JulesP

Lots of puppies in PP Ringwood yesterday

Not to be a party pooper but I would probably avoid playing chasey with Heston. It tends to muck up the recall. When I am teaching my puppy classes I can always tell who has been playing chasey as the pups run to Mummy and Daddy nicely for the recall but then dart off again instead of staying with them. They are then really annoying to catch!

Metrogyl is an antibiotic. I would not be feeding any meat product to a dog with a liver shunt. You can use egg whites instead. The bread might be a problem because of purine levels.

Yes Amber eats the L/D. It is actually the only dog food that she has eaten happily. She was always really fussy even from a puppy. She never really scoffed her food. Not sure if you should feed the Amoxil and Metrogyl at the same time. Best to ask your vet that. Amber had crystals and a urinary tract infection at the beginning that was why she started on the clavamox. She took that for about a month before starting on the metrogyl. What was the homemade diet that you were feeding? Was Milly eating that?

My cat Panther died at about 20yo. She just went to sleep and didn't wake up, all very peaceful. She was an outside puss too and got fed supermarket food, lol. She totally ruled the place right up until the day she died. If she was sitting on the door mat the dogs were too scared to walk past her! The only thing that really changed as she got old was her fur got a bit scruffy.

Amber is around 14 kilos. She is pretty little. Most people think she is still a puppy. She was 1yo when diagnosed and it is like she is frozen at that age. When Amber first got sick there was a very noticeable change in her behaviour. I had to pull her out of obedience classes as I just couldn't keep her going. She also struggled on walks, 30 mins was about the most she could manage. Now she is very bouncy! It makes me smile to see her bouncing around. Amber loves the pediasure as does my other border collie and the 2 cats have thought it is pretty good too. It mainly tastes milky. Yes Amber has and continues to have neurological issues. The worst was a bad seizure after I gave her a lamb flap, the specialist said it would be ok on occasion. Last week she was standing with a very glazed look on her face, flicking her tongue in and out. Has Milly had anything like this? Amber sometimes gets sweet potato. Because she has the neurological problems I was advised not to give her home cooked foods. The main thing you need to watch with veggies and fruits is that they are low purine as dogs with shunts are also prone to stones and urinary problems.

Amber is on metrogyl all the time. I have got it down to one tablet a day but have upped it again at the moment as she has had a few symptoms. She was on Clavamox prior but think she has been much better on the metrogyl. They need to stay on the antibiotic though. It is a matter of finding which one works best for your dog. Amber also gets a diuretic daily as she has ascities (fluid in belly). I haven't had to use lactulose yet as her poos are pretty soft. I also haven't used any herbal products as she is going well on what I am doing. You can use milk thistle, SAMe, pro-biotics, vitamins etc. The Pediasure is for sick kids. It is a drink that contains vitamins and fats. Good for getting nourishment into an animal that doesn't want to eat. If is also very easy on the liver in terms of processing. Gives the liver a bit of a break. With the food they can only eat very small amounts. Amber has half a tin of the L/D and maybe a cup of the L/D kibble and she is a border collie. If she just had tinned I would probably only give her a tin a day. Every time I have tried to increase the amount she has started to get worse. Luckily Amber loves her L/D but again if she is having an off day she is funny about eating it. Not eating is usually my first sign that Amber's liver is playing up. This Yahoo group was very helpful when Amber first got sick - http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/DogLiverShuntandDisease/ It is a little frustrating though as they are American and we can't get a lot of the food/herbals that they recommend here. Lots of great info though.

It really depends on the individual dog. My 2 border collies love praise so I don't need to carry around treats. I would use what ever worked :) praise, treats, toys, getting something they want etc And you don't need to stick to the one reward either. Watch that Heston doesn't start to pretend to wee so that he can get to the treat/play bit quicker! BC are super clever and can use that power for evil

Hello, sorry you are going through this. Yes, I have a dog with a liver shunt. Well multiple liver shunts so she can't be operated on. Amber was diagnosed a year ago now and is still with me. They don't eat because they feel really poorly. Amber would have starved herself to death too. She used to pick one piece of kibble up in her mouth, look at me really sadly and then drop it again. BTW you can't confirm a shunt with a blood test. You need to actually see it. Amber's blood levels were not that bad. What medicine is she currently on? Amber has been doing better since she has been on Metrogl (Metronidazole). It seems to be better at clearing out the toxins that make them feel sick. Go to Chemists Warehouse, look in the baby formula section and get a product called PediaSure in Vanilla. It is the child version of Ensure. This got Amber over the initial bump when she was first diagnosed. With food you need to give lots of small meals a day. They don't eat big quantities and you aren't going to get a dog with liver problems fat.

I like a vet close to home in case I have an emergency. I also have to pick up medicine and food for Amber on a regular basis so close is good for that. The vet nurses and receptionists are also important. I left one vet because of how unprofessional the staff were.

Big hugs for you and Atlas. How is he today?

Try and move her head away from you with a treat. That should bring her quarters in closer and straighten her up.

This is how Amber does it. She has such a strong understanding of heel that I just walked backwards and back she went. No teaching 'backwards' at all. So cute.

So sorry esky. RIP Penny.

Poor boy!! I feed a Hills prescription food and whilst I am a bit blerk about its ingredients it is great for my dog. VAN is pretty sloppy.

Big hugs esky

That is one of the benefits of laminate - it is harder to scratch. A guy in a floor shop demoed how hardy it was for me when I told him I was worried about the dogs. He made a mess out of a bit of hardwood but didn't dent the laminate.

I know we only had the 4 options but my dogs have done pretty well on Purina One over the years. It is the supermarket dry food that I would choose if I needed to get a supermarket dry food. Or Nature's Gift but that isn't very available.

Hugs to esky and Penny

Supercoat. I don't mind it. I switched from super premium to supercoat sensitive for a while with no negative side effects.

RIP Charlotte.

Google reverse sneezing :)

It does have yeast in it which is a high purine food. There is a pdf which has the rough ingredients.

I had a vet not give painkillers after a CL op. I am still traumatized by that. The reason given was something to do with the dogs blood count.

I assume the delay in treatment was that they were waiting for the break to heal. When it didn't further investigation has commenced. I don't know what the original owner was doing with the dog in this time but Tralee hasn't had the dog that long (from what I can work out). So let's stop giving him a hard time about it.