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Hi all, we are dealing with an upset stomach with Kiko. Her belly makes all sort of rumbly noises she doesn't want to eat and sometimes she is in lots of pain. Yes the dreaded Shiba scream. We have taken her to the vet several times for this. With no clear answer to what's wrong. She was given Tramadol for pain and we were told to give her Pepcid also. We have also been given a probiotic to add to her food. All blood test have come back normal. So once again we have a real Shiba puzzle going on. Was wondering if anyone else has seen this or have any ideas on what else we can try?

Other than her belly Kiko is doing great. Most days she still acts like a pup. We haven't changed her food and we were thinking that it may have been some human food that we occasionally give her a taste of, but we have stopped all human food and still seeing the issues.

Kona is doing good also. We are seeing him aging. A little slow slower and more stiff. Poor guy it's tough to get old. Both Kona and Kiko are now both 11 years old wow where has the time gone.

As for little Kaia, well he has good days and bad days. He will be on pain medication for the rest of his life. We are doing everything we can to make sure he is comfortable and happy. With all the pain and such he is dealing with, he is still a lovable little guy. Always so happy. The pain medication for the most part helps him out really well. It's just something that he will have for the rest of his life. It really breaks my heart when I stop and think that he will never get better. I will see if I can remember how to upload some pictures and post some updated pictures.

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David owned by Kona, Kiko & Kaia

Hi Dave... good to see you. Sorry to be reading about Kiko's ailments. I'm sure the vet has thoroughly checked her out but has any kind of ultrasound been done on her to rule out anything like an stomach ulcer or worse yet stomach cancer? The rumbling may be due to her stomach not contracting to push out the food and could result in a blockage in either the stomach or the intestine.

That's a pretty decent report on Kona... I can relate to the older and stiffer... Toshi is now 11½ and Beni just turned 15 in February.

That's to bad about little Kaia but like me with Beni I know what it's like to feel bad about one our "kids" It's been a long long time since I have seen your crew and it's good to know they are still with you. Uploading photos is easy here at the photo gallery... once you start it will all come back to you.

Say hello to Joanne and give the dogs a scratch behind the ears for me!
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Hope Kiko is feeling better! Artemis gets belly aches--her belly makes all kinds of noise and she won't eat for half the day, but they go away within a day, and then she's fine. Kiko's pains sound far more serious. Any updates?

We still have no clear answer on what's up with Kiko. During this last bad belly episode we did find out she had a really bad UTI. She was on meds for that for 10 days and has cleared up the UTI. They did do an X-ray on her and everything looks good from that. Between the Tramadol and Pepcid that seems to help her. It's so hard to pinpoint what's causing this in her.
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David owned by Kona, Kiko & Kaia

Once this happened to Brewster and it was because he had swallowed a piece of a rope toy. Another time this happened (episodes of belly problems for multiple days to weeks) and it was because he had been nibbling on a poisonous plant. Yet another time it happened and I don't think we found out the cause that time.

What about food? Could it be that the food isn't agreeing for whatever reason? Oh, and belly problems are common with UTIs. Could she have a problem that is causing UTIs (e.g., kidney stone)?
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Amanda's Pack: Greg the Husband, Kate the daughter, Liam the son, Brewster the Shiba Inu, Cassie the Torbie & Fenway the Leopard Gecko!

Sounds like a food intolerance to something. As Taiko gets older, his ability to handle rich foods and changes in foods has been reduced. The probiotics help him quite a bit, but so does "slippery elm" (you can find it in most drug stores). When stomaches get very upset, a TBSP of canned pumpkin and white rice helps quite a bit.
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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