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tracy | 10 years ago
Why Does My Dog Eat His (or Other Dogs) Poop? I Have A Fairly Large…

Why does my dog eat his (or other dogs) poop? I have a fairly large yard, so I don’t know whose he’s eating..could be his, our other dog or a neighbor. He then comes inside and vomits (the smell is the giveaway as to what he ate)

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  1. Joe Mccollum

    Would you recommend using a shock collar as a training aid?

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Pawbly | 10 years ago
What Can I Do For An 8 Month Old Puppy With Terrible, Smelly Gas?

What can I do for an 8 month old puppy with terrible, smelly gas?

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  1. Christina Chambreau

    Could you tell me what you are feeding, what supplements you give and how long the gas has been going on?  How are his/her stools – firm, soft?  When does the gas occur – anytime, or only after meals? If the stools are soft it would be good to have the stool checked for parasites by your local veterinarian.

    The quick and easy answer is to begin using probiotics. My favorite is Mitomax, a super probiotic. I have had many animals’ smelly gas clear up while using
    this, though sometimes they need to stay on it. Unlike other probiotics, it is
    very stable and is ok at the low stomach pH.There is an icon on my home page for it (www.MyHealthyAnimals.com). You could also get other pet probiotics if near a pet health store. (by the way, if you put in your city, we can be more specific in our answers)

    The longer answer is to generally improve health. There are 7 keys that can help you do this, with a link on my home page. 

    Please let me know a little more and if you have questions about the holistic approach (7 keys to health). 

     

  2. Elizabeth Kinser

    Thank you both for your answers. Answering your questions – we have two Bernese Mountain Dog puppies (8 months) and they have had recurrent stomach problems. After treating for parasites and changing foodwhen they were younger, they seemed to have settled down. They are eating Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Chicken and Sweet Potato. Once they switched to that, the diarrhea and soft stools stopped, however, the gas continued but sporadically. I was also giving them VetriScience Probiotic chews, but stopped that when we were trying to figure out what was causing the stomach issues. They ate nothing but dog food. As I stated earlier, when they switched to the Natural Balance, that helped quite a bit, but the gas continued. In the last week, the gas got really bad and was occurring throughout the day. I started them back on the probiotics with no change. Last night, after they ate, one had soft stool and the other had diarrhea. I took samples in to JVC because there were what appeared to be little worms in the soft stool.

    Any suggestions/recommendations for food would be great. Things we have tried – Purina Puppy (what the breeder fed them), Iams Premium Protection Puppy (seemed to be ok, but I couldn’t find it in anything but a 12 lb. bag and with two large puppies it was not practical), Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Lamb and Rice (gave them diarrhea, thought it might be the lamb), Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Chicken and Sweet Potato (best so far, but still gassy).

    Thanks for all your advice – I appreciate it.

  3. Christina Chambreau

    the small worms you saw were probably tapeworms, whose eggs may not show up on a fecal, so be sure the vet staff saw the worms that you saw. they could also just be fly larvae and not from inside the dogs. 

    Tthere are a number of holistic approaches that could stop the gas and even firm up the stools (raw meat diet, other diets, marshmallow root, aloe vera, charcoal, slippery elm, Reiki, flower essences to name a few) and conventional drugs. 

    Since this has been a chronic issue, the very best approach will be to address the underlying energetic imbalance (Qi/Vital Force/Pranna) causing them to have a sensitive digestive tract. This is best done by an integrative veterinarian (links at my site – http://www.MyHealthyAnimals.com) who has many options to cure the underlying issues so you will not be dealing with digestive issues for life. 

    Health is a journey, and there is not one right approach, so you may need to try different modalities or different practitioners on the path to deep healing. 

    In terms of food, I would seriously explore feeding a fresh meat diet. What
    are the best diets for people or animals — the most processed or the freshest,
    most organic?
    The best ingredients should be the most
    consciously raised – local, organic vegetables, free ranging protein sources.
    Dogs and cats have ripping and tearing teeth, bone crunching teeth, no
    digestive juices in the mouth, jaws that do not chew, a stomach full of acid
    where the food sits for 4-12 hours and a very short transit time in the
    intestines. Dogs and cats do not pull out a knife to de-bone their prey and do
    not pull out matches to light a fire to cook their meat and vegetables.
    Therefore the best diet for dogs and cats is raw meat including raw bones,
    pureed raw and cooked vegetables and a few supplements (Calcium if no bones are
    eaten is critical). There are many good books to guide you along with integrative veterinarians. Some TCVM (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine) practitioners will suggest cooking meats or using specific foods as part of their food therapy. 

