Saturday, October 10, 2009

Thoughts about diet

My thoughts today are centered around food.  (Aren't they always?)  It's so important to remember that the biggest key to management is a very low fat diet.  Many so-called "low fat" diets are not anywhere near low enough, in my experience.  Adding treats and toppers to the diet, switching out ingredients, giving rawhide or any chews that might contain fatty material, all of this needs to be strictly avoided.  I've heard of people strictly regulating diets but giving rawhide, which is full of fat.  It's important to think of everything that goes into your dog's mouth in terms of its fat potential.

I can't stress enough that even small amounts of fat can trigger a relapse or worsening of the disease, so vigilance over the diet is very important.

3 comments:

  1. I'm late to comment on this, but the Dingo brand rawhide chewies seem to be the best for dogs that simply must have a chew - at least Murphy tolerates them well. They are 98% fat free and also low in fiber, and Murphy has experienced no ill effects. I still wouldn't let him have one every day.

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  2. Thanks, Catherine! For a chew, Louie likes the little flexible nylabones. Not the edible ones, but the ones that are made of a rubbery material. He doesn't have many teeth and he usually just gums it for a few minutes, but he's always happy to be given one!

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  3. Murphy isn't much of a chewer unless Dudley visits - chewing together is one of their favorite bonding times. Murphy wouldn't touch a Nylabone for love nor money - he's my little gourmet - so I was very relieved to see that his beloved Dingos are extremely low fat. I still wouldn't make it a daily treat, but as a special occasion thing, it works.

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