Eating Problems

[Ann]

I was wondering if anyone else has the same problem as I do. I find that I can't give Toby any raw bones even chicken thighs. If he eats them he gets gastric really bad. I have been giving him home made food following a recipe called the Barf Diet by Dr Ian Billinghurst.

I would like to know if anyone has experienced similar problems with their dog.

[stacy15]

From what i've read bones are tricky because they have a tendency to splinter.

I only give chewy dry food (eukanuba). Sometimes as a treat i'll mix it with wet food.  He loves the ceasar select filet mignon flavor.  I dont do it often.  We hardly give him people food and if ever we do in small portions because i dont want him to have a bad reaction to it.  I never know whats safe....i feel so guilty that i gave him grapes one time.  When i told one of my friends that he loved them, she almost had a heart attack.  Grapes are very bad 4 dogs.  I didn't know!  So i avoid giving anything i'm eating unless it's chicken or ground beef. Oh and apples...he loves apples.  Anyone know if american cheese is safe?

On another note...lately chewy looks like he is just swallowing his food without chewing it.  Even when i give him a treat...he'll just swallow it.  In and down.  Anyone has had or have this problem?  You guys think i should worry?

[Ann]

I have given Toby grapes, I think the thing with grapes is you shouldn't give them any more than 2 a day.That's what my vet said anyway. It will give them very loose poo's as will any fruit if given too much. My Toby, he loves any fruit Oranges, apples, pears you name it he will eat it ( as far as fruit that is).

You do have to be careful of dairy again it is a case of moderation. Tob's loves cheese I sometimes use cheese as a reward for doing tricks.

I think Toby used to do that too but he has stopped it now, so I don't think you need to worry. I guess just make sure what you give him is in small pieces.

I was told by the vet that it was ok to give Toby chicken wings as long as they were raw but as I said in my post he gets quiet ill.

[Ann]

Here is information on poisonous food for dogs.

Chocolate toxicity   
Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic.

When affected by an overdose of chocolate, a dog can become excited and hyperactive. Due to the diuretic effect, it may pass large volumes of urine and it will be unusually thirsty. Vomiting and diarrhoea are also common. The effect of theobromine on the heart is the most dangerous effect. Theobromine will either increase the dog’s heart rate or may cause the heart to beat irregularly. Death is quite possible, especially with exercise.

After their pet has eaten a large quantity of chocolate, many pet owners assume their pet is unaffected. However, the signs of sickness may not be seen for several hours, with death following within twenty-four hours.

Cocoa powder and cooking chocolate are the most toxic forms. A 10-kilogram dog can be seriously affected if it eats a quarter of a 250gm packet of cocoa powder or half of a 250gm block of cooking chocolate. These forms of chocolate contain ten times more theobromine than milk chocolate. Thus, a chocolate mud cake could be a real health risk for a small dog. Even licking a substantial part of the chocolate icing from a cake can make a dog unwell.

Semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate are the next most dangerous forms, with milk chocolate being the least dangerous. A dog needs to eat more than a 250gm block of milk chocolate to be affected. Obviously, the smaller the dog, the less it needs to eat.

Onion and garlic poisoning   
Onions and garlic are other dangerous food ingredients that cause sickness in dogs, cats and also livestock. Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Onions are more of a danger.

Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop haemolytic anaemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body.

At first, pets affected by onion poisoning show gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhoea. They will show no interest in food and will be dull and weak. The red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected animal’s urine and it becomes breathless. The breathlessness occurs because the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body are reduced in number.

The poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.

Onion poisoning can occur with a single ingestion of large quantities or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion. A single meal of 600 to 800 grams of raw onion can be dangerous whereas a ten-kilogram dog, fed 150 grams of onion for several days, is also likely to develop anaemia. The condition improves once the dog is prevented from eating any further onion

While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness.

The danger of macadamia nuts   
Macadamia nuts are another concern. A recent paper written by Dr. Ross McKenzie, a Veterinary Pathologist with the Department of Primary Industries, points to the danger of raw and roasted macadamia nuts for pets.

The toxic compound is unknown but the affect of macadamia nuts is to cause locomotory difficulties. Dogs develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs are often unable to rise and are distressed, usually panting. Some affected dogs have swollen limbs and show pain when the limbs are manipulated.

Dogs have been affected by eating as few as six macadamia kernels (nuts without the shell) while others had eaten approximately forty kernels. Some dogs had also been given macadamia butter.

Luckily, the muscle weakness, while painful, seems to be of short duration and all dogs recovered from the toxicity. All dogs were taken to their veterinary surgeon.

Pets owners should not assume that human food is always safe for pets. When it comes to chocolate, onions, garlic and macadamia nuts, such foods should be given in only small quantities, or not at all. Be sure that your pets can’t get into your stash of chocolates, that food scraps are disposed of carefully to prevent onion and garlic toxicity and that your dog is prevented from picking up macadamia nuts if you have a tree in your garden.

Other potential dangers   
  # Pear pips, the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots, apple core pips (contain cyanogenic glycosides resulting in cyanide posioning)
  # Potato peelings and green looking potatoes
  # Rhubarb leaves
  # Mouldy/spoiled foods
  # Alcohol
  # Yeast dough
  # Coffee grounds, beans & tea (caffeine)
  # Hops (used in home brewing)
  # Tomato leaves & stems (green parts)
  # Broccoli (in large amounts)
  # Raisins and grapes
  # Cigarettes, tobacco, cigars

 

[lowrider250]

Hey all,

When Molly was a baby I started giving her only dry food,  mushed with water so she would eat it soggy.. and when it came time to give her plain dry food,  she wouldn't eat it... i started giving her a 'fork-full' of wet cesar with her puppy food,  mixing it in.. and she would eat it fine!   months later i tried to get her off of the cesar,  but no luck,  she will not eat plain dry food. She's spoiled what can I say.. lol..  It's actually not that bad because I make the square cesar packets last about a week,  so its really not that much at a time shes eating.   
She's sneaky though,  because in the morning when I feed her,  she picks out all the cesar and eats it,  leaving the dry food,  then later at night she will eat the dry food by itself.   Thinking she would just get over it I tried leaving the dry food there for like 2 weeks, without any cesar,  and she did NOT eat hardly any of it.  Sooo, I've given in and baby Molly gets her cesar daily again

[Ann]

Ho I totally know what you mean. Toby does the same thing he picks out what he wants and leaves the dry until he gets really hungry then he will eat it. He is very spoilt. But they don't eat that much so what you give them doesn't cost that much. I used to have a Collie and he was a lot more expensive to feed, but I must admit that I didn't spoil him so much. Having Toby is like having a child. He looks for his cuddles and is very demanding but I love him oh sooo much lol 

[stacy15]

Chewy eats his dry food by itself now.  To get him to this point i used to warm up some chicken broth and put it in the dry food to moisten it a bit.  He used to love it!!  Every day i added less until i didn't put any and it worked.