Straining

Dogbetty141

Dogbetty141

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Hi Guys

Just after a bit of advice really

My GSD is on Orijen food & has a bit of chappie or mince or scrambled egg in it to make her eat it, my OH has been giving her raw food as a treat(she has a beef steak twice a week as chicken goes right through her) will this upset her stomach as she is having to much of different foods? She also has paste in her kong when we leave i freeze it as it keep her entertained for ages & a denta stick for her teeth, she has not tit bits i.e human food

Im struggling on how to keep her eating her food as she will get bored of the above being mixed in soon! Do you think she would love raw soley as she goes absolutley made for the beef steak

Anyway practically since having her she strains after having a poo and a bit of runny( not quite diarrhea) poo comes out its like she doesnt realise she finished if we distract her she stopps pooing & carries on with what she was doing, just thinking really is it the different foods she is having

what am I best doing with a very fussy dog(oh by the way she wants to eat our food all the time, we are trying to get her out of scaving but it is very hard)

Thanks

Liz
 
Orijen is fab but not for all dogs. As you say, it might not be very palatable if you are having to add stuff to tempt her to eat it. The protein content is obviously very high and although it's the 'best' kibble, IMO, it may be too high in protein. Acana, smae people, is lower in protein if you want to stay with kibble. Are you talking about a puppy? I think Orijen is far too high in protein for pups, but that's just my opinion.

Instead of Chappie (very bland and lots of dogs do well on it but the ingredients are pants), try adding a spoon of probiotic yoghurt-good for digestion and my fussy dog will eat anything if it's smothered in it.

Steak is very rich: I'd be tempted to try her on green tripe instead, really, or go completely raw (see the sticky above).

As for variety, you can throw anything you like at her as long as you introduce it gradually: variety is good and will encourage her to eat.

If she's trying to scavenge your food, that is a training issue: either train her to stay in one place eg bed while you're eating or eat in a different room.

Dentastix are bloody awful things, full of rubbish ingredients. You're much better off trying her on some raw lamb breast bones or pork ribs, excellent soft bones that will keep her teeth in fab condition.

From another forum (I highlighted the bowel distress thing): Rice flour Cheap filler, causes bowel distress and can lead to diabetes in dogs.

Wheat starch Poor carbohydrate source causes allergies.

Glycerin Sweetens food, used as humectant (keeps food moist), interferes with nutrient assimilation.

Calcium carbonate (Plus point): Standard source of calcium, promotes strong bones, teeth, cardiovascular health and skeletal strength, used as a buffer to acidic foods.

Gelatin Filler / binder in can food.

Gum arabic Cheap filler/binder used in can foods.

Cellulose Powder Suspected to include recycled cardboard.

Natural poultry flavor Poor quality of flavor additive.

Sodium tripolyphosphate Used as rancid meat preservative.

Salt Used to cover up rancid meat and fat, can cause kidney and heart disease, hypertension -- used to encourage cats to drink, source of sodium chloride.

A very decent food is Wainwrights' trays (Pets at Home own brand) or Nature Diet. Excellent ingredients and really tasty by the reaction my dog gave them.
 
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I was wondering if Orijen was too rich for her but it is the large puppy one so designed for them, she has massive poos on them but she has massive poos anyway, I spoke to the vet about it and they told me she is having too much different foods which is why she is straining

I think we have to face facts that she wants to be on a raw diet! Im just worried that she will not get what she needs from it growing up!

I know she likes the Wainwrights treats I may try her on this food, I have so many bags off different dog foods in my house

Do you definaltley think its not in her head that she carries on straining she has done it ever since we had her?

Thanks

Liz
 
Honestly, stop worrying :p !!! It does sound like you are chopping and changing a lot.

My pup is five months and has been on raw food since he was weaned and he does fantastically on it. Human tit-bits would be better for her than Dentastix and Wainwrights treats, its just like feeding kids sweeties, there is no need for it.

Some of the puppy foods are overloaded with protein and carbs and cause harmful growth spurts in large breed puppies, putting too much strain on the joints.

The frozen tripe blocks from Pets at Home are good, mince and eggs on their own would be fine without the dry food.
We are being sold this stuff being told it has 'everything a dog needs' - it actually has a lot of stuff they don't need too.

Don't get me wrong, my adult dog is on dry food, cannot tolerate high levels of protein and I am not anti-it, but I hate the way it is sold and marketed as the be-all and end-all.
 
Thanks CC, do you think this is why she is probably straining because she has to many different foods?

I think RAW is going to be the best one for us

Liz :)
 
I think more of your problem is mixing grain free foods with grain inclusive products. That in my experience has caused some digestive issues.

Beef if rich and pretty low nutritionally for dogs. If chicken doesn't suit her you may try sourcing some turkey because this will be the bulk of her raw diet.
Try searching out the Orijen white paper.

After a lot of research and school work i have come to the conclusion that dairy should be avoided as much as possible. The good stuff in active yoghurt doesn't stand up to a dogs stomach acid so its really not helpful and it has shown to cause IBS type issues in many dogs after short or prolonged feedings.
 
KL while I agree about mixing grain/non grain, I do feed dairy occasionally and I know of several dogs with IBS symptoms (can be quite common in certain strains :() that have actually been helped by kefir, which is a culture grown in milk.
I also give probiotic yoghurt.
Horses for courses, of course :)
 
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