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Re: Another Finn Update

Posted: 25 Feb 2019, 19:38
by Olesia711
Just wondering.... instead of putting salmon oil on the food... can you give Finn EFA capsules???? They might not be as good as salmon oil, but at least he won't taste the essential fatty acids in capsule form... or does he have issues swallowing pills?

If yes.... can you give him kippers in oil or water with low or no salt? (or sardines) ???

Just wondering............

Re: Another Finn Update

Posted: 27 Feb 2019, 12:46
by worriedparents
Fish was the first protein we thought was giving Finn a problem. He arrived from the rescue with a fish based food, and we used to give him sardines. He stopped eating the fish based food early on, especially when his stomach issues/diarrhea got worse, so we switched him to a chicken based dog food. Later when we tried the fish based food again (and sardines), after he stopped eating chicken, fish appeared to give problems. Although we didn't notice the salmon oil causing a problem, probably because it was a small amount. He can take pills, he just doesn't like to and sometimes spits them out, but he already has to take quite a few every day.

Last night he ate turkey (begrudgingly) and he was out of sorts and rubbing his face and pawing his eyes so we gave him Reactine so he could settle down. Not sure if it was a delayed reaction to eating chicken for a couple days or now he's having problems with turkey too. Pretty soon we are going to be down to very exotic meats. He's having gas, which he didn't have before, since using slippery elm.

Re: Another Finn Update

Posted: 27 Feb 2019, 16:20
by Patsy
Have you considered using the totally non-allergenic hydrolysed dog foods from Hills or Royal Canin, on prescription? This would give your confused boys’ gut a rest, and a chance to recover .

I appreciate he doesn’t have epi, so we have no idea whether it is ulcerated, has IBD or IBS, or coeliac. These have different dietary needs. Some no fibre, some more. Gluten free or whole grain? Which protein, and so on . Have you had

A point re any allergy type tests.. no antihistamines for a specified period before or the results are null and void.
Nutriscan points out that it is for sensitivities, not actual allergy. It is a result for that particular days sample, not forever. Not everyone agrees that it works.
As the inflamed gut recovers, the adverse effects of some irritating foods will get better. With the itchy eyes are you giving him any antihistamine drops to help.
My best wishes to Finn, it’s been difficult for him, and he needs stability.

Re: Another Finn Update

Posted: 27 Feb 2019, 21:38
by worriedparents
I've thought about hydrolyzed but he will not eat dry dog food. He will spit it out on the floor and starve himself. We've been down that road. A 140 lb dog on strictly prescription canned food is going to be very costly when his meds are already $400.00+/month (down from $800.00+ and that may increase back up again depending on what the ultrasound next week shows). I don't think we could do a prescribed hydrolyzed diet long term. As it is, his grocery bill rivals ours because we don't really eat meat.

We've been home cooking for him and gave him protein he hadn't had before, and he was doing well on turkey till recently. Yesterday he got sweet potato, today it was carrots, he used to get both together. We'll see if it was the sweet potato that bothered him yesterday instead of turkey. But we have fed him the exact same food and he may be bothered one day and not the next. I got the probiotic I ordered and I'm afraid to give it to him incase he somehow gets worse or doesn't want to eat when it goes on his food. I'm getting very tired, frustrated and discouraged by it all. Can't imagine how he feels.

No, hadn't thought of the eyedrops. Will have to look into that. Thanks.

Re: Another Finn Update

Posted: 01 Mar 2019, 20:05
by Olesia711
If he is having gas and you think it started AFTER the Slippery Elm..... stop the SLippery Elm.... it may be too much for him... or.. i wonder if he has a sensitivity to elm tree that could be doing this.....?? Poor fella has so much going on....

Sorry about the fish... sounds like he can't have that either... :(

YIKES... that is one massive grocery bill ... i am so sorry you are struggling so with Finn... i wish there was an easy answer we could just give you....but he sure is a very convoluted case.

right now, i am out of ideas.... but i will try to think of something..... if i do, i'll pop back on.

Re: Another Finn Update

Posted: 01 Mar 2019, 20:25
by Madelon
I'm sure you've tried this as it seems you've tried everything, but how is he if you mix can with dry? I'm so sorry you're having such a difficult time.

Re: Another Finn Update

Posted: 01 Mar 2019, 21:46
by worriedparents
The gas isn't smelly, but he's definitely had some when he didn't before and the only thing that was different was slippery elm added, and at only 1/2 tsp or less. I'll stop that. The last couple days I've started to sprinkle some of the probiotic I got, a VERY small amount to start and that hasn't done anything adverse so far. I'm not sure if the d-mannose is causing a reaction or not, I think it might be. Gotta pay more attention to that one. Since taking away sweet potato and just having carrots there's been no need for Reactine. His poops have remained fine throughout this latest sensitivity flare-up. No problem there.

We tried canned food with dry and he'd spit out the dry and then would refuse food that had any dry in it, or was very slow and reluctant to eat it. We questioned if it was because of his horrible broken teeth. I think he just didn't like it, or maybe he knew it was hard to digest.

The rescue said he ate 8 cups of (strictly) dry food/day. We could barely get 3 into him from the moment he arrived. My husband thinks that was a scare tactic to see if we were serious about of the cost of a big dog. 8 cups of dry food/day, we'd be laughing now :roll: He arrived with a bad gut or the stress of a new place threw him off because he had a lot of anxiety too. They also said he gained weight very quickly at the rescue. 60 lbs in 5 months (if they info in his bio was correct) because he was really emaciated when he was rescued. I'd love to know what kind of food they were feeding him to achieve that. Only when we starting home cooked did he appear to have any appetite at all, and really not till he got on Tylosin. When articles say, feed a new food that the dog's not had in the past for sensitivities, we have no idea what food we was exposed to in the past.

Re: Another Finn Update

Posted: 01 Mar 2019, 23:01
by Olesia711
have you tried dry soak in turkey broth (since he appears to be able to tolerate turkey)????

Re: Another Finn Update

Posted: 02 Mar 2019, 08:41
by worriedparents
We are currently using Stella and Chewy's Turkey Meal Mixers. Freeze dried turkey (plus other foods) that makes a broth when water is added. He likes those. My husband gave about double the amount I have been for his evening meal. He was more out of sorts last night (wanting outside or thirsty, and he doesn't drink water so if he's thirsty he gets us up to shave ice or wants outside to eat snow), than he had been the night before. The next food we'd try is duck, lamb or venison, or hydrolyzed. We've never given him those. It's hard to find dog food that doesn't add (in the fine print) another protein source from his no list (fish, beef, chicken) and then all the other ingredients in it, who knows what he reacts to. I looked in the Nutrascan test and may go that route in a couple weeks, but it's not as straightforward as I would have hoped to get it through customs.

Re: Another Finn Update

Posted: 02 Mar 2019, 16:09
by Olesia711
just a thought... before ordering the Nutriscan... maybe contact Dr. Jean Dodds directly and talk to her about getting it thru customs and see what she has to say....... She is very approachable and nice to talk to :)