Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with health and dog

Husky + natural gas = ?

kiki_s — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 04:12:02 -0800

The gas burner was left on overnight, on a low setting. Should we be concerned about the health of our dog? A family member left a small gas burner on for approximately 6 hours on a low setting. Upon going downstairs, my mother noted that first floor of the house smelled of gas, but not that strongly.

Our dog sleeps in the kitchen of our open concept house. She's a big, fully-grown Siberian husky. She sleeps in a wire cage that’s about 7 feet from the stovetop. The kitchen is open-concept, so the room is about 40ft by 15ft in total. Although I was not present when our pup woke up, family members described her mood as "playful," and happily played soccer outside and went for a walk.

Despite the comforting behaviour of the husky, my little sister is very concerned about the health of the dog. Thus, what are the possible consequences of this event? What symptoms should we look out for, other than diarrhoea and vomiting? When can we be assured that the dog is in good health?

(Going to a vet will be a problem—the people who are the most concerned about the dog have no say in whether the dog should go to a vet).

What happens if we don't give our dog chemo?

misskaz — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:11:03 -0800

My dog has just been diagnosed with lymphoma. For various reasons, my husband and I are probably not going to do the chemo and radiation treatments outlined by the oncologist. If you have made a similar choice with your pet, can you tell me what happened? Our dog is the sweetest, most wonderful 10.5 year old greyhound. The form of lymphoma she has (T-cell) is more aggressive and resistant to chemo than the more common form of lymphoma. Given her age (although before this she's never acted or felt like a senior dog), the cost, the potential for it to not work at all, the emotional trauma for us and the physical trauma for her, and everything else, we are probably not going to try the chemo and radiation treatments. We have heard that prednisone can keep the swelling down and her appetite up for a little while, so we may try that. The one really swollen lymph node was already removed a couple weeks ago when we and the vets thought it was just a stubborn infection. (The first biopsy only showed an infection.) That's when they found a mass on her tongue and the subsequent biopsies revealed the cancer.

She has been somewhat lethargic for a while now, and we have to encourage her to eat. It seems like she will eventually eat a regular amount of food, but does it in several small meals rather than wolfing it all down at once. Unfortunately, with the antibiotics and surgery and everything else (she had a hard time eating dry food prior to the surgery, so we had to try soaking, pureeing into a gruel with a blender, etc.), she has lost a few pounds and as a greyhound, she doesn't carry much extra weight. She still seems happy and loves being with us and cuddling. She doesn't play as much on her own, but still gets excited to see her doggy and human friends.

Basically, we want to know what to expect in terms of her health - Will she have a long, slow decline or feel mostly ok before things go downhill quickly? What signs should we look for that she's unhappy or in pain? What kind of treatments, medicine, foods, etc. are available/should we be prepared for in terms of pallative care? We know that the timeline without treatment is short, but we just want to be prepared. If you have had the misfortune of a lymphoma diagnosis in your pet, and chose not to do chemo, would you mind sharing your experience?

By the way, we do have a call in to the oncologist to ask these questions as well - hopefully we can get some answers without having to pay for another consultation, but we will pay if needed. We know that chemo in dogs doesn't have as bad side effects as in people because it is administered at lower doses, but we think (hope) we are making the right decision here.

Is my dog's eye discharge a cause for concern?

mingodingo — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:48:14 -0800

My dog's clear eye discharge is now reddish-brown--are we looking at a vet trip? I have a small papillon mix. He tends to suffer from allergies, which tend to manifest themselves partly in clear eye boogers / eye discharge. However, recently (within the last week or so), his discharge has turned a reddish-brown color. It occurs at the same time (after he's been sleeping) but I was a little worried about the change in color. Google seems to say that this reddish-brown color is normal, but I'm a little worried anyway.

We have a vet appointment scheduled for this weekend...but I often go to the vet for every little thing and am usually told that nothing's wrong. When I called the receptionist and described the problem, she just said, "well if it's different, he could have caught something from another dog--you should bring him in." In my experience, that's the typical vet response. So, thought I might seek out the wisdom of the Hivemind. Does this sound like something to be worried about / visit the vet over?

Thanks!

Help Me Identify These Symptoms

Delfena — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 20:06:08 -0800

I need help identifying these symptoms my dog displayed today. We were walking outside, and all of the sudden she started acting disoriented (like she couldn't see). I stopped and looked at her, and her eyes were darting quickly back and forth. These were the only two symptoms; there was no head tilt or anything else. It lasted for about one minute, then she was fine. This has happened one time before, about three or four weeks ago, with exactly the same symptoms (but we were inside). I plan on contacting the vet tomorrow, but I was hoping to get some advice in the meantime. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Is there a treatment? Thanks!

