November 6th, 2011
We had a scare with Slate this week. Poor thing couldn't stop throwing up and had diarrhea two days in a row. We knew that this was bad news so we rushed him to the vet. We've never seen him so bad. He was completely disoriented, extremely weak and could hardly stand. They never figured out exactly what was wrong but after getting some anti-nausea medication into him, they gave him an iv and kept him almost all day. They had us bring him back the next morning and they kept him all day just to monitor him and get him eating again. This is how he looked that morning when I drove him to the vet:
Thankfully he is back to normal, although we're only feeding him a cup of canned food a day, per the doctor's orders. Poor thing is SO hungry and always crying. Only 3 more days and we'll have him on his regular 3-4 cups of hard food a day. We love our guys SO much! So glad they're both in good order again. Also, their 2nd birthdays are coming up! CELEBRATION!
October 15th, 2010
Having fun with the boys!
Pitch's new favourite toy - a plastic bottle.
He's just too adorable.
Again, adorable.
Every morning he stretches and does, what I like to call, grabby paws. He paws the ground as he stretches. So cute.
Slate just ins't a fan of the camera. He likes to do his own thing and it's so hard to get a clear photo of him.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My fiance and I have 2 adorable American Staffordshire puppies.
...well, I say puppies... they're 11 months old. There still my babies, though!
Several weeks ago we noticed that Slate (our blue Staffordshire) was losing fur on his paws and that the bare skin was extremely red. For awhile we attributed it to seasonal shedding (Staffordshires shed twice a year), but after a week or so we realized there was definitely something up.
Thus, our trip to the clinic. The vet informed us that, most likely, our beloved Slater has red mange. If you have the strong stomach, go ahead and check out red mange on Google Images. Not only is it extremely sad but it's YUCKY. They took 3 different scrapings of Slate's skin and they never found the tiny mites that cause red mange so there is a slight chance our boy is simply allergic to something.
Determined to find a solution, we began all sorts of home remedies a few weeks ago.
Attempt # 1 - Change Food
We read that many dogs are allergic to everyday dog food and even some of the "good" brands. We've had Slate on Science Diet puppy mix since he was 8 weeks old. We slowly switched him to Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance. It's made up of beef and meat and no wheat, gluten, or rice (things dogs can be allergic to). We saw a little improvement there so we stuck with it. But, we weren't satisfied with that.
Attempt # 2 - Yogurt
They say yogurt full of live cultures can help fight against allergies. We feed Slate yogurt at least once a day, and sometimes twice a day.
We also read that applying the yogurt to the inflamed and itching area can kill any bacteria that is on the skin. We've tried this a few times as well and each time Slate's feet look better the next day. Awesome!
Attempt # 3 - No More Grass!
We have stopped walking Slate in the grass on the golf course. We're really beginning to think he is allergic to grass (or at least some sort of weed). You see, we've tried a few experiments: we keep Slate off the golf course and out of most grass for several days in a row. Then, we take him for a 20-30 minute walk in the grass/golf course. EVERY TIME, his feet flare up and he starts itching.
Tomorrow we're taking him back to the vet as his antibiotics are gone-gone. We're looking forward to telling the vet all we've tried. It's been pretty fun experimenting, although watching sweet Slate itch and scratch and whimper with discomfort has brought more than a few tears to my eyes. I'm just ready for him to be comfortable and happy again.
