Hey all,

Miss the board lately. I am up at a boat access only cabin in northern"ish" Ontario, Canada at present and have run into a bit of a glitch with Farley. Hoping the experience of some others may help me out.

The details:

Flew from Calgary to Toronto. Stayed in the city for a week, fed Farley just chicken (w bone) and some ground beef from the grocery store, no issues.

Went up to my cabin and brought chicken quarters and a ground mix I made up consisting of (ground beef, canned pumpkin, canned salmon, romaine lettuce, bit of parsley, egg, and pork liver and spleen). The only thing in that mix he has not had before is the pork liver and spleen, though he has had pork, and has had beef liver..

So at the cabin he started getting the spray poos Not so he would have to always be running to the bathroom, but just when ever he went, it was brown liquid. Once I thought it had blood in it, but couldn't be sure.

Then he vomited at night one night. I went to just feeding the chicken quarters as I suspected the ground meal as that is what he had had for dinner. The next night (had had chiken quarter for breakfast and dinner (3 am) vomited three or four times, had some chicken bones in it, then just bile.

I then swithced him to just some canned pumkin and white meat cooked turkey, vommitting stopped but spay poos continued.

Snuck a phone call into a vet back in BC, Canada (raw friendly) and she said to fast him and then start with cooked chicken and rice. Probiotics and tripe if possible (wich I can probably get by the weekend)

So...his last meal was yesterday at breakfast, we skipped dinner. I had to put him in a seperate building so I did not give in to his whining and feed him by three am that night His stomach sounds, squirty and gurgly sounding where so loud I could here them the next room away.

Skipped breakfast, fed him some chiken broth from boiling chicken quarters today.

I just walked him, energy levels good, but he had another liquid poo...shouldn't there be nothing in him by now? Does cooked food take longer to digest( his last few meals were cooked)?

I was going to give him some chiken and rice for dinner, but now am not sure if I should fast him overnight again. He will have to sleep (or not sleep!) in another building, as I won't be able to take his carrying on....

Am I on the right track? Sould I fast longer? Should I feed the chicken and rice tonight? The vet said that if energy levels were good and he was hungry, he maybe did not need antibiotics, IF he was solid after the fast. I can't see him being solid on cooked chicken and rice as it is not his usual diet? I am hoping to avoid a vet visit in a strange town, he is not so sick, I just want him more solid..Gross, sorry about all the poo talk.

Any advice, ideas, appreciated....cooped up in the bush, pouring down rain and only dial up internet!

Thanks in advance,


T

Could it maybe stress related with the change of location and flying etc? Maybe just keep him on plain chicken if that didn't bother him. Maybe if you can get him some plain yoghurt that would help.

 Quote: Patty Macleod

Could it maybe stress related with the change of location and flying etc? Maybe just keep him on plain chicken if that didn't bother him. Maybe if you can get him some plain yoghurt that would help.

I thought of stress, but he was fine for the first week after we arrived. He WAS fine on straight chicken, but since the issues surfaced I have tried to going back to chicken only with no success.

My two big suspects that may have started this are the pork organs he has never had before, or something in the lake water here. He drinks out of every puddle, stream, river back home, and the water here is pretty clean, but the micro-bugs may be slightly foreign to his system on the other side of the country....

 Quote: Jennifer Coulter

....or something in the lake water here. He drinks out of every puddle, stream, river back home, and the water here is pretty clean, but the micro-bugs may be slightly foreign to his system on the other side of the country....

I'd get a stool sample and drop it off at a local vet when you p/u probiotics.

Yes, cooked food takes longer to go through.

Also, I absolutely would continue on overcooked white rice (like gruel) and boiled white-only chicken for now. These are soothing foods. I would give him tiny meals, like snacks, of that (and a little pumpkin if you still have it).

I'm combining the advice for food-related upset and for organisms in the water.

I'd keep him very hydrated, even if you have to use baited water.

A quick way to make it: Throw some ground white chicken into water and simmer it for a while. Use the meat with the white rice mush and use the water to keep him hydrated.

Hydration is probably your top priority right now.

Keep us posted!

Thanks Connie,

Exactly the kind of advice I was looking for.

I have caved and decided to feed him tonight. It has been 36 hrs since he was last fed.

Porblem is I only have the chiken quarters here and par boiled rice. I removed the skin from the chicken, boiled it and skimmed all the fat off the top for a broth. He has been drinking that mixed in his water.

I will overcook the rice, but am afraid I can't get any white meat until the weekend, I just have the boiled chiken quarter meat (bone removed).

I will do the litte meal thing, I had not thought of doing that.

Glad I know that cooked takes longer to get through, I was starting to worry about a partial obstruction or something.

I will get a stool sample for the weekend when I will be in the city for two days....I hope I can find a vet open...

I have some plain yogurt (no fat) with probiotics, should I put a tablespoon of that in tonight too?

Glad he is still hungry and has energy, that is a BIG plus...

Thanks

Oh wait...I found a coulple of boneless skinless seasoned (salt) chicken breasts in the freezer, should I boil that and put the boiled chicken quarter meat in the freezer for later?

Do you have reason to suspect an obstruction? (I have to say that what you describe sounds more like intestinal upset, either from food or Giardia-type organisms.)

Yes, I would boil the leg meat and let the water chill so I could take off all the fat that will harden on the top. No chicken fat for now for him.

Is he used to yogurt? If he is, I guess I would add a little tomorrow.

And yeah, you want that rice to be kind of a stew. It's easy to digest AND it helps to hydrate him.

 Quote: Jennifer Coulter

Oh wait...I found a coulple of boneless skinless seasoned (salt) chicken breasts in the freezer, should I boil that and put the boiled chicken quarter meat in the freezer for later?

You mean just a little salt? Yes. I would. I'd rather give white meat, no fat.

If those are the kind of chicken breasts that I sometimes buy for us to eat, I would taste a bit before giving him any. I've noticed that sometimes they're very salty, almost inedible. Boiling would help remove the salt but I'd still taste just to make sure.

 Quote: patty macleod

If those are the kind of chicken breasts that I sometimes buy for us to eat, I would taste a bit before giving him any. I've noticed that sometimes they're very salty, almost inedible. Boiling would help remove the salt but I'd still taste just to make sure.

I actually typed "I would bring it to a boil and throw off that first water to dump some of the salt, then poach in new water" and then I deleted it because I figured they probably weren't THAT salty.


Nice catch.