Angel Mochi December 2020

[MikeMurphy]

Re: Blood work results confusing...

Thanks Mike,

Mochi's levels aren't too high and his blood sugars good but I'm not sure what it could be if he doesn't have hypothyroid.

Were you guys able to notice any symptoms or differences?

I'll give my vet a call and see what the results are.
I'm not sure if he got the whole t4 panel done or just a t4. I'll be sure to ask that too.

The problem with hypothyroidism is that the symptoms are similar to other disorders. Lily’s main symptoms were hair loss, rat tail and insulin resistance.

I always show people these before and after photos...

Before thyroid meds...


After thyroid meds...

[Lchow022]

Re: Blood work results confusing...

Wow Lily is beautiful! Her tail has so much more fur now!

I just hope Mochi doesn't have anything serious...

Also what brand of Omega 3 do you guys give your dogs?
Raysaint introduced me to the Nordic Naturals last year and I've been giving that to Mochi ever since but I've been trying to look for one that has vitamin E in it as well. They say giving vitamin E helps with reducing the risk of getting pancreatitis. Do any of you give your dogs NutraSea Canine Omega3?

[Lchow022]

Re: Blood work results confusing...

Mochi's triglycerides test came back normal! His thyroid test came back in a normal range but he said they have one more test for the thyroid test so he's going to call and add that on. He said it's rare that tiny dogs get hypothyroid but might as well try and rule it out.

He told me to add in some high fiber food to his diet.
Do you guys know if it's ok for me to sprinkle some flaxseed in his food?
I'm giving him the Raine nutrition Low fat kangaroo maint and he said that dog food doesn't have enough fiber.

[jesse girl]

Re: Blood work results confusing...

When jesse started on this journey i started her off on a raw meat diet which i dont think was a good idea for a diabetic . So I started adding vegetables into the diet . I also added some supplements that had fiber in them . I ended removing the supplements and added pinto beans because her pooh was not where we would like which made a huge difference . Got the Idea from craig for the pinto beans as a good source of fiber

[Raysaint]

Re: Blood work results confusing...

Most omega 3 oils have a preservative in them, tocopherol, which is vitamin e.

As for fiber, I cook up some oatmeal, and pinto beans, mix it 50/50, puree it, and give him a good tablespoonful each meal. Lots of fibre. And both slow release carbs.
Sweet potato, chickpeas are also a good source.

My dog food has barley and rice bran so that helps also. Many dog foods contain a bit of flaxseed, but If I remember, on sites like dogfoodadvisor, flaxseed is one of those controversial ingredients.

[amydunn19]

Re: Blood work results confusing...

Dogs can get flax poisoning. I don’t know how common it is but I also haven’t seen any research saying flax has any benefit to dogs.

[Raysaint]

Re: Blood work results confusing...

When I search articles on flaxseed in dog food, from what I gather, it does have some benefit in small amounts.
It's not good for pregnant or breeding females because of the phytoestrogen, and some dogs get loose stools.

[Lchow022]

Re: Blood work results confusing...

I've been researching a lot on flaxseed and flaxseed oil. I've decided to give it a try with the ground flaxseed since I've read a lot of good benefits it has. I did read about flaxseed poisoning and that is only if you give them too much. I'm only giving him 1/4 of a teaspoon morning and night.

https://missinglinkproducts.com/2018...flaxseed-dogs/

The only thing I'm a bit concerned about it the omega 3 it provides...
Since I'm already giving Omega-3 fish oil to Mochi can he over dose on Omega 3 since flaxseed also has a high amount of it?

[Raysaint]

Re: Blood work results confusing...

With omega 3's, the benefits come from the EPA and DHA in it. The best direct source is fish. Flax provides ALA, which can be converted to EPA/DHA, but only if the body has the right amounts of certain vitamins in it from food or supplements. So it may not provide much benefit. Only a slight amount of the ALA might be converted.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart...t-flaxseed-oil

That's what all my past research has told me, besides dieticians.

If you are giving omega 3 fish oil, why the need for flax. I'm not sure more than the recommended amount of omega 3 is going to bring extra benefits. The body might waste it.

[Lchow022]

Re: Blood work results confusing...

I'm only giving him a bit of ground flaxseed for the fibre it has not for the omega 3. But reading about how it also contains omega 3 worried me because I'm already giving him fish oil.

Because his pancreas numbers in his blood work was a little high so my vet wanted me to include some more fibre in his diet since his low fat food does not contain much fibre in it. So I just add about 1/4 tsp per meal with his food.

[Lchow022]

Help! Need diet advice!

Mochi has been on the Kangaroo Low fat Maint kibbles for almost a year until I recently saw the post about how this diet caused heart disease in dogs.

I quickly called my vet asking to change his diet and he suggested to switch to the Royal Canin Low fat gastrointestinal for him. I was reluctant to switch to that one because there is barley in the ingredients and Mochi is allergic to barley, corn, tomatoes, soy, duck and turkey.
My vet said it shouldn't affect him since he's on allergy medication. But after almost a week on this food he's starting to chew his paws again and this morning he chewed on it until it was bleeding again..

I need help on figuring out what to give Mochi...my vet does not want me giving him home cooked meals because he said vitamins and important nutrients that our dogs need are always left out. I've called Royal canin and asked and they wanted my vet to call them and speak to their vet about it.

I'm having a really hard time with finding a food thats low fat, low carbs and hypoallergenic for Mochi...

Please help!

[katy1]

Re: Help! Need diet advice!

My diabetic miniature schnauzer is on Royal Canin GLYCOBALANCE. It’s an excellent food with low fat and much better carbs plus higher in protein than the gastrointestinal diet. She is on the canned but they also have it a dry kibble. I order it from Chewy.com. Not sure about the allergy factor. It’s the best I’ve found so far. I just checked with Chewt.com and they only ship within th US. But if your vet has access to the Royal Canin brand, he/she should be able to order it for you. Hope this helps and best of luck to you and your pup. Blessings. Karen

[Lchow022]

Re: Help! Need diet advice!

Thanks Katy for responding. I did look into that food as well but there is barley and corn meal in it and he is super allergic to both.

I'm going to head over to my vet and ask what else we can feed him..so far im out of luck. I've called a bunch of pet stores and no one knows what food is low fat and hypoallergenic.

[katy1]

Re: Help! Need diet advice!

I'm sorry I couldn't help and I wish you lots of luck. How frustrating this must be for you. Let us know if you find something.

[Raysaint]

Re: Help! Need diet advice!

https://dogfood.guide/allergies/

https://petlifetoday.com/best-dog-food-for-allergies/

Here's some reading you can look thru and check the ingredients and fat level on the manufacturers sites.

I think most hypo foods are going to be limited ingredient. Myself, I wouldn't be that worried yet about limited foods causing heart disease. The research is early in my opinion, and it didn't appear to be structured controlled studies. They may have drawn early conclusions and correlations. Just my opinion.