i always watch my dogs with their bones and make sure they arent gettin them torn up. Spice usually nibbles for hours on one corner and doent get anything accomplished but makin it a tiny bit gooey. Once it starts to look like shes unwrapping it i usually take it away. I just want them to have treats they can enjoy that will entertain them a bit and help with their teeth. Spice loves her bones and i'd feel kinda bad if i dont give them to her anymore, seeing as she's had them for yrs now (off and on)

My pups all have bones to chew, but every time I mention which ones it starts another debate. I will avoid that and simply say that I only use the NON edible bones for chewing and even then keep an eye on them and discard if they show wear and tear. The only thing I give my pups that is edible is food and a treat twice/day.

I agree that chewing is important!

ok ill look into the ones that are non edible and maybe try that

shampoo
 

well, i posted on a shampoo thread yesterday and no one has answered. Does anyone know what kind of shampoo i can get thats good for my yorkie AND my pom?? i need something that wont dry their skin out and is good for pretty coat and smell. I would prefer somethin i can get from walmart or Petsmart, b/c i have easy access to those places, but any suggestions will do.
keep in mind, timmy has a problem with losing hair again:( so i think it has something to do with his shampoo or the flea treatment b/c i gave him the flea stuff sat, bath sun, and noticed massive scratching and little chunks falling off on mon morning. He scratches and rolls around anyway, but ive only noticed the hair loss about a month ago, then it seemed to go away, and now again.

timmy had a fabulous feeding tonite:D i fed him almost 1/8 cup kibble, and 1/8 can of wet for dinner and all was well. i still am doing it one at a time, but i think with that and the small snack meal on my lunch that he is getting a lot more calm when he eats. i just give him a piece, wait til he sits calmly, then let him get another piece, and so on (but theres more in the bowl as i do this that is separate from the one piece i want him to focus on, that way he knows having more in the bowl doesnt mean he has to eat it all at once). His snack on my lunch was even with spice in the room for once and he still ate nice and slow without freakin out and speeding up..so kudos to my baby boy!:animal36

well so much for fabulous:( i fed timmy exactly like i have been and he threw up this morning and i have NO IDEA why this time. We think his problem is gulping/gas..but how does that make sense when i was feeding his kibble one piece at a time and stopping to let him burp:confused: before giving him more. The most he had was 2 pieces at once which i didnt hear him chew, but thats a bit of a stretch..2 pieces! im hoping this was just a fluke of some kind, cuz we were doing so good..but it does have me a little worried that there is still another reason.

last 2 feedings since the throw up have been perfectly fine, so i am still hoping it was just a fluke. His last dose of Clindamycin is tonite, and hes almost off the wet food so hopefully his poopy will start to look normal again soon. I joined a yahoo group that one person mentioned EPI which i hope to god its not. He has some of the symtoms, but not very many considering the list. Also a vet answered and said if hes not losing weight than his regurgitation may not be a problem at all. I dont think he is, but i dont have a scale, so ill have to check when i take him to my sisters this sun. From what i can tell though, if i still feel uncomfortable about his health after a little while longer, then next step is to do some bloodwork. Im going to wait on that for a bit til hes off wet food and meds to see if his poo goes back to normal. if it does then i wont worry about EPI as much.

BTW still need good shampoo recommendation:) Bathed him today is some LULU somethin or other that i had already bought and i havent noticed scratching really today..and i swept floor so we'll see if he still scratches hair out or not.

i like this one

COCONUT CLEAN shampoo with conditioners for dogs and cats and small animals Nature's Specialties

thanx ill look into that one. would it be good for my pom too?

Your vet has not yet done any bloodwork????

nope...he hasnt even mentioned it to me to my recall. ive run out of money right now, but i didnt even think of that until everyone here started mentioning it. several of the things that ive found it could be say that they cant be determined by average blood tests, and that u have to have certain kinds done, so i will have to ask my vet about that. Right now though, timmy is doing great :) almost totally on kibble now, and no more antibiotics..YAY

I am so happy that both you and Timmy are doing so well. He sounds like such an adorable little boy, and I love the way you speak about him and how you have cared for him. You are both so lucky to have found each other.

He ran tests on him and did not do bloodwork. Maybe it is me, but that sounds strange. I would think that would be the first thing to do. It does not cost that much!

ya ive been wondering about my vet to be honest..hes a nice guy, and my parents have always had his dad as their vet (the only one in their small town)..but i have doubts sometimes that he is as careful as others could be. i dont know yet, but i may end up switching vets. Timmy's doing great right now, no regurgitating, no baby spit up anymore, and as of today (1st day off clindamycin), no yellow poopy!!! and he is UNBELIEVABLY more playful lately as well. I hope it keeps up, but if it doesnt bloodwork is definitely my next step.

