Q    I feed my dogs raw chicken necks, should I cook bones for my dogs or give them raw?

A    You are doing the right thing by feeding your dogs raw chicken necks; you can even give them raw chicken wings or even raw chicken carcasses. I have a small poodle that eats all of the above. Never, feed your dog any cooked bones of any type whatsoever, because the bones dry out once they are cooked which cause splintering and also once digested if fed too many can set like concrete in their intestines, causing major blockages and emergency treatment at the vets.

Q    Can dogs eat bananas?

A    Dogs love fruit and like us it is very good for them, just as long as you don't overdo it.  Most dog’s love apples also, you can just quarter them up and feed it to them as a healthy treat.

Q    If I buy a dog food that says "senior" on the packaging, am I giving my dog the nutrition they need?

A    "Senior" is a marketing term, not necessarily a nutritional term. Some "Senior" dog foods are not well balanced for all older dogs. The only way to know if a food is right for your geriatric dog is to make sure there's a sentence on the labelling that says the food is appropriate for maintenance and not for growth or gestation and lactation.

Q    What is the best type of dog food to feed my 1 year old Staffordshire Terrier to keep him healthy and strong?

A    I have a beautiful pure white Staffy who is 5 and has always been fed small amounts of a good quality dry food which contains no preservatives and less than 1% salt and fresh raw meat, such as chicken necks, wings, carcasses and raw meaty bones. He has never been sick and is the picture of health.

Q    We are currently feeding our 4 month old Basset Hound once a day, is this enough as she seems hungry all the time?

A    Because of your dog's young age and as she is still growing, she really needs to be fed twice a day at the least. As long as you don't overfeed her and ensure that you feed her good quality puppy food, she will not get too overweight. Young puppies are very active and burn up what they eat very quickly especially in the growing phase of their first year.

Q    What fruits and veggies can dogs eat?
A    Like us humans they can eat most fruit and vegetables, however stay away from peas and cabbage as they cause flatulence in dogs

Q    My dog empties his bowels 3-4 times per day.  I thought premium dry dog food decreases the number of stools, is this true?

A    Any dry dog food no matter how good the brand once swallowed mixes with the fluids in the dog’s stomach and absorbs it making the dry food swell to nearly triple its size. Try this experiment, get a 1/2 cup of dry food and mix it with a cup of water and let it sit for a few hours. You would be amazed at how much the dry food soaks up the water. Well this process happens inside your dog’s stomach; that is why they always recommend to have plenty of fresh water around when feeding your dog only dry food.  I would recommend including lots of fresh raw meats and very minimal dry food and you will notice your dog's bowel movements reduce.

Q    I got a dog from the humane society a week ago and he will not eat anything. What can I do?

A    He must have been eating while he was at the humane society. Perhaps give them a call and ask them what they were feeding him. Otherwise have you tried cooking him up a stew consisting of some chicken mince, chicken stock and rice? Most dogs love this and you could start him on this and gradually mix small portions of other food with it until he gets used to it and adjusts.