Caring for my dog questions.

[mac78]

Issue 1: My Holly dog, who is part Boston Terrier and Jack Russel, is 11 years old. About 3 months ago, we started having issues with her being incontinent. Took her to the vet and they said it was due to her being spade and her age, and that her estrogen levels are low. We are giving her estrogen pills. We were trying to get to one pill every 4 days, but that does not work, so now we are going to every 3 days and hoping that will work. Everytime we tried to spread more than 3 days between pills, the leaking would start again. Does anyone have experience with this and do you have any suggestions for us.

Issue 2: She has been losing weight, she is down to 18 pounds. She has become picky in what she will eat. We have always given our 2 dogs Iams Lamb Meal and Rice. We have noticed she does not eat the dog food well anymore, plus turns her nose to things she has ate in the past. So, I thought I would buy a variety of canned/moist and meaty dog foods and see if she would eat those better.

This is what I did. I thought I would break up the dry dog food and mix it in with the other dog food as I switched her over. I could not break up that dry dog food. I put it in a gallon zipper bag and was going to use the rolling pin to smash it into pieces.....I couldn't break it down. It was so darn hard. I am like damn, I had no idea it was that hard. No wonder the dog doesn't want to eat it anymore.

The vet told us to feed her more protein to help build her weight back up. Can someone give me suggestions as to what foods I can give her. I made her an egg this morning and cut it up and she ate it. I know eggs are good for protein and good for their coat. Then I gave her 1/2 a pouch of OL Roy rice and chicken with gravy, and she ate that fine. I am going to try to feed her 3 times per day in hopes of building her weight up some.

So.....
Any suggestions for the estrogen/incontinence issue?

Any suggestions for adding more protein to her diet? Maybe homemade dog food. Any suggestions for that?

Any suggestions for a doggie diaper/panty for her to use at night?

Dog Food.....what is a good quality of dog food. We have always given our dogs Iams, but they only offer canned or hard.

Thanks ladies, I know someone will be able to give me suggestions.

I found this information: What do you think?

Homeopathic remedies, both individual and combinations, have helped many dogs. Jo Wells of Euless, Texas, has a 10-year-old Rottweiler mix also named Maggie who was diagnosed with spay incontinence about a year ago.

Wells says, “We tried corn silk capsules with no success. The homeopathic formula Leaks No More from Homeopet worked for us, but I quit using it because of the expense. It comes in such a small bottle and using it three times a day it only lasted about ten days for a large dog. I switched to Herbasaurs Bedwetting homeopathic formula made for children. It has worked for us and a bottle lasts me for three to four weeks. I just put it in her food and she scarfs it right down.”

Other homeopathic remedies recommended for dogs with incontinence are Sepia, Solidago (goldenrod), and Hyland’s EnurAid.

[vintage girl]

I am a very very big fan of homeopathic remedies, so I would certainly give them a try. You may want to also try Natural Balance Dog Food. It is soft and easy to chew. I have been able to feed that to even the pickiest of dogs. It is also available at Petco and Petsmart. As far as diapers, I would suggest Ebay. That is where I get the belly bands for my little boy who has continence issues. DO NOT buy the diapers from Petco or Petsmart. They do not fit well and the material is hard and rubs. I know this from first hand experience. Here is a vendor that is excellent and sells the dog diapers on Ebay. I would purchase at least 4, so that you have backups when you need to wash them. I have also put a link to the website where I get all of my holistic remedies for my dogs. I have been using using holistic and homeopathic remedies for years and swear by them. Give your dog a big hug from me:)

http://cgi.ebay.com/PINK-DOTS-Female-Dog-Diaper-11-13-14-16-17-19-/200506800398?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0

http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/?ysmchn=YSM&ysmcpn=Overture%20PetAlive&ysmgrp=PA+HomePage&ysmtac=PPC&ysmtrm=dog%20natural%20medicine&OVRAW=homeopathic%20dog%20remedies&OVKEY=dog%20natural%20medicine&OVMTC=advanced&OVADID=71381754011&OVKWID=429117931011#

[shabbychick]

My cat is on a special diet due to her skin issues, and she gets a prescription cat food. It's expensive, and I have to buy it at the vet's office, but I know it's formulated for her special needs. I would bet there is a high-protein/low-carb prescription food you could get from your vet (he can order it in). In the long run it may not be more expensive than buying real meat and having to cook it up.

I'd ask the vet about the homeopathic remedies just to make sure there's nothing in them that will react badly with what the dog is already taking. Just as with humans, it's always a good idea for your health care professional to know what else the patient is taking, just in case.

