Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone,
i have just registered with this site which is forwarded to us by a friend to help us out with our dog's sickness...
We have a 6 year old yellow lab, Bozo who has been sick since last few months and loosing weight,he has lost 20lbs in last 4 months..he is limping,and some times walking on three legs,his right hind leg is having some problems..
In Jan he had a real bad ear infection and was on medication for that ,after that he had sunken eyes,his nose was totally blocked and he was breathing from his mouth..
He started loosing weight and is left only 52.4 lbs..he was not very heavy before,but his heathy normal weight was always somewhere between 70 - 75 lbs.. he was very muscular and playful..and now you can feel each and every bone inhis body..
we have spent so much money,changed vets and have been to internal medicine specialist but no one cud tell us whats going on with Bozo.they did x-rays ,ultrasounds ,did blood work,even ANA test but everything is alright with his bones,joints,and all organs are working fine..problem is that he is loosing his muscle mass and has become so thin..
we have been dealing with his allergies since last 3 years and he was chewing on his paws and legs,he licks his anal area like crazy and try to bite the place where they have the hip bone..
someone told us about degenerative myelopathy in dogs,we don't know if he has this desease..Internist told us to give him best available food for two weeks and then see if he has gained some weight or not,and after that they will run few more tests ...
i am posting here in a hope that someone some where cud give us a clue as whats wrong with our beautiful dog...we are too frustrated rt now..after spending a fortune we still don't know anything..
he is on a painkiller,tramadol, right now
Please let us know how to post a msg for the Holistic vet on this board,can we send him all the reports also??
My mind is kind of blocked right now,if you have any questions pls ask...
Hope to hear from someone soon..
love n' best wishes
Farah

One thing to be sure he is blood-tested for is thyroid function. If it happens to be low thyroid, giving him thyroid supplementation might have effects that would be miraculous. Make sure this is done, and sent to one of the OFA-approved laboratories. The values that need to be checked are total T4, Free T4, and TSH. You can get the list of OFA approved labs at this link:

http://www.offa.org/thyappbw.pdf
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Another thing to definitely check and probably treat for is tick diseases, including lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and erhliciosis. Veterinarians are not always so familiar with these illnesses, and they often kill dogs. Doxycycline for a month would be one thing to do.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Hi,
Thanks for responding to my post..
Bozo has been tested for Lyme desease twice..but it was negative,they have also tested for T4-this one negative too..i will note down all the names of deseases you have mentioned in your mail and will ask them about it..
Do you think it cud be something neural?? Can you suggest a good diet for his muscles and nerves?? i cook for him,mainly chicken,chcken gizzards,brown rice,chicken thighs,few vegetables like carrots ,sweet potatoes,broccoli,and i add tofu in his diet..fish oil,B-complex,probiotics(human ones) etc etc..
If there is anything you can suggest for diet please let me know..
i was reading about degenerative myelopathy,he has those kind of symptoms but loosing weight is soemthing different...Do you think DM is possible?
we don't know where to go,have changed vets and have been to INternal medicine specialist,spent money like crazy but everyone said ,we don't know whats going on with him..( this is kind of a heart break for us.he is just like a baby to us and we love him too much ..
Thanks for your help..we really appreciate it..
take care
Farah

You said that Bozo lost a lot of weight, but you haven't said what you are feeding, if Bozo is eating, or what the stools are like. If Bozo is eating well a good quality food, digesting and absorbing it well, and not losing nutrients in the stool or urine, he shouldn't be losing weight. This is where it is helpful to know more details, including the test results.

Dr. Tobin,
Thanks for responding to my post...i was waiting eagerly ...
Bozo used to lick and chew on his anal area ,paws and legs constantly,(he still does that) vets told us he has some kind of allergies,either with some food or seasonal..most of people thought it cud be chicken so we stopped giving him chicken for few months..No improvement so we have started again recently..
he was on venison-brown rice diet from wellness and we cook for him..brownrice with chicken (gizzards and thighs)and vegetables like carrots,broccoli,sweetpotato..i keep on changing ,sometimes i mix chopped celery,cauliflower etc etc and we give him flax seed oil,have started B-complex and fishoil(wholefoods brands) recently,we give him Vitamins(Excel Adult Multivitamin)probiotics(human ones from wholefoods)
during this whole sickness,there was only one thing which gave us hope that he was eating and had regular bowel movements..he still doing the same..its not that he didn't have an upset tummy of threw up,he did two or three times but either due to diet change or due to some medication..(as far as i think)
he had such a muscular body and was very playful.
He is still limping with his right leg..sometimes he walks on three legs.you can feel his all the hip bones if you touch him..
Is it possible to send you his reports as an attachment??? if yes how cud i send it to you,pls let me know..
we really want to know whats going wrong with our beautiful boy..he is such a beautiful dog and we don't want to lose him...
pls help
Thanks again for your post..
Take care
Farah

If his stools are formed and he is eating well, have his urine tested for protein. You can call my office at 203 238 9863 and the receptionist will tell you how to get the test results to me.

Hi,
I called and talked to your receptionist and she gave me all the appointment details..I am sorry but right now we are not in a position to make an appointment,i think you understand..

what more i can say...

anyways thanks for helping.one more thing i wanted to ask is about the sores(acne kinds)on his lower and upper lip..they become so bad that they bleed...we are using hydrogen peroxide to clean them...my question is what we can use to get rid of these sores/acne..any ointment or anything in diet???
Thanks again for helping.
and Is BARF diet is really good and wud be good for Bozo?
Hope to get a reply...
take care
Farah

The supplements he is on sound good, but stop the commercial food and just feed him raw meat and bones; beef would be best as the bones and meat would be both from the same species. Stop the rice and everything else except the supplements and see how he does. If he likes it, and it agrees with him, you can give him as much beef fat as he wants. His case should really be taken by a homeopathic veterinarian.

Thanks Dr. Tobin,we got some beef bones for him,and i will start mixing some ground beef in his food soon.
you have mentioned that" stop giving everything else" does it mean we shud not give him any veggies??
if we give him any fat,he has loose tummy..is there anything we can do about it?
its not that we didn't take him to a holistic vet in our area..we didn't have a good experience with him.Don't want to go to him once again..
Bozo is down once again..itchy,chewing on his legs,hip bones are visible again. . lickin his anal area and sores around mouth are bleeding b'cos he rubs his mouth on rugs and carpet as he feels itchy..and shedding like hell right now...
When he was tested for Lupus(ANA test) it came negative..is it still possible he has lupus..??
is there no treatment for Degenerative myelopathy??
i have also ordered a supplement(longevity)and bug off garlic from springtime inc..i don't know if its good but want to try with a hope.
Thanks again..
take care
Farah

Bozo is either allergic to something or something is lacking in his diet. Stop all the supplements you are giving him. Feed him only beef and beef bones. Give him a good probiotic and colostrum twice a day. His symptoms do not fit with degenerative myelopathy, so cross that off your list.

Thankyou very much Dr. Tobin,i thank you from the deepest core of my heart for all the help.
I have started mixing raw beef in his food and will change it gradually..have also got beef marrow bones.He loves it.
Asi mentioned earlier i give him wholefoods probiotic since last one month,is that ok? or is there any specific brand for probiotic and colostrum for dogs?
Thanks again..i really appreciate it.
take care
Farah