# Is your GSD healthy?



## AnneJet (Jul 8, 2015)

My GSD has quite a few auto-immune conditions that affect her quality of life. When I asked my vet if my dog seemed to be typical of GSDs health-wise, my vet said that most of the GSDs she sees have similar issues, and it starts young. She did say, however, that my dog may have more issues than the average. 

I'm curious if your dog is relatively healthy? And if so, how old is s/he? 

If your dog has health issues, what are they, and at what age did they start? 

My dog has SIBO, IgA deficiency, Plasmoma, Discoid Lupus, Cauda Equina and some other things that don't affect her quality of life much but do require medication or management. 

Thanks so much for sharing!


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## wick (Mar 7, 2015)

Wick has food allergies and seasonal allergies both of which have cause issues (eye infections, hot spots, itching, soft stools, continuous sneezing/runny nose). He is 7 months, and with a switch of food and relocation (for job) and some supplements he has not had any issues in a few months.


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

Mine is healthy @ 13 months old. No problems


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Robyn will be 4, every now and then her eyes water and I apply a couple drops and she is good for a long time. Midnite will be 3, had allergies but not really anymore, but his ear is red at the moment(pretty sudden)and I'm getting some drops for him. Apollo is almost a year without any issues.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

My last Gsd had EPI,other than that I have owned five perfectly healthy Gsds.


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## Heidigsd (Sep 4, 2004)

Nikki is my second sick GSD, she is 5.5 years old 

*EPI* - symptoms started at one year old
*SIBO & B12 Deficiency* - related to her EPI
*IBD* - also diagnosed at one year old
*Atopy/Food Intolerance* - signs started when she was just a puppy
*Acid Reflux* - this started about three years ago
*Anal Gland problems* - started when she was around six months old. We had to have them surgically removed in 2013


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## AnneJet (Jul 8, 2015)

Thank you, everyone, so far for your replies! I hope many others reply because I so love this breed, and I think my husband and I are a good fit for them as well. 

Wick: I'm intrigued with your reply. You say when you moved, you noticed allergies subsiding. Did you change the food at the same time, or were you able to isolate your dog's change as a result of a new environment?

I ask because when we moved from coastal desert to the Pacific Northwest, my Brittany gradually developed severe allergies I could no longer manage as I had before. She had to go on strong medications to control chronic bronchitis and eventually I had to use a steroid inhaler for her. But when I took her back down to coastal desert, it was clear she improved. And now, *I* am beginning to develop allergies, never having had issues before in my life, but I'd always lived in the desert-type climate. 

And my GSD is now having much more trouble with her eyes beginning in spring and into summer, so I've decided to take her down to California soon to see if she improves. We are beginning to wonder if we might have to move back.


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## AnneJet (Jul 8, 2015)

Argh! I meant to say I'm really happy for those of you who have few if any issues. Yeah!

Heidigsd, ah, my heart goes out to you and your dogs. For me, watching my dog suffer and not being able to fix it is as bad as her being sick and suffering. I wonder if I even suffer more than she does! Things stabilized for Sorrel eventually. thankfully. Wishing you both luck as time passes.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

My dogs are all relatively healthy. 

Nix- 2+ years, no health issues-good hips great dog

Lena-10yr. Has an overgrowth of helicobacter in her stomach. So she bloats if not on meds. And by bloat I mean 2x a day. Was terrifying at first. Not a genetic issue. It's acquired. But other than a very few medical issues (occasional UTI and ear infections- 1 every few years) very healthy. 

Phoster-my labrador, has idiopathic epilepsy. Has a seizure about once a year. Other than that she is healthy. Occasional ear issue(she is a lab) and a "happy tail". 

Ike(RIP)- pano as a pup, then perfectly healthy until Hemangiosarcoma took him at 10yo. 

Hanah(Rip) UTI and Localized Demodex as a pup. Then perfectly healthy until we PTS at 16yo. Toward the end she had a mild heart murmur and mild kidney dysfunction. Nothing weird based on her age.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Fourteen months old and perfectly healthy.

