gracegirl

Monday update: It takes THREE days for fish oil to cause the Big D. Luckily it occurred on a weekend when we didn't have much going on....so frequent let outs combined with some rice seemed to do the trick. Several of the piles were just every soft (and OMG the stench ) with only one being mostly liquid. No gas output though. Another note....this time the suspected party was in fact the guilty party. Fenway's digestive system gave him away, yet again. Just like the time he ate the Kate Spade purse. (Yes, you read that correctly. He ate 3 inches of the leather handle of an expensive Kate Spade purse. Through a muzzle. Sigh, what am I going to do with this kid? "Dog proof" in my world means padded walls....since he screams something fierce if he is crated.)

I hope you both get some rest tonight. Sending good thoughts your way.

Interesting observation...thank you. I was looking over past paperwork and the UA, bloodwork, office visits, etc at my current vet are more that what I've paid in the past. I'll inquire about rates for basic care before I make the switch. I realize that the cost for a specialist will be higher.

Hello GT experts. I've always had the benefit of being near a great vet and also having relativly few (or minor) health issues arise with my pups. I've never questioned the care my animals have received. Unfortunately I have moved several times since I've adopted G+F and we've had three different clinics in the years I've had them. The office we go to currently started caring for our family animals when I got my first pet rabbit at age 12...20 years ago. The vet we see there is my uncle's college roommate. I trust him, but the clinic is 30 minutes away with no traffic (45-60 with rush hour) and is closed by 5:30pm. So running a quick urine or fecal sample over is actually not so quick. Also, with our recent discovery of Fenway's kidney damage I kind of want to get a second opinion from an internal medicine expert. They have those on staff at VCA Alamedia East. I also suspect that my current vet is a tad high on their prices. I've been considering a change in vets to the VCA Alamedia East hospital near my house....also close to my boyfriend's house (we don't yet live together). One part of me hesitates to make this change now, because depending on where we eventually end up buying a house this particular office might no longer be the easy drive it is now. But they are also the closest 24 hour e-vet. And they have specialists on staff there. I guess I'm just looking for guidence and opinions. I've not heard great things about Banfield (inside PetSmart) as a whole. I'm wondering what type of reputation VCA hospitals hold, or if it's more based on each individual clinic. VCA Alamedia East is also on the list of GT recommended vets as they see a lot of the greyhounds here retired from the local tracks (when they were actuive tracks). Ack! I don't know. What would you do...or what questions would you ask before switching? Help, please.

Grace ripped her entire dew claw nail out one day. I stopped the bleeding, never went to the vet. Kept it clean. It healed just fine, it just never grew back. She still had the joint and a tiny little nub that I dremmel down every now and again.

Glad Little Miss Sadie is all sparkly now!

I'm at the e-vet now for stitches. Not related to the fish oil. But hey, might as well ask what to do next time while I'm here! Sigh. Anyone know of any employment opportunities for hounds. I have two that need to start making some money STAT!

Sorry guys. Having a bad day. Didn't mean to take it out on anyone. The hounds have showed no signs of distress and have had absolutely no changes in any "output" (gaseous or otherwise). I'm staring to think that maybe they hid the pills around the living room like squirrels would hide nuts...saving them for later. I'm stumped. And if something goes terribly wrong as a result, then I'm the one who has to live with the decision I made not to go to the e-vet, right?

Yeah. I'm a terrible dog owner, what can I say? I've spent $1000 in the last month on ONE dog so I guess it's unreasonable to expect them to hand out "free" advice. If my dogs die I'll blame the internet. No where on there could I find that fish oil kills dogs.

So far no ill effects. No gas, no extra trips outside, no messy poo. And the e-vet was less than helpful. No advice given over the phone, just a suggestion I bring 'em on in.

Yeah, I'm planning to clean up some NASTY poo over the next few days.

Would that be a bad thing if one or both of my dogs ate about 200 fish oil capsules? What if one of them just had an ultrasound and shows signs of kidney damage? I'm so mad. At them. At myself. Years of this bottle being left on the counter. Today they pulled it down.

Davidsl88...there is no way of knowing what caused Fenway's kidney damage. Since all of his blood values are within normal range, the best course of action is to research diet changes. As noted, there is conflicting info available and my vet did not express immediate concern in making a switch immediately. He also is open to me consulting a nutritionist and either using a combo of commercial foods or a partially home cooked diet if necessary. Unfortunately I have been sick this week so my research is lagging. The absolute most important thing right now is to make sure he has access to water and is drinking plenty. He's doing great with this on his own right now.

I’m going to make this my last post concerning this and I am doing so only with the intent of trying to help and because I feel it is very important. If you read my original post with the information about Nadir’s lab work you will notice that he had a microalbuminuria of 4.6, the preferred is less than 2.5. This here is evidence in itself of kidney damage. I’m not saying you shouldn’t research kidney diets, but at least consider the possibility that a food allergy and the strain it is pointing on his bladder could be causing the damage and if a change is not made will only get worse. Once I found the offending food that was causing Nadir’s problem the incontinence or pee accidents went away. So it is very possible that you do NOT have to live with pee accidents. I'm curious what Nadir's ultrasound revealed. Did it show any kidney damage?

I see a couple of easy solutions here. 1. Make both dogs go out before you leave, then shut dog door while you are gone. Open dog door again when you return home. 2 if you will be gone longer and don't feel like you can close the dog door, make both dogs go out before you go...and clean up all poop in the yard at that time. Maybe couple with a muzzle as well. If she is only eating poop while you are gone, the first solution should solve the problem. The second solution should minimize it. There are also ways to train her to accept the muzzle. My Grace hates her muzzle too...but I'm the boss and sometimes she has to wear it. Tough noogies for her.

