FOOD

Hello,
I have a male Golden Retriever DINO who is 3 yrs old (blood line).  Pl do answer to each point I have separately.
1.   My dog does not have testicles and have been told that he cannot be mated ?
2.   Which fruits / vegetables can he be fed that is good for him ?
3.   He loves eating raw vegetables like carrots, bitter gourd, tomatoes.  Is this alright ?
4.   While on his walks, sometimes he eats leaves from the garden - is this normal ?
5.   How many times in a day should he be fed ?  He usually has a big bowl of rice with stewed chicken & veggies
      for dinner.  Alternate days I give him a boild egg in the morning and some chew sticks.
Otherwise he is a healthy, happy, frisky, naughty, playful and very loving with lots of friends who just love him.
Your response will be much appreciated.
Thank you and God bless.

[Red931]

As far as question 1: No testicles no breeding.

Questions 2,3,4,: While carrots are ok, too much tomato can cause a problem. Here is a list of all other fruits and vegatables you should not give your dog and the reason why you should not feed it to them.

Known Food Toxins To Dogs
Fruits, Vegetables, Food

Apple, Almond, Apricot, Peach, Wild Cherries, Plum, Balsam Pear, Prunes and similar fruit: Diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, (Stem, Seeds and Leaves) The seeds of most fruits contain cyanide, which is poisonous to dogs as well as humans.

Avocados: The fruit, pit and plant are all toxic. They can cause difficulty breathing and fluid accumulation in the chest, abdomen and heart

Broccoli: reported to be pretty potent gastrointestinal irritant

Cherry: rapid breathing, shock, mouth inflammation, heart rate increase

Chocolate: seizures, coma, hyperactivity, rapid heart beat, tremors, death. Bakers chocolate is the most dangerous. A dog can consume milk chocolate and appear to be fine because it is not as concentrated but is still very dangerous.
• 1 oz per lb of body weight for (2 oz per kg) of body weight for bakers chocolate
• 1 oz per 3 lbs of body weight (1 oz per 1.5 kg body weight) for semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 oz per 9lbs of body weight (1 oz per 4 kg) for bakers chocolate
• Please keep in mind that these are only guidelines, and if you suspect your pet had ingested chocolate, please keep an eye out for ANY signs of poisoning! Every dog reacts differently to quantity.

Coffee/Tea: Drinks/Foods: containing caffeine or sugar may cause many of the same symptoms chocolate causes

Cooked Bones: uncooked bones should be safe but if they are cooked you should refrain because they deteriorate and easily splinter. Can cause extensive damage to internal organs and passage ways, may times resulting in death.

Mushrooms: acute gastric effects, liver and kidney damage, abdominal pain, nausea, salivation, vomiting

Nutmeg: tremors, seizures and death

Tobacco: nausea, salivation, vomiting, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat)

Onion: (cats are more sensitive), gastrointestinal upset, hemolytic anemia, heinz body anemia, hemogloinria, destroys red blood cells

Grapes, Raisins, Prunes: kidney failure, as little as a single serving of grapes or raisins can kill a dog. It takes anywhere from 9 oz to 2 lbs of grapes and raisins (between .041 and 1.1 oz/kg of body weight), to cause severe vomiting and diarrhea, and possible kidney failure

Salt: excessive intake can cause kidney problems

Raw Eggs- many people feed raw eggs to their dogs but keep in mind that they can contain salmonella. Dogs do have a higher immunity against salmonella poisoning but are not immune and have been reported to get it from uncooked eggs.

Question 5: If the dog is at the right weight for his age and breed you can feed him twice a day. If overweight, once a day. Boiled chicken is ok, but I wouldn't give him rice everyday unless he has loose stools. He could get constipated if he gets too much rice. One egg a day won't hurt him but it will make him fat. When I give my dog an egg it is always boiled and I usually don't give her the yolk. Also as stated above, if your giving him broccoli with that rice it is going to gas him up even more.

Don't ever give the dog anything that was even cooked with onions!

You should put the dog on kibble and you could still mix the chicken in with his kibble, even a little vegatables also. It will be healthier for him.

Good Luck to you and you dog.

I hope this helped you.

[ginger899]

Apple?? Is toxic for dogs? I have never heard that before. Even my vet said apple is just fine (but not the seeds, as they contain cyanide) All the other foods check out, but are you sure about apple?

[lulu4444]

Hello and thank you for your detailed long mail - thanks again.
I have a few queries on your response :
Point no.1
If he does not mate - wont it be bad for his health ?
Point no.2,3,4
I will refrain from giving him apples and other fruits.  But I have heard that when dogs feel sick they chew on grass/leaves which helps their indigestion - is this true ?
Dino is never given chocolate.  Sometimes I treat him to a small cup cake maybe thrice in a month.  
None of the vegetables mentioned by you are given - the veggies in his stew consists of rice, a piece of chicken + liver, carrot, beans, cabbage and maybe a tomato or potato thrown in now and then but not regularly.
I never cook his food with onions - but I do put in half a teaspoon of tumeric while his food is being cooked.
Point no.5
Because I live in Calcutta (India), we are into summer which is very hot and so I give him an egg every alternate day.
What is "kibble" ?  This is a new term for me - pl let me know what it is.
I forgot to mention that Dino's birthday was on 17th March - St. Patrick's Day, when he turned 3 years.  His weight is 26 kgs. which has been static over the past year.
Your return mail will be anxiously awaited.
Thank you once again for your valuable guidance.
God bless.

[Red931]

Apple is not toxic as much as it is gaseous. Because of this it may cause bouts of diarrehea and abdominal pain. I think it is the skin on the apple. Does you Vet tell you to cut the skin off before giving it to your dog?

