I am so excited to talk to you! I have just discovered your dog talk radio show on line last Friday, and I have already told lots of people about you! In fact, I just ordered your book too, off e-bay "The Dog Bible" and I will be sharing the info with all my friends and family. I have a large family, 12 kids, and we're all animals lovers.  Most of us have dogs too, and when we have family gatherings, all the dogs are invited as well! So with all of us sibs, and all of our canines , it can get kind of crazy at the Wagner's!!!

I have 2 dogs myself. I live alone, no kids.  I have never had a dog myself, except growing up there was always a mutt and a cat around, but I never had one all to myself like I do now, so it's a lot different, a lot more care involved. I was looking for my first dog about 4 years ago before my mother died. I researched the  internet on all kinds of breeds, trying to see what was what. I waited for about 2 months after my mom died and thought I'd get my first dog for" therapy " for myself.  I thought it'd be good for me and help get my mind off things. I looked in the news paper and there was a Soft Coated Wheaten terrier for sale. A friend of mine has one so I was familiar. She was 5 months old. Her name is Winnie. She is smart, sweet, very obedient, sensitive, and a very good girl. But as you know Wheatens have a sensitive digestive tract. She is no exception. She is a fussy eater, and throws up, a lot. I don't give her a lot of scraps, or treats. But some how she manages to hold on to her weight. She is 4 yrs old and around 45-50 pounds. I have her on Canidae and then I admit, she is a little spoiled. She is so fussy, that I do put a little something in her bowl to entice her to eat, but it's about the only treat she gets for the day. I've tried doggie treats, a variety of, and she passes a lot of them up too. So I feed her the dry Canidae, and then I add Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance~ it's kind of like a sausage that I keep refrigerated, and cut up and put in the food. She is a good eater most of the time.  The problem is, the sausage gives her terrible gas. Of course she waits until I get off work at night to share that with me. LOL So I figure if she has gas, she must have a belly ache? And then the "throw up" comes later. I'd say she doesn't throw up daily, but weekly? Well, monthly FOR SURE!

Can you help us? She is such a good girl but I don't know what to feed her.

Also, I have a Chihuahua Maltese mix (supposably called a "chihauhteese") What I really wanted was a Maltese but I didn't have the money, so I got a mix mutt out of the paper. I have no idea how old she was, she had never been to the doctor nor had shots. I guess she was used for breeding? so I took care of that the very first week and got her spayed, so she would never be used again. She is a doll! Winnie, my wheaten has the heart, Princessa, the mix breed, has the personality. The doc thought she was 2 or 3 when I got her fixed, so she's maybe 5 now? They get a long great, they play and follow each other around outside. But boy are they different. Mostly, Winnie eats to live, and  Princessa lives to eat! She is a little piglet. In fact, I bring the dogs to the Nursing homes, and at Halloween I dress Princessa up in a pink piggy costume. The staff and old people love it. Adorable!! Hey, you should have Halloween PICS of Pets during Halloween week from all your fans on your Web page! (just a fun thought.)

So my question is, what can I feed my dogs? Princessa is not as fussy of an eater as Winnie is, but she throws up too. Not as much as Winnie, but she does! She is around 9 to 10 pounds, and Winnie is 45-50 pounds.

Can I have these two sisters on the same diet? Looking forward to reading your book.

HELP!!!
A new fan,
Maggie in Dubuque, Iowa

Dear Margaret,

It's nice to hear from you about the wonderful dog-loving family you have.

I'm glad you got the The Dog Bible and would be happy to send you an autographed bookplate inscribed to your dogs if you'd like. Just send me their names and your mailing address and I'll send it along with some surprises for you!

As for your dogs' intestinal problems, there is little doubt that it is a bad reaction to food, probably the refrigerated sausage. Just as you suspected, passing gas is a sign that the dog is not digesting properly - and frequent vomiting could certainly be from the same food. Some dogs have trouble with certain foods, or certain ingredients in the foods, and you want to try to figure out what it might be so you can avoid it. However, continual vomiting needs to be addressed one way or another.

The only reason to suspect a medical problem is if there are other signs of the dog being under the weather – The Dog Bible has charts to make it easy. But if they are otherwise full of pep and energy, then it's probably just a food that doesn’t agree with them.

My suggestion would be to stop both those foods and start over. Many dogs digest lamb well, so get a kibble that is lamb based, or fish based. Merrick makes excellent dry foods, so does Fromm, Newman's Own, Blue Buffalo, etc. Then add a protein source from a can that matches the ingredients of the kibble. Make it half and half at first. Do that for a week. See if things calm down. Don't give any other foods or treats right now that might upset their stomachs - keep it simple and consistent until you can calm down their digestive systems.

Please let me know how things turn out - and whether you'd like that bookplate.

Best,
Tracie Hotchner