I DONT KNOW WHAT TO FEED HIM

Question
i BOUGHT MY SHIH SUE A FEW WEEKS AGO FROM A FRIEND, THE PUPPY DID NOT HAVE A HOME. HE IS NINE MONTHS OLD AND VERY ENERGETIC. RECENTLY  " BUDDY"  HAD ALLERGIES, WE TOOK HIM TOT HE VET, HE WAS PRESECRIBED MEDS AND A STEROID SHOT. HE IS FINE NOW IN THAT ASPECT,HOWEVER HE HAS BECOME A VERYYY PICKY EATER, I FEED HIM CHICKEN HE REFUSES, BEEF HE REFUSES, AND HE DOESNT LIEK RICE. THE ONLY THING HE WILL EAT IS TURKEY WHICH HE CAN NOT HANDLE BECIZUSE HE WILL THROW UP. I HAVE TRIED GIVING HIM DRIED FOOD TOO.. HE SMELLS IT AND I CAN TELL HE IS HUNGRYAND WANTS TO EAT, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO FEED HIM ANYMORE! i HAVE EVEN TRIED DIFFERNT CANNED FOODS...

Answer
HI,
I almost cried reading what is going with your shih-Tzu..especially THE GIVING OF STEROIDS????? WHY? OMG, he is only 9 mos old and your obviously, unknpwledgeable vet is already prescribing steroids???? STEROIDS??????? HIS LIVER is going to be shot by the time he is three. When you do take him off those horrid things, his allergies will come back ten fold. This is so sad, I could cry. You need to start over.

YOu need to get this OFF STEROIDS..MY GOD, PLEASE GET HIM OFF THOSE THINGS. You will be fooled, temporarily, into thinking that he is better because steroids DO WORK but once you stop them the vicious cycle begins. You need to start this dog on a BRAND NEW DIET WITH HUGE AMTS OF PROBIOTICS. Anything short of this and unfortunately, your dog will not have a healthy life.

The fact that he refusing all the foods you have tried is another red flag. Have you had him thoroughly checked out? Is there something else wrong with this dog other than allergies. Steroids usually make a dog ravenous but sometimes they also make the dog sicker. You dog is TOO YOUNG FOR STEROIDS and I am surprised that you didn't research this a bit more before allowing him to be given this poison.

Get him off the steroids, feed him a VERY LIMITED PROTEIN DIET (meaning one single, novel protein that he has never tasted) and try this alone. STOP ALL SNACKS and I mean ALL SNACKS. Your pup could be reacting to some garbage that the commercial foods have in them. You will never be able to figure this out either, since commercial foods have so many ingredients--ALMOST ALL SYNTHETIC--that this is why you start over with a SINGLE, NOVEL PROTEIN DIET. It is the only way. BUT YOU NEED TO STOP THOSE STEROIDS TOO...why is he on them????? What kind of vet would prescribe meds and steroids on the first visit, AND FOR A DOG WITH JUST ALLERGIES?? I am tryly horrified.

Write to this woman whom I use consistently and who is a sort of miracle worker with dogs and diet. She won't charge you and she will make some fabulous recommendations. She, Like I, will recommend home cooking or feeding raw. For now though, google "novel protein diets" for Canines. YOU MUST TRY AND STOP ALL MEDS AND GET THIS DOG DIETARILY SOUND. Most people CAUSE ALLERGIES in their dogs by bad breeding and bad feeding from the time they are born. Sounds like your pup is one of these.

For now, I would like you to consider a product that IS A SINGLE PROTEIN AND I KNOW YOUR DOG HAS NEVER HAD IT. It is not a quality food but it may help straighten out your pup until you can begin to feed more healthily. I am not saying that this food is good at all but it is single  protein and this is what you need. You also must feed him something he has never tasted before. It's called Royal Canin and it really is helping one of my dogs. I plan to get him on something healthier in the future but for now, he can digest this and has stopped all allergic reactions. He is on ZERO MEDS...ZERO and has never had a steroid because I will not allow it. Stay away from Chicken. YOU MAY HAVE A DOG LIKE I HAVE...ONE WHO IS INTOLERENT TO CHICKEN and you problems may be made worse by continuing to feed chicken. I have a Yorkie who is intolerant and still I continued to use Chicken. I made him very sick and he refused to eat. Think about this.

Here is my mentor's address if you'd care to write her:
DoniaSea@aol.com

Good Luck and let me know how you are doing. I AM INTERESTED. IF YOU write to Donia use my name...Sue aka DazzlinDaawg@aol.com.
bye now, Sue

Your pup needs to detox and start over. You have to go slowly.