List of fruits chins can eat?

Since this nightmare started it's just not worth it to me to give treats, and risk anyone having an issue.

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EXACTLY, once you have dealt with bloat you would NEVER EVER wish that on another chin owner. People can flap their yaps all they want about how one sugary treat a day is A-OKAY, when that treat almost costs you your pets life, several of them in my case, your tune will change.

Once in a blue moon I will give a sliver of apple or grape. I have also tried cantaloupe. Have done it for years without a problem. THE IMPORTANT WORDS ARE HARDLY EVER AND A SLIVER!! Since I don't keep records on treats..........I'll say 3 OR 4 times a year. Hay and apple wood are the main treats.

See this guy banging his head here? :banghead: The sliver is about the size of the wall the guy is banging his head on.
The gut of the chin is very tiny and the intestinal track only as wide as the size of a poop. So giving an animal too much of something is asking for severe problems which can lead to death. Why risk it.

Note: There are a few people on here who bash. So if your one of them........save the drama as I could care less.

Digestive issues are NOT fun. I have a chin with a chronic bloat condition. It has taken a lot of trial and error with her diet to regulate her system. Since this nightmare started it's just not worth it to me to give treats, and risk anyone having an issue.

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EXACTLY, once you have dealt with bloat you would NEVER EVER wish that on another chin owner. People can flap their yaps all they want about how one sugary treat a day is A-OKAY, when that treat almost costs you your pets life, several of them in my case, your tune will change.

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Were you able to pin point exactly what diet change took place that caused the bloat in your chins? Fortunately, I've only had to deal with bloat once and there was a happy ending....I was away on vacation and someone else was watching him. I don't think she gave him any other foods because I was very firm about him not eating anything but what I usually gave him (pellets, hay, shreddies). The apt was a bit warm while I was gone, and the vet thought the temp from stress could have caused the bloat. I never changed his diet, and I've never had another issue with bloat (knock on wood).

I was just wondering what treats caused the bloat in your chins, and how you deduced it was caused by that food item?

I do not give any "food" treats, especially not fruits or vegetables of any kind. I give untreated pine wood chews, a small amount of pellets and lots of loose timothy hay.

Sovay said:

Were you able to pin point exactly what diet change took place that caused the bloat in your chins? Fortunately, I've only had to deal with bloat once and there was a happy ending....I was away on vacation and someone else was watching him. I don't think she gave him any other foods because I was very firm about him not eating anything but what I usually gave him (pellets, hay, shreddies). The apt was a bit warm while I was gone, and the vet thought the temp from stress could have caused the bloat. I never changed his diet, and I've never had another issue with bloat (knock on wood).

I was just wondering what treats caused the bloat in your chins, and how you deduced it was caused by that food item?

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I made the bad decision of giving my "herd" a apple treat one evening, because it was only a small piece and what can it hurt, mine never got treats before this. The next morning I had three chins with bloat and two with loose poo, almost lost one and 100s of dollars later from the vet bills it just is not worth it, they don't need treats and I feel no personal reason to give them. My treat issue before this was teeth, I was a dental professional and sugar was just not done in my house, after this happened and my vet told me I messed up big time it was both reasons.

I agree with the others. Absolutely no fruits, just not worth the risk. After having dealt with 2 chins with bloat...I can tell you just like everyone else that it is very scary. There are many other safe and healthy options that the chins love just as much. )

6Dusters said:

Note: There are a few people on here who bash. So if your one of them........save the drama as I could care less.

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Don't self police. It is against forum rules. If you have a problem with a post, hit the (!) button in the upper right corner of it and the forum staff will handle it accordingly.

Sovay said:

I was just wondering what treats caused the bloat in your chins, and how you deduced it was caused by that food item?