She took some time to "grow into her gut" and we did have some tests done to be safe, but they came back normal.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

I have a 5 year old who is a walking disaster. Allergies, epilepsy, DM, and severe anxiety. The allergies and anxiety started almost immediately, when he was a year old or so (he's always had a very soft temperament). The epilepsy has been the last three or so years, and the DM just started this year. I have a two year old who is fit as a fiddle.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Onyx has environmental allergies, they make her miserable. She suffered from several bouts of panosteitis when she was young. 
I recently lost almost 10 yr old Kacie to cancer, she was fairly healthy until she got cancer, and it took her quickly. Her conformation was a mess, though....bad elbows, probably hips and her dentition alignment was horrible. 
Karlo is very healthy, he contracted Leptospirosis last summer and it almost killed him, but he recovered well, kidneys included. I am grateful to have him with me still.
Gambit is still a young pup, so far very healthy.
All my dogs are raw fed and have rock solid gut/digestion. 
I vaccinate minimally and try to stay with holistic methods.


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## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

Both of mine completely healthy. They are full sisters, 3 years apart. Their Grandfather" passed away at 13 but was in great shape up til then.


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## Heidigsd (Sep 4, 2004)

AnneJet said:


> Heidigsd, ah, my heart goes out to you and your dogs. For me, watching my dog suffer and not being able to fix it is as bad as her being sick and suffering. I wonder if I even suffer more than she does! Things stabilized for Sorrel eventually. thankfully. Wishing you both luck as time passes.


I think we really suffer more than they do. We just came back from Texas A&M on Tuesday where she had to have a scope because her acid reflux was acting up pretty regular here lately. Dropping her off just about rips my heart out  When the doctor brought her out to the waiting area after her procedure, he said she checked every exam room looking for me. 

Sometimes I think the special ones find us because they know we'll take care of them. I wouldn't trade Nikki for anything...she really is the love of my life :wub:


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Heidigsd said:


> Nikki is my second sick GSD, she is 5.5 years old
> 
> *EPI* - symptoms started at one year old
> *SIBO & B12 Deficiency* - related to her EPI
> ...


Do you know how other littermates have done healthwise and is the breeder aware of all these issues?


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## Heidigsd (Sep 4, 2004)

onyx'girl said:


> Do you know how other littermates have done healthwise and is the breeder aware of all these issues?


I was in touch with two people that had puppies from the same litter for a while. I know one of her brothers also had demodex mites, Nikki had them as a puppy, forgot to add that to her long list.

Yes, her breeder was informed immediately. He doesn't know about her acid reflux because I am no longer in touch with him but he's aware of the rest.


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## Kahrg4 (Dec 19, 2012)

Cafall is healthy! He'll be 3 years old in a couple months. He has a sensitive stomach to any food changes but that's normal for the breed. He came from a reputable breeder. 

Efa on the other hand is a veritable cornucopia of issues. She had seizures when she was younger, has had a couple UTIs, and is currently battling green eye goop from allergies. She was a rescue from poor genetics.


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## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

Ollie is almost 3 and so far no major issues, he does have a sensitive stomach and does have an allergy to grains but switching to a raw diet cleared up all his tummy and stool issues. Now he's beaming with health, I think this is why responsible breeding is SO important for this breed.

Our previous GSD who was a stray didn't have major health issues per say but she got cancer twice and two different kinds... We ended up losing her to complications from chemo.


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## Rangers_mom (May 16, 2013)

Ranger just turned 3 and so far he is relatively healthy. He just got his first ear infection a few days ago but he already seems to be improving after two days of ear drops. Hopefully it is not an allergy thing. The vet said it might be and that would stink. He also has a very sensitive stomach but he is generally okay if I am careful about what I feed him.

