[davis h]

​One tick bite was leading to CERTAIN DEATH..in fact came within 24 hours. Cancer..even “if” proved to be caused over an extended period of time….is a better option than DEATH within a week. Exposure to ticks is deadly and Lyme and other diseases are often as bad as cancer. My dog survived cancer but came within 24 hours of death from a tick. One walk in the woods in Arkansas results in at LEAST 20 ticks (more in April when there are seed ticks) per dog and I have several. It isn’t possible to check every dog twice a day for ticks. AND if one falls off…even if unforeseen due to small size or human error…and bites a child…is it worth it? MANY…MANY people have contracted Lyme disease (one friend of mine did on my property) and “Tick Fever” in Arkansas. It is epidemic. By protecting our dog against ticks using the best stuff out there you will more likely prevent disease than cause it AND prevent the potential death of a child/human.
IF vinegar and other “green” products worked so well the other preventatives wouldn’t get sold! IF a natural product killed ticks I wouldn’t buy a chemical. I’m not going to risk what was almost certain death by allowing my dogs to go unprotected by something that will work with the greatest likelihood of success.
Ever watch a dog headbutt a door…walk in circles…due to a swollen brain from meningitis…due to a tick bite? Ever watch a dog whose nervous system was impacted for the long run due to effects of a tick bite?
Ticks are a daily confrontation with impending disease and possible death. Ticks concern me far more than cancer that will most likely manifest itself within a dog’s lifetime regardless. Personally, I have to spray my clothing every time I walk outside. I have to use chemicals on myself…to prevent personal exposure and risk the lives of others in my household when a tick “follows me” inside. I must worry about today even if it leads to “possible” adversity in the future.
Obviously this is personal for me as a friend was read his last rights due to a tick bite he received on my property (120 acres not a nice suburban yard you can easily treat). My dog miraculously survived due to efforts of neurologists at MIZZOU. I attend Veterinary conferences and listen to lectures about the growing problem with exposure to ticks and mosquitoes. Unfortunately, its the reality of the world in which we live.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Tamara C:
Sorry to read about your pup. I can’t offer any advice on food as each dog’s Dx and threshold regarding foods that might trigger future pancreatic episodes are different.

However, if I was in your predicament I would seek out a boarded Veterinary nutritionist to help develop a balanced homemade diet suitable for my dog’s condition. I would also ask them for recommendations on Rx and OTC foods that would be appropriate.

Your Vet might have one they refer clients to. You can find Veterinary nutritionists at some Vet schools and here is a directory for ACVN diplomats:http://www.acvn.org/directory/

I don’t know if this is an option, but perhaps ask your Vet about an appetite stimulate. Good luck with your pup.

[Pitlove]

Hi Ronald-

Here is what veterinary nutritionist Dr. Rebecca Remillard says in response to a similar question on her website petdiets.com, when asked about arsenic levels in rice.

“”Am I overreacting?” The short answer is yes … the reason is that recently the level of arsenic was measured in rice … it had not been measured previously, and the feds do not have a reference range for rice so the media compared it to the reference range in drinking water which is not valid. They are working a determining a safe vs toxic Ar range. In the meantime, the odds are b/c Ar has been in rice (normally taken up from the soil) since the beginning of time, the current levels are what they have always been. Given we do not have an epidemic of Ar toxic in any species eating the rice, the newly discovered levels are presumed to be safe.”

As for Carageenan- Here is the opinion of holistic vet Dr. Randy Wysong, maker of Wysong Pet Foods

“Q: I just read an article about carageenan being a carcinogen, and started checking labels of canned pet foods and found it is tough to find one without carageenan. What does Dr. Wysong think of carageenan as a food ingredient? The article I read said it is a carcinogen for both humans and pets. I don’t see it listed in the few Wysong foods I surfed but it is pretty much in everything else.

A: Keep in mind that everything is a potential carcinogen and studies can be found arguing the dangers of practically anything. But it is the dose that makes the poison. This would apply to carageenan as well”

[Bobby dog]

Hi Susan:
Glad you read my post and hopefully you can help others that are using it in their raw diets.

Too bad you can’t get Balance IT in Australia Bobby has done really well on it. I like it because I have access to so many recipes which are easily prepared. I also find it very economical depending on which ingredients I choose.

There are vitamin packs in the U.S. available for raw feeders, however I am not familiar with any because Bobby only likes commercial raw not prey model.

I absolutely agree feeding an unbalanced diet (unless for medical reasons) is the worst you can do for your pets. However, at this time I feel the best diet is individual to the dog whatever form that might be as long as it is balanced.

I am very lucky since I have sorted out Bobby’s health issues I can feed anything and everything; I know some pet parents aren’t so lucky. I feel it’s best not to rule out any form of food. You never know what will be best at any given time.

[Randy K]

I wasn’t sure where to put this info so I figured this would be best. I’m sure some of you know about the great stainless bowls made in the USA for Basis Pet. They are more expensive than the cheap bowls made in India and other countries but I’m sure they are safer. Well they finally came out with an Extra Large Bowl which is 10″x3.5″. I’ve been using the Large size but just a bit small for our Shiloh Shepherd. I’ve already put an order in for the bigger size. This company is a small cottage industry and sells a quality product you can trust.
*I have no affiliation with the company other than being a satisfied customer.

[harish s]

Hi to all

This is my very first post on this forum.. There is so much information here is unbelievable.

I am getting my 45 days old french mastiff by weekend. I Have always had dogs but never a french mastiff.

I am little concern about the food to give him .. been reading a lot about this, which has confused me even more.

we in india unfortunately don”t have large variety to dry food .we have brands like royal cannin , pedegree n fewmore.

What is the kind of food should i give me boy.

any suggestion welcomed.

[Allie S]

So I feed Acana twice a day morning and night 1/4 cup – sometimes he doesn’t even eat, he’ll just skip a meal or will grab the 1-2 kibbles and barry it all around the house (its great when you sit down somewhere and kibble just comes popping out or Blue will nudge me to move because I’m sitting on his “dog food pantry”. I’ve even locked him up in his crate so he couldn’t go and pretend he was a squirrel and barry distribute his food around the house, but instead of eating – he just goes to sleep LOL.
I just ordered a 5lb bag of Orijen Adult dog food, looks like theres about 4-6% less carbohydrates than Acana and multiple websites I’ve came across stated to switch them on a high protein low carbohydrate. Looked at Fromm, made me nervous & I bailed out of that because carbohydrates are around 40%! Big things that I think of is Will my dog get a hot spot or some sort of skin or yeast infection due to different kinds of dog foods, because that is something messy I would love to avoid all in all because he has loads of hair.. I would spend the money on premium dog food just to avoid that mess, but every things a gamble. Next I looked at Evo, but ASH content was about 11%, seemed a little high.. Then it was Dr. Tim Kinesis, we used to have a lab and she was on it, she did great, but then I read about beet pulp and how it can be used as an artificial stool firmer and if they get gastrointestinal problems you’d never know because of that ingredient. Finally, my last choice was Solid Gold Barking at the moon high in protein and low in carbohydrates, but I saw on another discussion that orijen has way less grains than Solid gold soo I chose Orijen for now… (blue was on solid gold lil boss & had borderline diarrhea and pooped about 5 times a day)… Would anyone like to give input on the dog food choices? I also saw Natures Logic, but carbohydrates are about 35%.. (all percentages are from the food analysis on this website)

Crushed pineapple? hmm, canned or fresh? Sounds like a good idea!
I guess I could walk him more, he has great stamina, like amazing, he can out-walk me – after 2 miles I call it a day lol (momma gets tired)

[Strict] Scooping the poop looks like its the go – to plan for me at this moment, even if the pineapple and new dog food doesn’t work… It seems to me that my dog blue is like a baby lol (always need changing the diaper aka picking up the poop)

[FIREMAN29]

Hello, I’m new to this forum but desperately need some help. I have a 5 1/2 month old almost 60 lb amstaff male who has constant on and off diarrhea. I apologize for the lengthiness but theres a bit of a back story to give context. We got him as a rescue by proxy. His mother was rescued by a firefighter friend of mine when she wondered into the firehouse one day. Little did he know that this 9 month old sweetie was preggers. Nonetheless, he took her in, had the litter in his home and posted the puppies up for adoption. My wife and I wanting to get a rescue naturally jumped at the chance to take a pitty home with us. He was 6 weeks old and 6.5 lbs and they had already been weaned and eating Purina Beyond Superfood Blend Salmon flavor. Once that was done, we did the 10 day transition to Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy food and he loved it. One day around 10 weeks old he just stopped eating his food and refused to eat it. We contacted our vet and she suggested switching foods, we took the opportunity to switch him to a grain-free and healthier brand (Blue Buffalo Wilderness) once again using the previously mentioned transition method. The transition went fine and he loved the food. Then around 12 weeks he started having diarrhea every second or third day with the days in-between having normal stools. (Mind you, he also was having terrible allergic reactions to his vaccinations and was constantly on prednisone, benedryl, flagyl, and a probiotic). So we figured his digestive issues stemmed from his vaccine issues. His last vaccination was in the second week of February so its been two months. In that time he’s been teething, causing untold destruction, and still having those digestive issues along with a reduction in how much he’s been eating. We’ve done the chicken and rice to help his stomach several times as well so that he’ll eat.

