Missing My Murphles... Day 4 @ The Vet

[charly]

Well, I guess there's a lot of fiber to be found in there...dunno.

They love the covers

 

[Dix]

They love the covers

Love, love, love the covers

 

[Flatbedford]

Mrs. Flatbedford has been preparing food our Jesse James (9 1/2 y.o. Lab) since he was diagnosed with cancer a couple months ago. She found the recipe in a book about fighting cancer in dogs. He eats ground beef and turkey boiled with various veggies as well. It is recommended that there be little or no grain in a dog's diet. He also has omega fish oils added to every meal. Since on this diet, he has lost excess weight, his coat has become softer and shinier, and his bowel movements have become more consistent. I'm sure you can help Murph by adjusting his diet. If your vet can't offer dietary advice for Murph, I think you should find another one who can, or do some research in your own. They need good food just as much as we do.
Happy to hear he's well again. I hope you can find a more long term solution / prevention plan for him.

 

[charly]

Raw meat is better , as they are getting all the live enzymes in the food... Heat destroys all the vitamins and enzymes in the meat. We just warm ours to room temp or a little above on low heat... If your worried about any bacteria, freeze the meat first for 24 hours.. Dogs digestive tracts are so short that they don't have the sitting time for the body to absorb any bad bacteria.. Otherwise all these animals eating road kill and cats eating raw mice would be dead. Their systems are set up for a raw diet, that's what they ate in the wild... We've never had issues... Yes their are plenty of good recipes on line as well... Look up raw food dog recipes.

 

[Flatbedford]

We don't do raw, but it is believed that boiled is still an improvement over conventional due to lower temperatures.

 

[charly]

We don't do raw, but it is believed that boiled is still an improvement over conventional due to lower temperatures.

Beats the dog food bag for sure! I read that dog food is sprayed with {who knows where the fat came from} fat to keep its shape as it's heat processed.. Nice thing is , you can see how much you dog looks foward to eating a home made meal,, raw marrow bone after their food and they're in heaven...

 

[Flatbedford]

My guy is a Lab. He's in heaven when any food is even close to him.

We have read that the heat processing can make even good food carcinogenic. That's the idea of the lower heat in boiling.

 

[Dix]

Vet is talking about diet change. Right now hes on canned (Mighty Dog) mixed with water and a little Beneful, as he turned up his nose at the stuff from the vet Friday morning

He's had one blood test, and needs another this Saturday to figure out the low platelet issue. They also said that the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever he has could be a cause

Quite a sick little dog. But on the mend. I have to wonder how uncomfortable he was before, and you never even knew it.

 

[Flatbedford]

Unfortunately, they have to be pretty sick before they tell you. No pack animal wants to be the sick one.

 

[charly]

Unfortunately, they have to be pretty sick before they tell you. No pack animal wants to be the sick one.

Our old Shepard mix had a bad tooth and we never knew it until I was checking her teeth... Vet took it out and said she had to be in pain...Your right, they never show pain as in a pack they would be the weak one and be attacked...Now I brush their teeth from time to time... Those molars on older dogs can build some major plaque.

 

[Hearth Mistress]

Vet is talking about diet change. Right now hes on canned (Mighty Dog) mixed with water and a little Beneful, as he turned up his nose at the stuff from the vet Friday morning

He's had one blood test, and needs another this Saturday to figure out the low platelet issue. They also said that the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever he has could be a cause

Quite a sick little dog. But on the mend. I have to wonder how uncomfortable he was before, and you never even knew it.

Dixie, ask your vet about a grain free diet. I went through this with my Jack Russell. We thought it was his spleen but after a few days of prednisone, he was back to normal. We used limited ingredient diet dog food Natures Balance venison/sweet potato and he got progressively better - 2 ingredients, easy to digest. after months of trial and error, he was diagnosed with inflamatory bowel disease. He had very low albumen levels too and was on eggs whites to build his blood protein back up . He lived 5 extra years after we thought we were going to lose him. He was on metronidizole and prednisone everyday but he was great, passed last summer at 12 going into the vet for a check up, heart attack, no warning, just gone.

