Liver congestion :(

[Jess]

So a couple months ago when Chuey got his teeth cleaned, they did a blood test to make sure it was safe for him to be put under. It came back with elevated liver enzymes, and we just did another blood test yesterday to see if he is doing better. His liver enzymes are back to normall, but now his liver congestion is high. So we just got him prescription dog food and some antibiotics to help with his liver. The vet told us to be really careful about his treats too: Nothing made in China, no soy, and low protein. We have to give him treats as little as possible now so that it doesn't counter the effects of his food too.

I was talking to the vet about the whole made-in-China situation too, and it's incredibly scary to think about, as I think it's sad what the pet food industry has come too. Not just for dogs, but for animals in general!

Do you guys have any recommendations for good treats? Chuey only likes soft meaty treats for some reason- He won't touch the crunchy/cookie kind, and he doesn't like any kinds of bones or chewing treats. Not even Bully Sticks!

Cross your fingers that the diet changes and antibiotics fix his liver issues. If this doesn't work he might need to have a liver biopsy.

[urofan]

I don't give my guinea pig anything that is made in China or has ingredients that are from there. I've heard that there are people who make their pets homemade treats. The dog channel and other internet sites might have some recipes for you.

I'm sorry that your dog is having health problems, and I hope that his next checkup shows that he has improved.

[Purple-Hops]

Poor Chuey!!
Coco enjoyed the Milkbone chewies in his last months. I don't think they're made in China, however they're probably also full of bad things like soy...
Is freeze dried beef lung too much for him? Coco ate that like popcorn! And then there's also locally produced treats to look into. There's a company here that does holistic treats locally, and my boyfriend's breeder friend in Nova Scotia makes their own raw food and raw treats for their clients. Both companies I speak of use locally raised and killed free range or wild game.

[Jess]

We will probably end up making our own chicken/apple treats for him, since those treats with dried apple/sweet potato wrapped in chicken jerky were his absolute favorite. Thanks Urofan, I hope that he is better too. He is still acting completely normal.

I did get him some "Zuke's" brand treats: http://www.zukes.com/
They fit all the requirements, and he actually ate them with a little coaxing, so I call that success! I got him chicken and peanut butter flavor. My mom found a brand called "Meaty Bites" that we will order too.

Amanda, I did look at the Milk Bone treats box the box doesn't way where they are made! Just where they are distributed from. So it seemed a little sketchy to me. I was actually thinking about the beef lung, because my pet store does sell it. IDK what he would think of them though, since he has never had anything like that.

[urofan]

The thing that bothers me is that there's a lot of ingredients that are listed on both human and pet food products that I don't understand like dyes and preservatives, etc. It would take a lot of time to investigate every ingredient or additive that a product contains.

[Purple-Hops]

eww, I didn't know that!! Yikes!! Glad to hear Chuey is getting treats though What would a dog's life be?!

[Nibbler]

have you checked out this website for treat ideas http://www.all-natural-dog-treat.com...itrecipes.html

[Kendalle]

have you heard of 95s my sister's dog loves them

[Dragonrain]

Aw I hope Chuey is ok!

I only give Kitsune home made treats. Well, I buy him a few kinds of chews but for actual treats, I just make them myself. They are very easy to make and then you know exactly what ingredients are going into them. You can look up recipes online or try experimenting and make your own

[Jess]

Chuey isn't too happy with the new food. He refuses to eat it and he threw up this morning. Poor guy.

Yeah, I've made home-made treats but not for a while, I'll start looking for some recipes. I think we will have the best luck with home-made chicken jerky/apple treats for him!

[Sasami]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jess Chuey isn't too happy with the new food. He refuses to eat it and he threw up this morning. Poor guy. Yeah, I've made home-made treats but not for a while, I'll start looking for some recipes. I think we will have the best luck with home-made chicken jerky/apple treats for him!

What food did they put him on? Maybe there's an alternative.

If you have brands like Primal and Bravo! available, check them out. They tend to have single ingredient treats . In case you're like me and get lazy about cooking/baking sometimes .

[Dragonrain]

I'd look into if there are any alternative foods you could put him on. In my experience, a lot of the foods vets recommend/prescribe really aren't the best foods. Even for dogs who have health issues, there are often times healthier alternatives that will provide the same benefits, or if you are interested you could consider looking into home made or raw diets.

[Jess]

It's Royal Canin brand, and I know that one doesn't have by-products or anything so it's not as crappy as Science Diet or something. Chuey actually liked the grain-free Nutro food he was on, so he is still bummed out about the switch!

We are looking into getting a food dehydrator, so we can make our own jerky treats for him. I don't think I would do a raw diet, since Chuey has never had raw food before. What home made diets would work?

[Sasami]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jess I don't think I would do a raw diet, since Chuey has never had raw food before. What home made diets would work?

Well, age doesn't really matter. Go slowly and pretty much any dog can be switched. Gracie was switched at 12 years old . As for homecooked, maybe do a search...I know that a LOT of people do homecooked for dogs with liver and kidney issues. Are you on Dogster? There's a homecooked section you could ask in .

[Dragonrain]

Agreed No age is really too old to switch to raw, even if he's never had it before.

Sorry but I'm not an expert when it comes to homecooked diets for dogs so can't really make a recommendation. I feed raw and never did much research into homecooking, but like Stephanie I do know that a lot of people who have dogs with health issues feed a homecooked diet very successfully.