~*Regina*~ Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 I am new to the forum as you can see. I adopted a 6 month old BC/ Corgi Mix from TN named Willow 2 months ago and she is awesome. I would really like to learn more about the breed and talk to other BC owners. She was suppose to be a sick free pup when I got her but she ended up having so many problems (Demodex mange, UTI and now she has Brushite Crystals in her urine), I feel so bad for her. The rescue said they would take her back but I would do no such thing. Willow is part of my family now, even if it means me eating ramen noodles for a couple weeks to pay her bills, lol. Willow was not trained at all when I got her either but she is very smart and catches onto things fast. The only part I am struggling with is her coming to me when called and being left alone in the apartment without her being in the crate. I am sure I will learn much here, it's great to meet you all . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rufftie Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 congrats on new friend and welcome. i love borgis! they make great agility dogs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Welcome! Your little dog is the essence of cute! She is very fortunate that you have been willing and able to see her through several health issues, and she looks the picture of a healthy and happy dog now. Crystals in the urine - has your vet recommended any particular change in diet to help avoid the formation of these crystals? I see where you have posted on another board about this issue. Have you considered a raw diet? There are a number of people here who feed many different prepared foods or raw diets. Hopefully someone will give you some good advice. Also try posting about this issue in the Health and Genetics section to seek advice and feedback. The recall can be an issue with any dog - advice I was given was to keep the dog on a lead or long line until the recall is sound. Practice in a place where she can't avoid you - a yard, room, on the line. Use high-value treats as rewards for good response to your recall. Never ever reprimand when she does come. There are a number of fine trainers here and you might want to post this question in the Obedience, etc., section. PS - Maybe I am old-school but while other people may like to, I don't care to refer to crossbreds with hybrid names. Border Collie/Corgi cross is a fine description of your little cutie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~*Regina*~ Posted November 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Rufftie - Thank you Sue R - She is being fed Royal Canin SO right now for the crystals. I really hate the food because the ingredients are all fillers and by-products. I was feeding her TOTW when I first got her but her tummy could not handle it, then I switched her to Nutro lamb and rice puppy which she was doing fantastic on. I could never stomach raw diet as I do not eat much meat myself. I would love it if someone had any suggestions about what I could do to help with the crystals. Someone else on another forum suggested I get Urocit-K pills instead of using the Vet food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 What a person feels comfortable feeding can be a thorny issue. The guideline that I think is most important is how does your dog do on a particular food. Right now, I am a feeding a top-of-the-line food but I am doing some investigating for something else that I would feel comfortable feeding because my dogs are having a hard time keeping weight on - yet the ingredients are super-good. While I am no fan of Science Diet and certain other foods, when a dog needs special nutrition, something I might not like otherwise may just be the best available option for the situation in question. That's something you will have to check out and make a decision on. As for raw, I only feed limited amounts and I have no problems with meat - we do raise cattle! It is something I felt you might want to consider as a major or minor part of her diet if it might be the right thing to help with her health issues. Try posting your questions in the sections I mentioned and you might find you get more feedback from people with experience that can help you. Best wishes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrecar Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 The recall can be an issue with any dog - advice I was given was to keep the dog on a lead or long line until the recall is sound. Practice in a place where she can't avoid you - a yard, room, on the line. Use high-value treats as rewards for good response to your recall. Never ever reprimand when she does come. There are a number of fine trainers here and you might want to post this question in the Obedience, etc., section. I did this with my Border Collie/Aussie mix and I am very pleased with the results. IMO a sound recall is a vitally important command. I used a 30 foot check cord in a rented, 8 acre FENCED field before I tested it in a safe, unfenced venue. Some techniques I use: I always give the recall command in a VERY upbeat manner I always make sure that getting to me gets a high value reward (as the poster said above, NEVER reprimand when she does come). When initially training, I do not push the envelope, but rather 'set up' a successful situation. For example, I do not "waste" the command when there is a high value distraction. IOW, if she is stalking a squirrel, she is 'new' to the recall, and the situation isn't dire, it's not a good idea to attempt to teach the command. You want to minimize the number of times that she doesn't respond to the command. Then, when the behavior (coming to you) is set, you can up the distraction level incrementally. I'm new on this board, so I'm sure someone will 'snap the lead'* if I've given controversial advice. *Old school, draconian correction that (hopefully) has gone the way of the dinosaur ETA: Re: snap the lead, I think most people call it a leash pop now and my opinion of it is controversial Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Welcome Regina! Your girl is a cutie A food you might want to look into is "The Honest Kitchen" I've heard that some people have had really good results when feeding that food to dogs with crystals in the urine. It's pricey, but it's the one food that my sensitive system dog has done really well on. It's a dehydrated food that you'll need to rehydrate, but that's pretty simple I just mix it up a couple hours before I feed (or you can do it the night before and stick it in the fridge overnight) I feed it 50/50 with either raw of grain free kibble, but it is a complete food so you can feed it by itself. Something else I'd do (if you haven't already) is give your dog distilled water. Sometimes the mineral content in water can lead to more issues with crystals in the urine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoresDog Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Welcome