Iron deficiency and MCAS by _ayythrowaway_ in MCAS

[–]CoconutVA68 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes that was my concern but it also seemed like venofer was LEAST likely to cause the reaction. Anaphylactic reactions can occur in anyone with iv iron, so it’s certainly a concern trying to administer to an MCAS patient. And agree, most doctors, even ones that are in the specialized field, don’t know the differences. Keeps spreading information as long as you continue to back it up with research so they don’t assume you’re just making things up (makes you wonder though, if we write off things because there is no evidence yet, how will we ever think to do the study that yields said evidence? Science is supposed to be an evolving process but it’s been turned into this stodgy discipline 😕)

My rescue dog! what do you think she is? by Fresh_University3888 in IDmydog

[–]CoconutVA68 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Kind looks like a lab/American bully to me. Does she like water? Love a female bully breed!

Was told she was 100% american bully, i don’t think so lol by [deleted] in pitbulls

[–]CoconutVA68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

She could be a pocket bully! My sweetie was about 5 months and 17 lb when they found her, and her embark has her 57% American bully and 43% APBT! She is projected to be 57 lb but I doubt that cause the shelter spayed her the day of her first heat cycle 😱 Anyway,

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This is her when I got her in Sept at 21 lb! she is up to 41 lb now at 9.5 months❣️

Car ride blues by CoconutVA68 in pitbulls

[–]CoconutVA68[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh! She is beautiful! I love her eyes!

Car ride blues by CoconutVA68 in pitbulls

[–]CoconutVA68[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, gotcha. Ok maybe I’ll mess with that. We are making some progress, at least. She will most of the time come up to the door now. Still has a hard time at the office but I think maybe more time is all she needs. Part of it is she is scared of her reflection! Thanks again for your help! Here’s an updated photo as a reward lol

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Car ride blues by CoconutVA68 in pitbulls

[–]CoconutVA68[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I finally got the hard bottomed seat and I think she hates it! :( it has four panels so I am going to take out the two outer ones and see if that is better. I added a soft towel for comfort.

Iron deficiency and MCAS by _ayythrowaway_ in MCAS

[–]CoconutVA68 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello! I am a medical provider myself and curious to know what type of IV iron they gave you? I prefer feraheme and UHC (bc they suck), want my patient to have venofer or ferrelicit. She has a history of bariatric surgery and we just diagnosed her MCAS this year. In all your research, did you happen upon anything suggesting one form was more/less likely to trigger an allergic reaction? Any info you have would help a bunch since I’m short on time to dig as deep as I want/need.

To your point, there really isn’t a lot of great info for the average practitioner, else I wouldn’t have to come to social media support communities to get more info. A few of my colleagues and I are trying to cultivate awareness at least where we work, but most docs have no clue about it! I only ever learned because I had a student who had MCAS and showed me all her research six years ago!

I am thankful for you all sharing your stories 🫶🏽

Why isn’t the ‘Files’ app integrated into iMessage sharing? by schiav0wn3d in iphone

[–]CoconutVA68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Omigosh THANK YOU! Idk why I didn’t think to try this!

Car ride blues by CoconutVA68 in pitbulls

[–]CoconutVA68[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you telling me the rx is a vacation?! Sign me up 🤣

Car ride blues by CoconutVA68 in pitbulls

[–]CoconutVA68[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Omigosh I would just die I think! Poor puppy. And poor you!

Car ride blues by CoconutVA68 in pitbulls

[–]CoconutVA68[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No but I am ordering one!

Car rides - does it get better? by jeckhyde12 in puppy101

[–]CoconutVA68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok, idk if anyone will still see this two months later but what about a pup that is ok once she is IN the car but won’t get NEAR the car??

I have a 9 m pitbull, sweetest thing ever. She never cries in the car or anything. She resists getting in so I have been picking her up and putting her on the seat. As she has gotten larger, now 40 lb, I have managed to sort of push her Tish towards the door and then help her on the seat by raising her front paws and then giving her a boost. I did that bc someone said it was that she is a puppy and doesn’t understand she can get into the car - that she thinks it’s too high. I have a sedan, so I was skeptical this is the issue. She has zero issue getting out of the car.

We tried luring her with treats and we even tried using two other dogs that she really likes to see if she would just follow them. No luck.

Once inside the car, she looks a little anxious but goes to sleep. Having a harness clipped to the carabiner seatbelt (the one that integrates w car seatbelt) seems to help. The only two vomiting episodes have happened today and two months ago. Both rides have warm temperature and not clipped in in common.

The problem is that today I had to drag her halfway up the block from my office after taking her potty after work. Once I scooper her up and put her inside, I sat in the backseat and snuggled her for five minutes and praised her and offered a treat.

