[Eugene G]

i adopted a 3 year old mastiff from an acquaintance. he was on raw diet and i continued it. The previous owner was feeding him 2.5 lbs. he was and i still am getting food from Armalinosk9. its human grade meet 70% meet 30% ground bones. i get chicken, beef and duck from them. i also add chicken feet, turkey necks, beef liver, chicken hearts and once in a while i add veggies and fruits ( 1/2 frozen apples grinded, sometimes i add a little of my veggie/fruit shakes(no grapes), a little cauliflower or a little carrots grinded, bananas etc). i also add a spoon of organic coconut butter every few days and also add “Natural Hip & Joint Supplement for Dogs with Organic Turmeric, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM – 90 Count Chewable ” that i purchase on amazon as it was what previous owner did.
my boy is healthy and i experienced no problems with him for last 5 month.
i am wondering if there is anything missing in his diet. don’t want to neglect an important ingredient or end up with vitamin deficient dog. i appreciate your input.

[Anonymous]

“Sucralfate is an antiulcer medication. It coats ulcers in the digestive system and protects them from further damage from stomach acid. It is used in the treatment of ulcers of the esophagus, stomach, or small intestine of dogs, cats, and other pets. It may prevent ulcers in animals taking aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Sucralfate can affect the absorption of many other medications. Do not give any medications within 2 hours of giving sucralfate. Side effects are rare. Contact your veterinarian if your pet experiences constipation while being treated with sucralfate. With long-term use, the aluminum in sucralfate may accumulate in the brain, or in the bones, causing the bones to weaken”.
Excerpt from article at Doctors Foster and Smith Pet Education . com

[Anonymous]

She is a senior, some dogs and people get skinny as they grow old, just look around.

Anyway, I would broil up a little chicken liver, chop it up and mix a spoonful of it with her kibble. For a couple of bucks, it should last 4-5 days (cooked) in the fridge.
Consider adding other cooked chopped up lean meats to her kibble, chicken breast, steak…no bones.

[Shawna]

Hi sheila23,

Yes, don’t lose hope. Your boy is young and in early stages. There’s lots of reason for hope.

Absolutely, the mineral waters will be just as beneficial for your other dogs as well. I was at a lecture once and they discussed ionizable calcium (calcium bicarbonate) which is found in good quality mineral waters. Calcium bicarbonate is found in the blood (about 1% of the total body calcium) and helps the immune system to fight invaders like bacteria. The calcium traps the bacteria etc (referred to as the calcium wave) until the immune systems white blood cells can get there to eat the bacteria (called phagocytosis). In fact, the medical professionals that I follow suggest fevers are actually beneficial as the muscle heats up to pull ionizable calcium from the bones when needed to fight an infection. That’s why you shouldn’t treat a fever unless it gets too high. By consuming ionizable calcium your body (and that of your dogs) is better able to fight off the infection without needing to generate a fever. More info than you asked for, hope it is useful info. 🙂

[Cara C]

Hi thanks to you both. I am checking out that link and the Fromm .gold website.
Btw How do I know the correct calcium/ phosphorous ratio? Also how important is glucosamine and Msm for large breeds bones ?
Thanks again

[Susan]

Hi, poor thing, she probably hurt her mouth on the sharp chicken leg bone… when I first rescued my dog, I was giving him chicken wings, but Patch didn’t chew on the wing, he chewed maybe 2 chews then swallowed the whole chicken wing, so I’ve been too scared to give him any bones, different if he chewed & chewed on the bone like a normal dog but he eats like he’s starving like he has never been given all these different foods, I was giving him chicken necks & the same he just swallowed them then he got Colitis & was pooing blood & the vet said stop the chicken necks, so I haven’t given him any bones again but a few people say turkey necks are good & bigger then a chicken neck, maybe try a turkey neck, if you want calcium just keep your egg shells, wash the egg’s shell, use the egg, then dry the egg shells out, then grind the egg shell & give 1 teaspoon grinded egg shell sprinkled on her meal once a day, your suppose to get 1 teaspoon from 1 grinded egg shell… I’ve been giving Patch Green Mussel treat they’re dehydrated I give 1 a day, I buy the K-9 Natural Green Mussel treats at the moment we have an offer buy any K-9 Natural treats & get a 50g bag of Venison reward treat free…. Green Lipped Mussel is suppose to be good for arthritis & Turmeric powder Golden paste, Turmeric, pepper & coconut oil….
there’s a group called “Turmeric User Group” on face Book in the files they tell you how to make golden paste….people say its excellent for any animals & human with arthritis…
http://www.k9natural.com/product-information/dog-food-range-au.html

[Pitlove]

Hi- A lot of customers at the small pet store I work at use the Primal Raw Meaty Bones (they are beef marrow bones) and we have yet to have an issue. Perhaps trying the beef would be better. Them splintering like that is definitely concerning and I would not try to feed that bone again.

