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Old March 17th, 2006, 09:02 PM
Kaitobaby Kaitobaby is offline
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Desperate to get him on dogfood

We have tried everything. Unfortunately when we got Kaito as a puppy we gave into lettng him eat table foot. We began to cook for him and when he had his first vet visit that Dr. said it was not a problem, that chiuhauha's are very relational and if we give him fresh food he will be fine. He was okay for
3 years, then last year he had a impacted anal gland. New doc said to get him off the table food , let him go as long as possible , we did. Nope. Tried
mixing some rice, veggies with his food, he eats around that. She suggested if he is really stubborn then we may surgically have to remove his anal glands.
Today we had to take him back , he has a ruptured anal gland. We mentioned the surgery to remove which the doctor ignored and told us we were killing our dog. Needless to say that really upset me because we have tried and tried to get him on dog food. Does anyone have a suggestion as to how we might be successful? He is my heart and soul and I just can't bear to see him go through this.
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Old March 17th, 2006, 10:08 PM
Lucky Rescue Lucky Rescue is offline
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Chis do seem to be very picky. I don't know if it's because their owners spoil them or if it's something else.

Have you tried canned dog food? If not, I suggest trying a brand called "Merrick".

I doubt any dog could resist this food. I'm sure your Chi will think he's still eating people food!
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Old March 17th, 2006, 10:40 PM
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LavenderRott LavenderRott is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaitobaby
We have tried everything. Unfortunately when we got Kaito as a puppy we gave into lettng him eat table foot. We began to cook for him and when he had his first vet visit that Dr. said it was not a problem, that chiuhauha's are very relational and if we give him fresh food he will be fine. He was okay for
3 years, then last year he had a impacted anal gland. New doc said to get him off the table food , let him go as long as possible , we did. Nope. Tried
mixing some rice, veggies with his food, he eats around that. She suggested if he is really stubborn then we may surgically have to remove his anal glands.
Today we had to take him back , he has a ruptured anal gland. We mentioned the surgery to remove which the doctor ignored and told us we were killing our dog. Needless to say that really upset me because we have tried and tried to get him on dog food. Does anyone have a suggestion as to how we might be successful? He is my heart and soul and I just can't bear to see him go through this.
What a bunch of bunk! Find a new vet.

I know many people who feed their dogs either raw food or a home cooked diet from the time they are weaned until they are old without any problems.

If your dog is healthy, of good weight and is active, then chances are that diet isn't the problem. Do some research and make sure that you are supplying all of your dogs nutritional needs with what you feed him and find a vet willing to remove his anal glands. Most vets only take a semester or two of classes on nutrition, so they are NOT always the best person to get nutritional advice from.
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Old March 17th, 2006, 11:03 PM
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tenderfoot tenderfoot is offline
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I don't get it? What does his food have to do with his anal glands? I Is your vet saying that dogs who eat processed dog food don't have anal gland problems? Its rather like saying a person with Hemorrhoids should stop eating fresh food and just eat cheerios.
what the vet really needs to do is teach you how to clean his glands regularly. Its not hard - stinky but not difficult.
The other things you could do to increase the hardness of his stools so that He naturally expresses his glands better is to increase his fiber (ie. canned pumpkin) or provide him with more digestible calcium.
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Old March 18th, 2006, 01:12 AM
Prin Prin is offline
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The type of food has nothing to do with the anal glands. If the dog isn't digesting well, regardless of it being fed kibble, canned or raw or whatever, the stool will be soft and the anal glands won't empty properly. The more solid the stool, the more the glands will empty- simple as that. Even so, some breeds' anal glands fill up faster than they can empty them, and you need to either learn how to empty them yourself, or go in to the vet routinely to have them emptied.

Allergies can also cause anal glands to itch and become inflamed.

To me, the reason you should be switching the food is because what you are feeding, the dog is not digesting well enough to produce a solid stool- but even then, you can change the diet without going to kibble (i.e by being more conscious of the amount of fiber you give and the different kinds of fibers that are out there- some speed the colon up (too much of those= diarrhea) and others slow it down (constipation)). If the stool is sufficiently solid 99% of the time and the dog is not allergic to anything you're feeding, then your doggy just has tricky anal glands. Worst case scenario, the vet removes them completely.
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Old March 18th, 2006, 02:50 AM
Soroush Soroush is offline
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Not sure about the anal problem, but don't you think starving the dog for a day will get him to eat whatever you put in front of him?

