Beef, It is NOT what is for dinner for Jack

[Jennifer and Jack]

Well I finally took Jack to the vet today, It was not our normal vet but we have seen her before, Jack's penis (sorry if TMI) and entire abdomen are visible inflamed. His little pee pee looks like a golf ball...THat just happen today.

 

  The vet feels like it is an allergy of some type that is causing him to lick... He doesn't lick his paws, the spot it effects him is his belly and groin. He also had a slightly elevated urine PH again 7.5 7 is normal, He didn't have any crystals in his urine, She offered antibiotics, I declined because she was on the fence about it especially after seeing the swelling.

 

Jack had a shower and was groomed today by me with puppy shampoo. I am now giving him hydroxyzine q 8 hours as needed. I just gave him some and he is out cold taking a nap with my mom. The only thing that has changed is the flavor Orijen I have fed him. We think it is beef that he is allergic too.

 

The last time he had itchiness was when he was on beef so I am taking him off it all together, though he loves it.

 

Back to fish Orijen for now. I hope that this helps, If his groin area does not improve we will do antibiotics for the urine.

 

I was flabbergasted at how expensive it was today. Things my regular vet does complementary, I got charge an arm and a leg for, including cutting nails. His urine test that used to be 15 I was charge 45 for. When I asked about it the receptionist told me my regular vet has always given me a huge discount and I just didn't know it.

 

I finally worked the courage up to give Jack the Lepto shot and this vet wouldn't give it!!! She said not safe for small dogs but if I insisted she would give it, but she did add more and more little dogs are coming down with it. Rubber room please......

 

 

I also got put in my place when I told them what I learned from the green paw website about K9 advantix and this vet said it is not toxic to dogs, and "dogs do not have receptors for this type of medication, only the bugs do.. I almost believed her until she said "we would never sell anything but the best for the dogs" as I looked around and saw piles of bags of Science Diet and Purina crap.

 

So Beef, It's not what is for dinner for Jack anymore!!! Hopefully his kidneys are not acting up with his PH again.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

With Murph it's his feet and his butt area.  He will lap and lap until it's raw.  Clearly with him it's environmental.  With one Claritin and the prescription hydrocortisone spray, it's completely controlled.....no more lapping.  It sounds so similar...just different parts of the body.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

But the licking of the feet until they're raw is such a universal allergy symptom, it's almost a diagnostic.

The single most common sign of allergies in dogs.

[Bonnie and Kona]

I'm so sorry Jack has this issue. More worry, more expense. We changed vets this last summer because the office we went to was raising their prices at an amazing rate. The new one seems to care about the dogs and doesn't seem to be out to rip off the clients. I'm hoping Jack feels 100% better tomorrow.

[Pat and Traveler]

Poor little guy!  Hope that he feels better soon.  I love my vet's office, but the charge is $20 for nail clipping and $15 for ear hair extraction, and nothing else is cheap either!  It sounds like allergies are way more common than I would have expected.    

[Susan and Sasha]

OMD...

I can't believe this is happening to Jack!!

I am with Karen and F. with this...and this just might not be the beef.

Has Jack had beef as a topper before??

Just wondering??

I know that he has been eating the beef Orijen for almost two weeks now...so...I don't think it's a reaction to the beef.

I think it would have showed up right away...if he was allergic to it...and not taken this long??

Did you go to a park...someone's house...or somewhere where something could have been sprayed on the lawn or carpet...etc.??

Just a thought..\

I hope poor Jack is feeling better Soon!!.

 

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Actually, the only beef that's in Orijen Regional Red is beef liver. Although I guess the same proteins that would cause an allergy to beef would be present in beef liver.

 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Jen, we are going through the same thing here with trying to R/O senstivity to chicken. Bella's symptom is soft runny stools for almost of month with blood in some on one occasion. Fecal sample was clean and prophylactic antibiotics didn't do anything. No itching or licking of any areas however.

We are now on the 6 Fish Orijen food as well. I hope this helps Jack as he sounds miserable with so much irritation. Bella on the other hand is getting firmer, but not back to normal, so I'm not sure it's chicken. I do know it could take a few weeks to get the offending food totally out of their systems, but I 'd hate to think of Jack being uncomfortable for that long. Good luck

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Poor Jack (and you) I hope it gets solved fast. Chloe had allergies and we switched to salmon and she's a lot better. Keep us updated and I thought our vet was expensive! We always get charged $9 for nails there. Good luck to you both.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I hope Jack gets better soon :) 

And I agree that it is probably something other than beef causing the ph imbalance. I homecook for my chihuahua and he has serious kidney issues and gets beef in his diet.

[Jennifer and Jack]

what is his kidney problems from if you don't mind me asking??

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Kidney damage from recalled made-in-China chicken jerky. :(

[Jennifer and Jack]

Geeze....that is so sad. I am sorry I didn't know that.