Every week we have a contest on our Facebook Page, and invite Evanger's feeders to ask a nutrition question about their pet. Our Certified On-Staff Nutritionist picks one question to weigh in on. Here are this week's question and answer. But this time we picked two!
Question #1 from Susan B. Wolf:
How can I keep my 1yr old Lab from eating his poop? We also have wild rabbits living under our shed an she also eats theirs. I feed her and our Cavalier Evangers dry food for the last 8 months. Is there something else I can add to it to make her stop?? Thank you very much.
Answer:
How is your Cavalier doing? Does she eat her poop as well? For your lab, it sounds like you should introduce some canned food into her diet. Canned food is much more nutrient-dense, which should satisfy whatever your Lab feels he is missing. This can also happen when a dog gets bored of his or her food, so we recommend rotating the foods from time to time to keep your pets excited. However, our first recommendation is to supplement some of the kibble with Evanger's canned food for maximum nutrition, and see if you observe any changes with this habit.
Question #2 from Debbie S. Kackley:
My dog, Hank, has terrible itching. He is constantly biting his feet and scratching his face. How can I determine if this is a food allergy? If not a food allergy, what else can it be? He has done this from day one and I have had him for about 7 years. I have had him at the vet, they could not find a problem.
How is your Cavalier doing? Does she eat her poop as well? For your lab, it sounds like you should introduce some canned food into her diet. Canned food is much more nutrient-dense, which should satisfy whatever your Lab feels he is missing. This can also happen when a dog gets bored of his or her food, so we recommend rotating the foods from time to time to keep your pets excited. However, our first recommendation is to supplement some of the kibble with Evanger's canned food for maximum nutrition, and see if you observe any changes with this habit.
Question #2 from Debbie S. Kackley:
My dog, Hank, has terrible itching. He is constantly biting his feet and scratching his face. How can I determine if this is a food allergy? If not a food allergy, what else can it be? He has done this from day one and I have had him for about 7 years. I have had him at the vet, they could not find a problem.
Answer:
Is Hank's itching season? If so, it is likely an environmental allergy, which is not uncommon for dogs. However, if it is year-round, there are a few things to take a look at.
First, you should ask your vet to test for Candidiases, which is a fungal infection, which can cause those symptoms. The Vet can also run an allergy panel, in which case, your diet may end up being changed. Once this is done, please follow up with Evanger's so we can assist in finding the best diet based on what the Veterinarian recommended.
Alternatively, what exactly is Hank eating? Is it primarily a dry food or canned food diet? More often, feeding solely a dry kibble with cause dryness in the coat, which can cause itching. Dry foods also have many more ingredients, giving more of an opportunity for Hank to be exposed to an allergen. We will speak with Debbie directly about this to determine if Evanger's can help identify a new protocol for Hank's diet to eliminate the itching.
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Thanks for writing in! Both Debbie and Susan will receive one free bag of Evanger's Low-Calorie Jerky Treats for submitting the chosen questions to be answered. The #GetPetHealthy Nutritionist Question of the Week is run every Monday on the Evanger's Facebook Page.
Is Hank's itching season? If so, it is likely an environmental allergy, which is not uncommon for dogs. However, if it is year-round, there are a few things to take a look at.
First, you should ask your vet to test for Candidiases, which is a fungal infection, which can cause those symptoms. The Vet can also run an allergy panel, in which case, your diet may end up being changed. Once this is done, please follow up with Evanger's so we can assist in finding the best diet based on what the Veterinarian recommended.
Alternatively, what exactly is Hank eating? Is it primarily a dry food or canned food diet? More often, feeding solely a dry kibble with cause dryness in the coat, which can cause itching. Dry foods also have many more ingredients, giving more of an opportunity for Hank to be exposed to an allergen. We will speak with Debbie directly about this to determine if Evanger's can help identify a new protocol for Hank's diet to eliminate the itching.
****
Thanks for writing in! Both Debbie and Susan will receive one free bag of Evanger's Low-Calorie Jerky Treats for submitting the chosen questions to be answered. The #GetPetHealthy Nutritionist Question of the Week is run every Monday on the Evanger's Facebook Page.
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