[Dolly]

Hi,

I wanted to start giving my 15 yr old glucosamin chrondroitin supplements as she has arthritus. I bought a bottle with the following ingredients listed: Sodium, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroiton Sulfate- under other ingrediants: cellulose, gelatin, magnesium stearate and it says contains shrimp.

She has no known allergies, I wanted to know 1- is this safe? She also has mild heart problems which she is taking medicine for so I wanted to make sure this wouldnt cause any heart related strain.

Second- what is the dosage? she weighs about 55lbs.

Last- I also have a 9 year old cocker spaniel (about 30 lbs)- he shows no stiffness or pain, he’s very active and entergetic, but should I start him on a lower dosage now to help avoid it in the future?

thanks!

[Mom2Cavs]

Lew Olsen, is (I believe) a nutritionist. I’m sure these products are fine, but like other people (Dr. Becker, Ask Ariel, etc.) they are selling their own products. I like to look at dogaware.com for recommendations. I know that Lew’s supplements are on the list there.

[Cyndi]

I still worry if I’m giving Bailey the right vitamins/minerals/supplements, etc. Check out See Spot Live Longer dinner mix. I use that often. All you do is add it to boneless meat. I also use, on occasion, Dr. Harvey’s Multi-Vitamin & Mineral Herbal Dog Supplement. Other than that, I add Coconut oil, some tinned sardines a couple times a week, a fresh, cage free egg every couple days and some Apple Cider Vinegar, that’s pretty much it. It really did seem overwhelming to me at first, so I know how you feel, but once you get going and get the hang of it, it’s really easy. I’m still learning and I read everything I can about raw feeding and all the threads and stuff. The different kinds of raw foods you can feed your dog, once he’s used to it, are endless…

Zach M ~ You’re very welcome! 🙂

[Case]

Anybody tried these?

http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/basic-supplements-for-daily-use-in-your-dogs-diet-2014/

[crazy4cats]

Hey Moms2Cavs-
I just added that to my supplement list. I often use canned pumpkin and sugar free applesauce with my dogs’ meals or kong treats. The combination usually is very helpful with the stools. This supplement would definitely keep better. Thanks!

Hey Susan B-
Let us know how the new food and supplements go. Good luck!

[Dori]

I wouldn’t. I have a dog with many food intolerances and allergies as well as environmental issues. She had very yeasty ears. What fixed that issue was going to an all grain free diet also free of corn, soy, white potatoes and any type of poultry. I avoid anything that has any type of yeast in it. Any food or supplements that I have tried with her that contain yeast of any sort starts the yeasty ears all over again. My other two dogs though not having any allergies or intolerances whatsoever also used to have gunky ears. Their ears have all cleared up also once I made all the switches. All clear now. Good Luck.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Dane –

First off, if he’s drinking large amounts of water, urinating frequently and he won’t gain weight you need to get him to the vet to have some diagnostic tests performed. These are potential symptoms of kidney disease or diabetes. A dog that’s fed a raw diet shouldn’t drink much water at all – my two (large) dogs don’t even drink one bowl of water per day between the two of them. I’m not trying to scare you but if something is going on the sooner you catch it the better the prognosis will be.

Second, are you adding anything to the Blue Ridge Beef grinds? Unless they’ve recently come out with a new complete and balanced product that I’m not aware of, I thought they just make meat/organ/bone grinds? Meat/organ/bone “grinds” (as they’re referred to) are not a balanced diet. They’re meant to serve as as the base of a meal and they make things simpler by already having the muscle meat, organ and bone in the correct proportions. Supplements still must be added to make the diet complete. While it’s possible to balance a homemade diet using whole foods only, for simplicity’s sake and to get him on a balanced diet as soon as possible, I’d recommend adding a multivitamin (look for one with <10% DV calcium – one I frequently recommend is Twinlab Daily One Caps). I’d also add 1/2 C. of cooked and pureed vegetables (baby food veggies are fine if you don’t want to cook and puree them yourself) and feed a tin of sardines or salmon once or twice a week OR add a capsule or two of fish oil daily. These additions will provide him with the vitamins and minerals he needs, a little fiber and omega 3 fatty acids.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[losul]

Trying this all over again, leaving out the last link this time…..

Hi Sueb66. The test for EPI would be a specific test for it, not included in ordinary blood work. I think in the U.S., Texas A.M. still does most of the current testing. If there is a B-12 deficiency and it is EPI related, no, an ordinary human B-12 supplement for it would
NOT work well at all. There is more info on the EPI sites, I provided to Jerry. Notice what the vet says about EPI in discussing IBD in the first link below, except she refers to it as PEI instead.

I can truly understand your frustration, and wanting to get a more reasonable solution than a surgical biopsy, and/or treatment with steroids which seems extreme, scary and a last/near last resort, I would be too. To be fair though, I can imagine your conventional vet(s) probably get frustrated also, and would much rather get a clearer diagnosis and treatment plan.

I don’t really know exactly how long all this has been going on, exactly what diagnostic testing has been already done, what has been ruled out and what has not, what medicines/treatments/alternatives/supplements have been tried, how much and whether you have adhered to your vets’ reccomendations etc. I also don’t really know what kind of diagnostics, drugs, supplements, foods etc. are available there in Australia. I can’t really say what i would do, as I’m not in your shoes, and so much is unknown. All one can do is research as best as possible, see that hopefully all the bases have been covered, learn risks, gain more knowledge, come up with some possible answers/solutions/alternatives, and make good decisions.

