[theBCnut]

Rice is a grain, therefore grain free foods do not have rice in them. Also, while rice does have arsenic in it, it is supposedly not higher than what the body can process every day, HOWEVER, I still don’t want to feed it every day. And if the dog’s diet is the same day in and day out and the food is primarily rice, i.e. cheap dog food, then I definitely don’t want to feed it every day. So this argues for diet rotation. And/or choosing a grain free food.

While dogs do have 2 to 10 times the ability to handle carbs than wolves do, that does not argue for feeding them a primarily carb based diet, 2-10 times next to none is still pretty low.

[theBCnut]

Senior dogs have decreased ability to use the proteins in their food, so they may need as much as 50% more high quality protein just to get the same amount out of their food. This may mean that senior dogs should not be fed kibble at all, but it definitely does not mean that they should be placed on a decreased protein diet. That can lead to all kinds of problems.

[theBCnut]

Scratching all over may be a food hypersensitivity, so look at the ingredient lists for the foods you have fed her and see if you can determine what ingredients they have in common and then look for a food that does not have any of those ingredients.

[theBCnut]

Have him checked for a UTI first. You could also have a bitch in heat somewhere around you that he has just discovered. If it was a stool issue, I would have said food change, but a urinary issue is less likely to be food.

Definitely go back to potty training too.

[theBCnut]

If they live down here permanently then you need to go to their house at the height of bug season and leave their door open several times, maybe they will get the hint.

Do you mean the Alnutrin or the whole carcass grinds? Alnutrin is a supplement, but it is all that needs to be added to cat food grinds, so in that way, it’s a premix. If you are feeding whole carcass, you don’t need anything added at all, and like I said, mine wouldn’t eat the Alnutrin.

[theBCnut]

I’m probably a little twisted, but to me quality of life is everything with my pets. I would do the dental because it will improve the quality of her life even though it may shorten the quantity. I never worry about how many days my pets will live, I worry about how great, or bad, those days are going to be.

[theBCnut]

The biggest issue is that the anesthesia is eliminated by either the kidneys or the liver, depending on what type they use. With both compromised, it means she may never wake up or may wake up extremely slowly, and it may cause more damage, pushing her over the edge. On the other hand, the bad teeth are poisoning her body too and could actually be part or all of the cause of the kidney and/or liver issues.

My JRT’s sister died from bad teeth. She was a little sh*t and wouldn’t let anyone look at her mouth. They finally realized from her breath that she needed her teeth done and scheduled the cleaning, but 2 days before the appointment, she suddenly dropped dead. They had a necropsy done to see if they could tell what killed her and found that her kidneys were big pus pockets. The infection had gone throughout her whole body and settled in her kidneys.

[theBCnut]

D- mannose does nothing for crystals, only for e-coli infection. I would not use it at all in the absence of infection. I would worry that it wouldn’t work when it was needed if over used. The best thing to do for crystals is to really encourage drinking water any way you can. That will help keep the bladder flushed out.

[theBCnut]

I got a great premix at Hare Today for cats, called Alnutrin, but if the cat won’t eat it, it does no good. Fortunately, as long as you don’t throw out the liquid that seperates from defrosting meats, you really don’t have to worry too much about using premixes for cats. I get whole prey grinds, fur, feathers and all from Hare and mix back in any liquids that settle out as it defrosts and feed, that simple.

Oh, and about the door, what?!? are they nuts? You can’t leave a door open in Florida!! You’ll never get rid of the mosquitoes and gnats! Are they crazy or foreign to the concept?

[theBCnut]

Yeah, if I can figure out how to do something new on the computer on my own, any one can do it. I’m on a few sites that you have to load to photobucket to post and I’m a Mod on one, so I figured I had to bite the bullet…

Dori, they are adorable!!!

[theBCnut]

I’m glad he’s finally doing better.

[theBCnut]

Yes. I finally had to break down and get a photobucket account for something else, and once you have it, you might as well use it.

[theBCnut]

C4C: Thanks! There’s a first time for everything.

Melissa: They are all hair sheep. In fact, two of them have coats just like the goats.

[theBCnut]

I loved that commercial!!!

Here’s Rachel.
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag440/pattyvaughn/Rachel_zpsav2e4arg.jpg

And here’s more Rachel.
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag440/pattyvaughn/more%20Rachel_zpspqs7ri3c.jpg

[theBCnut]

This is a well known sign of a food intolerance/hypersensitivity, so it’s a good idea to gather ingredient lists of food you know she has not done well on and look for the things they have in common and try to avoid those ingredients.

[theBCnut]

They are mixed breeds and they are all named Rachel, it means “ewe.” That’s our family’s sick sense of humor at work. They may get individual names later, but some of them are destined for the freezer, so not all of them will get names.