[Red931]

The fact that he can't mate will not affect him.

Dogs eat grass and greens while on a walk for different reasons. Sometimes because of stomach upset and sometimes because they just like it.

Take it easy on the liver, not too much,too much organ meat is not good but once in awhile is ok. Same with the tomato.

Kibble is dry dog food. You buy it by the bagfull. It will be healthier for you dog to eat the kibble. As I stated before, you can still add boiled chicken and vegatables with the kibble so he will eat it. I even add a tablespoon of plain yogurt to my dog's food. It is good for them and aides with digestion.

Good Luck to you and Dino. (Great name BTW it also happens to be mine)

[lulu4444]

Thanks for your feedback, once again and have noted your suggestions.
I used to give Dino pedigree in the first 2 years but since past one year he doesnt like to eat it and so, have stopped giving it to him.
I will give him plain curd as I said we are moving into a hot summer very soon.
However, I sometimes also put some soya bean nuggets into his food which I forgot to mention earlier.
Oh, your name is Dino too - lovable name - short and sweet.
Take care and stay well - best wishes to you.
God bless.

[Red931]

It was nice speaking with you and I hope I was able to help you with your questions.

Just one last note: Your dog needs the nutrients that are in the dog food. If you mix the boiled chicken and vegatable with it he will eat it.

Feel free to ask any questions anytime.

Have a nice day.

[ginger899]

About apple.....no, the vet never mentioned about apple skins. And because my dog never had any trouble from eating it, I presumed it was ok. But all dogs, like all people, are not the same. So maybe some people should peel the apple first, for their dogs. It is a fact that dogs' teeth are not built (like ours are) for grinding things like this up, so they will swallow large pieces, and I do suppose apple skin in huge pieces could be a bit much.(?)

Another small point about home-cooked dog food, (to anyone) Please do remember not to include salt, or any kind of salted stock (cubes/sauce/whatever) in the cooking. It might taste boring and bland to us, that way, but salt is also definitely NO for dogs!

[ginger899]

I have only just thought of this. You mention that your dog has no testicles. Does that mean he has been neutered? I mention this because if he has NOT been neutered, as far as you know, and there are no obvious signs of testicles, then he could have a condition known as 'Undescended testicles', or Cryptorchidism. (A condition in which the testicles are inside the body, and not visible)
In which case he COULD be capable of breeding.
Also although it won't affect his general health and condition for now, this problem can result in a higher testicular cancer rate later on, so the best thing would be to have them removed.
This probably isn't the case, but I thought I'd slip it in, for anyone else who might be interested.

[Red931]

You are right about the testicles. I assumed the dog was neutered because of a prior post I responded to. That person had mentioned that their dog had been fixed six months ago and it was stuck in my head.

Great that you caught that.

[Red931]

Also, about the apple you may have a point with all dogs not being the same. My Bulldog does not tolerate them well at all. That is when my Vet told me about the apple being a problem. My Shepherds always threw them up when they got them also.

[ginger899]

My dog adores apples! She even picks them herself from the tree in September,(!) carries them home carefully, places them carefully either under the bird feed table, or on her bed. Then I come along, cut out the core and seeds, ration it up into small 'snack size' pieces, and let her chomp on them now and again. They do seem to do her more good than harm. But all dogs are different.....

[Red931]

Thats too funny that she goes out and picks them herself and waits for you to core them before she eats them. Dogs are smarter than alot of people I know. LOL

If they don't bother her then go with what works is what I say. Mine loves carrots. She gets them instead if dog treats. It is hard to find dog treats that don't have wheat in them and she is allergic to wheat.

Have a good day!

[lulu4444]

Thanks for your views re my Dino's testicles.  You are so right - his is hidden inside his body "inverted".  My vet also says that for now it is not a problem and has asked me to have an x-ray done to know more on this.  
Re problems arising in his later years - maybe cancer arising - it scares me.
I will get the x-ray done soonest and let you know the result.
I do appreciate your helpful views.
By the way, is wheat not good for dogs ?  Let me know.
Dino has one hand made thin wheat bread (just like a wrap) in the evening which he likes very much.
God bless.

[ginger899]

Well, generally speaking, wheat in small quantities isn't so bad. But it can be bad news if your dog is diagnosed wheat-intolerant.
Wheat-intolerance symptoms can include: itchy skin/head shaking/diarrhoea/vomiting/flatulence/breathing problems/behavioral changes.....etc

Dogs are not really designed to eat as many grains as we are. In the wild, they would probably eat the contents of their prey's stomachs, and thus eat a small amount of other things besides protein. But modern dog foods, especially low grade ones contain too much cereal, used to 'pad out' the food. Cereal is cheaper than protein to manufacture.
To be on the safe side it might be best to find wheat-free food for your dog.

[ginger899]

However, I sometimes give my dog a small piece of (twice-toasted, so it is crunchy) wholemeal bread. But she does show no signs of wheat-intolerance. Opinions vary about giving dogs bread, but I knew a vet once who used to bake wholemeal bread slices in the oven for his dogs, and give them to the dogs instead of bisuits, and they were fit and well.
But if there are any wheat allergies, or any symptoms which could suggest it, then stay away from that idea!

Have you heard of 'SPELT' by the way? This is wheat, but a completely different type of grain than commercial wheat, and the same kind of grain that ancient people used. It does not cause wheat-intolerance, and is full of nutrients. Much more nutritious than ordinary wheat. Spelt flour, for home baking, is available in health food stores. It is very popular among health food enthusiasts here in the UK.