Yorkshire terrier food advice

[paulanewton]

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Hi all

I have a 11 year old Yorkshire terrier who in the last year has has 2 perennial hernia operations. These may have been brought on by him straining to poo.

I really don't want him to have to go through the operation again so was wondering if anyone knows what kind of food to give him to stop him straining when he goes for a poo?

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks

Paula

 

[Jasp]

What food is he on now?

It is a fine line between loose stools and an upset tum, and a healthy erm 'output' is a sign of a healthy diet, just as too soft or too hard is an indication that there is a problem. Dogs are just like us and they need balance and variety in their diet just like we do, but until we learn to speak dog, that balance is a little harder to achieve.

 

[murphyrules]

Royal Canin make a specific breed food for Yorkshire terriers that is meant to contain exactly the right amount of everything they need, I would speak to my vet for advice though as they must deal with this alot.

 

[Andrea s]

Vets will often recommend whatever food the food manufacturers are paying them a percentage of to sell, its not always the case that the food they sell is best for your dog. A lot of commercial food has a very high content of grain and other bulking agents which dogs don't actually need or find it easy to digest so their poo is mainly undigestable ingredients such as the grain/ bulking agents such as Beet pulp which is a bi product of the sugar industry.

remember any change in diet has to be gradual to avoid tummy upsets, you can give pro and pre biotics with the diet to aid the digestion process which can help with absorption.

Its difficult to say with some dogs and certainly without knowing a full history of past foods etc whether the straining is a result of poor diet, a diet too rich in protien or carbohydrate or just a physical issue your dog has.

 

[eingana]

I'm afraid I have no great advice about what food to stabilise your little one on, but can I suggest that you supplement his food with a little bran to bulk up his poo and make it easier for him to shift?

You could also give him a little pet laxative, which doesn't actually contain any laxative agents, it's just paraffin, cod liver oil and malt paste. It's used for cats that have fur balls that they can't shift, but it's safe for use in treating ongoing constipation too. All it does is lubricate the food in the bowel a little more than normal so that the animal can defaecate with less effort. It's also a nice flavour so most dogs and cats are quite happy to lick it off your fingers. The brand name is Katalax and it's available over the internet without prescription from all of the normal veterinary suppliers. There are generics available too which may be cheaper.

I hope you have him sorted shortly, whether that means changing his food completely or just giving him a helping hand by making him able to expel the food that he's currently eating.

 

[whippetsrus]

Try Lily's Kitchen. I have found them to be extremely helpful.