You know the interesting thing as I'm researching kidney diets today....I've tried him on several grain free/high protien foods in the past with horrible results. Gas, the BIG D, etc. Might not be a connection, but interesting none the less. So many desisions!

My littly guy who is only 4.5 years old showed signs of kidney damage on an ultrasound today. I'm considering a consult with a canine nutritionist. Will let you know if I discover anything life changing! Good luck to you and your boy.

You may not have changed the food, but that doesn't mean Canidae didn't. They can change the food 30% and not have disclose it. If they make a "major" change they have six months to change the bags. They reformulated their food several years ago and did no advertising to let people know. People noticed when their dogs got diarrhea. They lost a lot of business. Your dogs may have picked up worms or giardia when they were out and about too. Canidae lost my business when they did this a few years ago. Bummer they changed it, because I was very happy with it before the change. Jen, I hope you can figure out Chase's issues. I keep my pups on interceptor year round for the non-heartworm worm prevention. I also occasionally dose with panacur...just to kill off any nasties. Try panacur, if you have not already, first. I have no advide on the gas issues, but recently (as in today) got a Dx on Fenway's mysetry pee problems. He bagan peeing in the house about a month ago. After today's ultrasound, we've discovered it's due to kidney damage. The rest of his lab work was all within normal ranges, but it's my understanding that BUN, creatinin, etc don't start to show levels outside of the ranges until over 75% of kidney function has been lost. I'm going to attempt to control this with diet, but have much more research to do before determining which diet to put him on. Good luck, and keep us posted. I also bet that probiotics can't / won't hurt.

Research Rehmannia 6 and 8. You do not have to live with pee accidents. Incontinence meds won't help, but Chinese supplements are keeping my girl accident free and I am sure she is more advanced stages than your pup. Ella is 14. Also, I may be in the minority, but I do not have her on a kidney diet as I think they lead to decline faster with an under nourished dog. With normal blood work still, you should be fine with a normal diet, but add either canned or foods with a lot of moisture. Hydration is key. So sorry to hear of the diagnosis. This is why I asked if Fenny had eaten anything strange. Something so innocent as raisins can decrease kidney function. Hopefully, her damage will remain as it is now. With the right supplements, I think it is manageable. Healing thought for Fenny and you. Thank you! This is very helpful information. I'm going to be exploring a home cooked diet or modified diet first. I'm not super keen on placing him on an Rx diet right away. Especially since he is so young. We have no idea what caused it. Could have been congenital. Could have been from a previous kidney infection from either when he was a puppy or one that was minor and therefore went untreated. Could have been from 1,000 other things too! The pee accidents are really not a big deal. If I can find something to help them...great! If not, they are so dilute that they are really not that big a deal at all. I hope to someday move to a house where I can have a dog door.

Hi Lindsay. Thanks for the additional info. I really appreciate it! Fenway is not incontinent in the terms of losing control of his bladder while sleeping. Every accident he's had has been in the dining room, the least used room in the house, while he is awake. He always wakes me up in the night if he needs to go out...so it's more that he's drinking more, producing more urine, and therefore needing to go outside more often. He has a dog walker that comes at lunch, but sometimes that's just not enough. Grace is on proin so I'm familiar with the symptoms of a dog that is incontinent while sleeping. (BTW, that's totally under control for Grace now with Proin. Yipee!) We did get a diagnosis today after the ultrasound of kidney damage. And thanks for the info on the pee pads! I'm trying to determine the best course of action to contain the pee accidents.

Thanks Carron! There are many worse things that pee on the hardwood floors. I'll explore other options too, if the diet change doesn't help clear those up. He was so good for the radiologist today. He lay down on the floor and didn't move a muscle the whole time she was doing the u/s. I didn't go back with him because he was being so good without me...I just let them proceed without my interruption. And he got a liver brownie as a reward. Mmmmmm, liver!

Ultrasound revealed kidney damage. Blood pressure, BUN, creatinin (sp?), etc all are considered normal and within range. So now I research kidney diets. And check urine/blood every 6 months to monitor any changes. Oh, and learn to live with pee accidents.

Hi guys! As a suggestion to folks looking for sitters...please message or email the people on this list directly. Many of us don't come back here to check for people needing our services, so the best way to reach us is by message or email. That said, I need to update my info. I no longer live in Oregon, but live in Denver, Colorado. I have two greyhounds (no other animals) and have a small fenced yard as well. I do have a roommate who loves greys, but since she owns the house she needs to know of all greys who might potentially stay with us as well. Please PM me for details, rates, etc.

Continuing to keep you in my thoughts!

While I agree that allergies could be the culprit and investigated however possible, based on my own personal experiences with both (and I'm not being fresh here or discounting your experience and good advice) I would rather deal with the stones (more straightforward... look! there they are - wham, bam, they're out!) than the vagaries of allergies (often difficult and time-consuming to discover, keep track of and manage). They come. They go. This medication works, this one doesn't... it's a struggle (as it was for you - me too!). I'm kinda rooting for the stones, too... LOL! Let me see if I understand correctly. You think it preferable for something to require surgical intervention along with all its dangers and risks, to include, but not limited to, anesthesia, post-operative pain and peritonitis to a simple diet change. Which, oh by the way, you will need to make unless you want your dog to keep getting stones. But then again diet only helps reduce the formation of struvite stones. If they are oxalate stones surgery will be required for removal. I think I'll stick with using a little investigative skills and figure out an allergy over putting my dog through the risks of surgery. Please, no need to be snarky when we don't even have a faint hint of a diagnosis yet!