Wonderful news..so excited for all of you..
My new brindle bundle of joy…
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sounds like she's in season?
Not yet– probably not until late Aug/early Sept. I held off having her spayed in the spring. She's doing the adolescent pee everywhere rite of passage, though-- part UTIs, part hormones, part ???
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You're right, Chealsie– Ava and Oakley have had similar puppyhoods! They are equal bundles of energy and joy! I'm sorry to hear that Oakley's still having troubles. He's been through a lot for such a young boy. I know what you mean about the diet. The vet put Spencer on the k/d diet, and he didn't do well on it. Actually, he wouldn't touch the dry and didn't thrive on the wet. His coat dulled noticeably and he had flaking, too. I ended up having to cook for him the last year of his life.
And Ava isn't doing well on the Fromm's, either. I'm going to have to switch brands. She did great on the Fromm's puppy, but is having a reaction to the adult food. I was feeding a mix of the Fromm Adult and Surf & Turf, then she started having ear, paw and anal gland issues. So I took her off the Fromm Adult and kept her on the Surf & Turf (grain-free) and all the issues went away except for the anal glands. Now she's on the Fromm Salmon and still having anal gland issues. She can't tolerate any of the Fromm treats, and I had stocked up on a bunch of flavors for training. The animal shelter has benefited greatly from Ava's unexpected food allergies.
I wonder if there is some in-between for Oakley-- something not as rich as the Fromm's and not as bland as the i/d? I'm sure you've researched all the options, and I'd be interested in what you find. Tad has recommended the Costco brand food, and that's what I'm going to try, switching Ava gradually from the Fromm to the Nature's Domain Salmon. It's a lot cheaper than Fromm's, it gets good reviews and Tad's dogs are doing great on it. If only it didn't come in those big bags! Maybe fish oil caps or salmon oil would help Oakley's coat? All the pictures you've posted do show such a beautiful shiny coat!
Becky, sounds like you're having food issues, too. When I was home-cooking for Spencer, he got so he wouldn't eat anything for more than a day or two. The dog got so picky, he wouldn't even eat leftovers! So I planned my meals around Spencer and cooked for both of us. It was the healthiest I've ever eaten. And I learned to flavor veggies and things with healthy oils-- salmon oil, olive oil, etc. And adding a few noodles would perk up his appetite right away. Don't ask me why. Ava isn't all that picky, thank goodness.
And what's up with all the peeing and chewing? Elliot too? The "forgetting" obedience and disregarding commands I get, but the peeing! Though I have to say, the anal gland issue is worse. She dumps her anal glands on your lap... on the bed... on the carpet. Every day. Every time she relaxes. OMG, the smell... and it stains, too.
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Though I have to say, the anal gland issue is worse. She dumps her anal glands on your lap… on the bed... on the carpet. Every day. Every time she relaxes. OMG, the smell... and it stains, too.
Oh how I loathe anal glands. So long as Loki's stools are pretty firm, he does well and only needs to be manually expressed once every 3-4 weeks. Thank goodness his is under control as his is worse when it comes to the smell and the staining. Kaia however…I don't know if we'll ever get hers fully under control. She leaks mostly when she's asleep, but will also do it when she's very relaxed. I don't know how she builds so much up; we have to manually express at least 1-2 times per week and you wouldn't believe how much there is! And she never fails to do it within 24 hours of us putting on nice, clean, fresh sheets. Changed the sheets last night and she leaked twice this morning and that was after 2 poops on the morning walk
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Ava is having the exact same problem as Kaia! Nobody wants her on their lap anymore, because once she curls up and relaxes, she leaks. Then she urgently hops up, all alarmed and sniffing and licking back there, like "whoa, what happened?!" I have tried changing foods and adding pumpkin and FortiFlora to every meal, and that's helped some. She's not having to have them expressed as often, but she still leaks. The carpet is starting to smell, and all my sheets are stained. I had no anal gland issues with Spencer, but Ava… I'm hoping she'll grow out of it, but the vet said some dogs never do. It's awful!
