Healthy Pets

[Soft*Silver]

a friend elsewhere asked me what kind of treats I give my newf. She is really picky about her food nowadays (its the dementia) so she doesnt eat alot of treats. But the one real treat, that she loves and is healthy for her comes from a web business called best dog cookies. http://www.bestdogcookies.com/ since I passed it onto her, I thought I would drop it in here too because I see alot of people who arent just pet owners but animal lovers. BIG distinction. So, try hers. Let her know I refered you.(she wont know me as softness...tell her Teah refered you) She is a newf lover too. She has birthday platters now for sale! I cant wait to order one for Story..who will be..are you ready for this...14 years old!!! in May!

[Bohemian Rhapsody]

I saw in a few earlier posts that someone had mentioned rawhides as being dangerous. I found out the hard way that rope toys are also not the best toys. My miniature daschund, Brutus used to play with them until 4 weeks ago when he had to have emergency surgery to remove the strings from his esophagus and stomach. The strings has lacerated his stomach and throat causing internal bleeding. Scary to say the least. The Vet told me that the only toy she recommends at all are Nylabone products which are made of materials that break into small enough pieces to be swallowed and digested without problems. They are also made of something that is non toxic if it does get swallowed. So thats my take on toy safety. Better safe than sorry.

[SuperFemme]

It's Boo-Boo the MinPin's birthday today. Oh, and my preggo daughter turns 24. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1392406251

[AtLast]

Another danger to look out for if you a dog that loves to chase and retrieve balls- make sure you use the right size. Small balls are a choking hazard for larger breeds. Especially if they are rubber/plastic and get slippery. You really do not want to see what its like to lose a dog to choking!

Also, the tennis balls made for dogs break apart easily and can be ingested in pieces that can cause a blockage. My Frenchie ate a piece of a tennis ball at the park when he was a pup and ended up having emergency blockage surgery. I pick up and throw away tennis ball pieces all the time! What went down easily (and before I coiuld get it) expanded internally. Actually, tennis balls are bad for dog's teeth, they wear them down.

OK. anyone use the joint supplements for cats? I see I can get some via Drs. foster & Smith for my 14 year old cat. Wondering if he'll actually eat it!?

[Soft*Silver]

I buy my dog stuffed animals all the time at garage sales. In fact, she has inherited all of mine and my daughter's collections of web kinz. No more.I am sorting through her stuff as I pack it. She is only allowed to keep the things manufactured specifically for dogs. Why? Read this....

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/stuffedtoys.asp

[Blade]

Puppies are susceptible to Parvo and Corona virus. They have maternal antibodies they get from the colostrum (first mothers milk) that protect them from birth until they can form their own antibodies via puppy shots.

Parvo is yes STINKY. It is a smell you will never forget once you smell it. Another thing you will never forget is the look of death. They get so dehydrated that their eyes look to have sunk into the sockets. If you see this likely the pup will be dead in 12-24 hrs. Parvo is well I call it violent. It has violent diarrhea, violent vomiting. Typically you treat the symptoms. Don't force feed or water on the pup, some people do force Gatorade but I don't force anything. Treatment doesn't have to cost a fortune. Ask the vet for something for diarrhea, something for vomiting and a IV bag and line and a few needles. You can IV the pup yourself. Also you can use over the counter stuff for the other symptoms. Rule of thumb, if the pup won't eat or drink offer it raw chicken liver, raw egg or cheese not a lot just a taste if he wont eat after about 3-5 days he's probably gonna die. Though I have seen them come back after 5 days. Also shoot 'em up with B12.

Corona virus is not as violent as Parvo and has a much lower death rate. But you have to be able to recognize which it is, but you treat the symptoms the same. Typically it doesn't last as long either.

Someone mentioned Coccidia. Coccidia is a one celled intestinal parasite. Many believe that most dogs are carriers. I don't know about that, I'm not a scientist.
I do know that you can check on a litter of puppies and go back out in the evening to check on them and they are dead. I treat the bitch for Coccidia and worm her as quick as the last puppy hits the ground. Coccidia can also become active due to stress in puppies. I use to always send my puppies to their new homes with a run of Albon.

Best advice I have is as I use to tell new owners. When you take him home leave him there. The next day the vet is open take him there and have him checked out. I always gave a 10 day health guarantee but only if they had taken it to the vet. Back then it was said that Parvo had a 3 to 10 day gestation period. I figured if the pup got sick in 10 days I should honor that.

For some reason people want to take their new puppy around everywhere. Showing him off and everyone in the world hold him. Remember he's a baby and will get sore from being held and passed around.

