|
Iron
Apr 2, 2011 9:28:18 GMT 10
Post by Ray Jones on Apr 2, 2011 9:28:18 GMT 10
Tom,what would you say was a safe level of iron in a dogs diet ? What symptoms would a dog show if he was having too much iron ?
Cheers
Ray
|
|
|
Iron
Apr 3, 2011 7:26:25 GMT 10
Post by Tom Meulman on Apr 3, 2011 7:26:25 GMT 10
Tom,what would you say was a safe level of iron in a dogs diet ? What symptoms would a dog show if he was having too much iron ? Cheers Ray Hi Ray, While it is not normally necessary to give a greyhound on a red meat diet daily iron supplements, for those greyhounds that do suffer from a low haemoglobin and a low red blood cell count a supplement such as Ironcyclen at the recommended dose on a 14 days on and 14 days off schedule can be of benefit. As Joe has mentioned an excessive amount of iron in the diet that is not being absorbed will cause dark almost black stools, and unfortunately excessive iron supplementation can be toxic. Excessive iron in the diet in the short term can cause stomach upset, loose dark stools and in some instances even vomiting, while in the long term the primary effect is liver damage. In an anaemic dog excessive iron supplementation can in fact increase the anaemia instead of curing it. Therefore if a trainer with a greyhound in their care that has a low red blood cell count that is not responding to iron injections and/or dietary supplementation, the iron supplements should be stopped, and the anaemia treated with Folic Acid and B12 injections only. The therapeutic daily dose of elemental iron to treat iron deficiency is around 5 mg per kg for a maximum of 14 days. Keeping in mind that the elemental iron available from various supplements varies with the type of supplement. For instance Ferrous Gluconate contains approximately 10% of elemental iron, Ferrous Sulphate 20%, and Ferrous Fumarate 30%. Cheers, Tom
|
|
|
Iron
Apr 4, 2011 4:31:42 GMT 10
Post by Ray Jones on Apr 4, 2011 4:31:42 GMT 10
Thanks Tom,any idea what is the optimum amount of iron would be in the daily diet if your not feeding red meat ?
Ray.
|
|
|
Iron
Apr 4, 2011 7:31:50 GMT 10
Post by Tom Meulman on Apr 4, 2011 7:31:50 GMT 10
Hi Ray,
I'm sorry mate but that is a difficult question to answer.
In reality there is only a minimal loss of iron from the body as iron is saved when the haemoglobin part of the red blood cells breaks down and the iron component is then reused for new haemoglobin.
Unless there is blood loss from a blood sucking worm infestation, or from some other cause, at the most only about one to two milligram of iron is lost on a daily basis.
The iron requirements vary with the age of the greyhound, more iron is required by a growing animal, as more iron is also required by a bitch on season or one that is pregnant.
Therefore the minimum daily dietary requirements of iron vary considerably depending upon the circumstances.
The other factor in this whole equation is the uptake of iron from the gut, and that greatly depends upon the other components of the diet, for instance less iron is absorbed from the gut in the presence of calcium.
All anyone can really do is to provide quality food for the greyhound, have the blood checked on a regular basis, treat any problems with the blood and health of the greyhound appropriately, and then adjust the supplements required by that individual greyhound based on those findings.
Cheers, Tom
|
|
|
Iron
Apr 4, 2011 21:22:27 GMT 10
Post by Ray Jones on Apr 4, 2011 21:22:27 GMT 10
Thanks Tom.
|
|
|
Iron
Apr 11, 2011 7:09:12 GMT 10
Post by paul on Apr 11, 2011 7:09:12 GMT 10
hi tom, is it safe to mix folic acid/b12 with l;carnitine..and give at once..
thanks tom, paul
|
|
|
Iron
Apr 11, 2011 9:30:11 GMT 10
Post by Tom Meulman on Apr 11, 2011 9:30:11 GMT 10
Hi Paul,
Both folic acid/B12 and l-carnitine are listed on the containers to be injected into the muscle tissue. The recommended dose for Folic/B12 is 2 ml and for l-carnitine it is 1 ml per 10 kg or around 3 ml twice weekly for most greyhounds.
Because IMHO 3 ml is about as much as is safe to inject intra-muscular in any one spot, I can’t see much of an advantage in mixing both together.
However the answer is yes, they can be mixed together in the one syringe and injected without any problems.
