Trying To Change Dog To Vets All Natural

[Guest]

I had decide to try my itchy rescue pooch on the wonderful VAN food. UNFORTUNATELY, HE TOOK A LITTLE SNIFF AND TURNED UP HIS NOSE AT IT. THE LADY IN THE SHOP SAID TO JUST START FEEDING IT WITHOUT MIXING IT WITH HIS OLD FOOD. aNYONE ELSE FEED THIS? HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT CHANGING YOUR DOG OVER TO IT? I MUST SAY THAT IT SMELLS LIKE FERMENTING VEGETATION. KIND OF YEASTY.

[spottychick]

Are you giving it to him "straight" - I mean with nothing else added??? That's not how you do it.

I don't know why the lady said that. I would mix it with whatever you normally give the dog. What do you feed him btw?

If you plan on doing it properly it should be given mixed with raw meat. But if you've been giving him something else you can slowly transition from the old food (mixed with van) to the new food (mixed with van).

My dogs have always loved it with other food and will also lick it straight off the spoon.

Its supposed to smell fermented and yeasty - that's the beneficial part of it.

ETA I would also add smaller amounts of it to start with and gradually increase it. Especially if he's finding it a bit wierd - remember their sense of smell is fabulous so he'll smell it in his food. Try to disguise its smell a bit. You never know he might really like it once it's mixed anyway, but it's best to start off carefully.

Edited September 25, 2010 by spottychick

[Guest]

Are you giving it to him "straight" - I mean with nothing else added??? That's not how you do it.

I don't know why the lady said that. I would mix it with whatever you normally give the dog. What do you feed him btw?

If you plan on doing it properly it should be given mixed with raw meat. But if you've been giving him something else you can slowly transition from the old food (mixed with van) to the new food (mixed with van).

My dogs have always loved it with other food and will also lick it straight off the spoon.

Its supposed to smell fermented and yeasty - that's the beneficial part of it.

Thanks for your response. Good to hear your dogs love it. I've had him on cooked chicken and rice for about a week to try to settle the loose runny poo problem. Has sort of worked. He now has part solid then some loose stuff at the end. Yucky topic,sorry. The shop gave me a small pack of premixed VAN. Also bought the dry mix which I'm soaking for tomorrow to have with fresh roo meat. I an trying to change to food he hasn't eaten before to see if it helps with the paw and bottom licking/scooting and the poos. I might try mixing some chicken with it for a few days to see if it helps.

[Guest]

Are you giving it to him "straight" - I mean with nothing else added??? That's not how you do it.

I don't know why the lady said that. I would mix it with whatever you normally give the dog. What do you feed him btw?

If you plan on doing it properly it should be given mixed with raw meat. But if you've been giving him something else you can slowly transition from the old food (mixed with van) to the new food (mixed with van).

My dogs have always loved it with other food and will also lick it straight off the spoon.

Its supposed to smell fermented and yeasty - that's the beneficial part of it.

Thanks for your response. Good to hear your dogs love it. I've had him on cooked chicken and rice for about a week to try to settle the loose runny poo problem. Has sort of worked. He now has part solid then some loose stuff at the end. Yucky topic,sorry. The shop gave me a small pack of premixed VAN. Also bought the dry mix which I'm soaking for tomorrow to have with fresh roo meat. I an trying to change to food he hasn't eaten before to see if it helps with the paw and bottom licking/scooting and the poos. I might try mixing some chicken with it for a few days to see if it helps.

I wonderer if the yeasty smell might be the problem

[spottychick]

Okay that sounds good. But don't change too much at once, especially if he's only just starting to get over runny poo problems. I would perhaps alternate with the chicken and rice every other night and see how he goes. It's just that a change of diet can cause diarrhea (jeez how do you spell that word!!!!) sometimes.

Also be aware that switching to VANs and natural food can cause some dogs to detox. But in the long run it will make for a healthier dog It's worth persevering with.

Good luck!

[spottychick]

I wonderer if the yeasty smell might be the problem

Well it might be but lots of dog food has yeast in it. I think he just needs it mixed with something he's used to so that he gets a taste for it.

[Guest]

Okay that sounds good. But don't change too much at once, especially if he's only just starting to get over runny poo problems. I would perhaps alternate with the chicken and rice every other night and see how he goes. It's just that a change of diet can cause diarrhea (jeez how do you spell that word!!!!) sometimes.