Good luck with your dog. I hope you find the right combination of food and meds to do the trick.

[mac78]

Thank you ladies.

[vintage girl]

Not trying to disagree, but most vets do not agree with homeopathic remedies. For the same reason that they recommend a shot schedule of every year, when it has been determined that every three years is safer. It all boils down to dollars and cents. I switched to homeopathic on the direct recommendation of a vet that cared more about animals than money. I am certainly not saying not to vet your animal. I take my animals in on a regular basis, but I prefer to treat naturally first. Of course, there are certain symptoms that need to be watched for: appetite loss, diarrhea, vomiting, listlessness, etc, that must be evaluated by a vet first. I know that you obviously care about your sweet dog and will do whatever you feel is best. Take care and let me know how your little sweetie does:)

[cheapdiva]

try peanut butter. i put little treats in lucy's kong and then "cover" the opening with peanut butter. this way she gets to stay busy licking the peanut butter and gets a few treats as well. she loves it!

[Gigi]

What a loving home your dog lives in- so much special care-

[mac78]

She is down to 18 pounds. She has probably lost 3 pounds, and we can tell it around her back. She has become so picky and I am not sure why. I made chicken and noodles for her today and she ate the whole bowl. Her behavior seems to be pretty much the same, just her weight worries me. Yesterday I made her an egg and sprinkled her medicine on it (estrogen pill) and she ate it along with moist and meaty dog food. Today I did the same and she would not touch it.

How often does a dog typically eat? Once, twice, three times a day?

[vintage girl]

Marie,

Do you have another vet appt scheduled for her? There are several underlying things that can cause weight loss and lack of appetite. I would schedule a complete workup to make sure there is not something serious going on. Loss of appetite in dogs who are normally good eaters can be attributed to many things:

dental problems, toxicity, viral and bacterial infections, intestinal parasitic infestations and diseases such as cancer, colitis and pancreatitis.

It can also be caused by environmental changes. Change in time of feedings, or just a general change in their home environment. It is amazing how just the smallest of changes can cause stress and affect our sweet pets.

I would definately get this checked out so you know what is going on. If it is simply a loss of appetite, which happens sometimes in older dogs, than you can try things like heating up her food, and other things to enhance sense of taste and smell, etc. But it is best to rule out anything serious first.

Please give her a hug and keep us updated. I hate to see any animal in distress. It is obvious you care very much for your little dog. She is lucky to have you:)

[chyna]

I was told that high protein would cause a lack of weight gain but that came from my dog food seller. :o I feed my gang Call of the Wild (the bird version) and they seem to like it.

did your dog start to dislike the dog food about a year ago? I know alot of dog food producers changed the recipes on their dog foods much to the irritation of dog owners. Science diet happens to be one of them. One of the crestie owners I know had us all scouring our vets for a certain canned food for her dog. It was important she had this certain one before it was discontinued/changed. She was one mad owner. And no they didn't seem to care. I also liked the dog food that the Van Dyke guy was endorsing but they pulled an ingredient change on me and ticked me off. And my dogs would not eat it. so he lost a customer. With 5 dogs he had a good customer too. :mad:

as for the diapers. If you can find fancy pants use a woman's menstrual pad. I do that with my males and it works just great.:) And is cheaper than the stuff you buy specifically for dogs (we got walmart brand).

Hope you can find the answer to how ot get her to eat her meds. I put my dogs thyroid med ina piece of sliced cheese. Believe me he doesn't let me forget his pill in the morning. :D

[memmey]

Vin, the big roll of Natural Balance dog food is referred to at my house as "dog crack". They LOVE it. Oh my gosh if you say "crack"? to Chev he gets nutty. My Sister feeds her dog that exclusively but I can't afford to feed that to the two of mine so they get a little occasionally as a treat.
That must be the supreme thing to feed a dog. If you wonder if the dog food your feeding your dog is good then just ask them they will tell you....the tail will WAG and they will get stupid.:p

[mac78]

Thanks for all the great responses.

About 2 weeks ago they did a big blood work up on Holly, and said her blood test came out very good, especially for her age. They said all organs showed up very good.

I am back to giving her an estrogen pill everyday for a few days. She peed on the couch yesteday, and she has never done that before. We had went to spreading her pills out to every 4 days, but she started leaking again, and will go to a pill every three days and see if that works.

