Answers to Readers' Questions on Enjoyable Diet. Also refer to canned pet food, dry food, table scraps, emotional health, variety, byproducts, corn meal, onions, chocolate, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions
Answers to Readers' Questions on Animal Health:
Enjoyable Diet
The following 48 questions have been answered. They are listed according to date.
List of first 10 items
- Beagle is overweight but we can't walk her
- Dog has a limp and won't jump in bed any more
- Dog is picky eater
- Dog sometimes gets scraps with meal
- Old rottweiler having trouble digesting food
- Puppy is eating his stool
- Beagle pup can't eat his food
- Terrier refuses to eat
- Old dog having eating problems
- Puppy has parvo and other may have it too
Beagle is overweight but we can't walk her
Question
January 20, 2009
WE HAVE A 6 YR OLD BEAGLE AND SHE IS WAY OVER WEIGHT. SHE IS A 13" BEAGLE,AND WEIGHS ABOUT 46LBS. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO HELP HER DIET ? OK, I KNOW WALKING HER,BUT WE ARE AN OLDER COUPLE AND CAN'T HANDLE HER IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. THANKS FOR ANSWERING, JUST ME
- USA
17119
Answer
It is often so difficult to control the weight of a dog that loves to eat. If you use canned dog food, try to get the ones that are low fat. Also, you can mix in cooked carrots and broccoli in with her food. That will fill her up with not as many calories.
Also, start giving her less to eat in her meals. You can cut back only 10% and it can make a difference. Also cut back on snacks when she begs. It is so easy to give something when your dog is begging.
Often the same diet techniques that work on humans will work on dogs.
If you can find a good area to walk her, it would be good for both of you, even if just once a week. Also, dogs like the chance to sniff around.
I hope these ideas help keep your pet happy and healthy.
Dog has a limp and won't jump in bed any more
Question
October 6, 2008
My 8 year old dog has a limp. Do not know if it is arthritis or the hip problem. Can i give her baby aspirins. Cannot go to the vet for i have no money at this time.
P.S. she also does not want to get on the bed any more and hesatates to go up the stairs.
shirley - Canada
16598
Answer
An 8-year old dog can easily start to get arthritis. But it could also be a mild sprain or some other ailment.
The first thing is to make sure your dog is not overweight. That puts a lot of strain on the joints. If she is overweight, start to cut back on the food a little. Also give her some exercise with slow walks. Once she starts walking, her joint should limber up and not hurt for a while.
Although you can give her aspirin, according to her size (see
http://www.school-for-champions.com/animalhealth/aspirin.htm), it is best only to do that when the dog is very uncomfortable. Giving aspirin every day or too often can cause stomach problems.
Give her a little help, if she has trouble climbing. Also keep her weight down and take on some casual walks.
Best wishes on the health of your dog, so that she will not have so much pain.
Dog is picky eater
Question
August 21, 2008
WHAT CAN I GIVE THE DOG TO EAT HE IS A LONG HAIR CHOW AND VERY PICKY. I WENT TO CA. NATURAL CHICKEN AND RICE FROM BENIFULL WHICH THE PET STORE SAID THAT THIS FOOD IS BETTER FOR HIM. I SOMETIMES MIX THE FOOD WITH CHICKEN STOCK AND VEG. AND GROUND CHICKEN, HE WILL EAT THE CHICKEN AND LEAVE THE FOOD. I HAVE ALSO TRIED HIM ON THE BENIFULL CONTAINS AND HE DECLINES THAT ALSO, CAN YOU HELP ME WITH THIS?
- USA
16384
Answer
Just like children, some dogs can be very picky eaters. But often they learn to be picky by giving in to their whims. If your dog knows you will give the tasty chicken when he doesn't eat the other stuff, he will have you trained to do just that.
Changing the dog food should be done gradually, especially with younger dogs. Puppies can even get an upset stomach from a sudden change in diet.
California Natural should be good dog food. If you are switching from another brand, you might mix the two at first.
If you just give him dog food with no other tasty items, he will turn his nose up to it at first, but once he gets hungry, he will eat it. A dog will not starve itself. Hold off on adding things until he gets used to eating his dog food. You can change the flavors, as long as you stick with the same brand.
Once he starts eating his regular food, you can start adding enhancements.
I hope these ideas help you get your dog eating well.
Dog sometimes gets scraps with meal
Question
July 3, 2008
hi thanks for the advice. i got all the questions right. thanks to the information before it. we keep our dog on hard food and she has leftovers sometimes. is this an ok diet?
Toni - UK
16173
Answer
I am sure your dog enjoys the leftovers. You need to avoid giving her food with onions or fruits. Vegetable scraps are fine. But don't give too much food that could cause her to get fat.
They say that 10% scraps is an OK diet.
