my dog

Question
QUESTION: my dog i believe is a cross between a Russell terrier and a chawawa.im sorry i know that is spelled wrong.hopfully you can figure it out. my dog which i just got from my grandma was on a diet of just boiled chicken for maybe a year because a vet told her to give her just that cause she was having a upset stomach.i don't think that is a very healthy diet for the dog to only be getting protien.what do you think

ANSWER: Ritchie -

Boiled chicken is really commonly recommended for a short while when a dog has an upset stomach... but it is intended to be used for a few days, not the rest of a lifetime.

If you decide to move this dog to dog food, I would **strongly** recommend a couple of things

1.  Feed dry food. Wet food makes their teeth get yucky and they end up needing dental care - which is an expense that can usually be avoided.

2.  Feed the very best dog food you can afford.  This means you will need to go to a pet supply store since the stuff sold in grocery stores is mostly of very poor quality.

The price difference between feeding really good food, and lousy food for a dog this size is only a couple of dollars per month.

3.  If you think the dog might have a sensitive tummy and want to have the best chances with dog food, pick one that is made of either chicken or fish, and has rice or oatmeal as the grain.

Avoid foods that have any corn, wheat or soy in them. These ingredients are commonly the source of problems with dogs.

I'm so impressed that you care enough about this dog to ask this question. Enjoy her !

-Beth

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QUESTION: HELLO AGAIN,ABOUT THE DRY DOG FOOD.MY DOG HAS HAD PROBELY 6 OR MORE TEETH IN THE PAST REMOVED CAUSE THEY WERE BAD.SO I'M AFRAID SHE MIGHT HAVE A PROBLEM ONLY EATING DRY FOOD.I MEAN I MIX IN A LITTLE W/THE WET FOOD I HAVE BEEN GIVING HER SINCE THE BOILED CHICKEN DIET.I GUESS MY ? IS WHAT IF I CONTINUE TO GIVE HER PEDIGREE WET FOOD AND JUST TAKE HER LIKE 1 EVERY 6 MONTHS TO HAVE HER TEETH CLEANED?SHE'S A 13 GOING ON 14 YR OLD DOG THAT HAS A COUPLE SMALL TUMORS THAT MY OTHER FAMILY JUST LET STAY ON HER THAT THEY SAY WERE BANINE AND NOW THAT I'M TAKING CARE OF HER I CANT AFFORD TO HAVE THEM REMOVED.ANYWAYS I JUST WANT TO KEEP MY DOG HEALTHY AND AS HAPPY AS I CAN.

ANSWER: Taking on the project of an older dog means you are a very caring person, but you need to know what to expect.

A dog who has lost teeth will do perfectly well on just dry dog food, but you can certainly add a tiny bit of cottage cheese or yogurt if you like. I strongly prefer those options to a canned wet food. The ingredients in cottage cheese and yogurt are pure and healthy and not made of the disgusting stuff they put in most dog foods.

If at all possible, get her onto a good food like Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul. It won't cost hardly any more than food from the grocery store, and is made of much much better ingredients.

Small benign tumors or fatty cysts on a dog that age are very very common and not anything to worry about. The trick is keeping her happy and eating good food. That way you can hope to avoid needing dentals, since they are usually done under anesthesia, and that is dangerous for older dogs.

Sounds like you really love this little girl.... Enjoy her and give her some scritches from me.

-Beth

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QUESTION: is that cottage cheese or yogurt mixed in or separate?also do you have another e-mail address to be able to reach you incase i need to ask anymore ?'s which i most likely will,because i think this connections to you will disappear in three days.i would really like to be able to ask you my ?'s cause first of all you actually answer me back also you what you tell me makes a lot of sense.if your able to give me another address it would be good if your not able to then thank you for all the good advice.take care

Answer
Ritchie

I'm not allowed to post my email address here, so I can't do that.

I just add the yogurt to the dry food... you can mix it in and let it sit for a few minutes if you want. That would soften it a little for her.

I am confident that your good sense will help you love this girlie for years to come.

-Beth