41 replies to this topic

[CAB]

The vet has actually weaned Coby off the thyroid pills and we are going to wait about a month to do blood panels on him. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why did your vet decide to do this? If his thyroid is inactive, and he is doing well on his meds, you'd think that they would keep him on the same dose, not wean him off. Hypothyroidism is a lifetime disease.

Edited by CAB, 23 October 2006 - 03:05 PM.

[Arda]

Man, I can't believe these vets. Let me get together some helpers for Misty. Sharen or Daisy or Kelly, slide in here with the technical jargle. Sometimes they have too much digestive ensymns in the gut. Part of them is killed off and they stop having problems. Is it Cephalexin they use. I know if she was here she'd be on Tylan. We did not have this problem with her or you would not have gotten her. If I send you some, will you try it? And I can't understand why they want Cobalt off the thyroid meds.

[Stef]

My vet refused to do a thyroid last year because he "has lots of energy and he's not putting on weight". (I was trying to figure out why his hair was falling out...) I figure if I'm going to foot the bill - they should do it. I'm going to have complete blood work done in November because I want to know - but I don't understand why they refuse, or change things that are working.

There's a holistic vet in Windsor that I'm thinking of trying. It's just hard when I can't get time off for vet visits during the day...

[CAB]

My vet refused to do a thyroid last year because he "has lots of energy and he's not putting on weight". (I was trying to figure out why his hair was falling out...)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dogs can have hypothyroidism, yet NOT have these symptoms. Just look at Cocoa. She certainly was not overweight at the time of diagnosis and she had lots of energy. The only real symptom that she had was visable hair loss.

[Kennysmom]

I'd believe the digestive enzyme thing in a heartbeat. She's VERY mucusy....gross. I know Joe's Jada had a bout last year and the vet said it was too much protien. She's fine now.
I would LOVE to try Tylan if you send me some...I can't get my jack axx vet to even TALK to me. ...if I had some time off left, I'd take her to the vet in Battle Creek.

[Vicki_Wood]

My vet took Coby off so that he could do blood levels with no medicine. He thought he was on too high a dosage and was just too hyper. Don't worry though, this is just a temporary situation until the blood platlets are checked. I won't let my dogs go without the medicine they need. Plus, this is my ex-husband and he takes really good care of my dogs. Quite honestly, I don't know how we could have all lived with Cody he was so hyper and he also put him on some very good gel caps for his skin and coat to ensure there are no problems and so far there are not. He is watched very closely for any problems at all.

[Vicki_Wood]

Oh, and this is my first husband, not the 2nd husband that I absolutely cannot stand.

[Kzoo]

Just on the off beaten trail here........Mucus in the stool, and watery stool sounds like what my cat had. We had him tested for normal parasites/worms. Nothing. He kept pooping all over, than had extreme pain. Took him back to the vet and they tested him for giardia. You have to specifically ask for that test, it costs $25 to test for ONLY that one thing. The normal parasite/worm test does not detect giardia. Just wanted you to know that. My cat DID have giardia which is highly contagious (so my vet said) to humans and other animals. It was very easy to fix though. I am not sure how my cat got this, as no one else got it and our water was tested....Negative. Vet said he probably had it when we got him and it took him a while to get the symptoms. Apparently you can be a carrier of it and it can take a while to show up ..........I am not sure, as it was a year and a half ago that this happened. Still have no idea how he got it, but he is cured :-)
Just a thought.................I hate it when animals get the scoots, they can't help it and it gets tiring cleaning up after it.
We also had to feed my cat yogurt, as it has the good bacteria in it (as someone else mentioned). I saw giardia come up earlier, but I never saw where your dog was tested for it, I guess I just wanted you to know that it is a specific test, not something they generally test for. It apparently comes from dirty water.
Good Luck!!!
I have my surgery tomorrow so I may not be on for a little while a week or so. I will catch up with everyone later. (Hopefully I am back sooner!)
Melissa K.

[bumpster]

I had to look giardia up. Here's a link.

http://www.priory.com/vet/giardia.htm

[brownsmom]

Good luck with surgury!!!

[Kzoo]

Just read the link, very interesting. I remember some of the talk from my vet, but like I said it was a year and a half ago. Sounds like they can be carriers for a while before it ever shows up. Never had other animals tested, but they have no symptoms either. My cat was in such severe pain you wouldn't have been able to take it, I felt terrible after I found out what it was!!
Thanks for the post!
Melissa K.

[jmnodwell]

I had to look giardia up.  Here's a link.

http://www.priory.com/vet/giardia.htm

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We thought this was Bella's problem too... but kept treating her and it didn't help... ended up to be food allergies...

[jmnodwell]

My vet refused to do a thyroid last year because he "has lots of energy and he's not putting on weight". (I was trying to figure out why his hair was falling out...)  I figure if I'm going to foot the bill - they should do it.  I'm going to have complete blood work done in November because I want to know - but I don't understand why they refuse, or change things that are working. 

