greyhead

Glutamine is the metabolis precursor of glutamate, a neurotransmitter. Glutamine is released by cells to be turned into glutamate. You can buy the latter. Don't know about the former. But it would be more expeditious to give glutamate in any case because it's already in the form it needs to be in to be useful. Hope htat helps. I'm in a rush and my computer is not cooperating! Gtw, we buy our glutamate at the health food store or vitamin shop -- what do you call those in UK? I can't even think right now what we call them here in US. But if you Google "glutamate," does it provide anything you can use to source it? It's not B-12 but it's also not all that obscure or arcane! ETA: that wasn't a stupid question at all! I had the same one when I started!

Notice all the food he's accepting is soft. Elevated BUN can make the mouth sore, and makes critters generally feel awful (Heaches, nausea, aches, like a bad hangover). You need soft foods and aromatic ones. Your vet should have A/D. That's the best suggestion in the shortest time. It's soft and aromatic, made for just such situations. Home cooking is fine, good, but make it soft and smelly. Meanwhile, get the A/D cuz it's faster! Sorry to be sounding abrupt, but my computer is driving me crazy, wiped out the last answer I just wrote to you before I could post it, and now i have to run. But all my best to you and Wizard. Btw, if the elevated BUN was from a month ago, you might want to recheck that and the creatinine. They should be able to check just the kidney values in the office, so fast and not expensive.

Hope you got the article I emailed you last night. My computer was just not working well yesterday, particularly when it came to GT. We're giving Shane a commercial herbal that the vet sold us: Bladder Support by Vet Classics. www.vetclassics.com Don't know if it's working, along with the milk we're giving, because now he's on pred for vasculitis! The herbs are supposed to take 30-60 days to work anyway. But there it is. I will say that he's doing better leakage-wise during the day, even with the pred and excess drinking.

This sounds like behavior I've seen in cats with kidney disease. With them, giving something to reduce stomach acid is key, like Pepcid. Are you doing that still or did you stop? While we're on the subject, his kidney values have been checked recently, right? So hoping you can get a better handle on this! Boy needs to eat, and you must be going nuts trying to make it happen!

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I will pop up soon here. But the purpose of an IV "flush" is really to rehydrate the animal. All that peeing leaves them dehydrated, and it's hard for them to consume enough liquid by drinking to compensate. (It's commonly believed that IV fluids flush built-up toxins, but I gather that's really not true. Still, I doubt it hurts...unless the animal is given too much IV fluid, which is a problem and which is why it must be done in a clinic setting where he can be monitored.) If I were you, I would do it. But I've done it before with cats, so it's not so traumatic for me. For what time period are they talking about keeping him? I know it feels shocking right now. But you can get through this! ETA: 3dognite posted while I was writing. Depending on his kidney values, doing an IV fluid administration before starting sub-q fluids may be very helpful. But sub-q fluids are the mainstay of treatment for kidney disease.

Great news and it all sounds eminently reasonable. Congratulations! (Oh, and I can't remember if I said this before. But all other things being equal and medically addressed, glutamate once a day goes the last mile toward firming poo. At least it did for Spencer.)

You might consider, crazy as it may sound, checking his thyroid. Ear problems, both infections and the build-up of general crud, are associated with hypothyroidism. The reason may be that the skin and hair are dryer in this condition, which is a problem in the ears where the dried flakes accumulate instead of just fall off.

Shane is having incontinence issues too, did badly on Proin, and here are some dots we've connected: His bloodwork looks good, except he's slightly below range for phosphorous, 2.6 (range 3-7), which constitutes mild hypophosphatemia. Hypophosphatemia involves muscle issues and may impact the strength of those controlling the bladder, I'm thinking. The VIN article she referenced calls for milk as a corrective! I can give you the formula if you like; for Shane at 83 lbs it comes out to two cups of milk per day. He's not intolerant and he loves it! Can't tell how well it's working because we just started yesterday, the same day we also had to start low-dose pred for possible vasculitis! We're getting Shane outside every 2-3 hours during the day and putting on an incontinence pad in a belly band overnight. We have tucked the protective pads inside the dog beds too, but they haven't had to do any work since we started this regimen. I can email you the article if you like.

As I understand it, if Kelly has Intestinal Malabsorption, he needs B-12 injections. B-12 is processed in the gut. In the IM condition, it no longer can be. That is why getting the B-12 orally or through food won't work. The injection is an easy just-under-the-skin that you can easily do at home. The dosage is 1cc per administration, and the needle is very thin (25 gauge) and slides in almost unnoticeably. The B-12 itself stings a bit; but that's nothing to a stoic greyhound! We found that Spencer improved immediately once started on B-12. It's not a cure for anything, but it powerfully affects their functioning in just about every way. Another aspect: You want to get this vitamin-deficiency variable off the table (by correcting it). Then you'll be much better able to see how the other treatments, like the prednisone, are working. ETA: Eeesh, did I really write "gain wait" in my last post? Perhaps I shouldn't be posting after midnight.

Good call on those pale gums, Wendy! You sound like a greyt mom, and welcome to GT. Sorry it's not under better circumstances, but you've come to a good and helpful place.

