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Mystella

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Everything posted by Mystella

  1. Now all I can think of is 'I should try it, how bad is it' I sometimes think a part of my brain stopped developing at about age 10
  2. Thanks everyone I appreciate the good thoughts and suggestions for my sweet boy. Jeff Gordon never raced, he came to me, via super fostermom, from the farm as he 'wouldn't chase the lure' He has lost 9 lbs in a year. We panacured him before we found the giardia as a 'just in case' after the first negative fecal. I sprinkled the tylosin on his dinner last night and his breakfast this morning and he snarfed it down no problem. Yes his colbamin and folate were tested at the same time we did the CLT or whatever the EPI test was called. I didn't get the exact results but my vet said he doesn't have EPI or bacterial overgrowth. She gave me a fifteen day course of tylosin to start and said call her at day 10-12 and report if it seems to be having any effect. Donna - Stella was a 'full figured' gal and ate only 1.5 to 2 cups a day (plus treats of course) to keep her weight in check so this is new to us too!
  3. Yes she rechecked the giardia twice to be sure it was gone, both times using the 3 day sample and sent out to lab not done in house, giardia is clear. My vet also thought we may still need to work in finding just the right diet for him but said 'lets change only one thing at a time, otherwise we can't tell which one is working or not working, one step at a time grasshopper' so keep feeding the increased and tolerated food but add the tylosin, when poops slow down and firm up then we can try the food issue. She was thinking along the lines of keeping the NB which he enjoys and tolerates well and adding some home coooked add ins and/or puppy food for higher calorie intake, though the amount is high right now.
  4. Okay vet just called me Jeffy does NOT have EPI or SIBO that he does'nt but that we still don't know what issue is. He is going to start a course of Tylosin (sp?) to see if he is responsive to that as next step so seems she is thinking along the same path as Marty, oops sorry, Tubotaina, and Stripeyfan.
  5. It is a lot of food, Stella was 72lbs and she ate 2 cups a day. Jeffy is down to 62 lbs now He was on TOTW then a prescription Royal Canin and now Natural Balance I don't mind cooking for him, for my goofy Jeffy the Pooh i would even be willing to use the crockpot (long story, I have crockpot issues) - except if it is EPI then too much protein is bad for him, no matter what I choose to do could be the wrong thing because we don't know what we are dealing with yet. Sooo frustrating! Yes the dreaded C word has lurked in my mind too but I am refusing to even acknowledge it, he is just a baby still and seems very healthy other than the metabolism from hell. I know my vet will call me the minute she gets the results back, but I want to know NOW.
  6. Wow it is amazing that he hadn't been having a lot more accidents, his bladder must have had hardly any room for actual pee, poor guy. So glad you found out what it was and that he breezed through the surgery so well. Is there anything they told you that contributes to it or that you need to change for him to prevent more forming??
  7. Thanks all. Di he did have giardia so he had a ten day course of flagyl. The vet is thinking EPI based on his condition and the symptoms I have told her about, tummy rumbling, loudly that you can hear across the room, voracious appetite, his food intake has increased by 2 cups a day and he is still losing weight, marked increase in BMs in both volume and frequency, some vomitting. He is still as happy and goofy as ever. Yes on the basic bloodwork but she is doing another course for comparison as the last one was a while back. EPI is just one of the things to be looked at, but it is the one I am waiting on right now, not very patiently might I add.
  8. Thanks all. I am not sure what i am hoping, that he does or doesn't - at least if it is EPI then I know it is treatable though not curable and is tricky and expensive . He definitely has malabsorption it is just a matter of why. If EPI is negative then it could still be SIBO. I am so not a patient person so the waiting for results is torture for me.
  9. Back in Dec we took Jeffy in for his vaccs and discovered he had been losing weight. He was eating a good food but was eating 5-6 cups of it a day and had lost 7 lbs. Did routine fecal - nada, did 3 day fecal and giardia. Treated and checked 2 weeks later and all clear. Did some food trial re possible allergies. Jeffy continues to eat like a horse and act hungry all the time. Took him back in for weight check - no gain, in fact he has lost another pound Did blood draw this morning to check for Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency Keep my skinny, sweet boy in your thoughts please. they said probably a week till results.
  10. Jeffy is going in for an EPI test tomorrow morning. Weight isn't coming back on and my vet feels that though he may well have an allergy that there is more than that going on with him. I was hopeful that the whole issue could be written off to the giardia and allergy combo but its been a while. I'll update once I get the results
  11. this is a timely topic for me! The whole gastrointestinal issues thing can be so hard to pinpoint Jeffy (my stripedy sweet 3 year old) has lost weight despite having his food increased to 6 cups a day (good foods)and acting hungry all the time. Vet's first thought was malabsorption and EPI but wanted to do a fecal first. Came back clear, but she wanted to do another one, a 3 day sample, we did that and it came back giardia. Did his flagyl run and then another 3 day fecal, all clear but she also wanted me to try an allergy trial on him, so we are on a LID right now, when it is done (another week) I have to take him back in for a weight check and if he hasn't been gaining then we will test for the EPI. He doesn't have major poop issues though, just hungry and eating a lot (though not loving the LID - Bison), weight loss and a lot of itching and scratching with some skin sores from that. Poop isn't great but certainly isn't the 'yellow plop' description the EPI usually gives. I wanted to test for EPI right away but she said not to rush, when we hear hoofbeats think horses not zebras but that if things haven't approved a month post giardia free then we'll have to look for the zebras. I was taking a good look at him last night and I don't think he has gained weight, DH thinks he has.
