going back to feeding him one piece of kibble at a time, I figure this is the best way for his system to get used to the NB sweet pot and venison. He seemed to do well with this system today..less burping, better chewing, and no vomiting today. :) i am hoping this will continue once he has been on it for a long time i can try to blend it again, or see if he can eat on his own without regurgitation. I think ill kno when hes gettin better just by the sound of his sticky mouth. Hopefully this food will eventually clear that up, if it was caused by an intolerance from previous food. If not i may have to ask the vet about the baby benedryl thing that one vet suggested and see if that clears up his excess snot.
I really dont want my poor baby to be on steroids forever (the vet mentioned)...

Poor timmy is having massive problems again, and this food has practically NOTHING in it..and def nothing hes ever had before..im going to try to stick with it for at least a month (if i can get his regurgitation under control somehow in the meantime) but i am now thinking i will spend the money on an allergy test. I know some ppl on here say they do nothing to help, but i looked it up online and several websites say they are the best thing to do b/c they tell you what the dog is allergic to (environmental and/or food related) and HOW allergic they are to that particular thing so you can start desensitizing them to the allergen and remove it as well. That sounds PRETTY good to me right now, b/c i need to figure out what it is! I really think he may just have a post nasal drip problem (maybe caused by allergies) and its making it hard to get his food down well, but ive been giving him child benedryl like one vet told me and i dont see any help. He sounds less sticky, but he still regurgitates his food with the white nasty bubbly goo! So i guess we'll see pretty soon. I think i will def make an apt with the vet though or at least call and talk to him further about this b/c i need him to stay healthy and keep his weight on.
Love my baby boy! hope hes not allergic to my pom! lol i read they can be allergic to other pets..but i think thats pretty far fetched

timmy update
 

Timmy is still having his issue, although we have it under control for the time being with the blended food. It is not an allergy, and the next step is for the endoscope or exploratory surgery to see if theres anything weird going on inside of him. Those procedures are too expensive right now, so i am trying to save up and research what those things would discover. Since we already did the barium, i am now wondering if its possible that there is blockage that the barium didnt find. I have to hold hope that it is a curable problem, b/c he didnt have it when we first got him. I have heard of animals swallowing carpet, plastic, etc that doesnt show up on xrays, so im hoping that this may be the case for timmy. I want to fix it for him:(

anyone know how accurate barium studies are in finding blockage?? anyone had the endoscope or exploratory surgery and have any advice or experience to share??

The barium test should be extremely accurate for discovering a blockage. As the barium passes through the system the vet can see if it stops or if there is an narrowing or ulceration.

We haven't had an endoscopy on any of our and would only do an exploratory as a last resort (anesthesia risks).

I noticed in some of the postings going way back that you were considering a vet change. Have you considered obtaining Timmy's medical records and seeking a second opinion?

BTW, heading to Purdue in January! BoilerUp! :D

Thanks! UPDATE: i took timmy to a vet in thorntown for an endoscopy today. Basically, theres nothing in there that they could find, and nothing odd that they felt needed biopsied. However, they could not get the tube into his stomach, so the vet thinks he has a stricture there. Also he had a really hard time gettin the tube through the esophagus next to his heart. He said that could be caused by a busted blood vessel on the heart that is putting pressure on the esophagus and makin it hard for things to get through. He said its normal for a pups blood vessel to break during birth, but they normally heal themselves and maybe tims didnt do that. Unfortunately i couldnt find anything about that online. Anyone know about that?? Also he said that PU is probably the only place around that can go in and dilate the stricture to solve the problem.:(
He also suggests giving him liquid food instead of mashed, so he can drink it instead of chewing at all, just to make it easier.


Anyone have experience with this!?

My Yorkie has boiled rice with boiled chicken cut up with it with a small bit of royal Canian mini sensitive mixed in I found this really helped as she suffers with colitus for a couple of years might be worth a go

Sensitive Stomachs
 

I am by no means a pro or a Vet, however I have had 8 Yorkies and most of them at one time or another, have had stomach issues. My Yorkies, can never eat anything other than their basic diet. They can't have anything with red meat in the dog food. The basic chicken and rice diet has worked well for me and I never, ever change the dog food. Once when I was on vacation in our motorhome, I ran out of dog food and we were in the middle of nowhere. I cut up some of our left over veggies and steak into very small pieces....not only did they throw up but they were throwing up blood and had bloody runny stool. I went back to feeding them dog food, however the store didn't have their brand. I have used the best dog food, along with sensitive stomach types in the past. I am using Eucanuba regularly, and even though I don't think it's the best, I don't want to change their diet.

When I got home from my trip I had this new dog food and, one by one, each of them got worse and were seriously throwing up blood and having bowel movements of the same. I took them to the Vet. He said that Yorkies have extremely sensitive stomachs. They cannot tolerate a change in food unless you do the change by adding a teaspoon of the new food to the old food for a week and increase slightly until they are all switched over. I tried this and it didn't work. They were still sick. I had to get a prescription for steroids, antibiotics and pain meds. I gave them baby strained chicken and some baby cereal with puppy formula for a while and that worked for them. Now I don't even give them any kind of bones or snacks as they get sick on them as well.

I was also told that with some Yorkies, they have a hereditary intestinal problem. They may require surgery for this problem because they have to bypass something in order for them to digest food properly.

Recently, I thought maybe my female was Pregnant and I read up on some of the nutrients she might need if she was. It said to add protein like chicken or turkey to her diet. I did this by adding some slight amount of turkey to their regular diet and two of them were extremely ill again. I cannot change anything about their diets. So far what has worked best for me, was the strained newborn baby chicken and baby cereal. It seems they can digest that.