    For processed foods, the Whole Dog Journal publishes a yearly review of the different brands. You want ones using organic sources, even to the point of organic grains being fed to the chicken and the beef not being finished with grains. The GMO and concomitant pesticides/fertilizers are causing a lot of intestinal distress in sensitive dogs. 

     

  4. Elizabeth Kinser

    Thanks, Krista. They tested positive for giardia. How long do you recommend between the three fecals? I’ll be bringing the first sample in for re-testing in about 2 weeks. Three tests every 2 weeks or longer in between? They are feeling and smelling better 🙂
    Elizabeth

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Jana | 10 years ago
3-4 Year Old Lab Seizure 2 Days Post [unknown] But Bite – Could It Be…

3-4 year old lab seizure 2 days post [unknown] but bite – could it be related or coincidence?

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  1. Jana Post author

    Seizures two days after the bite. Bitten by what exactly unknown.

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Jana | 11 years ago
So What The Heck Makes A Dog’s Stomach Quite Upset For About 3hrs And Then…

So what the heck makes a dog’s stomach quite upset for about 3hrs and then all seems normal again without vomiting?

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  1. Jana Post author

    We played and did some training games etc and she was eager for her treats. Then she went to sleep. Later, when I’m making her breakfast she typically comes over for a treat. She didn’t. I brought one to her and she didn’t want it. I could see from her face and the way she was acting her stomach was upset. I just could tell. Some minimal lip licking, no drooling (Jasmine would always drool when her belly was upset). This was just the facial expression, the grimasse of the mouth, the way she was overall.

    At first I was worried the pancreatitis was coming back. Then I remembered that last time she was outside she appeared to had been chewing on something. But there was nothing in that area. I went to look. There was some digging and some disturbed roots. Wasn’t clear whether from the digging or whether she ate some.

    Worried I went online trying to figure out what plant could the roots be of. Found out that most likely from bittersweet nightshade. Was so worried that I ended up calling Poison Hotline. And then, couple hours later she looked fine again.

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Pawbly | 11 years ago
Doggies Get Stressed And Anxiety Too – Here’s Some Natural Help On Today’s “Woof Wednesday…

Doggies get stressed and anxiety too – here’s some natural help on today’s “Woof Wednesday” post http://wellnessfromkipperskitchen.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/natural-support-for-dogs-with-stress-and-anxiety/

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Pawbly | 11 years ago
Is It Still Epilepsy If My Dog Only Had A Seizure At Age 5…

Is it still epilepsy if my dog only had a seizure at age 5 and then 9?

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  1. Jana

    Hi Elizabeth,

    from the way you’re asking I’m assuming that it was diagnosed as epilepsy the first time around? At the age of 5 it would be a likely diagnosis. How was it diagnosed and was it treated in any way?

    “The two most important factors in the diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy
    is the age at onset and the seizure pattern (type and frequency). If
    your dog has more than two seizures within the first week of onset, your
    veterinarian will probably consider a diagnosis other than idiopathic
    epilepsy”

    http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/neurological/c_dg_epilepsy_idiopathic_genetic

    Onset of seizures in a dog older than 5 years, it can be metabolic or neurological (a lesion like a brain tumor).

    So the question on my mind would be, is it the same thing as it was four years ago or is there something else going on? If it was me I would want to revisit this with my vet.

    http://dawgbusiness.blogspot.ca/2012/10/really-angry-vet-winstons-first-seizure.html

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Pawbly | 11 years ago
Zoey Has Been Doing This Since She Became Older. We Now Roll Up All…

Zoey has been doing this since she became older. We now roll up all rugs, clear countertops, remove plush toys, let them out repeatedly before leaving. This happens whether we are gone for 2hrs or 6hrs. We understand it is probably the anxiety that causes her to urinate and defecate. We also understand the behaviors are related to the same. But it is so disheartening and honestly, frustrating, when we return home to find what she has done. We are now trying the wall plug phermones, trying not to make it a big deal when we leave or come home and most importantly, trying not to react when we discover her latest destruction.

