Hello ,my 13yr old Lab x Collie had started losing weight wouldnt eat his meal ,vet examined him couldn't find anything but wanted to do blood test ,I said could I try suggestions for 2 weeks she had made about his food first , she also put him on reuhmacam which he is responding to and has had some good days and I think he has put on some weight ,what I would like to know how will reuhmacam work on Jake ,thankyou for your thoughts in advance.ps.taking him to be weighed Thursday.
Hi there. Sorry to hear your pup's been unwell. Rheumocam is an anti-inflammatory - it's a similar type of drug to ibuprofen, or voltarol, for humans. It sounds like maybe your vet thinks Jake has some inflammation - but there are lots of causes of this. I suggest writing down any questions you have, so you can ask them when you go in on thursday. Your vet should be able to explain to you what they are looking to treat, diagnose, or rule out, with this medication. Sometimes vets forget that we don't understand medicine the way they do - please do keep asking questions until they've given you explanations that make sense! I hope Jake feels better soon xx
Hi thankyou for your reply, Jake is now on metacam which is helping him so much ,.he is still being very choosy with his food ,but he's accepting Earl dog food fromAldi in a tray with Small bites of Winalot dry food ,still have to put bits of fresh chicken in it to get him started ,he'll also eat treats .The problem we have we can't just pay for blood test which I've avoided at the moment,.vet did want to do them ,We have always had dogs (different breeds ), and they have ended up on metacam ,until we have decided to put them asleep ,without having blood tests as they were never mentioned to us .am I taking big risk in not letting my Jake have one .
Hello, sorry to hear Jake has been unwell and glad he has brightened up a bit. A blood test would give you a whole load of information which could show where his health issues are. Particularly for older dogs when various organs functions start to work less efficiently. This information would allow different diets or medication to be prescribed that may help his specific issues. That said at 13, it is a difficult time, as the inevitable aging process is probably responsible for his decline, and bloods might just show that and there is not a lot you can do other than TLC. It's a tough call but you know your dog, and hopefully your vet can guide you decision making. Best wishes.
Hi - good to hear Jake is feeling a bit better. I agree with Edp - blood tests will give you more information but the question is whether that info will change how Jake's care is being managed. Perhaps you could ask your vet what s/he would be testing for, and what they can *do* about each of those things if the test is positive, that they can't offer Jake at the moment? That would help you make a more informed decision about whether to spend the money. If the cost is a problem for you, your vet may also be able to direct you towards charities that can help with this. It's so hard having to weigh cost up into these choices - but it's important not to place yourself in financial difficulties.
Thankyou so much for your replies ,I am still concerned about Jake ,as still not eating as he should . My husband says that we should just feed him what he wants to eat treats and our food ,but I'm taking him back to vets tomorrow to weigh him and ask vet to explain if blood test is for him or can he go on and be ok with metacam without suffering, until we know he can't go on ,I just don't want him to be in pain .I'm sorry I haven't been back on here but I couldn't remember which forum site I was on ,but will know it now .I will let you know how we get on tomorrow Thankyou
Thankyou ,I weighed him yesterday ,he had lost a little weight from 25.8 to 25.6 .I'll leave it another week and weigh him again then.before making appointment to see vet.. I had forgotten to mention that his back legs are deteriorating .he has had arthritis in them for couple years but that is now why he is on metacam ,I had originally taken him to vet because of his weight loss and not eating ..I am finding lots of different food he eats at first but then goes off it next Day. I bought tin Harringtons yesterday and he ate 3/4 of it so hopefully he'll eat it today ,.but then I worry as I think his stomach will get bad .but thankyou anyway for your thoughts .
It sounds like he's had a tough time of it. Do keep talking to your vet, and ask as many questions as you need to. If keeping Jake comfy is your top priority, it's good to share that with the vet, so they can take it into account when making suggestions. xx
Yes thankyou he has had tough time ,I took Jake to PDSAas wanted to do blood test and couldn't afford vets although they have been very good ,. PDSA vet done a blood test and there was nothing wrong, so I didn't want him to have any other tests done on him because if his age ,Vet said probably he's in pain with arthritis. So we decided to put him on Gabapentin Relonchin and also keep him on metacam ,this was couple of days ago ,and he's doing a lot of sleeping and he seems a bit more relaxed ,but still not eating a lot so I'm giving him plenty of chicken ,Vet did say he may start eating his dog food ,later ,so just going from here he likes a short walk, now and giving him lots of love . Thankyou for all your messages as it's helped a lot .let you know how he gets on
