# Need Help with Eva's Diet



## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Eva has been on a home made diet for her MVD...organic brown rice, cottage cheese, hard boiled egg whites, unsalted butter, and oil...the problem is her stools are too loose...I always have to add something like kibble or pumpkin to firm them up...I thought it might be the cottage cheese, so I reduced that and replaced with egg white...then I tried white rice and she got constipated...could it be the butter? Should I try another recipe? Any and all suggestions would be appreciated...:blink:


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

I would assume it's the butter or the oil, but I would talk to the vet who helped you set it up before making any changes.


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## Kathleen (Aug 4, 2011)

April, are you adding digestive enzymes to her food? That might help her more fully digest the food. I would check with the vet to see if it is okay to add if you arent already.
I would be suspicious of the butter too.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Eva's recipe was prepared for her by a nutritionist at University of Tennessee, right? I would check with them and see if they could tweak it.

I've never heard of butter in a homemade diet. When I cooked for Lady and Bailey (BalanceIT) you always had to add oil for linoleic acid. Looks like Eva's recipe already has that, though.

Lady's liver diet recipe (she had liver damage from years of phenobarbital for seizures) also had cottage cheese and eggs. Hers had sweet potatoes which are very high in fiber like pumpkin, too. Maybe they will add that to her recipe?


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## mysugarbears (Aug 13, 2007)

I was going to suggest as Marj did to speak with her nutritionist about tweaking the recipe. 


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## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

I would speak to the nutritionist.....

Any chance at a holistic vet that does nutrition?

I feed Gus and Grace many different recipes.... they don't eat the same thing every day. We don't use butter, but I do give them Ghee (clarified butter) as one of our "fat options"..... They also get whole eggs, so not sure why she doesn't.

It would be best to talk to the doctors who did the diet for you..... is she on supplements or anything?


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## harrysmom (Sep 28, 2007)

I've never heard of butter in a homemade diet either. I give my dogs brown rice and cottage cheese. I add oil and a small amount of chicken broth for flavor, then I sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top. In the past I've used tofu in this recipe, but they never liked the tofu and they eat so much better without it. I also give them a small amount of Royal Canin hepatic diet and they seem to do well on that too. Thankfully. it's a combination that works for them. I hope that you find something that works long-term for Eva.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Thanks, ya'll..I had never heard of using butter, either..this diet was formulated by UC Davis Vet School for MVD....maybe too rich for her now that she is well...she's a "chunky monkey"..:HistericalSmileyTori, yes of course Eva gets supplemented... she is very healthy..I may try omitting the [email protected], I like what you are feeding...may try that [email protected], I really like the recipe you used for Miss Lady...I may go with sweet potato next...?


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## wkomorow (Aug 26, 2011)

Does she take lactulose? With Lucky, I discovered there was a sweet spot in the cottage cheese a bit over that and it is problematic. At Tufts, the recommended frozen yoghurt for a night-time treat. And they thought pasta in moderation was good (though I know that some are concerned with grain). Luck get a pierogi each morning - pasta with farmer's cheese inside. (Nothing else). It is sauteed in a tiny bit of butter. Sometimes I make him spinach and feta ravioli -feta and cooked and drained spinach in a wonton wrapper boiled for a few minutes and sauteed for a few seconds in a touch of olive oil. He has responded very well to it. I do add some potato to his diet. His poop is softish, but firm enough to pick up with residue on the pad.

I did discuss what I was feeding him with Tufts and they made some recommendations like coconut oil, but we did not do a formal diet. As a vegetarian, I have a fairly varied and vege rich diet that Lucky shares.

