Question by Bethies: What is a good dog food for my American/Old English Bull Dog?
I just recently got an Old English/American Bull dog. She was starved when I got her. She was skin and bones, now she has gotten a bit of a stomach on her. She constantly begs food, I know it’s going so long with out food, or knowing when her next meal was going to be. She won’t hardly eat the dog food we have, she wants people food. She constantly walks around the kitchen sniffing and sniffing up at the tops of counter’s. She’s not really active, (probably a result of not a good diet, she is only 2 y/o) We all go outside and she’ll walk around and sniff and go right up on the porch or next to us and lay down. She is a very loving sweet dog. I want to know of a good Dog Food to get her, maybe High in protein? something to satisfy her and get weight back on her. Oh she also the first two days she was here pooped like 4 times after she ate the dog food and people food. (I know it’s bad but the previous owner’s that’s all they gave her so I’m going to try to wean her off of it) She’s also has a bad back leg, She limps and when she sets it’s on the side of leg and the bum one is straight. the other owner’s said she was born like that, but her right hip and leg doesn’t look normal, it’s smaller then the other and more straighter then the other, most have the thigh and turn to the bottom part of the foot. Her’s is really straight. Doesn’t seem to bother her, the owner’s said, the vet they took her to said it would cost alot of money to fix and wouldn’t bother her until she got older and maybe arthritis? I want to keep her weight under control because of the leg I don’t want it to hinder her, but I also want to get her healthy. Any suggestions?
Here is picture’s of her: http://s654.photobucket.com/albums/uu267/Bethies1027/Daisy/
I’ve always had APBT’s, This is the first Bull dog I’ve had. that sounds good though.
Begging isn’t tolerated in my house, My Pit’s would see us setting the table and automatically go to they’re crates.. With her when we start cooking I put her in my Bedroom, when we finish eating and completly finish putting up food exc.. we let her out. She still walks around and sniffs. I thought about the Chicken and Rice thing to,

Best answer:

Answer by gsdluvrr *pups are 3 wks old!*
I have tried many foods. I would suggest either one of these.

American Natural Premium
http://americannaturalpremium.com/

Solid Gold
http://solidgoldhealth.com/

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Question by buckroar: what kind of dog makes a good guard dog?
so i am thinking about getting guard dogs in the future. I have a family now and i want to do everything I can to make sure they are safe. so i am looking for a dog that will be good for the purpose that i have for him. He needs to be a good guard dog but i want to make sure he will not turn on my family. i personally like pit bulls but my wife doesn’t and they do have a rep for turning. i like German Shepard but they are known to have arthritis probs. I absolutely love Doberman Pinchers but i dont know very much about them. i know that they are very commonly used as guard dogs but they just look skinny to me. anyways i appreciate all of your answers and welcome any light you can shed on my questions.

Best answer:

Answer by Ms.Perez
a dobie. i have one but she’s still little, about 12 weeks. she’ll be a great guard dog soon! you should read about em : http://www.akc.org/breeds/doberman_pinscher/

edit: they are in the top 3 of best guard dogs! :http://hubpages.com/hub/Top-Ten-Best-Guard-Dogs

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Question by : Good arthritis medicine for dogs?
Hi i have a 12 year old german shepeard/cow mix and he has arthritis. Hes not dying or anything but he could really use some medicine. He has troubles getting up on wood because he slips but he gets up ok on carpet. He lays down alot but thats normal for dogs. We’ve tried glucosamine and Remodil or something i dont know if i spelt that right. thanks

Best answer:

Answer by Bonzie12
I used the Rimadyl and the glucosamine with my older shepherd and she did quite well on them for several years. She then had to be switched to Medicam as she got worse.

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Question by WuzUp?: What is a good non-prescription substitute for Rimadyl?
My 18 year old dog has arthritis and the vet wants to do over $ 250 of tests before he will write s script.

Best answer:

Answer by Jessie
There are no OTC replacements for Rimadyl. Specific COX-2 inhibitors are all still prescription. Rimadyl does have a generic, however.

If your dog is 18 and the Rimadyl is intended to be a daily medication, your vet SHOULD do blood testing to check the dog’s liver and kidney function prior to starting the medication. You will probably be asked to repeat this testing every 6 mos to a year. ( In a senior dog, most vets would want to run this every 6 mos to a year even if the dog was not on meds!)

In an arthritic dog of this age, there is not much beyond the prescription meds that you can do. Fish oil would still work, as it is used for general minor anti-inflammatory effect. But glucosamine/MSM supplements are pretty much useless if started now, as they preserve more than repair. If his cartilage is gone, it’s gone and it ain’t comin’ back. Glucosamine/MSM has the most benefit started early on, before the cartilage is severely degraded or missing. Adequan injections might be another option, but still a prescription option.

What tests does the vet wish to run?

ETA: If you do decide to try a glucosamine/MSM supplement anyway, I also recommend Glyco-Flex. At this point though, you might want to go up to Glyco-Flex III, rather than Glyco-Flex II.

