[shashanka]

The current members of the extended family - Pearl and Kluso - both now in their senior years (Kluso is 12 and Pearl over 10) exhibit bouts of mutual affection. Not too frequently mind you! - Pearl being a wily and extremely possessive matron while Kluso is the proverbial Bairagi, far removed from humdrum issues. Except of course at meal times - he is devoted to his food bowl.

[skanchan95]

I had been wanting to write this for a long time, but did not have the courage to write because the loss of my beloved SParky and the memories of that day still hurts.


This was Sparky, our beloved 5 and a half-year old German Shepherd that we lost on the early morning of November 11, 2018 to GDV(Gastric Dilation Volvulus).

November 10, 2018 was just like any other day in his life.In the afternoon, he had his lunch of freshly Cooked Fish(only meat, no bones) & Rice. He was perfectly alright till then. At around 4 PM, he started showing first signs of discomfort. He was trying to vomit, but nothing as coming out of his mouth. I took him out for a walk, he seemed alright for a while then again started showing the same symptoms. He was refusing to drink water also. We took him to the vet immediately. On the way,his condition started to deteriorate. He started to howl in pain. The vert examined him and said there can be only two causes, either he has had indigestion or he is showing signs of the dreaded GDV.

He gave a him a few pills and said if his condition does not improve in half an hour, to take him to another doctor to get scans done. We rushed to another vet who did the scans and said it is not as serious as the usual GDV cases that come in. He said pumping out his stomach contents(gas/liquid/solids) is the way forward. So the vet sedated Sparky and pumped out the contents of his stomach. Looking at the pumped out contents, he said the contents had become toxic but he should be alright once he regains consciousness.

After a while , Sparky regained consciousness and he seemed alright for a while, a little drowsy but the panting had considerably reduced and he wasn't trying to vomit anymore. The Vet examined him and said he will give instructions how to take care of him for the next 2-3 days. After around 10 minutes, Sparky got up on his own and then suddenly slumped, howling in pain. Hearing this, the vet rushed back in and gave him some anesthesia to try and pump out more contents from his stomach.

This time the pipe was just not going in. At the same time, Sparky stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating. The vet revived him by applying pumping pressure on his heart. He regained consciousness and the vet took him for an other scan. By now, because of stomach expansion, his spleen was being crushed by it. The vet said only way out would be to perform a surgery and cut out his spleen but anymore anesthesia would be lethal for Sparky. The deterioration in his condition was so quick and so overwhelming that we could not decide what to do. The vet said that Sparky might not make it till morning. It was around 8:30 PM by then.We took a call that we will take him home, if he survives till morning, we will do the surgery then. He was walking on his own but was very drowsy, uncomfortable and panting heavily. Once home, he went to straight to the place where he normally sleeps. Got back up and came back to the hall where we sit. He drank little water.

All went to sleep praying for him to survive till morning. I really could not sleep that night. In the night, he slept a little, got up in between to change places(which he normally does). At around 3 in the morning, he started having violent fits. we tried to make him stand up on his feet, but he wasn't able to. All of us n the family were besides him, I was trying to comfort him tearfully knowing that he will be leaving us forever. He had his eyes fixated on me, as if asking me to help him. After half an hour of struggle, he passed away.

We buried him in our garden in the morning.

The next few days were very tough. We had raised him a 50-day old and to my wife & me - a newly married couple, he became like a son. We kept inside the house and he was like a family member to our family. Extremely caring, obedient and feircely protective. For us, a knock on the gate or a sound outside had became synonymous his loud barks. We used to ask him to keep queit. But now, I longed to hear his barks. Everytime I came back home, I missed his running to me, jumping, welcoming me with something - a chappal or one of his toys in his mouth. The silence in the house was haunting to say the least. I almost dreaded going back to home because I started missing him so much. Every small thing in the house reminded me of him.