As for her arthritis, make sure she has comfortable things to lay on and I would definitely suggest a supplement like this one: http://www.chewy.com/dog/naturvet-arthrisoothe-gold-hip-joint/dp/48764
Also is she still getting excersized? Its kinda like how they tell humans that they need to continue to excersize to keep their joints from stiffening when they get older. I think continueing regular excersize for older dogs is a good idea to keep the joints mobile. Obviously only do what she can handle, but it should help. Was she a rescue? She seems young even for a pit to be having arthritis.

[Anonymous]

A word to the wise. Forget about it.
Example: /forums/topic/rectal-issues/
I stopped serving my dogs raw bones (or any bones) after 2 trips to the emergency vet due to them.
Not worth the risk, in my opinion.
Did you check the search engine? Example: /forums/search/bones/ Hope this helps.

[kathleen t]

Starting my 5 yr old blind pit on raw diet. I have started her out mixing the raw meat with her kibble. Yesterday I gave her a bone in chicken leg for the first time. She took the whole leg into her mouth and seemed to have some difficulty at first then got it situated where she was able to chew it and break the bone. Then she acted like she was afraid of it. She wouldn’t even go near it. I picked it up and put it in the fridge. This morning I decided to take the meat off the bone. I noticed that the bone had some sharp shards. I took all the bone out and gave her the meat. She ate the meat. I am concerned about how the raw bone had sharp shards. I see everyone says that chicken bones are safe but was this normal the way they broke? Also I see different things about beef bones. I see don’t feed them leg bones, but what marrow bones are safe for dogs?

Thanks for your help. She has the start of arthritis and getting her on a balanced raw diet is my goal in hopes that this will help her arthritis along with just keeping her as healthy as possible.

[Pitlove]

Brushing your dogs teeth is the best way to clean the teeth. Others on here use Raw Meaty Bones. I’ve tried them, but my dog gets confused on how to eat them. He has an Elk Antler he chews on regularly and because of the way he chews it, its similar to a Raw Meaty Bone and I feel that the antler, along with his regular teeth brushings has helped keep his teeth in good condition.

[zuponicafe]

Ellen,
Do you cook the meat & organs? And by RMB, does that means raw meat bones? If so, do you just give your dog a few chicken wing bones? I’ve always been paranoid of them mostly due to my parents scare tactics when I was a kid. ie:eating a bay leaf will kill you.

[Bronwyn L]

I have an almost 3 year old mixed breed named Kosi who has what appears to be acid reflux. his primary symptoms are discomfort (he can’t sit still) and vomiting of bile – this is particularly the case if he doesn’t eat for more than 8 hours. If I feed him meals throughout the day – particularly one at 8 or 9 pm – right before bed – he is fine. The problem is he is SO picky! he will gobble food up for 2 days or so and then completely turn his nose up at it. I have a rotation of foods I use, but nothing really tempts him.

Generally speaking he refuses to eat any and all wet (canned) foods, and will refuse his kibble if there is a single drop of water mixed into it. He also refuses any of the freeze-dried foods on the market. The kibble he eats most consistently is Taste of the Wild wetlands formula. I rotate with other TOTW formulas and used to rotate with a few other brands, but at this point he refuses all of them.

He refuses any food that has any oil or “palate enhancer” added to it. He doesn’t like cheese or most other people food (he’ll accept ham, chicken, or turkey in small quantities, he refuses all tuna or other fish), in fact the only dog treat he will eat are old fashioned milk bones (which makes my other dog happy – she gets all the fun organic jerky chews!)

I cook for my other dog (she’s 11, with different issues), and Kosi sometimes will eat her food (mix of rice, meat, veggies, etc), but the last two days has turned his nose up at it. my vet has also suggested a bland diet to use on occasion – again he’ll eat it once or twice and then turn up his nose at it for a week or more.

he has mouth issues from an injury as a tiny puppy, so sometimes he seems scared of chewing his kibble (and he chews each piece 10 times), I’ve tried small sized kibble, which he liked the first time I offered, then refused ever since. Again, he refuses wet foods or softened kibble. I’ve actually thrown out a bowl of kibble mixed with expensive Evenger’s canned rabbit (which he liked one time), and offered him a bowl of plain dry kibble, which he ate.

