As many have advised, get him to the vet. I'd put my money on Parvo.

Dog Toy Dangers
 

I saw in a few earlier posts that someone had mentioned rawhides as being dangerous. I found out the hard way that rope toys are also not the best toys. My miniature daschund, Brutus used to play with them until 4 weeks ago when he had to have emergency surgery to remove the strings from his esophagus and stomach. The strings has lacerated his stomach and throat causing internal bleeding. Scary to say the least. The Vet told me that the only toy she recommends at all are Nylabone products which are made of materials that break into small enough pieces to be swallowed and digested without problems. They are also made of something that is non toxic if it does get swallowed. So thats my take on toy safety. Better safe than sorry.

It's Boo-Boo the MinPin's birthday today. Oh, and my preggo daughter turns 24. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1392406251

I buy my dog stuffed animals all the time at garage sales. In fact, she has inherited all of mine and my daughter's collections of web kinz. No more.I am sorting through her stuff as I pack it. She is only allowed to keep the things manufactured specifically for dogs. Why? Read this....

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/stuffedtoys.asp

Blade, you mentioned B-12 shots. What is the CC to pound dose ratio? Is this done by lifting up their fur and injecting right under that? What is the best/least painful area?


Thanks in advance.

my little old man is barely able to walk anymore. for anything outside, i have to towel walk him. he had a seizure the other day and of course off to the emergency room we went. because of his age. the dr said it would only be a few things one of which might be kidney and/or liver damage or a brain tumor. without doing extensive mri's, etc it would be hard to tell if it was a brain tumor but he did do bloodwork and his liver/kidney look fine. so as not to 'condemn him to a life of towel walking' he prescribed rimadyl and tramadol on a short two week trial basis and said to watch for more seizures and then we'll see in a follow up what to do next. i gave him the tramadol without too much hesitation [even though we are mostly holistic in our home and rarely use medicines opting normally for supplements, vitamins, diet, etc] because of the pain relief it offers, but i was very hesitant to give him the rimadyl after doing my online research. bad bad reputation. but then after two days of careful thought and weighing the pros and cons, i've decided to try the rimadyl keeping a hawk's eye watch on him. today is the second day. of course there is no change yet but i am hoping for some perhaps in a few days.

all of this is to ask, does anyone have any experience with rimadyl? good or bad? it's really a matter of quality of life at this point and what quality is there for a medium size [large size in his prime years] dog if he can't even walk to relieve himself or stretch his legs? these days now are so very difficult but are the most precious ever. each day is such a gift.

At this point you simply want to keep him comfortable. Side effects from drugs happen over a long time. I know how hard this is. When the quality of their life is over/low its time. having put down a few dogs just in the last year or so I decided if they can not use the bathroom or they stop eating. It's gut wrenching but often the right thing to do.

i completely agree. good to know about the side effects, thanks! he is still able to use the bathroom. i tie the strip of towel around his waist and off we walk very slowly only to the ends of the sidewalks around us. it's only his one rear leg that is so damaged. we sit down a lot when we're out and it's a very slow process but he still has so much life and joy in him. he loves to play tug o'war w/ the other towel i use to wipe his mouth after eating *lol* and chew on the rib bones i buy him. he eats really well still and has never met a bisquit he didn't love. i know our days are very numbered now and as long as he is still getting some joy out of life and still wagging that tail and perking those ears up, i have to call that quality. i can go the long haul with him and am doing now whatever it is he needs me to do. he's pretty much calling all the shots.

Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis (HGE) in Dogs
 

My baby, Blossom, was diagnosed with this in June. She spent 2 days in intensive care and has had a long recovery.

She's on prescription dry food and her vet taught me the basics of what I could cook for her at home.

The most effective/important aspects to this, that I have noticed so far, is that she really must have her sleep, and plain non-fat yogurt and pumpkin to keep her system balanced.

It really breaks my heart that her diet must be so strictly followed but the consequences of not adhering to it are so severe so....

I really don't think I would think twice before doing the same thing!
 

Agreed! :) Anything ever tried to gnaw on my puppy gal, I wouldn't think twice. That is MY baby.

Hey fellow pet parents,

I wandered over into this thread to ask if anyone had any suggestions for a replacement for rawhide chews?

My 9-year-old mini doxie loves-loves-LOVES :drool: her rawhide chews. She gets a small one in the mornings while I have my coffee. And a second one sometimes if she's having a stressful day. (Usually lawn-service day -- *grrr/gnaw/grrr* "We hatesssezzz the lawn man we does, yes we does." *grrrr*)

But lately, I've noticed she doesn't necessarily act like she feels so good after she's had her treat. She does better if I keep the chews small -- she's a glutton and will devour whatever I put in front of her until it is gone gone gone. And I've tried a few different brands but I'm not terribly satisfied with any particular one yet.

She's so small she fattens up easily. So filled rawhide treats are a no-no. We use carrots for treats throughout the day. And she's got some food allergies so she's on a raw food (lamb) diet.

