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Sorcha

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Posts posted by Sorcha

  1. Fat's the enemy here. In really bad cases the pet needs to be admitted and placed on IV flluids and fasted to let things calm down. You need to feed an easily digested low fat food. One a fat meal can trigger an attack. Did the Dr dispense a medication for pain?

     

    He did get IV fluids and medication. The doctor said to bring him back for a fentanyl patch if his pain/discomfort gets worse.

  2. I was awoken this morning by the sounds of Harkan the Italian greyhound throwing up under my bed (of course, make it hard to get to - thanks, buddy). Following that he had very soft stool. I could tell he was not himself, he would lay in a "prayer position", would wimper if his belly was touched (and it felt very tight), etc.. The first thing that went through my head was bloat and that he needed to be checked out, but he did not have a lot of the other symptoms seen with bloat so I figured at worse they will treat him for a bad stomach ache. Long story short, he was diagnosed with having pancreatitis. He was given IV fluids under the skin on his back and an injection of a medication called Cerenia. I was told to feed him only boiled chicken & rice for the next few days. I wish there was something more I could do for him, he seems so uncomfortable.

     

    Has anyone dealt with pancreatitis in a dog?

  3. I am happy to share it, I hope it works for anyone that tries it for their dogs as well as it's worked for my dogs. I think I posted it last year, too, but after making a batch last night I thought it deserved to be shared again!

     

    I did think I was pretty clever last year when I used the dry dog food that she had turned up her nose to, only to gobble it down once it was transformed into these "meatloafs"! I only use the blender because I don't have a food processor. I use the "pulse" option on high. It's survived many, many uses chopping up the dog food and the blades are still good to go.

     

    Eirka: Let me know if it wins Morty over!

  4. When an old dog goes off their food and there is no medical reason for it, this recipe has not failed me yet. I used it for Tuna the greyhound, and a year after she passed away I am now making batches for my 18 year old Llewlyn setter.

     

    Meatloaf for dogs:

    2 pounds lean ground beef

    3 eggs

    2 to 3 cups crushed dry food (I use the blender to crush it)

    1 cup peanut butter

     

    Mix it all together. Usually I mix the beef, eggs and dog food first, then add in the peanut butter.

     

    Heat oven to 350 degrees.

    Bake in cupcake trays (the above ingredients make a total of 24) if you want individual servings, or else use meatloaf pans (be sure to first coat with non-stick cooking spray, I use the alcohol-free variety).

    Optional: Top with a spoonful of crushed dog food if you have some left over.

    Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.

     

    Once cooled, leftovers can be frozen to take out as needed.

  5. Thank you, one and all.

     

    Has it been a Year already :grouphug:grouphug:grouphug

     

    Indeed, it was a Friday when I came home from work to find Tuna down on the kitchen floor, in distress and unable to get up. I was all alone, but had the support of some wonderful Greytalkers to help me through. Walking through the door tonight, I could not help but picture it all in my mind. I know that technically (going by the numerical date) tomorrow is 1 year, but it happened on a Friday evening so to me it seems like it's been 1 year tonight. She was truly a special girl.

  6. Tuna

     

    It's been a year since she passed away, such a void left in my heart. I am so very grateful for the years we shared, and will forever hold tight to memories of her. I miss you, Tuna, and love you forever.

     

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    Tuna14birthday001.jpg

  7. Sending gentle, healing thoughts for Kassie. It looks like an abscess to me, but I certainly do not have any medical expertise to make that call! Is the swollen area hard or soft? Does it feel like it's filled with anything? I am sure the vet will get it figured out and she will be on the mend in no time.

  8. I certainly don't want to break the law, but I trust my vet and really does she need it at 18?

     

    Wow, Maxie looks amazing in those photos, even if they are older photos at 'only' 16 and 17 years old. :) She doesn't even look like she's greying.

     

     

    Thanks. She turned silver not grey! Her white coat developed a shimmer of silver to it, almost like a dusting of frost laying on the grass that glimmers in the sunlight.

  9. Holy cow....what a lovely old girl. I'm gonna start eating Cheerios for breakfast!!

     

    :lol Thanks! That all started back about 5 or 6 years ago. I was eating a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast and she sat there, staring at me with drool coming out of her mouth which she has never, ever done before! She wanted those Cheerios and at her age, who was I to deny her? She's had them for breakfast every morning since, most days dry but other times with lactose-free milk (which she goes bug-eyed for). I need to get a photo of her eating her Cheerios some morning, but she is camera shy and often freezes up when a camera is pointed at her.

     

    For a titer you'd need bloodwork. That would mean taking your girl to the vet--which is the very situation you're trying to avoid.

     

    Keep her on heartworm meds. She enjoys going outside, and the meds help fight other parasitic problems than just heartworm.

     

    Meanwhile, ask your vet's office if they know of a mobile vet. You need someone in mind that you can call if Maxie has any other problems--gets hurt and needs a couple of stitches--something like that. You don't want the stress of hauling her to the vet to fall on top of some other medical emergency.

     

    Yes, Maxie is not leaving home for anything while she is still alive and breathing. The stress would likely be too much for her to handle.

     

    As for a mobile vet, I have the number of the one who came out to euthanize Tuna the greyhound last August.

  10. I will talk to the vet about whether or not to continue giving her monthly heartworm, I did not specifically ask about that when we were talking about discontinuing her shots.

     

    She is a spry old girl! I had to laugh at her the other day as she was romping around the back yard, taking the long way back to go inside and she just had such an expression of joy & happiness on her face (wish I had the camera!). Any recent photos I have of her are on my camera which is at home, so for now from work I just have these that are a couple years old:

     

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    MaxiesnowDec05.jpg

     

    She's been with me since 1996 when she was 3 years old. She was a 'no good dog' set loose from a farm where she was bred & raised to be a hunting dog but turned out to be gun shy. She used to be very scared of loud noises but now that she can't hardly hear anymore that's not an issue! I can't go away for more than one night each month to visit my mother (dogs stay home with a dogsitter) otherwise she gets stressed out to the point of being sick. Her secret to long life is Cheerios which she eats for breakfast every morning.

  11. Thanks for the input. I am surprised to hear about those who don't vacinate past age 10, that was 8 years ago for her! My greyhound still went for shots at 14 (she passed away 3 months before her 15th birthday). Maxie does not have contact with anyone but me and has never bitten so I am not at all concerned about her biting someone. There are no skunks around here, at least none I have ever seen or smelled! Never seen a racoon here either. She's never left alone in the back yard, and not out there after dark. I think with her age and how easily stresed out she gets that there is no reason to continue shots.

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