Infection, disease and allergies? Crying...help!

[Emily]

My doodle is a mess. 104 fever. Diagnosed with left side hip displasia, allergies, and a infection around her urethera. Just had xrays under general anesthesia, three medications, a joint suplemnent for her pain, a consult with a orthopedic vet this week with possible surgery. Vet said to discontinue Taste of the Wild immediatley and switch to a brand that is 80$ a bag! (CA Natural). My dog hasn't moved in three days and wont evenplay ball. That is how bad she is hurting. I want to cry. She is only one yr old! $600 vet bill. Plus lifetime monthly medication for almost a hundred a month plus that special food? Please, start throwing out opinions... I need some hope.

[Emily]

Thank you.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Emily, I'm so sorry to hear about your Doodle.  It seems like an awful lot for you to cope with all at once.  Hopefully they can get the infection under control quickly.  The hip dysplasia and allergies are longer term concerns....but many Doodles do well when managed with medication.  Sending prayers and hugs to you and your girl.

[Emily]

Thank you!

[Pattty Oehrlein]

oh my- I am afraid I am not able to give out advice but I can offer prayers and hope for you and your doodle. Im sure the experienced peeps here at DK will guide you with sage advice and solutions. Blessings to you and your family, and especially your pup..

[Emily]

Thank you, we really do have wonderful people here.

[Doris, Knox & Flash]

I am so sorry to read about all of your doodle's health problems! I wish I had some advice for you, but I don't. Hopefully your vet can get on top of her immediate pain issues. Saying a prayer for the two of you...

[Martha & Cooper]

Emily,   Our last dog had terrible knee problems and was on Dasaquin until one the Vet Techs told me confidentially that it is the same medicine as what I can buy elsewhere for a lot cheaper!   She told me about VitaCost, so I am sending you the link to check out and hope it helps.   Please check with your Vet's office first before changing the supplement and compare the amount of glucosamine/chondroitin in the formulas.  

http://www.vitacost.com/productResults.aspx?ss=1&x=0&y=0&am...

I hope she feels better soon.   Hugs to you both!

[Emily]

That is a huge price difference!! THANK YOU! I will ask them later this week when we go back in.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

oh how aweful, im so sorry

You definately need to dig through your paperwork for your contract - assuming you have one. If it was a good breeder they will do their best to help you. they will even offer to take her back, but after a year that can be difficult to do as your so attached. But the breeder also needs to know that her bitch and stud produced a dog who got hip displaysia very early in life. unfortunately, if the breeder is just in it for the money and/or doesnt health test, they really wont care :(

Recovery is a great joint supplement - i take it myself. Actually I started with the human, then went to the SA (small animal including dog) then switched to the horse as its cheaper per use.

http://www.recoverysa.com/

I would get all the tests done to see how bad her hips are - some require surgery, others manage fine without it. Id personally like to know details.

As for allergies - if it is food related then your lucky. only 10% of allergies are food related, and once you have figured out what the problem is then its easily managed (though it can take a while to figure it out). kangaroo is an expensive protein - you could probably feed something else novel like fish, bison, duck. Which taste of the wild were you feeding? Try to avoid the proteins thats in it. Start by feeding just one protein (many people start with duck) and dont give any treats. introduce a new food or treat slowly, and only one at a time. Definately get an allergy test at the vet.

There are several brands designed for dogs with allergies - narutal balance LID, Calafornia Natural, but there are also smaller companies with foods that may be suitable too, as long as you know what the allergy is to. You just need to avoid that protein (or grain) and dont necessarily need a limited ingredient diet.

The most common food allergies are chicken, beef, corn, wheat, but a dog can be allergic to anything

If it is environmental allergies, which is more common, then its much harder to treat - but there are people on here who can help you with that

[Emily]

We were using the yellow bag,,bison for a while and then she just stopped eating it so we switched to the salmon... Her feet chewing and weepy eye started when she was 1 yr old. When we got her she was on Eukanuba but we stopped because she was burping 20x a day.  The burping is now once a day if that since changing. I told the vet that the Kangaroo formula cost over 80 with taxes here . He said try the Natural Balance LIDS but to use the venison because of cross contamination on the machines. He said once the infection clears and they get the allergy flare up under control PLUS a new food...we'll think of an allergist in a month or two. One thing at a time I guess. All four vets say the Wild dog food is really bad. So I will start with that.  Knowing what the allergy is would be so helpful in purchasing food! Hips first....  Thank you so much for your time and for responding.

We didn't have a contract and I'm trying to find my paper work now.  :(

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I have to give these vets some credit for not recommending an Rx "hypoallergenic" diet, at least, but it's well-known that vets don't really have much nutritional training or education. TOTW is not "really bad", we have a lot Food Group members using it and their dogs are doing very well with it.

I'm dealing with two chronic, "manageable but not curable" diseases in my doodle right now, and the food issue is one I know inside out and backwards. I belong to a support group for owners of dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and diet is crucial with these dogs. About half the people whose dogs are eating kibble (some homecook) are using the natural balance LID venison formula with good results. However, the TOTW formula you were using with bison also contains venison, so in your case, venison would not be a "novel" protein. http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/products/dogs/dry_food/high_pr...

I'd try the Natural Balance LID Duck & Sweet Potato formula, as your dog has not eaten duck before, so she should not have any allergic reactions to it, assuming it's a food allergy in the first place.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

I would agree that taste of the wild is a good food, but like Karen says, at least the vets arent reccomening nasty rx food.

The bison formula is bison, lamb, chicken and venison so any of these could be the culprit. The fish formula is salmon and ocean fish. So if you doodle has been having issues with both foods, Id avoid these all together. Id suggest trying duck too.