Dogs, Drinking, & Diabetes

Paul | blog | November 21, 2011

Following on from my blog the other day are we feeding our dogs to death something came to mind this morning.

We noticed and were slightly worried that Doris our oldest dog , who was diagnosed as Diabetic earlier this year, wasn’t drinking enough water.

This is the total opposite to what first lead us to believe that Doris had a problem, as back then she could empty a water bowl in one sitting, and the frequency and huge size of her piddles, had us in the car and straight to our vet.

We have sinced switched Doris onto a Raw Food Diet, and so far are obtaining the best results in relation to sugar levels in her system.

Then the penny dropped. Doris isn’t drinking as much water now, because she is away from the dry food diet she had always been on.

All commercial dog food companies will advise on their packaging that when feeding their dry food please ensure the dog had access to fresh clean drinking water.

Now I know that most water that dogs have access to isn’t toxic etc, but taking in large amounts just to satisfy the thirst created by the food we ate, can’t be great for the system.

In human terms it would be like us eating salted bacon every day, and even though we might love the taste, end up with a throat as dry as the Sahara desert.

That as well as the other benefits we have seen whilst feeding Doris her Raw Food Diet, is a big enough reason to put the extra effort in, and make sure your diabetic dog is getting the correct food for his or her condition

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Owning a dog “V” Loving your dog

Paul | blog | November 15, 2011

I came across the following stats the other day from a poll taken by dog lovers in the UK

79.4% of dog owners admit they have not cut down the amount they spend on their dog due to recent financial problems

56% love their dogs as much or even more than their partners

23.5% of dog owners confess they trust their dog more than their partner

56.4% feel closer to their dog than their best friend

Based on the above it seems that dogs are well respected and a loved member of many families across the UK.

Owning a dog brings many responsibilities, which includes how you react and treat other non dog and dog owning members of society, but the main responsibility though, is to the dog itself.

Owning a dog, and loving a dog, are 2 totally different things.

Anybody can own a dog, keep it locked up in a backyard day in day out, feed it low quality food, and neglect it’s basic requirements when it comes to exercise, grooming & veterinary care.

As we have Blogged here before on pedigree dogs, if you really love your dog, you will of course do all that is in your power to provide 100% for his or her needs no matter what.

Really loving your dog includes having the best veterinary care available at all times, with a practice that keeps up to date with all the latest developments in canine care.

One such procedure is the laparoscopic spaying that is very popular in mainland Europe and we ourselves availed of this as per the following

Something that came to mind recently, is that when you know that your dog is not well, and suspect that it is something serious, would it not be better to fast track the course of treatment and say go for an MRI or book an ultrasound with Emma Tobin straight away rather than go down the path of numerous blood works etc., only then to be told that the dog has to go for one of these procedures anyway to determine the real cause of the problem.

We had a situation like the above towards the end of last and beginning of this year with Dempsey where we sent off at least three lots of blood to be worked on, and never really got to the bottom of the problem, and in the end booked him for an ultrasound, but he passed before the appointment date.

Like in human medicine, these earlier consultations can waste valuable time not to mention add to the overall expense at the end of the day, and although an ultrasound or MRI can be very expensive, at least you would have a definitive picture as to what is wrong with your dog, and in most cases are covered by the dogs insurance.

Not being involved in the veterinary profession in Ireland, I am not sure how these things work, but think it should be an option that is given to the owner at the start of treatment, as after all, you don’t just own your dog, you LOVE it !

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