sheena Posted September 11, 2018 Share Posted September 11, 2018 In February I took my girl to the vet as she was limping, holding up her back leg & had swelling on her hock. The vet did xrays & diagnosed arthritis & put her onto Carprofen dose of 3/4 tablet up to one tablet daily. As she didn't appear to be in any pain, I reduced it to 1/2 a tablet a day. About a month ago I took her off them completely for a week but put her back on them as she started shaking & shivering with her tail between her legs & ears laid back, obviously showing signs of pain. She has been back to the vets twice since February, with the latest being just 6 weeks ago for her annual check up. I am surprised that they didn't notice that she was anemic. Last week the swelling in her rear hock reared it's ugly head. I couldn't get to see my normal vet so, by chance, went to another practice & I booked her in for a GA with a joint tap. She had blood test done including PCV as her gums were pale & it came back abnormal. She put her on Clindamycin for the infection in her hock which has really upset her appetite. The only thing she will eat, reluctantly, are pieces of kibble fed one at a time. The vet suspected a stomach ulcer as she had been on the anti-inflams for so long & her stools are dark & tarry, indicating a bleed from the stomach. She has been on Sucralfate for 5 days & repeated the test yesterday. My girl has lost another point & now only has a blood count of 27, whereas it should be 37. So now she is also on Omeprazole. She is still on the AB until she finishes the dose. She has lost over 1.5 kilos in a week. Any one else gone through this? Is there any foods that I should avoid with her? She ate a tiny bit of yogurt this morning & some bits of kibble & a few mouthfuls of milk & a couple of pieces of cheese. She sleeps most of the day. I have given up trying to hide the tablets in food as she just wont touch them. So they are going straight down her throat, which I hate doing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted September 11, 2018 Share Posted September 11, 2018 Sorry to read this, sheena. They can be such a worry, can't they. At least you're on to it now. As far as food goes, check with the vet if steamed chicken breast would be OK .. it's very bland and not too fatty, but does seem to be appealing to dogs. Sometimes, too, dogs that are not interested in normal food will be interested in wet cat food .. again check with the vet that this is OK .. in fact, they may carry a cat version of a Hills or Royal Canin intestinal diet range. Is she drinking OK? Just something else to watch. Couple of other things that I would be thinking about doing, or at least investigating .. if there's a specialist veterinary ultrasonographer anywhere nearby .. that might be worth doing to double check what's going on. And I'm lucky to have access to a good holistic vet as well as my lovely 'normal' one. My old Kirra was on a herbal pain relief powder for some years .. .. that was mainly because it was kidney sparing, but they can often mix up specific concoctions. Sending best get well wishesfor Bindi from sunny warm Tassie .. me and the weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted September 11, 2018 Author Share Posted September 11, 2018 Thanks Barb, I cooked her up some lovely steamed chicken with rice & sweet potato on the first night, but she wont touch it. She is drinking OK. I have tried all her favourites, raw egg, sardines, nice tinned dog food, but I havn't tried the cat food. I will try her on some cooked egg tonight & maybe a bit of yogurt. Just worried the yogurt might be too acidic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 11, 2018 Share Posted September 11, 2018 (edited) that's not good news at all.. she must be feeling poorly , indeed. AFAIK plain yoghurt is only mildly acidic ..less so than bread and milk and egg ....and nowhere near as acidic as a dog's tummy All I can suggest is that you get a couple of chicken carcasses , and an oxtail ..boil and simmer for a couple hours in not a lot of water with some carrot, celery ,parsley ( quite a lot) in it . strain , til you have a lovely rich liquid ..concentrated is GOOD ..as there will be collagen and protein and iron & allsorts in there . Keep solids aside ..when she starts eating ..pull off any meat bits to eat with vege bits See if she'll drink it ..or syringe it in slowly ..keep in fridge Sorry, can't be any more help. Edited September 11, 2018 by persephone 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest crazydoglady99 Posted September 11, 2018 Share Posted September 11, 2018 I'd be staying right away from dairy. Perhaps only a tiny bit of goat milk yogurt, or goats cheese. No cow dairy. No grains. And avoid starchy veg. I'd be avoiding chicken too. Scrambled eggs? Or saute some liver or Turkey mince. Some sort of broth if you have time. Even buying some meat *on bone* and slow cooking it in a big pot, shred the meat up to feed her, and then cook the liquid down to make a broth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Kisses Posted September 11, 2018 Share Posted September 11, 2018 It might not be appropriate, but perhaps you could ask your vet about nutrigel? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted September 12, 2018 Author Share Posted September 12, 2018 Thanks everyone, some good advice there to take on board, especially the Nutrigel. She brightened up quite a bit yesterday afternoon & I was able to get her to eat various bits & pieces in small quantities all throughout the afternoon. I did her a poached egg for dinner & shopped it up, but she wouldn't look at it. She ended up eating some cut up grilled sausage followed by a bit of kibble. Unfortunately, when she went to bed last night she chucked the whole afternoon up on her bed...none of it was digested. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 12, 2018 Share Posted September 12, 2018 (edited) Lactose free yoghurt, beef broth,soft and soothing on a bleeding 'wound'..poor girl... She may just enjoy drinking lactose free/goats milk? Some soft,flaky steamed fish? Edited September 12, 2018 by persephone 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted September 12, 2018 Author Share Posted September 12, 2018 Good news (I hope) I gave her boiled chicken with a bit of yogurt tonight. She scoffed it down as if she hasn't eaten in a week & then licked the plate. Now to see if she can keep it down. She has plenty more energy too 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted September 13, 2018 Author Share Posted September 13, 2018 This morning, she is going around sniffing all the food bowls & is almost back to be BC active. I took her for her first walk (on lead). She is still on the AB's but the vet said to try putting them in the freezer, as it slows down the release. Just a small thing, but has made the world of difference to her appetite 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 13, 2018 Share Posted September 13, 2018 Great news!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted September 13, 2018 Share Posted September 13, 2018 That sounds so encouraging, sheena. Would stick with the soft, bland stuff for now, while the gastric lining settles down. Interesting tip from the vet. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 13, 2018 Share Posted September 13, 2018 ..yes. Imagine she has ulcerated pads ... no shoes allowed ..but she needs to walk ;) stomach lining needs treating in a similar way ...very soft & smooth surface-to-surface contact .. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 How's Bindi doing, sheena? Hopefully things are settling down for her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted September 18, 2018 Author Share Posted September 18, 2018 She is carrying on like a mad crazy border collie & eating me out of house & home. She has an appointment this afternoon to check her blood levels again. I mainly have her on tinned dog food, eggs, yogurt, sardines & a bit of the kibble she loves & whatever vegies we have for dinner 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 Oh good girl, Bindi .. and top nursing job, sheena. Hope the vet is suitably impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted September 18, 2018 Author Share Posted September 18, 2018 Her blood count this afternoon was 36, just one short of perfect Still on the pills for another 6 weeks but in 4 weeks the vet will see about putting her on those injections for arthritis. No more anti-inflams for her. Some dogs can be on them for years without ill effect, but she is not one of them 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 Very Good news 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Kisses Posted September 20, 2018 Share Posted September 20, 2018 Have you looked into Antinol, Sheena? It might be helpful in conjunction with other things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted September 20, 2018 Author Share Posted September 20, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Papillon Kisses said: Have you looked into Antinol, Sheena? It might be helpful in conjunction with other things. Thanks, I will ask the vet about it. There was another one that someone recommended too....but I can't remember the name...4 something..4site ?? ETA...4cyte Edited September 20, 2018 by sheena 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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