We are at wits end with our Yorkie Kassie?

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by Superpup

I know how badly your heart is aching. It's horrible to watch them suffer with no answers, but don't give up. Sounds like liver shunt or IBD. I would insist on a referral to a gastro/digestive specialist. She may need an ultrasound or endoscopy. How are the poops? What is she eating for the allergy diet? Do you keep her off starches and grains? Does she arch her back a lot?

The vet school is a wonderful suggestion.

Give us more details on the tests performed and her history. There are plenty of "experts" here who have the experience to guide you.

Praying for her and you. Keep us updated.

what does it mean when they arch their back alot as my friends yorkie does this and she is sickly?

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by sherrijmkassie

Thanks ladies. I agree she is in pain and that is the part that is doing my husband and I in. She cant help herself and we are sure trying but without much luck. It is like we have lost our little girl to the closet. She was the type to be constantly bugging for something and always in your face. I never thought the day would come that I would miss how much the little muffin bugged. Now I would give anything to have my little pest back.


She has had stomach xrays and blood work and it all came back good. They did say she had an enlarged liver but then said it must be okay cuz of the blood results.

Thx again

xrays do not help a lot and when dexter had pancreatitis they thought he had a tumor from xrays and it was pancreatitis - cpli and tli test - the xray is first thing to do when vomitting to see if there is an obstruction. dex never had diarhea only vomitting with pancreatitis and you are describing the same thing the dr told me about him when looking at the xray- again bile acid, cpli, tli will give you more specific info - you are doing all the right tests. i know it is costly - no ultrasound as it is $400 and not necessary yet - even if liver shunt there is a better test liver scan as unless the ultrasound tech is superb it is hard to pick shunt up on ultrasound. Do not do scoping for ibd at this point either as if ibd you can control through diet unless severe then you can use atopica and some other things. You need to lazer in on the test that will not cost you a fortune but rule things out such as ones above. You can spend a fortune like i did 14k and now i know better if dex ever vomits only test i am doing is cpli, tli and blood panel as that will tell me all i need to know - i did not have him scoped as we narrowed it down to he cannot tolerate potato and control his ibd through diet only no meds. his ibd is in small intestines as he vomits and diarhea is prob in large intestines. Probiotics helps with this as well - a lot of dogs cannot tolerate potato.

[wemple2]

There is some wonderful information on this thread...hope it helps, not only Kassie...but many others as well. GOOD POSTING.

[sherrijmkassie]

Thanks again to all who have replied. We are going to stick with just feeding her the royal canin and absolutely no treats or other foods for ten weeks. My question now is how do you give a dog a pill when they are on dry dog food and nothing else. We soaked her feet in buro sol last night and were told to do that twice a day to give her relief. She actually cuddled in last night and went to sleep instead of floundering all over the bed like she was doing.

We were told before she had food allergies but not given much guidance as to how to deal with them. I started making homemade dog food and we cut out treats but it didnt help.

It has been a frustrating four or five months but I actually feel confident that we are heading in the right direction now .

Thanks again

[kalina82]

I read thru this entire thread but after reading just your first few posts i was gonna suggest a major food allergy. The yeasty feet, ears, and face are a good sign. THe vet is right, a diet change is in order. However i do not agree with the food used. That food was involved in the Recalls a few months back and i personally just don't trust it. Also the first couple ingredients are rice, brown rice, fish meal, chicken fat, etc. definitely not good.

If Kassie were my dog i'd try a different food. What you want to do is find a high quality food with a rare protein source that Kassie has never had before like venison, bison, or salmon/white fish. You will want to stay away from chicken, turkey, beef, and lamb.