Most recently, the vet gave us a canned food designed for digestive management to use for a week that would help his stomach out. She suggested that the Blue Buffalo may be too rich for his stomach and that we may need to find another brand. I spoke at length with my local pet store manager (Pet Supplies Plus) about this matter and he gave me several suggestions that would possibly help me. So I brought home a small bag of Wellness Complete Health Puppy Food and the pet stores brand called Redford Naturals for all life stages. Once he had constant solid stools with he canned food we began the transition to the Redford brand using the canned food as well. He seemed to be doing very well with the new food and eating it like he used to when he was a small puppy; till today when he started having diarrhea again for his second morning poop.

This is incredibly frustrating, and I have no idea where to go from here. We can’t afford to get him wet/canned food as he would go through it way to fast. And we want the best health for him so that he can have a long healthy life with us. If there is anyone who can help with this we would appreciate it immensely! Thank you.

[Erin P]

OK a week and a half ago I took Laiya to the vet her lymphs were swollen on neck, over shoulders back of hind legs and two on her lower stomach, those on her stomach looked as if they’d dropped were red swollen like a cyst I thought were gonna pop and leak so took her in and I wanted to find out what the cause was I’ve read so much finding out her skin issues as well as swollen lumps were because of something else going on,so if I could find that out I’d know better how to help. I mean if she has a bacterial or fungal infection whether she had cancer or not seems it should be cleared up! But no skin sample or blood was taken they didn’t listen to her heart or lungs. Just said looks like cancer. Took a fluid sample from swollen lymph on belly then told me she had about 3weeks to live! She never had symptoms! Never lost weight ,she seems fine except for swollen lymphs. There’s days you can tell she doesn’t feel good its killing me,I’m trying to feed her a good clean diet! Confused with some things such as meat being really bad for cancer because cancer cells use meat protein to feed and grow and none wants that! When I’d took her in to vet she had been switched to soft wet food because I thought her neck being swollen seeing maybe it was hard to chew. So yes at that time she had diareah and her little bing hole was red swollen as well I also noticed how her skin around her lil toottoot was sticking to her self the sweat well it was looking like it was blistered. She used to lay in her back when she slept therefore got air down there now she can’t because it affects her breathing so I can’t exactly put powder on it! I did wrong in some ways by spoiling her heck she won’t allow me to inspect on her! Or cut her nails! I want to do the best for her can anyone tell me anything! Should I take her to another vet andvi insist on bloodwork!? I mean isn’t there an underlying cause of swollen lymphs in the first place! Why wouldn’t they want to treat that!? All they did was give me prednisone for 1week it ran out yesterday, tramadol for pain and antibiotics. Right now I really need to know what I can feed her she’s so hungry more than before!

[Chandra E]

Last week I adopted a German Shepherd puppy. He was approximately nine weeks old. I had read up on how to feed him raw (learned about it from a friend who also has a GSD) and thought I had a good plan in mind but now I’m running into issues.
I started him off on turkey and he did great. Poops were perfect. I had about two days worth of meals on turkey when I switched him to chicken, despite what had been advised because when I returned to the grocery store for more turkey they were out but I was sold on the 10 pound bag of chicken quarters, much cheaper.
I think he was still doing alright on that until I added liver. Immediately after his first and only liver meal (it was about 70% may and 30% liver) I was reading more on the raw diet for puppies specifically and found that it was advised not to feed them offal at first because it can give them runny stools. Indeed, his next poop was runny.
I thought I should balance this with more bone and then read that the knuckles can cause blockages. After he didn’t poop for a day I panicked (probably prematurely) and gave him about a tablespoon of canned pumpkin, having read that it will serve as a laxative for him. I had to mix it with the plain yogurt he had been receiving in his Kong for him to eat it. (Possibly the yogurt is a problem too) this is his fourth day on the chicken, two days of runny stools… I keep trying to read what I can but was hoping somebody could give me a direct course of action to take from here.
Do I just need to wait for the organs and pumpkin to clear out of his system? Quit with the yogurt? Is it too soon to say his body doesn’t like chicken? To avoid further complications I have fed him meat only for the day, when should I go back to bone?
Sorry for the mess, much appreciation in any help given!

[Dennis M]

Hi Vanessa,

Thanks for your post. Long story short, since we weren’t getting anywhere with our regular vet, whom we really do like, I took our boy into a neurologist today. Based on physical exam, watching a video of an episode I taped, and a lengthy question and answer session, including the fact that all the GI meds made no difference, the official diagnosis was partial complex seizure. I felt somewhat vindicated, as I slowly started to lean that direction over the past year or so, since I read an online post of this diagnosis in another dog. Partial complex seizures don’t mainfest the same way in all dogs — our boy happens to be the rapid swallowing and gulping, and looking for things to eat. We did not do an MRI or electro-something as the Dr didn’t feel they would yield anything. In the Dr’s 40 years of practice, he’s only seen this swallowing disorder a dozen or so times, so it’s pretty rare — but not unheard of! He most recently successfully treated a dog with the same issue — seizures went from several times a week, to a couple times a year.

So leaving the office I felt mixed emotions — hopeful — that maybe after 8+ years, we’ve finally found the answer. Sadness, that I felt like I’ve let my dog down all that time. But I have died trying! My advice to everyone who has this issue — trust your instinct. You are your fur-kid’s best advocate. If GI meds are not working, and your pet’s behavior fits this description, it’s worth investigating with a neurologist. General vets can be wonderful, but they don’t have the knowledge or clinical practice that a neuro has. My personal opinion, is that all these fur-kids struggling with seemingly seizure disorders might have a link to either vaccines and/or monthly flea/tick products. From everything I’ve read, we sometimes over-vaccinate, and I don’t want to put toxic pesticides on my dog, if it’s harmful to my own skin. So a couple years ago, we went natural with those things. Diatomaceous Earth and sprays to keep bugs off him. Again, just my personal feeling.

I’ll conclude with treatment regimen. We got a prescrption for Levetiracetum (Keppra) extended release. It has less side-effects than phenobarbital, but is slightly less effective, especially over the long-term. But better to start with the least side-effect option, especially for an older dog. The “trial” is 6-9 months and we need to continue to monitor and track. If that doesn’t work, we could then go to phenobarbital, which I am concerned about. Alters personality for a couple months until the body adjusts. So have some real thinking to do, but feel like we finally have some answers. I’ll re-post with any developments. Please let me know if you have questions. Best to you all!

[Sheila H]

I went to Wyson Vegan checked the (huge) ingredient list (snore…). No fish oil or fish is listed but it does contain Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils. These generally come from fish.
Another thing to try is to make your own food. I did this for one of our dogs and i recommend it only if you have a lot of patience. There are many good books on this subject. My favorite was “Home-Prepared Dog and Cat Diets,” by Donald R. Strombeck, DVM, PhD. At the time I also subscribed to a Yahoo group called Totally Home Cooking. They had many diets available as spreadsheets and you could enter your dog’s weight and age and customize them. I can’t find it now, though. Most of those dog owners pets were afflicted with IBS. If I had not hooked up with Annamaet, which does contain a human grade fish oil, menhaden, I would start looking into home prep again. It will not be kibble, but where does it say dogs must have kibble? Especially if you have special needs.
On the other hand, if all that bothers you is fish breath you could start brushing your dog’s teeth…Good luck.

[anonymously]

http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pd

excerpt below from: http://www.2ndchance.info/Apoquel.htm
Food Allergies are probably over-diagnosed in dogs (they account for, perhaps 5-10%). Hypoallergenic diets are occasionally, but not frequently, helpful in canine atopy cases but you should always give them a try. Food intolerances are more common – but considerably more likely to result in digestive disturbances and diarrhea than in itching problems.

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

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

Hope this helps, try the search engine here for more threads “allergies”

[Bobby dog]

Hi Kristen L:
I took a look at the food your pup likes, the consistency reminds me of some cat foods I feed. Not quite a stew IMO, a little thicker and more finely chopped than some foods I feed my dog.

Where do you shop? Do you have a budget you need to follow? I can check out my dog food spreadsheet and see if I’ve fed anything similar. I feed many different brands, recipes, and forms of wet food so I might have some suggestions for you.

