Kim Abston
Well-Known Member
An update on my paralyzed doggie, Hannah:
I first posted some time ago because I was worried about my little Dachshund Hannah's compulsive licking issue. I thought at first she was doing it because she was grieving the loss of her lovely sister Shari in 2010. Then, I thought perhaps she was bored, or insufficiently stimulated. But, a few weeks ago, sitting quietly alone late one night, I thought, "come on, Kim, listen to your baby--what is she saying to you?" At last, all of a sudden, the pieces of the puzzle just began to fall into place...
It wasn't that she was licking to taste, she was licking to get rid of a taste. All the rough things, she either had a bad taste in her mouth, a film on her tongue, or both. Hannah is given dog food, an occasional dog biscuit, and her mid-morning chewie--one of those things had to be the culprit. She's been on the food and biscuits all her life, so it had to be the chewie.
The chew bones? But, that couldn't be it, surely? I ran to the treats and checked the bag. "Made In China."
Well, it was worth a shot, so the very next morning I went to the pet store in search of chew bones made in the USA. I switched all three of my babies chewies that day--and saw significant results within a matter of days:
Sorry such a long, long post, but I felt I should share.
Kim
I first posted some time ago because I was worried about my little Dachshund Hannah's compulsive licking issue. I thought at first she was doing it because she was grieving the loss of her lovely sister Shari in 2010. Then, I thought perhaps she was bored, or insufficiently stimulated. But, a few weeks ago, sitting quietly alone late one night, I thought, "come on, Kim, listen to your baby--what is she saying to you?" At last, all of a sudden, the pieces of the puzzle just began to fall into place...
- Hannah was licking incessantly.
- Her licking habits had changed.
- She used to lick my skin, seeking tasty body lotion.
- Now, she was licking rough things: A corduroy pillow, the bricks on the edge of the porch, (my husband's hairy arm was more appealing than my lotion rich arm)--in fact, any rough surface she could reach.
- She would lick non-stop and she did not seem to care what things tasted like, all she cared about was licking LOTS.
- Periodically, Hannah has to have antibiotics for bladcer infections, but recently, the tell-tale slimy urine did not readily clear up with medication.
- She would not always finish her beloved chewies anymore--she'd guard them, but would not chew them.
- She was subject to sudden, occasional bouts of vomiting--with no clear cause (being paralyzed and only 7lbs, she seldom gets into contraband, so this was confounding.)
- She was subject to sudden, occasional bouts of diarrhea (again, this would happen for no apparent reason that we could fathom).
- Some nights, she would lay next to me, smacking her lips constantly and working her tongue as if she were thirsty (four times in the past few months I had gotten her out of bed in the middle of the night and offered her water--she looked at me as if I'd lost my mind!)
It wasn't that she was licking to taste, she was licking to get rid of a taste. All the rough things, she either had a bad taste in her mouth, a film on her tongue, or both. Hannah is given dog food, an occasional dog biscuit, and her mid-morning chewie--one of those things had to be the culprit. She's been on the food and biscuits all her life, so it had to be the chewie.
The chew bones? But, that couldn't be it, surely? I ran to the treats and checked the bag. "Made In China."
Well, it was worth a shot, so the very next morning I went to the pet store in search of chew bones made in the USA. I switched all three of my babies chewies that day--and saw significant results within a matter of days:
- The licking slacked off right away--and continues to improve to this day.
- Hannah was displaying signs of a bladder infection (slimy, strong smelling urine), but I did not put her on antibiotics right away this time, I waited to see if the new chewies would make a difference because antibiotics had not been working lately (the "infection" would go away, but sometimes days after the medication finished.) Her urine cleared up within three days, the slime went away, too, and the cloudy appearance cleared up.
- The lips smacking all night just stopped.
- Her bowel movements (we manually empty her three times a day, so we are very "familiar" with the scent!!) were a lot less foul smelling.
- She has not vomited or had diarrhea since we switched chewies.
- Her sister, Lai'Lah stopped having occasional loose stool, too.
Sorry such a long, long post, but I felt I should share.
Kim
That's great!! Don't blame yourself we do our best for our dogs and sometimes we make mistakes.
Sure that you know this but keep away from made in china dog food
. Again I'm just really happy Hannah is doing better.
You should always check the label, always. I don't buy anything made in China, I really don't trust their products.
That pic is adorable!!!!
Why the heck didn't I check the label?!?!?!
That article surely was an eye-opener. A maddening one.