Wendy, I'm not a vet and I don't know much. That said, and since everybody else is apparently still watching the Kentucky Derby this afternoon, I'll say it sounds like non-regenerative anemia. You can Google that and get a lot of information about possible causes. (Just put "canine" in front of it to narrow it down.) The fact that they're considering parasites as a possible cause suggests to me that your dog is perhaps quite young. Can you tell us more about her, her history? The more people on GT know about a situation, the more helpful they can be. All the best to you and Olive, Mary

I think I've already told you Spencer's story. A couple points relevant to your question: Based on our experience, I'd be real uncomfortable cutting into a dog to do a biopsy when there was the possibility of thereby liberating SIBO germs to do even more widespread damage. So I'd insist on the poop culture and sensitivity test. If the vet didn't see the point, I'd say, "Humor me." But that's me. As you know, Spencer had also lost 20 lbs. Not only would there be anesthesia, but also there was the post-op period of several more tough weeks to look forward to -- for the dog and for me! (JohnF, you'll learn more about this if you look up RobinM's threads on her Beau, who had the surgical biopsy. More than a year old, so you'll have to use "Beau" as a search term in the H&M forum and aim for 2008-2009. Beau is still with us, fortunately, but it was quite a haul.) Mainly I wanted to add that Spencer saw his internist two weeks ago, after a year of treatment with budesonide (along with the usual a/b's). He had regained 13 of his lost pounds and she thinks he's doing well enough to start tapering off the budesonide. But only because I was curious, I asked if people ever wait until their dogs have recovered to the extent Spencer has and *then* do the biopsy (understanding that severe IBD is not something one usually ever cures, per se). She said yes, some do. So there's always the option of letting Kelly continue to recover & gain weight on the program he is on. You can always do the biopsy later when he's in better shape. Maybe that thought will make your vet feel better, and he/she will leave you alone! You have to do what you feel/think is right. We've had great success listening to our guts. Nobody but *nobody* knows better than you do how Kelly is doing and what he can take or should have to take. (Personally, I didn't think the biopsy would necessarily end Spencer. But I couldn't justify putting him through it when it wasn't likely to affect his treatment, just because it's the textbook response to suspected IBD.)

Okay, I'll stop weeping long enough to tell you how sorry I am. You're the very best thing that could've happened to Ozzie.

This is really encouraging, Susan! I hope you all get a good night's sleep and have more good news in the morning. Yay!

to you, your family, and Wizard Budesonide does not cause gastric distress, in our experience and as far as I know. Not recommending that you use it now. Don't know if Wiz needs it anyhow. Just saying. It doesn't sound like the specialist is very familiar with budesonide.

I'm so very sorry. Multiple losses in a short time are really hard on a person. You must be some kind of strong! Please be really good to yourself and surround yourself with as much support as you can at all times -- music you love, books or other art that transports you, nature...and, of course, us at GT!

So glad you took him to the e-vet! HGE is not trivial. Glad he's home and hope he continues to improve. Don't want to rain on the parade, but I think the course of HGE is not entirely smooth... But it's manageable with a bit of effort! Hugs, Mary

ETA: If Wizard is an IBD dog, it's not surprising that he turns down most of what you're offering, even PB and tuna. What seduces other dogs doesn't work on IBD dogs. Spencer skips a meal or two, or more, weekly. (He gets three per day.) He then misses the pills that would go with the meal. The vets say not to sweat it, that missing a thyroid pill, a Flagyl, a Tylosin dose won't hurt him. The only pill I insist he take, on schedule, is the budesonide. I just wrap canned food around it generously, and he eats it. So what pills are we talking about here? Any chance you can let it go for now and try again tomorrow? The canned A/D is good stuff. Prepared raw is good too, like what was mentioned in an earlier post, and may be better. (We use Primal Pets venison.) If it makes you nervous, Doggfather recommends microwaving for 30 seconds right before serving. That kills possible germs without destroying the enzymes and stuff that make raw a good idea. Either of these approaches is worth a try. We haven't yet used a prescription food on Spencer, in the year and a half that he has had intestinal trouble. Not making any judgments, just stating the fact. But he *never* turns away from the raw venison, though sometimes he prefers it microwaved. So now I microwave it every time, and he never rejects it. (What he sometimes rejects is his kibble meal in the morning.) You sound tired, hon. ((((Susan)))) There! Perked up now? If I were you at this point, I think I'd figure out where to get some prepared raw food, and otherwise just relax with Wizard. Let me know if you need help or more info about any of this. I'll be checking on your thread through the evening.

All my sympathy. I'm so very sorry.

I'm so sorry! And she was such a beauty.

Wish I could offer you more than encouragement to go ahead and ask the evet what they think and proceed accordingly. It doesn't sound like a good thing, especially that he really wants water and can't keep it down. Hugs.

And we're sitting with you in our thoughts.

Oh Susan, that is terrific!!!

I see a pattern here: children's waterproof spray! Thank you so much, everyone. Could I just ask, do your dogs lick much after coming indoors? I just wonder what to expect. Thanks again.