[Kristen L]

Because of the recent recalls (I have 10 unused tubs) and the fact that I’m now reading all kinds of people saying how bad it is, I’m trying to switch my dog from Baneful prepared meals/chopped blends in the tub. My problem is she is a SUPER picky eater. For months she barely ate anything as I tried all sorts of wet food to find something she likes. There are even some benefuls that she refuses to eat. She will also eat Ceasars, which again I know isn’t not great for her, but only if it the home blends. She will only eat food that is watery it seems. I do mix her wet food with dry food, but that is the only way she eats dry. I am asking if anyone can recommend a wet food that will taste or be similar to these foods. I tried Rachel Rays Nutrish because it looked so similar, but she sniffed it and wouldn’t go near it. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[haleycookie]

Idk if I should keep asking for help here but it seems a bit easier then starting new threads everytime and perhaps if we keep this thread busy we will be noticed and get our kitty food advisor site. Anyway I have no problem feeding my dog good foods as she’s not picky and has a great appetite but I’ve seem to run into problems with my three cats. I’ve switched over to just raw and canned and they’ve been doing good but it seems they’re getting burned out of the types of caned I buy them. I work at a pet shop and I love adventuring to other pet boutiques and stores and looking for other good brands of food from the five star brands here on dfa. It’s easy to find my dog good foods for her rotation diet but buying cat food I find is a bit different as each can can vary in quality and what not. I feed my cats wellness core, wellness signature selects, instinct, lotus, weruva, and holisic select. Where I work supplies the wellness and instinct but I do venture out and get the other brands and I order weruva from time to time. However my kitties seem to be getting tired of this line up and are leaving their bowls almost full when I go to clean up their bowls. Does anyone have suggestions on grain free and fish free canned cat foods? I’ve been thinking of natural balance wild pursuit and blue wilderness, but I’ve been weary of blue since they’ve been found to be lying about what they put in there foods. Any easy suggestions where I can either buy individual cans or order them singly that would be very helpful. Thank you. 🙂

[Susan]

Hi, I’ve learnt one thing never listen to anyone, go straight to person/company & ask them..Taste of The Wild have added Peas & Garbanzo beans October 2015 to their Pacific Stream kibble….It says “New Enhanced Formula” on the bag….maybe that’s what happened & people were bringing back the new formula cause it wasn’t agreeing with their dogs cause of the peas & garbanzo beans…

I have just started introducing the Pacific Stream about 1 month ago & was real worried after I read complaints in the DFA review section, dogs were having sloppy diarrhea poos, probably from the sudden food changed of kibble, owners didn’t read the bag, where it says “New Enhanced Formula” some dogs wouldn’t eat their kibble & it was lighter in colour since the peas & garbanzo beans were added…
…..Patch had started their old formula of Pacific stream, so I rung the online pet store, where I had order the first bag from & ordered the last of their small bags old formula, all the large bags were all sold out & I was worried the new order that just came in were bags of kibble with the new ingredients…also the online pet store had already up dated the new ingredients of Pacific Stream on the page. I thought oh no, I’ll be ordering the new Pacific Stream that dogs aren’t too happy about then Patch will be having sloppy yellow poos….

TOTW Pacific Stream is a best seller in Australia, TOTW Pacific Stream is the only grain free kibble without peas, lentils, chickpeas, tapioca & garbanzo beans…it has sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, blueberries & raspberries….. So I email TOTW on face book, saying why have they started to add peas & garbanzo beans, it’s a best seller in Australia, its the only grain free kibble with out peas, garbanzo beans, tapioca & so many dogs with EPI & IBD are doing so well on the Pacific Stream…… TOTW must of gotten a few complaints in America & the UK, I live Australia ….. then I email the Australian company that imports TOTW they knew nothing about this ingredient change, it must of worried the lady, she emailed me back a few days later & said TOTW Vice president of sales rung her back thru the night & said Australia will NOT be getting the added peas & garbanzo beans she seemed very happy & sent me a small box of 3 X all their formulas samples…..I did a lot of emailing that week but it was worth it….
My boy has IBD & Skin problems for 3 yrs I’ve tried raw, cooked, wet tin & kibbles, I never tried the TOTW Pacific Stream cause of what people have said about Diamond & the fat is 15% I thought the higher fat will make Patches acid Reflux worse… cause I had run out of 4-5 star kibbles to try with limited ingredients, then I finally tried TOTW Pacific stream, it’s the only kibble that has stopped Patches acid reflux & he’s doing firm beautiful small poo’s he not whinging with his pain right side after eating, I don’t have to soak the kibble in water, his coat is looking so shinny & he’s put on weight & he only needs 2 cups a day for a 18kg 40lb dog & people are commenting how good he’s looking…. I’m introducing the Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb at the moment, I was worried cause it has peas & egg, I thought he’d get his wind pain from the peas & egg but there’s been no farts, no wind pain…so now he has 2 formulas that he can eat….
Here’s a video of the TOTW plant, its their new California plant so if your kibble is coming from here it looks pretty clean to me… http://diamondpetcompany.com/#facilities

[theBCnut]

There are quite a number of people here with dogs that have food sensitivities that results in itching, rashes, staph infections, hotspots, anal gland fluid overproduction, sebum overproduction, etc., including my dog. I put him on an elimination diet and as soon as I got him off of the foods he reacts to all symptoms ceased. His symptoms only ever return when he is given a food that he reacts to, so yes, food sensitivities do result in the symptoms you are seeing, so it is definitely something to look into.

If it is a food issue, with a properly run elimination diet, you can easily tell if the dog is reacting to certain foods. The only time there is difficulty is if there are also skin allergies that are causing the exact same responses. Those allergies tend to be seasonal. That’s how you know whether or not you are dealing with skin allergies. Also, certain types of allergies are recognizable due to where on the body the dog is reacting. That’s one area where a good vet comes in. They get to recognize those signs very quickly.

You will notice that I use the term food sensitivity rather than allergy. If you read some of the many threads here about food allergies and food sensitivities, you will see that vets often use the terms interchangeably, but we are talking about different things due to the differences in the dog’s immune system. The different types of food sensitivities that dogs experience are because they may have several different types of immune responses, IgA, IgE, IgM, and others. The “true” allergy causes hives, localized swelling, breathing difficulty, anaphylactic shock and is rare. Food sensitivities may result from damage to the gut lining and cause itching, redness, heat, sebum(skin oil glands) overproduction, staph infections and hotspots, etc. Food intolerances cause symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, colitis, gas, abdominal pain, etc. They are all different, but they are all immune problems and get lumped into the term allergies. And many vets try to treat them all the same with drugs that are not good for the dog, instead of trying to get to the cause of the problem.

[ilse]

Hi, all:

Just found this forum trying to dig up info on anal sac issues. My redbobe coonhound rescue (approx 2 years old) had developed a problem. Vet has expressed twice, has offered surgery … but I want to solve this wholistically.

He isn’t overweight, but I read that weight can be a problem, so I’ve put him on a bit of a diet, trying to take off a few pounds

He is eating grain free, mostly canned with some kiblle (go limited ingreditents) (well, except for treats and sharing bits from my plate), I usually feed him Duck as main protein or else whitefish, main brands Wellness Simple, Cocolicious, and some others (I try to mix). I do feed pumpkin, and lately grated raw carrot (found that idea online), some omega 3 fish oil, occasionally yogurt….

His stools are good, but lately he seems to be very itchy also, scratching ears and chewing legs a bit.

Just googled and saw that apparently there is a test for food sensitivity (not allergy). Anyone done that? Good results in finding out what could be cause?

Thank you in advance. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

ilse

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by ilse.

[Jenn H]

I know I’m very spoiled living in an area where I do have a lot of options. Being near Boston I can go right to Tufts (one of the best vet schools) in an emergency.
There’s so many different vets and emergency animal hospitals. I guess I assume it’s common.

Believe me I know phone consults can be very expensive. As if vet care isn’t expensive enough already.

Personally I wouldn’t change foods w/o slow transition, but you know your dog better than anyone. Even the vet. Follow your own instinct.
Remember you are your dog’s advocate. He needs you to be his voice. Make it heard. I’m not a confrontational person, but eventually I ran out of patience. I told them that I was done seeing my girl sick and they needed to stop blaming everything on Lyme and find the solution. Doctors don’t like to think they are wrong. Sometimes they need to be humbled.
While I still ended up with an umbrella diagnosis at least I got them to successfully treat the symptoms without pushing their agenda.

[melissa p]

Thanks for the info and Put love. I have done hours of dog food research as well as colitis amd allergens . I try and educate myself as much as possible. I know thete is no hypoallergenic dog good persay I should have rephrase that to l.i.d dog food that’s high quality with no controversial ingredients or more so things like Ethoxyquin which I have found on the label of both Vet brand foods i.e. Hills and Royal Canin. My issue is my vets only reasoning to my suggestion of other brands is ” he doesn’t know them”. I have called around to other vets to see who had dog nutrition experience and I’ve gotten. Shot down. To me is insane a vet in school really doesn’t get any training in nutrition so I an lost I guess because the only reasoning I hey as to why he should be on it is because it’s “easy ” to digest but I read endless research and articles saying majority of its ingredients aren’t good for ibd/colitis dogs plus allergies.

