yellowgirl

Pebbles, how is Mick doing? He's often in my thoughts, I hope things are okay

Hi Greytpets, sounds like you've been having a pretty tough time with your crew . So sorry to hear that you recently lost one of your dogs. Glad to hear that Sally is doing well on the Royal Canin. Hugs to you and the 5 furkids Hi Sheridan, I've done a fair bit of research since yesterday. I'm not a fan of any of the Hills products, but of course if it's the only one that provides what Pepper needs then it's on the list. Thank you for that info dogmad. I'm glad your little one had you to look after her in her time of need :D . Thanks karly101. I don't seem to be able to order the book in Australia. It's listed on a few book sites but no delivery to Aust. I will ask my vet if she has a copy that I could have a look at. Now, after a lot of research and product comparisons (ingredients and % analysis), I think the best thing for Pepper is a combination of the Tucker Time roll and probably the Hills k/d dry. She needs low protein, and the phosphorus should be under 0.6%. The TT roll has 14% protein and 0.4% phosphorus (tick). I had hoped that the Nutro Lite dry food would be suitable, but the phosphorus % isn't listed on the bag, so I rang the company. The Lite has 1-2% phosphorus which I think is too high to take a chance on. I've just had a look at the Royal Canin Renal dry and the analysis is fine, but the ingredient list seems to have even more corn and wheat than the Hills k/d, so I'm not as keen on that one. The vet said the TT roll analysis sounded good for Pepper's requirements. I'm picking up a sample of the Hills k/d from the vet tonight and we'll see if Pepper likes it in combination with the TT Roll. She had the roll last night and this morning and she loooooved it. The vet also recommended a fortnightly urine test to keep an eye on Pepper's levels. The TT Roll will also be good for Banshee (just diagnosed with pancreatitis), as it has 6% fat, along with the Nutro Lite dry food which has 9% fat. I'm pretty sure Tucker Time do a Light roll, so I'll enquire about that as well when I put in my order for the shop this week. Thanks for your input everyone, always much appreciated xxx

Thanks persephone, I think I do need a hug at the moment. Have been madly printing out everything I can find on pancreatitis and kidney disease... naturally the printer just ran out of ink. Currently treading a very fine line before bursting into girly tears ;)

Well I'm in a bit of a state of shock at the moment. Banshee was just diagnosed with Pancreatitis and now the vet has just rung and said the results of Pepper's tests show that she has kidney disease! ;) . She's lost 3/4 of her kidney function . She's 9 years old so that may be a contributing factor and it's possible that the Previcox pain relief she had for her impacted anal gland may have been what tipped her over the edge. I need help with her food. The vet recommended the Hills K/D Prescription dry. $66.95 for 4.5kg, ordinarily I could order it through my shop, but I can't with this one as it's a vet only line. Does anyone know of alternative preservative-free dry or fresh foods that I can use? Also does anyone know what are the levels of protien, etc that I need to stay under? I'm about to ring the vet again with more questions, but any advice from DOLers who have dogs with kidney disease would be appreciated.

Beautiful, heartbreaking tribute to wonderful and special Magnus . RIP darling boy. You were so loved. Still thinking of you every day Jed. Stay strong dear lady. Being away from your furkids would be the worst pain of all. Sending healing prayers for not just your burns but also your broken heart xxx

Trishm, I just want to add that oats DO contain fat, so if Ebony is on a NO fat diet they wouldn't be suitable. I read the wrong line on the pack and thought it was 2g, but it's actually 7g per 100g. The vet said to keep the fat level around 7-8% but I think it's still a bit high, particularly so soon after being diagnosed, so I'm taking them off the menu for the time being. I want to stay under 3% if possible. I wish you lived here too! . You'd be great advertising for the shop I'm sure!! (then I could pay my vet bills! )

Thanks KHM, hopefully things will improve for her now. It makes me so sad to think that not only was she outside in the cold, but she would have been in pain most of the time too . At least she's on the road to recovery now. Glad things are going okay for you Trishm. I looked up some info on pancreatitis and rolled oats were recommeded as a gentle grain that's easily digested and converted. I thought it would be better to pre-soak them so they are plump and full of moisture. I'm still researching different foods. Thanks persephone ... this is for you, my gorgeous gremlin girl xxx