IBD is a pretty generalized but often complex condition, that can have several root causes and much interconnectibility with other issues. It basically means a chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. Left uncontrolled it can lead to more serious issues. I would guess the vets have explained that to you? A more holistic or integrative vet may come to some of the same conclusions as your current vets, but would likely differ on exact course(s) of action/approach. Perhaps you should still seek one out or try the one you mentioned?

Hopefully pointing you to some additional articles may help some;

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=598&S=0&EVetID=0

http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2006&Category=&PID=16071&O=Generic

http://dogaware.com/health/digestive.html#ibd

[SandyandMila]

Yeah, just need to stock up locally and from Hares Today and get some supplements. I want her to try all kinds of different stuff. I’m pretty excited about it!

[crazy4cats]

The BCnut-
Did you really want to tell me that? Lol! Thanks for the help with supplements.
Cindy-
I feed mostly kibble with various toppers. I give mine digestive enzymes every meal. Probiotics and a green supplement twice a week and right now garlic granules everyday for increases flea protection. You can just start adding these things slowly. You are off to a great start. You are feeding high quality products. You are way ahead of the average dog owner!

[zcRiley]

UPDATE: The pups have been strictly on Natural Balance Synergy Dry for only 2 days (while still taking their antibiotic for campi bacteria). And wouldn’t you know, their stools became perfect the next day. For the 1st time in a very long time. I’m kinda in shock as I stare at what I eliminated all at the same time: the 2 types of Orijen, the omega supplements, the calming chew, the Cosequin DS, the antioxidants, probiotics & enzymes, all the treats. I guess I have to start adding things back into their diet one at a time…..

Nancy C: Dr. Tim’s Pursuit sounds great, crossing my fingers for you!

Case: Thanks for the Orijen super sleuthing. All the fish they use being year round available, that’s interesting…. anyway, just tossed my bag of Orijen 6 Fish out the window. It started smelling funny.

[cindy q]

theBCnut what supplements do you use?

[Susan]

Hi Iosul, May I ask a few quiestions, Patch had an ultra scan last Thursday cause he was vomiting up only his kibble for 2 days & had his pain under right side rib cage again…his Ultra Scan came back all good, this new vet said IBD like Patches first vet has said but Im having troubles believing that he has IBD as Patch suffers more stomach reflux & burping, I feel that Patch has GERDs this new vet wants Patch on Prednisolone 30mg daily for 2weeks then we reduce, I told him about Patches stomach & Patches bad acid & bringing up his chicken & pumkin when he burps so I put it on toast now & this keeps it down, he just said give him Zantac as well then he said that the Prednisolone will fix his red paws, I told him that his paws go red only when it rains & he walks on wet grass as we’ve had rain again for over 1 week, now Patches paws have cleared up again cause there’s been no rain plus I try not to walk him on wet grass…Ive read that Prednisolone isnt good for dogs with Pancreatitis or Stomach problems as it can cause stomach ulcers, I still havnt given Patch his Prednisolone, Ive been giving him his Zantac again & Patch seem much better..see I stopped his Zantac about 2 months ago as he was doing much better & all his reflux went away he stopped waking up in the middle of the nite with Patch swollowing & swollowing acid, it all stopped only some mornings he’d be a bit burpy, The only way to see if he has IBD is to cut him open like his other vet wanted to do & I wouldnt let him as Patch doesnt have no diarrhea no more since Ive worked out that he needs a low fat diet, Im even wondering does he have pancreatits as the ultra scan came back all good but the Pancreas mite be getting better & not be swollen as Patches pain did start 2 weeks ago when I started moving, he started following me like I was leaving him behind, I feel that he started to stress himself out & has givin himself acid thru stress.. I have GERD & he seems to have alot of my symtoms.. first vet tried Losec 20mg but Patch had a reaction on the 2nd day his gums went white & he was acting real weird & falling over, I had to carry him home from the beach that morning maybe 20mg was too high for a 18 kilo dog he was 18kilo back then now he’s around 16-17 kilos …what would you do if Patch was ur dog, you mentioned supplements Ive read abit about L-Gutamine but I live Australia do I go to the health foods store & use a human one also what do u mean when u say incubating. I give Patch a probiotic every moring Ive been doing that since last August..Ive been too scared to try any oils at this time, I dont want to aggravate his stomach in anyway..

[theBCnut]

I rotate everything, kibble, canned, raw, supplements, everything. One of my dogs used to be picky, but once I started rotational feeding, he has never missed a meal, or even eaten slowly.

[JeffreyT]

Probiotics, digestive enxymes and healthier foods (home cooked and raw dehydrated), plus some other supplements have helped my dog’s bloody, loose stool and immune system. The probiotics that I have used are Mercola, Wysong (which also has colostrum in it to help build immune system), and VSL#3 (a medical grade probiotic delivered with ice). I’ve heard good things about Nusentia’s Probiotic Miracle helping IBD.

You may want to call Animals Essentials (they are very knowledgeable and their products are the purest around) and ask what may help. I’ve used their phytomucil for both loose stools and constipation. I’ve also found Wysong supplements to be helpful during times of sickness.

Here is Dr.Karen Becker’s take on IBD
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/11/02/inflammatory-bowel-disease-in-pets.aspx
Here is Dogaware’s info which may be helpful too
http://dogaware.com/health/digestive.html#ibd
Keep searching and you will find an answer.