I appreciate the input both of you and to answer the other question I’m told by multiple vets/ my dog food store owner (had severe colitis dog that is so bad she’s debated putting to sleep it’s that horrific) but they all say allergy testa are a waste because they aren’t that accurate. Example I’ve gotten an allergy test and the suppose allergens I don’t react to its more of a broad possibility. He definitely is allergic to chicken as I’ve tried chicken California natural. As well as lamb and rice 2 different brands. Salmon and pea. And now kangaroo and red lentil which he does well on nixed with an i.d. food but he’s allergic to it ( realized whwn fed just that when had a flare up, became tomato red and itching also hot spots ) then tried hamburger a nd rice mixes. Diarreah when on both separated and mixed after 3 weeks. Tried oatmeal still upset tummy. . Also I’ve read hydrogolized diets can actually hurt your dog because it just tricks rhere body ans masks the issue so I figured that’s why he pooped normal but was still breaking out in staph infection from licking hot spots on hills I.d

Biggest current issue idk what to feed him right now after his bloody poop the other day and lethargy all today and still mucus off colored poop today but it was firm atleast. I caved and got the potato and venison canned but he’s never had it so I’m worries will thay make his flare up worse???

My vet tech who knows nothing said feed it straight but I’m afraid to ..let me.say tho I like my vet I don’t dislike him..I don’t appreciate having to feel like my vet is going against me is my issue..he should listen to my concerns and not force feed me thete dog food they sell is all.

Thanks:) just very overwhelmed my dogs mu baby I wan t him to not just survive nut thrive and live a healthy long life

[Dennis M]

Hello All,

We have an 11-year old Wheaten Terrier who has struggled with fits of gulping/rapid swallowing “episodes” since he was a year or so old. I have read more and more of folks saying their vets are diagnosing this condition as “complex partial seizures” or “limbic seizures.” Something that causes a rapid — seemingly involuntary — swallowing. But he always remains conscious — buy clingy. It can happen weeks apart, or a few months apart, but always several times a year. And when it starts, it continues overnight (he doesn’t sleep) and into a second or even third day, gradually dissipating. He swallows so hard (in rapid succession) that his neck/head lurches forward a little bit each time — almost like a hiccup. Our vet and GI specialist we saw were convinced he has IBS / reflux issues and we’ve tried all sorts of remedies around that diagnosis, but nothing seems to help. They’ve never seen him do it in person, but have seen a video of him doing it. Our regular vet is perplexed, but initially suspected reflux. The specialist indicated food allergies, but doesn’t make sense if he eats the same thing each day, and fully recovers on the same food that purportedly causes the issue. We never did a scope, because we kept searching for answers around food and reflux meds. And some years, its only happened a few times. Here are the reasons we are leaning toward seizure (from putting pieces together) and not reflux: happens on all sorts of food brands (high quality), protein sources, canned and kibble; totally random; happens even feeding three small meals; two Pepcids given before each meal doesn’t prevent, nor does Pepcid, Cerenia (anti-nausea), or Sucralfate (Carafate — a anti-ulcer drug) combination help to prevent, stop or shorten an episode once its begun. We immediately withhold meals during an episode and give him the above meds — but he still continues to swallow/gulp and not sleep all night. We ask ourselves if reflux/GI related why wouldn’t these meds help within a few hours?

He really doesn’t have any diarrhea or straight vomiting issues. Maybe once or twice a year, he might vomit out of the blue, but it does NOT involve a gulping episode – so it seems gulping and vomiting are not the same. Simply being nauseous shouldn’t cause the involuntary rapid-fire swallowing and licking we see. Reflux would cause burning sensation and discomfort up into the esophagus, but again, if a double dose of Pepcid does nothing, I again lean towards seizure. As one member wrote — it’s so true — it seems like it’s something happening to them they can’t control, even though they are fully conscious.

Can anyone say if they’ve had success treating as a seizure? How or what tests did your vet do to make this diagnosis? What seizure meds have been used and any bad side effects? We’d be the happiest parents in the world if we could finally solve this mystery — and educate others having the same problem! Thanks so much!

[Dennis M]

Hello All,
We have an 11-year old Wheaten Terrier who has struggled with fits of gulping/rapid swallowing since he was a year or so old. I have read more and more of folks saying their vets are diagnosing this condition as “complex partial seizures” or “limbic seizures.” Something that causes a rapid — almost involuntary — swallowing. But he always remains conscious — buy clingy. It can happen weeks apart, or a few months apart, but always several times a year. And when it starts, it continues overnight (he doesn’t sleep) and into a second or even third day, gradually dissipating. He swallows so hard that his neck/head lurches forward a little bit each time — almost like a hiccup. Our vet and GI specialist we saw were convinced he has IBS / reflux issues and we’ve tried all sorts of remedies around that diagnosis, but nothing seems to help. The specialist indicated food allergies, but doesn’t make sense if he eats the same thing each day, and fully recovers on the same food that purportedly causes the issue. Here are the reasons we are leaning toward seizure (from putting pieces together) and not reflux: happens on all sorts of food brands (high quality), protein sources, canned and kibble; totally random; happens even feeding three small meals; two Pepcids given before each meal doesn’t prevent, nor does Pepcid, Cerenia (anti-nausea), or Sucralfate (Carafate — a anti-ulcer drug) combination help to prevent, stop or shorten an episode once its begun. We immediately withhold meals during an episode and give him the above meds — but he still continues to swallow/gulp and not sleep all night. We ask ourselves if reflux/GI related why wouldn’t these meds help within a few hours?

He really doesn’t have any diarrhea or straight vomiting issues. Maybe once or twice a year, he might vomit out of the blue, but it does NOT involve a gulping episode – so it seems gulping and vomiting are not the same. Simply being nauseous shouldn’t cause the involuntary rapid-fire swallowing and licking we see. Reflux would cause burning sensation and discomfort up into the esophagus, but again, if a double dose of Pepcid does nothing, I again lean towards seizure. As one member wrote — it’s so true — it seems like it’s something happening to them they can’t control, even though they are fully conscious.

Can anyone say if they’ve had success treating as a seizure? How or what tests did your vet do to make this diagnosis? What seizure meds have been used and any bad side effects? We’d be the happiest parents in the world if we could finally solve this mystery — and educate others having the same problem! Thanks so much!

[Alexis Y]

Wow! You guys are amazing in your knowledge! I have just added my first Irish Wolfhound puppy to our family 2 days ago. I originally started reading this forum because I want to ensure she receives the best food I can provide. Her breeders started her on wellness just for puppies canned food at the time of weaning. They suggested Wilderness puppy for dry food, but after reading the previous posts, that won’t be happening. Can anyone give me a good suggestion on what to feed her. Her stool is soft serve like and I’d love to remedy that if possible. She seems happy with the wet food, but, is there a benefit to wet vs dry? I’d prefer to feed dry food as I’ve always had better experience with dry with previous pups(none have been as large as she will be).
I live in a very small town and I’m not sure how experienced our vet is with this breed. Though she has always been great with my other babies, this little girl is a bit less common and a lot bigger(eventually) than my other babes have been.
I want to give this little girl the best beginning to ensure a long, happy healthy life.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[Mallary P]

Hi all:

My beloved (spayed) Shih Tzu will be 9 years old this year and I’ve recently [this month] switched her to the Fromm Surf and Turf Grain Free food, which she seems to enjoy. My dog has LOTS of food allergies and we spent about two years plus lots of trial/error to find her a good food. In the beginning the vet had her on Science Diet and steroids for about a week, but that was not a long term solution. She gets whelps (almost like acne) all over her and it’s very itchy. Poor baby. For a long time, she was on Nature’s Recipe limited Ingredient Chicken and Sweet Potato Food. She did well on it [no breakouts], but it wasn’t as great when I read the report on her. Given that she is moving into her senior years, I want to make sure she has the best quality everything because I love her and I want her around for a long time. She gets a decent amount of exercise for a Shih Tzu and is a good weight–according to the vet.

I see some of the forums on here suggesting that they given their dogs different high quality foods in rotation. She’s really enjoying Fromm, but I would like to give her another high quality food to give her some variety. Any recommendations? Acana, Orijen, etc?

She generally does better with Chicken, Salmon, and duck. Beef, Pork, and too much diary has proven to be no-nos in our house. She loves raw carrots as a treat and antler bones to chew. Sometimes I give her high quality canned food, so if I could get both kibble/ canned food recommendations that would be great!

[Pitlove]

Well, I had a more indepth explanation for you about THK Jenn, however I apparently tried to close a tab on my browser and it closed this tab too. Regardless, my conclusion is based on my further investigation after reading Aimee and several others comments about their nutritional inadequacy on THK review. My boss was considering bringing this food into work and I wanted to check it out. What I did find out is that Aimee’s conclusions where correct. Several of their diets report below NRC mins (I side by side compared the NA on THK website to the 2014 NRC nutrient profiles) on key nutrients like Methionine and Riboflavin. I don’t think those facts have anything to do with Aimee or her being “a fan of Purina”. 🙂

As for Nulo, I could not find who manufactures for them. What I did find though, was emails to the company from a poster on another dog food forum, where the company stated that they could not disclose their manufacturer. Shoot them an email for me and see if you have better luck though. Til then I can’t recommend them.

