duncan41

I am so sorry for your loss.

Tongue firmly in cheek: You let him pick out the food at the store and that's the one he said he liked and would agree with him? I just adopted a 10.5 year old and he came with the reputation of being a picky eater: won't eat kibble unless there is canned food on top - "to get him started" - and then will only eat half now and then half "later". Well, "later" doesn't work for us. Switched to the food we're feeding our other grey and BINGO - we got lucky! He loves it! He eagerly awaits meals and doesn't lift his head until every morsel is gone and tries to lick the shine off the bowl! I'm not sure how many more signs he can produce to tell you that the food isn't right for him. Picky? Yes! Reasonably so? I would say that attempts to vomit, "stools never really hard" and pudding poo are clear indicators that the food doesn't agree with him.

First, I am sorry that your boy has been dx'd with kidney disease. If you can, please get a copy of his last blood work and urinalysis and post the results to this thread. "Kidney disease" is a very generic term for many things that can be going wrong. Lorinda (3DogNite), Carron (Carronstar) and I all have/had dogs with the same type of kidney disease (there are different types) yet all three dogs have/had different manifestations necessitating different treatments. Prescription kidney "food" isn't a "one size fits all" solution. "Optimal Nutrition" by Monica Segal contains home made diets for kidney disease and she also has a website with more information and consulting. Dr. Rebecca Remillard (petdiets.com) is excellent. All the other recommendations are good and there are a host of others. Again, diet modifications depend on the type of kidney disease and the documentation of blood test results and urinalysis done over time - once a month for three months - as recommended by Dr. Remillard. Those results will establish a baseline and make sure that there isn't something else going on, or lab errors or just a one time fluke. If I was facing the same situation with a 13 year old, (my dog was only 7.5 when dx'd), and knowing what I know now, I would have to take a step back and ask myself if it would be good for him to make dramatic dietary changes at this stage of his life. Food, shelter and you are his basic wants in life. I would want to look at other treatment options (and there are a ton of them out there that do not fall under traditional veterinary medicine protocol) before causing him the distress of a diet change that he obviously dislikes. Maybe Lorinda will chime in with some words of wisdom.

I am very sorry that Molly can't stay longer. Talking to her now will ease her transition. Say everything you want her to know and then repeat it over and over. I am sure the sound of your voice will be all she needs to hear and the touch of your hands as you stroke her will bring her great comfort. Godspeed, Molly. There are so many of our loved ones who will be waiting to greet you.

The only way we can cut Fuzz's nails is to have DH sit in one of our dining room chairs with Fuzz's body "straddling" his lap which brings all 4 feet off of the floor. The feeling of insecurity it creates gives me a window of opportunity, but I better be prepared and know exactly what I'm going to do - and do it quickly! At least she doesn't scream when we do it that way, but she will still jerk her feet out of my grasp if I go back to try and take a little more off any given nail. The front feet are the worst. The back feet - not so much because she can't see me as well. We muzzle her and DH feeds treats thru the muzzle the whole time. Her sister was a dream - I could do anything to her and she never, ever protested. My first GH had a full blown panic attack the first time I cut her nails and she was a "bomb proof" 7 year old bounce. It must have been because I did it while she way laying down because from then on, I only trimmed her nails when she was standing up and she never batted an eyelash.

