Never Ending Health Problems

[Bailey Tuthill]

Hello all,

I'm hoping someone with some more knowledge of this breed can help me figure out what's going on with our pup, Sawyer. He's about 2 1/2 and has had digestion problems since we first got him. In the past year it has gotten much worse. He started to develop what looked like staph infections. We brought him to our vet at the time and it seemed they did everything to send the price up. The gave him anti-fungal shampoos, antibiotics, probiotics, antacids, yadayadayada. It didn't work. His hair was starting to fall out. We had a friend with a vet practice and decided to have him check out a new doctor. They thought it was allergies and started him on a hypoallergenic diet-- Hills Z/D. They also did a skin scraping and found staph so they put him on antibiotics. We all have staph on us all the time, so this seemed like a bit of a scam to me. The hypoallergenic food smelled really rich and had very large kibbles. It gave him bloat and GDV, luckily I caught it right away, brought him in to the vet, and he had surgery. Surgery is about $4,000. After that I decided to diagnose him myself. I dropped the antibiotics, bought a grain-free and chicken-free food, a homeopathic cream for spot treatment of bumps and lesions, within a week he looked significantly better. His hair grew back, he itched less, then he got worse again. He started throwing up, then started throwing up blood, then immediately afterwards was having the same effect on the back end. This was not pink, it was dark and thick. Obviously we brought him back to the vet again. They put him on a medley of pills including antibiotics, anti-nausea, antidiarrheal, probiotics, and antacids. They also gave him bland wet food that had grain in it. The blood stopped but the skin issues flared up again. I transitioned him back to his normal food. More blood--not as bad. Back to the wet food. No more signs of bleeding. After I ran out of cans I bought him a novel protein-- Kangaroo and red lentil. He liked it at first, then threw up after eating, then shied away from it in caution, then started eating it again. He's not crazy about it but is digesting it well. Though, he has thrown it up twice. He's still itching, but not as much. What to do... any comments or input would be a huge help. This dog is my shadow. He's high anxiety and can be a little terror if he doesn't get enough exercise, but he's the sweetest dog. I just can't afford these vet bills that seem to be just money pits with no results.

[Fran Griffin]

The amazing thing is Dianne too is that for the last 9 months, Barkley has been eating just about everything put in front of him.  He has even eaten cauliflower stems and carrots, which for him is nothing less than a miracle. My Red and White is on a permanent see food diet, and whallops everything straight down, but I'd had sooooo many issues with Barkley - just getting him to eat anything.  It took a while, but bit by bit it was as though he gained confidence that whatever he was eating wasn't going to make him feel bad.  I wish I had known all this when I had Nalle.  I fell out with Nalle's vets at the time - a massive fall out, as they blamed me for his condition.  However, I bumped into one of the vets at the practice manager out shopping at the beginning of last year and I got a HUGE apology from them out in the town centre, and they said they had wanted to do that for a long time.  I am back with them again now, and they have learned so much and taken so much on board.  Another thing with the bones Dianne. Tallulah used to have real problems with any non poultry bones. She would bring them all back up again the following morning. However, since she has been on the enzymes, this doesn't happen.  She loves Ribs, necks and all the the bones she couldn't previously have.

[julie madin]

Fran didnt you write somewhere that you had a problem getting the enzyme from Mercola? I could be wrong of course and be getting confused (menopause and all that). Could you advise and maybe  post a link to the enzymes please. thanks julie

[Fran Griffin]

I had a problem initially Julie, but have found two good suppliers:

http://www.evolutionorganics.co.uk/dr-mercola-healthy-pets/dr-merco...

and

Cheaper but not always as reliable at shipping: http://www.healthmonthly.co.uk/dr_mercola_healthy_pets_digestive_en...

[silvia]

Dear frank
Actually the first of these two links seems to have back the product. ..is the product that you recommend? Better than petplus? Thanks! I

[silvia]

dear Fran i mean,,,,  I am so bad with typing at the phone : )

[silvia]

Hi Fran! I just posted a help request with these enzymes, but in a separate discussion since i didnt want to flood this one : )

if you may have a look, may you please kindly give us your advise? the taste of the powder is so bad that I cant make Oberon opening his mouth if I put it on whatever food ; )

thanks!!!

s

[Mike]

Hi Everyone,

After years of owning many breeds of dogs, I have learned something. If you want to take good care of your dog, educate yourself.

