Table Scraps & Fatty Foods....UPDATE

[catstamm]

Can kill your dog!!!!!
A got a heartbreaking call last week from a woman who adopted a doxie from me while I was volunteering at a rescue, before I started my own.
She called and was in tears because Mitzi had been in the hospital for 5 days and they weren't sure what she had but she was dying.
Mitzi's symptoms were diaherra, vomiting, stomach pain and not eating....
I told her to call the vet when they opened, get Mitzi out of there and take her to a specialist....which she did. After a ultrasound she was diagnosed w/ pancreatitis and was in extremely bad shape.
I got a call again today...Mitzi isn't getting better and has a abcess in her small intestine....they are going in to asperate (sp?) and hope this works...if not she might lose Mitzi...Mitzi has been in the hospital for 15 days!.....and Mitzi's mom is filled with guilt...
Why the guilt?
She called me about 6 mths ago and said she was spoiling mitzi and had gotten her pretty plump....Mitzi should weight about 9 lbs and she was up to 15!!!! WTF
She was feeding Mitzi dog food and table food.....Whatever she wanted...she was "spoiling" her!!!!!
I told her what food to get and to get that weight off!!! She was killing her!!!
For anyone who doesn't know what Pancreatitis is ....it is caused by a high fat, junk food diet....more dogs are admitted to the E-vet after Thanksgiving then any other time of the year....
My heart is breaking for this woman and I am so angry....this could have been prevented.....
If Mitzi's doesn't get better ...everyone loses....please pray for Mitzi....:pray: :pray: :pray: :pray: :pray:

[Frzframe]

Oh no!! How sad because it was totally preventable. :( Many mega :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz:

[Patt]

Oh Cat, I am so very sorry. :sosad: Especially since it could have easily been prevented. Killing with kindness is the worst.

Sending tons of magical DLC :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: and :pray:ers to Mitzi. :crossfin: She will pull through.

[catstamm]

Thanks Guys :hug99: I want to cry and scream at the same time...
I had talked with Mitzi's mom on 2 separate occasions and told her there were other ways to spoil Mitzi...not with food!
This woman is sooo upset and has already spent $3,600.00 trying to save her...
It is so frustrating we try SO hard to educate... :confused:

[Chris]

When I saw the posts about "Rays for Mitzi" I thought you meant Shonda's Mitzi!
I was so worried! But I am still worried about the other Mitzi you are talking about.

My (human) sister lives with pancreatitis. It was caused in her case by damage - her gallbladder was infected but nobody knew because she was on meds for tonsilitis and that masked the symptoms. She had emergency surgery to take her GB out and she has had pancreas episodes off and on since.

I know its different in a dog - but they can't always "tell you" what is going on - but she can so I know what its like for a living being to experience it. When you get worn out, you can't just take a nap and it fixes it - it is cumulative so every stress, bad thing eaten just piles up until she "Crashes"

[evie]

Cat,

I can't even express myself right now I am so sad and disappointed with the situation you described. We all want to give our animals everything they ask for but it's our duty to protect them however difficult it may be. Hopefully we will all try to do better from now on. Spoil = Harm whether it be with kids or pets. I learned my lesson the hard way with my Yorkie who developed severe Colitis due to an over indulgent fatty diet by the age of 10. A vet actually advised me to put her down. I told him to piss-off and changed her diet completely, and she lived another 9 years.

[JanUet]

Sending Mega Magical DLC :bigrayz: :bigrayz: to Mitzi and keeping her in my thoughts and prayers.

We all tend to SPOIL our pupperz with foods that we eat.
I just shared a bowl of popcorn with mine the other night. The video is here to prove that!
I have given them foods that they shouldn't have! Yup! I am Guilty!

I have learned to say a firm NO to those pleading eyes that stare at me while I am eating a meal.