Sometimes medicine is needed but my preference is using natural so it actually heals and gets to the root of the problem.
Good luck.

[losul]

Jerry was just reading on the global span site – So i Guess even though coco oil is very easily digested and takes very little enzymatic action to do so, it might still be advisable to incubate first;

“Incubating supplements.
Some supplements should be incubated, because they require digestion
Example: Kelp, fish oils, coconut oils
Some supplements should not be incubated, or they will be destroyed
Example: Probiotics (such as acidophilus)
For some supplements, it doesn’t seem to matter
Example: L-Glutamine
Whether or not a supplement should be incubated can be confusing. A general rule of thumb is that if it’s a food-like substance which likely contains carbohydrates, fats, or proteins, it should be incubated. Some supplements may contain fillers or extra ingredients that require incubation, so read labels closely. Good advice on this topic is available from the K9-EPIGLOBAL Yahoo Group.”

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by losul.

[theBCnut]

Don’t feel bad. We all start where we are and move on from there. I don’t think there is a single person here that didn’t feed something to their dog at some point that they wish they hadn’t.

For your dog with seizures, I would suggest Nature’s Logic, at least to start with. Many of us have come to the realization that we don’t believe that there is any such thing as a perfect dog food, so we rotate through several different ones. For a dog with seizures, you want your food to be as natural as possible.

For your BC, I would just feed it whatever you feed the first one and add a joint supplement. None of the foods that claim to be joint foods actually have a therapeutic dose in them, so don’t bother with those. Swanson’s has supplements at good prices.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Zach –

You can certainly make your own supplements. I make my own for two reasons – it’s much cheaper than buying pre-mixed supplements and I can pick exactly which ingredients are in the supplement and in which proportions. I was running into a problem where every supplement I came across either had ingredients I didn’t want or didn’t have an ingredient I did want so I decided it would just make more sense to make my own. I purchase most of my ingredients in large quantities from Swanson Vitamins, Starwest Botanicals, Vitacost and Nature’s Farmacy. You shouldn’t have a problem finding most of the ingredients that are in Dinovite. My guess is that it’s likely the probiotics, enzymes and omega 3’s that help the most with the itching, so with whatever supplement you mix up I’d be sure to include those ingredients (at a minimum).

Here’s an article by Dr. Becker with some suggestions for itchy, smelly dogs.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Zach M]

I was just wondering, what makes products like Dinovite work? Is there a way that I could make my own version at my house? Also, what foods trigger the things that dinovite cures? What foods reduce smell and stop itching?

[Jerry S]

Our “Black Golden” Somba is a 10 year old Black Lab x Golden who has been suffering from EPI (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency) for 8 years. She has been on PancrePlus enzyme supplements, but just seems to continually be a “bag of bones” . She eats 5 cups of Purina ONE Smartblend daily with the supplement mixed in with water, and then let it stew for about 20 minutes. She has lots of energy, and has about 3 humongous poops every day. We have been told that she needs a low fat, highly digestible food in order to put some meat on her bones instead of just passing it thru for me to pick up. Am looking for a better food and/or supplement to improve her condition. Any suggestions?
DJ Sads

[DogFoodie]

Here’s link to their website: http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/bug-off-garlic-dogs/All-Natural-Dog-Supplements There’s a lot of really useful information on their website.

There are quite a few regular posters here who’ve used BOG with great success for years. You might find this thread useful: /forums/topic/springtime-supplements/

[crazy4cats]

Hi Zolicylus-

Unfortunately, I’ve had the same issues. My pups went through four or five treatments for giardia and then coccidia. First of all, are you sure they are clear of the giardia? Sometimes it is very tough to rid of. Next, you will have to be patient because the parasites and remedies can be tough on their intestines. It has taken almost 9 months to get consistent stools. I have used several supplements in addition to probiotics and enzymes. On dogaware.com, there are several ideas to help with these issues. I often used remedies that were suggested for leaky gut or IBS. When first starting a supplement, such as a probiotic, make sure to start slow. Only give half or a quarter of the recommended amount and build up to make sure it doesn’t cause upset. I think slippery elm and L-Glutamine are beneficial. I’ve used Gastriplex, Vetri-Pro BD, HK’s Perfect Form, Friutables Digestive supplement, Seacure and Phytomucil. Most of them contain a probiotic or enzyme with some diarrhea meds also. I am definitely not in the veterinarian field, so these are just suggestions from a fellow frustrated dog owner. Please check with your vet if you have any concerns. My former vet, who moved, actually recommended the Phytomucil, probiotics and enzymes. Good luck. I know it’s frustrating. And like Case, I’m curious about what you are currently feeding and using.

[Case]

What are you feeding? What brand are your supplements?

I’ve had similar issues and just started probiotucs/enzymes 3 days ago.

[T]

Hi Sue,

Pred can cause a quick turnaround for SOME dogs, but I’ve seen more than one who did not have a miracle cure from it. Without a histological diagnosis (biopsy) it’s anyone’s guess what’s going on at a cellular level. That doesn’t stop you from providing some well-considered therapy, though. Have you considered seeing a vet who uses traditional Chinese medicine techniques? I’ve had some decent luck with chronic diarrhea/vomiting/mysterious GI badness using diet, nutritional supplements and herbs +/- acupuncture. And all that stuff can be used in conjunction with pred or whatever conventional meds you are trying.

