Karen Becker is not a diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. I only would go with one of the ACVN vets.

Thanks 107barney. I'll search for an ACVN vet then.

There are none in my state. I would have liked to be able to do a face to face, but may just go through petdiets if we're going the homecooked route.

Dany vomited about a teaspoon of her food this morning. I'm going to leave a message with her vet about it since she's not in on Fridays.

I won't be back for awhile. My six month old has a doctor appointment today that includes vaccinations, so he'll probably be a cranky mess this afternoon. Thank you for all the advice. I really appreciate that you have taken time out of your day to help.

I use dr Remillard at petdiets. She works with your vet so you don't need a face to face. She reviews the record and has you give info also and formulates a diet. Same with other veterinary nutritionists.

The first vet nutritionist I used was at Texas A&M .. I never did meet with him. I have met with the one I use now because she works at the specialty hospital that I use for my sick pups. As 107barney said, you really do not need a face to face meeting. They review the records and have you and your vet complete information and then make their recommendations. If you decide to homecook, then they will formulate a diet for your pups.

I have bad news. While I was getting myself and my baby ready to leave for his doctor appointment upstairs, Dany threw up several times. She's now back at the vet and will be at a minimum of overnight. She was shaking too. The vet will call tomorrow. We're going to discuss changing her to r/d. I think she did well on the I/D because it was better for her than what we were feeding her, but not what's best for her. My husband isn't sure he's comfortable with homecooking because of the precision needed. He's really worried about not doing it right. But, he's willing to discuss it with the vet to see what she thinks about working with a vet nutritionist.

Oh, I am so sorry she is sick. :( Is there someone at the vet around the clock? If she is not doing well, I would strongly consider having her checked out by a board certified internal med specialist. They do cost a bit more, but I find that often they are quicker to resolve things so the cost is not as bad as if you mess around with a regular vet for days on end....no disrespect to general practice vets because I love mine. It is not something they deal with every day...specialists just see more of this stuff. Keep us posted on Dany...she is in my thoughts and prayers as are you and your husband.

And, as for home cooking...it really is quite simple; but if you are not comfortable I would ask about Royal Canin Low Fat.

They do have someone around the clock. I didn't even know vets did that, so I had asked why it would be better for her to be there and it's because they have someone there who can give fluids, etc. We're not terribly worried about cost at this place. They actually don't charge as much as they could. The vet who opened the practice doesn't really change her prices and she's on call all the time. The emergency line is her cell phone. She once offered to drive back to the clinic after having closed shop for our sick cat. At any rate, asking about a specialist wouldn't be a bad idea.

Thank you for the thoughts and prayers. I'm hopeful we get some news we can use tomorrow and get a gameplan together that works for Dany. Boy, I'm glad we let her sleep with us last night even though she was leaky. The thought of her in a cage makes me want to cry. I don't put her in one because of her puppy mill experience. I know it's different, but I didn't want her to look around and see cage walls and tonight is the third night this week that she will.

We'll ask about Royal Fanin Low Fat too.

Royal Canin. I'm posting on my phone and can't catch all my mistakes.

Keeping Dany in my prayers.

How did your vet come up with the diagnosis of lymphangectasia? Did Dany have an endoscopy?

No endoscopy. Our vet feels putting Dany under would not be in her best interest, and we're going to go with her recommendation. She did an x-ray, blood work, and complete urinalysis. Based on the test results, she said Dany has lymphangiectasia. From what I could gather from my own research, it makes sense. I actually told my husband I thought it was this before we even had a confirmed diagnosis. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case.

The vomiting from yesterday is believed to be from too much water. he steroid she's on causes excess thirst. We now have to limit her water access/intake. She had no vomiting overnight, but did have a bowel movement. She's back home and seems to be doing fine.

The vet who diagnosed her wasn't in today, so I'm planning to call Monday to discuss food and a vet nutritionist. I'd like to give her a heads up so she knows someone may be in contact with her. I feel better about this today since the vomiting from too much water makes sense. The vomit had a lot of water in it, so I feel the vet is right in this case. She's doing okay on the I/D, but I do want to make sure she's on the best diet for her needs, and I don't think I/D is that diet.

We realize this isn't a progressive disease, so as long was we can maintain her levels with diet and medicine, we can give her the nice, cushy, long life like we planned when we adopted her. I'm feeling better about it today; I feel we can keep her as healthy as possible once we establish a good diet for her.

Thank you for all the help, especially LadyJane. It's tough when you get a diagnosis that you can't fix. This is the fourth time we've had a pet diagnosed with a disease. At least this one doesn't have to be fatal. I'll update when I can, but for now we're going to concentrate on getting her the proper diet through the help of those who are trained to do so.

So happy to hear that the vomiting was not a serious setback!

I am also happy to hear that you are in such a positive frame of mind regarding her diagnosis. :) I so remember being so terrified when Cookie was diagnosed and now it is but a memory that seems so long ago. I pray daily that she will be like this for many, many years to come. Wishing the same for you and your sweet Dany! :)

Please keep us updated! I really want to hear how things work out.

I too hope and pray for many happy years for Cookie and Dany! It was rough getting the diagnosis, but it is one she can live with. I'll post updates when I can. She's done great today. No vomiting and she ate her dinner well. The swelling in her abdomen is also gone. Thank you!!! :)

Yay!! Indeed a great day! :)