@abonnard Pee pads got me through in the end, she would pee every 20 mins for the first months, then 40 mins, then she suddenly went to being able to hold it for many hours. One of the best purchases I got before she arrived was a small carpet washer, saved my sanity. The cleanup is so key otherwise they go back to the same spot.
Erica ruth
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Hi Debra,
can you explain this a bit more please, what's bloat ?The link that I gave before explains it and has pictures better than I ever could, but this from PetEd. Btw, some sites say it is the 2nd cause of death in dogs after cancer!
What is bloat?
Saint BernardGastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) is also known as "bloat," "stomach torsion," or "twisted stomach." Bloat is an extremely serious condition, and should be considered a life-threatening emergency when it occurs. There are no home remedies for bloat, therefore dog owners must contact their veterinarians immediately if they suspect that their dog has bloat. Dogs can die of bloat within several hours. Even with treatment, as many as 25-33% of dogs with GDV die.
The gastric dilatation is one part of the condition and the volvulus or torsion is the second part. In bloat (dilatation), due to a number of different and sometimes unknown reasons, the stomach fills up with air and puts pressure on the other organs and diaphragm. The pressure on the diaphragm makes it difficult for the dog to breathe. The air-filled stomach also compresses large veins in the abdomen, thus preventing blood from returning to the heart. Filled with air, the stomach can easily rotate on itself, thus pinching off its blood supply. Once this rotation (volvulus) occurs and the blood supply is cut off, the stomach begins to die and the entire blood supply is disrupted and the animal's condition begins to deteriorate very rapidly.
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Changing kibble makes them more picky… they are like, okay had this, what's new? Pick a good healthy kibble and stick to it. You might ADD a little smushed meat or garlic or Parmesan to tempt, but stick with one food.
I find this to be completely untrue. And in fact, many nutritionists actually recommend rotating foods - also, plenty of info on the internet about the value of rotating foods. I rotate 2 different kibbles every 3 months. Because I do that, I can pretty much switch a food at the drop of the hat and have no intestinal issues. That said, I feed foods & flavors that I know the kids all like - I judge that by the yodels and dancing that happens at meal time.
Because I change kibble - they never know what they are getting so I think it actually adds interest to what they are eating.I do practice controlled feeding - 2x per day. I put food down (in their crates) for 15 minutes. If it isn't gone in 15 minutes, I take it away until the next meal. They get biscuits and other treats (not a lot) in between meals (for training) and at bedtime.
I have one really picky eater, 1 somewhat picky eater and 2 gobblers (eat anything & everything put in front of them).
My really picky eater does not skip meals because he might get something better or doesn't like what is served, he does it because he doesn't feel like eating (I believe). He has been known to skip 2 or 3 meals and when he is finally hungry enough he eats. Once he skips a meal, I usually double up on the next meal so that if he happens to feel like eating he can have some extra. When it is hot it is pretty frequent that I can only get 1 meal in him a day or 1 every other day. Things he absolutely loves as training snacks (pieces of cheese, beef, steak, liver) he will not eat if he doesn't feel like eating. Other times he yodels for them and his butt can't hit the floor fast enough for the snacks so I know he loves them. I will say he is a tough one to give medicine to as he isn't highly food motivated.
I use really good kibble - Instinct, Orijen, that sort of stuff. I also put in a scoop of high quality wet food (and sometimes veggies) at night. The only time I ever added water to food was when they were puppies. Once they hit 6 months though, I switched so their food & water was separate. I know people that put water in food for their basenjis (and have done so for years) - all ages and have never had a problem. I believe everything I've read about bloat is that it is typically more of a problem on larger breeds.
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Remaultf1 - I totally agree with you. My OJ was a picky eater and was not food motivated until he was over 4yrs old. Didn't matter what I fed him or if I changed foods many times or not at all. If he didn't want to eat, he just did not eat. And I feed the same way, put it down, 15minutes, not eating, its gone till the next meal time. I think for many reasons it is good to change foods regularly. 1. You really don't have the worry of being as careful changing foods as if you are changing all the time, they are used to the food changes. 2. As said, they never know what they are going to get, as I do kibble, mix with wet (both high quality), sometimes mix with a little water, mix in veggies, meats, fruits… and some days we do raw. 3. If you only ever use one food and you are on the road traveling, what happens if you can't find that food? You are really caught between a rock and a hard place as they have to eat something and you may be forced to buy a different brand. If they are used to many changes, that doesn't become a problem. 4. I would not want to eat the same thing day after day after day.
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Erica Ruth, welcome to the forums. I see you have initiated a lively discussion on food. I've learned quite a bit reading this thread so thank you for that.
My Tammie Jean was a head rubber. She would put her forehead down and then scoot it along the rug. I always thought she was cleaning her face.
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I find this to be completely untrue. And in fact, many nutritionists actually recommend rotating foods - also, plenty of info on the internet about the value of rotating foods.
Oh gosh, I am sorry that got taken totally wrong. I was talking about one situation, period.. a picky eater getting back to eating. Continually changing foods in THAT situation doesn't teach the dog "eat, don't eat, this is your meal" thinking.
My dogs get massive variety of food! And yes, I change kibble! Not often, but I do. I cannot imagine my dogs having just one kibble ever or eating only kibble or even only commercial dog food. Like I have said repeatedly, mine get variety, they get raw, they get everything. Dogs who eat one item then get sick when you make fast changes and the owners are surprised. HELLO? Mine get such a variety, nothing really has ever phased them with food changes because they are used to variety. Again, sorry I wasn't clear.
As for bloat, not really BIG dogs but mostly deep chested. However, any dog can get bloat so I just don't add water. That said, I added water off and on for 30 years before the bloat research, never had a problem. But I did have a dog die from bloat and would stand on my head while they ate if I had reason to think it would prevent ever seeing that again.
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Oh gosh, I am sorry that got taken totally wrong. I was talking about one situation, period.. a picky eater getting back to eating. Continually changing foods in THAT situation doesn't teach the dog "eat, don't eat, this is your meal" thinking.
If you have a picky eater, I do not believe if you change foods or not will make a bit of difference. Either they eat or they don't….
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Ah Pat, you can believe what you want. I could post behaviorists columns disagreeing, but whatever works for you works. Having had a dog who would not eat to the point she was terribly underweight, I can assure you I was willing to try ANYTHING to get her to eat. So if the OP tries not switching, switching every meal, whatever… no harm is done.
It appears no matter what I post you need to take a swing. Can someone tell me if there is a way to block seeing someone's posts? Makes for better forum atmosphere if I just ignore trite repetitive attempts to engage over nonsense.
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Ah Pat, you can believe what you want. I could post behaviorists columns disagreeing, but whatever works for you works. Having had a dog who would not eat to the point she was terribly underweight, I can assure you I was willing to try ANYTHING to get her to eat. So if the OP tries not switching, switching every meal, whatever… no harm is done.
And whatever works for you also or believe…. I could point out the same thing with behavorists that agree.
And yes, in the end, whatever works, works best. There is no one solution or right/wrong way. There are many differences in opinions.
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I believe that evryone's opinion is valuable as I'm sure most would agree.
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I think opinions are valuable. I think it isn't valuable to keep repeating yours as if a fact.