[Butterbean]

Blade, you mentioned B-12 shots. What is the CC to pound dose ratio? Is this done by lifting up their fur and injecting right under that? What is the best/least painful area?


Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by Blade

Puppies are susceptible to Parvo and Corona virus. They have maternal antibodies they get from the colostrum (first mothers milk) that protect them from birth until they can form their own antibodies via puppy shots.

Parvo is yes STINKY. It is a smell you will never forget once you smell it. Another thing you will never forget is the look of death. They get so dehydrated that their eyes look to have sunk into the sockets. If you see this likely the pup will be dead in 12-24 hrs. Parvo is well I call it violent. It has violent diarrhea, violent vomiting. Typically you treat the symptoms. Don't force feed or water on the pup, some people do force Gatorade but I don't force anything. Treatment doesn't have to cost a fortune. Ask the vet for something for diarrhea, something for vomiting and a IV bag and line and a few needles. You can IV the pup yourself. Also you can use over the counter stuff for the other symptoms. Rule of thumb, if the pup won't eat or drink offer it raw chicken liver, raw egg or cheese not a lot just a taste if he wont eat after about 3-5 days he's probably gonna die. Though I have seen them come back after 5 days. Also shoot 'em up with B12.

Corona virus is not as violent as Parvo and has a much lower death rate. But you have to be able to recognize which it is, but you treat the symptoms the same. Typically it doesn't last as long either.

Someone mentioned Coccidia. Coccidia is a one celled intestinal parasite. Many believe that most dogs are carriers. I don't know about that, I'm not a scientist.
I do know that you can check on a litter of puppies and go back out in the evening to check on them and they are dead. I treat the bitch for Coccidia and worm her as quick as the last puppy hits the ground. Coccidia can also become active due to stress in puppies. I use to always send my puppies to their new homes with a run of Albon.

Best advice I have is as I use to tell new owners. When you take him home leave him there. The next day the vet is open take him there and have him checked out. I always gave a 10 day health guarantee but only if they had taken it to the vet. Back then it was said that Parvo had a 3 to 10 day gestation period. I figured if the pup got sick in 10 days I should honor that.

For some reason people want to take their new puppy around everywhere. Showing him off and everyone in the world hold him. Remember he's a baby and will get sore from being held and passed around.

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by softness

I buy my dog stuffed animals all the time at garage sales. In fact, she has inherited all of mine and my daughter's collections of web kinz. No more.I am sorting through her stuff as I pack it. She is only allowed to keep the things manufactured specifically for dogs. Why? Read this....

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/stuffedtoys.asp

Smart move!

My dog ate part of a stuffed animal while I was visiting a friend- very dangerous dog and cat toys strewn all over. He ended up with a bacterial infection in his gut and did not pass the stuff for nearly a week. Finally, he threw it up- never did travel down the other way! Lucky he didn't get blocked and need surgery .. again!

Now, when I take him to someone else's house, I ask about pet toys that might be there beforehand. If it isn't a safe environment for him, he doesn't get to go.

I never give him rawhide or even Greenie type chew things (they can expand in the gut). Manufacturers even for pet toys/chews don't really make safe toys/products... they make things that people want to buy!

I'm very careful about toys and chew toys.

[Soft*Silver]

my old girl has dementia. She has forgotten how to eat out of a bowl. I literally have to spoon feed her twice a day. On days when that doesnt even work, we break the meals up even more and I use my hand to feed her, often having to close her mouth and wait until she swallows, so she doesnt spit it out. I only give her a few bites at a time, just in case she is having a belly ache (one never knows why a dog wont eat). It is my service to her, for all the love and devotion she has blessed me with over the years...

she is very fussy about her treats too. She lOVES that brand I posted...and accepts them without a fuss, but they are more expensive than I can afford at the moment. So I look for others....and have found a couple that she will, sometimes, accept.

Her stuffies are not torn apart. If she was a dog who tore her stuffies, I would never give her any. Instead, she carries them around in her mouth and even takes walks with them. If she lays down with one, she "flea bites" it, like a momma dog does to their babies...

but because I never know when the dementia might progress to her tearing up her "babies" I am taking all the human toys away from her...I will not let a simple thing become a tragic accident...

[Arwen]

Coat question....My Basenji is shedding like mad. Any tips or tricks on how to get her coat to blow faster. I'm an ex-groomer so I know a ton but I'm always happy to find more.

[Hollylane]

Arwen, as an ex-groomer, I'm sure I'm not giving you new information, but my home-groomer uses the Furminator on our pets, it really seems to work well..

