Busderpuddle

The antlers were from the USA and said that they were natural finds and no animals were injured in the process. They were by all the dog treats.

Ruby did well on the Green Bag too but we couldn't handle the output. It was incredible.

When we first got Ruby I bought her an antler and she was not interested in it. It was a whole one where she couldn't get to the marrow easily. Last night at Costco I see they are selling a bag full of about 6-7 antlers, some cut in half so the marrow is showing and the others are whole. The bag said to start with the ones that are cut and even put peanut butter on them to get the dog chewing. Ruby is not a fan of peanut butter so that would not work for her. They were $18 a bag, which seemed really cheap compared to the one I bought a while back. Would the split ones be good to give Ruby and what are the advantages ? Is it good for their teeth ? Any worries about tooth fractures with these ? I was just thinking it would give her something to do occasionally.

So far so good on the new Canidae duck food. We are using half and half with the Fromm and I may be hallucinating, but she seems to have more energy. Could it be ? She comes in now after eating and immediately grabs her stuffed bunny and throws it around a while. She hasn't done that in a long time. Poo's look good so am going to switch her over completely by tomorrow. Maybe she has just been slowly starving on the Fromm. Hoping it is just this simple.

I have never tried oxtail but she is allergic to beef so I would be worried to try it and she will probably get gas and diarrhea from it. I have tried raw chicken breast and legs but I am not ready to try a raw diet.

Thanks everyone. The mention of the BIG C scares me to death and I don't even want to allow my head to go there. She does poop but was holding it in until I told her to go. That was part of my dementia question. That seems to be under control now that I am telling her to go after dinner. She was just tested for parasites and there are none. She also gets treated monthly so the vet was not worried about that. I have a bag of Iams in the car that I bought the other day out of desparation but haven't opened it yet because I bought the Canidae Duck and she has eaten that all up for both meals now. It is 100 calories more per cup than the Fromm that I was feeding her. Hopefully she will continue to eat this for a while. She does like things to be switched up, but her tummy is so sensitive that I hate to switch her all the time. I will try the Iams if she doesn't put some weight on with the duck food. She likes the Iams Green bag but the amount of poop she had was incredible. I have never tried pasta. Does that tend to give gas ? We don't need more of that around here. I also give her a turkey neck twice a week and chicken jerky a couple times a day when she has eaten her food. I hate to fill her up with snack things if she isn't eating her regular food, but lately have been handing them out more.

Ruby has recently been to the vet and had a ton of bloodwork done and all was well. I went to the store today to see about a new flavor of food from Fromm that had more calories, and the change was minimal. I did end up getting her a higher calorie food by Canidae (sp?). It has 100 calories more a cup and you feed the same amount. I will try it and see if there are any tummy issues. I have been using parmesan cheese to help with her appetite but even that isn't working much any more. She had a 1/4 cup of the new food with the old today and ate it all up. We'll see if it continues. She HATES to walk in the rain and cold so exercise is not the problem. We pull her around a few blocks each day and she is always happy to see the house. Ruby is 7 1/2 and her racing weight was 69 lbs and she now weighs 59.

I have not tried the Satin Balls. They are made with beef aren't they ? She is highly allergic to beef. Might be able to make them with ground turkey. Yes, the vet is concerned but did not recommend a supplement. I have to go get her more food today and am going to ask if there is a Fromm formula that has more calories in it other than the chicken one she has been on. Going to look for sprinkles too. I used to put some warm water on her food but even that doesn't work. All her ribs show but her coat, eyes, etc. are bright and shiny. We are starting to think there might be some dementia issues so are looking into that.

I have not had her tested for brain cancer and don't even want to think about that possibility. The weather has been in the low 50's at night, so not too bad. She is 7 1/2 and way too young to be having dementia issues I think. And yes, we worry about every twitch. limp, stare, etc...... she is our baby.

YAY.......so happy to hear that she has made great progress.

A few weeks ago I posted that Ruby's behavior was getting really weird. She was staring off into space, her anxiety level has been increasing, etc. We took her to the vet and he ran all kinds of blood tests which all came back normal. He felt that she had the beginnings of dementia possibly. I was wondering if she was having some hearing loss because she seems to not hear us come home any more, and also doesn't seem to know when we are at the back door to let her in. The last few days we noticed that she is not pooping twice a day like she has always done. She has also had pretty bad gas each night. I have been watching her and the minute she finishes her eating, she immediately is staring back in the door to come in, when she used to go potty right after a meal and then want in the house afterwards. The last 2 nights I have told her to "go potty" when she stares wanting in and she will then go out and go. This has stopped the gas problem too. Poops are completely normal and there has been no new foods or treats. Do you think she is forgetting to go ? Does this sound like the beginnings of dementia to anyone ? So worried about our girl.

Ruby has been losing weight and at her last vet visit, she had lost another 6 lbs. She had been eating her food really well. The last few days she has started picking at her breakfast but eating her dinner well. I tried adding extra food to her dinner meal, but she seems to stop at the 1.5 cup amount. I have been giving her a couple of Happy Hips chicken treats a day, along with some other little treats here and there. I was wondering if maybe her food is too lean, but I love it and feel that it is a good choice for her. She has been on Fromm Chicken A La Veg. I was wondering about adding a 1/2 cup of the green bag to see if she would gain a bit. I had tried the green bag a while ago and she loved it, but the amount of poop was too much. Any other ideas on how to get some much needed weight back on her ? I can see all her ribs now.