I love my baby boy's new energy!! hes so cute when he plays

yes good for all breeds

he put your dog under anesthesia for dental and for barium with no blood work up or urine test ? That is scary I would double check that to make sure - maybe he ran an inhouse to make sure the critical stuff like kidney function was checked.

he never mentioned it, and it wasnt listed on my bill so i really dont think he did..but i guess i can ask next time i go

yeah i would ask as usually they will do that for precaution to be safe

ya like i said im starting to wonder about him..i may need to switch

timmy almost threw up tonite, had all signs which usually cant stop it once its that far..but i rubbed him slowly and talked to him softly to calm him and he finally burped with no throw up!! so proud

last day of wet food is tomorrow..then officially back on kibble, which takes a long time..im gonna stick with the training to get him to chew and eat slower...but if i still have problems i may start mashing his food and soaking it in water the nite before or something to see if that works..still nutrients, no cost of wet food...but like i said..i think the training we're doing is important, so i dont wanna rush it..i want him to learn he can eat slowly and feel full faster that way and longer

yeah i just wish they did scope instead of barium swallow test as i think you would have had some more answers as you can see a blockage on xray so not sure why he did barium but sounds like he is doing better so keep up the great work - it is tough when you have a dog with issues i know i have one too :(

its hard, but seein him happy is worth it! ive got some new pix ill post on here. :D all u can do is love your dogs like they are your children and do all you can to make them as happy as they make you..after all their love for us is unconditional so they deserve no less

hey girl i think you jinxed me lolllllll my demi has had projectile vomit twice this week now :( she is my healthy one too

awww!! the only time timmy projected at all was in the car from im guessing motion sickness. maybe she was feelin bad for timmy..but now that hes good, she will be too lol long distance sympathy symptoms

lol yeah it only happens at night and happened twice this week and she NEVER vomits so this is very concerning :( vet group said to get xrays as blood work and urine may not show anything but xrays of chest, abdomin and esophagus should show if anything abnormal. I am going to wait and if one more incident she is going in asap

Dwert,
Hope your baby gets better. The way you describe her projectile sound icky. lol It is very strange that she JUST started this randomly this week imo, although i am clearly a yorkie rookie at this point. I would just take her to the vet for a routine xam or call and explain whats going on and see what the vet says. if you trust your vet, and he/she knows all there is to know about your baby, im sure they will help you over the phone or give you some clues as to what you need to try. if you havent introduced ANYTHING new this week, no new food/treats, medicine, toys, or ANYTHING..then maybe she just got into something outside when you took her out?:confused: It seems weird to me that she would just start doing this randomly twice this week with no history of it.

Projectile vomiting imo is an emergency. Are you sure that is what it is? Projectile is very forceful vomiting and goes straight away a distance from the pup. It often occurs in obstructions.

Wow. I haven't been around lately, and just read this thread from the beginning. Seschna, you poor thing. All this uncertainty would have driven me 'round the bend quite a while ago. :(

It is totally amazing your vet did no blood work, IMO. I can hardly believe that...seriously. How can he know what's going on inside with no blood work?

Beyond that, the only nugget of advice I have is to try putting the kibble in a blender...this solves any problem with chunks your pup might have. Then you can wet it or mix it with canned or whatever.

I had a megaesophagus Yorkie, years ago. She was diagnosed at Angel Memorial in Boston, which is a very big deal here in Mass. They did some kind of test which showed the passage of food in motion through her body. Anyway, I kept her going for several years by feeding her, then picking her up (as you would a baby) and patting her back until the food went down. There would be a bulge in her throat until that happened...and then you could hear it move. :) She would usually rest with her chin up on something to stretch her throat and help things (like water) go down. How I loved that little girl...

Doesn't sound like your boy has that...but, maybe you could try burping him after meals, as I did with my Josie? Maybe get the air out before everything comes up? Think of it as a bonding experience... :D

yeah it was like a volcano coming out but then she acts totally normal after and effortless. It happened last night after drinking water - she drank water then jumped up on couch then whamo it shot out like volcano erupts all over the floor and dog beds. Then she started to reverse sneeze as that happens sometimes when they vomit i have noticed then she lifted her leg and then jumped off couch and ran around barking as if nothing had happened - i called hospital immediately as this was a second occurrence and they said possible esophagus issue since regurgitation is tied to esophagus issues and sometimes neurological :( said to keep an eye on her and see how she acts but she acts totally normal and it has only happened at night. I emailed ims this morning and they called to get more info and will call me back. I will call our vet in am too

this morning she drank and ate with no issues so we will see tonight :( I am wondering if chicken was bad and she had a sour stomach as a vet on my vet group said maybe she had an upset stomach just wait and if it happens again get xrays

Just something to think about.....One of my girls did this a couple of years ago....I mean real projectile vomiting, had never had an episode. Rushed her to ER (she was otherwise without symptoms). Vet did a thorough exam.....I mean thorough......asked what she had been doing prior to the episode. Had she been outside; yes. Had she picked up something; maybe. Since all the tests he put her through came back normal. The only thing he saw was her throat looked a bit irritated....so, the possibility existed that she had maybe, while outside, ingested a small twig and irritated her throat....causing her to vomit......