What a coincidence - Suzie was also neutered on Friday.
The vet told me that it was just in the nick of time as her uterus was very thickened and her ovaries so enlarged with cysts that they were more than 10x their normal size. By the next season or the one after she would have succumbed to infection/septic womb and would have to have had the whole thing done as an emergency.
My vet wondered if this could have been caused by injections they get during their racing careers to stop them having seasons and causing chaos at meetings! Because their owners don't care what happens to them in later life no-one knows if these continuous injections cause problems when they are older (Suzie is 10).
So thank goodness it was done, and we are now wondering if this may have contributed to her sometime lack of energy. Might she have been in pain? Women with cystic ovaries suffer pain I'm sure.
However - unlike Coco - Suzie's appetite did not bounce back. I tried everything to tempt her. She is a picky eater at the best of times, but by last night she had still eaten nothing more than a few tiny sausages. This morning she again refused her breakfast and I was just about to 'send out' for some Ambrosia Creamed Rice (Carol's suggestion) when I suddenly though: "cat food?". So I opened a Kit-e-kat pouch (tuna flavour in jelly) and she licked it up - phew - opened another and she ate that too! So - that's a relief!
I am so glad that Suzie was scheduled to be neutered - what a relief to have caught all those cysts, intime.
Certainly with humans, cysts can cause great pain and make you lower tummy really, really swell. Due to the additional weight and hence pain can make you ever so very lethargic - my mum and younger sister have both suffered with this condition.
Sorry to hear that the wee girl is off her food - cat food is good. Our last dog, mad Farkas thoroughly enjoyed cat food.
What a relief you must feel that Suzie's op has prevented her becoming an emergency case! Hope she's feeling better soon and the cat food is just as good for her as anything else. Give her a big hug from me and Vegas!
when we took daisy to be neutered, the vet said she had the start of pyometra - in a couple of days we would have had a very poorly girl, so she was caught just in time.
I had a problem with Mac stealing Dens food. I have never owned a cat before but, apparently Cat food is not good for a dog, but a cat can eat dog food...but probably wouldn't want to!
Perhaps someone could verify this for me.
I don't expect it will do the dogs any harm as a one off, it doesn't seem to have harmed Mac, but I do try and keep Mac well away from the Dens dinner now.
Lesley, Daisy was only about 2 and a half when she had her op. The vet said that she would have succumbed to the pyometra within a couple of days - that scared me and i was pleased it was caught in time. As you say, it can be fatal.
Hope Suzie is recovering well now, big hugs from us all, especially Daisy , xxxxx
Lita - it would be too expensive to keep her on cat food so I hope she feels she can 'manage' her normal food soon. Particularly as it is the little individual pouches she likes - ok for a cat, but Suzie has to have at least two at a time.
Dawn - I think you will find it is the other way round - dog food is not good for cats, but dogs can eat cat food. The reason is that dogs can digest more cereal than cats, so cat food is better quality in terms of meat content. I did mention that she was eating cat food to my vet tonight and he wasn't bothered - just amused!
Dawn - I think you will find it is the other way round - dog food is not good for cats, but dogs can eat cat food. The reason is that dogs can digest more cereal than cats, so cat food is better quality in terms of meat content. I did mention that she was eating cat food to my vet tonight and he wasn't bothered - just amused!
Oh sorry Lesley if I have got this mixed up..its not like me! Memory like a goldfish, but Mac's trainer, Viv, told me to move the cats food well away from Mac, apparently cat food is full of minerals that don't agree with dogs, that much I did remember, and I felt truly chastised at the time, thats why I thought it was that way around. I would be delighted to hear that Mac's not doing himself any harm. x
Well I don't know anything about minerals right enough. And one way or the other - you don't want Mac pinching Den's grub - not good for his waistline.
Cat food has 'double' the protein content of dog food. Excesses of protein in a dog's diet can cause all sorts of 'nasties', such as over activity. This will inevitably lead to behaviour problems of one sort or another, each dog being different.
If a dog has any excess, he will need to burn it off, otherwise he will start to 'climb the walls'. Pet dogs that are moderately exercised (which most are, as opposed to working 12 hours a day herding or such like) should be on about a total of 18-20% protein content.
Beware of any tinned/pouched meaty foodstuffs. Here's one for the mathematitions! If you read the label on a can, it will say there is about 7-8% protein content in the CAN. It will also say that the moisture content is about 79 -80% - this is water! There is no protein in water, so this can be removed from the equation, which leaves approx. 20% food matter. 7% protien of 20% food matter is about 46% protein in total. Double the figure for cat food!
I get numerous problems which can be solved by only diet manipulation, usually they are putting tinned food in along with 'complete' food - a common misunderstanding. Something to consider when doing a lot of training with high value treats - reduce the dog's daily ration accordingly.
Thanks Viv, for clearing that up! Suzie just needed something to stimulate her appetite. This morning she managed to force in some Arden Grange once more.
I would be delighted if her appetite improved as a result of this op. - as I said previously I can't help wondering if she has been in pain all along.