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08-16-2008, 07:28 PM | #1 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: cincinnati
Posts: 194
| How often do you furbabies have digestive problems? Before I had my Yorkie, my two other little dogs hardly ever got sick, maybe once a year. The thing is I wasnt near as good a dog mom as I am now, thanks to all of you and lots of reading. I fed them a cheap dog food, didnt really keep them on a schedule, fed them all kids of people food treats,etc. Since Ive gotten my Yorkie Ive struggled with trying to feed them more healthy foods, keep them on a schedule, hardly ever feed them any people treats. I have been buying much more expensive, and healthy dog foods as are recommended here, but as ive posted, I have very picky dogs and have gone back and forth between home feeding and dog food a couple of times. Because Im not willing to spend the time some of you do to make sure they have all the nutrients they need in home cooking, Ive given that up as a primary means of nutrition. As Ive said Ive gone back and forth,but lately Ive settled on feeding a good quality dry dog food in the morning for them to free feed (only one of them eats alot of it), and then I mix some of the dry in the evening with some plain backed chicken, brown rice and sometimes a little cottage cheese. It seemed to be working well for a few weeks...now in the last week, this is the second day, someone has vomited or had diarrhea. In fact tonight two of them are sick. I am so frustrated...what am I doing wrong? The yorkie definitely has a more delicate constitution than the other two but Im doing the best I can. With 3 of them its hard to tell who is eating what. I try very hard to make sure there is nothing laying around that they can eat by mistake, whether its food or other things. So far tonight they have both vomited a couple of times and I have no idea why. The third dog is fine so I dont think it can be their food. Any ideas? |
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08-16-2008, 07:48 PM | #2 |
Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: USA
Posts: 7,178
| Just because one dog doesn't have issues with the food does not mean that the other two don't have issues with it. Maybe one of them can't handle or is allergic to chicken? Some dogs are lactose intolerant and cannot handle any dairy. Could this be the case since you're feeding cottage cheese? Maybe the 3rd furbaby is not lactose intolerant, but the other 2 are? Frequent switching between different foods can definitely be a contributing factor to the tummy troubles. Good luck!! I hope you find a diet that is suitable for all 3
__________________ Miko 's his Mommy |
08-16-2008, 08:30 PM | #3 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: cincinnati
Posts: 194
| Of course you are right, but they have all had chicken plenty of times and not had any trouble, and that is what my vet has always told me to feed them after they have been sick and begin eating again. As for the lactose thing, I didnt give any of them cottage cheese after Wed night when one of them got sick. Thats whats so hard about it though...you just dont know. I just want one healthy not too expensive food to feed all 3 that they like. Id really like to get rid of people food altogether though Ive started something now which may be hard to stop. Thanks for the response |
08-17-2008, 06:34 AM | #4 |
Furbutts = LOVE Donating Member Moderator | Hmmm, I know how frustrating this can be bc I used to feed kibble, then moved to homecooking, then raw - and it was the homecooking phase that was so frustrating (partly bc this was also when Marcel had giardia). Anyway, first - what is your long-term goal with what you want to feed - bc it sounds like you're still on the fence, which I totally understand (I would be too). The problem (besides possible allergies) might be that you're upsetting the cal/phos ratio. Are you feeding more than 15-20% real food (of the total diet)? If so, the ratio is then thrown off. You can still add real food, but I wouldn't add more than 15-20% of the total diet, that way - you won't have to supplement. I'd probably do an elimination diet - adding one real food back in at a time. The other option to consider is feeding raw in the evening. It would be a great nutrition boost for them and no supplements are necessary. You could do Natures Variety pre-made or Primal or whatever. Just a thought, if you don't want to do straight kibble. Or, what about mixing in some premium canned? That's healthier than kibble and is balanced. Lots of options.
__________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~ °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann | Pfeiffer | Marcel Verdel Purcell | Wylie | Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° |
08-17-2008, 06:40 AM | #5 |
Donating YT 14K Club Member | I strictly feed mine dry unless one has whelped a litter. As a treat, they get pizza crust every now and then. Yes, yorkie tummies are much more sensitive than any other dog we've owned through the years. Remember, a dog will not starve itself if food is readily available. You may not see them eat, but trust me, they do and will. I keep Benebac on hand at all times. My dogs will eat things in the yard, including my banana tree or pecans, etc. Of course, they get upset tummies and it usually starts with stomach rumbling followed by gas, runny poops and sometimes vomitting. I give them a fingertip of Benebac (found at Petsmart) and within 24 hours, tummies are back to their normal selves. Good luck!
__________________ As always...JMO (Just My Opinion) Kimberley Last edited by txshopper73; 08-17-2008 at 06:41 AM. |
08-17-2008, 06:43 AM | #6 | |
No Longer a Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Riverview, Florida
Posts: 4,953
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