I know that he has at least one litter mate with extreme allergy problems. Rocky ( the littermate) was dropped from the Seeing Eye program at 8 months because of the severity of the allergies. I vaguely remeber being told that there were a couple other pups in the litter with serious health problems as well and they were likely to be dropped from the program too. Considering that The Seeing Eye breeds only for health and temperament I find it both surprising and sad that so many are dropped from the program for health issues. I was told that the drop rate was much higher for the GSDs than for the labs.


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## AnneJet (Jul 8, 2015)

Wow! Thanks for all your responses - keep 'em coming, I'm reading them all!

The purpose of my question may be obvious...my girl is getting up there (11 1/2) and beginning to lose ground. I'm so very sad. I am trying to ignore what appears to be signs of DM, and let's just say I'm turning a blind eye as long as I can.

I can't imagine living without a dog. I think a house without a dog is horribly empty. A house without a dog can never be a home, well, MY home, anyway. So I'm wondering if I want to take the chance of repeating these last 11-12 years with another GSD. My dog is like my child. When I commit, that's all there is to it, and financial and physical resources are funneled where they need to go. I won't even consider adding up all my expenses over the years, but financially, I've done without many times to cover procedures and good care and monthly management for my girl. 

I don't know if I want to take a chance and have this happen again.

But like you say, Heidigsd, perhaps they find us because they know we'll care for them. I just saw the vet a few weeks ago, and she marveled at how good Sorrel looked, how good her lab results were and said that with anyone else, Sorrel would be long dead. That was a bit of a shocker, but I know it's true. I admit I've thought many times how glad I am she came to me because I don't know if too many others would have done all that she's needed. 

Thanks - I'm reading every one of your posts, and thanks again for sharing!


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Stark
6 years old
Male / Intact

- food and environmental allergies 
- skin issues (related to environmental allergies)
- gut issues (constant bacterial issues - seasonal)
- weakness in back leg (xrays, MRI and other tests all come back "inconclusive")

Zefra (half sibling to Stark - share the same sire)
4 years old
Female / Spayed

- gut issues (constant bacterial issues - seasonal usually)
- anal gland issues (possibly removing this year  )


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## wick (Mar 7, 2015)

AnneJet said:


> Thank you, everyone, so far for your replies! I hope many others reply because I so love this breed, and I think my husband and I are a good fit for them as well.
> 
> Wick: I'm intrigued with your reply. You say when you moved, you noticed allergies subsiding. Did you change the food at the same time, or were you able to isolate your dog's change as a result of a new environment?
> 
> ...


We did do it at different times, we move around for my fiances job and while living in CA Wick only had itchy feet/skin which was cleared up with a food change, but when we moved to PA he began to have allergies in his eyes really bad (red swollen and goobers every day all of a sudden), we left PA and went to MT and he stopped having any irritation in his eyes at all and I haven't seen a goober since! So I guess he really wasn't fully healthy until a couple weeks ago when the eye irritations stopped completely with that move, But it was definitely night and day when leaving the east coast.

We are now in GA so hopefully he has no allergies here! Also I have read for both humans and dogs that eating raw local honey/pollen can significantly reduce allergies. It's worth giving it a try  just make sure to do your research if you do because I am not qualified or an expert and I find my information on the Internet! 

Also I have visited the vet for all of my issues, and apparently with the heavy pollen load this year the allergies are way worse than usual even for our poor pets. My vet said for his eyes use a warm wash cloth compress to wipe often through out the day, it eases discomfort and clears the debris to lessen the chances of infection, so if you don't already do that it may help  

I'm just curious (and sorry if you already mentioned it) but what do you feed her? We feed Wick grain free chicken free food (we use merrick Texas beef and turkey mixed) he does awesome on it.


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## McWeagle (Apr 23, 2014)

Frankie - 6 yrs old, spayed very young, has mild hip dysplasia (never OFA'd, that's my guess - first vets said her hips looked good, second vet to see them said they weren't good but she'd seen wayyy worse and that in the grand scheme of things they were alright ), gets UTIs once or twice a year and has very mild leakage (damp-ish spots on the bed every once in a while), also has an ACL strain. She also had some pretty nasty eye gunk till she was about 1. Her gut is good but she has a very high metabolism and was quite thin till she was 2. No known allergies.

