Cripes

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Postby amalie79 » May 31st, 2011, 10:39 pm

Poor Robin.

So we noticed that both the girls were scooting; I planned on taking them both in to the vet to be checked for worms and for full anal glands. But last night, Robin was acting mopey, hiding in her crate, and then snapped at us when one of us bothered her in bed-- I'm not even sure who was touching her or where, but she was unhappy. It was all pretty unusual. And then I noticed a little bump on her puppy lady parts and another one night next to them. :shock:

So we took her to the vet with all her, ahem, samples. Right before we left, I pulled a foxtail out from between her toes; while we waited in the exam room, I noticed one of her nails is broken at the base. The vet found a UTI and crystals, the start of a yeast infection, the nail is broken but still on (so we're just watching it for now), and full anal glands. And she thinks the bump looks like an allergic reaction to a bug bite or the like. Poor girl growled at the vet, but was otherwise good. We didn't muzzle, just held her still and shoveled treat into her face when we could.

And OF COURSE we're dropping them off at the kennel and leaving town Saturday. >(

They sent her home with a week of Clavamox and some Animax for the external vulva issues-- oh, and a bag of Royal Canin SO. :neutral: Personally, I think I can find a better diet, even if it means either home cooked or raw. I've got cats who've had crystals-- but not a dog. :| She's been eating Taste of the Wild (the lamb flavor) kibble, but it's pretty high in carbs, and all the added moisture they used to get when Simon was around (lots of veggies with their meals) has kind of dropped off, so I guess I'll do that, too. :| :|

And while I'm thinking about it, River has to have her anal glands expressed relatively frequently. Is this something that might resolve with a raw diet, or is there something else I can try? Or is she just one of the lucky dogs who gets to visit the vet more often? :wink:
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Postby mnp13 » May 31st, 2011, 11:11 pm

That might resolve with a raw diet. The poop is a different on raw, so it may help her express them normally.
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Postby Malli » June 1st, 2011, 3:05 am

Apparently (according to my vet) if they are able to express them, to let them, because the more you express them, it actually exacerbates the problem? But obviously if she is unable to do it on her own.
As for the foxtail, consider yourself lucky on that one! Oscar spent 6 weeks with one stuck in his foot + a drain hole and abscess care until we finally found it! :shock:

Are you sure she has crystals? And what kind? I *thought* that cats mostly get crystals and dogs mostly get stones.... but I might be wrong :| I know that with cats Struvite are the most common. If she has stones and you're determined to avoid the Rx diet then I'd consider asking if re-testing her urine will show improvement because a cystotomy is not fun OR cheap :neutral:

Poor Robin! When it rains, it pours, doesn't it?
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Postby iluvk9 » June 1st, 2011, 5:26 am

Oh my goodness! Poor Robin and poor you! :hug3:

I am sure you are stressed out with the vacation and kenneling, but maybe the meds will kick in real quick and by Saturday she will be feeling better. :) And then you will be feeling better and enjoy yourselves.
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Postby pitbullmamaliz » June 1st, 2011, 7:03 am

Poor thing!

Would cranberry extract help with her urinary issues? Inara gets chronic UTI's (well, she gets close - I've gotten good at seeing the signs of one coming on so I can nip it in the bud) so now she's on cranberry extract, per the vet. Not sure if that would help Robin?

And for the moisture with her meals, just float her kibble in some warm water - enough to almost cover the kibble. Let it soak for a minute so it gets nice and stinky and the water gets flavored. Inara loved it. A side benefit was it slowed down her eating.

Or, like Michelle suggested, switch to a raw diet.

Good luck with everything!
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Postby amalie79 » June 1st, 2011, 10:35 am

iluvk9 wrote:Oh my goodness! Poor Robin and poor you! :hug3:

I am sure you are stressed out with the vacation and kenneling, but maybe the meds will kick in real quick and by Saturday she will be feeling better. :) And then you will be feeling better and enjoy yourselves.


Um, I think the clavamox is already doin' its magic. She woke up bright and early this morning to terrorize the cat and climb all over River to get to the nylabone and then crunched loudly on it while I tried to eek out just 5 more minutes of sleep. Stinker. :rolleyes2:

That's what I was thinking about raw, Michelle; I've tried adding a little fiber, like pumpkin, to her food to help firm up her stool, but it only maybe helps some, as in, we only have to do this once in a while.

Malli-- I've read that about not overdoing the manual expressions; I always try to wait it out, but River goes from scooting, to walking outside and just sitting there, to being unbearably mopey and miserable until we go in and get it done. I'd like to firm up her stool so she can do it herself. I'd probably wait it out even more if it weren't for going on vacation... As for the added moisture in Robin's food, I don't know why I didn't think of floating her kibble. We used to do that for Simon when his teeth and sense of smell started fading. She's not thrilled with the SO, so it looks like I might do that with the SO in her bowl and continue to put the kibble she likes in her kong genius while we're transitioning. (I've started splitting their kibble, part in the bowl and part into geniuses while I get ready in the morning and it really helps keep them occupied.) And the vet said it was crystals; I imagine if the antibiotics and food don't help after a couple of weeks, we'll check for stones.

Liz, do I remember correctly that Inara has had crystals before, or was it your kitty? Since you've switched to raw, let me know if you see a reduction in her UTIs. I have some cranberry capsules at the house left over from Simon's many supplements, so I'll start adding that to the routine.

I think Im going to look at doing a mix of raw and/or home-cooked and kibble. I need to be able to feed kibble sometimes, but I like the idea of a more moisture packed and natural diet.
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