I have a 12 year old dachshund mix who I’ve had on grain free food for about 5 years. He has had ear issues over the years but it’s been manageable and infrequent. I have been transitioning him to Purina Pro Plan for bright minds and all the sudden his ears are bright pink and he’s shaking his head constantly. I have read so many terrible things about the grain free diets but now I wonder if I made a mistake and he might actually have sensitivity to grains bc I had him on grain free food for so long. Is that possible? Should I just go back to the grain free food given his old age?
Hello,
I have two 4 year old cats who are brothers and I want to ask your opinion on what the best diet is for them. Both of them have spurts of throwing up after eating their food too fast (they both have been to the vet recently and had a normal exam) and I just want to give them the best diet possible so they can live a long healthy, happy life. What dry foods do you recommend? Grain free vs with grain? Should I also be incorporating wet food as well? What do you recommend?
My cat ate a piece of habanero cheese! It was small, probably about the size of a pea. Should I do anything? Expect anything? She seems ok as of right now
Hi- I just read your blog about Minnie. I am an American cat owner living in Thailand, so communicating with the vets is difficult. I’m on the verge on having my cat euthanized (tomorrow), and i just can’t make a decision. I hoping you will provide information to help me make a decision. Sammy is a ten year old male. Here is his history:
Dec 7-28- hiding under bed with dilated pupils but eating normally (history of spraying and hiding- not a happy cat so I wasn’t overly concerned, I palpated him and he didn’t seem to have any pain and I figured he got spooked)
Dec 29- I noticed he was a little lame so I brought him to local vet who couldn’t find anything wrong but spinal bone spurs and prescribed him Tramadol. It tasted bitter, he foamed at the mouth and started eating much less. I believe his feeding aversion started here.
Dec 31- I found a neurologist who gave him an MRI and he had surgery for a herniated disc Jan 2, 2019 and was diagnosed with a spinal infarction. He had a hard time clearing the anesthesia drugs bc of his kidney function but it is now normal.
Month of January- Slowly improving in ability to walk but losing interest in food more and more, (doctor says attributable to drowsiness caused by Pregabalin for neuropathic pain) losing weight. (Also, had ataxia from reaction to anti depressant used as appetite stimulant.) He had to be hand fed strips of ham, I believe he developed a further food aversion from me trying to syringe feed him pureed roasted chicken at around Jan 31.
Feb 1- I asked the vet to put an E tube in him because of his refusal to eat on his own. He was doing ok and walking better until his tube fell out and he had to have a new surgery mid-February to replace it. Surgery and clearing anesthesia drugs is really hard on him. Since then, his walking was getting better but then it suddenly got worse and the doctor found that his potassium was low – it got better once he changed to renal diet and Renavast. He has also been on Pregabalin for neuropathic pain, Apolet and Kasavan.
March- His walking got worse again, and I saw him endure one small stroke but the vet was not too concerned. Vet said he has reduced blood flow to his back left leg. He had replaced Kasavan with Apolet, but then added Kasavan back into his medication regimen. He is not improving in the last two weeks with the addition of the Kasavan, he drags himself to the litterbox to poop but pees in his bed. He still grooms himself and responds to me but he has a low growl when I touch him- probably bc he is so sick of all the poking and prodding. He has NO INTEREST in eating. I withheld food for 18 hours this week and withheld Pregabalin (bc the doctor said it makes him sleepy and not eat) and still NO INTEREST.
About 4 times along this journey I’ve decided it’s time to euthanize him but then he perks up and I decide not to. He is normal other than not eating, lying in bed all day (bc he can barely walk) and peeing on himself. He grooms himself and poops in litter box. I don’t think he is in acute pain but his pupils are often dilated, which just may be from stress of being incapacitated. I have varied amount of PG I give him to test his pain, and he doesn’t to be in pain but I’m not sure. I haven’t been able to get him to purr for a week or so, usually he will purr at night if I bring him into bed with me.
The vet says 90% of the time cats recover from spinal infarction. He told me start physical therapy with him but I tried and he hates it and it just upsets him more. I can’t figure out if there is any hope of him getting better. Like I said, he has always been a grumpy, hiding cat and often would growl if you approach him to pet him so that is not new. I was hoping to give him a few last years of his life. I think he is depressed and I don’t know of any way to get him out of his funk, and I still don’t know if he will ever recover use of his legs or will just get worse.
ANY INSIGHT??????????????? THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My Lab, Andy, had 5 teeth removed 4 weeks ago. No bleeding, no pain, can touch his and hes fine. Whats not fine is his eating habits have radically changed. He will no longer eat dog food, wet, dry, mixed, you name it I’ve tried it, he sniffs it and walks away. Hes currently acting normally but is ONLY eating his TREATS, I put out his favorite, cottage cheese , walks away.Hes dropped a little weight and it currently alive thanks to treats , he plays with his sister, hes back to normal except his eating choices.
My dog has bloody diarrhoea (like literally she poos pure blood with a little mucus) randomly/every couple of weeks – monthly. We’ve seen three different vets, she’s been tested for allergies which all came back clear except a slight reaction to corn but the vet said not enough of a reaction – everything else clear. She’s been checked for parasites, bacteria’s etc in her poo which also all came back clear. She’s actually been treated as well as regular top ups for worms as a precaution however it’s. She’s been given hyperalogenic, grain free sensitive food (Fishmongers Finest from Pets at home) as a precaution but still has episodes. My vet has given me steroid (Prednisolone) tablets for when she has episodes but it still happens when she’s on them, she’s also had 3 different types of antibiotics and a colitis tablet which don’t seem to work. The vet has put her on anxitine now thinking it might be anxiety but that also doesn’t help. I’m completely lost for what else to do. She goes off her food completely and her stomach growls when she has bloody diarrhoea but drinks and is fine in herself – a typical 2 year old border collie. The blood is bright red which my vet says suggests the problem is later in the digestive trace however a couple of times she has been sick with a little blood in it too. The current vet gave her an anti-acid for this but again it’s just a tempory fix rather than stopping the problem. None of the vets we’ve tried can feel anything around her tummy nor is she bothered when being felt. Any ideas what else I can do???
I switched my cat to blue wilderness and it made her very ill. She was eating it for 9 days and it caused frequent diarrhea and vomiting. I switched her back to her old food purina cat chow indoor. How long until I see an improvement? I am struggling financially to bring her to a vet, but she seems to still be in a lot of pain.
Hi, I have a chow chow, Bear, she has been suffering with wounds allover her body and it have pus. I thought she’s having an allergic reaction because for her dog food but I have already changed it but it’s still the same. Since I dont have money to continue going to a vet I tried herbal approach and have been bathing her with guava leafs. I don’t know what else to do. Please help.
Now she is eating less of the amount recommended, ans sometimes i have to hand feed her. She has lost 0.5kg this week. And is not interested in her food even with chicken broth. She is a house dog, last deworm was a month ago, doesnt have flees. Pyoderma seemed to get getter in her belly. But this last week she began scratching her ears really bad, and bitting her legs. And she is shedding. I took her to the vet at the begining and he said she has sensitive sking but is not an allergy. What should i do? I read about giving her appel vider vinegar and water bath to help the itchyness but got a worst reaction.
As I understand it (and I’m NOT a vet, but I’ve had conversations with a few veterinary nutrition experts about this since my dog has a food sensitivity), dogs are more likely to be allergic to the protein source than the grains. Chicken, beef, and lamb seem to be the most common protein allergens.