Miranda

Oh Krash I couldn't ask you to do that, but I'm happy to swap for a vial of large dog that you could use on a larger foster

Can I use Advantage for dogs over 25kg on a small dog under 10kg if I use less of it? A pensioner down the road has a foxie x with a flea problem, but can't afford to buy Advantage so I thought I could give her a vial of mine, but of course it's for large dogs.

I've just ordered a bag of the Fresh Mix Adult from K9 & Katz, it arrives tomorrow so I'll let you know what I (and the dogs) think

Sometimes bitches that are getting ready to come into season will change their toileting habits and a previously perfectly house trained dog may suddenly decide to pee inside, mine don't do it, but I know of those that do. Although large breeds usually have their first season later than small breeds there are no guarantees, most of my bitches come in at around 1 year, but I've also owned a bitch that started at 7 months and one that didn't come in until she was 15 months. You can even get variation among bitches from the same litter. I suppose that one could make a general observation that the majority of bitches tend to have their first season at around the same time as their dam did, but that isn't always the case and you certainly can't rely on it, like people all bitches are different.

I think the idea of fasting stems from the idea that a dog in the wild probably wouldn't hunt successfully every day and therefore wouldn't eat every day. I don't do it myself, but I know people who do and to be quite honest I don't think their dogs are any healthier or look any better than mine. The only time I don't feed my dogs is before a show and there is no doubt in my mind that a hungry dog is a keener dog, but other than that I can't see any point to it.

Well she is much better this morning, a lot brighter and eating a little. The vets at Werribee couldn't find anything wrong with her, but increased the strength of the antibiotics that were given by the first vet. They think that she has a bacterial infection and that it is clearing up now that the antibiotics have kicked in, but personally I think that Ari and settrlvr are correct and that she had a mild case of pancreatitis. Apparently the night before she got sick the owners had a party and she consumed a large amount of leftover pizza and I think that may have contributed. But I guess we'll never know for sure although I have warned them about feeding her too much rubbish as they tend to keep her a little overweight. If she still isn't normal by Friday she has to go back for an ultrasound, but at the moment she's definitely improving. Thanks to all who contributed to this thread, all your suggestions were very helpful and I must admit that I didn't realise that pancreatitis could manifest in this way, I thought that vomiting and diarrhoea were always present, but apparently this isn't always the case. You learn such a lot on DOL Thanks again everyone.

Actually Emma Dee I don't eat that fake meat myself, soy milk, tofu and tempeh yes, but I think those fake meats are yuk

I am a vegetarian myself but I would never feed a dog a vegetarian diet, dogs are carnivores with a totally different GI tract to a human and they just aren't designed to handle large amounts of carbohydrate. I feed my dogs a super premium kibble and lots of meat and bones. I also feed raw eggs, cooked liver, canned fish (salmon, sardines, tuna or mackerel), yoghurt and a few vegetables now and again. They get cheese or cabana for treats and the occasional piece of toast. Personally I wouldn't feed a dog anything containing soy, it's very hard to digest even for a human and IMO is totally unsuitable for dogs. Fruits and vegetables in moderation yes, but I'd keep grains to a bare minimum and wouldn't feed tofu or any other soy derived product.

Thanks Ari, yes I did mention pancreatitis as well. Apparently they had a big party on Saturday night with lots of children and lots of food so I suppose it's perfectly possible that she was given some totally unsuitable food. She will ring me later tonight, hopefully Werribee will be able to provide some answers.

Well they have just picked her up from the vet, apparently she seems a little brighter and they managed to get her to eat something, but she still looks hunched up although she shows no pain on palpation of her abdomen. All the vet did was blood tests, she has a very slightly elevated white cell count (which rules out pyo), elevated ALP levels at 198, ALT levels are 120 and cholesterol is 12.3 which means that her liver is slightly affected. They are taking her down to Werribee tonight as apparently their local vet hasn't got the equipment for further investigation. So fingers crossed that they're a bit more thorough.

Thanks for all your help, it's much appreciated :rolleyes: I can't get on to the owner, no answer at work and I don't have her mobile no. I have left messages, that's all I can do. Their vet sounds a bit clueless to me, but maybe I'm being unfair. All I can do is wait until she contacts me.

I don't know gareth, I can't get on to the owner, I sincerely hope so! This has been going on since Saturday :rolleyes:

Yes I thought that was a little strange, friends of mine have one they bought in the 80's and it's still working well.

Thanks Nekhbet, I've passed the message on. They took her to the vet yesterday and he couldn't find anything wrong, apparently gave her some tablets. She went downhill overnight and they've taken her to the same vet and he says he still doesn't have a clue what's wrong with her so they've left her there and he's going to do some blood tests :rolleyes: I suggested taking her to my vet, but they're over the other side of town and the owner's at work. It doesn't sound good

Has anyone had a dog with a blockage? A dog I sold isn't eating, threw up bile yesterday, very lethargic, looks slightly hunched up, elevated heart and breathing rate. The vet can't feel anything and doesn't know what's wrong with her. She is two years old. Any ideas?

All my dogs are crated inside at night, we have possums and under no circumstances would I allow them to roam around loose, if I did I'm sure they'd bark and I have no tolerance for barking dogs, especially at night when I'm trying to sleep. My dogs are confined from around 11pm at night until about 7 in the morning and I don't hear a peep out of any of them.

All fruit is fine in moderation but don't overdo it, dogs aren't designed to deal with large amounts of carbohydrate and fibre and may get the runs. Fruits with seeds in such as kiwifruit are high in fibre and can have a laxative effect, they can also have the same effect on people if you eat too many of them

No she doesn't, she is simply reacting to your body language and the sound of your voice, she knows that you are displeased. but has absolutely no idea why. Dogs live in the present and taking her back to something that she may have done an hour ago and telling her off will simply confuse her. If you are going to discipline a dog you have to catch them in the act for it to be effective, otherwise they just don't understand. Actually the stress you are causing the dog may even be contributing to her problems in the house.

HeartandSoul I am very surprised to hear this, you are referring to one of the Holistic varieties? I can understand that some dogs may react to the corn in the standard Eagle Pack range, but I have never heard of anyone having problems with any of the Holistic products.

Yep me too!

Did they put her on Vitamin K tablets?

I doubt that the dog's lethargy has anything to do with its diet, if it continues I think it warrants further investigation and I would be going to another vet and getting a second opinion. Plain white rice is little different to plain white bread or plain white pasta, it's a refined product and many of its natural nutrients are removed in the process. In dogs it acts as a filler, but is of little nutritional value.

All bitches have phantom pregnancies because their bodies produce the same hormones regardless of whether they're pregnant or not. However how they react varies, some bitches will nest, produce milk, collect soft toys etc and some bitches will be totally asymptomatic. There is some evidence that bitches that have severe symptoms are more prone to develop pyometra, so sometimes it's a good idea to mate them sooner rather than later and get them desexed as soon as their breeding/showing career is over.

I have a friend who has a bitch who's bloated twice, she is also on charcoal tablets.

If you're going to buy Eagle Pack choose from the Holistic range, the Holistic varieties are superior to their ordinary products.