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| After I signed the papers, making Havi ours |
We affectionately refer to our Havi as our million dollar free shelter pup. When we adopted Havi she was a teeny tiny 45 pounds (she is now 73 pounds). She had major tummy issues.
After 6 months and your help we solved that, and then started in on vomiting due to acid reflux.
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| Little did we know, filling these bowls would be a struggle |
Havi now gets one cup of Evo Red Meat formula in the morning in a frozen kong and one cup in her bowl at night.
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| Havi's Evo Red Meat Formula |
She gets a Milkbone (not the best in nutrients, but her stomach seems to do well) once a day.
When we work on her tricks she gets various high-value treats. In Havi's morning food she gets a Pepcid pill for her acid reflux. Additionally, all of her water is bottled, spring fed water for her stomach issues.
How long did it take you to find the perfect mixture for your pup?!
It sounds like you are doing a lot for her!
ReplyDeleteI notice you have Lilies in your last picture... we just spent the entire weekend with our cats on IV fluids because they may have made contact with the pollen of the Lily. I know it's not quite as toxic for dogs as it is for cats, but it's super toxic - watch out! Learn from my mistakes...
Good luck with all your food stuff!
Reallllyyyyy. I didn't know that lilies were bad for cats! Glad I read this!!!
DeleteWe have had a similar experience with Pearl- million dollar free shelter pup is right! We still have not found a combination that works for Pearl. Sounds like you have finally found a diet that works for Havi, congrats. How do you put kibble in a frozen kong? I think slowing Pearl down with eating would help with her stomach issues, but we find putting kibble in a kong doesn't work because she just dumps it out really fast and scarfs it.
ReplyDeleteI know people like to add water or chicken broth to the kibble, mash it up, and put in the kong before freezing. However, we've never tried that; instead, we use the Bob-a-lot and love it! http://www.amazon.com/StarMark-Bob-Lot-Interactive-Large/dp/B001JQLNB4
DeleteWe're still looking for the perfect food for our girl Abbey. She'll eat anything but it goes through her too quickly with soft or runny stool being the result. We've (where we can) removed chicken, wheat, and all grains. we've gone through nearly all varieties of kibble, including, taste of the wild, Blue Buffalo, EVO, Acana, (haven;t tried Origin yet). We then stumbled upon 'green tripe'. This is unprocessed, non-bleached tripe, basically the stomach from a cow. It's high in naturally occurring digestive enzymes. It's also appears to be low protein (Abbey doesn't do well on high protein kibble). Due to her problems we switched her straight over, and it did work, the very next day her stool was solid. We're now in the process of trying to find a kibble or other ingredients to make her meals more balanced and rich in nutrients. At the moment we're using Pinacle which for the moment appears to be doing okay, but it's still early days.
ReplyDeleteWe struggled with both our dogs but recently switched to feeding them a raw diet and both dogs are doing great!
ReplyDeleteIt's much easier than I thought and the girls always look forward to their meals!
Here's my post if anyone is interested,
http://sarahlovesherdogs.blogspot.com/2012/01/raw-diet.html
"Million dollar free shelter pup." That's great, and you know I can definitely relate. Her stomach issues sound like the equivalent of Zoe's allergy problems! I'm glad you've found a regimen that works for Havi, and that's so great that other bloggers helped you out. :) I hope Miss Havi continues to feel better!
ReplyDeleteHm... I tried to comment on my phone, but that apparently didn't work. With Badger, it took a couple of months before finding a food that didn't trouble his delicate digestive system (California Natural puppy). When we switched him over to adult food, we chose Natural Balance limited ingredient based on a Two Pitties in the City post and the comments on it. We also add a scoop of pumpkin on top to aid digestion. It's generally working okay, but not perfectly.
ReplyDeleteMushroom, however, has an iron stomach. She gets the same food as Badger and has been completely fine so far.
We have one that takes Pepcid too. The Dr. also said it's worse when the tummy is empty. Maybe several smaller meals.
ReplyDeletePerfect mixture? We are still looking :) Always looking to try new and healthier things.
Emma
Maisie too is a million dollar pup. just food and treats run close to $150/month, plus supplements...and then factor in the cost of daycare 5x/week. oy vey, it's out of control. everytime we check out at the pet store, I tell her she needs to get a "J-O-B!" having said that, she had lots of stomach problems too until she started on raw. I honestly hoped it wouldn't help because it's so much more expensive than kibble, but it's made a world of difference.
ReplyDeleteWe have a great mixture for Mesa, until she eats all the food on the streets during our walks...
ReplyDeleteStop on by for a visit
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com
YES. This happens with Badger too. We're apparently much more concerned about his digestive issues than he is.
DeleteReggie didn't have any digestive issues, thankfully, but when I adopted him from NYCACC little did anyone know that he had an immune disorder that was attacking his blood cells. That took months to identify and get under control. Then we learned that all that peanut butter I was putting in his kong? He is allergic to peanuts! His fur was falling out in clumps. Oh boy. No more peanut butter. :)
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