Nox - 13 mos old, intact, haven't done hip/elbows yet, seems uber healthy so far (knock on wood). No known allergies, good metabolism, no gut issues. The only thing I've noticed with him is he tends to get itchy if we go swimming a lot. After a bath or 2 with anti-itch he's good again.


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## Heidigsd (Sep 4, 2004)

Wow! Thanks for all your responses - keep 'em coming, I'm reading them all!

The purpose of my question may be obvious...my girl is getting up there (11 1/2) and beginning to lose ground. I'm so very sad. I am trying to ignore what appears to be signs of DM, and let's just say I'm turning a blind eye as long as I can. 

I can't imagine living without a dog. I think a house without a dog is horribly empty. A house without a dog can never be a home, well, MY home, anyway. So I'm wondering if I want to take the chance of repeating these last 11-12 years with another GSD. My dog is like my child. When I commit, that's all there is to it, and financial and physical resources are funneled where they need to go. I won't even consider adding up all my expenses over the years, but financially, I've done without many times to cover procedures and good care and monthly management for my girl. When I lost my Heidi I couldn't even look at another dog at first. As the weeks went by the house just seemed so empty and it took about 7 months before I was ready to consider getting another GSD but I am so glad I did. I can't imagine not having Nikki and she helped me get over losing Heidi. 

There are no guarantees that you will end up with a healthy dog next time but you can stack the odds in your favor if you can find a good breeder. Have you considered getting health insurance for your next dog? I insured Nikki when she was six weeks old and that was the best decision ever. At least this helps with the financial part if health issues should pop up again but it doesn't help with the constant worry that comes with a sick dog of course 

But like you say, Heidigsd, perhaps they find us because they know we'll care for them. I just saw the vet a few weeks ago, and she marveled at how good Sorrel looked, how good her lab results were and said that with anyone else, Sorrel would be long dead. That was a bit of a shocker, but I know it's true. I admit I've thought many times how glad I am she came to me because I don't know if too many others would have done all that she's needed. She's lucky to have you


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

Aiden will be 6 in a few days (intact male) and has been mostly healthy his entire life. He did have an allergic reaction to some bug bites recently, but thats the worst its been for him.

Carma is 2.5 (intact female) and entirely healthy other than the few complications with the whelping of her current litter.


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## AnneJet (Jul 8, 2015)

Wick says: 

So I guess he really wasn't fully healthy until a couple weeks ago when the eye irritations stopped completely with that move, But it was definitely night and day when leaving the east coast.

We are now in GA so hopefully he has no allergies here! Also I have read for both humans and dogs that eating raw local honey/pollen can significantly reduce allergies. It's worth giving it a try  just make sure to do your research if you do because I am not qualified or an expert and I find my information on the Internet! 

Also I have visited the vet for all of my issues, and apparently with the heavy pollen load this year the allergies are way worse than usual even for our poor pets. My vet said for his eyes use a warm wash cloth compress to wipe often through out the day, it eases discomfort and clears the debris to lessen the chances of infection, so if you don't already do that it may help  

I'm just curious (and sorry if you already mentioned it) but what do you feed her? We feed Wick grain free chicken free food (we use merrick Texas beef and turkey mixed) he does awesome on it.[/QUOTE]


OK, I'm trying figure out the quote function, and I'll see if what I did works. Nope, I see in preview mode it did not. I'll figure it out in a bit and will get with the program, no worries, but until then, you're in blue, Wick.

Yes, I've also heard of eating local honey to help with allergies. I actually went looking for some at one point, but I didn't follow through. It's a good idea about the warm wash cloth. I think I'm going to do that. Sorrel has that green gunk that won't stop oozing, too. The vet prescribed antibiotic infused pred drops, and I'm resisting filling the prescription. I try to do things holistically, and I find most of the time it works, but I don't want to mess with the eyes. Thanks for the tips.

