Posts filed under ‘Food’
Questions for the vet
Warning: Icky stuff in this blog post. If you are not a dog-owner some of this may gross you out.
I have been pretty stressed and anxious this week. We are booked in for a vet visit on Thursday because Boogie is due for a Bortedella shot but now it looks like I will have a LOT more to discuss with the vet.
Once again Boogie has been vomiting, and to not risk aggravating his tummy any further, I took him off the California Natural and he is now back on 100% Hills i/d. The vomiting has been less frequent but his little body heaves from time to time, like he is experiencing nausea. This happens at random times of the day. Nothing comes up but it looks like he is about to puke and he swallows and licks his mouth afterwards. His poop has also been softer than usual. And I am starting to worry if Boogie might have some sort of stomach disease like IBD or IBS that will require an endoscopy or biopsy to diagnose (ie, the traumatic and expensive procedure of sticking a tube into his stomach).
It doesn’t help that I am paranoid by nature.
The other thing that worries me is that when I took Boogie to the groomer’s last week, I was told that there was “thick stuff” coming out of his anal glands. I asked if this was normal and the groomer said “sometimes”. I asked if I should be concerned and he said “No”. (The guy wasn’t much help at all & frankly I didn’t trust him)
In any case, Boogie has been obsessively licking his butt everyday this week – more often than usual – and I am now worried that he has an infection back there.
And then last night when we were out for a walk, all of a sudden, he started limping. He had a hard time putting weight on one of his back legs. Immediately I freaked out because I was reminded of Rocky (who had brain/neurological issues) who had sudden episodes of limping, that would come and go, just like that.
I have no idea what the problem was with Boogie. Back home he licked his back paw for ages. Wes and I scrutinized the paw but couldn’t find any splinters or glass or anything that might’ve been caught in there. A few minutes later he was back on all four feet and fine.
And then he vomitted again.
And then he was furiously licking his butt.
(All this was taking place on the bed. ICK!)
So here is my list of questions and issues for Dr Reina:
– Bortedella shot
– Check ingredients of foods with Dr. – get his thoughts
– Can we rule out e-coli or giardia? (bring fecal samples)
– Is IBD or IBS possible?
– Do we need to do a biopsy?
– Limping: check leg.
– Anal glands: is there an infection?
– Should I add more fiber to his diet to enable anal gland self-expression?
– Glands: how can I tell when they are full? (gross as this is going to be, I want to know. Boogie’s glands seem to be filling up really fast. He only got them done a week ago!)
– Could the nausea/vomiting be related to the licking of impacted/infected anal glands?
I better write all this stuff down.
Crazy dog person shopping list + THK
It goes without saying that Boogie has more toys than he needs. He is set for life. (well, maybe until that orange dinosaur cuz loses the rest of his tail…)
Two dog-related items that interest me:
1. Pet’s eye view camera
I now have a lockable latch on the sink door where the trash is kept. But not all my kitchen closet doors are lockable. They don’t even shut tight. Yesterday he had dragged out and chewed open a bag of Epsom salts. There was salt all over my kitchen floor. (If there was no salt on the floor I would’ve been more concerned) And then there was the time I went to bed and found a nylabone under my pillow….
2. Elevated Feeder
It’s actually cheaper ($50) to order this lovely custom-made feeder online than to buy an ugly metal one ($100) from Catts & Doggs! We have one of these coming to us soon….
I also have so many food samples coming to me… The Honest Kitchen, Flint River Ranch…
These can wait till I return from Memphis at the end of May. I am already feeling some separation anxiety….It will be the first time that Boogie will be without his usual humans and staying away from home….
*edit to add:
Boogie is now eating 50/50 Hills I/D (can) and California Natural (canned chicken + brown rice) and he seems to be doing well. No runny poos, no vomitting. Just one problem: GAS! Stinky stinky stinky gas!
Wes said tonight: “We should just keep him on Hills I/D or whatever he was eating before when he didn’t do any poots.”
My The Honest Kitchen samples arrived this afternoon. I had emailed their Customer Support with a bunch of questions and they very generously sent me a FREE massive jar of Perfect Form! This is supposed to be good for protecting the GI tract.
I am very very curious about THK food. Technically it’s “raw” and looks like “mushy slop” so I don’t have high hopes for Boogie liking this, but… I couldn’t resist the so many rave reviews. A friend also highly recommended this to me. (She has huskies that are picky-eaters with lots of food sensitivities). And preparation looks so intriguing…. Check out this video.
