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Post by sibemom on Mar 10, 2007 9:08:44 GMT -5
WOW!!!!!!!!!! I have never had to take all three dogs to the vet for an Emergency visit untill LAST NIGHT Willow has been ill for a few days nothing I thought was out of place really because she gets these weird tummy upsets on and off. Well I had her on a bland diet which seemed to be working and then Brody and Raven started getting sick It seemed to happen after I opened this last bag of dog food. I should have known there was something up when they just kinda picked at it but I figured it was just them being fussy, not unusual either. Well last night when I brought them in from their last potty break, I always bring them into the back porch because I have to clean their paws, THAT IS WHEN ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE PUKING, POOP EXPLOSIONS, EVERYWHERE I thought WHAT THE HELL THE STENCH WAS HORRIABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I went up right away and called the vet and he said bring them in ASAP. Well I can't see Bob, Matt, Me and the dogs in a vehicle riding the 7 miles to the vet together. So Bob called his freind who has a truck with a cap on it and HE AND HIS FRIEND TOOK THEM Shocking because he never takes them to the vet My vet called while they were there and said it was some sort of gastric upset so he gave them all a shot to calm down their tummies, and then we talked about WHY!!!! I knew a few days ago that the company who makes the dog food I feed changed some processing of something and I figured that is why Willow got ill, I was already in the process of finding a different food for her, but Brody and Raven never get sick on anything, especially Brody, he could eat GARBAGE and do just fine Well obvisoulsy NOT so Bland diet for everyone for a few days and then trying a different food. What a nightmare. Why do these stupid companies keep changing their foods My dogs were doing so good on the PMI Exclusive especially Willow who has the WORST GUT in the world, and she was doing really well. So now we are going to try Nutro Max, and maybe Nutra Source. I am also DONE buying dog food at the Mill where I was buying it The new feed mill across town carries both the Nutro products and the Nutra Source so that is what we are going to try. You see when I was feeding the Purnina ONE Beef and Rice the dogs did GREAT ;D but then I could not get it in the big bags anymore. Willow did so good on the Beef and Rice and the funny part was she had NO GAS even eating beef. It seemed like when I went back to the Chicken and Rice her gas issues came back, not realy bad but ANY GAS FROM THAT DOG IS BAD Then when they changed how they processed the chicken or something that is when they ALL STARTED THIS Well Nutro Max has a Beef and Rice Formula without grains, and Nutra Source has a Lamb and Rice without soy or grains so I am going to try one of these or maybe both. My poor poor pups. Bob's friend had to carry Brody in the house because he was just feeling so sick and the shot made him dopey I was proud of my hubby for stepping up to take care of our fur kids To bad he did not offer to clean up the EXPLOSION Well like they say "TAKE BABY STEPS"
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Post by Nicole on Mar 10, 2007 16:57:22 GMT -5
Oh Ann. i am so sorry the doggies were ill. I am glad that they are OK.
The first thing that comes to my mind is a contaminated ingredient or a contaminated bag of food. You say you bought it from the feed store. Instantly I thought maybe some chemical leeched into the bag from there. It seems odd to me that three dogs would be intolerant of a new ingredient versus that something with that ingredient is bad. Does it have corn in it. There are many reported cases of contaminated batches of corn...mold or something. I guess you will not really know unless they test the bag. I would ask the feed store about their storing procedures and also if anyone else reported any illness.
Give the pooches a hug from me and Sunny
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Post by sibemom on Mar 10, 2007 17:33:51 GMT -5
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Post by Nicole on Mar 11, 2007 11:35:18 GMT -5
It is weird how it hit all three of them. Willow started a few days before and then THEY ALL STARTED. Is the vet sure that this is the food. I am asking because if it was tainted I would think they all would react at once. This sounds like maybe Willow might have picked up something and then spread it to the two others. Of course I don't know this but wanted to just mention the possibility. You can blow them a kiss from us instead of the hug for now!!!
