NikkiandKane

This morning I put Kane in his crate with a Kong while I dropped my daughter to school. It’s very close so I was gone for around 10 minutes. I came home to him quietly munching on his Kong. Waited for him to finish while doing some work on the computer and then took him out to the toilet. So it appears he is ok with short intervals! i also just put him out in our turfed area with scout and came inside to spy through the window. He bugged scout a fair bit, licking in her mouth (for some reason he does this obsessively). He sniffed around and played with Scout and didn’t seem at all concerned about me leaving him. I left him for around 20 minutes and went and got him. I will continue to do this sporadically through the day and slowly increase the time. It would be great if I could confidently leave him outside while I do groceries etc. I was even brave enough to let him sniff around the rocks in our carport whilst watching closely. He didn’t try to eat any. i feel like he is always hungry. His weight is good, maybe a bit lean but he is growing so much, he is always sniffing around for food, like a little scavenger, so that is something I would like to address. overall I am happy with how we are going, I may need to employ a baby sitter if we plan to go out for very long until we progress some more.

We have already started our obedience lessons with a private trainer. I actually found the recommendation on here. At this stage I have only paid $180 for 3 one hour sessions. I am not sure she is going to tick all the boxes but we are working on a few things to assist with our main issues.... I will keep you posted.

Thanks Scratch, we are working on that at the moment, I purchased a basket muzzle but it is a little big on him, so while he grows (fast) I am working on getting him used to putting his snout in it calmly for a reward. We do have a section of yard which is newly turfed and pretty much safe for him, I am thinking of trialing him in the part of the yard with scout for short periods while I spy out of the window . In fact, I think I will do that for 15 minutes tomorrow and gauge his reaction, if it is a good reaction, I will repeat throughout the day on and off and build up so that he can be out there if I need to go shopping etc. I really think my paranoia is adding to the problem. I think it is justified given our experience so far, but it isn't helping when I let myself get really stressed about it all. If you wanted to read through a long post thread, look at my 'bowel obstruction' post, I think it goes back to highlight most of our issues to date. I should also add, I am sorry If I sounded snappy in my earlier post. I really do appreciate everyones suggestions and suuport

oh gosh, I wrote a whole big long reply and it has disappeared! The gist of it was, we are broke....self employed on the Gold Coast during this covid situation, I literally have no disposable income after spending our savings on Kanes recent surgery and all the other stuff I have had to buy for him!! So no, I dont want to think about an anxiety disorder. I am going to have to deal with this situation the best I can without having an anxiety disorder myself!! we are seeing a private trainer for a few weeks. I do have another vet appointment with Kanes regular vet on Wednesday where I will ask for some advice but I cannot afford another vet bill right now. If I could just put Kane outside with Scout he would be happy but I cant risk it because if he gets another blockage, we cant afford the surgery and the only option doesnt bare thinking. He walks across rocks everyday to get to his toileting area and he hasnt tried to eat any rocks since his surgery. I am inclined to think he was eating rocks and dirt because he had something lacking from his diet (he was on chicken and rice only for a fair while with his loose stools and skin issues) and the chewing up of beds .....he is a staffy! our older girl did it a lot in her younger days and still would if she was left alone with certain tempting beds. I just need to take a step back and try to relax and deal with it bit by bit trying to be calm and strong. I will continue to do research but I am afraid that at the moment I cant afford anything more

Thanks for sharing that, I might be a bit dim.... I read the whole thing and really didn’t understand how Kane fits in to any of the “clusters” or how to help him.... I need a version for “dummies”

I never shared this photo. Taken the day after surgery showing what they took out of him bowel. I have a better photo but can’t manage to resize it small enough to post.

Over these last weeks since Kane’s surgery, he has never been left alone, hubby and I have taken turns watching him like a hawk, monitoring for any scratching but also for him eating anything he shouldn’t. it means that he now has developed some separation anxiety. since he eats anything he can destroy, if we go out he is left in his crate with no bedding and some indestructible toys. I try to just leave him for short times to work on it but his behavior is getting worse. Last night we left him for 3 hours to go to our sons housewarming, I left him with a kong stuffed with Greek yoghurt and treats and a carrot. He isn’t too distressed to eat the kong but after he finished he mustve gotten very distressed because he had urinated in the crate and it was everywhere, he had even somehow bent a bar in the crate!!!!! Our other dog was in a crate right next to him. he sleeps in our room in a smaller crate which he only just fits in now, we had planned to move him out to the laundry with Scout much sooner but now I know it is going to be hard. suggestions and advice are very welcome. I work from home so am always here. I can put him in the crate in the laundry regularly for short times, I have the time to do whatever but I cannot just put him outside........ in good news, his health has come a long way and for the moment I feel confident he can’t harm himself if he does get distressed while in the crate.

