Dog advice

[Dannyalcatraz]

Is it normal for a dog to make the loudest most unseemly noises while licking themselves? It's obnoxious.

I'm not sure if it's just fleas or a skin issue. He scratches a lot. I need to get video of this because it's funny looking. He will rub his back underneath a dinning room chair. He'll go back and forth. He also tries to scratch his back on the floor by rolling side to side.

I’ve heard some dogs do it, but never one of ours.

 

[Meech17]

Is it normal for a dog to make the loudest most unseemly noises while licking themselves? It's obnoxious.

Oh yeah.. It's gross.

I'm not sure if it's just fleas or a skin issue. He scratches a lot. I need to get video of this because it's funny looking. He will rub his back underneath a dinning room chair. He'll go back and forth. He also tries to scratch his back on the floor by rolling side to side.

Yeah, dogs don't have great hands, and not great shoulder mobility, so they've gotta get creative with the scratching.

You should keep an eye out for fleas though. They're pretty easily preventable these days with medical treatments. But you definitely don't want them in your house. My sister brought home a stray cat when we were teens and we ended up with a flea infestation in the house. It's horrific. Like genuinely. It was probably a solid month of battling it, and I felt like I didn't sleep the entire time. I might actually have some minor PTSD from it.

 

[Aeson]

This move to a more "natural" food seems to be a thing. Is it really worth it? Fresh Pet, Dr. Marty's, The Farmer's Dog?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Cut the dog a break. If humans could do the same, the noises would be much more unseemly.

 

[Aeson]

Cut the dog a break. If humans could do the same, the noises would be much more unseemly.

I'm sure. And probably illegal in many states.

 

[Meech17]

This move to a more "natural" food seems to be a thing. Is it really worth it? Fresh Pet, Dr. Marty's, The Farmer's Dog?

My partner is a veterinary technician, meaning not a doctor/vet, but knowledgeable in the field. So take this with a grain of salt, and she'd agree that the first step is to consult with your vet first.

With that qualifier out of the way, she's not a fan of them. I think most of her concerns stem from the fact that a lot of dog parents aren't up for the added work that comes with the "real food" nature of these products. People are so used to the 'Dump the bag in an air-tight bucket and forget it' nature of traditional brown-rock style of kibble that they kind of ignore that these things are not shelf stable food products, and they do go bad. She's seen lots of issues with people playing fast and loose with expiry periods, or perhaps their dogs are the type to graze, and not eat their whole meal at once, letting it warm up in the bowl and go bad.

I guess there's also an issue with dog food not being held to the same rigorous quality standards as human food, so this "human-food-like" stuff is less regulated. She's mentioned there seems to be a correlation between these types of foods and dogs developing pancreatitis. (Note, correlation doesn't always equal causation, and feeding your dog lots of table scraps and the like can also lead to pancreatitis. I often get chastised for giving the boy too many french fries.)

We feed our boy Purina Pro Plan.

 

[Aeson]

I also heard a skeptical podcaster mention that sometimes there could be bone shards in the food. Thank you for the information.

The main reason for asking was the skin thing. I had heard in the past a change in diet could help. I'd like to try things before committing to going to a vet. It could be expensive. Could a good shampoo and wash help? If it's fleas a flea shampoo should help.

 

[Meech17]

I also heard a skeptical podcaster mention that sometimes there could be bone shards in the food. Thank you for the information.

The main reason for asking was the skin thing. I had heard in the past a change in diet could help. I'd like to try things before committing to going to a vet. It could be expensive. Could a good shampoo and wash help? If it's fleas a flea shampoo should help.

Fleas should be pretty easy to identify. Just check your pup out. Sit down with him and give him a good pet and scratch, and just check his fur. Spread the fur apart and look at his skin for rashes, fleas, or "flea-dirt" which is just a mix of flea poo and blood. It'll be like black specs. Fleas are easy to identify because they're living bugs. So you'll see them move and even jump (yikes).

If you had fleas, I'd suspect you'd know it though.. They bite humans too and if they go un-contested for too long you'll end up with them attacking you as well and you'll be covered in bites/bumps yourself, generally on the arms and lower legs.

Dogs definitely can have allergies, and food can cause those allergies to flare. Switching food can help. Try a small bag of another brand, or another formula. There are foods specifically marketed towards allergies. The one thing my partner had said is that the "Grain-free" branding is likely a gimmick and none of the vets she knows recommend it. Grains on their own aren't really bad for dogs, and instead are usually the scape-goat for low-quality brands that use loads of grains purely as filler.

Lastly, dogs are creatures are habit, and when you change foods you may notice your dog is hesitant to eat, or perhaps ends up with loose stools or an upset tummy. This is pretty normal at first and shouldn't be immediate cause for concern. Something worthy of taking note of, but not getting worried unless it's persistent.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

This move to a more "natural" food seems to be a thing. Is it really worth it? Fresh Pet, Dr. Marty's, The Farmer's Dog?

Our grrrl had a BAD pancreatitis scare. The vets were able to rule out the most dangerous causes- including contagious diseases, parasites, or environmental issues- but never figured out what actually caused it. So we were told she needed a better diet, which meant either expensive, specialized foods or taking more care with her feeding ourselves- lower fat; portion control.

We did the latter.

She gets kibble & pills in the AM. In the evening, she gets (less) kibble & pills plus a warmed meal. That warmed meal consists of 1.25 cups of veggies, rice and ground poultry. It gets 30sec in the microwave, then mixed with the kibble & served.

The veggie/rice/meat mix is not commercial , it’s made by me, and prepped 2 meals at a time.

METHOD:
1) We buy chicken or turkey- boneless/skinless if possible- as cheaply as is available, 5-10lbs at a time. It’s baked without seasoning so that it’s thoroughly cooked and greatly reduced in fat. The meat is then ground up, packaged & frozen. I thaw 1 package at a time; each lasts about a week.

2) I open a can of veggies- peas, green beans, carrots, corn, or peas & carrots mix- and divide it between two 1.25 cup containers, liquid included. (We buy on sale, preferably low sodium ones.)

3) next added is enough white or brown rice to fill half of the remaining space in the 1.25 cup containers. (I cook @3cups of rice at a time, which lasts about a week.)

4) last added is the ground poultry, taking up the remaining space in the container.*

It does take time. I just cooked 5lbs of chicken thighs a couple nights ago; tonight was when I skinned, deboned and ground the meat and set it in the freezer.

And we didn’t just make this recipe up: we were advised by her vet. She’s not had any recurrence, and her weight has been consistently within a range of a couple pounds.

One of her dinners in the fridge, resting on a container of cooked rice:

Frozen, ground chicken.

* on occasion, instead of poultry, we put 1/2 of a boiled egg OR ground, cooked organ meat from whole birds

 

[Aeson]

My sister had a dog she was cooking food for. I need to check with her on what she did.

Is pancreatitis common for dogs? Is it just something on the rise? What are the signs to look for?