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by Scher on 14 April 2011 - 20:04
I am completely new to this board. I have searched many threads, but have not found an answer to help.
I have a 2 year old male GSD. I started feeding him raw diet at around 4 months old and kept him on it. The diet consisted of chicken, beef, liver, heart, gizzards, fish, raw meaty bones and a mixture I made to go with his meat. The mixture contained hamburger, raw eggs plus shells, molasis, oats, wheat germ, various veggies, bran flakes, joint supplements and vitamins. I would mix large batches of this and add a large ball of it to each of his meals.
My dog is a very fnicky eater. We tried several kibble and canned foods and he didn't really seam to care about any of them. I was very difficult to get him to eat. That's when I went to the raw diet. Even thought he didn't gulp it down, he did eat it for dinner. He would not eat more than 1 meal a/day. Even today, he may not eat it all at once.
His favorite food is liver. I use cooked liver as treats and he never seems to tire of it.
He has not grown like I expect him to. He only weighs 75 pounds. The vet says he looks good, a little on the small size, but otherwise healthy.
About 10 months ago, he started having ear infections. He ears become droppy, need daily cleaning and a ointment the vet gave me to get it cleared up. Plus he chews on his feet, No sooner do I get them cleared up and it starts all over again. The vet thinks is some sort of allergy - probably to food.
We have taken him off the raw diet and put him on Orijen to see if this clears up his allergy.
I am into the 2nd 20 pound bag of food and his ears are looking pretty good, but he's still chewing on his feet. I guess the real test is when I stop putting in the ear drops to see if he goes back to an infection. I clean his ears every other day trying to keep on top of everything.
I have read several of the posts and I can't find anywhere someone shows what a balanced raw diet is. Am I missing something in his raw diet? Am I putting something in that I shouldn't? (like the grains). What else can I do to help keep him from getting ear infections? I've even tried enzymes with probiotics and that did not help.
Any help?
I have a 2 year old male GSD. I started feeding him raw diet at around 4 months old and kept him on it. The diet consisted of chicken, beef, liver, heart, gizzards, fish, raw meaty bones and a mixture I made to go with his meat. The mixture contained hamburger, raw eggs plus shells, molasis, oats, wheat germ, various veggies, bran flakes, joint supplements and vitamins. I would mix large batches of this and add a large ball of it to each of his meals.
My dog is a very fnicky eater. We tried several kibble and canned foods and he didn't really seam to care about any of them. I was very difficult to get him to eat. That's when I went to the raw diet. Even thought he didn't gulp it down, he did eat it for dinner. He would not eat more than 1 meal a/day. Even today, he may not eat it all at once.
His favorite food is liver. I use cooked liver as treats and he never seems to tire of it.
He has not grown like I expect him to. He only weighs 75 pounds. The vet says he looks good, a little on the small size, but otherwise healthy.
About 10 months ago, he started having ear infections. He ears become droppy, need daily cleaning and a ointment the vet gave me to get it cleared up. Plus he chews on his feet, No sooner do I get them cleared up and it starts all over again. The vet thinks is some sort of allergy - probably to food.
We have taken him off the raw diet and put him on Orijen to see if this clears up his allergy.
I am into the 2nd 20 pound bag of food and his ears are looking pretty good, but he's still chewing on his feet. I guess the real test is when I stop putting in the ear drops to see if he goes back to an infection. I clean his ears every other day trying to keep on top of everything.
I have read several of the posts and I can't find anywhere someone shows what a balanced raw diet is. Am I missing something in his raw diet? Am I putting something in that I shouldn't? (like the grains). What else can I do to help keep him from getting ear infections? I've even tried enzymes with probiotics and that did not help.
