Topic: fur balls?

[shirley B]

do dogs get fur balls as do cats? my labbie retches a lot on and off, he has only brought anything up once and it was just a small amount of clear bubbly  liquid, he does clean himself and no matter how well he is groomed he still has loose hair. any replies appreciated.   gnan and hooch

[Rob the rake]

How long's he been doing it, HG? My Westies had a case of kennel cough recently, and that's exactly what they were doing. It's not always serious, but it's worth checking out because it can occasionally get quite bad.

Don't want to worry you unduly, but my mam's terrier had a bad cough with similar symptoms which turned out to be a heart complaint.

It's probably best to have him checked out at the vet to put your mind at rest.

Rob.

[shirley B]

Rob, he has been doing it for some weeks, but, will go for days at a time without doing it, I don't think it's kennel cough, but the heart connection I wouldn't know about, will get him to our vet, just in case.
Many thanks for your answer.  gnan.

[bunjies]

how often do you feed hun?
sometimes if a dog is on one meal per day, the stomach acids get going in anticipation (most labs i know recognise that tea time is fast approaching!).
if the stomach acids are premature and the juices are flowwing before the meal is due, the stomach becomes a little irritated. therefore knowing exactly what to do, the stomach will expell the acid (ie throw up) to remove the offending party.
otherwise known as the empty tummy blaps!
if you think this could be the case, you could try feeding 2 meals per day, so the acids dont get chance to build up,
you can try changing feeding times so the tummy never knows when to expect food,
or you can do like i do and feed raw, and eventually get him eating the gorge and fast method.
in other words my 2 younguns will get to eat till they are full, then skip a day or 2.
squirrel can darn near finish a whole chicken in a sitting, then quite happily chill out for a day or 2 without showing a single sign of being hungry (no surprise after eating that much. ;D

[Rob the rake]

It's surprising just how much a dog can eat. My mate had a pan of dog mince boiling on the stove, and when he popped out to the shop his terrier pregnant dog knocked it down and ate the lot, about 3 pounds of it.
It looked like she'd swallowed a football whole, and she could hardly walk for days!

[shirley B]

rob and bunjies, thought it about time i let you know what happened at the vet's, hooch had a thorough check, heart and lungs fine, on the 6 slide blood test ,all well ( kidneys just in the safe zone but a little better than 9 months ago, will keep checked.) the vet thought it was something in the stomach and declared him a very healthy 11year old, only prob's athritis in the back left leg which he has had for a long time, but, takes the tablets with no complaints.
           thankyou for your support, one very happygnan. ;D