Stitch

You are to be admired in your decision to make this public. For those who don't understand the problem I found this link http://tsfannymaelivershuntfund.homestead....emicShunts.html

Have you tried him on a bland diet to see if it settles?? You could try Eukanuba Low Residue if you feed dry food or cooked chicken and rice which is the blandest diet of all.

I think the key point to feeding veges and fruit is 'in moderation'. In theory wolves would get the contents of the gut of what they have caught and that wouldn't amount to very much vege matter compared to the animal/bird they have caught. Also grains, what they would get via the gut of prey would have started to ferment with gastric juices and compared with the amount of muscle meat, bone, skin, feathers or fur, would not be very much! Very different to feeding grains via VAN or similar where it is recommended to soak the mix for only 12-24hrs (without gastric juices) and if you follow the directions on the pack, you feed quite a lot of grain mix. My dogs would eat everything I eat even oranges and mardarins but that doesn't mean that it is good for them (or me either)!

Well done - yet another raw food convert!!! I thought I was doing the right thing by giving my Dobe boy VAN for years (as his breeder stipulated) only to find it was the main cause of all his skin problems and his body odour. I have been feeding him prey diet for months now - no more skin problems, thicker hair, shiny coat and less odour - he still likes to roll in dead things though plus he supplements his diet himself with slow birds! All my show dogs (who were also on VAN) have BARF and I have seen an improvement in skin & coat with them too. I have one girl on Hills ID or Euk Low Residue because I can't use anything else. I am hoping that one day I will be able to find a natural diet for her but she has IBD and it has proved hard to settle on raw. Overall it proved to me that my dogs just didn't need all that grain that is in VAN!

I give 100IU Vitamin E capsule to my medium sized dog every day - this is the dose as advised by naturapath, as the normal human doseage would be too great. I haven't rubbed it on though - just administered it orally. Perhaps when rubbed on the dog doesn't get as much however I should think it would last all of 10 seconds on the nose before it gets licked off. I also give 1 capsule of Fish Oil - all internally. Paw Paw cream is very good - I can't see a problem giving both as long as the Vitamin E was the 100IU doseage.

Thanks for that link Kuntooki - have you used it? Can you say what you used it for and what results you noticed?

No - Crating doesn't help, nor does covering the crate - I have tried that. I have tried lots of things to try to overcome this problem and as I said I have been able to improve the barking at cars when she is walking along the street, but not the travelling in the car aspect - I know the Calm stuff works to a limit extent that's why I was hoping someone could tell me their experiences about Rescue Remedy or the Plush Puppy Apprehension drops.

I would rather try something like Rescue Remedy than ACE by the sound of it. I don't want a sedated dog, just something that will take the edge off the excitement. As I said, she is not frightened, just excited and she gets aggitated when she looks out. I think it is the movement of the cars going past, etc. She used to bark at the cars when we were walking along the street but I was able to train her out of that one. I just have this residual agitation to try to tone down.

One of my girls gets very excited when I take her out, especially in the car. The anxiety never seems to get any better and she is 3 years old now. She doesn't appear scared or worried - just very excited. She works herself up to the stage that she will poop, which is not great when you are driving! I have tried Calm by Nervosa (which does help but not a huge amount), but I notice Plush Puppy have a new one called Apprehension and also there is Bach Rescue Remedy. Anyone tried any of these - which one works the best??

Thanks for those replies. I looked up the Nutridrops and they seem like they would be good for puppies - do you use them for bitches pre whelping or for appetite stimulation Becks? They are also very expensive, which is OK as long as they are appropriate - how much do you have to use normally?

I always offer my dogs a balanced diet, I feed Dr.B's BARF plus extras however, when bitches are in whelp, and some are worse than others, they become very picky - some to the point that it is an ongoing battle during pregnancy to get any food into them. I would really like to avoid this situation if at all possible but if, like last time, one of mine doesn't eat properly for most of the 9 weeks then I really think that a multivitamin supplement is in order.

The VAN meditreats sound interesting - they may be something for a bitch in whelp that isn't eating well. I have often thought that there is a need for a treat that also provides good nutrition.

Every bitch I have ever had that I offered Nutrigel to, has always refused it. Maybe just my lot but there it is. I will have a look on that link you provided Pip but what I am wanting is some first hand experience with using these 'herbal remedies' that are offered for sale. Unfortunately with these kind of things, herbalists can say they do lots of things but when you use the product it does nothing. I have fallen for that before. It would be nice to get some feedback from those who have used it.

I ask this because I usually have some sort of issue with bitches not eating when they are in whelp plus other things sometimes occur. I know some people give various things to help their bitches at this time but I was wondering if someone has an all encompasing routine that they have found is very successful. I sometimes give Raspberry leaves, I have heard of giving folic acid and now Frozen Puppies have their 'Boost Ya Girlz Up' - all of course given for different things encountered before and during pregnancy but has anyone developed a multi facited routine which gives maximum benefit before and during this time.

Sorry, I know nothing about using this for female incontinence - I thought it was a male animal contraceptive implant, at least that is what is usually used for. Perhaps it comes under the heading of 'hormonal treatment' for incontinent bitches which I know isn't always successful. I should imagine that hormones would have to build up in their system before you would see any reduction in symptoms - what did the vet who did the implant say?