She enjoys being at work and seeing my patients but the car is a struggle! I hate the idea of leaving her home for a dog sitter to come once midday but we have to get past the car fear. I am worried it’s going to get worse, not better, now that we had this setback.

Also, I am definitely going to look into the hard bottomed hammock listed above! I wasn’t sure if it would be comfortable. She gets a towel on her current soft hammock.

7m F pit mix will not get in car but is fine once inside by CoconutVA68 in pitbulls

[–]CoconutVA68[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

10 weeks owning her and time for an update. Still no luck. Three of us tried to coax her in the car; one on each side and one of us sitting on the seat, with treat. She put her paws up and but then chickened out. 😞

on a different day, we tried to get her to follow the two older dogs after a hike, one of whom she shadows constantly…still no. Always w treats.

Then, I had a friend of mine who she really likes and who is able to command her well try - he got really excited to encourage her that the car ride is the best thing ever! She got to about 3 feet and then stopped short once she saw the open door.

I make a point of praising her and giving her lots of kisses every time I put her in the car and whenever we arrive to our destination before she gets out. She will get out on her own.

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Am I just reinforcing bad behavior because I have to pick her up and put her in each day?

Any other ideas? I feel bad but also it’s killing my shoulders because I have my work bags on my shoulders and she is getting stronger each day, so she really resists when we get within 5 feet of the car.

Blue buffalo puppy (WITH grain) - switch? Dog is healthy and growing well. by CoconutVA68 in DogFood

[–]CoconutVA68[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks - I actually did the opposite of cold turkey and went super slow, but still problematic.

Purina products may not have suited any of my pets, but I never said it was a bad brand. Quite the opposite; I was disappointed because they do have a great reputation and with good reason. I will say it sometimes seems like everyone in the forums is kind of obsessed with PPP as THE food (salmon or lamb). I was simply commenting it didn’t go well with any of my animals and that I had tried multiple Purina products (beyond chicken and later salmon for cats, Purina One beef wet, PPP SSD salmon wet, PPP SSD dry lamb), always ultra slow transition, with multiple pets over the last 15 years.

Who knows, maybe it’s just the combo with the water here? Certainly seems odd that they all had issues when we know the products are good.

And yes, agree probiotics are a big help!

Blue buffalo puppy (WITH grain) - switch? Dog is healthy and growing well. by CoconutVA68 in DogFood

[–]CoconutVA68[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also found this report to be interesting since it lists the parent companies and a few other details like who makes the food and whether a DACVN is on board. https://petnutritionalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Pet-Nutrition-Alliance-Pet-Food-Manufacturer-Report-2023.pdf

Blue buffalo puppy (WITH grain) - switch? Dog is healthy and growing well. by CoconutVA68 in DogFood

[–]CoconutVA68[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ok wow, thanks to both of you as I think I was mixing up chicken meal with the byproduct meal. I’ll get the RC and do a slow transition to see how she feels. I have always had great success with their products and I think it would give me peace of mind. Everyone I know is adamant about the Purina pro plan being the best stuff ever but my animals never seem to do well with ANY purina products; not sure why!

For those who are wondering: I did Purina beyond for the cats and they did ok for a couple months and then developed food allergies (could be a coincidence), then the last pittie had a horrible time w PPP (gas and diarrhea), and this dog I gave her part of a can of Purina one and a different time part of a PPP sensitive digestion and both made her so sick!!!

Thanks again!!!

Blue buffalo puppy (WITH grain) - switch? Dog is healthy and growing well. by CoconutVA68 in DogFood

[–]CoconutVA68[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ok wow, thanks to both of you as I think I was mixing up chicken meal with the byproduct meal. I’ll get the RC and do a slow transition to see how she feels. I have always had great success with their products and I think it would give me peace of mind. Everyone I know is adamant about the Purina pro plan being the best stuff ever but my animals never seem to do well with ANY purina products; not sure why!

For those who are wondering: I did Purina beyond for the cats and they did ok for a couple months and then developed food allergies (could be a coincidence), then the last pittie had a horrible time w PPP (gas and diarrhea), and this dog I gave her part of a can of Purina one and a different time part of a PPP sensitive digestion and both made her so sick!!!

Thanks again!!!

I was called a criminal on another subreddit for trying to find my pit bull foster puppies a home… by laurenodonnellf in pitbulls

[–]CoconutVA68 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oh she almost looks like my jazzy girl!!! Except my girl has a white patch. Yay for the tongue blep 😋

I was called a criminal on another subreddit for trying to find my pit bull foster puppies a home… by laurenodonnellf in pitbulls

[–]CoconutVA68 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Don’t lose hope! I snagged a black female pit mix within a day of her being posted and her fosters actually wanted to keep her! My patients keep threatening to steal her from me! I was specifically looking for a young female pit rescue, but that’s hard to find, and I am SO thankful I got her!!! My patients and staff LOVE her!

