Comments for Vet Blog

Comment on Felimazole by Ranuka Nathaniel

Ranuka Nathaniel — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:28:39 +0000

I had similar problems trying to get my female 17 yr old to take felimazole, she would vomit, she was still losing weight. In the end I found an alternative herbal Canadian medicine in drop dosage into her food and homeopathy tabs crushed in her water. She had her good days and bad days. I just know I could not have put her through the terror of tablets each day and her being upset with and vomiting. She became very week and was euthanized on Tuesday, I still don’t know if I did the right thing or not by changing her medication. But lets hope with the increase of hyperthyroidism in female cats friendly/stress free
medication will become available.

Comment on Twisted Stomach { Bloat } in the Dog, Symptoms, Treatment. by Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:08:50 +0000

this is how i lost my dog around last mothers day. it was the worst thing ive been through yet. i had never had to watch an animal die before and the whole time it happened her eyes were looking into mine. i think she was saying goodbye but part of my still thinks she was asking for someone to save her. its an awful thing when it happens.

Comment on Twisted Stomach { Bloat } in the Dog, Symptoms, Treatment. by Dana

Dana — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:12:35 +0000

We just lost our girl Willow, a 5-year-old Border Collie, this morning. At 3:30am she presented with some of the signs mentioned above. She had a warm nose and was panting, too. I knew we’d be making a visit to the vet later this morning. I didn’t realize the severity of the signs. She passed away on our way to the vet. Thank you for the information posted. It will help in the future. Willow, you were the best! We will miss you and your “Good Morning” greetings and how you would run to hide behind my legs when you heard fireworks. I’m so sorry…

Comment on Twisted Stomach { Bloat } in the Dog, Symptoms, Treatment. by Terri Williams

Terri Williams — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:33:10 +0000

Thank you for sharing this valuable information. It’s so devastating to lose a dog so suddenly. For years I have had rescue danes and mastiffs (among others) and there are a few things I have done to prevent stomach torsions from occurring. Scott, please jump in if you see anything I’m doing wrong, but I have been lucky so far with these steps: One important thing is to make sure your dog food isn’t filled with worthless junk. It’s so frustrating reading the labels of dog foods on standard grocery shelves or even pet food stores. The majority of pet foods here (in the U.S.)- even brands considered to be “scientifically formulated” are almost completely made of fillers. It’s akin to feeding your dog cardboard. I particularly avoid corn (RUN from corn gluten meal) and wheat middlings (which is code for “floor sweepings”). This fluff has no nutritional value meaning you have to feed more for the dog to get the little good stuff in the food. More junk in, more allergies, more bloat, more gas, more poop out. I only hope pet food in other countries is regulated more on the health of the pet, and not so much the profit of the industry.
I also free-feed and all of my dogs (minus one lab, who requires a more Jenny Craig style monitoring) have done a remarkable job maintaining their weight. The rest just calmly nibble a little here and there and never feel they have to hurriedly scarf down a bowl of food. I’m sure this has been key here, as I can remember as a child the flurry of feeding time when my mom fed our dogs only once a day. Dogs eat so calmly once they know food is always around. Thirdly, once I found a food I considered healthy I NEVER switched it up. When converting for the first time (or with a newly acquired dog), make sure to switch gradually, slowly increasing the percent of new food.
Some vets say in order to prevent torsion, no dry food, although that’s all I feed. I see dogs eat much more ravenously when treats (and wet food) are mixed into food also, so I avoid treats as well. Lastly, avoid rawhide chews as large chunks can end up causing distress as well.
I’m so sorry for those people who have lost their babies to this horrible condition and am so thankful somebody is finally spreading the word about it. I only hope my preventative measures are helping, and that I’ve not just been “lucky so far.”

Comment on Twisted Stomach { Bloat } in the Dog, Symptoms, Treatment. by Paul Jacobs

Paul Jacobs — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:24:44 +0000

Please – do not allow your dog to eat rawhide bones or pieces.

Our 9 yr old Golden Retriever just survived this condition. My 12 yr son told us it was the best Christmas present ever! We visited several family members on Christmas Eve day and he ate several rawhide chips during the afternoon because the family members we visisted also had dogs. Early evening, he became restless and drank lots of water and then tried to throw-up numerous times. After a short time we noticed his stomache get large and hard on one-side and then the other – plus he could not sit down. Evenually, he laid down but would not move. By that time, we had made contact with a vet clinic and they said to bring him right in. They explained what happened – drinking large amounts of water plus repeated attempts of throwing up the rawhide that could not be easily digested lead to the twisted stomach and bloating. His stomach was easily 3/4 times normal size. The vet attempted to relieve the gas and pressure with a needle to the stomach – which did not work. She then feed a tube to his stomach and was able to relieve the gas and remove the contents of his stomacj inlcuding several large rawhide pieces. The stomach reverted back to its noraml position and happily is is resting with us right now in our hotel room on 12/26/11.

The first sign of trouble was around 4:30 pm. He was at the vet by 6:30 pm with the proceedures down shortly after and completed by 8/8:30 pm, We were very lucky – I feel we could have lost Rocky within another 1/2 hour if he had not been treated.