Jackson's not feeling well. :(

[MollysMum54]

Originally Posted by mama2yorkies

Brittany, Jackson is very special, and so are you. That is so clear from everything you've shared. You two are an amazing team and I'm sure you will figure out what he needs to stay healthy and have a happy life. Hugs to you both.

I would be exactly like you Brit, and asking loads of questions and hoping for lots of answers. But....that also means you get a bit cross eyed ploughing through all the advice!!
It is not going to be easy for a while now, as you have to almost completely change yours and Jacksons way of life. It is very early days yet, and i'm sure lots more advice will come along for you to work your way through!
Maybe it's time for you to just pick a couple of people you know really well, and who have dogs with the same condition as Jackson, and take advice from them, along with your vets help. Maybe google some stuff too.(which i'm sure you have already done)
Keep a diary of what Jackson is having and if it reacts with him, so you can easliy see whats working/not working. You can then report to the vet.
Good Luck,and hang on in there....it is all still very new and sometimes scary, but i'm sure things will calm down and you will sort out what is right for your little man.
Sending love, hugs and prayers your way.

ps...Molly has been having a dentastix chew every night for the last 3 years, and is very fit and well, and has nice clean teeth It has never upset her tummy, which show that each dog is different.

[BonBon]

Kristin - terrific post!!

[megansmomma]

Brit I have to be honest, I backed away from posting on Jackson's thread because it was becoming tiring with all of the food advice you were being given. I haven't posted but I have been reading just about every day to keep up with how Jackson is recovering. All I could think about was you becoming more and more confused with these suggestions albeit out of concern for Jackson's future health and caring for his future health.

So with that being said on my behalf I'd like to agree with what Kristin posted and could not have worded it better myself. I did not take what Linda posted as being toward you and your love of Jackson that is very evident. But with the use of one word within a post it can change (unintentionally) the tone of all previous used words and from my view that is exactly what occurred. We can all tell from your posts that you really love him and are trying to do what is the very best for him. There have been so many suggestions for you in what to feed it was just becoming a little overwhelming for me to keep reading.

I can't imaging what it must be like to try to sort through all of this but I can relate it to my professional life where I see cancer patients who are frightened from their diagnosis looking to friends, family, internet forums for the answers. What happens is they just become more confused by what they are trying to sort through.

For the sake of Jackson everyone needs to just focus on what his blood work is telling his doctor and what the next step in his treatment will be. Take all of this with baby steps. From what I have read it Jackson might need to stay on his current treatment plan for a while to make sure he is fully recovered.

Originally Posted by Maximo

Brit, everyone knows how deeply you love Jackson and that is why you see the level of concern on this thread. Please don't take opinions on diet as judging you personally or questioning your level of care for your doggy.

People questioned why I didn't take my doggy to a specialist and I know they did it out of concern for his eyes and not because they think I am a bad caretaker or person. I was also questioned about the medications and protocol and I had to eat my words about never using an eyedrop with steroids. That's okay because I know people here want my dog to have eyes.

No one wants to see Jackson relapse or worse. I interpreted LJ's comments as exasperation over all the talk of chews and foods that she knows would/could put Jackson back in the hospital -- not just now or until he recovers from this episode, but in the future.

She also repeated her feeding philosophy that if it isn't necessary, she doesn't feed it because it isn't worth the risk. Everyone has strong opinions on diet, including you, and food is always a huge topic of very emotional debate because everyone wants to do the right thing for their pups.

I also have to agree with LJ that our feeding habits are more often about ourselves rather than our doggies' needs. I too am guilty in that regard. We all need to ask ourselves relative to everything that goes in our dogs' mouths if we are nourishing and rewarding them, or are we harming them? Is this food or treat really necessary?

Everyone understands that this is a huge change in lifestyle and experience for you. No one is suggesting living in a bubble or living in fear, but the reality is that every morsel of food that goes in Jackson's mouth could have serious consequences. That applies to all of our doggies, but more so to dogs once they have suffered their first bout of pancreatitis.

