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Positive thoughts.... and Pets

jk703

jk703

CEO of Anything and Everything, Everywhere
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Positive thinking usually get me through most anything. :) Just how I am wired. Are you usually a positive person/half full or the opposite?

Right now, I'm trying my hardest to keep my chin up. We adopted a dog, Benson, in December. Well, he is sick, and we don't know what is wrong as of yet. He's been vomiting for about 2 weeks, maybe once a day, sometimes more. We originally went to our regular vet, and had x-rays done, medication, tried fasting, tried a simple rice diet, and more. It wasn't working. It diminished a little - but mainly only since his diet was restricted, and there wasn't much to vomit. :( Right now, he was admitted to the Animal Hospital and we are working with some specialists. He stayed overnight, and they are running blood tests, fecal tests, muscle tests, ultrasounds, and possible an Endoscopy today. We are waiting on results.

From what I can tell, we hope to get answers today. I'm hoping it's some parasite that is causing the issues - maybe then medication can fix the issue. I'd rather that than a disease or something drastic like cancer.

We just got him in December, and while he drives me bonkers at times (he likes to bother me and talk back, lol) as I'm really a dog person, not a puppy person. In just the 4 months we had him, he wormed into our hearts and he has become a member of our family so quickly! My boys are upset, and missed him last night. That makes me more upset. Ugh.

Have you ever had to deal with a medical problem with your pets? What happened? How did your family cope? I'm hoping some of you have positive stories to share.

I do have my own, and that keeps me afloat, I think. Our old pup, Mack, was sick, had to have surgery, came out ok, but had to be on a special diet, and his treats were carrots. All was well after the diagnosis and surgery.

Sorry for the novel.
 
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Oh, Jenn. I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this. Pets are so special. I'm sorry that I don't have anything to help since we don't have pets. But I'm sending big virtual hugs to you!
 
Ugh... I'm so sorry to hear that Benson still isn't feeling well. I sure hope the specialist can figure out what's causing this and get him feeling well again. Poor little guy!
 
I am thinking about you ,and if virtual hugs can be felt,it is me squeezing you hard.
I have many positive stories,including 1where we thought the dog had some very serious issues ,because she just did not improve for long in between medicines. It turned out to be gum disease,and once the mouth was cleared and she was healed,she went back to normal.
Don't make sorrows beforehand we say in Denmark..
 
My pup dog got attacked during a "meet and greet" with another dog the week before Christmas. The other dog sliced open her neck. I saw enough that it it was deep and rushed her to the vet. The wound was not bleeding and she was walking, etc. So I was not prepared for how she would look when I went to pick her up 4 hours later. She had two drain tubes and several stitches. The realization that we could have lost her took me a long time to process.

You don't know how much your fur babies mean until you almost lose them.
 
I have a cat that adopted us at about 6 months. I think someone may have dropped her in the area. She is at least part feral and lives outside. She had a tear in her ear and I thought that she was fixed but we came back from vacation to find that she was pregnant. As she began to nurse, she developed mammary tumors that our vet said were cancerous. As soon as she finished nursing she was fixed and the glands/tumors were removed. Three years later she is happy as can be and doing fine.
 
So sorry that Benson is sick. I hope they get to the heart of the issue and can help him. It's so hard when our fur babies are sick.
 
Our Teddi Bear got really sick a couple months ago. She was throwing up and was losing a lot of weight. The vet put her on pills to help with the nausea. Checked her for parasites. But the problems continued. We finally got to checking the brand of food we had her on. She had been on it for a long time so we thought it was okay. Turns out the company had changed hands two or three times since we first started buying it. And there were reports of dogs being sick and some dying because of the food. But the food hadn't been recalled. So we took her off of it. Tried other brands and finally found one that she seems to be okay with but it's on the high end expensive side.

It was really interesting because after a few days of trying other foods she started to feel a little better. We hadn't found quite the right one for her yet though....she tends to be a little picky. So one night we gave her some of the old food kind of out of desperation to get her to eat something. The next thing we knew she was throwing up again. So that was the end of that food!

We are trying to buy brands that are made in the US or Canada and can account for every country they buy any ingredients from that they don't purchase locally. It has made a huge difference in how Teddi Bear is doing. The brand we have her on now is Acana. You don't find it everywhere. We had to go to smaller more specialized places to find it.

Anyway, for what it's worth, that's what we did. It took about three weeks to get the food thing straightened out. We fed her a lot of chicken and rice that we fixed for her ourselves while we were trying to find a good brand for her. We also feed her Fresh Pet which is a refrigerated food. And I think it's about a medium quality food. Not a lower end or a top end. But she does okay on it. We really have to be careful what we feed her anymore. She was sick again this week. Just for one day. And we think it was because she had a little bit of chicken that I had cooked on top of some rice that had some cream of chicken soup mixed in it. Crazy.

I hope you can find out what's going on with your puppy. It's so hard when they feel so miserable. Our Teddi Bear is 9 years old now and has a lot of anxiety issues. Sometimes I wonder if that plays a part in why she gets sick.
 
Thank you all so much. It means more than you think!

He's still there, blood came back ok - it's not Addison's Disease. Fecal had another animals parasite in it, but not one that would affect dogs - like he ate bird poop or something. (Ewwww - how can that taste good!?) They said he ate at 10pm and hasn't been sick.

Onto the Endoscopy. Hoping for answers.

@Nemla Vivi, how scary and all due to gum disease! Such a good reminder too!

@BevG I think that is part of what is getting to me. We waited so long to get a dog, and then we rescued one. Now, my kids are attached, we all are, and the uncertainty is what is getting to me. I'm so glad they were able to stitch up your pup, and it must have been a scary shock! Our old dog was "scratched" by my uncles dog - we had to get stitched and fixed on a holiday weekend out of state! What a nightmare!

