HEALTH QUESTIONS:
Q: Why do some dogs and puppies have runny eyes, and can it be avoided?
A: Runny eye can be caused from many different sources. It can be genetic, it can be from too many minerals in the water, it can be caused from dog food, and it can be caused by allergies and dust, or even from teething. We have found that a "Gimborn" product called "Eye Clear" works in many cases of runny eye, and have heard that "Angel Eyes" added to a diet is also helpful. Using IVD Duck and Potato as a dog food, which is available by prescription from most vet offices, will clear up runny eye due to diet. Use of bottled distilled water will help where the cause is too much iron in the water. A puppy who has runny eye due to teething, will outgrow the problem once his adult teeth are in.
Q: What causes hot spots and allergies in dogs?
A: Dogs, like people can have allergies, and it can be difficult to determine cause. Even when allergist do testing, many dogs continue to have allergies. We have found that diet is a major contributing factor in allergies. We have also found that use of Eagle Holistic products as opposed to other pet foods helps dogs avoid allergies. And use of IVD for dogs having allergy attacks will help them clear up. For allergies,always consult your vet, but the following we have found to work in most cases we have been involved in with :
1) Switch to a quality dog food such as Purevita Salmon and Sweet Potato. Avoid chicken or lamb diets. And do NOT put your pet on a grain free diet. Those products have been known to cause heart problems in pets.
2) Use an antihistamine such as Tavist 1 or Benadryl. A 20 pound dog can have a 25 mg tab up to 2 x day for short term control of itching due to environment.
3) Use of a medicated shampoo called MED Shampoo by a company called Hot Shot, has had remarkable relief for dogs even with severe allergies. Their toll-free number is: (800) 735-5251.
4) Avoid treats with Chicken or lamb in them. Try to stay away from packaged treats as well. Use carrots, small amounts of deli meat (thinly sliced), or dried salmon or fish type treats.
5) Add an oil supplement called V-gel caps to their food each day. And/or add salmon to their diet. (we use the canned stuff from Sam's Club and even use the oil).
6) When your pet comes in from out of doors, soak his feet in a pan of warm dish soap, then wipe off. This will wash off any grass residue or other allergic products your pet might have picked up while outside.
7) We have had huge success with a prescription called: "Atopica". Ask your vet if the above remedies are not working. "Atopica" is not a steroid and seems to work on even the worst cases of allergies we have seen - those where dogs have literally chewed themselves so badly they are self-mutilating.
Q: What is Giardia, and how does it affect my puppy or adult dog?
A: Giardia is a microscopic one-celled organism. It cannot be seen by the naked eye. Virtually all mammals including dogs, cats and humans can have Giardia. Many animals infected with Giardia may never show symptoms. These animals serve as carriers of Giardia, and most often will be infected with low numbers of Giardia in their systems. Periods of stress may cause these organisms to multiply resulting in symptoms. Heavily infected animals will pass multiple stools daily and the stools may have a particularly fetid odor. Infected puppies may show poor weight gains and retarded growth rates as well as extremely fluid diarrhea. Some animals may also have poor appetites and vomiting. Death can result in heavily infected young animals, often from dehydration.
Giardia is easily diagnosed with a microscopic analysis of a fresh stool sample. Therefore, when you take your puppy in for his initial vet exam, take his most recent fecal with you for them to analyze. Active symptoms are easily treated with an in-expensive medication, usually Metronidozole (Flagyl).
Q: My puppy/adult dog has had loose or runny stools off and on, but it is NOT Giardia. What can I do?
A: Diet is the number 1 reason for loose stools. A quality dog food diet high in fiber helps with this problem. We suggest the following to get the stools on track and keep them there.
1) Take puppy/dog off all dog food for 12 hours. Thereafter, put puppy/dog on a hamburger**/rice* diet for the next 3 days. *Boil lean hamburger (or ground turkey) in water. Separately, or together with the hamburger, make rice (white not brown) following package instructions. We usually just put equal parts hamburger & instant rice and 1.5 times more water in a microwave safe bowl and nuke it all until the hamburger is cooked. i.e.: 1/4 pound hamburger, 1/4 cup instant rice and 1/2 cup water.
To this hamburger/rice mixture add 1 tsp - 1 Tablespoon of dry fiber substitute: i.e.: Metamucil, and 1 tsp - 1 Tablespoon of canned pumpkin. This should get stools back on track.
**Some vets recommend ground turkey or chicken instead of hamburger due to the fat in hamburger
We recommend Nutri Source Dog Food. (www.Nutrisourcedogfood.com ). This is a chicken based product high in protein and what our dogs are raised on. After the 3rd. day on the above hamburger/ rice diet, start adding in the Eagle pack dry kibble a small bit at a time. i.e.: first meal, add a few kibbles, next meal a few more, etc. until you work up to your normal kibble amount, while at the same time cutting back on the hamburger/rice. If puppy/dog's stools look to be going loose - discontinue kibble and go back to the hamburger/rice mixture. Once stools are normal, continue to add the Metamucil and canned pumpkin to his kibble. This is a good source of fiber and should help keep stools solid for the rest of his life.
Keep in mind, just like humans, dogs can eat something that might upset their tummy, or get in a stressful situation that will cause their tummies to react. The above is a means of treating those occasional situations, but is not intended to replace a needed vet visit if loose stools turn into diarrhea
Q: Why do some dogs and puppies have runny eyes, and can it be avoided?
