Do I Dare? Considering new dog food for sensitive eater...
I have an 8yo Irish Wolfhound that I and my exSO adopted 3 years ago when she was 5.
When we first got her, she really had little training (had been confined to a small yard w/ an invisible fence), didn't know how to calmly walk on a leash, and was very, very nervous, considering the upheaval in her life.
Food for her was a puzzle. After a few months we finally were able to pinpoint that she could eat Dick Van Patten's Limited Ingredient Natural Balance with no problems. Original owner had suggested a couple of other expensive foods, but this was the only one we tried that didn't seem to upset her.
In the mornings I add some cooked ground turkey - in the evening she gets NuPro supplement added on for her joints.
When I was with exSO, although we did work out of his home, it could get chaotic - life was fraught with lots of trips back and forth between homes, and frankly, lots of other upsetting/routine breaking folderol and crises. Plus he would "sense" that she needed to go out at all times during the night, and would sometimes let her out at say, 4am, often loose without supervision (right by the shore, and a creekbed). He also didn't like to "keep her on a leash" when walking in his neighborhood, or nature trails. :mad:
We would have episodes, from time to time, of her getting the runs, or otherwise being off her food. I have also identified some trails near here where I no longer take her - it's apparent they are contaminated with giarrdia (my old riding trails! :()
In my house, where we've been now the past 2 years, we have a pretty good routine, and she has no need to wake up in the middle of the night - and frankly I always thought it rubbish. If I wake up during the night and she stirs, I just tell her to lay back down - with not a problem. During the past year, exSO has visited a few times, and all of a sudden she'll "have to go out at 4am!" :rolleyes:
The food has stayed the same - and she has been eating better than she ever has.
So she is also going through it more quickly - not at all starving - just doing very well. Her weight has been the most stable it has ever been.
I'm having to count my pennies, and again, in 3 weeks, another $60 bag is empty. I'm wondering if I can put a toe in the water and try something not quite so expensive... Frankly, she can eat most people food with no problems. LOVES buttered toast! :lol: Also cheese sticks, cottage cheese, left over soup, stews or dinner food (meat, potatoes, some veggies) - doesn't seem to bother her system a bit.
Any recommendations? :confused: From all of you who have had dogs with sensitive systems - even better if they are big doggies. ;)
