Heartburn???

RiiSi

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I've tried to find some information and answers what could cause Uskos lack of appetite and have come up with heartburn... Have any of you any experience on that?
Some, but not all the symptoms match.
 

2BullyMama

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Yes, Banks and Nitschke both had issues with it.... you can give them Tums or Pepcid -- some type of antacid mins. before meals
 

Davidh

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Yap, the antacids do help.
 

Twice

My Bully Gave Me Wings
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The problem with Pepcid is that it can actually CAUSE lack of appetite so you need to be careful with it. I give Abby half the vet recommended dose in the morning with her breakfast and at night she gets slippery elm bark mixed in applesauce. SEP can help increase the appetite which, I think, is a positive bonus! I don't know if Usko is taking any other medicines at the moment but if you did decide to give him the slippery elm, make sure you give it to him either an hour and a half before or 2 hours after you give him the meds.

There is an excellent writeup on the differences between the 2 from the K9Kidneys forum that I have saved to my desktop. This is the gist of it...
Now for some of the differences. ... one of the possible side effects of Pepcid can actually be inappetence. Pepcid is easily available to most people (and easily administered) and it can be very helpful but some dogs do not tolerate it well...for some dogs, it will coat the stomach but may still contribute to inappetence. A big plus is that Pepcid was developed for long term use (unlike Tagamet & Zantac which were developed for short term use).

Slippery Elm Bark (SEB) is a good treatment for ulcers, gastritis, colitis, and other inflammatory bowel problems. Its mucilage content coats, soothes and lubricates the mucus membranes lining the digestive tract. It is high in fiber, and so helps normalize intestinal action, relieving both diarrhea and constipation. It may also help alleviate nausea and vomiting in pups suffering from non-GI illnesses, such as Kidney Disease. SEB contains many nutrients (carbs, protein, fat, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, calcium, and trace minerals) that can be beneficial for recuperating pets and it may stay down when other foods are not tolerated. However, it is somewhat high in magnesium, so may be contraindicated in dogs who have an active infection with an elevated urinary PH, where struvite crystal formation may be at risk.
 
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RiiSi

RiiSi

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@Twice Thank you for this information. I found some liquid called Antepsin and I'm giving it now for two week 1/2 an hour before meals. I don't know if I'm imagining, but I think that he is more interested in his food. I haven't tried the foods that he hasn't touched lately, but he has eaten quite well for past few days.

I don't know if we cet that Slippery elm bark here, but did I understand correctly that it elevates urine ph?? Uskos ph need to get elevated (urolithiasis) and we do it now with baking soda. If slippery elm bark does it as well and has additional health benefits I would rather give that ofcourse. But if it lowers urine ph then it's out of the question.

What brand of Slippery Elm do you use or do you have any suggestions?
 
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Vicaroo1000

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Bea had a brief period where Dr Terry suggested Pepcid for the problem. It worked. It was a temporary thing and she's not needed any for many months now.
 

cowsmom

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my boston will lose his appetite if his allergies are real bad. he just doesnt want to eat so i give him a pepcid every now and then and he perks right up and eats his food.
 

Twice

My Bully Gave Me Wings
Feb 3, 2012
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[MENTION=3354]RiiSi[/MENTION] I give Abby Solray Slippery Elm because it's in capsules and I can carry a few with me all the time. For her, I just open the capsules and dump them into the applesauce. For us it's great on bug bites, burns, blisters, toothaches and people tummy troubles. My son gets these awful canker sores. I make a paste with it, smear it on a gauze pad and lay it against the sore. Within minutes the pain is relieved and he can eat (God forbid the redhead can't eat! LOL) and in a couple of days it's gone completely. I take a lot of meds for my back and it helps with my own heartburn too. That's why I buy capsules, I find them more portable than the powder.

Yes, if given daily it can raise urine ph. If that's a cause for concern, you can give it every other day instead of every single day but it sounds like it would actually help Usko.

I order it from Amazon. I think amazon.uk ships to you don't they? If not, the should sell it at any health food store. Or, I can even send it to you if you like. Just PM me an address :)
 
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RiiSi

RiiSi

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Thank you [MENTION=4225]Twice[/MENTION] for offering to send me the stuff. I've searched the finish sites, but we don't have it here, but I'm very loyal customer of amazon.uk and now I have 4 bottles on the way. I bought some stonger ones for myself, my stomach could be better too.
We'll see what what our vet says about this. We took Uskos urine sample in today and she will call us the results later and I'm planning to tell her that I'm going to try something else instead of the baking soda. I wish I could find a holistic vet, but I think it's unknown profession around here.
 

Twice

My Bully Gave Me Wings
Feb 3, 2012
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Woodbridge Township, NJ
Bulldog(s) Names
Abby (my Sweetie Head 10.24.11-11.23.12) and Otis
I wish I could find a holistic vet, but I think it's unknown profession around here.

I didn't learn about SEP from the holistic guy. I actually learned about it from one of the K9Kidneys yahoo groups. Between what I've learned here, on the yahoo groups and my own research I have this secret joy when one of her doctors tells me to do something that I'm already doing for her. The look on nuVet's face when he recommended the SEP and I said that I'd already been giving it to her was priceless!

I hope it helps him. Please let me know if it does.
 

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