But any minimal change to Tibbe's strict MVD diet to help his liver gives him nausea, vomiting and eventually pus-y stools and once or twice, days of diarrhea, or I'd have gone to grain-free long, long ago just from his itching once we started him on the hepatic diet. It's a real conundrum. :(

Jeanie, if you want to try some Probiotic Max for a while to see how Tibbe does on it, I'd be happy to send you some out on Tuesday. It has helped my friend's Bichon with yeast issues and all of Jackie's dogs also are on it, and they love it. I also have coconut oil that was highly recommended by people here on YorkieTalk. I have a brand new extra pint that I'd be happy to send you. If it could help you or Tibbe, it would give me great pleasure.

Coconut Oil - Wet-milled Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions

I have knowledge of these products on liver compromised dogs, but I can speak about the quality of products from both companies.

I love it, Lisa. I'm so scared to just go "blind" into any product but something that's been tried and tested sounds so good. I'll send you a check by return mail - just tell me how much, dear friend!!! ♥♥♥

The post office is closed tomorrow, but I will send them both out Tuesday. No money is necessary; helping you and Tibbe is all I need.

I am so thankful that my vets/vet specialists always have answers for my pups. I really don't understand when people must get answers online. I know you said you came here first, but sounds to me more like you don't have vets you trust much.

Lisa, you are one of a kind. I'm so blessed to have met you here! I'm speechless by your generous and kind offer!!!

Time to fess up a bit. I've torn or strained a pectoral muscle about 12 days ago and it was really bad at first, then better and but I keep re-injuring it and can barely use my right arm. Lifting 7 lb. Tibbe to bathe, get him into the truck to take to the vet or anything is so painful right now that I've put off taking him to the vet for 5 days waiting until I can manage better. Also, I was just told last month by the pain medicine specialist who'd ordered a scan that I probably need a left total hip replacement before long(already have a right one which didn't turn out that well) as I can barely walk from that hip pain so I need to see an orthopedic surgeon but just am having too much pain to get myself into see one right now. Managing life is a little tough right now. I don't even feel like playing with or chasing little Tibbe lately. He hasn't had a walk for a almost two weeks due to my hip. All our playing is done on the couch or bed and we walk in the house - he right alongside me - going round and round inside the house.

As Tibbe's not actually ill or scratching badly or anything, is eating well, playful, sleeping well, happy and his usual toot-y little self, I've told myself this is not actually an actual urgent thing - he's just so dang rankly stinky(that heavy yeasty/sweet/musty odor) and had those hot spots that have now healed over(quickly for hot spots, it seems). I know this can't be good for him and need to get him in before something drastic happens but I've got to admit that for the very first time in my life, I've put off taking my dog to the vet the moment he needs it. If he were ill or hurt, it would be different but for now, I'm buying time until my right chest/arm heals up some. Getting us both up into my huge truck with my iffy right chest/arm and bad left hip is just not that easy to do. Even picking little Tibbe up is something I put off as much as possible for the past few days and he's been so sweet about it - like he knows I want to but don't for some reason. He's been so patient with me.

I've not even been online this last week or more as lifting my 6 lb. laptop from the table beside the couch to set it on the couch arm so I can see it is grindingly painful - and then yesterday, soaking Tibbe's feet/underbelly in the white vinegar/water solution, I must have pulled the right chest area again and now, even deep breathing hurts like crazy, besides being unable to really move my right shoulder and arm that much w/out a whole lot of pain!!! It's a tough time and I know I'm not that responsible a dog owner this past few days.

Your generous offer is so appreciated and hopefully, I'll muster the character to get my special little baby in tomorrow or Wednesday. If not, I'm going to call the office manager at the vet's office who once offered to come pick up Tibbe and bring him in for vet care anytime we are in a pinch - but I so hate to ask it of her for a seemingly non-urgent situation for a dog whose not really sick or hurt. Right now, I feel like a really bad, sad mommie.

Oh, you are so blessed, Linda, to have your go-to vets and know and trust them all. I've had vets I trusted in the past who seemed to always be on call and never seemed to vacation or take sick-leave and I do have one even now - but she's taking time off and doesn't work a full schedule. I've not had any experience with yeast infections ever and I simply wanted to know more before I feel physically up to taking him in.

I wish I were able to locate a close-by vet I can really trust 24/7/365(other than the 24-hour emergency hospital whose entire staff of vets I do trust but who don't treat non-emergent cases). Hopefully, when the vet I do trust at his vet's office returns from her LOA, we'll be back in business again with a vet we know and trust. But until then, I'm left with ones who I don't really know that well and want to know more about yeast infection, treatments, etc. before I take Tibbe in to one of those guys. As usual, YT has kindly supported us and helped out with lots of great information, positive thoughts, prayers and advice and left us feeling less alone in a situation neither of us has ever faced.

Ashamed to say, I've not been able to keep up with you and your rescue work these last few months as I've been online less and less but I hope and pray all is well with you and yours. Don't work yourself down and know you and your little charges are always in my thoughts and prayers.

