Getting Oil Into Dog's Diet

[allie181]

Yes it will do him no harm at all. If he was hungry he would have eaten. As the others have said the more you pander to him the more picky he is going to get. A healthy pup will not starve itself. I've had quite a few Cavaliers come to stay and their owners have said they are picky eaters. Mostly they were fat and just not eating as much as the owners thought they should I'm sure your pup is not fat though.

No, he's not fat. I guess my concern all started because when I first got him he was a little on the skinny side so it is something I'm now conscious of as we worked hard to get a little more weight on him. However the vet said his weight now is perfect.

[Sam the man]

Sounds like he's getting quite a few chicken necks relative to his dry/wet food? That could cause dry skin in a baby (and other health issues). Like Ososwift says, I'd put him either on either a balanced raw diet (including organs & red meat & skin), a balanced commercial diet, or some combination of the two. Although it's quite OK to give a dog on a commercial diet bones & chunks of meat for dental health, substituting a substantial amount of his commercial diet with chicken necks alone may not be doing him much good.

As mentioned, fish oil is good for coat & joints (include vit E with it), flaxseed oil is also good for coats.

I'm just curious about the chicken necks. Why would they cause dry skin? I give Sam chicken necks 3 nights a week.

[OSoSwift]

I don't think chicken necks as such are bad for their skin, but having chicken necks as a substantial part of their diet means the diet is not balanced and they may not be recieving the essential oils etc they need for a healthy coat and skin. A diet that is mainly chicken necks isn't a balanced diet. Raw diets need things other than just raw bones to be balanced.

[Staranais]

I don't think chicken necks as such are bad for their skin, but having chicken necks as a substantial part of their diet means the diet is not balanced and they may not be recieving the essential oils etc they need for a healthy coat and skin. A diet that is mainly chicken necks isn't a balanced diet. Raw diets need things other than just raw bones to be balanced.

Yup. Chicken necks are great, but are not balanced by themselves. If you replace a substantial part of a balanced diet with chicken necks alone, it's no longer balanced, & you could be missing some important nutrients. Chicken necks lack lots of things that dogs need for skin health, e.g. essential fatty acids & zinc for skin health, plus they have heaps of calcium that can bind zinc and stop it being absorbed.

If you're going to make a substantial part of a puppy's diet raw, then IMO you should do it properly - red meat, organs, skin, as well as chicken bones.

Chucking a healthy, well nourished dog a chicken neck or two a day as a minor part of their diet is a different matter.

[sas]

It doesn't sound like the dogs diet is actually a balanced one.

Either go BARF pre-pared so you know the ratios are right or feed a premium kibble.

I wouldn't be worried if the dog lost a little weight right now, better to be a little skinny for a little bit than a royal pain in the ass all its life around food.

Ask your Vet to check the dog over if you're worried.

[sheena]

OK, it is almost 9:30 and he's eaten about 1/2 a handful of dry food but that's all he's eaten all day. It is bed time in about an hr and I'm starting to think I'm going to have to put him to bed hungry. I'm going to stay strong, it is only 1 night after all and hopefully by tomorrow morning he'll be hungry for breakfast.

I really can't understand why you don't just mix a bit of tasty mince in with the kibble. If someone just gave me boring, dry old kibble I wouldn't eat it either. If you really insist that your dog is only going to have dry kibble for it's every main meal, then once you got the dog eating it with the mince, then slowly start to reduce the amount of mince, until he's just eating kibble.

[allie181]

OK, it is almost 9:30 and he's eaten about 1/2 a handful of dry food but that's all he's eaten all day. It is bed time in about an hr and I'm starting to think I'm going to have to put him to bed hungry. I'm going to stay strong, it is only 1 night after all and hopefully by tomorrow morning he'll be hungry for breakfast.

I really can't understand why you don't just mix a bit of tasty mince in with the kibble. If someone just gave me boring, dry old kibble I wouldn't eat it either. If you really insist that your dog is only going to have dry kibble for it's every main meal, then once you got the dog eating it with the mince, then slowly start to reduce the amount of mince, until he's just eating kibble.