Sorrel is highly allergic to proteins. Two sardines landed her in the ER on IV oozing blood from both ends. OK, only one end was oozing; the stomach came out the traditional way. 

The only meat she can eat is lamb, venison, and pork, so 95% of her meat is pork, and the rest lamb. I buy a lamb shoulder once a month. I don't feed raw, cook the meat in the pressure cooker. The carbs I have to monitor extremely closely. I give cooked butternut squash, pumpkin, spaghetti squash, zucchini, and when her gut is in good shape sweet potatoes, and it's really weird, but the only fat she can tolerate is lamb fat. Olive oil and coconut oil mess up her gut within a few meals. Obviously, fish out is totally out. Flax oil has its problems, too. It's hard to get any EFAs into her. 

I actually buy the fattiest lamb I can find and pressure cook it and then let the fat congeal on the top of the broth in the fridge and then freeze the fat and crumble it onto her meals. I also have to go easy with the fat. SIBO is a hard thing to keep under control, but with careful tweaking and watching her stool closely, I'm happy to say I've figured out how to keep her from having horrible gut bouts. I give weekly B12 and folate injections to combat the SIBO. I never thought I'd ever be able to give injections! Tylosan I'm keeping as a last resort emergency to control the SIBO. I hope to never have to go there. 

I also began about 6 months ago to give her some dry food. It's very difficult to find a dry LID for her, but I found one: Nature's Variety LID Lamb and peas. She loves the stuff like it's candy! I have to be careful with it, though, because of the relatively high carb content. I wanted to find something I could give her when traveling or in the event I couldn't cook her food for some reason. 

Oh, and I also give her nori seaweed, which she loves. I go easy on it, and I also cook pork hearts with her pork, but give a very small percentage compared to the regular pork. 

I cut out grains many years ago. I'd started out feeding her rice or oats, but it became clear pretty early on that she didn't do well on grains, so the carbs are sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and a variety of squashes. She loves carrots, but they are too high carb, so I used them only as treats. 

Schew! I bet you didn't think you'd get that kind of answer, did you! I look forward to the day when asked this question, I can give a line or two answer. But then again, I think I'll always cook for my dogs, so maybe I'll always be long-winded when it comes to "And what do you feed your dogs, then?" :blush:


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## AnneJet (Jul 8, 2015)

Heidigsd said:


> Wow! Thanks for all your responses - keep 'em coming, I'm reading them all!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I've never really thought to go with insurance. I have so much trouble with my own that I couldn't imagine trying to work with a pet insurance, but I think I will look into it in the future. You know, it's hard to know a good breeder...I flew across the country to get Sorrel, went through one heck of an interview process with references, etc, to get Sorrel. The breeder is a highly respected GSD breeder and trainer, but all I can say is it feels like a crap shoot, the luck of the draw. But now that I've joined this forum, I'm going to listen, listen, listen.

You know, I thought the same thing about you when I read your posts - that your dogs are lucky to have you.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

I'm curious if your dog is relatively healthy? And if so, how old is s/he? 
*Titan 5 years old. He is relatively healthy. Small health issues but nothing too crazy. Sees the vet about once a year for his annual and that's it. Glad too, because we live about 45 minutes from our vet! I would be forced to get a closer one if he had more issues. *

If your dog has health issues, what are they, and at what age did they start? 
*I will say though that while he is relatively healthy, he has food allergies which** are taken care of with just watching what he eats, **and he has a compulsive disorder with tail chasing, but I hardly classify that as unhealthy--it does not effect his quality of life, he doesn't have medications for it or any other neurological symptoms, just spins with certain triggers. So we anticipate the triggers and redirect. GSDs are prone to compulsive disorders so this didn't surprise me when I finally learned about it. *

Sorry your guys is having so many issues  It's never fun when that happens.


