Golden Rules

19 years is a VERY long time! You will miss her dreadfully for sure. :rolleyes: I had one of my cats pts a while back now because of thyroid problems, she was an older girl too. They leave such a big hole in your heart

RIP Craig He looks adorable, so sad for you :rolleyes:

That's sad KL. Most dogs strain because they are constipated (or have eaten something they shouldn't have). I guess if you know your dog and it's behaviours, you become familiar with what's normal and what's not and take it from there Yes it was very sad she was a lovely and youngish rescue GSD. Tell me about the constipation I think Sasha has an inbuilt cooked chicken bone detector I've had a couple of rescue dogs who have died within 18 months of them coming to me. As so many people say, they were with me for a good time, not a long time and I'm sure it was the same with your OH. :D Constipation - well my boy will eat tissues, paper towels, the lining off tennis balls, bits of fur off soft toys......all of which make him a tad constipated which forces him to strain. The tissues and paper towels I don't worry about but the other stuff I'm a lot more careful with. If I feed a lot of bones, it also causes straining due to constipation. To treat, I just give a can of sardines in oil and that seems to do the trick perfectly My dogs have all had 'tummy bugs' at some stage and have all strained, as an earlier poster noted - they still feel the urge to empty their bowels. Constipation and upset tummies in dogs is not hugely different to humans, it's only when you notice a significant change in bowel habits that a Dr will recommend investigation. But you have to KNOW your dogs habits to notice a difference. Cooked pumpkin is a filler and will fill the intestine which forces the food in front of it to move on out. It doesn't soften the constipated matter nor assist with straining. We eat a lot of pumpkin, it's excellent for overweight dogs because it does fill them up Sorry to hijack the thread

Do sardines soften the poo? It's the oil really that helps soften the poo and helps everything 'glide' along the intestinal track. You could also just give a dog a tablespoon of cod liver oil or other oil which woulld essentially do the same job. (no pun intended )

Oooops, seems I have offended a few people Sorry, that wasn't my intention. I guess I'm just so laid back and know my dogs so well, I know when something isn't right, but just take it all in my stride. I do hope the OPs dog will be fine and dandy

That's sad KL. Most dogs strain because they are constipated (or have eaten something they shouldn't have). I guess if you know your dog and it's behaviours, you become familiar with what's normal and what's not and take it from there

One of my dogs strains a bit occasionally after he has eaten a large bone - I have found the best thing is to give him a can of sardines in oil. I have never taken my dogs to the vet because they are straining - it all eventually comes out

Yes, mine get mostly chicken frames anyway with only the occasional bigger bone, and they are a picture of health (when groomed properly :p ) You could always try a meatier bone so he eats the meat off it, and then take the bone when finished to prevent him from burying it.

RIP Ellie There's a few Goldies at Rainbow bridge to meet you. ;)

;) Hamish and Duncan (my Goldies) would have been there to meet Rex.

Gorgeous wee pup and such lovely photos too! You are one lucky duck!

A tick? eta - I just saw the other thread about possible ticks and noticed you posted so presume you have considered a tick already. Hope it's nothing serious anyway.

Leave it to dry out completely and let the scaley buts fall off naturally. Once all cleared up, put the collar back on. My dogs love to swim but I always make sure they have their thin Lupine collars on rather than their thick collars so they dry out quickly.

Aaaawwwww, too gorgeous!! I'm glad they all arrived safe and sound. You got thrown in the deep end with your first breeding by the sounds of things, you'll be an expert before you know it! :D Looking forward to some more pics

yep. With regard the Vit.C.... I thought the non acid one was ok to use! Even the Ester C can upset a tummy if a dog isn't used to having it - often you need to fiddle with a dose to see what a dog can tolerate. Hope both you and Hamlet have a good nights sleep and all is OK in the morning

Ok... oh- ester C can still do that? Ok.... gee.. poor boy- I've probably aggravated things! Don't give Vitamin C Persephone.. it's hard on stomachs and may be aggravating the runs. Just to clarify, I suggested another dose of CS before bed, not Ester C

Thanks..... The practical/clinical side is fine... it's the "what if" side which now has me shivering and with a gut ache ! Got any Rescue Remedy for yourself Persephone? worrying isn't going to help Hamlet nor you!

Just saw you have given him some CS - that's great for the time being, I'd give another dose before bed Ester C can still give diarrhoea to a dog if they aren't used to having it regularly.

Gastrolyte would have sugar in it, not artificial sweetner I would have thought? But anyway, sometimes it's best left to nature to take it's course if it doesn't appear to be anything too serious at the moment. You don't have any Colloidal Silver I bet?

Poor you! Poor Hamlet! My dogs get 'dire rear' from time to time and it's usually from something they have eaten which hasn't agreed with them for some reason. A good sign is that Hamlet is still bright. Drinking lots of water is OK, he will have lost fluids from the 'dire rear' so if everything else is OK, I'd just not feed him for a day or so then start on somethiing bland like white rice and chicken of you have it. It's hard when it's one of your own, all you do is worry

No, I visited a lot of kennels before I last used one, and most only wanted proof of a C3 as minimum.

PM Ptolomy - she has kennels and accepts titre testing

That's exactly what I was goiing to say! He's half stripped already! Those clumps on the back end will probably come out quite easily and don't be afraid to give a good tug. I'm on a learning curve with my little Norwich who has a wire coat and she's looking like the front half of your wee fella right now

The best one I have found is THIS ONE ETA - they provide excellent service and are only too happy to answer your queries etc

Actually, there is Acute AND Chronic ITP. I am taking it as though his is Acute. This is something that I will bring up next Tuesday however. I also got this from http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/splenectomy: Another site said that the patient is on pennicillin for the rest of it's life. I am sure that if they feel that spleen removal is necessary they will suggest it. Yes, as I said before, I am quite familiar with ITP Please don't get me wrong, I am not advocating your dog have a splenectomy instead of following a protocol of drugs, I'm just putting out something for you to think about. I realise there are chronic and acute forms of ITP, however your dog has had this for some months now which is more indicative of a chronic form. I hope for your dog's sake that it does turn out to be acute only. That is obviously the best prognosis. Regarding the use of lifelong antibiotics, that is a very old fashioned idea and if you speak with any haematologist these days they will tell you it actually doesn't make any difference, especially as we become immune to ABs if taken too frequently. I know patients who had their spleen removed 20 odd years ago and have been exceptionally healthy ever since - without antibiotics. You have me wondering now if there is such a thing as a Canine Haematologist?! I'm not sure the specialties would go quite so far with dogs.