Sheena, I had already tried your suggestion but he was smart enough to eat the mince and spit out the kibble

I tried being strong but he went 2.5 days without eating so I relented. I then tried buying apperteaser and lightly wetting his kibble and coating it in the apperteaser. He ate a bit but wasn't a huge fan.

Today I went to the pet store as I was going to buy some BARF (unfortunately they were out) but the attendant suggested I try adding 1 tsp brewer's mix to anything he wants to eat for a few weeks just to increase his appetite so after 3-4 weeks he is happy to eat what he is given. Anyway, as soon as I brought the bag of it home Dallas went bananas over the smell. So I tried wetting a little kibble and sprinkling some over it and he ran over to the bowl and started eating. The test will be to see whether this was a one-off or continues.... Fingers crossed!

[WreckitWhippet]

Does the "brewers" mix contain yeast ? If so, I'd think seriously before continuing on with it, even if it's only for a few weeks

[allie181]

Does the "brewers" mix contain yeast ? If so, I'd think seriously before continuing on with it, even if it's only for a few weeks

Yes, it contains yeast, but I did some searching and it seems to be a common supplement & as long as he isn't allergic (which he doesn't seem to be) and I'm careful with the dosing (1/2 - 1 tsp per day) it seems like a good thing to add to his diet. Of course like everything these days, there are always 2 opposing views, but I'll see how he goes for a little while.

Here's some info I found about it:

Definition

# Brewer's yeast is a type of nutritional yeast that is often given to dogs as a supplement. Yeasts are one-celled fungal organisms that eat sugars and produce carbon dioxide and alcohol as by-products. They are used to bake bread and brew beer and wine. The specific strain used in most brewer's yeast supplements for dogs is called Saccharomyces cervisiae. Sometimes, brewer's yeast supplements are made from by-products left over from brewing beer, but the highest-quality supplements are made specifically for dogs from fresh ingredients.

Benefits

# Dog owners give their pets brewer's yeast for a variety of different reasons.

First, brewer's yeast is a great source of B vitamins such as biotin, trace minerals such as zinc, proteins, and amino acids. The amino acids and vitamins can help make your dog's skin healthier and its coat shinier.

Second, brewer's yeast is often recommended by holistic vets to help strengthen dogs' immune systems. According to the Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care, in one study, brewer's yeast was shown to protect chickens from salmonella-tainted feed.

Brewer's yeast is also a common natural remedy for dogs with fleas. Holistic veterinarian Richard Pitcairn recommends it for that purpose. It is thought to work against fleas because it contains sulfur compounds that make your dog less palatable to fleas. However, at least one study showed that brewer's yeast provided dogs no protection whatsoever against fleas compared to a control group.

Risks

# Some dogs are allergic to yeast, and dogs that are allergic to other foods are likely to be allergic to yeast as well. Low quality yeast is especially likely to cause allergic reactions. If your dog has food allergies, introduce high-quality brewer's yeast into its diet cautiously. If you see any signs of an allergic reaction, discontinue the brewer's yeast immediately.

Types

# Brewer's yeast is sold as pills, tablets and as a powdered supplement that can be sprinkled over food. The nutritional content of the yeast is not standardized, and will vary depending on what the yeast was grown on. Compare labels to ensure that your pet is getting the most benefit from the product. There is also a difference between premium brewer's yeast supplements and supplements made from the by-products of the brewing process. Yeast that has been grown specifically for use in supplements has more nutrients and is less likely to cause allergic reactions.

Dosing

# The correct dosage of brewer's yeast depends on the size of the dog and the type of yeast you are using. For powders, 1/2 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight is usually recommended. The correct dosage for tablets depends on the size of the tablet. Read and follow the dosing instructions on the package.

[sheena]

Brewers Yeast is one of the ingredients in Vets All Natural which Bindi has been on now for over a year...no problems here

[allie181]

Brewers Yeast is one of the ingredients in Vets All Natural which Bindi has been on now for over a year...no problems here :rolleyes:

Phew, thanks Sheena. That's what the pet store guy said too.

