Acting strange

So for the past few days, Zeus has been acting really strange. He's not been eating right (he seems scared of his bowl when we put it down), he hasn't been pooing normally and when it comes out, its a pasty colour (yellow like) hes on raw, hes been drinking water fine but seems a bit sadder than usual. His eyes are also a bit gooey than usual.  

I can only put it down to some sort of bug, but another thing I noticed was that he's been leaking 'green' stuff out of his man bits.. has anyone experienced this?

Poor Zeus, if its a green discharge I'm afraid it sounds like an infection
and its a trip to the Vets for antibiotics which should short him out
very quickly.

Hope he is back to his usual self soon.

I haven't no but definitely take him to the vets, let us know how you get on xx

I would also suggest a vet visit if nothing but to put your mind at ease.

Do let us know how you get on.

Rupert was a bit poorly recently. Vet gave him antibiotics in the end as I was unable to clear his upset stomach with a 24 hour fast.

Several dogs in my area have been getting ill - it's thought to be due to the sudden dry weather and dogs drinking from ditches and puddles full of stagnant water.

Thanks for your advice all, just on my way to the vets now. May move him onto chappie for a few days, even though he's on raw, is it ok to a straight swap for a few days?

Oh dear, hope the vets goes okay does he have any allergies? Know he's had skin problems in the past? I'm always banging in about it but have you tried nature diet? I'm so impressed with it, and know others with sensitive skin/tummies that swear by it also. Does he get on well with chappie? Thought that would make his problems worse?

What raw does he eat? Vet reckons Ledger has colitis and said cooked chicken and rice for a couple days had already defrosted his chicken mince so just dry fried it off and added a bit of rice   

Hope the vet can help him

I forgot to say that my vet also gave me some special food while the diarrhoea was bad.

Hill's Prescription Diet - dry - Gastrointestinal Health:

http://www.hillspet.com/products/pd-canine-id-canine-gastrointestinal-health-dry.html

He did have antibiotics at the same time. The special food was just to see him through the worst. It definitely worked.

p.s. R is on raw too.

pps roasted pumpkin is v good for upset dogs' stomach also.

How did you get on at the vet Hun? Xx

Rachel33 wrote:Oh dear, hope the vets goes okay :(does he have any allergies? Know he's had skin problems in the past? I'm always banging in about it but have you tried nature diet? I'm so impressed with it, and know others with sensitive skin/tummies that swear by it also. Does he get on well with chappie? Thought that would make his problems worse?

Hi Rachel, yes he's always had allergies but we've never been able to figure out exactly what it is! I have been reading about Nature's diet and it does look good, if this carries on it'll definitely be an option I'm going to consider. I only ever use Chappie for a day or two to settle his tummy down as its very light, but never long term.

jshrew wrote:What raw does he eat? Vet reckons Ledger has colitis and said cooked chicken and rice for a couple days had already defrosted his chicken mince so just dry fried it off and added a bit of rice   

He's on Nature's menu mince at the moment (turkey)) and we give him some veggies too (sweet potato,carrot, broccolli, etc). We've given Zeus chicken & rice too in the past for his tummy and it worked wonders!

Rupertsbooks wrote:I forgot to say that my vet also gave me some special food while the diarrhoea was bad.

Hill's Prescription Diet - dry - Gastrointestinal Health:

We also had Zeus on Hills gastrointestinal for a while about a year back, our vets wanted us to put him on it for good (most likely because they have a big Hill's stand in the surgery and they get commission) but after doing some research in the ingredients, I was put off by a few of them as they were linked to cancer, so I gave it a miss. It did however work though...

_Hayley_ wrote:How did you get on at the vet Hun? Xx

Hi Hayley, the vet checked him out completely (teeth, ears, eyes, bowels, bum etc), he's put it down to his bowels and believes they are enlarged, possibly ate something he shouldnt have but also confirmed hes allergic to something (which we already knew). He gave us some antibiotics (metronidazole) and some tablets to help his bowel movement (zantac) and hopes it sorts the problem out.

He also mentioned alot that Zeus was 'atopic' (aka allergic to something i guess?) and that only 20% of allergies in dogs are related to food, the rest can be the environment (e.g. house mites) so painted a pretty bleak picture in terms of resolving whatever is wrong with Zeus.

They want us to come back in a week or so to discuss options on how to go forward with this, so we'll see how it goes!

Oh..and he also mentioned (like they always do) about how much they recommend for us to chop Zeus's pride & joy off etc..

