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Poor Sasha Im sorry KL would love to return the advice favour but I have no experience in this area im afraid. Hope you get some great info and hope she gets better soon.

Good thread thanks SSM. Asher is having a surgery on Tuesday and he is under crate arrest for at least 6 weeks so I need this thread too Hope your friends Doggie recovers well! Bless you for being a great friend

Not sure if this is "Green" but here's the link anyway http://www.alibaba.com/product/au104873587...beef_tripe.html

Thanks for your advice and concern YellowGirl ;) Asher was being fed 500 grams but we have cut it back to 400. We have found that feeding lamb shanks (350-400gram) or something similar feels better (for us and them!) as it takes him longer to eat and requires more work than 6 chicken necks, giving all of us a feeling of general satisfaction will definitely give the Veggie mash a go. Its a great bulker up-er-er! The Furkids love apple so I might switch to it and give the celery the flick. Do you know if the natural sugars pose any threat to the weight loss YellowGirl? Kelly_Louise has been amazing! She has given me so much great advice. And Huski too! Another great reason why this website is so valuable.

Raw feeder here too :D Was the best thing we ever did for our 2. Here's my question for you hard core Barfers/Prey Diet Peeps. I dont feed Vegies in the furries dinner as part of my regime ..... but.... Asher and Nooki need to lose a couple of Kilos so instead of feeding Dried Liver and Dried beef as treats, I cut up some carrot and celery this week. So as a Veggie newb, how much is too much? Eg, Asher is on Carprofen (long story see my arthritis/cruciate ligament thread) and I have to give the tablet with food. As they only get fed once a day in the evening, I have been giving him a half a carrot, cut up, with his tablet in the morning. Is this too much? Is it ok to replace their treats with carrot and celery? My Favourite thing about the Barf diet ...... I know exactly what goes in their bellies

I cant tell you how much I feel for you right now. What a wonderful life Elliott has had... to have loved you for so long what a family it must be. I will be thinkin of you all.

Was about to ask you if you used rescue remedy! Thought it might be of some help to us. Will be picking some up next week. I think it was more our decision to go to surgery than the Vet pushing us. Knowing that he has had the injury for at least 5 months (mis-diagnosed initially) made us lean in that direction. It is going to be our only option in the end and I feel much better prepared ahead of time than having to get my shit together if he tore it fully and had to go under straight away. Stress Levels ....... I dont think anything will help me with that!! I dont have to nurse him out of Anesthetic this time so that will be good (I was a mess after Asher had his pre-molar out and the anesthetic was wearing off). Obstacles we are working on. We have 2 lots of 3 step stairs in our house, both to and from Asher's favourite rooms. Not sure what we are going to do there yet, but as for the floors, im investing in some cheap rugs. We have floor boards so the house is going to look like a bloody mess with all these rugs and safety things around! The walks to continue before the operation...... my bad, I just re-read and totally wrote it wrong! Post Op advice is stay in the one spot for weeks!! Sorry K.L Hydro is also put off until a few weeks after surgery but our Specialist will advise as recovery goes on. I couldnt have been so prepared without your advice Kelly, thank you.

Ok... heres the update. Asher is booked in for Surgery on August 4th. After visiting other Veterinarians for opinions and options, we decided that instead of putting off the inevitable, Asher being young and active and likely to tear it completely, also being over 25 kg's, we are going to go ahead with the Surgery now while he's in the best shape possible at this moment. One of the Vets (the chosen clinic) told us it was a partial tear which had some arthritis which had set in as well. This we all knew, actually, nearly everything we had heard already but this was by far the most equipped, informative and general well being feeling clinic we had been to. A Specialist from the Gold Coast Veterinary Specialist Services Clinic will be performing the op. The VSS also has all the facilities that I have looked at and thought would be great for Asher's recovery, including a hydro treadmill. The Vet also told us that swimming would be fine before and after the operation, just small amounts in the up to and just after periods. He needs to lose about 3 kilos though, so all the inactivity is going to make it hard, but we are going to be as strict as we can when it comes to food portions. At the moment he is getting 500 grams once a day, going to cut it back to 400 grams. Any tips on this anyone? Bought some carrot and Celery today to use as treats instead on dried Liver and beef. They both liked the Carrot but the celery was a failure!! Gave Apple pieces over the past 2 days and the furrie's love that too! I think they really enjoy the crunchy juicy texture. Bought a crate today. Its a good size to allow him to move freely, but not run or jump or zoom. Should have it next week which will give us a week to get used to it. The Vet also said that walks should still continue, but only for 10 minutes. I never realised how much I would miss our daily exercise. My Sasha's Blend arrived today so will be adding it to their food as of today. I think that's all I have..... Actually, K.L, we are using the Tibial Plateau Leveling Procedure. Took all the others into consideration, but why put a band aid on a knife wound if you know what I mean. Other methods don't give as much a guarantee as the TPL does so its a no brainer.

