pitlove]

Hi goldenstar-

Love your new avatar btw! What a cutie!

I’m personally not concerned about plant-based vs meat-based etc etc for a growing large breed puppy. That is something I would focus in on once you know he’s fully grown. I also have no problem with starting a puppy off on chicken. It is a common protein, but why introduce exotic proteins when you don’t need to? There is so much to choose from within the common proteins for variety.

If I were going to add anything at all to the diet it would be raw green tripe. However, as long as there is no bone and the chicken does not exceed 10% of the diet I don’t see the problem with that.

Circa Regal-

That is a great point you bring up and I could not agree more! We decided not to neuter either of our dogs, but even our vet warned us with our pitbull to wait until 18 months old when he was done growing.

I am absolutely a believer in not spaying or neutering early for large and giant breeds especially! It can be so devastating for their growth. Certainly though, it’s tough when you encounter a situation like yours.

[anonymously]

Please check the search engine here for “struvite” “bladder stones” or click on my avatar and read my posts on this subject , this topic comes up about once a week.
However, I am not a veterinarian, so please check with your vet before making any changes to your dog’s treatment.
I wouldn’t mess with supplements, keep the diet simple.
There are prescription meds that your vet could subscribe after surgery if her condition is stubborn. I would ask about that.

Example: /forums/search/struvite/

There is NO magic supplement. The trick is to add water to each meal 3-4 small meals per day soaked in water, don’t measure, just fill the small bowl, the dog will lap it up to get to the food.
The dog must be taken out to void (pee) ideally every 2 hours during the day. At bedtime and first thing in the morning. Stagnant conditions in the bladder are conducive to stone formation.
There is nothing wrong with Royal Canin Urinary SO. If you get the dry, soak it in water overnight then add water too. Once the dog is stable, few months to a year, you can talk to your vet about adding something tasty to the prescription food, like cooked chopped up chicken breast or some other lean meat.

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=cranberry

Excerpts from previous posts:

As your vet will confirm, dogs that have a tendency to make bladder stones have to be on a special diet the rest of their lives, this is a serious condition and it just doesn’t go away.

I would comply with the prescription food for now.
And don’t forget, water, water, and more water added to the diet. Ask the vet ….but I believe this helps big time. And frequent bathroom breaks, opportunities to urinate.

“My dog had both (struvite and calcium oxalate), no symptoms till the age of 11, started with UTIs. He has had no recurrences in 4 years since his emergency surgery.
In fact, I just took him in for a geriatric workup and his lab work was good”.

“I was afraid the vet would want to do x-rays and test his urine…..but he said as long as he is not having symptoms we are not going there (he’s too old to tolerate another surgery)”
“I do monitor his urination habits and check for normal flow, stream, amount. If I note any discomfort I will take him to the vet”.

“There is a genetic component and some breeds are more prone to bladder stones.

“Anyway, if you do nothing else, add water and take her out to urinate frequently.
I went along with the prescription diet for almost a year, since then he has been on Nutrisca salmon and chickpea kibble soaked with water +, I use the wet food too”
PS: Soak the kibble, even the prescription food in water overnight in the fridg, add more water prior to serving. Keep the bladder flushed. Maybe add a little canned prescription food as a topper.

PS: If he is overweight or inactive, start taking her for daily walks, that helps too.

[crazy4cats]

S B –
You have to set up acct on Gravatar.com to get an avatar on the forum for your acct. there is a thread on this site on how to do it. Try using the search function above to find it.

[John H]

Thank you both. I think I’ll go with the Dr’s.

Changing the subject. I didn’t see a place to upload a picture of my fur baby for an avatar. Where would I do that?

[Jenn H]

Wendeyzee your situation is eerily similar to mine when I lost my 2 boys. The first from torsion. I took him to the vet immediately, but that emergency vet was a quack and wasn’t doing anything to help. I literally had to break into the back area & “steal” him back. Took him to another emergency vet. 3 hrs later. (Still don’t know how he hung on that long.) He survived the surgery, but kept coding afterward. We had to let him go.
A few months later my other guy was diagnosed w/HSA. He didn’t wake up from the anesthesia. Honestly if I had to choose a way for my animals to go that’s it. Just go to sleep happy and not wake up. The vet did CPR for 45 min. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her to stop even tho I knew. My husband showed up and told her no more. He was my baby boy. They were almost 11 and just barely 8 respectfully. (SHEP is my avatar.) How could I go home to my 2 girls a second time empty handed???
I’m grateful a part of SHEP is still here. His niece is will turn 8 in April. My biggest fear is she will have the same diagnosis some day. She’s my best little friend. It’s been ages since I’ve had a GSD live to a respectable age of 13+. Sometimes I almost feel like feeding them crap food maybe wasn’t so bad. Those are the dogs that lived to see old age.
From what I have learned about cancer diets is high protein, low carb. Good luck finding any premade. Grain free tend to have even more carbs than with grain. Go figure.
There is a DNA test for this cancer I think. But I already know it’s a possibility with my baby girl.
I’ve been told it’s basically 50/50 if a dog gets cancer or not. If that holds true then statistically 1 of my girls would get it. This is a thought I try to block every time it pops in my head. I’d rather it be me. Let all bad things happen to me. Never them.

