Food and Health Q&As

My dog got spayed about 3 days ago. While she was being spayed, the vet said that she was in heat and had to get her hernia repaired. She also got her rabies vaccination. Is it normal for her stomach and chest to be swollen up?

Cindy, We have a litter of 14 black and tan bloodhounds that were supplemented with Ed's amazing formula. They look fantastic at 3 weeks old. All sizes of pups are consistent, coats shiny like minks, and puppies are very healthy and content. We ordered Ed's DVD Whelping Puppies and educated ourselves on his excellent level of expert knowledge on newborns. We did not lose one pup. We are extremely grateful for Ed taking his time to put a DVD together with so much amazing information. ...

I just got a male 10 week old GSD puppy 3 days ago. He has coccidia and I have started him on the medication the vet recommended. His appetite is decent not voracious. He is lively and healthy. However, I wonder if I should hold off beginning high value rewards for marker training until he finishes the medication? At the moment Zuke's small cookies do not interest him enough.

Hi Cindy, I was wondering if Giardia Parasitic D'Tox is a treatment or preventive for Giardia and if it also works for Coccidia?? Do you have any recommendations for Coccidia? I seem to have it when I am weaning puppies. Any and all help will be great! Thanks.

Hi Cindy, I am currently looking at feeding my dog force from the honest kitchen. It says there is 21% protein. Does this mean it is 21% chicken? If not how much chicken is in the food? Apologies if you get this question a lot.

Hello, I have just adopted a 2-3 year-old female cairn terrier (the shelter was not exactly sure on her age). She has had her array of problems so far. She had fleas that I believe lead to her developing her Hookworm problem. The vet put her on panacure-c for the next 3 days and her frontline medication just came in that we will apply today. My problem is that she keeps pooping and peeing in the house. We keep her confined to the kitchen in the day with 2-3 hour time frames in her crat...

Hello Cindy, I am writing to you as I know you are one of the top places to ask questions. I do not have a question but an answer in regard to ear implants. I have a super drive GSD, which I imported. I was also told he had weak ears, and all the photos showed his ears standing, but a bit wavy. When I picked him up and the airport, it turned out the dogs ears were floppy, not weak. While working and having his attention, they would go up, but not remain up at all times. I decided to in...

Cindy and Ed, A friend of mine has a 10-year-old GSD who had ACL surgery about 3 years ago. The vet told her that usually once the right leg has an issue, the left leg won't be far behind. Low and behold, her dog has been favoring the left leg for a few months. I advised her to limit the dog's activity level for awhile to see if the limping goes away by itself. I realize that without viewing the dog yourself this is difficult to answer, but should we give it a 6-8 week period to re-assess ...

Hi, I had a quick question about a health issue in my 10 week old puppy. He has only dropped one testicle (cryptorchid) the problem is I don't want to have the dog castrated. He is a GSD from working lines and I bought him the intention of doing personal protection work with the dog. I am also working with a professional trainer. I have tried talking to a couple of vets including my own. The only solution they offer is time. It will drop or it won't is all they say. Vets are very eager to ...

Hi, I saw the video on Facebook "Rush and Cindy on a Bike." I like taking my 21 month old GSD Mac with me when I go for runs, and I thought I'd get your opinion and advice, if possible, on how much vigorous physical activity is OK for him. I started taking him out in April when he was about 15 months old, and I really love going for runs with him. We start off slow, maintain a fast jog for the most part and always do a cool down walk before we go back inside the house. So in the begi...

Hi Cindy, I am interested to hear how you are balancing treats with food keeping Stella's desired weight in mind. I find I am having a very difficult time keeping my Cavalier's weight down. I train with her so I have to balance her meals with training treats. She is down to bare minimum with her kibble (grain free) supplemented with training treats throughout the day and I still have issues with her weight. She is quite the active dog and gets her share of exercise in each day. For tra...

Hi Cindy, Our golden is going on 9 years old and will be 10 in May. I just noticed she has a balding area not quite at the base of her tail, a little bit further down the tail. My husband usually bathes her and said she has had this for a while but is getting worse (larger area). Stats: She doesn't bite at it and it has no unusual attributes to it other than the hair is gone. Doesn't appear to be tender to the touch and not swollen. I checked. There are no other areas like this on ...

Hi, I have been feeding my 11 year old German Shepard raw food for about a year and a half. He is doing great on it. Recently he started eating other dog's or cat's poop, he has never done this before. Do you think it's related to raw food? I also give him veg. and vitamins with his food. He gets one and a half pounds of raw chicken a day. Thank You, Russ

Dear Ed & Cindy, Just wanted to send you a quick update on my dogs health, since I last wrote to you several years ago. You were kind enough to post our story on your website, as we had many concerns regarding vaccinations and kibble food allergies. I am pleased to say that Zena, now 8 years old, is still thriving on raw diet and that we know longer vaccinate or chemical treat her in any way. We have found a wonderful holistic vet who not only supports our raw feeding methods but also insi...

Hello, I recently got a french bulldog puppy. She was picked up from the airport on Sunday night, she was perfectly healthy and went to the vet the next day, he also said she was perfect. She did not itch or have any skin issues other than a little dander. I fed her the last of her food they sent Monday and Tuesday I started her on raw. She has eaten mainly chicken necks and meat from leg quarter with a little yogurt, just enough to get her to eat her digestive enzymes and probiotics. She...

Hi Cindy, I have been a fan of the Leerburg website for several years and have always been happy with all of the items I have purchased from it. I have also spent many hours reading discussion board entries and the questions posed to both you and Ed in the Leerburg newsletters and am very impressed with the sensitivity and quality of the responses that you both provide to individuals seeking your advice in dealing with problems related to their dogs. I am currently dealing with a proble...

Hi, My chihuahua is 9 years old and keeps taking one biscuit out of his bowl and just places it down in his spot, we cleaned them up at first but now tried leaving it there but he just seems to stock pile them there and never eat them from there only from his bowl. I am wondering what this behaviour means and if we should try anything to stop it? Thank you for your time, Vicki

Cindy, I was wondering what would be the earliest age you could start giving you dog Grand Flex? I have very large Rottweillers, one is 11 and has been on grand flex for years and has changed his life. I have a 1 year old and he looks like he might have problems like the older one did before I started giving him grand flex. So my question is can I start giving the 1 year old grand flex? Thank you, Anthony

Hi Cindy, A non-training question: my Brittany seems to have pretty sensitive skin and a healthy, but thin, coat. I have noticed that she seems to itch a lot (scratches and chews though doesn't have any "hot spots") and though her outdoor kennel has a thick bed of cedar chips and she gets bathed about every couple months (she just doesn't get very dirty). I continue to find a flea or two every now and then. I don't think her skin can handle harsh chemicals and I don't like to use them anyw...

Hi Cindy, Do you carry any products that you have seen help with anal glands that fill up and need monthly expressing? I have a 2 year old F GSD that is really bugged by the quick-to-fill-up glands. The vets say diet could be a factor, but don't know what to include/exclude...just trial and error and no real science. Only thing I've yet to try food-wise is a raw diet and I'm hoping not to have to! Many thanks, Gretchen