Concerned and Frustrated

[Phoebe's Mom]

I apologize in advance for belaboring this point but, Phoebe is still having issues with peeing ever since we started her on a different prescription food in an attempt (which has been successful) to have her release her anal sacs on her own (we had had to have this done every three to four weeks by a vet tech because they were so engorged).  I just took her to the vet last Thursday as I was frustrated that she was only peeing twice, on average, a day since we started the new food.  The vet assured me that the food was, as I had thought, sapping her sytem of water as she was now pooping more frequently from the large amount of fiber added to her diet.  Phoebe has never been a big drinker but we have been coaxing her to drink more with ice and by adding ice to her water bowl.  She is doing better but she is still not drinking a lot.  I am so concened that I had the vet take a sterile urine sample because I am petrified that something might be brewing and we are missing it if we only look to the change in her diet.  The panel came back normal.

 

I have been keeping a log of the times she pees per day --yep, I am that anal--and while on most days, she pees at least twice, sometimes three times, yesterday she only peed once.  She has peed this morning so now I am watching her like a hawk and trying to get her to drink more.  You know how you can lead a horse to water but can't make him drink?  I am here to tell you that it works the same way for doodles!  (at least for mine, that is)  You guys have been wonderful in the past so I am throwing this one out to you--any advice or observations on my dilemma will be most appreciated!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

that's infuriating!! Can't they regulate these things?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

These are the regulations; that's what AAFCO does.

What's even sadder is that veterinary schools in this country have no nutritional education as part of the required training. None. And what education is available to them is provided by Hills Corporation and Purina.

In Europe, the restrictions on what is allowed in pet foods are much stricter. 

For easy-to-read-and-understand information on this, I highly recommend Marion Nestle's book, Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine. It's available in paperback and probably at your library.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Add water to the food.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

My friends add water to their goldendoodle's food and he loves it. Sophie on the other hand, is a slow and picky eater and won't eat her food if it's mushy. To get her to drink more water I put ice cubes in it that have a bit of cranberrie juice added (long story there) but you could add chicken broth ice cubes. The cubes keep her interested and make the water taste good. I also put some small pieces of chicken wiener (not jackdoodles' chicken wiener) in her water bowl, and she had to fish for it which meant slurping up some water. I only tried it once when I thought she might have had a bit of heat stroke and she wouldn't drink. She was totally fine an hour later, but I can't really attribute the improvement to the wiener water, just that it might have helped. Good luck! I hope Pheoebe feels better real soon!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

At the risk of sounding like an Honest Kitchen Salesperson, you might want to at least think about this food.  Murph had actually reached the point of weekly Vet trips for his anal gland issues....probably because his poop was pure mush.  Honest Kitchen is a really good food and high fiber.  It is freeze dried so you do add a lot of water to get it the the right consistency...so the dog is getting both water and fiber.  He has not had is anal glands expressed since he started eating it, and his diarrhea is gone.  It is expensive, but then so is RX food.  Just a thought.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think this is excellent advice.

And at least you're spending your money on good quality nutrition for your dog instead of garbage that may very well harm him down the line.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

This is interesting. I can tell you that Bella drinks like a fish and still only goes maybe 2-3 times a day. Murphy drinks half as much and will pee on demand about 10 times a day if we asked him to.  Seems as though the food is absorbing some of her fluids, especially considering what it's made with.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Not sure if this is the exact same thing (I don't know anything about the food and water) Chloe went 3-4 times a month to get her anal sacs expressed, it was out of control so we asked what else we could do and they said that they probably have to removed. We were also told to feed them that crap and DH said no way. We went another vet in town and he asked did they ever mention an infusion? We were like huh?? He took her downstairs and put some type of antibiotic right into the sacs and she has better ever since. Just wondering if it's the same thing you are going through. I would return that food and research an option. Hope she feels better soon.

[Heather & Jake]

F Parker- We tried adding the psyllium fiber. For Jake it did not bulk it up at all, just made it really sticky and gooey so it stuck to itself making it easier to pick up... My mother's dog who takes psyllium fiber for anal glad issues had the same sticky results but it has helped her enough for reducing her anal glad issues.

As for the main issue, I'm assuming since Phoebe has anal glad issues, your vet advised you to switch foods to bulk up her stools because the one you were feeding was not producing hard enough stools to express her glands? I know your question is about water, but I would agree with Karen that it is really an issue with food. You need to find a good food to fix her anal gland issues first; one that does not give her another side effect/issue like you are now dealing with. I would get her off the w/d. Yes you could add water to it, but the food itself should be looked at. Before I joined doodlekisses we were on w/d to bulk up Jake's stools and it was the only thing we tried that worked and I was happy with it. But after finding out how bad it is we got off it it and started the search for other foods that would bulk up his stools. I have the same advice as Jane mentioned: the Honest Kitchen is high in fiber and you use a lot of water to hydrate the food so you get the best of both worlds: high fiber and more water. If you are willing to try it, I really think it would be a good option as there are a few of us now with various issues who've had great success with it.
Another thing is if you are trying ice cubes, maybe try making some flavored ice cubs with reduced sodium chicken or beef broth diluted with water and she might find those more tasty/interesting. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

In regards to this issue..and many others concerning the dogs stools...Are there any dry food brands that are high in fiber (with the exception of HK and home cooking)

Thank you

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Most senior formulas are higher in fiber than regular adult formulas, but none of them is anywhere near 29%.

However, adding canned pumpkin, cooked green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes and/or other vegetables or fruits to the dog's diet will greatly increase the fiber percentage. There are probably also OTC fiber supplements for dogs sold on-line or in pet boutiques.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

quick question Karen, why do the green beans have to be cooked? I've given sophie a sprinkling of still frozen green beans over her kibble (was feeling lazy) and she loved it. Is this bad?