After a while, Sparky's absence had started to become unbearable and we decided to get a German Shepherd pup home, not to replace Sparky's memories but to give his share of love and care to another pup. So, on Nov 11, 2018, we bought Archie home - a two month old GSD pup. A relative's German Shepherd had delivered a litter of 5-6 pups and he asked if I wanted to adopt one. I immediately said yes.
Archie:


I really don't know what went wrong with Sparky that day. He had normal food just like any other day.I admit I had no idea about GDV till it happened to Sparky. Sparky was healthy as a horse and did not have any other health issue except for minor hip dysplasia which was being managed by tablets. I tried researching about GDV but nothing points to any concrete reason for it. Surgery is last step but chances of survival for a dog that has a GDV attack are very less.

So I ask the experts here how does one make sure that GDV never happens. The vet suggested a preventive surgery to fix the stomach to the abdominal wall and that this will prevent GDV from ever happening. But I read that it has its own side effects.

[self_driven]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

I had been wanting to write this for a long time

Feeling sad to hear about your loss. It's hard to live without a pet once you've had one. You did the right thing by bringing Archie home.

One question: is GDV the same as stomach bloat? If yes, feeding 2 or 3 smaller meals throughout the day is a good practice instead of a large meal at once. Also, no exercise/running for the dog immediately before or after meals. This is what my local vet told me once.

I've seen people take their dog for a walk immediately after meals which is wrong. With mine, I always maintain at least 1 hour gap between walk/exercise and meals.

[Sankar]

Few days ago i brought another Rajapalayam puppy home a female pup from a different kennel and lineage. She was the last one remaining from her litter. There is a difference of about two weeks between the two pups, there were some initial teething (literally) problem between these two but they get along well now.

This is a video i put up recently. The one howling initially is my male pup, in the second clip he has grown up and is wearing black collar, the collarless one running behind him is the female pup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9nze8jUd0Q

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

I had been wanting to write this for a long time, but did not have the courage to write because the loss of my beloved SParky and the memories of that day still hurts.

This was Sparky, our beloved 5 and a half-year old German Shepherd that we lost on the early morning of November 11, 2018 to GDV(Gastric Dilation Volvulus).


So I ask the experts here how does one make sure that GDV never happens. The vet suggested a preventive surgery to fix the stomach to the abdominal wall and that this will prevent GDV from ever happening. But I read that it has its own side effects.

My deep condolences for your loss. I am terrified after reading your post. I am reminded of a Greek proverb - everytime you bring in a pet, be prepared to dig its grave. It might be harsh as we love our pets.
I read somewhere that GDV is primarily because of the change in the diet of our domesticated dogs. In the wild, they feed only on meat and when we domesticate them - we start feeding them with our own food. Carbs - especially rice and wheat cause bloating.

[aditya.86]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Carbs - especially rice and wheat cause bloating.

Rice and wheat should be best avoided for dogs. Not only it leads to weight increase and it is also unhealthy. Once in a while should be fine but not on daily basis.

We used to give our dog either rice or rotis everday with meat or eggs but now its only soup for dinner. Have seen a huge change since the change in diet.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by aditya.86

Rice and wheat should be best avoided for dogs. Not only it leads to weight increase and it is also unhealthy. Once in a while should be fine but not on daily basis.

We used to give our dog either rice or rotis everday with meat or eggs but now its only soup for dinner. Have seen a huge change since the change in diet.

Good to hear that Aditya. How about the weight loss ? Won't he feel hungry perpetually ?

I have a good track record with my pets. On an average my dogs last about 12 years while my cats last around 14 years. All these years I have been feeding a mix of 50 % meat with 50 % rice. But then life was simpler earlier. Now after reading so many horror stories, I am not so sure my formula is the right one for the coming years.

[aditya.86]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Good to hear that Aditya. How about the weight loss ? Won't he feel hungry perpetually ?

I have a good track record with my pets. On an average my dogs last about 12 years while my cats last around 14 years. All these years I have been feeding a mix of 50 % meat with 50 % rice. But then life was simpler earlier. Now after reading so many horror stories, I am not so sure my formula is the right one for the coming years.

There is noticeable weight loss I must say. My female beagle used to be around 15 kg which is overweight. Limiting the carb intake she has shed around 2-3 kgs- slow and gradual loss.

Regarding hunger, she eats twice a day now, first meal at 8 in the morning and dinner by 8 at night. In between probably carrot/cucumber or some treats.

Her morning food is only kibble. Don't know whether its good or not as different people are of different opinion.

