greyhndz

This just caught my eye, because Gigi is eating my house, room by room. But interestingly, she never did this until I had a paint job, using Benjamin Moore paints. Strangest thing., Almost always, the holes are adjacent to the dog bed she happens to be in. I've got plexiglass on all the walls in my bedroom, but then she started eating the hallway, then the dog's room downstairs. I keep saying that when she grows up I'll have it all repaired, but it's been 4 years now, and... She chomps all the way down to insulation.

Instinct (made by Nature's Variety - the people who make Prairie, make grain-free food, and also have Ltd. Ingredient diet. I've got Mafi on Turkey (w/tapioca) and it's a really nice food. Food allergies aren't an issue for her, but it's got excellent ingredients and relatively high caloric content without an exceedingly high fat or protein content. I have a couple of sample packets of the chicken formula -- if you'd like to try them, I'll get them right in the mail.

Diphenhydramine: can, fel-4 mg/kg PO TID, 0.5 mg/kg IV, IM BID. (I gave Bailey 12.5mg (1/2 tab) twice daily). Ranitidine: can-0.5 mg/kg PO BID, rat-6-10 mg/kg PO BID. (Lexi was taking 37.5mg twice daily - I split a 75mg tab) Pepcid: The recommended dose of Famotidine to be administered to pets is 0.25 to 0.5 mg per pound (0.5 to 1.0 mg/kg) every 12 to 24 hours. Dogs: 0.05-0.1 mg/pound by mouth every 8 hours. Treatment should only be needed for 1-2 days. If diarrhea persists or worsens, contact your veterinarian. Veterinary meds is a pretty good resourcewith doses included

I honestly don't think so, Jennifer. Maybe .5 lb, but she's very ribby and almost every thoracic vertebrae are visible. 3 lbs on a bitty girl like Mafi really stands out. I agree with you about not giving her unintended reinforcement for picky behavior, which is why I wanted to find an irresistible kibble that would grab her attention (and I wouldn't feel compelled to). Her habit while eating is to just walk away from her bowl, and go out to the yard or, if weather is bad, she'll go upstairs to her bed. Segregating her is possible but knowing Mafi, she'd stop eating and whine (she takes after me ). It sounds as if I'm making excuses, but it comes from almost 10 years of living with this little galga and her habits. She will, without fail, walk away from food to seek human attention. Eating has never been her priority. (Well, except for when she first arrived home -- I turned around for 30 seconds and then found her standing up on the kitchen counter.) This is why I was hoping to find a calorie-dense food in small volume. So today I went to an excellent pet food store where they only carry quality products. At the owner's suggestion, I bought a small bag of Prairie turkey Instinct kibble - no grain, but not the extremely high protein content that Evo has. It has 440+ k/cal per cup. She ate virtually all of it, mixed in with Merrick canned. I'll wait to see how it's going over the next few days, and if she's eating well, I'll continue to feed it. Thanks so much for the suggestions!

It's great in theory, Jennifer, and I absolutely agree with this training method, but it doesn't work in a 6-dog house. Suppertime is systematic here for survival purposes. Everyone has their own specific spot and is fed in a certain order. They also seem to have figured out that if they don't finish quickly, the bowl Nazi's will come around and push them out of the way so they can steal the food. Do you remember Kody from many moons ago? His nickname was "One-Kibble Kody") because he was a slooooooooow eater, but since he was alpha and the biggest, he wouldn't be bothered. Mafi is the same way - she's a very slow eater, always has been, and gets distracted easily. Her body condition is excellent. She's lost some muscle mass but she's active, can go for long walks without a problem and still stands up to give hugs.

Blooodwork is normal. I have a couple of cans of AD, and I know it's a good source of calories, but I'm just not a Science Diet fan. The chicken baby food (and lamb, beef, turkey) have been fail-safe goodies for all of my pups, especially when they refuse to eat anything else. It's worth mixing it with the kibble to see if it sparks her interest - good idea! It doesn't have very many calories, but it's so stinky it's hard for them to resist. I've used the tripe before. I've got the put that at the bottom of the list, because I almost woofed my cookies around that stuff! Thanks so much, everyone! I'm going to print out the entire thread, and I'll have lots of options for the delicate little flower (NOT!). I really appreciate!

