RECENT POSTS

Ask the Expert: Megasophagus and Diet

October 19th, 2008

Question:

“I”m a loyal customer, and one of the reasons is that you seem to really care about keeping on top of the pet food field. One of my 4mo old puppies (frenchie) was just diagnosed with Megaesophagus – which is a bad thing. His is not bad, but I want to keep it that way. My vet suggested I feed him a “slurry”, which is food that is wet, pulverized, water down, etc. Anyway, if you happen to hear about a wet food that might be better for a puppy with this condition, please email me. Supposedly raw is out, and high protein is not advised because of high-bacteria count in the former, and harder digestibility of the latter.”

Answer:

“I don’t have any recommendations for a commercial food to feed to a 4 week old puppy,  as they are all processed. I don’t agree with the high bacteria count and difficulty digesting protein as a reason not to feed raw dog food. Yes, meats do have a higher bacterial count than vegetables…which is why humans become chronically ill when eating meat and dairy,  but  a carnivore’s digestive tract is much more acidic.   You can make a baby food consistency slurry out of raw or partially cooked meat and the puppy should do just fine.   I would definitely add food enzymes –  possibly even pre-digest the food with enzymes first,  even before giving it to the puppy.   Hope that helps.”

Dr. Judy Stolz

Posted in K9 Expert Question | No Comments »