JohnF

Glad to hear it all went smoothly. In a couple of days time she'll be feeling a lot better. When my Peggy was on Tramadol for a few days after dental surgery (11 on one side 8 on the other), I foolishly let her run and forgot she wouldn't be feeling her arthritis so she did zoomies like a young dog and ended up sore! Yes, I think insurance companies will pay for cracked teeth emergency work and also if infections have caused serious trouble deep in the gums.

What an awful thing to happen and out of nowhere too. So sorry you've had to go through losing a young one like this; I've lost one at 5, another at 8, and another at 14 and I think it's just a game of chance that second-guessing can't work out. Run free at Rainbow Bridge Betty.

It just may be possible that if you get some high strength Aloe Vera tablets (like the Aloe Pura brand) that you could start to get that digestive tract inflammatory response back under control. Transition to any new food gradually. Perhaps try a Turkey & Rice kibble and top it with some canned tripe wet food. I needed to do this after Peggy nearly died a couple of years ago from eating gone-off chicken. Royal Canin vet Gastro Intestinal cans also helped at the outset.

Looking for an update, hopefully a good one?

Now I take that myself but at 40mg. How much would my 65lb (29kg) dog need and can the capsule contents be halved?

Thank you, that looks like the way I'll have to go.

I see that Ranitidine, the anti heartburn and gastric reflux drug, is being withdrawn worldwide over fears of a cancer-causing ingredient. So I'm wondering what Peggy can have instead that I can get over the counter? She been having just one tablet at night since a bad gastric infection a year or so ago and is now on a low dose of Meloxicam.

I think it will require surgery too as although the dog may learn to cope with it, the condition may become chronic and affect the whole limb in later life. The figures show some 70-94% of dogs should see a good recovery from surgery within about 9 months, but the path to get there is quite involved and you will need to follow your chosen veterinarian's advice as the dog gets weaned off using any support structure.

Because of that beautiful, beautiful, tribute your Holly's star is shining bright tonight and will provide inspiration for years and years to come. A life lived and shared to the full - Heartfelt condolences to you both.

So sorry to read that Sparky had Osteo. You did what was best for him and there is no blame anywhere. Run free Sparky until you meet your family again....

Great pictures of a happy Buddy there. If he's falling as a result of too much exertion affecting coordination then I'd call a halt to it after a couple of runs. They are trained to put their all into running and need to learn that it is no longer mandatory in retirement. That will still be plenty to keep his muscles in shape. Rhabdo however is a real threat if he collapses exhausted. Consider feeding James Wellbeloved Turkey and Rice Kibble - that's a mid range one with the protein around 20%. They do a senior version of it too.

Is the body-language of the other dog(s) respectful? Is her initial language to that dog respectful too? Is your dog showing an hard eye, 'stink-eye' or a soft eye? I think you must muzzle your girl if you go into someone's house where there is another dog and if it won't leave your dog alone (and they won't muzzle it) then take your dog out. I'm sure others will chime in a little more hopefully.

No. It can just be politeness or it looked to the dog like you were stressed or maybe watching too intently. They soon make it clear if they're really uneasy. Yawns can be 'infectious' too just like they are with us humans.

Yes it can because it's fatty and you don't want to get the Pancreas inflamed. Don't let the dog get chicken skin either. Cut it back to one tablespoon or even less. My Peggy only gets 2 teaspoons of it, but as it coats the other food nicely she will still eat it. Turkey & Rice might work better than Lamb and Rice. If you must change then do it gradually increasing incrementally over 10 days.

Thanks, I'll give that a go.

Thanks Greymom, I'll try some of those things. If only she didn't hop and skip when a boot is put on!

That's on the edge of Dartmoor just above Okehampton. From the A30 , go into the town centre and and follow the steep road up towards the Army Camp. The shot was taken on the right just before that. Best place to eat when travelling down this way though is probably Lifton Farm Shop ( renamed Strawberry Fields I think) which has a big restaurant with a nice big lawn and tables outside where dogs can go. Also does local produce etc. See trip advisor etc.

Peggy has corns again, I'd been wondering why she was sitting down more on walks. They are much worse on one foot than the other and unfortunately it's the leg she had knee surgery on, so we have put her on Meloxicam for a short while to address arthritis issues so that she can be encouraged to get to the car and be driven to a grassy area instead of the hard sidewalks around our estate. At age 12 and after all her teeth problems earlier in the year I really don't want surgery. Do pain meds actually work for corns at all? I'm wondering too if that human cracked heel balm stuff might help? Any other tips most welcome. Thank you.

Try some high strength Aloe Vera capsules. (Aloe Pura) They'll help remedy the gut lining and from that can come recovery elsewhere; an improvement should start within a week and they're not too expensive either. If there's an open wound then you could use Aloe Vera ointment. Medical strength Manuka Honey is another option if the dog can't reach the area and lick it away.

Peggy didn't want to go outside easily when we first had her either, so I left the collar on. Going out was like: Open door to already checked secure garden, attach lead, then a gentle tug and in a manically happy voice ... "Come on Peggy go and see!" I never got a growl over it though and even if it had, I'd have taken a high-value training treat (the recall ones - frankfurter) outside and thrown it where she could see so that I got my own way (trading-up).

Neurological plus real pain and real fear. Needs a scan urgently. What a worry for you, I hope your vet can do something to help her.

With every dog it's different. I've lost 3 to kidney disease over the years. One at age 5 who lasted about 4 weeks post dx, one at 8 (related) lasted about six weeks, and the other at 14 who lived a very happy 18 months after diagnosis. Treat the dog, not the numbers. Do everything you can to protect residual kidney function. Always know that you'll be able to work out let them go before things get too bad. For me that's shortly after they refuse to eat at all, and definitely when they will no longer drink water. The article here explains the disease and how to treat it quite fluently I think.

Unfortunately it can indeed be intermittent.

Possibly Giardia because it's recurring. Not easy to find. Maybe pick up stool samples from each over days and take to the vet?

Protexin (Pro-Kolin+) worked really well for Peggy.