Vets have an education, and hopefully; want to treat your dog successfully. Education is not everything...experience is just as important. Most vets will treat the obvious symptoms and hope for a good outcome, some will investigate further, a few will even try to solve the problem for a complete cure. Just because someone goes to vet school, does not make them perfect. All they know is what they are taught and what they have experienced after school.

It is obvious to me that Fran knows what she is talking about, she said a lot in her response. What she said, may not be pertinent in every situation....but the moral of her story is what is important.

Never take the word of a vet if it doesn't seem right or if the dog is not responding. You HAVE to educate yourself, no one knows your dog as well as you do. When there is a problem, find out what may cause it, what could cause it, and what IS causing it! Talk to the vet, explain your observations, tell the vet what you have learned, ask them what they think? Ask for specific test results, why are they using that treatment? Not only could you come up with a proper treatment, A vet will never forget that the dogs owner may have valuable information.

Over the years, I have questioned my vets, educated myself, given the vet material to read, and successfully treated dogs that have otherwise been "categorized" and treated as such. You may make an enemy, you may make a friend. You may save your dogs life!

Hope this helps someone and their pet.

Mike

 

 

 

 

[Fran Griffin]

Absolutely Mike.  Educate yourself. I have had to educate myself with my own condition too. Big time.  My specialist at Manchester Royal Infirmary asks me to keep in touch with things which I am learning too - as he has also found the information to be a learning curve.  They really don't know everything. They may (or may not as in my case) know how to identify a disease/condition (because mine was only discovered because my brothers specialist was on the ball to diagnose the  condition in him)  but they are never taught to locate the underlying cause and treat things from that angle. That's one thing I really have learned and which I hope the story of Tallulah puts across.  I have also managed to reverse a growing tumour inside myself much to the amazement of the specialist who was 'treating' me at the local hospital!  Knowledge is power.  In fact I have just sent an email to a dear friend of mine who is dangerously ill suggesting he researches his condition and  becomes his own doctor too.

[Mike]

Hi Fran, It is unfortunate, that sometimes we are put in that situation. Like you said, knowledge is power! Mike

[Dianne cook]

As usual Fran all inspiring reading! I will power ahead and change Ruby completely to raw (my daughter said today "just do it") I process our own meat, organ and bones.... it's just going to waste the foxes look healthy from it been dumped!! My only deepest regret was not changing our much loved retriever Shelby sooner to raw. She munched and crunched her way till the end and I know it made her happy! I believe all the processed food over her eleven years did her no good and most likely contributed to her cancer. Although she was taken with bloat like symptoms two weeks ago....I guess I'll never know :o((. Fran. Does natural homemade organic yoghurt help like enzymes do? Thank you once again for your help Fran. Dianne x

[Fran Griffin]

Home made yoghurt yes Dianne ;-) I also make raw milk kefir and give some to the dogs. They weren't too keen at first, so I just brushed it around their lips. Now they drink some from their bowls.  Another thing I give them to help with probiotic is unpasteurized cream if you can find a supplier. I am fortunate enough where I live at the moment that there is a local farm selling it. There is a website which sells raw milk www.hookandson.co.uk but they don't always have the cream (which is sooooo delicious and non fattening to humans, because it contains CLA and other interesting things, including good bacteria).

Good luck Dianne x

[Dianne cook]

Thank you Fran.
Adout ten years ago I laughed at my old Canadian alternative Neighbour with her jar and Kefir in it!! Hmmmm....whose the fool now! Not too sure of spelling...but the new thing is Cabooture (definitely not spelt right) a few make and drink it that live near by and our furkids animal Physio is into it too! So much to learn!! The cream sounds interesting Fran, I'll talk to my neighbours and see what they have to say. They make handmade organic sheep cheese and I can have milk from time to time...( they will die if they hear it's for my dogs BUT know me well!! Lol) No wonder there cross bred mutt Jacki looks so good, she is always given the milking wash water and loves it .....smart dog. :o) and will probably live forever. Take care, I do appreciate all your advice as I'm very keen to know more about Malabsorbtion....I'm positive that's been my old Irish health problem :0(