PrairieProf

I'm still not sure what was/is going on with Beth, but I think it was a flare-up of her tendency towards GI issues. After a course of Hill's I/D and metronidazole she's been back on straight TOTW for some days and does eat it, perhaps not with as much gusto as before. She'd gobble it with add-ins, certainly, but I'm trying to avoid those at the moment both to get a clear idea of how she is with TOTW per se and also not to encourage pickiness. And her poop is OK but not great, kind of variable time to time. I'm planning to go back to the vet in a few days to discuss what the next step might be. Lauren, my vet does say that if a dog doesn't want to eat he shouldn't be forced -- because his tummy may be off and eating isn't a good idea. Hopefully that's not what's going on for Bernie. But the one time in December I really had to force Beth through a bowl of food by a bunch of repeated add-ins she ended up vomiting repeatedly and being really sick -- we ended up at the e-vet because I was scared! (Our final guess was a stomach bug as it wasn't a lasting issue and we couldn't find anything else wrong.) So I really learned my lesson there.

Glad for the good news, though I'm sure it's a little frustrating to have no answers. All good thoughts for King's continued health and happiness!

I am so sorry for your loss, and that you didn't have more time with Bucky -- but I'm sure his memory will live with you forever. Such a proud, happy face.

It's been awesome for my cat when she had a pesky UTI. It's been out a couple of years. Really worked, and -- while I have no problem giving her oral meds -- it didn't upset her stomach the way oral antibiotics do. Correlation does not equal causation -- is there any real evidence that the deaths were related to the medication?

Welcome from the U.S. Midwest! We will follow your journey with great interest, I promise!

Glad Stella's doing so well!

I'd suggest going to the vet -- she could probably stand a course of metronidazole. And perhaps a few days of a bland diet, homemade or something like prescription I/D canned.

Glad he's continuing to do well!

Oh no, I am so sorry your struggle didn't have a happy ending. I didn't post in your former thread, but I was following it with concern.

Sending love (and clotting!) to that sweet handsome familiar-looking boy.

I fed my cat and dog in view of one another for a while (separated by a baby gate) -- not right up close. It helped lure the cat out and gave them a chance to get a look at each other while being focused on something else pleasurable. The dog needs a chance to see/get used to the kitties to settle down (hopefully!). I also highly recommend baby gates with a pet door (set into the human swinging door part) that can be open or closed -- that way the cats can gradually choose to be in the dog's space when they're ready. The cat should be the one who mostly sets the terms and schedule for encountering and getting used to the dog.

Yeah, definitely don't worry about the water. There is a lot in what he's eating, so he doesn't need to drink it. My girl is currently on canned I/D (a premade version of a bland diet) and she doesn't need to drink much and pees more than usual -- because of the moisture in the food.

Oh no! Please keep us updated. Healing thoughts to handsome King and strength for you from me and half-sister Beth.

Thanks Batmom. No more coughing after I posted, so I guess it was just a passing throat irritation. She certainly seems A-OK today -- no rumblies or gas, and hoovering down the I/D like crazy. I'm going to follow the protocol the vet suggested, but I'm back to wondering if it isn't just a food issue, and the tummy symptoms of the night before were from the little bit of lamb kibble. Well, time will tell!

Beth had gurgly tummy and gas during the night, though to my surprise her poop this morning, while on the soft side, wasn't bad. I took her to the vet this morning (my regular vet is on vacation, oy, but I really liked the fill-in vet) -- I'm back to thinking as I did the first day that her going off the kibble is a sign of GI illness, not pickiness. Her weight is perfect today (59 lbs.) and there's no tenderness in the stomach, she's active etc. The new vet suggested a conservative approach of continuing the Flagyl, feeding her just I/D until about midweek then slowly adding her kibble back in -- plus adding a new probiotic/prebiotic they've been having very good luck with (better, they said, than with Fortiflora), Proviable, since the gradually softer poop may be from the Flagyl. That sounded reasonable to me to try -- I don't want to rush into more meds if she can turn around without them, as the vet seemed to think was likely. Meanwhile she has been sort of coughing a number of times this morning ... can that be a sign of nausea? Or does she have kennel cough (too?) -- I found some videos of that and this cough sounds the same way. SIGH. And of course now the vet isn't open until Monday for regular hours. But if she's eating I/D, not losing weight, and doing full-out zoomies, nothing of this can be too serious, right?

Have a look at the many threads in which people (myself included) have raved about Petzlife spray or gel. It is amazing at not only preventing but reversing tartar. Despite daily brushing Beth's teeth were getting dingy in a few spots, but now with Petzlife added to the mix they are virtually flawless. What's your objection to doggie toothpaste?? And yes, turkey necks or other raw bones do help.