I hope that Mitzi gets better :hearts:

[K2]

Poor Mitzi!! (I am forwarding this message to my parents, who tend to think that "just a little bit" won't hurt Pippit):bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz:

[Lisa]

That is so sad Cat! Lots of rayz for Mitzi :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz:

[Teddysmom]

Gosh, that is so very sad....knowing that it could have been prevented. Like JanUet, I am also guilty of sharing an occasional bite of my food with Teddy, but I also have been able to say a firm "NO" and mean it and NOT give him any tablefood...despite those pleading eyes and sad looks of "starvation" he gives me all the time.
Sending lots of :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: for Mitzi and will keep her in my :pray: ers tonight.

[lotsadox]

Pancreatitis is extremely serious. My friend has a schnauzer that almost died from it. A lot of dogs systems can't tolerate a high fat diet. It's not any better for dogs than it is for us. My dogs do get table food, but I"m selective about what I give them and they only get small amounts. I let them have grilled meat or fish and veggies (mostly because mine are usually steamed) and not a lot else. I've never had a dog with pancreatitis and don't want one. Even the thought of it scares me. :scared1:

Sending tons of :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz:

[catstamm]

Well I have a promising update.....they put mitzi under and drained and flushed the abcess......2 hrs later when they took her out to potty and she walked on her own and waged her tail.....that is the best progress in 15 days!!!!!! DLC prayers are the best!!!!
They will do another ultrasound tomorrow.....I'll keep you posted Thanks.....
Mitzi's mom keeps crying and saying, if Mitzi makes it she'll call me and the Dr about any thing she ever gives Mitzi.....poor woman
Don't get me wrong my dogs get the occasional table food too but it's like your pups patrice.....lean meat and veggies, small amounts.....they love beef jerky too :)

[K2]

Thanks for the update. Sending continued :bigrayz: :bigrayz: and :pray: :pray: . I do give Pippit a select few table scraps. His favorite thing though is to lick a pan~any pan. :) Even if it's been rinsed out. :evilgrin:

[oceangirls]

thanks for sharing this story with us; if even one person who was not aware reads it, another pupper will never have to go through this!

I'm very selective about what I give the girls; like Patrice they might get steamed chicken or fish without skin - and they like it when I make Raisin bars because they get egg yolk.

Many rayz for little Mitzi :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz:

[Patt]

Thanks for the update. I'm glad things have turned around a bit for Mitzi. Sending more healing :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: her way.

[Red Haired Girl]

:appl: I'm glad she is doing better. I hope she continues to improve.

Before I knew better, I gave my Cocker (may she only get good food at the bridge) some hamburger drippings on her food. She was sooo sick. She shook it off after a day or so, but ever since then I will not give any dog ground meat. I'll give Low-la and Mitch a bit of chicken or steak but no pork and certainly not hamburger.

[Tanya]

Glad Mitzi is doing better! :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz:

Piper Man let me know he can't handle anything that is greasy. I gave him a little bite of my bratwurst once... :vomit: Then another time I gave him a piece of sausage from my pizza... :vomit:

:scratch: Point taken! Nothing greasy for Pman!

[samandissy]

:pray: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :pray: :pray: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :pray:

[Courtney]

I know someone who thinks the raw diet causes pancreatitis....um no! This is proof - cooked, fatty table foods cause it! Most raw meat is pretty lean and the fat the dogs do eat as part of it, they use for energy - ANYWAY! I am so glad Mitzi is doing better.

Along the lines of one little piece of sausage sending Piper Man out of whack....just the littlest bit of regular, non-organic peanut butter will give Po the runs so bad! Every single time! :) I have learned now! LOL!

[HotDogMama]

:bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: for Mitzi!!

[Rileybugg]

How wonderful that Mitzi is coming around. It is so sad when our dogs have to pay such a high price for our mistakes. Go, little Mitzi!! :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz:

[akiss]

We all ive our little ones a little table food but you have to do it sparingly. Most of the table food that I give Dobby & Bxter is good stuff like apples,carrot or green beans. And let me tell you they think it is a treat!!!

