juliemac

Since she's got some SA, you could try leaving the apartment and listen from outside the door for her response. If you know that Ella gets nervous when you prepare to leave (or pack for a trip or pack the apartment), watch for her to be interested but not stressed. Also watch for side effects -- panting, pacing, or otherwise unsettled symptoms (my hounds experience that with tramadol) or the opposite (just zoned out like they're overmedicated). I'm also a firm believer in talking to her about what's going to happen ... let her know what's going to happen on day-of-move as well as the days before/after. And keeping your stress levels down will reassure Ella, too. When Ella does get to your new home, try to work out logistics so that you can focus on introducing her to her new home with as many familiar items for her to settle in quickly (don't wash her bedding and have it set up before she gets home, for example). I hope that you've got a safe place for her to visit while you're moving, but if that's not an option, have someone dedicated to keeping her distracted and supported (and protected from open doors!). Good luck with the move!

Just keep at 'em ... I've got a pup that I adopted in April who had hooks. I've just finished her 5th round of treatment and gotten her first negative test (well, she had a negative test after round 3, but had a positive test (bad) 3 weeks later so we had to start over again). Drontal didn't work for her (3 rounds), but Panacur seems to be working. Gosh I hate these little critters!

She sounds like she's doing great! I hope you get some rest as well.

How's Carter doing today? I'm so sorry sweetie!

how are the girls doing? Is Violet's pain/stiffness improving?

Vet first. And belly bands to deal with the symptoms. (I have no boys right now, but always keep some belly bands within reach for visitors ... especially at Christmas when my tree goes up).

If you've got a hound from Korea, you may need to add some smells that are more familiar to her ... focus on fish and use rice or Asian noodles to fill in some calories. Soy or fish sauce may add some yummy flavors to her as well. good luck!

You can add a tbsp of bone meal (vitamin stores sell it) to the food to add some crushed bone (calcium, etc). For the vegetables, use level 1 baby food (i used 1/2 of a package when my hounds were on raw). Applesauce (no sweetener!) is another option (I mix it up because I always thought too much fruit would also cause poop issues). I also like to use heart meat ... chicken hearts can be found in grocery stores (esp. if you've got a large asian population that seem to incorporate it in their own diets). You can also find dehydrated chicken or turkey hearts, which my hounds enjoyed as a snack (of course, they had been conditioned to organ meat so we didn't have big problems with poop). Stella/Chewy's makes a dehydrated raw product -- my dogs love them (I've used them as treats so that I'm giving nutritious treats). There are several brands of pre-made raw mix (in patties and in bulk) ... higher end dog stores will carry them in the freezer section. Start small though ... my dogs really made their opinions about the different brands and flavors quite clear.

I'm so very sorry ... gentle hugs!

Good luck! and if it doesn't work well, I had good luck with 1/2 tsp tylan in cheese: > fold a slice of cheese into quarters > put the tylan on one quarter with a spoon (don't get it near the edges or it will be spit out) > put another quarter of the slice on top & crimp edges (could use spray cheese for the covering if you prefer) this (above) doesn't work so well with the dainty eaters (I had two that would swallow my hand along with their treats if I wasn't careful ... this was much easier than pilling / pill pockets).

I'm so sorry you all had to go through this, but really glad that things are a bit better than you originally thought! Here's my favorite interactive website, thanks to my (now angel) sweet lover, riley -- it's national Geographic's interactive chocolate guide for dogs & their expected reaction to different types of chocolate products http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/10/pets/chocolate-chart-interactive I also learned that getting some activated charcoal in them to take care of any residual poison is not a bad idea and can't hurt (don't freak out over the resulting black poop, though).

Go with XL The large is tiny ... it fits my 60# greyhound (barely), and fits a senior girly who weighs about ~55# pretty well. We've had good luck augmenting the Thundershirt with Lavender Oil (topically) and Melatonin (3mg, dosed an hour before the storms if possible). And if you are 'into' essential oils, Dr. Melissa Shelton (the Oily Vet ... www.animaleo.info) offers a lovely oil called Calm-A-Mile which works wonderfully for storm phobic dogs and also in travels. You can also get Bach's Rescue Remedy (I like the FES Five Flowers version of the same blend) in more natural grocery/health stores (use the liquid). ​ good luck!

If she isn't prone to pancreatitis, a small amount of ice cream (or freeze some yogurt that you self-flavor with peanut butter & banana) ... and you know that gurgly tummies usually lead to paint-peeling gas, right? ​Hope Penny feels better soon!

