JulesP

The twitching might be Hepatic Encephalopathy. Toxins build up (ammonia etc) because the liver can't process them. This can effect the brain. Hopefully the meds and diet will help this. Runny poos are ok. You want the poos looking like soft serve icecream. You don't want food sitting too long in the gut because of the toxin problem.

Amber was diagnosed via ultrasound. This was the least invasive way. I was lucky in that the specialist could see the shunts on the ultrasound. Sometimes they can't. The danger for Hugo would have been the general. He has obviously come out of that ok? Dogs with liver problems can also have problems with bleeding.

If you get their food and medication right they don't feel terribly sore or sick. That is why I put the pic of Amber up. I asked the vet the other week if he thought I should put her down and the answer was a very strong 'no'. I don't do this for me. I do it for Amber, because she wants to be here. When she doesn't want to be around anymore, then I will let her go.

Amber's liver is tiny too. Amber doesn't suffer at all. She is a super happy little dog. I am making sure that she has a good time even if I can't give her a long time. I can't give her any meat protein. No bones. This is very important especially if they have had the seizures. The other thing is that you need to reduce worming, vaccinations, flea treatments. You don't want to be giving the liver too much work to do. There is also the issue if something else goes wrong how you treat them. Is he getting fluid build up in his tummy? This is probably the thing I struggle with the most with Amber, keeping that under control. Bring him home and love him whilst he is here :) This is Amber at the beach a couple of weeks ago. Just to show you that she is ok.

Very sorry. I haven't replied before because to be honest I find it quite painful. My dog was diagnosed at 11 months with multiple shunts. Not operable. She also had seisures. Amber was given 6 months to live and that was 2 years ago. It isn't easy to look after her. She has several medications and the l/d food. It is a daily case of monitoring her and adjusting meds and food. I can't board her as I don't trust anyone else to look after her. She is worth all the above but I wanted you to know what you will be facing if you take him home. She doesn't know she is sick and is super happy. She has great quality of life. All the meds and food does get expensive. At the end of the day it is your choice and I doubt anyone will judge you either way.

Has anyone got any shoes from CR? Were they true to size if you have.

Really? what have you been feeding? I reckon it is about normal size. I normally feed Advance but have also fed Pro Plan and several others. Even the puppy food I am feeding Nitro is bigger than the K/D! It is miniscule! Weird I wouldn't call my k/d miniscule. It is a bit bigger than the holistic select I am feeding Poppy.

There were alpacas in the paddock Didn't they charge her?

Really? what have you been feeding? I reckon it is about normal size.

The food is pretty crunchy. Amber has great teeth from eating it. How old is your dog?

Royal Canin only bring in some of their prescription foods. Doesn't look like they do a dry kidney one. My dog loves k/d and l/d. Hard to know what to suggest as you haven't said what the dog's problem is. My dog has very sloppy poos on the k/d & l/d btw. Which she needs to have for her condition (liver problem) so I don't think the k/d would make your dog constipated. I've been feeding t/d to my other dog and that also caused her to have sloppy poos. The not drinking isn't good though.

Very cute! I've been checking in to see how Hank liked his bath!

That is brilliant Piper!

Plush Puppy Wonder Wash is good for that Megan. You just spray some on the area and then rub with a towel. Stink gone. http://www.petnetwork.com.au/plush-puppy-wonder-wash-500ml/

Lots of cute photos! Mine are in the 'do we have to' category! My friend wanted to get photos before they swam in the river. Poppy had other ideas and none of them were happy about posing for photos when they wanted to be swimming!

He's a giant wuss so I am anticipating panic no matter what approach I take :laugh: Is the hydrobath closer to the ground or do you hoist the dog up? Is it just like a giant sink? (excuse my ignorance) They are a bit off the ground, so you don't have to bend right over. Hoisting will be needed unless they have a ramp. Yes like a giant sink. The water comes out similar pressure to a spa bath jet. The idea is that you don't have to scrub the dog yourself, the water pressure does the washing. Most people still scrub by hand though. Most places with a wash also have a dryer. This will possibly cause more angst than the bath.

I have my own hydrobath. Try the vet's hydrobath. They are easy to use but Hank may not appreciate it much! They are quite noisy and the water pressure is higher than from a hose.

I've seen Mals out herding. They are pretty handy too. They are more suited to a C course than the usual A course though.

I used bi-carb. Poppy didn't complain too much about it.

Did the friend not leave instructions?

Not a great deal of protein (being what it is) but sodium.. I'm not sure on the levels and it'd be something to look into very carefully. I suppose it also depends on how quickly your dog eats them. Mine just mouth rather pathetically at antlers and never really actually ingest much. Hard chewers may get a fair bit down quite quickly. Thanks :)

I have been looking at the antlers as a bone substitute but am not sure if Amber is going to be able to have them. She has a liver shunt and has trouble with processing protein. Last time I gave her a lamb flap she had a fit. I asked at Petstock but they didn't know and said to try the vet but I imagine they aren't going to know either. Does anyone know how much protein the dogs are digesting from the antlers? How much sodium too?

I wear the new smaller DOOG bag on my hips rather than around my waist. Would that work? It has a really stretchy strap. It is fairly small though.

A lot of people on this site also have cats. What this site attracts is responsible pet owners. Letting your cat roam is not responsible.

Thanks :) . Will those mechanical things get the existing plaque off? Or do I need to get the vet to clean her teeth?