The problem with all of this, is that it is very difficult to keep him fed often enough to keep away the acid reflux symptoms! For example, last night he ate his evening meal, but this morning he decided he didn’t want the kibble, or the rice mixture, or anything else I offered. Several hours later, as I write this, I can tell he’s actually hungry and would likely eat his “normal” kibble, but he’s refusing to eat his food, because his stomach hurts… which just makes him cranky. He’s also built very skinny. he’s active, and his coat is shiny, but if he goes a day without food, you can see all his ribs.

I can’t leave food out for him to pick at all day, as my other dog is a corgi mix (read stomach on legs) and would gobble it all up as soon as Kosi wanders off.

I’m at my wits end!! Any suggestions?

[pugmomsandy]

None of mine choke on the bones. The one that likes to swallow, just swallows it down all the way and he still poops out little nuggets like the other two pugs that take their time. He just gets the small neck bones sometimes. It’s gone is 2 seconds. I do like to make their food as well so I grind up necks to use for the bone content and add muscle meat and organs. For a recreational bone, they get beef ribs or marrow bones which they can’t eat and gnaw on it for days. Once in a while I’ve given them whole quail too and oddly enough, no feathers in the poop. They also eat whole sardines about 6-8 inches in length. Sometimes they’re not thawed all the way so it’s more like a sardine-sicle.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_60801024x821_zpsad7d39eb.jpg

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/IMG_7694_zpsb6950e88.jpg

[Anonymous]

I didn’t rush to a dermatologist either. I spent a year doing various elimination diets, trying various expensive foods, going back and forth to the regular vet and the emergency vet, prednisone, benadryl, fish oil (which I still give) blah, blah, blah. Oh, I forgot, yes, ear infections, prescription drops…
At one point I had 2 air purifiers and a dehumidifier going at the same time (both went to the Goodwill). Daily baths, special shampoos, etc.
My dog found relief after seeing the specialist. Yes, the initial testing is expensive, but the maintenance isn’t bad at all.
It is an option, and it worked for my dog.
PS: I tried raw too, it made my dog vomit uncontrollably. And the raw beef marrow bones resulted in a blockage that required emergency veterinary care.

[Dustin R]

I have a 6 mo old yellow lab retriever and was wondering if anybody knows of any types of chew bones or toys that are healthy, long lasting and keeps breath fresh, we have given him the normal bones and he loves them and they last for weeks but seem to cause his breath to be not so pleasant. any tips or pointers would be great thanks.

• This topic was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Dustin R.

[Natasha]

My F1B goldendoodle puppy weighs 15.5 pounds and I’m feeding her twice a day–breakfast and dinner. I also give her treats when training her and occasionally some teething bones.

Anyway I’m feeding her the Purina Pro Plan chicken and rice puppy formula. I’m only feeding her this because this is what the breeder fed her and I bought two bags of it. Once the bag I have now finishes, I’m switching my puppy over to the 5-star dry Wellness puppy formula.

I’m also mixing her dry Purina food with the wet Wellness Petite Entrees Mini Filets (4.5 stars). I feed her 1/2 cup of the Purina with one tub of the petite entrees for each meal.

I’m just wondering if it’s healthy since the petite entrees are meant for small breeds. My goldendoodle is small by goldendoodle standards, but apparently this is medium compared to most dogs. My vet says she doubts my dog will ever weigh over 25 pounds.

[Anonymous]

Pet owners and veterinarians have reported the following illnesses in dogs that have eaten bone treats:
•Gastrointestinal obstruction (blockage in the digestive tract)
•Choking
•Cuts and wounds in the mouth or on the tonsils
•Vomiting
•Diarrhea
•Bleeding from the rectum, and
•Death. Approximately eight dogs reportedly died after eating a bone treat.
Above is an excerpt from: “No Bones About It: Reasons Not to Give Your Dog Bones”
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm208365.htm?s_cid=w_c_PetHealth_cont_001#1

[Jeffrey Andrew A]

Won’t they choke by using small bones?

[pugmomsandy]

They can eat those too. Two will chew, one swallows whole but they are small bones. My large pug swallows his duck neck whole too.

[Anonymous]

A word to the wise. Forget about it.
Example: /forums/topic/rectal-issues/
I stopped serving my dogs raw bones (or any bones) after 2 trips to the emergency vet due to them.
Not worth the risk, in my opinion.

