:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Wiley is so lucky to have you as his mommy!! You can be my mommy anytime! :p
How old is Wiley now?

One cough episode and gaining weight - yay Wiley!!! :D:thumbup:

Happy for mommy and Wiley.

My little piggy Wiley is 16wks today and weighs in at 2# 5.2oz... I can't believe how fast he is gaining weight. I hope I am not feeding him too much. He get 1/2 cup (57grams according to Acana bag) Acana Grasslands grain free each day and I split it up into three meals a day. I am looking for a good wet puppy food as well that is grain free and lamb or fish. Wiley is doing super and I am sooooooo happpppppyyyy!!!!! I also noticed black new growth of fur/hair on his belly. I am so excited. He still cough/hacks in morning, but the rest of the day is fine. I think my baby boy is finally doing well. :D
I hope things continue in a possitive way and he will be able to get his vaccine mid June.
I want to call him fuzzy now.... hee hee

Just read through this whole thread. Oh my goodness, you've been through alot. So happy Wiley went to a good Momma, and I'm sorry that your experience with him has been so rocky. The good news is though that, like a sick baby, it seems that you become even more attached when you nurse them back to health. My Gizmo was a puppymill/backyard bread puppy as well, however he hasn't had the problems poor little Mr. Wiley has had.

Glad you switched over the foods, Acana is a good food to be on.

I'm thinking that the hair loss could have been from all of the stress combined with the bad food and lots of medicatios that he's been on.

But thinning hair or not, he's a cute little peanut!!!:p

Prayers that all goes well!!! And lots of love a support to a fellow Puppymill/BYB rescue Momma!

Happy to hear Wiley is doing good and his mommy is happy.

So glad to hear the good report. Such a sweet little baby. Thanks for keeping us informed.

Great news.

I have been looking into Honest Kitchen which is human grade and dehydrated. The have meals with protein and ones to supplement your protein choice.
Grain-Free Dog Food | All Natural Dog Food | Dehydrated Dog Food | The Honest Kitchen

FYI I recently read that if you are concerned about skin issues you should not feed lamb which is Yang (hot) Yin/Yang. I am in a learning process about a holistic approach. I will try to find where I read that and post the information. I figure I will try to keep Buster as healthy holistically as I can and use medications when necessary.
I just did and it was in the Honest Kitchen website. http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/2011/01/05/skin-coat/

Strange. Our Shih Tzu who had skin issues did very well when I switched him to a lamb based dog food. Lamb has been used for years for sensitive and problem skin.

I am so glad things are looking better.

I am just learning about all of this and am interested in the concepts but I will agree that they may not apply all the time. I am glad your dog did well with the lamb. I am a newbie to all this alternative approach but Buster had so many health issues when I got him and was on so much medications I wanted to try and get his immune system as healthy as possible through diet and supplements.
This is what the Honest Kitchen web site post said "Although a lamb and rice diet is often recommended for dogs with skin sensitivities, lamb is actually once of the worst possible meats to feat a ‘hot’ itchy dog according to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, because it is a warming ‘yang’ food. Instead, cooling ‘yin’ or neutral foods should be served – including white fish, turkey, duck or beef. "
I try and gather a lot of information and sift through it with a slightly skeptical eye. But I figure the chinese doctors researched for years for cures for aliments so they might have some good ideas. I am not against conventional medicine, my dad is a doctor. I just like the idea of trying alternative approaches before medicating. I had just read the post on the Honest Kitchen web site the other day and that is the first time I had heard about the yin/yang food theory and found it interesting.

I don't know much about yin and yang other than it is based in Chinese philosophy concerning how things are interconnected in the world.
Basically I am coming to see that the dog food industry as a whole has most people duped into thinking that because a bag of food says,"nutritionally complete" on it that their dog is going to be healthy eating it. Humans are getting sick at record high rates eating what they think is healthy while our foods have been genetically changed and the animals that our meat comes from are pumped full of hormones, steroids and antibiotics. Even the farmland it's self has been stripped of the natural minerals that it used to contain thus even our fruits and veggies are lacking in nutritional value. While there are those who are grass feeding live stock and going back to the real natural way of producing food our markets are lacking this type of food in the quantity needed to feed our population.
All that said I am still searching for a real natural food for my baby that is also something that she will eat. I have found recently that she hates rice but will accept sweet potato based food. White potatoes are too starchy for dogs. Humans are not supposed to consume large amounts of white potatoes so why would we give them to our dogs?
I think any meat that is raised "free range," "grass fed" without the adding of all the chemicals being injected into the animal is going to be a start for our pets health. I used to think that a more expensive food was a better food but as I am researching I am finding how wrong I have been.