The ongoing saga of Boogie’s food sensitivities
OK, it’s not that big a saga but after Boogie got sick this week, I have been seeking out new information and getting sucked into a “dog food researching” frenzy. I am learning new things, picking up a zillion food recommendations and tips online, getting confused, ordering food samples, and seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.
Link: The Big Ol’ Ingredients Comparison Chart
I have been posting to the WOOF Forum and you can read the entire thread here: http://www.woofboard.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78184&page=4
(warning: it’s long so this link starts from page 4)
In summary, the raw diet didn’t work out. I don’t know if I did the switch too quickly (over 10 days), or if there was a problem with mixing regular dog food with the raw to introduce it to his diet, or if there was an allergen somewhere in the raw meat, or if the thawed-out chicken nuggets had gone bad in my fridge, or if the stuff was just too rich for Boogie’s tummy… I don’t know. In any case, I am not in any hurry to try again because I don’t want him to have to go through the nausea and vomiting again. Poor little bug. He was so miserable and sick.
After a few meals of white rice and boiled chicken, Boogie’s spirits have lifted again; he is back to his perky ball-fetching self, and now also back on Hills I/D..
Posting here videos of Boogie in Griffith Park. These were taken the day before he got sick.
Raw Food?
A few days ago I popped into the local pet store to buy more of those plastic lids that you put on food cans.
While I was there I spoke with the store clerk about food options for Boogie. Told him that Boogie used to vomit when I fed him EVO grain-free and now he is eating Hills I/D as prescribed by the vet.
The store clerk thinks that EVO might’ve been too rich in protein… some purebred dogs can’t handle it. And he empathized with me that Hills I/D is full of “filler” that may be unnecessary…
He gave me some free sampler packs of California Natural kibble and a Primal Starter Pack with some frozen “raw nuggets” for Boogie to try out, and for the past three days I have been mixing in small amounts of this new stuff with Boogie’s usual food. So far so good. I don’t think he is crazy about the Cal Natural kibble (he prefers Hills I/D kibble!) but he is loving the raw nuggets. No problems so far, no stinky poots, poop is normal, etc.
So I have been reading up on raw diets and people rave about this, even though there are some disadvantages… For a start, it’s more expensive than regular food. Raw meat can breed bacteria more easily. (Now I scrub Boogie’s bowl before every meal) You also have to thaw the meat a day in advance…. and it keeps fresh in the fridge for only a couple of days. I guess it’s more “delicate” than processed canned food…
I really like the idea of feeding Boogie human-grade raw food but yesterday, I came across a warning on the WOOF forum about NOT mixing raw food with kibble because this creates a combustion effect in the tummy and can make the dog sick. (!!??!!) Is this true? Does anyone know? It was a point of debate on that forum thread. Probiotics supplements were also recommended when feeding raw diet. Now I am wondering if this is all getting too complicated…
Thoughts? Advice? Suggestions, anyone? Raw or not?
P.S. Today the german shepherd who attacked Boogie showed up again. We were having breakfast on Vermont when the big dog passed by our table and lunged. Boogie didn’t even notice him (he was too busy begging for a piece of ham) and it was freaky. He went for Boogie’s neck, mouth open, teeth bared. Wes grabbed Boogie just in time. The German Shepherd’s owner didn’t even say anything!!! She just pulled her dog away and walked off! (And the dog had his police jacket on!)
EDIT TO ADD: I have started a thread over here on the WOOF forum.
Boogie and Kibble
If we didn’t spoil Boogie with “human food” so often, it would easier for me to know if the Hills I/D diet that the vet prescribed is working as best as it can or should. Well, I am happy at least, to report that after I switched Boogie to the Hills I/D canned food about 2 months ago, the signs have been positive:
2. The vomitting spells stopped completely
3. He stopped doing frequent stinky poots
4. His poop looks good – smaller quantities, firm, etc.
About 1 week ago, I added Hills I/D kibble to his diet as a few different people had suggested to me that he should eat kibble and that wet food isn’t enough. Now I mix the kibble in with the wet food and all seems well except… WHOA – what’s up with these horrendously painfully-stinky FARTS!?!! They come at around 7pm each night. They are stinkier than the farts he used to do when eating Innova EVO. They are really piercingly stinky, that’s the best way I can describe them. Like something chemically-rotten.
So now I wonder if the kibble is a good thing? Is it really really necessary?
