How is Your Dog's Diet Effecting It's Health?
August 10, 2009 by doggymom
Filed under Featured, Guest Bloggers, Health Care
How is Your Dog's Diet Effecting It's Health
A balanced diet is somethign that everyone is concerned about, but what kind of diet should your dog be on if any? Here are a few answers to commonly asked questions about dog nutrition:
Does my dog need to have a nutritionally balanced diet like me? Dogs require a total of 39 nutrients in their daily diet, dosed in correct proportions. Some of these nutrients include: protein, fats, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. In addition to these nutrients in their food, water is also equally, if not more beneficial in a dog’s every day diet.
Should my dog have protein in their diet? Dogs are officially classified as omnivores. This means that they thrive on both meat and vegetable diets combined. Protein aids in the growth of bone and muscle in puppies, and keeps them strong as adults.
Should my dog have fiber in their diet? Fiber is beneficial to your pet’s digestive tract. It aids in constipation, weight loss, and helps keep their colon clean. However, too much fiber can be harmful to your pet by causing increased size and quantity of stool production, which can be painful or uncomfortable.
What about a fat-free diet for my dog? Dogs need fat. Fats provide more energy than carbohydrates and protein and they also make the food easier to eat and swallow. Fats also provide necessary fatty acids that help your pet’s skin to remain healthy as well as adding shine to their coat.
People sometimes need vitamin and mineral supplements. Does my dog need any? If you are giving your dog a balanced diet through their dog food, they should be getting all the proper vitamins and minerals they need. Because people need different levels of vitamins and minerals than dogs, supplements can actually be quite harmful to your pet. If you are concerned about your pet’s food and their vitamin and mineral intake, contact your veterinarian with any questions you may have.
How often should I feed my dog? Puppies should be fed two to three times a day, because they are rapidly growing and need the food to keep up with their energy and metabolism. Most owners feed adult dogs one or two times a day, depending on their personal preference, the recommendation of their vet, or on their dog’s activity level.
When considering food quantity, how much should I feed my dog? The best guide to go by is the instructions on the dog food packaging. Know your pet’s age, weight, activity level and size, and the instructions will tell you the proper amount of food to feed your pup.
As increased awareness about nutritional health makes its way through social circles, people begin to wonder about the nutritional health and needs of their pet. Remember, if you have any specific questions about your pet’s nutritional intake, make an appointment and ask your vet. They will be able to help you determine the best diet for your dog.
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Ask Joey-Are my dog's lumps cancer?
Lumpy Dog
Dear Joey,
I'm a little worried. My dog is 10 years old and I'm starting to feel lumps on her. They don't seem to bother her but they sure bother me. I'm worried she may have cancer. Should I take her to the vet?
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Dear Sharon,
I can't tell you with 100 % assurance that it isn't cancer but it probably isn't. Older dogs tend to get fatty tumors (hey I have lots of them myself). They aren't dangerous and they aren't painful. Usually the only time for medical intervention with them is when they are in an odd spot that is uncomfortable for the dog.
You didn't say whether the lumps are soft and squishy which is another sign it is a fatty tumor or hard. If it's hard, it may be a cyst. A cyst can easily be removed and may or may not be cancerous. So if it does feel hard, you should get it checked out by your dog's vet. If not, just mention the lumps to your vet at your dog's next appointment.
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Harley's Chronic Skin Condition
April 23, 2009 by doggymom
Filed under Cathy's Product Reviews
Harley's Skin Problem and Finally a Solution
I have to admit, that I feel like I have been a bad doggy mom. We have had little Harley for several years now. It started out that I was just going to be watching her for several weeks for my ex's girlfriend. The girlfriend ended up in circumstances where she couldn't care for Harley and so Harley became part of our family.