She's a hardcore chewer. It's got to be something tough enough to keep her interested for a while. I tried to get her to chew a nyla bone but she's adamant she doesn't like them. And I tried natural hooves once but *gag* those stank. I won't bring another one back in the house. But if the item is too hard she loses interest -- I tried antlers boiled in broth (the pet store salesman swore they were a big seller) and she wouldn't even take a second glance.

So, any suggestions?

Just popped in to say the furminator is my friend! There has been no kitty puke since adding a supplement and using the Furminator. We (the two furry girls and I) are all happy about it.

Pig ears.
-------

I tried those once, too. *wrinkles her freckled nose* They also stink.

OK, maybe things that get chewed on naturally stink? *laughs*

Hmmm. OK, I'll try a pig ear one more time and see how that goes.

Thanks :)

Hmmmm... OK, I'll look for that kind next time I'm shopping. It is possible that the ones I bought before were flavored or something. I do remember I only let her chew them on her pet bed because they seemed to want to stain fabric. Thanks!

I have a fur kid thats alergic to heart worm pills of any kind,she gets so sick she pukes then has the runns all day.I cant use any kind of bug drops on her cause she acts like its burning her so all I am doing is bounce dryer pads,they worked on my horses face so I tryed them on her.I keep her tested so far she has tested clean.I keep her wormed with pills from the vet,she has no prob with her shots,just the bug drops and heart worm pills.My yard is sprayed for everything under the sun so no probs there.Any ideas folks?

I've never heard of using bounce dryer pads to keep pests off pets. And it works? Sounds Cool. I'll research. :) I bet they smell nice that way too. *giggles*
My dog takes interceptor to prevent heart worms. For my little dog it costs about $65 every 6 months. It's the only thing I've found that doesn't make her nauseous. Once, I tried some heartworm prevention pills that also included flea control and those were a very bad idea. I had a very sick dog for over a month.
I read somewhere that teatree oil repels fleas and ticks -- put it on a handkerchief and tie it around the hound's neck when they're outside. But only for really big dogs. You can't use it on little dogs -- something about their metabolism and size, the teatree oil screws with their nervous system. So, since my dog is a mini, I haven't tested that idea.
Our yard is treated. But with every other neighbor's cat thinking the back deck is a great bird-watching spot, it's impossible to really control the occasional outbreak of fleas.
I've looked for alternative flea and tick repellent for my li'l dog -- with no success. (See above mention of teatree oil.) So, right now I use the drops.
Tia, my dog, has a lot of scratching/chewing issues related to stress. She develops skin infections easily. And she doesn't not approve of flea spray on her pet bedding or drops on her fur. She and I negotiated and what I decided on, was instead of giving her a full dose once a month. I put about half the drops on every 2 weeks. This way she gets regular baths (weekly to every 2 weeks, depending on how soon she walks into the bathroom and demands a bath. Or whether she's found something stinky to roll in outside. LOL.) and I don't feel like I'm wasting money on medicine that gets washed off. She has pet beds in each room and I put old sheets on them for her to nest in. Each week the pet beds get sprayed and she gets clean sheets. Fleas don't have anywhere to breed but she doesn't have to lay directly on the chemical stinky stuff. Which she won't. She'll protest loudly first. Ever hear a hound dog cuss? I should video that sometime. I'd get a lot of hits on YouTube. *laughs*

:dogwalking:

I give my kids the waggin train big blast. Its a baked pork skin twist with chicken liver center, without the mess. I pick them up at walmart, but have seen them at target.

They love' em

But maybe only once a week, not every day? (you say she is small...they are larger).

Get the natural ones. Those shouldn't smell.

Give your dog those small carrots if you want to give her something every day.

Natural ones won't stain. Should be able to find them in a pet store. My store sells them in paperbags by the baker's dozen!

I have a huge (HUGE) serrated knife in the kitchen for cutting up rawhide chewy things. So we're definitely practicing portion control. :)

Good to hear!

I read recently that over 50% of dogs are overweight. People just don't think about how that can effect their pets health or mobility. My dog is definitely lighter on his feet when slim and trim. Makes him happy.

My Tia is a slim 11 pounds these days. Poor baby was up to 16 pounds at one point and in so much pain and so lethargic she couldn't even walk outside to pee.

I had a goober for a significant other that would feed the dog Doritos when I wasn't around. And I had a goober for a vet that kept telling me she had slipped a disc.

I ditched the goober ex. And I found a new vet. Not exactly in that order, but you get the picture.

Turns out, it was arthritis in her hips and a kneecap with a tendency to slip that made it hard for her to walk. She's on a raw diet now. And glucosamine. And so very fit for a 9-year-old lady. And she's happy and can RUN RUN RUN through the house and all over the yard. *laughs*

My Kat, affectionately referred to as alarm kat, (never late in waking me, because he gets fancy fest then) was weighing in at 22 pounds. Yes, I know. He was looking like the foot stool too. I thought he was a big Tom Kat. The
Vet told me to put him on Purina One Lite Crunchies, he can still have the spoon full of fancy feast two times a day....but he must loose 5 pounds.