Well, Big Dog Natural is very proud of their food, but they aren't ready to provide a nutrient profile. My inquiry: "Thank you. I found the product analysis, but need the nutrient profile, ie how much protein, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, potassium, zinc, niacin, folic acid, iodine, pantothenic acid, iodine, riboflavin, thiamine, vitamin A, D & E, etc, etc, etc....................you get the idea. It's usually broken down into three different groups: "As Received", "Dry Matter Basis" "As Served (Hydrated)". This analysis is crucial for dogs with kidney or liver disease as an example. I have a dog with kidney disease and it is vital to know the calcium/phosphorous ratio." Their reply: "According to our latest analysis, the ca/ph ratio of the beef is 1.1:1. The Tripe Supreme has a ca/ph ratio of 1.78:1. The ratio of the chicken is 1.56:1. All the calcium in our products is from natural origin. You can't compare this with the studies out there based on products where calcium is added as a supplement. We have our analysis split up in "As received" and "Dry matter". I really don't understand the "As Served" part. This all depends how much water is added by the customer. Some dogs like it a bit dryer, some a bit more moist. We are looking for the highest bio-availability possible. Most artificial supplements that you see used in all kind of different dog foods simply don't do the job. They are not readily available. This is also the reason we ferment the vegetables. The fermented vegetables make the calcium, vitamins, and the ingredients in general, highly bio-available. We hear excellent testimonials from our customers on a daily basis. Older dogs that start playing again, dogs that get better muscle tone, long time ear infections that disappear, etc... the list is endless. Dogs that went from one vet to another for years, and get better after being on Big Dog Natural. This keeps us going and tells us that we're doing the correct thing. Linda, I know what your saying but I raised and owned Mastiffs for over 30 years. We have an old school approach of dog food. Use high quality ingredients and you're good. I never raised my kids by over analyzing their foods but they were fed well and healthy. I really don't believe there is a need for deep analysis when the ingredients are top quality. You only need supplements and additives when crap is used. We use the analysis as a guideline to formulate the product, not as a marketing tool. We just want a healthy dog food for healthier dogs. Hope this help Carl Van Bael The Big Dog Natural Team" Bottom Line? If you have a specific concern, email them and Big Dog Natural may provide the information, but they aren't going to provide a complete nutrient analysis as does The Honest Kitchen or Sojos; two of their competitors.

I just contacted the company asking for their nutrient profiles. We shall see. In the meantime, Sojos sounds similar, much more limited in variety, and the nutrient profiles are on their website.

"Good" using Greyhound parameters or "other dog" parameters?

XOXOXO LAZER!!! XOXOXO Do you believe in MIRACLE DOGS? I do and his name is Lazer!

OMG! Now the claws of osteo-dread can be pried from around your heart and you can breathe! What joyous news! "Tis the season? Never mind the reason, let's party!

I'm not a fan depleting a food source vital to whales, so krill is not on my list. I have not had any success finding a fish oil in bulk that was not rancid and the capsules mean that the oil is processed and has been left depleted of many of the beneficial elements.. Missing Link is a very good source, reasonably priced and recommended by many high profile Vets. The "Veterinary Formula" can be purchased online at almost the same price as the commercial formula.

Thank goodness! Let the healing begin!

I am so sorry that Phoenix had to leave. I hope that your memories will help heal your heart.

Sending hugs and strength and everything else you need to get through this. Henry will be taking his queues from you and will need to feed off of your strength in the coming weeks. I am so sorry this is happening to Henry. Makes me sick - damned cancer.

Greyt update!

So many keep him in that special place in our hearts. He was as special as your love for him. We remember.

As long as the "labs" included a CBC, SuperChem Panel (adjusted to Greyhound idiosyncrasies) and a Urinalysis, I would feed her whatever she wants, whenever she wants it. There are so many options out there now in canned foods but only buy one can of everything you think she might like and rotate two or three cans at one time. Warm it up a little bit, mix it with unsalted chicken broth or a little Ensure. Mix in some people food. Lots of variety in mini-meals many times a day. I hope to have the privilege of having one of mine make it to 13 one day. Gentle hugs for Winnie.

How beautiful! That's the way she wants to be remembered. I am so sorry for your loss.

I am so sorry Miles had to leave. He will be waiting for you at The Bridge.

Rest, rest, rest and more rest. Leash walking even in a fenced yard. I know it's a pain, but they don't understand that they need to rest to recover, so we have to impose the limitations. We're dealing with athletes who know no bounds. Am doing the same now with a 9.5 year old with bone spurs in her feet. Have done it twice before with the same dog with sprained toes. Both sprains took 8 weeks to heal.

Roaching is fabulous!!! Glad she's feeling good!

Was Dunk on antibiotics before the dental? After? With a mouth like his, the glands were probably already a little swollen, but with the extractions, they are probably in full damage control mode. Clindamycin is a common antibiotic prescribed. Hope he heals without further incident.

Always handsome, always loved, always in your heart. I am so sorry for your loss.

I agree! Chewy.com is awesome. I have also tried Amazon and PetFoodDirect but found that the bags looked pretty rough and the last one from Amazon actually had holes in it! The product from Chewy.com has been pristine. The only criticism I have is that sometimes they use boxes that are much too large for the contents; no sense cutting down more trees than necessary. Customer service? Unbeatable!

Awww, shoot. I am so sorry about the crummy path report. I hope the bacon does the trick for a long, long time. Of course, there's always bacon flavored ice cream!