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I took Beni to Cornell on Tuesday for his 4 week checkup since we changed the meds. I was a bit on the nervous side the whole 4 weeks wondering if the risk taken would be worth it. It was to a small degree. Beni has been able to get around a little better... just a little better but still it's a tick to the positive. Most of my trepidation was coming from if losing the one drop of Xalatan would raise the pressure or not. After his being examined the pressure had not raised at all and remained in the single digits at 9. By not giving the Xalatan in the morning also gave the doctors a better look at his pupil which because of the Xalatan would be a pinpoint. Since he had gotten the one drop at 9pm on Monday the pupil was slightly larger at about 4mm which gave them a better look at the cataract which unfortunately still impedes his vision. The doctors were very pleased other wise with what they saw so unless something dramatic occurs he won't go back for about 6 weeks or so.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Yay! Another good report! Bob, I'm happy to read this great news. Now, relax a bit, you deserve to just enjoy the moment.
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Anne, Bill, and Murphy

Great to hear the good news about Beni.
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Bill- Owner of Patrick
http://www.youtube.com/dollarbyll

Hi Ben! I must have ESP...haven't checked here in days but for some reason did today. I'm really happy Beni is still getting along so well. He is very lucky to be with you

Things have been bad here...diarrhea. I think there is something in the autosanguis therapy that he cannot tolerate,so maybe back to simple acupuncture. Lost another pound. My vet has decided to consult with Dr. Dodds...tomorrow Asher is having some special thyroid test. The regular thyroid test was normal.

Winter will be here soon and your trips will be hard, so it's good you are able to go less often now. We just keep hanging in there with these dogs...they are worth it all!
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Winona

Home of Asher, Bari, and Ginger (waiting at the bridge: Caspar, Karma, Greedy, and sweet Tifla)

Winona sorry to be reading about the diarrhea issue. Has it been going on for some time... just recently or since the autosanguis? I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that Asher can get some of that weight back. Hopefully Dr. Dodds can come up with something as it may not get any better than that. Like myself with Beni I know you'll exhaust all means with helping Asher.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Bob..the diarrhea problem has been an off and on problem for quite a while now. The autosanguis therapy seems to make it worse. I suggested have we test him for food allergies some time ago. Now there is talk of an elimination diet which I refused to do until he is tested for food allergies...so testing next week. It might give us some ideas. Her idea is nothing but potatoes for two weeks and then start adding. I finally pinned her down about a protein source down the road...her answer was some type of meat. My next question was what? We have tried fresh beef, chicken, bison,turkey,organ meats. Her answer was venison...I have no idea where I could find enough to feed a dog a pound a day for any length of time at a reasonable cost. If we were still in O.K. we knew lots of deer hunters,but not here. We also tried lamb but she doesn't want him to eat it. I can't buy it any way at $8.00 a pound, since my vet bill runs $400.00 to $500.00 a month every month for 2 years. They don't like Science Diet Untra ZD because of the preservative...but it works most of the time but it's hard to add weighteven at 5 cups a day. He is unable to eat any fish or take fish oil or hemp,flax or olive oil...no sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans or garbanzo beans. I have tried many foods.I tried Kangaroo food but he was unable to eat it. I would try rabbit or goat but so far unable to locate any.

I am considering trying Quiona as an addition to his diet. If anyone on this list has any ideas,PLEASE tell me. I am desperate. Sorry this is so long...for a dog who isn't even a Shiba Inu
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Winona

Home of Asher, Bari, and Ginger (waiting at the bridge: Caspar, Karma, Greedy, and sweet Tifla)

Winona you probably already have a plan in place for the food allergy test but I would recommend the blood allergy test over the skin test. I think it's much more reliable... many more items can be tested and it's soooo much easier on the dog. Asher has enough problems without being pin pricked. I had this type of testing done on Toshi a few years ago. I tested for over 180 different items not only for food but also in our surrounding environment. It is called the SPOT test. The blood sample was sent to Spectrum Labs in California and I received a nice colorized report with all what Toshi was allergic to... not only the Positives but the Borderlines as well. I can't remember without looking it up what the cost was but I think around $120??

I have to agree with you about not wanting to get into the elimination diet. If anything has frustrated me more on this board is when people would post about their dogs itching and scratching and then switching or guessing at food replacements not knowing what the dog is allergic to.

I know the food issue has to be very frustrating. I'm lucky in that all three of mine do well on the Simple Food Solution by Wellness that I switched to because of Toshi's allergies. They just stopped making the venison version and switched to lamb due to the shortage and problems of having venison readily available. Didn't seem to bother my three as they dove into the lamb. They still make the duck version.

Don't worry about posting here about Asher whether he is a Shiba or not.... you never know someone might hit on answer for you. For those of you that don't know Asher is a Pharoah Hound and Winona is a member of that board here at the DogHobbyist.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Thanks for the information about the allergy testing. The blood test is the one we are having done.The vet said nothing to eat for 12 hours before the test. I guarantee you, he will be at her office when she opens. My dogs eat twice a day and don't understand missed meals...they are spoiled! I'll let you know when we get the results.

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Winona

Home of Asher, Bari, and Ginger (waiting at the bridge: Caspar, Karma, Greedy, and sweet Tifla)

LOL! Winona I hear you on that one.... my guys don't understand when they have to wait either!

I'm glad they told you though about the fasting... water only... it's like us fasting before having blood work. I'll be looking for the results... I'll bet some will be surprising when you get the report back.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Thanks for the update, Bob. You're taking such good care of Beni. I'll bet he's taking pretty good care of you too.

I am so sorry to hear that Asher is not well,

Beni, Kari , and I are sending all of our positive energy your way...Asher should
feel our force very soon....we have a lot of "wellness" to send!!!

Wishing you and your loved ones a restful night...

Patty

Yeah! It's so nice he continues to keep sighted. YEAH!!!!
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles www.freewebs.com/performanceshibas