Diet/Nutrition

Question

Kaiya   QUESTION: I have just become a owner of a 2yr old Bullmastiff,she is suffering from a bad stomach and she is not eating her food. I would like some advice on what is the right food to give her,eg,what sort of kibble ect.

ANSWER: Hi Iain,

Glad to help if I can, but first I need to ask a few more questions.
First, her symptoms; when you say "bad stomach" what do you mean, exactly? Vomiting? Diarrhea? Both?  What's her background, is she a rescue? And temperament? Is she nervous and high strung? Had any bad experiences in past that you know of (abuse, health issues, isolation?)

I would need a more detailed description of this dog to be able to direct you better.

Second; what food are you using now? If you've tried several kinds, what are they? Any treats of foods she seems to enjoy?

What kind of commercial diet I recommend will depend on these factors. I need to know about symptoms because, for example, vomiting and inappetance might mean pancreatitis, which represents a veterinary emergency. In any case I feel a vet check up is in order, but how urgent it is depends on the symptoms. If by bad stomach you mean she has intermittent loose stool, that's less worrisome, although in all cases of gastric upset I highly recommend ruling out parasites or other veterinary problems. In cases like IBD, I recommend a home made diet, but I don't know yet what's wrong so it's difficult to  say.

Fill me in a bit more and I'll be happy to send you  my suggestions.
All the best, Catherine

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: She has been suffering with Diarrhea. the previous owner was giving her tinned dog food, i was told buy the previous owner that the vet advised her to give Kiaya bold rice with scrambled egg for a few days to settle her stomach. Kiaya is not a rescue dog,it's just that the previous owner did not have the finance to keep her. Kiaya is a very loving dog with an excellent temperament.

Answer
Ok, well I'm still not sure what brands she's been eating..a bland diet of white rice and boiled chicken (my preference over scrambled eggs) will help resolve most minor gastric issues, but you still need a proper food to get her on. If you are looking at a dry food (kibble) I recommend the following for Kaiya, based on the information I have:

Fromm FourStar Duck and Sweet Potato:
http://www.frommfamily.com/products-fs.php


Natural Balance, probably one of the sensitive line:
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/VenDog.html

These are my top choices for Kaiya, if you have dfficulty obtaining them or she doesn't do well on them, let me know. YOu can  use a little canned food to moisten and flavour the dry, but I'd stick with just the dry for now in case an ingredient in canned disagrees with her. If after two weeks on one of these foods you are seeing imporvement, you can try adding some canned, but pleae - make sure it's a premium food. USe a canned product from whichever line of dry you've settled on. The cheap foods like Purina and IAMS cause untold amounts of problems, and your dog  deserves a quality product.

All the best, and I hope this helps,
Catherine