[Jenn H]

My heart breaks for you. I too lost a guy fairly recently to HSA on the right aorta. He was what I called a better behaved 8 month old. He was actually a very young, funny, happy, mischievous at times 8 y/o. He was diagnosed 2 wks after turning 8.
That dog never had a bad day. He was never sick either. He was so perfect in so many ways.
Luckily I had vets who knew what it was we were dealing with and advised against surgery. It may have bought him more time, but it likely would not have had the quality that managing it gave him.
HSA is an incredibly sneaky disease. 1 of his vets said it’s usually the tumor rupturing and bleeding out that ends their life as opposed to the cancer cells.
Usually by the time really noticeable/worrisome symptoms show the tumor is already at a size where removal is likely too risky.

I hope soon you will be able to enjoy the memories of your time together. That is his gift to you.
Take the lesson you have learned and forgive yourself for being merely human without all the answers. You did exactly what you believed to be in his best interest then made the hardest decision anyone ever has to make. Your actions were selfless and kind. I’m sure he wouldn’t want you beating yourself up. If it happens again you now know the subtle signs of the disease.
Be as kind to yourself as you were to him.

[Freddy w]

Your welcome Curtis

Well after do research after research
I’m trying flax seed(ground)
And I mix some with there food

Also goats milk(a little)
And it seems to help

Fiber seems to get right into there system and firm the stools right up
I’ve already seem that at least there firming up some

Try to use a little fiber with each meal for awhile 3 to 4 days
Seems to help 😊

You can get the flax seed at Walmart pharmacy area
Or online
I’m still waiting on perfect form to show up
At my door

I will update !!

[Pitlove]

Hi Jazzlover-

I would have a look back at Aimee’s posts in this thread. She has it completely right about yeast. There is far too much misformation on the internet about yeast and some of it is even perpecuated by vets like Dr. Becker.

As Aimee mentioned previously, carbs DO NOT in fact feed yeast. Yeast infections are secondary to a primary cause. For instance in my pitbulls case, his hypersensitivities to certain ingredients in food like beef and duck cause him to get yeast infections under his nail beds, inbetween his digits and in his ears. He also has break outs around his mouth like acne and his mouth and inbetween his digits gets bright red and raw.

My boy has been completely yeast free for a few months now and he is not on raw and he is not on grain free. Raw and grain free are not automatically “anti-yeast” diets. Very common misconception that has been put out there on the internet as truth. Not all dogs need to go to raw or grain free to have their yeast issues solved. The key to treating yeast overgrowth is to find out the primary cause/trigger of the yeast overpopulation. Your dog naturally has yeast all over his/her body, but when something (like hypersensititivies or allergies) suppresses the immune system the body is off balance and can no longer keep the yeast from overpopulating. My dog does well on foods that have fish as the animal protein source and no wheat. He can eat other grains though without issue.

Also the only thing that has been clinically proven to kill yeast are shampoos that contain chlorhexidine gluconate, like Malaseb. There is no clinical proof that ACV kills yeast.

I’d like to add also that it will be much more difficult to treat the yeast if the primary trigger is environmental.

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

[Shawna]

Here’s another doctor on acid reflux (and heartburn) if interested. This is in humans but holds true for our pets too.

“The Myth About Heartburn
It’s commonly believed that heartburn is the result of overeating. And although 116 million Americans may overeat, the size of the meal has no scientific correlation with the frequency of heartburn.
Then we must be producing too much stomach acid, you say. Having too much acid production is very rare. In fact, the opposite is the case. In most people, stomach acid decreases with age.

What Causes Heartburn?
In order to cure acid reflux disease, you must remove the cause of the problem and promote the healing process. The following are the most common causes:

Food allergies: In my practice I have found that a majority of cases of heartburn are caused by food allergies. Food allergies often cause a host of other problems and can be diagnosed with a simple blood test.

Foods: certain foods cause the lower esophageal sphincter to relax, thus leading to heartburn. These include peppermint, coffee, alcohol and chocolate.

Hiatal hernia: This is a physical condition where part of the stomach protrudes through the diaphragm. It can generally be reduced without surgery, though even when present it is not necessarily the sole cause of heartburn

Low Acid Production: Ironically, low stomach acid levels can result in heartburn. This is much more common than increased acid. This problem can be assessed clinically and is readily treatable.

Medications: Many medications cause heartburn as a side-effect, including, several acid blockers. These include:

Acid Blockers: Prevacid, Prilosec, Zantac, etc.
Asthma inhalers (beclamethasone, flovent, etc).
Corticosteroids
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen.
Antianxiety medications, such as diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan).
Osteoporosis drugs such as alendronate (Fosamax).” http://www.centerforfoodallergies.com/gerd.htm#part1

[Shawna]

Here’s another take on acid reflux that is supported by many. This is from the website reflux.org and is written by a medical doctor – the bio says this about this doctor “Dr. Stephen Wangen is the co-founder and Medical Director of the IBS Treatment Center. He
lectures nationally and is the author of two books, “The Irritable Bowel Syndrome Solution,”
and the recently released “Healthier Without Wheat: A New Understanding of Wheat Allergies, Celiac Disease, and Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance.”

Dr. Wangen writes
“However, it’s not just a dairy allergy that can cause reflux. As we already discussed, gluten intolerance is also known to trigger reflux. (Note that reflux can be the only presenting symptom of celiac disease, the most researched form of gluten intolerance. But also note that you do not have to have celiac disease to be gluten intolerant.) In fact, any food can potentially trigger reflux. And the right kind of testing will point to the relevant food(s). But there are certain foods that come up more often than others as allergens. The top four food allergies that result in reflux are:

Dairy Egg Soy Gluten

But remember, it’s not the food that is the real problem. The real issue is how your body is reacting to that food rather than anything inherently bad in the food itself.” https://www.reflux.org/reflux/webdoc01.nsf/487b3ba0c2f1a4ff85256ff30009f061/cc3c84cff50a7a0b8525764e005d879b/$FILE/2009%20Summer%20Reflux%20Digest%20final%20to%20upload.pdf

Although these four foods may be the most likely to cause acid reflux, they are not the only ones that do. Additionally continuing the acid reducer can create further issues as acid is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for protein digestion. Protein malnutrition can happen with long term use of these acid reducers and a whole host of new symptoms can be caused by protein malnutrition. B12 absorption is also dependent on adequate acids in the stomach and B12 malnutrition will also cause some unusual and problematic symptoms.

[Joyce B]

Hi Marina. So glad your Frenchy is doing better! If you’re not already doing it, try digestive enzymes. I use Mercola’s and this has been a huge help for my 2-year old Pom with similar issues. All the things you’ve done have made all the difference for us too: lower protein and fat, limited ingredients, no poultry (for us turkey and egg specifically), and I give healthy snacks every 4 hours and before bed. Your Natural Balance diet – is that all dry? Kibble is the most difficult for dogs to digest. Can you substitute some of that with some good canned (without carrageenan) or raw? Keeping the fat low of course. We feed half dehydrated raw and half low-fat kibble and that works great. And lastly, any plans to wean your boy off the Prilosec? (I know alot of vets and owners swear by the acid reducers and PPIs but there are others that say not enough stomach acid can cause the sphincters to malfunction. Pepcid seemed to make my dog worse after a few days, although it helped my older dogs with other issues.) Best of luck and please keep us posted!

[Jenn H]

There’s a lot of theories floating around about when to switch a lg breed puppy to adult food. Because my GSDs are very active and use every bit of fat & protein I tend to keep them on lbp food longer than a yr. Usually up to 18 months. Or I’ll switch to an adult food for all life stages and/or lg breed adult. I’ve had dogs take 3 yrs to finish growing. (Usually unaltered males.)
No matter what food they are fed I keep the calcium as close to 1.5% or less until I am certain they are finished growing.

It’s fine to start them on joint supplements as early as 6 months. My 8 month old has already been on them for 2 months.
I prefer liquid since more of it is absorbed, but I’ve also had really great results from NuPro.
Cosequin is another brand that has worked great for a lot of my horses. They now make a version for dogs.

Things I look for in joint supplements is:
***glucosamine hydrochloride
*promotes healthy joints
*enhances body’s ability to produce collagen & joint fluid
*helps body to repair joint damage
***chondroitin sulfate
***MSM
*organic form of sulfur that connective tissue needs for maintenance
*HA

Whole food supplements w/ a lot of Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs):
•sea cucumber
•green-lipped mussel
•shark cartilage
•eggshell membrane
You’ll often find these listed as sources on labels of joint supplements. Especially the mussel & shark cartilage.