Also be aware that switching to VANs and natural food can cause some dogs to detox. But in the long run it will make for a healthier dog It's worth persevering with.

Good luck!

Thanks spottychick.

I'll try that. I've still got some frozen chicken and rice to use up. I'll definitely persevere as I'm sure it will be best for him in the long run. By the way, I'm pretty sure it's officially DIARRHOEAH. I remember trying very hard to remember how to spell it when I was doing my nursing degree. But, mostly it seems to be spelled pretty much like you have. I don't think it matters much though 'cos everyone knows what you mean no matter how it is spelt.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Roo is too rich for many dogs, will give them the runs. Have you tried the Slippery Elm powder I suggested?

[Guest]

Roo is too rich for many dogs, will give them the runs. Have you tried the Slippery Elm powder I suggested?

Oh dear. I thought it was some kind of super food acceptable to all dogs. The slippery elm is one of the things I haven't gotten yet. Does it come from the health food shop? I haven't made it to a health food shop yet and still want to try some apple cider vinegar and omega oils too. Got some flaxseed oil from the supermarket. I'm getting close to my credit card limit with all the things I've bought for my new friend these last couple of weeks. I MUST make up a shopping list.

[persephone]

Just a warning... all the new things you are adding may well cause upset gut again....... or at least make it harder to find the CAUSE of any diarrhoea

[Guest]

Just a warning... all the new things you are adding may well cause upset gut again....... or at least make it harder to find the CAUSE of any diarrhoea

Yes, I was a bit worried about that but I just hate to see the poor little fella scratching and licking and turning his feet and bottom red. I thought the VAN and roo might effect a miracle cure. I thought I would feed a little at a time and see how he went. I think I might be trying to sort out the problem too quickly. He has had reasonable poos on the chicken and rice and only small amounts but the itching and licking seemed to get worse.

[Guest]

Just a warning... all the new things you are adding may well cause upset gut again....... or at least make it harder to find the CAUSE of any diarrhoea

Yes, I was a bit worried about that but I just hate to see the poor little fella scratching and licking and turning his feet and bottom red. I thought the VAN and roo might effect a miracle cure. I thought I would feed a little at a time and see how he went. I think I might be trying to sort out the problem too quickly. He has had reasonable poos on the chicken and rice and only small amounts but the itching and licking seemed to get worse.

I've also been told that chicken is a commom allergen in dogs. Is rice a problem for some dogs too?

[JulesP]

Did you feed the VAN that has meat etc in it? Pre mixed? Very sloppy weird looking stuff? lol.

All my dogs scoffed it down no problems.

[spottychick]

Just a warning... all the new things you are adding may well cause upset gut again....... or at least make it harder to find the CAUSE of any diarrhoea

Yes, I was a bit worried about that but I just hate to see the poor little fella scratching and licking and turning his feet and bottom red. I thought the VAN and roo might effect a miracle cure. I thought I would feed a little at a time and see how he went. I think I might be trying to sort out the problem too quickly. He has had reasonable poos on the chicken and rice and only small amounts but the itching and licking seemed to get worse.

I've also been told that chicken is a commom allergen in dogs. Is rice a problem for some dogs too?

Yes it can be a problem for some dogs. But you felt it was helping him. My dog tango gets a lot of rice (due to a health issue effecting what he can eat) and does fine on it. It depends on your dog.

Mate, you need to slow down. Sometimes these things can take a bit of time and working out to get it right. I'd say stick as closely as you can to whatever you've been giving him since it seems to have helped a bit. Add the Van complete mix to it and gradually replace the rice with VAN and then if that's going well stick with chicken and Van. You can try other meat once you have him stable on something consistent and it seems to be working. If he doesn't do well on chicken and VAN try another meat source. If it's still no good, cut the Van for a while and try another meat source and veggies. etc

It's lovely how keen you are to help your little pooch. LOL But don't panic. Buy what you can afford and try to keep it simple

[Guest]

Did you feed the VAN that has meat etc in it? Pre mixed? Very sloppy weird looking stuff? lol.

All my dogs scoffed it down no problems.

Yep. That was it. The lady at Petstock has a dog that she put on it and was sure it would be good for Wally. I should have let her dog talk to my dog. I'll just have to take it slowly.

[Guest]

Just a warning... all the new things you are adding may well cause upset gut again....... or at least make it harder to find the CAUSE of any diarrhoea

Yes, I was a bit worried about that but I just hate to see the poor little fella scratching and licking and turning his feet and bottom red. I thought the VAN and roo might effect a miracle cure. I thought I would feed a little at a time and see how he went. I think I might be trying to sort out the problem too quickly. He has had reasonable poos on the chicken and rice and only small amounts but the itching and licking seemed to get worse.

I've also been told that chicken is a commom allergen in dogs. Is rice a problem for some dogs too?

Yes it can be a problem for some dogs. But you felt it was helping him. My dog tango gets a lot of rice (due to a health issue effecting what he can eat) and does fine on it. It depends on your dog.

Mate, you need to slow down. Sometimes these things can take a bit of time and working out to get it right. I'd say stick as closely as you can to whatever you've been giving him since it seems to have helped a bit. Add the Van complete mix to it and gradually replace the rice with VAN and then if that's going well stick with chicken and Van. You can try other meat once you have him stable on something consistent and it seems to be working. If he doesn't do well on chicken and VAN try another meat source. If it's still no good, cut the Van for a while and try another meat source and veggies. etc

It's lovely how keen you are to help your little pooch. LOL But don't panic. Buy what you can afford and try to keep it simple

Yes, you're quite right. I'm after the McDonald's fast food fix for dogs. I will try the VAN and chicken for a while.He seems a bit better tonight after I replaced the rice with pumpkin and sweet potato this morning. I also tried 1/2 a claratyne. Also washed him in Aloveen shampoo. Smells so much better too. We had a play date with friend's 2 dogs. Also stuck some dried roo treat thingies (cut up) in a little ball with a hole in the middle to see if a distraction might help with the licking and he did spend ages trying to get it out. Unfortunately. I just can't seem to get him interested in any of the gazillion toys I've bought him to help occupy him. I'm having fun squeaking them and throwing them around the house and running to "fetch" them.

[spottychick]

LOL @ you playing with the toys. Could you throw some my way - Dylan keeps destroying all the toys here - including the "allegedly" indestructible ones!

If you can ditch the rice from his diet then that would be better (but again don't rush anything). Cooked grains are not good for them usually - which is why the VANs guy developed the fermented stuff. Pumpking and sweet potato are excellent for them.

[JulesP]

Ok what is needed here is some rescue remedy.....for the owner!

Sorry I know how distressing it is when something is wrong with the pets.

Lucky your dog didn't like the pre mixed VAN as it is rather expensive! Look on the bright side.

I haven't fed the VAN porridge stuff buy have used a similar product called Phuds. It is available from Brown's Herbal. They could probably custom make something for you if needed.

[Guest]

Ok what is needed here is some rescue remedy.....for the owner!

Sorry I know how distressing it is when something is wrong with the pets.

Lucky your dog didn't like the pre mixed VAN as it is rather expensive! Look on the bright side.

I haven't fed the VAN porridge stuff buy have used a similar product called Phuds. It is available from Brown's Herbal. They could probably custom make something for you if needed.

It's O.K. the owner has alcohol and chocolate. Oh, and marshmallows. She really likes them! Mind you, the owner also has allergies. It was MY claratyne I tried in desperation. I know how horrible it is to itch and sneeze.

Phuds. I like the name. I have seen it mentioned as an alternative to the VAN. Where do you get it? Is there something different about it? I would like my dog to LOVE the VAN, at least until the bag I bought is empty. I have a freezer compartment full of chicken necks,carcasses, liver as well as cooked chicken and rice and some lamb mince, green beans and peas (bought for the dog) No actual human food will fit. Got to get the roo meat in there too now.

[Guest]

LOL @ you playing with the toys. Could you throw some my way - Dylan keeps destroying all the toys here - including the "allegedly" indestructible ones!

If you can ditch the rice from his diet then that would be better (but again don't rush anything). Cooked grains are not good for them usually - which is why the VANs guy developed the fermented stuff. Pumpking and sweet potato are excellent for them.

I may have to have a dog toy garage sale eventually. Though, I do intend to adopt a playmate for Wally eventually. Hopefully one who LOVES squeaky things and stuffed animals.

I think I will exclude the rice for now and gradually add the VAN to the chicken and veg.