Yes, I cook for my dog. How can I do it better?

taz — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:39:17 -0800

I'd like nutritional advice for homemade dog food and maybe treats, using easy-to-find ingredients. I haven't been able to find high quality commercial dog food where I live, so I make most of her food myself, but I would like to make her homemade food as healthy as I possibly can with the resources I have, which are somewhat limited. Current routine, and many(!) more details inside. Our dog is a rescue that we've had for five months, and she's a completely different animal than we got - in the best way, so I know we are doing pretty good now, but I'd like to know more and do better.

We don't have access to most fancy health food ingredients, so I want to use ordinary ingredients as much as possible.

I currently feed her one of: turkey, chicken, fish, or liver, + brown rice or crumbled whole wheat bread, + vegetables (shredded carrot and zucchini with a bit of cooked spinach, or cooked and lightly mashed frozen veggie combo - peas, green beans, carrots, potato, lima beans). I portion these (protein, carb, veg) as roughly 1/3 each. At one point I upped the protein, but she began straining to poo and her poop was very hard. Normally her poop is very good/solid - never soft or runny, but not too hard, either. That may have just been an adjustment thing, so I'm not averse to increasing the meat to veggie/carb ratio if it's a better diet. I once tried cooked oatmeal instead of rice, and she seemed to really dislike it, but it was probably just because it wasn't what she expected, and we can give that another shot - if it's better for her. (She's really not picky or spoiled - she'll eat what we give her to eat, though I might have to feed her from my hand a bit at first to get her going...)

To this I add a spoonful of nutritional yeast, a small bit of chopped or dried garlic, a half a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, a small splash of olive oil. About once a week I give her a scrambled egg or two instead of meat/fish, and a couple of times a week I give her a few spoonfuls of low(er)-fat yogurt as a treat.

Her regular treats are slices of banana, frozen peas (which she is inexplicably crazy for), or a small bit of feta cheese. She'll eat a couple of bites of pear and apple as well, though not her favorite stuff. She's not crazy about fruit, generally. We don't feed her our leftovers (we eat 'em ourselves!)

I worry, expecially, that she's not getting enough calcium. I don't really find the proper sorts of raw bones for her here (we once asked our butcher for a dog bone, and he gave us something that looked like it came from a dinosaur... really, there was no way that was happening). And she could probably benefit from other additives, but I can't find a lot of health food ingredients here. The nutritional yeast, which should be available as a powder, I have to buy from the one place I can find it in pill form (and expensive), which I then grind up. There just isn't a lot of health food stuff available here yet.

I got the very nice book Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats, but I can't find most of the holistic ingredients in the diet section. I ordered a book of dog food recipes that are supposed to be "Veterinarian approved" and the recipes were totally silly, plus even from my little knowledge, not really that healthy. So I'm up for a good book on this, but it has to be something that relies on regular ordinary ingredients that you could find anywhere, and of course it should actually have some canine nutrition science or background. I'm really, really not looking for something like "Bow-wow Brownies" with "Bow-wow Brownie Frosting" (actual, real recipes from the second stupid book I got).

Pet vet on the 'net yet?

pseudostrabismus — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:17:43 -0800

For minor pet health questions: suggest websites that are comprehensive & user-friendly? I'd like to avoid unnecessary vet visits. Last week my cat had runny eyes for no apparent reason, and googling common search terms (cat+eye+discharge, etc) led me to a lot of annoying sites jam-packed with ads, poor user design, and sketchy-sounding information. (He's fine, now, by the way. I imagine his cat allergies were acting up or something.)

I'd like a pet health website with comprehensive, searchable entries offering detailed and specific information about animal health issues. Everything should be explained in terms geared to the literate layman- in other words, use of Latin terminology is fine if it's explained plainly and intelligently, rather than cut & pasted from a vet textbook in indigestible hunks, or dumbed down into single syllable hyperbole in the vein of POOR KITTEH OH NOES! VET TIME HURRY! Levelheadedness would be a plus, as not every sneeze needs a visit to a vet. I'd love to see stuff like "If your cat is breathing fine, it's ok to wait out the sneezes or a week or so. After 10 days, if it's not better- or if the cat is gasping- it could be problem X or Y, so take him to the vet."

Can anyone recommend such a site?
Thanks in advance!

PS, Personally, I'm most interested in cats, but I'm sure other users would appreciate sites relevant to their pets too. So if you know the #1 health resource for the spiny echidna or whatever, well, shoot!

