Did I make my puppy sick?

Kellster

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#1
I'm feeling really distressed tonight. My eight week old puppy hasn't been eating well and has been a little underenthusiastic. I took her to the vet and he said she has tonsillitis (swollen tonsils, swollen lymph nodes, raw & inflamed throat). I let the breeder know and she's extremely upset. She's also feeling a little defensive. I picked the pup up from her just Saturday and she had no signs of any illness at that time. I'm really worried that I've caused this. I've been all gung-ho to get her started on a raw food diet and I gave her a raw chicken leg. She loved it, especially the bone. I read on the Web that one possible cause of tonsillitis in dogs is a foreign object that causes tearing and infection. Did that raw chicken bone cause this? I'm riddled with guilt and if my breeder had any inkling that I gave her a raw chicken bone she'd probably demand the puppy back - I don't dare tell her. Any thoughts?
 

youhavenoidea

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#2
I'm not clear as to whether there's a "too young" age to start raw. Did you mention to your vet what you suspected might be the cause? Did your vet have an opinion / recommendation for you in regards to feeding raw?

I understand your hesitation at wanting to voice your concerns to the breeder for fear of her reaction. Feeding raw is rather controversial in many circles. I personally wouldn't do it, but don't judge those that choose to. That said, most who choose not to feed raw are not as understanding as myself.

Did your vet suggest a bland diet until the inflammation goes away (ie. boiled chicken and rice)?
 

Buddy'sParents

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#3
I, too, wonder what you told your vet and his/her thoughts on the raw bone idea causing the issues?

Raw is indeed very controversial, but is ultimately YOUR choice. Everyone has opinions about something and there will always be someone to say that feeding raw is a waste of time, endangering animals, blah, etc... I encountered this just last Thursday night with an emergency vet who had spoken to his neighbor who is a professional "nutritionist" and this professional said these natural diets were just a waste of time. I wanted to tell him to stuff it, but it ended up that he played a role in saving my cat. So I take any and ALL opinions regarding feeding a raw diet with a huge grain of salt.

And can I just say that we all make mistakes with our dogs. Small ones, little ones, we make them. It all contributes to making us better owners so I wouldn't be so quick to judge yourself. Get your puppy and yourself through this and go on from there. Best of luck to you. :)
 

RD

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#4
It's very easy to blame raw for everything wrong with the puppy, but is kibble really any easier on their throats if they don't chew each bit thoroughly? Kibbles are sharp!

That being said, an 8 week old Westie could get a little irritation from eating a chicken leg - my Papillon's first raw experience was like that. He tried to gulp down a big piece of bone and it scratched his throat, I think. Don't feed the weight-bearing bones in the future -- that's a pretty thick bone for a small, young pup to crunch down. Try chicken necks and backs, and add muscle meat to them to balance out the amount of bone in these meals.
 

ihartgonzo

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#5
I fed my puppy raw chicken bones, of all kinds, when he was 9 weeks old. I know breeders who feed raw through the weaning process. It can be a little hard for tiny milk teeth to cut through a chicken leg bone, but I have NEVER heard of a dog getting tonsillitis from it... unless your Vet specifically pointed to raw as causing it, don't blame raw, and DON'T blame yourself. It could be anything.

Just get your little girl feeling better... and you should probably keep her on the food she was eating at her breeder, until she's all healthy again.

I hope this doesn't scare you away from feeding your dog Raw. Like RD said, there are easier bones for small puppies to eat, like wings, backs, necks, etc. But don't assume that Raw caused this, unless it has been proven.
 

FoxyWench

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#6
another thing to keep in mind...
just because puppy "LOOKED" healthy when you picked her up, she could still have had an underliying issue (tonsilitis is generally a virus as compared to an external irritation so most likley something she had before comming home that showed no external sighns)

did the puppy get a full check by the vet before bringing her home? how soon after getting home did she go to the vet for a check up?

i wouldnt worry...

i would however (depending on breed size) switch to necks, backs and wings for now, add extra muscle meat to balance the bone.
 

Kellster

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#7
Thank you everyone. Your kind responses have made me feel better - that and Harlow is really spunky this morning. I did mention to the vet that in addition to continuing my breeder's diet I fed puppy a raw chicken leg. He didn't comment one way or the other to that information. I even mentioned it a second time - no comment. Then before I left, just for good measure, I asked him for his opinion on raw feeding. He was a wise old man and just gave me that long-suffering smile and acknowledged that feeding raw is very controversial. He then tactfully gave me his opinion that the commercial dog food companies spend millions developing their diet plans and many of them are very good. I'm inclined to believe that they spend millions on marketing, not on R&D, but a book and a few articles does not make me an expert so I don't mouth off on my opinion. But here's my opinion: the R&D on dog food is to determine how best to utilize all the waste created by the major food conglomerates. The focus is not on optimal animal nutrition, but on finding profitable uses for waste products. I follow a raw food diet myself, so you'd be hard pressed to convince me that hyper-heated and processed food is preferable to uncooked live food with all the vitamins, minerals and enzymes intact. A smattering of synthetic vitamins doesn't compensate for all that's destroyed in processing and all those artificial additives are downright damaging. Anyway, it is a controversial subject and I wouldn't state my opinion if I didn't know those reading it are primarily of like-mind. Thank you for all your good advice. I'll hold off on the leg bones and switch to softer chicken parts, but not until she's better.
 
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#8
But here's my opinion: the R&D on dog food is to determine how best to utilize all the waste created by the major food conglomerates. The focus is not on optimal animal nutrition, but on finding profitable uses for waste products. I follow a raw food diet myself, so you'd be hard pressed to convince me that hyper-heated and processed food is preferable to uncooked live food with all the vitamins, minerals and enzymes intact. A smattering of synthetic vitamins doesn't compensate for all that's destroyed in processing and all those artificial additives are downright damaging.
Sounds to me like you are pretty savvy and intelligent, Kellster. Here's the best place I've EVER found to educate yourself on dog foods :) www.dogfoodproject.com
 

Kellster

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#9
I went back to the vet this morning to drop off a stool sample. I pointedly asked him if a raw chicken bone could have created the infection in my pup's throat/tonsils. He said most definitely. My poor breeder is feeling like this is her fault. She kinda botced the parvo vaccine shot she gave the puppy the day I picked her up and she's of the opinion that her misplacement of the needle (in her neck area) could have caused this. Or maybe she thinks the ungodly shrieks from the puppy strained his throat. I'm not sure how she thinks this is her fault, but she does. None of that makes sense and I know she didn't cause this, I did. I feel like the right thing to do would be to fess up and let her know it was my mistake and not hers, but I'm afraid she'll be upset with me (I don't wanna get yelled at). On the positive side, Harlow is doing so much better.
 
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#10
You don't KNOW it was the chicken bone any more than she KNOWS it was a clumsy parvo vaccine. Tell her it could have been anything and that as long as Harlow gets better that's all that matters and she shouldn't feel bad.

Puppies DO get sick. It doesn't necessarily mean that anyone did anything wrong. Blame and guilt doesn't accomplish anything - other than making bad feelings.
 

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