Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I have something to throw out there for tuckerdog--You don't have to volunteer how you feed any new dog. Your vet may not (probably won't?) even ask. And if they do, you can throw out some brand of food you know won't make waves. Personally, I think it is less essential that your vet know you are feeding a quality food than it is the other way around. If you're feeding crap and your dog gets sick, the vet needs to know what you fed.
I have been told that after our monkeybutt Evelyn is no longer with us, we will not get another dog. I don't really feel good about that right now, but I understand my husband's feelings and reasons. And it may change. I have no crystal ball. But I decided long ago that any new dog in our family would be fed much differently from the get-go than how we used to feed, before cancer. And if my vet didn't agree, I would keep my mouth shut and not volunteer too much. That may be the only way to strike a balance.
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
This is really a mixed bag. I have worked with vets before that have no focus on diet what-so-ever, but I have also worked with vets that are really pro nutrition. Unfortunately it is really varied, but I would always ask and then follow it up with my own research at home. Many owners assume that all vets know nothing about nutrition because of what they hear from trainers and friends, so they never even bother to ask! One thing I have seen is that many vets are not fans of raw diets because too many owners do not do it correctly. I also personally do not like prescription diets, but they do have their place in veterinary medicine and are necessary in certain situations. Many of them have corn gluten meal and rice as the first ingredient, but there is A LOT of research and development that goes into making the foods.
Shari - that thought has crossed my mind. When we tried to transition Tucker to a new food after he finished chemo, it was not successful. We told the vet we were trying to transition to grain free , she wasn't especially supportive & we didn't mention it after that. After spending time reading on tripawds after his diagnosis, I just about drove myself crazy worrying about what he was eating (or not eating). Although we don't have immediate plans for a new pack member, I want to try to find resources now for nutrition when the time comes. Is a holistic vet that could work along with our vet a good idea? Or is there another route that would be more successful? We have A LOT of options here - everything from a great local pet food store w/ a huge variety of foods to a pet food deli. If the holistic vet is a good option, does anyone have any advice on how to find a good one? Thanks!
Jen
Where are you, Jen? I think trying to get a recommendation from satisfied members here is a good place to start. All the options you have make me wonder if you're in my area. I'm a few miles from Boulder, and we have all the hoity-toity dog stuff around here out the wazoo. We have a dog bakery/deli, too. And several holistic vets.
I needed a new vet a year ago and got a recommendation from a woman working at Whole Pets when I was in there buying food for my dogs. I ended up feeding The Honest Kitchen mixed with raw for quite awhile and kinda-sorta still am. But this woman told me about a local vet who uses the best of all worlds. She uses Western medicine when it's needed, Eastern medicine when it's appropriate, and she's a certified acupuncturist, too. So whatever works, she uses. Except for sacrificing live chickens. She doesn't do that. I am really happy with her, and I think all vets should be that flexible and open minded.
There is a forum here for recommending vets but I don't think it's updated often. I think finding out where you are and who's nearby is a great way to start.
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Magnum was fed a medium quality kibble and raw beef, chicken, chicken wings, bones, eggs and vegies. We based her diet on advice from her breeder since we had no other knowledge at the time. With the cancer diagnosis we increased the raw meat but didn't change the kibble (wish I had but...).
With my new dog Ruby I have sought out an holistic vet (because after the cancer experience I realised just how important the diet is). Ruby can't eat raw and the advice of the local vet was yes,... you guessed it "Science Diet" with starch as the main ingredient!). Instead of a 10 minute drive to the vet it is now 40 minutes but it is worth it. They are helping me tailor a cooked low carb diet which is ongoing now that we are armed with an allergy test that shows she is allergic to almost everything! I am very happy with our holistic vet (who uses a combination of western and eastern medince) 🙂
Magnum: 30th May 2002 to 5th May 2012. Lost her back left leg to osteosarcoma on 5th Sep 2011. Lung mets found on 20th Mar 2012 but it was bone mets in the hip that ended her brave battle. Magnum's motto - "Dream as if you'll live for ever, live as if you'll die today" (James Dean). Loyal, loving, courageous and spirited to the end. My beloved heart dog, see her memoirs from Rainbow Bridge ...... http://princess.....pawds.com/
jerry said
Hello Tripawders,Here's a survey of the day:
What kind of food(s) do you feed your pets on a regular basis?
Earthborn Holistic, although sometimes I add California Natural grain free --it depends on what the store has in stock.
How do you pawrents decide what to feed your pets?
I've always been fond of grain free . I've thought about going raw, but some of my attempts were not too successful (although Sojos went over well).
Would you say that choosing a good diet is a priority? Why or why not?
Yes. I think a healthy diet leads to a healthy pet. If I eat healthy food myself, why would I want to give my pets anything different?
What resources, both online and offline, do you use for finding the best food for your pet's health and your budget?
I belong to another chat board dedicated to Labradors and a lot of the members there have good opinions that I trust. They have also directed me to a couple online resources and books to check out.
And finally, do you ever discuss diet with your vet? If so, what is your opinion about the quality of that advice? Are you satisfied with it or does it leave you hungry for more?
Personally I don't think most vets are "into" diet that much--simply because they really push the Science Diet stuff that I don't agree with. They always want to know what I feed my animals, but often look at me like "I've never heard of that" when I tell them the brands.
Thanks for any answers you wish to share with us!
- What kind of food(s) do you feed your pets on a regular basis?
Jackson now eats Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, large breed adult. This brand (with, I'm afraid its dumb name) is also made by Taste of the Wild and Diamond (Diamond Foods is the parent company). We top his kibble with healthy foods like boiled proteins and veggies. Also added are his supplements, such as immune boosters, omega3 oil, hip and joint stuffs.
2. How do you pawrents decide what to feed your pets?
Jackson came into our lives as a 7 week old, pound puppy just after I had graduated college. I knew I didn't want to feed him simply "chow", but I didn't have a lot of resources. He was on Purina One for years. Then, when I became a graduate student (still, without many resources), we moved him up to BillJac. Our vet had said this food tends to stick to their teeth, so we monitored his dental health and decided to switch about a year after being on it. Then, we tried NutroMax, which caused daily vomiting! We've now landed on Chicken Soup and we're sticking with it. Factors that play into our decision include price, does he like it?, ease of purchase (which relates to its return-ability in case there are recalls), and health. I've become more stringent about the health of the food, which now with cancer in our lives, I'm really tuned into it. I will not feed pets some food from a huge brand like Purina again (too big to care?, recalls!), nor will I feed them BilJac (it's largely corn and there are preservatives in there - or at least were). I love the sound of cooking for Jackson, but I frankly don't have that time, money, or space in the fridge. So, we top his kibble with healthy, wholesome nuggets: boiled chicken or liver, veggies like broccoli, beets, kale, carrots, red peppers, etc. I also want to make sure Jackson likes it (ok, I think he'll eat anything...)! Oh, and we live in an area where he must be walked on leash (we have no yard), so we pick up his poop every walk. This means, whatever food meets all the above criteria, must also produce poops that are easy to pick up!
3. Would you say that choosing a good diet is a priority? Why or why not?
Yes! Um, it's a priority to me and my health, so why wouldn't it be for Jackson? We're very similar, physiologically speaking, so antioxidants, omega3, etc make a difference.
4. What resources, both online and offline, do you use for finding the best food for your pet's health and your budget?
Dogfoodadvisor.com. Then I read some reviews at major sites (petfooddirect.com, petsmart.com, petco.com, etc) to get an idea of how popular it is. I have also subscribed to the FDA's vet listserv, so I get all the immediate recall info emailed right to me. It's always nice when there's a recall and it's a product that Jackson has never had (in general, though, recalls are not nice. It's awful how many there are and how few pawrents know about them until symptoms start).
5. And finally, do you ever discuss diet with your vet? If so, what is your opinion about the quality of that advice? Are you satisfied with it or does it leave you hungry for more?
We have and she was helpful directing us with BilJac. She was supportive of it, health-wise, but had mentioned it may cause more plaque buildup. I tried to find out which brands she liked or even what she fed her pups, but the advice was weak. I suspect she cooks for them! For her, so long as the company does veterinary nutrition research, the brand is good. Well, I know Purina does research, but many of their foods are really, really processed and made of crap. So....I do my own research now.
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!
We are in Minneapolis (although if my husband lived in a perfect world, we might live in Boulder!) I will check with the local pet food store to see if they have feedback, that is a great idea!
tuckerdog said
If the holistic vet is a good option, does anyone have any advice on how to find a good one?
A number of members here have consulted with Dr. Charles Loops. Also consider checking the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I really love this idea, here are my answers...
Question #1 - What kind of food(s) do you feed your pets on a regular basis? I just recently switched to Canadian Naturals. Miss Charlee started out on Orijen and Acana's grain free
formula's but she started having skin issues on it so I switch to Taste of the Wild and saw a vast improvement. But then Diamond had that recall last year and TOW was part of it so I took the opportunity to switch to Go!, which is what Roxy has been on for the last year. The main reason why I switched off this food was because both dogs started losing weight on it and it didn't seem to get any better when I increased the amount. So now they are on Canadian Naturals...it is a grain food but good grains like brown rice and oatmeal...and because dogs are not true carnivores, like cats, and because my dogs don't have issues eating grains I wanted to give this food a try as I have heard very good things about it. Both of my dogs love it and I have already seen a small weight increase only after a few weeks 
They are not solely on a dry kibble either...I do like to feed them raw as well, so quite often their morning meal will be kibble and their evening meal will be raw. Also, when my dogs get their dry kibble I always add water or canned food because dogs are not meant to eat dry diet. I also will add extra stuff from time to time like probiotic yogurt, cottage cheese, salmon oil and/or pumpkin...I swear they eat better than I do 
Question #2 - How do you pawrents decide what to feed your pets? For me it's all about what's in the food and the protein levels...I like to see wholesome ingredients with no by-products, no wheat, no soy, no corn, and no chemical preservatives like ethoxyquin! I also prefer to feed a food a little higher in protein...my dogs seem to do better on these types of foods and they have nice lean muscle mass as a result. The other thing I also like to see in my dog's food is glucosamine to help keep their joints nice and healthy though out their life.
Question #3 - Would you say that choosing a good diet is a priority? Why or why not? I absolutely think a good diet is priority!!! I have seen first hand what a good diet can do for the health of your dog. When I decided to get Miss Charlee, my top priority was what food she was going to go on. The original "Tails a Waggin' gang" consisted of four beautiful BC's when I lived up in Fort McMurray and years ago up there you couldn't really find high quality pet foods and I didn't have the knowledge I do now, so they all grew up on Pedigree. Actually they started out on Iams, when it was still a good food, but then the P&G bought them out and all my dogs actually got sick on it. I tried several other foods before trying Pedigree but it was the only food that "everyone" tolerated. Although they are did well on it, years later I witness a remarkable thing! When Miss Charlee came along I still had one of my original BC's, Miss Ditto, who was 13 at the time. And although she was still doing pretty good she was definitely showing her age...extra weight, rotting teeth, glaucoma's in both eyes, terrible coat, and smelly. Before Miss Charlee arrived I had made the decision to feed Orijen and raw and although I was nervous to switch Miss Ditto, I decided to make it simple and feed her Orijen and raw as well. I did a seven day transition with her kibble and started feeding raw right away and the detox her body went through was crazy...her stool turned the grass brown before it hit the ground!!! However, other than that the switch went well. After just a month I already say major improvements!!! She had started to lose weight, her coat started looking better and she wasn't as smelly. And after a few months she lost about 10 lbs, her teeth were whiter and her breath was 100 times better, her gluacoma's started to improve, her coat was gorgeous and she had way more energy...it was like she was a puppy again!!! I truly believe that by switching to a healthier diet gave me two more glorious years with her! If only I knew about Animal Chiro back then she may still be with us today...which BTW she would have been 18 years old today because March 17th was her birthdate 
.
Question #4 - What resources, both online and offline, do you use for finding the best food for your pet's health and your budget? My resources are both online and offline...I am constantly researching nutrition as it is part of my job. I was always interested in pet nutrition but 4 years ago I started working for a holistic pet store which allowed me to take many seminars. I have since moved on from that industry, however, I do still keep up pet nutrition because it is a big part of my current job as an Animal Chiropractic's assistant...I often do nutrition consults with our patients. As far as budget goes, this was another big factor in my decision to switch to Canadian Natural's...it's price point is $20+ lower that all the other foods I was on and I am not compromising the quality.
Question #5 - Do you ever discuss diet with your vet? If so, what is your opinion about the quality of that advice? Are you satisfied with it or does it leave you hungry for more? I NEVER discuss pet nutrition with my regular vet!!! Even though not all of the food they sell is crap, the majority of them are! Just read at the ingredient panel...by-products, corn, soy, and the chemical preservative ethoxyquin. The medicinal foods that regular vets often recommend are not really meant to be life long foods, they are meant to be used only while the animal is sick, once the animal is healthy again they should go back to a more nutritional diet...there are lots of lower protein, limited ingredient foods out there (which are what a lot of vet foods are based on) that are more nutritional. After saying that I do know and understand that some animals may never be able to come off these vet foods because they do have lifelong medical condition just like in humans when we have to go on special diets. Most vet schools are sponsored by these pet food companies of the products they sell...like Hills. And although vet students do touch on nutrition during their schooling it is not usually a full course it is just a discussion. Veterinarians are doctors of animal medicine not nutritionists! If you go to your family doctor to talk about diet, they will most likely send you to a nutritionist, so I feel vets should do the same either that or do further schooling on nutrition...and I know there are many out there that have.
Sorry about the last question...it will probably sound a little intense to some I am very passionate about my job and take pride in my knowledge, but in the end this is just my opinion. I know that nutrition can be overwhelming for some people, there are times when I find it that way...too many choices out there as far as I am concerned!!! The thing we all have to remember is, is it not always about what we think is best it is more about what our dogs can tolerate. Not all dogs do well on high quality foods, especially high protein diets so do your research and talk to the experts you trust.
Roxy…Border Collie cross born on approximately October 27th, 2011;
Rescued in January 2012 by Oops a Dazy Rescue & Sanctuary;
Right hind leg amputated on January 20th, 2012 due to a severe spiral fracture;
Adopted on February 21st, 2012 by Teena, a devoted human & Charlee, a purebred BC.
Hugs, tail wags & sloppy kisses
Sorry about the last question…it will probably sound a little intense to some
Oh my gosh no apologies necessary! I enjoyed reading about your journey from Pedigree and beyond. We had a similar awakening and boy what a difference it's made in our pack. Oh I also really liked hearing about Miss Ditto's transformation, that's wonderful! It's yet another great example of what a difference a quality diet can make in an animal, even an old pup like her. Thanks for being such a great pawrent!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello Tripawders,
Here's a survey of the day:
- What kind of food(s) do you feed your pets on a regular basis?
We use blue buffalo wilderness adding fish tabs, mushrooms kelp and ground eggs shells and ester c - How do you pawrents decide what to feed your pets?
We became educated after Tiffany was diagnosed with osteosarcoma consulted with a holistic vet and our breeder - Would you say that choosing a good diet is a priority? Why or why not?
Absolutely too much evidence of food environment and cancer why would one not do as much as possible - What resources, both online and offline, do you use for finding the best food for your pet's health and your budget? Mostly Internet and suggested books by trusted sites
- And finally, do you ever discuss diet with your vet?
If so, what is your opinion about the quality of that advice? Are you satisfied with it or does it leave you hungry for more? Vets do not have a clue about nutrition and in fact I would urge everyone to get educated about "annual" vaccines. There is a lot of discussion about way too much use of vacines take a look at this site http://www.rabi.....efund.org/
Thanks for any answers you wish to share with us!
- What kind of food(s) do you feed your pets on a regular basis?
Up until a year ago JD was on a primary kibble diet which was mainly Acana. I then added a raw meal for his supper. Which was a commercial raw I did it this way out of convenience for me as I'm too busy in the morning to prepare raw and it has the minerals raw doesn't. Since the cancer diagnosis JD has been on a all raw diet with supplements of Fish Oil, Glucosamine and Milk Thistle. Once he starts Chemo I'll be starting him on Cani Source which is a high grade human grade dehydrated raw diet, but doesn't have the chance of bacteria being in it. I will also be cooking him meats, preparing veggies, rice/oatmeal, cottage cheese and continuing with the supplements until he is done Chemo in which he will be going back to half raw half kibble - How do you pawrents decide what to feed your pets?
I've done some research and talking with the people at a pet health food store as well, who actually teach a nutrition class for Vet Med students.I want to be able to give him what will help him live the healthiest life he can. - Would you say that choosing a good diet is a priority? Why or why not?
Yes, he deserves to live a good life and not eat the garbage that is out there. - What resources, both online and offline, do you use for finding the best food for your pet's health and your budget? Mainly talking with people about their personal experiences
- And finally, do you ever discuss diet with your vet? If so, what is your opinion about the quality of that advice? Are you satisfied with it or does it leave you hungry for more?
I have discussed with my regular vet they were against raw. The oncologist was against raw and completely opposed with it during Chemo once I took her the sample of Cani Source with the ingredients they could not say anything bad about it. I respect their opinion but they are not nutrition specialists.
Jodi I like the way you took the bag of Cani Source to your vet, that's SMART.
And Sue, I agree, pets are way over-vaccinated. I urge everyone to think twice and get titered first.
Pawesome information here folks, thank you! Anyone else?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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