I give tripe when I get fresh tripe (frozen, but still). It can be harder to find sometimes....maybe I'll start adding in the canned green tripe when I can't get the fresh. I have to say, the phosphorus level stumped me. Maybe it is that they don't see a lot of raw fed dogs - what she was saying today suggested to me that instead of raw feeders the people who the clinic sees make their dog's diets cook them. And I would guess, based on her 'more carbs!' reaction that most of them have grains in that cooked diet; all my dogs eat grain-free.

She needs to clarify recommending vitamins for a mineral imbalance (if there is one).

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

 Quote: Jennifer Mullen

I was kind of wondering that - she's fed raw, it's a high-protein diet, I thought that might explain it. Her creatine is perfectly fine, yup

Edit: I didn't ask the number - IME different labs can have different baselines, at least with the cat rescue we had to make sure what the normal variance was as it could be different depending on the vet, so I just took her word for it.

You could call and get that number. Just say you forgot what it was.

(I emailed Dr. Jean Dodds some years ago to ask about elevated BUN on a raw-fed dog.)

She'll answer questions like that? That might help with my vet - while she's open to how I feed, I don't think she has experience with it.

I think the supplement is vitamins and minerals....I hope, LOL, I hadn't thought of that Connie!

Of course she will! You paid for a lab test and you want the results! The front desk person can read it to you, in fact.

Multi-minerals are a slippery slope. Minerals are not loosey-goosey lots-of-wiggle-room like most vitamins. You want to know which one you need, if any.

JMO.

Oh, no, I meant Dr. Jean Dodds will!

I know MY vet will

Good point - I will see exactly what is in it. It's something they sell, too, so....

I'm just doing some online research on all of this. This page has some links to some interesting studies re: raw fed dogs and BUN, AND PHOSPHORUS!!!:
http://www.dogaware.com/misc.html

 Quote: jennifer mullen

Do you give it to him with food? I find that helps, though I guess it would depend on the dog.

Yup... gave it to him with his evening meal. Resulted in some very unpleasant backfires. Like put your hands over your head, duck down and run for cover backfires. When he would go out in the back yard I would stick my head out the door and yell, "INCOMING!!!" just to warn the neighbors.

I have been experimenting with various food rewards that have glucosamine and chrondoitrin (sp?) mixed in though and have been having good results. I will try some of these suggested items too, however... thanks!

My dog (I've written about it on here before) tore his CCL at some point, but we actually got the diagnosis last Sept. The orthopedic surgeon gave us a thorough sales pitch about TLSO; my regular vet didn't agree with proceeding with surgery at this point, saying the dog was hardly limping and that the surgery can cause more problems than it's worth.

Since then I've moved with my 3 y/o shepherd to Texas, and made the mistake of doing a bit too much sight seeing with my best furry friend, and he's had a set back, limping more than ever. I've treated him with warm compresses and leg massages with Helichrysm? (essential oil that's supposed to help with inflammation, smells wonderful!) and Adequan regularly. I had already done the twice/wk for 4wks treatment, and I've continued with monthly injections for maintainance. But when he has an especially sore month (as he has this month) I've increased it to every or every other week, with incredible results! That stuff really works!

I haven't been able to find anything negative about continuing to give the Adequan, and two vets I've spoken with about it have agreed with me that it couldn't hurt. I never found much use for Cosequin, so I don't give him the oral glucosamine anymore.

Short potty walks, trying to not let him run or jump and the above treatment is what I've been doing. It sucks I can't explore with him, but hopefully if I'm patient he'll return to being able to at least take some short hikes and day trips with me.

Incidentally, the vet said it was most likely a partial tear, and fairly minimal, as the drawer test was off just a little, and his gait is fairly normal. Though that's the same vet who tried to say we should proceed with surgery TPLO right away to avoid arthritis!

That's my story, hope it makes sense!

Thanks Stephanie!

My vet and I have been having some discussions about Teagan's kidneys, with respect to the different meds. While I am comfortable with the BUN being higher b/c she's a raw-fed dog, she is now older, and I am nervous about them - I have a cat with renal failure and I know how long it takes to show up on tests, etc. She's been doing some research for me and I have to figure out what I want to do.

I've never heard of Helichrysm....I'll have to go look for it.

Teagan does seem comfortable now, which I am happy with.