Kane’s scar is looking much better. Not sure what the answer is but the blister has dried up and it now likes kind of like something rubbed against it and made it red and inflamed. Like @tdierikx suggested almost like carpet burn. He used to drag his belly on the carpet a lot when he had a rash but I haven’t seen him do it in a long while, maybe I wasn’t watching for a little while? he isn’t licking it or bothered by it in any way. Fingers crossed it was a minor irritation and will pass uneventfully

Awesome thanks guys! we had a private training session with a dog trainer tonight. I got some tips on lead training but I am discouraged about not going for an actual walk for Sometime ( trainers advice). Good to have some other skills to add to our repertoire. other things we are working on are a solid recall and “leave it”, those rocks are a risk to his wellbeing if he gobbles them. I am so happy with this little guys personality, he is sweet and unusually calm for an Amstaff pup.

Thanks, Yesterdays appointment was no charge, I am not sure about next weeks yet. At this stage there is not a seroma building up, more like a spongy fleshy swlling running along the suture line. Appreciate you sharing your experience

Thanks Snook, I feel a bit unsure of my reactions being reasonable at this stage. I feel mentally consumed by worrying about “what next” with Kane and I wonder if I am being unreasonable. I have trawled the depths of the internet for suture reactions and have discovered that reactions to dissolving sutures aren’t all that uncommon, it seems that around half the time the issue resolved itself and the other half of the time the sutures need removal/ replacing. I really desperately would rather try to leave them insitu until the underlying muscle has healed and they wouldn’t need replacing if they need removal. i think I will keep a Close eye on them and if I notice any worsening I will get him Back in to the vet prior to next week. I have a photo series of them so I can easily compare them as we go. at this stage there is no sign of infection, he is happy and full of life, I will let you know how we progress.

I wasn’t very happy with the vet today, because of the short notice appointment I got a random vet I’ve never met before. She had a quick look at the suture site and said it’s just a fatty area.... I pointed out the blister type spot and she said it is his umbilical scar (no way it just grew there). I said I didn’t think so, so she suggested she take him out the back and have a proper look (yes good idea, look at it). when she came back she told me I was right it was a blister but the only thing that came out was blood, no pus so not likely an infection......so surprise, probably a reaction to suture material. She was a bit stumped what to do, gave me some antibiotics and told me to come back in a week. I asked about it being an allergy reaction and she said yes probably and if it is it might need to be reopened and sutures removed, replaced with other sutures but then she commented that there are only 2 types and the other type won’t dissolve. She gave me a dosage chart for different antihistamines and that was that. i left feeling discouraged. made an appointment for next Wednesday with the vet who I normally see and am thinking all sorts of things. If it is an allergy reaction would it be possible to suppress the allergy response with cytopoint injections to allow the dissolving stitches to dissolve rather than opening him up again? Or if not for that long, long enough to allow the subcutaneous layer to heal and not require any replacement stitches. Obviously external stitches would be needed but couldn’t they be removed after 10 days? what are all your thoughts. seems my boy is allergic to a lot and it will most likely worsen with time. Cytopoint injections appear to be in his future!

I sure will, I couldnt get him until 4pm, so I will update afterwards.

Oh gosh I hope so, I read that 60% of suture reactions result in the need to remove the suture material, this poor dog has had such a tough road and the poor bank account can commiserate as well

I started a new thread but thought I should reply to this one. poor Kane is back to the vet today, I think he is having a suture reaction seriously!!! I am not even kidding, we run a business from home and I am looking at whether we could claim him as a guard dog so that we can pay his vet bills out of the business. what happens with suture reactions? Will he need another surgery? I’m so tired of all this..... here’s how his suture site looks

Yep me again with the poor poor dog who entirely everything seems to go wrong with I noticed yesterday afternoon that Kane’s suture line which had previously looked quite good ( although lumpy not too bad and it was even all along) now looked reddish and sort of inflamed. I’ll post a photo below. We will be back to the blasted vet today to get it checked. Has anyone had a similar issue? he is 18 days post op and last Friday got the all clear from the vet.

