A natural alternative to steroids for my doggy?
Discussion
My 9yr old standard poodle has chronic bronchitis which s being treated with one Corvental D and one 5mg Prednidale (steroid) every day. The steroids are causing various issues, the worse one being that my dogs weight is steadily climbing and she is currently 8KG over the maximum suggested weight for her breed 
If i give her any less than she is getting now (which is a very small does anyway) her cough comes back..
Does anyone know of any alternative i can try?
If i give her any less than she is getting now (which is a very small does anyway) her cough comes back..
Does anyone know of any alternative i can try?
She normally gets two walks a day, totalling about an hour but she also goes down to the park a few times a week for a much longer walk. She has a problem with her back which makes her back legs quite weak so she really doesn't tend to run around or play with other dogs anymore, she just walks. I am fairly sure i could outrun her and i am not exactly a long distance runner myself 
As far as food goes i am trying to reduce what i give her. she was getting 3 tins of Pedigree with some dry food mixed in but she doesn't like dry food so a lot of that got left in the bowl.
She is now getting two tins a day along with some dry treats that she likes. I was probably guilty of giving her too many little treats in the form of pigs ear strips and things like that but she is lucky to get a little one in the evening now.
She is still putting on nearly a Kilo a month, and constantly bugging me for food like she hasn't eaten in days
As far as food goes i am trying to reduce what i give her. she was getting 3 tins of Pedigree with some dry food mixed in but she doesn't like dry food so a lot of that got left in the bowl.
She is now getting two tins a day along with some dry treats that she likes. I was probably guilty of giving her too many little treats in the form of pigs ear strips and things like that but she is lucky to get a little one in the evening now.
She is still putting on nearly a Kilo a month, and constantly bugging me for food like she hasn't eaten in days
Shuvi Tupya said:
She normally gets two walks a day, totalling about an hour but she also goes down to the park a few times a week for a much longer walk. She has a problem with her back which makes her back legs quite weak so she really doesn't tend to run around or play with other dogs anymore, she just walks. I am fairly sure i could outrun her and i am not exactly a long distance runner myself
As far as food goes i am trying to reduce what i give her. she was getting 3 tins of Pedigree with some dry food mixed in but she doesn't like dry food so a lot of that got left in the bowl.
She is now getting two tins a day along with some dry treats that she likes. I was probably guilty of giving her too many little treats in the form of pigs ear strips and things like that but she is lucky to get a little one in the evening now.
She is still putting on nearly a Kilo a month, and constantly bugging me for food like she hasn't eaten in days
How big are the tins of pedigree?As far as food goes i am trying to reduce what i give her. she was getting 3 tins of Pedigree with some dry food mixed in but she doesn't like dry food so a lot of that got left in the bowl.
She is now getting two tins a day along with some dry treats that she likes. I was probably guilty of giving her too many little treats in the form of pigs ear strips and things like that but she is lucky to get a little one in the evening now.
She is still putting on nearly a Kilo a month, and constantly bugging me for food like she hasn't eaten in days
It seems like she gets a decent amount of exercise and given that her legs are a bit weak then forcing her to do more could just create more problems. My best guess would be to look at the nutritional content of the food yo uare giving and the amounts you are giving it in, Have in mind the fact that she does not move about as much as a younger dog and therefore doesn't burn as much up. Also don't feed her after 6 or 7pm as she will just sleep with a full stomach and put it on as weight.
Edited by R300will on Tuesday 7th February 19:13
The tins are 400 grams. OH, and i do give her a small lamb bone on most days too.
She is eating one right now,maybe you are onto something with me feeding her in the evenings though as i have only recently started giving her her last meal at 6pm. When she was eating 3 times a day her last meal was usually at 8-9pm.
I have tried her on all sorts of dried foods and expensive wet foods and the only thing she seems to eat consistently is the cheapo pedigree stuff.
The guy i got her from warned me that she would be in my bins if i gave her the chancebut she has never done that so i guess i must be feeding her more than he did
She is eating one right now,maybe you are onto something with me feeding her in the evenings though as i have only recently started giving her her last meal at 6pm. When she was eating 3 times a day her last meal was usually at 8-9pm.
I have tried her on all sorts of dried foods and expensive wet foods and the only thing she seems to eat consistently is the cheapo pedigree stuff.