@wvsandy I love how she adopted you. It's wonderful that you took care of her when she needed it the most. Not many around here would take "in" an outside cat and care for it as you did! Thank you for the happy ending!

@Jan What food was she on? We transitioned from the yucky rescue food they were giving him to Blue Buffalo. We may end up switching food, but I'll check with the Vet some of the options. That's what we were doing - white rice and roasted chicken (plain). I hope she continues to do well, less anxiety and no more vomiting!
 
OH so sorry Jenn! Our Lucy is totally our 3rd child! ;) Thankfully she hasn't had any issues besides some sensitive skin & some stuff that just 'comes' with the bulldog breed. We did previously have a chihuahua who we lost due to a hawk incident which was pretty traumatic for my daughter (who was 4 at the time). Her rule was our new puppy had to be big enough for a hawk to not attack- Lucy def fits that bill at 70 lbs! ;)

Prayers for your sweet boy & your family too!
 
amien1 said:
OH so sorry Jenn! Our Lucy is totally our 3rd child! ;) Thankfully she hasn't had any issues besides some sensitive skin & some stuff that just 'comes' with the bulldog breed. We did previously have a chihuahua who we lost due to a hawk incident which was pretty traumatic for my daughter (who was 4 at the time). Her rule was our new puppy had to be big enough for a hawk to not attack- Lucy def fits that bill at 70 lbs! ;)

Prayers for your sweet boy & your family too!
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oh my goodness... a hawk! How scary! I've never had a little dog, and wouldn't have even thought of that. Benson is 65 pounds and about 8 months. lol! I guess you're right... Benson is like a third child - at least he already sleeps through the night and is potty trained! :)
 
I spent about 10 years working at a vet. I know how hard it is to see pets sick especially your own.
 
Our good friends adopted a puppy who had problems from day 1 with eating. Turned out he had parvovirus which is pretty serious, especially in puppies. Although he recovered from it, he had to eat rice, green beans and ground meat for while before they were able to get him onto regular dog food and then they had to be very careful of the brand. The good news is he lived to the ripe old age of 14 (which is really old for a german shepherd).
 
jk703 said:
What food was she on?
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We had her on Natural Balance. And when we first put her on it, it was a good food. But then it changed hands and I think the quality went downhill. We've used Hill's Science Diet for years with both of our dogs and liked it, too. But the food that made her sick recently was a canned stew by Science Diet. Could have just been her sensitive tummy with that one though.

Yeah, we made plain chicken, I used the frozen chicken tenderloins, and rice for her when she was so sick. She loved it and it really helped to calm her tummy down. I sometimes put a plain gravy made with nothing but the water I boil the chicken in thickened with cornstarch over the rice and add frozen carrots and peas to it. She will eat the veggies good as long as the gravy is with it.

Lately she has been squeezing behind our couch and would spend most of the day and night behind there. We had to pull it away from the wall a little because she was having such a hard time getting to the part where the sectional curves and there is a little bigger space for her there. I don't like her being back there though, so we got her crate out and set it up with her therapeutic mattress in it. Covered the crate with blankets to make a little "safe" shelter for her in there. And blocked the path to the back of the couch. Now she goes in the crate and does just fine. And it's much more room for her. Easier to get in and out of for sure.
 
Once we hear back, or when he gets able to come home, I'm going to ask about the diet. He was eating twice a day, and hoping we will go back to that. I'm ok with making things, I just want this all settled. He has a crate, and we use it when we leave the house right now. Soon, we want him to be able to stay in one room... he's just getting too big, lol! He's a good dog, still a puppy, and they have sensitive tummies too! Thanks, Jan! @Jan
 
janedee said:
Our good friends adopted a puppy who had problems from day 1 with eating. Turned out he had parvovirus which is pretty serious, especially in puppies. Although he recovered from it, he had to eat rice, green beans and ground meat for while before they were able to get him onto regular dog food and then they had to be very careful of the brand. The good news is he lived to the ripe old age of 14 (which is really old for a german shepherd).
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That's serious! I'm glad he recovered. They haven't mentioned that, and I'm glad. Recovery is hard from what I have heard! Thank you for a positive story - makes my heart all warm! I have a love for GS's too... I had one growing up. She was the best!
 
I'm sorry you're having so many troubles with your rescue Benson. We rescued a Lab named Sam and while he turned out to be a great dog, he had a lot of health problems. We decided that whoever surrendered him probably couldn't afford to do everything that needed done. He had a lot of health and emotional issues and we laughed about how much our "rescue" dog cost us. That's just the way it is sometimes. You never know what you're going to get.

Good luck with your pooch.
 
We've been very fortunate with our pets and none of them have had any serious medical issues. Toward the end of her life, our last dog, Nellie, developed seizures and it was so hard to watch her go through them. I used to feed her vanilla ice cream after as a treat and just cuddle her. It broke my heart. She was 11 years old and my older kids and I had adopted her as a puppy right after their dad and I divorced. She saw us through a lot of stuff. Not such a positive story, but a much different scenario, since our dog was a senior.

I'm so sorry that Benson is not feeling well. I hope they are able to figure something out quickly and get him the treatment he needs. They do become family very quickly!!
 
Awwww...poor Benson. I hope you get some news soon so that you don't have to wait any longer...and, hopefully, it's news that you can treat. Hang in there, hun!
 
Oh no!! Hopefully you can find out what's going on and it isn't anything really serious so he can get on the mend! I wonder if he has a piece of a toy or something stuck somewhere and it's too hard to see in an x-ray?
 
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