[theBCnut]

I got home with my new flock of sheep! I got 4 ewes(2 are pregnant, I think) and 6 ewe lambs. They are all different colors and soooo cute!

[theBCnut]

In the long run, going without thyroid meds can cause damage to the heart, but it should take longer than a week. After missing more than a day, it can take up to 3 months to get thyroid levels regulated again, so that’s why it is important to not miss a dose. Just 2 days of missing doses can cause symptoms for a month or more.

I agree that your vet was extremely unprofessional. Maybe if you had called them and explained your issues, they could have worked with you and given you enough to get you through, but he would not, he had no cause to complain at all. And no matter what, he had no cause for his actual behavior.

[theBCnut]

NutriSource is an easy to switch to food that is economical and pretty good quality.

[theBCnut]

OK, I’m good now!

[theBCnut]

If you didn’t crush all of the bones, I would worry that they didn’t all cook as thoroughly. Withhold all food and water for at least 6 hours. If she shows no further sign of vomiting, give her 1 or 2 ice cubes. If that doesn’t cause her to start vomiting again, after 2 hours, you can give her 1/2 cup of water. If that doesn’t start her vomiting, after 2 more hours you can start allowing her free access to water. Do not feed her anything until she has not vomited for at least 12 hours, then offer only 1/4 of a normal meal max, just a few pieces at first would be better.

Watch closely for diarrhea. If she has watery diarrhea, then she may have a blockage and it’s important for her to be seen by a vet ASAP.

[theBCnut]

Some dogs really need to be on an intermediary food for a while before switching to high test. That being said, there have been some reports of quality issues with Merrick here and there, so you may have gotten a bad bag. You might want to try switching to a brand like NutriSource. It’s usually very well tolerated and easy to transition to, so it makes a good stepping stone food. Earthborn and Nature’s Variety, both, have premium and super premium foods, so they would be good steps up from what you were feeding.

[theBCnut]

Gail
Seizures are threshold events. That means as long as your dog stays under threshold, it won’t have a seizure, but when it reaches it’s threshold it has one. All dogs are different and what causes your dog to go over threshold may be different than what affected mine, but here are the things that should be done for ALL dogs who seizure. Get your dog on a natural food. I would recommend Nature’s Logic or homemade. Remove chemicals from your dogs environment. These include, but are not limited to: air fresheners, scented candles, perfumes, dryer sheets, strong detergents, pesticides, cleaning products, herbicides, any unnecessary drugs, etc. Keep your house as stress free as possible. Some dogs react to particular things and you may have to do a bit of detective work to figure out what triggers a seizure in your dog.

[theBCnut]

I didn’t get any. Marie must not like me anymore.

[theBCnut]

High value when your dog MUST pay attention to you or when you are in situations where it may be difficult to get your dog’s attention. Low value for every day stuff, like pottying in the right place, coming in from the yard, lying down for some quiet time.

[theBCnut]

Are you having issues because it is solid? Or because the dogs don’t like the taste of it? If it is because it is solid, you can put some warm water in a cup and drop the coconut oil in the warm water and stir it in, then pour water and oil over the food. Coconut oil liquefies at over 75 degrees. If the problem is taste, I’m not much help.

[theBCnut]

LOL!! We went right back to too warm. I wouldn’t mind if you came for another visit, just don’t stay too long. LOL!!!

That sounds like saliva stains. And in that area, your choices are fleas and anal gland issues. If it is in a lot of areas, I would expect it to be a food allergy.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by theBCnut.

[theBCnut]

Could it be saliva stains?

[theBCnut]

Yes, dogs, both male and female, develop potty preferences. That doesn’t mean you have to cater to them. Tons of people train their dogs to go in a particular area of their yard. My dogs are required to go potty at home before we take them on a walk. My dogs, both male and female, can mark at their home yard all they want, but they are NOT allowed to sniff around and mark out on a walk.

That being said, many small dogs have a slow large intestine, so their stools are drier and harder than other dogs. These dogs, like some people, need to move around a bit before they can move their bowels. No matter if you stand like a post or go for a walk, the dog is going to have to go for a walk to get the stool to move out. Sometimes, you have to give the dog what it needs. When I need a dog to poop on leash and they need to move around a bit first, I try to teach them to lunge like a horse, doing circles around me, until they are ready to go.

[theBCnut]

My 45# dogs get 1/2# of sardines or herring once a week. The way I heard it was, if you feed twice a day, then replace one meal a week with oily fish.

[theBCnut]

“Hahaha, Patty, I don’t put fish worth more than $5 in my pond. So far nothing has eaten them in several years I’ve had my pond up, but better than safe than sorry lol”

I don’t either…anymore. I used to have some real beauties though.

[theBCnut]

I used to have beautiful Japanese Koi in my pond until the great blue heron found them. Now I have beautiful waterlillies in my pond and no fish. I think I’ll add shubunkin next. It doesn’t hurt as much when your $4 fish gets eaten.

