stormie

Thats cause Sasha's uses cartilage from sharks.... Joint Guard has an almost equal ration of glucosamine and chondroiton (sp?). You need the chondroiton in order for the glucosamine to 'do its job', so to speak. . Joint Guard also has MSM, which is said to be a bit of a natural anti inflammatory and helps to relieve some of the pain associated. They are apparently bringing JG out in 'treat form' quite soon, which will make it easier to give! I know it can be a little bit expensive, but its specifically formulated for dogs and also has those added extras. I'd stick with the JG!!!

Are you sure they are paralysis ticks? I am surprised that a 7 month old that is 'constantly covered' is not showing any signs of poisoning? Has your vet confirmed they are paralysis ticks and not bush or brown dog ticks? Some animals that are in constant contact with paralysis ticks have been known to develop their own immunity, but I certainly wouldnt rely on it. I think the Kiltix collars are probably one of the best products for ticks, with the added bonus of killing fleas too! They are usually under $15 and last a while too! Just remember if you have a cat, don't let it chew the collar or lick off any top spot tick product you use. With regards to a vaccine, I have this for you! Tick Paralysis Vaccine There is no vaccine available against the paralysis tick yet, but research is fast approaching its development. Researchers at UTS, Sydney have been trying to develop vaccine against the paralysis action of ticks. It appears the vaccine will not prevent the cardiac depressant action of tick toxin, seen in approx. 20% of cases. These cases receive medications to combat cardiac failure, which otherwise leads to death of the animal despite the best in intensive care and use of ani-tick serum. Some animals develop a natural immunity after exposure to several ticks. The tick antiserum does not last very long in a treated animal so it is very important to start on prevention as soon as you get home and not be back with another case the following week.

I'd probably go with the idea of getting it looked at. Might not be a bad idea to get a full check up anyway seeing as though you have only had her a short time. Dogs don't always show pain in teeth like people too, when there is a problem. Most likely won't be anything serious, but it's best to get it looked at sooner rather than later, incase the canal is exposed which could lead to infection - again, something dogs don't always make obvious to us! My vet found a couple of small chips in my old girls teeth today, but they aren't too bad so we're just going to keep an eye on them.

Just a question, with regards to pulverising the fruits and veges etc, and also the no rice... In the wild, dogs generally would be eating fruits vegetables and even some grains, in their natural form. Rarely would wild dogs be eating 100% meat on a daily basis?? My understanding is that often they have to travel long distances to finally pull down a big kill, which doesnt happen every day, and in between they would be eating small rodents, some fruits and veges etc (according to the wolf doco's i've read/watched etc!!!). Also, they would also at times be eating the contents of their kills stomachs etc wouldnt they? therefore eating some grains? So why is rice so bad? And why is it better to blend up the fruits and veges? I am so confused with all this, some of the natural stuff says to feed half meat, bones and then fruits and veges etc, whilst others say they shouldnt be getting that much meat because in the wild they wouldnt be, and too much protein in the diet can cause problems? And should be feeding grains in their natural form on top of? Agghh soo confusing!! I have been trying so so so hard to find actual research and studies from reputable, qualified people on this topic and have yet to find anything!! I'm not at all saying its wrong, if anything, it makes more sense to me, but just so hard to know what is right because some say they eat grains in the wild, some say they dont! And if they eat fruits and veges in the wild, surely they wouldnd blend it would they?! Please, someone explain this to me and give me something to read that is some sort of valid research study!!!

Yep - smelly skin definitely means a vet check. Could be a number of things, a secondary problem resulting from something else going on inside or could just be a skin issue that needs a medicated shampoo. But I would definitely be getting it checked out to rule out anything else more serious... Let us know how you go!!

edit - double post!

Thanks so much guys. Seems I don't think I can win this won. According to him, even if a vet writes and publishes something on this topic that backs up the claims about some ingredients being not so good, then apparently this guy is 'a quack'. Because they've been feeding these foods for so long now, they must be good. Seems I'm allowed to pick a food because someone recommends it, but not because I have researched the ingredients and like them over another one, because it appears I have no knowledge in this area and would therefore be 'off with the fairies'. Sorry for my rant!!!

Thanks Gomez, this looks great!! Scary reading! Cats and Dogs going into the vats????? :rolleyes:

probably just as hard as it is to get mine to believe that eating bread leaves me with the exact same thing!!!

