Based on previous article written, where the vet had told me that there was nothing much he could do about my dog’s health condition, I took my pet dog home. We were prepared for the worst. But being the type of strong willed person that I am, I just refused to give up- I mean, I had to do whatever I can for my beloved dog- unless he is in pain and suffering.
Till today, Prosper is still alive- through a lot of care- sadly, he is now getting pain from the shoulders where his left front paw is paralyzed. Still, I would want to share with you the experience we have gone through- I am not sure it would work for you, but for my case, it did make my dog more comfortable:
1. Food
For dogs suffering from bloating, you must put the dog on a special diet. No rice, junk food and initially, solid meat. Because the stomach is not working well. I went to another vet and bought specialised dog food for sick dogs:
With this, I only realised that dogs with gastrointenstinal disease, overweight, urinary tract disease, bladder stones, joint disorder, kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, liver disease, heart disease, cancer, aging, etc can be placed on special diets.
I bought some prescription diet can food from Hills: the a/d (supposed to be extremely palatable, high protein, high calorie food to promote healing and speed recovery). The vet said that if the dog had no appetite- then to eat this as it can be mixed with water and syringed to the mouth. Later when he could eat, then can eat the Canine Gastrointenstinal Health.
The can food is expensive (cost about RM8 to RM8.70 per can) but it seemed to be the only food that my dog could take. It seemed to make the bloating not so bad. Initially when Prosper had problem eating, I use mix the i/d food (the tuna can sized) food with water and use a syringe to feed into his mouth (for dogs, remember to syringe by the side molars- don’t feed/syringe from the front as it may choke it. For cats, you have to feed/syringe from the front).
Water is also fed using syringe because when initially my dog sort of vomit out the water that he drank by himself. Later when we syringe through his mouth, the water did not come out. And he seemed to be thirsty all the time.
2. Sleeping conditions
If the dog seemed to discharge a lot of saliva or fluid out from the mouth, and is lying on its side, you would need to put a cloth underneath its face. If not, the unabsorbed fluid would easily flow and cause infection to the ears. You would need to prepare lots of small pieces of cloth- we use old towels/ cloth in which we cut into size of hand towels. And we change and wash the cloth and then dry under the hot sun and reuse. You need to wipe away water- sometimes the water leak to the side when you feed the dog as well as clean the dog’s mouth and surrounding areas to clear of leftover food.
3. Beware of flies and mosquitos- avoid by keeping the area clean
On a hot sunny day, flies would come around if there are lots of food debris left on the floor or around the animal. Therefore after each feeding, it is important to clean the animal- not to bathe it because the poor doggie may be too weak and cold (from lack of solid food) to take the full bathing (a dog can easily die from catching a chill). On a hot day, just wet the area around the mouth and clean with a bit of shampoo. Also wash the floor often as to not attract flies.
Remember- if the dog is unable to move much, it may be helpless at warding off flies and mosquitos. If the surrounding area and the doggie is not kept clean with debris of food all over the place and hanging out from the mouth, it would attract flies and mosquitos.
For full listing of articles related to Pets, please go to http://healthblog.yinteing.com/main/pets/.
