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EnzaFerrari

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Posts posted by EnzaFerrari

  1. I use Springtime as well....I just break them into small pieces and mix in with their food....won't eat them straight but don't mind them in food....

     

    I have watched Zoe and Salem pick up those little pieces within their food bowl and drop them on the floor. I imagine the diva did something pretty similar. :lol

     

    Yep. The diva would take a bite, sense the evil pill, spit the mouthful out on the floor, eat the kibble, glare at me about the pill and walk away.

     

    Note that she is actually a very good pill taker so that is why it stands out....

  2. A lot of us use actiflex, it's liquid form and the horse version is a great price. Jen did an analysis ( :D ) and liked the K-9 version of actiflex the best for ingredients. I did a pocket analysis and decided the horse one was good enough. Point is it's liquid so should not get in the way like a pill...I'm happy to give you a sample to try it out.

     

    We also go to Dasaquin in the winter and it smells good to me so maybe that has a better flavor to Enza? :dunno

     

    Both of my picky eaters grew to dislike the Spingtime supplements.

     

    Where do you get the actiflex?

  3. I've been using the GNC PetSmart hip and joint health for Enza for the past year. For the past two weeks, she has refused to eat the pills (peanut butter flavor) and as I am winding down the bottle, I figured I'd try something new.

     

    But of course there are far too many options and the prices all make me gulp. Fish oil is out of the question as within a day or two, her stool becomes very soft and filled with mucus. Not fun. I was reading that some dogs aren't eating Fresh Factor and I really don't want to argue with her every day over it.

     

    Options?

  4. I used Rimadyl for Enza as she had no side effects and the impact was immediate. I only gave her a half dose and yet that still was quite effective. She would go from being rather cautious to prancing like a princess within 24 hours. While I understand most dogs do fine on Tramadyl, she did not. She was either manic and panting or stoned out and falling off the sofa. Of course the manic stage was at 4 am and then stoned and passed out stage was in the evening. Perhaps if they had been reversed....

  5. A few things:

     

    1. Your dog is not bored and it does not hate you. Greyhounds sleep all the time and they all tend to be quite and aloof when they first come home. Take deep breaths and relax.

     

    2. You will become obsessed with the output of your dog. Just accept it now. Not all fecals show up positive - drove me batty until I realized this,

     

    3. Feed what you can afford.

     

    4. Dog training is an excellent way to bond with your dog and realize how often people ignore the signs their dogs send off in terms of being uncomfortable in a situation.

     

    5. It's best not to lean over, poke, etc a sleeping greyhound until you figure out how it will handle such things. I read it in a book and it was stressed to me on many occasions.

     

    6. Ignore most of what people say and figure out your dog on your own. Their signs tend to be more subtle than most other dogs but they are still emphatic.

     

    7. Your dog does not hate you and it's not bored. Relax.

     

    8. Your dog will need at least three beds - accept this as well.

     

    9. Keep a first aid kit well stocked - bandages, emt gel (for cuts and bruises), pepcid for upset tummies, and a variety of other things. It is amazing how clutzy such graceful creatures can be.

     

    10. Your dog does not hate you and it's not bored. Relax.

  6. This sounds like what Enza had off and on for months. We finally saw two specialists and the result was pinched nerves/shrinking vertebra in her neck. The treatment has been occasional NSAIDs to help with the swelling, resting her for awhile (short walks for almost 6 months) and no running, and at some point I will do acupuncture when the budget allows it. Do understand that an MRI is very pricey ($2000 in the DC area) and that your dog would have to be fully under for at least an hour. That is a risk I am unwilling to take with Enza unless absolutely necessary.

     

    While I can understand wanting to avoid drugs, your dog is in serious pain and if three to four days of rimadyl will fix her up (as it did Enza), it is absolutely worth it.

  7. Enza is pretty bomb proof. Weather doesn't bother her in the slightest, we can walk past locomotives, fireworks, etc and so on. She is also very good with kids for at Thanksgiving last year, a toddler fell on her and she simply stood up and walked away. A friend's baby learned how to stand by holding onto Enza. My girl just stood there and shifted her weight while I fed her a meatball as a reward and rescued her.

     

    However, this week I learned she is freaked out by crutches and a sleeper sofa.

  8. Background: The last three weeks or so, Enza started guzzling water. I went from one or two bowls to three or four a day and her output increased as well. She never had any accidents in the house, but if I came home late from work (8 hours tops), she'd knock me over trying to get to the door. There were a few mornings that she would wake me up at 3 AM or so to go out as well. Last weekend, she twice got up from a nap to empty a bowl of water so I figured it was a mild UTI. Her only other "symptom" was being extra demanding and whiney (more of a "get out of my spot on the sofa, lady" vs "I'm miserable and it's your fault"). I took her to the vet on Wednesday and they found no white blood cells or bacteria in her urine, but noted some bits of protein, it was highly concentrated (even though it was her third pee of the day), and it was highly alkaline. She had no fever and everything else looked fine.

     

    The vet suggested a full CBC blood panel sent to the outside lab. Everything came back normal and similar to her previous samples. She said the one "weird" thing was that Enza had very low blood platelets - low even for a greyhound. She suggested I come in tomorrow for another CBC to be run and she also mentioned doing another urine culture more high tech than what they do in the onsite lab. She had also asked me to track just how much water Enza was consuming and it's about 4-6 cups a day depending on if I drag her out for a hike or if it's hot. I guess that amount is within the normal range, just high for her. (And oddly enough, her obsession with water has calmed down the last few days.)

     

    Last year I did do a Snap Four and that was negative.

     

    As she looked through all of Enza's records (including the elusive limp), she did laugh and say, "The one thing that is consistent with Enza is that she is never normal". It's been suggested that it could be Babesia but any other thoughts would be appreciated.

  9. I am so glad I have witnesses to this story. I once put green beans in Enza's dish and then sat down to talk with my sister and her friend. Enza carefully picked each green bean out of the bowl, carried them to wear I was sitting, dropped them on the floor, and then walked back to eat her kibble.

     

    I had only had her a few months at the time, but that's when I knew I was in trouble......

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