Hello everyone! My name is Jill and I became a new husky momma April 6th. My little girl's name is Evie and she's 12 weeks old now and such a love! We always knew a sibe would eventually complete our family and as I researched the breed over the years, I have always looked to this site for helpful info. Everyone seems so friendly and I look forward to being a part of it

Anyway, poor Evie has had a tough time since we brought her home from Pennsylvania when she was 8 weeks old. She was a happy, bouncy puppy for the 1st couple of days, but she fell very ill very quickly. We had noticed that Saturday after we brought her home, she was losing interest in her food and not drinking much. Her stool had been a bit loose all along, but we figured it was just stress from the long ride home, new surroundings, leaving her littermates, etc. By Sunday it was loaded with blood and mucous and she was so lethargic i had to peel her off the floor. I was petrified and rushed her to the vet ER. She needed iv fluids and many tests and it turned out to be Coccidia. Poor girl has been on meds everyday since then because subsequent tests showed she has Giardia too. Immediately i contacted the breeder, not expecting any compensation, but only to ask her to please let the other buyers of Evie's brothers and sisters know what to look for. The vet told me had I not taken her in, we could have lost her Of course she "said" that all of the other puppies were doing well in their new homes...

SO! Tomorrow it's it's back to the vet to see if my girl is finally rid of these horrible parasites. Hundreds of dollars later, but it's no matter because we love her to pieces and just want her healthy and happy. She cracks me up at every turn, singing and talking and is so smart it amazes me! We're using bell training for going outside and she has it down pat. She really shakes those buggers if we don't hear her the 1st time! My 9 year old cat isn't loving her so much, but he's getting bolder and not putting up with Evie's roughhousing. He needs some kitty wrestling gear! Anyway,sorry for the long post, will try to post some pictures, and look forward to all of your tips about these incredible dogs.

Welcome! Evie is a real cutie. Sorry to hear of her problem, breeder you say, that's common for the puppy mills around here. Maybe this breeder needs inspected.

Welcome to our fine group! sorry to hear about her being so sick, i hope you contacted more then just the breeder when you found out how sick she is. i hope your check up goes well and she gets a clean bill of health, thank you for being such good puppy parents and getting her all the meds she needs, its sad to think of how many don't do that. do you have an idea of what her coloring might turn out to be? she is a cutie!

What an adorable little fluff!
I hope she's doing better!...and welcome to the forum!

I can't wait to watch her grow through pics you post here...

Welcome Jill and I'm glad you're getting things situated with the parasites, they are pretty common for puppies though.

OMG she is the most gorgeous little thing! Bet she will lose the tan as she gets older and turn into a gorgeous silver. I hope you will stick around so we can watch her grow with you!

Thank you for the welcome! To be honest I don't know who to contact/where to begin. My hands feel a bit tied being in another state, but I'd love to shout from the rooftops about our experience if it could help other puppies! My time has been spent trying to get her healthy, inspecting poop LOL, and scouring my home and yard to make sure she doesn't keep reinfecting herself or us. I was shocked to hear humans can contract Giardia. The whole thing has had me a wreck. In writing in her health guarantee it says that only genetic defects are covered, not parasitic issues. From what I've read, Coccidia and Giardia are common, even among reputable facilities. Those that have had a history of the problem begin treating their puppies as a preventative when they are just a couple of weeks old. I researched this place, seemed on the up and up and don't want to make accusations, I just don't know. Very saddened by it, but I count myself lucky to have Evie and am determined get her in tip top shape.

Jennifer, thak you! Her sweet face had me at first sight! Her father is black/white, mother is gray/white- we suspect Evie will be gray/white too even though now she has a lot of that tan coloring. It's amazing how much they change as they grow!

Now we are in the hunt for the right food to help firm things up asap. Do either of you know anything about Blue Buffalo food? The breeder swore by Diamond Premium Adult food, even for puppies, but since she fell ill, the vet said she needs to be on puppy food and recommended Iams or Science Diet and I know those are garbage. From what I've read, Wellness and Blue Buffalo seem to be tolerated well among Sibes.

Claudia and Valerie, you snuck in while I was posting-nice to meetcha! Gosh, your dogs are soooo beautiful too! Thanks so much for the warm welcome, i'm sure I'll have lotsa questions.

JillC wrote:

Do either of you know anything about Blue Buffalo food?

