Back in the Spring, Lily had a bad ear infection and three types of infections between her pads (bacterial, fungal, and viral). Antibiotics took care of the ears and paws, but the root cause needed addressing. So we put her on a strict Duck and Potato prescription diet. Nothing else (nothing!) except her dog food, duck, and potatoes. Not even a smidge of peanut butter in her Kong.
It only took about six weeks before we saw a stunning improvement. Her coat, which had looked dead, came back to life, shiny and supple. Her feet didn’t bother her, she began to play again with the other dogs, and no more ear infections. She was a different dog.
Rocky, the first service dog we raised, came for a visit and to celebrate his visit, we got a monster bag of beef rawhide chews at Costco. I’ve doled them out each week to the dogs, and wouldn’t you know – Lily’s feet are raw again.
So…I think we can definitely rule out rawhides in Lily’s future. Which is a shame because she loves them, and they’re great for her teeth and gums. I have seen sweet potato chews, though, which we’ll definitely try (once we get her system back into shape again).
Leave a Reply