Any help?
by uvw on 14 April 2011 - 21:04
my guess, and i would put money on it: "molasis, oats, wheat germ, various veggies" could be the problem, and there is no need to add these items anyway. they feed the yeast that grows in the ears and causes the infections. any of those items would give my shepherd ear infections, and my other 3 would have dirty brown ears.
if he's not really into food, or just wanting to eat once per day, you may be feeding him too much?
it could also be the chicken, not as common, but possible (and quality of meats could play a factor). could be too many eggs.
chewing of the feet can also be an "environmental" allergy (which can also be affected by certain foods). check the underside of his feet. are they red between the toes, looking like they're irritated, and smell like doritos?
there are several possibilities which is why most people will do a limited ingredient diet (raw) to try to pinpoint what's causing the problems. which basically means you start with one meat, feed it for a few to several weeks, see how things goes, then switch to another meat. for example, you would feed chicken, only chicken, nothing but chicken, no supplements or mixes, no treats, for 4-8 weeks. see how he does on that. then switch to beef, only beef, nothing but beef, no supplements or mixes, no treats, for another 4-8 weeks. and repeat. and most times you will find the problem.
feel free to message me if you need any help or have any questions.
if he's not really into food, or just wanting to eat once per day, you may be feeding him too much?
it could also be the chicken, not as common, but possible (and quality of meats could play a factor). could be too many eggs.
chewing of the feet can also be an "environmental" allergy (which can also be affected by certain foods). check the underside of his feet. are they red between the toes, looking like they're irritated, and smell like doritos?
there are several possibilities which is why most people will do a limited ingredient diet (raw) to try to pinpoint what's causing the problems. which basically means you start with one meat, feed it for a few to several weeks, see how things goes, then switch to another meat. for example, you would feed chicken, only chicken, nothing but chicken, no supplements or mixes, no treats, for 4-8 weeks. see how he does on that. then switch to beef, only beef, nothing but beef, no supplements or mixes, no treats, for another 4-8 weeks. and repeat. and most times you will find the problem.
feel free to message me if you need any help or have any questions.
by Slamdunc on 14 April 2011 - 22:04
Scher,
He could have other allergies besides food. My female GSD who gets ear infections is also allergic to pollen, certain grasses, trees, etc. $1,500 in allergy testing and she is allergic to a lot of things. The raw diet has really helped her and she has been on it for five years. Also, 75lbs for a two year old GSD is pretty much optimal. MY 5 year old male GSD is 79 lbs of ripped muscle and looks great. GSD's don't finish filling out until they are about 3 years old. Don't worry about his weight. Many vets do not know what a GSD should look like they see too many obese Shepherds to really know the difference.
Post a picture of your dog so we can see him.
Jim
He could have other allergies besides food. My female GSD who gets ear infections is also allergic to pollen, certain grasses, trees, etc. $1,500 in allergy testing and she is allergic to a lot of things. The raw diet has really helped her and she has been on it for five years. Also, 75lbs for a two year old GSD is pretty much optimal. MY 5 year old male GSD is 79 lbs of ripped muscle and looks great. GSD's don't finish filling out until they are about 3 years old. Don't worry about his weight. Many vets do not know what a GSD should look like they see too many obese Shepherds to really know the difference.
Post a picture of your dog so we can see him.
Jim
by Scher on 14 April 2011 - 22:04
UVW.
Thanks for the reply. I think your recommendation for trying one type of food at a time is great. I will pursue that avenue. FYI. He does not have any red between his toes. As far as his eating habits, for one meal, I could give him a leg quarter of chicken, 3-4 2" cubes of beef and a small meaty bone, and a few gizzards and he might not eat all that. He would more times than not, go ethe bone, and I would find him chewing on it later. Even on the kibble, he probably will not eat more than 1 cup of food. He is just a small eater. Makes it easy on the food budget, thats for sure.
Thanks for the reply. I think your recommendation for trying one type of food at a time is great. I will pursue that avenue. FYI. He does not have any red between his toes. As far as his eating habits, for one meal, I could give him a leg quarter of chicken, 3-4 2" cubes of beef and a small meaty bone, and a few gizzards and he might not eat all that. He would more times than not, go ethe bone, and I would find him chewing on it later. Even on the kibble, he probably will not eat more than 1 cup of food. He is just a small eater. Makes it easy on the food budget, thats for sure.
by benzi on 14 April 2011 - 22:04
Great advice from UVW. Get rid of all the foods with anykind of sugar in it. Once yeast get's a hold it's so hard to eliminate, and it seems sugar is in everything. I think with all these new foods containing fruit and veggies that's more sugar to feed the problem. I have heard good things about a natural product for dogs with chronic ear problems. It's called Zymox, it goes in the ear, it just contains enzymes that eliminate yeast. Very resonably priced, about $10.00 and no prescription needed. If you google it, it's on a website. I also think it helps them feel more comfortable. Good luck, and seventy five pounds sounds like he's a nice size dog.