Natural Balance, which is sold in petsmart or petco, has the types of allergy foods you want to look for. You can pick a protein out of a few choices. These diets come in dry, wet, and treat form.
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/allergy/home.html

here are a few other brands that make rare protein foods.
Pinnacle: http://www.breeders-choice.com/dog_p..._dog_trout.htm
http://www.breeders-choice.com/dog_p...g_duck_dry.htm

Solid Gold:
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/produ...id=68&code=140

Wellness
http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/dog_w...ons_index.html

Evangers:
http://www.evangersdogfood.com/dog/40100.html

Fromms:
http://www.frommfamily.com/products-fs-d-d-duck.php
http://www.frommfamily.com/products-...-whitefish.php
http://www.frommfamily.com/products-fs-d-d-salmon.php

Nature's Variety (raw based dry food):
http://www.naturesvariety.com/conten...1BC1vRNGlDF83E
http://www.naturesvariety.com/conten...1BC1vRNGlDF83E

and these are just a few
You can go to www.dogfoodanalysis.com and look up 5 star foods. Then take a look at each food with a rare protein mentioned above.

Good Luck!! i hope those allergies clear up soon.

[sherrijmkassie]

I will check out all the sites you suggested and talk to my husband to see what he says we should do. The problem now will be convincing him to change her food. The vet we took her to yesterday is in our opinion the best one in our area. It was due to the long wait to see her in the first place that we kept taking her elsewhere.

It is hard to believe but she is doing much better already. I think it was a combination of the antibiotics and ear ointment finally taking effect. Now she is just one unhappy camper with her new food. She has been picking up her bowl carrying it into the livingroom and flipping it upside down . Then walks away leaving me to scold her, clean up the mess and put her bowl back where she got it. She has yet to eat even a morsel of it and we will have our hands full winning this battle with her. I cleaned out the treat cupboard and have left it open so she can see it is empty but she still sits in front of it for hours squeaking at us. My husband and I ate our supper in the garage last night so as to not have to eat in front of her lol.

I spent 20 mins this morning trying to get half a pill down her throat but eventually got it.


Anyone up for a yorkie trade for lets see ten weeks?

Sherri & One ticked off little yorklet Kassie

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by sherrijmkassie

I will check out all the sites you suggested and talk to my husband to see what he says we should do. The problem now will be convincing him to change her food. The vet we took her to yesterday is in our opinion the best one in our area. It was due to the long wait to see her in the first place that we kept taking her elsewhere.

It is hard to believe but she is doing much better already. I think it was a combination of the antibiotics and ear ointment finally taking effect. Now she is just one unhappy camper with her new food. She has been picking up her bowl carrying it into the livingroom and flipping it upside down . Then walks away leaving me to scold her, clean up the mess and put her bowl back where she got it. She has yet to eat even a morsel of it and we will have our hands full winning this battle with her. I cleaned out the treat cupboard and have left it open so she can see it is empty but she still sits in front of it for hours squeaking at us. My husband and I ate our supper in the garage last night so as to not have to eat in front of her lol.

I spent 20 mins this morning trying to get half a pill down her throat but eventually got it.


Anyone up for a yorkie trade for lets see ten weeks?

Sherri & One ticked off little yorklet Kassie

awwww, she must be so mad with her new food. LOL these little guys can be so stubborn. She's gonna wear you out but your vet is right. pick an allergy food and stick with it. The reason he picked that one is because he's a vet and the food they have in hospital are prescription diet foods. You can stick with the one he gave you but if she isn't eating it another day or so i'd call him and ask him about the other allergy foods suggested.

[feminvstr]

Originally Posted by sherrijmkassie

I will check out all the sites you suggested and talk to my husband to see what he says we should do. The problem now will be convincing him to change her food. The vet we took her to yesterday is in our opinion the best one in our area. It was due to the long wait to see her in the first place that we kept taking her elsewhere.

It is hard to believe but she is doing much better already. I think it was a combination of the antibiotics and ear ointment finally taking effect. Now she is just one unhappy camper with her new food. She has been picking up her bowl carrying it into the livingroom and flipping it upside down . Then walks away leaving me to scold her, clean up the mess and put her bowl back where she got it. She has yet to eat even a morsel of it and we will have our hands full winning this battle with her. I cleaned out the treat cupboard and have left it open so she can see it is empty but she still sits in front of it for hours squeaking at us. My husband and I ate our supper in the garage last night so as to not have to eat in front of her lol.

