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Urismom

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  1. Urismom
    Aw, Ambi is so cute and doesn't look thrilled to be in these pictures....although I must say, I think he's better endowed than Uri! lol I'm a pretty handy sewer, so I think I need to add a contoured back flap onto the ones I got, or maybe try the Vet's Best one from Amazon, so something can reach back a bit more between his legs. Thank you very much for the offer though!
  2. Urismom
    Thanks all for the input! I tried on his sister's girl diapers but they fall/press back right on the tip of his weenie and I think that's probably not healthy. I don't mind continually washing his bedding and it's not really enough to make it like he's sleeping in a puddle. Most of the pee ends up on his belly or the inside of his thighs, depending on how he is laying. So my goal is mostly to wick the urine away from his skin so it's not irritating him (and also requiring constant bathing). That picture of the Vet's Best belly band is interesting - it looks like it reaches back behind the waist on the underside. I think that's what I need - the ones I have are a straight rectangle, but if they had a little flap that went backwards a bit on his underside, that might help. Maybe I can sew one on to help keep him covered.
  3. Urismom
    Uri, age 13, has started leaking urine - not full accidents, just leakage when he sleeps. We're trying to manage it with Leaks No More drops and going outdoors every 3 hours for a pee, but overnights or longer stints, he still leaks. So we got a belly band and tried it yesterday and overnight for the first time. Sadly -- and he's mortified of course that I'm sharing this publicly -- it seems that Uri's penis is not long enough to stay inside the band! I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem or if I'm not putting it on him properly. When I wrap it around his waist, sliding it as far back towards his rear as his legs will allow, the tip of his penis is barely enclosed, and after a bit of moving around, it pops right out. This happens no matter how I adjust the snugness on the band. Basically I feel like the band can't be slid any further backwards on him, yet it just can't hold the tip in. Anyone else have this problem?
  4. Urismom
    My `13-year-old male has started leaking urine when in a deep sleep. We had his urine tested, no infection, and it is likely age-related. The vet has suggested Proin. I know that many people have great success with Proin, but then I have read the few horror stories that are enough to keep me up at night. With my girl, we use DES instead, but now for my boy, that's not an option. I am curious if anyone has had success for a male with something other than Proin?
  5. Urismom
    Almost-13-year-old Uri's feet have been bleeding - after finding dots of blood everywhere for a few weeks, it took me a while to trace it to which dog and where. He has pink raw spots on his feet, on the outer toes, behind and above the pads (so not right on the pad). They open up and are bloody after he walks, then settle down, but stay raw, then repeat at the next walk. He has arthritis and is on meds, I have noticed he is limping worse but I don't know if it's a chicken or the egg thing - is he limping, and a change in gait is causing the outer toes to drag? Or is there some reason he has these wounds and the pain from them is making him limp? I'm trying to care for them - ointments, maunka honey, bandaids, socks, but not much is helping. Has anyone seen wounds like this before? Occurring symmetrically? I wish there was a way I could help them heal and not re-open without a vet visit. As he ages and gets more anxious, vet visits become more and more traumatic for him.
  6. Urismom
    Thank you for the idea. We only leash-walk, they're never off leash in the yard, so I think something would have gotten in there. No, the vet did not irrigate.
  7. Urismom
    I've recently noticed dried blood on my boy's legs, but could not find any cuts - since he is thin skinned, I figured he had gotten a nick somewhere that I couldn't see, and he wasn't bothered by it. Finally traced it to coming from his penis, and off to the vet we went. It's just blood, not ooze, no smell, not a high volume. The vet extruded his penis and found a lesion/hematoma on the top of the actual penis, maybe 1-2 inches in from the tip that is covered by the sheath. At least I think it was on the top side. (My apologies, my dog man-parts terminology is probably lacking.) It wasn't a gash, just a large (I thought) irritation, bloody and raw. He also mentioned bruising. He looked all over his belly and legs for signs of other bruising, and there was none. He did a urinalysis. Nothing awry. He was really puzzled as to how he sustained an injury/hematoma like that in that position. He's not exactly an active, rough-housing sort of dog. It's protected by his belly and the sheath. There's no injury to that skin that connects that sheath to his belly. He put him on 10-days of antibiotic and he's already on an anti-inflammatory for arthritis and said not to touch or manipulate it (i.e. not to clean/salve it) because he thought that aggravating it would be worse, and to call back in 10 days to update him. Of course, I google bleeding dog penis and read so many alarming things it could be - cancer, prostrate.... I am racking my brain to think of how he could injure it. The only thing I can think of was jumping up onto a couch or the car seat or bed and maybe hitting his belly against the edge....but I can't quite imagine him twisting that way, or doing specific enough damage to break that much skin. Anyone else encountered something of this nature? How did it go/progress?
  8. Urismom
    Each of those tupperwares probably lasts me 3 days or less, so they haven't had a chance to go bad. If I were using it more slowly, I'd freeze it in smaller tupperware so that it wouldn't sit in the fridge for much longer than 2-3 days.
