Thanks! Just ordered one for my new girl!

Great! Thanks for the information. This would be for a rescue dog which I will not know any background information on. I assume that does not matter in the surveys?

How does one go about testing a basenji for fanconi? Do vets do this or is this something I do myself by mail. Any information or web links would be appreciated.

I would highly recommend the fish oil. As I stated before in a previous post, I put Zak on a grain free diet and added fish oil pills daily and a Cosequin DS (glucosamine & chondroitin) capsule sprinkled on his food each day for arthritis and he has not had a problem with arthritis since. There are foods with these supplements included, however, it is my understanding that they are just sprayed on the food. My vet had in the past suggested for my senior dogs at least 1000mg fish oil daily for cognitive health and the arthritis. For Zak and some early kidney disease he is showing she is recommending, and I have also read on line, 100mg fish oil per 10 lbs. of body weight (2500 mg daily). I don't think you're going to find the best level of fish oil supplement in a kibble. Oh, and his coat this year is sooooooooo soft!

Thank you all for the information. Pat the link you sent it's great - lots of good info. - my brain is currently overloaded! I will be going to the vet tomorrow to pick up the complete lab results. The info. I first posted was all I had from an e-mail from the vet so I'll be interested to see the rest of the numbers. I'm going to at least start with getting Zak in on Monday for a blood draw to run the thyroid panel. I do want to note that Zak seems fine (energy is good, coat is fabulous, weight is 25). The only change I'm noticing at this point is he's not as into his food as he was a couple months ago. He'll eat, but he doesn't dive into it like he used to. I attributed that to Zuki's passing (2 months) since that's roughly when it began. I think I should go the route of home cooking since I am not at all impressed with the recommended KD or GD diet ingredients. Zak is currently on Natural Balance Duck & Sweet Potato. I switched him to that maybe 6 months ago because he was showing some signs of arthritis and I had read that grains can make arthritis worse. I had bought some Previcox but really didn't want to use it and since making the switch to grain-free he has not limped a bit. I seem to often feel overwhelmed with the home cooking (the whole kcal thing confuses me). I also seem to fret about making sure I get the right vitamins and minerals. When I was having problems with Zuki it was suggested that I try Missing Link. I tried the Missing Link with both Zak and Zuki and they both hated it. Also, Zak is missing most of his teeth, so chewables are out of the question. I will continue to wade through the information and I'll post the rest of the lab numbers tomorrow.

Thanks again!
Linda

Best wishes on your new adventure!

Zak (14 yrs. old) had bi-annual blood work done earlier this week. An e-mail from the vet says "kidney values have increased. His BUN has doubled from June. It went from 21 to 41. His other value, the creatinine, went from 1.7 to 1.8. Dr. would recommend a special diet either K/D or G/D and checking his blood pressure. Also his thyroid has consistently been low and still is. His value is 0.7, normal is 1-4. She would recommend a full thyroid profile at MSU."

Can anyone give me some guidance as to any questions I should be asking or share any experience you may have with kidney and/or low thyroid issues and dietary suggestions.

Thank you!

So cute! Thanks for sharing!

Oh my goodness! That was quite a scare!! I'm glad everything turned out okay. I wonder what your other two dogs thought as Buana was being swung by his hind legs. :eek:

This was in our Lansing State Journal editorial section today…

Eaton Co. acts on animals
I want to thank our Eaton County commissioners who passed on Nov. 18 the resolution to ban pound seizure.

We are grateful that the Eaton County sheriff issued an order in May 2008 to end this practice. Now this ban has been made official in the Eaton County Animal Control Ordinance.

Pound seizure is the practice of releasing, selling or giving shelter animals to USDA Class B Dealers (animal brokers) and research facilities for purposes of research and/or experimentation. Michigan law requires shelters to hold animals four to seven days to give an owner the opportunity to claim a lost pet.

Michigan House Bill 4663 would ban pound seizure in the state.

There are currently two counties out of 83 in Michigan that still practice pound seizure. The District of Columbia and 17 states so far have passed laws banning the practice of pound seizure.

For more information, please go to www.voiceless-MI.org