A few weeks ago, I took Tipper, our 12 year-old Siberian Husky, to see a colleague of ours who is a marvelous vet for dogs. Yes, I take my dog to the vet! I thought Tip was a little thin. So did her groomer when she had a bath. While palpating her abdomen, I could feel her liver. Usually, the liver is not felt on a healthy pet. I went to John’s clinic with a feeling of doom.
At the clinic, John also thought she was a little thin. My puppy monster normally is a 60 pound dog, but she was at 56 pounds. John could feel her liver as well. We drew blood, which came back as normal, and did a survey film of Tipper’s abdomen. Every vet knows that working on a Siberian is true hell. It is difficult working on a normally wonderful animal who becomes a screaming maniac. Siberians scream and howl no matter what you do. To put a 60 pound dog on an x-ray table is asking for permanent ringing in the ears.
Anyway, the films showed mild enlargement of Tip’s liver, but no masses. We went home, and the pup was fine.
Just this last week, we opened a new bag of dog food. Instead of the regular Science Diet Senior Light, we found we had bought the small bite version made for little dogs. Problem solved. Tipper likes the small pieces and is eating more. Tipper has lost many teeth during her long life. It is proven that this is a genetic disorder. Her cousin, Keli, our first dog, never lost a tooth in her 15 year life. Perhaps Tipper’s teeth were sensitive, and are now feeling better eating small pieces of food.
End of discussion other than to say that all three cats like it too.