XTRAWLD

Yup, that was me. Indeed you need commitment for sessions. You may find that it is your resolution for Sweep so I hope that all works out for you! Try massaging her shoulders and back for now - she'll love it!

I used it for Kasey who had allergies.....it never helped him. It doesn't hurt to give it a try but don't expect it to be magic. I'm sure it serves a purpose, but didn't serve our purpose - on something it was meant to work on.

To be truthful, Ryder has had an undiagnosed limp as well since I've had him (since he was 3 and he's now 8). He responds well to chiro, and he's on plenty of supplements for joints, etc. Has Sweep seen a chiro? She's got an all clear on x-rays so I think you should give that a try if you can. Ry isn't on pain meds as the supplements thus far have been doing well for him, although I think he might be getting to that point, but first I'd like to try a muscle relaxant first because his muscles are SO tense.

I'm so sad she had to leave you.

Gee, time flies in the worst way sometimes.

Ryder had Giardia unbeknownst to me when we first got him. His poops were actually OK...not pudding or anything, but I figured they were soft because of the whole adoption/newness experience. I think it was about a month before I got him wellness tested. We were sent home with some meds (it was just a liquid to administer orally for a week), and I think I had to give them to Kasey too as a precaution because it could be contagious. That is if a dog stepped in poop and then later licked it off to clean his paw, cuz ya never know. I refrained from visiting any other dogs, and I picked up what I could on our walks and avoided walking in the same area for a week while he was on his meds. Easy peasy, it was gone after one course of treatment. A poop sample is relatively inexpensive and would give you some piece of mind, and if it is the contagious kind you could avoid further spreading, especially in a multiple dog household. I say this because I couldn't detect it with Ryder and was surprised when they told me he had it, but really it was easy to take care of.

Thinking of you

Oh Max, I'm sorry it was your time to go.

Beautiful story, thank you for sharing him. I'm sorry for your loss.

Kasey felt pretty icky 3-4 days following his chemo session and his appetite dropped at that time. Keep feeding pogo, but don't be surprised if he decides to stop eating again. If you got Mirtazapine, that's the bitter stuff that encourages them to have an appetite. I'd say give it to him as soon as he starts refusing since it takes a couple doses to kick in. Poor guy. His stomach must be churning cuz of all these meds! If you can, ask for Fortiflora (its a probiotic). it helps keep his stomach stay in regular balance and has a taste dogs seem to like that also encourages eating. Kasey only had the cerenia once and it was at the end of his cocktail regimine. The stuff for d might come in handy tho!

It can be so frustrating and defeating. Trust me that if you stay on top of it it will end....eventually. Ohio does get cold snaps so those little buggers shouldn't last much longer! My boys loved the vacuum over their butts and tops of their tails. You'll find the fleas like it around the base of the tail, and often around the ears/neck so focus there when using the comb. I did find some though in odd places....and then blend in SO well on Ryder's red fur - I found one walking up his front leg and around his paw! Kasey's for the most part stuck to the tops of his shoulders where his fur seemed to be softest and thickest. Keep combing until all the "flea dirt" is gone. Also, if your pups tend to sleep with you, ensure your own bedding is changed and washed until this episode is cleared up (gross but fleas they like people too)......

Agree, which is why I linked only to a supplement that contains it. rseig- Will your pups tolerate you vacuuming them gently with a brush attachment? I found doing this, regularly flea combing them, and continually vacumming the house worked to get rid of any more adult fleas.

Indeed your vet is right, it is not a flea repellant. Any flea med won't PREVENT a flea from jumping on your dog. What it will do is kill the life cycle, so the likelihood of getting fleas isn't minimized....they just won't reproduce. I have heard Garlic repels them, and you can get an additive to their food to help with that if you really want to try. http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/bug-off-garlic-dogs/All-Natural-Dog-Supplements Now you unfortunately get to reap the joys now of ripping the house apart trying to kill them all. Kasey did get about 5-10 on him a couple of years ago, and he seemed to continually pick them up somewhere, no matter how much I tried to get rid of them in the house (and they were both on Sentinel). I stopped walking in the area he was regularly walked. Then they jumped onto Ryder! ARGH. We went to the vet and we got a double dose of something (I can't remember for the life of me what it was, but Capstar seems to ring a bell and had to treat Ryder too). Ultimately had to get a routine. Regularly flea comb both dogs, very very diligent in washing everything in hot water, put everything in the dryer, and vacuum vacuum vacuum (I swear it was hourly for about a week!), then flea comb the dogs again 10 mins later (I swear I got them all where did this one come from!!!) vacuum again and dump the canister and seal the bag and put it in the garbage double knotted......the little tiny buggers!

Thinking of you during this frustrating time. I have learned that we are their best advocates, so keep on them for proper meds, and help and info.

Keep at it.....sounds like he's coming around!