Tabitha
http://naturalalternativesvet.com

[Bobby dog]

I thought I read some comments about Merrick GF kibbles as well, but it appears my mind is playing tricks on me. All the recent comments that C4c and I were writing about was from the WEF GF thread; possible quality control issues with this kibble line. Also seems they have had quality control issues in the past.

/dog-food-reviews/whole-earth-farms-grain-free/
http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm217086.htm

Maybe try a grooming glove for Alec. I know what you mean; sometimes those ornery kitties won’t sit still for a brushing or they start attacking you or the brush. I use a glove for my female kitty. She is fine being petted, for some reason does not like to be brushed too much. I actually use an old pair of riding gloves that have the rubber pebble grip coating on the palms. Wal-Mart carries Pet Head Massaging Bath Mitt for $5.44. They also had some grooming gloves on sale for $1.97 last month, don’t know if they still do or if that was just at my Wal-Mart.

Maybe Alec does not like the taste of supplements mixed in his food. Sometimes cats will eat supplements, like coco oil or honey, better without mixing them in their food. Archie, who eats almost anything, will not eat his food if I mix in anything. Supplements have to be hidden in little globs throughout his food, or fed on separately. Coco oil dosage for cats is ¼ teaspoon 2x daily to ½ teaspoon 1x daily per 10 lbs.

http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/02/coconut-oil-is-good-for-your-dogs.html

[Bobby dog]

The threads we’re writing about are in the regular forum, Merrick and Whole Earth Farm threads, take a peak.

I hope it’s only a matter of him passing a hairball and you don’t have to visit the Vet. Glad you’ll be home with him tommorrow. 🙂

Be careful not to overfeed coco oil, it can cause digestive upsets/issues. Giving supplements may or may not be good for him if his tummy is upset.

How about the suspected bladder infection issue, did you ever get that urine sample? Licking those areas could be a sign of infection.

Did your Vet suggest adding extra fiber to help pass whatever showed up on the X-Ray?

Also, brush him daily. That will make a huge difference with hairballs.

[ladyquixote]

Hi all, first want to thank ya’ll for all the great info you supply here. Have been gathering nutrition info for about a year now and have some major budgeting concerns regarding planning cooked meals for my two dogs. Background: Eldest dog, Gracie is 12 y.o./55# (she is much bigger than standard Aussie) and has major yeast and anxiety problems. Found an alt vet last March who prescribed a variety of chinese herb powders which have significantly helped both problems but still a work in progress. Second dog, Tonto is about 3-1/2 (turned up at my front door emaciated last year and ended up part of our family). He weighs about 60 and is experiencing airborne allergies, due for vet check tomorrow for further input. Both are Aussie mixes.

Foodwise, they were on a mix of the 5-star dry no-grain dog foods since beginning of last year, then began adding the usual recommended toppers plus supplements and then transitioned to all-cooked meals over the last three months. It’s quickly begun taking a lot of my time to prepare meals, so this evening I sat down to figure out my monthly cost. Until now I would go out and buy enough food for a week so the cost bite wasn’t so noticeable.

I knew it was getting too costly but the final tally ended up being $15/day for two dogs! Way, way too much. In addition to the food, there are the supplemental herbs and now monthly visits to the alt vet to check progress which should end once both dogs level off with their itchies.

I’ve removed cottage cheese, carrots and rice which make great fillers because both dogs’ itchies worsened. So more meat takes the place.

My question to you is this, if I switch back to at least level 4-star dry dog food and toppers what would you suggest would be the right ratio between the both?

Gracie’s daily calorie target: 1037, Tonto’s daily calorie target: 1280
Here is a sample 1-day meal divided into two meals for Gracie:
— Chicken Liver pate, (chicken liver smothered then pureed): 2 TBSP 47 Cal
— Chicken Hearts, (lightly smothered then chopped fine): 1-1/2C 402 Cal
— Turkey, Ground; 93% Lean: 1-1/4C 425 Cal
— Mixed Veggies, 1 Cup Cooked then pureed: 40 Cal
— Pumpkin, Canned; 2 TBSP: 13 Cal
— Berries, 1/2 C: 36 Cal
— Alternate Every Day: Either 1-Egg or 1/2 tin Sardines in Water: 65-72 Cal
— Supplements include, Probiotics, 1/2 tsp finely ground eggshells, 1-multi, fish oil or coconut oil.

I’d be interested in your input as well as hearing what your average cost per day is for two medium sized dogs! Thanks so much.

[Dori]

Once again, I wanted to thank everyone that has kept us in their thoughts and prayers.

