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MerlinsMum

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    Pepcid Ac

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by MerlinsMum

    I wouldn't worry too much about cutting back from 20mg to 10mg a day right away. Merlin has been on 20mg famotidine a day for well over a year. He has never had any side effects. (I give him the generic stuff now as it's cheaper than Pepcid.) Of course every dog is different. What is your vet suggesting?

    Raw Food Diet; Any Problems?

    in Food and dietary discussion

    Posted · Edited by MerlinsMum

    Here is an article on some of the myths commonly associated with raw food diets.

     

    Raw Veterinary Diets

     

    People will inevitably have different stories, and while the experience of others can be helpful on some level, I wouldn't rely on anecdote to make a decision on my companion's health. I would want to look at the actual science and whether there is evidence to suggest that the adoption of a particular diet will be beneficial.

    N Fracine Aka Elsie Lou

    in Remembrance

    Posted

    OMG no, not Elsie Lou. :ohno:cry1 I felt a sharp pang and held my breath when I saw your post. I know how much you love her, and how much she loved you. I can't bear to think of you losing your girl. I am absolutely heartbroken for you, Robin. I can't even process this right now. :brokenheart

     

    :grouphug :grouphug :grouphug

    Have You Had Success With Homeopathic Remedies?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by MerlinsMum

    Never had anything homeopathic work on my pets or myself for a medical issue. There are skin care remedies and such that seem to work, like tea tree oil to soothe skin, oatmeal to cut itching, but I just don't find that the "natural" remedies work well, and in fact giving some herbs to my dog to help him through his SA caused his liver enzymes to spike!

     

    ^ This. And there is a reason for it. The "science" behind homeopathy is quack science. Some herbs can be beneficial, but it very much depends which ones, what they are used for, and what they are used in conjunction with, as they can be fatal (> St John's Wort) when taken by people with certain conditions or people taking other remedies . A common misconception about homeopathy and herbs and the like is that people should try it because, even if it doesn't work, "it can't do any harm". WRONG. There have been cases of people dying from using Chinese herbs. And homeopathy, while it won't actually harm directly, being nothing but the equivalent of a sugar pill, can harm indirectly because often people who resort to homeopathy are doing so as an alternative to proper medicine, and this could endanger the patient as he/she is not receiving any actual treatment. Of course, what often happens is that proper treatment is rejected, homeopathy is tried and then when the condition subsides homeopathy gets the credit for it, even though it most likely had nothing to do with the improvement in health - it was just a case of regression to the mean (i.e. the patient was going to get better with time anyway).

     

    Homeopathy is based on anti-scientific and magical notions based on the idea that water allegedly retains the "memory" of an ingredient that was then diluted in water thousands of times - so many times, in fact, that the presence of that ingredient in the little bottle of Bach flower essences that you buy is a big fat ZERO. In sort, you are literally just buying scented water. And a little alcohol. That's it. Since there is no active ingredient that can cure anything, it acts like a placebo - a sugar pill.

     

    ETA - this is from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenicum_album)

     

    Several studies have been done into Arsenicum album, however, homeopathic studies are known to have problems, such as evidence of bias, lack of rigour, and failure to blind the experimenters or subjects to which group is being analysed that prevent them from being considered definitive evidence for any effect.[7][8][13] In addition, the ideas behind homeopathy are scientifically implausible and directly opposed to fundamental principles of natural science and modern medicine, which means that poorly-conducted, small, or unblinded studies are not considered scientific proof of efficacy.[4][10][11]

    Is Katie Too Skinny?

    in Food and dietary discussion

    Posted

    I think she looks good too.

     

    I never pay too much attention to the quantities suggested on the bag. They are guidelines, but every dog is different. Sagan is an 82lb male but he only get 3 cups of food a day (and treats). If he had the recommended 4 cups, he would be fat. Trust me. I've had him on 4 cups a day before.

     

    Merlin is the same. He actually eats 2.5 cups a day total. And his food is low-fat food. But he is older now and less active (i.e. much less running) because of his arthritis, so his food had to be adjusted. I would have them lose a pound or two each, to be honest, but then I tend to think that it's always best for dogs, greyhounds especially, to be a couple of pounds lighter than a couple of pounds heavier.

