Cooked Eggs And Pet Insurance

[Guest imonlyme07]

so i have recently adopted a 9yr old retired racing greyhound which means im a new momma and i am new to the breed so i am really trying to figure everything out to be the best mom possible to her. 2 questions. is anybody currently using pet insurance and if so what are your thoughts and opinions? and secondly, my dog is underweight (i not just saying that bc i just adopted her and its a common misconception, she legitimately is) but she is a SUPER picky eater.. the longer she is with us the more she was eating. she has kind of evened out i think but she is just maintaining weight instead of gaining any. i thought about making her eggs (like 1 or 2 a day) and so i made her one and she seemed to enjoy it and it spurred her on into eating more of her dry food as well. are eggs good for dogs? i know its protein and its in their dry food but is a whole cooked egg too much? thoughts, opinions, and suggestions are welcome

[silverfish]

Eggs are fine. There are some concerns about salmonella and raw eggs here in England, but if I remember correctly, raw eggs are an ingredient in 'satin balls' which are made with ground beef and a few other things to help put weight on a sick dog. However, they shouldn't form a major part of her diet.

 

If you have only just adopted her, and she's not sick, I'd hold off on things like satin balls for now, because 1) she's probably going to eat better as she settles in, and 2) you don't want to create a monster! You can add tasty things into her kibble, a little wet food, a bit of oily fish, some cooked ground beef ... however, see No. 2 above. Be prepared for her to get used to it! I cook add-ins for my dogs all the time, but I don't mind doing it as an ongoing thing. Some people do.

 

Two of mine have been underweight on adoption. Time was the biggest help in getting them to eat properly and put weight on, and you have to bear in mind that when first adopted many of them actually lose weight through stress.

 

Jeffie is a bit of a picky eater, but not like he was when we adopted him. His fosterer said he wouldn't eat if anyone was looking at him, which is certainly not true now! I often lean on the wall right next to him and watch him, not least because he eats next to the downstairs bathroom door, where I go to wash my hands after preparing their food, and he often blocks me in their while he's eating. (I do move him over). The point is, you have to take things slowly, and give them time to adjust.

 

How long have you had her, and how much does she weigh? If you could post pictures, it would be helpful.

 

I do use pet insurance, and we find it worthwhile. Can't advise you on US companies to use. We use PetPlan here in England which is one of the most expensive, but they always pay out, whereas some of the cheaper companies find ways not to give you any money when you claim. You might find the premiums too high with an older dog. If that's so, what I would suggest is that you put aside what you can afford into a vet fund each month, somewhere it might earn a little interest. That way, if anything happens, you will have at least some money toward the cost.

 

 

[macoduck]

If you can find a pet insurance that will accept an older dog at a reasonable price, please let us know. I keep a separate bank account to deal with my dogs' needs.

[tbhounds]

Congratulations on your recent adoption! Many of us use "add ins" to their kibble. Personally, I cook a stew for my guys that I mix in with their kibble but, I use eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt also.

I have Healthy Paws insurance for my boy but, other GTers also use Trupanion & Embrace amongst others. I can not get insurance for my 10 yr old girl as she had cancer and is currently receiving chemo--I can understand that. I would suggest you call them and explain to them that you just adopted a 9 yr old and see if they would accept him if you proved your dog just received a clean bill of health from your vet (exam, fecal, bloodwork, heartworm neg).

Again, congrats & welcome. Remember da rule--pictures please!!!

[GeorgeofNE]

I think that insurance on a 9 year old Greyhound is going to be too expensive to be worthwhile--that's just my opinion, and also my dog's bloodwork comes back as "abnormal" every time even though it's perfectly normal for a Greyhound, but it just wasn't worth it to me.

 

And it doesn't sound like you HAVE taken the dog to the vet, which should really be the first thing you do upon adopting a dog!

