brightstar123

Is it pronounced Milla or Meella?

Thanks guys :) It's nice to have some support as not everyday is easy with a rescue dog (or any dog, as everyone knows!) The pouring rain is really fun with a fluff ball that needs exercising, medicating, grooming... Lol. That's two votes for Milla, that could be it!

Thanks for the cool name suggestions, Mrs Rusty Bucket, I actually quite like Milla too. Reagan's cute too, she does remind me of a little rain cloud :) She's much more active than our last Keeshond, I think she'd love to have a go at agility or something else that's high energy. Her recall isn't disastrous at all but she gets so overexcited by people and any attention and goes into a frenzy of licking. She licks my jeans and shoes :laugh: I'm just rewarding calm behaviour but really I think it will just be time and exposure to more people and situations that makes the difference. She is doing so well really though, I'm very happy with her behaviour overall.

Thanks :) She is definitely improving everyday now. I'd love to find her a home that's familiar with this kind of coat and grooming requirements - it could be a bit tricky though I think. As an aside, she's the first dog I've had that really loves the goat horn and antler chews, which definitely surprised me! There's toughness and determination behind those black spectacles!

Here she is...

Wow we have a little speedster on our hands, she's quite the runner. Maybe sheltie cross Kees lol.

I actually tried some bicarbonate but didn't really make a paste - I just dusted it between the toes etc. I think it did help a bit. I need some ideas for a new name too as I'm not a fan of her current one. Partner has helpfully suggested 'Fuzzbomb', 'Furball' and 'Tiny Hair Monster' so I need a bit of help :) I know pics are needed for naming though, will get them up this afternoon.

Great ideas thanks :) She went for her first ever walk today (previous owners freely admitted she had never left the yard) as the skin around her neck has healed enough for a flat collar. It went like this: sunshine, cool breeze, interesting smells, open space, new best friend Rottie, wet grass, dirt patch, kids to say hi too, birds, muddy puddles... Pure joy!

Anyone have any tips on how to get stinky urine smell out of her paws? I think she spent a fair part of her life locked in a chicken coop/hutch in her own waste and her feet remind me of rabbits or guinea pigs that suffer the same fate. The skin has responded well to ABs but normal bathing, chlorhex and shampoo hasn't really got rid of the smell. Any ideas for a good paw soak or wash?

Yes she is much smaller than my last female Keeshond (a long time ago) but then our Kees was a tad too big for the show ring. Maybe she could be a German Spitz x Kees. Her paws/legs are much thinner/more pointy than a Kees and instead of being cream they are cream with dark penciling or shading to them. She has some funny but cute wispy ear hair going on too :) She certainly has been to hell and back though and is such a sweetheart!

Thanks BC Crazy :) Was having a good look at her this morning (with half my brain working!) and she definitely isn't purebred - my guess would be Keeshond x Pom or even Papillion. She would suit someone looking for a smaller Spitz type with some pretty black spectacles as a bonus!

Hi everyone, I have a little 2.5yr old desexed female Keeshond or possibly Keeshond-cross here that will be looking for a loving home soon. She was a rescue - one of the most horrible neglect cases I've seen in a fair while. She was a walking hot spot with 2.5yrs of matted undercoat, rubbed raw and rotten under her collar and a good dose of flystrike (so so awful - maggots galore), flea infestation and urine scalding to top it off. Very sad The good news is that she is very kind and has tolerated unpleasant medical treatments, grooming, bathing etc with very good humour. She has been absolutely fine with our Labrador bitch and looks to be fine with other dogs and cats too. She is a busy little bee and needs some time to realise that she will be included and loved from now on, as any attention gets her very excited. She settles down quickly though, hasn't barked much at all and is learning quickly about crates, grooming, walking on the lead, not jumping up etc. I will continue to work on her basic training while I'm treating her skin problems and I think she's a fast learner. She is quite little and I couldn't say for sure that she is purebred (no paperwork), although she has the look and coat of a Keeshond. I'll post some pics tomorrow - perhaps others can comment. She's been fully vet checked and has a nice clear airway, no heart murmur, no signs of lameness, ears actually quite good and reasonable body condition. I think her skin won't be a recurring issue with normal grooming, as it is improving quickly now. So I think she will settle into a family home very quickly and she really deserves the best given what she's been through. Anyway, if anyone has any ideas or questions please let me know - thanks :)

Such a funny series of pictures - love the comparison shot! :laugh:

I don't feed them either but I have seen similar cases of obstruction when dry food has been combined with brisket or kangaroo tail or chicken frames or part of a hare carcass... the turkey shank situation was just an example of a situation that I commonly encounter, as many dog owners may not be aware of the danger of particular types or quantities of raw bones, either weight-bearing poultry bones or otherwise. I think that the point is that current research shows that feeding dry food containing a substantial amount of carbohydrate combined with raw may lead to less than optimal digestion of the raw component. My personal experience is, of course, neither here nor there, but it does seem to correlate with the research.

It seems very odd that two veterinary specialists (neurologists?) assessed your dog as pain-free. Here's some information from a great vet school in the USA: "Most animals with disc disease need surgery to remove the disc material compressing the spinal cord. Sometimes an animal with disc disease does not undergo surgery, but instead is treated with strict rest, which is accomplished by means of confinement to a cage. In general, this approach is used for a first attack of back pain and in animals that do not have problems walking. Strict cage rest does not relieve spinal cord compression, but it may help to reduce some of the pain and swelling around the spinal cord, and give the torn outer rim of the disc time to heal. It is not uncommon for animals treated this way to suffer repeated attacks of pain, lameness and paralysis, as often more disc material herniates and places additional pressure on the spinal cord. Each episode of disc herniation may cause additional permanent damage to the spinal cord. Surgical removal of disc material from the spinal canal is the treatment of choice. Surgery provides the most rapid and best recovery of spinal cord function, and is the recommended treatment at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital(VMTH) at UC Davis." As far as I know this is also the opinion of many neurologists in Australia, although it's hard to comment without seeing your dog and the MRI results.

