We’ve all had days where the dogs just don’t seem to want to eat. You set that can of food out and receive a look that says, “This again?’ You can’t say you blame them; I mean, really — you know you get tired of the same old, same old too. So, why not check out a homemade dog food recipe to give the pups a new treat that, with a few tweaks, you can share as well? Being a fan of chicken salad, as well as the owner of two finicky dachshunds, I’ve found that this one satisfies the whole family.

For the dog (serving size 1/2 cup):
1 cup deboned organic chicken, cooked and cooled
1 cup mixed salad greens
2 tablespoons red clover sprouts
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
In a small bowl, toss and combine the chicken, salad greens, sprouts and olive oil. Transfer to serving dishes and top with the yogurt before serving.

Once you’ve finished serving the dogs, add these ingredients to make a tasty treat for yourself:
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup apples, cut in chunks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of ground pepper
You may also want to add a bit more yogurt for your serving. Mix all ingredients well, sit back and enjoy your lunch with the pup!

Be sure to check out more dog food recipes at Halo Pets!

We heard from one of our readers with the following question:

“I have a female Lhasa Apso, 17 months old, and her name is Maggie. We found out two weeks ago she had bladder stones, many of them. She had surgery a week ago and had them removed. She is doing great and acts like a new puppy. The vet called today with the lab report on the kind of stones they were. He said we will be trying to treat her with a change in her diet rather than with antibiotics. Can you tell me if Halo Natural Dog Food would be considered a good food to keep her from getting more stones?

Thank you. I love my two dogs so much. I think we (you and I) must be kindred spirits!!”

Answer: You can learn more about Dog Bladder Stones in the Pet Education area of our site.

Do you need vet advice? Post a comment with your veterinary questions and we will send them to Dr. Donna Spector to be answered in a future column.

Although not all dogs are sensitive to the toxic effects of grapes and raisins, there is no way to predict whether your dog may be affected. As susceptible dogs can experience gastrointestinal upset followed by life-threatening kidney failure, all grape and raisin ingestion should be considered a serious potential threat.

Despite research done by the Animal Poison Control Center team and others (Morrow, 2003), the toxin in grapes and raisins remains unknown. It has been determined that all grapes should be considered a risk; whether they are home-grown, commercially-grown, seeded, seedless, or even right off the vine.

Dogs must ingest a fairly large quantity of fruit to become ill. The lowest documented amount of grapes or raisins to cause kidney failure is 0.32 ounces per kilogram of body weight (Mazzaferro, 2004). This equates to approximately 1 grape or 10 raisins per pound of your dog’s body weight. There have been no cases of kidney failure documented by the ingestion of just one grape.

Susceptible dogs usually experience vomiting or diarrhea within two hours after eating grapes or raisins. Signs of acute kidney failure develop within 24 hours to several days after ingestion and include lethargy, depression, increased drinking, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and death.

The best treatment is prevention—keep grapes and raisins out of dogs’ reach. If you observe your dog eating grapes or raisins, seek veterinary attention immediately. Your veterinarian will induce vomiting to remove as many grapes or raisins as possible and then administer activated charcoal to help inactivate any remaining toxin. Depending on your dog’s condition, intravenous fluids may be recommended for 48 to 72 hours to help prevent acute kidney failure from developing.

Your dog’s prognosis will depend on how many grapes or raisins they eat, how sensitive they are to the toxin, and how quickly supportive care is initiated.

If you think that your dog is suffering from grape and raisin toxicity visit www.aspca.org/apcc for more information.

References:

Mazzaferro EM, Eubig PA, Hackett TB, Legare M, Miller C, Wingfield WE, Wise L. Acute renal failure associated with raisin or grape ingestions in 4 dogs. Vet Emerg Crit Care 14(3): 196-202, 2004.

Morrow C, Valli V, Volmer P, Eubig P. Canine renal pathology associated with grapes or raisin ingestion: 10 cases (abstract). Annual Meeting Am Assoc Vet Lab Diagn: 128, 2003.

Dr. Donna Spector , DVM, DACVIM
Dr. Donna Spector is a board-certified veterinary internist who practices in New York City. She has written and lectured extensively on nutrition, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders and other animal health issues.

Do you need vet advice? Post a comment with your veterinary questions and we will send them to Dr. Donna Spector to be answered in a future column.

Why the question mark, you may be asking yourself. Well, I have a Jack Russell Terrier. For those of you who have had the pleasure of having one of these independent thinkers as a family member,  please indulge me while I rhapsodize about life with her.

For those of you who are not familiar, brace yourselves.

Her name is Phoebe. Sounds innocent, doesn’t she? Forget that. I got her when she was just 6 weeks old and fell in love immediately. I know it’s trite but it’s true. Within the first three months, this “high-energy” cherub destroyed a chair, the carpet, and more shoes than I care to remember. Because of her inquisitive nature, and because I was a novice at being a Jack Russell mommy, she has eaten a much-diversified array of both edibles as well as in edibles in her life. There was the time she ate a raspberry-scented floating candle right out of the bowl. Oh, and I can’t forget the time she ate one of those little packets enclosed in a new leather purse or new shoes that says, “DO NOT EAT”! Needless to say, in spite of her adventurous nature and the fact that she has the innate ability to jump five feet above ground level, combined with the fact that she seems willing to ingest almost anything, she is strangely choosy about her own food. I can only assume that is because she does not see me hovering over her bowl. I will further postulate that if Mommy is not eating it, the allure is diminished.

When I saw Halo Dog Food, I was too amused by the name to just walk away. I thought to myself, this is for angels or might change Phoebe into one. She is 9 years old now and this seemed to be my only hope. There was no way I was going to leave the store without it. I checked out the ingredients and saw that there was plenty of natural stuff in there, including some of the proteins and veggies that Phoebe is willing to steal from my plate. I kept my fingers crossed. She loved it. I know what you must be thinking. After all, I just regaled you with stories of destruction and thievery, how much could I really care about what she eats. Every pet owner wants his or her pet to be as happy and healthy as possible and I am no different. I gave her the Spot’s Stew Wholesome Chicken Recipe dry food. I was more than delighted to see real peas and other natural ingredients mixed in. With a friend’s encouragement and because Phoebe is my only child and spoiled, I gave her the canned food to try as well. I am positive that I have cooked entrees that smelled significantly less edible. I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. Unlike my dog, I am aware that our foods are NOT interchangeable so I am proud to say I resisted and did not eat any of her food.

She does this Jack Russell thing when she wants something badly. She sits and stares at it…sometimes for an hour. Since I introduced Halo to her, she sits in the kitchen and stares at the bag. It is a refreshing change of pace from her normal daily activities of jumping on furniture, stealing my stuff, and standing in my dinner plate. Thank you to Halo. I owe you a debt of gratitude.

We love our pudgy, fat cats and dogs, but couch-potato pets may be paying a price. Pet Obesity is associated with diabetes in dogs and cats, arthritis, heart disease and more. So how can we help? Get your pet a full, medical checkup and talk to your veterinarian about a nutrition plan. Halo® pet food can help to keep your pets lean and healthy. Pay attention to how much and how often you’re feeding your pet. And most importantly, exercise! Physical activity helps your pets just as much as it helps you, so get moving!

Click here to read more

Dr. Donna Spector , DVM, DACVIM
Dr. Donna Spector is a board-certified veterinary internist who practices in New York City. She has written and lectured extensively on nutrition, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders and other animal health issues.

Do you need vet advice? Post a comment with your veterinary questions and we will send them to Dr. Donna Spector to be answered in a future column.