[Tex]

Sending extra :pray: :pray: :pray: and :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: for Mitzi!!!! I hope she pulls through this! Julie and Jax get green beans (low sodium) with each meal plus their kibble.....that's it. I finally got through to John that he can't feed them whatever he wants! I worked about 2.5 lbs. off of Julie with her kibble/green bean diet, no thanks to the table scraps John had been sneaking to her! He knows better now!!! (I just threatened to send him to the clinic for a neuter if he ever does it again :evilgrin: )

[Alex's Mom]

Oh Cat!! I just saw this and feel so badly for little Mitzi and her mom! There is absolutely NOTHING worse than having something major go wrong with your anipal and know that it was your fault and preventable!!! My sister lives with pancreatitis and I know how horrible a disease it is. Tons of :bigrayz::bigrayz::bigrayz: for little Mitzi...at least her mom is willing to spend the money trying to fix it!

I've never been a big believer of feeding table scraps (although the dachsie we had growing up lived on a diet of them with some kibble and never had a sick day in her life! Mind you, that was 40 years ago and we just didn't know better then). Since Alex started with all her tummy issues 7 years ago, I've been really careful. I tend to eat a pretty low fat diet though, so there's not much temptation there! She occasionally gets a bit of cheese if I'm cooking with it, and whenever she gets the hamburger and rice treatment for an upset tummy, I don't fry the hamburger, but boil it, which takes most of the fat out. You just have to be really thorough about draining it, and then patting it dry in paper towels. :crossfin: that it all works out. If nothing else, poor Mitzi's mom has learned a very hard lesson indeed. Sadly, that's often what it takes before people clue in (denial ain't just a river in Egypt!!! :rolleyes:)

[Chris]

I am so glad that she is on the mend,

I worry about my "nieces". MIL "cooks" for them. I know there is a "home cooked" diet that you can do for your dog, but cooking them lasagna ain't one of them. I just think their teeth will rot.

[catstamm]

Mitzi has taken another turn for the worst this morning :(
I'll keep you posted!

[Michelle]

:shocked: :shocked: :shocked: OH No, I just read this, I was hopefull after reading some posts but now I see she has taken a turn for the worse!!!!
Sending lots of :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: and :pray: :pray: :pray:

Please help Mitzi's momma get her on the right track with the food issue if she comes around from this illness....

[Alex's Mom]

Sending more get-better :bigrayz::bigrayz::bigrayz: for Mitzi!!

[Jen]

A coworker lost a doxie to that a year or two ago so I'm very careful about what I give Tasha. A little lean cooked meat, veggies, cheese, beans. But never anything too greasy or salty.

Scraps for dogs can be ok when the people eat healthy food--but sharing junk food--not good for either of us.

Sending more :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: and hoping for a positive update!

[Linus]

OH NO! Poor baby! Lots of :bigrayz: :bigrayz: that she gets better!

One of my family's favorite things to do is share fries with Scout and Bailey. I tell them every time not to give them to Bailey - do they listen? Nope. Luckily he has an iron stomach, but if he were to get sick, THEY'D do the cleaning.

[Tex]

OH NO!!!! I was hoping for a better update than this!!! Sending more :pray: s and :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: for Mitzi!!!!

[Frzframe]

Oh man I was hoping she's be on the mend after reading she was doing better. Hang in there Mitzi!!!! :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz:

[Patt]

OMG I'm sorry to hear she is worse. Unfortunately this does happen with Pancreatitis.
Here's more magical :bigrayz: :bigrayz: and :pray:ers.. :hug99: :hug99:

[catstamm]

Mitzi's mom just called and asked for as many prayers as you can spare :pray: :pray: :pray: Mitzi is going in for surgery!!!! I'll keep you posted!

[Patt]

:pray: :bigrayz: :pray: :bigrayz: :pray: :bigrayz: and positive thoughts being sent to Mitzi!