[Jeffrey Andrew A]

I have 2 Shih tzuz, the female one is a fast eater and the male one is slow eater. I heard that for small dogs, Chicken legs/thigh are bad them because of the big bones on them. The female eat the meat first then the naked bone on the chicken.

Other than Chicken legs/thigh, what are good RMB for shih tzus/small dogs?

[Cat A]

Dont buy these dream bones. Run away far away.
Gave these to my dog and suffered major illnesses. He was in perfect health until he had these treats. I feel its my fault ssince i did not read the ingredients nor where they were made…China. A main ingredient is sorbitol, a super strenth laxative. It caused my dog a severe case of diarrhea, in turn he became dehydrated, issues with his pancreas and blood enzyme levels. He is currently under a vets care and could have died from this. Do not buy them……!!!!!

[Jan M]

Hi, no …not bones….frozen raw chicken patties with ground bones as part of the ingredients. It called for 3 patties a day for her size but I only gave her 2 as a supplement cause they are expensive. I am just praying she will eat and poop it out but she still feels horrible tonight and won’t eat! Thanks.

Red….if you see this…how long before your dog cleaned out?

[Pitlove]

Jan- Wow! So sorry for what your girl went through, but very glad you found out what it was. Not sure if you want to continue feeding the raw bones or not, but I was curious as to how often they were given? Raw meaty bones really should be recreational feeding only, meaning not every day and more infrequently than not. We carry Primal’s raw meaty bones at work and it even says that right on the packaging.

Perhaps she was getting them too frequently and it wasn’t allowing for enough digestion time? Or perhaps she really just can’t break them down. Either way, best of luck with whatever your choice is for her!

[Brooke B]

Hi All,
I have a 7 month old Golden- about 3 months ago he randomly started having diarrhea and continues to have very soft stools. We have tried taking away all bones and treats and it had no affect, we’ve tried a few new ones as well. We also switched to a higher quality food and tried adding fiber and didn’t see much of a change either. The vet has tested for parasites (which I’ve heard can be hard to detect), worms, blockage, ect. and is now recommending a prescription bland dry dog food.

I know it sounds like many changes but it has happened over a a few months and has been a slow process.. some stools get slightly better but never completely normal..So, now I’m stuck and feel awful for him as he probably never feels 100% with an upset stomach.

Anyone else had this issue and not been able to find the cause? Any suggestions or recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Jan M]

Well, we had a horrible night with her…she felt so bad, paced and paced.i was at vets early and guess what? X-ray showed a mass of the ground up bones from raw food was blocking part of her stomach! And I thought I was giving her the very best! I was the cause of it! He gave her a shot to help with her nausea, several medications to help with her tummy right now. She is already feeling better. Most of her misery was coming from nausea due to partial blockage. Needless to say , she will never go back on a raw diet. Thanks for your advice.

[cherryl]

Hi all,
I have an 11 year old Maltipoo (Friday) who’s been battling Yeast infection for 3 years. I got tired of going to the vet having the same treatment over and over (they just prescribe her some medicine,Royal Canin sensitivity and medicated soap and shampoo) without any good results, she’s still stinky, itchy and miserable. I started researching and found out that possible cause of yeast is diet (vet never mentioned that to me) and it’s when i decided to try raw. I followed the yeast starvation diet on homemadedogfood: lean ground beef, boiled egg with shell. I live in Asia so Dinovite is not available so I replace it with supplement, fish oil and megaderm (alternate). Friday loved it. Her yeast is now coming out as expected. However, i observed that her bowel changed dramatically. Her normal schedule on kibble is after meal but once she changed to raw, sometimes it would take more than 24 hrs for her to poop. Her poop is also inconsistent, one day it would be very soft and wet but can still be picked up, the next day then it will be well formed but with mucus, then it will be tarry.. oh and its really smelly too..these changes on her bowel keeps me awake at night as well. Then the other night, her poop was tarry with fresh blood and some mucus, this worried me a lot so i sent her to the vet the next day. She was examined thoroughly and found everything is normal. Also, no vomiting and coughing occurred her movement is also normal.

