Food and Health Q&As

Dear Cindy, Hi, today I found your website and called a vet listed in NYS, Dr. Alberto Gil. I checked the NYS Vet Medical Board and he's not listed. From what sources do you list vets? I would like to know because I made an appointment for tomorrow and though I liked the fact that he's homeopathic he answered the phone himself, was at a different address than listed and said he will be moving again soon. Would you please reply. I just adopted a 6 week mix and I want him to be see...

Hi There, I thoroughly enjoy your newsletter and read your question and answer section with great interest. Something I have never seen before happened while I friend and I were out walking our dogs. She has two greyhounds males (neutered) and a spayed Labrador female. I have two Dobermans a male (entire) and a female (spayed). We have been walking together for a long time and the dogs all get along. One of her Greyhounds has a tendency to eat rubbish if we are not keeping a...

Hi Cindy, First off, I just wanted to say thanks for the great basic dog obedience video, it's been a incredible help to me. Also, the spill-proof bowl I just purchased from you guys is an outstanding product, I highly recommend it to any dog owner. My question though is about allergies. My almost 2 Y.O. working-line shepherd has been itching and scratching like mad for the last few months, and I can't seem to find a remedy for it. From about 4 months on, I fed him half raw ...

My 3 year old female papillon as been on HK for about 2-1/2 years--mostly Force but she has had other flavors too. Her supplements have included at various times vegetables, apple, banana, slightly cooked eggs (she dislikes raw), cottage cheese (stopped this a few months ago), and raw meaty rib beef bones. I've also used frozen raw in the last few months. She developed her first UTI in July 2008 and went on to get 3 more over the next 15 months. It all culminated this week with the remova...

Hello, I am writing to you because I found your question and answer forum while doing a Google internet search. Attached please find 3 pictures of our beautiful chow chow mix named Ginger. We adopted her from a rescue/adoption placement agency called Angel's Dogs in Connecticut. They told us that Ginger had come from a "high kill shelter" in GA. We have only had Ginger since last October, 2008. Ginger just passed away yesterday, Sunday, June 7, 2009. She was playing with our other dog,...

I have been hearing a lot of unfounded rumor on grapes and avocado and I am wondering why not what is wrong with these? Grapes is one of the fruits that Ian Billinghurst mentions in the barf diet and I believe sold gold health makers of Hunden Flocken and Sea meal to name a few products I am using use Avocado in one of their treats. Mike

Hello Cindy, Do you have any good referrals for my needing to buy helps for my 12 year old dog who needs a rear harness to help her get up, and other such equipment? Also, would syn-flex or grand flex be best for her progressed hip dysplasia? Thank you so much. Dodie

I have a question for you about my dog's diet (I have a 6 month old GSD. Her name is Molly, she is in India). My parents are strict vegetarian so Molly is a vegetarian too :) But she does get to eat eggs in winter months. Not these days as its scorching hot. My mum is feeding her three meals a day, comprising of milk (only a glass full), whole meal bread, white rice, lots of cooked vegetables, corn flakes and soya chunks. It is quite varied and she puts in a lot of effort to ensure Moll...

Cindy, I have a female Shepherd that is 2 years old. I have decided to have her spayed. My problem is, should I leave the ovaries in or remove them? I realize she will still go into heat, but I am afraid the loss of estrogen on such young female may lead to a shorter life span and possible change in behavior. What do you think? Thanks, Steve

Hi Cindy, Was wondering if maybe you could shed some light on my situation pertaining to my 2 year old GS? I Have been having some really bad weight issues regarding my GS, as a pup he looked great then about 14 months old I started to notice his hip bones and rear end looking rather skinny. He has had all his shots, had him on raw since a pup but took him off for about 9 months and now I seem to be having a bad weight issue with him gaining weight! I feed raw hamburger, vegetables...

Hello, I have a 4 lb puppy that I took to the vet yesterday evening. I use this particular vet for simple little things because he is quite old. He gave me Amoxi-liquid and told me to give her 1 ml twice per day. I wanted to double-check his dosage since he is frequently wrong about things. I have searched the internet and it tells me 5mg/1 lb, BUT, I do not think that mg and ml are equivalent so I'm not sure if 1 ml twice a day is the correct dose and again, she is 4 lbs. ...

Hi Cindy: Thanks so much for all your wonderful work. I have taken to heart your advice about over vaccination after losing my beloved dog 2 years ago. I had to put her in a kennel (big mistake) for almost two weeks as we were leaving the country and had no one to watch her. At the time I was ignorant of all this and followed their rules about kennel cough, bordatella, parvo, etc. They required that all these be given before they would board her. Within a week after we brought her ...

Hi, I am so glad to have found your web site today while searching for information about using muzzles and the proper fit of prong collars. My ten-month old Westie eats rocks. She has already had two surgeries to remove rocks from her stomach. A small path in my garden is where she gets the rocks and temporarily, I have covered the path with landscape cloth, thinking to remove them (but it will be hard to be sure I get them all). Meanwhile she aggressively digs at the landscape cloth un...

Hi Cindy, Because of your wonderful website and your excellent advice my gsd is thriving on a raw diet, I have also added the vitamins you have suggested. The allergy vitamin is working wonders, thank you. Now for my next question. Is there anything we can give him to decrease the acidity in his urine? We have a small back yard with dead patches of grass, it looks really bad. Thanks, Patti

I'm writing on behalf of one of my Shetland Sheepdog puppies - well, now he's almost a year old - whom I co-own but who lives with his primary owners in another state. This puppy has a chewing/eating problem that I am very concerned about. He chews on everything and anything, to the point that he has landed in the emergency room twice. The family has tried keeping him somewhat confined (x-pen) when they can't directly supervise him; they have muzzled him when out of doors but he has liter...

Hello Cindy! My husband and I had quite the scare this week and would like to know if you have heard of this situation before. We brought our 8 month old male GSD to get neutered - We got a call at 1pm from the vet stating they could not complete the surgery as he went into premature ventricular contractions within 5 minutes of being under. They kept him on the EKG all day and he had 3 or 4 episodes of arrhythmias during this time. He is in great health and comes from a long line of...

Hi, I will be getting a eight week old GSD in a couple weeks and was hoping to get your opinion on when to spay. There is no doubt that I will spay I just seem to keep getting conflicting answers on WHEN to spay. My Vet suggests 6 months (as is standard) and my breeder suggest 18 to 24 months. I know the health benefits (and risks) of spaying at six months, but didn't get a straight answer from my breeder about why I should wait. I read somewhere that spaying a GSD before two years...

Hello Cindy, I own two German Shepherds, one a Leistungszucht, the other Hochzucht. my question for you, if you are able to answer it for me, is that both of my GSD's are excellent dogs, well trained, well mannered, but I have noticed that whenever my wife and I get out of the bed, or we get ready to leave the house with them, they both shake their backs (You know something like when dogs leave the water they shake the water off of them), then they yawn (with a funny sound)..is thi...

My Daughter thinks she's noticed a problem without almost six year old male Aussie's rear leg. Is it too early to start giving him Glucosamine and if so, do you have any recommendations as what to start him on as a preventative for future years. Also is it necessary? Our previous two male dogs really had problems in the end with arthritis. Thank you. Beverly

Hi, Big fan of the website. I love it. It has really helped me and my wife. I have a bunch of your DVDs, but I do have a question. My wife and I have a 10 month GSD. We just had to take him to the vet yesterday for a minor limp he has with his front paw. He was weighed and is currently 85 lbs. He is a great dog, lots of energy and no dominance issues. The vet checked his leg and didn't see anything wrong with it. She gave us some muscle relaxers to give him until next week and if...