YSAK 169: This dog is the shit. Er, the shits.

Alternate post titles:
YSAK 169: Daisy the Diarrhea Dog
YSAK 169: Imodium for your poopy puppy

You've heard of Walter the Farting Dog? Farting dogs are funny. Shitting dogs are sometimes funny. Dogs with diarrhea who cover your house with runny shit all the time, so much that you have to give them away on Kijiji, are less funny. Unless they're posted here. Which this one is.

Would someone PLEASE HELP DAISY THE SHITTING DOG!?

Daisy has pancreatic enzyme deficiency. Here is a link to a website that gives a little info on it http://www.provet.co.uk/health/diseases/git-epi.htm. You may already know about it.
We got Daisy in 2004, from a Border Collie breeder on a cattle farm in Kemptville, Ontario, a small town outside of Ottawa. We discovered she had the deficiency in the summer of 2005, after we moved back here to Halifax.
We have been somewhat able to manage it over the last few years, but is getting increasingly more difficult. It is to the point were we can no longer do it. Although, I hate to admit it, I have thought about having her put down. This really isn't something we want to do, but we know we can no longer keep her.
With Daisy's condition, if she does not have her medication with every bit of food she eats, she will get very sick. She will have severe diarrhoea. If it continues for long, she will loose an extreme amount of weight and starve. She also gets hair loss, and brittle, dull hair. It was through these symptoms we knew she had something really wrong with her. My vet discovered through testing what condition she had.
As I've mentioned we've been treating Daisy for 4 years now. She has had ups and downs, but all due to our management. It is very hard for us to ensure that every piece of food that meets her lips has her medication with it. You see, we have another older dog who likes to steal her food, so then she is left to eat his, without the medication. We are careful for this not to happen, but once in a while it does. Which leads to the horrible diarrhoea. Also, we have two very young children. It is nearly impossible to keep Daisy from getting some of their food. We are always watchful, and try to keep the dogs in another room etc. but there never fails to be a time when she gets a hold of a peanut butter sandwich or cookie.
The major problem we have is dealing with the diarrhoea. It ends up ALL OVER the house (and I really mean all over) and all over the yard. These are places where the children are all the time and it isn't right for them to be living like that. It also isn't fair for Daisy to go through that. I'm sure there must be pain in her gut when she experiences it.
Although it is hard, we know she needs someone who can look after her with the proper amount of attention. The wonderful thing is, with her medication, she doesn't experience any of the symptoms. She should be in a home with someone who can truly give her the love and devotion she needs. She really is a wonderful, loving dog. She loves, loves, loves to be loved. She loves to play, and is amazing with a frisbee and ball, although, she is getting a little slower these last couple of years.
Her medication costs about $45 dollars for 100 pills. We order it at our vet's office by bottles of 4. She eats 2 meals a day, which means 2 pills a day, that have to be crushed with two spoons, and sprinkled on her food. That means the bottle last for 50 days. If someone was to give her treats, they'd have to use a pill then also. We don't give her any treats. With our family income we find the medication expensive, and we can't afford to use more than the 2 pills per day. I know $45 for 50 days isn't that much, but for us it is. Also, she can't eat really cheap dog food. It will make her very sick. We have tried many things, from the super expensive vet dog food to the noname. When she was first diagnosed she was so sick, and so skinny. We fed her the expensive stuff, but then we kept going down in price to something more manageable. We found out that she does just fine on Sobeys Our Compliments brand or the Costco Kirkland brand.
Daisy really is symptom free and happy with those two things; her medication and good food. She would make someone a lovely friend; someone who could ensure her eating habits.
Having said all that, we are just not able to do it. Because of her getting unsupervised food, she has destroyed a double bed, an entire room of carpet, we have shampooed our carpets 6 times in the last three years. All with having two new babies in our lives and we have gone through some very serious family issues in those years. We are at the end of our abilities and beg for you to help us find a new home for Daisy.
With all sincerity, will someone please help us?

This post was written by: Gord McCord

Gord McCord, webmaster at You Suck at Kijiji, makes fun of funny things on Kijiji. Do not take him too seriously. Also do not take yourself too seriously. Follow him on Twitter