[theBCnut]

Since I have squeamish people living in my house and they may have to feed, I use raw as a topper, actually I feed about half and half, but I still mix kibble and raw. I know several people who do likewise with no problems. Or you can feed it as a seperate meal.

To use See Spot Live Longer, you can adjust the amount you make as you need to. Two tablespoon of SSLL per 1/2 lb of boneless meat, one tablespoon of SSLL per 1/4 lb of boneless meat, whatever works for you. DHA is in fish oil and if you don’t feed a meal of oily fish once a week, you need to give fish oil.

You can also give raw meaty bones as long as you don’t exceed 20% of the diet with unbalance foods..

[Cordell N]

Hello,
I home cook for my three dogs. A 7 month old Australian Shepherd, a senior Boston Terrier and a senior Bassett Hound. I make their food in a crock pot twice a week.
I use a combination of meats which usually include chicken thighs or chicken quarters and ground beef and chicken gizzards. I also add ground lamb if I can find it in the discount area.
I throw in carrots, green beans and other vegetables from my garden like squash and tomatoes. If I have some fruit that needs to be eaten I throw that in also. I add some water and cook until done. I remove the everything and debone the chicken and mash with a potatoes masher and mix well. I then cook my carbs in the liquid. Sometimes rice, potatoes, lentils, oats or barley. I least that cook until very well done add a can of pumpkin and mix it all together. I would estimate that the meat comprises about 75% of their diet.

I add a supplement I make at feeding that includes ground egg shell, nutritional yeast, kelp powder, lecithin granules, ground multivitamins, salmon oil, yogurt, apple cider with the mother and Brazil nuts. I also put a cube or two of cooked beef liver or canned sardines on top a couple of times a week.
I would like to add some raw food and bones to their routine.
I bought the following at the Asian and Mexican markets.
Chicken and turkey necks
Pork neck bones
Beef feet cut up
Pork heart.
My questions are can I give a neck a couple of tomes a week as a treat?
Are raw pork neck bones and cut up raw beef feet safe as treats?
Should I cook the pork heart in the crock pot with my other meat or serve a small portion raw on top of their cooked food?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Cordell

[theBCnut]

They can eat all of those either cooked or raw. If you are going to cook them, make sure you do not give them the bones, but if the game meats are going to make up more than 20% of their diet, you need to add back calcium to rebalance the food. Two good sized egg shells per pound of meat.

[Terri M]

Thanks so much for your replies. Yes, my vet said NOTHING else, not even chew bones, while doing the elimination diet. I’m going to give it a try. I’ve also done quite a bit of reading about boosting their immune systems with probiotics. What are your thoughts on this? My vet said “NO RAW”. Not sure why….the holistic store I’ve been going to gave me a sample for him to try and you would have thought I had put crack in front of him! He loved it! Do y’all know why vets are so against raw? My vet did mention a homemade diet as well. If this doesn’t work, I’m SO there!

[James F M]

We ran out of Sammy Snacks produced in Charlottesville, VA. Started using mostly Annamaet and tiny Milkbones. Probably a coincidence, but Charlie developed colitis with bloody diarrhea. He is better, trip to the vet–some Tylosin and metronidazole and W/D Sciece Diet. We pitched the newish bag of Annamaet treats—we have resumed some Annamaet grain free Lean. No problem now, but he loved the cans of Science Diet. We actually bought a little more Science Diet because he was wild about it. Cavalier Blenheim dancing on his tiptoes and trying to see that stuff on the kitchen counter that smelled so good!

He did well with Sammy Snacks for a couple of years, he was on Innova for 2 years until the recall. He has been a year or so on Annamaet. We now have the quandary of future food. We decided today to simply go back to Annamaet Lean. He is spoiled, because we hate to disappoint this little guy!

[pugmomsandy]

So far I’ve only used CarnivoreRaw from Young Again Pet Food. It’s a powder so there’s no chunks at all. They have a product with calcium and without (for people who grind meat with bones like me).

I’ve used regular Grandma Lucy’s, not the premix, and preferred the texture of it compared to Honest Kitchen.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[theBCnut]

The only tooth issue like that that I have ever had was from a dog biting on chainlink fence. No amount of listening would have prevented that, but we all have to decide what we believe is best for our own dogs, so best of luck to you.