Thanks LWC, yes it is a comfort to know that others have had dogs with pancreatitis who live long, happy lives. Do you remember what medication your Foxi was on, did she take it every day or just when she was in discomfort? Thank you Trishm, what an horrific time that would have been for you! :D . I was feeling a bit down and stressed because I can't pay all my shop rent because of Banshee and Pepper's vet bills. After hearing your story, I am counting my blessings instead. Thank you for sharing. Hugs to you and Ebony Update.... Took Banshee and Pepper to the vet this morning. Pepper's wound from her impacted anal gland still hasn't healed up so the vet's put her on more antibiotics. She's also been drinking an excessive amount of water in the past week so I took a urine sample in as well. Urine test showed no diabetes so the vet has taken a blood test and we should get the results of those tomorrow. Banshee is much better . I have her on kangaroo mince, pre-soaked rolled oats and grated carrot at the moment. All treats, ears, rawhide, chew sticks, etc have been removed. The vet says her hunching should get better now, and she's prescribed pain killers to have on hand in case Banshee appears to be in pain. She didn't throw up over the weekend and today I got my exuberant morning kisses and cuddles

All the best for your vet visit today. Sounds like a thyroid test would be a great idea. Hope you get some answers soon for poor little Mick. Please let us know how you go. xxx

Thanks HG, she's had a tough time poor little munchkin. Hopefully things will turn around for her now. Thanks MM, it's very helpful to hear other people's experiences. Sounds like you lost one of your dogs to pancreatitis :p . I've been reading the pancreatitis stories on DOL, and there's such a varying degree of success with treatment... from dogs recovering without any issues to actually dying! I've been crying for quite a few other DOLers today The vet said she would have liked to have Banshee in the clinic with fluids and monitoring but was very understanding about my financial situation and said that because Banshee hasn't vomited since yesterday and can drink small amounts without vomiting that she should be okay having no food for 24 hours at home without the intravenous fluids. She also gave me her mobile number and said to ring her if there were ANY changes . If there is any vomiting she'll need to go to emergency straight away. I have to head off home now but will check in again on Monday. Thank you all for your support and input, I really appreciate it. xxx

Thanks Tobster, Whiskedaway and Persephone. I must admit I had a bit of a girly cry after talking to the vet (probably more to do with worry building up), but I do agree that at least I know what's wrong and can start changing her diet straight away. Vet says no dinner tonight and start on the pain relief and new diet tomorrow. ah, you made me laugh with the 'gremlin' persephone

The vet just rang me, it seems she went and yelled at various people to get the test results back asap, and it's come back that Banshee has pancreatitis . It's a bit confusing because the vet said her white blood cell count was normal but the pancreatitis test came back at a level of 600 (over 400 indicates pancreatitis). Luckily Banshee hasn't vomited since last night or she would be back at the vets on a drip now. She has to have no food for 24 hours and then painkillers and a pancreatic diet for the rest of her life. Her hunching stance is definitely related to the discomfort that she's been in since I got her. Poor, poor little bub

Thank you BellaDonna. I spoke to the vet this morning and apparently there's something wrong with the testing company's equipment and they need to forward the blood to another state to complete the tests... so we won't have any results until Monday. Banshee held down a small dinner last night and breakfast this morning (she had her Maxolon tablet before breakfast). She's just having cooked chicken at the moment. She was very unsettled during the night. She's very sooky and clingy today, and I didn't get my excited good morning cuddles this morning

Thanks Bully. We're about to head off home in a sec, so will update tomorrow when the test results come through. xxx

Thanks Wolfsong, if there are no definitive results from the tests I will definitely look into a Chiro. Thank you Mother Moocher, I have her on my lap at the moment, trying to just love her into getting better. In spite of her past, this little girl has the most loving heart and beautiful spirit, I can't stand to see her unwell . She's looking at me now with those beautiful eyes and huge eyelashes. She's really got into my heart this little one. Thanks LDH, the vet mentioned that she was adding the pancreatits test to the paperwork. Banshee hasn't been drinking more than usual, but interestingly, my 9 year old CC, Pepper has been recently. Poor old girl has just had an impacted anal gland and has been on antibiotics, I was hoping that her extra drinking might be related to the infection and medication. She's also been coughing a bit. She was on the list to go to the vet on Monday if she hadn't gone back to normal by then

Pebbles, you must be so worried ... I can relate at the moment . Poor little Mick, it's so awful to see your dog unwell and not be able to ease their discomfort, so much worse if you don't even know the cause. Please let us know if there is any news. Sending kisses and healing vibes to little Mick