aboard! Willow is absolutely darling. What a sweet face she has! Best wishes for a long and happy partnership. You are so right to focus on diet with Willow now and for her lifespan, as keeping her kidneys healthy will require this. I know that it is off-putting to read the ingredients of some of the prescription diets, and see things like "chicken by-product meal" first. But try to get past your very natural feeling of wanting to see something that sounds more like real food -- say, "lamb" -- listed first. These diets do provide what the animal needs, and they don't include what the animal DOESN'T need, like lots of magnesium, for instance. I have been feeding my cat Carlos Science Diet for at least ten years now, despite the rather disgusting ingredient list. The first six ingredients in order (before you get down to the flavorings and vitamins) are chicken by-product meal, brewer's rice, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, animal fat, and powdered cellulose! Yuck!! But Carlos is twelve years old, and he is glossy, clear-eyed, and very healthy, and he loves his food. If there had been a prescription diet that sounded more natural, I would have preferred it, but there you are. Most of all, I prefer a healthy cat! ETA: Mara's suggestion about distilled water is worth consideration, if your tap water is high in minerals. If you have high calcium in your water, you probably know it because it will tend to form whitish deposits. It's important that Willow always has plenty of water to drink. In fact, I think that some of the special diet foods may be high in salt in order to provoke the dog into drinking more water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordercentrics Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 We had a dog once who was prone to Struvite crystals, which are common in cats but rare in dogs. The key to feeding her was to keep her food very low in protein. I am not familiar with Brushite crystals, so don't know if the diet solution is the same. We opted for a prescription diet for her for the rest of her life, and she did very well, never having another problem. While the ingredients are not what we would choose for our dogfoods, some individual dogs have different dietary needs from the healthy average dog. Judge only by how she is doing on the food and whether she is still getting the crystals. So don't worry about feeding a meat based diet if protein is a no-no! Recall - others have said it already. Willow is still a baby so don't expect a solid recall yet. Just keep working on it, always giving high value treats for coming, be consistent and happy. The solidity of the recall will come. Crating when you are gone - She is too young to be left loose in the house. No matter how well housetrained a puppy of her age is, they can still make mistakes. She is also at the chewing stage and will not discriminate among chew toys, sofas or chair legs. It varies as to how old is old enough for the privilege of staying free while alone. Most of my dogs could do it from 1-2 years, but we had one that had to ALWAYS be crated when we were gone. Willow is adorable. Good luck with her and may you have many years of happiness with her. And thank you not only for rescuing her, but for staying with her through thick and thin. Kathy Robbins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrecar Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Also... I admire your commitment to your dog. Thank you for rescuing her. She is a cutie pie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeri Jessee Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Adorable! Best wishes! Maggie is learning recall and we practice on a long lead. We also play hide and seek. I hide in the house and call her, she runs to find me. Make it fun, lots of praise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Welcome! Willow is certainly adorable (and as a fellow Willow owner, I have to say I love the name! ). As others have noted, veterinary diets might not be to our liking, but they can be--and are--real lifesavers. I would choose the Purina or Royal Canin diets over Science Diet, but I've fed all three at various times for animals who needed them, and they do work. At this point, I would say that the urinary tract problems are a larger issue than the ingredient list on whatever you're feeding. The comments about the water source are also true. When I lived in Elizabeth City, I had problems with struvite crystals in both male and female cats. I put them on Purina UR, which helped tremendously. I left them on it for several years, and then after moving and talking with my holistic vet, took them back off and had no additional problems. I am once again in a place with very hard water. There is a softener system here, but I wonder if it isn't a matter of time before someone has a problem. It won't hurt her to add water to her food when you feed her (distilled water) to help keep her water intake up. If you have a holistic vet, talk to him/her about natural supplements that can help prevent crystal formation. My experience is with struvite crystals as well, so I don't have any sage advice on dealing specifically with brushite crystals. J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~*Regina*~ Posted November 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Wow, your are all so hopefully, thank you!!! I love this dog so much and want to do what is best for her. I will keep her on the Royal Canin and really try to over look the ingredients. Now when you say distilled water, can I just use one of those Brita Filter's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alchemist Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Now when you say distilled water, can I just use one of those Brita Filter's? Welcome to the Boards! Willow is adorable, and is very lucky to have found you. As far as BRITA filters vs distilled water - BRITA filters are not as efficient at removing calcium as is the process of distillation. (BRITA filters do contain an ion exchange resin in them that will exchange some of the calcium ions in the water for sodium ions on the resin, but I don't believe it's even as effective at that as a home water softener would be). Distilling water, on the other hand, is quite effective at removing ions, calcium and sodium alike. See: http://www.brita.net/uk/faqs_household.html?L=1#5 Whether BRITA filters remove "enough" calcium is another question altogether, and I'm afraid I don't know enough about crystals in dog's urine (and the influence of hardness in their drinking water vs dietary sources of calcium on its development) to answer it for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Distilled water is pretty "pure", with just about everything but water removed. Filtered water will only have whatever compounds, etc., that the filter removes. Distilled water can be bought by the gallon at stores, and is not really expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.