A: Runny eye can be caused from many different sources. It can be genetic, it can be from too many minerals in the water, it can be caused from dog food, and it can be caused by allergies and dust, or even from teething. We have found that a "Gimborn" product called "Eye Clear" works in many cases of runny eye, and have heard that "Angel Eyes" added to a diet is also helpful. Using IVD Duck and Potato as a dog food, which is available by prescription from most vet offices, will clear up runny eye due to diet. Use of bottled distilled water will help where the cause is too much iron in the water. A puppy who has runny eye due to teething, will outgrow the problem once his adult teeth are in.
Q: What causes hot spots and allergies in dogs?
A: Dogs, like people can have allergies, and it can be difficult to determine cause. Even when allergist do testing, many dogs continue to have allergies. We have found that diet is a major contributing factor in allergies. We have also found that use of Eagle Holistic products as opposed to other pet foods helps dogs avoid allergies. And use of IVD for dogs having allergy attacks will help them clear up. For allergies,always consult your vet, but the following we have found to work in most cases we have been involved in with :
1) Switch to a quality dog food such as Purevita Salmon and Sweet Potato. Avoid chicken or lamb diets. And do NOT put your pet on a grain free diet. Those products have been known to cause heart problems in pets.
2) Use an antihistamine such as Tavist 1 or Benadryl. A 20 pound dog can have a 25 mg tab up to 2 x day for short term control of itching due to environment.
3) Use of a medicated shampoo called MED Shampoo by a company called Hot Shot, has had remarkable relief for dogs even with severe allergies. Their toll-free number is: (800) 735-5251.
4) Avoid treats with Chicken or lamb in them. Try to stay away from packaged treats as well. Use carrots, small amounts of deli meat (thinly sliced), or dried salmon or fish type treats.
5) Add an oil supplement called V-gel caps to their food each day. And/or add salmon to their diet. (we use the canned stuff from Sam's Club and even use the oil).
6) When your pet comes in from out of doors, soak his feet in a pan of warm dish soap, then wipe off. This will wash off any grass residue or other allergic products your pet might have picked up while outside.
7) We have had huge success with a prescription called: "Atopica". Ask your vet if the above remedies are not working. "Atopica" is not a steroid and seems to work on even the worst cases of allergies we have seen - those where dogs have literally chewed themselves so badly they are self-mutilating.
Q: What is Giardia, and how does it affect my puppy or adult dog?
A: Giardia is a microscopic one-celled organism. It cannot be seen by the naked eye. Virtually all mammals including dogs, cats and humans can have Giardia. Many animals infected with Giardia may never show symptoms. These animals serve as carriers of Giardia, and most often will be infected with low numbers of Giardia in their systems. Periods of stress may cause these organisms to multiply resulting in symptoms. Heavily infected animals will pass multiple stools daily and the stools may have a particularly fetid odor. Infected puppies may show poor weight gains and retarded growth rates as well as extremely fluid diarrhea. Some animals may also have poor appetites and vomiting. Death can result in heavily infected young animals, often from dehydration.
Giardia is easily diagnosed with a microscopic analysis of a fresh stool sample. Therefore, when you take your puppy in for his initial vet exam, take his most recent fecal with you for them to analyze. Active symptoms are easily treated with an in-expensive medication, usually Metronidozole (Flagyl).
Q: My puppy/adult dog has had loose or runny stools off and on, but it is NOT Giardia. What can I do?
A: Diet is the number 1 reason for loose stools. A quality dog food diet high in fiber helps with this problem. We suggest the following to get the stools on track and keep them there.
1) Take puppy/dog off all dog food for 12 hours. Thereafter, put puppy/dog on a hamburger**/rice* diet for the next 3 days. *Boil lean hamburger (or ground turkey) in water. Separately, or together with the hamburger, make rice (white not brown) following package instructions. We usually just put equal parts hamburger & instant rice and 1.5 times more water in a microwave safe bowl and nuke it all until the hamburger is cooked. i.e.: 1/4 pound hamburger, 1/4 cup instant rice and 1/2 cup water.
To this hamburger/rice mixture add 1 tsp - 1 Tablespoon of dry fiber substitute: i.e.: Metamucil, and 1 tsp - 1 Tablespoon of canned pumpkin. This should get stools back on track.
**Some vets recommend ground turkey or chicken instead of hamburger due to the fat in hamburger
We recommend Nutri Source Dog Food. (www.Nutrisourcedogfood.com ). This is a chicken based product high in protein and what our dogs are raised on. After the 3rd. day on the above hamburger/ rice diet, start adding in the Eagle pack dry kibble a small bit at a time. i.e.: first meal, add a few kibbles, next meal a few more, etc. until you work up to your normal kibble amount, while at the same time cutting back on the hamburger/rice. If puppy/dog's stools look to be going loose - discontinue kibble and go back to the hamburger/rice mixture. Once stools are normal, continue to add the Metamucil and canned pumpkin to his kibble. This is a good source of fiber and should help keep stools solid for the rest of his life.
Keep in mind, just like humans, dogs can eat something that might upset their tummy, or get in a stressful situation that will cause their tummies to react. The above is a means of treating those occasional situations, but is not intended to replace a needed vet visit if loose stools turn into diarrhea