Thank you for so much info.....I noticed though that your high energy dogs eats alot more than two cups per day while the low energy dogs eat as much as toots. Tootsie while a bulldog which is known for their low energy is actually quite energetic.....we have to walk her everyday and play with her for several hours otherwise she goes crazy...you can actually see the pent up energy in her when she sits still too long....she is also a jumper (just not on command)and while she runs around the yard she also jumps up on the chairs and tables. (she's allowed). People at the bullympics this weekend said they had never seen a bully run like her before. I do agree with you though...there probably is not much difference between a four star and six star for most dogs....bullies are known as medical nightmares though so we are trying to do the absolute best for her and since we can afford it we do. Toots is actually quite funny to watch as she takes her toys and throw them herself sometime to go after...she is also one of the few bullies from what I've heard who will play fetch.....her breeder actually said we should train her for agility competitions....but we're not show people. I'd be curious to see how much she eats when she slows down a bit.

Had a routine check-up for my 14 yr. old cat, Chloe in Oct. Her blood tests were all normal, but she had gingivitis and needed some teeth removed. We felt we should do this and could prolong her life. Never were we told of what the consequences could be. She was perfectly healthy. Had good appetite and was loving her KD. She almost died 4 yrs ago, of some kind of poisoning. This could have affected her kidneys. They brought her back then. After surgery, they gave her the opiated meds, stayed over night, no antibiotics. She was lifeless when brought home. Two days later, I knew something was not right. She didn't move. Sat. we took her to vet again. They administered G-SubQ fluids, and noticed the suture had come out. So, they gave her antibiotics then and gave us the meds to take home. She was a basket case. They had said to give the pain meds 12hrs apart but after 7 hrs. at home they said give her more. We didn't want to but we did. By Sunday, she was still not responding. Brought her in again on Mon., they gave her fluids and more meds and this time a shot of anti-biotics that lasts 12 days. By Tues, we brought her in again and she stayed over night where they put IV in and did blood tests and had an ultra sound to see what was going on. They thought she had kidney stones blocking but it turned out to be an enlarged heart. How did this happen? We brought her home on Wed. and had questions for the Dr. Called 4 times and never returned a call. She had pooped and peed and we thought maybe thats a sign. We stopped giving her the opiate. We administered a different antibiotic they sent us home with. Meanwhile she had stopped eating the whole time. By this time we felt we should feed her through a syringe, since the vet never mentioned anything about feeding her. Later we gave her the fluids at home and then gave her the antibiotic they had given us. By this time she was lifeless. Thurs., and Fri came and went. No call from the vet asking how she was doing, NOTHING!! We were on our own. Chloe passed Sat. morning peacefully at 4am. She became so weak couldn't even stand.We were with her till her last breath. We are so sick now. We brought her in to prolong her life and this is what happened. Never did they tell us what the consequences could be. Doing research now and the opiate meds they gave her, say not to give to cats with kidney problems. I feel they overmedicated her and gave her the wrong meds. She was great before we brought her in. Had a healthy appetite, showed nothing of any pain. Still no word from the VET!! I think they know what they did. I truly believe this was malpractice. We miss her so much. It's so hard.

Post 1 reply.- Here´s the situation, we don´t know if the dog is allergic to something and we can´t find out until the animal is exposed to the allergen and the allergy manifests, the animal may be allergic to something in the diet, either to the protein source ( animal or vegetable meal ) or to the carbohidrate source ( vegetable flours ), some animals may be allergic to both, the protein source and the vegetable source, why is this ? we don´t know for sure but we do know that certain protein and carbohidrate sources are more allergenic than others, soy ( soy meal ) and corn gluten is known by us as one of the most allergenic protein sources, the same way we know that corn is one of the most allergenic carbohidrate souces, however some animals are allergic to chicken, others are allergic to turkey, others are allegic to certain fish species, others are allergic to several at the same time; the situation here is that most dogs are not allergic to any of them, therefore the food companies manufacture foods for the vast majority of the population, the system is fine but not infalible, I say not infalible because within that population there are individualities, problem arises when you have the bad luck of owning one of those individualities, it´s like purchasing a lottery ticket and winning the lottery. When the generality does not apply to individuals is when you have to find the solution to a problem. In many cases the same companies that manufacture the food offer alternatives to treat those individuals that do not adjust to the general population in the form of special diets with different protein and carbohidrate sources, if that company doesn´t offer them there are other companies that do and if that doesn´t work there are other alternatives, there´s always light at the other end of the tunnel. I´ve been to the Purina facilities and labs in St Louis, not only the test facilties are extraordinary but the degree of professionalism of the people working there in all the departments is overwhelming, they make good quality products. Post 2 reply.- Hot spots represent a particular problem, first the animal has the hotspot reaction, it itches and hurts, the animal licks or scratches, to an already damaged area the animal adds the trauma of licking and/or scratching, since the integrity of the skin is broken then bacteria begin to grow infecting the area, which causes more itching and more pain, more licking, more scratching, more trauma and so on, what started as a very small area in a matter of days it becomes a huge problematic area because it extends; I´ve had cases where they bring me a dog attatched to hot spot, yep, that big is the hot spot. The use of local anesthesics like lidocaine in hot spots is contraindicated. Hot spots have bacteria growing in them, local anesthesics like lidocaine are methabolized by the bacteria and use it to grow. The only local anesthesic is use is ice to make the area numb while the procedure is taking place

I don't disagree with anything above. That said, in over fifty years of dog ownership, I've never had a dog that required dental care, to include cleaning. I have never brushed their teeth. Always fed a quality kibble and for decades have not fed any "treats" other than a few pieces of kibble. Many of the years I had dogs the breed was (English) Bulldogs. Arguably, their teeth do not lend themselves to even contact with hard kibble as their teeth are generally not "straight." I currently have but one dog - she is a 6 year old Greyhound that I got from the track in Tampa, Florida. I've had her for 1 1/2 years. Greyhounds right off the track are notorious for having bad teeth as they had been fed an exclusively soft diet while at the track. (My girl now gets a quality kibble with no treats,as described above.) For the first time, I have added to steps to my dog's regimen as re to dental care. Once a day I give her a large Greenie, which she chews on vigorously for about 5-10 minutes. Cost like a buck a day! I also have been adding a "splash" of a liquid additive called, Tropiklean Fresh Breath. Cost like peanuts a day. With this dog I also have been adding Solid Gold Seameal (It's seaweed) to her kibble. Cost maybe 20 cents a day. I do this only because I found a Brit Veterinary Study that suggested seaweed fed to dogs may reduce dental bacteria by killing it. The only reason I am posting is to share my concern for my current dog's dental care because of the total lack of support that she received for the nearly five years before she came to my home. I am NOT advocating a course of treatment, but did want to mention that as seemingly important daily cleaning may sound, that there are people that do not do that and have had a positive result - in my case for over half a century.