stormie

Thanks guys! My vets here and I have known for a while that she has been going senile. We started her on 'doggie dimentia' drugs a while back but they didn't help. Quite possibly her aggressive behaviour is due to her dementia, so thank you for that information. The vestibular syndrome that she had certainly hasn't done her any favours - most of what she does now, she does sideways. But she's learnt to cope and it slowly improving. Will see how she behaves at home over the next few days and if gets worse, will bring her back in for some x-rays perhaps. Thanks again....

Thank you so much for all your thoughts. Looking good so far!! Vet is happy with her, all looks the same as it did last visit. Still can't find the reason for her excessive tearing. Her behavour is completely normal this morning also, so at the moment we are just going to put down to some sort of disturbance between the dogs at home which has caused her to be so on edge and aggressive towards anything that moves. Not sure why it is only happening at night, though! Can only just monitor for now I guess, and hope that her behavour doesnt get worse. Our dogs have not had a fight for many years, though I guess its likely they have had a disturbance within the ranks, especially seeing this one is top dog and is getting slower etc. Just strange that her bizarre aggression came first. She has been growling and snarling at the others and even the cat through the window, for about two weeks now. I am convinced that their little fight last night was due to her lashing out. Will see how she goes at home tonight and probably give her something to ease her anxiety. Thank you all so much for your thoughts! Will let you all know how she goes.

Hi all... Our 14yo golden recently went through vestibular disease. She came out the other side ok, but still had a few effects. But lately, her eyes have started tearing excessively and over the last few days she seems to be showing some real mental problems. She lies on her bed bearing her teeth to anything that moves. It's the most awful sight to see. She's also lashing out, though is a bit too old to be able to spring up off her bed for the attack. Am hoping it is possibly just a vision problem that is leaving her feeling afraid and feeling the need to defend herself. But I have just spoken to my vet who is concerned that with her recent health history, that she has a brain tumour. So I have given her some valium to settle her for the night, then she's coming to work with me in the morning to get the verdict. Has anyone else ever been through anything similar with their oldies? Fingers and toes crossed....

The idea is to feed something that the dogs haven't eaten before that is basically one protein source and one carbohydrate source. Check the ingredients of your previous diet to make sure there is nothing in the elimination diet that was in your previous diet. Something like fish and potato is good as these are not found in a lot of commercial dog foods. If you want to give bones, then use the same type of meat in the diet as the bones, ie if you're going to use kangaroo meat, you'll need to give kangaroo bones! Also best to not add any supplements during the diet either. Make sure you stick to the diet religiously for about 10 weeks I think it is.

Yep that's what it looks like, except very faded most of the time. I'm going to ask for a biopsy/sample to be taken, can they do that without anaesthetic? IMO you're better off just getting the whole thing taken off rather than a biopsy. He would need to be knocked out or sedated for the biopsy and if it turns out to be something bad you're going to have to take it off anything. Best to just get it whipped out now, I think...

I just saw this on 'It's Me or the Dog' last night with a Great Dane pup (about 12 months) called Dylan. When the lady owner asked Victoria why Dylan was mouthing her and not Victoria, her reply was simply that pups don't mouth more dominant members of the pack, so he doesn't see his owner as the dominant one whereas he perceived Victoria's dominance just by her attitude. The solution was the 'quick high pitched puppy squeal' (which I doubt men can imitate successfully, if at all), cross the arms, turn your back and look away - ie, total ignore / game over. It worked virtually instantly. There's definitely something about the squeal resonating with dogs as the one she emitted on TV even startled my little Cocker Spaniel pup out his sleep and he started looking around. He's also one of these mouthy/nipping pups because I play with him so he sees me currently more as a playmate than the boss, so I had the thought of copying Victoria's squeal (I taped the show) and putting it onto some sort of tape player to use when needed... but I don't have one. Anyway, the thought's there, so a possible puppy training tool? I know they make electronic clickers now with chirps and trills, so maybe one with a sqeal for the mouthing problems? I saw this too and was a little confused by this. Victoria said a puppy would not mouth a pack leader. So when the dog mouthed her, why would the owner be told to act as a puppy? Wouldn't it get a better result to act the way the pack leader would with more of a growl and put pup in it's place? There's probably more to it all, but it just doesn't make sense to me how squealing and acting as a litter mate and therefore on the same level, would lead to the dog treating you as pack leader? Can someone explain???

