pancreatitis | Diabetic Dog Bakery Blog

Alfalfa is an ingredient in many commercially available dog and cat foods, and according to PetfoodIndustry.com, consumers are beginning to ask whether this forage belongs in their pet’s diet.

Although alfalfa has some health attributes as a green food, including a whole food source of phytonutrients, there are several reasons to avoid making alfalfa a primary source of protein in your pet’s diet, including the fact that plant-based protein is far from ideal for carnivores.

Check out the complete article that Dr. Becker goes into details on this important ingredient to avoid in our dog and cat daily food.

Yesterday (October 17th, 2012), another FDA press release named two more dog treats being recalled for Salmonella bacteria contamination.  The names are Boots & Barkley Roasted American Pig Ears and Boots & Barkley American Variety Pack Dog Treats.  Both dog treats were sold at Target nationwide and manufactured by Kasel Industries in Colorado.  The complete press release can be found at the FDA website.

Kasel Industries has recalled lot number BESTBY 13SEP2014DEN for both products because this lot number tested positive for the Salmonella bacteria per the analysis by the CO Department Of Agriculture.

This latest FDA press release is being passed along as an information alert – by The Gourmet Dog Bakery.

Goat’s Rue may be effective in diabetic dogs.

Goat’s Rue is an herb that has been known to be effective for treating diabetes in dogs.  This herb can lower blood glucose levels without causing them to fall to dangerously low levels.  It also seems to aid in reducing the risk of cataracts too.

Raspberries are known to assist in blood sugar regulation in humans and as I was researching a new diabetic friendly dog treat for our bakery, I realized that raspberries are toxic to dogs.  Not only are raspberries toxic but strawberries, blueberries, boysenberries and corn cobs.  The corn cobs were a surprise because we have given our dogs fresh cooked corn-on-the-cob during our MN fall season.  Xylitol is toxic to dogs and is common in chewing gum.  With the explosion of sugar substitutes in human food, xylitol is the sugar substitute of choice with our families.

Xylitol is widely distributed throughout nature in small amounts. Some of the best sources are fruits, berries, mushrooms, lettuce, hardwoods and corn cobs.  One cup of raspberries contain less than one gram of xylitol. I realize this sounds like a small amount but it adds up.  Or if your furry child is sensitive to some food ingredients, please be cautious in reading the ingredient labels.

Dog Fancy Magazine is giving away products that won their Editors’ Choice Awards for 2012.  Each month there is a different giveaway and July’s will be a 1-running-dog bike tow leash from Leon Engineering.

You can only enter once for the July 2012 giveaway, by sending them a postcard marked Editors’ Choice Award July 2012 and include your name, address, phone number and email address.

Address to: Dog Fancy, P.O. Box 6050, Mission Viejo, CA  92690-6050.  Deadline is June 22, 2012.

Pilots N Paws is a 501c3 charity that transports rescued animals by air, with help from volunteer pilots and plane owners. This charity was founded in February of 2008 and has continued in making a huge difference in the lives of innocent animals.  I understand that they not only transport rescued animals but military dogs, working dogs and service dogs.

If you are looking for a new and worthy charity to give during 2012, please check out Pilots N Paws at http://pilotsnpaws.org/.

I will be featuring in the coming days, more charities worthy of your donation in 2012.

SHOCKING FACT:  As of January 2012, diabetes mellitus is estimated to strike 1 in 100 dogs which conservatively is at least 7 million dogs in the USA. Source for these figures was the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 2012.

I discovered a website yesterday, that will become one of my valuable resources to pass along on my blog.  It seems that pet food recalls have continued since 2007 – in 2010, 2011 and 2012.  This website has listed all the details about each product recalled (you can locate the recalled products at the bottom of the page).  Here is a sample:

- APRIL 2012 PET FOOD RECALLS -

RECALLED PET FOODS: DIAMOND NATURALS DOG FOOD

PET FOOD COMPANY: Diamond Pet Foods

Pet Food Products In the recall:

DIAMOND PUPPY FORMULA

6 Oz. Samples PRODUCT CODE DPP0401
8 Lb. Bags PRODUCT CODE DPP0401B2XALW Best Before Apr. 7, 2013
20 Lb. Bags PRODUCT CODE DPP0401B22XJW Best Before Apr. 6, 2013
20 Lb. Bags PRODUCT CODE DPP0101C31XME Best Before Jan. 11, 2013
20 Lb. Bags PRODUCT CODE DPP0101C31XRB Best Before Jan. 11, 2012
40 Lb. Bags PRODUCT CODE DPP0401B22XJW Best Before Apr. 6, 2013
40 Lb. Bags PRODUCT CODE DPP0401A21XAW Best Before Apr. 6, 2013
40 Lb. Bags PRODUCT CODE DPP0101C31XME Best Before Jan, 11, 2013
40 Lb. Bags PRODUCT CODE DPP0401B21XDJ Best Before Apr. 7, 2013
Distributed in AL, FL, GA, KY, MD, MI, NC, OH, PA, SC, TN and VA
May have been further distributed to other states through pet food channels.

RECALL REASON/INGREDIENT:  ii SALMONELLA caution: transmittable to humans

More details on pet food recalls: http://www.thedogpress.com/DogFood/Pet-Food-Recalls-2012_Liquorman.asp

Winston is doing fantastic now that we have starting home-cooked meals.  His stool is healthy looking and solid again.  It took two days to get his stool changed and he has his energy back.  No medications involved but just organic human-grade food.  Sweet potatoes, peas, rice, a little apple, beef and he loves it.  I do recommend that you give them a canine multi-vitamin when feeding them homemade meals.

If you have a furry family member that doesn’t get excited with his meals, isn’t eating well or have a consistently loose stool…..consider cooking homemade meals and freezing them for the week.  I do this one evening a week or on a Saturday afternoon.  It isn’t that much extra work for one or two dogs.

If you are interested in several of our recipes, send our bakery an email at bakery@DiabeticDogBakery.com  and it will be our pleasure to send you the recipes.

Howl and Drool along the way!

Staff at the Diabetic Dog Bakery

Howl-dy,

Diabetic dog treats are a healthy and harmless way to keep your dog interested about eating their food. Your dog should be given low-glycemic treats so that they remain energetic and healthy but without raising thier blood sugars. A diabetic dog can live a long and happy life with the correct diet, exercise, insulin treatment and of course, regular low-glycemic treats.

There are many website for helping new diabetic pet owners but keep in mind, that each dog is different and you should watch for signs. We found that no commercial dog food would help our Daisy with stablizing her blood sugars, so we started cooking her food from scratch.  We saw a dramatic difference in her testing levels, her energy level increased and you could tell that she felt better over all.

Recently, we noticed that Winston (our basset hound) was having some problems with loose stools.  We took him into the vet and they tested him for all kinds of things, i.e. tape worms, obstructions in the bowels, etc. but everything came back good.  The vet couldn’t figure it out and so she assumed it must be pancreatitis.  We disagreed but couldn’t figure it out either.  She gave him several medications over the past month but still, he has loose stools.  We have come to the conclusion now that Merrick dog food (organic dog food on the market) which he has eaten for years now, must have changed their recipes or are using a different ingredient vendor and that must be the issue.  I will again…..start home cooked meals for Winston.  We expect that to take care of the loose stool issues within several days.  Stay posted for updates next week on Winston’s condition.

Is anyone interested in some of our recipes for home cooked dog meals?

Howl and Drool along the way!

Staff at the Diabetic Dog Bakery