Good luck.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

wkomorow said:


> Does she take lactulose? With Lucky, I discovered there was a sweet spot in the cottage cheese a bit over that and it is problematic. At Tufts, the recommended frozen yoghurt for a night-time treat. And they thought pasta in moderation was good (though I know that some are concerned with grain). Luck get a pierogi each morning - pasta with farmer's cheese inside. (Nothing else). It is sauteed in a tiny bit of butter. Sometimes I make him spinach and feta ravioli -feta and cooked and drained spinach in a wonton wrapper boiled for a few minutes and sauteed for a few seconds in a touch of olive oil. He has responded very well to it. I do add some potato to his diet. His poop is softish, but firm enough to pick up with residue on the pad.
> 
> I did discuss what I was feeding him with Tufts and they made some recommendations like coconut oil, but we did not do a formal diet. As a vegetarian, I have a fairly varied and vege rich diet that Lucky shares.
> 
> Good luck.


Thanks, Walter...Eva is not on the lactulose...so that would not be the cause..speaking of vegan, have you ever heard of Petguard Organic Vegetarian? I'm pretty impressed with the ingredient list..has quinoa in it..I feed this sometimes...I get tired of cooking..so I add a little of this...all 3 of mine like it...


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## wkomorow (Aug 26, 2011)

aprilb said:


> Thanks, Walter...Eva is not on the lactulose...so that would not be the cause..speaking of vegan, have you ever heard of Petguard Organic Vegetarian? I'm pretty impressed with the ingredient list..has quinoa in it..I feed this sometimes...I get tired of cooking..so I add a little of this...all 3 of mine like it...


We have tried it, you should have seen the face he made, little brat, I mean sweet little dear. He loves Royal Canine hepatic - I have to split the kibble, but he gobbles it down, He has put on a lot of weight even though we play fetch each day and he zooms around the house with his toys. He is 9 pounds now, he was normally 6, and when he got sick, he got to below 5.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

April, the Quinoa is rich in protein so be careful if you are watching that. My 2 love it!
I would also think of adding a simply thing like small amount of fresh, mashed banana (if they will eat it)---that helps quickly. Add it until you get the consistency you are looking for. I am giving my 2 coconut oil more often & they love it, and have had no soft stools. It may be putting too much weight on Lisi though---so I may cut back. She gets no exercise outside the home.


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## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

aprilb said:


> Thanks, Walter...Eva is not on the lactulose...so that would not be the cause..speaking of vegan, have you ever heard of Petguard Organic Vegetarian? I'm pretty impressed with the ingredient list..has quinoa in it..I feed this sometimes...I get tired of cooking..so I add a little of this...all 3 of mine like it...



So my vet said it is only animal protein that is the culprit in liver dogs... vegan sources are digested safer.

But anyway.

I've used that kibble, but my two aren't too fond of it. I've also tried Vdog kibble. They didn't like it much either. Both are really big kibble and was too hard for Grace to eat.

For easy days I now use Grandma Lucy's Pure Pre-mix, and then add in cottage cheese or an egg. Surprisingly Grace loves it.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

aprilb said:


> Thanks, Walter...Eva is not on the lactulose...so that would not be the cause..speaking of vegan, have you ever heard of Petguard Organic Vegetarian? I'm pretty impressed with the ingredient list..has quinoa in it..I feed this sometimes...I get tired of cooking..so I add a little of this...all 3 of mine like it...


Is Eva on a totally vegetarian diet? Lady got cod, pollack and wild caught salmon in her recipe so getting enough protein wasn't an issue.

I love quinoa! I am allergic to wheat so I eat quinoa from pasta, etc. I love the taste!


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Ladysmom said:


> Is Eva on a totally vegetarian diet? Lady got cod, pollack and wild caught salmon in her recipe so getting enough protein wasn't an issue.
> 
> I love quinoa! I am allergic to wheat so I eat quinoa from pasta, etc. I love the taste!


Eva is not on a totally vegetarian diet...but her protein is restricted...she has only had eggs and cottage cheese for her "meats"...I will give her an occasional bite of turkey which is her favorite..


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

edelweiss said:


> April, the Quinoa is rich in protein so be careful if you are watching that. My 2 love it!
> I would also think of adding a simply thing like small amount of fresh, mashed banana (if they will eat it)---that helps quickly. Add it until you get the consistency you are looking for. I am giving my 2 coconut oil more often & they love it, and have had no soft stools. It may be putting too much weight on Lisi though---so I may cut back. She gets no exercise outside the home.