You definitely have to be aware of what type of chewing style your dog has. One of my old dogs was a golden mix with the typical soft mouth of a golden, except when it came to bones. He could crunch up the big thigh bones from cows in no time, he never broke a tooth, but I had to quite letting him have any bones because I was afraid of him breaking off a big piece and swallowing it. The dogs I have now don’t even try to bite off big chunks of something like that, they just lie down and quietly gnaw. I do feed raw, so my dogs eat bones as part of their regular meals, just not weight bearing bones of large animals.

[pugmomsandy]

Kathy K,

My pugs enjoy (consumable) tripe chews (Only Natural Pet tripe spring chews), tendon chews (Merrick flossies), and occasional bully sticks, dried trachea, Himalayan dog chews (hard yak cheese), chicken feet and pork ribs.

Other non-consumable chews they enjoy are beef ribs, cow hoof, marrow bones and my house shoes.

[Mike M]

For dog health reasons — Omega 3, good oils and extra calcium from cooked bones in can — and to avoid using poultry meat that has probably been raised non-humanely (that is, more confined than I want), I’ve switched over to:

Crown Prince Natural Pink Salmon – Low in Sodium, 7.5-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12)
Grocery
Sold by Amazon.com LLC

No sales tax or shipping via Amazon Prime

as the main meat source to mix with the Urban Wolf mixture. Will continue with the egg every other day and 1 sardine daily, along with the rest of it.

[theBCnut]

Nancy
While I don’t any longer have dogs that big, I used to have GSDs, so I can be of some help here. The first few times you give bones you absolutely want to make sure that they are too big for him to just swallow or crunch, crunch swallow. Dogs that aren’t used to bones have a learning curve. They are used to wolfing their food down as fast as possible, so they have to learn that they have to chew it up. Give something like a whole leg quarter or a whole turkey neck. Some dogs have to have their raw pieces held at first, or have it attached to something that will cause them to slow down.

[Nancy C]

Pauline: I have a 70 pound GSD too. Have never given him bones. Q: Do you just put a chicken leg in your dog’s bowl at suppertime and let HIM chew it up? Does he really CHEW UP THE BONE? I have been scared to do that. What can you tell me about it? I’m afraid of puncturing the intestines. That might be stupid. Thank you for what you can say.

[Linsey H]

Hi there, I started reading these forums back when I was first researching a puppy, and so far it has served me well, though I finally have a question. I know that there is a separate thread for large breed puppies, but I felt like my question might have been a bit too long and complicated for it.

I have a 21w, 45lb female Shiloh Shepherd and she has recently started teething. I have been restricting her calcium pretty thoroughly, though I have heard from several reliable people that I should be giving her more during her teething phase. My internet searches so far have been unhelpful and I have not found much scientific data on large breeds and teething. I am also a little concerned with her current diet ratios, so if I am doing something terrible, I am hoping that someone can call me out on it. So far my puppy has been putting on steady 2 pounds a week, with the exception of a few ~3lb/week growth spurts. She does appear to get occasional growing pains still though.

Her current diet:
She receives two meals a day which consist of kibble and toppers, and since she is a puppy she still receives a significant amount of training treats. I have been using http://www.animalmedicalcenterofchicago.com/pdf/CalorieRequirementsForDogs.pdf as a rough guideline for calories- my puppy gets roughly 1.1-1.3k C from kibble and then 200-500C from toppers, chews and training treats. I have read that large breeds have slightly different requirements after 4mo, plus my puppy is decently active- she walks a lot, plays plenty of fetch, and then gets at least 1 hour of dog play through various outlets daily. I generally adjust how much she gets of what based on what she did that day, and she has been staying very lean and well muscled.

For kibble, her breeder had her on Earthborn Holistic: Meadow Feast, and since that was on Hound Dog Mom’s list and had the right amount of calcium I have kept her on it. The breeder also suggested using Flexicose and Missing Link Puppy as supplements- I am not sure if Missing Link is the best, but the breeder said that the calcium amounts checked out (only the min is on the package).

For toppers, she almost always gets a tablespoon of pumpkin and then either raw green tripe, a raw ground mix from our butcher, or canned PetKind. The raw mix consists of 10% green tripe, 10% organs, and 80% beef – it is bone free and has been the main thing reducing calcium in her diet. As of last month, I have started giving my puppy either a raw (irradiated) egg or a chicken wing every 2-3 days (whenever she finishes .75-1lb pound of the supplement). I had read somewhere that a chicken wing contains ~1.86g of calcium and 89g total with ~38% being bone, though my math is still somewhat guestimate-y. I also have backs and necks, but I was under the impression that they had more calcium.