Hi! Congratulations on your new puppy! With regards to feeding, what did your breeder recommend you feed him? It is best to keep pup on the same food they were being fed growing up to reduce intestinal upsets. Being a larger breed dog, I myself would probably prefer to feed a high quality pet food specially formulated for growing large breed puppies as they have all the essential nutrients but also a little lower in calories/cup which helps the larger breeds to not grow too fast (which can lead to skeletal problems). Has your vet given him a once over since you bought him home? It's always a good idea to have pup vet checked as soon as you can and that way you can also ask them any questions. Hope this helps. There are lots of people on this forum who have a wealth of knowledge on these sorts of things so no doubt you will be flooded with more information soon! Goodluck with pup and remember to post pics!!!!

My goldens both have really bad flea allergy dermatitis, and just one of two bites from fleas gives them terrible hot spots. I just try and keep the fleas at bay!

4 eggs is, in my opinion, far too much. The Albumin in raw egg white breaks down other vitamins and it is not recommended that dogs get eggs too often for this reason. Because raw feeding is a guessing game, that is the reason I recommended a good quality dry food. It doesn't have to be a guessing game Scales and nor should it be. My view is either do your research and feed a "proper" raw diet or feed the best quality commercial food you can afford. Some of the diets that are considered by their owners to be "BARF" are entirely inappropriate for a dogs nutritional needs. Raw egg whites contain a glycoprotein called avidin which binds Biotin (a "B" vitamin). However, raw egg yolks are one of natures richest sources of Biotin and there's more than enough Biotin in the yolks to override the effect of avidin. It's feeding raw egg whites on their own that can create a Biotin defiency. :rolleyes: Strange... all my clinical nutrition text books same the same thing about feeding raw eggs, that basically shouldn't be done in large amounts, due to the biotin thing. Never knew that the yolk overrides this effect!

Hi Kiwi73 Congratulations on your new puppy! Golden puppies are the cutest things! With regards to feeding pup, I'd recommend looking for a good quality food that is made for large breed puppies. Large breed pups have different requirements to other pups, because if they grow too fast, they can encounter skeletal problems later on. I'd also be careful with adding the goats milk with the puppy food, as this may be giving too much calcium for a large breed pup. The dry kibble has all the ratio's balanced of the vitamins and minerals, so adding anything extra can throw these ratio's out of whack. As with whats been said above, make sure any changes you make, are done gradually. Maybe on pups next vacc visit at the vet, you could run some of these questions past them. Don't forget to post pics!!!!

Is the dog permanently limping? Is it bearing any weight on the leg or holding it up? How old is the dog? Breed? Knee problem doesnt always mean cruciate. Could also be a luxating patella.

Sounds like your boy is in great hands where he is. Hoping everything is ok. Thoughts are with you

Hi, Definately think you need to go back to the vet. Pale gums are never a good sign. Let your vet know that she hasnt been herself etc as they may need to work it up in case its something more complicated than gastro.

This condition is called Vestibular Disease. Affects the vestibular system deep in the inner ear and causes all the symptoms you described (the nystagmus (eye movements) head tilt etc). In older dogs its generally referred to as Geriatric Vestibular Disease (or Syndrome) and there is often no particular cause, it just happens, and usually goes away slowly over a few weeks. In this situation, Bacchus, the best thing will be for you to communicate often with your vet. I wouldnt recommend a chiro for this particular problem (just my opinion), as it sounds like his neck is just too unstable to be worked on. Has the vet done x-rays yet? That way they will be able to see the extent of the damage within the vertebrae and the subsequent damage to the spinal cord. Best thing you can do, would be to leave him in the hands of your vet, where he will have plenty of pain killers and cage rest. Am thinking of you. Let us know how he is going.

My vet had a dog like this. He did scrape after scrape looking for demodex mites but was always negative. He then did a biopsy, and low and behold, they found demodex....