Blue Buffalo is a good food, better than Diamond Naturals for sure. Check out the Nutrition and Feeding section for some other great food suggestions and advice.

Ah yes....poop inspection...I know that all too well! Heck, I STILL inspect their poop!
What can I say, I'm just into into 'shit'! And in all honesty, shit was what got me to the forum in the first place! LOL! I went through some diarreha issues with Ginger toward the end of last Fall, and turned to the forum for help...and with the help of some wonderful people here, and turning to a holistic vet, I got Ginger turned around within 24 hours....

Anyway, Val is a wonderful and knowledgeable resource on nutrition!

Again, welcome to the forum!

Welcome Jill. Evie is sooo cute!!! I hope she gets well soon and Im not far from you if she gets better and you want to meet up for a play date ever?! Have you been to or checked out the Barkyard at LaSalle park or the Lewiston dog park? Weve been to both if this weather ever clears up, everythings a wet and muddy mess.

She's beautiful, just like her name!

Oh Claudia, you have me laughing! We're having a party when she does a solid poop. NO LIE!

Hi Mindy and Sarah! Thanks for your sweet words about my girl. My mom hates her name. We've had her 3 weeks and everyday she tells me "you shoulda named her..." I think it's unique just like her My husband is actually a police officer in Niagara Falls Sarah, small world!!! I'm about an hour away, but it would be great to meet you someday! This weather has been ridiculous and since we're in a new house with no lawn, just dirt -muddy puppy paws have been FUN FUN FUN! We'll get summer eventually.

She is such a cutie! I hope she gets rid of that nasty bug soon It sounds like you are taking great care of her. I can't wait to watch her grow here on the forum. Welcome!!

JillC wrote:

We're having a party when she does a solid poop. NO LIE!

I remember that feeling all too well!

I didn't have time to delve into this last night, but since you're on the prowl for a good puppy food, might I make a few suggestions? Since you're considering Blue Buffalo and Wellness, I am going to assume you are planning to feed kibble. Blue Buffalo and Wellness are good foods I'll give you that but keep in mind there are others that are comparable and/or better. Most of us recommend feeding grain free but I know that grain free puppy choices are more limited.

I would highly recommend Orijen puppy over pretty much all other grain free puppy kibbles. Acana puppy kibble, made by the same company as Orijen (Champion pet foods) is also a great food although it is not grain free. Fromm has good puppy formulas that are not grain free as well. What I like about Orijen, Acana, and Fromm is that they make their own food and do not outsource manufacturing to some other company with lax quality controls thereby reducing the risk of contamination and recalls that happen all the time at the major pet food manufacturers like American Nutrition, Menu Foods, and Diamond. Merrick also manufactures their own food and they do have pretty good food but they have had some recalls not too long ago on their treats which makes me more cautious. I do feed Merrick treats but was lucky mine were not recalled. Merrick has a good puppy food that contains grain.

Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Taste of the Wild, Solid Gold, Kirkland (Costco) brand, Natural Balance, and so many more are all good foods but they are manufactured by companies like ANI, Diamond, and Menu Foods who all have a history of periodic recalls. If that is of little concern to you then by all means feel free to use those products as many people do. I don't mean to make these foods sound bad as many people here use them. I know we have a lot of Taste of the Wild users here and I've even used it before. Nice thing about Taste of the Wild is they are "all life stages" formulas so they are safe to feed from puppy to adulthood and they are grain free. Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Solid Gold, and Kirkland all have grain inclusive puppy formulas. Natural Balance has all life stages formulas, some of which contain grain and others that are grain free. However the Grain free NB formulas are very potato heavy so I wouldn't use them unless you have a sensitive dog or a dog with food allergies that you are trying an elimination diet on. I know there are so many more options than this but these happen to be the big, easy to find/common name brands that are out there. Innova has always been good but they recently sold out to P&G so I am wary of the inevitable changes in quality for the sake of the almighty corporate dollar. Innova puppy is not grain free. Innova Evo is grain free and it is labeled as all life stages but it really is best suited for adult dogs, not puppies due to the calcium:phosphorus levels.

Oh an btw, I love Evie's name. It is very pretty and very unique, I used to have a friend named Evangeline that preferred to go by Evie.

Wow, Val, that might have been the first time I considered dog food companies that outsource their manufacturing versus companies that manufacture their own dog food. Nice advice, as always!