Old rottweiler having trouble digesting food
Question
November 29, 2007
10 yr old nuetered male rott - took off all heart worm & vaccinations 3 yrs ago. (possible vaccinosis)
Periods of normal bm, then periods of normal with pudding bm, then pudding.
have given pepto bismal just this past few month. Dog is indoor dog - since
5 months old. Is presently on EVO by Innova (chicken/turkey - NO GRAIN) for
a few tumors + 4 in 1 Probiotics, occasional Azmira Super Vitamin C.
Do add free range turkey, or chicken, or grass fed beef (hamburger) less than 1/2 cup spread among his 3 meals of 1 cup Evo dry per day. Also sometimes add small
amount canned pumpkin, or fresh grated zuchini or lightly steamed carrots,
brocoli, mashed potatoes.
Have used hamburger with white rice (all organic) for stomach upsets.
At a loss as what to do.
For past 5 summers - has allergy problems or "4 Paws 5 Directions" book
eastern/western medicine - heat - licks paws, chews pads, pads ripped
but did not rip this summer. Think the heat of eastern KS really bothers
him, cause now that it is colder - he takes walks in pasture and not chewing
paws.
Please advise and thank you.
The guardian of this special hound!
margaret - USA
14875
Answer
You certainly seem to be giving your dog a healthy diet and are taking good care of him. But one thing you must realize that the life span of a rottweiler is between 9 and 11 years. Sometimes they live beyond 13. Your dog is considered an elderly dog.
So, the problem is probably the fact that his stomach is just not digesting the food as well as it would for a younger dog. Just like with senior citizen humans, it gets more difficult to digest food as the dog gets older.
You could cut back on the meat proteins and add more vegetables for bulk and easier digestion. I'd be more careful in the summer to make sure he doesn't get too hot. I know how Kansas summers can drain the sap out of you.
Realizing that he is old for his breed and giving him proper care and affection, I am sure he will be a happy dog for several more years. Best wishes on his continued good health.
Puppy is eating his stool
Question
February 21, 2007
we have a old english bulldog pup he is 13 wks he has a bad habit of eatting his stools what can we do
julie - USA
13219
Answer
Puppies will sometimes eat their own stool out of curiosity. If they find it get some extra attention, they will often continue the habit. Don't scold or give your puppy any attention if he eats his stool. This is a behavior problem that should go away after a short while.
If his stool is unusually soft, it may mean that he is not digesting his food very well at either needs a change in diet or has some stomach problems. In this case, you should really take him to a vet for an examination.
Beagle pup can't eat his food
Question
November 26, 2006
My 4 month old beagle can't eat his food for some reason. He is recovering from a recent removal of a worm and he just got through surviving parvo. I got him Purina One for puppies, and he liked it before his illness. So when he tries to eat, it drops right out of his mouth. When he tries again, the same results happens. His gums are fine so that shouldn't be a problem. By the way, he is taking an anibiotic for kennel cough right now, so I was wondering if that could be a reason.
David - USA
12476
Answer
Pups often have very sensitive stomachs. But also humans that have been ill recently, lose their appetites.
Try feeding him some baby food, such as ground liver. You might also try giving him broiled chicken (not fried) mixed with rice. That is usually comforting to a dog's or pup's stomach.
Terrier refuses to eat
Question
October 14, 2006
I have a 4 year old rescued terrier mix and this little guy is pickier than ANY of the posts i read on the web site. I've have had him for about 3 months now and he is very comfortable with me. I started him on "Natural Choice" beef flavor and he went for about two weeks on that then refused to eat it. I put him on "Science Diet" chicken then and he hated it after a week so I went back to "Natural Choice" but tried lamb and that lasted for a week as well and now he rejects that, so then we switched to "Natural Way" chicken and he rejected that, and now we are back with "Science Diet" and i practically have to hold the bowl to his face and watch him eat or he won't eat at all. I have been so frusterated, we have tried mixing many different types of wet food with ALL of these brands and he still hates his food. I also left food out and if he didn't eat it in 15 mins i would throw it away and this went on for two days until he was so hungry he ate out of desperation but the following day went right back to refusing to eat his food. He will eat human food ALL day long but won't touch his dog food. One thing to mention, my dog seems to get sick often and his stomach growls when he's sick, i am afraid he is eating something around the house while we are gone or possibly eating something from outside when we walk him that makes him sick. He is usually cured from the stomach growls after about a day of diarrhea and no eating. One last thing, my dog has some kind of skin allergy and we have yet to get the allergy test done on him because of the cost. If you have any suggestions i would appreciate it, thanks.
Joseph - USA
12162
Answer
Apparently he had been brought about the Honda human food, and doesn't know what to adapt to the various dog food brands. Also he may be getting a little extra attention by being picky with his food.
