Dog On A Strict Diet - What To Do About Coat And Teeth?

[Guest Katka21]

My boy is 2 years old and he's got a very sensitive stomach - all he can eat is special dry food from the vet, boiled chicken w rice etc. He gets diarrhoea very easily so we need to be super careful about what we give him.

Could you advice anything I could do/give him to help keep his coat shiny? Every time he gets sick his coat gets very dull and loses all shine.

And something "diet" that he could chew on to keep his teeth clean? Or some sensitive food supplements maybe?

Thank you all.

[Guest Lygracilux]

Fish oil or olive oil. Both would be very easy on his tummy!

 

Coconut oil does wonders but can make the stool a little soft just because of the fatty acids in it.

[greysmom]

I would not do a food additive with him at all. Along with regular brushing, you can rub coconut oil into his coat to help with dry skin/flakeyness. There are also other commercial coat products you can buy. You should discuss anything you might want to add to his food with his vet.

 

Same with the teeth cleaning items. Best thing will probably be to brush every day with just a bit of baking soda - but again, talk with your vet. There are tons of chews out there, but most probably have something he's intolerant to. I have a dog that's intolerant to chicken and it's nearly impossible to find treats and chews without chicken-something in them. Costco does have some, but of course, she didn't like them at all!

[CharlieRhea]

i swear by tripe, you can buy it canned in a high end pet food store. It contain natural enzymes and probiotics. Stinky but good. My GSD has exocrine pancreatic insuffiecency since age 7 and lost a lot of weight because of it and diarreah all the time. She can't eat chicken but can eat other proteins. She gets tripe and a little pumpkin daily. She is now 13 yrs old and pretty amazing for her age and breed. Whatever you do, just try one thing at a time to know what is working. I use fish oil too or coconut oil and frankly would never ask my vet for advice about food. Only the one who i used to see who is holistic and traditional and has nutritional knowledge but i needed someone closer.

I feed raw and most vets will not agree with that, it works for my dogs.

The vet i see now started to give me a lecture on raw once, and i said, i know, you are going to mention salmonella, but you know dogs digestive tracks are shorter than humans. He replied "I'm not a nutritionist."

Katka, i hope there is perhaps a small pet food place nearby you that you can get some ideas from. Sounds like your pup needs simple food without a lot of things in it.

[PrairieProf]

Do NOT assume a dog with a sensitive stomach will tolerate added fats. They can be the worst trigger for digestive upset. I learned after a few years and a pancreatitis scare that mine was stable on a low fat diet. I do give her small portion of whole sardines a few days a week. But she has an awesome coat on her prescription food. I would concentrate on getting your dog healthy and stable before worrying about additives. Mine is fine on some chews but I think brushing is much more important. I use Petzlife spray too.

Edited March 6, 2015 by PrairieProf

[Hubcitypam]

Having had a very sensitive stomach guy (I'm sure someone on here will attack me saying this is MY experience with one dog, not valid in any sense of science and demand an apology) see if you can get a small green bag of Iams and work it in a bit or see if you can feed a bit as treats. I went to the ends of the earth and back with Rex and the beet pup in Iams was what fixed Rex.

Adding oil to a digestive challenged dog doesn't sound like an ideal plan to me but I've never tried it. Rex had enough runny and bloody poops without tossing oil in. Pumpkin and yogurt never did a thing for him, but again that is just one dog.

 

Agree with others just to go with food for now. Worry about teeth and coat after you get his tummy fixed. Best of luck to you and your guy.