I am so glad little Joey is home where mommy can take good care of him!

Morning Donna,
I sent you a pm. Buddy and I are here to help.
Send Sadie over and I'll give her some lovin!:p

So glad Joey's home and in your care.

Yes, I know raw food isn't for everyone and that's ok. Home cooking is good, but you need to make sure everything is covered, so speaking with a Pet Nutritionist is ideal. I have a Pet Nutritionist from Cornell. We speak through emails. I told him the 'diet that I created' which was modified from the Dr. Dodd's diet to what and how Roxy like the food. He was able to keep my ingredients and just balance it with vitamins, etc. and give me the correct portions. And he told me what to add as extra protein for TJ. The one diet cost $140. I'd be happy to share it with you, but if it is something you would like to do, I would suggest contacting the nutritionist to get it modified for Joey, as his needs are different than Roxy's. I like home cooking for her, but it can be a 'pain' sometimes preparing it all. I do make a whole bunch and freeze it to make it easier on me. - After about 6 months of the diet, TJ got 'bratty' and didn't want to eat it. His first BAT the post was 43, but after about 4 or 5 BATs his post returned to below normal, so I put him back on the Raw food diet that he loves.

Feeding Joey at least 4 times a day is really ideal. If you keep him on the RC kibble and L/D you need to figure out how much is good for him for the whole day and split it up for those 4 or 5 time feedings. (Olga can assist you on that part).

You can actually do the same for Sadie. If you have a kibble that she likes, split hers up for the day as well. Wet food can also be added, as it is good for the moisture content and wet food is less processed than the kibble. I know this is going to be work, but once you get them on the routine and schedule, it will get easier.

Some other tricks to get Joey to eat the RC are....Cottage Cheese or Goat Cheese. Friendship makes a Low Sodium 1% cottage cheese. You can take a tiny, tiny bit of the Cottage cheese or if you find a Low Sodium Goat cheese and you can coat a little on the kibbles to 'entice' his to eat it. Don't over load on the cheese though, while it is low in protein and low in purines, it is still 'extra' protein that can be too much...

The apple bits (no skin) – watermelon and romaine lettuce can be given daily as treats.

In moderation (just a few times a week) you can give sweet potatoes as a treat. Again, not too much b/c of the potassium and magnesium. But, I used to make Baked Sweet Potato fries (in the oven - no oil). Both Sadie and Joey should like them :p

Teeth. I don’t use Petzlife because of the grain alcohol, I am just too afraid with Roxy’s liver issues. Instead, I do brush teeth everyday. First I rub teeth with wet gauze (I buy the JJ gauze roll from Walmart and cut into small squares). Then I brush teeth with a little CET toothpaste. Then I rub on my finger Maxi Guard. If yearly professional teeth cleanings are a must, then your Vet knowing Joey’s condition with use the proper methods and precautions for him.

Joey is going to have to go back in about 8 weeks or so for a BAT and hopefully it will return to a normal pre and post. Sometimes dogs with LS can also have an underlying MVD, or in time they can acquire MVD or even another shunt. This can happen b/c these dogs have Liver Disease in their genetic makeup. So just because he had surgery to repair his shunt, doesn't take away from the fact that his genes have liver disease, so that's why it is important for him to eat the proper food, broken up through out the day and the added supplements and meds so that his liver has an 'easy job' and it will not be overworked....He should also have his urine tested often because of the stones. Yorkieluv is a member here who has an MVD dog. His BAT is in the 300 range, no shunt though. And he was also passing about 20 stones a day. But she has been able to get him on a diet and supplements that he hasn't passed any stones in *I think* 2 years. You should reach out to her for some more advice. She is also on the Yahoo group too.

