Messages

1

Feeding dogs with health problems / Re: Hello

« on: Mar 18, 2021, 19:57 »

Hello and welcome to the forum. I am sorry to hear that your dog is so ill. Not sure what to suggest as it sounds like one for the experts. I hope you can find something to tempt her that won't exasperate her condition.

2

Feeding dogs with health problems / Re: Cholangitus, cholecystitis and poss pancreatitis flaring up now and again!!

« on: Mar 13, 2021, 15:33 »

Hello. If you have a look through the pancreatitis thread you will find lots of useful advice. It isn't something I have had experience of myself.

3

Dog foods / Re: West highland white terrier

« on: Mar 13, 2021, 15:28 »

Hello and welcome to the forum. For a dog with no specific health issues, It is hard for members to recommend a particular food as all dogs are different and finding one that suits is mostly trial and error. You can look at this thread for advice on how to use the quick search tool and find some different foods. If you find one that you like the look of, feel free to ask about it as some members may have had experience feeding it.

4

Dog foods / Re: Raw Food reaction

« on: Mar 13, 2021, 15:21 »

Hello, It might be best to go back on the familiar food and see if the stomach issue resolves. You can always try something else later on when the stools return to normal. Personally, I have never had this issue with raw food.

5

Dog foods / Re: help - Yorkshires Terrier best dry food

« on: Mar 09, 2021, 20:39 »

Hello and welcome to the forum. I would completely agree with Dottie. If Xavier is doing well why change, especially to a food with poor ingredients.  Personally, I do like to add a small amount of carbs to my dogs raw meat but I usually just add a little of what we are having for variety. I add things like sweet potato, brown rice, oats, buckwheat and quinoa.

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Feeding dogs with health problems / Re: Help with allergy diet

« on: Feb 28, 2021, 13:01 »

Hello and welcome to the forum,
Sorry you are having problems with your dog's health. There are some good links about elimination diets on this thread started by Dottie.
It can be a lot of research but you are right to do some research rather than just accept the recommended food.

7

General discussion / Re: Eating own poo

« on: Feb 10, 2021, 07:32 »

Hello and welcome to the forum,
Although not pleasant, this isn't particularly uncommon behaviour in dogs. It isn't fully understood why they do it. Possibly learned behaviour or just because they like it. My dog used to eat cow dung and probably still would given half a chance. Some people say that adding pineapple to the food can make it less palatable to eat. I suppose that would also make the food less palatable though. The only thing that I have been able to do is take her away from the poo when she tries to eat it. Easy for me because she is a small fear reactive terrier who has to be stay her lead, all be it a long one. She sometimes has a mouth full or two before I get to her.

8

General discussion / Re: WSAVA food guidelines - should we trust them?

« on: Jan 31, 2021, 11:52 »

If you make comparisons about the way vets work with GP's, then I think the onus is on the dog owner or the patient to find out about nutrition.

I see more and more people who have been diagnosed with stroke, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, joint  pain and other conditions, who have been prescribed medication, sometimes for life.  Since I am often supporting people with appointments, it shocks me that there is often no reference to diet and life style at all. I am sure that in a lot of cases the conditions could improve or even go completely with good nutrition.  In my experience most GP's are focused on treating the condition with drugs and will sometimes give some limited advice about nutrition at best. Even then, it is sensible to remember that some big business industries like diary or meat often sponsor medical advice websites. I know at one time, one of the breast cancer websites was promoting some red meat and diary in their recommended menu plans. Guess who sponsors them?  They are still promoting dairy as something which may reduce the risk.  Other studies have shown the opposite to be true. I am not a scientist but I think it always pays to know who sponsors who and question whether or not any advice given is objective.

9

Introductions / Re: introduction

« on: Jan 25, 2021, 20:04 »

Welcome to the forum AnisTalk.  Hopefully you will find it a good source of information.

10

Dog foods / Re: Markus Muhle and other cold pressed dog food

« on: Jan 12, 2021, 18:08 »

I just checked the Chicken and sweet potato one and it comes out at a 69% rating.

11

Feeding dogs with health problems / Re: Loose stools

« on: Jan 08, 2021, 18:23 »

I fed that very successfully for a time. I never had any issues with loose stools. I only stopped in the end before of the lower shelf life and the fact that it wasn't available in smaller bags at the time. I only have one small dog. There were cold pressed foods available in smaller bags but they didn't seem to suit my dog as well.

12

Feeding dogs with health problems / Re: Loose stools

« on: Jan 08, 2021, 07:38 »

Hello and welcome to the forum. All excellent advice from Dottie.  I just wanted to share something I have personally found useful for digestive discomfort. My dog doesn't tend to get loose stools so it is to a much lesser degree, but she can have bouts of lip smacking and pacing indicating some form of discomfort. After watching her eat lots of grass at such times, I was a bit worried what would happen in winter when there isn't any available. She is particularly fond of chewing wheat grass so I got some powder and add half a teaspoon to her food every 3 days and extra if she seem driven to find grass.  I am sure it won't be a cure but may aid healing. It appears to have reduced the incidents I have with my dog and it definitely calms her if she is pacing.

13

Dog foods / Re: Feeding guidelines in cold pressed food

« on: Dec 22, 2020, 18:45 »

Hello and welcome to the forum. I have found that feeding guidelines need to be tweaked depending on the dog.
Having fed both guru and gentle in the past, I would say their guidelines were pretty accurate for my dog. I am not sure why the other are so different. Maybe the moisture content is a factor but I would have thought this was pretty consistent in cold pressed foods. The best way to gauge is to keep a close eye on body shape. See feeding guide
It can be hard to assess genuine hunger in dogs as many just like to eat. My dog will always be looking for food but if I have changed foods in the past and she has been truly hungry, she has started eating earth and other things she wouldn't normally eat so I have upped portions a little or added more cooked veg or cooked oats to bulk it out.

14

General dog chat / Re: DNA testing for sensitivities and allergies

« on: Dec 10, 2020, 20:32 »

Hello, does your dog have any other symptoms other than those of the reflux? I am not sure that allergies would be responsible for causing reflux although certain foods may exacerbate the symptoms just like with humans. 
Generally the only way to see if anything causes a reaction is to find foods with the least amount of ingredients possible in and see if there is an improvement. Once you feel there are no symptoms, you can start adding foods one at a time to access if any cause a reaction. All treats should be avoided while you do this.
I haven't had experience with testing so can't really comment on that but from what I have read, it has its limitations.

15

Introductions / Re: Newbie in need of advice re treats suitable for dog with early stage kidney dise

« on: Dec 09, 2020, 20:32 »

I tend to keep a packet of rice cakes with no salt or anything else added, on hand for treats. My dog seems to like them and because they are mostly air, I hope she feels like it is more substantial than it actually is. They are dry though which shouldn't be an issue if your dog is drinking well. Raw carrots also make a good treat if your dog likes them.