Jill, you are going to LOVE the people on this forum! We all are at so many different stages in life, all struggling to do the best for our families (be they four-legged or two-legged or both) and ourselves. Even though some of us feed our dogs raw, some grain-free kibble and some kibble that contains grain, I have never heard anyone "talk down" to anyone else about their food choices. All opinions seem to always be given graciously!

BTW, **dirty secret time** my dog will probably eat better this morning than my 15-year old who left for school this morning with a Pop Tart in hand!!

So thankful I stopped in here before our trek to the vet and search for new food! Wow Val, thanks so much for all the info. I printed it out and took it with me! Pretty sure people are starting to think I'm nuts. Evie's check-up was so so. Not thrilled with the vet. She poo pooed my idea of going grain free and said she highly recommends Science Diet and Eukanuba first. I had to laugh- how can she say that feeding a dog all those fillers can be better than food made with real meat, vegetables, and fruit? Grrrr! I'm glad I know better and let her words go in one ear and out the other. As far as the parasites, Evie's still taking a second round of meds for the Giardia, but they looked at a sample anyway-couldn't see any coccidia or giardia, but 2 hookworm eggs so that means another round of panacur too. Vet said if we get rid of all these critters and she still has loose poop, we'll have to start digging to see why. I don't think so! Evie is active and growing as she should be and I have this vibe like they have our number- we had a sick lil girl and they're gonna milk us for all we're worth. I am almost certain her diet is playing a big part in all of it. After reading your post Val, I decided to hold off on Blue Buffalo and see how she does with Taste of the Wild. Fingers crossed. I wish these higher quality foods were more readily available.

Hi Lisa! I'm already amazed by this place and how kind and helpful everyone is. I appreciate it so much and love seeing the love you all have for your furbabies. Too funny about the poptart, but I'm right there with you with my 12 and 8 year old boys! We can make it up to them at lunch and dinner AND they can use words to tell us what they need. Our 4 legged friends can only stick their faces in what we put in front of them. Somebodies gotta be lookin out, right?

Have a great day everybody and thanks again!

I'm with you on the dog food availability. We have 3 little independent pet shops (I can't ever seem to find anything at Petsmart - so I'm very grateful) that really have minimal overlap of products carried, but none carry Acana or Fromm. I went with the Merrick puppy food and have been quite pleased. I have not decided to go grain-free yet because, like you I have 2 boys to feed and clothe, plus we have them in private school so I have to watch the price on all of this! I will not feed him certain grains, but Merrick's Whole Earth Farms contain grains like oats and barley and millet, and it is very affordably priced!

I'm sure you are still having some "poop issues" because of the sickness AND the whipworms. My vet said that whipworms will irritate the bowel lining and cause problems as well. Good luck getting your little baby well!!

Have you ever thought of seeking out a holistic vet? If you have one near you, it may be worth a phone call to the office.

When I was going through poop issues with Ginger, Val mentioned that the best thing she's ever done was switch to a holistic vet. So, I sought one out, left a message and she called me back later that evening and gave me 15 minutes on the phone. I promptly made an appointment, and within 24 hours, Ginger was back on track. It's worth at least a phone call if you find one near you. They seem to be more educated about nutrition for dogs than regular vets. I believe that regular vets don't really dive into nutrition, but holistic vets know a little more about it. In fact, another person here has a husky with allergies and sought out a holistic vet. At the end of the vet visit, instead of an Rx of meds, he recommended a raw diet! Now you won't hear too many regular vets recommend that!

A lot of the better dog food brands are readily available to me but I chose to go here to order a lot of my dog food and treats because it's cheaper even with shipping!:
www.naturalk9supplies.com

Hey Jill! Evie is so cute! I am also new in this forum. I have a 2-year old Siberian Husky and also barely new in training this breed. I adopted Sibhee from a rescue site near us. She was so cute that time so she got my heart right when I saw her. Well, she's still cute though.

I'm glad you were armed with information before you went to see your vet. Claudia's right, holistic vets tend to be way better and light years ahead in knowledge than most traditional vets. And don't blame your vet, they are taught sooooo little on nutrition and basically taught and encouraged (and funded by) to recommend Science Diet.