The guy i got her from warned me that she would be in my bins if i gave her the chancebut she has never done that so i guess i must be feeding her more than he did
mr2mk1chick said:
Chat to your vet or vet nurse, as they may advise a low calorie dry diet food. this will bulk up inside and make your dog feel full without all the calories. Also feed carrots as low fat treats
My vet has indeed advised me to put my dog on their super expensive diet dog food, it would cost me a fortune to feed her on that stuff as she is a large dog anyway. Her proper weight is around 30kg.I do give her veggies sometimes but she won't eat carrots
I will see if i can find some cheaper diet food on the net, thanks
Shuvi Tupya said:
mr2mk1chick said:
Chat to your vet or vet nurse, as they may advise a low calorie dry diet food. this will bulk up inside and make your dog feel full without all the calories. Also feed carrots as low fat treats
My vet has indeed advised me to put my dog on their super expensive diet dog food, it would cost me a fortune to feed her on that stuff as she is a large dog anyway. Her proper weight is around 30kg.I do give her veggies sometimes but she won't eat carrots
I will see if i can find some cheaper diet food on the net, thanks
There should be a weight watcher nurse at your vets that can offer advice and support for you and your dog.
I am that nurse at my practice and I can honestly tell you most of my patients are not on the 'super expensive food' but if their own diets don't work I will suggest it.
Please look at the bigger picture. Six months of strict diet on expensive food (though tins of chum aren't cheap) but with results or continuing as you are and watching your dog continue to gain weight.
8kg is a lot (prob 20% over) getting this off will help legs and chest.
Try changing to chappie tins instead of chum if you really will not consider the vets advice. Be really honest re ALL the extras given, most should be halved at least. Pigs ears are high fat.
I could go on but really you should be seeing a nurse at the vets every 2-3 wks for monitoring (usually foc) to do this properly.
Re the steroids I don't know of alternatives but this is a low dose and it may be worth asking your vet if missing a dose every few days is a possibility or not.
A dog does not have to put on weight because of steroids but it does mean more caution is needed re diet to avoid it.
I am that nurse at my practice and I can honestly tell you most of my patients are not on the 'super expensive food' but if their own diets don't work I will suggest it.
Please look at the bigger picture. Six months of strict diet on expensive food (though tins of chum aren't cheap) but with results or continuing as you are and watching your dog continue to gain weight.
8kg is a lot (prob 20% over) getting this off will help legs and chest.
Try changing to chappie tins instead of chum if you really will not consider the vets advice. Be really honest re ALL the extras given, most should be halved at least. Pigs ears are high fat.
I could go on but really you should be seeing a nurse at the vets every 2-3 wks for monitoring (usually foc) to do this properly.
Re the steroids I don't know of alternatives but this is a low dose and it may be worth asking your vet if missing a dose every few days is a possibility or not.
A dog does not have to put on weight because of steroids but it does mean more caution is needed re diet to avoid it.
I am guessing that my vet does not have such a person as i have been tracking her weight gain using their scales and they have not been able to give me any decent advice. They seem to just accept that weight gain will be an issue with a dog on steroids
It looks like the problem is as you all suspect though, and it is probably down to me, and my feeding habits!
Sometimes, you have to be 'cruel' to be kind..She just makes me feel so guilty when she starts begging.
It looks like the problem is as you all suspect though, and it is probably down to me, and my feeding habits!
Sometimes, you have to be 'cruel' to be kind..She just makes me feel so guilty when she starts begging.
Last night I was posting after one hell of a thumping headache. I'd got home from wk 7.40pm and took meds then collapsed into bed. As a result my reply was a bit matter of fact and presumptive, I am sorry about that.
If you need advice pm me and I'll do what I can to help. It will be harder due to the steroids but we should be able to do something and not take all her enjoyment away re food.
Don't feel you have to pm me though, I'll leave it up to you.
If you need advice pm me and I'll do what I can to help. It will be harder due to the steroids but we should be able to do something and not take all her enjoyment away re food.
Don't feel you have to pm me though, I'll leave it up to you.
Have a look at this website (this page may not be perfect)....
http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/dog-whe...
You can also try a homeopathic vet (google should find one near you)
http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/dog-whe...
You can also try a homeopathic vet (google should find one near you)
Bex,
No offence taken
I won't PM you as i think any info you have to share might be useful to the other PH doggy owners too, we might as well keep it on the forum if that is ok with you?
I am also going to take her condition more seriously (bronchitis) and make an effort to make sure that nobody smokes when she is around, maybe i can get rid of the need for the steroids just by making her environment more suitable.
She used to live in the kitchen at her last owners house, they were both smokers but she was not in the room with them. I want her in the room with me so i need to make sacrifices for her good, and mine probaby!
Thanks for taking the time to respond
No offence taken
I won't PM you as i think any info you have to share might be useful to the other PH doggy owners too, we might as well keep it on the forum if that is ok with you?
I am also going to take her condition more seriously (bronchitis) and make an effort to make sure that nobody smokes when she is around, maybe i can get rid of the need for the steroids just by making her environment more suitable.
She used to live in the kitchen at her last owners house, they were both smokers but she was not in the room with them. I want her in the room with me so i need to make sacrifices for her good, and mine probaby!
Thanks for taking the time to respond
Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff