Help! Where Have I Gone Wrong?

[kirsty79]

So, I have two boofers, Fred the basset (3) and Jessie Heinz 57 (12), both from shelters. When they came to me they were fed tinned wet and dry kibble - Pedigree and so for ease / budget I continued. Truthfully, they have been in excellent condition until just recently. Fred has begun scratching – continuously. And Jessie hasn’t got great teeth (although that is partly age as well). Since joining Dol I’ve leant so much (and realised there is still so much I don’t know!) and last week I made the decision to convert the furkids to a completely natural raw diet to improve their conditioning and health. I was previously told by vets in the UK, if ever changing a dogs food / diet, to do it gradually in case of an upset stomach. So, I continued feeding as normal in the morning and then introduced some chicken necks and carrots for the evening meal. Have done this for two days now. Both mornings we have come out and found very small piles of orange vomit – 2 yesterday and 4 this morning. We’re pretty sure its Jessie.

Is this usual in diet change? Am I doing something wrong? Should I go back to usual tins and dry?

Any advice appreciated

[Mas1981]

So, I have two boofers, Fred the basset (3) and Jessie Heinz 57 (12), both from shelters. When they came to me they were fed tinned wet and dry kibble - Pedigree and so for ease / budget I continued. Truthfully, they have been in excellent condition until just recently. Fred has begun scratching – continuously. And Jessie hasn’t got great teeth (although that is partly age as well). Since joining Dol I’ve leant so much (and realised there is still so much I don’t know!) and last week I made the decision to convert the furkids to a completely natural raw diet to improve their conditioning and health. I was previously told by vets in the UK, if ever changing a dogs food / diet, to do it gradually in case of an upset stomach. So, I continued feeding as normal in the morning and then introduced some chicken necks and carrots for the evening meal. Have done this for two days now. Both mornings we have come out and found very small piles of orange vomit – 2 yesterday and 4 this morning. We’re pretty sure its Jessie.

Is this usual in diet change? Am I doing something wrong? Should I go back to usual tins and dry?

Any advice appreciated

My dog vomits if he has chicken necks, they just dont agree with him, in fact he will vomit after any bones. I have just accepted that he cant tolerate them. Cant offer you any advice, just thought I would mention it happens to my dog too and he is only 11 months old.

[persephone]

Gradually......

try adding some minced chicken carcases to the normal food.... plus maybe a teaspoon of cooked and pureed vegetable.... then work up from there.

Your old dog's body may not be able to tolerate vegetables and bones

the vomit certainly sounds as if her stomach rejected all the hard material .

Just give her her normal food , and see if she settles. Don't feed her any more chicken necks, if she has poor teeth- she may not be able to chew the bone enough...

if she is that age,and reasonably healthy still - I would not be changing her food much at all- except adding a little fish.. and /or mince. Just my thoughts...

[kirsty79]

So, I have two boofers, Fred the basset (3) and Jessie Heinz 57 (12), both from shelters. When they came to me they were fed tinned wet and dry kibble - Pedigree and so for ease / budget I continued. Truthfully, they have been in excellent condition until just recently. Fred has begun scratching – continuously. And Jessie hasn’t got great teeth (although that is partly age as well). Since joining Dol I’ve leant so much (and realised there is still so much I don’t know!) and last week I made the decision to convert the furkids to a completely natural raw diet to improve their conditioning and health. I was previously told by vets in the UK, if ever changing a dogs food / diet, to do it gradually in case of an upset stomach. So, I continued feeding as normal in the morning and then introduced some chicken necks and carrots for the evening meal. Have done this for two days now. Both mornings we have come out and found very small piles of orange vomit – 2 yesterday and 4 this morning. We’re pretty sure its Jessie.

Is this usual in diet change? Am I doing something wrong? Should I go back to usual tins and dry?

Any advice appreciated

My dog vomits if he has chicken necks, they just dont agree with him, in fact he will vomit after any bones. I have just accepted that he cant tolerate them. Cant offer you any advice, just thought I would mention it happens to my dog too and he is only 11 months old.

Its good to know I'm not the only one Fred loves the chicken necks but he has cast iron guts. Maybe Jessie is a bit more sensitive

[kirsty79]

Gradually......

try adding some minced chicken carcases to the normal food.... plus maybe a teaspoon of cooked and pureed vegetable.... then work up from there.

Your old dog's body may not be able to tolerate vegetables and bones

the vomit certainly sounds as if her stomach rejected all the hard material .

Just give her her normal food , and see if she settles. Don't feed her any more chicken necks, if she has poor teeth- she may not be able to chew the bone enough...

if she is that age,and reasonably healthy still - I would not be changing her food much at all- except adding a little fish.. and /or mince. Just my thoughts...

Thanks Persephone. I had thought, you know what she's 12, very sprightly, and has been very happy on the tinned and dry kibble, perhaps I should not change her diet. Maybe my good intentions weren't the best idea! Think I shall take the advice and go back to her normal. Her tummy is definitely more sensitive that Fred's

[Rebanne]

one out of my four can't tolerate chicken necks, everything else is fine.