So i researched again and most of what I read is that I’m supposed to start with chicken, so last night i bought chicken wings and chicken breast fillet. I cut the fillet in small portion and gave Friday half of the chicken wings (this is after 24hr fasting) . She DOESN’T like it. I had to give her the chicken meat by hand and most of it she spit, she ate the chicken wing but with so much pleading. This morning when i tried to give her meal, she did not eat the wings at all. I tried cutting the bones to small pieces but to no avail. (oh this is plain chicken not the yeast starvation diet)

I have another dog Bailey, (Wire Dachshund, normal size) she started on raw the same time with Friday, she’s also having the same bowel problems like Friday (but without the bloody poop (yet)), so now she’s taking chicken wings and no problem eating it at all.

Both dogs started raw about 3 going on 4 weeks now and I dont know if there’s any alternative recipe/food that I can give her. Oh like i said I live in Asia so Turkey, lamb and other kind of meat isn’t readily available here. Basic is pork, chicken and beef.
Should I stick with the yeast starvation diet but with ground chicken? How important is the bones for the dog? And what can i do to make my dog eat chicken?

Really sorry for the long read and I really hope you guys can give me some advice on this.
Thanks so much!!!

[Susan]

Hi, boil some pumkin or the tin pumkin not the pie filling pumkin….. Pumkin is high in fiber & should help with his constipation, mix about 1 spoon pumkin thru all his meals, ajust as needed more or less….. with the bones make some bone broth, bone broth is excellent for dogs joints & dogs love bone broth when finished cooking freeze sections & add with meals or give by it self… http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/reasons-your-dog-love-bone-broth/

[ldsb67]

My beagle was hit by a car. Have been feeding him lots of beef and chicken and rice, but very expensive. It’s been six weeks and am looking for more inexpensive alternatives. Thinking raw bones but he seldom chews…my 50 pound dork. Love him like my baby and he has lost a lot of muscle, and is still very weak in hind legs with some pain. Any suggestions on care and feeding. My vet is very uninformative and unhelpful.

[InkedMarie]

Hi Chuck,
I have a brittany who is 5! I buy grinds from Hare Today, Reel Raw Dog and a new england meet up. I feed ones with bone & organ, tripe too for most. They’re complete. I add minimal supplements: salmon oil 3x weekly, eggs 3x weekly, Bug off Garlic & joint supps for my older dog. All you do is put the bowl on a scale, tare it, scoop it then feed. I do use some beef rib bones & necks as well for dental care.

[MaggiesDad]

Thank you for your feedback Dori – we are looking in to other single source protein foods (our Turkey is currently single source for example) but we have to add turkey to the beef in order to ensure sufficient bone content for the correct calcium/phosphorus ratio. Beef bones are too hard for our machinery, and we will not use pre-ground bone as we can never be sure of the source. We are also currently reviewing our packaging and I appreciate your comments regarding the labeling of the beef – we will certainly look at this again.

[Aaron J]

Thanks InkedMarie. I am in NY.

Do you purchase this: Ground Turkey/Bones/Organs?

That is what I am currently looking at.

However…. it also states that this is the ratio:
68% meat
27% bone
5% organ [liver]

27% bone is too much bone, I believe. Do you feed more turkey meat to substitute etc?

I still don’t think that above option would be suitable to feed….
I know My Pet Carnivore offers

https://www.mypetcarnivore.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=productdetails&virtuemart_product_id=850&virtuemart_category_id=16&lang=en

which appears to be a more suitable all in one meal??

However, their prices are high.

[InkedMarie]

Hi Aaron,
I’ve been ordering from Hare Today for a couple years; they’re awesome! Regarding the “defrost, scoop, measure & feed”…..that is exactly what I do with their grinds. I buy the bone-in grinds & do just that. One of mine needs no added boneless; the other does.
All you need to do is feed her grinds as long as they have bone-in. If they don’t have tripe in what you’re looking at, purchase some ground to add to the tripe-less grinds. I also feed duck or turkey necks and beef rib bones for dental health.
I suggest you email Tracy from Hare, she’s the owner & very helpful but she is on vacation this week (pretty sure). Where are you located?

[Aaron J]

For anyone that has purchased from Hare Today…what am I supposed to purchase to have the most complete prey model raw diet? They have many varieties of any ground protein/bones/organs… however looking at turkey as a protein, it has 27% bone. I don’t know what I would need to purchase in order to have a complete pmr diet for my dog. Ideally, I would prefer to just defrost the meat, scoop, measure, and feed… I don’t think they have that option?

Any feedback in regards to this is appreciated!!

Thanks!

• This topic was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Aaron J.