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Post by sibemom on Mar 11, 2007 13:45:13 GMT -5
See that is what I thought too, because you would think that if it was the bag of food they all would have gotten sick right away, but I am not sure if I finished up the old stuff with Brody and Raven and then started Willow on the new bag first I don't remember it's so automatic running the DOGGIE DINER Filling Bowls etc... I can't remember if Willow was the first one to get fed from the new bag or not She very well might have been because I did dump half the bag in her food container first. See because of conveinence I have a container for Raven and Brody, and a container for Willow, only because of the way their crates are situatied, Brody and Raven are very close to each other so their dog food bin is inbetween their crates. Willow has the spot of the "QUEEN" so he bin is over by her crate. I bet that is why she got sick first because she was the first one to eat from the new bag, I HATE BEING A DETECTIVE The vet did say though that because Willow is so sensitive to EVERYTHING she would react the worst and SHE DID The mill said they had no complaints from anyone else so WHO KNOWS I just decided JUST IN CASE NO MORE FOOD FROM THEM PERIOD, NOT EVEN BIRD SEED Today things are nice and calm in the doggie digestion department. They are starting to feel better you can tell because they are bickering with each other I am starting to see a sparkle back in their eyes again to ;D So a few more days on bland and then we will see what happens. That canned pumpkin and ginger root has got to be the best fix for gastric upset. The pumpkin firms up the runny stools, and ginger settles their tummies. I am so glad Loey told me about Ginger Root, I always have some fresh ground on hand in the fridge and I have even taken some myself I will blow those kisses to the FURHEADS, much better than hugs right now because they are KINDA STINKY That's ok after their baths in a few days WE CAN HUG AGAIN
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Post by willow on Mar 12, 2007 14:36:36 GMT -5
I can't imagine having all three sick at the same time! That had to be terrible! Just because I am so stupid, and mix something into their food I know better to do, Kara gets an upset stomach some times and vomits, and even that smells so bad, you would think it is diarrhea, but it isn't! I was thinking too, like Nicki said, that if the food had corn, it could have been from that, because most dog food manufacturer's do not use human grade corn in their dog food, so besides being "inferior" corn, and could contain mold etc., it is also treated with "stuff". That is another reason I do not like to feed anything with corn in it. Well, I am glad they are doing better too, but I just wish you could pin point what triggered it. Hopefully by changing feed mills, the problem will cease. I was also thinking that I was feeding my two California Natural chicken/rice and on about the 2nd or 3rd bag they got sick. I was getting it at the mill you got yours, but I just assumed for what ever reason they could not tolerate the CN any longer and switched them to Purina One beef/rice and they are doing great on it. Now I am wondering if it wasn't the CN, but where I got it? This morning I mixed a little of the CN in with the beef/rice to see what happens. If Kara doesn't get sick, it isn't the food and has to be something else, and speaking of "bird seed", Duane feeds the birds, and the dogs eat any seed/sunflower hulls that they flip out of the feeder. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. I do know that I had Duane quit feeding the birds cracked corn on the ground, because eventhough he swore the dogs couldn't get at it, they did and Buddy put on a lot of weight this winter! I know it isn't from "over feeding" because when I feed kibble, they only get 1/2 cup! It's enough to drive a person crazy!
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Post by sibemom on Mar 13, 2007 6:15:53 GMT -5
Things are alot better Poor Matt was sick to so off to the doc with him yesterday. His pediatrician was so busy running from room to room with all the sick kids there, the doc actually looked FRAZZLED He said this has been the worst two weeks for viruses, ear infections, flu etc.... He said if parents would just keep their kids home when they are sick things would not get to almost epidemic proportions, and he said the schools should close down for two weeks, sanitize everything and then give seminars on HAND WASHING not just for the kids but the parents too ;D I know what he means because Matt was always very healthy and hardly ever sick UNTILL HE STARTED SCHOOL Well he is on the mend anyway, the doc gave him meds and already last night I could see he was feeling much better. The dogs are so much better, so what ever it was food, virus WHO KNOWS it is clearing itself out. Now tomarrow I am going to give baths PRAY FOR ME Then they (the dogs ) can all resume living with us again This was totaly exhausting for me I have never had all of them ill at the same time before and I hope I never do again The vet called yesterday to check up on them and I asked again what he thought caused it and he really did not have an answer. He just said to make that one change in their food and to see if buying it somewhere else makes a difference. I mean you hate to blame the mill but this was not the first time, and who knows maybe when Willow has those tummie upsets it's not the food but the way they store it. No hard feelings towards the mill owners, because still I am not sure and I don't want to get into it with them, but since I can get a good product somewhere else that is what I am going to do. I think I am going to start with the Nutra Source first and see where that leads us. KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED
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Post by willow on Mar 13, 2007 9:23:48 GMT -5
I know about the illness. That is another of my pet peeves...people who don't stay home when they are sick!! I went all year without being sick by avoiding being around those I KNOW are sick and then Duane brought home a virus and now I am sick too! Thankfully, so far it is not too bad, but I know some have had it for a month or more, and they are ones who always get the flu shot!! So, so much for not getting sick if you get the shot! It is very nasty stuff this year.
I will be waiting to hear how your dogs do on the Nutra. Not that I will switch, but for future reference if they suddenly do not do well on what they are on.
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