Sorry I missed this until today (I hate when work interferes with my social life). Jennifer, Mafi has regular senior check-ups and labs, and actually just had her exam and labs/Snap 4 10 days ago. Mafi has a very good appetite, for things that she loves. But for many years, her interest in kibble has waned. She'll pick up a bit if I try a new kibble that she likes, but she usually loses interest quickly. I can put in meaty add-ons, but she'll inhale the meat while working her way around the kibble. She also likes a little competition - she'll walk away from her food in the middle of eating, then I'll hold the bowl for her which often draws her in. When the other dogs take an interest is when she'll eat. She's always been picky, now is picky and a diva. But she's down to 42 lbs from her baseline 45, so I'd like to get more calories into her. Thanks, Jennifer! Thanks, Carla! Do the dogs tolerate it when it's put into their food? That's easy enough to try - most feed & pet stores carry it now. My guys have been eating Merrick's canned for years. Thanks for the tip! Yes, her teeth were just checked during the exam 10d ago. The galgos have amazing teeth - Only one of my 4 galgos has ever needed a dental since they came from Spain. Mafi's teeth continue to be stellar!

Thank you! I'll pick up the meat and cream cheese - that looks like an easier recipe, and I've got most of the ingredients here. That will be a great supplement! Mafi is funny - she doesn't like soft kibble. I can put a spoon or two of water on it but any more and she'll leave it. <sigh> That's why I was hoping to find a very enticing kibble to mix in with the satin balls or canned food, so she'd get in the extra calories. Off to the store tomorrow.

UPDATE 6/12: So far, so good with the Nature's Variety Instinct Turkey formula. I'm mixing it with about 1/2 can of either Merrick's, Wellness or other canned food, and she's been eating well (this week, anyway). She still walks away to go outside in the middle of a meal, but apparently it's for a bathroom break, and when she comes back in, she's been finishing her bowl. I might be hallucinating but I think she's put on weight already. Hopefuly this will last. Mafi the galga is now around 11-12 years old () and I just cannot get weight on her. It's not a matter of her eating but not gaining; she loses interest in her kibble and tends to walk away from her bowl. She was always a wee one (45 lbs) who is now down to 42 lbs. While I wish I could just pour a couple of cups of kibble into her bowl and let her eat as much as she can fit, I'm hard pressed to get her to finish 1 cup of Avoderm baked L&R. I add at least 1/2 can of Merrick or other quality canned food, but she'll pick it out and leave much of the kibble behind. I'm trying to supplement with an additional can, but again, sometimes she just doesn't want to eat it all. Can anyone suggest a hi-caloric kibble (puppy food is OK) that is so palatable it might be irrestible enough for her to really chow down? Mafi is otherwise very healthy, and needs no dietary restrictions. Raw is really not an option for me though pre-prepared could work. thanx!

That beautiful white face.... Don Juan had the all-too-rare fortune of being loved from the time he was born to the time he made his journey to be with his littermates. You were both blessed by being such an important part of each others' lives. touch the stars, Don Juan.. Hugs to you, Pat..

The Sense-ible harness is made by the people who make Sensation. It's a little less expensive, but otherwise there's no difference. It's a marvelous harness, especially for pullers or dogs who need a painless reminder to walk nicely. It worked immediately for my very strong galgo - a dog hard to place in Spain because he was a terrible puller. It's comfortable and stress-free. It works similarly to Easy-Walk (Premier) but I found Easy-Walk has a buckle on the girth that falls right behind the elbow -- that looked like a sore waiting to happen. But Easy Walk works for my iggies. Sense-ible is a great harness, and I have only good things to say about it.

I used to keep an eye out for sale flyers for CVS and other major pharmacies, as they would also have 2-for-1 sales. I may actually still have some here (in it's original foil pack) if you'd like it.

Nancy, have you done the diazoxide route yet?