I use Fromm's dog food now and both dogs are happy and healthy little fellas. Beneful and mighty dog have all sorts of ingredients, mostly grains though, so it will be hard to pin point something in his diet.

Also, Lymes disease can pull platelets down too, if they do other blood, be sure they check for that too, it's really bad here in Bucks County in people and animals.

Good Luck!

 

[Dix]

Dixie, ask your vet about a grain free diet. I went through this with my Jack Russell. We thought it was his spleen but after a few days of prednisone, he was back to normal. We used limited ingredient diet dog food Natures Balance venison/sweet potato and he got progressively better - 2 ingredients, easy to digest. after months of trial and error, he was diagnosed with inflamatory bowel disease. He had very low albumen levels too and was on eggs whites to build his blood protein back up . He lived 5 extra years after we thought we were going to lose him. He was on metronidizole and prednisone everyday but he was great, passed last summer at 12 going into the vet for a check up, heart attack, no warning, just gone.

I use Fromm's dog food now and both dogs are happy and healthy little fellas. Beneful and mighty dog have all sorts of ingredients, mostly grains though, so it will be hard to pin point something in his diet.

Also, Lymes disease can pull platelets down too, if they do other blood, be sure they check for that too, it's really bad here in Bucks County in people and animals.

Good Luck!

Interesting you mention the spleen. He had a blot clot on his spleen that was removed when they did the bladder/stone surgery. Sent out for tests, came back negative (vet figured it would). Figured the clot was a result of the stones, bladder infection, etc.

Negatory on the Lyme (although I am fighting it), but... also Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Freaking ticks

 

[Jack Fate]

best wishes , have lost last two due to cancer

Like to see one win

 

[MasterMech]

Beneful and mighty dog have all sorts of ingredients, mostly grains though, so it will be hard to pin point something in his diet.​

Dix, Jeni is giving you some great advice here!

Right now hes on canned (Mighty Dog) mixed with water and a little Beneful,​

Go ahead and ask my wife (dog professional) what she thinks about those two foods - and be prepared for the response. You were warned. (Beneful is one in particular that she has a grudge with....) One of the things I hear her repeat over and over again is how important a quality diet is for your dog. You would be amazed at how many of the foods your vet (yes, your vet!) sells that are bottom of the barrel as far as quality goes. With the exception if the prescription foods like ID, my wife will not feed Science Diet.

You can buy good foods in stores like Tractor Supply (sorry Dix, I know that doesn't help you in LI) or farm feed stores but even better would be an "Animal Deli" or a specialty pet store. Sometimes the major chains also have good foods but it's a needle in a haystack if you know what I mean. If your out food shopping for Fido, check the ingredients. If the first major ingredient is corn or corn meal, keep looking. Another tip off is if you can buy a 60lb bag for under $20 (or any other similar price to quantity ratio).

Also important that if you're changing your pet's diet (or any other animal in fact) that those changes be made gradually, if at all possible, over a period of at least 2 weeks. Helps prevent "accidents" and might even keep him from turning up his nose at the new food.

 

[Dix]

Message from the vet on m cell today. She was in the office, and saw that Murph's 2nd blood test came back, and it looks like the liver is involved She had left when I called back, will speak with her tomorrow.

I'll be shifting him to home made food... from scratch chicken & dumplings in the crock pot today ( I have to watch the salt, so how better to start? ), Ill be saving and cooking & freezing portions.

 

[Jags]

I want to be your dog.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I want to be your dog.

 

[MasterMech]

For Jags:



For Dix:

 

[Beer Belly]

our Frisco (avatar) had Heptitas of the Liver....discovered during one of his operations.....they didn't like the look of the Liver, and did a biopsy. That was when he was probably 10 years old, meds and Prescription food, he finally passed at the age of 17 years....still hurts....tearing up as I write this while I listen to "Feed Jake" (Master Mech post)