[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by 107barney

If she is doing well on i/d, I would not change her off of it.
I home cook for my Daisy who has many issues only because she is a complicated dog who does not do well on the Hill's l/d diet. I cook for Barney because he has two life threatening acute attacks of pancreatitis and there is no commercial food available to lower the fat to the point where his vet nutritionist feels comfortable given his history. Teddy also eats home cooked food and he has no medical problems except for mild epilepsy and a mild tremor disorder that he was born with.

I think home cooking for healthy dogs is great if you are committed to it, and if you do it correctly, but for a sick dog or a dog who has had medical problems with digestion such as Sweet Apple, there is no way I would do it EVEN TEMPORARILY without the direct guidance from an experienced nutritionist who is also a Veterinarian and board certified in nutrition.

Please be careful with this - it sounds easy and simple to just cook up chicken and rice but not for sick dogs or dogs w/ a history of digestive problems. Every one of my dogs food is formulated at different amounts of protein, carbohydrate, fiber, and fat depending on age, overall body structure, medical history, breed, and many other factors a professional takes into account. Teddy for example is formulated at 11% fat which is lower than most commercial kibble for a dog w/ no problems because our vet nutritionist takes the breed disposition to pancreatitis into account in recommending said amount.

Originally Posted by Ellie May

I concur with the above.

You want to switch her to chicken and rice only to switch her again shortly after? It is very possible that it will set her off. And you just added yogurt, right? That is risky in itself, particulary because it's dairy and a large portion of dogs are lactose intolerant (may not be as bad with yogurt, but the potential is still there).

I do understand the problem with rx foods, but after all we have been through with Ellie's diet, if she was feeling really well on an rx diet, we (including her vet) would be extremely happy.

I wouldn't say Apple needs to stay on the I/D for life. That is really up to your vet, or better yet a veterinary nutritionist and remains to be seen. But I'd be very careful with changing to chicken and rice with no veterinary oversight and then switching to something else and adding these other things in.

Remember that if she is taken off the I/D and/or things are switched up and she reacts to it, chances are she will need to go back on it for months to years and possibly for a life time.

Have you thought about talking to a nutritionist?

Exellent feedback.