[Aroy]

Dogs are omnivorous, so rice and roti should not be a problem, as long as the quantities are regulated. My Labrador can consume thrice as much as I give him, without batting an eyelid.

For example I prepare 7 days batch for our Labrador, and he has been having it for the last 14 years. I have [osted the images some times ago. I consists of

. Parboiled Rice 700g
. Vegetables - 2.0 to 3kg
. Garlic - 20g
. Turmeric - 1 tea spoon
. Chicken - 1kg

This is partitioned into 14 containers, one per meal, two meals per day. Apart from that he has milk and biscuits twice a day.

At times just for variety I give him Chicken Carcass.

[Sebring]

Not true. Our dogs have grown up on curd rice. 14-15 years, they're fine. Yes, we do vary it half a boiled egg. And feed twice or thrice a day. Basically, they get whatever we eat, and few times chapati without oil, but again with curds are their favourite. Exercise is a must (walking twice every day)

Originally Posted by aditya.86

Rice and wheat should be best avoided for dogs.

[boniver]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Carbs - especially rice and wheat cause bloating.

Originally Posted by aditya.86

Rice and wheat should be best avoided for dogs. Not only it leads to weight increase and it is also unhealthy.

Originally Posted by Aroy

Dogs are omnivorous, so rice and roti should not be a problem, as long as the quantities are regulated.

Originally Posted by Sebring

Not true. Our dogs have grown up on curd rice.

I'm confused now. I've previously posted photos of my pet Hunter, and to say he's overweight would be an understatement. He's a 4.5 year old Labrador and weighs 50kgs. We brought him home when he was 1 year old, and his previous family used to feed him rice. We continued with the same (chicken and rice), and fed him thrice a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner). His previous family used to feed him four times.

After a year our vet advised us to stop feeding him rice, and the consumption of rice was cited as the main reason behind his massive weight. We were advised to feed him rotis instead. So we started feeding him 3 fat rotis thrice a day (9 rotis in a day, and 1 roti would be equal to 1.5 rotis for humans). For breakfast and dinner he'd have milk and roti, and for lunch he'd have roti with chicken and vegetables. This had no effect on his weight though. Visually he did look a bit lean but a quick check on the weighing machine proved otherwise.

At this point let me add that Hunter walks daily, in the mornings. Earlier with dad, now with mom and each walk lasts around 45 mins. In fact he's the one who gets excited everyday at 5am and wakes them up. But while at home, he refuses to leave his air-conditioned room and only makes an appearance when it's time to have food, or someone rings the doorbell.

Recently, he's had a couple of difficulties related to his health, and while it didn't have a direct relation to his weight, we have agreed that it's time for him to shed a lot of it, if he's to continue living a healthy life. This is the daily diet chart that the vet has come up with:

Breakfast-a very small amount of pedigree
Lunch-litfle bit of rice with chicken and vegetables (his usual meal, but replaced the rotis with rice and reduced the quantity)
Dinner-same as breakfast

We started this today, and needless to say he's been extremely hungry throughout the day. Keeps roaming around and coming to us and it makes us sad, but we have decided to not give him any extra food. However, the confusing part is, two years ago our vet asked us to stop giving him rice as that was leading to him gaining weight. Now he has asked us to feed Hunter a small amount of rice for lunch. We're confused as to what to do, and we're also worried about the health issues that might occur with such a drastic reduction in his meal. Should we continue feeding him a small amount of rice with chicken and vegetables for lunch?

[Sebring]

Pedigree makes dogs ill. There I said it. It's a Monsanto for pets.
If ever, please feed Royal Canine. Else it's mostly home food. No oil, or spice. No salt or sugar. Diet is super important. Put some veggies in a cooker, two whistles and you're done. Just mash it. Regular walks. Most meats are full of unsavoury shots, that's harmful as well, makes them obese as well. We also give them jeera water to keeps the innards gas-free, keeps them active. Please stick to basics for a few days. I hope your dog gets better.

Originally Posted by boniver

Recently, he's had a couple of difficulties related to his health.

[Sankar]

Pedigree is best avoided, its mostly fillers and stuff that offer little nutrition. Home cooked nonveg diet is the best, but for times when kibble is the only option please use RC or even better N&D Farmina which is almost the same price. I used to prefer RC but now N&D Farmina Low Grain and Grain free is almost the same price as RC so I use that.

