Urinary Problems and BARF

crazy_puppy · 11-29-2005, 10:41 PM

Hi all, just a quick question for y'all.
Is it ok to feed a dog BARF that has a psychosomatic urinary problem?
The owner has him on (vet reccomended) Urinary formula dry kibble...Its not the best make either (Royal Canin) . Anyways I was just wondering if a dog like this would benefit from BARF. Would any changes have to be made to the BARF before he could consume it(meaning, leaving stuff out or adding certain things in..)
He is a 5(appx) y/o Boxer male.

Shalva · 11-30-2005, 07:38 AM

I have been feeding a raw diet for many years now and I don't feel qualified to answer that question for a dog with a known medical problem.... I would feel more comfortable sending you to a holistic vet..... or a homeopathic vet than making any suggestions.

While traditional veterinarians spend very little time discussing diet in veterinary school..... holistic veterinarians spend a great deal of time discussing diet and more holistic approaches and they would have know more about the medical condition that you are discussing.... before I would change a pup off a prescription diet I would want to talk to a holistic vet.

I am a big proponant of raw diets for almost every dog... the reality is that real foods are always better than processed ... but I would guess that the proportions necessary to control the urinary problem might be different than what I feed my young healthy dogs..... I would want to get that information from someone that really knows..... either who has a dog with the same problem who is also feeding a raw diet or from a vet who knows and understands the premise of raw diets and the medical condition.
S

GSD · 11-30-2005, 07:43 AM

I guess we would be able to give a more concise answer if we knew with a little more detail what the urinary problem was. "Psychosomatic" is a pretty broad term, and I don't deal with animals so I can't say I've ever heard it used to diagnose a dog before. Humans are a whole other animal as they say.

crazy_puppy · 11-30-2005, 01:02 PM

Well basically the dog "thinks" he's sick and the urinary problem is all in his head. He has nothing wrong with him at all. He thinks he cant pee, and will leak urine all over the couch and bed. When out for a walk he tries to pee about 5 times....just little squirts. A while ago( a year or so) he had stones in his bladder. Those were all treated. Check out my other thread about him to give you an idea about the problems he has. I really did'nt know how to help my friend with him so I recomended a change of diet and more exercise....

doberkim · 11-30-2005, 05:43 PM

the dog needs a further work up - its not "pyschosomatic". the dog probably has an actual physical problem that has as yet, gone undiagnosed.

as the dog has contrast studies (cystourethrogram, IVP, etc), an abdominal untrasound, urine culture, etc? you cant say what a diet will do to a dog without knowing what is wrong. i would seek out the advice of a specialist to find out what is wrong with the dog .

Shalva · 11-30-2005, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doberkim

the dog needs a further work up - its not "pyschosomatic". the dog probably has an actual physical problem that has as yet, gone undiagnosed.

as the dog has contrast studies (cystourethrogram, IVP, etc), an abdominal untrasound, urine culture, etc? you cant say what a diet will do to a dog without knowing what is wrong. i would seek out the advice of a specialist to find out what is wrong with the dog .

I agree, dogs don't fake it or have psych issues that make them think they are sick... they just are and if they are acting sick and leaking urine there is something going on ..... time to get a second third fourth opinion
s

feinwerkbau · 12-06-2005, 10:40 AM

Here's my take.

Get the actual urinalysis and lab reports and discuss with your vet exactly what in the dietary equation is causing / contributes to the UTI.

Urinary specific diets are targetted at re-arranging the balance of proteins, acids and alkilis, among other things.

Once you've found out, you can then tailor a Home-Made (not too sure about BARF as most BARF diets are untested and not analysed for specific breakdowns) diet that custom-tailors the diet for your dog's condition.

Such recipies are usually readily available in vetrinary dietary / nutritional references, or you could search for a vetrinary reference book (sorry, I can't remember the name) that gives very specific analysis of different food groups and makes specific recommendations for altering balances.

Again, I'm sorry I couldn;t be more specific.

