Sick Dog Question– help, please?!


  • Chelsea, are you talking about satin balls? I have been looking for that recipe, high in fat but evidently very yummy and will put weight on quickly. I'll keep looking.


  • For the bed, get a water proof bottom sheet. For years with my elders I used them. Makes changing the bed, even in the middle of the night much easier. I got mine on line QVC. Well worth the cost


  • Found it in the 'food' category, from 2010 post by Sharron Hurlburt:

    SATIN BALLS
    #10 of cheap hamburger meat
    1 lg box of Total cereal (1 lb box in USA)
    1 lg box of oatmeal (uncooked) (the 32 ounce in USA)
    1 jar of wheat germ 10 eggs
    1 1/4 c. veg oil
    1 1/4 c. unflavored molasses
    10 sm pks of unflavored gelatin
    pinch of salt and garlic
    mix all ingredients together well, much like a meatloaf… put into
    separate freezer bags and freeze, thawing out as needed. I mixed it in
    with kibble. Make "meat"
    balls (golf ball sized) and mix with food as well.
    Do not cook.


  • @tanza:

    For the bed, get a water proof bottom sheet. For years with my elders I used them. Makes changing the bed, even in the middle of the night much easier. I got mine on line QVC. Well worth the cost

    That's good advice– thank you-- and I'll take it. Do you think this problem is likely to continue? Spencer has never wet the bed before. He woke me up to go out every hour all night long with the subQs, but last night he slept through the night-- and I found a wet bed in the morning. I was hoping it was just a fluke thing. Did your elders wet the bed every night when they got older?


  • You should be able to get ground bison at a local butcher shop.


  • @MacPack:

    Found it in the 'food' category, from 2010 post by Sharron Hurlburt:

    SATIN BALLS
    Do not cook.

    That doesn't sound half bad– if it were cooked, without kibble! So it's served raw, I guess, for dogs.


  • @krunzer:

    You should be able to get ground bison at a local butcher shop.

    Thanks– I'll check it out! I thought bison was tough, but maybe not. Or maybe it's like jerky to a dog.


  • Bison is a much leaner, less fat and healthier than ground beef.. You can find it in stop and shops and local grocery stores next to the hamburger meats, sometimes in the higher end meats section, you know, the organic steaks and better cuts of meat, it generally comes unfrozen in a ground form… Looks like hamburger meat but tasty and healthy. That's the only form I use, it has the texture of a ground turkey or hamburger- not tough at all!

    Here's a link just to show you the package I use:


  • Macpack- that's the thread I remember reading it from!! It's always hard to find something here when you want to!! Lol! Glad you found it


  • It'd be easier if you'd just move to my neighborhood. I could tell you where to get bison from (could even show you where they live!), or I could just give you some longhorn burger that I have in the freezer. (the longhorn is about as lean as bison. I've never had to "drain the fat" as is called for in some recipes. Downside is that I have to add something for burgers to stick together) I have another 1/4 animal coming next month. Grass fed and delivered by the woman who raised it. Sometimes you can find local ranchers on craigslist or maybe ask at your local feed store. You will need a freezer, but it's much, much better meat than you find at the supermarket. I also have eggs from my neighbor. Don't know why his hens are still producing, just happy they are!


  • You can get Bison at Whole Foods Market. There are several in TN.


  • A dog with Fanconi Syndrome only needs to be on a low protein diet if it is in renal failure or going into renal failure. It is based on the blood tests-BUN and Creatinine.

    I would wait until Spencer is over his illness and feeling better to have another blood test for the AKLP. Was the test result for the ALT normal? What about the other liver tests?

    Jennifer


  • @dcmclcm4:

    A dog with Fanconi Syndrome only needs to be on a low protein diet if it is in renal failure or going into renal failure. It is based on the blood tests-BUN and Creatinine.

    I would wait until Spencer is over his illness and feeling better to have another blood test for the AKLP. Was the test result for the ALT normal? What about the other liver tests?

    Jennifer, his ALT was fine (50) and so were the other liver values. CREA was 1.9 (up from 1.6 in Sept) and BUN was 19. Only the ALKP was high, at over 2000 (up from 869 in Sept). Dr. Gonto recommended that I put Spencer on a lower protein diet after he had a seizure four years ago. I give him quality proteins in a moderate amount and watch the phosphorus, but I don't restrict him totally. He's tired of chicken and rice, so I'm going to have to broaden our culinary horizons. What do you feed Missy?

    I can see that I've misjudged bison, so I'll have to look into that. Perhaps some fish, too. He hasn't been too interested in my culinary pursuits today. I'll try Muttloaf tomorrow. That's usually good for a day or so. :)


  • @agilebasenji:

    It'd be easier if you'd just move to my neighborhood. I could tell you where to get bison from (could even show you where they live!), or I could just give you some longhorn burger that I have in the freezer. (the longhorn is about as lean as bison. I've never had to "drain the fat" as is called for in some recipes. Downside is that I have to add something for burgers to stick together) I have another 1/4 animal coming next month. Grass fed and delivered by the woman who raised it. Sometimes you can find local ranchers on craigslist or maybe ask at your local feed store. You will need a freezer, but it's much, much better meat than you find at the supermarket. I also have eggs from my neighbor. Don't know why his hens are still producing, just happy they are!

    Longhorn burger? Now that sounds tasty! Though the people at the University of Texas probably wouldn't think so. :)

    Sometimes, we get good cuts at the farmer's markets, along with fresh veggies, but those are pretty much shut down until spring. I'll have to cozy up to the butcher at the grocery store and see what he recommends.


  • I love longhorn! Lmao…. I'd eat a longhorn burger or the steak tips!! O boy, I now have to eat!