A lot like human side effects, Nancy (though humans usually can restrain themselves from leaving a puddle on the kitchen floor ). I've noticed, in addition to what everyone else has mentioned, urinary urge incontinence; iggy Buddy would squat and pee on the stairs, because he just couldn't hold the other 30 seconds it would take to get to the door. (This usually happened on a full bladder.) I've also seen hair loss/thinning, muscle atrophy, cushingoid changes, and personality changes -- aggression, challenging, vocalization. Not to mention, long-term effects on the kidneys and liver. If you're looking at long-term steroids, and it's at all possible to transition Lottie to an immunomodulator, have a serious chat with her vet about it.

My big boy galgo Dandi has been on clomipramine for about 4 yrs for fear aggresion and anxiety disorder. His dose is 100mg twice daily. He was evaluated and his meds managed by a veterinary behaviorist. (He'd originally been on prozac but it wasn't as effective and caused diarrhea.). He weighs about 80+ lbs. He's tolerated this dose very well, without side effects. His liver and renal function are perfectly normal and I'm not aware of repercussions of long-term use, though I'm sure there's always the potential for this to occur. But checking liver function tests on regular basis should be performed. The one thing to be aware of is that with clomipramine, prozac, amitriptylline or similar medications, there is a risk of developing "seratonin syndrome" if combined with another medication which increases production of seratonin; one such drug is tramadol. Be sure your vet has a full list of all medications your pup is taking. Whether or ot to think about weaning off in the future is something you should discuss with your vet. I don't know if there are studies showing that the positive behavioral changes will remain after clomipramine is discontiued. But if you've tried multiple modalities to control his SA without any success, it might just be that, for your pup's quality of life and for your own peace of mind, Bernie should stay on clomipramine indefinitely. I'm sure your vet or behaviorist will lbe able to guide you.

Well, poop -- they don't carry the variety I need. But I got a response a day after I posted to them, and the CSR said he would pass on the request to their product manager.

Thanks, Dee! I e-mailed them, asking if they could carry the Avoderm variety I'm looking for. Hopefully I'll hear back Monday.

Petflow looks like a very interesting option for ordering food online. They have a huge assortment of foods (though, my luck, they don't have listed the ONE variety of Avoderm I need for Dandi's sensitive stomach) and shipping is either free or very, very low-cost. And unlike most of the online delivery websites, their prices are very competitive. They're based in NY and ship out of a warehouse in NJ. The deal seems to be so good, I've written to ask if they could get the Baked L&R Avoderm so I can start ordering from them. Has anyone used this service?

I'm never one to be happy about hemangiosarcoma, but the fact that amputation will be curative is great news! I'll definitely be sending lots of healing thoughts for James tomorrow. He's with the very best people caring for him. We'll be waiting for a good-news update tomorrow!

This is the sealant used. (Sanos). It lasts for 6 months. But boy, does it *stink*! (Either that, or it's Jesse, but he didn't stink before he went in.)

I just read a thread on this from a year ago, and am interested in hearing follow-up or others' experiences. Iggies' teeth are worse than greyhounds, and Jesse had his dental today with my go-ahead for sealant. Can anyone provide some feedback from their own experience with dental sealant? Yay or nay? If you did have sealant applied, did it decrease the need for regular dentals?

I recently went through this with Galga Mafi. I found that I had to keep her tail well-covered for several weeks after surgery, or she'd be all over it, yanking out sutures. Here's what I devised that worked very well. I covered the tip of her tail stump with a newborn-size cotton sock (if it's oozing, you can always put a small dressing inside of it). I then bandaged over it (to keep her from yanking at it) and several inches above it with Co-Ban (Vet-Wrap). I then used Elastikon tape (like an ace wrap but with adhesive) to tape the top of the bandage to the top of the tail stump.This held it on very well, and it was fairly easy to remove. If the hair is shaven, it's even easier. Here's the sock: Here it is with the Co-Ban wrap covering it. I had not yet put on the Elastikon but the arrow points to where it would go. (I used the 2" Elastikon.) This is Elastikon, which your vet should be able to give you. You can also buy it either at a medical supply store, or in any pharmacy where the athletic wraps and splints are kept. And here's Mafi's feeling about the whole thing: I hope this helps! ETA: I agree with having the vet check the stump for any signs of infection. The other thought would be that the wrapping was too tight, causing the tip of the stump to swell.