[Gina P]

Hi, sorry to hear of your dog’s issue. I’ve had 4 dogs who developed pancreatitis. 3 were aged rescue dogs so I’m unsure of their histories but while I had them all were fed a premium commercial diet. The pancreatitis occurred whenever they were fed additional “fatty” foods, even in small amounts – for example bones, roast lamb and in one case a tiny piece of meat from barbecue beef rib. The smaller the dog, the less it took to cause a problem. Your vet’s probably already advised you to cut down on fats. It’s the only thing that prevented the problem. However my large Weimaraner would develop pancreatitis type symptoms every year after his vaccination (they’re done yearly in Australia). Vet said immunisation wouldn’t cause it…..the vet was wrong. When I stopped vaccinating, there were no more problems. ( The dog was quite old and had most likely developed immunity anyway). Anyhow, hope this helps and your lovely old Pom gets better soon. Cheers.

[Pitlove]

^ A thousand times this. Raw bones only!

[aquariangt]

Quick note-no cooked bones though 🙂

[Joy M]

Hello to all and Thank you in advance for all your help
I have been feeding my dog Lilly a 5 1/2 year old rescue pit a lightly cooked meal with dry for going on 2 years now with no problems but for nearly a year have been trying and trying to go totally raw But she will not touch it I have done my research and tried to wait it out She now just stopped eating raw meaty bones now she just buries it under the sofa or wherever but she never goes back to get them before I went back to raw she loved them So my question is am i hurting her by lightly cooking all the food She is very healthy now by the way When we first got her she was very sickly Horrible rashes ,Diarrhea ,bad joint issues Etc Most of that is gone now
I just am so confused She has had all her vaccinations before i got her and since then I was forced to get Rabies and talked into Lyme because we go camping in the deep woods But she has had none in two years

[Kona]

Not yet. She has a few fractured teeth so her vet has advised against bones but I thought I’d try some turkey/duck necks. Should she get those daily or is it more of an occasional treat?

[Jonathan S]

Are you giving her raw meaty bones? That would add some calories. You could go with turkey necks, lamb shanks, chicken wings, duck feet, etc.

[jakes mom]

C4C, I tried the cat food from know better a few months ago when I was trying to transition the brats to raw. Easy to do, good fast delivery. Of course the cats didn’t eat it but Jake enjoyed it very much, lol. Let me know if you try it, I might add it to Jake’s rotation. Right now he’s eating a bit of everything, NV kibble and frozen raw, a few other quality kibble brands, raw meaty bones. And as you know, he’ll be finishing up the Darwin’s cat food!

[Anonymous]

I am not familiar with the foods you mentioned, I would go with the prescription food recommended by the veterinarian that is treating your dog. I thought the article below made sense. Hope this helps.

http://dalmatianrescue.org/info/feeding.htm
By Beth White, Melody Kennels
We generically recommend for most Dalmatians foods with the protein source of chicken and turkey, with protein levels in the range of 20-24%. No one food is good for all dogs, but with this range it should cover most dogs. Rather than the protein level, the source of the protein is what is important. Chicken and turkey are the lowest in purines.

If a Dalmatian has urinary problems then it usually means that he can’t break down purines in his diet. Beef is highest in purines so we recommend the other protein sources. We also suggest that Dalmatians (again, most dogs) be fed scraps as a healthy addition to their “balanced” diet. It is interesting to note that all foods, from Walmart’s Old Roy to the most expensive foods on the market state “nutritionally complete” or “balanced”. Ever wonder why pet foods are considered balanced but human food isn’t?

Scraps help make the dog’s diet more complete. One of the worst things that has happened to modern pets is modern dog food….but that is another story. When we used to slop the hogs and slop the dogs, we didn’t have hip dysplasia or many of the other more modern structural problems. Our convenient dog foods are an improvement in many ways, but they are not complete or balanced. Scraps are also “tasty” and fun for the dog.

Veterinarians began recommending not feeding human food when the average pet was found to be too fat., Moving from the farm to the city and from work to retirement caused many pets to loose their shape. Feeding too many scraps isn’t good if it adds weight to dog, but there are just too many nutrients that go down the drain or in the trash that are helpful and useful to our pets. Modern dog foods are not always the best source of nutrients (from a source of diseased livestock possibly, etc.). The foods are also shipped long distances and sit on the shelf sometimes for months, are exposed to heat, etc. All this contributes to reduction in the quality and quantity of nutrients within the food fed to our pets.

There is a growing movement of feeding dogs raw diets, with great health results. For more information, search for Bones and Raw Food diet (BARF), or authors Billingshurst or Pitcairn, who have excellent books on the subject, on the web. Another great resource for dog owners is The Whole Dog Journal. Call 1-800-829-9165 for a trial copy.