We took Hannah to her vet this a.m. where she was supposed to have a “traumatic catherization” of the nodule in her bladder. Before doing so, routinely before anesthetizing, they do a chest x-ray to check the lungs. They found a mass on the lobe of one of her lungs and her vet did not feel comfortable anesthetizing her. She is consulting with her other vet at Georgia Veterinary Specialists, plus the radiologist there and also an oncologist to come up with a plan. They have all said that surgery is not an option. They could possibly, not sure, do an aspiration during an ultra sound by the radiologist of the mass in her lung lobe to find out what it is. Chemo and radiation, of course, are not options for her either due to her age and her liver issues and, of course, there is the issue with her bladder. Neither my husband nor I would put her through any of that anyway. There may or may not be medications to try to slow the progression of either of these issues if they knew what they are. But, they can’t know what the bladder issue is without the catherization which they cannot do without anesthesia and, of course, they cannot do that because of the mass in the lung lobe. It appears through the x-ray that part of the mass in lung lobe is calcified so it may have been there for a long time but they don’t know. I’m hoping that’s a good sign because she doesn’t have any symptoms of lung cancer. As I said, things have gone from bad to dramatically worse. We just want her to be well and do the very best we can for her as she has done for us. In the mean time I will give her whatever supplements, and healthy foods I have always done. I’m reading a lot of books on canine cancer and doing the best I can. I will start cancer supplements one at a time for three days before introducing any others. Meantime I will continue her liver health regime. Of course, for me, I think there’s a lot of wine in my future. I will continue to pretend I’m happy and peppy in from of Hannah, Lola and Katie pretending that life, as we know it, is perfectly normal. Again, thank you all of DFA for your love, guidance and support. Love, Dori

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by Dori.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by Dori.

[theBCnut]

There is no commercially available food that has a therapeutic dose of joint supplements in a serving size, so you would do best to find a food that otherwise your dog does great on and then add in a joint supplement.

[Fabienne L]

Freeze-dried and Dehydrated pet food are NOT the same as raw non-hpp pet food. You may consider raw hpp, freeze-dried and dehydrated pet food as processed pet food. Yes, it is better than dry pet food, but it is still processed. Supplements should be added to this food! Recommended supplements include: vitamins, minerals, probiotics, milk thistle to name a few. Non HPP raw pet food is truly species appropriate pet food. Small Batch and Halshan are true species appropriate pet food. When comparing pet food you can see the differences in the ingredients. HPP raw and freeze-dried, such as Stella and Chewys and other pet food contain many added supplements in them. The list of ingredients is long! When you look at Small Batch the ingredients are simply simple, no added supplements. Pets gets the nutrition they need from the meat, organ meat and fruit and vegetable. I always suggest that pet owners (guardians) add probiotics and milk thistle to their non hpp raw pet food.

[Bobby dog]

Alright here’s my info: 🙂
~Pure Love Chlorhexidine 4% Shampoo for Dogs and Cats $8.99 – Same % of the same active ingredient in Nolvasan shampoo.

Info on Nolvasan shampoo:
http://www.vetstreet.com/nolvasan-shampoo

Shampoo link on Petflow:
http://www.petflow.com/product/pure-love/chlorhexidine-4-shampoo-for-dogs-and-cats

~Pure Love Ketoconazole 1%, Chlorhexidine Gluconate 2% Shampoo for Dogs and Cats $9.99 – Active Ingredients in Malaseb shampoo are 2% Chlorhexidine Gluconate and 2% Miconazole Nitrate. Ketoconazole looks similar to Miconazole.

Info on Malaseb shampoo:
http://www.drugs.com/vet/malaseb-shampoo.html

Info on ketoconazole:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/ketoconazole-topical-route/description/drg-20067739

Shampoo link on Petflow:
http://www.petflow.com/product/pure-love/ketoconazole1-chlorhexidine2-shampoo-for-dogs-and-cats

I probably would buy the Pure Love Ketoconazole 1%, Chlorhexidine Gluconate 2% Shampoo for Dogs and Cats. These are good prices for the amount of product. Maybe someone else will have a suggestion for you as to which shampoo sold on Petflow they would recommend.

You can also buy antiseptic/antibacterial cleansers in the first aid aisle of most stores that have the same % of the active ingredient in Nolvasan shampoo. Hibiclens is a name brand example, but many drug stores have their own versions of it. I have a bottle of Hibiclens in the barn; I must not have been able to find Nolvasan the last time I needed it.

Here’s a link to Hibiclens:
http://www.hibiclens.com/retail
http://www.hibiclens.com/retail/where-to-buy-hibiclens

[crazy4cats]

Yes, it seems to be the case with all the supplements I’ve used. Is your dog having issues? If yes, I would go ahead and start with the double dosing. If not, just go with the maintenance dosage. Actually, the first couple of days you could build up to the initial dosing if concerned about any side effects. My pups do well on it.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Raam-
I too, have had some battles with Giardia. During that time I never knew if they were suffering from a food intolerance or if the Giardia was back. It was very stressful. Luckily, they have been negative for about 9 months. They were also treated several times with panacur and antibiotics. It has taken a long time to get their tummies back to normal. They have always been interested in eating though, thank goodness! I am feeding them Victor grain free with a variety of toppers with good luck. However, I do use various supplements which have also helped soothe their tummies. Much information can be found on dogaware.com with digestive issues. It is a great site. Many of the supplements that I’ve used are made by Vetri Science, Thorne, Animal Essentials and Honest Kitchen. As Sue said, it might be best to start with something bland and work your way back to a better kibble. Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Case-
I have used and recently ordered the same digestive enzymes that you just ordered made by Vetri-Science. They are a combo product. They contain enzymes, probiotics, prebiotics and other supplements as well. The other supplements such as, NAG and L-Glutamine are known to be helpful with loose stools. My dogs do well with this supplement as they have bouts of leaky gut or some type of IBS. Not sure if this is what you were looking for or not. I also occasionally use Gastriplex or THK Perfect Form. Good luck.

[Shawna]

I think maybe they just don’t know what to say to help but they want to try to make you feel better!! As I noted in my first post Dr. Dressler says tcbc is very treatable.