Too true K.L. 45 might be too long on his feet. will definitely consider a few short walks instead of one long one

The Hydrotherapy (Aquadog) is part of the Vet we are going to see on Friday so I will double check with the Vet then if we are ok to start it. I didnt even think it might be a no go, thanks K.L! The walks I think I can keep under control. I reckon I could space out a 500 metre walk over about 45 minutes with extra sniffing time and I think this will satisfy a bit of his energy. I just keep thinking we are lucky to not be going under the knife right now so this helps me to keep him secured and fed less and short walked. It has helped stop my urges to let him out the back. Will update on Friday after Vet visit. Thanks again

I immediately regretted opening the gate when I did. I know I shouldnt have let him go bananas, I had one of those "he's looking good and walking ok" moments. Took them for a short walk tonight. About 600 metres. Nice and slow just for a sniff around. The Vet said it would be ok as long as it was short. Kelly do you think I should cut the short walk for the time being as well? Starting Hydro therapy next Thursday and hopefully about 3 times a week after that. Have some Sasha's blend on the way, should hopefully be here tomorrow. Do I need to supplement Glucosamine as well?

i would sat that personally i dont think i could. i feed salmon and sardines but the thought of a big fish and all those little spikey bones would just worry me too much. i have read many posts from Dol'ers that feed raw whole .... more power to em ..... i would just be too scared ;) Of Topic....how cute are the new smilies!!! ;) :D ;) ;) :doh: ;)

Got home from work not too long ago and decided to let the furries out the back yard for a little leg stretch. Asher ran around like a mad crazy possessed dog!! You wouldnt know anything was wrong..... i tried to stop him.... he was just running and running. Nut case have 2nd and 3rd opinion appointments booked for this week so we will know what we are definitely going to do by the end of the week. Because of the separate days off for my and the OH, and the distance, getting to see Dr Kilmarten this week isnt viable Huski but we are planning on doing this if our 2nd and 3rd opinions tell us its a partial tear and surgery is not the only option. Will let you know how we go. I like the thought of a holistic recovery I feel so much better having you guys here to help me with all these questions and opinions, so thank you again. You have all really been so much help.

K.L - Thanks for your account of the post-op experiences. It really helps me plan things a whole lot more. Chloe sounds like she was such a good girl through it all. Huski, Asher is not crate trained. I was actually thinking last night about this. He is used to being in an area that is about 6x6 so it wont be too hard to cut him down to a little smaller area, but yep, the crate training will be fun. ALthough I am planning to take 3 weeks off after the op and I know he will just be by my side anyway so I guess thats my comforting thought. Ok, now speaking as a naive dog gal, please tell me your thoughts on this. After continuing my research, I have included another option to my list. As his tear is partial and not full, what do you think about the inclusion of Sasha's blend (or similar) to his diet, weight loss of about 3 - 4 kgs and hydrotherapy 3 times a week? Do you think this would be a viable substitute or option to surgery? We are still getting other opinions from other Vets but thought I would get your thoughts on this prior.

poor lil Harry I hope he gets all better soon.

Thanks again for your straight forward advice Kelly Louise. I have a fair understanding of the hardship we will face after the op, but I have a question for you regarding it. We have a great area for our kids that is small and fenced so that is sorted, but, and here goes stupid question .... How long before Chloe could walk by herself and how long before you felt comfy leaving her along by herself? Im thinking of taking 3 weeks off and then working nights for a few weeks after that so I can be here during the day and hubby at night. im figuring he will have his leg bandaged/cast for a little while. Could Chloe get around ok within 48 hours?

Thanks Lovie. Have added Dr Kilmarten to my options list. Have been doing some research and now totally understand the surgical options we have. Seems surgery is highly recommended with dogs weighing over 15 kgs due to re-occurence. Its going to be a long healing road afterwards. Think I might take a few weeks off afterwards..... just to make sure we dont have to fork out thousands more for "my mum's an idiot and didnt look after me properly" accidents. tis funny how hindsight works. I was going to insure the dogs about 5 months ago. I didnt. Cruciate Ligament claims have a 6 month waiting period. Looks like my well earned dollars shall be spent for now. Guess who's getting Pet Insurance tomorrow?

