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Discussion Forum
Inflammatory matory Bowel Disease
Started by Rita and Fazzy. Last reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle Aug 20, 2019. 18 Replies 0 Favorites
Hi all....after a scare of bloat without torsion in May, my7 year old labradoodle Fazzy was diagnosed with IBD via biopsy. He was doing OK once he got back to eating again until I thought it might be a good idea to switch to raw...didn't go well. Switched him back to what he was on prior, Canidae kibble, variety of canned "flavors" as well as chicken breast, turkey breast, low fat hamburger...just depending on what we had on hand and cooked for the dogs. I've never been able to get his stools back to normal and consistently solid and in the past week its just been yucky. He went to the vet yesterday and per their suggestion, we carried home a bag of Purina HA both dry and canned. He ate a few bites yesterday but wants none of it today. Over the past couple of weeks he has become less and less into eating, needing plenty of encouragement and hand feeding. Vet also sent us home with Cerenia, metronidazole and Diagel. Waiting for results of stool sample. I really don't want to deal with the rx diet, but we also need to get his gut back to feeling better. A couple of friends are pushing me to see a holistic vet, which I'm not opposed to, it's just expensive. I hate that I have to even throw that word out there, but seeing a holistic is not out of the question. Jolene suggested I reach out to Karen for some words of wisdom/suggestions ..and I know she'll see this.Any suggestions, feedback etc would be great!!Rita and Fazzy Continue
Denamarin for elevated liver enzyme
Started by Michelle and Chloe. Last reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle Aug 6, 2019. 1 Reply 0 Favorites
Chloe is turning 10 years old in October. I recently took her to the vet to check out some new masses on her flank and to see if there was a correlation with these masses and her increased water intake and occasional vomiting. Her 2 masses were lipomas ( needle aspiration) and the vet checked lab values. Although most of the values came back normal, her ALT was slightly elevated at 213 (nl 12-118) so vet recommended placing her on Denamarin. She is also going to have an abdominal ultrasound and a chest X-ray. Has anyone have experience with Denamarin?Continue
Dinah has an enlarged heart and mild left ventricle dialation
Started by c zoomer. Last reply by Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie Jul 3, 2019. 15 Replies 0 Favorites
the Doctor (cardiologist) has ordered me to take her off of the grain free dog foods and retest in 6 months.Continue
Emergency stomach surgery and the after effects
Started by Gracie, Jade, & Barkley. Last reply by F, Calla & Luca Jun 30, 2019. 6 Replies 0 Favorites
It's me again. We are having the worst luck when it comes to our doodles this year. :( We lost Gracie who was only 4 in February to Hemangiosarcoma which appeared out of nowhere and hit us pretty hard. Now Jade who is 3.5 yrs is having issues. She was vomiting for hours early morning on Thurs and after getting a dose of cerrenia (She had gotten sick 2 weeks prior and we had some leftover), she was drooling excessively. The vet had us drop her off to observe, take tests, and xrays. She said it sounded like an obstruction of some sort. When she called, she said bloodwork was normal for a dog who had become dehydrated and was what she expected. But, had sent the xrays to a radiologist - which they didn't do two weeks prior. The radiologist said there was some sort of blockage in the upper gi and so the vet asked if we could do a barium treatment to see where it stopped - which was the stomach.I agreed to surgery and the blockage was caused by excess fluid and the pyloric muscle was thickened and the entry (exit?) was narrowed. The vet asked if she had had any issues prior as it looked like she had pyloric stenosis and maybe some ulcers as in the fluid there were flecks of blood. They do not have a flexible endoscope at their office, so she could only surmise that the flecks of blood came from ulcers. The only vomiting Jade has done previously was for car sickness which she outgrew. Then the episode 2 weeks ago which was an expulsion of her breakfast and she collapsed afterward which is why we took her to the vet. The vet took care of the fluid in her stomach and sent her home with sucraflate, famotidine, and omeprazole.Jade hasn't been eating much. She refuses the science diet l/i that they sent home, but she has ate some chicken and rice.She also continues to regurgitate small amounts of liquid. Sometimes it has yellow blobs in it. Usually this happens after she drinks some water. I am going to call tomorrow to update them, but am concerned we really haven't gotten…Continue
Flea and Tick Prevention Choices
Started by Cindy and Olive (Ollie). Last reply by Stacy Jun 26, 2019. 44 Replies 0 Favorites
It is tick season here in NJ and I have always given Olive Sentinel (every 39 days) and Frontline Plus every 27 days. What’s the deal with Frontline Plus vs Frontline Gold - I see one new med added to the Gold, but figured I’d ask the experts. I’ve stuck with Frontline as it has been the forerunner in this and is tried and true, and I’m a bit leery of those oral tabs. But should I switch her to Frontline Gold? Thanks!Continue
UTI infections
Started by DonMarie and Picco. Last reply by Jane, Guinness and Murphy Jun 24, 2019. 10 Replies 0 Favorites
A friend of mine has a sweet yellow lab that frequently has urinary tract infections. We were discussing cranberry pills since it works for humans. When I Google it I'm finding some sites it is okay but also finding that in larger dosages (who know what that is) that cranberries can be toxic to dogs. These aren't necessarily referring to the pills but dried or fresh fruit. I can't imagine a dog eating the fruit or juice, that's why we thought of the pills! So anyway I figured I'd pose this question here. Does anyone know or can clarify if cranberry pills can be helpful or harmful to dogs and can actually help UTIs?Continue
