Question:
I am the proud (well, normally proud) owner of a 5-year-old female basenji/heeler mix. I rescued her about four years ago, and she was very underweight. She got back to a healthy weight, but went into heat, even though she had been spayed. The vet who spayed her performed exploratory surgery and found that he left bits of ovary in her, which continued to produce hormones. After the remaining bits were removed, she began to gain weight rapidly, about 15 pounds in six months.
I shifted her to a diet of Precise Light Formula. After eating, she is always licking her bowl, eating things off the ground and chewing them. Now she's started chewing my belongings. She has always been an avid chewer of bones and chew sticks, but not my personal things. I can't have her chewing shoes, belts and bookbindings when I leave the house.
Will a change in her diet help change this behavior?
R.B., Eden Prairie, MN Jul 26, 2010
Answer:
After being spayed, some dogs suddenly begin to put on weight, a possible endocrine-related hormonal imbalance. Hormone-replacement therapy with DES (diethylstilbestrol) may help, but it has potentially harmful side effects with long-term use. Most manufactured "diet" dog foods are full of fillers, fail to satisfy dogs' appetites, and may be deficient in essential nutrients. So dogs suffer from perpetual hunger.
The supplement L-carnitine can help with weight loss. I would give 250 mg with food, four times daily. Give the dog four small meals using my home-prepared recipe at my website, TwoBitDog.com/DrFox, or from my book "Dog Body, Dog Mind
." Delete the rice ingredient in this recipe. Alternatively, transition your dog onto a raw-food diet like Pepperdogz or Darwin's. The high-cereal and -fat content of many "junk" dog foods is a big factor in the canine obesity epidemic.
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