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## Cheyanna (Aug 18, 2012)

Fiona is a 3 year old intact female. She has had 3-4 ear infections in her 3 years. A few months ago she was diagnosed with mild HD treated with supplements. I do have pet insurance (Vpi) and have been nothing but pleased.

Gilda is Fiona's litter mate sister. She is no longer intact. 18 months ago I noticed a lump on her right front leg. It has been biopsied several times. It is an E. coli infection... In her leg ... Yes the poop germ .. In her leg. Treating her with lots of antibiotics. May never get rid of it because it is in the bone. Other that that perfectly healthy.

Neither dog seem nothing less than perfect. Neither limp or act in pain.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

AnneJet-wow.. I finally ready the whole thread. I am so happy that your girl has you. You are doing what not many outside of this forum would do and that's truly tend to her illnesses and create a life for her that is worth living.

As for everyone else going through there troublesome health issues with their pups, I'm sorry y'all are dealing with those, but again, glad they have you to be in their corner. 

Titan had pretty bad allergies growing up, but I didn't realize it was food until a little over a year ago. He is allergic to.. in this order (of severity).. Rice, Turkey, Venison, Salmon, Eggs, Peas, and Oats. Took a long time to find a food without any of them and to find treats he could have that he actually liked. We have him alternating between 2 different "flavors" of Canine Caviar and a few homemade treat brands, and then some treats we make ourselves. But after we found out this was causing a lot of his itching and problems and switch his food and treats, we have little issue with his allergies, thank goodness! It was a long road to figure out though, I am happy he is happy and not itchy now.


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## wick (Mar 7, 2015)

AnneJet said:


> Wick says:
> 
> So I guess he really wasn't fully healthy until a couple weeks ago when the eye irritations stopped completely with that move, But it was definitely night and day when leaving the east coast.
> 
> ...





OK, I'm trying figure out the quote function, and I'll see if what I did works. Nope, I see in preview mode it did not. I'll figure it out in a bit and will get with the program, no worries, but until then, you're in blue, Wick.

Yes, I've also heard of eating local honey to help with allergies. I actually went looking for some at one point, but I didn't follow through. It's a good idea about the warm wash cloth. I think I'm going to do that. Sorrel has that green gunk that won't stop oozing, too. The vet prescribed antibiotic infused pred drops, and I'm resisting filling the prescription. I try to do things holistically, and I find most of the time it works, but I don't want to mess with the eyes. Thanks for the tips.

Sorrel is highly allergic to proteins. Two sardines landed her in the ER on IV oozing blood from both ends. OK, only one end was oozing; the stomach came out the traditional way.









The only meat she can eat is lamb, venison, and pork, so 95% of her meat is pork, and the rest lamb. I buy a lamb shoulder once a month. I don't feed raw, cook the meat in the pressure cooker. The carbs I have to monitor extremely closely. I give cooked butternut squash, pumpkin, spaghetti squash, zucchini, and when her gut is in good shape sweet potatoes, and it's really weird, but the only fat she can tolerate is lamb fat. Olive oil and coconut oil mess up her gut within a few meals. Obviously, fish out is totally out. Flax oil has its problems, too. It's hard to get any EFAs into her. 

I actually buy the fattiest lamb I can find and pressure cook it and then let the fat congeal on the top of the broth in the fridge and then freeze the fat and crumble it onto her meals. I also have to go easy with the fat. SIBO is a hard thing to keep under control, but with careful tweaking and watching her stool closely, I'm happy to say I've figured out how to keep her from having horrible gut bouts. I give weekly B12 and folate injections to combat the SIBO. I never thought I'd ever be able to give injections! Tylosan I'm keeping as a last resort emergency to control the SIBO. I hope to never have to go there. 

I also began about 6 months ago to give her some dry food. It's very difficult to find a dry LID for her, but I found one: Nature's Variety LID Lamb and peas. She loves the stuff like it's candy! I have to be careful with it, though, because of the relatively high carb content. I wanted to find something I could give her when traveling or in the event I couldn't cook her food for some reason. 