Oh Seamie......so right on the food list! Pogo is in good hands....they will make sure he gets what he needs to get better.

I'm sorry you had to make a heartbreaking decision.

I'm so sorry to see Spriet here this morning. You did so much for her and your love was easily seen through all of your words and pictures. We grieve with you.

I feed raw that is ground. All the ratios are already correctly proportioned, they come in 2lb containers, simply thaw and feed. Up here I buy from a company called Big Country Raw. This is what they sell just so you can see the options. http://www.bigcountryraw.ca/menu.php That said, there may be a specialty pet store in your area that stocks something similar in their freezers and that's how you can get access. You may also be able to find a similar company close to you that specializes in ground raw. I have done the whole raw thing and it just took over my fridge and freezer. Doing it this way is no fuss. It can be a bit expensive depending on what you want to feed. Re: Potential allergies or intolerance to some foods. You will find that just because a dog may not handle chicken in kibble, can handle raw chicken just fine. You mention that he doesn't agree with anything feathers....are you sure? Chicken and duck are in the same family, but not turkey, and next to chicken and pork, turkey is next on the cheap list. Just sayin'. I'm not sure your exact situ with the pup tolerances but there can be many things that are contributing factors to an unhappy tummy. Were there other ingredients in that kibble that didn't work? If you want to stay kibble, stick with LTD diets and do some food trials to see what works best. Kasey did very well on Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish for example, but nothing else worked as well as that in their menu lineup. You may also find a dog that is not doing well on kibble, once transitioned to raw flourishes and many problems disappear.

KayGreat I'm surprised that you said prednisone didn't work. I had Kasey on pred to control hot spots from allergies for the last 6 years of his life. He was on 10mg on an as needed basis, but that was long after years of food trials, tests to see what he was allergic to, etc. He started on a very high dose to get it under control, and slowly we weaned off until it was manageable. Save yourself from more guess by just getting a blood tests done to find out what he's allergic to. A regular vet can do this for you and send the blood work off to a lab, at least then you'll know what to start avoiding. Skin testing is more accurate, however he would have to be off of any medication for at least 6 weeks prior. Kasey couldn't be off of pred for more than a day when we were doing our investigations. The funny thing about allergies, he may have been fine for many years and something just pushed him over the edge and he became intolerable of just about anything. Food he may have been eating for years prior could now be an underlying issue. It takes time to sort this stuff out. In the meantime, I also used (as you have been) hydrocortizone cream on the spot, that gave him great relief (and it was just over the counter stuff). I also sprayed CS (colloidal silver - which you can also try in gel form that might stay on his skin better). Good luck and keep us posted.

I second the muzzle with stool guard.

It sucks when they don't want to eat. Try something he's never had before? Kasey never said no to: raw hamburger Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal High Caloric canned food when he really didn't want to eat anything else (grab it from the vet) Lentils (I'm aiming for high high protein stuff in small packages) Baby food is also a hit but can also be a miss depending on if it's warmed up or not from the fridge or is the wrong one! He also quite liked beef broth and rice, getting fluid into him is important. I had semi luck with miratzapine, but it couldn't hurt to try. Interestingly also sprinkling Forti-Flora encouraged him to eat too, there is some smell in there that encourages them to eat (that's a probiotic and should also help his tummy - it's just sprinkled on food). His stomach must be all over the place with all the meds. Glad he's home!

IMO I'd just simply switch. No weaning, just go cold turkey. I know it's advocated on many food labels etc., but I have never had issues by just switching immediately to a different food.

You can go really really bland for a a few days. White rice (not overcooked) and beef broth only (no kibble). See if he perks back up. The D causes dehydration quickly, so the broth will help keep his fluids if he's not drinking enough. If he's having runny stool on something that simple, you've got a bit of a long haul.... Moving away from all chicken might help. Before going extra exotic (extra $$) like venison or roo (and IMO Science Diet really isn't all that great), look for an LTD diet of something like Sweet Potato and Fish (Natural Balance). These are designed for allergy affected dogs, or dogs that have intestinal issues. I have had great success with a canned food by Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal High Protein - this might however be chicken based, but will help your pup gain some wait back and be easy on the tummy. The worry I have with beginning a food trial, is that his insides are already angry and another food type might throw him for a further loop - but if he's been on chicken everything forever, I really say give it a go and eliminate it completely and start working with something else. Don't forget to eliminate any treats that have chicken base in them too..... Alternatively - a bandaid solution that always seems to have good results is the Iams Green Bag (again it's chicken - you'll find chicken in nearly everything!) There is something in there that seems to work as a miracle on many pups, however it really could be masking underlying problems. Fortiflora will get his insides back to a natural state. Very similar to just adding some yogurt to his diet too. I don't see how that could hurt at this point.

Scuze the ignorance, but what is TENS?