On Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:29:55 -0500, "Shelly"
wrote:

"Nessa" wrote in message
.. .

when I grab his fur I get SIX INCHES of skin/fur lifted away from his
spine...

That's not really a good way to measure appropriate weight/fitness. I
get about the same amount of slack when I pull on Harriet's skin. Some
dogs just have lots of extra skin. That's not to say that he's not
underweight--he may well be--but I wouldn't judge it by the amount of
slack in his skin.


REALLY... wow.

ok.

well the vet would like him to gain some weight....

I can see his hip bones when he walks... I can feel his shoulders when
he stands...
if he was shaved down he'd look skinny with all his fur he looks
fine.

oh this is so hard... I just want my boy to be happy and healthy...
Best Wishes,

Nessa
----
Dog Mom to:
Hannah age 6.5 Pitador rescued age 9 weeks
Harley age 10 months Landseer Newfoundland
(Angel) Bagel went to Rainbow Bridge 9/18/08 my Newfandstuff age 8.5

On Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:09:56 -0500, Janet Boss
wrote:

In article ,
Nessa wrote:


so is a test REQUIRED or can we just treat for it or is that harmful?

Test is simple and fast but often doesn't show it. Treating is not
harmful, but requires vet scrip.

so the key is to convince the vet that I want to treat for giardia
(sp?) without waiting for the test.
Best Wishes,

Nessa
----
Dog Mom to:
Hannah age 6.5 Pitador rescued age 9 weeks
Harley age 10 months Landseer Newfoundland
(Angel) Bagel went to Rainbow Bridge 9/18/08 my Newfandstuff age 8.5

"Nessa" wrote in message
...

so is a test REQUIRED or can we just treat for it or is that harmful?

Talk to your vet about it. I wouldn't want to treat for something the
dog might not have, especially where antibiotics are concerned. I can
understand treating for it in the absense of a positive test, *if* the
vet thinks there's a good chance he has it. Otherwise, I would want to
rule other causes out first.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

In article ,
"Shelly" wrote:


Talk to your vet about it. I wouldn't want to treat for something the
dog might not have, especially where antibiotics are concerned. I can
understand treating for it in the absense of a positive test, *if* the
vet thinks there's a good chance he has it. Otherwise, I would want to
rule other causes out first.

Right. A lot of vets realize it is hard to find and will give Flagyl a
shot. Nessa - the test is a fecal test under a microscope - no/little
waiting. I tend to not try jumping around with food too much when it
may not be the food at all. Harley is underweight, although not
shockingly so. And he should be growing, as he's a Newf puppy. His
former life leans towards giardia possibility as well (or some other
parasite), so I guess that's my first line of thought.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

On Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:39:07 -0500, Janet Boss
wrote:

In article ,
"Shelly" wrote:


Talk to your vet about it. I wouldn't want to treat for something the
dog might not have, especially where antibiotics are concerned. I can
understand treating for it in the absense of a positive test, *if* the
vet thinks there's a good chance he has it. Otherwise, I would want to
rule other causes out first.

Right. A lot of vets realize it is hard to find and will give Flagyl a
shot. Nessa - the test is a fecal test under a microscope - no/little
waiting. I tend to not try jumping around with food too much when it
may not be the food at all. Harley is underweight, although not
shockingly so. And he should be growing, as he's a Newf puppy. His
former life leans towards giardia possibility as well (or some other
parasite), so I guess that's my first line of thought.


OK vet appointment at 2:15!
Best Wishes,

Nessa
----
Dog Mom to:
Hannah age 6.5 Pitador rescued age 9 weeks
Harley age 10 months Landseer Newfoundland
(Angel) Bagel went to Rainbow Bridge 9/18/08 my Newfandstuff age 8.5

"Nessa" wrote in message
...
does plain yogurt provide enough probotics or is there a supplement I
need?

It won't hurt, for sure, but I'd also give mega acidiphilus or something
similar, especially if you put him on an antibiotic. You can ask the
vet about what's appropriate in terms of a probiotic (brands, amounts,
etc.).

it took 3 1/2 days on rice and beef to start to firm up after canidae
I've kept him on 1/2 cup of rice 1/2 cup of beef/chicken a handful of
green beans and two heaping tablespoons of yogurt twice a day and he's
NOT gaining at all. even with his stools firming up.

If you're concerned about his weight, I'd add a third meal, at least in
the short term.

I added 1/4 cup and he seemed ok... did that for 2 days then went to
up it to the 1/2 cup (not reducing the rice and beef since he's not
gaining he is not getting enough food (and remember he's still a
puppy)

It sounds to me like the rice could be masking an underlying problem,
and that focusing on rice:kibble ratio may be a wild goose chase.

I'm not sure of the time frame here, either. You're talking about two
day increments, but that's really not much time to let him adjust. It's
also not enough time to rule out other causes. And I wonder about
focusing on adding kibble, when I'd be concerned about the other end of
the equation: weaning him off rice. If the rice is acting as a binder,
and there's another problem causing the diarrhea, then no matter how
slowly you increase his kibble, he's going to have loose stools when you
wean him off the rice.


--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

"Nessa" wrote in message
...

REALLY... wow.

Oh yeah. You could make another dog out of her loose skin.

well the vet would like him to gain some weight....

I can see his hip bones when he walks... I can feel his shoulders when
he stands...

I don't doubt that he's underweight. It's just that slack skin isn't
necessarily a good way to judge that.

oh this is so hard... I just want my boy to be happy and healthy...

Well, he looks pretty darned happy to me, and I think he's well on his
way to being healthy.

Deep breaths! It's early days, and you're doing *fine*. Remember, too,
that he's still settling in.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

it took 3 1/2 days on rice and beef to start to firm up after canidae
I've kept him on 1/2 cup of rice 1/2 cup of beef/chicken a handful of
green beans and two heaping tablespoons of yogurt twice a day and he's
NOT gaining at all. even with his stools firming up.

I don't recall... Is canidae a fairly high protein diet?

I know some dogs find this way too rich for them, and it gives them
diarrhea.

Dale

Nessa spoke these words of wisdom in
:
well the vet would like him to gain some weight....

I can see his hip bones when he walks... I can feel his shoulders when
he stands...
if he was shaved down he'd look skinny with all his fur he looks
fine.

oh this is so hard... I just want my boy to be happy and healthy...
Best Wishes,
I can see my boy's hip bones when he walks. He's covered in lots (I mean
LOTS) of fuzzy hair.
I can see his ribs though the fuzz. My vet would like him to gain weight.
My vet is used to looking at fat (Not fit) dogs. When my boy goes in the
breed ring and is observed by his peers who know what this breed does and
SHOULD look like, he's always complemented on his conditioning.

"Dale Atkin" wrote in message
news:V6hSk.1860$A73.860@edtnps82...

I don't recall... Is canidae a fairly high protein diet?

24% protein, so no.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)