brightstar123

I agree that dogs seem to do very well on a whole range of diets. I'd love to hear more about what people think regarding feline nutrition but perhaps this isn't the right forum :laugh: One of the problems I increasingly come across is people that are interested in feeding their dogs the best possible food (to be commended) but then find that they just can't exercise their dogs enough to cope with the high protein and fat content in some of the grain-free dry foods. The portions get cut right back and I often think the dog would be happier and do just as well on a lower energy food that may contain grains. I think we have a lot to learn about many of the popular supplements, both for human and animal usage. For example, turmeric has obviously been shown to have some very positive health effects but several studies have also shown that it can cause ulcers and inflammation of the stomach in rats and mice, as well as increased risk of hepatic cancer. I worry about the lack of scientific information about appropriate dosing and possible side effects in dogs. I do think we will continue to see exciting research in the future about the whole 'food as medicine' concept though.

In my experience central nervous system deficits (which could cause seizures) due to hypothyroidism are very rare in dogs (with the exception of myxedema coma). Peripheral nervous system problems like laryngeal paralysis, facial paralysis and vestibular syndromes do seem slightly more commonly observed. This seems to be supported by recent research. As far as I understand, phenobarbitone can suppress both total T4 and free T4 (equilibrium dialysis). This doesn't mean that a dog on phenobarb with low TT4 and FT4 is hypothyroid, it can be clinically normal. TT4 and FT4 will usually normalise 1-4 weeks after discontinuing treatment with phenobarb. Hypothyroidism is a common disease but it is also hugely over diagnosed, due to the difficulties interpreting the range of diagnostic tests available and the sometimes vague clinical signs. In the case of seizures, I think it would be little illogical to overlook all the more common causes such as liver disease, low blood glucose/calcium, toxins, infectious diseases, epilepsy, tumours etc and suspect thyroid disease. If the more common causes had been ruled out then thyroid testing could be performed, particularly if the dog showed other much more common clinical signs of hypothyroidism such as skin abnormalities. Generally you want your vet to follow a logical diagnostic process when they spend your money, after all!

Yes this is my experience too. From what I've seen, the greys can be less likely to even make it to pounds etc to have a chance at adoption/rescue - vets or owners just euthanise them. The sight of hundreds of dead Greyhounds piled up in an anatomy lab, awaiting dissection, is enough to give most people nightmares, yet at least these unwanted dogs are appreciated in death and students are able to learn from them. I've also seen many country vets collect blood then euthanise young healthy greys, or also encourage students to practice procedures on them prior to euthanasia . Compared to other breeds, I would have thought only the staffy crosses would come close, maybe the bull arab/mastiff etc crosses in the country? Obviously they are rarely purebred though. Sadly I would also speculate that the Greyhound as a breed would be at the top of the list for euthanasia of animals with no behavioural/health problems.

Great decision :) May as well get it under control ASAP to reduce her discomfort.

Failure to use systemic antibiotics can be an important cause of chronic ear disease in dogs. Systemic antibiotics should generally be used when certain inflammatory cells (neutrophils) or rod-type bacteria are found on microscopic exam (which the original vet may have found?), in cases of therapeutic failure with topical products, in chronic recurring ear infections, and in all cases of middle ear infection. In treatment of acute bacterial ear infection, antibiotics in combination with oral prednisone can definitely reduce discharge, pain and swelling. Perhaps the original vet was a little more aggressive in his/her treatment protocol given that your dog has had several previous infections? It's also not always possible to check the ear with the otoscope as it can obviously be pretty painful and inflamed. It usually works well to bring out the big guns (in terms of treatment) and really clear up the problem, then use more natural/gentle products for ongoing prevention of further infection.

Yes a good general practice vet can deal with this. At a minimum the dog should have a physical and neurological exam plus full blood tests. Possibly also fasting blood glucose or liver function tests depending on the situation. It may well be epilepsy but it could also be due to toxins, infectious disease, liver disease, cancer etc.

Psyllium husk can be notorious for forming bulky, ropey stools. It's often combined with bentonite clay by advocates of the "colon cleanse" just for that effect. It forms a gelatinous, spongy texture in the gut and one teaspoon of psyllium can create up to a cup of stool! So my best guess would be it might be something to do with that, could you have accidentally given a bit more than normal? Also I agree, I would increase the bone content of the diet. Has your dog had wet/damp feet more than usual? Sometimes simple things like that increase yeast between the toes. You can use a commercial product like Malaseb or a water/apple cider vinegar soak and then keep those feet as dry as possible!

Wrote my post at the same time, basically repeating everything TSD said - oh well, sorry! :laugh:

Hi, congratulations on your new family member! I've been through this many times with my cats, often with even scarier large adult rescue/foster dogs. I can only comment on my experience, but I've found it best to have a complete sanctuary for the cat at least for a while, especially if she's not used to dogs at all. I put all the food/water/litter in a safe place for the cat e.g. a spare room, where she can eat and toilet without feeling stressed. The last thing your want is a cat that decides not to use her litter anymore, or not drink enough, because she doesn't want to go near the new puppy! Our cats are usually curious after staying well away for 24hrs or so, they will come and sniff around and take a look. I make sure they have places to retreat to e.g. high scratching poles etc and I never let the new pup/dog hassle or chase the cats. With a pup it should be much easier but with adult dogs I always have them on the lead. Allow the cat to approach in her own time (sometimes takes a long time) and don't force her. I have treats/toys ready to distract and reward the dogs for ignoring the cats and I usually make introductions when the dog is a bit tired. A neutral response is always my goal but friends is even better! Good luck, I think you will be fine and she might turn out to be super confident around the pup. I would still just aim to make it as stress-free as possible for Astrid :)

It's very common to get a firm lump on the incision line due to a foreign body reaction to the sutures - this can get quite large but it's generally more common in cats. It usually just slowly resolves over time. I've seen quite extensive swelling too but not usually a month after surgery. Sounds like your vet thought the mass was actually in the abdomen though, rather than in the subcutaneous tissues? Great to hear that Bonza is feeling better but strange that a large mass like that would suddenly disappear completely. Definitely something for your vets to get to the bottom of!

