Akita Health Question
So Hilo LOVES to drink water. He drinks so much sometimes he spits it up. It doesn't happen as much as it used to but it does still happen. Is this normal for Akita? Should I be worried?
We try to monitor his activity before and after he eats or drinks for fear of bloat... but even with us trying to restrict his water and activity before after he drinks it still happens. This weekend we purchased a little stand to raise the water dish off the floor and to a level that's more comfortable for him to drink from. It might be helping, but I feel it's too early to tell. Any other suggestions?
Comments
Brad,
I don't know if it is normal or not, but Jack did it sometimes, and Tasha does as well. Akitas are very messy drinkers.
Raising the bowls actually only helps them to be more comfortable, and I suppose it'd keep food/water from running down their throats (less spit-up?). All my dogs eat/drink from feeders for comfort reasons - I don't want them straining their backs. Especially important for older dogs as arthritis sets in.
Bloat factors:
Older dogs are more likely (although puppies as old as 6 mos can bloat, male, large breed/large chested, high stress, eating too much or too fast after excercise, cold water when dog is overheated, kibble, kibble w/grains or soy or beets, kibble w/out canned added. Soaking kibble doesn't help - just supplies them with more water.
I'd just make sure that Hilo eats canned or raw or HK with his kibbies.
Well if both of your Akita did it then I guess it's gotta be kinda normal for Akita.
Hilo also does a lot of "inward sneezes", he seems to be a very gassy boy. The other week when he was not feeling well after his teeth cleaning/sealing they did some x-rays and saw that he had a large amount of gas in his gut; because of this we have started mixing some pumpkin in his food to give him a little more fiber (our vet suggested it). Any ideas on how to help reduce his gassiness? He is a lot less gassy on Orjin, but he is obviously still pretty gassy.
I'd say to feed him a probiotic about twenty minutes or so before meals. Wrap it in a piece of cheese or peanut butter. I give both my dogs probiotics sprinkled on every meal. If Tasha is more gassy that day, I give it to her before she eats. NOW brand makes a stablized kind that is pretty good and doesn't require fridgeration. I take the same probiotic my dogs do.
I used to 'burp' Jack. Just little pats along his ribs to make him belch. Tasha won't let me - she spazzes.
BTW, yogurt isn't as effective as a probiotic in capsule form, and some dogs don't do well with dairy.
Pumpkin is a great source of fiber, just make sure it's plain pumpkin and not pie filling.
Yea, we give a probiotic to all our dogs, as well as other digestive enzymes.
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* I just wanted to note that while I was posting that last comment Hilo walked into my office and ripped one.
What probiotic are you using? I used to use Prozyme for Nemo and it caused his digestive system to overwork (runny poops). He does well on just regular acidophilus pills (from Trader Joes) or Standard Process' "Enteric Support" which he is on now. So you might want to try different brands to see if they help out.
I would get rid of the elevated dish, I believe they can actually increase the chances of bloat.
How many times a day are you feeding him? I remember my aunts vet recommended two (or more if hilo will go for it) feedings per day to help keep gas build up down for her akita.
We feed him three times a day right now, at some point soon we will switch to twice a day... but right now he is kinda underweight from the stress of the teeth thing. It really upset him, he was not doing too well for a few days.
As for the elevated food dish thing - now I'm concerned. Anyone have any links to articles or background info on this, I am getting conflicting opinions from you guys and others.
We give our pups a probiotic called "PB8", it's a pill w/ powder in it so we can just break the capsule open and sprinkle it on their food. It was recommended to us by our vet. The addition of the probiotic is what took Hilo's poops from being runny to being well formed - the gas issues has always existed for him.
Brad,
I only give the dogs one type of 'gut' formula - the same probiotic I take myself. If you are giving him a probiotic and Prozyme, you might be overdoing. BUT if it's just acidopholus, you can't overdose on that.
The debate to raise or not to raise a food bowl will probably be debated a life time. I raise them enough that there is no strain on the dog's back, neck, joints. Personally, I don't think raising or not raising the bowl has as much to do with bloat as the environment, health, and food. Oh, and definately feed twice a day (three depending on age and health issues).
Brad,
How are Hilo's dental issues since his cleaning/sealing? Is he more comfortable?
Hilo's teeth are great now, they are very smooth and clean. They are even slightly bigger now too. He also seems to be very comfortable since the procedure. Jen used to have a hard time brushing his teeth due to sensitivity, but now it seems he likes it!
After the procedure he got very sick with vomiting and loose stool, but now he is doing fine. He had a bad bacterial overgrowth due to the stress of the procedure.
I am so glad to hear that he is doing so well after his "post-op" miseries. He is such a beautiful boy and such a sweetie.
"One traditional preventative has been to raise the height of food and water bowls, but this was found to actually increase risk by 110 percent. This correlation of risk was verifiable; the dogs of the breeders in this study did not have close relatives that had experienced bloat."
From:
http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=TUFTSBG2003&PID=5091&O=Generic
Info based on studies done at Purdue University, further info on the Purdue studies can be found here:
http://www.vet.purdue.edu/epi/bloat.htm
What is HK canned food?
*It's not a canned food tho, it's a dehydrated RAW diet."The Honest Kitchen" -> http://www.thehonestkitchen.com
Glad that he is feeling better and much more comfortable with his teeth.
Lynx has done also ''inhaled'' water so fast that she would hack a bit. I do not worry about it since it is only occasionally, not often. <-- I am such a liar, I am always like ''are you okay?'', everytime she does this, lol. --> However, at that point, if she continues to drink so quickly, I take the water away. Then put a small amount in my hands, small amount into the bowl or on dripper <-- if from the sink.
I know after a good workout she will want to ''inhale'' the water. So, knowing this, I take the water away. Then let her cool down before offering her the water again.