[Guest june]

Congratulations on your new pup. In the winter months I add cooked chicken to my pups meals figuring they need a bit extra with the cold weather. They don't gain any weight from it, but then that's not my purpose. Many people add extra to their pets food. I have a friend who's dogs get a couple bites of something on their food every night.

 

Would love to see some pictures!

[racindog]

Congratulations! You are in for a wonderful experience- there is nothing in the world like "greyhound love."

All my dogs eat lots of eggs and LOVE them. I fry them or scramble them and serve with a side of bacon/ or sausage/or chopped steak with toast and sometimes hash browns or grits. Occassionally I will make them a huge omelete for variety with fried ham in it. We have big country breakfasts on the weekend. My big guy Gilly gets 4 eggs; the outside farm dog eats 5!; and the other 3 dogs eat 1-2. Sometimes I have to mix Momma's egg with toast that I have torn in little pieces to get her to eat it. All dogs LOVE their country breakfasts and are very healthy thank the Lord. So if she likes eggs I would certainly let her have them. With most seniors I will basically let them have whatever they will eat just to try to get weight on them. Some dogs though, young or old, will not gain weight end of story. Slim was like that. The board certified vet told me there was nothing I could do that some hounds just won't.

[silverfish]

With most seniors I will basically let them have whatever they will eat just to try to get weight on them. Some dogs though, young or old, will not gain weight end of story. Slim was like that. The board certified vet told me there was nothing I could do that some hounds just won't.

 

 

Yep, true.

 

Although I'd think nine was a bit young to think of as a senior in the sense of not keeping weight on, but they're all different!

[greytpups]

Are you wetting her kibble...our pups prefer a bit of warm water mixed in and I let it sit for a few minutes to get moist.

[MP_the4pack]

Actually, even if pet insurance is expensive, just one surgery will pay for it. And being a senior, they could very well need surgery soon. I currently have VPI and am switching because they go by a schedule, not percent of vet bills. Their schedule is way out of date and I didn't like the amount I got paid for a simple torn ligament surgery.

 

And your new grey may not like plain dry kibble. Try mixing it with a little wet. And eggs are just fine. Want some fun? Give her a hard boiled egg! (peeled of course)

 

Congrats!!! (and thank you for adopting an old girl)

Edited January 9, 2013 by MP_the4pack

[krissy]

I think that insurance on a 9 year old Greyhound is going to be too expensive to be worthwhile--that's just my opinion, and also my dog's bloodwork comes back as "abnormal" every time even though it's perfectly normal for a Greyhound, but it just wasn't worth it to me.

 

And it doesn't sound like you HAVE taken the dog to the vet, which should really be the first thing you do upon adopting a dog!

It depends on the company. PetSecure who we use has the same premiums regardless of age. Summit costs me exactly the same as Kili (Summit is almost 8, Kili is 5 months), the difference is in the deductibles. Kili's deductible is about $200 less than Summit. However, if I didn't have insurance I'd have to pay that and MORE anyway, so I don't mind.

 

Can't speak for companies in the States. As I said, we use Pet Secure and are quite happy with them. You can see my thread "Kili going for urinary scope" for full details of our policy.

 

Honestly, I highly recommend pet insurance. I'd rather pay a known amount every month and only have to pay a few hundred dollars unexpectedly than have to pay a couple thousand unexpectedly. And you never know. Kili is going for a scope next week and the quote for that is $2000. She's already racked up probably close to $1000. And I'm a vet. As far as I'm concerned, if vets need pet insurance to pay for their medical needs everyone needs pet insurance! My boss had to put down a dog many years ago (a greyhound actually) after it was hit by a car (freak accident... they happen!) and they couldn't afford the medical bills.