Fatty deposit
Started by Murph and Me. Last reply by Bonnie and Kona May 20, 2019. 4 Replies 0 Favorites
So Murphy has on his stomach some fatty deposit that the Vet has checked in the past and said no big deal he said. It has gotten bigger of late. It feels like a small balloon. Does not bother him when you squish it around. I'm going to bring him in for another checkup of it. I trust the vet but it doesn't hurt to ask here in the group if anyone has had any history with a similar situation. and if so what did you do about it. Thanks in advance.Continue
Recessed Vulva (this is a new one) and an ear infection
Started by Stacy. Last reply by Stacy May 20, 2019. 13 Replies 0 Favorites
Willow went to the vet yesterday with an ear infection, and Karen you should be pleased to hear I do finally have a vet who cultures ear infection goo. We treated it with a medication I hadn't heard of before called Claro. It's still a combination of antibiotic, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory. But the nice thing about this drug is it's a one time treatment that is supposed to work continuously for 30 days, so I don't have to squirt anything in there. She has an appointment for a recheck in 2 weeks. The vet said as an isolated event it's not a big deal, but if it becomes a chronic problem it's often associated with food allergies and we should do a food trial. I have mixed emotions about that. Right now I'm hoping it isn't a recurrent problem so we don't even have to go there. The other thing I brought up to him is that Willow always seems to pee on herself. The hair surrounding her vulva is always dirty. And she had that UTI a while ago. He looked at her and said she has a recessed vulva, and if it's a problem they can do a vulvoplasty to resect the skin folds there so the vulva protrudes more. Or if it seems to be more minor we can just keep the fur clipped from around that area - something I knew needed to be done but clippers, delicate skin, wiggly puppy and I have not been able to accomplish that on our own.This issue is something I haven't experienced before but I had been reading about it and I couldn't figure it out. The trick is, she looks normal when you look at her lying on her back with her belly up. But if you look at her from behind when she's standing you can see that her vulva is surrounded by skin folds and does look different than the other girls. I had heard that they usually grow out of it, but that's not really what I'm reading in the veterinary articles. But I'm still hoping that if she grows a little more she might grow into her skin folds. He also mentioned that slightly delayed spaying may help with this. We are doing slightly delayed…Continue
Struvite Crystals (Also posted in Food Group)
Started by Laurie, Wally & Charlotte. Last reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle May 14, 2019. 1 Reply 0 Favorites
For the past six months, Charlotte's pH has been fluctuating and she has had a number of urine tests with some showing struvite crystals and some without. An x-ray was taken in December and revealed no bladder stones. Our vet concluded that Charlotte's pH just goes up and down, and without any stones, this is Charlotte's "normal." About 10 days ago, she was showing physical signs of a UTI and was put on an antibiotic since we'd be traveling, but the urine evaluation did not find any bacteria. We have been flooding her food (Acana Grasslands) with water to dilute her urine, hoping that this will help keep the pH down. Next week, she'll have another x-ray done as well as a sterile urine culture. Here are my questions: If the x-ray shows no stone/s and the culture indicates no bacteria, but possibly struvite crystals again, should I change her food to one without starches (since starch alkalizes pH) and one without magnesium and calcium? Should I give her any supplements such as ascorbic acid, cranberries, d-mannose? Some of these are just for bacteria prevention if I understand it correctly. And if she doesn't have any bacteria in her urine, what would be the point? I'm hoping to find some additional perspectives to help inform our decisions moving forward. Continue
Spay & Gastropexy Surgery - After Care Advice?
Started by Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie. Last reply by Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie May 6, 2019. 44 Replies 0 Favorites
So my baby girl goes in this week for the double surgery, I'm just reaching out for feedback/advice on aftercare. I know the gastropexy is much more invasive than the spay and I know I'll get a checklist of things to do from the vet when I pick her up but looking for feedback from those who have already been through it (hits, misses, things to watch for, etc). I'm just real nervous for her, she's my odd little wild child so I'm concerned about her plus the surgery facility is not local so any issues will fall on my vet and/or at an emergency facility. The more I know the better prepared I'll be. This poor girl had a rough start in the beginning so I want to make this as easy on her as possible.It's been a while since my other two were spayed and neither had any interest in the stitches luckily but Sassy was extremely hyper (spastic) the week following her surgery so keeping her calm was a real challenge. I'll be home with her the first few days then will do a tag team with my daughter.Any advice on keeping her from the stitches if it poses a problem, resuming her normal diet (vet office briefly mentioned transitioning slowly back to kibble), walking, stairs, downtime, etc.Thanks in advanceJolene and Miss MaisieContinue
Comment Wall
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Comment by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on January 15, 2014 at 3:32pm
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OMD! Whirlwind is right.
