Hi there, just after a bit of advice/opinion. I have a castrated male frenchie, 4 years old and has been on Eden for most of his life. I did try him on royal Canin but it gave him the runs and he couldn’t extract his anal glands and this gave him an infection. So, I put him back on Eden, he can only have country cuisine. But for a while now, maybe a couple of months he has started to get reflux. He burps and you can hear his food come up and then he swallows it, he’s sick now and again, mainly when he’s eaten something out the garden. I’ve tried him with raw and this also doesn’t suit him. So, visited the vets and they said to change his food, bearing in mind Eden is the only food he has solid stools with. They first suggested chappie which amazed me. They then also suggested SPECIFIC CID Digestive Support Dry Dog Food and also Hill’s PRESCRIPTION DIET z/d Dog Food. I decided on the Hills in haste and ordered some. I then started to research and its a mine field of info, with people saying hill’s is not very good, luckily, I’ve only brought a small bag. Im at a loss asto what to do. The vets have tried him on Tagamet syrup but that didn’t ease it at all.
Any help, advice or suggestions greatly appreciated as to what I should try.
Has the vet suggested gastroscopy to rule out any anatomical problem? Worth thinking about because finding out the cause of chronic problems is sometimes a case of trial and error.
Dry food can take longer to digest - check out this video. For this reason, it might be worth trying a type that is easier to digest. Have a look at the quality complete wet foods on the Dog Food Directory and also cold pressed varieties. The latter can be softened with tepid water which will assist digestion. Possibly cold pressed would be the better bet just at the moment because the fat content is lower. The Markus Muhle varieties contain a type of clay that aids the digestive system.
Possibly raw food didn’t help because the fat and protein was a bit too high for him. You can give fresh food and reduce the amount of fat/protein by home cooking for your dog. However, it is important to obtain balanced recipes and the necessary additives ie calcium and omega oils. Best to consult a canine nutritionist first. There are a very few commercially available fresh cooked foods but they tend to be a little more expensive than some other types.
Feeding smaller meals, three or four times a day is also a useful strategy, as is making sure he doesn’t ingest things when in the garden. Remember to ensure that he isn’t overfed and rests for half an hour after a meal.