Hey guys, I know it's been a while so I will start off by saying: I moved!!!!! 24 hr drive away from the jerk who wasn't nice to me or my dog. That said, Neegan is doing great, he's still shy around men, but he loves my dad after a bit of hesitation when he first sees him. I took my ex's dog too, for many reasons, including the dog deserves a better owner than what he had. I got a job out here (yay) that's a decent one and can afford to put a bit more into their food than I could before.
That brings me to a few questions and some are more about the OEB than the Doberman.
I was feeding diamond naturals. In theory it's a good feed, the ingredients are comparable to high dollar grain free feeds but only costs about a dollar a pound. However, Neegan didn't shed his puppy coat while on it and my dad accidentally bought a big bag of diamond maintenance and he had shed his puppy coat while on that. So it was a strike against diamond naturals. He stool was pretty firm on the naturals but here and there his stools are loose no matter the food.
The real problem though, is the OEB. He had surgery at 10-12 weeks where they removed 6-8" of intestine. Since then he has struggled with diarrhea. I tried many different foods before settling on diamond naturals, and felt like they were firmest with DN. However his owner gave him all kinds of grease and human food so I attributed most of his diarrhea to a sensitive digestive system mixed with an idiot feeding him. Since moving here I haven't given him any human food. Rarely his stool is solid, often it is pretty loose, and also more frequently than I'd like to see it is really runny/watery. He also has dandruff, and he has some scabs around his head but I'm not sure if they are allergies or Neegan playing too rough.
I'm going to deworm them, but the vet also deworms every time they visit for any reason, so I don't see that being it.
1. That said, what food do you guys feel would be the best for a sensitive stomach with possibly some allergies?
2. Any supplements you suggest for the OEB?
3. I'm concerned he has adhesions but I'm not sure what can be done about it. The last vet said diarrhea is never an acceptable "the dog's normal", but my other vet wasn't too concerned. We didn't have him back to the clinic that did the surgery because it wasn't our normal vet and because his owner was all about saving the dog but not too concerned if the dog had explosive diarrhea for the rest of his life
. So I'm trying to get this figured out.
4. Neither dog has a shiney coat, my min pin does but she gets human treats (the others don't because I've been trying to figure out their digestive issues). I'm not sure if lack of shine is food quality or points to worms., Or if I'm picky. They do eat a lot of horse poo.
Please be kind to me/don't judge on what I've done so far. I'm doing what I can for them financially but my budget grew significantly when I had to take on lawyers in two states, move, find a job, buy work attire, pay for a mortgage until my home in previous state sells, and provide daycare for my son, etc... All that except the mortgage is a new expense. So they've been to the vet but at this time I can't afford to do major work ups. However, neutering is on the list. (Of note, the Doberman just turned 1, the OEB turned two in June/July ish?)
That brings me to a few questions and some are more about the OEB than the Doberman.
I was feeding diamond naturals. In theory it's a good feed, the ingredients are comparable to high dollar grain free feeds but only costs about a dollar a pound. However, Neegan didn't shed his puppy coat while on it and my dad accidentally bought a big bag of diamond maintenance and he had shed his puppy coat while on that. So it was a strike against diamond naturals. He stool was pretty firm on the naturals but here and there his stools are loose no matter the food.
The real problem though, is the OEB. He had surgery at 10-12 weeks where they removed 6-8" of intestine. Since then he has struggled with diarrhea. I tried many different foods before settling on diamond naturals, and felt like they were firmest with DN. However his owner gave him all kinds of grease and human food so I attributed most of his diarrhea to a sensitive digestive system mixed with an idiot feeding him. Since moving here I haven't given him any human food. Rarely his stool is solid, often it is pretty loose, and also more frequently than I'd like to see it is really runny/watery. He also has dandruff, and he has some scabs around his head but I'm not sure if they are allergies or Neegan playing too rough.
I'm going to deworm them, but the vet also deworms every time they visit for any reason, so I don't see that being it.
1. That said, what food do you guys feel would be the best for a sensitive stomach with possibly some allergies?
2. Any supplements you suggest for the OEB?
3. I'm concerned he has adhesions but I'm not sure what can be done about it. The last vet said diarrhea is never an acceptable "the dog's normal", but my other vet wasn't too concerned. We didn't have him back to the clinic that did the surgery because it wasn't our normal vet and because his owner was all about saving the dog but not too concerned if the dog had explosive diarrhea for the rest of his life
. So I'm trying to get this figured out.4. Neither dog has a shiney coat, my min pin does but she gets human treats (the others don't because I've been trying to figure out their digestive issues). I'm not sure if lack of shine is food quality or points to worms., Or if I'm picky. They do eat a lot of horse poo.
Please be kind to me/don't judge on what I've done so far. I'm doing what I can for them financially but my budget grew significantly when I had to take on lawyers in two states, move, find a job, buy work attire, pay for a mortgage until my home in previous state sells, and provide daycare for my son, etc... All that except the mortgage is a new expense. So they've been to the vet but at this time I can't afford to do major work ups. However, neutering is on the list. (Of note, the Doberman just turned 1, the OEB turned two in June/July ish?)
