ahicks51

I am terrified to disagree with you, Ahicks51, because you are so incredibly smart. But Spencer has not been on kibble for months, if I am understanding correctly. So he doesn't need to be eased into a natural diet. Oh, hey. I'm just saying in general.

One other note: a rapid switch to a non-kibble diet can be painful for the hound- and I'm sure with IBD it'd be worse. The intestines are used to handling softer stool that is bulked with a lot of fiber. A rapid switch that results in firm, small stool (made worse by a weakened gut) is going to be uncomfortable. As a result, I would recommend bulking with cauliflower, broccoli, and other non-sugary vegetables. And that's the voice of personal experience here.

No. The intestines are big; even if directly visualized with fiber optics, you can't cover the entirety of the terrain. With ultrasound, it probably wouldn't be visible. I use "raw" and "homecooked" interchangeably, and probably shouldn't since there are some very clear differences. If worried about the bacterial challenge, then home-cooked until he's better. Absence of carbs is not a problem, except from a constipation standpoint. Low-sugar veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, etc.) are good for this. Fecal transplant: the whole paper is available free here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1841363...Pubmed_RVDocSum There are other papers as well: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1281120...Pubmed_RVDocSum There are other papers as well. As for which probiotics- that's an interesting question, and it happens with humans as well. I reacted very well the first time I took VSL#3, but so badly the second time I never took it again. I am leaving all bifidobacterial species out of my diet; the author of the diet I'm on never said why. About 6 months ago, I found a paper on bifidobacteria and pullulanase; turns out some bifidobacteria put out pullulanase. The bacteria I am combatting ALSO puts out pullulanase (the reason I avoid it) to "debranch" polymeric carbohydrates- the "branched" form of starch. So- that's how certain bugs can cause certain problems: molecular mimicry. Which probiotic did you use? The Purina one? As for immunomodulators- azathioprine (Imuran, AZA, etc.), 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP). Steroids are immunosuppressants (the reason they are not given when there is active, underlying disease from bacteria or cancer), but are not called as such for purposes of medical treatment. I seem to recall that Beau (Robin's dog) really started to turn around once he was put on AZA, although the prednisone was of some value as well. Plus the special diet. It wasn't just one thing. ETA: the "transplant" is relatively straightforward in its crudest form: a water suspension from a healthy donor is delivered as an enema. Opinions differ as to efficacy, as some seem to think it needs to be delivered much further into the intestine, but- hey. Fast, cheap, easy. I mean, disgusting as all git-out, but it beats the heck out of clostridia.

Enlarged lymph nodes: If there is ulceration, it means bacteria are getting out of the gut and into the bloodstream. Enlargement of the nodes is a consequence of infection management in mammals. Traditional route: antibiotics such as Flagyl (metronidizole), steroids, immunomodulators, etc. Theoretical: proper diet, including raw food and no added carbohydrates. Wacky but used successfully in humans: fecal bacteriotherapy, colloquially known as a "fecal transplant."

I used to tell potential adopters that many will make it to 8-14 years of age, with most in the 10-12 year range with proper care. I'd guess an average of 11-12 years.

Minerva is greying fast on her muzzle. I think it's the Molotov influence.

One other thing to try, come to think of it: ketosis. Astrocytomas have managed successfully by putting the patient into ketosis; this is harder in the dog than in humans, but dietetically it's much easier: feed raw meat and bones. It is well-tolerated in the canine; in fact, two of our hounds are fed nothing but raw meat and bones- strict predator diet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet

I'm not sure how helpful it would be, but the writings of Ben Williams, who has used some... unconventional methods to survive glioblastoma multiforme longer than anyone else ever has may be of interest. http://virtualtrials.com/pdf/williams2008.pdf Little things- like vitamin D and broccoli sprouts- can help. Good luck.

You can often get tripe-in-a-can from "botique" dog food stores. I dunno about Petco and PetSmart and those places. You can get boiled tripe (fit for human consumption because it's boiled white, removing many of the nutrients that otherwise endears it as pet food) at some supermarket stores.

Spontaneous pneumothorax is surprisingly common in young adults. The typical patient is tall, lanky, and skinny- and the event is frequently associated with exertion, with the precise moment known to them ("I felt this pop in my chest..."). Decompression in the field (McSwain dart or similar) is straightforward, but until something plugs up the breech in the lung, it's a temporary fix. Hopefully Jackson's is small and will resolve on its own!

