Time4ANap

Been there - done that - done that too - etc...etc...etc... It's often just a matter of what agrees with the dog, and if it;s the Green Bag, there's not a thing wrong with thatif it works for your dog. We tried all of those rich kibbles and some not so rich ones. What worked for Rocket ultimately was Precise Foundation Chicken Meal and Rice (might be called Precise Naturals now). As he got a little older, he started picking up weight so we switch him to the Precise Senior Formula. We rarely have an issue any more that's related to food,. We do use the Olewo carrots as well. Rocket is also on Tylan because the recurring bouts of Big D and bloody stools were determined to be Stress Colitis. We have not had to change foods in several years though after changing to Precise.

Rocket has 1 dew claw. He came to us that way. Factory defect?

Surgery Update - We are home from the vet! Rocket had a long day at the vet, but is doing great! He is home and resting on one of his favorite old beds and nesting places . As I wrote this he just got up and moved to the slumber ball. Now he moved back to the old bed - Goldilocks syndrome.... Today's lesson is to never assume anything! The "little pimple" that we figured was a small fatty tumor ended up being a huge tumor. Even the vet who originally screened him could barely feel the bump, and the tech this morning couldn't find it at all. When we picked him up, we found that the tumor was rather large and apparently deep, as he has a large shaved area with staples. Picture below. We will wait for the lab results and have paws crossed that it is "B9" as the kids in the chat club say. The cyst on the eyelid was removed and he has just a little redness there. His Dental went well. At 10 years old he only needed some tartar scaling and a polishing. Toofers look awesome! No extractions! Thanks to everyone for their feedback and well wishes. Keep those paws crossed for benign lab results. Edited on Friday 12/18 to add - Another update about pathology. DW talked with the vet today when they called to check on Rocket. Even though the plan was to send the tumor out for pathology, the surgeon decided against sending it out because she was not at all concerned with about it. It may have been more of a cyst than a tumor, but whatever it was, the surgeon sees them all the time and they are not of a concern. We'll take it!

Desi - I haven't told him about the "no breakfast" part of the deal. He says it's the most important meal of the day, except for the next one. Rocket's Daddyman

Update - We met with the new vet and the surgeon last week and are very comfortable with them. Rocket will have his eyelid taken care of this Thursday along with a dental and removal of a small growth on his skin (most likely a fatty tumor). The growth is too small to get a cell sample from so we decided to go ahead and take it off during this procedure and will send it out for analysis. Thanks for all of the feedback.

I'm very sorry for your losses. Run free, CeeCee.

If you try it, I would introduce it slowly - not all at once. Some of the things that are suggested for tummy issues like yogurt, pumpkin etc actually had the reverse effect on Rocket and made him worse. After enduring numerous bouts of Big D, bloody stools, throwing up, etc, he was diagnosed with Stress Colitis. We never really knew he was stressed because he acted so normal in all other respects, but the issue surfaced more often than not when he was boarded or if one of us was away for a while on a work trip. After exhausting all of the other possibilities, our vet put him on Tylan with each meal. That solved a big part of the issue. Over time, we have put him on the Precise line of foods, first it was Precise Foundation, then eventually their Senior Food when he started packing on the pounds. We also added Olewo carrots. Rocket is 10 years old, 87 lbs (he's a big boy) - his meals now look like this - Breakfast - 1 Cup Precise Senior, 1/2 can of green beans, Olewo Carrots and 2 heaping spoons of Cottage Cheese along with a dash of Springtime Skin and Coat Oil. Dinner - 2 Cups Precise Senior, Olewo Carots, and a little bit of the Skin and Coat Oil. For Snacks, he gets a Milk Bone (large one once a day), and some days a Bully Stick for his teeth. If the Bully stick is very thick, I give another Tylan afterward and might cut back a little on the dinner kibble. Stools are perfect and no tummy issues in a very long time. It's all about finding what works for your hound, so experimenting with one ingredient change at a time is best. If you add 3 new items, you won't know which of them agree or disagree with him. Good luck - it takes time, but a slow, methodical approach will get you there.

