Doodle is my baby. I never thought I would be “one of those people…” but I am. I hold her like a baby, I dress her up (well, not so much any more…she hates it) and I sleep with her. I’ve poured so much love into this dog it just breaks my heart that I have to keep my distance from her.
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My little Doodle is a very special dog. She was rescued from a horrible situation but I fear she is going to suffer the consequences of poor care and malnutrition for the remainder of her life. She was a mother at a puppy mill, abused and neglected. It has taken us years (almost 4) to reverse some of the negative effects that “life” had on her psyche, emotions, and body. Some of the effects I fear are irreversible. With that said, she is the sweetest, most neurotic dog you will ever meet but we love her just the same, same, same.
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As most of you know, Doodle has had reoccurring struggles with incontinence. We finally realized the food from the “Miracle Vet” was a huge issue. It was FULL of corn and corn derivatives. We switched her food however I think 4 1/2 years of poor care coupled with years of us giving her corn laden food was just too much for her system to bear. Her little body reached it’s breaking point. The Vet thought it a good idea to put her on an incontinence medication, to be taken twice a day, indefinitely. We started the medication and thought things were getting better, the only odd occurrence was Doodle now made me itch. Unfortunately, the Yipiyuk and I have been experiencing increased rashes, severe itching to the point of bleeding and a decrease in the quality of our sleep (I’ve also had insomnia and nausea). I reexamined our food and drink. Nothing has changed. No new food or drink. I was stumped and getting worse by the day.
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Luckily (?), Doodle had a little accident one morning which triggered a rash, nausea, and the severe itching. I never thought her medicine could affect me. I wasn’t handling it and I wasn’t ingesting it. I was already noticing increased itching and nausea when I tried to hold her or when she would breathe into my face (she get’s VERY close to me…). Last night I tried to let her sleep with me but within 5 minutes I was digging a new hole in my scalp and temple. It has taken a while but the pieces of this puzzle are finally starting to come together.
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I went to the DailyMed’s website to research her medication. The site did not have the inactive ingredients listed so I went to Google. I found the inactive ingredients on this site.
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The inactive ingredients include: gelatin, ethylcellulose, pharmaceutical glaze, povidone, starch, sucrose, talc, wax and other ingredients.
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I don’t know what the “other ingredients” are and I don’t need to know, I already see corn derivatives. So, I’m still poisoning my dog. I’ve called the Vet and spoken with the receptionist, I’m awaiting a return phone call from the Veterinarian. I realize it will be more expensive to get her medication compounded but it’s the best thing for Doodle, Yipi and me.
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Doodle and Me 2008
You know what, Erica? My dog and one of my cats have problems with incontinence as an allergic reaction. My dog would rather die than have an accident on the floor, but he has had issues with certain foods and meds in the past. I bet if you could afford to feed her completely corn-free meaty bones and organs, she would rally. It’s just impossible to afford that for our pets so we’re struggling now with the pet food situation. We are trying Blue Buffalo and it is not agreeing with one of my cats. I think she is most sensitive to corn additives and chemicals. It’s just so frustrating……I feel for you.
We’ve been feeding her the K9 and it seems to be the corn free-ist food we could find. It is not cheap but neither was her last food and it was full of corn. Here are the ingredients: Fresh lamb (85% derived from animals deemed fit for human consumption), ground bone, blood, fresh broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, silver beet, cabbage, other seasonal vegetables, whole eggs, fruit (apples, pears and other seasonal fruit), green tripe, heart, liver, kidney, garlic.
The best price we’ve found is from this site. They also have a subscription where you can save 15% on every order.
I’m overwhelmed, to say the least. I feel like a bad, bad puppy parent. She’s in her crate right now and crying. It is absolutely breaking my heart.
Youre a good puppy-mama, my dear. I’m watching my girl and am really considering changing her food. Oy..as if it wasnt enough to watch ourselves and partners, right ?
We feed Jeff Gordon (yes, that’s the doggy’s name) Blue Buffalo food, corn free, and he’s fine. Maybe that will help? And some people just make their own dog food. It might be cheaper in the long run.
Hello River,
The Blue Buffalo food seems to be full of grains, if not barley, then oats, or rice. I appreciate the suggestion, however, that food would not end well for her. Doodle’s current food seems to be the most corn free and grain free food I can feed her. As for making her food and it being less expensive, I’m not sure how true that would be. The food would still need to be corn-free, that includes processing. I know how expensive those food is…it isn’t cheap. I have a very difficult time finding food that has not been processed using corn for myself and for my daughter. Case in point, we’re basically out of meat for the remainder of March and are awaiting our order that will last us until next year. Doodle’s digestive system does not handle beans very well and that is our main source of protein.
We’ve stopped her new medication and our symptoms are beginning to dissipate, though she is still eating the food. It seems it was the medication and not the dog food. Hopefully given enough time her system will begin to heal.
As an aside, I did not contact K9 to see if the ingredients in the food were processed with or without corn derivatives, hence me saying earlier that it “seems to be the most corn free and grain free food I can feed her.” The food is made in New Zealand, so I’m hoping they use fewer corn derivatives in their food processing.