Pom Problem - Any suggestions welcome

[Syndee]

Hi All - Thanks In Advance for any guidance -

My Poor little Pom is on the fritz again - she's hiding and biting her butt - again...

She's 3 yrs old, healthy as could be, then a month ago went to vet got her her yearly shots and the following week sick as could be. Went back to vet ( she was - hiding - biting butt - diarehha ) (trust me with a furry little fur ball - not fun )vet thinks she ate something she shouldnt have - gave her some puppy pills ( not sure what they were ) and bland food - presto two days later - happy as can be. YAY !! Two weeks later sick again, today She's back to hiding and biting her butt and she's shaking like shes scared occasionnally. So far no diarehha, but i fear it is coming. She refuses to go outside, and when she's out there, she sits. She's always (on her terms - she doesnt like any other dry food - i've tried ) eaten Iams little kibble dry food - there's nothing about the dry food being recalled or problems with it, but im at a loss as to what her problem is. I guess i already know the answer to my question, and that is to put her back on the bland food from the vet - but just curious if anyone else is having issues or has had a similar problem? Or knows what her problem might be.

Thanks!

[noludoru]

If she went to the vet and her problems started, common sense says there's probably a correlation there. If you and your vet didn't talk about that before he/she gave her unidentified pills and a bland food (most of those just have peanut hulls or a filler like that in them, it's not bland, it's CHEAP and your vet makes a profit) I would say you need to switch vets. Ours always helps explore possible solutions to problems, and what the cause of the problem might be in the first place. If you think it's the food--and I'll tell you about Iams later--instead of buying something from your vet, try cooked rice or cottage cheese... We use those for stomach problems, and ground pumpkin for poo problems, like diarrhea.

With BITING her butt.. are you sure it's biting, or just frenzied cleaning? My cat, Emma, is known as "the poopybutt cat" in our house (Queen of Poo, Princess Emma-Poo, etc.. hehe) because she never quite learned how to poop and NOT get it all over herself. Even with firm, compact poops it still brushes her fur, and when she's eaten something that doesn't agree with her.. watch out. She scoots across the floor to clean it, as well as gnawing and slurping the fur (if I've let it grow out, like now) around her anus and back legs.

[noludoru]

I'm sorry.. welcome to the forums! :D I got started on telling you about Iams, but it just never got done. SO... I'm hoping some of the people on here can come chime in. :D

www.dogfoodproject.com

That website is your friend. Iams is basically a really, really bad food. Terrible. Like feeding your kids cardboard topped off with some McD's french fries, with a little spritz of poison in every bite. I've never seen a Petsmart or Petco sell a good food, so just rule out feeding your girl anything from those stores. Check out the Ingredients of your dogfood, and look at "Ingredients to avoid" on the website above. Nearly every ingredient on the bag will be on the list.

To improve what you're feeding her, there are some great foods.. do a little search on the Nutrition forum! :D www.naturapet.com <-- great products

[MysticRealm]

Sounds like your dog needs his anal glands expressed. If you take it to the groomers they can usually do it for you, unless they are really impacted the the vet has todo it.
And yes, iams is not a good dog food, I would switch him off of that.

[showpug]

I sense there is an anal gland problem with your dog as well. I think a simple expression may do the trick.

Also, Iams is a poor quality food. I know you said she won't eat any other dry. Which brands have you tried? There are so many good brands out there, surely there is something you can find that is healthier for her?

Here are a few. To find a place to buy near you, just use the store locater button on the sites:

www.naturapet.com
www.eaglepack.com
www.canidae.com
www.naturesvariety.com
www.timberwolforganics.com

[Syndee]

Thanks Everyone who answered - I took her to the vet again, and she had an anal gland problem - more puppy pills and more bland ID food, the vet suggested a few food choices too, so as soon as shes feeling better will be changing her food, till she finds something else she likes - thanks again! :)