Relax and take care of yourself. You know how our doggies pick up on our stress and anxiety. Keep things simple. One day at a time.

[107barney]

The discussion around food was generated by Brit herself. She has expressed a very strong desire to (1) be able to continue to train Jackson using high value treats and (2) to be able to give him something to chew.

Some well meaning people came on offering advice on treats and some of us have cautioned very strongly against said treats. We were asked to explain why, and we did.

I think Linda just said it in a nutshell - the focus on food isn't the most important thing here and neither is Jackson's need to chew or Brit's desire to train. The most important thing is to assist Brit to ask the right questions of her vet in order to get Jackson out of the woods and keep him out hopefully forever.

If food is Brit's ongoing concern, then she should be asking a board certified vet nutritionist these questions, not a bunch of forum members or inferior or poorly qualified self-proclaimed nutritionists on the internet. We gave her referral information to assist her in that regard.

I see nothing wrong with Linda's post. If she found the incessant talk of fatty food treats and by product chews disturbing, then so what? She also said a lot of things on here that were supportive of Brit. She also issued an apology for inadvertently hurting Brit's feelings, which Brit seemed to disregard.

It is evident to me that Brit loves Jackson very much. The focus should be on his recovery not on what bully stick or pig ear should babysit him while Brit watches a movie. I think that's all Linda meant.

[QuickSilver]

Guys, can we please try something else here? Rather than this devolving in a petty fight while this beloved dog is sick, let's try owning our mistakes rather than pointing out other people's, and refrain from defensiveness. I will start:

I was wrong to suggest pig ears as chews. I did not think they were fatty, but they are. I also said that freezing kills bacteria. I admit I am still confused about this, because my understanding is that raw feeders will freeze food for several months to make it safe, but it appears that bacteria, including salmonella, do not die when frozen.

[megansmomma]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

Guys, can we please try something else here? Rather than this devolving in a petty fight while this beloved dog is sick, let's try owning our mistakes rather than pointing out other people's, and refrain from defensiveness. I will start:

I was wrong to suggest pig ears as chews. I did not think they were fatty, but they are. I also said that freezing kills bacteria. I admit I am still confused about this, because my understanding is that raw feeders will freeze food for several months to make it safe, but it appears that bacteria, including salmonella, do not die when frozen.

This is the exact reason that this thread needs to be kept on track. People will try to speak as expert but their information many times will be incorrect and at times even dangerous. Things that have been stated as fact previously and are incorrect will forever be in written word and could be taken as accurate. Furthermore, it will then be passed on by others as fact.

With a simple search on food safety you can find ACCURATE information by a regulated source and not second, third, one hundredth relayed "sources".

Safe Food Handling Fact Sheets

Finally, don't get me started on raw feeders who live by their own made up set of food safety rules. So of the things that I have read that they suggest make me sick to even think about let alone do.

[QuickSilver]

(Sigh)

I'm out. Brit, you know I love you. I'll stay posted outside of this thread.

[megansmomma]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

(Sigh)

I'm out. Brit, you know I love you. I'll stay posted outside of this thread.

Are you sighing at me? Please explain

[Cherie6446]

I have reading the posts from the beginning and I am disappointed to see posts that are criticizing Brit and others. This thread is about Jackson and finding ways to improve his health. My little 11 year old Gina was pronounced in PERFECT health and 2 1/2 months later she was dead from pancreatsis. This is a very serious disease and I pray that Jackson improves very soon.
As to feeding raw food, it is true that freezing does not kill bacteria and it must be handled very carefully. I feed my two raw and they love it. Small poops that don't smell is a blessing. I am so careful with washing my hands and bowls and time spent unfrozen. I am not suggesting that anyone feed raw but it has worked for me.
Let's keep our eye on the goal of making Jackson well and not being rude to each other.
Cherie

[hartygirl]

