Why I Love My Feasts

I swear that this photo wasn't inspired by some serious snoozely brotherly snugging. That being said, shortly after this picture was taken I insisted that I be taken to the Place of Tile and Steel for a cootie vaccine and general dork prevention. I think mom understood my dire state, and Big Pupi and I were whisked away to the Place of Tile and Steel for a check-up.

She called it our "annual" and if I had known that a cootie test involved needles, ear checks and vet techs taking my blood without my permission - I would have never made the request. What a mistake! Big Pupi suffers from some serious White Coat Syndrome and is immediately turned into a pile of shivering mush the second our doctor walks into the exam room... and for no good reason, because our doctor is especially nice and generous with the skritches and sweet talk. I think she is totally awesome and I do my best grunty bummy hops when she scratches between my hip bones. The Place of Tile and Steel isn't all bad!

Doctor lady had lots of nice things to say about us. Our weight is ideal (I'm pretty sure this means that I am a beast of massive proportions), our ears are clean and our teeth are perfectly pearly white. We were also deemed Extreme Athletes because we have a heart rate of 60 beats per minute, when a normal heart for a dog our size beats 100-140 times per minute. This is really big news for Big Pupi. When he was adopted he had to be treated for full-fledged heartworm, which can often leave scars on the heart tissue and surrounding arteries. This damage can make the heart less efficient. It's nice to know that Big Pupi's ticker is at its absolute best. I think we owe this to all of the fast hunts that I drag my humans on. They can thank me later.

Because of Big Pupi's age and his history of iffy kidney values, he had to have extra blood stolen for a senior blood panel. It came back perfect! Every single organ value was right on target, and his creatinine levels have kept a steady, low, healthy number. This is huge news, because when my folks first took BP home his post-shelter blood work showed that he was at risk for kidney failure. His doctor recommended that he be checked every 6 months for his kidney values (creatinine and BUN), and the result of each test got worse and worse as time went on. Eight weeks after introducing the raw diet, mom had his values checked again and to her surprise they had dropped well within the healthy range and haven't budged since. This latest blood test confirmed that his kidneys remain in perfect working order and are no longer cause for any concern whatsoever. What a relief!

And to top it all off, our titer tests came back positive for immunity AGAIN, which means that we get to skip our DHPP vaccine for the third year in a row!! Makes you wonder why we are injected every single year with these vaccines, right?! That would be like your humans needing their tetanus, polio, diptheria, rotovirus, and meningitis vaccines every single year for their entire lives. It's a little much, especially when you know that over-vaccination in pets has been linked to malignant cancers. And I'll take any excuse to avoid a needle.

We've been elated after this vet visit. They haven't always been this good in the past. And it was our start on the raw diet that marked this sudden change in veterinary events. Thanks delicious feasts! All the more reason for me to eat more raw meatables. Right? RIGHT? I'll let you know how dinner works our for me tonight.

Happy feasting my friends. Your healthy manly bud,
Stanislaw

Raw Food Diet, Day 416- Makin' Momma Proud

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Big Pupi talks about poking and prodding:

Aloha beasts and beastettes. Stan and I have survived our visits to the Place of Tile and Steel!

I went on Tuesday and spent much of my time in the waiting room tempting strangers to rub my belly by putting on little shows and dancing for them. These displays always left my belly strategically close and exposed by their feet. I was a pro. My tum was so happy! Then I flirted with the nice vet tech that brought us into a room. Happy! But all this changed at the turn of a door knob, when my vet walked into the room. My good ol' wiggle tail ran hiding under my bum and I skittered off to shove my body under a chair. And that was all before she even acknowledged me! NOT happy. The first and last time I saw this vet was 6 months ago for that evil weeble infection, and I remembered her well. She's mean to my man parts!

I crammed my body behind mom's legs and refused to eat any treats from the nice lady doctor's hand. I licked my lips over and over and when she came close I tried to lick her face to appease her and keep her away from my manliness. It didn't work! But it wasn't so bad this time... she pet me all over and gave me tasty niblets. She peeked into my ears without that scopey thing and rubbed my belly. I have to admit... if we weren't in that Room of Scary Things I probably would have dug it. Then I was taken into the back room and some other humans stole my blood for tests and I went home. It was a really nice day and we rode with the windows open (I wear a seat belt to prevent window escapes and other accidents) and the smells of the springtime outdoors were delicious!