You also can’t beat yourself up over choices you’ve made up to this point or from this point forward. Everything we do, we do with our pups best interest in mind.. If you weren’t treating and she got heartworm you would have been kicking yourself for not giving her the preventatives. We all do the best we can with the information we have at the time. You simply can’t do better than that!!!

I definitely would hold off starting too many supplements (unless made from food) to make sure one doesn’t counter or have a negative reaction with another etc. My dad is a Master Herbalist and I know he would give me some guidance if needed — if some of the supps are herbal that is. The food ones (if therapeutic) I would introduce slowly so as not to initiate to fast of a healing. I also think it is VERY important for you to read Dr. Goldsteins chapter on the healing crisis in his book. Do you have a library close?

You can reach me any time tomorrow from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm Central time. Tomorrow is house cleaning / laundry day. We may go out for lunch or dinner but otherwise I’ll just be cleaning. Try to get some restful sleep tonight.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Shawna.

[crazy4cats]

Yes, Dori, please don’t give up. I sure wish I knew about this site 3 years ago when my vet told us that our previous dog “most likely” had cancer. He ran a few blood tests and did an X-ray. Said it would cost too much to do more tests and he was almost 12 so he didn’t think it would make sense. We just gave him steroids and metronidazole for about 6 months before he died. I just can’t help but wonder if I changed his diet or tried some supplements, we could have had him around longer. I just believed the vet. So anyway, do everything you can to help your little girl, so you won’t have any regrets. I’m sure I really didn’t need to tell you that though. Keep smiling because she knows when you’re sad. Best wishes!

[Dori]

Shawna: I’ve been giving them whole house filtered water for years. Hadn’t been giving them HW medication until losul had HW diagnosis and I started in again. Stupid Stupid Me!!!!
I have read about the issues with HW medication and bladder cancer just yesterday and a few of the sites specifically name Sentinel and that is the brand I’ve used for years. Obviously I’m never ever using HW medication again. Dogs are all on 3 year rabies vaccination. Hannah at almost 15 years old and bladder cancer will never get it again. I have read everything I can and everyone’s posts here and well wishes and kind words and, of course, they all make me cry knowing everyone is so caring and loving. Just breaks my heart. I’m just a weepy mess right now. My husband and close friends keep telling me what a wonderful life Hannah and I have given each other for 15 years and, selfishly, I just don’t want to hear that kind of talk. That means everyone of them is resigning them to the fact that it’s the end for Hannah and I just can’t deal. She’s the only thing that got me out of bed after my son, Matthew, passed and she’s my last tangible connection to him. It’s just too damn hard. I’ve ordered tons of supplements today and read every site that everyone has guided me to, thank you, thank you, thank you everyone. I’m now concerned of having ordered too much and making matters worse my overdosing her on supplements.

Shawna, I know how crazed and consumed your life is with your family both human and furry, so please let me know when might be a good day and time might work out for you for me to call you. I’ve been feeding all the girls raw for over a year and I think that I want to continue feeding commercial raw as I’ve been doing. Just to let you know Hannah has never had a urinary tract infection in her life, no bloody urine and her urine tests are still clear. They only discovered this because of doing ultra sounds checking her liver because of all four liver levels being so high. They have all come down significantly. Still high of normal but not sky high like before. Okay. I need to breathe right now and attempt to pull my self together because all three dogs are too attuned to my stress. Love to all and from the bottom of my heart I thank you all.

[Shasta220]

What other brands have you tried? Have you tried supplementing with fiber (canned pumpkin or cooked sweet potato), digestive supplements (like probiotics), or extra oils (like fish or olive)? The reason why SD makes him poop so much is because of all the worthless fillers in there.

I went from a 1 star to a 4star food with my dog way back years ago. He went from making 7-10 BIG piles daily to only 3-5…

[Shawna]

Oh Dori!!!!!!!! I’m so very sorry.

I did a quick google search and found that apoptosis and antiangiogenosis are both effective treatments of Transitional Cell Bladder Carcinoma (which I’m going to abbreviate to tcbc for the rest of the post). Then I googled “Dr Demian Dressler tcbc”. Dr. Dressler owns the website “dog cancer blog”. There is a video of him and his partner (who is an veterinary oncologist) specifically on tcbc. They say it is very treatable!! GOOD Dr. D also specifically mentions it responds to apoptosis. GOOD The video is here http://www.dogcancer.tv/transitional-cell-carcinoma-what-you-need-to-know-about-your-dogs-cancer/

As a quick reminder — apoptosis is when the cells of the body get old, damaged or unhealthy (like cancer) and commit “suicide”. It is normal and supposed to happen but sometimes it doesn’t happen (due to certain drugs or bacteria/virus or other reasons). Angiogenosis is when new blood vessels are formed (this happens with healing but tumors also cause these blood vessels to grow to them which supplies them with the nutrition they need to grow). ANTIangiogenic products (medications and foods/supplements) cause those blood vessels to die which blocks nutrients from getting to the tumor and the tumor starves to death.

Dr. Dressler and Ettinger recommend a home cooked “cancer” diet. BUT, Dr. Martin Goldstein is well known for great success with dogs that other vets have given up on due to cancer. Dr. Goldstein recommends a species appropriate raw diet. That said, they both also utilize other treatments and supplements. If the finances allow, I think his office (Dr. Goldstein) would be a great one to get a consult with (by phone if nothing else – they are in New York (or is it New Jersey?)). I personally would stick with raw but you have to do what you think is best for Hannah.. Both raw and cooked are appropriate for different reasons in my opinion.

