Stitch

I have been told and have also found it to be true that dogs often lick when they are in pain. If your dog is nauseous then I would suggest you give him nothing to eat. IMO a piggy ear (fat) and fish oil would not be the way to settle an upset stomach. What do you think would happen if you were to eat fatty foods when you felt sick in the stomach?? It will do the dog no harm at all to go without food for 24 hours as long as he has clean water to drink at all times and does not get dehydrated. That will give his stomach a chance to calm down, then start him back on a bland diet, ie chicken & rice - no treats. It may be that it is a touch of colitis or just a random bug but this is the tried and true way of treating an upset stomach in dogs.

I have been asked by a friend of mine to post a question about her dog that has been diagnosed as having acute prostatitis. I don't know anything about this subject as I very rarely have males but I am sure some of you will be able to answer her query. She is deciding on whether she should get it desexed but is unsure if it is always something that will reoccur. The dog came back from 4 weeks in the boarding kennel and then developed an enlarged prostate. Is it a common problem?? How dire is it??? She was hoping to use him on her bitch soon but now is unsure if he is going to remain fertile and for how long. Is it inheritable???

Upset stomach, tartar on teeth, hairs being dragged into mouth when they lick their lips & incorrect diet.

Was the vet you went to a specialist osteo vet??? The only thing I have seen like that is in humans and it is serious.

Thanks for your recipe dianed - I use my Kenwood to mix it LOL!!!

Thank you for your recommendations & website. Will look into that in the next few days.

I have done some experimenting this morning - I will be using 2 leads at one time. I have worked out I need one about 10 metres long and the other one can be a bit shorter and lighter.

I want to buy a long lead and I have always preferred a cotton webbing leads but I wonder if a light weight nylon long lead would be best for long lead puppy training purposes. I am not sure how light weight a cotton type one would be in comparison - what do you all think is the best lead to work with and what would be the best length 5mtrs or 10mtrs???

Can you add some warm water to the dry food when you feed it??? I boil chicken up with lots of water and use the chicken juices to add over the dry food which definitely helps with this problem. It is something I always do with dry dogfood as I was advised to do it by one of the manufacturers consultants. It works for my lot!

The jurys out as far as I am concerned about Livamol (molasses) causing tartar and dental problems. I found Livamol very good but the two dogs I fed it to both developed tartar problems, one of them had further dental issues so I blamed it on the Livamol, as I said, rightly or wrongly. When I stopped feeding it to them, and after the one with the dental problem had two teeth removed, the tartar problem resolved in both, so that's all I can go by. It will be interesting to see if there are any issues from the molasses. Thanks for the link Nekhbet. ETA: Thanks for that Sheena

What is your recipe dianed?

Yes, I agree, short term use of molasses would be OK but in the past I have fed Livamol which has molasses in it and blame that (rightly or wrongly) for one of my dogs having tartar problems. I remember reading that some people feed satin balls to skinny dogs on a permanent basis - and I can see nothing wrong with that except for the molasses component especially as you can add all sorts of things into the mix to get the vitamins & minerals into the dog. Would really like to get an alternative to the molasses but have got my skinny girl eating 2 a day and don't want to go backwards considering satin balls are the only thing she will eat except for chicken necks and it has taken me ages to get to this stage.

Can anyone tell me where I can buy the 'flavourless' or 'unsulfured' molasses?? I can only find plain old molasses or organic molasses. Also what variations to the original satin balls have you tried with good results?? I am now feeding these to my 'problem child' and (crossed fingers) they are currently well received however I have never been a fan of feeding dogs molasses because of the possible teeth problems that may ensue.

I tried him but he just keeps saying he will get back to me but doesn't. I have now emailed him 3 times!!! Why is it soooo difficult to find out who manufactures this dogfood????

Can anyone tell me where I can buy Enduro dog food on the north side of Brisbane or does anyone know the name and contact details of the manufacturers???? It is made in Australia and sounds good!!! Any help would be very much appreciated.

I wonder if it could be something to do with her spinal alignment?? The vet is the best place for her to be - I hope it turns out to be something that is fixable.

I can't comment on the hernia itself but I am surprised that the breeder didn't mention it when you picked up your pup. It is something that in my opinion is not 'normal'.

Just so that you all know ..... Bone Marrow = FAT That is one of the reasons dogs with these kind of problems should be NOT be on BARF as ALL whole bones have marrow, even the smaller ones!!!

From what I have seen and heard there are a LOT of dogs out there that have problems with pancreatitis, colitis, IBS or IBD. I have one myself and she was on Hills I/D for quite a while however I have been able to switch her on to Hills Sensitive Stomach. I don't particularly like feeding dry dogfood - most of mine get BARF however you have to feed them what they can tolerate and do well on. My girl had an attack a few days ago, didn't want dinner last night - I could hear her stomach growling because it was so upset. I have found Lectade to be absolutely marvellous for settling the dog down after an attack - plus I give an Inner Health Plus capsule. If my lot are off their food for any reason I mix up the Lectade - I have found that once they are feeling better they don't want the Lectade!!! I have gotten used to dealing with the problem - before it was diagnosed I never knew what I was going to find at the back door (thats where she would go to if she wanted to toilet but couldn't get out) poor girl!!! It might be that your girl will be OK on a normal diet but if I were you I would be very careful about the fats in her diet in future - she may have a predisposition to pancreatitis (or it could just be the tub of margarine!!!)! Only time will tell that one!!!

I used to but found that those with allergies to grain did not do well on it. Now if I want to add things to the BARF I just add rolled oats plus a variety of things like sardines, eggs, yoghurt, veges etc. Also Big Dog does a Mueslii that is quite good too. VAN was OK but very expensive for what you get and has varying results, some not good at all, dependant on the dog.

I recommend that you do not feed any more liver treats etc. when you get him home. Ask the vet what they recommend you feed him and feed only what you are told. I have a dog with a similar problem and liver treats or anything with liver in it is the worst thing for her and can cause terrible diahorrea and vomiting. Resist the temptation to feed treats and just stick to offering what the vet tells you to which could be Hill I/D or maybe boiled chicken & rice. The dog will eat the special food when it feels hungry.

First thing I would do is get a check up at the vet. All UTI don't show up immediately so best to get that checked out. Then review when you feed her and when the last time she gets to drink is. I feed dry in the mornings, then the dog can drink during the day if it gets thirsty from dry food. I feed RAW sparingly around 4.30pm and withhold water from then onwards. Good luck!

All of the above are good advice. Main thing is to ensure hearts & hernias are not an issue. Smaller dogs often have the best temperaments in my experience. Maybe it is because they have to survive being picked on by the larger littermates!!! LOL

Sounds like an allergy but you won't know unless you go to the vet. Eyes are something that need attention in a timely manner, otherwise you risk damaging the eye, sometimes permanently.

I am at the stage of being willing to try anything to get my dog to eat. What she eats one day she won't eat the next so I have quite a bit of dry dogfood around the place. Luckily I also have a large Dobe boy who eats anything so he is the ultimate recycling machine. Thanks for the link. ETA: Is there a name, address, contact number of the manufacturer on the bag???