He pointed that out to me as soon as I mentioned dogs suffering from wheat intolerance, that Setters can suffer from them. So he knows. Just one of those things I think that its easier to just keep doing what has been done for a long time. and trust these super premiums that we sell because that is what they do and they have done their research. Funny though, that when you look at Science Diet ingredients on the dog food project, its all bad!!! But his attitude is 'how do you know its bad?' ie might be low grade ingredients, but show me the proof that its bad. SO frustrating!!!

Thank you. Yes, its a tough situation, I am actually a vet nurse at the same clinic!!! :rolleyes: I understand that he has a lot of knowledge in the areas of nutrition, and as you said, there is a lot of stuff published on the internet that really has no validity. I guess it should just be something I should keep to myself for a while. But the frustrating thing is, I am sure at no point has he ever really read through the ingredients lists on the pet foods researched what it all means! His attitude is that its all just dog food, does them no harm - mind you, my dogs have been on pedigree/friskies etc for 13 years of their lives and have yet to see a problem with them! But, I am sure that they would not be at their BEST, which is what I want to research. Will just keep searching!!

Thanks all. Was actually the petfoodproject which sparked the debate! Appears they are just 'anybody's' who have done this research and don't have any scientific background. I couldn't find any links to studies, but will keep looking. They rated Science Diet as 1 star, because there wasnt anything lower!! That didn't go down too well. It's so frustrating. To me, it seems so obvious. I'm all for feeding commercial dog foods, but it's just a matter of looking in the ingredients list and finding one that doesn't have so many fillers etc. And Hills seems to be one of the worst at this. It's frustrating because his argument is that he has been to uni, and has been practising for 15 years now, and I am just a nobody who has read some things on the internet. He is just so set in his ways, I guess, but would really like to find something! I know dogs need carbs in some form, but not from all the junk that gets put in!

i've been doing lots of research into dog foods and their ingredients etc. I recently had a conversation about this with my friend, suggesting there is too much corn, wheat products etc (grains in general) in dog foods. Anyway, this guy is a vet, and is quite set in his ways and basically doesnt like to think that possibly the foods that have previously been recommended, such as Hills for example, might not necessarily be the best choices for dog owners due to their ingredients. His argument was that it has been fine for dogs all this time, so how could it be wrong? Basically, he wants to see real studies and papers that have been published knowledgable persons. So I was wondering if anyone had any copies of studies or papers etc regarding dogs eating particular grains, as well as what the nutritional requirements should be? Basically anything which might back up in any way the idea that dogs don't need all those fillers and packers that companies use today! Thank you!!!

Boy, nutrition threads do get exciting!! Personally, I am happy feeding my dogs on a diet of dry food. I have done some studies on nutrient requirements and ratios and I just don't think I would be able to get these right by myself. My dogs are all about 13y/o and have never had any real health problems (touch wood!!!) and their teeth are in great form. My other reasons, is basically for a routine. IMO, dogs (well, dogs that I deal with) don't seem to worry whether or not they eat the same thing each day like we would, in fact they generally prefer the routine of keeping things the same. Have seen a lot of dogs get tummy upsets from 'changes in diets' so am much happier knowing my dogs are happy and healthy with what they get and are not likely to get sick - if they do, then I know its something other than diet!

Advantage and Advocate both have Imidocloprid as their active ingredient for fleas, so you won't notice any difference there in terms of one being better than the other. Both are made by the same company, however Advocate has the addition of covering heartworm and intestinal worming. My opinion is definately that for just fleas, Advantage is by far the best product as is seems to be working better than Frontline in many cases, and is also cheaper. Not sure about the prices you were given, because from my knowledge, Advantage only comes in 4 or 6 pack, so not sure about the 3 pack? And that is a VERY high price you were told either way, I think our largest dog size advantage in the 6 month supply doesn't even sell for that high!

How strange...not long after me reading this thread again, and I was discussing vestibular syndrome with my vets at work yesterday, and this morning I awoke to see one of my dogs has been struck with it overnight! Has the eye movements, head tilted to the right.... Will keep updated!

Glad to hear!! Forgot to mention before, do not worry about the potassium issue with the diuretics. Dogs do not normally lose it so much as people (or cats) do when they are taking frusemide. Hope things stay well!!!