11-29-2005, 10:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
crazy_puppy Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: USA Posts: 169 Rep Power: 61	Urinary Problems and BARF Hi all, just a quick question for y'all. Is it ok to feed a dog BARF that has a psychosomatic urinary problem? The owner has him on (vet reccomended) Urinary formula dry kibble...Its not the best make either (Royal Canin) . Anyways I was just wondering if a dog like this would benefit from BARF. Would any changes have to be made to the BARF before he could consume it(meaning, leaving stuff out or adding certain things in..) He is a 5(appx) y/o Boxer male.
	__________________ "Take this trouble for me, make sure my German Shepherd Dog remains a WORKING dog, for I have struggled all my life for that aim"- Max Von Stephanitz on his deathbed.

11-30-2005, 01:02 PM	#4 (permalink)
crazy_puppy Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: USA Posts: 169 Rep Power: 61	Well basically the dog "thinks" he's sick and the urinary problem is all in his head. He has nothing wrong with him at all. He thinks he cant pee, and will leak urine all over the couch and bed. When out for a walk he tries to pee about 5 times....just little squirts. A while ago( a year or so) he had stones in his bladder. Those were all treated. Check out my other thread about him to give you an idea about the problems he has. I really did'nt know how to help my friend with him so I recomended a change of diet and more exercise....
	__________________ "Take this trouble for me, make sure my German Shepherd Dog remains a WORKING dog, for I have struggled all my life for that aim"- Max Von Stephanitz on his deathbed.

11-30-2005, 05:43 PM	#5 (permalink)
doberkim doberslave Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 830 Rep Power: 103	the dog needs a further work up - its not "pyschosomatic". the dog probably has an actual physical problem that has as yet, gone undiagnosed. as the dog has contrast studies (cystourethrogram, IVP, etc), an abdominal untrasound, urine culture, etc? you cant say what a diet will do to a dog without knowing what is wrong. i would seek out the advice of a specialist to find out what is wrong with the dog .
	__________________ bowies modern love rn cgc snd

12-06-2005, 10:40 AM	#7 (permalink)
feinwerkbau Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 432 Rep Power: 87	Here's my take. Get the actual urinalysis and lab reports and discuss with your vet exactly what in the dietary equation is causing / contributes to the UTI. Urinary specific diets are targetted at re-arranging the balance of proteins, acids and alkilis, among other things. Once you've found out, you can then tailor a Home-Made (not too sure about BARF as most BARF diets are untested and not analysed for specific breakdowns) diet that custom-tailors the diet for your dog's condition. Such recipies are usually readily available in vetrinary dietary / nutritional references, or you could search for a vetrinary reference book (sorry, I can't remember the name) that gives very specific analysis of different food groups and makes specific recommendations for altering balances. Again, I'm sorry I couldn;t be more specific.
feinwerkbau Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 432 Rep Power: 87

11-30-2005, 07:38 AM	#2 (permalink)
Shalva Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: here...pointing to palm of right hand Posts: 442 Rep Power: 0	I have been feeding a raw diet for many years now and I don't feel qualified to answer that question for a dog with a known medical problem.... I would feel more comfortable sending you to a holistic vet..... or a homeopathic vet than making any suggestions. While traditional veterinarians spend very little time discussing diet in veterinary school..... holistic veterinarians spend a great deal of time discussing diet and more holistic approaches and they would have know more about the medical condition that you are discussing.... before I would change a pup off a prescription diet I would want to talk to a holistic vet. I am a big proponant of raw diets for almost every dog... the reality is that real foods are always better than processed ... but I would guess that the proportions necessary to control the urinary problem might be different than what I feed my young healthy dogs..... I would want to get that information from someone that really knows..... either who has a dog with the same problem who is also feeding a raw diet or from a vet who knows and understands the premise of raw diets and the medical condition. S

11-30-2005, 07:43 AM	#3 (permalink)
GSD Herding dogs Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: WI Posts: 1,133 Rep Power: 138	I guess we would be able to give a more concise answer if we knew with a little more detail what the urinary problem was. "Psychosomatic" is a pretty broad term, and I don't deal with animals so I can't say I've ever heard it used to diagnose a dog before. Humans are a whole other animal as they say.

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