My 11 month old female GSD had ileocolic intussusception surgery this weekend. (Her intestines swallowed themselves and she had some of her small intestine and colon removed)After three days of hospitalization she is home and eating a diet of rice and baby food, but they want me to switch back to a "normal" diet after three more days.

The problem is that I had her eating Innova EVO, a high protein, low carb dry dog food, which is too much for her right now. Does anyone have suggestions for a dry food that is more easily digestible, and bland, with decent ingredients? I don't want a bad food where the ingredients are listed in the order of corn meal, chicken by-products, corn starch, etc.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks! ~Kerry

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.... Does anyone have suggestions for a dry food that is more easily digestible, and bland, with decent ingredients? I don't want a bad food where the ingredients are listed in the order of corn meal, chicken by-products, corn starch, etc...... Thanks! ~Kerry

The dehydrated raw food that Leerburg carries now (The Honest Kitchen) is 100% top quality. I know you said dry, but if you meant dry for the sake of convenience, this is just as convenient.

These sites compare and report on commercial foods, and I am listing them in what I think is their order of usefulness. I'd print out the first one and take it to the pet-food store. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />



http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/bestfood.html
http://www.organicpetproducts.com/Interpreting_Pet_Food_Labels.asp
http://www.feedmypet.com/dog-food-comparison.html

Kerry you posted this question under the ALL NATURAL DIET FOR DOGS so I'm wondering if your dog has ever been on a raw diet? Personally if this were my dog I would not feed her kibble again. Even the best kibbles on the market today do not assimilate as well as a raw diet. Understand that the bioavailability of a fresh raw diet is unsurpassed in it's nutritional value. In other words, your dog will be able to use "utilize" more of a raw diets nutritional value than what's available in any kibble. Nothing wrong with boiling rice and adding some raw hamburger "ground chuck" or raw turkey and veggies to the mix. Pretty simple meals that should aid in your dog regaining her strength. I would also suggest you add some enzyme food supplement such as PROZYME to each meal to aid in digestion. Ed sells an enzyme suplement too. Just remember too pulverize any veggies in a blender, otherwise their useless to your dog. On another note I would suggest you start out slow if your new to this type of feeding. There is a remarkable amount of information and qualified educators on this site to learn from in the beginning stages. I would start out slow and gradually build her diet with other things as she becomes healthier. More is not always better, especially with a dog that is in the healing and recovery stage. I hope this helps. One last thing. I used to buy 1lb sleeves of 100% ground turkey meat from my local Aldi's for .69 per lb. The other thing is that if you do go with a raw diet there are a couple more rules you need to follow.

1. Never feed raw and kibble together in the same meal.
2. Make sure you dog is eating and chewing on plenty of bones. You cannot forgot this! Calcium via bones or a good calcium supplement is a must on a raw diet.
I could add tons of other supplements but again start slow and gradually build on what works for your dog. I would begin a Vitiman C & E supplement as soon as your dog starts to show that she's handling everything else up to this point.

Good Luck.

Glenn

Kerry, Glenn gave you some good advice regarding the raw diet. I would only suggest that you should be careful adding Vitamin C to the diet because some dogs do not react favorably to it, and it very well may cause diarrhea, which you definitely don't need at this point. As Glenn said, everything in moderation - slowly. Good luck.

Thanks for all of you advice. I will be sure to look into all of your suggestions, and hopefully they will help my dog recover in a healthful way!