[theBCnut]

I only feed half raw, and the fat level varies day to day. When I feed rabbit, the fat level is VERY low, because rabbit is a very lean meat. But when I feed mutton, I’m probably approaching that 34% mark, and with coconut oil and fish oil added in, I might pass it.

[theBCnut]

No idea.

[theBCnut]

Yes, they are, especially since they are processed immediately and frozen or cooked, depending on which type of food they are going into. The sell by date is still giving the consumer time to take it home, leave it in the fridge for a couple days, then prepare it. It’s not an expiration date.

[theBCnut]

It may not have added sodium, but it might still have plenty of sodium. Another thing to consider, how does this food’s protein level compare with other foods in his rotation. Some dogs increase water consumption to flush their kidneys when they are eating high protein.

[theBCnut]

Dogs don’t have sinus allergies like people do. Any thick snot is something to pay attention to.

[theBCnut]

I grew my own grass fed beef. I’ve read that dog food companies can get grass fed beef because there are cuts that people don’t want if they are paying that much for beef. Also, if it doesn’t sell by it’s “sell by date,” it can go in dog food.

[theBCnut]

I don’t do much for fleas. I think what I feed helps me to not have a very big flea issue. I do use some essential oils in a water spray to repel fleas when the dogs go out off our property, and for a couple months over summer, I have to bathe them more frequently. If I have a year where the weather has made the fleas really bad, I’ll use just about anything to knock them down then frequent baths to keep them down. As far as what I feed, raw meat, garlic, apple cider vinegar.

I’ve used Sentinel, which has something that makes flea eggs not hatch out in it. I’ve used Interceptor and Comfortis, but not at the same time. I used Trifexis, before I knew better. My dog really had problems with it, in fact I eventually lost him because of it, but he had epilepsy and a few other issues that also affected his life expectancy.

Currently, I use Heartgard or sheep ivomec.

[theBCnut]

Depending on the raw food, it may be 66% protein and 34% fat and still be ok, or 50%protein and 25% fat and 25% carbs and still be ok. You want fat to be about half of the protein level. Some dogs do better with higher fat though. My dogs do just fine with the fat level being 2/3 the protein level, but I don’t normally feed that high.

[theBCnut]

Instead of using chews, for now, get a Kong toy that is the right size for her and wet some of her food and fill the Kong and freeze it. That will last her a while and won’t introduce anything else to her diet.

[theBCnut]

Non meats also have proteins in them and can be the cause of allergies, which is why for an elimination diet, they say to use one meat and one carb source. As an example, my dog is sensitive to chicken, turkey, tomato, flax, and all grains.

[theBCnut]

Yep, ignore their “advice.” It’s silly to say a dry treat with 4% fat is high fat. Just because chicken skin is high fat doesn’t mean that every skin is. If it was 80% moisture and had 4% fat then you should be worrying, because it would be about half fat. Obviously, not the case here.

[theBCnut]

You need to give only one meat protein for about ten weeks, and yes, different types of fish count as different types of protein. In a perfect world, fish oil would not count as a protein source, since it should be pure oil, no protein, but Dogfoodie’s dog, Sam, reacts to fish oil too, so that makes me wonder if they aren’t so pure after all. Some dogs will react to every protein in a certain category and others only one, like all fish or all poultry, so you will just have to wait and see how it goes with your dog.

[theBCnut]

Oleanderz,
They get heartworms from mosquitoes and other worms come from contaminated soil or contact with an infected dog’s feces.

[theBCnut]

Five is definitely not too old to spay and may help her prevent some health issues that come with age. The only down side is possible metabolism changes due to spaying. She may have issues with that, especially being Beagle. Recovery is about a week to 10 days.

[theBCnut]

She is a dinky 25lb Nigerian Dwarf, which is a miniature dairy breed. I don’t know if we will end up milking her, but we plan to try and see if it is something we want to do. She is very much a pet, not food, but her sons may be food for either me or my dogs, we shall see.

[theBCnut]

I don’t think your situation really fit the metaphoric one because the dog kept coming over to your dogs to check them out. It was a bit of a spoiled brat, wanting everything on it’s own terms, including the right to sniff your dogs without getting sniffed back. But I do think that all the dogs needed to be under control and if Uncle thought his dog was being bothered, targeted, or whatever, it is his responsibility to protect it from that situation, including removing it if that is what he thought was needed. Nagging at your dogs certainly didn’t help in any way.

[theBCnut]

The goat is now on meds and feeling much better.

[theBCnut]

Kidneys filter the waste products of protein digestion in a passive process. They do not have to work harder. Some dogs do drink more water to flush out their system when they eat higher protein. That does not equate to working harder. It does have to do with how much the kidneys concentrate the urine though. It’s healthier to drink more.

[Author]

Posts