  9. Urismom
    I had been putting the slippery elm in with her breakfast and medicines, and then I just actually read that elsewhere earlier this week about the power inhibiting medicine absorption. So I'm now going to give her the powder as a slurry late afternoon, because she only gets pills in the morning.
  10. Urismom
    Can I come have snack at your house too? Mine usually split a hard-boiled egg as a snack, or a scoop of cottage cheese. They also get fish oil capsules with breakfast and glucosamine pills from costco. Also probiotic powders every morning that I forgot to mention, and Doris also gets slippery elm powder. Funny thing, when I first starting trying some of this out, I woke before my husband one Saturday and was busy cooking all this different stuff in the kitchen. He came down two hours later and said "yum, what smells so good?"........then, he saw it. And realized there were sardines involved. And was grossed out. I always tell him that, if we're too busy to make our own dinner one night, we can always have this!
  11. Urismom
    Thought I'd share the recipe I've been making for my dogs - switching to this from a commercial chicken-based kibble caused a complete turn-around for my Doris, whose Inflammatory Bowel Disease just about destroyed a big chunk of her stomach and caused constant vomiting. Not only can she keep her food down now, and has put weight back on, but her appetite and joy for eating has returned. She was always a chow hound and the IBD made her so sad and gloomy, regarding mealtimes. She's back to her old self with this food, jumping and wagging and so thrilled to gobble it up. My other grey also goes through periods of pickiness and aversion to whatever commercial food I try, and since I've started this mix, he's a total enthusiastic eater too. (I should add that Doris also takes meds - metronidazole and omeprazole - so it's not only the diet that has helped. Also, after feeding this exclusively for a bit, I started to integrate it with kibble (novel protein-based, like salmon or lamb) because I couldn't keep up with the demand and I feel like it covers more bases and is also better for their teeth to have something crunchy.) Just thought I'd share - maybe there's something useful in here for someone else, either for meals or snacks, and I'd also love feedback and comments from others who make their own food, or whose dogs have IBD. I know I'll probably need to keep adjusting to keep up with her IBD symptoms. https://youtu.be/d9Rlqx2kjS8
  12. Urismom
    Thank you everyone for the input. I am just on cloud nine today, because I spent all weekend reading articles about 2-month prognoses for stomach cancer. And Doris (and her bro) seemed to enjoy the lamb-salmon-based food I made for them today....and Doris did something she used to do at every single mealtime but has not done in months....after she finished, she went over to her brother's dish to see if he left any remnants that she could eat. Typical Doris. I was over the moon.
  13. Urismom
    Specifically he wants to put her on metronidazole (flagyl) which, though an antibiotic, he uses for anti-inflammatory purposes, so that's not an NSAID, I believe. If she does well in 2 weeks, he would reduce that dosage as much as possible, and if not, then move to a steroid.
  14. Urismom
    Yes, she would even regurgitate her plain water. All she was eating was the Kirkland chicken-and-rice kibble, and in the end I was mixing in some canned food (different flavors, but all seem to include chicken) to entice her. She would regurgitate the water and kibble mostly. I am going to feed her a variety things but cut out all chicken and see how she does with that. Without the chicken/kibble since Friday/Saturday, she seems quite markedly better, so perhaps we are ok as long as I avoid chicken. (I have been using fish, eggs, and ground lamb as the protein source in the homemade.) I think tolerating the homemade blend better is probably a mix of factors - content, consistency, and the smaller portions rather than trying to fit a whole meal into her at once. I might start increasing portion size after a few more days of not regurgitating it back up.
  15. Urismom
    Doris has been having regurgitating issues since the spring, and last week we came to the end of the diagnostic road with an endoscopy (after x-rays, barium swallow, ultrasound). She had been bringing up her food and water daily, sometimes twice daily, and had no appetite, and things were not moving through her at the normal pace, even on motility drugs. When I spoke to the specialist after the endoscopy last Thursday, he said he thought Inflammatory Bowel Disease in her bowel, and then there as a large, bloody growth/tumor in her stomach wall. He took biopsies but it seemed like all signs were pointing to stomach cancer. He called today, and it's not cancer!! Praise God! It's a severe case of IBD, severe enough that he believes it has caused the stomach problem...and that with the proper medication and diet to manage IBD, the stomach wall could even heal up. So she will start Prilosec and anti-inflammatories, and after 2 weeks, reassess and possibly steroids. I also started changing her diet to homemade this past weekend, and giving her very small portions every 1-2 hours instead of a few big meals...and she has not regurgitated since Sunday morning. Moreover, Doris has always been obsessed with food, loves food, moreso than most normal dogs...and for the last few months, she hasn't wanted any part of it. Since I've been giving her the homemade stuff (complete with smelly fish and broccoli, her fave) and since she's not been throwing up after ever meal, she is back to eating voraciously and enthusiastically, so excited at mealtimes, standing and watching me cook. It does my momma heart good. (She was on Kirkland chicken and rice, and I'm thinking I should stay away from chicken for her in case that was an allergen/problem...will probably switch her brother too.) I feel like I have a new lease on life. I really felt like we were giving a death sentence Thursday (the vet sounded pessimistic Thursday) and I was devastated. Now I feel like I could jump the moon! God exceeded my expectations... I'd love suggestions from anyone dealing with IBD on diet...