[Guest imonlyme07]

thank you all for your opinion and suggestions! actually, taking brandy to the vet was the first thing i did. she's actually been twice now but my vet couldn't necessarily recommend a pet insurance bc they work with a couple so it would have been a conflict of interests i believe? and the vet also said that she wasn't "too too underweight" but you can see all of her ribs and i know that greyhounds tend to be more narrow but it still makes me uncomfortable. also, i forgot to mention this before, i have been free feeding her so that she always has food available to her. is that actually worse for her? if i put her on a set schedule would she eat more bc she would know that she has to? she weighs 65.7 lbs.

as for the pet insurance the group that we adopted her from gifted us with 30 days of free pet insurance through shelter care. i called them to see about extending her coverage permanently and i feel that the monthly was definitely affordable but i just didn't know if it was a good group or not. bc there are so many out there. and oh my goodness if a vet couldn't afford the surgeries then I'm not sure how i would!

 

and this is going to sound stupid but how do you add a picture! i cant figure it out!!

[OwnedBySummer]

You don't really want to clearly see ALL her ribs, especially if they are prominent. Yup, think we need a picture or two of your pretty new girl. I use Photobucket for my pics and then just paste the IMG code into my message and voila, the picture shows up. I, too, have pet medical insurance for my accident-prone girl and I use Trupanion, with no deductible and no limits. What else did you mention?.... oh, free feeding. I'm not a proponent of free feeding. I like to feed and then clean up. Also, if I know when all the food went in one end... I can anticipate when it will come out the other.

 

Congratulations, BTW!

[TINMANPDX]

Hi and welcome! We use Healthy Paws pet insurance - they only cover emergency treatment and any prescriptions or treatments related to the emergency, no well dog care like physicals,dentals, immunizations, and they do not cover pre-existing conditions. We figure we can plan for the plannable things - it is the emergency care we want to be covered on. Our pups are 9 and 8 - our coverage is at 90% and the total premium is around 110.00 per month. You can get an online quote, and I believe they give a discount if you are a volunteer for any type of animal group.

 

Our two love cooked eggs - I feed them eggs a couple of times a week on their kibble - either scrambled or hard boiled and passed thru an egg harp.

Edited January 9, 2013 by TINMANPDX

[Feisty49]

A senior. I love senior hounds. I have pet health insurance through Healthy Paws. I switched to it from Trupanion last spring because it seemed to meet most of what I wanted in coverage. They don't cover well visits nor the "exam" part of a visit due to accident or illness, but they do cover tests, meds, treatments, etc. So far, I haven't had enough vet bills to meet the total $250 deductible. This is good 'cause it means Annie B. hasn't been sick.

 

Everybody's got different ideas about how to feed and what to feed. From the suggestions here as well as your growing experience with your girl, you'll find what works best for you. It may take a few months, though.

 

My recommendations, just because it works best for my household and my dog, is to feed her twice a day on a regular schedule, and if she doesn't eat all her food within 30 minutes, take it up. There are some mornings when she eats only half her breakfast. I give her the usual treats during the day. By supper, she eats her food down to the bare bowl.

 

I also recommend not giving a lot of extras with her regular meals, once she's put on some weight. This has the potential of creating a picky eater. My girl never knows if she'll get anything extra with her supper (which is the meal I give an extra). I might go 3 days with her usual kibble assortment (I have a "recipe" of stuff that has her poos perfect) and then on the 4th evening, toss in a couple of tablespoons of shredded cheese or a piece of ham cut up or even a couple of Wheat Thins (which she loves!!) or a scrambled egg. There is no rhythm to getting extras so she's never not eaten because she thinks something is missing.

Edited January 9, 2013 by Feisty49

[a_daerr]

i have been free feeding her so that she always has food available to her. is that actually worse for her?

 

Free feeding creates "picky" dogs. If you want her to eat, you gotta pick the bowl up after 15 minutes. While I agree that she needs good nutrition (and is an older gal, so mix-ins are great), she also needs to eat during a set period of time. It usually only takes once or twice before they understand that if they don't eat when the food is offered, they don't eat period.

[GeorgeofNE]

Well if you can afford the monthly premiums, by all means, get insurance!

 

My dog weighs 64 pounds, and he's 10.

 

Once you figure out how to post a picture, we can tell you if she's actually underweight or not!