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From the start Harley was a very sweet, timid little Cocker Spaniel. She immediatley bonded with me and became my constant shadow. She seemed pretty healthy despite being gravely injured a year prior. But she did have a chronic skin condition that despite several trips to the vet and several hundred dollars later, wasn't any better. I guess I should have kept trying with the vet to find a solution but I just couldn't afford it financially. I had 3 other dogs and 3 kids to support. So poor Harley just had to live with it. It didn't seem to bother her too much but her skin looked horrible. No one in the family wanted to scratch her. She had scalely lesions all over her skin. It became so bad that the groomer didn't want to shave her. I was a groomer many moons ago but I knew I couldn't put a razor on her skin either. Her hair got pretty long and a little matted around the lesions and I just felt horrible every time I looked at her.
I did try home remedies. I gave her fish oil capsules and olive oil and bathed her in medicated shampoos and even rubbed olive oil into her skin. Nothing helped.
A few months ago, I was contacted by someone from a pet supplement nutritional company called Casey Pets. They wanted to know if I'd be interested in having the Bloggy Doggies try their signature product
Essential Supplement. Of course, we were game for it.
At first, I decided that I would sprinkle it on the communal dog food bowl so all the dogs could benefit. I wondered if they would even like it. They did like it but I realized that the small bottle I had would go very fast if I gave it to all of them. Harley was the one I wanted to concentrate on. So after several days, I just gave it to her. I sprinkled a teaspoon or so on a slice of American cheese and gave it to her once or twice a day. I have to admit there were several days I forgot about giving it to her.
Harley finished off the bottle in about a month. And I'm happy to say her skin cleared up enough that I was able to groom her this past weekend. There were still a few scalely spots but I expect those to disappear with continued use of the Essential Supplement. I'd say her skin condition improved about 85%. I am just so thrilled that we finally found something that works!
Here is a before picture when her hair was really long. Of course the hair is covering the skin condition but believe me, it was bad.
And here she is now:
She looks much better now doesn't she? Oh, by the way the Essential Supplement from Casey Petraceuticals is good for alot more than just skin. You can read about all that it does here: CaseyPet.com . They also have an anti-inflammatory lotion too.
Oh, and in case anyone is wondering; I didn't get paid for this review, nor am I an affiliate. All I got out of it was a free bottle of the product…..and a healthier dog. I have already ordered another bottle.
Ask Joey:Help-My dog is limping
Help-My dog's has a Hurt Leg..I Think
Dear Joey,
Sophie is not using her right hind leg sometimes, but doesn't seem to be in any pain with her leg whatsoever. That's what is so weird about it. Sometimes when I see her not using it, I'll go immediately and press it up and down and it doesn't bother her at all. And the vet spent about 20 minutes going carefully over every centimeter of that leg.
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My vet wants to take x-rays but if the problem is bones or something, why wouldn't she avoid using that leg ALL the time? We hate to spend lots of money just to have a vet say that they can't find the problem, and the poor dog can't tell us. I do wonder if other owners have encountered this kind of situation. Would love to know what you find out!
If she seemed in any pain or discomfort, I'd take her back to the vet yesterday! But she's not and it's so intermittent; she'll go days using all 4 legs normally and then suddenly won't. Very strange.
Donna,
Atlanta, GA
Dear Donna,
Of course you know that Sophie is one of our very favorite dogs in the world! My momma loves her like she is her own pup. Momma says she first noticed Sophie limping a little when she came for a visit in February. It seemed to happen after she had been resting some, but you are right. She didn't seem to be in any pain.
We did a little investigating to try to find out what is going on. There were several possibilities but no real good answers. In researching, we found that Bichons are prone to a few leg problems.
Patellar Luxation. The patella is the knee of the dog, that point at which the rear leg bends. Luxation refers to the shifting position of the knee due to looseness of the ligaments that hold the knee stable. When the dog is active, he is quite likely to stretch these weakened ligaments to the extent that they tear.
In our research, the author of Dog Adoption and Training Guide.com states, "Several of my dogs have had this problem and all I've done is reach down, massage the knee a little until they drop their leg, and we are good to go for another 3 or 4 months."
