AEB

Based on the canned Salmon, it sounds like salt and stink are appealing. Ask the Dr. if there's anything acceptable that he can have with those things in it. Can you boil the pasta in salty water? Can he have tuna? Sardines in olive oil? Any canned dog foods? I am grasping here because I have been where you are with a dog who is not eat and is dropping weight like crazy. I am sorry. I hope things improve. All I can suggest is ask her what the guidelines are and how far you can push them. Re-read the threads here. It seems that dogs who have not been eating (often in the hospital) like stinky things like McDonald's and tripe to get their appetites going again. But I know he is limited in what he can eat. Also, is he drinking enough? Good luck today.

Thinking of Harley and that his appointment is in a few minutes. Please let us know how he does today. Good luck today sweet boy and strength for your momma.

Oh my goodness I could kick myself. Dr. Wade suggested egg whites and I totally forgot! Thank you for reminding me. He is fasting now for the blood test, but I will definitely try egg whites tomorrow. (She had told me not to include the yolk since he is sick.) Lordy, thank you AEB for jogging my brain! I hope he ate something for you tonight. It's so hard to worry and on top of it to have to coax them to eat. I am very happy I could be of some help to you at this time. You might want to ask them why no yolks. Is it a fear of the eggs not being thoroughly cooked? Many of the beneficial nutrients, plus the good fats, are contained in the yolk. I am certainly not telling you to disobey Dr's orders, I just want to make sure nothing has changed and he isn't missing out on any nutrition he may have available to him. If he can only have eggs whites, then they are sold plain in large cartons (just FYI). Good luck tomorrow. -April Edit- Oh, and some have suggested baby food (chicken, etc.) in other threads. You may want to ask the dr about that as well

You may want to try scrambled eggs. They are easy on the tummy and a nearly complete protein. For Sadie I just wisked -up eggs plain, no milk, with a sprinkle of sea salt. Then I just lightly wiped a nonstick pan with olive oil and cooked them in there. I've even microwaved them plain in a bowl. I am sending strength for both your family and Harley.

How did the appointment go? Hope Harley is doing better and you are resting.

It sounds like she's doing a little better. That is good news. How is her mobility this afternoon? Sending her scritches.

Well wishes. It sounds like something with nerves (turned under foot). If it's come on quickly then it may be a disc problem. Anti-iflammatories and muscle relaxers helped sadie when she hurt her neck. I had never seen her have pain like that. But limiting her movement (no stairs or jumping up or down) and changing to a harness for walking and the meds and she eventually recovered. Good luck today and let us know how it goes with Roo.

Oh, I'm so sorry. We went through something similar with a 2 year battle with kidneys and Sadie's lack of eating and weight loss that ultimately forced us to the same decision. It is very hard but you did your best and you gave him the final gift of saving him from suffering, which is something we cannot give to our human loved ones. The pain will ease some over time. And, for us it helped some knowing we had a home to offer to another greyhound. Again, I am so very sorry.

As I mentioned in the other thread babesia reproduces itself cyclicly so the transfusion, as others have pointed out, will only do so good for so long if that is the cause. Babesiosis is very serious. It takes a high percentage of the lives of those who contract it in Europe, it took one GTer's husband and I thought it would take my father. Please discuss the various ways to test for it, the complexities introduced by the transfusion, and the various antibiotics available to treat it (if that is the diagnosis) and their effectiveness. Some are more effective but significantly more expensive. I hope you get to the bottom of this soon.

I am probably totally off-base but is it possible that he is allergic to something? A food maybe? Something environmental (if you're not up North where everything outside is dead). If it's coming and going . . . Poor baby- sending him scritches. I hope he feels better and you solve the mystery.

For whatever they are worth, here are my thoughts based on our experience with Sadie who had progressive hind-end weakness in her last year of life. In the end it was a race between her kidneys and her weight (likely from a cancer). In any event, when she was younger she developed a limp (in her shoulder). A friend suggested Conquer K-9 sold by Smart Pak Equine (she had used for her dog with a broken leg). We started using a half dose and saw great improvement. We kept her on that until the end and would notice a change if we forgot it for a couple of days. We later added Fresh Factors from Springtime, Inc. Not sure if they helped as much. But that was our routine. And lots of exercise. And her switching to a high protein premium kibble made her leaner and more muscular in her last years. She was more active and stronger than when younger. She looked better at 11/12 than 8/9. Try to keep her from doing things like jumping out of your vehicle because that can make things worse. You'll need a ramp or need to carry her. I had to do this with Sadie. She may even need to have stairs limited until she improves. If she's weak she could fall and severely injure herself. Especially if you are not home. Block her access unless you can supervise. And make sure she has a non-slippery surface to relive herself if you live up North. Anyway, I would also opt for accupuncture and avoid chiro having seen what accupunture can do for humans. Does she ever turn her toes under? If you turn her foot under does she right it immediately? You may want to discuss lumbosacralstenosis with your vet. I believe Sadie experienced this. It began two years before she died with a shaking in her rear legs after running. Eventually she adopted a German Shepherd stance (sunken in the back end). Eventually her muscles wasted and she could not stand for long or get up on her own. She tipped her feet under but did not correct them or feel it. She lost a lot of weight (despite eating- luckily she wasn't a case of not eating from the pain). It was progressive. But as I said, she had numerous other health problems at the time. Also discuss tick borne diseases. Does she have a fever, change in appetite? When did this start? You'll want to have it all written down or in your head. You should also maybe re-evaluate what vet you are using. I never have felt like we are being taken for a ride. He has always been fair. There have been times when we needed to go in frequently because of Sadie's kidney issues and we were not charged. I know other people that do feel taken for a ride and don't feel like they get great service. Why keep going? Switch. You want to trust your vet. Your pup is gorgeous. I want to squish her little face!! Give her kisses for me and tell her I hope she feels better soon.

