yellowgirl

Cheers LmO, I haven't been on DOL for the longest time! Thanks for the PM, for some reason my DOL notifications don't work. @Beckiesmithyour boy (who is gorgeous by the way!) might be going through a teenage stage which often results in skin issues in cresties. Bathing every second day is too often, I prefer to wipe over every day with fragrance-free baby wipes and then lightly moisturise until the skin settles down a bit and you can get into a regular cleaning routine. The main thing is for the skin to be clean. Is he wearing coats or jumpers? Be careful with fleece and other non-breathable fabrics if he has skin issues. I like to have a cotton shirt on first so that's what's next to the skin, fleece coats can go over the top. While treating skin issues I change the cotton shirt every day, as well as giving a wipe over with the baby wipes. Make sure the skin is dry before putting the shirt back on. It would be worth getting a vet to check his skin just in case it's actually a staph infection or something else that might need medication. They can do a skin scraping to check. Happy to chat further if you'd like to, my notifications don't work properly for DOL so you can send me a message on facebook - I'm Jo Van Dee (my profile pic is a crestie )

I buy fresh chicken pieces and boil them. No worries, LMO, you're very lucky if it was that long ago since one of your senior bubs has had pancreatitis! x

Maddie goes straight onto cooked chicken and rice if she has pancreatitis. Seems a bit odd to add the i/d as well as it has 14.8% fat content. I keep Maddie under 10%.

Thank you Sandgrubber I've researched so many kidney sites! This one looks familiar so I'm pretty sure I've been on this one too lol. The problem I'm having is finding a diet/food program that's low in fat, along with the requirements for a safe kidney diet. My vet has only recommended Hills or Royal Canin but they're far too high in fat. He's happy for me to look into alternatives that cover all the bases.

I'm glad you've found a food that's working for your Jeune LMO It's such a worry trying to find the right fit for them. I've emailed the company for more info as I can't find all the nutritional info I need online. Fortunately, since being on Gabapentin Maddie's appetite is very good so at least I don't have the worry about her eating, it's more about making sure she has the right foods to suit her needs. xx

Can anyone recommend wet/dry food for my Madeline? She's a desexed Chinese Crested, nearly 14, she has high blood pressure, kidney disease and is prone to pancreatitis. She needs a fat content of under 10% but most of the kidney diets I've looked into have a high fat content, so they're not good for her pancreatitis. For kidneys she needs she needs good quality protein but not too high, low phosphorus and low salt.

Awww, thanks so much @tdierikx

Can you handle double adorable @persephone? Here's Madeline and Mason

@Tassie

So sorry to read this @Kelly_Louise I lost my darling Pip last year from this awful disease, and like you, I had to make the hardest decision when it came to his quality of life. Thinking of you

All of this! @tdierikx Kisses from Maddie

Yes @tdierikx, they were all done and were within the normal range. Potassium - 5.5mmol/L (3.9-5.9), Calcium - 2.5mmol/L (1.9-2.9), ALP - 94 IU/L (1-150), Glucose fl.oz - 6.0mmol/L (3.3-6.8), Glucose, serum - 4.8mmol/L (3.3-6.8). I guess it makes more sense now why my vet isn't pursuing Addison's as a diagnosis - it's highly likely that he told me but I'd probably forgotten it in the information overload. Please thank your vet for me! It's adorable that you asked him about Maddie by the way I had to look up what a TIA was (it's a transient ischemic attack for anyone else who's wondering) and I think it's a possibility. Maddie will be having her 4th PCV test in a week's time. The first one (6 July) was 28%, second (17 july) was 31% and the third (25 July) was 28%. Normal range is 35 - 55. Under 35 is anaemic. If the fourth test next week is still within that range then maybe that's just her new normal? I mean, she's doing pretty well considering these levels. She's eating and drinking well, doing good poohs, she's happy and content, in fact her appetite has increased a bit and she's put on 600g since being on the Gabapentin! I'm hesitant to put her through too many more tests, particularly ones that involve sedation. Her full blood panel doesn't show anything too obviously terrible going on... neutrophils, lymphocytes, etc are all normal, her organs seem to be functioning pretty well (except for the heart murmur of course), she's happy, alert and engaged, and she hasn't had another major episode. So ... I'm not going to stress too much now, just keep loving and spoiling her and making sure that every day is the best day ever for her and wait and see what the results are next week.

Thanks @teddybeans and I will certainly pass on the cuddles

Oh @Tassie, that's just heartwrenching. How helpless you must have felt. Since Maddie's been unwell, I've heard of so many cases of IMHA from friends and on forums. It's just an awful thing and something that needs immediate intervention.

Thank you @Tassie It doesn't seem to be IMHA... the symptoms don't all seem to fit and her lab results are normal apart from the blood issues that I posted above for Tdierikx. From what I understand, only the Anaemia came up out of whack in the results, not the other issues mentioned here... http://scvsec.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Immune-Mediated-Hemolytic-Anemia-Canine.pdf From what I've read it's a very rapidly progressing disease with often fatal outcomes. I'm so sorry that you've been through that heartbreaking experience with your own dog