To make it worse, my 1 male who is dominant will mark her urinated spots if we do not clean and neutralize it sufficiently… which we always try to do. It seems the issue is cascading and we are at wits end.

Any thoughts?

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  1. Brian Downie

    Sounds good and thanks!  We will setup an appointment with you to get a general checkup and talk about behaviorists.

    Brian and Ericka 

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Jana | 11 years ago
Cookie Just Jumped Off A Snow Bank And “fell”? To The Sidewalk; I Could Hear…

Cookie just jumped off a snow bank and “fell”? to the sidewalk; I could hear the clunk but couldn’t really see what she hit in how fast it happened … assuming head … ? She seems fine, do I freak out?

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Jana | 11 years ago
Question For Dr. Krista; Sorry, Complicated Question(?)

First, To Review For Benefit Of Others Reading This…

Question for Dr. Krista; sorry, complicated question(?)

First, to review for benefit of others reading this question:

Patient: Cookie
Rottweiler, spayed female, 2 years old

Presented with lethargy, anorexia, vomiting and diarrhea (threw up only twice and one time diarrhea, then taken to vet, given antiemetics and antibiotics; diagnosed with pancreatitis; getting better since – this was Monday)

During exam foreign material found in stool (grain and corn; we think she got into the horse feed) painful cranial abdomen, low and large bowel diarrhea, enlarged submandibular nodes – this part worries me because these were temporarily enlarged not long ago; resolved quickly, though)

As I’m reviewing the blood results, there are things I could understand as being consistent with digestive distress/pancreatitis but some which are concerning me, namely the globulin and lymphocyte levels, even though they are not extremely low but low nonetheless.

Beside the cPL which is clear in its meaning, the free T4 is low – I assume this is what is meant by not testing for hypothyroidism in ill animals, because the thyroid hormones would be low with any disease process? Is that correct?

I would figure that the ALT/unhappy liver enzymes would also be consistent with such insult to the body, is that correct? And I imagine same would apply to bilirubin in a situation of digestive upset?

The values that concern me are the globulin and the lymphocytes, particularly together with the "easily aggravated" sub mandibular lymph nodes in the mix, particularly as it seems that lymphopenia would be present with both CPV and lymphoma … ? I’d assume that a) Cookie was recently vaccinated for CPV and is improving too rapidly to think CPV? Lymphoma has been on my afraid mind since the first time they were found enlarged.

It also says, though, that lymphopenia could be a result of underactive glands (the source doesn’t say which ones) so would that perhaps have to do with the lowered thyroid function during the digestive distress?

Didn’t find much on low globulins, other than immunodeficiency types of situations, which doesn’t seem to apply. What is the "life-span" of a globulin, and if short, would the low globulins have to do with the unhappy liver?

Can you, please confirm about the free T4 and talk to me about the globulin and more importantly the lymphocytes?

Blood results attached.

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  1. Christina Chambreau

    I will let Dr. Krista address your specific blood questions. Were you interested in the holistic approaches to evaluating blood work?  Also, not being able to tolerate an occasional eating splurge is considered an early warning sign that a dog is not completely healthy, so there would be many things to do at this point. 

    I wonder if Cookie has had prior digestive issues?

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Pawbly | 11 years ago
I Have A New Kitten That Isn’t Eating Much. He Is Drinking. He…

I have a new Kitten that isn’t eating much. He is drinking. He was at the vet (Dr. Magnifico) on Sunday because he was sneezing. Just adopted him and his brother on Friday. Brother seems to be fine. He is taking an antibiotic twice a day. He has been opening his mouth a lot, kind of like his nose is clogged and he is breathing through his mouth. He comes to the food (wet) when I put it out but he hovers over it and licks it, but I don’t think he is eating it. What can I do? It is snowing here and I will probably not be able to get him to the vet today. Thanks,

Brady

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello

    I will call you as soon as I get to work.

    In general if cats can’t smell then they don’t eat well. I would guess his nose is stuffed up. He really needs to be seen ASAP. Can you bring him in now?

    He should have his temperature checked, listen to his lungs and probably be put on a stringer antibiotic. Also we will give him subq fluids to keep him hydrated.

    The over the counter product called Little Noses helps to unclog the nose. one drop in each nostril twice a day.

    But I cannot over express how important a recheck is. Those young kittens can get very sick quickly and need hospitalization. I am at the clinic in 30 minutes

    Krista