Chesapeake Bay Retriever health questions

[Murphyboy]

Over Weight
About a year ago i adopted a 7 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever. he was overweight and i cant seem to get it under control. i have put him on the diet food and he wont really eat it. i normally put out a bowl of food for him every morning that he has access to all day but he knows it does not get refilled so he eats it sparingly.

Is there any way i could "fancy up" his diet food to help get him to eat it?


Seizures
When my dog was little he had a tumor in his brain that the doctors gave him steroids for. This stunted the growth of part of his skull so he has a big dent on each side of his head making his forehead look like a triangle. I think this is what caused another one of his problems.

Murphy has seizures. The first time he had one i freaked out and took him to the vet, the vet said that the seizures do not hurt him. but they still scare me. i am wondering if there are any vitamins or medications i can give him that will help him have seizures less often. He can go a month without having seizures or have 5 in one day, they strike randomly and can last 1 minute to 15 minutes.

Is there anything i can do to help prevent these seizures?

Chewing

My dog is also a chewer, he chews through a baseball in less than an hour. i don't really stop him but its messy and all those baseballs add up! the only thing i have found so far that he wont tear apart is a rope toy. originally when i bought the rope toy it had a textured piece of plastic on it the he tore off in about 10 minutes, but the rope is still intact.

Is there anything that i can do to get him to stop the habit of chewing apart all his toys?

[21meg]

Over Weight
My dog is also over weight, LOL. All I can say is maybe the reason is the dog isn't getting enough excersize. Daily walks will make your dog not only healthier but a little bit more skinnier, and maybe when you get back from the walks it'll be so hungry it will eat it's dog food. And how smart of your dog, to sparingly eat your food LOL. Also something that may be making your dog overweight is extra table scraps or possibly even extra treats you put in there. (:

Seizures
Another dog of mine has seizures because she is old ( 16 years old in dog years, 112 in human years ) and gets the seizures. It scares us too LOL. When he is having the seizures, try holding him down. When my dog has seizures ( when she chases after a tennis ball, mostly, and when she gets to hyper ) we hold her down by her stomach and afterward hug her and pet her for a while. Maybe you could go back to your vet and ask if there are any pills, etc you could learn more about what to do. (:

Chewing
Well, maybe you could get several other ropes and cut off the plastic so your dog cannot bite through it. And try and not let him eat things that could make him hurt ( my good friend's dog ate a mushroom and was rushed to the emergency vet, but quickly recovered... the mushroom was poisonous so you cannot really risk anything, better be safe than sorry! ) or possibly choke. Hate to sound all depressing buuut. (:
I can't really think of anything ??? to say about breaking the habit of chewing, maybe another user will come along here and tell you.

PS: if that is Murphy in your avatar picture, he is soo precious and adorable!!! (:

[Murphyboy]

Thanks for the good advice Meg, yes thats Murphy in my picture. :)

[siberianhusky101]

As for the over weight problem you might talk to your vet about doing some hydrotherapy. Swimming would be a great exercise for your dog and since he is older, would also be really good for his joints. there are dog life vests you can buy and put a 50ft line on him a the local lake and let him go. you may also be able to find a holitic vet that knows of a food good for both diets and that may help with the seizures.

for the seizures you might try having a pad handy around the house so he doesn't get hurt while he is having seizures. talk to a vet about having a quick course on what to do when your dog has a seizure.

If you go to a pet supply store like PetSmart the associates there should be more than happy to help find an unchewable toy for Murphy.

[Murphyboy]

Thanks Siberian :D

[Aztec]

Over Weight
"Fancy up" his diet with treats that won't add a lot of calories...carrots and apples work. Also try putting is kibble in icecubes, it will last him awhile and make it more fun.


Seizures
He needs a quiet secure place during seizures...I personally would avoid to much handling, as he won't be actim himself and he is more likely to snap at you.


Chewing

Look up kong toys.