Take care to find out where ingredients are sourced blah blah blah like you would for dog food.

[TAMMY C]

P.S. One last comment, variety is “key”, in my research it is said (a happy medium here in the wide range of opinions) variety is key, you do not want to feed your Beloved the same thing day after day. This is important to know, for those who only have a Dog or two it makes your life easier in preparing meals, it is important for you to know because with this knowledge you’ll understand that you don’t need to try a fit every food type in a feeding to try and meet the Beloved’s requirements. In reality, in the wild, or even for us humans, as long as we are getting say within a given week a portion of many varieties of foods you get what your body needs. When you feed the same ingredients meal after meal that is where one can get into problems trying to meet the dietary requirements and of course the frustration trying to do so. Yes, I learned the hard way, hahahaha. I was trying to fit every food group in a given meal and it was not feasible for me. Than, reading a book I bought recently, “Home Cooking for Your Dog: 75 Holistic Recipes for a Healthier Dog” showed me the way……not trying to create the perfect meal of ingredients every single meal of the day, I was exhausted. And, where I live, very limited on available ingredients. Along, with available kibble.

[Jaxons Mom]

Hey everyone I’m brand new to raw feeding and I’m trying to learn as much as I can. Like all of you, feeding my lab mix pup the healthiest, most nutritious and enjoyable food and treats possible is extremely important. I think it would be fantastic if there was a thread for anyone who would be so kind to share any recipes they may have for homemade healthy treats that compliment a raw diet! Also I will be investing in a food dehydrator, so recipes & tips for making dehydrated treats is welcome as well.

I go through a lot of treats currently as I do 1-3 sessions daily that last anywhere from 5-15 minutes. I break them up to be pea sized, and I use dehydrated liver, but it gets pricey. Looking forward to trying out some recipes!!

[anonymously]

Have you checked the search engine at this site for “bladder stones”

Here is a good thread: /forums/topic/crystalstone-in-bladder/

Ask your vet if he thinks this product would be helpful? http://www.chewy.com/dog/k-plus-potassium-citrate-plus/dp/112519

The best thing you can do is to increase water intake and offer frequent bathroom breaks, opportunities to urinate. Sure, dogs can hold it, but that’s not good for this condition, You want to keep the bladder flushed. Stagnant conditions in the bladder are conducive to stone formation.

[Carlene]

I apologize for yet another lengthy post but it’s so interesting that many of our stories read the same…

I’ve been dealing with the gulpy air licks since my pit bull was around 1.5 years old. He is 6.5 now. He will gulp, air lick, hard swallow, stare at me like “help me!”, he grinds his teeth, he will vomit hand size piles of white foamy bile, sometimes dingy yellowish bile, eat grass, eat more grass, throw that up and then being exhausted, he will sleep for hours. If I’m at work while an episode happened, he will resort to carpet, socks, wicker baskets, whatever he could get in his mouth. In the early days, this happened maybe a couple of times every six months but I wasn’t too concerned. I mean we all occasionally get sick, right? But for the first couple of years, I did casually mention it to my vet at bi-annual appts and even joked about renaming him Stan (the South Park character who pukes all the time). Something else maybe worth mentioning is sometimes I would get home from work after being gone for 10 hours or so and he would puke his kibble. It was still in perfect little round pieces, just like it went in, except it’s wet. So ZERO digestion in 10 hours for whatever that’s worth. His episodes began to increase in both frequency and severity about 3 years ago. No rhyme or reason. No patterns. Nothing I have been able to pinpoint. The episodes are almost a daily occurrence now. I mention to friends “he had a good day today” instead of a bad day because they are so frequent. You can see it in his eyes, his head is down, he’s tired, his eyes are red, he’s drooly, he stretches his neck, and he’s very, very clingy. I honestly don’t even remember what the first treatment protocols were or what order we went in. But here are some of the things we’ve tried:

-Rubbing Trachea/Throat, Singing a song, Going for a walk. Basically distractions – works sometimes.
-Canned organic pumpkin or Plain Greek Yogurt to settle the tummy during an episode – would work sometimes
-Pepcid for acid reflux – seemed to work for a while
-Probiotics
-Elevated Food Bowl
-Pepcid with Carafate Slurries each morning and evening to coat the tummy before meals – maybe worked?
-Metronidazole/Amoxicillin combo for suspected Helicobacter Pylori – tested negative
-Complete Blood Panel
-Barium swallow with Xrays to examine the esophagus and rule out Megaesophagus – all clear
-Daily Prilosec OTC 20mg – works sometimes.
-Dry Kibble Changes – all over the map but all No Corn, Soy or Wheat – settled on Nutrisource Chicken for approx. 2 years –
-Canned food – makes it worse-
-No dry kibble for 6 months – I cooked for him. Chicken, Veggies, Rice. Worked well at first, and got worse toward the end of the 6 month period.
-Animal Communicator – don’t laugh. I was very skeptical too. But this lady I do not know told me that his tummy had been sick for a really long time and that he was tired. She also told me that his body required a warm protein rather than a cool protein. I switched him from Nutrisource Chicken (cold) to Nutrisource Lamb (warm). She also told me to try essential oils. She didn’t say what kind, she said to let him smell the unopened containers and he would be interested in the one his body needed, if he needed one at all. I met with an essential oils expert, did just what she said and let him do the picking. We went vial after vial while he would sniff and turn his head over & over again. Until he sniffed…and he didn’t turn away. He sniffed again. He sniffed all around that vial like I was holding a piece of meat. He nudged my hand. More like a shove than a nudge really. I turned the vial around to see what it was expecting something food related but it wasn’t, it was something called Digize. Digize is:“a dietary supplement that provides valuable aid for digestive concerns and helps support a healthy digestive system. Benefits and Uses: eases heartburn, calms upset stomach, alleviates diarrhea, minimizes bloating, comforts sickness associated with pregnancy, reduces discomfort while travelling, overcomes constipation, improves digestive function, eases acidity in body, and rids body of parasites.” Well I’ll be darned.
-Daily Prilosec/Carafate/Reglan regimen
-And Cerenia. This stuff works beautifully and at $15 per dose, is more expensive than pure gold.

I know I’ve forgotten a few things we tried, but we have tried a lot. In December 2015 he had had several pretty rough days in a row. I’d gotten home from work one eve and knew he wasn’t feeling well. I heard something weird, looked down at him standing in the kitchen and I see his teeth chattering, his body is stiff as a board, and he has this hard stare, like no one is in there. It was the weirdest thing that only lasted maybe 30 seconds, but it definitely happened. After it was over, it took him a good while to get his bearings back. He was so wobbly and confused. I texted my vet and she replied with “He’s just had a Focal Seizure.” I wonder if that’s somehow related to his gulpy air lick? Anyhow, because December was so bad for him I finally bit the money bullet and scheduled his Endoscopy, Biopsies, and Exploratory GI Surgery January 11th 2016. First off I want to say that I’ve done a TON of research too. I was convinced he had esophageal erosion, burns from the severe acid reflux, or big angry ulcers all over the lining of his stomach. Or stomach cancer. Yeah, that. So the results of the Endoscopy? The doc gives me a rundown. The esophagus looks perfect. The stomach looks perfect. Nothing in there at all (I did kind of expect a toy or something). The pyloris spincter looks good. The duodenum looks good, and the very beginning of the small intestine looks good. He said there doesn’t seem to be bile backing up into the stomach at all. So. Inconclusive. I couldn’t decide if that was good or bad news. I do know that I REALLY need an answer though.

Since the surgery, I’ve had him on a regimen of Prilosec/Carafate/Reglan but it seems like he was sicker after the surgery than before. Like the scope irritated something, I don’t know. Results of the biopsies came back and they confirmed IBD, which we already knew. Doc says more testing is needed with the next being for something called Myasthenia Gravis, a nerve/muscle disorder. We haven’t done this test yet, but it is our next medical step. Anyway, after doing a bunch more research and with Doc’s blessing of course, last Wednesday February 10th I changed his food again to a limited ingredient novel protein, Zignature Kangaroo. I took away ALL the treats too. Treats are now Kangaroo kibble. I also went to feeding him 3 small meals a day on as consistent of a schedule as I can. If his tummy is empty, he gets gulpy licky. If his tummy is too full, he pukes. So day 1 on the Kangaroo, Wednesday, was a good day. Thursday was a good day. Friday was a good day. Saturday I discontinued the Carafate and Reglan but continuing the Prilosec. So far the good days have continued. Today is day 8 of “a good day”. I hope this lasts and I want to be positive, but I know the odds are not in our favor. Just one more theory, one more trial, grasping at more straws. I’ll definitey be looking more into the magnesium deficiency and Bilious Vomiting Syndrome that were mentioned earlier in the thread. At some point we have got to figure this out. Seems like none of us are giving up so I’d say we have a pretty good chance.

