Saturday, April 26, 2014
Friday, April 25, 2014
Updates and Things
Airlie continues to experience intermittent bouts of bloody stool. It's definitely happening in conjunction/correlation to rainy weather and eating mud in a certain part of the yard. Much of November-February was spent experiencing excessive rainy conditions (compared to recent years), with it raining weekly, and sometimes more frequently than that. Bouts of bloody stool would occur within 2 days of the most recent rain, usually a day or so following the first day when the yard was drained enough for the dogs to spend any time at all outdoors. All 3 of the dogs eat mud, and from the same parts of the yard, but the other two do not experience these issues. I've managed to control it by monitoring Airlie closely when she's outside, making her come back in whenever I catch her digging up and eating mud, and using welded wire fencing pieces to cover up the areas where the dogs tend to dig. Once the yard dries out, it's mostly not a problem, though similar bloody stool will sometimes occur if/when Airlie eats too much grass or too many sticks. Again, both of the other dogs also eat the same grass and sticks, with no problems.
I really believe this isn't true pica, but rather obsessive/compulsive, boredom behavior typical of such high-energy canine personalities. I did begin adding a basic vitamin supplement to Airlie's diet about a month ago, but it hasn't really changed anything. I did also purchase a "digestive aid", but only began using it a couple of weeks ago, opting to wait until she had another bout of bloody stool. There hasn't been any more vomiting, and the "raspberry jam" appearance appears to have been staved off, with the blood in the stool being more old, dried and coagulated, rather than fresh.
She's just a pest and it's all about monitoring her behavior outside, correcting her (she responds to "off!") and keeping her body and brain properly exercised.
One idea I'm holding in reserve is switching her to a "sensitive stomach" formula food, if things continue or become more frequent.
I really believe this isn't true pica, but rather obsessive/compulsive, boredom behavior typical of such high-energy canine personalities. I did begin adding a basic vitamin supplement to Airlie's diet about a month ago, but it hasn't really changed anything. I did also purchase a "digestive aid", but only began using it a couple of weeks ago, opting to wait until she had another bout of bloody stool. There hasn't been any more vomiting, and the "raspberry jam" appearance appears to have been staved off, with the blood in the stool being more old, dried and coagulated, rather than fresh.
She's just a pest and it's all about monitoring her behavior outside, correcting her (she responds to "off!") and keeping her body and brain properly exercised.
One idea I'm holding in reserve is switching her to a "sensitive stomach" formula food, if things continue or become more frequent.
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