I spent 20 mins this morning trying to get half a pill down her throat but eventually got it.


Anyone up for a yorkie trade for lets see ten weeks?

Sherri & One ticked off little yorklet Kassie

if you have a syringe, put the pill in a bit of warm water, let it desolve, syringe it from the side of the mouth...

[sherrijmkassie]

I do have a syringe and what a great idea, thank you , that should make it a lot easier next time. The vet gave us a syringe two visits ago for the white liquid to help settle her stomach from all the vomiting.

[yorkiesmiles]

Originally Posted by kalina82

awwww, she must be so mad with her new food. LOL these little guys can be so stubborn. She's gonna wear you out but your vet is right. pick an allergy food and stick with it. The reason he picked that one is because he's a vet and the food they have in hospital are prescription diet foods. You can stick with the one he gave you but if she isn't eating it another day or so i'd call him and ask him about the other allergy foods suggested.

I agree. If she won't eat this after a few days, maybe one of the higher quality foods would be more appealing to her. It has got to be difficult identifying exactly what she is allergic to when their are so many ingredients even in the best foods.

When you were homecooking were you using multiple ingredients? I'm just wondering if home cooking could be simplified to see what she can tolerate -- like you would do when first feeding a human baby.

I'm sorry, but I was laughing as you described her carrying the bowl around & flipping it -- maybe you'll also have to find a heavier bowl - lol

I hope you don't have to spend another nite eating in the garage!

[sherrijmkassie]

I used a simple recipe that I found online. It has ground turkey, brown rice, veggies and yogourt. Kassie loved it and she didnt get to stay on it long enough to find out if it was okay for her. I had only been doing it for two weeks when she started vomiting and got put on some gastro intenstinal food from the vet.

I just got finished glueing her bowl to her little placemat, it might be a little more difficult for her to carry now lol. She ate about half out of the bowl an hour ago. Kass is a true yorkie and wicked headstrong but I will stand firm because it is for her own good. Our other yorkie kenji lived to be 18 and I truly believe it was because he didnt get the treats and junk that we made the mistake of doing with Kassie.

Again thanks to everyone, you are all very welcoming and helpful.

Sherri & a less hungry Kass lol.

[Connie]

Hi Sherri...I just wanted to give you another idea on how to give Kassie her pills. It is impossible to give my Maddie a pill, so I take two spoons...put the pill on one spoon and then put the other spoon on top of the pill and grind them together to crush up the pill. Then I just open Maddie's mouth and pour it in. It works great for me, so just wanted to pass that on to you!

Get well wishes to little Kassie!

[sherrijmkassie]

A great idea as well thanks Connie. You ladies have better ideas than my vets' office did when I called. The girl I spoke with said to open her mouth shove it down the back of her throat then hold her mouth shut. I had a terrible time trying to do that to my baby this morning.

Thanks

Sherri & Kassie

[Connie]

Originally Posted by sherrijmkassie

A great idea as well thanks Connie. You ladies have better ideas than my vets' office did when I called. The girl I spoke with said to open her mouth shove it down the back of her throat then hold her mouth shut. I had a terrible time trying to do that to my baby this morning.

Thanks

Sherri & Kassie

LOL...that's how they say to give them. Both my vet and another one tried giving Maddie a pill that way and they just kept wasting pills and finally gave up. They were trying to show me how it's done! Now I just crush them and pour them in...it's a breeze!

[scrappymomma]

I give one of my girls pills twice a day and I was having the HARDEST time with it. I finally found "pill pockets" which she loves and thinks she is getting a treat now. I pinch off some of it so shes getting the very least of the pill pocket since shes sapose to get her meds on a empty stomach. I refuse to shove a pill down her throat even though thats what I was told to do. I wouldnt want it done to me or I wouldnt do it to a 2 year old child if ya know what I mean? They sell them at Petsmart. I just wish I would have found it sooner. Good luck... its sooooo hard not knowing whats wrong with your babies sometimes.