Cuba may be far from perfect, but they do indeed have a lot more going for them economically, educationally, etc. than a number of their Caribbean neighbors. Actually, John, you don't have the right to post/say anything you want on this forum. There are a number of rules, and while not all are consistantly enforced, one can be banned from participating here if one posts in a manner considered inappropriate by the site managers. Yep, it's America, and we have to right to free speech, but we don't have the right to say or do whatever we want wherever and whenever we want. Some things are appropriate in some places, but not in others. A guy in a Speedo at the pool is fine, but I don't want my little daughter's school teacher coming to work in such attire. When we're on someone else's turf, we have to play by their rules...and in this case, majority rule can be a good thing. When others share similar standards, it makes for a place where we feel comfortable. (Now, arresting someone for wearing an anti-war T-shirt is unconscionable, but that's another matter!) As to being a religious thing, I believe the poster who initiated thread this is an agnostic.

My heart goes out to your daughter. I've felt the same things too. It sounds like your daughter has the beginning of Anorexia Nervosa. Distorted body image, the perception that you are fat and ugly when you are not, is a hallmark of the mental illness. Something is literally wrong in her brain, as was in mine. The brain is not functioning properly. This is what was going on with me. I thought I was fat and ugly and horrible looking when in fact I was skinny and pretty. It was a mental illness that had taken over my life. May I suggest Zinc supplements? This is what changed my life. When I took it, the thoughts and feelings and behaviors (it sounds like your daughter has not yet taken action to lose weight, that is very good) were gone. The body image distortion was gone. I looked in the mirror and saw someone thin who needed to gain weight. I looked in the mirror and saw someone pretty. Let me show you the research on Zinc. It's worth a shot. "Features of the illness: Physiological: ...Abnornalities of mineral and electrolyte levels in the body, Zinc deficiency" Studies have been done that show Zinc has been effective in reducing or eliminating the self-image distortion of Anorexia for Anorexics. "The release also cites a Journal For Medical Research article by Dr. Alex Schauss, which reported studies at Stanford University, the University of Kentucky, and the University of California at Davis which found most anorexics and bulimics were zinc-deficient. According to the release, a five-year study showed an 85% remission rate for anorexia patients given zinc supplements. According to Dr. Barbara Levine, Director of the Nutrition Information Center at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, zinc-rich foods include red meat, seafood, cheese, and nuts." "These findings have led some scientists to suggest that zinc deficiency may actually play a role in the causation of anorexia nervosa. The role between zinc and eating behaviour may be connected to a brain chemical known as neuropeptide Y (NPY), the main function of which is to stimulate eating. Generally speaking, restriction of food causes an increase in NPY levels. Animal research has discovered, however, that zinc deficiency blunts the increase in NPY in response to food restriction. The results of this research suggest that zinc deficiency may quell the normal urge to eat more should food be rationed." "...there is at least some evidence that disordered physiology may play a role in the development of the condition too. In particular, research has suggested that anorexia may be related to a deficiency in the mineral zinc. Zinc deficiency has been found to be a common feature in anorexics, and it has been noted that zinc deficiency and anorexia nervosa have symptoms in common which include poor appetite, weight loss, nausea and cessation of periods (amenorrhea)." "People who don't consume zinc may become seriously anorexic, with little desire and even a repulsion for eating. For many young, weight-conscious women, and often the elderly, not eating becomes a state of mind and is considered a serious psychiatric disorder. "...For people trying to recover from anorexia, or those who are having trouble holding onto body weight, I believe our work strengthens earlier findings that recommend the use of zinc supplements," Shay said. "Another lab has shown that zinc supplements have led to greater recovery rates." " The use of zinc in the treatment of anorexia nervosa has been advocated since # by Bakan." "Insufficient zinc has been linked to anorexia, which responds well to zinc replacement treatment." "Zinc deficiency has also been detected in people with anorexia or bulimia in most,nineeen, twenty though not all, twenty one studies. In addition, some of the manifestations of zinc deficiency, such as reduced appetite, taste, and smell, are similar to symptoms observed in some cases of anorexia or bulimia." "A # study (Birmingham and Gritzner) reports that low zinc levels create dynamics in the brain that are similar to those seen with anorexia nervosa. The study found that giving zinc to a group of persons with anorexia produced asignificant improvement in body mass index compared to a group of anorexic persons not receiving zinc. Birmingham and Gritzner suggest that zinc deficiencies make neurotransmitters less effective. When this problem is corrected with zinc therapy in those with anorexia, they conclude, the resulting improvement in brain functioning creates an improvement in anorexia symptoms...." "What is interesting is that such an inexpensive and widely-available mineral shows promise, by itself, in establishing better brain functioning in this group." "If you have anorexia, [take] fifity mg a day of this essential mineral, along with one to three mg per day of copper." "It's important to check with your doctor before beginning a course of zinc therapy, however, because too much zinccan result in other problems in brain functioning (Flinn et al., #). Medical assistance will help regulate zinc at the proper level for you." Love, Amy