Our big old dog is becoming incontinent -- How can we all be happy together?

valannc — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:05:32 -0800

My 11 year old male shepherd-mix is in congestive heart failure, but doing very well on medicine. He has a good outlook for many months of high quality living. The diuretic medicine causes him to pee in the house occasionally -- because I can't get him out the door fast enough. We live in a condo and he has to go out on leash. We can't leave the house for more than a couple hours or he will need to pee. I welcome any tips on managing incontinence for large male dogs. We saw the vet recently and had dog tested for urinary tract infection. He will need to take the diuretic for the rest of his life, and I expect the incontinence problem to get worse as his health declines. My husband and I plan to care for doggie at home as long as he is happy and pain-free. When the vet tells us it's time, we will say good-bye.

Here is what I am thinking about:

Dog Walking Service --
We have slowly been introducing a dog walking service, but our dog is protective of the house. It will take a while before he is comfortable letting the walker enter the house when we are not home.

Wee wee pad --
The vet recommended we train the dog to use a wee wee pad as his designated indoor pee spot. Anyone have experience doing this with a large dog? Does it really minimize the mess? I swear he pees a quart sometimes. It looks like these wee wee pads are disposable. Are there any washable, reuseable options?

Belly band --
Does anyone have experience using a "belly band" -- a wide elastic cumberbund that helps a male dog hold his urine longer?

Water bowl --
The vet tells us the dog must have water available at all times. He drinks a lot! I keep two big bowls for him.

Training --
It could be his advanced age, or possibly the drugs... the dog is no longer good at communicating his needs. He used to run to the door when he needed to pee. Now he will only stand and look at me. I'm getting better at reading his face. I'm wondering if there is a positive reinforcement technique to teach my old dog how to specifically communicate when he needs to go out.

Dogs and cats, snacking together...mass hysteria!

foxydot — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:38:03 -0800

My dogs seem to like cat treats. Any harm in it? We've only had a cat for a couple of months, but we've had two rather cat-like dogs (Rat Terriers) for several years. So, we got the cat some treats to encourage her to do certain things (and a water gun to discourage others!). The only thing is, whenever the cat earns a treat, the dogs come running as well and do all of their tricks to try and earn one as well. I've been giving them the cat treats under the assumption that one or two a day isn't going to do them any harm, but I'm not sure. Anyone had any negative reactions with dogs eating cat treats I should know about?

How do I keep from getting my dog's roundworms?

GuyZero — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 11:00:39 -0800

How do I keep from getting my dog's roundworms? So this morning my dog threw up what appeared to be a roundworm. Yay, vet trip. But I want to make sure that neither me nor my family get roundworms. Aside from washing hands a lot, is there anything we should do to make sure this doesn't spread?

Safe Pet Meds?

apfel — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 19:02:41 -0800

Two Part Pet Question: Is there such a thing as a safe medication for pets? AND Is there an online database that can educate me on safe med/health practices? Call me crazy, but just tell me I'm not the only one worried about medications.

My 16 year old dog just had surgery to remove a tennis ball sized tumor on her side. So now she's got some medications to take and I'm worried about possible effects on her health.
I'm generally nervous about medications, human and pet alike. At the suggestion of a vet I met recently on a trip, I've been reading books that uncover some nasty things about the pet food industry, and get the general impression that pet industries are fairly unregulated and downright unsafe at times.
It's not that I don't trust vets specifically. I just want to know exactly what I am giving to my pet.

The vet prescribed Cephalexin so she won't get an infection and she's already on Deramaxx for arthritis pain. I've looked up some information on these but do any of you know where there is a non-commercial website that can give me a full idea of what I'm getting into with these meds??

Happiness is a warm puppy who's breath doesn't smell like ass.

miss lynnster — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:43:27 -0800

Bad dog breath... what helps? My dog has allergies and a sensitive stomach so I make a point to feed her dog food that's natural. Up until recently her breath has been absolutely lovely... although believe it or not, she also has always had a bit of a burping problem. It has always made me laugh more than anything, though. (She's a dainty little girl dog and always looks almost embarrassed when she burps. Hee!)

Anyhow, all of the sudden when she tries to lick my face I notice her breath is getting pretty stinky. And that's not quite so funny. She is 2 1/2 and has nice white teeth, so I don't think it's tooth decay. Because of her allergies it makes more sense to me that it might be diet... but I'm not sure what to do about it because I'm just glad I have found dog food she isn't allergic to. (When I first got her, she threw up the first three brands I tried.)

In the store, I see all sorts of green bones "for breath" and other stuff... Doggie mints, whatever. I don't know if any of them work. Is there anything natural that I could just add to her diet that would make her breath become better?

Ideas? Have you found anything simple and natural that might help my puppy's breath become fresh? 'Cuz otherwise she's not getting anywhere near my face, which is a bummer because she's freaking awesome.

As always, the obligatory photo of said stinky, dainty dog.

Please help my poor puppy!