I made him start running around the house, I actually engaged with him (as if he was a dog) initially he was like
WTF? Because you know, they, Kats in general, are lazy.
Soon he started liking it. It took almost two years, he did alot of spiteful things in the beginning when I changed his crunchies.....like purposely barfing in my slippers, you know....the kind where they binge, then purge....all the unchewed food.....purposely (key word here) to let me know he was not happy about these changes. He came around.

LOL.

The vet said I extended his life 3 to 5 years by getting him into better shape. He looks better too. His fur is so different. He was eating fancy feast crunchies (expensive!)
apparently, it's like Mcdonalds. No wonder he was acting out. I took away the double cheeseburgers, and gave him extra value meals. He is still on the lite.....he's down to
13 lbs and is 12 years old now.

I think that part of the problem is that people are not even aware as to what their dogs should look like. Seriously. I don't think people are always aware that their dogs are overweight.

Then of course they feel "bad" when they can't give Fido extra treats or table food.

I have the worst time with my mother. She just doesn't get it and wants to give my guy too many treats. Whenever she keeps him for me for a period of time (she keeps him when I go on vacation), I come back to a bigger dog. Since he only weighs 13 lbs he is easy to put weight on.

So far rowdy is doing ok with out the heart worm meds,I thought I could give her half a dose but the vet said that the way the pills are made the meds could be unevenly mixed in the pill.She also had a prob with itching but I got iodine shampoo wich cleard that up so now I only use it when needed,All he hair on her butt and back grew back really nice.I tought I may get some fly wpes I use to use on my horseits like a baby wipe with repelent in it..may be to strong for a small dog or dogs ingeneral..I will check it out.She loves a bath ad gets in the shower with me all the time just to injoy the water,this year I had a kiddy pool with a non slip servface for her and Diva the pug to play in..both my fur kids are spoiled to the core.

I dont know about the rest of you but well, my Boxer Gouda gets the best food/toys/treats/supplements etc etc that I can afford(and sometimes I cant afford..lol). I do tons of research and belong to a few boards which are a wealth of information.

Just curious about a few things:

What food do you feed your dog(s) and why did you choose that food?

I feed Gouda Taste Of The Wild Pacific Salmon. I feed it because its grain free and is what I feel si the best food for the price.

What supplements if any do you give your dog?

Gouda is in remission from Cancer and has lived longer then any of the Vets including her oncologist said she would. I give her safflower oil daily because the oncologist suggested it and in some tests was shown to help dogs with Goudas specific type of cancer. I just ordered some coconut oil and will try that for the first time. She has terrible allergies and its suppose to have a lot of great benefits. One last thing I give her daily is Apple Cider Vinegar. It has some great health benefits as well. Just Google coconut oil and ACV

How many times a week do you buy something for your dog(food, treats, toys etc)

It seems I can not go to a store without buying her something!

Are you fanatical (like me) about making sure they get all their preventatives (heartworm fleas/tick etc) and do you make sure they get all their vaccinations and check ups?

I took Gouda in 1 month earlier for her annual check up just because I couldnt wait to see if any signs of the cancer was present, which it wasnt! :) I'm weird I know!

Bottom line for me I will sacrifice my own "extras" to make sure Gouda is taken care of properly. As far as her Cancer treatment...uumm lets just say I have never admitted out loud how much that cost me lol


Here she is with HER chicks she adopted

http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/...udachicks2.jpg

Great topic!
 

Me in bold black type.

DapperButch I'm sure we could have a lot of interesting conversations about our dogs and health. I might not take great care of myself but Gouda gets the best(I'm sure Freud would have a hay day with that).

I have always been against Hills Science diet but now you have me interested in reading more about the Natures Best

I too look very closely at the ingredients. I have no problem with Brown Rice either, and like you I make sure there are a lot of fruits an veggies as well.

I need to stop being so lazy and make her homemade treats. I used to do that a lot but now I usually just do it as Christmas presents for my friends dogs.

What kind of dog is yours? If you mentioned before I guess I missed it

Question-

My lottle guy is positive and now symptomatic for hip dysplasia. Not as difficult to deal with in terms of pain and disability as it is with large breeds. But, when he is in pain, I am a mess.

I give him supplements including omegas and flax seed oil and glucosemine & condroitin with MSM. But I have heard that dogs can be given "people" supplements for the G & C and it is much less expensive. Does anyone know about this? My concern is the dosing and I always am concerned about additives and if they are things that dogs can digest. Yet, I am in for some vet bills along the way with this including surgeries later and saving a few bucks would help. He already is on a Rx diet for urinary issues (he can develop kidney stones) and that costs a mint. But, far better than developing stones.

Also- any ideas of where I can get a good deal on a lightweight ramp? I was able to build him an outdoor ramp for my backyard stairs, but I want to eliminate stairs anywhere, including up onto my bed. His "staircase" to slumberland has to become a ramp.

Thanks and blessings to all of our fur people!!!

Sorry to hear your guy is having trouble.

I would be hesitant to give my dog human supplements unless I was told by a vet it was safe to do so. You don't think your vet would be honest if you asked him/her this? I mean, since you are asking us I am assuming you think your vet would tell you it is not safe, even if it is? If you can't trust your vet to answer this question, I personally would get a new one!