When cooking at home I use 1 cup brown rice (parboiled) with husk (basically the same rice we use to make rice porridge for dinner), around 1.5 cups of mixed vegetables (carrot, cabbage, beetroot and some beans) and mash it in a cooker. In the beginning just the right amount of water is added so that once cooked there won't be any water to drain.

For the next step i transfer the rice-veggie mix into a wok and add 1kg of fish (anchovies small) with a pinch of turmeric to this still hot cooked rice veggie mix and cook in low flame with lid closed till the fish is done and breaks to bits easily including bones. Anchovy bones when cooked are soft, so thats why i prefer anchovies and they are good in oil like sardines. Again i do not add water, water from the fish is enough to make it not stick to the vessel and keep the food moist/slightly wet, closed lid helps.

Once done and cooled its transferred into storage containers and goes into the fridge.

I had a rottweiler pup 9 years ago. He was with me for some months but since had to give him up for adoption due to family reasons. I never had a dog since then until now.

[boniver]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Pedigree makes dogs ill. There I said it. It's a Monsanto for pets.....Please stick to basics for a few days. I hope your dog gets better.

Hi, thanks for the wishes. His sickness isn't due to the food (I hope). He had vomited blood on Saturday, and was subsequently administered saline and injection by the vet. We still don't know what caused it. Something similar had happened in February, and that time it was due to a bottle cap that he had swallowed. We've been asked to get a blood test done for haemoprotozoa and see the vet again.

Will keep the other things you said in mind. Thanks

Originally Posted by Sankar

Pedigree is best avoided, its mostly fillers and stuff that offer little nutrition. Home cooked nonveg diet is the best, but for times when kibble is the only option please use RC or even better N&D Farmina which is almost the same price. I used to prefer RC but now N&D Farmina Low Grain and Grain free is almost the same price as RC so I use that.

Thanks, I had read about Pedigree not being good for dogs earlier, and I'm convinced after reading your post. The remaining packets of Pedigree have gone into the bin. Have placed an order for Royal Canine and it should be here by day after.

Originally Posted by Sankar

When cooking at home I use 1 cup brown rice (parboiled) with husk (basically the same rice we use to make rice porridge for dinner), around 1.5 cups of mixed vegetables (carrot, cabbage, beetroot and some beans) and mash it in a cooker. In the beginning just the right amount of water is added so that once cooked there won't be any water to drain.

For the next step i transfer the rice-veggie mix into a wok and add 1kg of fish (anchovies small) with a pinch of turmeric to this still hot cooked rice veggie mix and cook in low flame with lid closed till the fish is done and breaks to bits easily including bones. Anchovy bones when cooked are soft, so thats why i prefer anchovies and they are good in oil like sardines. Again i do not add water, water from the fish is enough to make it not stick to the vessel and keep the food moist/slightly wet, closed lid helps.

Thank you so much for the detailed explanation, Sankar! Will have to try this out with Hunter gradually, since I dislike fish and have never fed him either. Right now, we follow the same procedure that you have listed for the veggies and chicken.

[pyrodrive]

Originally Posted by Sankar

When cooking at home I use 1 cup brown rice (parboiled) with husk (basically the same rice we use to make rice porridge for dinner), around 1.5 cups of mixed vegetables (carrot, cabbage, beetroot and some beans) and mash it in a cooker. In the beginning just the right amount of water is added so that once cooked there won't be any water to drain.

For the next step i transfer the rice-veggie mix into a wok and add 1kg of fish (anchovies small) with a pinch of turmeric to this still hot cooked rice veggie mix and cook in low flame with lid closed till the fish is done and breaks to bits easily including bones. Anchovy bones when cooked are soft, so thats why i prefer anchovies and they are good in oil like sardines. Again i do not add water, water from the fish is enough to make it not stick to the vessel and keep the food moist/slightly wet, closed lid helps.
.

Very good info. I use a similar kind of recipe but boiled goat heads in place of anchovies.
It is easier with dogs actually, because they are omnivores. With cats, best is always raw. My bengals get 80% raw chicken with bone and 20% pork. Anyway they all eat better than myself