Well Beth ate her regular food tonight, reasonably readily. I did wait until 7:00 to feed her, so she may have been extra hungry. I think I'm going to take her back to the vet tomorrow or Monday and get a CBC and whatever else, though. Her poop quality has been gradually declining through the week -- they're big and increasingly soft, though not frequent/urgent or whatever. And she'd dropped some weight rather rapidly as of last Monday. I don't want to assume this is a food issue if she's developing IBD or something.

Heck, I think Beth would rather eat frozen poop than about anything else, to say nothing of kibble! At least she acts that way.

I see your point, but on the other hand, if she really doesn't like that food anymore, I don't see why I'd force her to keep eating that or nothing forever, if she'd eat another food with more enjoyment.

Good to know of a dog who made the Pacific Stream to High Prairie switch successfully. It's looking like that's what I'm going to try. Here's this morning's report on what my best friend calls the Canine Enigma: --I served her the kibble with some low-sodium chicken broth mixed in instead of water -- she ate some, but didn't look very enthusiastic, and quit partway through. --Then I sprinkled some Parmesan cheese, Cully's suggestion, on top of the rest, and oh boy! She liked it then and finished everything. --I realized I had some little sample bags of the new TOTW lamb formula on hand (wish I could switch to the lamb but they don't sell it at Tractor Supply ). I put a very small amount of that, just plain, in her bowl as an experiment, and she hoovered it down eagerly and looked to me for more. So that seems like more evidence that she just really wants a new flavor. Sigh. Beth's just 4 and quite active, so she has no excuse! But it's an interesting observation. Maybe she's just mature for her age.

I'm sorry to hear about your problems. Beth is on the Pacific Stream though, and this issue started about 3/4 way through a bag, so I'm really not thinking it's an issue with the food.

She always gets (cold) water in it. I've been trying it dry as a variant -- and that way if she doesn't eat it, it doesn't get ruined! The warm is worth a try -- as is the cheese. Though yogurt definitely works too. Cully, it's interesting to hear that Allie goes through phases of this and then goes back to normal.

Beth has always been an enthusiastic, non-picky eater -- a member of the "clean plate club" (though I vaguely remember that she was something of a reluctant eater at the adoption kennel). I always feed her plain kibble in the morning, kibble with mix-ins like mackerel or tripe in the evening (or sometimes raw). She has been on TOTW Pacific Stream for about a year and a half -- after a lot of searching it was what finally worked well for her in the poop department. The second best kibble we tried was another fish-only one, Pro Plan Selects Salmon. She is clearly a sensitive-tummy girl. In the past couple of days, Beth seems to have lost interest in eating her kibble when it's plain -- most of the time, anyway. Monday morning she wouldn't eat, and I thought she was having GI issues, as the only time ever she didn't eat before led to her vomiting and being sick for a few days. So I fasted her for a day and started her on a course of Flagyl as my vet recommends, and got some cans of I/D. But she seemed to feel fine and had normal poop. (And no, it can't be a dental issue; her teeth are perfect -- even my vet, whom I took her to for a check Tuesday, said so, and he found nothing else wrong with her on examination.) So this week, she has continued to mostly (not always) sniff her kibble and walk away, sometimes looking at me with what I imagine as a "that all ya got?" look on her face. But she eats I/D eagerly and kibble when there's I/D or something else mixed in, and sometimes once she's eaten she'll eat some more kibble plain. But she's just not going for it the way she always did. I even opened a new bag to see if having fresher stuff made a difference, but it didn't. It really feels like she isn't sick but has just all of a sudden decided she doesn't much like it. I know it's not unheard of for a dog to get tired of a flavor, but how common is it? Does this sound like that to you? I hate the thought of having to change kibbles, when TOTW Pacific Stream has worked so well ... I'm going to try TOTW High Prairie first, as I know people here and greyhound friends not on GT who feed it with success, but the ingredient list has always sounded like the road to D to me. If that doesn't work, oy, it's going to be a pain. I guess I'd know at least if adding in a new flavor perks up her interest in plain kibble again.

Ahh, I posted the exact same thing after I brought Beth home back in the day -- I think "cast iron bladder" was my subject line. What worked for me was just taking a book and letting her chill in the yard until she was ready (though it was summer then, so "chill" wasn't so literal a term!). She held it for well over 24 hours, though! Yours WILL go when she has to badly enough. But unless it's mega-urgent my Beth still won't poop in a small yard -- she's got to get moving, on leash or off leash at a dog park.

Welcome! Kilo is so cute, and how fun to be able to take your greyhound on the streetcar! Do a lot of people come up to pet him?