These supplements are not replacements for the NSAID, but used in conjunction with it. In dogs with a known joint abnormality or bone injury, they are started many times before there is a need for an NSAID. But at 18, you’ll need the NSAID.

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Question by James R: I have a good friend who is an excellent acupuncturist. I am thinking of having my dog receive it as well..?
My dog is 13 years of age. Over the past year, his hip pain has obviously worsened. I give him a prescribed (from my vet) pain killer – which helps a little. He recently had blood tests – and he was found to be healthy for his age. 1. Is $ 50 a session for my dog a good deal? 2. Can acupuncture improve my dog’s arthritis issues? Please, serious, informed answers only. Thanks everyone.

Best answer:

Answer by Shanna
I have never witnessed this, but I know people that have had accupuncture done on their dog and swear by it. Also, $ 50 bucks a session sounds reasonable to me. Most specialty treatments like that run about similar costs.

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Question by butterfli8134: Good arthritis pain medicine for older dogs?
My dog is probally gonna need it before it gets too cold. Have any suggestions and maybe the price?

Best answer:

Answer by sadiejane
you can get this at WM in the drug store. make sure you get the combo of all 3 & start it now.

http://www.biosynergy.com/GCMSM.htm

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Question by loveabull2006: Here is another good one?
The other day I just put up the question “Why is this site a joke?” Here is a good example. In the pets/dogs section, someone asked about thier dog having arthritis. Well, about 3 years ago my dog was diagnosed with arthritis. So, I figure I can be helpful and provide some good info on that. I spent about 10-15 mins writing down what I have done, what food I feed my dog, what supplements my vet recommended I give my dog,etc. Someone writes, ” I would check with the vet first before giving the dog any supplements”,, and there is the best answer, voted by none other than you know whOO! I know I won’t be wasting my time writing long answers anymore. This is entertainment at it’s finest! I’ll just write, “go see a vet”, ” go to doctor” or “good luck”. Who cares if you get some thumbs down, you still just got 2 points and can rack up another quick 2 by moving on to the next question and writing a one sentence answer. This is truly a joke. I’ll start getting my laughs in while I write silly worthless stuff and earn points. WHAT A JOKE!

Best answer:

Answer by SHEILA H
I think I would be annoyed after giving good advice for the best answer to go to something like ’see a vet first’. Common sense would tell the asker to go to see a vet anyway, but they are trying to save money and ask people on here. Your answer sounded good to me and I will give you a star for this question to cover the best answer that you missed.
It is annoying when you see ‘idk’ win best answer, it makes you wonder it the answerer was a friend of the asker. Is it all worth it sometimes, its when they give you best answer and then rant at you that you did complete the whole question. Sorry next time I will pop round their house and do their homework for them.
Good to get things off your chest isnt it!

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Question by z z: what is good to give a dog who may have arthritis?

Best answer:

Answer by Thanksgiving Basset
You can get some pretty good arthritis medication from your vet.

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Question by piss off: Is it good to give a dog cod liver oil?
My 6 and a half year old dalmatian has recently looked a bit stiff. The vet thinks his right hip is in the earliest stages of arthritis, but not bad enough for meds yet. I’ve been giving him 1000mg capsules of cod liver oil every so often for about 6 months. It’s the same stuff I take myself. I’ve upped the dosage to 1 capsule a day. Does anyone have any views or experience?

Best answer:

Answer by FrenchieMom
Fish oil (Omega 3 fatty acids) are a good supplement for a dog’s diet. Cod liver oil isn’t bad but something else, say salmon oil, would be better. (We give fish oil to our dogs as well; for their coats and, in the case of one, for allergy-related reasons (keeps the skin from being quite as dry and itchy). You should absolutely discuss dosages with your vet.

Good luck with your dog’s arthritis; that be hard on a dog.

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Question by Ashley: Hill’s Science Diet Dog Food: Good or Bad?
My dog’s arthritis has been getting worse so we took her to the vet. They recommended she loses a little weight. Right now she’s on Beneful dog food. Now when we took her to her normal vet they said that food was fine and to just mix it with Beneful Diet food. But at the animal hospital this morning (she seemed to be in a lot of pain and the vet wasn’t open) they said Beneful was bad and to switch her to Science Diet. However, I read some reviews online that said that dog food was not a good kind. I need to know, I want the best for my dog. P.S. I have an 8 year old mini dachshund.

Best answer:

Answer by CanineTruth
Neither Beneful OR Science Diet are good foods – both contain corn, by-products, and/or other kinds of fillers. IE: junk that has little to no nutritional value to the dog. Neither contain an appropriate amount of meat.

Diet food is unneeded – limit calorie intake and increase an appropriate type of exercise. Exercise is essential to weight loss. If your dog can’t walk then invest in a kiddie pool of some sort and encourage swimming (swimming is a good form of exercise that is low stress on joints.)

I would choose a food that has a meat base, no corn, and no by-products. Wellness, Taste of the Wild, California Natural, and Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul are examples of some good brands. I would avoid Purina, Pedigree, Iams, Science Diet, and other brands produced by these.

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