Pet Lovers

[NickNack]

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@elated wrote:

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@NickNack wrote:

Thank you everyone for caring about Ava.  So far so good today.  She had two meals yesterday and ate breakfast today.  She seems to really like the prescription diet, but I really don't want her to have to stay on it after she finishes this 8 1/2 lb. bag.  Maybe this incident won't happen again.

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I am glad Ava is doing good. I was just curious as to why you don't  her to remain on the dog food if she is not throwing up. 

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@elated   I would prefer her to be able to eat another food formulated for digestive care.  I've been looking at Blue Buffalo Blissful Belly, a couple of the Wellness Limited Ingredient Diet foods and Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach. 

I feel like the ingredients are higher quality in those foods.  I'm not a fan of Hill's Science Diet.  In their regular food they use chicken by-products instead of chicken.  In the I/D that she's on the first ingredient is chicken, which is good.  The prescription diet also has corn, which isn't in the premium foods.  I've just never liked Hill's pet foods.

If she isn't able to go on the other food, though, of course I'll leave her on the prescription food.  The Vet told me she needs to be on a low-fat diet, and the other foods I've been looking at are low fat.

[NickNack]

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@Dazlin wrote:

@NickNack , im thinking she wont have to stay on it...from my experience, the prescription food can help to settle a temporary disorder like a digestive problem.  Then you may be able to wean her off.   I think you have said in past you give probiotics, ??...maybe incorporate that as well.   Ive done all that for Gabriel, and probiotics paste from the vet to settle diarrhea....then i just added my choice of probiotics for his 1st year.  I also looked into immune boosters, and again, probiotics came up, which i did..  and I gave him Wild salmon oil.   Hes 2 now and fantastico...however I find hes best on Taste of The Wild Pacific Stream Salmon.  I no longer add any supplements, except K9 glucosamine, for his broken hip.

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@Dazlin   I don't give Ava probiotics, but that's a good idea.  I do give her Welactin Omega-3.  I haven't given her that since she's been sick in case it didn't agree with her.  I'll start her back on it again soon and see if she's okay with it.  That's the only supplement I give. 

I gave Frankie Dasuquin (glucosamine/chondroitin), but she was older. 

[Wahoogaz]

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@NickNack wrote:

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@elated wrote:

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@NickNack wrote:

Thank you everyone for caring about Ava.  So far so good today.  She had two meals yesterday and ate breakfast today.  She seems to really like the prescription diet, but I really don't want her to have to stay on it after she finishes this 8 1/2 lb. bag.  Maybe this incident won't happen again.

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I am glad Ava is doing good. I was just curious as to why you don't  her to remain on the dog food if she is not throwing up. 

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@elated   I would prefer her to be able to eat another food formulated for digestive care.  I've been looking at Blue Buffalo Blissful Belly, a couple of the Wellness Limited Ingredient Diet foods and Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach. 

I feel like the ingredients are higher quality in those foods.  I'm not a fan of Hill's Science Diet.  In their regular food they use chicken by-products instead of chicken.  In the I/D that she's on the first ingredient is chicken, which is good.  The prescription diet also has corn, which isn't in the premium foods.  I've just never liked Hill's pet foods.

If she isn't able to go on the other food, though, of course I'll leave her on the prescription food.  The Vet told me she needs to be on a low-fat diet, and the other foods I've been looking at are low fat.

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@NickNack  Good luck getting Ava settled on a food that agrees with her. I used to have a DDB who, I think, was allergic to everything food-wise. I was lucky enough to find out about Royal Canin Hypoallergenic Hydrolyzed Protein food (both kibble and canned). Within 2 or 3 days of being on this food, my girl stopped vomiting and her stool was perfect. In 2016, when I adopted my current mastiff, he also had food-related issues. I got some of the RC food and, again, within 2 or 3 days of being on the food ... vomiting was gone and stool was normal. I kept him on the food for a couple of months to let his body normalize. After about 6 months, I moved him over to the same food my other dogs were on (Victor Hero). My DDB had to stay on the RC food her whole life.  You may want to do some reading on this food for Ava. It is prescription food, but Amazon and Chewy sell it, so it may be cheaper there than from your vet.

