Staffyluv

Sleeping on the humans bed is a good tonic CnR. I hope she is feeling better this morning. I notice that Ollie is more tired if we have a big walk and is often quieter. Give her a big hug from us Jodie

You are right Willow, he will be here for ages yet - just look at the old man; These were taken last Sunday He had a ball runnig through all the leaves at the park.

That is good news Willow, chemo can be a hard road to travel (we did it). We also treat holistically with Vitamins and supplements and even the doggy oncologist cannot believe that Ollie is still here. It will be 3 years since he was diagnosed in October/November this year - and they thought he would only get another 18 months... We sure showed em. Good luck to you and Jarrah, I hope his tests stay clear for you.

We use fish oil with glucosamine - you can buy 100 tablets for about $20 and he takes one a day. Joint guard seems to be a bit better because it does not have the fishy smell (sashas blend smells like an old fishing bag) and Ollie would eat his food with that but would not touch it if it had the SB in it. We asked the vet and he said that the fish oil tabs are good enough for him.

Oh dear, I am so sorry for your loss. RIP Beautiful Princess.

I would suggest that judging by the severe tummy upset you noticed, she probbaly was not doing fine on what she was being fed. (It is great when we find what works for our dogs) It really is trial and error with dogs and what they are fed - what works really well for one, may not do so well for another. But when you find what works, stick to it. I agree that home cooked/raw fed is the best for dogs but a lot of people don't have the time (unless they choose pre prepared barf patties and the like) to do so. My lad was home cooked for and he ended up with bladder and kidney stones because of what he was fed (oxalate stones). So he had a bit of time on HSD-UD and came good. We have gone back to home cooked because he has MCT and we are doing everything we can to keep him as well and healthy as possible. His diet now does not include a lot of vegetables that he used to eat and he has more human grade chicken, turkey, fresh tuna, than he does red meat - we don't want those kidney stones coming back. Cats are different to dogs and need a diet much higher in protein than dogs do. Maybe that is why she has taken so well to the mince.

If your dogs needs a special diet (Like mine when he had bladder and kidney stones, it is great until you can do the research and figure out what you can feed them otherwise - like real food, not dog food). If your dog does well on it, then it is the best food for your dog - don't listen to other, everyone has an opinion on what is the best food. It has been said dozens of times here now - the best food for your dog, is the one he/she does best on. (Even if if is pedigree).

Great Helen, you have much more experience than I do with this disease and many more. I hope that Lucinda the wonder dog is still doing well, bless her she is amazing (as is your dedication to her). Ollie is great. Even the cruciate ligament (which I decided not to have the operation to fix it) is not bothering him much - mostly he only limps a little when he first gets up in the morning. He was even running a bit at the park on Sunday (I posted some pics of him in a thread called Ollie dog in the photo forum - he looks so well). Here is hoping for more time with them all and that they all stay as well as they are today.

Such great news about Sophie CnR. I am so glad that she is doing so well, for both of you. She sounds just like Ollie - one minute you think they are so sick and the next they are getting test results that say that everything is within a normal range. It is such a great feeling. I had the lad out to the park on Sunday (he does not go off lead, as he is not that friendly to other dogs) but I would have loved to let him off, so he could have really run through the fallen leaves - he was having such a good time. I posted some pics in the photo section, he looks amazing at the moment. Even his cruciate ligament does not seem to bother him much anymore. Hoping that they both continue to do so well. Jodie

How horrible - I remember when Rowdy first came to you and that pick in the first post. RIP Rowdy

Bless his little heart.. RIP little guy

Ask the vet and their opinion on his likely recovery. I know our vet was not hesitant at all to operate on Ollie and do a cruciate ligament surgery and he is 11 with mast cell cancer (in remission). Hopefully he will pass what ever is troubling him and he won't need the surgery, I hope so for all of you. I hope he is OK.

If anyone has any questions about Mast Cell cancer - the pros and cons of chemo, treating with holisitic therapy, what mast cell lumps feel like/look like, or anything at all for that matter, feel free to ask and I will try to help by answering what I can with what I know. There is link in the first post to a thread which contains our journey with MCT so far and that thread is actually in the main section of the health forum. I will have this one in the palliative care section for those that would like to know more about MCT and just update his main thread with how he is going from time to time. If I come across any new news on MCT or treatments I will update here. Cheers Jodie

I am so sorry for your loss. RIP Tieke

RIP Zac. I am sorry for your loss.

RIP Link, So sorry for your loss.

Ollie gets this from time to time and we use sorbelene cream on it a few times a day - seems to bring it back to a normal looking nose in a few days (that is what the vet said to use).

No such thing as barging in on topics like this one - the staffords and maremmas and lots of others have been here too. Shek is right, unfortunately with osteo, it is often discovered late... But that is not to say, you can't do what is best. Once you have a definite diagnosis and you know where the disease is, you can start to delay it and make their life easier. Best of luck Jodie

Haven, sorry to hear about your girl but it sounds like good news so far. Please keep us updated and don't forget there are plenty of people here who have unfortunately been down this road who can help with their experiences. I agree with CnR - get the samples checked by pathologists. It is most important to find out what you are dealing with and what grade cancer it is. Did they biospy lymph nodes near the site of the major lump? This is one way to find out if the cancer is systemic. If you do have to go the chemo route, I suggest contacting a good holistic vet so they can help your girl stay as well as possible during the treatment. There are quite a few supplements that won't be recommended by your vet that will hold her in good stead while she is under going these types of treatments. CnR how is the lovely Miss Sophie today? I hope she is well. The fat stafford is well - he has been eating a little steak and kidney and he is being rather offensive this morning. But otherwise very well.

There is nothing wrong with broccoli for dogs - it may make them fart a bit (like cauiliflower) but as far as I know that is it. It was one of the vegetables recommended in our lads diet when he was going through chemo.

I am so sorry Bella. RIP Asher, way to young to leave us.

My sister has a macca tree in her yard and when I told her that they were dangerous to dogs she laughed at me. Her stafford has been cracking them open and eating them since she was about a year old (she is 9 now) and has never had an issue. Personally I would not risk it.

My old boy started drinking heaps after his chemo and it turned out that the chemo had damaged his thyroid gland and it was hardly working. He also put on weight easily because it was not working properly.

Update on the lad. His leg problem is definitely a cruciate ligament issue but we have been trying to rest it to see if we can get away without surgery (which apparently is inevitable in the long run) for the time being. We are taking small walks in the park - no running or trying to climb trees to get the birds, every second day. He is resting on the off days and so far that seems to be working. If he sleeps for a long time, he seems to limp for a while until his leg warms up a bit. He is weight bearing on it most of the time (unless he acts like a loon and seems to hurt it trying to do things that he should not). So we have decided to put the surgery on hold indeffinitely, unless he really needs it. When I asked the vet about putting him under for the surgery, he was not worried about it at all. He thinks that Ollie is well enough to cope with it. My biggest concern is the recovery period, it is a long time to recover and he is 11 in June. That said, we are not saying never, if he needs it, he shall get the operation. But for now, he is disgustingly well again (touch wood!)

And don't they know how to take advantage of us They know they can get away with a lot of stuff that they would not have gotten away with if they were not so ill (yes they really are ill)... Glad to read such a positive update on the little lady. Jodie PS I am so glad that we have decided to just leave his leg for now and provided I can stop him acting like a loon at the park, we should be OK.