If you are concerned you should take him to the vet. You can also take his temperature - if it is over 39C then definitely take him to the vet.

From my experience with hydrobaths I think it is way better to have it connected to dedicated separate hot and cold taps rather than have the hydrobath heat the water. Plus consideration has to be given to where the waste water is going to drain to. It would be nice to have it permanently set up to drain to an unobtrusive spot. Also there is the cleaning and disinfecting of the unit which has to be maintained regularly after using it so it doesn't smell. I bought a very nice hydrobath and then found that it was much easier for me to replace my laundry tub with a larger stainless steel one with a hand held shower fitting - no complicated disinfecting or cleaning required and so much easier than the routine I had to go through to use the hydrobath. I ended up selling the hydrobath after about 6mths. My advice would be for you to get the person selling you the hydrobath to take you through exactly what they do to wash a dog so you can see and understand exactly how it is operated. Some of them need a pilots licence to operate them!!

I feed fish oil capsules and vitamin E every meal. You can add conditioner after shampooing but it depends on if you want the coat to be soft or harsh.

I could also be a fungal infection. You can get a fungal cream at the pharmacy for use on fungal infections like ringworm etc. and it is suitable to use on dogs as well.

Any sign of diahorrea in my dogs and I withhold food for 24 hours and offer Lectade. After that I give them a bland diet for a few days until they are back to normal. Lectade is for scouring in many animals and is an electrolyte replacement. You just mix two different powders together at the advised rate so it helps to rehydrate the animal. I have been known to syringe Lectade down their throats if the need arises but most dogs will drink it willingly.

No problem Yellowgirl, I am always interested to read helpful discussions. I have made a few enquiries and baring someone coming up with a vet that does laser cleaning I will probably phone this week and make the booking. It will be with a big hospital practice just so that if anything goes wrong, at least there will be some backup there. Normally I am reasonably OK with dogs and general anaesthetics but this dog has had a few problems over the years and also she is my special girl. As a matter of interest, she was always a dog that wouldn't chew bones which in hindsight probably meant that I should have cleaned her teeth myself right from the start. Now she is on the Low Residue diet she can't have bones. I wonder if there is a connection, ie. dogs that can't tolerate bones have a different body chemistry that encourages tartar build up or if it is simply the lack of mechanical cleaning? I hope everything goes well with your boy on Tuesday, Yellowgirl. Edited to add: Debs, does this mean I should smear strawberries over the tartar??? Just joking, can you buy it in a liquid form and how safe is it for dogs?

Vets these days don't usually prescribe antibiotics for diahorrea. They tend to depend on you withholding the food for the first 24hours and then gradually introducing small meals of a bland diet, like the chicken & rice. Do you know why they have treated her with this medication? Is it more than just diahorrea? I would keep her on the chicken & rice for at least 5 days but if it wasn't improving within 24hours I would be back at the vet again. I guess she could be allergic to chicken, in that case you have to find another bland food to take its place, something without fat. Edited to add: I would definitely be ensuring she doesn't get dehydrated - Lectade is good for that.

What people forget is that the marrow that runs through the bone is fat and chicken necks are no exception. Because chicken necks are not that big, it usually isn't an issue but to a chi. I guess it is a different story. Of course anything they chew is good for their teeth but perhaps restrict the necks to several times a week, increase the exercise as others have said or reduce the amount of other stuff that you are feeding.

Thanks for that extra info Rappie, it was very interesting. I think what got me was that label ie. anxiety/stress related, in the first paragraph and the first thing that was mentioned by the vet. Of course, it is better to leave her on a diet that is working however I don't think it is a perfect fit as she still has issues which I haven't gone into. The dry Low Residue may be the best I can do for her but I can see it isn't a perfect fit which is why I had to try the kangaroo diet. Not having had this problem in any other dog doesn't help, as I haven't experienced how good or bad she is actually travelling compared to others. Reading other peoples experiences does tend to give my girls condition a bit more perspective though so thank you all for that.

Your darn right Rappie, it my girls case it definitely isn't stress/anxiety related but yet the vet still pushes that angle. I even got given a print out on Colitis and IBD which again says in the initial paragraph that it is a stress/anxiety related problem but then goes on to talk of food (protein) intolerances. It explains that allergies are usually to the protein source and that a dog can have one source of protein for many years then develop an intolerance or allergy to that food. The elimination diet that the dog should go on suggests that you try a protein source that the dog has never had. In my case, my girl had never had kangaroo meat and as kangaroo is really low in fat it was suggested that it may suit her. As I said earlier Kangaroo BARF made things much worse, although there was no diahorrea. I then put her back on the Eukanuba Low Residue which is based on chicken and she is OK now. She has had chicken for many years, plus I also give her a little boiled chicken with juices along with the Eukanuba. It is obvious that chicken was not the cause of the problem initially. Is it then reasonable to presume that it is not the protein source but something else that is the problem? Obviously nothing that is in the current Eukanuba Low Residue - what else is there that could be causing the problem? Fat?? Fibre??