Thanks Helen. Is Geoff Robbins on the Gold Coast? We have a friend who knows a Vet named Geoff. Our friend is going to give him a buzz to see if he can help us out with advice and treatment. Post Op is most important to me, its gonna be so hard though. Damn active dogs! Thanks Huski. Have you been to see Dr Kilmarten before? Is there any particular reason you recommended this practice (just for options sakes :cool: )? Unfortunately I am not too sure how that 3rd option works. The Vet had gone over so many things and I was trying to take it all in and deal with my hot flush :D When he drew it on the board it looked like a t shape implant/metal plate that works in a hinge way. thats all i remember dammit!! but I knew a 2nd opinion was going to be a definite so im sure after I do my research and go back to my Vet I will have more understanding. He has been quite good this arvo. Had a bit of a run around which i struggled to stop :D but tried my hardest to make sure it was smooth running..... Nooki loves to pull him down during play by snapping his back legs in her teeth ... this will be our biggest obstacle. Thanks again for all your help ladies and gents. Im off to do some researching and I will come back with questions for y'all ;)

Ok so we're back from the Vets and Asher has a partial torn cruciate ligament. Kelly thank you for your advice and words of wisdom. We are going to get second options but so far our Vet has said that we can get a procedure done where they take out a piece of bone to allow for better joint movement. there's another part to this procedure but I cannot remember. 2nd option was to put in surgical strapping/tape/not sure of name where the ligament is or was and this acts as a ligament would normally. Chances of bad arthritis in the later years is on the cards. 3rd option is a new procedure where a metal plate is put into his leg which stabilises it and allows it to move freely as a perfect ligament should. first and second options looking around $1500 third option $2000 to $3000 I have probably left out some details as I almost passed out in the examination room. I had a hot flush and had to leave! The Vet nurse asked if it was from a needle and I wanted to tell her that growing up on a farm has given me great tolerance to pretty much any type of animal procedures, but I was busy breathing!! Ok, so he is on anti inflammatories for now with no exercising for a while. Im gonna have 2 hyper Huskies! If anyone has any more advice based on prognosis please post. Thanks in advance.

whenever we bath Asher and Nooki the hair that sheds is 10 times worse after the bath and for the next 2 days. we use a furminator (awesome brush) a slicker (good) and a comb. we still have hair all over the place. come round and visit me....... you'll never worry about your dogs hair again!!!

OMG K.L your story about Chloe has teared me up Poor girl! I couldn't bear to see that..... Im so glad she is so much better today. Thanks again for all your advice and info. Sometimes you just need that little extra info from others to make sure you get answers. Will be sure to let you know how we go.

so much info I really needed thank you K.L and Melo. Asher is 3 years old and other than the probs we had not too long ago as mentioned in OP, nothing else. Going to Vet tomorrow. Does Asher have to have a general anaesthetic for Xrays?

Nice info to know K.L thank you so much. Do we need Xrays to see if it is a cruciate ligament or Arthritis? If xrays show this then I will just go in and ask for xrays without hesitation. I dont want this to go on any longer without a diagnosis. How is Chloe now after the ops? Did they work for her and is she fully capable of normal activities now? I have to add that he did not hold his paw/leg off the ground for very long. mainly just after getting up after a long sleep, holding up for about 30 seconds.... still worries me though. Thanks again for your advice K.L

Asher suffered from allergies not too long ago and the Vet put him on cortisone and it cleared it up fabulously. When we finished the course, it started again.... relentless itching and biting... it was hard to watch. We initially thought it was a allergic reaction to the Wandering Jew Plant that Asher used to love rolling around in. We stopped all contact with the plant but the allergy continued. I still believe it had some effect on him though so check around for Wandering Jew. We also thought it could have been a food allergy brought on by a commercial diet. I can honestly say that Asher has no sign of allergy any more. I believe the diet played a big part in this. We Flea bombed the house and under the house. Go to a pet shop (Petbarn or Pet Stock) and grab a few Fido's Flea bombs. I recommend one per room. Put it on a chair in the middle of the room (on newspaper) and push the button. Get out of the house for a couple of hours. No vaccuming for 5 days so clean the house before doing it. Get rid of any Pet bedding the is not Flea Free. And fabric bedding needs to go. Disinfect the outdoor area. Fill your bucket with hot water and part disinfectant, get your broom to give it an extra scrub clean.

So a while ago when Asher was going through a really bad month (sore leg, itchy skin, broken tooth) he had done something to his back left leg. It was hard for him to walk on when he first got up but after a little while, if he had gotten a bit of momentum, he seemed to get around on it easier. Off to the Vet (again) and she manipulated his every which way and he had no discomfort or pain at all. We stopped walks for about a week and when we started up again, I noticed that about every 5 or 6 steps his nail on the sore leg would drag a little. He slowly but surely got all better and before we knew it we were back to full length walks and little runs. this was about 4 months ago. So now his back leg is sore again..... actually, its not sore, he just holds it up as if its sore. Yesterday and the day before it seemed quite bad, walking around on 3 legs or just touching it on the ground. I let him in the backyard yesterday and after some movement he seemed a little more at ease, but of course after sitting down for a while its uncomfortable again when he gets up. I noticed over the last week and a half that I heard the nail drag every so often, but didn't think anything of it. I think the Vet put him on an anti-inflammatory last time. What does this sound like to you? What should we do? X-Rays? Chiropractor? Any advice is muchly appreciated.