[aimee]

Hi Kristine… In regards to the pic.. goodness it was so long ago that I did that but as I recall fairly simple Go to gravatar dot com Hopefully someone who knows more about it can help you if that doesn’t work.

[pugmomsandy]

For your avatar, make an account and upload photos at gravatar.com. To post pictures, they need to be hosted somewhere and then copy/paste here. For instance, the photos I post are at photobucket. This is for the Forum side. On the Review side, you can attach photos (resized as small) from your hard drive.

[Anonymous]

Same thing happened to my poodle mix, I would give her a frozen beef marrow bone and she would work on it for at least an hour and consume a bit of the ground up bone.
Well, I took her to the emergency vet after she acted like she was in pain and vomited….x-ray showed calcified bone material in the colon and stomach (it turns into cement). Luckily she did well with pain meds (tramadol) and Pepcid for a few days and the material passed. She did not need surgery.

The raw thing doesn’t work for all dogs. Click on my avatar or use the search engine to get more info.
She does well on Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea with a bit of cooked chopped up chicken breast and a splash of water added.

Brush the teeth every evening if you are worried about the teeth, check youtube for how to videos, it really does make a difference. Pekes have lousy teeth 🙁
Good info here: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

[Anonymous]

I add cooked lean meat or chicken to quality kibble (Nutrisca salmon and chickpea).
Is that a corgi in your avatar? I had one for 9+ years. Very healthy diet, exercise, never sick…..got cancer (hemangiosarcoma).
Another dog we had when I was a kid lived to be 18 years old, ate nothing but 1 can of Calo (cheap stuff) a day. Roamed outside free.

Both dogs had minimal vaccinations.

Some things are genetic and there is no explanation. We all do the best that we can.

[Dori]

He could just be eating too quickly. Are we talking about your Yorkie (avatar picture)? If so, I would first try one of the bowls that are made to slow down their eating they are available in various sizes and you can buy them pretty much everywhere. Elevating bowls for toy breeds are not always recommended as I’ve read in the past that it interferes with their trachea which are already fragile to begin with and also possibly musculoskeletal issues. Let me find the article and I’ll come back and post it here. But anyway, my thought is he/she is eating too quickly and gulping air as he eats. Toy breeds aren’t usually chewers, they like to inhale their food and lots of air at the same time.

[aquariangt]

http://www.gravatar.com is the site you create a profile and upload on. It takes a bit to show up once you do it.

That’s Dani-she’s actually a sheltie, though in that picture she certainly has some BC qualities. I don’t think I can handle a BC, even being fairly active in dog sports, haha. I admire them though, and can easily see why you fell in love with them. Their fun dogs and I’m around them a lot.

[Pitlove]

zcRiley- LOVE your new avatar! Your babies are gorgeous. I was going to get the Wysong Epigen 90 as well and I still might have that in my rotation every once in a while since it’s so expensive. I still really want to try it. Seems like an amazing food. Right now my pit is on Nature’s Logic Beef and doing really well.

Best of luck with the allergy panel! Let us know when you get the results.

[El]

Hi zuponicafe

That’s a handsome dog in your avatar!!!

I don’t see neutering as something that “must” be done to all male dogs. Neutering is a nice term for castration and castration is a serious thing to do to any male animal. I like to put the human test to things of this nature.

Would you consider castrating a male child or adult for the same reasons you are considering castrating your dog? If not, then what is the reason that it’s OK to castrate the dog and not the person?

I’m not saying you shouldn’t neuter your dog. I’m just saying you should think about why you’re considering it and see if there is a more humane alternative!

[aquariangt]

Dani is a sheltie-she’s my avatar. I also have a miniature schnauzer

[chris]

Yeah like I said I done so much research and it sounds like a small hernia to and feels like one too so that would be my guess. He seems to be not bothered by it anymore and acts back to normal now.

That does not surprise me one bit on the canned tripe. I’m sure he’ll enjoy it!

Yeah most people tend to any animal they own as they would a child. I kind of baby my dog to the point my family looks at me strangely. You can’t help it especially when the dog expresses the love in return. I have never put him in a cage, I made him an actual raised dog bed the level of my bed and he sleeps in that beside me all night. In my avatar picture is what he is laying on and I made him steps going up to it. He’s spoiled rotten haha!

Pitlove- So you mean buy a small 5 pound bag and mix it inside his Merrick’s once in a while? I actually have the Kafir written down as well so I remember to buy some of that as well. What Digestive supplement do you use?

I have went through 11 pounds of the Merrick’s already and I bought that at the beginning of the month. That is giving him 1/2 cup with wet food in the morning and 1-2 cups during the evening.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by chris.

[Anonymous]

At 6 months he is far from being done growing. Many large breeds continue to grow and fill out till they are 2 years old.