For treats, she either gets soft Buddy Biscuits (grain free), dried/dehydrated meat, lamb lung, Orijen treats, or cooked chicken- she definitely prefers softer treats and no is no longer interested in kibble rewards (she spits it out in training). When I had her on only meat-based rewards, she started to get a little snobbish so I reintroduced the Buddy Biscuits, but I am not sure that they are the healthiest option. I try to limit the amount on normal days to 100C, and then for days she has class (or if I work with her on a lot of new behaviors) she gets 200-300C.

For chews, she either gets Beams (fish skin), bison trachea (dehydrated, I have not been able to find raw/frozen), or tendon- though she is not as interested in the last two since she has been teething. Pumpkin filled kongs have been another option, though she is not a big kong fan. Lamb lung, jerky, or sweet potato, are rare accompaniments to the pumpkin. She is a gentle chewer and only finishes the beams in a single session. She is no longer interested in fruit/veggie chews. For teething, I have tried frozen towels/ropes soaked in a broth solution, but she has yet to go for them. Her favorite “chew” is definitely the raw bones, but I don’t want to give her too many due to calcium levels.

Anyways, my core question is this:
Does her current diet seem too far out of balance?

With the follow-ups being these:
1) Am I giving her too many calories in unbalanced toppers and treats?
2) Is my puppy getting too much or not enough calcium?
3) Are there other raw chewing options with less calcium (unless she needs more)?
4) Are there any specific books I should read in addition to Dr. Becker and Steve Brown’s books?
5) What are some of the better online resources for buying raw? My local butcher shop is pretty great, but unfortunately they don’t carry everything.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Jason –

Victor is a great food – just be aware that the only two formulas with calcium levels appropriate for large breed puppies are the chicken and rice formula and the lamb and rice formula. He’ll be fine if you switch him to a good food now, at only three months old a doubt there has been any dietary damage. 🙂 Raw meaty bones are – imo – the best chew. However, because he’s still growing and bones are high in calcium I’d limit to only once or twice a week. Things like turkey necks, chicken backs, etc. are all great. Raw tracheas are another wonderful chew for puppies – they’re nice and gummy and not too hard. If you aren’t comfortable feeding raw bones you could go with natural chews such as bully sticks or dried tracheas (just make sure they’re from a reputable company).

[Linda H]

OK – I joined this section to get to the good foods ! Editors choice – Whole EarthFarms Grain Free Recipe Beef and Lamb – I just read reviews on the main site here – that there is a horrendous BAD smell – and people returning the product due to the smell being so bad and dogs getting sick. Foreign objects found in the canned food and apple seeds and bones. OK back to the drawing board – 🙁

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi Linda,

I have a 8 year old Great Dane and live in Apopka, FL. I currently feed homemade raw. It is by far cheaper than buying commercial raw like Primal, Stella & Chewys, Bravo, etc. I still buy and feed it for some extra variety but using it as the basis of the diet will send your food bill skyrocketing.

There is a co-op for central florida raw feeders on yahoo groups. Here is the link (I hope it works), if not just search for it: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/CentralFLRawFoodCo-op/info
I personally have never ordered from the co-op because they only have beef and their pickup time and location doesn’t work for me.

I am currently getting my meat from a meat market that supplies to the public as well as restaurants in Fort Pierce (I just moved from their 5 months ago and still go back on the weekends). I am currently looking into a supplier in Sanford called Hopkins Meat Packing.

I am following recipes by Steve Brown using his book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet.” I also have “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Dr. Karen Becker. Those are by far the best two in my opinion. Also, if your dog gulps his food or you are skittish about feeding whole bones (which I am), you might want to invest in a meat grinder. I bought one on Amazon for less than $90.

This is one of my favorite topics so please ask away. I’m sure more people will chime in too but I was so happy to see someone else in the Central Florida area! 🙂

-Caroline

[arwyru24]

For those of us that do not feel confident quite yet in feeding raw bones, I would like to find a safe and quality edible chew/bone type of treat. Something to occupy his time. I have been told to avoid pig ears.

Also, for training treats I have been using Ziwipeak daily dog venison and fish dry food, they are perfect little squares for training, and they’re very high interest, he loves them, we adjust his mealtime portion of his regular food to allow for these as treats and its actually a pretty cost effective way to treat I have found/

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by arwyru24.

[Anita L]

Thanks for all the info BCNut and BobbyDog!