I switched to a holistic vet 2.5 years ago and it really was the best thing I've ever done for my dogs aside from switching to a partial raw diet. And you guessed it, I was feeding Evo a premium grain free kibble when I started seeing my holistic vet and she strongly urged me to switch to raw and she even sells frozen raw in her office along with Orijen. Not only that but holistic vets try to treat things homeopathically rather than with chemical meds if at all possible. Like Claudia, I would highly advise checking to see if you have any available to you.

As for the lack of good food choices locally, it's something many of us face. I've turned to ordering my dog food online and really it is cheaper for me to do that than to buy it locally. Plus I don't have to waste my time and gas driving, it's delivered right to my door. Natural K9 Supplies that Claudia mentioned is a good site, another good one that I use most is DoggieFood.com

Hi and welcome. Evie is such a cutie. Love the name too. I am so sorry about all of this stuff going on with her. when I got Frankie he had some worm/parasite issues. He also had runny poop for the longest time and would sporatically vomit too. The vet I was going to at the time suggested boiled chicken and white rice. We did that for a little while and while the vomitting stopped, he still wasn't having real good poops. After months of trying different foods, I finally ended up using BB wilderness. I chose this mainly due to availability and I wasn't ready to do raw (still not, but considering). There was an immediate difference once he started. I don't know if they have a puppy formula though, frankie was about 1 y/o when I started.
Keep in mind that a lot of vets are sponsered by certain pet food comapnies. Science diet and eukanuba provide many vet scholarships and funds, and so you will meet many vets that try to push their food. My sister was so against science diet and ever since she has been working at a vets office and have met with the company reps, she is trying to get me to switch to science diet, grrrrr. But I 'm happy with wilderness and so is Frankie.

Hubby told me to give Ginger boiled beef and rice (because back in college, that's what they gave huskies to eat), and Ginger ended up not having a BM for 3 days, then she finally threw up all the rice and her stool turned black and it was still runny and mucousy! I literally yelled at him and said, 'You're killing her!!'

Keep in mind, some, if not a lot of Sibes cannot handle rice. Other options would be plain cooked oatmeal (not instant) or plain cooked quinoa if you need some sort of grain. A little canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!) can also help with firming up BMs, and so can a little bit of plain yogurt. But that would not be treating the root of what's causing soft stool.

Dee&Frankie wrote:

After months of trying different foods, I finally ended up using BB wilderness. I chose this mainly due to availability and I wasn't ready to do raw (still not, but considering). There was an immediate difference once he started. I don't know if they have a puppy formula though, frankie was about 1 y/o when I started.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness is an adult formula. Blue Buffalo does have a puppy formula but it is not grain free like their Wilderness line.

Another WNY dog park is the Amherst Paw Park, located at 500 Smith Rd, Amherst NY 14228. Not far from the 990 Expressway aka Lockport Expressway. Been meaning to get there myself but so many things to do so little time to do them.

Morning everyone! Apologies for seemingly going MIA, but it has been pretty crazy around here with end of school stuff for my boys and of course Evie! While she's growing like crazy, both in body and spunk I am so frustrated still battling with critters inside her. She just had her final vaccinations at her 15 week appointment and the stool sample this time came back positive for round worms. I don't understand it. I got her at 8 weeks, wormed her multiple times since then myself and each time the fecal is tested, it shows a DIFFERENT kind of worm. How can that be? I'm ready to lose it. Since she's been on TOTW her stool is MUCH better and I never see any worms. I feel awful that she "supposedly" has not been well one day since she has been here. Come Monday she begins a round of Drontal to be repeated in 3 weeks. Fingers crossed that this stuff does the trick! In the hunt for a new vet because I'm worried this one is just trying to nickel and dime me. I'll have a million dollar dog soon!

I do have a couple new questions- do you all use interceptor or another monthly heartworm prevention? Is this necessary? My mother had dogs all her life and she said the only time her dogs were wormed was when they were puppies and her vet never suggested a monthly pill nor did her dogs ever contract anything. Just curious if this is yet another money maker. I have been giving her the interceptor that's obviously doing nothing for her cuz she still has parasites anyway. Also, what kind of flea/tick prevention do you use? The vet pushed Vectra 3D on me, but after reading up on it I'm scared to put it on her. Horrible horror stories of dogs dying after using this product. I'd love to hear what you all use and if you can suggest where to buy that is cheaper than getting it directly from the vet.

So! Here's what my girl looks like today, just over 15 weeks and 17.5lbs. Is that small for her age?




The black spot on her tail makes me laugh!