Gentle hugs. Here's the thing ... while people will be happy to share their experiences and even give you advice while you're dealing with these end-stage issues, I don't know anyone who will argue with you (more than yourself) once you make the hard decisions that you need to make. YOU know Gretchen, and YOU will know when she's ready (or perhaps that should be rephrased to say that she'll let you know that she's ready once YOU'RE ready to say your goodbyes). Please keep us informed on how Gretchen is doing.

I'm so very sorry ... I hope you find small comfort in knowing that he wasn't alone and that he didn't suffer.

Oh, I'm so very sorry. She knew what a greyt life she had and clearly enjoyed every moment of it. I hope that those memories fill the hole in your heart right now.

Agree with above ... if you're concerned, though, add some water to his kibble (not if you free-feed). And if you want to cool him down a bit more, you can make a cool coat out of an old towel ... there is a thread here that describes how to make it, and once made, you put a damp coat on your dog (it will increase the effectiveness of those house fans).

for small pills, I just open their mouths (little pressure at the corner of their jaw ... preceded with a kissy on the tip of their nose) and slip them in. Since Peanut Butter works in my house, that's my first choice for larger pills or multiples. But I keep Liverwurst, Cheese slices (or spray), or mini-meatballs. In a pinch, if your pup has a kibble that she likes, grind it up and add some water to make a paste, which you can use to make a mini-meatball. If this is a long-term/permanent event, make sure you keep the right attitude ... if you dread "pilling your dog", they'll catch on and figure out that there's something bad coming their way. good luck!

​If you cook the chicken (some folks do raw meats), you can make your life easier by cooking larger batches in a crock pot (I put a crock-pot of meat together when I get home from work and it is fully cooked when I go to bed. I debone the meat and portion it in the morning after it has cooled down). You can add rice, pasta or oatmeal to the meat while cooking if you use skinless chicken, and don't forget to remove the bones if you use bone-in meat (bones need to be cooked in a crock pot for ~2days to disintegrate, but that is definitely an option if you like). good luck, and when you get enough posts, please make sure to share pictures!!!

I just heard about Twiggy -- Wendy, we're all heartbroken for you.

I have mine in 2 parts: one part (with perishable items like meds or liquids) I make sure is stored in the house, and then each car has a small case of non-perishable items that are needed for an emergency (say, at a dog park). Car: Ace Bandage, Diaper, Leash, child's t-shirt, disposable gloves, 1 kotex pad, small gauze pads, scissors, tweezers, 2-3 qtips. I think of it to: catch a dog, wrap a bleeding wound, or protect an injury for transport to an evet. I also keep my card for greyhound blood values in this. House: Immodium, essential oils, gasX, activated charcoal, 1 oz Hydrogen peroxide, 2 deramax, 6 tramadol, benedryl. This also includes my dog's identification (tattoo info & picture) and rabies info.

my vet described dosing Xanax after the start of a storm similar to giving candy to a child after the birthday party. I've found that the Thundershirt, combined with melatonin and Dr. Shelton's "Calm-a-Mile" a wonderful combination for storm phobic hounds here. Young Living's Peace & Calming also works (and smells lovely). Lavender is a distant 3rd choice for oils, but much more available. I do have Xanax for roughest storm seasons, but also try to stay away from the pharmaceuticals as long as possible. good luck!

just finished 3 treatments of drontal and have started Panacur this week... poor little ones.

lovely progress! hope you both get some sleep! I'm sure you're anticipating this, but since she's right from the track, she may be used to a very regimented schedule (one of my 2 brand new pups has made it clear that first turnout is at 5a and breakfast at 5:05a with dinner at 5:00pm). Keeping a very clear schedule will help the transition, which you can gradually shift to something easier for your life (for example, after 3 weeks in my home, my hounds now understand that they can wake me at 5a for a turnout, but we go back to bed until 6:30a before breakfast. As a result, yesterday, they actually slept in until 6:15a). will enjoy watching tomorrow's progress!

I'm so glad your boy is doing better, and that you were able to see the signs so he could get treated 'quickly'. What a horrible experience. Unfortunately, my experiences have usually been with the *vets* and their lack of awareness; in the most recent case, I continued with the same vet practice but made it known when i made appointments that i wouldn't allow Dr. X even trim my dogs nails (hmmm, Dr X was gone from the practice before I went in for that appointment ... ). For a situation like yours, I would like to think that I would give the vet practice another chance, including the vet tech involved. I know how stressed out my dogs get while recovering from anesthesia, so I'm not sure whether I would know the difference between stress and distress (except in my own dogs). And I'm betting that vet tech learned a lot from this emergency (not that I'd ever volunteer for a repeat!) I'm so very glad that you had the knowledge and experience to get the needed care for your pup when you arrived. So, I would probably continue going to the practice if the vet assures me that additional protocols are put in place, and I would discuss what actions *I* could take to reduce the risks of future problems.