Thanks for the nice comments :) I think one of the problems, from a vet's perspective, is that you often have only 15 minutes to try and work out if the owner is responsible, ethical, careful etc. It can be very hard to know whether to push for early desexing in some cases. Needless to say, some owners talk the talk but don't walk the walk! Unfortunately too, it's often the larger breeds so beloved of BYBers like rotties, GSDs etc that would most benefit from later/no desexing, so it can be pretty challenging sometimes ... Good luck with the study, Denali :)

So cute :) That fluffy white tummy looks like it's crying out for a rub!

I would be a bit concerned about a granuloma or fibrous adhesion that is compressing the bladder neck and causing the urinary symptoms you described. Sometimes the colon can also be slightly obstructed, causing the not-very-specific signs of vomiting, lethargy and constipation. Retained surgical sponge is always possible though and could definitely fit the symptoms. Ultrasound +/- fine needle aspirate should provide a diagnosis but complete surgical removal of the mass (in the case of either a granuloma or retained sponge) is generally needed.

Don't worry, I'm a vet with two purebred cats (as well as two rescues) and a purebred dog - you should hear the flak I cop sometimes :laugh: Jokes aside, there's more than enough scientific (health-related) evidence to seriously question the practice of routine desexing, especially in large breed dogs. Of course I'm against backyard breeding and accidental pregnancies, however I'm also against mindless desexing. I think every case needs careful consideration of the possible benefits and risks.

Totally agree with this, I tried the 'Nervous' collar and lead for our fear-aggressive dog (who is also pretty and cute and people often have grabby hands when they see her lol). It didn't really work very well as people would still bend over, reach out to her and make cutesy noises, triggering the growling etc. I found the red 'Caution' set much more effective, people just kept well away and didn't look or try to touch. The friendly dog collar range are well made though and have stood up to a lot of wear and tear, swimming etc. I also have an embroidered Thundershirt with big black block letters on it, that works the best of all.

I've seen quite a few strokes in dogs with untreated or suspected hypothyroidism - I think it's one of the few times that dogs are prone to developing atherosclerosis? I haven't seen as many in cats but they definitely happen. Does your cat have high blood pressure or is he on meds for blood pressure?

I think this one was pretty reputable: http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10498

Interesting, is it the turkey one? I couldn't get any of my cats to eat Wellness for love or money :laugh:

Thanks, I forgot about Ivory Coat!

Yes I completely agree that raw stuff like necks and wings would be the best, but so many cats are so stubborn about raw and the owners seem to struggle a lot unfortunately. I've recently seen a large study done first hand (not published yet) - similar approach to this one: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15773760 The results seen were similar to the above - large kibble pieces (not just ones with 'mechanical cleaning qualities' like t/d but also Royal Canin Maine Coon etc) did seem to reduce the accumulation of plaque and incidence of gingivitis. I'm aware of studies that show the opposite though and I'm certainly not advocating dry food as the ideal food for cats - rather for owners that want to feed dry then perhaps a larger kibble may provide some benefit (to some cats).

Thanks for the help so far :) Can anyone out there comment on Artemis, Black Hawk or TOTW? I've noticed the small size of the Canidae cat kibble too, our very fussy cats actually quite like the Pure Sea one but it's very small and they swallow them whole. I think it's even more important for cats to have larger kibble as they can be less inclined to chew on bones and crunching on larger kibble definitely helps to reduce periodontal disease in cats. Would love Canidae to make their cat kibble 2-3x the size!

Thank you, very helpful :)

What are you trying to achieve? :) I can't say I've noticed anything unusual in size in any of the brands you have mentioned. I often have clients ask for recommendations for premium/super premium brands with larger kibble size (these clients usually can't feed raw for medical reasons). I've fed one of my dogs several of the different Canidae formulations and noticed that the pieces are quite small for a larger dog (otherwise good experiences with Canidae though). In my own dog I do see a noticeable reduction in gingivitis and plaque with larger textured kibble, compared to very small kibble.

Hi, just wanting to compare kibble size for some different dry food brands. If people could briefly comment on the name and flavour/type of the food, approx size of the dry food pieces e.g. less than 0.5cm, 1cm across etc and shape that would be very helpful! Feel free to add any extra comments e.g. strong smell, very crumbly, very palatable etc. Brands I'm particularly interested in are TOTW, Artemis, Earthborn, Black Hawk, Canidae, Wellness and Holistic Select. Also any dry foods people have with either particularly large or small pieces. Some of these I've tried but obviously not every flavour/type! Thanks for your help :)

I have the same problem with my lab - she's not interested either, even if I avoid the harder tip sections and go with the softer bits. She liked the cow hoof a bit more but not a lot, although the liver-stuffed one sounds more appealing. For both she had a bit of a chew then gave up after 5 min or so. I haven't found any long lasting (non-raw) chews she will eat, likewise bully sticks last only 5 min, also beef tendons etc. She likes to chew on raw meaty beef vertebrae as Yonjuro said - they do last a while and she will keep coming back to them, but that's more of an outdoor thing in our house as she keeps moving them around lol :laugh: