November 2010

Canine Crock Pot Cuisine: It’s All About the Ingredients in the Best Food for Your Dog

by Dr Greg on November 23, 2010

When I started experimenting with “canine crock pot cuisine”, I had no idea it would lead me to so many new ideas about the way we feed our pets. In fact, my editor and I were nervous about emphasizing the crock pot cooking in the book. We thought that people would not want to take the time and energy to cook for their pets. We wanted Dog Dish Diet to be an easy to read book about what and what not to feed your pet. We added funny personal stories and some great tips about using common kitchen and supermarket ingredients for food, treats, and healthy supplements. I wanted anyone to be able to feed a quality dog food, regardless of their income. Over the last ten years I have studied ingredients and used healthful human food as well as quality dog food like Halo’s Spots Stew to help many patients get over chronic medical conditions. My success in doing so changed the way I practice veterinary medicine.

Some dogs just can’t eat dry food or biscuits. My dog Maisy is one of them. Something happens to the ingredients during processing, and preservation to make a “chicken and rice” dog food make a dog itch when a crock pot chicken recipe doesn’t. Maisy goes into an itching fit whenever we feed her biscuits. They can be “grain free”, holistic, and organic, but that just doesn’t seem to matter. She still itches her left ear raw. Because of that, she gets meat as a treat. Today I gave her a meat treat from the market for dinner and to clean her teeth. Dogs that follow the chewing rules in Dog Dish Diet can safely eat raw and smoked meaty bones. They get a nutritious meal and clean teeth as a result!

I have found that many dog owners want the best for their dog, just like Lonna and I. We are shopping anyway. What’s the big deal about a few more items? In fact, canine crocking can be more economical than buying some commercial dog foods.

I thought there would be more resistance to making dog food. Crocking makes it so easy, economical, and convenient…most people don’t mind at all. Some people really enjoy cooking healthy wholesome food for their pets. You don’t even have to cook all the time. Use the crock pot food to add flavor and healthy ingredients to your pet’s current dry food. Canine crock pot cuisine adds fat and omega oils back in the diet for a healthier, less itchy, and a shinier coat.

Canine crock pot cuisine is safe. It doesn’t have any of the risks of raw food. You pick the ingredients, so you know they are wholesome and healthy. Then you cook them so that any lurking E. Coli or Salmonella bugs are nuked. Most meat has a certain level of bacterial contamination. Given the right circumstances of warmth and time, raw meat will grow bugs. I feed my dogs’ raw meat from the supermarket. I talk a lot about that in the book. This meat goes directly from the freezer or fridge to their mouth. There is no chance for the meat to incubate and grow bugs. I believe that the risks of bacterial infection from eating raw food are low, but meat left a bit too warm may grow enough bugs for symptoms to appear. Food processing errors are becoming more common. I fear bacterial contamination and accidental ingredients may become more common in the coming years. Crock pot cuisine uses known meat and vegetable ingredients and avoids the same allergens and excess carbs that raw food does. That is why most dogs thrive on crock pot food as well as raw food. Knowing how to make your own dog food may be a good skill to have in the coming years.

I believe that we have to treat every dog as an individual when considering the best diet for them. Most dogs can eat and thrive on anything, but 40% suffer from eating a diet that does not agree with them. That diet can come from a bag, box, can, or chub. That is why I wrote the Dog Dish Diet. To help people realize not all dogs can eat a “one size fits all” diet. Even though bags of dog food look different, many contain the same irritating ingredients. You have to consider the ingredients in all diets. Raw food, dry food, canned food, or organic and holistic food will not be tolerated if they contain ingredients your dog won’t tolerate.

I have had quite a few people ask me about feeding the canine crock pot cuisine. Questions about the caloric content, how much to feed, and if I had different recipes. Those questions inspired me to put together an eBook with just that info. The eBook will contain info about why you might consider crocking for dogs with different problems like obesity and diabetes, and skin, ear, stomach, and bowel problems. It will contain some helpful information to help you know about how much “canine crock pot cuisine” to feed your pet.

Check back in a week or so for our special holiday package and eBook download. Give the gift of canine health to friends and family that just love their dogs!

{ 1 comment }

Homemade Dog Food for the Health of It

by Dr Greg on November 17, 2010

Jim Hodges emailed me after his dogs have been on his version of the Dog Dish Diet. Thought those of you that have overweight dogs, or dogs with skin, ear , stomach, or intestinal problems may like to see what he wrote . Healthy ingredients will help with chronic problems if you have a few extra minutes twice to three times a week to become part of the health care team for your pet! Check the testimonial page!

Dr Greg ,

I’ve updated you on my homemade dog food, and now that I’ve been doing it for several months, I thought I’d update you on the results.