On a more positive note, I believe the Angel Eyes supplement is making a difference! Only two-three weeks later and I swear his tear stains are looking less pronounced and the whites of his coat are looking whiter (and not so “pinkish-grey” like a few weeks ago). I hope I am not imagining this and that the Angel Eyes is really working.
The bottle I have was ordered online but I found out recently that they recommend this highly and sell it at For Pets Only on Hillhurst, which is super convenient and very cool!
Boogie’s new appetite
The change that has come over Boogie since I switched him over to Hills I/D Prescription diet has been pretty astounding. As much as I hate having to feed him Hills – having read so many negative reviews about this food – plus the fact that I can only buy it from the vet’s, Boogie’s eating behavior has totally changed and I think for the better. Boogie is more like a “normal dog” now. He likes eating. He wants to eat.
Before, he used to turn away from treats and had no interest in mealtimes. Now, he is excited to get fed; he polishes up his bowl shiny clean; he even sits for MORE food, and strangely enough, he also now loves receiving treats… even the Paul Newman’s Peanut Butter biscuits that he used to turn away from or dump on the floor. He is like a changed dog.
… . he must’ve really hated the food (Innova EVO) that I was feeding him before…
Boogie’s poop is also changed. He now poops less. And they are small and firm nuggets of poop. Before the diet change, it used to be snakey and sloppy and a bugger to pick up. (Apologies to those of you who don’t own dogs and find all this kinda gross. Poop is an important indicator of health)
He also hasn’t vomitted at all which is great news! No signs of nausea either.
The only problem we have now is his naughtiness. Three times now he has gone through the trash when left at home alone. This afternoon I came home to find coffee all over my computer keyboard!!! Boogie had jumped onto my desk and knocked the cup over. Granted that it was my fault for leaving the half-full cup of coffee there in the first place, it’s NOT GOOD that he was on my work desk messing about with my stuff. What was he doing? Stealing coffee? Sending another Googletalk message? I am so relieved my keyboard still works.
Now that Boogie is eating again and loves treats, it may be time for some TRAINING. Time to learn some commands 🙂
As Wes says – We have spoilt this little bug ROTTEN. All the praise has gone to his head…Time to set some boundaries! 🙂
Boogie’s visit to L.A. Pet Clinic
Our appointment with Dr Reina was at 1.30pm but we didn’t see him until about 2.45pm!!! I can’t remember how long we waited. It seemed like forever, as there were three people ahead of us. (Bit annoyed because I made this appointment 2 weeks ago!!!).
In the tiny waiting room which was crowded with crated cats and a very bored, restless and whimpering Boogie, I chatted with one of the cat ladies and she said that the wait is normal. There is always a long wait, but she wouldn’t go anywhere else. She has been seeing Dr. Reina for 11 years, she thinks he’s the bee’s knees.
Dr Reina was a nice guy. I told him about Boogie’s frequent vomitting and lack of interest in eating. Also that this morning Boogie had his biggest vomit yet. I asked if Boogie might have an “elongated soft palate”, or “Acid Reflux” or “Esophagus issues”… but the Dr doesn’t think so, because he isn’t vomitting up FOOD, but mostly frothy liquid which to him, is odd and doesn’t call for an easy diagnosis. It might be a gastro-intestinal problem or it might be liver/kidney related; or it might be something “deeper”. The Dr said that even an x-ray exam at this point wouldn’t be sensitive enough to confirm anything. He suggested changing Boogie’s diet to Hills Prescription Sensitive Stomach (wet food) – see if this changes anything – just in case he has a food allergy. They also took some blood and I have to call tomorrow evening for results.
I hope the Hills Diet will make a difference (as much as I would rather feed him a holistic brand of easily-available grain-free food) . I hope the blood test results don’t reveal any bad news. It’s also frustrating to have “no news”.
Boogie was so glad to be home. He had already said “hello” to all the sick cats and their humans in the waiting room, he was bored and frustrated, whimpering and pulling on the leash with his teeth, then sitting in front of me with his big sad pleading brown and blue eyes. In the Dr’s office, he pawed at the door to be let out. When home again, the first thing he did was EAT! (yay!) Then he played with his artichoke.
I learnt something new from this vet visit. Our Boogie monster is not 20lbs as written on his Rescue/Shelter form. He is not even 23lbs. (the last time I weighed him on Wes’ bathroom scales). He is a whopping 26.4 lbs! I hope it’s all muscle because even though he’s a thick and cuddly cherub, he doesn’t appear to have any “fat” on him….
