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On the contrary, goat milk is often used by breeders for puppies because of it’s well known property of being easily digestible.
I have used goat milk for all my puppies as I transition their diets. Kayleigh is doing quite well on it.
I don’t use a large quantity but she probably gets about a half cup per meal. She is a Giant schnauzer so her anticipated weight is 90 lb. Right now she is about half that.
For smaller dogs I would measure per tbls. Dose to tolerance.
My best Patrice
Linda,
I tried krill oil with my dogs, because they are smaller capsules and easier to dose. BJ’S carries a well known brand. Well they turned their nose up at the smell. Same thing with store brands of fish oil. They rolled them around on the floor and left them. Dogs have a very intense scent ability. I can’t say whether this means your dog would gobble them down or not!
Buy a small quantity to see!
My best Patrice
Hi Jen,
Supplements in the US can be voluntarily evaluated for manufacturers by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) which is a scientific nonprofit organization. You can look for their logo on products that they have evaluated for quality. I use Nature Made products for myself and my dogs. You can copy and paste this link to see all Nature Made USP evaluated products. These are voluntary tests, though the FDA requires companies to ensure that they would be able to present evidence that they have had their products tested if challenged.
My best Patrice
Amy,
It is likely that Coal has/had some infection causing the nasal discharge, therefore her young immune system was very active fighting either a virus or bacteria. Your vet then administered a vaccine while she had this infection. This is a pretty common lead-up to an autoimmune reaction. The vet should have thought twice about vaccinating a puppy that has a purulent discharge.
Then she had a first time visit to a groomer which can be quite stressful. Combine that with possible exposure to other dogs that may have had illness.
A puppy immune system would respond very strongly not only to the virus or bacteria but also the stress of the vaccine and the grooming.
Purulent nasal discharges can be caused by foreign matter (grasses or weeds) in the nose, infection of the roots of the upper teeth or fungal infection. Young animals with infections caused by viruses or bacteria may have nasal discharge and sneezing in addition to other signs such as cough, lack of appetite, depression and discharge from the eyes.
What is the antibiotic your vet was using to treat this infection and discharge? Some of these antibiotics can be quite strong for a young pup.
my best
patrice
Amy,
The most common trigger of this condition occurring in puppies are reactions to recent vaccinations. There are usually two series of puppy vaccinations done by 4 months. In many states and localities the rabies vaccination is required by law at 4 months. This vaccination can be troublesome and may lead to an autoimmune reaction. So, it is not common, but not rare either.
Another very common trigger for puppies is the ingestion of a coin that may contain zinc. Most pennies are made with zinc. This can cause a form of hemolytic anemia. The best approach to determining this is to perform an xray to see if it is still inside the intestines. If so it must be removed. Have they discussed this with you?
Puppies are notorious for getting into all kinds of things because they learn by putting stuff in their mouths. They may also not be cautious about things like spiders, bees or snakes. Is there any chance that she was exposed to any of these?
Vets can also overload puppies with not only vaccinations but with flea and tick disease preventatives, whether topical, oral or injected. These can combine with the other triggers and lead to an autoimmune reaction.
Has your puppy seemed very healthy up to this point? Some puppies may not do well from birth and be overly sensitive. Developing an autoimmune condition would be more likely in these dogs.
It’s important to understand that there can be many triggers that contribute. Your job is to help your vet sort through some of the things that have struck you as “out of the ordinary” during her first 4 months of age. Do you know who the mother is? Do you have contact with your breeder? They can be of great help to you at this point, advising you on what to do next.
We have many resources on the website to help you understand this condition better. I have made two short introductory videos that you might want to watch. See them here:
AIHA Introductory Videos
Also check out our extensive AIHA Terms here:
AIHA Terms
Please remember to get copies of all laboratory paperwork for your records so we can view that material. You can upload them at this page:
Urgent Advice
my best
patrice
We have tylan information right here on our website. Go to :
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/medication-resources/
Click on picture of tylan container.
My best Patrice
Alyssa,
I am sorry you are having so much trouble finding blood. You probably know the issue with fresh whole blood is that it should be typed and matched, each subsequent transfusion adds to the risk of a reaction to a different blood type. Dogs have essentially 11 bloods types, but there are certain dog breeds that have blood that is “universal” such as the Greyhounds that Dr. Dodds uses. Many local vets do keep a donor dog, perhaps a family pet, who is like this. So a fresh whole blood transfusion is actually a good thing for Sassy it if can be done safely. You are not going to kill her with another whole blood transfusion. The vets in charge understand the details and will only perform one if they are certain that the risks are low.
The small PCV jump is significant. Many dogs survive with a PCV of 17%. I am also glad to hear that she had a clear pee. This indicates that the kidneys are doing their job correctly. The poops are clearing the bilirubin that was processed by the liver. Yes this is a part of a damaged red blood cell that is normally processed by the liver, but not to the extent that has been the case for several days now.
Eggs are an excellent food for sick dogs, that is what I use in my household. Please get a small can of plain pumpkin and give her a tsp or two a few times a day, this will help firm up her poop. Make her extremely easy meals to digest. A good choice for very sick dogs with diarrhea is rice congee. Our website has a reciprocal relationship with Mary Straus’s DogAware website. Mary has extensive information on how to care for a dog with diarrhea. She has numerous suggestions on this page. Here is the link that will explain how to make rice congee.
http://www.dogaware.com/health/digestive.html#diarrhea
It’s good to hear that she is regenerative, very positive.
Ok, so no tick disease. When you wrote it sounded like the vet was sure he had seen this in a red blood cell. He must have been sure enough to use Imizol? No, do not use doxycycline. It is a very harsh drug and is meant for dogs that have a positive diagnosis for tick disease.
ITP is like this, it hits very hard in some dogs, after they have previously recovered from AIHA or IMHA. I am never completely positive that these cases are idiopathic, I think that they do have triggers, but perhaps it is very difficult to actually make a diagnosis in this case. And it may be a cluster of triggers that are very hard to define. In most cases of ITP, if the vet can get the dog past the initial crisis period, there is recovery. That’s from Dr. Dodds literature.
However, I would still like to see some level of exploration of the spleen. This organ is very active in this current destruction. It should be evaluated by an ultrasound if possible. Chance’s original problems began with a very enlarged spleen with an enormous growth on it. Dog’s spleen’s tend to have these kinds of problems and in fact, dogs are very prone to developing hemangiosarcomas of the spleen, as well as benign accessory spleens. Humans rarely experience this same condition. In Chance’s case it was benign.
You are doing everything you can. And the most important thing is that you are with Sassy, that’s what matters to her, she has a vague notion she isn’t well, but dogs cannot imagine a future, only live in the present. They do not ruminate about death but live in the moment. Be with her in that moment and reassure her how much you love her.
my best
patrice
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