Her eating....I bought several kinds of moist dog food. Day 1, I fixed her an egg (for protein) and some moist dog food, and she ate it up, later in the day gave her more dog moist dog food, and she ate it up. Day 2, fixed her an egg again and she would eat it, nor would she eat the same dog food. She did eat some other stuff. Day 3, I made her chicken and noodles, she ate it up 2 times, will eat bites of hot dog and hamburger. Day 4, tried eggs again, wouldn't touch them. I don't know what to think of her eating habits now. She eats fine if it is "what" she wants. I am thinking of putting out 2 choices for her, and either she eats it or she don't. I don't know what else to do.

[RoseMary]

I don't know if this will work for your dog or not, but a vet gave us this advice years ago about getting our dog to take her pill.

Make five cheese balls and put the pill in cheese ball number 3--the size of them depends on the size of the pill--it has to be buried in it. Feed the first ball to the dog--it will chew around to see if anything is in it. Then give the second cheese ball. When you give her the third one that has the pill, make sure she sees balls #3 & #4. She will gobble it down in a hurry to get the others. This worked perfect for us.

Other dogs we had weren't quite as bright as her and this method was accomplished with only 3 cheese balls (putting the pill in #2).

[mac78]

That is funny, thank you.

Question....would her not eating be from being under stress....there has been a lot of yelling on occassion going on here, and I am sure she senses there is trouble in paradise (sort of speak), I don't know, just a thought here.

[vintage girl]

Stress can definately cause a dog to change their eating habits. I would also suggest the Natural Balance as Memmey said. I have not found one dog that did not like their food, even the dry food. Looks completely boring and unappetizing, but for some reason they just love it. Good luck and let us know how it goes:)

[chyna]

Mine would jump into a vat of acid if there was rice and hamburger on the other side. They love it, matter of fact we have to be careful about giving it to them because they start to refuse to eat their regular dog food.:rolleyes:

it sounds extreme and slightly mean but she will eat if she gets hungry enough. that is our rule here, eat it or lose it. Somedays they get all picky on me and end up hungry but I tell ya what they eat the next day. Though that didn't work on the Nature's Balance when they changed the formula on us. you know it is bad when they'd rather be hungry then eat the new and improved formula. :mad:

[mac78]

After keeping a close eye on her and watching when and what she will eat over the last few days....I have came to the conclusion that she is just being picky for whatever reason. I noticed too that she tends to only eat maybe 2 times per day, later in the morning and then in the evening. I just made my second batch of chicken and noodles for her, she ate the first batch with no hesitation and is enjoying working on the second batch. I swiched to Bentiful dog food to put out for them, which is dry dog food but is not rock hard like the Iams was. I also put out a dish of moist and meaty for her which she has ate 2 or 3 times when I first bought it, but then turned her nose up other times.

We do not have any stores close to buy the Nature's Balance dog food, but the next time I get to the city I will buy some.

I do know she has lost weight recently, and has become pickier in her begging for food and what she will eat. I never really paid attention before to when or how much she ate. So I will continue to put out 2 choices of dog food, give her a bowl of chicken n noodles at the end of the day hoping she eats dog food during the day, and when I can get to a store to by Nature's Balance, I will try that.

Her overall behavior is the same. I am still giving her an estrogen pill on every third day due to her leaking. If I go more than 2 days between the pills she will start leaking again.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

[vintage girl]

Marie,

Have you let your vet know about your dogs appetite and weight loss? That is a side effect of estrogen and normally occurs if the dose is too strong. I would definately check with your vet to make sure this is not what is happening. Most dogs go off their food for a reason. If she was not picky and a good eater before you started with the estrogen, I would definately discuss this with your vet. Good luck:)

[mac78]

Yes, the vet knows about the weight loss and said that the estrogen has nothing to do with it or with her becoming very picky in her food choices. (??? Not sure I believe him). The plan was to get her on 2 pills per week, but if we go more than 3 days between pills it is back to leaking. So I am at for example......Pill on Monday, skip T and W, Pill on TH, skip F and S, Pill on SU,.....and so on.

I never really paid attention to her eating habits before, like how many times a day she ate, or how much. We have always been bad about giving her a bite of what we were eating, but I have noticed that she does not always eat the bites we give her anymore. She will just walk away.

But, she does still eat....I have been giving her a big bowl of chicken and noodles each day, and she will scarf that right down, her dog treats she will eat. 2 weeks ago we bought a variety of single serving dog foods of Ol Roy Moist and Meaty Pouches. She ate them. She won't eat them now, but I don't know if it is because I gave her the chicken and noodles and now she is just being picky and holding out or what.

I am still going to try the Natuaral Balance you suggested, just have to get to the city to buy it. Holly is really frustrating me. I feel like she is starving herself, but on the other hand I think she is just being stubborn.