Or maybe some vets prefer the idea of an annual vacc & check-up so they can pick up on any problems before it's too late...

If you have a problem, and you go to the vet and they give you a treatment to use that is successful, then in most cases, the vets will happily dispense the medication to you again should the problem come up. IMO, this is a much safer idea than trying to self diagnose. Sometimes problems reccur due to an underlying problem, and your vet will want to know if the problem keeps coming back incase there is something else going on that they want/need to investigate. For eg, ear problems can be secondary to issues such as atopy (allergy to pollens) or even food allergies. So if you have a problem that keeps coming back, rather than trying to treat the symptoms on your own, best to head back for a recheck so your vet knows and can make the appropriate decision about what needs to be done.

Your vet would have sent the urine off to the lab to do a Culture and Sensitivity (C&S) test, which involves trying to culture any bacteria present in the urine and then seeing what anti biotic it is sensitive to. Rules out bacterial UTI.

I have to admit, imagining this, a small part of me starting baricking for the snails!

It's not unusual for dogs to retain their baby teeth, but they really should come out. Think a trip to the vet is in order; if its wobbly, they may even be able to whip it out in the consult, but either way, dead teeth are best removed...

I agree, this food, IMO, has a too larger percentage of protein and fat. The protein level is about 33% and the fat level is about 21%. These are too high for a growing pup as they can cause pup to grow too fast, which can result in skeletal problems. This particular food is recommended for large breed dogs, aged over 15months, who are working or sporting. From "Small Animal Clinical Nutrition" - '(Large breed) Puppies on a high calorie intake after weaning have been shown to develop hip dysplasia more frequently, earlier, and more severely..." The Royal Canin Lg Breed Puppy has whilst is has 32% protein, only has 14% fat, compared to the 21% in the 4300. Large breed pups want less fat as to not grow too fast.

Eagle Pack has a guaranteed analysis.... My dogs eat kibble, and follow the recommended amount required, and are all healthy weight. If this were the case, ie little or no protein and very very low in fat, we'd be seeing a LOT of unhealthy, underweight, malnourished pups and dogs at the vets. Most of our overweight patients have always been fed on kibble only.

I highly recommend this over the shark cartilage. MSM is said to have pain relieving and anti-inflam properties. It's tasteless, doesn't smell, as soon to be appearing in 'treat form', using Vets Best for flavour! Plus. its a little kinder to the sharks...

I'm confused... Isnt kibble just the american word for dry food? All dry food sold has all the dogs nutritional requirements from it, some just have more fillers in them than others, hence why some produce more poo than others. Another thing to consider, while the super premiums cost more than the supermarket foods, you actually feed less it per meal than what you would if you were feeding supermarket, as it has a higher digestibility. Have a look on the labels of the foods, not just at ingredients, but also had how much it says to feed. One might suggest you need twice as much as another which costs more, but turns out the more expensive one is more economical... Hope that makes sense! My dogs have all been fed on supermarket foods from day one and are now all 14 years old and have never had skin or other health problems (touch wood!) other than their elderly bone issues now. In saying that, though, my next pup, a giant breed, I will more than likely feed Eagle Pack as it has the correct levels of nutrients needed for a giant breed. Just work out what your pup does the best on and go from there, but remember to make any feed changes gradually!

My 3 dogs have lived off Pedigree meaty bites their whole lives. Like people, dogs are all different and some can tolerate some foods better than others. Yes, some foods out there have more 'fillers' than others, but at the end of the day, would still provide the adequate nutritional requirements, so long as you follow the feeding instructions. My girls are all about 13-14 years old, and their insides are perfectly healthy (their joints arent so good, but thats just old age!). In saying this, though, I will most probably feed my next pup on Eagle Pack. Best thing is to find a food that suits your dog and suits your budget. If you chose to feed raw, just make sure you have all the vitamins and minerals in there that you need and in the correct ratio's. As for the grain thing, i'm not a huge fan of the amounts of grains used in todays food, but they are just another protein source. Corn is not digestible in its whole form, but when ground down, is significantly more digestible. Its the outer husky layer of the kernel which inhibits digestion, but when ground, is much more digestible. Dogs are, in text books, classed as omnivores.