Food and Health Q&As

Hi Cindy, I have not visited your site in a year (when I used it extensively for information on training for our rescue dog). Today I am intrigued by the dehydrated food info. My son has a mini schnauzer (1 yr old) with a very bad spinning problem...that is jumping up from a relaxed state ...spinning as if chasing her tail or trying to sniff her bottom....then sniffing the floor where she was just sitting. It is very sad to see this little girl obsessively spin sometimes for hours. There a...

Hello Ed, I just wanted to run this by you, since you may have seen this condition in the many Shepherds you meet. My 5 Yr. Old Male German Shepherd, was chewing a rawhide bone Sunday night (April 1st) He barely chewed a small end, and then became suddenly extremely sick. Lethargic, Vomiting, collapsed on the floor, couldn't get up without yelping, etc. I rushed him right in to the Emergency Clinic here, and luckily they caught in time a nasty case of Gastric Dilation-Torsio...

Mr Frawley, It's been a while since I asked you for advice. Your e-mails, web site, and your DVD's helped me immensely in the past. I have a GSD from a working line about 1.5 years old now, doing great on a raw food diet. I live in NJ and hence I live in a lyme disease area. My dog is not vaccinated against lyme -- I use Frontline in the spring. I did not use it in the past few months, thinking season is probably over. Facts: -I noticed he may have a slight limp couple da...

Hi Cindy, I have two dogs with Perianal Fistulas. Both are White German Shepherds, Mother and Daughter. I am thinking of switching them over to the all natural diet and buying your DVD to help the transition for us. We have always fed Solid Gold being told it was the best out there for our dogs, but something is wrong, last year we had to put a dog down with SIBO (only 22 months of age.) She basically starved to death from the overgrowth of bacteria in her gut. She had Perianal Fis...

My dog suffers from Demodectic mange. Is there a homeopathic remedy I can use?

Ed, I have an eight month old GSD that has already begun to experience hip problems. In your opinion, what would be the best course of action to do what is right for the dog? Thank you for your time. Chad

Hi Ed, I have a 8 month old German Shepherd, I am currently feeding him dry Canidae dog food. I was mixing it with ground turkey. I started mixing it with can Tuna or can Salmon. My wife thinks that can tuna or salmon has too much sodium in it for the dog. I started draining the water out of the can, is the can tuna or salmon good for the dog? I am feeding my dog twice a day, when do I start feeding him once a day...he loves canned fish better then turkey. I could not go through with the a...

I have taken my puppy to the vet for the first 2 check ups and shots...we have done many numerous, numerous blood, urine, fecal tests because of the amount of water she is drinking and all tests have come back pretty normal. One came back a little high on some kind of liver count. They said it wasn't something that they would say I should worry about yet because it was only border line but they are going to monitor it on all her check ups to make sure it doesn't get worse. They did not think ...

Ed, great site. I am writing to ask your opinion on my situation. I have a 10 month old female GSD, great temperament and drive. There is one serious problem. She has severe dysplasia in her right hip. She is going to Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine on Dec 12 for a total hip replacement. She has had numerous x rays and I agree with the doctors course of treatment. We had wanted to try the TPO procedure. However the hip was too bad to work with so Total Hip replacement is ...

Hello Mr. Frawley, Do you think that it is wise to have a stomach stapling or stabilization surgery done on Shepherds? We have completed one basic training class and will become another in the Spring. Our GSD (7 Mos) does very well. There seems to be a trend in this area to have this surgery done so that when the dog is worked hard their stomach does not "flip over" We have been told that if this happens it will kill the dog. Our vet thinks the surgery is foolishness, but quite frankly I ...

Why do dogs slide their butts across the floor?

Hi Ed, I've just bought the video Your puppy 8 weeks to 8 months. Let me tell you that I have a 6 year old bitch, I jog with her every morning, last morning I tried to do the same thing with my 2.5 months old puppy, I took both dogs for jogging but the puppy seems to be afraid in the park so he's screaming all the time, if he hears another dog barking he runs away like looking for his home should I keep on taking my puppy for jogging or should I wait until he is older? Thanks for y...

Can you tell me a little about Adequan? I heard it is an injectable polygycosaminoglycans that can help dogs with joint pain.

Mr. Frawley I have a question about a puppy. She is a GSD, purebred, approximately 11 weeks old. I do not own her yet, but am considering taking her. The health concern I have is this: I have been told that she has MEGAESOPHAGUS. I have never heard of this before. Have you heard of it? I have done some research on it and was just wondering if you yourself have had any experiences with it, and whether she has a chance to live a long somewhat healthy life or will she end up dying fro...

I hope you can answer my question. I have a Golden Retriever that is two years old. Last May (2000) I had her shaved for the summer and her hair was almost completely back by the end of September. This May (2001) I also had her shaved for the summer and it is barely coming back. The only thing that I know that is different is that she has been on Prednisone for Allergies since last December. Do you think that is possible? Or could there be some other reason? Thank you for your help. ...

My wife and I currently own a German Shepherd puppy that is 5 months old. He seems to scratch continuously. As per the vet, we put him on a special food and he still scratched. Is this something that is just normal for these puppies? Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. John

Where can I find other resources for information on all-natural diets?

What is your feeling of RIMADYL?

I have an English Mastiff that is 1 yr. old. Ever since he was 7 months old we have been in & out the vet's office. He has been on medicine this whole time & he chews on his feet. The vet now thinks Hank has a food allergy. She wants me to put him a new Science Diet food--Z allergy formula. Hank eats about a 20lb. bag a week. This food costs $40.00 a bag. Please help!! Keri

Mr. Frawley, I have a question that I've been confused about. I have a 3 month old GSD, I took him to the Vet, and while we were there I asked her about these white flakes on his coat. She said it was dry skin and gave me a prescription shampoo for him. Should I use it? All I've heard from most people is NOT to bathe GSD and I want to believe them because they are people who have had GSD. Who is right? Thanks, Connie