DOG FOOD And NUTRITION

We not infrequently hear from our clients that they chose their dog’s food based on the recommendation of someone who works at the pet shop. Not to diminish the good work of store staff in any way, but would you build a nutritious diet for yourself based on the advice of someone who works at the supermarket?

Q: As someone who has had dogs for many years, I know the list of foods that are bad for them: chocolate, onions, garlic, grapes, and raisins. But just how bad are they? Can a dog really get sick eating even just a small amount of these items?

Thanksgiving week is one of the top three holiday weeks (along with Christmas and Easter) that dogs are taken to the emergency room. It’s because they develop a life-threatening disease called pancreatitis as a result of being fed too much in the way of fatty foods. In a misfiring, pancreatic enzymes start eating away at the pancreas itself, and potentially deadly inflammation of that organ ensues. Signs include a loss of appetite, nausea, sometimes unremitting periods of vomiting, a distended abdomen, and perhaps a fever.

The label on a package of dog food will give a range of how much to feed depending on your pet’s weight. Many people should be feeding their dogs on the lower end of the range since a lot of today’s family pets are not getting much exercise to burn off the calories they eat. But if you find you need to feed your dog even less than the lower end of the recommended range for him to remain at a healthy weight, speak to your veterinarian about changing foods.

Q: My dog—a 13-pound terrier mix—loves a particular brand of food, and that’s what I feed her. But this month, I will be traveling with her to Italy for two weeks, and, of course, I cannot feed her the preferred brand for that period.
I’m wondering if freeze-dried food would be a suitable substitute, or if that would be too drastic a change. What might you recommend? Thank you for your consideration.
Gordon Shumaker
Woodbury Minnesota

Have you ever seen the words “new” or “improved” on a dog food label? If so, it shouldn’t be there for more than the first six months of production. “It’s not new forever,” says the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), whose guidelines are generally written into law by each state legislature.

August 26th is National Dog Day, and the entire month is National Dog Month. To show your pet how much you appreciate them, why not treat him or her to a nice cold pup treat during these dog days of summer? Options abound, from a Starbucks “Puppiccino” to a Dunkin’ Donuts “Puppy Latte” (a small espresso-sized cup with whipped cream) to Dairy Queen’s 4-ounce cup of vanilla soft serve in its “Pup Cup.”

Dogs with fly-catching syndrome try to bite or jump into the air, seemingly to catch imaginary flies. It’s often believed to be some kind of obsessive compulsive behavior, although sometimes seizures are found to be the cause. Now a new case study reported in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association suggests the behavior could in some cases be the result of gluten intolerance, the hallmark of celiac disease.

People tend to shut down when the veterinarian says their dog is fat or obese. They take it as an affront, often interpreting those words to mean they are being told they are irresponsible pet owners.

As the practice of feeding dogs raw meat diets increases, so does the incidence of pets harboring bacteria in their systems that are not only harmful but also ever more resistant to the drugs that are supposed to be able to destroy them. The latest evidence about potential harm comes from a study conducted in the United Kingdom.

Did you hear the one about the dog whose veterinarian prescribed a special therapeutic diet to slow the progression of kidney disease? Turns out that even with the newly prescribed food the rate of the dog’s decline did not ease up.