Yesterday, it was Stanislaw's turn for his visit.
He drooled with nausea the whole way there, but forgot about the puke-mobile when he got to play with an awesome dog dude called Jack Russell (popular name!) in the waiting room. When it was his turn to meet the doctor he was super pumped for the attention and kissed her face and grunted like a wild man. She scooped him up in her arms and plopped him on the examination table. Stan cocked his head back and forth while she prepared her tools and it made her laugh. It's really not his smartest look. Nice Doctor Lady gave him a quick once-over, and then she and mom talked about something that had been scaring my folks for a few weeks now.

Stan has always had a tongue spot. One single round black spot on the back of his feasting tool. It was one spot in February. Then it was two spots in March. Normally this is not a good sign. Black skin marks aren't supposed to grow or spread or multiply rapidly. In fact, tongue spots are not supposed to be doing anything at all aside for hanging out and tasting feasts. And Stan's spot had grown bigger and sprouted itself a little friend. Uh oh. My folks were freaked. Thinking the worst mom held her breath while Nice Doctor opened Stanley's schnozzle as wide as it would go. Stan fought, and Doctor looked. But... all that worry was for nothing. Doctor said that all of Stan's gums were dappled and freckled, and pigmentation change like this in a young dog probably just means he's getting more freckles. In fact, Nice Doctor bet that if we were to shave Stan's fur off we'd find entire sections of his body spotted black and grey. Stan was intrigued at this mention of absolute nudity. He thought of cool spring breezes blowing past his leg pits. Fresh air dancing on his bare jowels and exposed toe webbing. He looked at mom with begging eyes, hoping for nakeyness unlike any nakeyness he's known before. It would all be in the name of science, after all. Mom took one look at Stan and said, "No way, Mr. Bean Butt." Stan still has his fur.

And as for me,
I got some pretty tasty news from Nice Doctor. Yesterday my blood panel results came in. It's been a year since I was last checked for kidney function and I am so very pleased to say that all came back with perfect numbers! My BUN was 25 mg/dl on a scale of 7-27, and more importantly my creatinine came back with a 0.9 mg/dl on a scale of 0.4-1.8. There has been no change in the past year and my creatinine has stayed super low! That's really big news because that used to be the reading that caused all the worry and forced me to return to the Place of Tile and Steel for frequent blood tests for years. Woohoo! Hoorah for the raw diet!

And to top it all off, the vet declared Stanislaw's weight to be IDEAL for the first time ever. Sure, he looks like a skinny noodle boy, but his shoulders and hinders keep good muscle and he actually has a tiny layer of fat and muscle over his ribs. Go Stan! All that feasting has done him some good! Nice Doctor also said that she's impressed at how long we've gone without ear infections and despite the fact that mom never cleans our floppies they're sweet smelling. Our teethers are pearly, eyes are bright and our breath stinks of meaty feasts. Ah yes. All is as it should be.

Now all we need to wait for is our titer test results which come in a few weeks. And dinner. We wait for dinner all day.

Happy Friday folks! Wish me luck at the Pet Expo tomorrow!
Big Pupi

Raw Food Diet, Day 40- A Change of Heart: Good News After All

brother takes the computer once again:

Well, I'm exhausted from all of the research I've been doing with my human about the effect of the raw diet on BUN and creatinine levels. My human wasn't particularly thrilled with the feedback from the vet. She found the whole situation to be somewhat peculiar. The vet asked her why she wanted a blood test, and she told him that I needed another check after having a "dramatic change in diet." Well... he never asked her what that change was! In fact, he didn't even seem interested. Strange, no? So she went online to her favorite K9Nutrition group and asked if anyone else had seen elevated BUN on a raw diet. Guess what? They did! They mentioned something that she didn't even think of: that I should have been fasted before my test. That doesn't sound like a good idea whatsoever to me, but I guess my RMB meal that morning could have had a huge effect on my BUN since there were only 4 hours between feasting and testing. But overall things are looking up, and the more research we do the more normal my numbers appear. In fact, tests have shown that dogs on a raw diet normally run higher numbers and it's quite okay -- as long as other kidney tests come back within the healthy range. (Creatinine, BUN and urine specific gravity are the major 3 in kidney function testing.) We were able to find this K9Nutrition archive which explains the situation, and which links to this article by Antech diagnostics. Everything seems to point to elevated BUN numbers, normal creatinine, and normal USG. Hooray! Looks like I may actually be better off than I was before. I couldn't have hoped for better news. Yet another example of why the raw diet is full of magical feasting-awesomeness.