I will definitely be going to TSC tomorrow for the DE.
Our 55 lb Aussie/Blue Heeler (Gazpacho or Spocho) mix is the one that is having the worst reaction with the fleas (hot spot and hair loss -wise). Doc said she is allergic. He put activyl on her and said don’t bathe her for the next 3 or 4 weeks. But she has no hair on her butt (baboon butt)! He also gave her a shot for the itching. That was Friday and today, Mon, she is itching horribly. So now I am realizing about the house, the yard, the bedding, etc. We do not have carpet (hate it!). Actually we have slab right now due to water damage, ugh! But we do have a rug in the den and a rug in the bedroom. The rug in the den is a shag rug! I am dreading treating it but I know I have to. Any suggestions on this?

Spocho is also 9 years old and has trouble with her hips. The DE sounds like it would help her greatly! I am thinking that I will add it to the other supplements (Miracle Pack) which I give in plain yogurt. They love it!

On the treats, I do have some milk bones, marrow bones and raw hides left. I’m thinking I need to quit being cheap and throw them out. I have done so much research on the food that I haven’t gotten to treats and don’t even know where to start. Suggestions?

On the food, my pups only get kibbles (the quality kind). Now I am wondering if I need to add a canned food (quality kind of course).??????

I will also be picking up the medicated shampoo and the p/i sounds great too. I have coconut oil that I use already (on my skin, my hair, cuts/scrapes, and the list goes on). I tried to put it on Spocho’s butt once and it def seemed to soothe her right away, but a few mins later she was licking it off….is that normal?

I’m also thinking of adding coco oil to their supplements. What would you recommend on this? How much and how often?

Sorry for so many questions. I appreciate any answers!

[Akari_32]

Back on topic for a second lol

After yet another incident (with the stupid ass neighbors, I might add) with him getting out, I’m getting Alec a proper breakaway collar and tag, and getting him chipped. The collar and tag will happen very soon. The chip will have to wait until my class is out, since it’s only done Tuesdays and Thursdays, the days I have class. Unless they do a mobile clinic here soon and I can take the time off to do it, class is over in a month or so, which isn’t really too far away, but I’m still worried he’ll get out. He litterally bolted out the door at full speed today. Thankfully we were all outside and he ran right past mom, and she managed to smash him into the ground before had time to remember he doesn’t have any bones and slide away (I swear, this cat is actually a fury bag of jello), so he only got about 4ft from the door.

So anyways, what all should I put on his tag? I know most say not to put any names, just the owners phone number. Then again, it’s not like he listens to his name anyways lol

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Jazz Lover –

Sounds like your dog is eating pretty well already! 🙂

Incorporating a little raw is definitely a great idea though if it’s something you’re able to do. You could check out the book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown – there’s a chapter on how to prepare a simple raw meal that you can feed once per week. The day you feed raw is called an “ABC Day.” Some other options would be to top the kibble with a balanced commercial raw or just keep some commercial raw in the freezer and feed a few meals of week of entirely raw. Or you could look at incorporating some raw meaty bones into the diet as a treat a few times a week – turkey necks, pork necks and chicken quarters are great for large dogs.

[Susan B]

Okay, things are going good firmly well!!! Thank you guys! I have a rescue and this chi litter is the only time I have had a challenge. I’ve come to learn they are sensitive and because they are so small I thought they needed fed more often. At 11 weeks 3 times a day is perfect for their digestion and no treats/bones in between. Once they’re at their permanent place I’m sure they’ll settle even more.
About probiotics, I read many articles and learned they will absorb more nutrients and be healthier. I got my old fells some as well. So thank you for getting me on this path.

[SandyandMila]

RMB stands for raw meaty bones. From http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/raw-feeding-primer/ “This can include chicken backs, wings and necks (or even whole carcasses), lamb necks, pork necks, turkey necks, ox tails, beef ribs, turkey tails; any meaty bone that can be completely consumed by your dog. If you are feeding meatier meals (turkey or lamb necks), feed about 50% RMB, if your choices are bonier (chicken backs, pork necks, wings or ribs), feed about 30% RMB.
Large, weight bearing bones such as marrow and knuckle bones are not considered RMB’s if the dog is not able to consume the bone. These can be given as a recreational bone..” I can find at my local supermarket chicken wings, leg quarters, turkey necks, beef oxtail, pork neck bones, whole chicken, whole turkey, whole quail. Others you could find at at a local butcher or wholesale supplier and also online at sites like Hares Today, My Pet Carnivore, and if you have Primal pet food at a local pet store they also have chicken necks, chicken backs, and turkey necks. That site is a good reference and there are so many more knowledgable people on DFA that can help you. Feel free if you have any more questions!

