Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Anyone have any suggestions about what I can do to improve loose stools on the cancer diet?
I had my dog on Halo mixed with some lean meats and vegetables that I would add in but I realized I didn't have the right proportions. I noticed weight loss in my dog and didn't realize what a toll the cancer took on my baby. I feel irresponsible as I didn't do more research or wasn't more proactive. You know, with all the visits to different oncologists and doctors, not one even focused on diet and I wish they would have talked to us about it.
Anyway, I started cooking Dr. Dressler's canine cancer diet and I've slowly transitioned my dog from his old food to his new food. I use a mix of lean ground beef with chicken breast, steel cut oats, broccoli and cabbage, beef liver, and cottage cheese. He absolutely loves it! But I find that he is having loose stools. It's not diarrhea though. I follow the food guidelines and weigh everything. I add in calcium, fish oil, glucosamine and digestive enzymes. I'm not sure what it is. I thought maybe he was lactose intolerant so I tried the Lactaid cottage cheese. Should I try brown rice to firm up his stool?
Anyone have any suggestions on how to firm up his poop? Thank you.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
We did the cancer diet for Zeus (with a few modifications). Be sure that you follow the directions about the liver and cut it into very small pieces prior to boiling it. Liver is very fatty and can cause digestive upset and cutting it into small pieces allows more fat to escape during the boiling. After cooking it we would then drain it into a colander and run cool water over it to wash off excess fat. We also had Zeus on a probiotic that our vet gave us. Although our vet didn't initiate discussion about diet, he was receptive when we brought it up and recommended the probiotic to help digestion. However, we did not add digestive enzymes to the food itself, so be sure to talk to your vet about whether both would be too much! Good luck!
Lisa
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
Even the best vets often don't discuss nutrition, it's something that they don't focus on enough in vet school but hopefully things are changing.
First, don't beat yourself up. We all learn from the cancer journey and become wiser for it. Even now finding the right balance for our very nervous GSD Tripawd Wyatt Ray is a learning experience and we've been together 3 years!
Loose stools can happen when a diet change occurs, that's common. As long as it's not diarrhea, which can be a real concern, it sounds like this is normal. Another reason stools become looser is because when we eat more vegetables, we are taking in more water (vegetables have water content). A dog who has eaten nothing but kibble, which has zero moisture, and goes to veggies, will experience something like this. Our own Wyatt sure did, he was a mess for a while.
Things will firm up eventually, you are on the right track with the enzymes. other suggestions include adding more fiber, which sucks up the water in his system, so things like steamed yams or a few bran flakes will help. But here's the real magic trick we found that works miracles whenever our Wyatt has GI issues; Green Clay! Here's some info about that and other additions that can help:
Are Proboitics in your Tripawd's Regimen?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you for the responses and suggestions.
I will cut the beef liver into smaller pieces to see if that helps. I also haven't been boiling it so maybe that will make a difference too.
I've looked in to the Green Clay and am intrigued. My pup always has had a sensitive stomach so this just might work. I'm just glad to hear that loose stools is normal and should firm up eventually. Whew!
Thanks again!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Another product like the clay is diatomaceous earth, which may be easier to find than the clay. In the dog world, it's often used for flea protection, but in the human world it is something people add to their morning OJ or oatmeal. It essentially does the same thing as the clay: it's inert bulk! As for looser stools, we find that Jackson is a little sensitive to too much protein in his diet. We top his kibble with all sorts of tasty, whole, freshly prepared things, but when someone puts too much meat in there....loose poos occur. We balance it out with an equal sized serving of veggies (fiber!) and that seems to help. Maybe in addition to the suggestions above, if it were me, I'd make Dr D's diet with a bit more oatmeal and/or rice and over time, slowly bring it back down to his recommended level.
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
fetchon3 said
Another product like the clay is diatomaceous earth, which may be easier to find than the clay.
Thanks for this info, I'm adding it to our To Do list for the Nutrition blog .
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Diatomaceous Earth is a lot easier to find. I tried to purchase the Rx Clay through the site: http://rxvitami.....petsv.html but they only sell to veterinary professionals. I'm going to my local independent pet supply store that carries the diatomaceous earth. It's also available at numerous online outlets and it's probably cheaper to buy online but I just want it now. I just made a new batch of food so I'll try adding in more oatmeal until his stools firm up.
Thanks again for the advice/suggestions! I really appreciate it.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Sounds great! Please keep us posted. We all appreciate good poo around here!
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Another suggestion for loose stools is Honest Kitchen's supplement "Perfect Form". That's what I use at times in need for my dogs.
Honest Kitchen Perfect Form Dog & Cat Supplement
Tracy, Maggie's Mom
Maggie was amputated for soft tissue sarcoma 10-20-09
Maggie lost her battle with kidney disease on 8-24-13
Actually, you guys mentioning the extra oatmeal jogs my memory about something else you might want to keep in mind. A few times we noticed that Zeus's urine became very white/milky looking. It might have been chemo side effect or we finally figured out that it might be the protein building up in his system since this diet is so high in protein. His renal bloodwork was always fine so we finally concluded it just had to be the protein levels. When that would happen, we would simply reduce his homecooked food just a little and add in extra oatmeal (a little watery in consistency) and that always cleared it up within a day or two. We would then go back to the normal diet and everything would be fine for a month or two. Now, I've never heard anyone else mention any of this so who knows whether it was actually this cause and solution!
Lisa
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
Hey guys FYI you can also get green clay at human health food stores, it's usually available in the bulk section where the spices and teas are.
Let us know how the DE works for you.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Just wanted to report that my pup's stools are much better.
I added DE (diatomaceous earth) and more brown rice. I also cut the beef liver into small pieces, boiled it and rinsed it thoroughly before adding it to the other ingredients. I also didn't boil vegetables when I made a new batch of food. Instead, I pureed raw veggies. Not sure if that made a difference.
I wasn't sure about how much DE to add so I called Lumino, the company who makes the DE I purchased. A representative there suggested one tablespoon with each meal for a 47 lb. dog.
Thanks again to all for your suggestions!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
This is super information! Thank you for coming back to tell us what worked (and that dosage info is really helpful). I'm glad to hear things are all better!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Here's a short little PDF about DE dosage: http://harmonyo.....usInfo.pdf
1 tbsp for a 47lb dog sounds great. So glad that (and all the other things) are working out!
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Thanks for the PDF about the DE dosage information.
After we figured out my pups stool issues, he unfortunately left us. It was sudden and I'm not even sure what happened. I'm struggling a bit. I guess I should be posting this in the "Coping With Loss" section.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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