     

    Wow - Katie really is a beauty, isn't she? :wub:

    Pal " Pagliaccio " 9/04/98-10/02/12

    in Remembrance

    Posted

    :cry1 :cry1 :cry1

     

    I leave GT for several weeks due to work craziness and this is the first thing I see upon my return... :weep :weep :weep

     

    Oh Jan... I am so sorry. What a very special hound Pagliaccio was. And what a beautiful tribute video. :brokenheart

     

    Rest well, sweet boy. I know you will live in your mum's heart forever. :gh_run2

    Metronizadole Longterm For Ibd?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by MerlinsMum

    My Merlin has IBD and he has been taking Metronidazole since March of last year - so well over a year now. He's on 500mg TWICE a day. It took us a while to figure out that his flare-ups could only be kept under control on that dosage. Anything less didn't work so well. He still had flare-ups every so often - but that's to be expected. IBD sucks :(

     

    He will likely be on it for the rest of his life. We have worried (and still do) about toxicity (esp. in the shape of neurological problems) stemming from long-term use of Metro, but with the exception of one incident (which wasn't clearly identified by the vet as a side-effect), he has been fine. With Merlin, we have no choice but to take the risk because alternative medications used to keep IBD in check (such as Tylan powder/Tylosan) don't work for him.

    Goldsteins' Healing Center For Animals?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I just read their website and it sounds like a giant mountain of quackery to me. :headwall :headwall

     

    "The Healing Center for Animals can help your animal detoxify,thereby setting the stage for healing" WHAT? Pseudo-scientific nonsense. Detox indeed <_<

     

    What kills me about places like this is that they openly state that their services are non-medical -- they don't even SEE your companion - yet they think they're somehow entitled to your money for.... what exactly?

    Muzzles During The Day While At Work?

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted · Edited by MerlinsMum

    I started a poll a while ago about this exact topic asking people that have actually had occurances of choking or other injuries, but cant seem to find it around here anywhere.

     

    Actually Roo, a dog whose human companion used to be on GreyTalk, died when he strangled himself to death on his martingale. It was absolutely awful. Since then, our dogs have always been "naked" in the house. I am not going to take the chance that the hounds will die a horrible, panic-striken and painful death. I used loose tag collars and they came off, so don't use them anymore. I kept them and use them if I have contractors working in the house, but otherwise, nothing. One of the tag collars even got caught in one of our air vents once, and panic ensued. I live in a relatively quiet neighborhood, and a safe one. I don't expect anyone to burst open the door and take my dogs :rolleyes: On the other hand, I don't have a doggie-door. Maybe I would think differently if I used one.

     

    As for muzzles - if it weren't for the fact that Sagan chews things, I honestly would love to them off while I'm at work. Since I muzzle Sagan I have to muzzle them both, but I don't like it. I do it for safety but only because I don't want Sagan to injest anything, not because I think they may fight. They are always muzzled when they're outside in the yard though, always. because play can get rough. If I had newly adopted hounds, though, I wold *definitely* muzzle, at the very least for a few months until they are settled in their new home.

    Adams Flea Spray? Suggestions Please

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    So I have been reminding DH for two weeks to wash the dogs' blankets :angry: (he does laundry, I do groceries). We usually wash them every 6 days or so, but this summer has been bad for fleas here (and everywhere, as I understand it). Well, he hasn't washed them in 10 days and Merlin has been itching so badly. We checked him every time and couldn't find anything, and he does have mosquito bites, so we thought that was it. But today DH arrives at work and finds a flea on himself :ohno

     

    I know it could just be a stray flea (we've had them before), but since Merlin's been itching so badly and the blankets are dirty and the duvet they sleep on also needs to be cleaned, I am going to pick up some Adams flea spray. I noticed there are different kinds. I've never used it before, so to anyone here who has: which kind do you use? I need to place an order on Amazon today because every store around here is either out of stock on all flea products or doesn't carry Adams products :blink:

     

    Thanks in advance!

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