Tikva was fine yesterday, ate as usual, went to bed at around 11pm and slept until just before 8 this morning when I heard her retching, and when I put the light on she was throwing up a bit. Not just a bit of bile as it looked a bit darker and thicker. Came out of her crate, went out and had a normal pee and a normal poo, but then came in and just looked miserable. I offered her a plain biscuit which she took and jumped back on the couch but did not touch it, then threw up again - and would not let me near the couch to wipe/clean it - I think she was guarding the biscuit which she did not want but did not want me to take it from her. She has been out again for another pee, which gave me a chance to remove the biscuit from the couch and clean where she had thrown up on it - just a bit of clear liquid that time, came in and started searching for the biscuit. Tikki is definitely not herself and even refused the piece of banana I offered her - totally unlike her as she adores bananas. It is now well past her breakfast time but she is obviously not interested in food and I am not going to offer her anything as I think it is better to wait until she asks for something. I do not think there is anything else I can do at the moment, but of course I am a bit concerned as she definitely is not 100% well at the moment.
It is a horrible feeling when you know they are not well. It sounds as if it could be an acid stomach, Eddie gets them occasionally, and a cheap supermarket indigestion tablet fixes it quite quickly. I hope she is feeling better soon. I say a cheap tablet as these should be plain calcium carbonate, and sweetened with some form of sugar, which ends in ...ose. Some of the dearer ones have a more complex formula, and may be sweetened with xylitol, which is toxic for dogs. I know you will know this Juli, but add this in case others might read this post.
I do have plain calcium carbonate tablets but they are a high dosage with Vitamin D and I do not think they would be suitable. Also I really do not want to give her anything at the moment and would not before consulting Ram. The problem is that it is the first day of Succot [Festival of Booths] and today is a Holy Day so although I can call him at home, the clinic being closed and his number being the emergency number, I am not sure whether it is worth bothering him. I also have some canine "Gentle Digest" tablets which are for occasional boughts of diarrhoea and/or constipation, neither of which she has, so I do not think they would be much good. The only other thing I can think of that I have are homeopathic pills for upset stomachs, and as they can be given to very young children I am sure they would not hurt her - whether they would help is a different matter, although the various ones [Hylands and Boiron brands] do help me. Maybe I am a bit over-worried about Tikki because of the circumstances in which I brought her home following the loss of Pereg and then Baby Ziva? And not knowing whether Tikki would survive, being so young? And for the icing on the cake... I crashed Firefox. No, Firefox did not crash, I crashed it - and lost all my windows [probably had too many open] and all my tabs on each window [definitely had too many tabs open]...
Oh no, poor little thing. It’s awful when they are not well. I suppose they are like us, occasionally we fall ill, nothing serious and we never know why. I hope things get back to normal soon. Can I ask you also, is it ok to give you a frozen sardine, or as you would call it “ a sardine popsicle “ or are they only safe once de frosted ?
Thank you. Tikva has been raw fed since she was fully weaned, and she has been chombling a frozen raw sardine or similar that size, whole, ungutted and complete with head, fins and tails, since then. Smaller ones when she was little but now large sardines are an ideal size for her breakfast, so I do not think it was the sardine popsicle that caused any problems! The sardines were very fresh when bought, open frozen by me, like the turkey necks and chicken wings are, and given straight from the freezer. I think that things that are frozen when they are fresh are safer than then defrosting them and feeding them like that. But that is only my opinion, and is because I know where the things come from to be sure that they are fresh.
There's nothing worse than a sick dog. Unlike children they can't tell you what's wrong. I Hope your little one is feeling better soon. Keep us updated.
Thank you Gareth. I do not think that Tikva is actually ill but she is definitely a bit off-colour. She still has not asked for food and I have not actually seen her drinking but she has been out for a pee a few times and has also rushed out to have a bark at something she did not like outside. Most of the time though she is flonked on the couch or, like now, between the side of my chair and the bookshelves - just a bit lethargic. I went into the kitchen a while ago to get an apple out or the refrigerator and when she heard the the door open she followed me so I asked her if she wanted a banana - no thanks - but maybe it is better that she does not eat anything if she does have a tummy-ache? When she does ask for food I will put some [human] baby food in her bowl so if she does eat it it will be easy on her stomach.
Tikki had a chase around earlier as there were a lot of people, kids, and a couple off-lead dogs which she thought she would chase off - humans and dogs - but they were a bit noisy, the adults talking loudly and the kids yelling, but once they had gone she came in. She did eat a banana about 7ish - a small, very ripe one - but now at 9.30 she still has not asked for food even when I asked her if she wanted din-dins, which is usually when she realises it is past her meal time and then leaps off the couch ready for it. I guess she knows best.