For those unfamiliar with my Chinese Crested dog, Banshee ... Background story ... http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...194927&st=0 Tummy bump story .... http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...p;#entry4582734 I had to take Banshee to the vet again this morning. Something's been different with her the last few days. Last night she threw up about an hour after her dinner, she vomited during the night and was unsettled all night. This morning she didn't want breakfast and only had about 1 mouthful, she threw that up about half an hour later. It's obvious from her demeanour that something is wrong with her tummy. The clinic had their 'Friday' vet there who we haven't seen before. Banshee did really well and accepted pats from the vet, even though she was a bit nervous, she didn't bite the vet... yay! The vet took blood for a Total Health Profile (liver, kidneys, pancreas, etc). The vet nurse had to come in to help hang on to Banshee and the vet ended up having to take blood 3 times!! Naturally, Banshee lived up to her name and screamed for all she was worth. Hopefully we'll have the results of the blood tests tomorrow. The vet also gave her an anti-nausea injection and gave us Maxolon tablets for the next few days. Bland food for the next few days too. One thing that concerns me is that Banshee always stands with her back hunched and her tummy tucked up. The vet we saw a while ago said that it was probably nerves and would settle down as she relaxes. Banshee is very relaxed at home now but she still stands hunched up. I've often wondered if it's a physical issue rather than emotional. The vet we saw today wasn't sure if it was related and said to wait until we get the test results. Not sure if this is relevant to her vomiting, I've had Banshee on glucosamine/chondroitin powder since I got her as she was limping on her rear left leg. A few weeks ago the vet put her on Previcox and said that if her leg improved it was probably not a cruciate injury but more likely arthritis or something similar (Banshee is only a year and a half old). She also has quite weak patellas. She will have to have an xray at some stage to see exactly what damage there is to her hips/legs. The Previcox worked and she stopped limping and I've increased the powder. A few times she had loose stools because I gave her too much. We've now worked out a good dose rate and her poops are really good. She hasn't vomited until now. Is there any chance that maybe it's just the powder making her sick? All the dogs have the same food, none of the others are sick, and Banshee hasn't had anything new or different recently. I just have a bad feeling. This poor little girl can't seem to catch a break. I have her in the shop with me today, she's really not herself. I need to stop worrying and do some work, thought it might help to share and get it out of my system a bit. Thanks guys xxx

' .... weeping for that which has been your delight '. Got me right in the heart that one 'Scuse me ... allergies ..... Thinking of you daily Jed

IW4ME, I'm happy to send you the shirt as a prize . Obviously I didn't soak it long enough and it's now in the rag bag ... looks disgusting! Tez, I don't have any idea what caused it. I've never had a dog with an impacted anal gland (and hope not to have one again ) and it came up so quickly. I've heard that if they have an infection they can be prone to more trouble... I hope not. She's never had any trouble with them before, so it's a bit of a mystery. Thanks for your input everyone

Thanks Trishm, I'm starting to get the hang of it now Usually when AWL asks for bedding, etc they get a good response and lots of people donate. I'm hoping to help out shelters or foster carers who don't have as much publicity. I've been given a bit of bedding by customers to pass on to our local rescue people, if they don't need it I'll definitely pass it on to AWL Haha! I can just imagine him doing it too, he seemed to grow a foot taller in confidence once he had his trendy shirt on

... and now it's gone

I spoke to the Marion Clinic yesterday. They will be doing titre testing this month on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th. Cost is the consult fee ($55.00) plus the cost of the test which is $US40 ... this is charged through your credit card and the specific $$ cost depends what the currency conversion is.

Hmmm, don't know .... would it take 3 weeks to react to the ABs? It has a kind of eczema, psoriosis (sp?) look to it...

Thank you DBT for the fleece and blanket ... and the postage satchel!! We swapped a cute little shirt as a thank you for the donations . This is DBT's Baby Bear in his new shirt (here's one of the t-shirts you donated Kelpiehoundmum ... it's now a doggy coat! ) .... And here's Little Man in his new 'Snuggle Bug' coat (prototype of the ones I'll be making for the shop, separate to the donated coats) Lovely to meet you, hubby and the gorgeous little guys today DBT! Thank you again for your donations!

Hi Crisovar, I clipped her face about 2 weeks ago. I usually do it every 1 - 2 weeks then moisturise with sorbolene. This works well for her and she doesn't have any redness or irritation afterwards. I certainly won't be doing it this weekend though! I haven't noticed her scratching or rubbing, which is why I was so surprised to see it yesterday!