Yes I agree, I do think the novelty of a large bone was part of the problem, in that the dog probably hadn't learnt how to chew bones properly, causing large sharp bone spicules to end up in the gut. He was also probably over-excited at the treat and scoffed the bone as fast as he could go. One could speculate that he may have had a better shot if his stomach contents were more acidic though? Perhaps the bone spicules might have been less sharp as they entered the intestine, reducing the risk of obstruction and gut perforation. This is just an example of a case that stuck in my mind, obviously not a watertight scientific argument, however I think that there are some pretty solid papers out there. The flow-on effect of how gastric pH influences the release of other digestive enzymes and gut microflora is also worth reading about.

Yes I absolutely agree about the importance of variety - all 100% raw diets for healthy dogs should probably have as much variety as possible, just like our own diets as you said! There's so much debate that can be entered into with regards to nutrition and so much more research that needs to be done, however I think the evidence is there to conclude that feeding a carbohydrate-based dry food diet together with substantial raw meaty bones increases risk of obstruction and infectious disease. As others have mentioned, there is probably less risk involved with simultaneously feeding dry food and fresh human-grade raw meat not containing bone. Of course, many people feed raw and dry together with no problems (I have done it myself), but some dogs don't seem to cope as well. Just recently I saw a poodle x that had been fed Advance for most of its life and had been given a turkey shank as a treat. Things didn't end well for that dog

I think that's the nail on the head. Can you imagine if we had to eat the same food day in day out for our whole lives? I think variety has to be the best way of reaching a "holistic" diet. I actually disagree. There is a decent amount of research examining the effect of both protein and carbohydrate based meals on gastric acidity in dogs. Feeding carbohydrate inhibits the typical drop in stomach pH that occurs when dogs are fed a raw meal. This increased acidity of the stomach is very important for proper digestion of bone and also for killing potentially harmful bacteria. It explains why both obstruction and infectious gastroenteritis are more commonly seen in dogs that are typically fed dry then given a big raw meaty bone as an occasional treat. It seems like a good way to reduce the risks associated with raw feeding would be to not combine dry with raw, particularly bones.

Here's the opinion of the raw nutrition vets at Raw Essentials in NZ: http://www.rawessentials.co.nz/media/documents/Gastric%20Acidity%20article.pdf Could be of interest.

Thyroid storm can be triggered by both physical and mental stresses, such as infection, injury, surgery, poorly controlled diabetes, pregnancy or labor etc. It is certainly possible stress from the new pup could have contributed if that really bothered him - did this coincide time-wise? Good to hear about the antibiotics, the neutropenia is a bit of a worry. Antithyroid meds (or several other meds like phenobarb) can cause severe neutropenia but I assume he hasn't been started on those. Obviously, the most likely cause is infection (bacterial sepsis would make sense as a cause of the endocarditis), hopefully the culture results will be helpful. I'm sure the specialists at ARH are on top of everything :)

I would speculate that diet could be the underlying cause in this case. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22931400 Have you been feeding any whole/large parts of raw carcasses that could contain thyroid tissue? Sometimes in humans concurrent infection (like of the heart valve, for example) can cause a 'thyroid storm' or severe acute thyrotoxicosis. For example, here's a case in a person where a thyroid storm was triggered by H1N1 infection: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2883193/ Obviously not a dog but I have heard of a similar case where the dog was clinically quite well and a severe skin infection triggered a thyroid storm (underlying cause was thyroid cancer). What are your dog's teeth like? Has he had a recent dental? Was the skin infection quite severe? Any other recent wounds? All these things can lead to infection/inflammation of the lining of the heart and valves, as I'm sure the cardiologist at ARH explained. The endocarditis (inflamed heart valve) may be unrelated or perhaps it could have triggered the thyrotoxicosis, it's hard to know. Either way, I would change the diet (as you have), monitor clinical signs and retest T4 after several weeks.

There are quite a large number of special harnesses and slings on the market for helping to lift and manoeuvre older large breed dogs. Some support the whole dog and some just the hindquarters. Vets/nurses often 'towel walk' large dogs recovering from surgery - just loop a towel under his stomach near his hind limbs and use that to lift and support him (with a normal harness, two crossed leads or collar at the front, depending on what works for you). I agree about using rugs and mats around him to help him stay steady on his feet - you may need to confine him to a safe area when you aren't there. Keep him warm and comfy, supportive bedding is great. He might be ready for some daily pain relief too.

EPI could certainly be possible, it can cause all of those clinical signs and is frequently caused by chronic pancreatitis. Did she get tested for pancreatitis when she was diagnosed with HGE? Dogs with EPI usually have a ravenous appetite, profuse foul-smelling yellow or grey stools and sometimes seem nervous or irritable due to abdominal pain. Of course there are other conditions that could cause your dog's symptoms though. I would be visiting a good vet for a cTLI test (for EPI) plus full blood tests (complete blood count plus biochemistry) to check how her other organs are functioning. She might respond well to a commercial vet diet like Hills i/d or Royal Canin Gastro Low Fat (depending on the diagnosis) but it seems that finding the best possible diet always takes a bit of trial and error.

Yes I think flying is the only real option I know of. I agree about the short time in the crate being better - it seems like there would be less chance for something to go wrong e.g. water spilled or not filled up - or that the consequences of things going wrong might not be as bad?