I am so sorry to hear about your loss of Gilby. May the happy memories overtake the sad ones quickly.

I like Petzlife spray and turkey necks once or twice a week. I used to brush her teeth daily but got out of the habit, and honestly, this combo works better.

Praying for Doodles and you. Hoping she makes a full recovery.

The vet called first thing this morning and said that all of her blood work is still normal. He did say her thyroid is low, but still in the normal range. He said he suspected the beginnings of dementia. Tonight when I put her out to potty she was laying right against the glass door when I came to let her in. I kind of stomped my feet a bit and she didn't seem to hear me at all until I unlocked the door and then she got up. This makes me think it is her hearing. Will just watch and wait at this point. The staring has stopped at least but the neediness is still ongoing. Thanks all.

I have been giving Ruby a frozen turkey neck once or twice a week for years now. The last month or so I have noticed that the nights after giving her one, her toots are so bad our eyes are watering and the paint peels off the walls. Does any one else have this issue when feeding the necks ? She loves them too much to take them away and they help her teeth, but is there something I could do to her kibble that night to avoid being run out of my own home ? It is getting repulsive and the house reeks.

We saw a different vet today and he seemed pretty thorough. He couldn't find any painful spots on her at all and said ears and eyes look good. He did do a bunch of labs and I requested the in depth thyroid tests. He said if the lab tests come back normal, he suspects she is having the beginnings of dementia. I wasn't too thrilled to hear that, so honestly hoping she has a thyroid issue. Her thyroid has been low in the past but her symptoms indicate Hyperthroidism now. She has also lost 6 lbs. So I will hopefully know more on Monday. Appreciate all your ideas and I ran them all by him today.

She is not on any medications and will be seeing a diferent vet this morning at ten. Our regular vet is off today of course. Will let you know what they say. Also taking a poop sample just because but all has been normal on that front.

Very beautiful items. I don't put jewelry on Ruby because we have toddler grandbabies, but I think it is cute on others. You do great work !

Thanks again everyone for your advice. I woke up this morning and decided to watch Ruby for a while before scheduling her an appt. She was acting completely normal. I gave her a turkey neck for breakfast and she did her usual zoomies, throwing it into the air and more zoomies before settling down to enjoy it. My husband and I decided to just watch her for a few hours and see what happened. Nothing happened of course all day until around 7 tonight. She ate her dinner well, went for a walk and settled in on her bed where we watch TV. It wasn't 1/2 hour before she jumped up and bolted to her crate, which she never does unless there is thunder or it is bedtime. I coaxed her out and she was trembling and panting. This continued for about 2 hours with her pacing to the bedroom and back a couple times, shaking, panting, but no staring tonight. Then it stopped and she has been normal the rest of the evening, and is now calm as can be in her crate. It is almost like she sees a ghost or something and then forgets about it a while later. I have been concerned about her hearing for a few weeks but my DH has said he didn't think that was an issue. Our vet office is open tomorrow and my alarm is set to get up and call 1st thing. I am going to ask about her thyroid, dementia, hearing, anxiety (not new but haven't seen it in a couple years), and if she has pain issues. If there is anything else you recommend me ask about, I will check this site before her appt. tomorrow. Thank you all forgot to add that she is 7 1/2, has a heart murmur and has always had mild kidney labs which the vet said are nothing to worry about. Still eating, peeing and pooping normally. We also tried GasX with no changes.

Just wanted to say that I said a prayer for Gilby and for you tonight. I have not dealt with either of the issues you describe so can offer no advice. Hugs..........

I don't think there are any new critters living in or near the house. My husband keeps things very tight around the edges and puts new bait out twice a year. We took her with us to my sons house tonight and she was very restless there. Usually she just lays down and enjoys the kids petting her. She stared a couple more times tonight and did the visiting act every few minutes. I will Google the seizures and see how the morning goes. I just told my husband I think she may need to go be seen tomorrow. She ate her dinner like normal this evening though. Thank you for all the advice.

I don't have any way to record it right now. She is voiding, pooing and eating normally. Also waited for her treat like normal after her walk. I am worried about focal seizures which I know nothing about or her thyroid being wacky. Does it sound like either one ?

I don't know if this belongs here or in behavior. Since last night Ruby has been acting weird, like she hears something. She alerts and then stares for a minute or more each time. This has happened maybe 6 times. She is also very restless. There is nothing going on outside or in the house. No company, no changes. She is eating well. She doesn't look like she is in any pain and is eager for her walks. The last couple of weeks instead of laying in her bed all evening like normal, she gets up and wanders over to me for a pet about every 10 minutes. At first I didn't think much about it, but the last 2 nights, she has done it every 3 minutes or so. A few times I have told her to go lay down, which she does, for a couple minutes. She is sleeping in her crate at night just like normal. It is not cold outside here and the house is warm. Any ideas what might be going on ?