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| "The Breakfast of Champions" Caring for "Our Stars" |
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| From Front to Back: Bart, Maddison, Skylar (Past Goldens) |
| Cassiopea (back), Ava (side), Poppy (front") & Logie (the Ham)! |
| Why I Feed Evo & NB Duck and Potato After Cassie's breeder did extensive research into dog food that was noncarcinogenic I decided this was something I wanted to pursue due to all the canine cancer being diagnosed today. Upon comparing several well known foods for my Goldens, I settled on Evo dry food for my adults only (42% protein). Natural Balance Duck and Potato is an excellent food made of only 2 ingredients, duck and potato! It is great for puppies and for older dogs that are allergic or having stool irregularity. I have not had any stool problems feeding either food, dry, canned or raw. One other problem you need to be aware of if you choose to feed a "rich diet" is coprophagia, a stool eating behavior in dogs that can be reversed but once an adult, a dog will most likely continue this negative behavior. If you run a "search" on coprophagia you will find many articles that give various reasons why this behavior begins in puppies and dogs. The reason a rich diet can bring on this behavior is that some dogs cannot totally digest this kind of diet and produce loose stools right after eating. The stool then has an odor of undigested kibble which prompts the dog to want to ingest his/her meal again. As you can imagine this can develop into a vicious cycle if a dog owner is not aware of this behavior. I say take time to shadow your dog not only when it's a pup but when you make any "changes" in your dog's normal routine. Spend that extra time observing your dog after meals. This behavior is not hard to miss however, keep in mind that once your dog has developed a stool eating problem he/she will "sneak around" right in front of you to "steal some stool" almost as if your negative reaction to this behavior is still attention and negative attention is better than none! Keep in mind that your dog may also pick up this habit to get your attention and not because he/she is hungry or cannot digest properly. In sum, this can be a "behavior problem as well as a digestive health problem in puppies and dogs". You can halt this behavior if you catch it right away. Dogs raised in kennels may exhibit this behavior if their kennels are not attended to right after eating. Another dreadful condition in large diaphragm dogs is "torsion" so please allow your puppy/dog to digest their food for a good 15-30 minutes prior to running around or getting excited. When torsion occurs, a dog's internal organs can twist beyond repair, the dog goes into shock and can die....there is a very critical short time to get your dog to the hospital to save them from death... that is if you recognize the condition as torsion when it happens. On a lighter note, the above food can be a "bit pricey" but I feel it's so worth it to feed the finest in dry and canned dog food over the course of your dog's life...it will keep you out of the Vet's office except for regular check ups! Also, supplement with NuVet Plus Vitamins. My Vet often asks me "don't your dogs ever get sick"? It's best to keep it that way...make your Vet a stranger! |
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