I'm very sorry for your loss. Run free, Roo.

Hard to believe it's already been a year, Jan. She brought a whole new dynamic to CG. Ear rubs to all of the campers from us.

Paws crossed for you that it's something minor.

I'm very sorry for the loss of your sweet boy. Run free, Max.

That was a beautiful tribute to your special boy. Run free, Lucius.

I'm very sorry for your loss. Run free, McCarthy.

Telling him off after the fact serves no purpose. He has no idea what he's done or why you are raising your voice at him. A stern NO and getting him outside as it's happening should help send the right message, but there may also be something going on that's not in his control. First I would have him checked for a UTI. Once you've either treated that or ruled it out, you can take next steps on a behavior correction.

I'm so sorry for your loss of TK. It's obvious that he was loved so much. Run free, TK.

Thank you for taking that sweet boy into your home. I'm so sorry for your loss. Run free, Darby.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your gorgeous girl. She has always been one of our favorites here. Run free, Spriet.

Definitely need bare skin for best coverage. I used one for years before I had the Spinal Cord Stiulator Implant. The bigger issue I see is that the stimulation changes dramatically depending on body positioning. A dog is not going to sit still, and the stimulation could be too powerful if they change to a bad position. Mine would actually make my legs jump if I fell asleep with it on and rolled over. I would wake up at times with my whole body jumping like I was being electrocuted until I could get it turned down. That being said, I did find a video from a vet practice using TENS.

Run free, Irene.

I'm so sorry for your loss. He was way too young. Run pain-free, Pippin. You will be missed, but never forgotten.

Run free, Misty.

That's what the thing looks like. I haven't pulled the paperwork from the last time to see what they classified it as, but it definitely looks like cauliflower. He hasn't touched it again since I posted, it must move around a little and bother him at times. We will be making an appointment shortly with a grey-savvy vet here. Thanks!

Thanks everyone. I think part of my dis-satisfaction the last time is that they gave him way too much, then woke him up quickly and sent him home. He was really out of it, very unsteady on his feet and wouldn't lay down in the van. I had to hold his collar and drive at the same time as he stood between the front seats. After getting home, he kept telling me that he wanted to go out, but he couldn't follow me out the door. Instead he ran into the guest bedroom and watered the carpet. I was just not happy with the overall experience.We are definitely going elsewhere and will be changing vets.

Not IBS, but Rocket would go through similar symptoms at regular intervals with what the vet decided was "Stress Colitis." Sometimes we knew what brought it on, other times we had no idea. Maybe his portfolio was losing money....not sure.... After trying just about every option out there, we put him on Tylan (up to 3 times a day), typically he gets it with each meal, but will get a third if he has a treat that we think might cause an issue. Between the Tylan and Olewo Carrots with each meal, he rarely has the tummy gurgles any more, and most days, every poop bounces when it hits the ground. He's been on this combination for quite a while now with no real episodes other than the occasional last poop of the day being a little runnier than the others. Prior to the Tylan we would see bloody, gelatin type diarrhea on a regualr basis, and be woken up in the middle of the night by horrible tummy squeals. I don't know if there's any reason not to use Tylan for IBS, so some research would be necessary. All I can say about it is that it was our "miracle drug." I do know of another hound that had great success for IBS using Precise Sensicare Lamb Based Food. It may have the sterilized rendered chicken fat as an ingredient - although they swear that there is no trace of chicken left once it's in that state. I'm not sure about though - would need to check a current ingredient list. When I tried that food for Rocket, I couldn't keep any weight on him. We use a different Precise food now, but it is chicken based. That same hound also stopped having seizures when the food was changed to Sensicare. Sorry you are going through this. It's no fun for the human or the hound.

There is nothing more fun than watching a hound when everything is new to them! Gorgeous boy! Congratulations!