PatricksMom

Sending good thoughts for Keiva and calming thoughts for her mom.

I agree with this--the last thing you want with an older, sick dog is to be wondering if atypical results are new or have already been that way. In dogs with thyroid issues, I also run that panel at the same time.

You'd think, but nope. He's happy to have me (not DH) handle his feet, but as soon as we mess with that nail, all bet's are off.

Good to know if we end up needing it, thanks. We're going to try taking him to the local dog bakery, where he doesn't know them. Their groomers seem very caring and there's also the bonus of really good treats afterwards.

We've tried holding him partially up in the air, no luck, but I'll have to try that technique. He's usually such a good boy, but not about this. We do leash walk daily, but on asphalt (no sidewalks) and grass.

I'm not sure where you are but lots of us have had greys live well into the teens

Leo came to us with long nails. We've been able to successfully trim most of them, but one was really long and he's touchy about it and just gotten worse. I asked the vet to hack it way back when he was under, but she didn't, and now he refuses to let us get anywhere near his feet with clippers or the dremmel. Our dog sitter was confident she could do it--she's very experienced, but with her and her husband, one holding him down, muzzled and feeding him super great treats, they couldn't do it without him struggling so much they worried about hurting him. He's not due for a dental for about 4 months so I don't want to knock him out, but does anyone have any suggestions for a safe sedative to ask the vet about? We tried Xanax for anxiety, it doesn't do anything.

Yes, I switched Patrick to a grain-free, fish based food to try to up the omega-3s for his arthritis. His previously borderline high for a greyhound kidney levels worsened (I don't remember the specifics), I put him back on his previous food, they went right back down. It's certainly worth a shot.

Agreed, I wouldn't take it as a sign that Sonic is aggressive--plenty of normally placid dogs would have reacted in that situation, but unfortunately she's the one who will be at risk despite the owner's idiocy.

When Leo gets anxious he'll drink too much and throw up, if I let him. He's perfectly healthy and has fresh water available, it's just one of his things.

Sending good, optimistic thoughts for Birdie. Let us know what the vet says and if we can help.

Buy some gel caps from a compounding pharmacy or see if someone in your adoption group has leftover cosequine capsules and put the Tramadol in that so he doesn't taste it.

i can't believe he's gone--Godspeed George, you will be missed by many.

I'm so sorry you lost your beloved Carly. I have a hyper-anxious dog, Leo, and will be reading all of the posted info, thank you for sharing your experience.

If you have a fenced yard, put them out for a few minutes when people come over. I've found it helps get most of the crazy out outside and they usually come in calmer.

Mother Hubbard makes peanut butter biscuits that are pretty healthy (probably not that far off kibble) and they come in a variety of sizes depending on her preference. I've found them at Petsmart, probably Petco would have them too.

These choices are so difficult, I'm sorry you're facing them. If she's still eating but incredibly fussy, I'd give her what she wants (and of course deal with the frustration that what she wants may change). Not eating at all is different than being very picky, imo, although it can be frightening and frustrating.

Hoping for good news for you and your girl.

I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I can only imagine if it's doing something unpleasant when she barks, and you're putting it on to leave her alone, she's associating that unpleasantness with being alone.

In the long run you need to add calcium to balance out the phosphorus in the meat, you can start by grinding up the egg shells after you boil the eggs and mix the powder in or give tums (make sure there's no added artificial flavoring). There is a proper ratio, I don't remember it off hand, but here's one website's recommendation. Calcium: Unless you feed RMBs, all homemade diets must be supplemented with calcium. The amount found in multivitamin and mineral supplements is not enough. Give 800 to 1,000 mg calcium per pound of food (excluding non-starchy vegetables). You can use any form of plain calcium, including eggshells ground to powder in a clean coffee grinder (1/2 teaspoon eggshell powder provides about 1,000 mg calcium). Animal Essentials’ Seaweed Calcium provides additional minerals, as well. http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_7/features/Home-Prepared-Dog-Food-Nutritional-Information_20568-1.html You should be aiming for 80% lean meat, or add some olive oil to get the fat right if you're using 90%. When I was home cooking, I changed out the ground meats depending on what was on sale, and I think it's probably good to give some variety anyway--ground beef, turkey, chicken. Hope this helps some.

He could have an infection, not an injury. I'd be back for oral antibiotics if it doesn't clear up quickly with the topical.

What you really want, is to hear from someone who in the area you're traveling too. Frontline worked great for us in DE, but didn't work at all, Flea wise, in SC.

Second the good thoughts--it sounds like your vet was helpful in explaining your options, that always makes me feel better.

http://www.petsmart.com/dog/bowls-feeders/grreat-choice-pet-food-dispenser-zid36-6464/cat-36-catid-100010?var_id=36-6464&_t=pfm%3Dcategory I have this, it's designed to hold the food back in place, once you cut the top off it. Dispensing is easy and even Henry my food monster hasn't figured out how to get into it. I like that you don't have to open the whole lid to get food out.

I know you want to understand everything, many of us have had a dog, or more, where we never got a conclusive diagnosis and its frustrating. And every medication you give carries some risk. But if your dog is in pain and refusing to eat, the pain and the not eating need to be addressed, regardless of whether or not you ever get to the bottom of the cause. She certainly could have arthritis--there's no test for that and xrays can be inconclusive. I'm sure other people will have other ideas, but the pain and not eating need to be your priority. If you're really worried about the kidney liver issues, talk to you vet about trying a different kind of pain medication, like Tramadol or Gabapentine.