Deeds

Katie's luck has changed. She looks deliriously happy. And now she is getting all the affection and care she has missed out on for the last 5 years before you took her in. Thank goodness you opened up your heart to Katie and took her under your very generous wing to give her everything she needs in her later years.

If he did need to be operated on could they do it with sedation instead of a full anaesthetic.

That's very good to hear. Thanks for letting us know how well she is doing.

I am not a small dog person. But even I would consider a Havanese. Everyone of the Havanese I have met are lovely and not barky or neurotic.

I would get SASH to do the bloods & everything. Because if you go there they will want to do their own tests anyway. You don't want to pay for the same thing twice. Your dog is 12 and may have the condition for some time before it was picked up. It is a progressive disease. Your dog's circumstances vary greatly from mine. Because of the age and the later diagnosis. I don't give my dog the canned renal food.

That's great news. I have used the Antinol Rapid and the 4cyte etc but I found the Paws Cosequin as good as anything for arthritis.

The Specialist told me he can have 10% of protein in his diet, Maybe you should have one appt with Dr Bing at SASH so she can clarify everything for you. You could get her to do his bloods and blood pressure. You don't need a referral and after the 1st appt you can go back to your own vet to do the blood etc & they can send the results to Dr Bing. That's what we do. She is very nice & very good. Maybe just 1 session with her might be useful. https://www.sashvets.com/our-team/dr-bing-yun-zhu/ White meat like chicken is better for them. My dog gets chicken every other night. He gets red meat once or twice a week and sardines (salt reduced) once or twice a week. My dog can have protein but it can only comprise 10% of his diet. As I said rice/pasta .veggies & cooked chicken. I would be worried about muscle wastage if you cut out protein altogether. I have been doing this diet with my dog for 5 years now and the blood levels etc haven't changed much.

Can't he have cooked chicken or the RC Renal pouches? My dog likes the Renal Pouches mixed with rice, veggies with shredded cooked chicken on top. https://www.budgetpetproducts.com.au/product/royal-canin-veterinary-diet-canine-early-renal-pouches-wet-dog-food-100gm-x-12/17559 The Specialist also approved the Renal Pouches. Has medication been recommended for your boy? Perhaps because he is older he might need medication. I'm sure he could have just 10% of meat as his 10% of allowable daily protein. That's what my dog has.

Thank you for sharing this link. I lost one of my dogs in late August this year and still miss him dreadfully. He was such a character and loved life and his walks. The house is so quiet without him. I think of him every day. Some dogs you just can't replace.

Well done. You & your daughter. You obviously bought your daughter up with solid values and respect for animals. There is too little kindness in this world towards other humans and animals. Especially older people and older dogs. You've made my day. What an absolutely great thing to do for a dog who has probably never known kindness before. Lovely dog as well. Good on you.

All controlled by diet for over 5 years. No medication required so far.

That's why I am very particular who I buy a dog from. Because I want good health and temperament above all else. And that's why I research the lines in my breeders dogs. I prefer to buy show quality even though they will be family pets. I know the lines in my breed. I only mention imports etc in relation to breeders costs and work and what I would expect to pay for a dog as a result of those costs .

My concern is that if something goes wrong like your dog getting mastitis the kennel staff won't notice it. I see you know the kennel people personally and I'm sure you will be making regular calls to the kennel to check on her. Did she settle in at the kennels ok. The best person to look after your dog is you. No one cares for them as much as you do.

I think GSD's were the only dogs they used for Police work in Britain back in 1969.

I have been watching a British Documentary set in 1969. The police dogs i.e. German Shepherds looked so different from what is bred today. They all looked healthy with no sloping on the back or back legs at all. Very nice looking German Shepherds.

The Specialist checked all the products available and recommended RC Renal for us.

Our boy is better with one of the female vets for his bloods & blood pressure. We get some trazazone (I spelt that wrong) from vet to give to him around 45 mins prior to consult for blood pressure. The traz calms him down without making him woozy. Better for an accurate reading particularly if the vet is running late. You should have his blood pressure taken when he has his next bloods done . I only give 1 can of sardines once or twice a week. My dog weighs 53kgs so maybe only give your dog 1 sardine from the can a couple of times a week. If he doesn't miss the sardines don't give it to him.

How old was your pup when you first got him. Did you get him at 7 months old?

Specialist recommended the Royal Canin. I changed to Hills because after years on the RC he got bored with it . Now I mix the 2 together. I sprinkle some liver treats on top of the kibble. He often doesn't want his breakfast the same time as normal dogs would. He prefers to have it around 11am or so. I have read that people with kidney problems don't like to eat first thing in the morning. In the evening he has every night steamed rice plus 1 pkt of frozen steamed veggies. With that cooked chook from woollies or some cooked steak or Brunswick sardines (reduced salt). Sometimes he has the RC Renal Pouches as well. This has been his diet for around 5 years now. The Specialist is very pleased with him and she always says "Don't change anything because whatever you're doing is working". It was the same with us. We wouldn't have found out there was a kidney problem but on my insistence they did bloods (dog was only 6 months old) and found the kidney problems. Luckily they didn't proceed with the procedure otherwise we would have lost the dog. So lucky for us we found out early as well.

The SASH Kidney Specialist told us no raw meat because it can cause infections. Anaesthetic is also not good for dogs with kidney problems.. They need lots & lots of fluids if they have to have anaesthetic. It is life threatening for them. I would cut out the pork knuckle with meat on it. I know a lot of dogs get pancreatitis from ham etc especially around Xmas and as minis are prone to pancreatitis I would give the pork a miss. This may bring down the liver blood count. Worth doing for 6 weeks to see if it does make a difference to the liver blood results. What pathology lab is doing the bloods. Is it Vetnostics or Idex?

Is this the 2nd round of blood tests?

Has it been confirmed that it is his kidneys?

Is the Vet prepared to put it in writing that the pup has a hereditary fault passed on by one of it's parents?

I usually buy the same breed of dog. The last dog I paid $3500 around 5 years ago. This time around it will be $4k to $5.5k. By looking at the pedigrees you can see the number of imports in the lines, factor in import costs, stud fees etc not to mention vet fees, reproduction fees and the breeders time and resources. As well showing takes a lot of time, travelling and energy to get the dogs championship status points. I have seen the work and pride good breeders put into their dogs. I don't haggle over the price for the reasons stated above. And because I would only purchase from 2 of the 4 breeders in Australia that makes it a lot easier. I'm glad I'm not into oodles etc.

You did the right thing for the dog. Trying to get the dog back will definitely make it confused and won't be good for the dog as it's adjusting to her new home. Trying to get her back or even going to see her in her new home is definitely not doing the right thing for the dog. You need to move on. You did do the right thing for the dog.