For the oldie I wouldn't change too much, swap some mince for the wet and I wouldn't even bother about vegies, they are not essential at all. Add an egg to the dry every few days, some sardines or mackeral and a bit of mince.

[LizT]

one out of my four can't tolerate chicken necks, everything else is fine.

For the oldie I wouldn't change too much, swap some mince for the wet and I wouldn't even bother about vegies, they are not essential at all. Add an egg to the dry every few days, some sardines or mackeral and a bit of mince.

If you do add an egg, cook it slightly first so that the egg white becomes solid as dogs have a problem with raw egg white OR just give the yolk.

[Jennt]

Why not try something like BARF instead of whole bones? BARF has fresh meat, vegetables and ground bones in it.

[Rebanne]

one out of my four can't tolerate chicken necks, everything else is fine.

For the oldie I wouldn't change too much, swap some mince for the wet and I wouldn't even bother about vegies, they are not essential at all. Add an egg to the dry every few days, some sardines or mackeral and a bit of mince.

If you do add an egg, cook it slightly first so that the egg white becomes solid as dogs have a problem with raw egg white OR just give the yolk.

no need to ccok it at all as long as the whole egg is given. The white, if fed in excess and without the yolk, could cause a biotin deficency but the yolk has plenty so balancing out each other.

[AmandaJ]

My experience with "scratchie" is that a reason exists even if you can't see it. You won't always see fleas, you can't see allergies. Our vet told us to treat both in the first instance to get the dog comfortable then trial from there. Put the dog on a bland diet - boiled chicken (not necks or frames) and rice or pasta. Give an antihistamine (we use Telfast 24hr) for the allergies only until the dog is comfortable. Stop the antihistamine for a few days but maintain the diet. If the reaction reoccurs it's most likely an environmental allergy - if not continue (yeast allergies are different). Next step was to gradually change the diet and monitor the reaction. That will tell you if it's diet related. If it was environmental we used the same process to identify the allergen - we gave up and ripped out the grass and put down fake lawn - it ended up being easier and cheaper (than all the testing). We monitor conditions before we start to flea treat (only do what is necessary) and are comfortable with the routine the dogs have. If it works for Charlie it will work for the others

[Tim'sMum]

It's the time of year for 'itchies'......especially if it has been wet and humid where you are.

The itching may not be diet related at all.....but something environmental?

Certainly check for fleas (I use a fine plastic human head lice comb to check...which can be bought for a few $ at any chemist). Also check for any allergy causing weeds, like Wandering Jew, in the garden or something different you may have used recently....like carpet shampoo or a new brand of dog shampoo? I find that bathing them with oatmeal soaked in the water helps itching. Tie a handful of oats into an old clean stocking and let it soak in a bucket of hot water. When the water cools use it to bathe the dog. This helped my old ACD who suffered from itching quite regualrly through the 14 years we had him. We never discovered what he was allergic to.

I would leave the old girl's diet as it is. 12 is a good age and she is obviously thriving on it. Big chunky bones, like beef thigh bones, that she can chew but not swallow might help a bit with her teeth.

[Jed]

one out of my four can't tolerate chicken necks, everything else is fine.

For the oldie I wouldn't change too much, swap some mince for the wet and I wouldn't even bother about vegies, they are not essential at all. Add an egg to the dry every few days, some sardines or mackeral and a bit of mince.

If you do add an egg, cook it slightly first so that the egg white becomes solid as dogs have a problem with raw egg white OR just give the yolk.

Sorry that's incorrect. It was believed that feeding egg white was detrimental, but the yolk balances it. Feed whole eggs.

I would add a little mince (nothing else) to the older one's diet for a week or two, gradually changing from tins to mince, then gradually add a little vege. Dessertspoonfull maybe. It's because she is old, and the changes take a bit more time. And the addition of eggs and fish is good too,but again, a little at a time. Give a bone once a week to begin with, or a chicken neck. The problem is most likely the veges, as the food the dog has been having wouldn't have veges.

Be aware that with the itches, raw food may not solve the problem. Sometimes, if something causes a skin problem, it takes years for it to develop, because the skin is gradually being deranged, but there are no obvious signs. Then, after a long period of time, the changes are apparent. Unfortunately, it can take a while for the skin to return to normal. So don't expect an improvement in a week.

Good luck!!

[Christina]

If the dog has survived on cans & dry for 12 years & is in good health I would not be changing it now.

What is the point at that age ? Maybe just give her a small amount of something different for a treat sometimes.

Her diet obviously has worked fine so far.

[kirsty79]

Thanks everyone for your advice. Our old girl was back on her tins and kibble last night. Tail perked back up, wolfed it down and there's been no vomiting since

As for Fred, he has scratched his neck folds of skin red raw. I will do flea patrol tonight but If its that or an allergy, would that still cause his skin to have that distinct smell? If its a yeast infection, this is like the 3rd he has got it in a year. Is that normal? It has been EXTREMELY wet and humid here in Petrie so maybe thats irritating him. Does anyone have any suggestions how I can soothe his skin? He gets groomed once every 3 to 4 weeks with his special shampoo. I didn't think I should increase that because surely the drier we keep his skin the better?? Or are my good intentions going astray again?