I would give Cally a big hug and some special attention, because somehow, she knew she had to bring that headband up while you were still at the vet's office, lol! Maybe the word "Hill's" scared her, lol!
I would make sure you don't get that vet again if possible. Nothing "looks" out of place? By feeling? Blood tests before doing an Xray? IBD? Oh, and whatever might be wrong with the dog, "what's best" for her is probably to feed her some corn and by-products. Sounds ignorant/inexperienced or incompetent to me. Rude, too.
Cally has perfect timing! Disaster avoided!
Honestly, I would not leave her with your aunt again, at least until she's out of the puppy stage. You can see her while you are present. :)
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Comment by F, Calla & Luca on January 15, 2014 at 3:27pm
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Pretty scary but I hope the worst is over.
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Comment by Brittney & Cally on January 15, 2014 at 3:21pm
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Okay so we got back from the vet around four and what a whirl wind office visit that was! So my normal vet was not there today so we met with the newer vet. He was checking Cally out and feeling her belly and says nothing looks out of place so it could just be her having a sensitive stomach. My aunt gave her a rawhide when she was watching Cally for the day. So I figured it was probably like that. Well he said that we could take her home and if it persist for another day then we would bring her back and do ex-rays from there. He also said we would do blood work and look into I think it was IBD? He also said we will talk about switching her food then to and suggested hills "gasp" I said If her food needs to be changed, I have no problem but there is no way in HECK that she is going on that food. He was kind of rude about we need to do what is best for the dog not what you think is a high end food. He continued to give me a lecture but I zoned out especially since he is not Callys regular vet and our regular vet knows better than to suggest that to me. I told him I would definitely watch her like a hawk for the next 24 hours and if she pukes again I will bring her in. I then left the room and went to the counter to pay and as I was talking to the vet techs and the vet at the desk we all looked down because we heard her wretching again. We all saw a black/dark green thing come out but before I could pull her away or they could grab her she ate it back up! They said we can do one of two things take an ex-ray but I would prefer to induce vomiting first since she just swallowed it back up. They gave her some hydrogen peroxide I believe and she started to puke and all of a sudden she puked up a freaking head band!! My first response was OMG, THANK GOODNESS!! I was so happy she puked it up instead of traveling through her system. They said I now need to watch her and just make sure she does not keep puking or it would mean something else is in there. They also said no new things in her diet and to make sure to let my aunt know that raw hides are really terrible at getting digested. I had told my aunt this but I guess she did not listen! I also realized that the head bands was one of my cousins (her kids). I had warned them that if they really wanted to watch her they need to make sure there is nothing she can get into but oh well at least she got it out! Thank you all so much for your help and I am so glad I took her in! I just wanted to update you on what happened. And your right Karen I did the best I can and I am even more glad I took her in because I would have never guessed it would have been a headband and that could have done a lot of damage.
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Now that you have told us about the rawhide I am glad you are going to the vet. Luca vomited undigested rawhide a couple of times when he was young and that was the end of rawhide here.
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I wouldn't worry about that. We don't know that's what it is, and it doesn't do any good for us to blame ourselves anyway. We all do the best we can. Just get her checked out. :)
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Karen, do you think I may have done more damage by waiting?
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Brittney, I found out about the piece of bone when JD finally vomited it up. He was on antibiotics that nauseated him, and I guess that did the trick. But there's a good chance that his Inflammatory Bowel Disease was triggered by the proteins in that foreign object sitting in his gut for two weeks. So it's important to have Cally checked out ASAP.
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I will definitely be stopping the raw hides! I have an appointment at 3 today so I will let you know what happens. I'm assuming they might so an exray? Thank goodness I got the pet insurance so I do not have to even think twice about whatever they need to do. If that is what is causing all this what would happen next? Poor JD! Did they find that with an exray? Thanks again!
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Brittney, it's possible that there is a piece of rawhide in her GI tract. Rawhides really are not digestible, and if you are seeing pieces in the vomitus, there may very well be a piece still in there that is interfering with her digestion. JD had a piece of hambone sitting in his digestive tract for more than two weeks. Cally does need to see the vet, and i would stop the rawhides completely from here out. There are better choices of chews.
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Jackie, can you copy and paste this into a new discussion here in The Health Group? Just click "Add a Discussion" right above this box, and copy what you posted below into a new discussion. There are a lot of issues here that require some exploring, and this "Comments" section doesn't lend itself to questions and answers, explanations, etc.
I will say that there may be two different issues here, or they may be related. But it sounds like you need to consult two specialists: first, a veterinary dermatologist to rule out Atopic Dermatitis, and then possibly a Veterinary Behaviorist (not a trainer) to get at the root of the anxiety issues.
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