[NickNack]

Thank you for your input @Wahoogaz .  The Vet mentioned the possibility of trying a hydrolyzed protein diet if this didn't work.  I know it's only been a couple of days, but she seems fine now.  She really likes this I/D food, too. 

I have an 8.5 lb. bag, and that will probably last for a couple of months.  Then I'll try to wean her to something else.  If I can't, I will go back to the prescription diet.

[NickNack]

Ava has thrown up three times today.  Twice this morning after breakfast.  It was a very small amount of food each time.  She threw up bile before noon.  The Vet told me to keep a record of her throwing up and to bring it to the follow-up appt.  She also told me that it could take up to six weeks to see a big change from the prescription diet.

I'm very disappointed that she threw up.  I was hoping she'd turned the corner on this.

[alicedee]

@NickNack You must be terribly worried.  Something doesn't seem right with how this is being handled by the vet....we wouldn't let a human spend 6 weeks vomiting but waiting to see if diet changes help.  

I don't know much about dogs, but I would be looking for a second opinion.  

That's just me....as I said, I don't have a dog.  I know you are devoted to your fur babies.  

[NickNack]

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@alicedee wrote:

@NickNack You must be terribly worried.  Something doesn't seem right with how this is being handled by the vet....we wouldn't let a human spend 6 weeks vomiting but waiting to see if diet changes help.  

I don't know much about dogs, but I would be looking for a second opinion.  

That's just me....as I said, I don't have a dog.  I know you are devoted to your fur babies.  

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@alicedee   She only had one day of bad vomiting, not six weeks.  I think she started throwing up a little bile in the morning a week or two ago, but not every day.  The Pepcid calmed that down.  She really just got very sick on Saturday.

I trust my Vet completely, and they have a reputation as being the best Vets in town.  She did x-rays twice.  Next she will do an ultrasound and Gi bloodwork.  She isn't going to let this get out of hand.

She just threw up a very small amount of food twice this morning and then bile.  She did say it could take 3-6 weeks to be able to tell if the prescription diet was making a difference.  I won't let her continue to throw up every day without taking her back in.  She did not throw up at all Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.  My Vet is doing everything in the order it should be done.

I appreciate your input, but Ava was only terribly sick one day.

[elated]

I am worried that Ava can't wait for a long time to get her well. I would think she would become dehydrated from all the vomiting.  I am concerned that the vet is not moving forward. I hope you can find a solution sooner than later. I wish you well. IMHO, I would not hesitate to ask for more tests.

[NickNack]

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@elated wrote:

I am worried that Ava can't wait for a long time to get her well. I would think she would become dehydrated from all the vomiting.  I am concerned that the vet is not moving forward. I hope you can find a solution sooner than later. I wish you well. IMHO, I would not hesitate to ask for more tests.

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@elated   She threw up a very tiny amount this morning and then later some bile.  She didn't throw up at all on Sun., Mon. or Tues.  If she throws up tomorrow I will call the Vet again for an ultrasound.  She's actually drinking a lot of water. 

I will absolutely not let this get out of hand, and my Vet would want to do more tests if she continues throwing up.  They're doing everything in the right order from everything I've read.

[NickNack]

I just want to add that yes, I am worried about Ava.  She just really hadn't thrown up anything but a very small amount of bile until Saturday.  She was fine three days in a row, so I'm really not letting this go on for a long time.

I appreciate the input about my Vet, but I know them, and they are excellent Vets.  I've gone to them for about 25 years.  Neither my Vet or I will let this go on without getting to the bottom of it.  I have a call in to see if I should give her another Cerenia for nausea. If she had thrown up more than a tiny bit today I would have taken her back in.