with unusually big hearts they had no apparent hereditary reasons to blame interestingly the city veterinary fraternity is divided on whether pet food or homecooked food is the solution spcas khanna says fresh homecooked food served at fixed hours is the healthiest regime but dr makarand s chavan head of dadars dogs cats vet clinic believes that special dog foods and sufficient water intake is the answer it is easy to make homefood but difficult to make a balanced one he said veterinary physician dr gopal rayate added that people spend between rs 20000 and rs 40000 to buy exotic breeds and think the only way to pamper them is by giving them rich food but in certain cases dietary changes have worked wonders like sevenyearold labrador ronny who had an enlarged heart he has been on medication for one and a half years besides a strict home diet his doting owner kishore mani confesses that ronnys symptoms started with difficulty in breathing and reluctance to walk even a few steps since then we have been giving him only homecooked food suggested by the nutritionist he is quite healthy now said the chemburbased advertising professional common problems complete failure of kidneys kidney stones difficulty in urinating due to less water intake cardiac diseases like enlargement of heart narrowing or leaking of valves minor clots in the arteries obesity tendency to overeat indigestion food allergies lethargy malfunctioning of thyroid glands symptoms loss of appetite and agility retention of urine and in some cases excess urination pain and uneasiness vomiting and diarrhoea with blood rise in body temperature solutions stick to a healthy and uniform diet regime serve food in fixed hours of the day preferably only twice a light morning meal and a moderately heavy dinner should be enough dog should be fed only what is needed and not in excess ample physical exercise