Thanks, Dr. Sandi!:wub: Mine love bananas and I give coconut, too...I won't give too much quinoa as it is only one of the ingredients in the kibble I sometimes feed...the total protein is only 16%...


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

wkomorow said:


> We have tried it, you should have seen the face he made, little brat, I mean sweet little dear. He loves Royal Canine hepatic - I have to split the kibble, but he gobbles it down, He has put on a lot of weight even though we play fetch each day and he zooms around the house with his toys. He is 9 pounds now, he was normally 6, and when he got sick, he got to below 5.


Glad to hear Luck is doing so well...he is a little butterball!:HistericalSmiley::wub:


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Grace'sMom said:


> So my vet said it is only animal protein that is the culprit in liver dogs... vegan sources are digested safer.
> 
> But anyway.
> 
> ...


Glad the Grandma Lucy's works for you...:wub:


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## Snowball Pie's Mommi (Oct 16, 2008)

aprilb said:


> Eva has been on a home made diet for her MVD...organic brown rice, cottage cheese, hard boiled egg whites, unsalted butter, and oil...the problem is her stools are too loose...I always have to add something like kibble or pumpkin to firm them up...I thought it might be the cottage cheese, so I reduced that and replaced with egg white...then I tried white rice and she got constipated...could it be the butter? Should I try another recipe? Any and all suggestions would be appreciated...:blink:


April, I would check with Eva's vet and/or nutritionist.

I can share that Snowball gets a tablespoon of pumpkin mixed in with his other cooked vegetables every day. For him ... knock on wood ... that alone has seemed to help keep his stools healthy. I buy the plain canned pumpkin and scoop out individual servings and then freeze it so that we always have it on hand. It sounds though as if you do not prefer to add pumpkin to her diet every day?

I also add just a tiny pinch of butter when Snowball has a scrambled egg. Also, he loves the banana mixed in with the egg ... like Maureen shared with us ... it's like a pancake! (Thank you, Maureen!)

As for oils ... I am becoming leery of everything! I just listened to a report on the dangers of GMO's in our food supply ... and, I think even Canola oil is on the bad list now. However, salmon oil is okay if one checks the country it comes from.

I think a lot of folks would be shocked to learn that so much chicken, fish, and rice is coming from China. So, I am vigilant about reading labels ... and, even then it can be misleading.

Oh, as for cottage cheese. I love cottage cheese. However, it is one of the few cheeses that constipates me. So, maybe it is the cottage cheese?

Please keep us updated.

Hugs to you and your beautiful fluff babies.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Snowball Pie's Mommi said:


> April, I would check with Eva's vet and/or nutritionist.
> 
> I can share that Snowball gets a tablespoon of pumpkin mixed in with his other cooked vegetables every day. For him ... knock on wood ... that alone has seemed to help keep his stools healthy. I buy the plain canned pumpkin and scoop out individual servings and then freeze it so that we always have it on hand. It sounds though as if you do not prefer to add pumpkin to her diet every day?
> 
> ...


Thank you Marie..:wub: I am leery of everything, too...I try to do organic whenever possible...you can get organic oils...since I have 3 Maltese, it would be nice if I could feed Eva her food with everything in it she needs...


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Eva has been eating plain, white rice since dinner last night...well this morning her stool was normal and she has been doing zoomies!! I think she needs a new recipe...I can get free recipes from Balance It...they tell me how much supplement to give her...


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

aprilb said:


> Eva has been eating plain, white rice since dinner last night...well this morning her stool was normal and she has been doing zoomies!! I think she needs a new recipe...I can get free recipes from Balance It...they tell me how much supplement to give her...


The free BalanceIt recipes are only for healthy dogs with no issues. They will specially formulate recipes for dogs with health issues with your vet's pemission, but there is a fee.

Can you contact. UC Davis? They may tweak Eva's recipe for no charge.