Spinal Disk Degeneration. is more likely to occur in heavier dogs, (Sophie isn't heavy) a strong reason for watching their weight. The tendency to disk degeneration is considered genetic. A sign that may alert you to developing degenerative disk would be weakness in the rear of the body, indicating that muscle strength is not sufficient to support his or her rear legs. This happens when there is pressure on nerves connected to those muscles, possibly affecting their performance. Vascular and chemical changes will lead to paralysis if not treated. These signs of an impending problem can occur months earlier and may be ignored by both owner and veterinarian.
Legg-Calve-Perthes usually shows up early in life, starting around 4 months in some and almost certainly will be symptomatic by the end of the first year. (Sophie was a young adult when we noticed this so this probably isn't the problem).There is lameness, pain and increasing disability due to poor vascular (blood) supply to the bone.
Hip Dysplasia occurs when the bony head of the femur does not fit properly in the hip socket, whereas the bone dies in LCP, described above. Hip dysplasia is a developmental problem, considered a genetic inheritance issue, where the hip socket is badly formed. Because the hip is not properly formed, the head of the femur cannot fit snugly in the socket. Surgery may result in better life for the affected dog but it is important to distinguish between this and Legg-Calve-Perthes as they are similar.
I hope that this has given you a few more possibilities you can ask your vet about. If anyone else out there has had this problem and has any advice for Sophie and her mom, please leave a comment!
My Dog has a Blister on her Paw-Ask Joey
Hi guys and pups. Joey here with this week's question. I had to do a little research for this one since it's a medical problem.
Dear Joey,
My dog, a full grown Pit Bull named Dixie, who is the sweetest around, has developed a sore, which was a blister on a pad on her foot. We've been careful with walking her in the grass to help limit the pain, yet her entire foot, the pads, have black outlines, unlike the other feet. There isn't an odor, so we do not believe it is infected. Saving an expensive trip to the vet is important, with today's economy. Do you have any idea what this could be and why she has the discoloration on the other pads on that same foot?
Thanks! Sue
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Dear Sue,
Ouch! Poor Dixie. I hope her foot feels better soon!
There are several possible causes for her sore. One is a corn. It's usually a problem with greyhounds so it's not likely. If it is a corn, it will likely return.
The sore could have been caused by a condition called Hyperkeratosis. PetsDoc.com Rancid hd has this to say about it:
Hyperkeratosisis a proliferative, dry scaly skin condition. Chronic rubbing and abrasion causes the skin to form callouses. Hyperkeratosis is commonly seen on dog elbows and on foot pads of dogs raised on cement.
You should combat the problem with topical medication, proper nutrition, and environmental improvements. Topically, moisturizing lotions, such as human hand lotions, will help soften the skin to prevent the deep cracks. A diet rich in omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, Vitamin E and zinc will help the skin grow properly. Consider changing the diet, or at least supplementing the needed nutrients. Providing soft pads, carpets and non abrasive surfaces will help prevent the callous formation. Tincture of Benzoin can toughen the skin, and liquid bandages may provide some protection while the skin is healing. " Karas: The Prophecy dvd
There are also several somewhat rare conditions that could cause this. Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis is an auto immune disorder that causes ulcers on the pads.
Erythema multiforme causes pustules or oval-shaped red skin eruptions on the foot pads and the mouth.
Bullous pemphigoid- This is a rare disorder that causes blisters and ulcers on the skin and the foot pads.
Most likely though, it was caused by a burn (from hot asphalt in warm climates), from a small cut that got infected, a bee sting or she could have stepped hard on something like a rockthat caused the blister to form. The discolations are probably from where she has been licking at it.
I would try the solutions offered for the Hyperkeratosis as it sounds like a good treatment for most of the more minor causes.
If she continues to have pain with it or if it becomes swollen, or red, please get her checked out as it could be infected.
Get better soon Dixie!
