Ask the Veterinarian/dog food change

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Expert: - 10/15/2011


Question
I believe my two dogs, a stanfordshire terrier and a labrador retriever are getting tired of eating the same canned food and dry food combination. They are 10 and 11 years old respectively. I wan't to start feeeding them cooked ground beef.  Is this bad for their health?

Answer
Hi Wilfred,
In our experience it isn't the dog that gets tired of the food, but the owner who feeds the same ole thing everyday. Dogs not only don't care, but they need to be fed the same thing every day or they run the risk of developing some very painful and possibly fatal conditions such as gastritis, pancreatitis and intestinal woes to name a few. Ground beef is a really bad choice to boot. It is the highest on the allergen list, it is fatty and can cause major pancreas and liver problems.

Dogs are just built that way, and so are cats actually. Introducing any new food is risky, and at their age, you don't want to be fixing something that isn't broken.

So it's not what they want that is the issue, but what you want- and I am here to tell you to stick to the trusty routine that they expect and feel good about. You will not be sorry!!  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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