[Lisa]

Please keep us updated Cat. Lots of prayers and rayz coming Mitzi's way. :bigrayz: :pray::bigrayz: :pray: :bigrayz: :pray: :bigrayz:

[Jen]

:bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: for a successful surgery!!

[LexieLuvr]

Oh, wow - sending a TON of :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: for poor little Mitzi. When will some of these people learn!!!!? And who suffers for it? The furkid - and owner's wallet, of course, but that's minor. I do hope she pulls through. She shouldn't die because of her owner's stupidity.

[laura]

That is very sad and a serious issue indeed! CLark got that after the caterers left our wedding cake on the counter. Clark just helped himself and it almost killed him! He was in intensive care for over a week and we almost lost him. So sorry! That is not good!

[Rileybugg]

Mitzi: We are sending you all of our doggie get well wishes, :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: , :hug99: , and positive dog wishes for your sucessful surgery and recovery.

Lee's fuzzy crew

p.s. I asked my grandmother if she could help on this one. She is the one I always call on when animals need help. She was a big lover of the fuzzy souls.

[LexieLuvr]

Any news about Mitzi???

[catstamm]

Mitzi made it through surgery but, has had 2 transfusions and is on oxygen...this really sucks...I'd like to talk to the DR myself...all I know is what her mom relays to me.... this morning I heard she has a 50/50 chance of pulling through :please: :sosad: :sosad:

[Alex's Mom]

tons more :bigrayz::bigrayz::bigrayz: her poor mom must be frantic! :hug99::hug99:

[akiss]

MORE :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :pray: :pray:

For Mitzi!!!!!!!!!!

[catstamm]

tons more :bigrayz::bigrayz::bigrayz: her poor mom must be frantic! :hug99::hug99:
Her poor mom is frantic and broke....she had to dip into her 401K!!!!:shocked:
This last couple of weeks is up to 7 Grand!!!
Please Mitzi....come through this :pray: :please: :pray: :please:

[Jen]

:wow: Come on Mitzi! Sending good thoughts and :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: that she makes it!! And a :bighug: for her mom!

[LexieLuvr]

So sad to hear this - really hoping she can make it - but those little furkids are SO determined! I hope her hoomom is staying positive when she's around her!!? More :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: and :pray: :pray: :pray: and :hug99: :hug99: ! I know how tough that can be, from when I lost my first dachsie from a pecan lodged in her intestine. How tragic.

[evie]

Her poor mom is frantic and broke....she had to dip into her 401K!!!!:shocked:
This last couple of weeks is up to 7 Grand!!!
Please Mitzi....come through this :pray: :please: :pray: :please:

Cat, we all know that if Mitzi pulls through, her mom will feel it was the best money she ever spent. The $6,000+ we spent on Bogie in November doesn't even seem to matter now that he is happy and healthy...no doubt Washington Mutual and Chase credit are super happy we spent the money too!!!! Many prayers and positive thoughts for Mitzi and her family who love her so.:angel7:

[Rileybugg]

Is there any type of fundraising thing we can do to help her out? :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: and our best doggie well wishes for Mitzi.

:candle3: :candle3: :candle3:

[LUVMYGUNNER]

Here are big Az rays:bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: for her.

[Chris]

Cathleen, can she apply for Care Credit?


http://carecredit.com (http://carecredit.com/vetmed/whycc.html)

Don't know if her vet takes it but its worth a shot.

[catstamm]

She is trying to apply for care credit...but doesn't know if she'll get it cuz she is out of work right now :(
Hopefully I'll get a great update today.....I remember when Hans was in the hospital for 5 days and it seemed like eternity!

[Patt]

Cat, there's more credit places she can apply to. Let me know if you need them.

[lotsadox]

I remember now why I have that one credit card that I never use. :banana: I keep it just in case of a vet emergency. Had to use it to pay the fortune it cost to have Bogart's dental done. :shocked: