Diet
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My dog is usually pleased with what I do, because she is not infected with the concept of what I should be doing. Lonzo Idolswine We have provided this information as a guide only, if any problems arise, CONTACT us or your Veterinary Surgeon. Increase or decrease food according to pups needs. NEVER overfeed: the pup should always have a waistline and just a nice covering over the ribs, not layers of fat. A pup kept in overweight condition can have problems with a weak back, loose ligamentation and could have trouble later in life with heart conditions, spinal complaints or hip dysplasia due to excessive weight gain. We feed the formula - OPTIMUM™ & raw brisket bones which are given to the puppy from the age of 6 weeks; they clean the teeth and give the jaw muscles exercise. They also supply calcium and minerals to the puppy. NEVER give COOKED BONES such as chop, chicken, fish, roast lamb, t-bone, etc, as these can get caught, tear or splinter the bowel. Brisket bones are what we recommend. We do not recommend canned food. Dogs fed on canned food often suffer from anal gland problems and gastric upset. If ever giving over 3 cups of dry formula pour water over it and allow to soak and swell prior to feeding the dog or the fatal condition of BLOAT could occur. More on the subject of Bloat later. DO NOT feed a separate calcium supplement. If feeding a balanced food such as the OPTIMUM™, there is no need for calcium supplementation Importantly, WAIT TWO HOURS before or after exercising your dog to feed him or you may risk the FATAL CONDITION of Stomach Torsion - BLOAT, occurring! diet Always make sure your dog has fresh drinking water available! 8 weeks - 12 weeks
breakfast 3/4 cup OPTIMUM™ Puppy dinner 3/4 cup OPTIMUM™ Puppy and a brisket bone 3 months - 6 months breakfast 1 1/2 cups OPTIMUM™ Puppy dinner 1 1/2 cups OPTIMUM™ Puppy and a brisket bone 6 months - 9 months breakfast 2 cups OPTIMUM™ Puppy dinner 1 1/2 cups OPTIMUM™ Puppy and a brisket bone 9 months - 12 months breakfast 2 cups OPTIMUM™ Puppy dinner 2 cups OPTIMUM™ Puppy and a brisket bone 12 months onwards........
Change the puppy formula to an OPTIMUM™ Adult Formula, do this gradually over one week. Add Missing Link to your dog's regular foodaccording to its weight As an adult the dog should have breakfast and dinner. Feeding two smaller meals instead of one large meal per day will lessen the risk of your dog bloating. See below for an article on Bloat and also go to the links page for another article dealing with Bloat. What you have fed your dog from the age of 12 months should be all he requires as an adult. If at any stage the dog does not have a waistline, reduce the the meal size and increase the exercise.
Food additions that are given to our dogs on a regular basis: Boiled eggs, sardines in oil, carrot & apple. Remember "If your dog is too fat, YOU are not getting enough exercise." bloat Bloat or stomach distension is seen most commonly in larger breed dogs with deep chests i.e Doberman Pincers, Great Danes & German Shepherd Dogs. All dogs can be affected, even smaller breeds. Usually distention of the stomach occurs when the dog eats or over eats, along with drinking a large volume of water. The resulting entrapment of food, water & gas in the stomach makes it difficult to empty itself. If the stomach should rotate or twist whilst distended, this is an emergency. Twisting of the stomach can occur if the dog exercises soon after eating or drinking. Whether the stomach is twisted or not, distention of the abdomen is commonly seen, along with vomiting or the dog attempting to vomit (dry retching) Diagnosis is made by a physical examination and x-rays; blood tests are helpful in determining general overall health of the animal, and are useful if surgery is necessary to correct the condition. Treatment is geared towards decompressing (or emptying) the stomach of its contents. Often times a tube is passed from the mouth to the stomach to accomplish this. Long standing cases may have electrolyte imbalances (sodium, potassium,choloride) which need to be corrected. Some cases may even have heart arrhythmias (irregular heart beats) which may require treatment. If the stomach is twisted, surgery is usually necessary to de-rotate the stomach, and place it back into it's normal position. Outcome of this condition, dependslargely upon the length of time the stomach has been twisted, and the accompanying conditions (arrhythmias,electrolyte imbalances,etc.). If the twist has been 12 hours or more,there is concern with tissue death, and release of toxic materials (stagnant substances within the twisted portion of the blood vessels) into the blood stream after de-rotation, are all life threatening conditions. If these conditions are not reversed, death of the patient is likely to occur. Once the patient's condition is stabilised, and surgery has corrected the positioning of the stomach, recovery is generally uneventful. Afterwards, small amounts of food offered frequently throughout the day, along with restricted water intake is recommended to avoid stomach distention or bloat re-ocurring. Twisting of the stomach after surgical correction however, is unlikely to occur.
Photo: 'Rocky' The $6000 dog. This is what his owners said of him after two operations for the condition of Bloat. Rocky paid a much higher price as he died after the second operation! RIP 'Rocky' |
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