Quote: Laura Dobson

I am offering Shena 50/50 rice to kibble. .

NOT the kibble you had been feeding, right?

 Quote: Laura Dobson

... I am offering Shena 50/50 rice to kibble. The vet does not want me to give her anything new that could upset her stomach more.

I completely disagree. JMO. While another multi-ingredient kibble would probably be a bad idea, a very bland and very digestible (and appealing to the animal) food like skinless breast of chicken would be something I would try. Offering a few tablespoons will tell you quickly whether it's acceptable to the dog and whether it's well tolerated.

I also would absolutely withdraw any food that the dog doesn't want to eat. I cannot help thinking of all the animals who died during the sweeping 2006 recall whose owners later said "if only I had switched the food when the dog/cat didn't want to eat it."

Of course, it may well NOT be the food, but it's a simple factor to eliminate.

I'm not a health professional, and these are only my opinions.

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

How old is Shena ?
What sort of rat, pregnant, just weaned, nursing, ages?
Stop feeding kibble. Feed her whatever she will eat. Spoil her, cooked meat, cookies, whatever she will eat, little bits at a time. Ice chips to chew.

I agree 100% with Dr. Betty. Emphasis on the "little bits."

Shena is 8 yrs we think, she is a rescue, we have had her about 5 yrs now. As for the feeding, we are offering her food three times a day, the vet said not to give her anything new because he does not want to upset her stomach even more. We did add some chicken broth tonight and she ate it.
As for the rats, two were babies about 6-7 weeks, one was about maybe 8 months and one was about 1 1/2 yrs. I have four left alive, ages ranging from 1-3 yrs old.
As for the food, yes, I put the rest of the cat food in a bag in the refrig. per the vet just in case they need to test it. No one is eating it as of two weeks ago Monday. I washed out all bowls and containers that may have any trace of it left.

"the vet said not to give her anything new because he does not want to upset her stomach even more."

I feel so strongly about this that I even suspect there was miscommunication. Perhaps the vet meant not to switch to a new kibble.

I totally agree with Dr. Betty about giving the dog whatever the dog will accept that agrees with her. I would call the vet and ask about poached skinless chicken breast in a small amount to try it. I honestly believe he meant not to give yet a new multi-ingredient kibble. It makes no sense at all to rule out a fresh home-cooked easily digested bland food item, and I truly believe this was a miscommunication.

Chicken broth is good; I would be sure to use "no added sodium." But remember that its entire value is really nothing much more than water (in an appealing form for the animal).

 Quote: Laura Dobson

As for the fluids, Shena is drinking water fine, peeing, pooping (alot less now), but otherwise is in really good shape. The vet says if it was a toxin, it would show up in her blood work. This vet is trying new stuff because I have been so demanding.
To Duane: how did you treat your animals??? What testing did they do???

The first (who survived) happened many moons ago when I was a teen; he was a young lab that was kept in the yard. I was away at NG training for the weekend and came home to find out an exterminator had sprayed for termites that Friday. The dog rooted around the house afterward, and was sick by the time I got home Sunday night. The vet saved me the expense of extensive testing since he recognized the symptoms and I was fairly sure of the source. He did bloodwork, which was inconclusive, but said that pesticides typically cause pancreatic failure and didn't always show up that soon. We caught it before his pancreas failed. The vet kept him that night and the next, and had him on IVs. He then sent him home with instructions for water, broth, and bread soaked in milk. Buford was back to his old self by the end of the week.
I lost my Tera in spring of 2010 due to rat poison. This time I wasn't sure of the source or cause (discovered after it was too late), and regrettably it was poison that I put out and didn't think the dog could get to. Again, nothing in the bloodwork. The vet discovered spots on her pancreas, put one and one together (symptoms of pancreatic failure combined with the spots), and determined that it must have been pesticides. He did say it had developed over time, probably 4-8 weeks. She was too sick to save. Afterwards, I started seeking out the source of the poisoning and discovered that the dog had somehow managed to get ahold of some poisoned birdseed that I had put out for the rats. My best guess is that the rats left a trail of seed on their trek to their den, as the feeder was not in the yard, but I found cracked seeds in the yard in areas that the dog frequented. It was a slow, miserable way for her to go, and I assume she got little doses at a time untl her pancreas failed.
In your situation, it may not be the food but rather exposure of the bags/containers in a warehouse somewhere. Mystery to me.
Best wishes for your dog.

BTW, to anyone reading this...
long ago i started transferring kibble to my own container (bucket with a lid). I also rinse every can of food, human or dog, before opening. Some of the stuff I've seen in warehouses and stockrooms would make you distrustful, also.
Scrub your produce {tons of bacteria on the surface and in sprinkler systems), and wash all meats and eggs.

I'd contact Whiskas directly, no whining nor implications of lawsuits, but have the product code in hand and ask to speak to someone.
The rat deaths make me suspicious. For many cats 15 is an age where serious problems can appear, and assorted troubles can start in a big dog at 8.
The ingredients in all the kibbles are questionable these days, in my opinion. Lots of distillers grains in most --- I feed my cattle distillers grain, and find that some lots they just will not eat. This stuff is a by-product of ethanol production, it is the protein core of the corn after the grain has been used to brew alcohol. The product itself is ok, a great use for the "left-overs", but some of it has way to much sulfur which can certainly be toxic.

Good suggestion, Betty.


Laura, how is the dog today? Fingers are crossed.

Thanks Connie, she is pretty much the same. She ate about 1/2 cup today, I added some chicken, but she didn't finish it. I just hope the pathology reports show something, anything, so we know where to go from here. I feel so bad that I may have caused this, and the poor girl, she looks so miserable.