I don’t understand the Editors Choice thing? If you click on avatars, replies created, you can read most of the posts anyway

[maxcori2002]

I can’t figure out how to get the avatar picture. 🙁

[Pitlove]

I have a year old pitbull featured in my avatar picture. he was for a long time the pickiest dog. i tried all sorts of different foods and combinations of dry and wet and i felt like all hope was lost for finding him something that he WOULD get excited about. i’ve always fed the same amount, that hasnt changed, but lately after i changed the way i prepare his food (using the kibble as a topper instead of wet food and using the wet food as the main source) he is excited to eat, hes licking the bowl clean and looking for more. i think your dog is going through the same thing. labs are food lovers, i don’t think shes hungry i think she loves her food! and is excited about meal time. our kitten does the same thing. meowing all the time acting like we don’t feed her, so i tested her one night. i fed her her normal 3oz can and then gave her another and she barely touched it. i had to throw out 90% of the can. so i know shes not hungry she just loves to eat just like some dogs! she gets the same way as your lab. very excited about meal time.

i dont think your dog is hungry. i think she loves food. as for her weight, if you get her on a high animal protein, moderate fat and low carb diet and cut back on how much she is eating she will lose weight. i suggest the Wellness CORE.

[James S]

Ok-She does have small cell lymphoma, which, of either small cell or large cell, small cell IS the more treatable one. So we have Hope. As you can see in the avatar picture, she is an Amazing Dog ( Looks like she was running across the water, right?), & Hopefully, she’ll pull through for a lot longer.
Now, let’s get her on some Good Food! I’m going to research some raw diet options & I invite your Advice & Knowledge.
Thanks,
-James

[Anonymous]

Click on my avatar (replies created) to see my posts, many of them contain information regarding environmental allergies.
If the symptoms have been going on for 1 year/4 seasons without any significant periods of relief, despite diet changes and visits to the regular vet. Time to see a specialist/dermatologist, imo

[C4D]

Thanks agt! She’s my Avatar. Everyone wants her! She teaches my fosters. We will truly miss her when her time comes, but we’re working on her living forever ;), maybe even more than the crazy boy that smiled (the fear aggressive one).

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by C4D.

[Stacy H]

So you have to sign up on another site, and your avatar will show up on this site?

[Dog_Obsessed]

Go to gravatar.com and set up an account, then add the picture. It sounds hard, but shouldn’t take too long.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dori]

Hi Beverly. Glad her eyes seem to be clearing up and that she’s liking what is a fabulous food. Don’t forget that you can rotate through the different proteins and, of course, through other freeze dried foods. Primal is my favorite of all raw and freeze dried foods. Second for freeze dried foods is Vital Essentials.

And now I’ll have to start bugging you to go to gravatar.com and post a picture of Sugar. I can’t wait to see her. We love doggie pics. 🙂

[Dori]

Hey! You big creepy stalker you! 🙂 LOL and you’re on FB and haven’t friended me, I think Naturella and I might just have to be insulted. You know our names we’ve (I) don’t know yours and of course you know our avatars and you have the shady figure as your avatar. OMG!!! Shady lady figure you are a stalker. Friend me on FB Akari. There’s lots of us regulars on FB that have friended each other. Or email me.

[Dori]

Oh hey Beverly, I thought you’d figured out how to get Sugar on gravatar.com. So silly of me I didn’t even look to see it was someone completely different. I saw a small white dog that reminded me a little of mine and jumped to thinking it was so. Anyway, looking forward to seeing Sugar.

[Dori]

I’m looking forward to seeing Sugar in your avatar. Even if you’re on a windows machine you can still go to gravatar.com and sign up and then they’ll walk you through the steps to post picture. I just can’t walk you through it because I’m on a Mac.

As to the foods that I feed, they are all commercial raw foods from companies that I like and trust and all three girls have done very well on all of them. I feed all three girls the same meals. I also rotate proteins within the brands and I also rotate with different brands. All proteins with the exception of any and all poultry (fowl) regardless of how or where it is listed in the ingredients. Nothing with feathers because Katie is highly intolerant. These are the companies I feed.

Primal Formulas Raw Frozen and Primal Pronto Raw Frozen and sometimes Primal Freeze Dried
Vital Essentials Raw Frozen Foods and sometimes Vital Essentials Freeze Dried
Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Food Only
Answer’s Detailed Raw Frozen
OC Raw Frozen
Nature’s Logic Frozen Raw

Once or twice a week I split a can of sardines in water with no salt (from grocery store) between the three girls.

For treats I give them small pieces of organic (if available) fruits and veggies. Apples and cucumbers must be peeled because they carry a lot of bacteria and are waxed to make them pretty for us. Make sure to not feed any seeds or pits from any fruits as they are toxic to dogs. Of course as I’m pretty sure you already know, no raisins, grapes or onions.

If you want any more info, please ask.

[Dori]

OH! So sorry Beverly. It’s gravatar.com and then sign up and follow their directions. If that doesn’t work please let us know and I, or someone with a functioning brain at the moment, will walk you through it. Gotta walk the girls right now. I’ll be back.