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A few years ago Oxbow changed it's forumla, she didn't like the new taste and stopped eating it. I didn't catch it until her GI system was already off kilter, at that point she was picking at hay and had some gas built up in her system. I didn't know about the formula change at the time, so my vet and I were running the poor thing through every test looking for dental disease and trying to diagnose something. Once I found out about the formula change I tried different pellets and combinations of hay to try and entice her appetite. She took a liking to Mazuri, but after just a few weeks she had her worst case of bloat to date. After we got that under control I made a last ditch effort and started importing Beaphar. Without running her through a series of stressful tests, I'm convinced that her GI system is permanently damaged from the ordeal. She has a significantly reduced amount of droppings then before this started, it's also significantly less than any of my other animals. About once a month or so she gets constipated and a little gassy, and I have to treat her with simethicone, as well as temporarily adding alfalfa and linden leaves to her diet.

She has to be watched like a hawk, it makes me very nervous anytime I have to travel, and leave her with a sitter.

After going through all this I just don't bother with treats for any of my chins. I've experienced how sensitive they are, so why would I give them anything that's not part of their routine.

Uh oh! I have been feeding my chin dried strawberries that's are ranked especially for chins! I tried one and they taste exactly like people dried strawberries you'd buy from the organic section... But he loves them ):

How do you tell if a chin has bloat? My vet told me to stuff my chins with greens, which I didn't do but I did give them small amounts daily for a short while until I read on here that they are bad. I didn't see any changes in their digestive workings, they still ate pellets and hay, poops were usual, but Elena has been unusually cranky and snippy. Are there any other signs I should look for for digestive issues the lettuce may have caused?

Chins with bloat wont eat or drink, the abdomen may appear swollen to the point you can tap it and it wont give or it may be doughy feeling and will be painful to the touch. The chin will try to relieve the pain of bloat by rolling or stretching. Chins will be lethargic and appear depressed, may have difficulty breathing, may sleep or hide in a odd spot in the cage. As the condition worsens and is almost to stasis the chin may appear manic, chewing bars of the cage, frantically chewing whatever is can in a frenzy, it may pace the cage. Its a medical emergency and can kill in hours, the chin can go into shock, the digestive system can slow down, shut down (stasis) and then die.

I think some people could argue that they've given their chins fruits/veggies and never had an issue. You have others who can testify the ordeal they've had to go through in trying to treat a chin with bloat. I like to play it on the safe side and have made the decision that if I don't ever feed my chin fruits or veggies, she will never know what they are and won't miss out on getting them. She will be safer and live a longer, happier life. I won't be burdened with an expensive vet visit, worried to death if my chin will survive bloat or not.

None of those symptoms thank goodness! If I dry things like parsley or dandelion, can they have them? I planted a pot of parsley for Tseng because he adores it. I am trying to come up with treats that are not really treats because I've been giving them alfalfa as a "treat" and I'm allergic to it.

I believe dandelion is ok - as long as you are certain that it is pesticide-free, but I'm not sure about the parsley.

My theory is why? Chins don't need treats. Shredded wheats can be used, old fashioned oatmeal, sticks...

Treats are for humans, not chins. Ask ranchers who have chins that are 20 years old and will still produce what they feed, treats is never on the list.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should .....

That's one of the mottos I use with chins - some people will argue that they've smoked for years without issue ... doesn't mean they are not doing unseen damage to themselves & that it's 'safe' for other people to smoke also.

I haven't read this whole thread so forgive me if I repeat things. Dried dandelion is great, dried chamomile, dried pepermint, Malva flowers (blue, dried) also known as mallow, rose hips, rolled oats, flax seeds, dried hibiscus flowers, and some others. There's a published book by Egon Mosschler (German) that details a supplement that he gave that helped in the survival of his kits, the strength of his breeding females, etc., just all around good things. I make a mix of all of these and add calcium. I know there will be disagreement, but I've used it for 15 years and my baby weight is better, fewer stillborns, my females are healthier and have lots of milk in less time than otherwise. You could add fenegreek to your nursing moms if it's their first litter.