I really do feel for people who don't have good vets. Mine is retiring and I am a bit stressed out about it. Hopefully, I won't go through what many of you do. I have some options...will see how it pans out.

Changing vets can be so, so stressful. You feel kinda lost at first. That happened to me between losing Jilly and getting Tibbe - some 5 years or so. Our two most trusted vets at the same clinic retired and we only had one left that I knew - one I didn't like as much left so we didn't stay at that clinic for long after I got Tibbe. I took Tibbe in with ear mites when I first got him & that vet gave me an estimate of $479.00 or so dollars to run tests, clean the ears and supply medications - apart from all his other testing and vaccinations and all that he was having as a new patient to that clinic, with his dental and neuter still looming ahead. I asked if they couldn't just clean his ears thoroughly and we just couldn't try him on ear mite medication for 10 days as we used to do in the old days and see if that cleared it first and if not, we'd follow protocol and do all the testing and rounds of medication - he agreed and, thankfully, it worked. Tibbe's mites cleared up with that cleaning and simple ear mite medication and he's never had them since. I'll spend any amount of money on my dog to diagnose or treat him if it's truly necessary but won't line up for what seemed like unnecessary charges when they seem excessive and out of protocol. The vet agreed he had no reason to suspect a secondary ear infection at that point - just wanted to test and see.

I then took him to another vet clinic later, one who has two vets, but one misdiagnosed Tibbe as having an enlarged heart from an x-ray, telling me that he could be in heart failure, when I took him in after coughing for two hours and looking rather hangdog that morning and he sent us straight to the ER hospital with possible heart failure. They ran re-took the x-ray, did blood work, did a cardiac Doppler, and found he had early focal pneumonia and his heart test and heart size on x-ray were entirely normal! Whew! But the vets there said they could see how that first x-ray could have led the first vet to think maybe it was an enlarged heart due to the way it appeared(?!?!?) on the film. Still, you'd have thought that first vet(the one I'd like not Tibbe to see now while the other vet's on leave) could have heard lung changes, rales or something and recognize a case of pneumonia when he sees it!

Anyway, Tibbe was treated at the Emergency Hospital, kept overnight, re-x-rayed two weeks later to be sure his lungs were clear and got well, though his medication for the pneumonia played heck with his IBS and besides diarrhea and vomiting after he started on the antibiotics and Medrol, he had a terrible bout of severe itching from something he was taking. It's never easy with Tibbe once you try to treat him for something.

Yea! I was able to get him a drop-off appt. at the vet today which means they are booked full so I'll have to drop him off and leave him and the doctor will call me for symptoms, see him in between other appts. or last of all and then I can go in and discuss it with the doctor and get medications; but at least maybe we can get a start on this yeast! Poor baby just had a bath Sunday and today his feet and skin are so stinky already! He's not scratched even once today but his smell is really loud.

The thing that has scared me about taking him into the vet most I think is they are probably going to want to start talking diet change among other treatments and he's been so unable to manage even the slightest change in diet or take some medications w/out getting so sick. He's from Jilly's family lineage - it turns out - and that poor little girl could only eat one particular food in life(and we tried most of them) for the whole of her life w/out getting bloody diarrhea and vomiting, so IBS runs in that particular pedigree, sad to say. And antibiotics always gave her running diarrhea, though Tibbe usually manages his meds a little - just a little - better than Jilly ever did.

Well, wish us luck and pray for us that Tibbe's treatment doesn't tick off his IBS some way but that he can just get over this whatever it is that has him so stinky and itchy and eye-drain-y at times.

Linda, here's hoping you find a great, trusted new vet with as little upset and worry as possible because it's never easy to find just the right one for some of us.

Lisa, that is so very nice of you to send those bottles to yorkietalkjilly. I had the same response years ago chatting with someone in California about my German Shepherd's joints and she sent a bottle of I think it was Dasaquin free.

I know how much you are appreciated for being there and to help. Hugs to you:)

I wish you the best of luck Linda! You know what I am going through. Fingers Crossed for Dr K - who replaced my Dr Jack who retired! Dang him, imagine wanting a life different to a vets' life:).

Thanks, Jeanie, I hope so too.

As for his IBS if they suggest the Ultra Z/D I would seriously try it. I was amazed at how it helped Teddy. He also has MVD.

Hopefully today they will come up with a workable solution. Keep us posted!

Jeanie, I hope you feel better and get treatment when you are able to. I also hope Tibbe will have wonderful results with the coconut oil Lisa is sending you. You take care of yourself and try not to over do. Hugs to you! :)

Jeanie so glad you could get him into the vet! TAke care of yourself along the way too!

I'm back home but Tibbe is still at the vet clinic. The vet's nurse called and he's afraid to try Nystatin with his MVD, wants to try an antibiotic shot, more of the Hexachlor shampoo daily for 10 mins. soak and Benasoothe - a conditioner I already use on him with little help. I've asked the doctor to call me - scared the shot will just kill off his good bacteria and allow the yeast to go wild. Maybe I'm wrong and it's not yeast but he smells just like Frito Feet all over with an added sweet, musky, rank smell added in - like coming directly from his pawpads and skin.