I think of more later! Give him a kiss for me :animal36

P.S. Get some baby onies (new born) you can cut and sew if needed, but it should cover up his belly so that he can not 'play' with the stitches. I know how the cone can be such a pain, so the onies may help! The black and blue on his belly may be normal b/c of what he went thru LS and the 'digging' around for the testicle. But def. contact his Dr. and ask them as many questions as you need too ;)

I have been reading your posts and am so glad that your babies surgery went well. I have just returned from Tennessee on Sunday having Dr Tobias close my little females shunt, also. I did get the onesies and used those for a few days and they did help - she preferred that over the collar! My little girl is just about 2.5 lbs, so it has been a challenge to get her to eat the last few days. I have kept her on the Hills LD and the Royal Canin 14 - University of TN recommended adding sweet potatoe, carrot, or green bean baby food to it - any with 0 protein, or a small amount of plain yogurt to make it a little more tasty. I have to keep her and my other little male separated for 2 weeks to let her little insides heal - this, too, will be difficult. They also put her on the lactulose 3 times / day to help get rid of the toxins. She seems to grow a little stronger each day. Good luck with your little one, I know what you are going through and how stressful it is at times. I am sending thoughts and prayers your way!

Thank you so much and same goes to you. Were you the person who posted that your pup was crying and shaking when jumping off the sofa? I may be confusing it with someone else, I have been reading so many threads lately. That's wonderful that you were able to have Dr. Tobias close the shunt. I am going to try the baby food. I didn't get any diet guidance from Oradell, but many who have shared our anguish, have become quite expert in this area and give so much great advice. I hope your little girl gets stronger and more robust each day. She's even tinier than Joey...Joey likes the canned food warmed up a little, I think it softens the consistency and may make it more palatable for your pup. Good luck and keep me posted.

Thanks for the tips. Joey seems to like the Hills and RC, so I am pleased with that. I've gotten Sadie a couple of doggy playdates so the house is more peaceful and Joey can get some rest. Oradell finally called to tell me that they did pull the four baby teeth, so I feel better about that. I think it's a great idea to break up the portions and pre-measure them. Olga told me he can have a 1/4 can of the Hills each day spread out over 3 to 4 meals, but I just asked about the RC, so I'll see what she says. Are romaine, watermelon and apple bits the only treats Joey can have? Nothing like a little Peanut Butter mini zuke or something like that? He used to get those after pottying outside, but I will toss them if it's a no.

That's great that you don't have a picky eater ;)

Treats...I would stay away from most of the store bought treats. I wouldn't feed him anything that has Meat or Organs in it. Chicken and Fish are iffy too and Peanut Butter is probably no good b/c it is high in protein.

If you have a speciality store by you, they may have some cookie/biscuit treats that are low in protein and do not contain meat/organ products. That would be the route I would go. OR you can bake your own treats ;)

If you need something like training treats: Cheerios's are good :thumbup:

I'm not sure but I think peanut butter has a lot of protein. Check the bag for protein content. I brought nutrical to the hospital (University of TN) "just in case" when I picked Lola up, and they said absolutely no nutrical - it has too much protein, also. They said if I had to give her something, karo syrup was better. You are very lucky that he is eating the prescription diet. I wouldn't veer off of that too much if I didn't have to, you know that is what he is supposed to be eating. Lola just does not eat much of anything...she must still associate eating with feeling sick.

Oradell told me I could use nutrical because I asked the same question in case he wouldn't eat, it's pretty scary how little follow-up they do. They know how to do the procedure, but as vets, I don't think they see the big picture. Luckily he didn't need any. Ok, I'll nix the pb treats, I see your point re the protein, I was thinking no meat. How about banana? I just ordered those banana YorkieYummies from Cindy and I'm not sure if potassium is a factor. I can always just give them to Sadie. No more bully sticks, flossies, texas toothpicks, ah those were the good ol' days.

What about sweet potato?
I just bought a bag of organic sweet potato cookies for Buddy from
Pet Nutrition. That's the only place I shop for Bud.
He won't eat them do you think you might like to try them for Joey?

Was Joey actually diagnosed with ammonium urate stones?

Banana and Sweet Potato has to be in moderations. They are high in Potassium and Magnesium :(

Thanks, Carol, sure we'll try them.

I am going to sound really dumb right now, but they said kidney stones because of the ammonia in his urine (ie what would cause urine crystals if he had been tested) because his liver wasn't working properly to filter toxins. Does this make any sense? Is that what ammonium urate stones are? Also, as an aside, when they do this surgery at UT and Cornell, do they use actual thread sutures, not the dissolvable ones? His wound looks pretty nasty, not infected, just so swollen. Maybe the dissolvable ones are underneath?

Also, they said there were only a couple and they were small enough to go away on their own.