Britt, my Ruppi has pancreatitis. I got her when she was 7, adopted from a rescue as an owner surrender with no previous vetting. Discovering her illness was a first for me, I had 2 other yorkies at the time both healthy aside from one blonde with allergies, so when she had bloody stools and diarrhea with vomiting on Thanksgiving I called our vet and went in. She was medicated and started feeling better fast, we changed our diet (I free feed kibble) and changed our treats.
I still give digestible chews to my dogs, I get flossies and cut them into smaller pieces (1flossie-4 pieces) and supervise while my pups chew. Ruppi would love to gobble up all the flossies from her sisters and brother but since she has the issue I don't let her, and she understands
We had 2 bouts of the bloody stools her first year with us and have been pancreatitis free over a year now, thanks to an amazing vet and easy diet change.
I wish you the best, let me know if you just need to talk.

[Lolasmom1211]

Having read through this thread and having two dogs that have been to several vets and Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine for their gastrointestional problems, I feel compelled to comment. If you have a dog such as Brit's that is so severly affected by diet, why would you ever allow him to have ANY table scraps or chews? I have been instructed by the specialists at Texas A&M to not let ours have not "even one bite" of anything other than their prescription food. Guess what...it has worked! Harley, my 9 lb yorkie, who was having unexplained bouts of bloody diarrhea and vomiting once a month, has not had problems in over 15 months and my son's 110 lb ridgeback that was having episodic panceatitis has not had an attack in over 6 months. He was having them once every 4-6 weeks prior. Some little ones, as well as big, have food intolerances that are incredible. Just one bite can set the cycle off - so why would take the chance???? My entire family knows what my babies mean to me, and know how I feel when they are sick...SO, they know NOT to give them even one little bite of anything. Treats - what kind of treat could possibly be worth setting off the possible reaction this could cause in one of these little ones. Please follow the top specialists advice - if your babies have food intolerances, do them a favor and only give them what they are supposed to have, their prescription diets - they will thank you when their tummies and intestines don't cramp and bleed. They can't tell us with their words, their little bodies scream at us with bloody stools, vomiting, dehydration, etc. Treats and table scraps are just not worth it when you have a diet compromised baby. LJ's frustration, I fully relate to...there really is no other way to candy coat the advice - their little lives may depend on it. I wish Brit and Jackson the best...I've been there.

[BonBon]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

I'm out. Brit, you know I love you. I'll stay posted outside of this thread.

Same for me, Brit.

[danniko]

Brit, I just want to let you know that I am thinking about you as well as Jackson and hope he continues to do well. I watched your videos on youtube and he is so full of life and you can tell he is well loved.

I am sorry to read about your brother, but I get how it makes you feel closer to him and gives you a bond greater than people could imagine. Sophie and I are the same way. In May of 2009 my grandpa was diagnosed with lung cancer (is now in remission), my mom was diagnosed with a later stage of ovarian cancer and my grandma passed away unexpectedly...it was horrible.

I got Sophie that August and she has become my best friend, she keeps me smiling when I my mom tells me her numbers went up again...and she keeps my mom smiling when she is having a bad day.

It is definitely a special bond that you have with Jackson. (not saying other people don't have a special bond with their dog)

I sincerely hope that Jackson continues to improve and that you are able to figure out a diet for him that continues to keep him healthy.

[laci32]

Very happy to see Jackson is at home and doing well. Andy did a little dance for him

[laci32]

Originally Posted by Britster

Thanks Nancy. That's exactly how I feel. Whether it was meant that way or not... it's how I feel. And I wasn't going to post this... but I actually left the computer with tears streaming down my face. I never cry but when it comes to the well-being of my dog, I care about him so much and I just want to do what is right for him and us. I think I just need to take a break from YT for a few days.

You have no idea how many times I wanted to walk away from here and seeing this makes me sick, Wipes your tears. Here is the most important thing. Jackson is home and is doing well. You love him and want whats best for him same as me with Andy. I have no idea why there has to be negativity when someone reaches out. Head high woman because at the end of the day your a good mommy and I've liked you from get go.
Hugs