Oh, and I also give her nori seaweed, which she loves. I go easy on it, and I also cook pork hearts with her pork, but give a very small percentage compared to the regular pork. 

I cut out grains many years ago. I'd started out feeding her rice or oats, but it became clear pretty early on that she didn't do well on grains, so the carbs are sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and a variety of squashes. She loves carrots, but they are too high carb, so I used them only as treats. 

Schew! I bet you didn't think you'd get that kind of answer, did you! I look forward to the day when asked this question, I can give a line or two answer. But then again, I think I'll always cook for my dogs, so maybe I'll always be long-winded when it comes to "And what do you feed your dogs, then?"







[/QUOTE]

Wick had a lot of green goop in his eyes, and even when they got infected our vet said that we definitely only needed to do the eye drops if we really wanted to but that the warm compress multiple times a day was plenty, so as long as you are keeping an eye on them and keeping your vet in the loop you probably are fine not using the antibiotic drops (as long as she doesn't seem to be in pain or something). We like to go natural as much as possible too. 

Raw local honey is almost always at farmers markets so if you just look into your closest one (most towns and cities have them even when we never see them) by googling it it should be pretty easy to find, especially in the summer. 

Wow she is so lucky to have you cooking for her! That must be such hard work, I'm glad you found a "just in case" kibble. That's too bad that she doesn't tolerate healthy fats easily  Wick loves a lamb based protien but it gives him acid reflux really bad so we had to switch to foods where it wasn't the main protien.


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## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

Kyleigh is 4 years old and has never been to the vet for anything but check ups! 

She can eat anything (but chooses not to eat veggies LOL), she's quite the athlete, has no allergies, no ear infections, no skin problems, absolutely NOTHING!

(She did get a hot spot once, but figured that out quick and have never had to deal with it again!)


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Sabi had some skin issues, was diagnosed with HD but never had an issue and was PTS just shy of 13 due to advancing DM.
She saw the vet once a year, was spayed at 3.5, and had no vacs after age 2.
Bud is 13, intact, from DDR/Czech breeding if I recall, has been for check ups and had no vacs since age 1 and has had zero health issues.
We have noticed some slowing down, but he's 13.
Shadow is almost 5, has food allergies, a bad heart, weak lungs, poor vision and possible hearing issues. I have not tested for DM, nor have I xrayed her hips because frankly, I don't want to know. She is intact and has had no vacs since 6 mnths.
Sabi came from a byb, Bud from a breeder and Shadow from a puppy farm.

Bear in mind that I live in Alberta, Canada where we have no rabies, no heartworm, haven't seen distemper or lepto in years. We have no laws about vacs.


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## AnneJet (Jul 8, 2015)

Again, thanks EVERYONE for your input. I'm reading every post and am putting together a very unscientific and quite informal survey and will report back with my results after people stop responding. 

I'd like to reply to every poster, but that would be obnoxious. I think my little minion avatar (which will soon be changing) might be showing up a bit too frequently in this thread. My heart goes out to those of you who are having health issues with your dogs, and I feel joy for those of you whose dogs are thriving with few to no health issues. 

Many thanks! aw: :happyboogie:aw:


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## astrovan2487 (May 29, 2014)

Pasta is just over 15 and 5 months old, she is a rescue, I got her when she was 5 so I don't know what her health was like her first 5 years. At first she had a very sensitive stomach but got over that when she was about 11-12. She has never had any major issues aside from the fact that she is extremely anxious. Now she is ancient and is hard of hearing, can't see well and has arthritis and hind end weakness but is overall extremely healthy for her age. Her anxiety has calmed down as she got older. I really feel lucky for having such a healthy, old dog


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

I have probably owned around 30 German Shepherds, all intact. Two had hip dysplasia, one a rescue and one a WL/SL cross who also had food allergies as did her sibling. One has food allergies, switched to raw, no more problems. Lost one at 9 years to cancer.

All in all, they were very healthy and hardy.


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