  12. Thanks. I tried to send you a pm but you don't have enough posts yet Thanks everyone I appreciate the tips and help. After a couple days of persistence he is coming around to the bison, ate it no problem for supper tonight and when he came in from a walk he ran to the 'treat spot' and when i gave him the bison treat he ate it. Progress in baby steps. Now to keep all appendages crossed that he will continue to 'grow to love it' Jey I asked my vet about the Hills and she said ride out this trial without any straying (treat wise, it is hard and is where I screwed up last time!!! ) and if the symptoms aren't all cleared up then yup we go right down to basics and do ultra and nothing else but hopefully he isn't going to be that extreme case. My mom just arrived in town and she said he looks like he has gained a little weight since she saw him at Christmas. Hopefully the weight check will agree!!
  13. I do really think he has allergies. He has seasonal allergies as well, which is one good thing about having such a long winter, spares him that for a while.
  14. Started out with TOTW pacific stream, Jeffy would eat it sometimes other times he would ignore it. Switched TOTW formulas around for a while sometimes finicky boy would eat sometimes not. Switched him to Dick Van Patten LID duck and potato. He ate ravenously, gobbled all his food all the time, wanted treats all the time etc. Concurrently he went to the vet re some skin sores and itching, turned out he was losing weight. Did fecal check and vet suggested we switch him to an allergy trial, gave me a prescription diet, royal canin. Didn't make much sense to me as it had grains and his former foods were grain free, however all along I had been giving him 'doggy doritos' aka milk bones etc and treats. Turns out he had giardia. Got that all treated. He loved the Royal Canin. BUT mush poop ensued as did more skin bumps and much more itching. So I decided to switch him back to the LID but cut out treats this time and do an allergy trial that way. Went to my pet food place and had a good chat with the owner who suggested I try same thing, Dick Van Patten LID but try a different formulation this time since he still had issues last time. Told me they also make treats. So I bought bison and sweet potato kibble and treats. Give him treat and he eats it. When it is time for his next treat he drops it on the floor and won't eat it. I put his bison kibble down for supper. Nope, a few sniffs but not interested. This morning I give it to him for breakfast. NOpe not eating it. SIGH. He can't afford to lose more weight. So he enjoys the food that makes him sick and itchy but won't eat the good for him food. Sounds like me now that I think of it I am thinking of going and buying a bag of LID duck and potato, which he used to eat happily and mixing that with the bison to see if he will eat the combo. Problem then is I am expanding the ingredients on the allergy trial. Still grain free though. Thoughts?
  15. Thanks Sheila, I cant use the tinfoil, I ran out after lining my windows and making my hat.
  16. I cannot sew (seriously I duct taped Faith's hems ) but maybe I can get my MIL to whip one up for me, will any metallic looking fabric do or does it have to have some 'special ingredient' to work. Jeffy is thunderphobic big time, but he doesn't react to fireworks or storms on television so I don't think it is the noise that bothers him, I was thinking of giving one of these coats a try.
  17. Had a fecal done? Jeffy used to be a bit of a recalcitrant eater, then lately he was begging for food, standing by his bowl all the time etc. We did a checkup and nothing turned up but vet noticed he had lost weight so we did a 3 day fecal and turned out he had giardia. I take him back next week for a recheck and to see if weight is coming back.
  18. Food motivated? Jeffy has been a okay about going since day one, but with Stella she was shy at first so I would wait outside in the yard with her, humming to myself and pretending not to be watching her when she would finally go, I was all yay, good girl, here's a treat. She was a chow hound and very food motivated and soon learned to expect her treat upon return from eliminating. Then she got smarter than me and saving it up and letting it go in tiny increments a bazillion times a day to get extra treats so that put an end to the process of treats every time, but she did always get a bit of a treat on return home after a walk.
  19. You know your dog, you know your child, follow your instincts but if you aren't 110% sure that everyone is safe - keep em separated. Stella was afraid of crawling kidlets. She didn't mind babies at all, loooooved walking kids but was afraid during the crawling stage. This was her reaction whenever any of our friends kids were over. However Stella's reaction to fear was never aggressive, she was the 'flight' in fight or flight and her reaction always was to get up and leave. She had a 'safe room' where her bed was and no one was allowed to go. When we decided we were going to adopt I was worried for this reason and started a thread about it. I Read all the books and mentally prepared myself for having to keep my child and dog separated with baby gates etc for as long as need be. I was lucky and my fears turned out to be unfounded, Stella loved Faith from day one and for whatever reason even when she was crawling Stella would just keep moving out of the way but wanting to stay nearby. But my worries were 'anticipatory' my usual neurotic 'what if'. In your case they are both there and if you are feeling doubts then you need to act on them by making sure everyone stays safe, pup and baby. Playpens and babygates.
  20. Interesting that Lila reacts to fireworks but not thunder, my Jeffy seems to not care about fireworks at all, but thunderstorms terrify him. Having said that he doesn't react in any way to thunder sounds on radio or tv, only to the real thing. I think when that time of year rolls around again I will give the t shirt idea a try since maybe it is the electricity in the air that bothers him.
  21. Aw Kar, give sparks a smooch on the noggin from us and a big for you, I am so sorry.
  22. Aww Pat, I am so sorry she was definitely a character, which made her a perfect match for you! We will see you later Gremlin, you beautiful stripedy girl.
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