*One word of warning about the Kangaroo. It stinks. It makes his breath stink, his poops are dense and alfalfa’ish smelling, and it digests quicker than other kibbles. And did I mention it stinks? Wish us luck and thank you for all your comments, for reading, and caring…

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

[Bev A]

Bitty’s BUN was extremely high 3 months ago. I started the Nitrogen Trapping as Shawna suggested and it is working. Her BUN is still very high but it has come down and the creatinin is back where it should be. Thanks Shawna. I am continuing the Nitrogen trapping to hopefully bring it down further.
So the Latest blood work has shown something new. Her Globulin level is high. And the Albumin level is low. I know teeth can be part of the trouble and she is notorious for her bad teeth, as tiny poodles tend to be. However at 14 we fear putting her out so are not addressing that problem. She has lost the majority of her teeth already. Her appetite has improved greatly, I am so happy to report. At times she doesn’t want to eat but I give her tummy meds and after a bit she will eat. No left overs, she hates that but she will eat. Her kidneys are holding up better and no more diapers. Yes! I am not aware of holistic vets around here but sure there must be. But are there suggestions on how to further correct the blood work? Thanks every, I love this site,

[Sadie’s Mom]

SB,

I recently read the Blue Wilderness will not release where their food is made. Also, I keep seeing reports of dogs getting sick on it. Sadie likes it well enough, but I cannot justify spending $25 on 4 pounds of dog food when I can get 12-15 pounds of a comparable brand for the same price. But I am on a strict budget, so that obviously alters my opinion on foods.

[El]

Hi Sadie’s Mom

I’m so sorry that your pup is not feeling well 🙁

I’ve read your current posts, and your previous posts about Sadie’s “slipped disc”. Pitlove was right on target when she told you;

“More often than not, when a dog that was once a very food motivated dog suddenly stops wanting to eat with the same enthusiasim, there is something wrong medically”

In Sadie’s case, a 9 year old overweight Dachshund with disc problems, her back is going to be a problem area for sure! Whether there is something else going on, I can’t say.

When you take her to the vet on Tuesday, I would have him do a complete physical (if possible) and a senior blood panel, with a urine analysis (if possible). I would make sure he checks out her back, her teeth, as well as the the rest of her.

– Moistening her kibble could help if she has an oral problem

– Adding canned food could also help if she has an oral problem, and it will also boost the overall quality of her diet. I would mix it in thoroughly so she can’t eat the canned without eating the kibble. For your other dogs you could mix in a little less.

– Please try to get her on the lean side, please, please, please.

I hope that Sadie feels better soon 😉

[JeffreyT]

Hi minnie-mama, congratulations! Havanese is a great breed, very much like maltese, which I have.

Here’s some good information on the importance of a rotational diet. I changed my pups’ diet a few days after they came home and used probiotics, enzymes and pumpkin to avoid stomach issues, and still use first two for good digestion and to keep their immune systems strong.
/frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/

Dr. Karen Becker’s newsletter gives excellent nutritional advice, and I use the Mercola enzymes, probiotics, krill oil and multi vitamin she recommends. Mercola also makes a natural flea and tick repellent that is the best smelling one I’ve used, and it works.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/07/21/13-pet-foods-ranked-from-great-to-disastrous.aspx

I highly recommend the book Scared Poopless to help avoid cancer and other diseases later on. The author’s website is loaded with helpful advice on avoiding vaccine overdose (especially important for small dogs), and how to do heart worm meds safely.
http://www.dogs4dogs.com/

Mine get a variety of the five star freeze dried and dehydrated foods (all you have to do is add water) with some home prepared meals using Dr. Harvey’s premix and organic meat already made from Whole Foods. Their main meal consists of these foods, and at night they get a light meal of dry and a topper like lean meat, egg yolk, yogurt, cottage cheese, goat cheese, a sprinkle of parmesan, a sardine from the can or ground salad or vegetables (never feed onion). As long as you keep toppers and treats under 20% of their daily intake, the diet will stay balanced.

I always get grain-free and gmo-free foods. Their favorite dry foods are air dried like Ziwi Peak, Real Meat Food Co, Only Natural Max Air Dried and Wellness Core Air Dried. Some of the better kibble foods that my picky ones have eaten are Petcurean Go Now, Farmina, Amicus and Wellness Trufood Baked. You can call the companies to get samples, and make sure to get the small breed puppy formula. I always buy the smallest bags, and do not keep food over one month because it starts to go rancid.

The treats they go crazy for are Stella and Chewys, Orijen, Lakse Kronch Wild Salmon, Primal and Dogs for the Earth. Dogs for the Earth also makes an organic food that they love.

Make sure to avoid synthetic shampoos and other toxic products. Earthbath puppy is a good one that is non-toxic. For face, when mine were puppies, I used Castle Bath which is a non-toxic face cleaner and powder to keep faces clean and avoid tear stains….cotton baby washcloths work best with this. Baby shampoo from the healthy food store is also good for faces. Avoid drug store brands because they’re loaded with toxic chemicals.
http://www.castlebaths.com/tear-stain-remover.html

Before I got my maltese I joined an online maltese forum where I learned a lot about food, training and grooming… you may want to consider one for Havanese.

Good luck!

[Shawna]

Epikitin is used primarily as a phosphate binder in chronic kidney disease. From what I’ve read, the main ingredient, chitosan, is the phosphate binder but is also a mild prebiotic (shown to work better than FOS but I haven’t seen studies as compared to acacia fiber).

I have some concerns about epikitin – it has hydrolyzed soy protein – soy does not have a high bioavailability. Additionally, soy is high in glutamic acid and when freed by hydrolyzing, and used chronically, it can become an excitotoxin/neurotoxin in susceptible people/pets. There may not however be enough freed glutamic acid (and aspartic acids) in the product, at the recommended dose, to be problematic but it is still a concern for me. In my opinion, the hydrolyzed soy is added as a flavor enhancer and flavor enhancers, like MSG, have been scientifically shown to cause various disease states in those susceptible.

I’m not sure if phosphorus builds up in acute kd so by feeding a diet already lower in phosphorus AND using a binder you may not supply enough for the body and create symptoms of low phosphorus. If you’ve had a CBC done and it shows high phosphorus than epikitin may be beneficial.

Epikitin is often recommended with Azodyl (which is a probiotic formulated specifically for kd). I chose to use Primal Defense over Azodyl because PD has a wider variety of beneficial bacteria not just the ones for uremia. On the lower protein diet with the inclusion of Primal Defense I don’t know that Azodyl would benefit Faith but it could be something to look in to? I personally wouldn’t replace PD with it but use it in conjunction with.

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

[Shawna]

Yeah, I think there definitely could be a connection between the yawning and anemia. There are different supplements that can be used depending on what the cause of the anemia is.

The cause is likely due to her kidneys BUT the antacid could be exacerbating it by impeding intrinsic factors action on B12. Standard Process has a human B12 supplement (that is suitable for dogs) that has porcine intrinsic factor right in the product. I would personally start my own on this if experiencing the same things. I would give it away from meals and the antacid being used. There is another form of B12 that I have had excellent results with but it is given intranasally and likely won’t be well tolerated. I’d try the Standard Process or a similar product.

Inappropriate bacteria in the gut can utilize iron being consumed so if that was a potential factor, being on the probiotics will address that with continued use.

Chlorophyll is considered a “blood builder”. It is chemically just like blood except magnesium replaces iron. Many holistic practitioners use it in cases of “blood loss”. Audrey became anemic and HIGH doses of Standard Process Chlorophyll Complex Perles given over a weeks period did the trick for her. The maintenance dose for humans is two perles per day. From memory I was giving Audrey six to eight per day. The first few times I gave it I had to coax her to take it but after that she was almost frantic to get them when I even grabbed the bottle. After she was back on track I started her on a maintenance dose (for financial reasons) of a high quality Chlorella supplement. I tried three different brands before I found one that really worked well for her.

I found this, in my opinion, really cool article on supplements for renal disease that may be helpful. I haven’t had a chance to read the whole thing but here’s the section on “Kidney-associated anemia”.
“Renal Disease in Small Animals: A Review of Conditions and Potential Nutrient and Botanical Interventions
Susan Marie Pollen, DVM, CVA

Kidney-associated anemia is characteristically normocytic, normochromic, and nonregenerative.18 Anemia may cause tachycardia, lassitude, and cold and exercise intolerance.17 Erythropoietin must be given. In addition, nutrients that benefit RBC production, including water-soluble vitamins B12 and folic acid, are especially important when vitamins are lost in isosthenuric urine. Also useful are eggs, raw beef liver, liquid chlorophyll, kelp,63 and supplements containing vitamin C for optimal iron absorption, vitamin E for antioxidant protection of RBCs, vitamin A, and iron and copper for hemoglobin synthesis. Supplementing branched-chain amino acids (valine, leucine, and isoleucine) and glutamine is also useful if nephrogenic anemia is accompanied by amino acid deficiency. 61” http://www.anaturalhealingcenter.com/documents/Thorne/articles/RenalDiseaseSmallAnimal.pdf

Standard Process Chlorophyll Complex is fat soluble but worked like a charm. Not sure why the recommendation for “water soluble” but most chlorella supplements contain water soluble chlorophyll.