I am still concerned, Philippam and will be until she wants food. She is definitely drinking though and peeing as normal, and I really do not want her to lose any weight so will be happier when she decides she is hungry.
I did not have a very good night as I kept waking and shining a torch on Tikva to check that she was OK but she slept until nearly 8 this morning then eeped to go out and as soon as I opened her crate she leapt on the bed for her usual hand-mouthing affection love and demanding cuddles! She is not a licky girl and her hand mouthing is her way of showing love. Strange little girl! Tikki did ask for something to eat rather late yesterday evening so I mixed two packets of powdered [human] baby food [peas, quinoa and apples] with some water, which she very happily lapped up, looked quizzically at me as if to say "is that all?", and this morning she asked for her regular chew and then asked for breakfast! Not wanting to give her too much after yesterday's empty stomach but wanting her to get back to normal, I gave her a small chunk of frozen turkey neck which she chombled, so I reckon that yesterday was just a blip and the rest, and no food, did the trick B"H so and that I can now stop worrying... I hope. The baby food is something she was weaned on, mixed with human baby cereal and her powdered puppy milk once she had stopped needing a bottle, and I always keep some as they are ideal for thickening soups and casseroles etc. Some are mixed like this one, some are just one vegetable [the peas are very good] and some are just quinoa. Also good for adding to mashed potatoes to give some protein and vitamins. I do not think I have ever given them to Tikki before but it is nice to know what she is happy with some if, and I hope not, she has another stomach upset.
It sounds like her tummy decided that she needed to fast, and fast she did! I'm an inexperienced raw feeder, but I have heard from those more experienced at feeding raw that it's good for them to fast every once in a while for a day. I hope all's resolved and back to normal appetite!
I do not think Tikva would be too happy with an enforced fast Alisa as she really enjoys her food, but she definitely was not feeling well yesterday, although I have no idea why. Raw feeding is easy once you get the hang of the percentages of each thing, plus whatever vitamins and supplements might be needed - and of course it also depends on what you can get. I do not stick to the BARF percentages of 80% meat, 10% offal and 10% bone, as I feed vegetables and fruit as well, but I think I have things balanced. It suited Pereg and it suits Tikki, and although it is a bit more time-consuming than just putting some kibble in a bowl, the end results are far more satisfactory. It is not for everyone though and I would never push the idea of raw feeding to anyone who does not want to do so. But even Ram, my Vet, has agreed that not only do I know what I am doing but that first Pereg, and now Tikva, thrive on it. He still thinks that raw bones will either stick in a dogs throat or pierce their intestinal tract - or clump somewhere in the GI tract and cause major blockages. That is beside the point though. Tikva is raw fed and there is no way that her food could have caused her to be off-colour yesterday, and had she eaten something thrown into the yard, which, I think, was the cause of the only time she really threw up, although she was not off-colour at the time. It was probably just a minor bug but I have to admit to have being more worried than maybe I sounded. Bless her - she asked for, and got, her evening meal - slightly less than usual - and is now zonking on the couch. Oh how I love that little Tikki.
Some day I hope I'm confident enough to put together a raw diet from scratch, but I have a lot of reading to do! For now, I feed a commercially prepared (frozen) raw diet, though I like to add some pumpkin/other vegetables and some greek yogurt on top. My vet wasn't thrilled at the idea, but I know that they are taught very specific kibble-based diets in veterinary school so I didn't expect her to be!
This post by @Tarimoor is what taught me about raw feeding - although I tweaked it, and tweaked it again, and again, according to what I am able to get. All the things that she recommends for vitamins etc - I just sorted out what I could get and what needed extra vitamins and minerals. http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?p=2108670#post2108670 Unfortunately the picture are no longer available but the text gives a good idea. I think that most vets really do not know or understand raw feeding. Not only the horror stories about bones splintering and punctuating a dogs GI tract and/or causing major blockages, but also the fact that they are taught that kibble or tinned food is a complete diet and all that a dog needs. And that a raw diet cannot provide all the nutrients that a dog needs. What do they think that wolves and wild dogs and other carnivorous animals eat?
Glad to hear your little one is eating again. I was a bit worried yesterday on my little man's walk, because on the way home he was sick and I don't know why? He hadn't picked anything up as I keep a close eye and it was only a small amount, but it still worries you when your little one is Ill suddenly. He was ok afterwards thankfully.
Poor Mr Bronson - and yes, it is a worry when they throw up for what seems to be no reason at all. I remember she vomited [and had the trots] about 6 months ago and that was probably due to something she had eaten that had been thrown into the yard, but I do not remember her being unwell once the d&v had stopped. This, I think, was just a minor bug that a day without eating seemed to sort itself out. I hope.