Cheers, Tom
|
|
|
Iron
Apr 11, 2011 21:38:47 GMT 10
Post by paul on Apr 11, 2011 21:38:47 GMT 10
hi tom,
could you help me with a blood test result,remember this is the same dog that had hookworm and i gave him ivomec can you tell me your thoughts please,i'm a little concerned about the wbc its way low would this be an infection after the dosing out of the hookworm or maybe i'm wrong altogether..
RBC 7.7 X 10 12L HCT 58.1 HGB 20.8G MCV 75.4FL MCH 27.0PG RDW 15.3% %RETIC 0.5% WBC 4.09 X 10 ^9/L %NEU 64.6% %LYM 20.8% %MONO 8.2% %EOS 5.8% %BASO 0.6% NEU 2.64 X 10^9L LYM 0.85 X 10^9L MONO 0.33 X 10 ^9L EOS 0.24 X 10 ^9L BASO 0.03 X 10^ 9L PLT 238K/UL MPV 8.2FL PDW 18.3% PCT 0.2%
MANY THANKS TOM..
|
|
|
Iron
Apr 12, 2011 6:26:32 GMT 10
Post by Tom Meulman on Apr 12, 2011 6:26:32 GMT 10
Hi Paul,
That blood profile does not look to bad, the only thing still a little low is the Red Blood Cell count, as it is 7.7 when the preferred level is around 8.5. That is also why the MCH is a fraction high, and indicates that you do not need to give the dog more iron, but only another couple of injections of B12/Folic Acid.
In regard to the White Blood Cell Count there is not much to worry about because the balance between Neutrophils and Lymphocytes is pretty close, and the overall WBC count is good.
Cheers, Tom
|
|
|
Iron
Apr 12, 2011 9:25:10 GMT 10
Post by paul on Apr 12, 2011 9:25:10 GMT 10
hi tom, many thanks for your reply and help your an excellent help to me to be perfectly honest..tell me how many injections and how much of b12/folic acid should i give the dog and over how many days.. many thanks Paul
|
|
|
Iron
Apr 12, 2011 11:50:38 GMT 10
Post by Tom Meulman on Apr 12, 2011 11:50:38 GMT 10
Hi Paul,
2 ml into the muscle tissue and then repeat after three days should be enough. Keep in mind that it will take at least 14 days to see any real improvement in the RBC count.
When this dog goes back into hard work it may be worthwhile to inject 1 ml of the Folic/B12 into the muscle tissue 48 hours prior to each run behind the lure to try and ensure the RBC count does not drop again.
Cheers, Tom
|
|
|
Iron
Apr 12, 2011 17:55:39 GMT 10
Post by paul on Apr 12, 2011 17:55:39 GMT 10
hi tom, many thanks for your reply i'll give him the b12/folic acid straight away and repeat again in 2 days...i've never seen the dog in such great shape and condition,theres no doubt the advice you gave me has turn the dog inside out...and i'm convinced that Ivomec is the only wormer worth getting plus drontal...
thanks so much tom paul
|
|
|
Iron
Oct 30, 2019 18:27:15 GMT 10
Post by mark on Oct 30, 2019 18:27:15 GMT 10
hi genius if greyhounds are running flat or tired coud i give ferrous sulfate 200mg tablets once a month if yes what dosage do you advice me give cheers
|
|
|
Iron
Oct 31, 2019 5:37:00 GMT 10
Post by Tom Meulman on Oct 31, 2019 5:37:00 GMT 10
hi genius if greyhounds are running flat or tired coud i give ferrous sulfate 200mg tablets once a month if yes what dosage do you advice me give cheers Hi Mark, Yes you can give ferrous sulfate tablets to a greyhound, and one 200mg tablets given once a week won’t do any harm and may assist in maintaining blood iron levels. Keeping in mind that it should be given one hour before food, or two hours after food for best results. However having said that, it doesn’t make a lot of sense just giving iron supplements without knowing if the reason for the dog running flat or tired is in fact caused by anaemia, and if it is anaemia, exactly what is causing the anaemia. So to get the exact dosage of any supplements or medications required to treat a specific problem is going to require the appropriate blood test to investigate the possible cause behind the dog running flat or tired, and any investigation should include a very thorough physical examination to ensure that the dogs lackluster running isn’t caused by a low grade niggling injury. Cheers, Tom
|
|