Boogie’s “not eating” issue
I have figured out a way to make Boogie eat his food: Carry him from his cushion to his bowl and move his head over the bowl. (Calling him doesn’t work.)
It seems like an odd thing to have to do, but so far, it works! He is eating! I also tried this last night, and he ate his dinner. He doesn’t polish his bowl clean like other dogs, but hey – eating is better than not eating. I don’t want him to starve.
Eddie’s theory is that Boogie doesn’t like his food. (Quote: “If you placed some lettuce in front of me everyday and if I was hungry I’d force myself to eat it. But I wouldn’t be crazy about it.”)
Does Boogie not like his Nature’s Variety Chicken Meal Grain-Free kibble mixed with Innova EVO Chicken wet food? It’s not like I can switch to a different food everyday to figure out what pleases Sir Boogaloo the most….(I was worried Innova EVO might be too high-protein and rich because he was releasing nasty gases so frequently, so I am trying him out on Nature’s Variety. BTW, I stopped giving him the Angel Eyes to rule out that this isn’t the problem)
Here’s another little problem that we have… vomit.
Almost everyday since New Years Day, I have been finding a small puddle of vomit in my apartment. Usually on Boogie’s cushion or chair.
On New Years Day, we were playing fetch with the tennis ball and he threw up on me when he brought back the ball. That was the first time.. a quick vomit …then he was back to normal, playing. Wes and I assumed that he was just purging some icky stuff/hairballs and that it was normal. Boogie likes to lick his tennis balls, and might’ve also swallowed fluff from the plush toys that he likes to unstuff and chew on each day. I have also found “toy fiber” in his poo so I just assume that this stuff comes out the other end too.
But now I am starting to worry because… is it really normal for a dog to be purging almost everyday? Sometimes there are food particles (kibble) in his vomit. Most of the time it’s just slimey froth.
And combined with his lack of excitement over mealtimes, I am wondering if he might have a stomach issue. (Mind you, Boogie is very interested in human food when we are eating our dinners, and he is still very playful after each meal. He appears to be happy and doesn’t act “sick”)
I have made an appointment with Dr Reina of LA Pet Clinic on Monday which will be our first vet visit. I am hoping that all is OK.
Tomorrow: Boogie’s new little friend Emma is coming to stay for a few days! It will be interesting to see how these two get along. 🙂
Boogie and Food
Boogie is an odd little doggie. Unlike other dogs I have lived with, he is so UN-motivated by food. He doesn’t eat dog biscuits. He sniffs them and walks away. He’s not crazy about most doggie treats, preferring soft chewy food items, like the chicken/beef/pork/fish that you are having for dinner. Whenever I give him a chewy doggie treat he takes it from my hand, deposits it on the couch or on his chair, and returns to eat it later “when he feels like it”. There is still a treat inside his kong which has been there for weeks.
The first time I mixed canned pumpkin in his food (to firm up his poo), he sniffed his bowl, glared at me and walked away. Now he will eat pumpkin but probably with some reluctance, knowing that there ain’t nothin’ else…
It’s so strange having a dog that does not follow me each time I walk into the kitchen. Jazzy used to run into the kitchen at any given opportunity and snort for treats… she would even kick the fridge door. Rocky would bump into everything in my apartment but had no trouble finding the kitchen doorway whenever there was somebody in there. George used to sit in front of me every two minutes after learning that “sitting = potential treat”. Not Boogie. He doesn’t really care what goes on in the kitchen. Even when I fill his bowl with breakfast/dinner, I have to call him (away from his toys) to come into the kitchen to eat…
Which makes it tricky for us to train him to “sit” or “stay” or do any number of things that dogs would normally do for a treat. He will sit, but only on his own terms… I had to train him to “sit” by withholding and offering toys instead of treats. Success rate… er… maybe 50%. Being completely TOY-MOTIVATED, there is nothing he loves more in the world than his four or five icky tennis balls, squeaky cuz ball, red bow wowser ball, wubba toy, furry platypus, furry half-disembowelled echidna, two kongs, half-chewed plastic chicken leg and Everlasting Treat Ball. Nothing else matters.
See that bone? He had no interest in chewing on it. It was another “fetch toy”.
When Boogie sleeps, he likes to have his toys close to him. Sometimes he sleeps on top of the toys. It no longer surprises us to find tennis balls in our beds. It can’t be comfortable lying on top of hard objects, but look at that face! He is like the happiest most peaceful little cherub in the world….
Boogie's blog 