[Zoolady]

I haven't read everything here yet but have an insurance comment. Our Wonder passed away with osteosarcoma and they could have done surgery to remove the limb but with chemo, the cost was prohibitive. We now have our four greyhounds and two cats insured with Trupanion. The cost doesn't go up as the pet ages and they don't drop you when the animal is old. There are no limits and you get to select your deductible.

 

Our Della who is gone now had tummy problems and they wanted $1,200 to scope her. Again, no insurance.

 

Our deductible is $500 and they then pay 90%. Our Ben has osteo and it's in his pelvis so no amputation. We did chemo and bone builders and to date his bills were over $10,000 of which we paid a fraction. They don't pay for routine care or office visits but we were thankful we had insurance when he got sick. Very comforting to have. Oh, Ben was ten when we joined and is now eleven.

 

Good luck with your new addition.

[Walliered]

I have Trupanion. It pays 90% and covers water therapy, massage, acupuncture and whatever surgeries we are having. No ceiling on insurance. Well worth it.

[Guest imonlyme07]

wow, looks like i need to look into trupanion! thanks guys!! another question, she is currently eating iams lamb and rice bc thats what she was eating when i adopted her. however im not a huge fan of the amount of grains. i am looking into blue buffalo wilderness for seniors, or mericks grain free chicken and sweet potato. opinions?

[a_daerr]

wow, looks like i need to look into trupanion! thanks guys!! another question, she is currently eating iams lamb and rice bc thats what she was eating when i adopted her. however im not a huge fan of the amount of grains. i am looking into blue buffalo wilderness for seniors, or mericks grain free chicken and sweet potato. opinions?

 

WARNING! Do some research on this forum and think long and hard before changing food!! In Food and Dietary, there are countless threads where people have greyhounds with chronic diarrhea and GI problems due to a food switch gone bad. A lot of GT'ers (including myself) recommend Iams because it seems to universally work for greyhounds due to of the combination of probiotics and fiber content. I switched to Iams only after trying four other expensive, grain-free, limited ingredient, organic foods. My retired racer had diarrhea, gas, and/or allergy issues with of them. I will NEVER go back. Please believe, there is nothing wrong with dogs having grain in their diet. They are omnivores- unless the dog is overweight, grain free does not always equate better quality. Both vets I've used in the past 5 years have related to me that grain-free is a fad and that marketing companies use this as a scare-tactic (OMG! I'm feeding my dog grocery store food with... CORN!!) to get you to open your wallet for food that is $60 a bag. If your dog is doing relatively well on the Iams and you want to make sure she's still having all her nutritional needs met, supplement the kibble by adding in other foods (oatmeal, rice, yogurt, cottage cheese, hamburger, chicken, sweet potatoes, vegetables).

 

Also consider that a food switch is a process. It's not as simple as buying a new food and feeding it. For whatever reason you feel like you MUST switch, it's important to do it gradually over 10-14 days with a 25%-50%-75% transition. Resist the urge to buy a small bag just to "try it." Switching a dog's food cold turkey is almost guaranteed to create problems that didn't exist beforehand.

[Guest imonlyme07]

thank you for the food tips! and i finally figured out how to upload a pic! ignore her poor little foot though, she cut it in the ice so we are using an antibiotic from the vet and wrapping it so she doesn't lick it too too much

Edited January 10, 2013 by imonlyme07

[MP_the4pack]

 

She's beautiful!!!!

[krissy]

What a cutie!

 

It's hard to asses body condition from a photo of her laying like that (not sure that was the intention of the photo, but just in case it was).

 

For example:

 

Summit curled up on the couch. Can't see any ribs.

 

I advise taking a photo like this if you really want to get a good idea of her body condition. FWIW I like my dogs on the "leaner" side (but of course I don't have any seniors... yet, Summit is getting there).

[Guest imonlyme07]

huh, she kind of looks like summit when she's standing up. so as long as that is a healthy weight she is ok then?