Unable to tell at this point. UTI can decrease USG significantly; only way to tell if kidneys are OK is to clear UTI and recheck. I'd be concerned with pylenephritis, an infection of the kidneys, especially considering the fever, vomiting, and anorexia. A simple lower urinary tract infection doesn't cause these signs, but a kidney infection certainly could. Pylenephritis can be seen on ultrasound. Requires much longer antibiotic course than simple UTI (at least 8 weeks vs. 2 weeks). So it would be worth pursuing that possibility. We usually look at the physical exam to determine acute vs chronic renal failure. Animal in excellent body condition and only recently sick usually has acute renal failure. Animal in poor body condition usually has a chronic problem. Gray areas abound though, because if acute renal failure is severe, kidneys may not recover leading to chronic renal failure. Or an animal can be in chronic renal failure and get an major insult to the kidneys (dehydration especially) causing acute renal failure on top of it. The major difference is that acute renal failure is reversible with aggressive treatment (IV fluids, address the underlying injury if possible). Chronic renal failure is permanent. But the only way to tell is to address the renal failure aggressively for a few days and see what happens. If USG is still low after negative urine culture, then I'd look for causes such as renal disease, cushing's disease, liver failure, etc. Her kidneys are definitely working. Non-working kidneys produce isosthenuria, or a USG of 1.008-1.012. Anything above or below that range means there is kidney function. How much is anyone's guess, but with normal BUN and creatinine her kidneys are least 25% functional. Biggest thing is get the urine cultures, make sure the infection is cleared, then see what happens. Good luck.

"I'm not sure what a corn dog is since I have never had one, but a regular taco has fewer calories than a chicken leg." You can't be serious.... First, a corn dog is a hot dog (I hope you know what that is) dipped in batter and deep fried. and a regular taco vs. chicken leg?? I would think it would depend on how the chicken is cooked... fried, baked, roasted, etc. I can tell that she's probably not hungry because she sits there looking like she's forcing herself to eat it... she stuffs herself until she finishes it all. If you've ever watched the movie 'Matilda' and there's a scene where a boy is in trouble and has to eat a chocolate cake in front of the whole school. He starts out his first slice happy because he loves cake but by the time he finishes it, he's looking overstuffed and sick, THAT's the look on SD's face when she stuffs herself. (and I blame both of her parents for that because they both used to feed her too much and that's what she's used to) And I have fed her spaghetti O's and one can has 2 or 2.5 servings, so I know that a huge bowl filled to the top is the whole can, not just one serving. That's how much she was eating and when she's hungry, she eats faster and as she gets full, she eats slower and when she looks like she's about to puke and still putting more in her mouth, just because it's there, she isn't learning to stop when she's full. That will become a problem that can follow her throughout her entire life. and in our situation, even though we have concerns and I talk about it here, we have never told SD anything about it and the only time we have ever said anything to BM was when SD missed school because she was throwing up from eating too much ice cream. The only place that SD hears about it is at school because when she gains weight, the kids at school call her names. and thank you TOS for that link. That's a very good website.