I hope this helps some of you out there.

Dollbaby

anyone have advice on Strictures specifically? has anyone had a dog with a stricture and gotten it fixed? id love to hear about it before i take timmy in to try to fix his!

Read up on strictures on petmd and it makes it sound hopeless:( basically, IF i could afford to get them dilated and fixed, it wouldnt be a cure, and they would most likely come back and id have to redo several times..also he would have to be on IV for a while, and blah blah bunch of medical crap that i cant afford..and it SPECIFICALLY said at the end that ALL this would not be a cure, and just improvement would be the only likely goal!

so now i get to ask my vet what he thinks for timmy specifically and most likely i wont even bother with the procedure since its apparently a waste of money since tims not in any pain or discomfort unless he is puking..which he doesnt do normally b/c he is on wet food and trained now to stay away from my poms food for the most part..no cure SUCKS..but i love him and im still glad i could give him the happiest life possible..hope he lives a LONG happy one with our family and loves every minute of it! I cant help but think how many ppl would have abandoned him or taken him back to the shelter when they had this many problems with a rescue..GLAD hes with me:)

Hi. Sorry your pup is having problems... and I haven't read this entire thread, so my apologies if I offer advice already stated...

My first question is: Does he eat enough to keep weight on?

Allergies can produce excessive mucous (shampoos too), and scratching the muzzle directly after a meal is an allergic reaction.

I have read that you have tried many different types of food, and that none are working for very long. Chicken is the #1 allergen in Yorkies, if you've eliminated that and he still has a problem, eliminate all fowl. Then start eliminating grains, and change up on the protein source. There are diets sold at Petco and PetsMart that are made specifically for dogs with allergies. Does Timmy scratch after eating home-cooked chicken? If no, then I would assume an allergy to a preservative as opposed to the food itself. Eliminate all foods that contain any meat meal (chicken meal, beef meal, salmon meal, etc.) as an ingredient. These are processed differently, look for human grade ingredients.

Also, any food you buy from Petco or PetsMart can be returned for a refund/exchange if your pup cannot eat it, there is no need to finish a bag if it is causing him problems.

With that said, any food you feed can be liqufied in a blender (I'm sure you know this). I would also put some probiotics in his food, this one mixes well with water too. Nature's Farmacy - Store - Product Details

I would use it for any pup with digestive issues... you may want to discuss using it with your vet first.

Also, maybe homecooking (with the recommendations of a nutritionist) would be a better way to go with him.

I can understand you not wanting to do the surgery at this time, but maybe an appointment with a nutritionist would be more helpful in getting him to eat better.

One more thing to consider... I have heard about 2 different dogs, one in MD and one in PA, with allergies so bad... the Dobe in MD was eventually PTS, it couldn't eat anything, and had been through everything vet medicine could offer... the other dog in PA had some horrible skin issues from allergies, nothing worked and the pup was just miserable all the time. The owner ended up surrendering her to Dog Town, and surprisingly the change in the evironment cured her problems completely. These are both sad outcomes for the owners... I always wondered if the Dobe could have been saved if she had been sent to a different part of the country (before Dog Town), but it would be something to consider if your dog's allergies are also environmental, for his health.

And, again, my apologies if I have repeated anyone else's suggestions... I hope you can find something that will help him...

Oh and no plastic food or water bowls, and maybe try an elevated food dish for him...

http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm.../detail/693009

You don't use any type of plug-in air fresheners, do you? Or carpet powders room fresheners or anything like that? Scented candles? Perfumes? New carpeting? New paint? Insecticides... inside or out? What shampoo do you use on him and how often do you bathe him? Have you changed brands at all?

Thanks for the advice, but sadly i have tried almost all of that to no avail. lol hes on a limited ingredient diet now, and after trying several foods, i do think he has sensitivites to some things but no specific allergies as the cause for the problem. some things, like these TINY liver treats i have make him regurgitate instantly lol this food is working well for him cuz it has no grains or anything in it..the only thing is that this food makes him eat poop:( i have to REALLY watch him to prevent it which is impossible. he never had that prob with any other foods that i recall..just this one, but he eats the food better. also i was blending his food,but after the diagnosis of strictures i changed to wet food which i add water to so he can eat better, and i can save time (plus the wet food is better cuz hes missing teeth lol)
My vet said not allergy cuz we tried so many things, and i have since moved from apt to a house, so everything has changed. i dont use any insecticides, air fresheners, or anything bc i once thought it may be the cause, but it was not that easy:(
and i use a random shampoo, but i have changed it once and he had problems with both..so its not environmental.

The vet said that he has a stricture or 2 causing the problems, and now i have to find out what the purdue vets suggest since they are experienced with such things. what i read makes this diagnosis sound horrible, bc theres no cure...but i will find out from my vet for sure what timmys situation would entail and if its worth the money to try to fix it, or if i should just maintain it like i have been since hes not in any pain or anything.

strictures are a narrowing of the esophagus or digestive tubes caused by inflammation, etc that makes the tube too small for things to go through properly..

And this is what matters. Good for you!

Anyone know if its ok to give my yorkie a bit of milk each day? ive never given dogs milk, but timmy cant and WONT drink water because of the stricture. He chokes on it. However, he goes CRAZY over milk..he LOVES it and he doesnt choke on it cuz its creamier i guess..he gets water mixed in his food (a little) 2ce a day. I told vet all this, and he just kinda shrugged it off as another weird thing timmy does lol but i really dont kno if i can give him the milk he wants without messin up his digestion or somethin.
maybe hes mixed with a cat after all haha