KrisK Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 While Zachary isn't a BC, I thought I might share what I've done with his diet. Zachary has a heart condition and tends to pancreatitis (although that was 6 years ago). He was totally on a medicated diet until last year when he started to refuse to eat. Before Christmas, when he took such a turn for the worse, I started boiling extra lean ground beef and mixing vegetables with it just so he would eat something. Since then, he has made an almost miraculous recovery. I have continued with the boiled lean meat, vegetables and supplement that with a limited amount of Taste of the Wild as well as his medicated food. Although he still has a head tilt from his last bout of vestibular disease and his balance is off kilter, he is more active and he even wants to head down the road for an evening walk! He's put some weight back on and for his age of close to 16, he's acting a lot younger. I don't know if the diet is the main reason for his change, but it must have something to do with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 Thanks for posting this. My Ben is a 10 yo lhasa with severe heart issues. A couple of weeks ago, after a bout with bronchitis, he stopped eatig his prescription food. So I have gone back to making bland stews (like I did for Sara)and mixing them with rice, and he's eating again. He, too, seems to have more pep. Although it takes a little more effort on my part, it seems like my older dogs with health issues do much better on homemade food. (Now my 19 yo cat is a different story - I think she would bann me from the house if I didn't give her a specific brand of cat food!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 That's good to hear, Kris!! I started Missy on The Honest Kitchen back in December in hopes that it might help itchiness. She'd been on prednisone a few times through the fall and even once in December. She probably gets 1/3 THK to 2/3 of her regular raw. Lo and behold, after 6 weeks or so her itchiness has all but disapeared. THK is a bit pricey, but if it takes care of her ithcies it's worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyTDogs Posted March 26, 2011 Report Share Posted March 26, 2011 I vote for not waiting til they're older. I like to feed some fresh (minimally processed) food every day- even if I am feeding canned dog food (I rarely do this) but I always add veggies or eggs or something yummy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoresDog Posted March 26, 2011 Report Share Posted March 26, 2011 Good news! I hope Zachary's energy continues to improve and you get lots more time with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted March 27, 2011 Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 I just had Jill (14 1/2) to the rehab vet because of issues getting up (she's severely dysplastic, so this isn't unexpected at her age). This vet also practices alternative medicine. One of the things she wanted me to do was increase the protein in Jill's diet. When I mentioned raw (which I feed a couple of my dogs), she told me that she would prefer I give Jill cooked because at her age her immune system isn't what it used to be. Just wanted to throw that out there as another POV regarding raw vs. home made for the geriatric set. J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
border_collie_crazy Posted March 27, 2011 Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 thats great! my Ladybug was switched to Canisource(dehydrated raw kibble) recently, she has been with the rest of my dogs eating part raw part horizon until she just started to refuse to eat, and what she did eat she either threw up, or she got the runs, she lost 5lbs in just over a week. she is doing really well on the canisource though, gained her weight back in short order, she loves it, and no more tummy issues, and along with her suppliments, she is doing quite well for an approx. 14 year old large dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jingi Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 when food is cooked it is easier to extract the nutrition from it vs. raw food...you also get more of the energy from it than you would vs. raw food...it has to do with the chemical changes in the food due to cooking...this is what allowed humans to evolve the way they did...i would assume that it would hold true for most animals as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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