My coworker's dog was also hooked on table-food for 3+ years and one day she decided "THAT's ENOUGH!". She didn't give the dog any food for a whole day and the next morning she gave him regular dog-food and the dog jumped on it.

The next day she starved him for half a day and then put dog-food in front of him. He resisted at first but when he found out that no table food was coming his way he gave in.
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Old March 18th, 2006, 07:59 PM
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theplainsjane theplainsjane is offline
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Yes, definitely just give the dog what you want him to eat and NOTHING else. He won't starve himself to death. He will eat the dog food. It may take a couple of days.

I recently had to put my dog on a diet and decrease her "breakfast" by one half cup of kibble. I swear, it hurt me more than it did her. I kept trying to talk myself into, "Oh, well--it's Sunday. She can have the whole amount since it's Sunday." This is insanity, *lol* She doesn't even know the difference and it was hurting ME more than her to cut back on her food. She's back down closer to her target weight now, and we got an A-OK from the vet, so that was worth it.

If his anal glands are getting impacted, give him a spoonful of canned pumpkin on his dog food. I imagine if he's on a total "people food" diet that his stool his rather soft. The pumpkin (people food!) will help firm it up.
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Old March 18th, 2006, 08:00 PM
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theplainsjane theplainsjane is offline
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Sorry for the double, but as LuckyRescue mentioned--some Grammy's Pot Pie might just do the trick for this little guy!
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Old March 18th, 2006, 11:13 PM
Kaitobaby Kaitobaby is offline
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Thanks so much for all your suggestions. Right now he is not eating at all due to the antibiotics and the painkillers. His anal gland on the right side was ruptured and the vet said his stools were compacted. I will try the pumpkin, that sounds like a good idea. I have actually let him go past 3 days with no food, little guy is very very stubborn. Lately he picks around the food, will not eat the veggies or the rice, etc. I suspect I will need to start over with him. The vet told me to stick him in a bathroom or cage him for 12 hours with the food but I know that will traumatize him. Don't think I can do that. I think I will cehck with a new vet as well, this one was arrogant. I saw someone mention Metamucil, would that be safe if he will not eat the pumpkin?
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Old March 18th, 2006, 11:29 PM
Prin Prin is offline
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Is the dog constipated or does he have soft stool? Metamucil and pumpkin have opposite effects- pumpkin hardens stool and metamucil softens it.

I would definitely not do what the vet suggested about caging and starving the dog. No way.

Have you tried canned foods? I know Lucky asked already... But seriously, Merrick canned food is almost better than human food. You might want to try it out before trying any drastic measures (like starving, etc).
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Old March 19th, 2006, 07:20 AM
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mastifflover mastifflover is offline
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I agree first thing you need to do is to find a real vet this guy sounds like an idiot. Stick your dog in a cage in the bathroom for 12 hours with food is he kidding. That would create more problems besides not eating. For now just while on the antibiotics and painkillers just boil chicken and rice. Once these are finished try the Merrick dog food. If that works then try introducing kibble mixed in. The kibble will reduce the anal gland problem as has been said before. Another good canned is Natures Recipe Rabbit and rice or venison and rice. Good luck and keep us posted
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  #12  
Old March 19th, 2006, 08:16 AM
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coppperbelle coppperbelle is offline
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desperate....

This may be defeating the purpose because it does entail giving people food but if you open up a can of sardines, let him have a sniff and then pour a bit of the oil over the top of whatever you are feeding him it might entice him to eat. Works well with foster dogs that are depressed and don't want to eat. They will pick around the food and chose the kibble with the fish oil but at least thye are eating a bit.
I would try the Merricks first but if that doesn't work, you can try the oil.