Some dogs (Dalmatians included) can’t tolerate ethoxyquin. It is best to feed a food without this preservative. Dalmatians (all dogs even) should always be fed with water added to their food. It need not be soaked, but served like milk on a bowl of cereal. Ask yourself why we add milk to a bowl of grain. It is easier to eat that way. But, with a Dalmatian, there is the added benefit of the dog taking in a larger quantity of water than normal (in order to get to his food) and he flushes his kidneys twice a day. This is good for the kidneys.

All dogs should be fed twice a day. Fortunately, most people have gotten away from feeding only once a day. Livestock is fed twice a day and we eat three times. Once a day simply isn’t enough. We don’t recommend free feeding because it isn’t practical if water is added to the food. If not eaten immediately, it becomes soggy and then either spoils or is wasted. Besides, food exposed to the air loses more of its nutritional potency.

When a Dalmatian has urinary stones the old method, prior to modern commercial kidney diets, was to feed rice and vegetables (cooked with oil, bacon grease, salt, herbs of all sorts for flavor, etc.). Cottage cheese can also be added. Commercial kidney foods are fine, but they are usually not very palatable and often expensive.

Rice and vegetables are healthy and any Dalmatian can live on them and look great. Nothing gets fat on rice! When I prepared this diet for a dog that I once kept, I cooked the rice with various types of oils (Olive, safflower, corn, etc.) and threw in whatever herbs and seasonings I had on the shelf. I also added potatoes, green beans, and many other vegetables. The rice concoction was quite tasty and I usually sampled it too! A vitamin/mineral supplement was also added.

Dogs fed rice and vegetables usually hold their weight quite well. The owner, however, must remember to feed more than he would feed commercial dog food. The good thing is that most dogs actually love rice and vegetables, when herbs and spices and oils are added during cooking. Most of the time this method only requires cooking twice a week. Cook large batches and refrigerate what isn’t fed. Warm cold rice concoction and water in the microwave slowly. When traveling, obviously, it would be better to take commercial kidney foods.
For non-chronic stone formers, but dogs with gravel or sediment in need of veterinary treatment, it is always best to follow your veterinarians advice. But, once the urine has attained a normal pH, attempt to start the dog back onto a quality commercial food. Often a dog’s system has been corrected and by feeding low purines and lots of water, he can return to commercial foods. Make sure that the food is WELL WATERED.

[Pitlove]

Hi Marylou- Do you know if there are any remaining parasites from the Giardia? She could still be feeling sick from that or the meds and not want to eat. Also, I do know that most Poodles (at least standards) tend to be on the thin side. You can usually see their hip bones etc unlike with other breeds. Have you asked the vet about her weight? I would definitely seek the opinion of a vet over a groomer (no offence). If she was weighed at the vet and her weight was not brought up she might actually be a normal weight.

If you want her to gain a little weight, you can give her coconut oil. Dogs love the taste and it’s high in calories. You could try adding it to the food as well. Also there is nothing wrong with adding chicken breast to her kibble. However make sure it’s not overcooked. It should be boiled if anything.

[jakes mom]

My understanding is that a dog’s GI tract is shorter and stomach acid is more acidic than human’s, this makes it safer for them to eat raw stuff without getting sick. My dog eats raw and loves raw meaty bones, has never been sick. Nor have I gotten sick by feeding it. Just wash hands and keep kitchen clean. Also, don’t forget that the government (FDA) has their nose into regulating pet food. Companies may have to issue “CYA” recalls even tho there’s really no danger to the dog.
That said, nothing’s right for all dogs and people. If you aren’t comfortable with the raw feeding, there are plenty of other options for you like cooking a homemade diet for your dog. Or just feeding a good quality canned food or kibble, altho those are prone to recalls, too. Nothing is 100% safe in life. You just do the best you can.

[Alasdair D]

Having a local butcher that you are on good terms with is about the most awesomest thing you can do for your dogs! Almost everything they want to get rid of is high quality dog food.

You should experiment with them – see what they have that’s cheap and then see how much your dogs like it. Pretty much everything will go down well I would expect. Chicken carcasses, lamb ribs, beef bones, there’s so much there that they can’t sell that is perfect dog food…

[InkedMarie]

Sharon,
PawfectlyRawNE.com is up & running; I placed my first order thru them last week.

I don’t grind my own, I’m too lazy and most grinders that you can buy can’t grind beef bones.