Boy have I come a long way from my pre-feasting days. (I couldn't resist including a picture of those hard-livin', shelter times below... please don't laugh at my Elvis 'do.) Life is good when you're as spoiled as Stan and I are.

I think I'm done with my napping now, and I'm going to go thrash my St. Paddy's day toy from grandma until it's dinner time.

Happy feasting!

Some good news, some okay news

Just got my blood test back from my doctor. I could hear what he was saying even though the phone was up against my human's ear. There was some good news, and some just sort of okay news. I guess by BUN levels went up, but my creatinine levels dropped down. This means I still have to get my blood tested every year, but I'm not in harm's way and there's nothing really to be concerned about right now.

BUN (blood urea nitrogen) is a measurement of nitrogen-containing urea compounds that are found in the blood. They are the byproduct of the body's breakdown of large protein molecules that we ingest with our foods. BUN numbers are effected by what we eat and our protein intake. These urea compounds are of no use to the body, and the kidneys are responsible for removing the toxin from our bloodstream. If the kidneys are not functioning as they should, the blood winds up with a build-up of these chemicals. Normal BUN numbers range from 7-27 mg/dL. A number too low can indicate problems with the liver, and a number in the 60s to 80s indicates early kidney failure. This time my number went up from 28 to 34. It's something to watch, but every vet I've seen has told my human that there are anomalies, and this might just be normal and healthy for me. Plus, I've got some mighty fine creatinine and red blood cell readings to keep me in the safe zone.

Creatinine is less dependent on our protein feasts than BUN, even though it is also a protein metabolyte. Normal ranges go from 0.4-1.8 mg/dL. My previous readings were 1.4, but this time I came back with a 0.9. This extremely important reading with regard to kidney function puts me in the low/healthy range. The combination of BUN and Creatinine is the key to catching kidney disease, and so far I seem to be just fine.

Not to mention that my red blood cell count was very good. I show no signs of anemia which can be an indicator of acute renal disease. I am not drinking water excessively (in fact, I hardly drink water from my bowl at all anymore since the BARF diet!) and my hydration is good. I'm an energetic, active boy and plan to stay that way for a long time!

Happy feasting!

Keep your paws crossed for big brother

My human and I just returned from my least favorite place... the doctor's office. They put me on a cold table that moved up and down and I was so scared I couldn't stop shaking. Then a man with a nice voice came over and squeezed my belly, looked at my teeth and absolutely traumatized me when he stuck something that beeped in my bum. I tried to protect myself with my tail but that little nubby thing did no good! When I heard the beep I tried to sit on that darn thing to squish it, but the doctor took it out for me and announced that I was a healthy 101. Am I really that old?

The reason my human brought me there was so that I could get a blood test. I really don't like it when strangers grab at my legs so this is one of my least favorite things to have done -- after that beeping thing. That's pretty bad too. I tried to lick the doctor's face profusely in an attempt to disorient him and make him feel guilty for torturing such a cute animal, but he was immune. Next thing I knew I was being restrained and then jabbed with a needle. It didn't really hurt but I screamed at the top of my lungs to let the world know that this doctor man has superhuman powers and not even puppies can act as his kryptonite. How can that be?!

Tomorrow my mom gets the blood tests back. I'm nervous, because my BUN levels have always been 1 point too high, and my creatinine readings are always at the high end of the healthy range. These numbers are a way to check kidney function, and numbers that creep up too high indicate renal failure. While I'm a healthy boy, I have to keep getting these numbers checked 1-2 times per year to make sure I'm doing okay. This time, because of my big diet change, it was time for another check.

After the appointment was over I had "sad tummies" all over the vet's waiting room because my nerves got the best of me. I felt better during the walk home and right now I'm eyeing a chair that has some of my mom's stuff on it. I really love to sleep on her stuff. It's time for a nap.

Well, keep your paws crossed for me. I'll let you know what happens tomorrow.