Reba's Recovery Page - Diet and Nutrition

Diet and Nutrition

One of the Reba's critical needs is a low caloric intake with enough nutrients and fiber to keep her healthy but still burning her fat reserves. At first we decided on Eukanuba Adult Maintenance 1/2 cup twice daily however Reba's breeder discovered that there is a danger that dry food could lead to bloat in a dog of her size, which could be deadly. Reba's breeder received several recommendations to place her on Hill's Prescription Canine r/d (a canned diet food) 1/2 can twice a day, a vitamin supplement at each feeding, and non-fat veggies such as green beans, carrots, broccoli for treats, etc...

The Eukanuba is what our own Corgis, Casey and Pepper, were eating so that's what Reba was initially placed. She is now eating the Hills r/d, which she liked to eat for the first few days, now she hates it. We don't know if she simply doesn't like the taste, or if her bout of cystitis has effected her appetite. We want to establish an eating regimen for her which hopefully won't shock her system too much. Now that she's on her diet food we will change what she eats as little as possible, unless events or research warrants a change.

8/27/98 - Last week we upped this to 2/3 can twice a day per a Hills r/d chart that recommends daily feeding quantities. We were hesitant to do so, as she was losing at a comfortable rate of 1 to 2 lbs. a week. However, our breeder's research indicated that by not doing so, we were risking causing her system to crash by not giving it enough nutrients. After a full week on this new regime, she has lost another 2 lbs. Proving that "crash diets" are not any more effective, and likely less effective than a healthy one. It's not worth the risk. It is also worth noting that she now has a very healthy appetite for the r/d. She gets very excited around feeding time, and devours the food without any flavor additives.

8/27/98 (cont.) - Reba continues to find new food groups that we didn't know existed. Today's was the CD-ROM Group (we strongly disagree that sharp shards of plastic are vital to her nutrition). She firmly insists that the Tissue Group should consist of at least 25% of her diet. She is now Bedroom Slipper deficient since Nancy's NEW pair got covered with bitter orange (OK, she may have had a puppy accomplice on that one). And, of course, there is the Computer Hardware Group, of which her favorite member is Ribbon Cables (the flat ones from inside the PC), which we have also removed from her diet, much to her chagrin.