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Becky, sounds like you're having food issues, too. When I was home-cooking for Spencer, he got so he wouldn't eat anything for more than a day or two. The dog got so picky, he wouldn't even eat leftovers! So I planned my meals around Spencer and cooked for both of us. It was the healthiest I've ever eaten. And I learned to flavor veggies and things with healthy oils– salmon oil, olive oil, etc. And adding a few noodles would perk up his appetite right away. Don't ask me why. Ava isn't all that picky, thank goodness.
And what's up with all the peeing and chewing? Elliot too? The "forgetting" obedience and disregarding commands I get, but the peeing! Though I have to say, the anal gland issue is worse. She dumps her anal glands on your lap... on the bed... on the carpet. Every day. Every time she relaxes. OMG, the smell... and it stains, too.
He ate perfectly and one day he just decided he didn't want the food I was giving him anymore. Cody used to stop eating when it was close to the end of a bag (maybe getting stale?) but always started again with a new bag. I thought Elliot was doing the same but NOPE. He just refuses to eat more than a few bits at a time. I practically have to force feed him!
He only pees in his kennel. It's not even "you left me here too long and I had to go" it's more "HEY..HEY… Why are you leaving! NO! -pees- NOW YOU HAVE TO LET ME OUT AND CLEAN THIS". Thankfully he's stopped this but I'd trade it in for this not eating thing.
I have yet to have anal gland issues with Elliot. Cody's abscessed once and it was awful. He'd need them expressed from time to time but I'm a vet tech and could do them myself. I've had them on my face, down my clothes and in my hair.. YUCK! (not from my own dogs but while at work)
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Kaia has done it on my lap once. And she loves to sleep up by our shoulders and heads and prefers to put her bottom right up against your back. So now on the nights my husband is working, I have all these extra pillows on his side so she can't get up there and I use extra throw blankets to tuck under her bum. At least then if she leaks, it's on an extra blanket and I won't have to strip the entire bed. But she likes to move around a lot so there were plenty of nights I went with very little sleep (pre-half a dozen pillows) because I was so paranoid about getting anal gland leakage far too close to my face for comfort! It's getting better now that we're learning how to manage it. I was beginning to wonder if I'd have to buy those doggie diapers to put on her at bedtime.
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Yep, anal glands and peeing– my two least favorite things. Funny thing is, Ava had no anal gland issues at all-- never even had them expressed-- until I switched her from puppy food to adult food. Same brand; pretty much the same ingredients, so I don't get it. A lot of the peeing is from her recurring UTIs, so it's hard to get that under control. She's peeing the bed again this week and is back on antibiotics, so those doggie diapers are sounding pretty good!
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There has been talk of using oil of oregano to cure/prevent UTIs on my K9 Kidney list. Might be worth looking into or at least googling. I will say the oil itself tastes VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY bad. I think they say to put the oil inside empty capsules in order to dose the dog. I am unsure of the dosing strength. And I think there are capsules available.
Otherwise, you may want to look into cranberry supplements. (got to taste a whole heck of a lot better than the oregano oil.)
PS - did I mention that the oil of oregano taste really horrible? (and I like oregano)
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Oil of oregano– that's a new one. Thanks-- I'll check it out! But if it's that bad-- and sounds like it is-- Ava won't get near it. Poor girl has been pilled so much in her short life that she's already learned to run and hide.
I'm using a cranberry supplement now. She doesn't mind it in her food with all the other supplements, but it isn't helping her thus far. I would be willing to give the oregano oil a go, because at this point, I'll try almost anything to get her healthy.
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I am trying to adopt from BRAT but I haven't had any luck. The first one I tried on ended up not caring to much for cats. My home was inspected and approved. My application is in. They have one right now named Saphire that I have sent off a few request but no reply. Any tips or pointers that you can give me would be appreciated. thanks