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## harrysmom (Sep 28, 2007)

April,

There's a book called "Hope for Healing Liver Disease in your Dog". I got it years ago and read it. It has similar recipes to the recipe that I got from Cornell for Harry. I downloaded it at that point and the file was on my old computer, so I can't offer you the specifics, but here's the link [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Hope-Healing-Liver-Disease-Your/dp/1410799832]Hope For Healing Liver Disease In Your Dog: Cyndi Smasal: 9781410799838: Amazon.com: Books[/ame] in case you would like to take a look at it. I feel that reading the book helped me to help Harry. 

Also, after I got Teddy, I called Cornell and they did tweak the recipe for me ad tell me how much to feed Ted, etc., however they charged me $50.00 for the service, lol.

:wub:
Debbie


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

April I wish you luck and as everyone else has suggested I would contact a nutritionist and have them tweak the recipe. I'm think a little pumpkin or sweet potato would help and I would switch from butter to coconut oil.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Ladysmom said:


> The free BalanceIt recipes are only for healthy dogs with no issues. They will specially formulate recipes for dogs with health issues with your vet's pemission, but there is a fee.
> 
> Can you contact. UC Davis? They may tweak Eva's recipe for no charge.


 You are so right. I really don't want to pay a fee if I can help it..



harrysmom said:


> April,
> 
> There's a book called "Hope for Healing Liver Disease in your Dog". I got it years ago and read it. It has similar recipes to the recipe that I got from Cornell for Harry. I downloaded it at that point and the file was on my old computer, so I can't offer you the specifics, but here's the link Hope For Healing Liver Disease In Your Dog: Cyndi Smasal: 9781410799838: Amazon.com: Books in case you would like to take a look at it. I feel that reading the book helped me to help Harry.
> 
> ...


Thank you, Debbie! I use to have that book, too ,when I had my Noah and I gave it to the library...I will look at it...I can download it to my Kindle for only $3 or maybe borrow it for free...maybe there are some new recipes on The Liver Shunt & MVD forum....:wub:Forgot about that!


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## SammieMom (Nov 13, 2010)

aprilb said:


> Eva has been on a home made diet for her MVD...organic brown rice, cottage cheese, hard boiled egg whites, unsalted butter, and oil...the problem is her stools are too loose...I always have to add something like kibble or pumpkin to firm them up...I thought it might be the cottage cheese, so I reduced that and replaced with egg white...then I tried white rice and she got constipated...could it be the butter? Should I try another recipe? Any and all suggestions would be appreciated...:blink:


April-I am no help with diets. Gosh--I hope I never have to do all this :w00t: I am spoiled I guess being able to use food/kibble :HistericalSmiley: it's been while so I don't remember specifics about your Eva except she had to be on a special diet after an ultrasound. Sammie most likely has MVD too as he had a (post feed #53 BAT). I just feed on a lower side protein because he is asymptomatic. What issues should I be looking for in a liver dog? 
Eva is a cutie pie..:tender:


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Lacie's Mom said:


> April I wish you luck and as everyone else has suggested I would contact a nutritionist and have them tweak the recipe. I'm think a little pumpkin or sweet potato would help and I would switch from butter to coconut oil.


 Thanks, Lynn!:wub: By the way, I love your new siggy of your girls..just adorable..the pics are just awesome!:wub:



SammieMom said:


> April-I am no help with diets. Gosh--I hope I never have to do all this :w00t: I am spoiled I guess being able to use food/kibble :HistericalSmiley: it's been while so I don't remember specifics about your Eva except she had to be on a special diet after an ultrasound. Sammie most likely has MVD too as he had a (post feed #53 BAT). I just feed on a lower side protein because he is asymptomatic. What issues should I be looking for in a liver dog?
> Eva is a cutie pie..:tender:


 Thank you, Kandis...I think what you are doing with Sammie is fine..Eva's post BAT was 85..I am:smilie_tischkante: with 3 puppies all eating something different...I think I am going to take a break from home cooking...:smheat: I started her last night on the canned NB vegan(normal stool again this morning) which has oatmeal in it and I also have some of the dry Petguard Organic with quinoa..I will just add some yogurt, cheese, coconut oil, or eggs a few times a week..think that will do okay for awhile...


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