There's a holistic vet in Windsor that I'm thinking of trying.  It's just hard when I can't get time off for vet visits during the day...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dr. Jean Dodds is supposed to be the best in the business just scroll down for the thyroid and bloodwork stuff...

http://www.itsforthe...com/HEMOPET.HTM

her website
http://www.hemopet.com/

and most of her work is via mail... and Stef, she takes non-USA samples for testing...

[Kennysmom]

You have to specifically ask for that test, it costs $25 to test for ONLY that one thing. The normal parasite/worm test does not detect giardia.

But of course, since we ALL have gone to school for Jr Vetrinary medicine. Sorry...slightly sarcastic becuase I don't understand why WE have to specifically ask for anything. And Dr's wonder why we rely on WebMd so much.
When I brought the sample in ....I did specifically say that I wanted it tested for ALL worms and parasites. I don't think they did a parasite test....but they said that they did. (the worm test took 10 minutes...the 'parasite test' took the time to walk in the back and back up front again)

She at least has gotten some of her spunk back. I think she was tired from growing pains. I'm slowly working in samples of the Natural Balance...so far so good...still soft, but not watery and I'd kind of expect that with what she's been eating for the last week. I just put a little bit of it in with her oatmeal so she can hopefully build up to it.

[Kzoo]

Vet told me the reason they don't specifically check for giardia is because it usually ISN'T that........and they have to check specifically. Who the heck knows haha, I am not a vet! Just listen to one every blue moon :-)
Melisssa K.

[KellyB]

Hey Everyone,
I'm not sure if your vet reads the stool samples in house by flotation or sends them to a lab. Our practice sends them out to a lab and we have the resaults the next day. They have found a lot more positives than we were finding. Some parasites are very hard to detect under microscope.

I too would find another vet, if they dont have time to call you back or even bother then look elsewhere. Our vets get numerous calls and they return calls between appointments or before the leave for the day.

When I took Dakota in to have her thinning hair checked out, Thyroid test is the first thing the vet wanted to do. Dakota hasn't gained weight acts the same but she wanted to check it. I had a Pre-op blood test done on her when I had her teeth cleaned last year so she had something to go by. Dakota was on the low end of normal. We are going to check it again in a few months. Right now she's on Canine F.A./Plus Granules for Omega Fatty Acids, Vitamins and Minerals.

Kelly

[Kennysmom]

I talked to another vet today, but they don't have the kits to test for Giardia. She said that she also thinkgs it's a food problem and to try the exact same food that she was eating at the rescue since she wasn't having the issues there.

You all feed just the plain old adult Pedigree, correct??

Edited by Kennysmom, 25 October 2006 - 10:26 AM.

[Prince_Pride]

Sounds like you need to find a new vet.  Have you heard of this product?  It's suppose to be as close to raw as you can get in a kibble. 

http://www.naturapet...pro...3D'1246']

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

*Please note that EVO should not be fed to a large breed puppy but regular Innova (all life stages formula, green bag) is fine*

EVO is what I feed Prince and he does great on it. Not very much stool and it's dark and solid. And I really like how there are no grains...no corn, wheat, soy b/c those seem to be some of the more common allergens for dogs. And I really like how they use human grade ingredients with no BHA/BHT or any nasty chemicals like those which may be cancer causing

Please remember if you do try any of the Innova lines to be very very very careful of overfeeding. This will definately cause runs since it is a richer food. I only have to feed Prince 1.75-2 cups a day. Any more than that and he puts on weight (it has alot more calories than most of the "name" brands)

On Natura's website there is also a comparison wizard. You can choose up to 4 different foods and compare the ingredients. Maybe that will help you find a food that Akina will do good on.

Edited to add the comparison tool: http://www.naturapet....php?d=comp-wiz

Edited by Prince_Pride, 25 October 2006 - 12:21 PM.

[Stef]

My mom's beagle is on Innova EVO. He looks amazing although not everyone has good results from it. (He was significantly overweight and the "maintenance/weight management" programs made him lethargic and dulled his coat.) He's been on it since last May.

[Kennysmom]

Thought I’d post an update on Akina’s ‘health’ issues, just simply because I’m getting to a bit more at ease with the situation.
After some trial and error with different foods, she seems to be doing ok with the Dick Van Patten’s Duck & Potato formula. She still has some ‘soft’ stools, but they are FAR better than what we were dealing with, at least she can give me warning and she’ll get outside. I don’t give her ANY other food except maybe carrots or boiled eggs. She has been putting weight back on and looks SO much better than she did. She has also gained a lot of her energy back, so it’s back to the crazy dog wars in the backyard. I’m sure Kenny is so very glad she’s back in a playful mood. I have to admit, I did like how nice and quiet it was around the house…..but it sure is nice knowing that she’s looking and feeling better and she is such a little cutie when she full of herself.
I don’t think we are totally out of the woods yet, but things certainly are looking a lot brighter than what they were a couple of weeks ago.

Thanks for everyone’s advice.