JonahBlack — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 14:33:49 -0800

Dog illness problem. Emergency vet time? We came home today and our usually hyper 4.5 year old mutt was very sedate. Then when we went to take him out for a walk, he has trouble getting off the couch. His back legs seem to be weak, though he could walk, and he was lethargic. The past two days he's had some diarrhea, but nothing else. The vet is obviously closed today and tomorrow. Is this something to worry about? Something to go to the emergency vet for?

My 12-yr old German Shepard. It's not hip dysplasia but is it more than arthritis?

doppleradar — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 06:43:58 -0800

My 12-yr old German Shepard. It's not dysplasia, but is it more than arthritis? My elderly german shepard had a sudden change in health and started having incontinence and difficulty walking. It seems that his back legs actually cross each other when he walks and sometimes it looks like his back end is jack-knifing. He seems entirely unaware of his bowel movements (poops where he's laying), but gets up and urinates just fine.

The vet said it was not hip dysplasia, and has put him through different rounds of incontinence and arthritis medication. He is currently on a thyroid medication and a steroidal arthritis med. When first transitioned to these from the the incontinence med it was a radical change for the better, but only for a couple of weeks.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Dog with mysterious pain -- what should I expect?

treepour — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 08:46:43 -0800

Dog in sudden, mysterious pain. Going to see the vet as soon as possible, but want to be as prepared as I can be. On our morning walk yesterday, I noticed that my 15-pound dog was walking a bit -- not much, just a bit -- slower than usual. Later that afternoon, while the dog slept in his bed, he suddenly yelped, as if something had seriously hurt him -- the kind of yelp he gives, e.g., if someone accidentally steps on his paw or tail. Unusually, I was able to touch him without getting a reaction from him (he's quite territorial, and usually reacts with fear or aggression whenever someone attempts to pet him while he's in his bed). Last night, the same thing happened, only the yelps were more intense, and it happened about 3 or 4 times during the course of the night. For a few hours, my partner slept with him on the sofa (I'm terribly allergic), and the dog didn't yelp during this time.

Otherwise, the dog seems perfectly normal -- hasn't lost an appetite, doesn't have any lumps, unusual discharge from any part his body, is urinating and defecating normally, isn't vomiting, etc.

Anyone else had a similar experience and/or some idea of what I might possibly expect to talk about with the vet and/or advice on talking with the vet? Also, if anyone can recommend a reasonable vet in San Francisco who might be willing to make arrangements for a payment plan in case an expensive procedure is required, I'd be greatly appreciative (I'm planning on calling the SPCA for this, but additional recommendations certainly wouldn't hurt).

What's this thing sticking out of my dog?

nessahead — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 23:26:08 -0800

What's this thing sticking out of my dog? I was giving my dog a bath today and I came across this "thing" sticking out of his side. It's maybe 1mm thick and sticks out about 1cm, growing in the direction of his hair. It feels like how I'd imagine a porcupine quill must feel like. Stiff yet sort of bendy. It's fleshy colored, I think. He really doesn't like it when I touch it or poke around it much.

Any idea what it might be? I'll be taking him to the vet tomorrow after work but was wondering if anyone else had seen such a thing before.

Incontinent Older Dog

troutfishing — Mon, 29 Dec 2003 07:23:53 -0800

Yet another dog question. My wife's dog is a shepherd-dobermann cross and so old that she's technically dead - about 16 years old. She's mostly incontinent, and scooping up turds and mopping up pee is a daily and sometimes hourly chore now - I've taken up all the rugs, and she sleeps at night on a foam cushion protected by a vinyl shower curtain. I think her kidneys are failing, but very very slowly. So she drinks a fantastic amount of water and voids it randomly about the house. My wife and I take turns letting her out out night, but she's excessively nocturnal (she's a dog) and this, combined with the incontinence and her tendency to get jammed into odd spots and whine until rescued is degrading our sleep. My wife's very attached to the dog - who otherwise isn't really suffering and is even happy - but our lives are slowly coming to be dominated by the dog. Yet....neither I nor my wife believe in killing pets or other creatures for mere reasons of convenience. Any technical advice on managing this situation until the creature dies a natural death?

Dog afraid of stairs

stupidsexyFlanders — Mon, 29 Dec 2003 06:27:46 -0800

'nother dog question. Last year my (now) 9-year-old dog (Lab/golden mix) became afraid to descend stairs. She stands at the top and woofs until you stand at or near the bottom and reach up to her, then she will come down unassisted but tentatively as you "glilde" her down with a sweep of your arm (OK, maybe I just do the glide because it's fun). Very occasionally she has a similar problem climbing.
My first thought was her eyesight, but if it were failing, how would I know? And the presence/absence of light seems not to matter. Can a vet diagnose vision problems?

The stairs are uncarpeted wood. Does anyone think it would help to put a carpet runner on the stairs?