There have been more problems for salmonella in kibble. Do you or have you ever eaten meat for yourself or prepare meat for your family? Raw dog food is just meat. If you touch meat, this is no different. I feed grinds so I don’t touch it, I use a spoon.

I can’t afford all grass fed meat for us and can’t do it for the dog, not all the time. If you buy your dogs kibble, dehydrated, cannned, etc it’s not the “good stuff”. IMO you do the best you can. I feed a combo of grinds from Pawfectly (well, I will soon!), Reel Raw and Hare Today.

[sharon b]

Following! I started a thread on raw for large breeds but have not seen any recent comments. I thought I was mixing raw in their kibble, an 8 y/o husky and a 6 m/o Newf, only to find out the package “Vital Raw” is misleading and not Raw. I was going to just switch to raw as my pup has an ongoing infection when I read on another link of a man losing his 9 & 1/2 y/o Pitbull to I believe it was e-coli from chicken, but may have been salmonella, so decided to wait and see how others weigh in on this. It does not seem this has been an issue for others. I did want to ask a bit about the supplements though as others recommended omega 3’s and salmon oil’s for mine, but you mentioned flax seeds. Do you grind those daily and add them? Just a comment about flax seeds, as they are only active the day you do that, as they oxidize and then are of no benefit otherwise, including all the gel-tab’s etc. The market has us fooled, I am an R.Ph and learned that in an continuing Ed, only helpful w/ husks off for a couple hours.
Because my dogs are so big this seems like a very expensive way to go, even though I know it’s healthier. Does anyone do kibble in the AM, and Raw in PM? What about all the hormones in the meat from grocery stores? All concerns of mine.
Also for those of you that grind, how? Do you have a special grinder that does the bones? Trying to figure the most economical way to do this?

[DogFoodie]

Aww, poor little girl!

First thing that I thought of was The Honest Kitchen, so I definitely like your dehydrated idea. Canned foods would be a good choice also. Pure Balance at Wal-Mart is very good quality that’s budget friendly. You could add a bit more water if necessary to thin it out a bit.

Something else to consider might be FreshPet foods. Mine like the pouch meals and the piece are soft. She should be able to chew those with just her jaw bones.

My friend had a little, tiny, old terrier with no teeth and a big tongue. The cute thing is that her tongue is always hanging out.

Good luck with your little girl! I’ll pray that they are adopted together.

[EVAN H]

Trainers telling me that they can feed raw chicken with the bones intact to large breed dogs and that the dogs don’t seem to be susceptible to salmonella..AND YET…I just now got an email alert from this website here saying some turkey sprinkles was being recalled due to salmonella…

?????? opinions/ actually would prefer some facts??

tks

[Alasdair D]

Hi All,

First post, so please be a bit gentle….

As an introduction, I live in the UK and have 2 Deerhounds. One is 10 years old and one is 10 months old. The pup has been fed raw since birth and I converted the old lady to raw when we got the pup 6 months ago. The old lady had been fed raw many years ago, but I got lazy and moved her onto Royal Canin some years ago at a vet’s recommendation. Over time, she developed some skin problems, but the move to raw has cleared that up completely and she now also has more energy.

Anyway….what I am looking for is some advice on the diet I currently feed them. I will describe the “go to” menu, but be aware that I do chop and change depending on what is available and also feed lamb rib bones and other raw meaty bones often.

I normally feed the dogs twice daily. Breakfast is a raw mince and vegetables (see below) meal and dinner is normally raw chicken wings or quarters.

The mince I use is made from ground chicken carcasses so has about 15% bone, and also has about 10% added offal. It is all human grade chicken meat with no additives or preservative whatsoever – just pure ground up chicken parts.

For the vegetables, about every month or so I buy a load of leafy greens, carrots, sweet potatoes (the orange ones) and broccoli, then grind it up really fine in my food processor and freeze to use later.

I use about 1/3rd veggies and 2/3 mince for the breakfast meal – and I also add a supplement that I make up from equal weights of powdered kelp, brewers yeast and ground flaxseed. Each dog gets a desert spoonful of this powder with their breakfast.

That’s the typical meal plan. Both dogs love it, the pup appears to be in phenomenal health and the old girl is much better than she used to be.

So, I am really looking for comments on this….. I think it covers most of the bases in terms of protein, fat, carbs, vitamins and minerals, but I want to know if there is something I am missing or anything I can or should add to improve their diet.

Let me know what you think!

Many thanks,

Alasdair