I'm so very sorry. I don't know you Hope and I didn't know Princess but I've been watching her story and hoping for a miracle. It's clear that she was a very special girl with a wonderful spirit. She might be physically gone but you carry with you all your wonderful memories, all that she taught you, and all the love you have for her. Again, I am very sorry for your loss.

Also- I noticed that Kevin's pads are getting very dry and slippery with the dry heat. He is sliding more on hard floors.

Sadie suddenly stopped walking across the kitchen floor. We figured she skidded-out on it when we weren't home because we saw her do a mild skid in coaxing her across. she got to the point where she refused to cross and you had to cross to access outside. We bought 15' of cheap carpet runner at Home Depot and it was on the floor for 2 years. When we noticed she wasn't really using it all the time we removed it and she was ok. She would run across the floor and stay out of the kitchen (she never spent time in it anyway). But she would cross it. Her last year or two she started walking all over the kitchen. Nothing bothered her anymore. One time, at the vet, she was there for a shoulder injury from enjoy herself in the snow too much. They were trotting her across the lobby and she got scared of the shiny floor- she tensed-up and went skidding into the waiting room chairs. She took all of them out and they went flying across the lobby. Hysterical. Poor girl. Apparently Kevin's first trip to Petco with his first foster mom ended in his best Ghandi impression. He laid on that shiny floor and all attempts to get him to move were met with passive resistance. He had to be carried to the car by a good samaritan.

Babesiosis can cause anemia. It is becoming more common and needs a special test. I think there are two types of tests they do for humans. In any event, the parasite is transmitted by tick and it reproduces, destroying RBCs in a cyclic fashion in accordance with its reproductive/life cycle. Does Lincoln have a fever? That's another indicator. But it may be cyclical. Same with any of the babesia symptoms- they almost can come and go in accordance with the cycles. Ask for a test of it. Its symptoms are similar to malaria. My father was extremely ill with it.

Generally, as for human experience with the bull's eye, it's large, much larger than 1/2 inch. If it hasn't spread beyond that size, it may just be a reaction to the tick saliva, especially if it is raised and itchy. The lyme rash isn't usually itchy. I get circles, but they tend to be raised because I also scratch them, at the site of tick bites. I have seen this on Sadie as well. Call your vet and ask how to proceed. He may tell you to mark your calendar and watch for symptoms. Also, I am not certain, but I believe that the rash takes at least several days to develop and is most likely to develop in a more protracted fashion than that. The tick would likely have fed and fallen off by then? In any event, if you found it in an area that you see frequently and know you removed it within 24 hours of its attachment, she's probably ok. Was it engorged? If not, again, not enough of a chance to transmit. Check her lymphnodes and her temperature. I live in the lyme disease capital of the world and have had many on me over the years and only been on antibiotics a handful of times (and only with symptoms). Call the vet for some info and good luck!

I'm very sorry.

Still thinking of you both this morning.

This is great news! So glad she's home and doing well.

Great progress.

Welcome. Beautiful dogs and thanks for posting the pics. I had forgotten how beautiful it is there. I stayed in Ballyvaughn and traveled mostly in the S.W.

This is such great news! You made my night. She's going to be so happy to be with mom (and her cooking). Please keep us up to date.

Wonderful. Sounds like things are going well. Please keep us updated.

I'm so sorry. You and Princess have been on my mind all day. I understand wanting her to remain as comfortable as possible at home. I do not want to upset you but wonder if your vet will make a home visit? I'm not sure if you would even want that. But it was an option for us and that is why I mention it. Again, I am so very sorry. Sending hugs to you both and scritches to sweet Princess.

All I can do is share our experience with Sadie. We had her for over 10 years before losing her in July. And a stained muzzle was sometimes a problem. She was a gorgeous white girl. She would sometimes develop staining above her lips. It was usually accompanied by some little, excuse the description, dingleberries. And her fur beneath would stain. I think her staining was a combination of several things. But I think primarily it was a result of whatever she was eating. I say this because I think what she ate affected her saliva and whether it stained. I also think it affected the health of her mouth. If her mouth was funky she had more staining. She even would leave some satining on her fluffy backside when licking. And primarily because she would literally get a food mustache of little sticky dingleberries. It was the worst when eating certain biscuits. When we stopped giving her those and started cooking her wet food and giving her premium kibble things improved significantly. I would take a mild solution of her shampoo and warm water and another bowl with just warm water and two wash cloths. (She hated being bathed or being wet). I would moisten her muzzle with the soapy water and then go back to where I started and gently massage. Then I would rinse with clean cloth and water and pat with a towel to dry. Not her favorite procedure but I put her through more humiliating things (see stained bottom above). She essentially cleaned-up fairlly well. Not perfect but lots of improvement. She often had a tan transition to her lips that didn't look dirty, just liker her coloring. But it was the best we could achieve.