I'd definately get the vets to work this up. X-rays should definately be done to make sure there is nothing abnormal going on in the spine, particularly before you have a chiro working on it!!! Could also be a skin problem? That area is the area that often gets the most irritated with fleas. Even one flea is enough if there is a flea allergy and the skin could be sore and irritated? Is small possibility this could also be behavioural? Touching the tail particularly is not always tolerated by dogs? but the fact the injection and pills worked for some time is more likely to indicate pain. Do you know what the injection/pills were? I really really think you need to go back to one of the vets you previously saw. Vets will always offer the cheapest, simplest and less invasive treatments first but want/expect you to come back if they fail so they can look into it further. But something that painful so young NEEDS to be x-rayed before any form of chiro work is done, IMO.

I really agree that you should be taking away her food after 15 mins of giving it to her. The way your pup feeds will really influence the way she will perceive her position/ranking within your family. Offering something different such as fresh chicken and other meats can actually train the dogs to become really fussy, and they also start to see themselves as 'top dog' because they see things as 'if i dont eat this, my pack will bring me something better'. It's really important that the pup learns that this is her new pack, and she is at the bottom, and that means eating what she's given (unless of course it makes her ill!!) or otherwise she will go without. Also, not eating unless you are there, is not normal pack behaviour and could be the start of separation anxiety issues as well as controlling issues. Golden retrievers dont always cope with difficult situations very well (once you see the 'drop to the floor and tremble' response you'll know what I mean!!) so I think while she is young she needs to learn to be as confident as possible. While she is still drinking and behaving normally, do not worry about her not eating as much. Stick to the same food, try not to offer better alternatives, and if possible, remove her food and what is left after she has had her fill. Also when you feed her, try to make her wait before she is allowed to go to the bowl and eat - it really reinforces they are the bottom of the pack!!!

Glad to hear she is doing better! Another thing to possibly think about, is with her being an older female, it is very possible she could be suffering a slight urinary incontinance simply due eto old age. Basically in older females, the sphincter which prevents urine from overflowing becomes weaker and as the bladder fills, it cannot hold and just overflows out. It generally happens in their sleep because they do not feel their bladder filling, where as when they are awake they would, and would therefore go pee before it overflowed. So it could be possible that with her bladder filling up more than before, her sphincter may not have been able to hold it as well. Obviously if it continues your vet will be able to to give you the answers, but was just a thought, and there are medications which can help with this problem, too. Hope she continues to do good!!

I guess the thing to remember with feeding dogs, is that all dogs are different. One dog might to really well on a generic brand food and do poorly on a super premium, where as another could be the opposite. What is important is to find a food that your dog enjoys and stays healthy on, and if you do decide to change, do so gradually. All pet food companies have done some amount of research to know what is nutritionally required by dogs, and 99% of dog foods on the market should provide such nutrition to meet certain standards to be approved for sale. With regards to the grains and things in foods, again, some dogs might have problems with wheat, glutens etc, but others may not. In the 'wild', dogs would catch and eat birds and other herbivores and would eat their offal which would contain the seeds and grasses and grains that their prey had consumed. Think the best thing to do would be to speak to your vet, particularly if you dont think your dog is at its healthiest.

I think they should definately discuss this issue with thier vet. The vet will be able to refer them to an appropriate behaviourist as well as provide medication for the short term. Not all drugs work by simply sedating. There are drugs available which actually work to calm the animals mind and not just sedate. My 13y/o Golden has been on Clomicalm for the past 6 months due to her anxiety that has come in with old age. She is now much more relaxed and happy, no longer pacing or barking so much (she has 2 other mates in the yard, so is not living alone), but at the same time she is not sedated, foggy etc. The dose rate of these drugs can be altered with vets advice, so the dose can be reduced as he settles down. By the sounds of things, the dog is grieving terribly, and I think from the state it sounds like he's in, he would need something to calm his mind down a little in order for him to be able to concentrate on and feel relaxed with, the new behaviour training.

What you are referring to as a 'stroke' is actually, as said above, vestibular syndrome. Often in older dogs it is known as geriatric vestibular syndrome. Dogs and cats rarely have strokes as humans do. Basically it is a problem with the vestibular system, which is responsible for maintaining balance and coordinating eye movements with the head. Can result from a problem within the middle ear, or possibly a problem in the brain. Geriatric VS is generally idiopathic, that is, no known cause. You can usually expect to see improvement occur spontaneously within about two weeks, but often the head tilt remains to some degree. Unfortunately with Geriatric VS there is no treatment, but nursing care can help.