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- Split: Nula (5yr old English Cocker Spaniel)
They both are….. our vet couldn’t get hold of the antepsin recently, so we are giving her only Zantac!
If you have trouble finding a herbalist, go to the http://www.associationofmasterherbalists.co.uk/
– mine is based in Oswestry (for me, not the dogs!), but I don’t know where you live
Hi Ruth.
Antespin is a type of sucralfate, so that’s good. Zantac is ranitidine, which is not quite the same as Pepcid, which is famotidine, but they are both tummy protectors. Vets tend to use Pepcid more often – I think it’s called Pepcid AC in the UK, but you might need a prescription now. Here in France we need a prescription for Zantac (ranitidine) because it can cause low platelet counts (in people as well as dogs!), so Pepcid would be the safer option. Most UK chemists & herbalists stock milk thistle, but obviously the quality might vary.
I think I remember Linda’s Sadie having the problem of a little blood in her stools (Linda – was it Sadie?) & it settled down after a while. If it carries on much longer or gets worse, I would speak to the vets though. Hopefully it’s just the high dose cyclosporine being hard on her tummy.
Hope that helps you with working out the tummy pills. Getting your head round all these medicines is not easy – you are doing a great job!
Sheena & the boys
Thank you Sheena! How are your boys? Good news is that she’s pooped a few times now since yesterday morning and no more blood since then :D So hoping that continues! Nula must have found it very strange though, me and mum (ex nurse) were following her round the garden then studying her poop lol! My poor girl! The previous night I’d been taking pictures of her poop so I could show the vet if it didn’t clear up. Unfortunately, even though I’ve been letting her out a few times in the night, she has made a puddle the last two nights which I think upsets her because she comes to wake me up straight after. I put paper down last night in case but she’s not used to it. So I’ve ordered a dog litter tray that has fake grass so I’m hoping that will help. My poor baby :( On the plus side, she’s quite perky today and has been enjoying being in the garden in the sun. She tires easily still, but she seems happier and is wagging her tail more :) I’m calling her vet tomorrow to tell her about the blood and ask for stomach protection. xxxxxx
Hi Ruth
Glad to hear Nula is still a perky girl! It’s a small world indeed, I was in Ely just last week! Pumpkin probably is quite difficult to get hold of at the moment as it’s out of season. I would guess butternut squash would be fine, but hopefully the others can answer this. You can buy tinned pumpkin on Amazon. Very pricey but that might be an option? Just be sure to check the ingredients. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Libbys-100%25-Pure-Pumpkin-425g/dp/B0005ZYSIA/ref=sr_1_2?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1399310314&sr=1-2&keywords=pumpkin
Pets at home also sell some complementary cat foods containing pumpkin and chicken/salmon. Whilst they are marketed as “cat food”, I can’t see that it would be a problem to give to a dog (again, check ingredients, and please someone correct me if I am wrong!). This one gives you a list of ingredients: http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/almo-nature-legend-cat-chicken-with-pumpkin-%28online-only%29
What else is Nula eating?
I was talking to someone last night who told me about a friend of hers who uses astroturf for her dogs to pee on, so fingers crossed the dog litter tray will be a success. It’s difficult when they are clean animals as they are distressed by this. I remember once when Molly had had surgery and had to be kept in for 10 days. After 48 hours she was still refusing to pee in a litter tray and I had to attach a dressing gown belt to her lampshade collar and take her out in the snow! The things we do, ‘eh?
You are not mad for taking photos of her poo. These things can be very useful! Do talk to them again about stomach protection. It sounds as though famotidine would be preferable. I wonder if you could discuss this with your regular vet if the specialists are reluctant, since they had her on Zantac before? You may find they are willing to give it, although it’s likely they will not want to give anything without specialist recommendation.
As Lynda suggested, Viovet is a huge UK supplier and they do stock slippery elm and milk thistle. I’m not able to comment on the quality but you can look here:
Keep up the good work, you are doing great. If I see a pumpkin on my travels I’ll let you know!
Hugs to you and Nula,
Mary & Mable x
Hi Ruth
Thanks for asking – my boys are good, although Worzel is still a bit of a Limpy Dan! Ollie is always the sweetest little man.
You will become a world renowned expert on poo, pee & gum colour because of this disease – and smelly bottoms too, no doubt. Worzel really stunk – it’s a good job we love him! I’m glad things have settled, but you are right to keep a very close eye on blood in poo. Pee-pee accidents are just something we’ve all had to deal with & I will tell you a funny story about me & Worzel in a crummy hotel in Bordeaux (waiting to see the specialist) sometime! The best thing is to ignore it as they really can’t help it. Worzel drank gallons of water, even at night. He always preferred to pee on the mat, rather than the tiled floor which would have been easier to clean up, of course. Same with a poo accident – of course!
Our vets recommended green beans & carrots when Worzel was ill – the Pedigree Chum tinned food has those contents here in France, but I don’t know about the UK. I did find the pumpkin helped though. Mary has had two great ideas – I’m not 100% sure on the cat food side – it would be great if you could try that – but I promise to look into it when I get a spare minute & let you know. I’m not sure on butternut squash either – maybe someone else has tried it? Again I’ll look into it for you.
Nula will be very tired & I recommend keeping her as quiet as you can – we will guide you through the side effects that you’re bound to see, so don’t worry. Have you seen any more shaking? I know Patrice was a bit concerned. If she has tummy ache, she will stretch out her back legs to the back & her front legs to the front as far as she can, to stretch her tummy. Poor Worzey had a lot of tummy ache until we got his meds right.
I would be much happier if she was on famotidine (pepcid) just in case the Zantac causes any more problems – that’s the last thing you need after getting her home safe & sound! The milk thistle will honestly help too.
Ruth, you are doing such an amazing job – Nula is doing really well because you love her – thanks to your determination she can beat this. I’m not pretending this is a short journey to remission – it isn’t. Nursing them through this can be pretty tough, but you have a lot of people on here who care about you & Nula – we will try & help you with anything you are worried about.
So very glad she is doing well – keep it going Nula!
Love from all of us
Sheena, Worzel & Ollie xxx
Me again! Sorry, more about pumpkin. I *think* that particular cat food should be ok as from what I can tell, it’s just chicken, rice and pumpkin. Always best to check though. The pumpkin proportion may also be very small, so I wonder if the canned pumpkin would be a better bet.
The other thing I forgot to mention is that if you read around IMHA sites, you’ll probably see people recommend baby food. Sadly we don’t “do” pumpkin here, unlike the US and Australia, but I’ll bet you’d find it in some baby foods. In itself, that’s fine, but I have struggled to find a single baby food here which doesn’t contain onion or garlic (believe me, I’ve looked!) These are a no-no for cats and dogs and can cause a certain type of anaemia. You shouldn’t find any cat or dog foods that contain onion or garlic, but if you are giving anything intended for human consumption, do be careful about this as it is in countless things you might not expect.
If you happen to have an African/West Indian market or supermarket stocking African/West Indian vegetables near you – can’t say I’ve ever seen one in Ely – that’s a good bet for pumpkin. Cambridge might well have somewhere.
Right. Now that we’re all pumpkined out, I’ll let you get some rest!
Love to you and Nula
Mary and the little pumpkin, Mable x
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