  16. Urismom
    Praise the Lord! Just spoke with the vet about the biopsy results....It's not cancer!!!! And what's more(!!!).....it's very severe Inflammatory Bowel Disease, severe enough that he believes THAT caused the stomach growth....and that with medication and diet to manage the IBD, that bloody stomach wall/tumor could even heal up!!!!!! I feel like I have a new lease on life today!!!
  17. Urismom
    Not sure if anyone is still following the thread! My Doris has been regurgitating and after xrays, ultrasound, and yesterday and endoscopy, they found a tumor/growth in the wall of her stomach and also indications of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (waiting on biopsy results for the stomach). And basically now, she just hates eating and a lot comes back up... I'd like to switch to a hypoallergenic diet, or a home cooked diet, and a lot of people in the threat reference home-cooked....where could I find recipes/proportions for that? Thank you!
  18. Urismom
    He either said it was a 2-3 inch, or 2-3 centimeter portion of the wall of her stomach that was the growth, raised, bloody etc. I don't know much about this, but I'm guessing that's not something they just remove with surgery. I'm feeling a bit of a wreck here waiting at Starbucks nearby till I can go back and pick her up.
  19. Urismom
    Doris is awake and standing, I can pick her up in 2 hours. They took 7 teeth while she was under, glad of that. But...they found a bloody, bad-looking growth in her stomach, 3-5 days till the biopsy results. He said her "stomach was not normal" and her upper intestine was "not normal." He thinks that is inflammatory bowel disease. He said she's a "great dog" (this was a specialist we just met today). I had been hoping they would find something definitive, instead of just saying it was old-age lack of motility (which he said was possible)....I take that back, I wish they hadn't found something like this.
  20. Urismom
    Doris is about to go under anesthesia and have her endoscopy. One nervous mama over here....
  21. Urismom
    Yeah, no, she regurgitated that night and then again yesterday, and today, so we went ahead with the ultrasound. It was wishful thinking, the plastic ring was so clean, there is no way it was in her for very long.
  22. Urismom
    Doris had an ultrasound today...it was inconclusive, didn't show anything particularly useful, and the next step is endoscopy/biopsy under anesthesia. I feel very deflated. I was really hoping the ultrasound would show something helpful and we could avoid all that. I feel like we are on a wild goose chase, expensive, and now the risk of anesthesia at age 9. The only thing he got from it was that the view was partially obstructed by food from yesterday still in her stomach which -- after the preparatory fasting -- should have been completely emptied out. So, things are not moving through as they should, which fits with the regurgitating. Sigh. Meanwhile, Doris loved the ultrasound appointment. New place with new people? Attention? Laying down? Getting attention while laying down? Doris' dream morning. My little sweetie.
  23. Urismom
    You're probably right and it's a long shot. It came out pretty clean. To my thinking, it would have been an esophagus blockage, not a stomach thing, because her problem was regurgitating food before it even made it to the stomach....but still, even in the esophagus, it would have gotten grub and hair on it. Theoretically, no harm done if I give it a few days and then just reschedcule the ultrasound. I am, at any rate, relieved that this ring came out, no matter when it went in!
  24. Urismom
    So on the regurgitating, Doris was scheduled for an ultrasound with an internal medicine specialist this afternoon. Then this morning, she vomited (actual heaving vomit with bile, not regurgitating) and out came this white plastic ring, like from a water bottle. So, this could of course be something she randomly ingested this morning.....or, we are wondering if this has been lodged in her since the winter. I've read that blockages can cause regurgitating, loss of appetite, gulping, etc., and that's all her. And, since it's plastic it would not necessarily have shown up on her xrays last week. I had been praying that today's ultrasound would be conclusive, rather than just part of an expensive wild good chase, and I am wondering if this is an answer to that prayer. At any rate, I canceled the ultrasound and will give it a few days to see if she has any change. If not, I can reschedule the ultrasound next week. They schedule within a day or so.
  25. Urismom
    Doris had an x-ray and (2!) barium swallows today, and there is no sign of megaesophagus. He is going to think on it over the weekend and then Monday probably refer us to a nearby internal medicine specialist. He was thinking perhaps an inflammatory upper GI issue. He also suggested Proin for the incontinence, after reading threads on here, I am looking at Proin, DES, incurin, but very hesitant on all fronts. I have ordered some homeopathic "Leaks No More" to give that a try, but I imagine we'll end up on a prescription in the near future.
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