bloss344

My old girl can't have NSAIDS anymore because of intestinal bleeding and liver problems due to long term use of them. As her intestines are still quite sensitive she can't tolerate glucosamine at the moment, but Evening Primrose Oil has worked wonders on her arthritis pain. She's a kelpie and I give her 1000mg per day and am gradually working it up to 2000 mg before winter. Of course if she would just slow down a bit I'm sure she'd get even more relief.

You can make treats out of whatever you are feeding Boo. I make rice flour and rabbit broth biscuits, and sort of bake rabbit and a bit of rice that I have put through the food processor into a treat for training. You get very creative when you need to. Fortunately Bob isn't at all fussy. He'll do tricks for bits of frozen green beans. He also thinks that those bland rice cakes are pretty good. I haven't tried fish for Bob but my old Kelpie girl who has liver trouble has a special fish diet. I'm sure that I have 'special needs dogs welcome here' tatooed on my forehead. Fish is very lean but not all that cheap, so feeding Bob on fish would be expensive but for a little dog like Boo it might be a good idea. At some point Bob will probably progress to fish though. I just try to buy what's on special like hoki or blue whiting. Salmon is quite fatty. I've spent the past couple of years researching IBD and diets so if there's anything else you want to ask feel free and I'll try to help.

Hi Joy, With the psyllium I started Bob on 1/4 tsp and have worked it up to about 1.5 tsp per day divided over two meals. He weighs about 25kg though so perhaps you could start with just a pinch and work it up from there, it's an individual thing varying from dog to dog. Some need more some need less. Colitis and IBD are very frustrating. Bob eats rabbit and white rice and we are just adding a touch of sweet potato. To remove the fat I cook the rabbit lightly and then rinse the cooked meat with hot water. High maintenance my vet calls him. I've tried other foods, but this is the only way we don't get mucous and blood and GAS!!! Bob has IBD due to intolerances. I find he can eat a protein source for about a year before the IBD starts again and I need to change it. Hence the need to keep it very simple. If your girl is doing ok on the chicken you added, perhaps you can try that. Chicken seems to be quite well tolerated if there is no allergy or intolerance. Bob can't tolerate chicken, beef or kangaroo.

Colitis and IBD usually require a low fat diet, which may be why the pork chew caused this attack. My Bob has IBD and I treat it with a low fat home prepared diet and added psyllium, no processed food, no bought treats. As your dog is young and still growing I'd be getting some advice from the vet as to feeding though. Sometimes the cause is a food intolerance which is probably why your vet suggested the Z/D. Bob hasn't been able to tolerate any commercial dry food since he was about 6 months old probably due to the fat content. Oh, once you find something that suits your dog try to stick with it, as adding too many things makes it hard to pinpoint what has caused a flare.

You don't have to feed snacks, especially if your dog is being fussy. Eukanuba for brekkie and no snacks necessary. You can even use the Eukanuba for training treats, or stuff it into a kong or puzzle ball toy, and make him work for his food, that sometimes makes mealtime more interesting. Problem with dogs is the same as children, what are they going to prefer to eat their meat and veggies or icecream?

While your pup is refusing food, I wouldn't keep changing his food to see what he will eat. They soon learn to play us and nothing is good enough then. Dogs don't need special breakfast foods. Mine eat the same thing morning and night, and they eat very simply as one has food allergies/intolerances and the other a compromised liver. My young dog used to refuse meals when he was a pup but since stopping all the variety and chopping and changing of foods, we haven't had one missed meal. Although most dogs can eat a variety of foods, some just seem to do better with a simple diet. The Eukanbua you are feeding is a complete food, so he would get all the nutrients he needs from it. The suggestions here of chicken necks/wings/frames are a great breakfast.

Good news Murray is improving. Could be old age catching up with me but wasn't Murray unwell a few weeks ago as well? Hopefully the vet will work out what is going on this time.

Any news on Murray?

How's Murray this morning?

Ok, today I am really tired. Bob didn't want to drop, didn't want to wait, didn't like the treats I took and just generally just was so over it and didn't want to be there. :D My back aches as well from all the coaxing him down. Next week will be better.

Aww poor boy. It's such a worry when they are sick and can't tell us what is wrong. It sounds like he's got a giant tummy ache. Panting and shaking a pretty good indications of some sort of pain. Hope the drugs kick in soon and he's feeling better. :D

I found Obedience really tiring when Bob was younger and the club we were attending encouraged a short 'socialisation and playtime' during the class. In his mind this was the purpose of going, .......fun, fun, fun. Now we've changed clubs and of course he has matured but it's not anywhere near as tiring for me. No playtime during class, and I don't allow him to have a playtime before class either, [nasty mummy] We absolutely love Obedience though.

Psyllium husks are great. Mix the husks into some water and mix with food. Has this poor boy pooped yet?

Here is the link to the Natural Balance website in Victoria. http://www.balancepetfoods.com.au/ It looks like the Aakyda is now called Vivace. If you live within their delivery area they will drop off some samples for you to try. I think I got several sample packs of various dry food, a couple of tins and I think a small packet of treats. Unfortunately my boy has dreadful intolerances and I ended up chickening out in trying them and gave them to my neighbour instead. Once they have your name, address and phone number they do tend to phone every so often to see if you want to order. They finally understood that 'my dog has intolerances' meant that I wasn't going to order.

I've found Malaseb wash followed up by Aloveen leave in conditioner to be a great help. Doesn't solve the problem but does give a lot of relief. Seems like this season is particularily bad, for a lot of dogs. Guess it's like my hayfever some years are really bad and some years hardly any symptoms.

I doubt it's food as both dog's are affected, but stranger things have happened. My mother just informed me that paspalum grass is causing a lot of problems for dogs at the moment, according to a vet she heard on the radio. The problem is it only affects them AFTER it is cut, leave it alone and it doesn't cause a problem. Thought I was doing the right thing by keeping the grass short Bob is suffering as well with itchy feet.

Oh I am so sorry Now in the arms of the angels

Did the vet do a smear to see if it was yeast or some sort of bacteria? Yeast is common but also can be hard to clear up. I use Surolan for Bob, 3 weeks minimum treatment. His ears do flare up because of seasonal allergies. The vet also gave him cortisone to control the inflamation and itching.

They are my vets too!! I've known Adrian for about 15 years. It's getting harder and harder to get an appointment with him though. The dogs won't co-operate and get sick when he is consulting. I've found Jon to be ok too. His quiet and gentle manner suits my very stressy dog.

I didn't have success with RR, but the lady at the health food shop suggested I choose up to five of the essences that suited my dog and she would make it up for me. I researched the essences on the net in relation to dogs and picked the ones I thought were most suitable for Bob who is an extremely stressy dog. I feel they worked really well. It was $6.95 well spent.

Hi Boxa, I've been keeping a watch on this thread. I'm so happy that Bondi is on the mend. Just wondering did you ever figure out what the 'pink bulb thing' was?