by Scher on 14 April 2011 - 23:04
I will be posting pictures as soon as I am able to get on my main computer. Unfortunately, I am stuck in the living room with a broken ankle, making it difficult to get to the Mac where we store pictures. Good to have such good advise.
by Trouble97 on 14 April 2011 - 23:04
Absolutely great advice from UVW. Zymox works great!! I worked in the veterinary field for years and we saw lots of dogs go through allergy testing and shots to still have symptoms never cleared them up completely! Zymox by far worked the best for ears!!! My almost 12yr old GSD has always had some minor underlying allergy to something never bothered to test or give shots all that, just treated the issues when he had them. If you can do raw and he doesn't eat a lot might be worth looking up Common Sense from Bullinger Shepherds in British Columbia, it has everything you need in it and it is amazing raw food! I have seen it do amazing things for dogs with skin issues!! Finicky dogs really seem to like it they have several varieties and different protein sources this way you don't have to worry if you have too much or not enough of something in the food you are making. It is so hard to find a decent recipe to make your own raw food they are all so different. Good luck with your boy!! I agree with 75lbs being a good weight for his age.
by SitasMom on 14 April 2011 - 23:04
itchy feet is sometmes symptom of worms
yeast infection in the ears are very hard to cure, what drops are you using?
is it something for a bacterial infection or a fungal infection?
yeast infection in the ears are very hard to cure, what drops are you using?
is it something for a bacterial infection or a fungal infection?
by Scher on 15 April 2011 - 01:04
I'm using Surolan.
It says it's for antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflamatory. It says it's for the treatment of strains of yeast and bacteria.
It says it's for antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflamatory. It says it's for the treatment of strains of yeast and bacteria.
by Niesia on 15 April 2011 - 03:04
Scher,
I have a simple remedy that worked for my dog – baby wipes and hydrocortisone spray for dogs (costs couple of $’s in a pet section of any grocery store).
GSD’s ears are big scoops, so often things we don’t see get into them and annoy the dog. He scratches his ear with dirty paw and introduces bacteria into the scratch – and you get ear infection. When infection gets big, his paw gets infected by scratching the infected ear. And you get a vicious circle. I would clean his ears for a couple of days with baby wipes and spray hydrocortisone in his ears and on his paw. If it doesn’t itch, he won’t scratch the ear or chew the paw. His ears should clean up quick and inflammation should go away. As you continue the regime, the ears will be less and less of the issue. Later on you may need to clean his ears only when you see him starting to scratch (maybe once a week or so).
That’s a very simple and cost effective remedy that I would suggest trying before starting to figure out the “allergies”. You may also find out that your dog doesn’t have allergies at all.
P.S. On the beginning – if he’s ears are really bad (full of black goop) I would wash them with a 50/50 water & Apple Cider Vinegar solution (instead of baby wipes) before spraying hydrocortisone in them. Sometimes simple, old-time home remedies work better than vet’s modern medicine…
I have a simple remedy that worked for my dog – baby wipes and hydrocortisone spray for dogs (costs couple of $’s in a pet section of any grocery store).
GSD’s ears are big scoops, so often things we don’t see get into them and annoy the dog. He scratches his ear with dirty paw and introduces bacteria into the scratch – and you get ear infection. When infection gets big, his paw gets infected by scratching the infected ear. And you get a vicious circle. I would clean his ears for a couple of days with baby wipes and spray hydrocortisone in his ears and on his paw. If it doesn’t itch, he won’t scratch the ear or chew the paw. His ears should clean up quick and inflammation should go away. As you continue the regime, the ears will be less and less of the issue. Later on you may need to clean his ears only when you see him starting to scratch (maybe once a week or so).
That’s a very simple and cost effective remedy that I would suggest trying before starting to figure out the “allergies”. You may also find out that your dog doesn’t have allergies at all.
P.S. On the beginning – if he’s ears are really bad (full of black goop) I would wash them with a 50/50 water & Apple Cider Vinegar solution (instead of baby wipes) before spraying hydrocortisone in them. Sometimes simple, old-time home remedies work better than vet’s modern medicine…
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