red blood cell count

country boy swamper · Wed Oct 25, 2006 10:46 pm

whats the best thing to give a beagle when his red blood cell get low; i got a 20 months old male beagle that is skinny and cant walk that good. whats the best thing to give him. (like vitamins x iron). thanks

reneeford · Post by **reneeford** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 11:15 pm

you can order iron in liquid form to supplement their diet or get it from the vet. The dogs actually think it tastes good. I'm having to give it to a bitch who just whelped pups. I would also recommend adding a bit of liver to the dog food. I haven't met a dog yet that doesn't like that. I, on the other hand, am not a fan of liver...YUCK

KEVIN MONROE · Post by **KEVIN MONROE** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 7:33 am

PHOSFOROUS PHOSPATE-YOU CAN BUY IT OVER THE COUNTER AT ANY CVS.LIXITONIC IS A GOOD IRON BUILDER ALSO.IVE BEEN FIGHTING A PROBLEM WITH A FEMALE RUNNING OUT OF GAS AND BEING ENEMIC.AFTER FOUR TRIPS TO THREE DIFFERENT VETS AND $$$$ LATER IVE FOUND OUT SHE IS IRON DEFFECIANT.SUPPLEMENTED HER DIET WITH IRON AND WOW SHES BACK TO NORMAL.GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR IRON PROBLEM.MAYBE THIS WILL SAVE YOU SOME CASH!

Treedogs · Post by **Treedogs** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 8:23 am

Lixotinic is the best on the market. I have used it 25+ years. You can by it by the gallon from Jeffers for $59 dollars a gallon. Use around 1cc per 10 pounds. If you buy it at the vet it is 15 dollars for a small bottle, at least at my vet. Best to buy it by the gallon, and be sure and tell them you want a LONG SHELF LIFE.

Bunny Runner · Post by **Bunny Runner** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 8:54 pm

PHOSFOROUS PHOSPATE

That would be Ferrous Sulphate, which is basically an Iron tab.

Country boy,

Do you know WHY your dog has a low RBC? Did the vet tell you what he suspected (diagnosed) the cause was for it?

There could be many reasons (Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia, Immune Mediated Anemia, etc. )

Here's a good link for looking up conditions, causes, and treatments http://www.merckvetmanual.com

As far as building up the RBC, of course that would depend on the cause, but red meat, liver (in moderation because of the vit A), or a good iron supplement (doesn't have to be fancy, but does need to be in the right dose) can help.

You have to be careful with minerals, as the body is picky about the quanities it can handle and certain vitamins are required for certain minerals for the body to be able to absorb and utilize them properly. Think of it as a partnership so-to-speak. For example, Vit D and Calcium are partners. Vit D enables the body to absorb and utilize Calcium, so without each other, the body would be deficent.

Hers' a list of the vit/min dogs need and why, as well as a description of signs of deficency/overdose.
http://dels.nas.edu/banr/cd_dog_vit.html

Here's a site that breaks it all down.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com

joe kaschak · Post by **joe kaschak** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 8:43 pm

Bunny Runner,
You seem to be quite knowledge about beagles when it comes to health issues. Could you please check out the post (red cell and equimax) in beagle health forum and give me your opinion?? Thanks
Joe Kaschak

Bunny Runner · Post by **Bunny Runner** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 10:05 pm

Joe,

I did my best considering I'm tired, lol!

joe kaschak · Post by **joe kaschak** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 9:43 pm

Thanks, Bunnyrunner. The info posted in your post really helped me gain a bit of understanding about what is going on. To bad the vet couldn't explain it, but I'd be thinking selfishly if I didn't realize that my dog is not the only animal he has to worry about. I just got home from work about an hour ago and checked the board. Didn't have time yesterday as I was judging a spo trial and was pretty beat up after a long day in the field. I will find time over the next few days to check out those links that you put in there. Thanks again, I appriciate the input. And I will keep you posted on his condition (getting better-- have to take him for another blood test on wednesday).