Dog Friendly Tips: Heads

No Heads Out the Window:  Although many pets find that sticking their head out the window is the best part of the journey, it is not safe.  Your pet can easily be injured by flying debris or hedgerows on the passengers side or other cars coming along towards you on narrow country lanes on the drivers side.  

Dog Friendly Article: Dog Allergies - Here Is My Own Story

When my Golden Retriever Sunshine first came to join our one dog - one woman household I thought that he was the smallest Golden puppy I had ever met. He wasn`t just small - he seemed to be someone who wasn't thriving.

Right from the start he suffered from a bladder infection and presented occasional outbursts of runny tummy.

Since I feed raw beef, tripe and chicken to my older Golden Sebastian and believe in the benefits of a raw meat diet I gradually changed the pup's food from the kibble his breeder had used to a diet of raw meat, vegetables and rice.

Not long after that the trouble started - his diarrhea became more frequent, he'd have me up mostly at night which did not please me at all!

First I put it down to some sort of infection - you know, those tummy bugs that dogs seem to pick up frequently.

As his motions improved I thought all was well again - only to discover the return of the problem a few days later.

As time went by I suspected some kind of adverse reaction to some of the foods I gave him. Indeed he seemed to be worse off after eating hearty chunks of beef but then again, he would also need to run when without beef.

Things became more and more confusing, not only to me but also to my vet. Sunshine was presenting himself with diarrhea as well as frequent vomiting after supper.

Perhaps there was something wrong with his pancreas? Blood tests did not confirm this suspicion.

In the end I took him to Gießen University Clinic where they did all sorts of blood tests and x- rayed his stomach and intestines - everything was fine, no parasites, no bugs could be found...

They advised me to put him on a diet of just one source of protein plus one source of carbohydrates for eight weeks and see what the results would be.

This didn't sound like a very good idea to me but it set me off in the right direction - why not have a proper allergy test done?

My vet thought it would be a waste of money since she didn't support the allergy hypothesis and advised me to try the eight weeks restriction diet instead.

Of course we followed through with the test sending a blood sample to a lab I had used before for allergy testing. The results which came back after a few days didn't make me happy at all. Sunshine is allergic to beef, cow's milk and dairy products as well as all grains, to potatoes and rice. He can, however, eat chicken, venison and lamb.

With all those allergy triggers it was no surprise that he reacted with diarrhea to most foods I gave to him in the attempt to cure his upset tummy.

The lamb and rice tins for sensitive dogs had given him the runs because of the rice, the lamb and potato treats had given him runs because of the potatoes, all special diets for upset stomachs contained milk protein and so on.

There would have been no way to end his diarrhea without proper allergy testing.

As the results came back my vet insisted that I should feed him on one source of protein for eight weeks in order to set things straight. I did not do this because from allergy research in humans we know that one may become allergic to foods when he consumes them all the time.

Instead I started feeding Sunshine on a diet of venison, chicken, eggs, bananas and vegetables, avoiding grains and potatoes. The diarrhea vanished and has not returned since, the dog put on the much needed weight and is growing stronger day by day.

This experience taught me a valuable lesson. Next time I own a dog who shows signs of diarrhea on a regular basis, checking him for allergies will be one of the first measures I'll take.

I never fail to marvel at the beauty and splendor of every single dog I meet - day in and day out. Each and every dog has his own loveliness about him which I feel we must look for to understand his soul. The soul of a dog is a very close companion to his person's soul and I strive to help that special love relationship grow and grow - every day a little more! By giving information and offering insights as well as animal communication sessions - even when your dog has left his physical body. You can count on me! Visit me, Psychologist M. Annelie Becher on my website at http://www.dogsandhappiness.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Annelie_Becher

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