Okay, so we know that tcbc responds to apoptotic and antiangiogenic products. With that in mind I would DEFINITELY start turmeric or even curcumin (which is the anti-cancer active ingredient in turmeric). Turmeric also has additional benefits so maybe both versus one or the other?? If buying turmeric it MUST be organic as otherwise it could be irradiated. I would also start the enzyme bromelain away from meals as it induces both apoptosis and antiangiogenosis. As does fresh garlic (pending there is no blood loss, surgery, anemia).

Other antiangiogenic foods are blueberries, mushrooms, strawberries etc. More antiagiogenic foods here http://blog.ted.com/2010/02/10/dr_william_lis/ Dr. Li states that antiangiogenic foods work synergistically so the more you can add to the diet the better off. Not all in one meal or one day of course.

Some other supplements known, in the holistic world at least, to help with cancer are apricot seeds (due to their high amounts of vitamin b17), essiac tea (which includes a bunch of anti-cancer herbs), flor essence (a specific brand of essiac like tea), coconut oil (not sure it actually helps the cancer? but it will help keep the calories up in a pancreas friendly way and has so many other benefits), probiotics (help the immune system and have been shown to help “bladder cancer” I believe through the fatty acids (like butyric and lactic acids) they produce), enzymes given with the food will help for the most complete digestion and nutrient absorption plus allow (many think) the metabolic enzymes to be spared from having to help with digestion (especially in older dogs). I know there’s more I’m not thinking of. I’ll post again if/when I think of them.

Call or email me ANY TIME if you want.

[Shawna]

Oh Dori!!!!!!!! I’m so very sorry.

I did a quick google search and found that apoptosis and antiangiogenosis are both effective treatments of Transitional Cell Bladder Carcinoma (which I’m going to abbreviate to tcbc for the rest of the post). Then I googled “Dr Demian Dressler tcbc”. Dr. Dressler owns the website “dog cancer blog”. There is a video of him and his partner (who is an veterinary oncologist) specifically on tcbc. They say it is very treatable!! GOOD Dr. D also specifically mentions it responds to apoptosis. GOOD The video is here http://www.dogcancer.tv/transitional-cell-carcinoma-what-you-need-to-know-about-your-dogs-cancer/

As a quick reminder — apoptosis is when the cells of the body get old, damaged or unhealthy (like cancer) and commit “suicide”. It is normal and supposed to happen but sometimes it doesn’t happen (due to certain drugs or bacteria/virus or other reasons). Angiogenosis is when new blood vessels are formed (this happens with healing but tumors also cause these blood vessels to grow to them which supplies them with the nutrition they need to grow). ANTIangiogenic products (medications and foods/supplements) cause those blood vessels to die which blocks nutrients from getting to the tumor and the tumor starves to death.

Dr. Dressler and Ettinger recommend a home cooked “cancer” diet. BUT, Dr. Martin Goldstein is well known for great success with dogs that other vets have given up on due to cancer. Dr. Goldstein recommends a species appropriate raw diet. That said, they both also utilize other treatments and supplements. If the finances allow, I think his office (Dr. Goldstein) would be a great one to get a consult with (by phone if nothing else – they are in New York (or is it New Jersey?)). I personally would stick with raw but you have to do what you think is best for Hannah.. Both raw and cooked are appropriate for different reasons in my opinion.

Okay, so we know that tcbc responds to apoptotic and antiangiogenic products. With that in mind I would DEFINITELY start turmeric or even curcumin (which is the anti-cancer active ingredient in turmeric). Turmeric also has additional benefits so maybe both versus one or the other?? If buying turmeric it MUST be organic as otherwise it could be irradiated. I would also start the enzyme bromelain away from meals as it induces both apoptosis and antiangiogenosis. As does fresh garlic (pending there is no blood loss, surgery, anemia). Garlic could also kill bacteria and viri if an happen to be blocking apoptosis. Also help with bladder infections if that is a concern? Dr. Ettiger, in the above video, says that can be a concern.

Other antiangiogenic foods are blueberries, mushrooms, strawberries etc. More antiagiogenic foods here http://blog.ted.com/2010/02/10/dr_william_lis/ Dr. Li states that antiangiogenic foods work synergistically so the more you can add to the diet the better off. Not all in one meal or one day of course.

Some other supplements known, in the holistic world at least, to help with cancer are apricot seeds (due to their high amounts of vitamin b17), essiac tea (which includes a bunch of anti-cancer herbs), flor essence (a specific brand of essiac like tea), coconut oil (not sure it actually helps the cancer? but it will help keep the calories up in a pancreas friendly way and has so many other benefits), probiotics (help the immune system and have been shown to help “bladder cancer” I believe through the fatty acids (like butyric and lactic acids) they produce), enzymes given with the food will help for the most complete digestion and nutrient absorption plus allow (many think) the metabolic enzymes to be spared from having to help with digestion (especially in older dogs). I know there’s more I’m not thinking of. I’ll post again if/when I think of them.

Call or email me ANY TIME if you want.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Shawna.

[Dori]

Cyndi: Thank you for sending all good thoughts our way. I truly appreciate it as I appreciate your kindness. No, I have not heard from Shawna yet but I am hoping to.