Ah the ever present lobemoff' question! I've had similar discussions about Darcy being atopic and having the tests to pinpoint her allergy! Tbf she suffers with itchy/sore paws and I find if I'm extremely vigilant then I can keep on top of it hope the meds work swiftly for your boy Hun xx

_Hayley_ wrote:Ah the ever present lobemoff' question! I've had similar discussions about Darcy being atopic and having the tests to pinpoint her allergy! Tbf she suffers with itchy/sore paws and I find if I'm extremely vigilant then I can keep on top of it :)hope the meds work swiftly for your boy Hun xx

Same with Zeus, he checked his paws and they were fairly sore (I didnt notice, my mistake) so I'm going to make sure I clean them properly with a dash of ACV and put coconut oil on them. Hopefully that'll sort it out! Thanks

Let us know what happens. And, in my opinion, often vets are pretty clueless - what do your instincts say?

Rupertsbooks wrote:Let us know what happens. And, in my opinion, often vets are pretty clueless - what do your instincts say?

My instincts say that its not a food related allergy; I've tried all of the premium foods on the market and he's had the same problem with all of them. Even now with raw, he's experiencing the same problems (albeit later than any of the dry foods).

I'm tempted to get a full allergy test done on Zeus; regardless of cost, may speak to the vets about this.

In the mean time, I'm seriously considering moving him onto Natures Diet as I don't have any other solutions.

Have you looked into a homeopathic vet hun? My friend has a little rescue scruffy terrier with severe allergies, also had problems on raw and was constantly flaring up and requiring steroids. She sent a clipping of her hair to a homeopathic vet (think there was a deal on, but she paid £60) and it came back with a whole host of allergies/sensitivities including spiders and potatoes!! She's deciding between nature diet and forthglade's natural menu some of which don't even include rice or vegetables http://www.forthglade.com/natural-menu/ but know it's a little pricey. I can find out who the vet she used was if you would be interested?

Rachel33 wrote:Have you looked into a homeopathic vet hun? My friend has a little rescue scruffy terrier with severe allergies, also had problems on raw and was constantly flaring up and requiring steroids. She sent a clipping of her hair to a homeopathic vet (think there was a deal on, but she paid £60) and it came back with a whole host of allergies/sensitivities including spiders and potatoes!! She's deciding between nature diet and forthglade's natural menu some of which don't even include rice or vegetables http://www.forthglade.com/natural-menu/ but know it's a little pricey. I can find out who the vet she used was if you would be interested?

Hi Rachel, I would definitely be interested in finding out who the vet was, this is something I'd love to do as soon as possible. Thanks for your help!

Is it worse at certain times of year?

And have the antibiotics had any effect - esp on the green gunge?

It is awful when they're ill.

Hey! The vet is called Mark Pooley, should come up on google if you type his name followed by homeopathy. Jess has said he's a great source of general advice also, so may be worth giving him a call for a chat to find out the best options in diagnosis for you!

my fried uses episoothe shampoo by virbac for her stafford she sufferes terrible with her skin and has sore feet constantly and spends most of her time limping but a good bath in this stuff works wonders for her, hope zeus is better soon x

If you are interested, Oz is on nature diet , G W Titmuss have a site and you can get 3 boxes of 18 cartons for £38.55 with no p&p, much cheaper than pah. Oz gobbles it all up every time ( not as keen on the fish one but he still sets it all)

Rupertsbooks wrote:Is it worse at certain times of year?

And have the antibiotics had any effect - esp on the green gunge?

It is awful when they're ill.

Generally, it's the same throughout the year, I haven't noticed any patterns.

Rachel33 wrote:Hey! The vet is called Mark Pooley, should come up on google if you type his name followed by homeopathy. Jess has said he's a great source of general advice also, so may be worth giving him a call for a chat to find out the best options in diagnosis for you!

Brilliant, Rachel. I will contact him and go from there. Many thanks!

kattie wrote:my fried uses episoothe shampoo by virbac for her stafford she sufferes terrible with her skin and has sore feet constantly and spends most of her time limping but a good bath in this stuff works wonders for her, hope zeus is better soon x

Thank you, i'm currently using the PAH sensitive shampoo but I'm not quite sure how sensitive it is, so i'll order one of these.

Sara n Ozzy wrote:If you are interested, Oz is on nature diet , G W Titmuss have a site and you can get 3 boxes of 18 cartons for £38.55 with no p&p, much cheaper than pah. Oz gobbles it all up every time ( not as keen on the fish one but he still sets it all)

Thats really cheap, thank you.