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It's a nice dog. Looks like a large Portugese Water dog when clipped. Doesn't look anything like a Bernese. The owner is apparently a Vet.

The latest "designer "breed to turn up in my local park is a Bernese Mountain Dog crossed with a Poodle. All these breeds apparently come from "breeders" with "papers." $4000 worth of cross breed with Bernese health problems.

Dr Christine Hawke in Sydney is a specialist in animal dentistry. She is with Advanced Veterinary Dentistry.

I tried Antinol & 4cyte on my 5 yr old Giant with little success. What does work well with him is Paws Cosequin DS. I noticed a huge difference.

The RSPCA at Yagoona have a vet clinic where members of the public can take their animals for consultation. A few of my neighbours take their dogs there because it's cheaper. Maybe you could ring them & get a quote for the operations. They also have an eye clinic there but I think that is run by private specialists.

Maybe try him on some of the Royal Canin wet pouches. My old Giant (nearly 16) was going off her food. I had some of the pouches for one of the other dogs & gave some to her. Just 1 morning & night mixed in with her normal food. She improved dramatically. Even her walking was better. They are chunks of meat in gravy. Probably like Mars bars for dogs. It made such a difference I have kept her on them. I am not a great fan of RC but I think these pouches are also designed to stimulate dogs appetite. Maybe try short term as a pick up & to get Tully eating again.

Yes. Very good news. It is the same with my BRT . He runs around madly as well. If you saw him running around you wouldn't think there was anything wrong with him. So pleased Bindi is doing so well.

Sheena How is Bindi?

Sheena How is Bindi?

Fingers crossed for her. I hate feeding the kibble as well as I am a raw food feeder. My 2 Giants have mainly raw food, sardines etc. However the kibble & cooked chicken & veggies is working really well for the BRT. He has been on hold since he was diagnosed about 2 years ago. He had his last checkup December last year & creatine, blood pressure etc remained unchanged.

How is Bindi going.

The fish stock would be perfect & you could add some lightly steamed/boiled fish on top or scattered thru the kibble. It's good that she is eating the kibble . I thought the kibble would make her drink more water. They do get bored with the kibble. That's why I do the veggies, rice & chicken at night. Just layer the kibble with a little bit of cooked chicken or fish or sardine sprinkled thru or on top. My dog is not on any medication but he is a young dog that was born with this condition. Fish oil is also very good for dogs with renal problems. I use Blackmores Paw fish oil veterinary strength. The Specialist ok'd this & Chewy loves it on top of his kibble. Specialist said to halve the recommended dose because most of the renal food products contain fish oil.

And you could add some salt reduced stock to her kibble. Chicken,vegetable ,beef or fish. I have used Campbells salt reduced stock in the past. The more hydration she gets the better it is for her. I also hydrate the kibble with the springwater from the Brunswick sardines without the sardines.

What can you do. As long as she had fluids. Better to have the fluids than not. Particularly in the very hot weather we are experiencing at the moment. The specialist told us always have plenty of fresh water available. I have noticed my dog with the kidney issue won't drink the water unless he has seen me fill the bowl & it is straight from the tap. Whether that's a personal fetish or something to do with the kidney issue I don't know.

I am not a great fan of kibble being the main meal but I have done as the Specialist recommended & his creatine. blood pressure & protein levels haven't changed over the past 18 months & the Specialist is really happy with him. They can have egg white & maybe google the yoghurt that has the lowest protein content. Greek yoghurt has the highest protein. Maybe cottage cheese? Small amounts are ok as long as it's counted in as part of the allowed 10% of protein . They do get sick of eating the same kibble . I give a small treat & put some on the kibble to get him eating. Apparently some human kidney patients don't feel like eating 1st thing in the morning. Chewy is a bit like this & he usually has his breakfast after 11am. Because he's not getting much protein he also has a small bowl of renal kibble around 10pm in order to maintain his weight. You can also get RC pouches of renal wet food from Budget. All Natural Vet in Sydney (in Russell Lea) are very good holistic vets. I have seen Barbara Fougere over the years & have found their Chinese herbs excellent. I know they do a Chinese herb supplement for kidney disease. They are also really good with diet advice. They do phone consults & will send the recommended herbs to you by mail. Hope this helps.

Protein makes the kidneys work harder & that's why the protein is cut back . The Specialist also recommended no raw food in case of infection or upset stomach etc. I don't give sardines to this dog very often as I've noticed he doesn't feel like eating the next morning. When he does get them I give the Brunswick ones with no added salt in spring water. It was an anti-inflammatory Previcox that made our dog sick . That's when we found out what was wrong with him. I just use those packets of frozen veggies from the supermarket & steam them in the microwave. I find that easier as I have 2 Giant Schnauzers as well as the BRT.

Yes that's it.

Hi Sheena My BRT has kidney dysplasia which is very similar to progressive kidney disease. Bing the Renal Specialist at SASH saved our dog. 2 years on he is in good health thanks to Bing & her advice. Bing recommended Royal Canin Renal kibble (not renal select) with only 10% of his diet allowed to be protein. No eggs because of the phosphate in the yolk. Chewy has been doing well for 2 years on RC kibble in morning. Night is a layer of RC kibble with some rice & veggies topped with a small amount of store bought roast chicken. It's the protein you have to cut down on. If they won't eat the kibble just break up some liver treats on top. I'm sure Bing could do a telephone consult . She always replies to my emails .Sash phone no. is 02 9889 0289. Most dogs don't like the Hills kibble. You can buy the Renal kibble from Budget Pet online. If I can be of any help pls let me know.