Ask DQ

YOUR DOG QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Q: How should you feed your dog after illness or injury?

A: First and foremost, you need to follow the advice of your vet, but here we will outline some general principles that might help you on your way.

If your dog is recovering after injury, illness or surgery, nutrition may support healing. A source of quality and digestible protein to support the repair and recovery of the tissues is likely to be key.

You may, however, need to watch the calorie content of your dog’s diet, especially if he is resting and going to be inactive for a period. This ensures he doesn’t put on extra weight, which might slow his recovery or make his return to normal fitness more challenging.

If your dog has had an illness involving the digestive tract, small, regular and digestible meals will help the digestive system heal while still doing its job. You might also consider adding prebiotics and probiotics to his diet to further support digestive health.

Ultimately, however, each case is different, and your vet needs to advise you for your particular case.

Q: How do I toilet-train my eight-week-old puppy?

A: Puppies have the tiniest bladders, so, of course, they regularly have to empty them. Similarly, they also haven’t learned to control their bowels, so accidents can happen.

If your puppy makes a mistake, never scold him. This could create a fearful puppy who wees and poos when you are not around or hides and does it anyway.

The best method is to be there when your puppy gets it right and reward him; this means regular garden trips. Allow him into the garden once every hour and wait patiently. If he wees or poos, give him calm praise during the act and treat him directly afterwards. You must be out there with him to deliver this praise and reward. This reinforces the correct behaviour, meaning he is more likely to get it right the next time.

At night, his toilet habits won’t be quite as frequent (thankfully). However, you can leave a puppy pad near his sleeping area should he wake up and need to go.

If there is an accident and he messes in the house, take him calmly to the garden and if he continues out there, give calm praise and reward.

Essentially, you want to give your puppy the greatest chance of getting it right and getting rewarded for doing so. As he gets older, you can space the trips to the garden further and further apart.