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Expert about dog food

January 3rd, 2009

Question:

Name: Renate Starr
Pets species and breed: Black Lab/Rottweiler mix
Pets age and weight: 6yo / 106lb
Pets health status: hypothyroid, hip dysplasia,overweight
Are they spayed or neutered? Yes
Brand of food: orijen
Animal owned for: 3 years

“Ebony is under veterinary care for the above conditions for the last 1 1/2 years and is unable to lose the weight on her present diet of 1 cup ORIJEN Adult Dog Food mixed with 1 cup tri colored cabbage and 1/2 cup of fat free organic low sodium chicken broth from Trader Joe`s along with her medication 2x daily. Now she is only allowed 1/2 this ration and they want her to be fed with Purina OM. I have previously tried Purina OM and she actually gained a pound, not to mention that this food appears to be low quality and I do not feel right, feeding it to her. It is very expensive and judging from the ingredients downright unhealthy. Can you recommend a quality food that would allow her to lose the weight she needs to? I do not give her treats and weather permitting take her to the off leash dog park for her excersise.”

Thank you Renate Starr

Answer:

“Ebony sounds like a dog who would thrive on a totally raw dog food diet. Dogs who are overweight tend to lose weight by eating raw food. The book I recommend is called “Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats” by Kymthy Schultz.   You can get it at Amazon.com or other book stores.  It is very short and readable in one or two nights.

Having said that,  homeopathy is also indicated. I tend to look at the situation like a huge iceberg. The part that is sticking up are the symptoms we see and underneath is a *huge* conglomeration of maybe previously unexpressed symptoms that are just waiting to surface. Our goal is to dissolve the entire iceberg. Diet alone, while being extremely helpful, does not do that. Diet raises the water level on the iceberg, which is extremely helpful, but if the diet is returned to “normal”,  the water level returns to it’s previous level and the symptoms return. The only way I know of to start dissolving the iceberg that has accumulated from many generations of poor quality food,  over vaccination,  and over drugging… is with homeopathy.”

Thanks and good luck

Dr. Judy Stolz

Tags: Orijen
Posted in K9 Care, K9 Expert Question, K9 Nutrition | No Comments »

Expert on Skin and Diet

October 27th, 2008

Question:

Name: Sue Kinnaird

Pets’ species and breed: Rottweiler

Pets’ age and weight: 18 months, 130lbs

Pets’ health status: good

Are they spayed or neutered? No

Brand of food: changing diets

“He has a skin problem; itchy, flaky, like cerises. Smells and loosing hair, the vet gave me medicated shampoo, and said he had mites, so a bath once a week in miteicide shampoo and after spray. This seemed to make him itch more. I did this for a month. I have been adding salmon oil and garlic olive oil to his food. I even tried tea tree oil and diluted it to brush him out. He is somewhat better. I know he needs a good diet, I tried to choose the ones with high fish & protein, he was on one for 2 months, and then they were out of stock so back to PC brand. This has been going on for over 6 months. He is still suffering and scratching, especially his elbows and neck. The breeder recommended Orijen dog food, but it is sold in the states, we are in Canada.”

Answer:

“The most important thing to do in this case is to make sure the mites are gone.  This can only be done through your veterinarian.  Mites are very difficult to treat and can take weeks to months to treat them successfully.  The skin will never be normal if the mites are still there, so this needs to be addressed first.

“Using the right diet or supplements or topicals, when there are mites present will never result in long term success.  The mites need to be treated repeatedly over many weeks to months.  Once the dog is successfully mite-free, then diet and supplements can be used to restore the skin and coat back to health.  The Orijen brand food you mention is a great choice and is made in Canada, so with a little research, you should be able to get it there.  Their website is www.championpetfoods.com for more information.

Good luck with the mite treatment – it is challenging but hang in there!”

Dr. Miller

Tags: Add new tag, Diet, Orijen, Skin Care
Posted in K9 Expert Question | No Comments »

Another Answer from Sandra Miller

October 6th, 2008

The Question:

“Hi, my dog loves to eat and seems to never get enough; so I feed him 1 cup of dry dog food in the morning and evening with 1 1/2 cups of steamed green beans each feeding. Within the last 3 months he seems to not to have a lot of energy to play. I was wanting to change dog foods but don’t want him to gain any weight. Could you suggest a low calorie dry dog food? And do you think I should feed him more than 2 cups total a day. Many of the brands say to feed a dog this size 4 to 5 cups of dry food a day but when I do he seems to gain weight. My dog Cort is trained for the hearing impaired, I got him when he was 2 years old from Caine Champions in CA and they said to feed him Eukanuba dry food. We do not feed him any treats except for doggie popcorn low calorie, dry chicken jerky and 2 times a week pork rawhide bone. We do not feed him any people food. About 3 to 4 times a week we go on a 45 minute to 1 hour hike in the mountains. The other 3-4 days he stays in the office with me, my husband and I are age 55 & 63. Do you have any suggestions on how to keep him more active without atrenning us? I appreciate any help you can give me.”
~Sara Childre

The Answer:

This question brings up a number of “myths” in the nutrition field, both human and animal.  First of all, we are feeding a carnivore here.  This means “meat-eater” and the main part of the diet should be meat (protein).  However, in most commercial pet foods, the manufacturers cut corners and put far too much grain/carb/sugar sources in the diet (hence the weight control issue in most pets).

There aren’t great regulations on pet foods so they can get away with this, at the expense of our pets.  Also, our pets are left feeling unsatisfied and still hungry at the end of the meal.

Secondly, dogs are scavengers and will eat whenever the next meal presents itself.  So, feeding based on hunger level is never a good idea.  They will generally always seem hungry (especially Labs and Golden Retrievers).  They should feel satisfied right after the meal, however.

Third, calories are NOT the issue.  Appropriate amounts of proteins, versus carbs (sugars) versus fats will control weight.  The amount of calories in the wrong form (sugar) will only amount to a weight gain.  Most ALL treats are SUGAR based (especially the ones that you mention) and only compound the problem of too much sugar in the dog food.

This could actually turn into a 60 page answer so I am going to leave you with a couple resources at the end for more info.  But, the bottom line for your pet is to SLOWLY switch to a clean, natural, properly formulated product like Nature’s Variety or Orijen, for example.  The proper balance of nutrients will result in optimum weight without “cutting calories” or sacrificing.  As for the treats – toss everything you have and reach towards carrots, broccoli, turkey or chicken chunks, eggs (boiled) or other fresh veggies or meat sources.  Be sure to give small amounts at first so as to not upset the stomach.  After 6 months, re-evaluate the weight and if you are not making any progress, please have the thyroid levels checked.

~ Dr. Sandra Miller

Tags: Nature's Variety, Orijen
Posted in K9 Expert Question | 1 Comment »