My Little Wiley is doing very well and no coughing going on in the morning like he was. Still gaining wt. and up to 2# 6oz. His new fuzz is still growing on his belly & chest and I notice new fuzz growing throughout the rest of his coat where it was thinning and going bald before. Maybe the new food and the coconut oil is helping lots!!! The yeast/ear mite problem that he had went away too, but now my Shih Tzu's have it. They have never had ear problems so this is a bit upsetting to me. I am sure Wiley will get it again if they have it. Never Ending battle with things... ggggrrrr I used vinegar & water for my other dogs ears, but they acted like they were going nuts when I cleaned their ears with cotton ball and mix. I know the meds given for Wiley's ears really didn't help much... so I used coconut oil and it went away. tried that on my Shih Tzu's and it didn't seem to do anything. My hands are in the air.... I don't know what to do.
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and all furbabies are doing well
Tammy

Oh my. You are really having one thing after the other! (I think it's time of a nice glass of wine!:D) I've never had ear issues (knock on wood), so don't know what to tell you there. Glad to hear little Wiley's cough is doing well and his hair is coming back in!

Thanks for your reply... you made me smile:)

I hate to say it but maybe your Shih Tzu has a different problem. If it is ear mites they should both be treated at the same time or they will pass it back and forth. If your Shih Tzu is healthy I don't think it would have yeast because that is something that usually attacks a sick animal. I know you have spent a fortune on your new baby but maybe you should have the Shih Tzu's ears checked just to know for sure what you are dealing with. If you have already treated the dog with mite medicine you may have to wait at least three days for them to be able to see anything. Most ear mite medications say to treat every three days for quite a while until they are gone. I did use something the vet gave me last year that was a one time treatment and worked well but every vet carries different brands of medicine. Glad to hear Wiley is doing so well. Can't wait to see him with a full body of fur!

My Shih Tzu's were healthy before I got Wiley. Wiley came to me with tons of nasty brownish gunk in his ears. When they tested it... they said it was yeast, but I find that weird because the drops they gave me didn't help him hardly at all. When I started doing the cononut oil, all the crap in his ears went away and them my Shih Tzu's stared showing the same signs he had with the brownish bunk in ears and scatching tossing head. I guess I will have to bring them all to the vet again and get this taken care of and have a STIFF DRINK with bubble bath

Wish I drank... LOL

LOL! I know that feeling - it gets to a point when you gotta laugh or you'll cry!

WOW! you have been through alot with your baby! I read your thread when it was first posted and am glad that it bumped back up. I was wondering how he was doing. Yeast or mites it is just easier to treat everyone at the same time,so they cannt pass it back and forth. If it has been raining,it could easily be yeast. I have an older dog that has fought yeast in his ears all of his life. It would also show up when allergies were bothering him. Between the allergies and the rain it would put just enough strain on his system to allow yeast to grow. I found that if it showed up in his ears then you could bet one of the poodles had it too. So ear wash of some kind and a medication from the vet for about 7 days.
Your baby has come so far. I know that it must be hard to not be frustrated. If you dont drink (I will have a glass of wine for you),be sure to at least get a bubble bath and take care of mommy too.

If you do take them in make sure they actually culture it and look under a microscope. Don't let them guess. I have no experience with yeast. Did they give you two different things to treat Wiley's ears. I don't think mite medicine would treat yeast so I am assuming they had to have used two different medications?
Yeah, it is enough to make you want to start drinking. One thing I have found with human and animal doctors is: don't assume anything. Don't assume they are always right and ask questions, questions and more questions. You are paying them good money so get your money's worth and don't walk out of there wondering. If you get home and think of something call and ask.

A yeast culture is a good idea,the vet can swab and look under a microscope for mites as well.The meds are different.
I have taken prinouts to my vet of things that I want to talk about. Ive learned alot and he has figured out that I really do know a few things too. We have learned to respect each others opinion and he doesnt freak out if I dont agree with him.

I am happy to hear Wiley is feeling better and getting FUZZY! Sorry to hear your Shih Tzu is now having ears issues! I agree about asking questions. I keep a book on Buster and as questions come up I write them down so I will remember to ask the Vet.

So glad to hear little Wiley pup is improving.... and gaining so much weight... and hair ! Yea!:D

I am so glad Wiley is improving. I hope you get all your babies well soon.

Hello everyone...
It has been 12 days since I last posted. I have been busy getting a garden in late, family visit from my family from Illinois, and getting my Shih Tzu's ears better. They all had infection in their ears. Makes no sense... but it is what it is. I was given Butler KET Flush which is a topical multicleans alkalinizing flush. I do this in each ear every three days and Butler QUADRITOP Ointment into each ear twice a day for 14 days. Wednesday will be the 14th day and their ears look wonderful with no itching or red. I take them back to see if it has cleared completely. I will be asking for some more of the Ket Flush because it is AWESOME stuff. I think Wiley passed his yeast infection to the others because my two Shih Tzu's have NEVER had ear problems. His ears are getting treated as well to be on the safe side. Wiley weighs 2# 12oz today.... so he is still gaining weight and he has NO COUGHING anymore. He has been super well!!! NO MEDS... well except for the ear med. He finally goes in on Thursday to get his 1st vaccination as he needs to start over as there has been too much time lapse between the last one given back in April and we are not for sure if it was even given. He will get another 1 month after this one and then his Rabies will wait till he is closer to 8 months old. Tammy

:Puppy2: I am glad to hear Wiley is doing better and better. :woohoo: