Monday, August 17, 2015

Ask OBP #4

Welcome to ask OBP! I am pleased to say that we had a couple of questions last week! The first one came from Christine. She asked if our pugs liked milk. This is not something that we have really ever tried. And not with any type of milk. When we had our boys as puppies they had a lot of tummy trouble and it was recommended to limit their dairy intake (they would have a little bit of yogurt or cottage cheese in their bowls but that would be all the dairy they would be able to withstand). We also have never tried milk with Cupid since our vet said that it was a myth that milk is good for cats. Christine, it is very interesting that your pugs not only enjoy the milk but can also withstand it! Kudos to you and your puggies for having an iron like tummy. Thanks for asking, Christine!

Martha also asked a question. This one was about Henry's weight. Henry weighs 26 pounds. This probably sounds huge to a lot of people. Our vet thinks he is a pretty healthy weight but would not be upset if he shed a pound or 2. Benny, at his heaviest was about 24 pounds (and that was indeed a couple of pounds heavier than he could comfortably carry, but Benny spent the bulk of his adulthood at 21-22 pounds) and Luna was about 16 pounds (and only towards the end did she start to have a hard time keeping her girlish figure). Henry, while weighing the most, has still been the healthiest of them all. And when they were lined up altogether, they would look like little stair steps. Henry is the one of the tallest pugs we have ever seen. At any meet up or any pug event, he has easily been one of the top 3 tallest pugs there. He has long legs and a longish body. So, he carries his weight a little better than most, probably. As he has slowed down with age we are having to be more diligent with his "extras" so as to manage his weight effectively. We do hear a lot that Henry is "so big" and we are never exactly sure if they are nicely saying he is fat or that they actually recognize that he is much taller than "pug standard" and is also not thin. He is a solid, strong dog. And especially when standing next to Luna he would tower over her petite frame. Martha, if you or anyone is concerned about your pup's weight, the best thing to do would be to consult your veterinarian. He/she would likely recommend reducing calories and introducing more exercise. All within safe limits as your pug can withstand. In asking OBP, we always want to clarify that we are just here to make suggestions and share history, but we are not vets and we always make the disclaimer to be sure to talk to your vet when you have concerns with your pet's health. Thank you for your question, Martha!

Our next question comes from Victoria. She asked if we could share her pug Poe's story in hopes that there are OBPers out there that may be able to share some knowledge of PDE (Pug Dog Encephalitis). Below is little Poe's story:

My name is Victoria and I have two beautiful baby boy pugs named Ollie and Poe. Ollie is 10 months old and we have 5 month old Poe. We took Poe home the Sunday before last. He's a happy, crazy, silly, smart, sweet little man. He was diagnosed with an entropian and corneal ulcer (no big deal once corrected surgically and we were prescribed eye medicine to give him twice a day ). He received his Lyme booster and kennel cough booster, his heart guard, a flagyl prescription( high dosage at 125 mg), panacur and frontline that Monday. He had an adverse reaction to the Lyme shot (vomiting over 5 times) and needed a shot of Benadryl and cortisone. This was the same reaction Ollie had when he received this vaccine. The vet wanted to see Poe again that Saturday to check his corneal ulcer with receiving the medication. We took him to the vet that morning and upon bringing him home he hid under our bed. My boyfriend got him and put him on the couch where he started convulsing and foaming at the mouth.... He was unresponsive, sitting up and seizing. This happened 4 times and was sedated at the emergency vet with some Valium. We drove him to another emergency vet that night whose facility had a neurologist. Within an hour of his episodes he was panting, smiling, kissing and running around. He stayed overnight and was monitored for two days. All blood work came back normal; no liver shunt or hyperglycemia. His neurological exam was normal. He was given anti seizure medication while there but amongst conversations with our vet, the neurologist and my partner we felt the best measure with him ONLY being 5 months old was to take him of the medication and see what happens. It has been 5 days with no seizure activity. He's acting as if nothing has happened; active, alert and affectionate. The neurologist said honestly the presentation of epilepsy and PDE is very uncommon at 5 months and his cluster could have been caused by a multitude of reasons. We we're instructed to monitor him and if another episode occurs and MRI & spinal tap must be done. I was wondering if anyone has had a similar story? I've been researching PDE like crazy. I love my sweet boy so much. I'm hoping the seizure was ideopathic.

Any input for Victoria? We feel for poor Poe!

In order to keep Ask OBP going, we need your questions! So, jot down your question in the comment section and we will do our best to answer. And I know we are dragging our feet on the recipe response. We promise that it is not off our radar!