Wednesday 26 December 2012

Diet Going Well?

Vita and Bertie are on an exclusion diet.

This is because Vita periodically licks one or other of her haunches to the point where her skin is red raw, which means trips to vets for steroids and antibiotics.  We've had the same problem with our other Airedales.  It's probably food intolerance so we're finally trying to get to the bottom of what causes it, hence the diet.  Bertie doesn't need it - typical mongrel, eats anything - but you can't do one dog and not the other.

So for two to three months they have to be on this very expensive special kibble diet based on "hydrolysed protein" - I had to look that one up - which is supposed to be entirely neutral for the dog. Then one by one previous foodstuffs are added back to find out what causes the intolerance.

Christmas Day, we hosted our "French class get-together lunch". We made our old farmhouse festive, cooked the largest turkey in the whole of France and revelled in not having to do everything, as our friends arrived with luscious starters, prepared vegetables and all the trimmings.  It was tough on our exclusion diet dogs - all those delicious cooking smells - so we kept them down in the cottage (much barking and whining) as we humans enjoyed our repast up at the house.

With the departure of our last guests, Tod went down to let out our two pent-up mutts while I cleared up.  I whisked round lifting half-empty bowls of nibbles, opened boxes of chocolates and crumb laden plates above terrier nose height and set about filling the dishwasher.

I did not, however, reckon on the sheer determination of two dogs that have eaten nothing but beige bland biscuit for a  month.  An Airedale tongue hoovered along the edge of the work surface finding meat scraps where five hours earlier one of our guests had expertly carved the turkey.  Nor did I anticipate that a walnut, in a bowl on the middle of the dining room table could be flicked onto the floor and then carried out of sight and crunched through - shell and all - on the hall rug. And I certainly thought that the left-over slices of stollen cake which we'd had for tea were well out out of reach, until I found an Airedale with her mouth full and incriminating crumbs all round her muzzle.

Think we may be back to square one with the exclusion diet.  And by the way, how's yours going through this festive season?

Christmas baubles

7 comments:

  1. We are still doing a v.low cal diet two non consecutive days a week and eating/drinking reasonably the other days. As it happens we chose Monday and Thursday for our light days and so it has not interferred with bingeing a bit on Christmas Day. The last two months have seen us shed some weight and me 'lose' two dress sizes! So back to the sensible regime.
    Christmas Day saw the dog get a mini human lunch in his bowl + the normal ProPlan. So far there have been no subsequent ill effects.
    Thanks for your interesting Writing Home over the last year of my reading it and all the best to you all for 2013.

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  2. Hi Lesley, thank you for your kind words and your best wishes. May you too have an excellent 2013. It's interesting isn't it how well the low cal days work without needing to be fanatical about it. Well done for your weight loss. We're both indulging over Christmas but know that with a few sensible days thereafter the odd extra kilo or so will be back off again. :)

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  3. Christmas is a time for indulgence - dogs and humans! Looking forward to my Boxing Day cold turkey, ham and bubble and squeak.

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  4. Hi Sue, Snap! Followed by Christmas pudding and "custard" (really crème anglaise) and the mince pies I forgot about yesterday! :) Enjoy yours! :)

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  5. Having just caught our youngest dog assembling a sort of assault course of chairs to reach cake put on a high cupboard I can only thank my lucky stars she doesn't need a strict diet.

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  6. Oh Fly, how wonderful! :) Do hope you had a good Christmas and best wishes for the New Year. :)

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  7. The first time I got 'home' for Christmas 'before' Christmas Eve! Very relaxing-lovely food (heaps of all my favourite vegetables)my brother came to join us and everything was perfect.

    Really glad you had such a wonderful day. :)

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