Obviously the addition of animal proteins (eggs and liver) would need to be evaluated for the amount of protein and phosphorus they add. The Standard Process Renal Support supplement has many of these suggested nutrients without adding a significant amount of phosphorus.

I truly hope all of your hard work and dedication shows wonderful results with the next lab work!!!

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

[Suzanne W]

Aimee, anonymously, pitlove, eldoctor, Anna c, and forum readers, thank you so much for all the advise and thoughtfulness! I really feel that you care about my Maltese, Sophie. She has been fine except for being a little more tired the past couple days, then vomited a small amount this morning, but is eating, drinking, and urinating fine. She has had no other symptoms and I truly believe that with great food and good care, she will make her new red blood cells and be perfectly fine. I have read veterinary journals i.e. Experiments which are horrible to the lab dogs, but I digress. I learned that day five is frequently when problems are SEEN, though if the dog ate a bunch it may have vomiting and diarrhea very soon. The blood work is abnormal the very next day, but they may appear fine till day five which in one study was sorta level then started slowly dropping on day seven. They replace approximately one percent of their red blood cells daily, so it takes awhile. Red blood cells have a life of 120 days. Vomiting should be induced immediately and then take to emergency vet because they might give activated charcoal or other care which may keep your dog from any serious problems. If you didn’t induce vomiting in the first two hours, then just take your dog in anyway. If your dog develops signs and symptoms of panting, fast heart rate, fast breathing, restlessness, lethargy, portwine coloured urine, pale gums, not eating or drinking, weakness, dark colored skin, bruising, finally collapse, obviously you needed to get dog in at beginning of all this. There isn’t a cure, but the treatment is supportive i.e. I’ve fluids, possible corticosteroids, antibiotics though I didn’t get why, and possibly a blood transfusion with oxygen as the red blood cells are how the oxygen travels through system. If you take pet in, then they have an excellent prognosis, but if you try to deal with this at home, your pet may die or suffer organ failure, heart problems, and may even need surgery. Now it’s time for a healthy diet to hel make red blood cells. An iron rich(think liver). Diet will help. They recommend meat, eggs, fish, folic acid(found in enriched cereals and fortified products) and vitamin c. That’s all I can remember off hand. Sorry so long, but i want to help anyone who goes through the same thing. Btw the studies were on onions and garlic, allium family. Thanks again to all of your support it meant so much to me, you have no idea. I’ll update after this is completed! And to Pitlove, that pit charged but only wanted to sniff. My precious Ida freaked out and that’s what started the problem. Neither dog was at all viscous. God bless!!!

[Marilyn G]

I have read Steve Brown’s Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet and See Spot Live Longer. I would like to begin with the ABC plan once a week. I have an 11 pound Silky Terrier and I feed him Acana Wild Prairie dry food. On the bag is says Crude Protein (min.) 31% and Crude Fat (min.) 17%. So, I’m assuming that I would feed him the ABC2 plan. Would that be correct? Also, in the table there is no column for a 10 pound dog, so I’m wondering if it is safe to assume that I would feed him 4 oz. of heart, 3/4 can of sardines, 1 egg white, 1/4 egg yolk, 2 oz. vegetables and fruit. Would that be correct? Also, is the weight of the heart before cooked or after? I want to be sure that I have the amounts correct because I don’t want to cause him any health issues and possibly shorter life. I want to do what’s best for him. Any comments would be appreciated. Thank you.

[Pitlove]

Hi Sheryl-

I firmly believe there are two kinds of researching that can be done- researching and “researching”. One is reading peer review research articles published by professionals in the field of canine disease and nutrition and the other being reading consumer reports and opinions of pet parents who may or may not have accurate information. The ladder will cause your head to spin as the opinions change depending on which website you go to, who you talk to, etc.

There very well could be a better option out there for your dog than Iams, but I think that is a decision that should be made by you and your vet or a veterinary nutritionist who is familiar with liver disease and what role diet plays in managing it. You can do over the phone or email consulations with various nutritionists who can help you make an informed decision on what diet would be best.

I know this was probably not the answer you were looking for, but I felt saying this was more helpful than making a guess at a food recommendation.

[Sheryl G]

We have been feeding our Tibetan Terriers(both 36-38 lbs) what we thought was a quality dog food but have recently begun reading about dog food and am totally lost. Protein, no protein.Our 90 year old has liver disease. Not the terrible one but one that is pretty under control with 4 meds a day and periodic blood work. I had decided one one then read about not having a high protein food with liver or kidney disease. My vet isn’t concerned because he is doing pretty well. Do you think we should just stay with the Iams ProActive Mature adult kibbles or change? I am thinking now that about 24% protein would be good. I heard about NOW by Pet Curran would be good with 24%. I cannot find it reviewed here anywhere. Does anyone know about it? Made in Canada. Thanks for any help you may have. P.S. I have another dog but will make that a separate topic. Thanks again. Cherri

[Suzanne W]

ANONYMOUSLY, you are right. A call to the poison or emergency center is exactly what I should have done. I wasn’t thinking clearly, obviously. I still must watch Sophie carefully for any adverse reactions for a couple weeks. Regarding that pbs special frontline you recommended, Lord help us all! I had heard things in the past, but had no idea it was so prevalent! I have assumed( yes, I know what they say about ass-u-me-ing, and this time it fits me for sure) that if it was manufactured here in the good ole USA, then it would be safe. Not so! That freaked me out. Who knows what the heck we are taking, cuz we certainly can’t trust our supplements anymore. I will finish watching it and make educated decisions regarding supplements in the future. Only 21percent of the supplements at Walmart, Walgreens, gnc and target I think if I remember are the real uncontaminated stuff? What in the world have we been putting in our bodies? And my precious soph…hmmmmm, that’s ridiculous. The government jumps in so many things, this is something the Foa should be regulating. THANKYOU for opening my eyes and ears! Keep spreading the word, cuz you may just save lives… God bless you!

[Suzanne W]

I took my German shepherd Ida, outside, was gone about five minutes. I was shocked to find my Maltese, Sophie, on the couch with my vitamin supplements and prescription pills! How in the world did she get them off the coffee table and then take them to the couch. She “moved “definitely five and possibly six pills. Ok, there are definitely two possibly three missing. I believe she ate two garlic gelcaps(2000mg garlic bulb), and possibly a caprylic acid gel cap. I was in shock… And anger! It took me about twenty to twenty five minutes to finally give her hydrogen peroxide. I don’t know if it went down so I tried again. After about a total of half hour maximum forty five minutes, she vomited twice, liquid(she had not eaten yesterday before this) bile colored without any gel substance so I saw nothing. I put a garlc gel cap in my mouth and moved it around n my mouth and it was competent dissolved in less than four minutes and did not taste bad. I decided that she may or may not have vomited it up as the substance is clear, odorless to humans that is, and almost tasteless. Hemolytic anemia is a horrible thing and I will watch soph for the next week or two. I was unable to obtain activated charcoal in time and then we couldn’t get it down her. I am disabled, and my husband has been out of work for six months, but found at least part time work the day before so wasn’t home. Before you judge us for not taking her in, we spent three grand in the summer on the dogs vet bills and we’ve spent hundreds more a couple months ago on skin problems with Ida. I’ve read what to watch for, but does anybody know anything I can do to support her or minimize reprecussions of this? I thought more protein, folic acid and supplements, so I gave her a half sardine this am. She’s already on blue buffalo grain free dog food, homemade topper made with different good quality meat and vegetables and fruits appropriate for dogs, and dermis supplement in her food. She gets tiny amounts of homemade treats we make with peanut butter, oatmeal, banana, flourless cookies we and the dogs like! Any advise? Ok I believe treat the patient not the diagnosis. She is acting fine thus far as it has only been 16 hours. Thanks for any help!

[wendeyzee]

To Dogfoodie and Pitlove,

I am sure your you mean well but are either of you a Veterinarian? You both came on here to make it seem like I don”t know what the heck I’m talking about, thank you!! Both of you have stated “caused by excess nutrition well what do you think to high protein is? As for calcium i stated in my post I was really careful about that which i do not remember it having any correlation to Pano as in direct correlation to CHD. Now I will address excess nutrition, i have been reading these boards now at least since I got my pup maybe longer and i have researched many things said here as well as the Pano issue until my head will explode and my eyes bleed! I am here to be a good fur mom, I feed my pup the best i can afford short of making his food, he has never been OVER FED! My Vet whom I trust told me German Shepherds are prone to get Pano, the studies have stated that as well, and to change to a lower protein food which I did and it resolved!
I came in here to ask Miss Jenn what foods she likes as she also has GSDs, I did not ask for your advise about Pano, I went to the vet for that! Now I have said my piece and i will not further participate in this discussion.