My 15 year old Collie/Aussie mix has shed the excess 20 pounds that she was carrying. Her coat is noticeably softer and shinier – people who pet her often comment on how soft her coat feels. She is shedding a lot less than she used to. Today, when we were at the park, for the first time in over a year, I saw her running just for the fun of it.

The result are less noticeable in my 3 year old Field Spaniel (I’ve only had her 5 months – she’s a pound puppy). She has dropped about 6 excess pounds and regained her girlish figure. I’ve also noticed that both dogs poop smells like chicken soup and broccoli instead of like poop.

An update on the diet – on the recommendation of a holistic vet I get an e-newsletter from, I’ve started supplementing the dogs diet with Spirulina, a microscopic blue-green alga that is high in protein and loaded with trace minerals. I now empty the kelp caps (about 3 per pound of food) and add them to the basic food mix instead of adding the kelp at meal time (less time consuming at meal time). Also my older dog is now getting Cosequin DS to help with her arthritis.

A tip for for your readers in the Campbell/San Jose/Los Gatos, CA area – Cosentino’s Market, at the corner of Bascom and Union often has interesting things in the frozen meat section to add to your homemade dog food.

For your readers who wonder if it’s really worth the effort to make homemade dog food – the answer is an unqualified YES. The trick is to make it fun and not a chore. Get the family involved – spend a few hours making a week or two worth of dog food, or, in my case, with a medium and a large dog, spend a couple of days making 5 or 6 weeks of food.

Keep up the good work of spreading the word about doggie nutrition.

Jim Hodges

{ 1 comment }

Mokie’s Feline Asthma

by Dr Greg on November 14, 2010

Geri Schmutz rescued Mokie from a burn barrel. She had lost the tips of her ears and had several bad burns on her legs. This little grey kitten was so affectionate and friendly despite her wounds that I had to try and save her. She had a couple bad burns on her back legs, but I was more concerned about smoke damage to her lungs. However, she got better with antibiotics and suave, and soon was running around my living room, making my other cats furious.

We had named her “Crispy” at the veterinary hospital, but my wife made sure that was changed. She thought that name was cruel. I thought it was appropriate and a bit humorous, but we changed it to Mokie of course. Mokie is not a beautiful cat. Her body is very compact with a comparatively big head, wide set big green eyes, and a hooked tail. Her trail had obviously been broken to end up like the hook on a clothes hanger. Don’t forget she has rounded ears due to her burns that give her a slightly “wild look”. However she is one of the most affectionate and cats we had ever had. She is always interested in what we are doing, and will join us in the yard, or wherever there is activity.

She considers herself part of our dog’s “pack”, and will join them for “go potty” before we go to bed. The “off” click of the remote starts the activity. They know when they hear the click of the remote, potty outside, and nummy inside follow. The funny part is that Mokie races outside with the three dogs, pees in the gravel area, and runs back in for her “nummy” with her pack. She then joins us in bed with at least one and sometimes two of the three dogs.

One day about 6 months ago, Mokie started breathing hard with her head extended and rocking back and forth. I had seen this action in quite a few of my patients. It is often mistaken as symptoms of a hair ball, when it is actually cause by bronchial irritation and commonly known as asthma. Her asthma episodes are quieted with an injection or two of a steroid every one to two weeks. Take a look at the videos of the asthma episode and a hairball episode so you will know the difference between a hairball and an “asthma attack”.

{ 4 comments }

Veterinary Treatment of a Broken Tooth in a Dog

by Dr Greg on November 10, 2010

Taking care of teeth is a significant part of a veterinary practice. Our pets develop a significant amount of tartar and often have receding gums. Since they no longer eat or use their teeth for the purpose for which they were intended, dogs and cats often develop brown ugly tartar at the gum line and gum infections.. The teeth of carnivores are meant to work like shears to cut up bone, ligament, and muscle into smaller pieces. As their ancestors ate the bones, cartilage, ligaments, and muscle, their teeth and gums were constantly massaged and cleaned. Contrary to popular belief and marketing, kibble and most dental biscuits do very little to keep teeth clean.

In my experience, cats that hunt and eat their prey (instead of just showing it off), and dogs that are fed raw meaty bones have cleaner teeth than those eating commercial kibble or dry food. When Pluis Davern started feeding her Sussex spaniels raw chicken wings and thighs, they no longer needed constant teeth cleanings. I was sure that this practice was dangerous, but after seeing the results over a few years I started “treating” my dogs to a raw chicken wing, smoked pork bone, or frozen chicken thigh. My dogs love it and it keeps their teeth clean. I started recommending bone therapy for those dogs that like to chew and not just gulp down anything that is given them. Dogs that will chew and not just swallow are good candidates for “bone therapy”. I have found that two of my cats like to gnaw on a raw chicken wing too. In fact my cats will eat the gristle and ends of the bones from my Dog Dish Diet crock pot food, or a piece of a raw chicken wing. Both are good for them and their teeth.

Dogs will wear their teeth down or occasionally break a tooth by chewing on rocks, wood, or thick, baked femur bones. These baked bones are the round white bones sold at many pet stores. The big smoked pork and lamb bones are a better choice. Chewing is important to dogs and raw meaty bones, ham hocks, and smoked pork shanks can fill the void. You should never give you dog barbecued chicken bones or steak bones that are brittle and can break into sharp pieces. The ancestors of our pets knew how to make use of a raw bone. After watching your pet grab, turn, and chew a raw meaty bone, you will agree.

Emily brought Buddy, a miniature Australian shepherd in because he broke one of his sharp cutting teeth. The video posted shows how a broken carnassial tooth or premolar is cut into sections and removed. Buddy broke his tooth chewing on something hard and exposed the pulp cavity. The mouth is a dirty place and infection can migrate up that exposed, open cavity to cause a root abscess. Buddy had two options; to wait and see if an infection develops or to preventatively pull the tooth. Emily chose the preventative route. In the video, I show how the tooth was sectioned, removed, and the gums sutured. Buddy went home on pain medication and antibiotics to prevent infection (lots of bacteria live in the mouth!). That night Buddy was running and playing! If your dog breaks its tooth, give it an aspirin and soft food if it appears painful. There are dosages for aspirin in my free home remedy download.

{ 0 comments }

Aspirin for Limping and Painful Dogs

by Dr Greg on November 4, 2010

A limping dog is scary but you can often check a few things out to see if it might be something you can deal with. It always helps to wet or wash the leg and foot first to get a clearer view of swelling, cuts, bumps, bruises, wounds, splinters, or foxtails. Washing or wetting down the leg makes all of those problems easier to see.

Always proceed with CAUTION: Any dog will bite if they feel pain. Use restraint and get help for everyone’s safety. Do not mess with a sore leg unless you know the dog’s temperament. Even “nice dogs” will bite when hurt.

Nails that have grown too long can catch on things and become cracked, red, infected, bruised, broken or painful. Check the nails for breaks and the nail bed for infection. Keep the nails trimmed to prevent problems

The toes can hide cuts, wounds, growths, or infections. A swollen toe may mean a sprain, a broken one, or an infection from a wood splinter, nail or wire puncture, bite, or plant. You should clean up any wound or infection with warm water and mild dishwashing detergent. Your dog may need treatment for painful or infected wounds.

Underneath the foot, around the pads, you may find a cut, wound, infection, or just really red skin. Red inflamed skin often results from allergies to grasses causing itching and chewing to the feet. Sometimes running on rocks or asphalt can bruise or blister the pads. Apply cortisone and Neosporin to soothe the itch and skin infection. It always helps to wash the foot and area around the pads.A sock, light bandage, or cone is helpful to keep dogs from chewing the area.

If the foot does not seem painful or involved, move up the leg to check for bumps, bruises, or swollen joints. If gently bending a joint causes discomfort, you may be dealing with a mild sprain or arthritis in the joint. Arthritis is really common in older dogs and may cause a bit of limping off and on when they over do it. Coming up lame after playing could mean a pulled muscle. Arthritis in the neck, spine, or hips will also cause limping that looks like it is coming from the foot or one of the legs.

If your dog is putting some weight on the leg, but limping a bit, it could be any of the common problems above. If your dog can’t support any weight, is extremely painful, and you can’t determine the cause of the discomfort, get it checked out. If you want to try and relieve a bit of the pain try a dose or two of aspirin.

Sometimes poodles, yorkies, maltese, lhasas, and other toy breeds will hike up a back leg because their kneecap is going in and out of place. The kneecap can rub on the joint and make it painful. In some dogs it is just the pressure of the kneecap in the wrong place that makes things feel different. Holding their leg up relieves the pressure. Some dogs grow out of it. Others can be exercised to tighten up the knee joint. A few may need surgery to make things right.

For any of the above problems you can aspirin to help with pain and discomfort. The dose for dogs is 1 adult aspirin per 30 pounds twice daily or 1 baby aspirin per 5 pounds twice daily. If the situation gets worse or doesn’t improve in a day or two, get it diagnosed and treated. Do not use Tylenol or ibuprofen in dogs. Both can have side effects.

Dr Greg loves to give people common sense medical advice. His book, Dog Dish Diet has nutritional tips that will help you pick the right food and treats to help with hotspots, ear infections, fat dogs, and even seizures!

{ 107 comments }