We just had a breakthrough of sorts. I bought the advance rehydratable food today also. Just gave him that (rehydrated) on its own with no enticements added and OMG he ate it all without taking a breath. I just did a dance around my lounge room because I am so relieved and excited.

[Fleas]

Does the "brewers" mix contain yeast ? If so, I'd think seriously before continuing on with it, even if it's only for a few weeks

Yes, it contains yeast, but I did some searching and it seems to be a common supplement & as long as he isn't allergic (which he doesn't seem to be) and I'm careful with the dosing (1/2 - 1 tsp per day) it seems like a good thing to add to his diet. Of course like everything these days, there are always 2 opposing views, but I'll see how he goes for a little while.

Here's some info I found about it:

Definition

# Brewer's yeast is a type of nutritional yeast that is often given to dogs as a supplement. Yeasts are one-celled fungal organisms that eat sugars and produce carbon dioxide and alcohol as by-products. They are used to bake bread and brew beer and wine. The specific strain used in most brewer's yeast supplements for dogs is called Saccharomyces cervisiae. Sometimes, brewer's yeast supplements are made from by-products left over from brewing beer, but the highest-quality supplements are made specifically for dogs from fresh ingredients.

Benefits

# Dog owners give their pets brewer's yeast for a variety of different reasons.

First, brewer's yeast is a great source of B vitamins such as biotin, trace minerals such as zinc, proteins, and amino acids. The amino acids and vitamins can help make your dog's skin healthier and its coat shinier.

Second, brewer's yeast is often recommended by holistic vets to help strengthen dogs' immune systems. According to the Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care, in one study, brewer's yeast was shown to protect chickens from salmonella-tainted feed.

Brewer's yeast is also a common natural remedy for dogs with fleas. Holistic veterinarian Richard Pitcairn recommends it for that purpose. It is thought to work against fleas because it contains sulfur compounds that make your dog less palatable to fleas. However, at least one study showed that brewer's yeast provided dogs no protection whatsoever against fleas compared to a control group.

Risks

# Some dogs are allergic to yeast, and dogs that are allergic to other foods are likely to be allergic to yeast as well. Low quality yeast is especially likely to cause allergic reactions. If your dog has food allergies, introduce high-quality brewer's yeast into its diet cautiously. If you see any signs of an allergic reaction, discontinue the brewer's yeast immediately.

Types

# Brewer's yeast is sold as pills, tablets and as a powdered supplement that can be sprinkled over food. The nutritional content of the yeast is not standardized, and will vary depending on what the yeast was grown on. Compare labels to ensure that your pet is getting the most benefit from the product. There is also a difference between premium brewer's yeast supplements and supplements made from the by-products of the brewing process. Yeast that has been grown specifically for use in supplements has more nutrients and is less likely to cause allergic reactions.

Dosing

# The correct dosage of brewer's yeast depends on the size of the dog and the type of yeast you are using. For powders, 1/2 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight is usually recommended. The correct dosage for tablets depends on the size of the tablet. Read and follow the dosing instructions on the package.

Have you tried adding some hot water to the kibble to soften it a bit? add in some vegetable oil or better still buy some cod liver oil from the chemist and add about a desert spoon to the moistened kibble plust 2 tablespoons of mince. I bet there will be nothing left and the oil that soaks into the moist kibble will help it be digested easily too as well as smelling absolutely yummy to him.

As an alternative to the mince, try a hard boiled egg crushed though the same mix of kibble.

i cook up my own rice and veggie mix for my two and it last about a week per pot. 1kg bag of Black and Gold mixed vegies (no corn), bring to the boils with extra water in the pot plus 4 oxo stock cubes, either chicken or beef and a cup of rice. Allow it to cook until the rice is soft. Add a bit more water if necessary. Add 2 packets of Pandaroo rice vermacelli noodles and cook on low simmer until all the water is absorbed.

Acouple of cups of this with whatever meat you decide on, a regular fishoil capsule and a couple of handfuls of dry mix is my two evening meal. There is nothing left after 10 minutes. From my signature you will see that they are medium/large dogs and are really happy on this diet with a chicken drumstick version every week or so and also a three tin special of homebrand sardines each every 2 weeks, the oil variety.

Good luck.