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Vitamins/supplements

Basenji Health Issues & Questions

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17 May 2007, 13:44

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    I usually give the fish oil as the whole capsules in their food. They must like them because they will usually pick them out and eat them first. I am giving a few different supplements to one dog, but that is mainly because he likely has IBD (supplements to help heal the intestines) but don't really give any to the other dog other than fish oil. I do give probiotics, but from a pet food/supplement perspective (like every other supplement) it is definitely buyer beware, as it is un-regulated. Not all strains of probiotics are equally shelf stable. L. acidophilus, for instance, is notoriously unstable and won't last long at high temperatures or in moisture unless it has been stabilized in some sort of carrier (Pearls, for example), or refrigerated. So, buy ones that have a measured number of organisms (or CFUs - colony forming units) or some sort of "viability date". If it's just a weight of organisms, that really doesn't tell you if they are viable or not, they could be dead. And probiotics are not effective unless a sufficient amount is given on a consistent basis. You may have to adjust the amount you are giving if you are not seeing whatever results you are expecting. Probiotics is an area with a lot of potential but unfortunately it is mired in a bunch of marketing hype and the science is still developing on how to effectively use them. It's hard to tell what is real and what's not, unfortunately.
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    @Marie: One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet and which is recommended when treating giardia is to bathe the dog. This is because the giardia cysts can adhere to the hair around the hind end of the dog who then can re-infect himself by grooming. More of a factor in a long haired dog, obviously, but if it were me I'd be giving Oakley a few baths just to be on the safe side. (I'm sure he'll thank me for this suggestion! :eek:) Oooooo, I didn't know that! That is a great bit of info!
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    We are going to talk to the vet again Thursday, and I will discuss all various suggestions with him. When reading on EPI, IPSID and IBD, all include symptoms as weight loss and diarrea. She does not suffer from any of these 2 symptoms. Her only symptom is vomiting on an empty stomach, and the stomach empties in no time at all which makes her vomit without the cortison. I will still go through the various conditions with the vet and take necessary tests to see if any of the mentioned diseases might apply anyway. IBD should have been tested during the Gastroschopy, only that it is called something different in Swedish. I will ask the vet. But more and more, I believe the problems were caused by myself giving her too big a variety of proteins, and too much food, when she was little. I am hoping to be able to go around this through finding the right food for Della, and cure her with a good nutritional balance rather than with medicine. Fingers crossed for Thursday/Sofie
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    Thank you all so much for your posts, they truly helped me a lot. Being my first puppy, it is nice to be reaffirmed that she is just a puppy and that this is normal puppy behavior…. I will definitely continue with the training and try to be more consistent with my approaches. I truly did not think that this was aggression and I'm sorry for the misleading title post; I guess I was involving my own feelings as it has been a little frustrating to say the least. I see how the other puppies are in puppy class, and then there is little Kaya running around barking/yodeling for the entire hour - She is a little diva. Thanks again, and I look forward to continued interactions in this forum!
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    I just use Missing Link, and have recently switched over to the one w/ glucosamine for the oldsters. They're not that old, but they're heavy performance dogs.
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    Stormie is loving his Nupro, too! I make his into a gravy and give it to him as a treat for taking all his meds! He doesn't even know it's supposed to be good for him! ;) Glad it's working for you, too Lynn!