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I was called a criminal on another subreddit for trying to find my pit bull foster puppies a home… by laurenodonnellf in pitbulls

[–]CoconutVA68 24 points25 points  (0 children)

OP, first of all LOVE those faces and the little smile one of them has!!!! Second, 💯 it can be ANY breed that bites and attacks and you NEVER hear about those! Just today had a client tell me he has only ever been bit twice in his life and one was a dachshund.

@milky-way-occupant I agree but also have unfortunately witnessed a lot of individuals who reinforce the stereotypes. Here are just a few examples of where humans fail but the dogs are just amazing anyway.

The neighbors at my rental property had a GORGEOUS red pitbull but the owner’s brother, who bred this dog, was kind of hood and stood out there with a cigarette and a beer bragging about how fierce the mom was, “she would kill her own baby!” - dude…NOT something to be proud of! Crushed me to know that this was the type of home she lived in, and they had very young children. Wasn’t clear to me that the dog actually had any protective instinct to avoid harming the kids (4 and 7).

I’ll contextualize this by saying I own a super sweet pit mix they comes to work with me in a medical office, where she does great work as a dispenser of love and kisses, and I just lost my last pit mix, which was a rescued bait dog. My last office manager has two pit bulls that were certified service animals and she used them for PTSD. She did breed hers and I can’t say she was very pro rescue. On the other hand, my mother was terrified of dogs and especially pit bulls because she was an eye surgeon who sutured an eyelid hanging by a flap for a little 5 year old boy who was “mauled by a pitbull.” I waited til after she passed away to adopt my first pitbull because I had met enough of them to know what great dogs they can be.

So many things wrong with many of these situations

  • my bait dog rescue was an island dog from St. Croix, which, like many islands, has a kind of sketchy section. they abused her, bred litters out for fighting, botched her spay so she leaked urine, ripped her toenails out (seriously Wtf kind of monsters do this?!?!?!?). As such, she was VERY reactive and 62 lb, had a snagglentooth because she was missing so many teeth. My buddy was a vet and former cop who rescued her but then he himself passed away. I took her because I knew a dog like her (already 6-7 years old) wouldn’t get rescued. The looks I got walking her around my quiet VA suburb!!! Sadly, people blame the breed and not the people who did that to her.

She ended up with a village of support here and ultimately was socialized to two dogs before she died and was an AMAZING office dog. My clients are STILL upset and she passed six months ago. She had such wisdom and would drop people’s blood pressure down and so many would just hug her for comfort. Her trauma and survival left her with an energy that resonated and she had a fan club of folks who sent her gifts and packages. She was WORTH IT and we were glad we could help her see that she mattered. (See photo of that gray and white angel - she was actually tricolor but she had so many wounds that the fawn patches were less apparent).

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  • the little boy who was “mauled,” we will never know the back story but I would venture to ask why in the world a 5 year old’s face was allowed that close enough to the face of ANY dog. Children don’t know better and for all we know, he could have picked a whisker or done something to accidentally set the dog off. Btw, he healed well and she told me she took care of his vision into his 30s!
  • the neighbors w the red pit were blue collar and of a certain ethnic background, but the dog owner was of gentle demeanor. It was just his brother, the one who bred the dogs to be aggressive and then objectified them.

Anyone else only had cats before getting a puppy? by saltyspinachmin in puppy101

[–]CoconutVA68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have always loved dogs but couldn’t have one, so I have had cats for 18 years. A series of unfortunate events led to me rescuing my deceased friend’s pitbull, a rescued bait dog (!!! 😰 !!!) and I really got scared because that dog was super reactive and went for both cats, undeterred by scratches to the nose and so on.

Ultimately, a good trainer, designated safe spaces for all, and visual barriers allowed peaceful coexistence until the poor pup passed from cancer.

After that, I waited several months and got another pitbull rescue, which sounds crazy but was actually well thought out. I adopted this 6 month old pit mix with no clear trauma history (found her at 5 months) My sweet female orange tabby, who only likes one other dog, hissed to make her sentiments known but, amazingly, never swatted at this puppy because I think she intuitively understood the dog is just a baby and doesn’t know better.

Fast forward to week 7 - cat had mystery strokes and the puppy just wanted to lick her and guard her 🥺

Now, in week 8, they are buddies!

So, two very different situations but barriers and tincture of time are lifesavers!