Opinions and Help Needed for my sick puppy

[leannkelley1027]

This is rough, especially with her only being home 10 days. I would probably switch to another food. I feed Earthborn Hollistics and am very happy with the results. It is within the acceptable range for a growing puppy nutrient wise. I like the pimitive natural formula, but the others are good as well. Even if it is not food related, which in my research I believe it is as likely to be hereditary, enviromental or minorly food related the act of switching food will give you some peace of mind. You will be able to say you explored all available options.

I will look into this and other. I agree that changing the food may or may not help, but it would make me feel like we are doing all we can.

 

[leannkelley1027]

Here is another protein/mineral related study done on Great Danes
http://files.championpetfoods.com/High_Protein_and_Large Breed_Study.pdf

From Dr. Becker
Do You Know What to Feed Your Large or Giant Breed Puppy?


http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dv...reed-pu/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/804547

Thank you! I will read these as soon as I can. I want to be armed with information at the vet from now on.

 

[Iymala]

You bet, I tried to give you all the feeding related studies I knew of. After a point they all start referencing one another and you do not get much information.

There are a lot of kibble options out there if you need a list of the acceptable ones there is one like 5 posts down in this thread.
DOG FOOD- So many choices

 

[ruthcatrin]

These two have calcium numbers in the ideal range (the calcium phos ratio isn't perfect but is better) if you want to stick with TOTW:

Dry Food, High Prairie Puppy Formula - Taste of the Wild Pet Food
Dry Food, Pacific Stream Puppy Formula - Taste of the Wild Pet Food

 

[leannkelley1027]

Thank you all for your very quick feedback! I will keep you updated on how he progresses. We will be seeing the vet for a followup on Monday. He threw up about an hour after we got home, but the vet said that is not uncommon in puppies that are riding in cars and under a lot of stress. He found his food and wanted to eat a little while after that so I let him a small amount. I'm glad he is not in too much pain to eat at least.

 

[SavingGrace]

Any fever associated with any of this or just limping?

We started our CC on vitamin C and fish oil supplements - her xrays showed mild hip dysplasia and fluid in her knees about 6 months ago. We had also tried adequan injections (sp?) but the vitamins seem to be making a bigger impact.

 

[musicdeb]

How's the pup doing?

 

[leannkelley1027]

Update:
We were prescribed anti-inflammatory med to give him and are continuing that medication for 4 more days. His limping has definitely gotten better, but he still limps occasionally, but definitely not like he was a week ago. I'm pretty convinced he has OCD, but I'm hoping we don't have to do surgery. I have decreased his food significantly and am watching his weight. I was already feeding him at the bottom of the suggested guidelines, but I am decreasing it a little more because I think he was being overfed at his breeder's and may have been slightly too big. They were free feeding him, and we are feeding him three times/day. He definitely doesn't look malnourished currently, but I am going to up his food as I see necessary instead of following the TOTW guidelines. Is that what most people do or just feed based on what the bag says?

Saving Grace: He had a low grade temp last week, but the vet said it wasn't really abnormal given his age. He was also fighting a bacterial infection so fever made sense. What are vitamin C and fish oil supposed to aid?

 

[Tunride]

Earthborn Hollistics is one great food, glossy, silky coat, little if any gas, healthy dogs and right at the same price as TOTW. I changed to Meadow Feast Grain-Free Natural due to recalls with Diamond foods. I free feed, always have, but limit the amounts I put out. No food aggression, no wolfing down the meals. The eye problem, "cherry eye" can be corrected when you neuter. Not sure about the waiting for hernia, ask the vet and other members here. That cuts the vet bill a lot. Bills on big dogs are more, think they charge by the size on everything. LOL I also use Zukes Hip Action- protein 10% Glucosamine HCL 300 mg, Chondroitin Sulfate 50 mg, Egg Shell membrane 10mg. Main Ingredients- Peanut butter, ground rice, ground oats, malted barley, gelatin, glucosamine hydrochloride, cherries, blueberries, lecithin, maple syrup, vegetable glycerin, salt, ground sesame seed, alfalfa. Must really taste good, they all love them and no chicken anything in them. Only give per weight recommendation. I have two 13 yr old girls who are still spry and have no idea they are seniors. Bacterial infections- make sure you have no standing/old dirty water your pup can get into in the yard. Mastiffs must check or taste everything! Good luck

 

[leannkelley1027]

Just thought I would give you all an update.

Atlas is doing well. I decreased his food intake and have transitioned him to the lamb TOTW which is lower protein (which is what my vet wanted us to do). He finished his anti inflammatory meds on Sat and has not been limping so far so I am VERY excited to see that. He turns 5 months old tomorrow and weighs 56 lbs. I hope he continues to progress well and that we don't see any more limping! Thank you for all of your support and research materials. I read all of them and feel much better about discussing anything with the vet that may come up in the future.

One question: Do most of you give a measured amount to your pups or do you just gauge how much they eat based on their look? I am feeding less that the rec amount on the bag bc I think it was too much. He is still acting hungry at times, but I don't think he looks skinny at all. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[musicdeb]

Good to hear that Atlas is doing better. Do you have a current pic of Atlas? A puppy under a year needs to eat because they are growing. Generally, pups are fed 3 X's a day the recommended amount on the bag. However, adjustments can be made to the amount depending on the pup.

 

[leannkelley1027]

I will take a picture of him when he is awake. He sleep a lot! I do feed him breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The rec amt for for him is actually 3.75 - 5 cups per day as of today (because he just turned 5 months), but prior to that he was supposed to get 5.25-7 cups. He usually gets around 4 cups a day. The first week we had him I fed him around 6 cups a day as recommended, but after all the limping I started worrying about him gaining too fast so I cut him back a little bit. He weighed 45lbs on July 15th and weighs 56 lbs as of yesterday. Is that a good pace for growth?

He is getting around very well. He wrestles with our other dog, and is absolutely incredible with our 9 month old son. Our baby crawls all over the puppy and Atlas just lays there like it's nothing. He is such a puppy though! A little clumsy and really goofy with his huge paws. I will post pics later today or tomorrow.

 

[Smokeycat]

I started feeding the amount on the bag and then adjusted the amount based on his body condition. Once I found the amount that worked and then had to change foods (recalls) I calculated the calories of the old food and fed the amount of new food that matched the calories.