OK, so Kane is now well enough to go for walks! hooray! Except he is a puller (like all dogs I guess until you train them). At home he is super receptive to treats and has learned a lot of tricks with food as a motivation but outside in the big wide world, he just isnt interested in treats, he is interested and overstimulated by everything around him. I just watched a YouTube video which endorsed the use of a slip collar and another with treats as the motivator . How do I even begin?? I plan to take Kane to obedience once the classes open back up but in the meantime I don't want to reinforce pulling behaviors but I do want him to be able to get out and see the world. He has been very minimally socialised due to his surgery and delayed vaccinations.

Yes it was a thoughtful response and made my concerns feel acted upon. I am glad I emailed them

I had a very thoughtful response from the company. I’m actually very impressed with the action taken; Hi Nikki, Thanks so much for getting in touch with us and I’m so sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I would also like to apologise for the issues your pup has faced with our Kanga recipe. I forwarded through your feedback on Friday afternoon to our team for further consideration. We are actually currently in the midst of updating our packaging and I’ve forwarded this through to be apart of the considered changes on two of our diets, to have the puppy guide removed (Kangaroo and Wellbeing). We often recommend that these diets aren’t used for puppies due to the low fat content however in our Kangaroo recipe the bones may also pose an issue as they are much harder than the bones of other animals. I’m genuinely so sorry to hear about your pups experience with this product especially after his surgery. I’ve also ensured to get in touch with our Web Developer and change the recommendation of Kanga to be removed from the puppy options on our website and will see that this change can be made in a timely matter. I’m also more than happy, if you were still comfortable with using our products with your little pup, to organise a few boxes of food without chicken, at your local PETstock store to help relieve some of the constipation he is experiencing. Please let me know if your comfortable with this and I’m more than happy to set it up for you as soon as I can to help him get back on track.

Kane loves it but Kane will eat rocks like they are lobster, so I dont go much on his preferences

Yes, I did know there would be bone in it, it provides calcium etc but it says finely ground and this was certainly anything but finely ground. Hi rash has been clear now for almost 2 weeks and since it isnt apparently advisable to keep dogs on the SPD long term, I thought it a good idea to introduce another protein. Anyway we are back to the Salmon and tapioca and his stomach is once again settled and stools normal. My issue was much more so with the fact that the kanga diet isnt suitable for growing dogs, yet the site and box recommend it for puppies. So I have a spare unopened box of big dog raw kanga in the freezer. Maybe my other dogs will enjoy it.

Oh, there are a LOT of bone shards in this Kanga recipe. I mushed up the food in his bowl and didnt notice them but they were very noticeable in his stool, so I paid closer attention with the next meal looking closely through the meat and there they were. they really were quite small but there were a LOT of them. It says in the recipe ingredients list "finely ground kangaroo bone" but this was certainly not finely ground. I would be interested to know if just this batch is like this or if the Kanga recipe has consistently small chunks of bone through it rather than ground bone.

I am a bit annoyed at Big Dog Raw food..... Newest issue in quite a collection of issues with Kane (see my thread Bowel Obstruction) is some pretty nasty rock hard stools with sharp pieces of bone in them. I felt like I did my due diligence researching appropriate foods for Kane with his skin issues. I started him on SPD rolls Salmon and Tapioca which he did well on, after a couple of weeks and his skin looking great I decided to look for something else to supplement his diet with and was pointed in the direction of Big Dog Raw, I visited their website and used their product selector which asks dog age and issues etc, two diets were recommended based on his being a puppy with allergies, those were the Kanga Single protein or turkey single protein. Since we think his allergy is to chicken I opted to steer clear of poultry and bought the Kanga variety. We started out giving him this for one meal a day and continued with the SPD roll for the other two. Immediately I noticed pieces of bone in his stool, since they were small I didn't worry too much, figured it was fibre. Then all of the pet shops around me ran out of SPD roll and I fed the Kanga solely for the last 2 days, he is pretty darn constipated and his stools are like rock, he even had a little bit of blood on one stool. I went onto the Big Dog Raw website and trawled through the FAQS and found well down the page that Kanga is not recommended for puppies. It doesn't say this on the box, it has a puppy feeding guide on the box and like I said it was suggested to me on the website! Poor guy, just cannot catch a break. I emailed the company suggesting they fix up their product selector and maybe mark the box 'for adult dogs'. In any case I got my hands on some salmon SPD roll today and he just had that for lunch, so hopefully his tummy feels better soon.

I havent heard of this? I will have a google but if you have any good resources, please share. We do NILIF, its standard in this house.

I virtually am wrapping him in bubble wrap and he still manages to damage himself.....I have never known a dog quite like him!