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Topic: Change of Weather and diet (Read 330 times)
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luvshep
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The MAXSTER
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Now that it is getting colder and their new coats are coming in, should we be feeding them something extra in their diet to help with a healthy new coat. I have noticed Max is drinking a great deal more water than normal, which I am sure relates to the coat change, but just wondering if I should be adding anything new.
Helen
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"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
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LUCKYACORN
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Spirit has also been drinking a lot of water lately. Our weather has not changed as your has though. It has been fairly warm, almost too warm for fall until today. I think now we are having some colder weather moving in and some rain. He is still on his allergy medicine... The thing that's like benedryl. I figured that may be why he is drinking so heavily. I have also just experienced his "coat blowing" for the first time I think!
Dee
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k-9coach
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Helen, Max may be drinking more water now because the heat in the house is now on. This will dry the air and makes all of us thirsty. You can add if you're not already some omega-3 fatty acids. These are found in salmon, flax, etc. I currently give a 1000mg gel capsule of "wild" salmon oil Natural Factors brand to each of my dogs at dinner. You can also get/use organic flax seed oil, found at most health food stores. Start out with a tsp. every other day 1wk, every day for wk, then 1 tbsp. daily. If you jump to 1tbsp. you'll get a surprise at the other end real quick. You have to let their systems adjust to the extra oils in the diet.
Dee, it may be there is a steroid in the allergy medication which will definitely make Spirit drink/pee a lot more. Keep an eye on the coat blowing, you're coming into fall/winter and it shouldn't really be blowing but more like thickening up but each dog is individual. May be in part to the medication he is on.
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luvshep
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Is the holistic blend of Flax seed oil alright to use? Considering Max's um shall we say surprising bowl movements to certain things...maybe I should start with a 1/4 tsp.
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"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
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k-9coach
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Just go to the health store, get a small bottle of flax seed oil, and try the 1/4 tsp. every other day. Keep the oil in the fridge and get the one that is cold pressed organic. Max should be able to tolerate the 1/4 tsp. every other day perhaps for two weeks, or if you're really not sure what will come out the other end  give it every 3-4 days at first.
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LUCKYACORN
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Yes, I think some of it is the meds with Spirit. He has changed a lot the last 2 wks. He is fininshed with his antibiotic, Cephalexin 500 mg., 3 times a day. I am so thankful that he has finished it. He has had medication most of his life... Never before have I had a dog on antibiotics so much. He is still getting Dermcaps ( which the vet told me is a pure fish oil, and supposedly better than the health food fish oil. He will stay on that for 30 days and also on the Diphenhydramine 50 mg. which I think is just like benedryl, for 30 days.
His coat has now stopped coming out so much, and he is excessively thirsty... So thirsty that I will not give him a full bowl at one time because he will drink it to the bottom without stopping. I give about 2 cups, maybe more (it's hard to say really...his bowl is large and I will only half fill it)... When he drinks it down, I will wait a short time and give him more. Just so his stomach doesn't get all popping out.
The weather here can't make up it's mind...At first I had to have the heat on... not a lot, but it was cold enough for a jacket or heavy sweater... Now it's very warm in the day, short sleeves.. cooler at night. But Spirit is inside..Not outside. For the last week or more there has been no need for heat. Today it rained. Rain makes whatever bothers him, worse. I only took him outside to do his business. In the afternoon it was warm and dry so we went outside but not for long as the rain started again.
I think I am more concerned with the itching he does and not being able to tell whether or not I should worry. I just have never had a dog who was this itchy. He will lie on the floor and just whimper while he rubs his chin on the floor in short motions. It almost seems like a tic, it is so exact in motions. I asked the vet, but he said he must like to itch it. This was the old vet and I haven't mentioned it to the new vet. Maybe I should? But, still this is a dog, who knows meds because he has had to take them SO much. He will come and sit in front of me when I say it's medicine time. He holds his head back and lets me open his mouth and drop the pills in. I just feel so badly that he is this ill. It's a good point to bring up when we get the section on where to get a GSD and why. Because I do believe it's genetic. Don't you think it could be?
Dee
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luvshep
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Well tried the flax seed oil 1/4 tsp...  Max liked it...but um..let's say other end didn't as always. 
We'll see how it goes.
Helen
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"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
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LUCKYACORN
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Our weather is changing now... We are getting some very cold nights and some days where it is damp and cold, and others where it is hot than a sudden dip into very cold temps towards 4pm. Spirit has gotten very snippy. He does a lot of crying and itching even with the allergy med. His diet or appetite rather has also changed drastically. I say drastically because it wasn't a change that was gradual. He isn't eating until late in the day and than only one time. Sometimes when it gets later in the evening he wants to eat again, but I don't want him getting used to eating at like 9 or 10 pm. It is just too late. His coat did blow out, I am now an experienced coat blow outer cleaner upper. Try saying that one five times fast! I think he now has an adult coat. It is clean and nice looking, not really shiny but not dull. He has a soft feel underneath, like a down or fluff... And he has changed in color. He is really showing some silver strongly despite what the vets have said about him turning sable. He is black with sort of rings of silver on his back near the shoulders. Tawny color is seen in certain light on his legs, but they like his chest are more silverish.
Is it normal for him to suddenly slow down on his food and to eat only one time a day?
Dee
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k-9coach
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Sometimes with a weather change or as you've had Dee a change in home location they will change their eating habits. Not to worry he'll get back on track. And no, I would also not feed late at night either. Put the food down, wait 1/2 hr or so then take it up. It then goes down again at his regular feeding time for 1/2 hr if he doesn't eat, then wait until the next meal. He'll get the idea and it will help to assist him in getting back on schedule.
Don't know if I mentioned this or not but you may try adding colostrum powder to Spirits food. It's an immune booster from the milk of cows, who have just given birth. Very good for immune system in both dogs and humans. Available at the health food stores. Follow the adult dosage.
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LUCKYACORN
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Thank you Heather. Yes, I am feeding as you said although I am only giving him 10 minutes after he walks away.
Our weather is really crazy right now. We have had days with the temps unbelievably warm. And he did get his winter coat.
I am going to get the colostrum and start him on it. I think he could use it....Hmmm Maybe we all could.
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k-9coach
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Everything is wacky
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k-9coach
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