  • Okay, I am clearly not up on my meats! Poor little Spencer lives in a pasta and salad household. He's lucky to get chicken and organic veggies!


  • How is Spencer doing? My elder gal did not have fanconi, but in the last few years of her life, her kidneys were declining. We had her on 100ml SQ twice a day, so you can imagine that she urinated quite frequently. She didn't always make it off the bed. I got 2 water-proof mattress pads from Wal-Mart 300ct for about $25.00 a piece. I got 2 because at 3am the last thing I wanted to do was sleep on a wet mattress or a lumpy towel. They are great, not like the ole rubber sheets!

    I am sending Spencer healing thoughts and prays for a speedy recovery, but it does sound like he is on the mend.


  • Spencer is continuing to improve– thanks for asking! He has not wet the bed except for that one night, so I'm not sure what was up with that. I folded a beach towel under him just in case, but he has been holding his urine all night. We had him on subQs twice a day for a week, and I was having to get up every hour and take him out. So, wow, it would be hard to do that on an ongoing basis. He is drinking on his own now, and so far, he's getting enough. This weekend, I will go in search of the waterproof mattress pads. Thanks for the Wal-Mart tip-- I'll start there!

    Spencer's weight is still problematic. He is very thin, and it's disturbing to see him looking so malnourished. His coat is glossy and his eyes are clear, but every bone in his body juts out. I'm running the gamut of foods, but he's just a picky eater and has been getting pickier for about a year now. I'm feeding him smaller meals and hoping that will help, not just his organs, but his psychology-- the old "Hey, this isn't much, I'd better scarf it right up" trick. He's probably too smart for that. When someone's begging you to eat, you figure it's probably gonna keep coming-- and maybe the next offering will be even better. Sigh.

    One issue might be the pills. Even before he got sick, he was tired of finding pills in his food-- not the bitter bicarbs he takes for Fanconi, but his vitamins and Omega-3s. He might be the only dog in the world that hates the taste of fish oil and beef-flavored chewables. I have been giving him all the supplements separately to entice him to eat. So far, it's gotten a lukewarm reception. Today is Muttloaf Day-- we'll see what that brings!


  • Well done to Spencer and to you naturally. Hopefully he'll put on more weight but I've never had experience of Fanconi affected dogs so don't know how much is that and how much because of his inability to eat for a while.


  • Muttloaf Day was a success! Spencer chowed– well, more than he has chowed for a good while. Much better than "Eat Mor Chikin" in our house. :)

    (Okay, no, I didn't use bison or longhorn or even angus-- just plain old lean ground beef.)

Suggested Topics

  • 0 Votes
    6 Posts
    3k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    @kjdonkers Yes, or at least a confined area with a potty pad set up or potty station. Then if she HAS to go, no disaster.
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    799 Views
    No one has replied
  • Sick pup, help stomach virus

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    27
    0 Votes
    27 Posts
    10k Views
    M
    I am so sorry to hear of your loss. We had to put our Suni down in April and understand what you go through right now. Marli
  • Help Please

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    4k Views
    tanzaT
    @JazzysMom: Oh sorry, should have been more clear. I just sent my dogs' blood to Bryan, HE sent it on for testing. I was just replying as to where/how to physically mail the blood, not so much as related to the testing itself. Me too, should have been more clear, I was really responding to etzbseder about the CPP site and submitting blood, didn't even look to see the message was from you…. ggg
  • Sally Jo is very sick please pray!

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    25
    0 Votes
    25 Posts
    8k Views
    massagemom3M
    BDawg- She is feeling much better, and doing well on the Nutro. She has been eating a good amount of food each meal. I think she is getting used to it. She was very thin when we got her. She does gain, but not much. Now that she is better, I hope she gains again.
  • Help-Grapes Fed to my Dog

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    23
    0 Votes
    23 Posts
    10k Views
    MantisM
    so, I just read this and my guys were eating grapes yesterday, LOL….I have heard that grape stems are bad....my guys are okay with a little bit of fruit from time to time....they love watermellon as far as the vets say science diet is good.....well, it may be the best stuff they sell in the petstore.... i can tell you first hand from watching beta die and doing research with her foods as she deteriorated, here are some things to think about.... corporations say a dog should eat the same food all of their life, every day....it sells a basenji in the wild doesnt do that....they may eat all kinds of different things to stay alive... the doctors told me that when beta was getting ill to remove grains that were not found in the wild such as corn (major filler in pet foods), wheat, and rice... the next thing they told me is that when basenjis have sensitive stomachs (IPSID or IBS) it is the intestine becoming allergic to the food....my doctors have said that it is healthiest to change the diet every 4 months to prevent this reaction in an intestinally challenged breed.... beta could eat anything and have solid poop. then she became ill so fast that there was nothing we could do. she was fed eukanuba performance or premium for 3 years before i ran into her illness..... this does not mean switch dog foods without doing a little mixing and weening them off....try to avoid the squirts per se.... i fully agree with this idea....that is how they would be in the wild....always changing what they eat.... the changes will help their bodies become stronger immune wise and less likely to have the time to create an allergy to the food. I add boiled chicken, fresh garlic, eggs, pumpkin (great fiber to make poop solid) and some natural fruits like watermellon or anything that is pretty bland... when beta was at her worst, i used cottage cheese as her main food....it was the only thing she could hold down... i dont think you will have to worry unless you feed grapes all day every day... everything in moderation... Let them eat gwapes!! LOL My favorite dog food: Natural Balance Duck and Potatoe and Innova Evo I can only find it in a feed store less poop, smaller scoops, richer food no preservatives, no rice, no corn, no wheat, no soy....