Do you have analysis paralysis over giving your dog the best? Can’t decide what to feed your dog if they have allergies, chronic kidney disease, a sensitive stomach, or acid reflux? Sometimes it’s helpful to speak with an expert for more tailored advice for your dog’s dietary needs. This is why we invited certified canine nutritionist Hannah Zulueta to participate in an expert takeover in our community Facebook group and share her expertise!
Hannah blends wisdom in food energetics from Eastern Medicine (TCM) + knowledge from being a certified canine nutritionist to develop a personalized approach to each dog based on their constitution and their imbalances. The body is a beautiful thing – it can heal itself. She believes we need to learn what the body communicates to adjust what we feed our dogs.
We have expert takeovers every three weeks to help make pet parenting easier for more happy days with your dog. We’ve pulled some of the questions from Hannah’s takeover and her answers to share for canine nutritionist help if you’ve had similar experiences.
Q: I have a mixed lab/boxer, and he is sneezing, itchy, and has a sensitive belly. We’ve tried the run of kibble and freeze-dried foods. He needs cooling proteins. However, there are varying interpretations- any advice would be helpful. Thank you
A: I understand why it can feel confusing. Duck, fish, and rabbit are cooling. Turkey is as well. And lean beef will be neutral. I’d posit that free-range turkeys will be more cooling. And those from good farms are neutral, while those with their beaks cut off might be so stressed out they could even be classified as warming. For your itchy dog… their symptoms point me to the lung/large intestine organs to bring that back into harmony. Switch to moist food, and I would pick red meat over white. In Chinese Medicine, red meat fuels the “blood,” and when blood is vital, the Metal element (lungs/large intestines and skin) are moisturized, and that will help to alleviate the itch. For the sensitive tummy – feed the foods to keep the stomach happy. Try the beef Spot & Tango recipe, or use a base mix to make your own food. This article helps clarify why food like turkey can be confusing: Best of luck with your lab/boxer
Q: I have a 4 YO whippet with chronic pancreatitis. Has been on low-fat kibble for years. Have recently tried changing to several freeze-dried, air-dried, dehydrated human-grade, fresh, and raw foods. They have better ingredients and processing, but anything over 12% fat DM leads to diarrhea. Any ideas? Thanks.
A: Pancreatitis can be so challenging. It’s inflammation of the pancreas. I recommended a similar case to try an enzyme called Pan-tenex. It has Amylase, Protease, and Lipase. Then you feed in small increments. For this dog, we started with a “smidgen” and added that to meals, and every week increased by one smidgen. The dog is now on 11 smidgens per meal, and he’s perky, runs well, is happy, has energy, and his eyes have luster. Low and slow is my recommendation for dogs with digestive issues. And only try one thing at a time. Avoid the kitchen sink approach and try multiple things. I avoid supplements that have many different things (probiotics, enzymes, prebiotics) because… sometimes we just need enzymes.
I also recommend bone broth. Make it at home without apple cider vinegar, and have a 1/2 cup in the fridge every day that you can offer your dog to drink. It has L Glutamine in its natural state. And if you can switch off dry food, I would pick a protein your dog has done well on and use a base mix. This way, you can adjust things based on the stool. Best of luck with your dog’s healing journey!
Q: I have an 11 yr old pittie mix who has been being treated for colitis for a couple of years. Originally it was blood and mucus poo maybe 2x a year, and then it was 4x and then more frequent, so we started giving her metronidazole when I could tell her tummy was upset. The last vet put her instead on tylosin 500mg/day. No more poo issues, but I can tell her tummy still bothers her, lately more often. Some of the things we used to give her she just can’t handle anymore (carrots, green beans, yogurt) make stuffing her kong treats challenging. I have her on bland Kirkland senior chicken rice and egg kibble but always think of changing to something else, knowing kibble could be better. I’m scared to upset her current balance, though. What do you think about food choices? Freeze-dried raw was a no-go and upset her tummy. I am debating trying lions mane mushrooms too. The only probiotic that hasn’t upset her balance is Zesty Paws.
A: Metro is like the fireman coming into the stomach and turning on the most extensive hose they have to clean things out – it’s very effective but…. also takes out the good gut bacteria. I would start holistically. Get her exposed to good soil. Take weekend hikes with friends who have healthy dogs. Let her get into the soil. Walk in wet soil. Smell other dogs’ rear ends. That will gently expose her biome and slowly send signals to her gut. I’d keep the diet the same but expose her to soil and have her socialize with young, vibrant solid dogs. A month later, I’d add shiitake mushrooms, starting with a small portion – the size of a paw. Cook it in water. I’d also start to do bone broth (you can even cook shiitake in it). Keep a bowl in the fridge and let her drink a 1/2 to 1 cup each day after her walk.
Then for food change, you can feed something like Spot & Tango or … make it yourself. The easiest way to transition is a base mix. Dr. Harvey’s and Grandma Lucy’s have base mixes, and you can order “samples” and try each one out and observe what she does best on. Then, if she does well on the probiotic, keep her there. It has Lactobacillus – also found in Mercola’s Bark and Whispers.
Have more question for a canine nutritionist? Are you interested in reading more? You can see the entire thread from Hannah’s Takeover here, or join us for future expert takeovers! If you have a specific expert you would like us to invite, please email whatthepup@spotandtango.com