Commenting on our dogs' nutrition:

Our Lhasa, Obi, has recurring oxilate crystals. Hayden and I make a home-made diet for both Lhasas to help avoid Obi having to have another bladder surgery. If anyone has a dog prone to these, a really great yahoo group exists called; K9kidneyDiet. You also might try to find as much information as you can about the Fuzzer Diet. There is also a really informative article in the Whole Dog Journal about the Fuzzer Diet and its success. If you can't find/access this article, let me know and I can send you a copy via email. As a result of the dogs diet change, they are at healthier weights, have shinier coats, and so far(knock on wood), Obi has been oxilate free!


Our cats nutrition:

All of our cats are on wet food. They eat canned Merrick cat food that is labeled as "before grain". I have found that most research points to the fact that cats are not getting enough water in their diets when they eat even the best dry food available. Cats do not drink a lot of water(unless they are ill), and the majority of the water they should get would come from meat. After losing two of my beautiful girls to kidney disease, I made the switch. All five of my little beauties lost a healthy amount of weight, lost troubling skin problems, and are shinier and happier. It was not easy though, that dry food is totally addicting, and it was a slow process to change them over and not end up being eaten by them!

Our Bunny Diet:

Our bunnies are spoiled rotten. We purchase multiple types of hay, bother our friends for fresh apple tree cuttings, and give them fresh vegetables, and a tiny bit of banana twice a day. Parsley came from the Oregon Humane Society, with a recurring problem with overgrowth of his rear molars and front teeth were misaligned causing them to not wear down well. We used to have to have his teeth trimmed monthly, but since we switched to large and small apple branches and got him on some stiffer grass hay, we haven't had to take him in about 6mths now.


I spend a lot of time looking up health information re: cats,dogs and bunnies. So, I somewhat apologize for the lengthy post! As you can imagine by all of the above, our pet grocery/vet bills cost more then our own. They are our family, and they deserve all of the best!

Hollylane

[VintageFemme]

my little old man is barely able to walk anymore. for anything outside, i have to towel walk him. he had a seizure the other day and of course off to the emergency room we went. because of his age. the dr said it would only be a few things one of which might be kidney and/or liver damage or a brain tumor. without doing extensive mri's, etc it would be hard to tell if it was a brain tumor but he did do bloodwork and his liver/kidney look fine. so as not to 'condemn him to a life of towel walking' he prescribed rimadyl and tramadol on a short two week trial basis and said to watch for more seizures and then we'll see in a follow up what to do next. i gave him the tramadol without too much hesitation [even though we are mostly holistic in our home and rarely use medicines opting normally for supplements, vitamins, diet, etc] because of the pain relief it offers, but i was very hesitant to give him the rimadyl after doing my online research. bad bad reputation. but then after two days of careful thought and weighing the pros and cons, i've decided to try the rimadyl keeping a hawk's eye watch on him. today is the second day. of course there is no change yet but i am hoping for some perhaps in a few days.

all of this is to ask, does anyone have any experience with rimadyl? good or bad? it's really a matter of quality of life at this point and what quality is there for a medium size [large size in his prime years] dog if he can't even walk to relieve himself or stretch his legs? these days now are so very difficult but are the most precious ever. each day is such a gift.

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by VintageFemme

my little old man is barely able to walk anymore. for anything outside, i have to towel walk him. he had a seizure the other day and of course off to the emergency room we went. because of his age. the dr said it would only be a few things one of which might be kidney and/or liver damage or a brain tumor. without doing extensive mri's, etc it would be hard to tell if it was a brain tumor but he did do bloodwork and his liver/kidney look fine. so as not to 'condemn him to a life of towel walking' he prescribed rimadyl and tramadol on a short two week trial basis and said to watch for more seizures and then we'll see in a follow up what to do next. i gave him the tramadol without too much hesitation [even though we are mostly holistic in our home and rarely use medicines opting normally for supplements, vitamins, diet, etc] because of the pain relief it offers, but i was very hesitant to give him the rimadyl after doing my online research. bad bad reputation. but then after two days of careful thought and weighing the pros and cons, i've decided to try the rimadyl keeping a hawk's eye watch on him. today is the second day. of course there is no change yet but i am hoping for some perhaps in a few days.

all of this is to ask, does anyone have any experience with rimadyl? good or bad? it's really a matter of quality of life at this point and what quality is there for a medium size [large size in his prime years] dog if he can't even walk to relieve himself or stretch his legs? these days now are so very difficult but are the most precious ever. each day is such a gift.

At this point you simply want to keep him comfortable. Side effects from drugs happen over a long time. I know how hard this is. When the quality of their life is over/low its time. having put down a few dogs just in the last year or so I decided if they can not use the bathroom or they stop eating. It's gut wrenching but often the right thing to do.

[VintageFemme]

Originally Posted by Sachita

At this point you simply want to keep him comfortable. Side effects from drugs happen over a long time. I know how hard this is. When the quality of their life is over/low its time. having put down a few dogs just in the last year or so I decided if they can not use the bathroom or they stop eating. It's gut wrenching but often the right thing to do.

i completely agree. good to know about the side effects, thanks! he is still able to use the bathroom. i tie the strip of towel around his waist and off we walk very slowly only to the ends of the sidewalks around us. it's only his one rear leg that is so damaged. we sit down a lot when we're out and it's a very slow process but he still has so much life and joy in him. he loves to play tug o'war w/ the other towel i use to wipe his mouth after eating *lol* and chew on the rib bones i buy him. he eats really well still and has never met a bisquit he didn't love. i know our days are very numbered now and as long as he is still getting some joy out of life and still wagging that tail and perking those ears up, i have to call that quality. i can go the long haul with him and am doing now whatever it is he needs me to do. he's pretty much calling all the shots.

[Butterbean]

My baby, Blossom, was diagnosed with this in June. She spent 2 days in intensive care and has had a long recovery.

She's on prescription dry food and her vet taught me the basics of what I could cook for her at home.

The most effective/important aspects to this, that I have noticed so far, is that she really must have her sleep, and plain non-fat yogurt and pumpkin to keep her system balanced.

It really breaks my heart that her diet must be so strictly followed but the consequences of not adhering to it are so severe so....

[DapperButch]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0...n_Punches_Bear

[Sassy]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0...n_Punches_Bear

Agreed! Anything ever tried to gnaw on my puppy gal, I wouldn't think twice. That is MY baby.

[Sassy]

Hey fellow pet parents,

I wandered over into this thread to ask if anyone had any suggestions for a replacement for rawhide chews?

My 9-year-old mini doxie loves-loves-LOVES her rawhide chews. She gets a small one in the mornings while I have my coffee. And a second one sometimes if she's having a stressful day. (Usually lawn-service day -- *grrr/gnaw/grrr* "We hatesssezzz the lawn man we does, yes we does." *grrrr*)

But lately, I've noticed she doesn't necessarily act like she feels so good after she's had her treat. She does better if I keep the chews small -- she's a glutton and will devour whatever I put in front of her until it is gone gone gone. And I've tried a few different brands but I'm not terribly satisfied with any particular one yet.

She's so small she fattens up easily. So filled rawhide treats are a no-no. We use carrots for treats throughout the day. And she's got some food allergies so she's on a raw food (lamb) diet.

She's a hardcore chewer. It's got to be something tough enough to keep her interested for a while. I tried to get her to chew a nyla bone but she's adamant she doesn't like them. And I tried natural hooves once but *gag* those stank. I won't bring another one back in the house. But if the item is too hard she loses interest -- I tried antlers boiled in broth (the pet store salesman swore they were a big seller) and she wouldn't even take a second glance.

So, any suggestions?

[Gentle Tiger]

Just popped in to say the furminator is my friend! There has been no kitty puke since adding a supplement and using the Furminator. We (the two furry girls and I) are all happy about it.

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Sassy

Hey fellow pet parents,

I wandered over into this thread to ask if anyone had any suggestions for a replacement for rawhide chews?

My 9-year-old mini doxie loves-loves-LOVES her rawhide chews. She gets a small one in the mornings while I have my coffee. And a second one sometimes if she's having a stressful day. (Usually lawn-service day -- *grrr/gnaw/grrr* "We hatesssezzz the lawn man we does, yes we does." *grrrr*)

But lately, I've noticed she doesn't necessarily act like she feels so good after she's had her treat. She does better if I keep the chews small -- she's a glutton and will devour whatever I put in front of her until it is gone gone gone. And I've tried a few different brands but I'm not terribly satisfied with any particular one yet.

She's so small she fattens up easily. So filled rawhide treats are a no-no. We use carrots for treats throughout the day. And she's got some food allergies so she's on a raw food (lamb) diet.

She's a hardcore chewer. It's got to be something tough enough to keep her interested for a while. I tried to get her to chew a nyla bone but she's adamant she doesn't like them. And I tried natural hooves once but *gag* those stank. I won't bring another one back in the house. But if the item is too hard she loses interest -- I tried antlers boiled in broth (the pet store salesman swore they were a big seller) and she wouldn't even take a second glance.

So, any suggestions?

Pig ears.
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