You might try selecting a brand and then varying the flavor with each meal. Like give chicken one day, beef the next day, lamb the next day, and so on. Also, you might add in some human food, including cooked rice and carrots with his canned food.
When he does eat his food, give him some praise. Try not to show any frustration when he does not eat. Dogs can sense how you feel.
If he seems to get sick so often, it might be worth taking him to the vet to see if there is some other issue.
I hope these ideas help.
Old dog having eating problems
Question
April 19, 2006
Hi,
I launched a quest in the net for "My dog drinks a lot and eats a little" and surfed by your page http://www.school-for-champions.com/animalhealth/feedback.cfm?topic=Enjoyable+Diet
I have a 12 years old dog, he has always be picky about food, he has this habit of leaving untouched its food bowl until I caress him plenty of time in order that he eats.
He was raised from a puppy by my mother but he lives with me the last 8 years.
At times he was refusing to eat, also at times he was vomiting all those years but then he was returning to normal that is an average bowl each night, full of food (the last three years I'm cooking for him, chicken or meat with some vegetables and rice, or dog pasta).
This last year he has had gas and also on January he has had something like a seizure, he could not move easily, he was vomiting and refusing to eat anything whatsoever, and had runny excrements.
This lasted 3 days and I healed him with a day food and water abstinence in order to stop vomiting and then chicken boiled with rice. Everything was back to normal afterwards until a month ago, that we have had a burglar's intrusion to our house, I was in and the dog by my side and luckily I frightened the man by showing a gun so he left, but the dog since then stopped to eat at all.
He drinks a lot of water and started again to move difiicultly.
I take him to little excursions with the car in the country that he likes very much, give hime treats like chicken or meat baked on charcoals (human food) or even he had always loved cat food (very soft, Gourmet brand) that I wasn't conceding him before cause I thought it'll maybe harm him. Now I tried this and he loves it still, he accepts it all. Of course I cannot continue with cat food henceforward, I believe...
He eats little pieces by my hand only, many times a day and I managed to add him some weight as he had lost a lot of weight this month.
He drinks a lot, immediately after having eaten a little, as if food causes him some disturbance and needs water to fix it.
He has runny excrements again.
Don't know if it's because of the emotional confusion after the burglar's invasion, I even remembered I added to the dog's food a little oignon (fresh and chopped) remaining of my salad as I thought it might be good, approx before this month of its illness started.
I read here oignon is not good for dogs.
Maybe it's all together, his age, the event, some stomach sensitivity...
Should I think anything worse, especially because of this drinking lots of water immediatley after 4-5 bites of food?
It's the first time in his life I see him deny meat or chicken baked in the oven or in barbecue, he just accepts the chicken's chest (white meat) or fat free little meat pieces, while normally he grabs it all instantly and gulps it down.
Thanks
E. - Greece
10879
Answer
A 12-year old dog is considered a senior citizen and often starts to have changes in behavior and eating habits. But I think he is so used to being caressed before eating that he expects it. That is not bad, because it relaxes him.
Chicken with rice is good for his stomach. You can also include cooked carrots or some other vegetables. Do not give your dog onions. You also need to be careful of so much pasta, because you don't want him to gain weight. You might have to try different types of dog food, since older dogs get fussy and lose their sense of taste. Sometimes they suddenly will refuse to eat what they have been eating for years.
The burglar's intrusion could have caused some emotional problems, but he should get over that soon.
If your dog is drinking a lot of water, that is an indication of a possible kidney problem. Giving cat food is not good, because it is very high in protein and is difficult on the kidneys.
Best wishes on your dog's good health.
Puppy has parvo and other may have it too
Question
March 5, 2006
hello my name is tina yesyerday i found out that one of my four puppies has parvo he is at the vets getting treatment my vet had me bring the other three in for parvo shots and also for worming now one of the three has the runny, bowls and will only eat very little and drink very little another is throwing up and one is acting fine my question is could all of this be from the worming and/or the parvo shot? i have tried to keep them all apart just incase and i will talk to the vet in the mornong but im really worried. she also told me we would not be able to do a parvo test on them for a few days beause of the shots will give false positive results is there anything i do for them now to help them? thank you yours truly Tina
tina ampos - USA
10347
Answer
I'm sorry to hear one of your puppies has parvo. It is a serious disease, so I hope the vet will be able to cure him. The other pups may be reacting to the shots, but the running bowels is also a symptom of parvo, especially if it is bloody. Try to keep the well one separated from the others, if possible.
Try to give them some good food to eat. They might like human baby food. Also broiled chicken with some rice is easy to digest and good for them. Also check with the vet on what do feed them if there is any chance of parvo.
I hope your little fellows all get well soon. Best wishes for you and your pups.
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Answers to Readers' Questions on Enjoyable Diet