~Anne~

Sorry, I didn't mean to put you off bones entirely. He may be ok with them. I have just found the majority of Pugs aren't though. One of my foster carers actually feeds her wings frozen to the Pugs and she swears by this that it stops them swallowing them whole... but I would think it would be awful for them in Winter?? Summer would be great for this though.

Grains are actually not great for canines so I would skip the oats and rice. They are ok though in small quantities but not neccessary. I don't feed my Pugs necks or bones as they pose a great choking risk to them, given that most Pugs inhale food rather then chewing it. I got tired of rescuing bones from their throats and so I stopped this. As an alternative to bones I have always encouraged them to chew on nylabones for teeth cleaning and this they do for hours. I feed my Pugs a raw diet consisting of mince (beef, lamb and chicken), eggs, assorted veges, plain low fat yoghurt, pet milk, sardines and kibble.

Yes, that should be fine. If they have the same reaction then cease the new food, watch them carefully for other signs of illness in case it is a virus or something else. Unless you want to pay for expensive labarotory testing you will not be able to determine if it is something wrong with the food or the dog's response (such as an allergic reaction) to it. Best bet to throw it and maybe triall something else. I can't speak about Innova or Purina as I don't feed either but from my limited knowledge, I understand they are both usually highly recommended.

Usually, vomitting from eating too quickly will happen very shortly after the meal (I have Pugs and they are notorius for gutsing their food). The vomitting could be several things; a reaction to the food a reaction to the sudden change of food a reaction to the food because there is something wrong with it another cause i.e. poisoning, virus aor some other illness. If they appear otherwise ok, are drinking and playing as per normal I would trial them slowly again. Introduce a little of the new food mixed with the food they were used to. Slowly increase the new food. If you see any signs of reaction when you start to introduce then immediately stop feeding it.

Perhaps take him off to his Vet again.

Keep a watch over him but I think you'll find he will be fine. If he continues to be off his food or develops vomitting, diarrhoea or a raised temp then scoot off to the Vets for a quick check. Normally you wouldn't have anything to worry about though.

Update: I have managed to negotiate a deal with a Vet to have her surgery done for $500 and am just waiting to book her in. The current increase in temperature in Sydney has me worried as she is beginning to have difficulties already and we have only just reached the warmer temps!

You will find varying advice for the pimples. Personally I would leave them alone. They will come and go over his entire life. Some Pugs seem to be more suspectible then others in getting them. The pimples are usually caused by irratation to the chin and muzzle. Having a flat face, Pugs shove their whole face against objects when sniffing them... they also shove their whole face in food when eating and this will often irritate the skin causing the blemish like moles. Keep his face clean and dry is the best advice I could give. Someone who shows may be able to offer advice on a way to cover them up temporarily or clear them quickly though.

Salmonella has come up as an issue before and is quite common regardless of the opinions here. Chicken is a prime suspect in each case. Salmonella has also been known to affect tinned dog foods too from memory. Eggs fed raw to dogs can also carry salmonella. I have heard many stories over the years from dogs getting sick from raw eggs and chicken. Regardless, I still feed my dogs raw eggs and chicken but I ensure that it is refrigerated and always fresh. Beef I am not so concerned with when it comes to freshness, although I would never feed my dogs 'off' meat. I can't feed my guys kangaroo meat as it is too rich for them and I suspect it is mixed with other rubbish when sold as pet food. Each time I trialled roo meat my dogs ended up with diarrhoea. I never feed my dogs pet mince. I only ever feed human grade meats as they are not usually mixed with the crap that is mixed into pet mince.

Does it smell disgustingly? Parvo has a distinct smell.... one that can make the most hardened stomach heave. I have seen Vets with 35 years experience heaving over the smell........

I buy mine from the Vet but I have a deal with them. Perhaps speak to your Vet and see if you can get the drugs at a reduced rate.

I have no idea what I pay for Monte's meds.... he is currently on the brand 'Phenomav' (30mg) and we also have him on 'Epibrom' (I think this is the one..). His medical costs are just ongoing as he always seems to be in strife these days medically Monte has had his moments lately the poor guy. One thing I am enjoying is that he has not clustered at all this year! All his seizures are focals or single tonic/clonics. His seizures are curently happening almost weekly but we have re-arranged his meds quite considerably after his bromism and it could be because of this. We may need to adjust them again if he continues to have the seizures so frequently though.

I would suggest filming the episode too so that you can show the Vet what happens.

The human virus 'parvovirus' may have the same name but they are different disieases with different symptoms and can not be transferred between canines and humans. The human variety causes a rash on the face.

It also states "21 commercially available raw meat diets" which leads me to believe they are specific pet food only meats. I buy meat for human consumption and wouldn't touch pet mince with a barge pole.

My guys get mainly beef but I don't give bones. I will give chicken mince when it is on special and the same goes with lamb. Edited to add - I never give pork (I've always beleived this to be too rich for them) and I don't feed kangaroo. We tried it once or twice and it gives them diarrhoea.

I wash mine weekly, usually every Sunday, rescues as well. Edited to add: A dog's coat reacts similar to human hair when washed regularly. The more often you wash, the more oils the coat produces. As long as you use a good quality dog specific shampoo the dog will be fine. I challenge anyone to look at my dog's coats and tell me they are dry or have anything wrong with them.

Good work. Keep communicating with your Vet and all will be fine I am sure.

If she was only desexed in the last couple of days then I wouldn't be concerned. You have had the Vet look at it and they have said it is ok so why the worry? A clear discharge is perfectly normal on a fresh wound, as is a little redness around the surgical site. Afterall the skin has been sliced with a scalpel. The clear fluid is the bodies reaction to healing itself. The fluid will help 'stick' the wound together, exactly as if you had cut yourself. Signs to be concerned about are an angry redness and swelling, puss or a dirty coloured smelly discharge, the wound tearing open, obvious pain which is more then usual, the dog vomiting, being off colour and depressed and or not drinking.

Like human Docs, some Vets are great at suturing while others aren't. I wouldn't worry about. The dog won't care if there is a scar. Best to just keep focussed on keeping it clean and dry and checking for any signs of infection or sutures loosening up or her pulling them out.

Sometimes I think that too.... my excuse - I am fiercely competitve, what's yours!

The incidence on pumlmonary oedema due to fluid therapy is extremely rare. In humans the rate is something like 0.01% of patients given fluid therapy post op develop it. I doubt there would be stats on dogs, hence why I have given the human equivelant. The dog would have more chance of suffering an anaphylactic reaction to the aneasthetic then to develop this I would think. Rappie, where are you? Your words of wisdom would be fab here. Wikipedia is not always a reliable source of info. As for IV access... I have never seen a Vet do this as matter of course although I wouldn't discount that this happens but it would more likely occur when a patient was in for trauma surgery or when the animal was gravely ill before the procedure. But, things are changing in veterinary medicine and so I would think that these ideas are changing as well. Routine desexings though on the whole wouldn't need this normally.

This would be highly unlikely as the dog would remain on a maitence rate unless something happened. Maintenance perhaps? Actually, both of you are incorrect anyway. From my knowledge pulmonary odema would not occur from fluid therapy. The dog may urinate a lot... but that is all. Suffice to say the fluid would not harm the dog but probably isn't neccessary.