Back to his old self....

[silent_truth]

For those that read my other post awhile ago on my dog Chance, just wanted to let you know that the diet seems to be working thus far and he's doing much better. A relapse is still a possibility and the bladder stones will probably have to be surgically removed at some point, but for now the pancreatitis seems to be under control. Thanks all for your well wishes. Here's a couple pics of Chance, hamming it up like usual....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/adam2383/Pets/crelaxing2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/adam2383/Pets/chancerelaxing.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/adam2383/Pets/watchintvaltered.jpg




-Adam

[Linds]

Glad to hear the little guy is recovering! LOL... can see he's takin it easy! :p

I must've been MIA when the thread was posted, so I looked back on it -> http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56435&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

While vets have a load of useful information, they aren't properly trained in adequate nutrition (and apparently many of the lectures and like are sponsored/performed by major pet food companies :rolleyes:, so the info is quite biased). Most of the diets available from vets contain preservatives such as BHT that can cause tumours and/or eventual organ failure. Many of them also contain inadequate amounts of anmal products (while the protein and fat levels may be there, it doesn't mean it is coming from meat), excess filler products, questionable sources.

If it states 'animal' fat or meal, then that leaves them open to whatever or wherever they want to derive it from. Make sure it is a specific source.

While it isn't feasible for everyone to cook their dogs and cats meals everyday, there are options that bring you closer. Canned food is good to add, and less processed than dry foods. Natural pet food retailers have freezers with fresh meals that make it much more convenient to feed. There is also a dehyrated diet called NRG ( http://www.nrgpetproducts.com/pg3ingredients.html ) that can be rehydrated and fed to your dog or cat. We use Wellness ( http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/dogs/wellness_overview.html )and Innova for our dogs and cats, supplemented with fresh food. I haven't yet found any foods in regular pet stores that I would be comfortable feeding. I get all my foods from Ryan's pet foods. They specialize in all-natural, holistic varieties of food. Also, as a bonus, many of their foods are on a card system where for every ten bags you get, you get a free one :cool:

If you are unsure about why a vet is wanting to switch to a certain diet, ask what nutritional factors need to be changed and met for the condition to improve, and you can use look for those levels in an alternative food :cool:

[silent_truth]

Thanks very much for the info Linds! Chance is definitely "taking it easy". Even as I type this, he's asleep under my desk.


-Adam

[justinO]

Adam, As i said to you the other day, I'm happy to hear he is doing well.

Linds, although I'm not a dog person (or a mammal person all together).. what is the process of switching a dog over to a very different diet? i would suspect that a drastic change would be an unwise decision.

Cheers,
Justin

[silent_truth]

Hey Justin, thanks again. Sorry to hear about your white lip python. Hopefully some better luck rolls your way soon!

-Adam

[Linds]

You're *supposed* to make a transition by mixing the two foods together before going fully on to the next food. The dogs have always been allowed a transition period, but I am guilty of just switching my cat on a whim and have never experienced problems with it. My personal feeling are that transition periods are more necessary for animals who are strictly fed a certain diet and/or have somewhat sensitive systems. All my animals are fed a variety of foods, which I think is vital in making new foods easily accepted. I think animals being moved from a traditional commercial diets containing a lot of filler products and crap may also benefit from a gradual change, as the other foods available are much richer. People may think that they are more pricey, but in the end it works out to be cheaper, as the animals don't eat even half as much.