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Thursday 14 March 2013

Tummy ache

Hi, I hope you can help.

As you can see I am up at silly o'clock as my spaniel, Lilly, was rushed into the vets yesterday.



She had cystitis three weeks ago and yesterday her pancreatitis hit for the very first time. She is a big dog but she is only fed the raw food diet, getting only one treat a day. I walk her every day with me as I am a dog walker and she spends most of the day with me. They are saying I must be feeding her fatty foods and gravy etc. I am a vegan so the only meat that comes into the home is for her and she never has it cooked. She had, in her previous home, eaten toys and the first two weeks of living with me she had to be rushed in and had to have two operations on her intestines and lost a bit of her small intestine.

I've worked with animals for over 13 years and none of my pets being fed like this have ever been ill and have lived to very old ages (20+ years). I am at a loss as to what caused this and need help to stop it happening again and don't feel the vets are helping, just accusing me.

She has always been big as she was the only pup her mum had, and has had lots of health problems which I keep on top of. I have attached a photo of Lilly and we need help please as she is a very important little thing to me. She is still in the vets and I have asked them to see if there is another underlying condition that caused both the cystitis and this as they have happened very near each other.

Claire McDonald, by email

2 comments:

  1. A UPDATE ON LILLY. She had her blood tests but had nothing shown that would cause it. Lilly has more energy than she ever has and I am working her out 3 times a day for a hour of ball or frisbee play and she has lost 2 lb in 2 weeks. She goes swimming twice a week. I am starting to move her over to the raw food but the vets aren't very helpful on that front as they do not understand raw feeding and they recommened for the dog to have biscuit with the raw food. They also gave me a lecture on meat being kept in the fridge and that causing it. I feel they are grasping at straws and not helping. They keep getting me in for visits they keep saying she has to come for and not even examining her but charging me near £30 a visit and me not getting any diet plan and haven't even weighted her!. I am keeping a full diary of her measurements of food daily, her weight weekly, her waist and chest measurements weekly and her daily exercise. Any other tips would be helpful and much appreciated.

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  2. Judith Stephens2 April 2013 at 10:41

    I am sorry to hear this. My Standard Poodle developed cystitis a few weeks ago and had never had it in her life. A course of antibiotics has helped her. The vet never mentioned anything about food and as she has laranygeal paralysis all of her food is softened and I also cook a lot for her.
    Because of the bitterly cold weather the vets thought this is why she developed this although she always wears a coat when going out and a wooly coat at bedtime.
    When my dog has any biscuits they have to be softened first of all.
    Hope you get this nasty problem sorted out.

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