Tell you what- try coating the pills in butter. Even if the stuff so much as touches the tongue, the taste lingers for a long time; he may eventually wise up to your tricks!

Flagyl is awful. It tastes the same way a tire fire smells. No exaggeration- I've tried both. I prefer tire fires. My solution was to cover the pill in peanut butter, and swallow it whole. If you can stuff it inside something that'll be swallowed and not chewed, good for you. I really have no idea why they can't put some sort of coating on it that prevents the taste from hitting the tongue before swallowing. It's absolutely dreadful.

I'm now thinking he and Minerva got in a tussle. I haven't specifically checked his teeth today, but we feed raw and they're immaculate- which isn't to say one might not be cracked, so I'll have to check for that. The GSOD was preceded by a tussle, I think- it was just 10 feet off to my left- and there was what looked like a wet spot on the back of his head. I'm now leaning more towards the GSOD being separate from the eye problem of the previous two days. But just for reference- how long is the onset of pain from eating with pancreatitis?

I know a vet visit is in order, but I need some insights. Coco just let out the GSOD shortly after mealtime; it sounded like a fight, but nobody was hurt. He's uninjured, and ate some more- greedily- after I gave him the once-over twice, and found nothing. The only thing that's unusual is that in the past two days, there have been two incidents where he made this keening whine that I've not heard before. The first time (Monday), he had a small injury to his lower eyelid with some blood. No injury to the eye, and it was quite small; by the next day, it was nearly gone- but there was the same deal: this keening, whining noise that quickly went away. The eye was much better, certainly not enough to cause discomfort. Today- the eye injury is all but completely resolved, but a MUCH larger fuss for no apparent reason. It was just after (a very late) breakfast; the other two were kind of shortly after mealtime as well. Any thoughts?

Howdy from Chandler!

Like Batmom says- NSAIDs are known to cause small bleeds. In fact, this is probably one reason why aspirin may prevent heart attacks- by causing small amounts of blood loss through the gut. Same as giving blood, or menses in women: heart disease risk is reduced through chronic blood loss. So, yes- stomach bleeds from NSAIDs aren't just possible, they're expected.

If your padding is falling off, wrap it all the way up. Use the 1/4", thick waterproof tape- the awful stuff that won't come off.

I wash out scrapes with diluted povidone iodine, and then bandage the heck out of them to keep them from getting to it. Depending upon the severity, I clean it out every 8 hours or so until it heals over. ETA: "Scrapes" includes one cut on the tail to where tendons were exposed, and once when the knuckle bones were exposed on the foot. Today you can't even hardly tell where they got hurt.

Welcome to GT. Have you consulted a veterinarian that does acupuncture?

I don't know if they do the same tests in hounds, but autoimmune conditions are generally accompanied by higher sed rates (erythrocyte sedimentation rates, also listed as "ESR" on blood panels), and C-reactive protein (CRP). If you have any blood panel results in front of you, you can see this for yourself.

How old is she?

Ours were fascinated by one part of the lawn. They'd just be crunching away at the dirt for no clear reason, right in one spot. I put up some fencing. After about a year, it came down and WHAMMO, right back to sniffing and eating it. Weirdest darned thing. I put a chair over the spot, and although they graze the grass there, they seem to have lost their dedication to geophagia at that site.

Is he re-opening the wound when crated? If so, go for muzzling and "free range" of the home. As with Batmom's suggestion- run the bandage up higher. Worst case: do the entire tail until the wound is stabilized. Inspect regularly to reduce risk of infection. Not tried personally: The 3M brand "blood stopper" sprays, with octyl methacrylate. It'll at least stop the wound from seeping. Also not tried, but recommended by some: Tape the tail to the leg until it starts to heal.

Most health food stores have gelatin capsules for folks that like to make their own. If you expect to be doing it a lot, get a loading table for cheap, too. Get one that matches the size of the capsules, of course. http://www.herbalremedies.com/capcapfilmac.html

Not to mention how a related antibiotic- minocycline- has occasionally come up in studies as being strangely effective against rheumatoid arthritis (which in turn has strong links to Proteus mirabilis, a bacterium known to be responsible for urinary tract infections in humans).