The other thing I would do is find another vet. Locking him in a bathroom with food is ridiculous.
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Old March 19th, 2006, 04:48 PM
Kaitobaby Kaitobaby is offline
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Thank you all so much. You are a godsend. I found a store here that sells Merrick so I will definitely try that once he is better. He is constipated most of the time because he picks around the food and tends to eat the meat instead of the veggies and starch. I have found if I put a little melted cheese on things he doesn't like he will eat it once, then he figures it out. He is so smart! There is no way my baby would get locked up anywhere, he sleeps with us, lives like a member of my household. I will stick with the chicken and rice for now, that worked pretty well last night if I hide the rice as much as possible. How often should his anal glands be expressed, I have heard everything form a week to every 2 months.
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Old March 20th, 2006, 09:05 AM
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mhass1129 mhass1129 is offline
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It's not easy

Hey be encouraged. The vet may not realize how much you love your dog and how hard you are trying. I agree with the fact that you need to find a more sympathetic vet that, if anything, will help you get the dog onto dog food if that is what needs to be done instead of just leaving you to your own devices and then you are feeling hopeless for starving you pet.

You know I got a puppy that refued to eat the dog food we bought, and we progressively got him into it by grinding the dog food to a powder and mixing it with milk or a home cooked meal. As he was getting used to the taste, we progressively added more dog food and less people food, then then we gave him the dog food less ground-up and more in little pieces. Right now he eats the dog food by itself but it's still crushed a little, I think in a few days we should be able to introduce the dog food as is and he'll be fine. This may be a method that works for you, specially if you make it so that he can't eat around the dog food.
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Old March 20th, 2006, 09:56 AM
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tenderfoot tenderfoot is offline
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Expressing the glands too frequently can cause problems too. It really depends on your dog. Even a gentle massage with a warm wash cloth can help to keep the glands healthy and that you could do once a week. It also gives you a chance to check the glands out and see how they are doing. You can feel inside and judge the size of the glands to determine how they are functioning. Buy yourself some disposable surgical gloves and use a light lubricant to help.
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Old March 24th, 2006, 10:00 AM
Cymba's friend Cymba's friend is offline
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getting him to eat dog food

I don't know what brand of dog food you are feeding him, or what breed of dog you have (e.g. some breed like German Shepherds can be very picky when it comes to food). My dog, as a puppy did not want to eat dog food (and I had not fed him any human food). I then went to see a homeopathic vet (who is also a consultant contributor to this web site) and he explained to me that even the "Veterinary sold Hills P/D food" that Cymba was on, was mostly carbohydrates or vegetarian proteins (check the first components of the ingredients as they are listed in largest to smallest quantity). He then recommended Mother Hubbards Wellness products, which I then bought. Cymba just loved it. I had also at the time added some homemade "soup" to add some "fresh food" (obviously taking care not to add toxic things like onions, and also including low fat chicken), which Cymba loved, but when Wellness changed their taste to something dogs even preferred, Cymba actually preferred his Wellness without my ladle of soup doggie-chicken-veg soup! I have since been very careful to start reading labels in a more careful manner, and since a dog is not a ruminant or vegetarian, he/she will prefer a natural dog food with real meat protein components as their first ingredients, to things like "corn meal, rice, corn gluten meal ... " and all the other high carb. products they put into many dog foods. I know Vets sell Hills products (and other products) but this homeopathic vet, and a lot of other dog-nutritionists have indeed provided a very challenging perspective (which also makes good sense) and which means that we are entitled to question these large companies, including even those who distribute their products via vets.

It may be worth trying to give him something like Wellness from Mother Hubbard, or equivalent, maybe adding a bit of fresh food (dog compatible) and see what happens?
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Old March 24th, 2006, 12:57 PM
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mhass1129 mhass1129 is offline
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by the way, just to update on my comments, my dog now eats dog food as is, w/ no problems, and learned to drink water from a water bottle attached to his crate (looks like the ones you use for gerbils, but bigger). Less mess, easier clean up!
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  #18  
Old March 25th, 2006, 11:20 AM
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I'm not sure if this will work for your dog, but try getting new dishes for the food and water. Switch materials too, ie if you're using ceramic, go to metal.

The change in texture and smell of the new dishes might confuse him enough to make him want to eat.

Given its a chi, I don't think I'd starve the dog. Leaving the dog food out at all times and don't offer anything else is as far as I'd go.
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