[chyna]

Has your vet checked her teeth? The foods you describe her eating all seem to be on the moist side which suggests to me she has an ouchy tooth.

Or she is scamming you. Amazing how tricky those little buggers can be. :p

[chyna]

I remembered today at work that if you go online to the Nature's Balance site you can sign up to be part of the club and get coupons to use towards your dog food. Also there is a frequent buyers club so after 12 bags you get the 13th free. :) And here is how to grade your dog food.

How to grade your dog's food:
Start with a grade of 100:

1) For every listing of by-product , subtract 10 points

2) For every non-specific animal source ( meat or poultry , meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points

3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points

4) For every grain mill run or non-specific grain source,subtract 5 points

5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. ground brown rice , brewerâ?Ts rice , rice flour are all the same grain), subtract 5 points
6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points

7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3points

9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 morepoints

10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil,subtract 2 points

11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points

13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isnâ?Tt allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points

14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isnâ?Tt allergic to beef), subtract 1 point

15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points

2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or
nutritionist, add 5 points

3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points

7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points

8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points

9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points

10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point

12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than
the first one; count chicken and chicken meal as only one protein source, but chicken and as 2 different sources), add 1 point

13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point

14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point

94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F

Here are some foods that have already been scored. If you don't
see your dog's food here, ask and someone will score it for you.
Dog Food scores:

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+

Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F

Canidae / Score 112 A+

Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+

Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F

Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B

Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A

Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+

Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+

Foundations / Score 106 A+

Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 D

Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D

Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+

Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+

Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B

Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B

Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F

ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+

Purina Benful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F

Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F

Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+

Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+

Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A

Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F

Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+

Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

[Gigi]

Wow Chyna- This is an awesome amount of information about dog food--- our Purina is not looking too good :(--I'm going to read this information over again and make some decisions for our little group of pups.

[mac78]

Wow, thanks so much for that information. We gave our dogs Iams for years. Uhh, not so good? And I just bought a bag of Beneful....that is worse, and a bag of Pedigre, which I don't know. Any of those with a very good score, I have never heard of them and they are not available anywhere in our town. I will be printing this off and checking the next time I go to the city.

Thank you everyone for all your great suggestions.

As far as my little Holly, I think chyna said it welll......she's scamming me. I bought a bag of Pedigree last night, brought a bowl out to the family room, and put a few pieces down, she ate it, then she ended up eating a good size bowl of it. So, now there is a bowl of Ol Roy soft and moist, a bowl of Beneful, and a bowl of Pedigree sitting out for the dogs to eat. They get 3 choices, and I will see which ones they tend to eat the best. The chicken and noodles are gone, and there will be no more. ;) I love my furry friends, but sometimes just can't quite figure them out. Thanks again ladies for all you great suggestions.

[mac78]

You got me on a roll in research now.

Found this.....And so far my choices are not good ones. :(

Following are some foods that have already been scored (alphabetical order then by score):

ALPHABETICAL ORDER:
Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Eagle Pack Holistic / Score 119 A+
Eagle Pack Holistic Chicken / Score 114 A+
Eagle Pack Large and Giant Breed Puppy / Score 94 A
Eagle Pack Natural / Score 94 A
Eukanuba Large Breed Adult / Score 83 C
Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Flint River Ranch / Score 92 B (non-specific fat source)
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 A
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Iams Large Breed / Score 83 C
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Kirkland Signature Puppy Chicken, Rice and Vegetable / Score 108 A+
Natural Balance Duck and Potato / Score 114 A+
Nature's Select Chicken & Rice Puppy Growth Premium / Score 96 A
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Chicken, Rice, & Oatmeal / Score 85 C (non-specific fat source)
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural choice Lamb and Rice / Score 85 C
Ol Roy / Score 9 F
Pedigree Complete Nutrition / Score 42 F
Pedigree Adult Complete / Score 14 F
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
Pro Plan All Breed / Score 68 F
Pro Plan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Purina Benful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Dachshund 28 Formula / Score 97 A
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet chicken adult maintenance / Score 45 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Solid Gold Bison / Score 123 A+
Timberwolf Organics Lamb and Venison / Score 136 A+
Wellness Just for Puppy / Score 117 A+
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

[chyna]

I feed Wellness to my geriatic boy because I refused to feed the science diet (plus the vets couldn't get it in without my buying a truck load:mad: ). the rest of the horde is eating Call of the Wild- the duck version. I know TSR (the ranch supply store) carries Call of the Wild, I used to feed Nutro but when they had all those recalls and the sense I got of oh well we dropped them like a hot potato.