Losul: Thank you for your kind words and for reaching out to me. I have just ordered the K-9 supplements and am about to go to the Mercola site and check out the mushroom supplement that Betsy directed me. (How is your dog doing with HW treatment?)

Betsy: Hi Betsy, thanks so much for directing me to the mushroom supplement at Mercola (Dr. Becker). I’m going to check that out right now.

Denise A. Thank you for the information on K-9 supplements. I’ve ordered them a few moments ago. Hannah was weighing 7.5 lbs. Yesterdays weight at vet shows her at 6.8 lbs. They tried two different scales to confirm the loss of weight. How much turmeric curcurmin were you giving or that you think I should be giving. In her food??? Shark Cartilage? Where would I find that and how much to give? Anything else? Did you change diet yes or no? What were you feeding her if you changed her diet? Sorry for all the questions but I’m in panic mode at the moment. Been on the computer all last evening and night so I’m a little wired.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Dori.

[Denise A]

The best price I found for K 9 immunity and transfer factor (they really go together – My Dad had cancer treatments with transfer factor too) was here: http://search.911healthshop.com/?p=Q&ts=custom&query=k9+immunity&view=list

How many pounds is your dog?

I also used tumeric cucurmin and shark cartilage.

Duchess was 14 when she was diagnosed and lived several months after that. The supplements really helped her.

[losul]

Dori, It pains me to hear this, yet I can’t imagine the immense pain you are going through, so so sorry. You have a lot of people in your corner wishing you and yours the best, I can be counted amongst those. As others have said, Hannah could not be in better hands, Dori.

I’m usually kind of reserved/cautious about the claims of some supplements, but the power of medicinal mushrooms is one I have previously researched and have some faith in. A few of them of them, I sometimes use in cooking. I decided that if my circumstances ever warranted, I would definitely consider giving them a shot therapeutically for my dog. K-9 immunity and transfer factors that Denise A mentioned, is one that I had looked into, and liked.

Dog Cancer Home

[Dori]

Denise, thank you for your help. Any info as to supplements, dosages and where to buy would be a Godsend. Also any other supplements you were feeding her. Did you switch her food? If so to what foods and how did Duchess fare on all? Thank you so much.

[Denise A]

I’m so sorry for your news. When my dog, Duchess, was diagnosed with cancer of the spleen I immediately put her on more supplements. I found out that shark cartilage and tumeric cucumin helps with tumors. I also got her K-9 Immunity Capsules and Transfer Factor wafers from Aloha Medicinals. I bought directly from them for several months and then found a cheaper place. If you want to know where, please let me know.

[pugmomsandy]

That site has a “yeast starvation diet” recipe too. And the recipes call for only 2 supplements!

[Akari_32]

I don’t know if I could do canned or not. “Good” canned food isn’t a popular thing around here. It’s pretty much Wellness or Natures Variety, or Mr. Pretend Good Blue Buffalo, as far as that goes. Everything else is like Pro Plan and Science Diet. Though Walmart does have Pure Balance…. And I can look online, and see of I can find anything.

And about the premixes, I think doing no carbs (or as little as possible) is best. This dog smells like a rag used to clean up milk that was left in the sun for a week @.@ So if I did canned, it’s have to be like the 95% ones.

I’ve been looking around at home made and raw sites. Kind of hard on my phone, but I’m getting ideas 🙂 I’ll look into that site, as well.

Does anyone have any links to good prices supplements?

[Dori]

Hi Bobby Dog. Yep! Hannah, my 15 year old Maltese (she’ll be 15 on 9/9/2014) has been diagnosed this week with Transitional Cell Carinoma in her Bladder. It was found incidentally because her liver levels were high and multiple blood tests and ultra sounds. Two ultra sounds back it was discovered and last ultra sound it’s still there, not any smaller but not any bigger. Next Wednesday she will have what they call a “Traumatic Catheterization of the bladder” do get a firm diagnosis. So far all vets that have seen ultra sound results are pretty certain that it’s cancer. Prognosis is 10 months at the out most. I’m beyond consolable. If possible, my husband is worse. I’m going to try to figure out about supplements and whether I should be cooking her meals or keep her on raw or what I need to be doing. Thank you Bobby Dog for asking.

[Akari_32]

He gets very little in the way of actual dog treats. He usually gets a bit of people food for treats. I yell at mom for giving him jelly beans quite often… Other than those, he gets veggies and meat scraps. Right now, his treats are Wellness Toy Breed cranberry something-or-anothers. They were on clearance lol Oh, and he steals the cats food if he leaves it and it’s not up high. Alec gets mostly Wellness Grain Free.

The only commercial raw diets locally available are Bill Jac (not sure how good that is) and Natures Variety, which is not cost effective at all (I’ve already looked into that.). There may be other brands that I’ve over looked, though.

What if we were to feed like, half raw, half Natures Variety Instinct kibble? That has freeze dried raw coating, and all sorts of good stuff in it. Would supplements be needed then? (Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to avoid supplements, I just know they can be costly, so if I can find a way to balance his diet as cheaply as possible, I’d like to take that route).

[Cyndi]

Akari, with the dog being so small, doing commercial raw wouldn’t cost all that much just for him. Then you wouldn’t really need to add any supplements, except maybe some fish oil, tinned sardines are great and coconut oil. Even raw eggs as a topper would be good. It would probably be pretty cheap to feed a small dog like that a raw diet. Good luck!