[Dane H]

Thanks for your response. I am weary he needs any more calcium with the amount of ground bone and raw bones he already consumes. I was under the impression he received a large amount of vitamins and trace minerals from the organ meat. The “Natural Mix” that I mix in with the other grinds has ground green tripe, beef heart, and beef liver in it. Am I wrong to assume that? It would be the same concept as Eskimo’s getting all the nutrients they need by eating seafood, lard, and organ meat and extracting the same minerals and vitamins as someone in an equatorial climate getting all the nutrients from a diet heavier on fruits and veggies. What do you think?

[Amy B]

Hi everyone,
I’m finding this thread quite interesting. My 2.5 year old Maltese x Pomeranian has been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. He is allergic to fleas, dust mites and has food allergies. We still haven’t gotten the food part down pat yet and are a bit unsure what to do.
When he was younger he used to be on kangaroo mince and veggies, or beef and veggies. He seemed to be allergic to these so the vet suggested we put him on a novel protein of goat and sweet potato. He was doing well on this diet until the goat was costing us $80 per 3 weeks!
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what we should put him on?
Lisa D I also heard from a pet store employee that fish is good for them. Could you explain to me more how long your dog has been on this diet for? And also why you spray him with white vinegar?
I was told to purchase fish mince from BARF dog Big Dog pet food range (all natural) but I saw it contained fine chicken bones (only after I purchased it) but I wanted to see how he would go on dry food as well. Has anyone had any positive experiences with sensitive skin dry food products?
PS. I’m from Australia

Thanks in advance! 🙂

[SaintsDontCarryBrandy]

Lemdem-
One other concern on antlers is their relatively high salt content. One of the reasons antlers disappear when on the ground is their quick erosion due to both calcium and salt content. While calcium is present, remember that unlike most bones, antlers have a very high sodium content, and should not be used as dog chews for any breed.

[Vianca V]

I recently changed all my dog from science diet to wellness, my 2 month old peke puppy eats wellness small breed puppy, my 5 year old rescue eats wellness small breed adult with wellness turkey stew as a topper, my 8 year old mini dashhound eats wellness small breed adult too, and my mother 11 year old chihuahua eats wellness turkey stew. I had been struggling with which food to pick and concidered the core fish but opted not to pick that one because of some youtube videos demostrating the bones in the kibble, however I still wanted wellness because it was a very good, its was available to me in comparison to orijen, acana, and other 5 star foods, and it fit into my budget to be honest. The foods that I give my fur babbies do contain salmon but I have not seen any bones in them, and belive me Ive looked, also in comparison to the bones white fish have, salmon bones are much smaller and less harmful so if they were to be present the would most likely not cause any harm.

[Jerry S]

Our “Black Golden” Somba is a 10 year old Black Lab x Golden who has been suffering from EPI (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency) for 8 years. She has been on PancrePlus enzyme supplements, but just seems to continually be a “bag of bones” . She eats 5 cups of Purina ONE Smartblend daily with the supplement mixed in with water, and then let it stew for about 20 minutes. She has lots of energy, and has about 3 humongous poops every day. We have been told that she needs a low fat, highly digestible food in order to put some meat on her bones instead of just passing it thru for me to pick up. Am looking for a better food and/or supplement to improve her condition. Any suggestions?
DJ Sads

[Becca]

I believe raw is much better. there is a company called topqualitydogfood. they are excellent, they may have a delivery in your area. I struggled with this same issue. I fed bravo at first and it was so expensive as well as making my dogs sick. it is over processed. cooking the food for dogs cooks out some nutrients. my dog have a little bit of kibble one day and threw it up it was 10 times the size it was before he ate it, I did a lot of research and found out this is where bloat comes from. at this point feeding my dogs raw turns out cheaper than kibbles and cans. commercial raw is too expensive, I feed my dogs raw no bones in the morning at raw with bones at night, bone ratio is great that way.

[Bobby dog]

I did recently give Bobby a beef trachea to chew on which he enjoyed. I haven’t really looked into them like a should though.

Suggestions for chew treats from http://www.daneangelnetwork.org/rawhide.htm:

The following products are all digestible and safe for your pets.

Budda Chew Products- all digestible chew bones and treats

Muscle Chews- all digestible, contains no hide product.

Bull Pizzle Chews- all natural alternative to rawhide.

Healthy Edibles- all natural health chews, completely digestible and contain no sugars or fillers. Available at http://www.drsfostersmith.com

Kong rubber products are great chew toys, which can keep dogs very busy, especially when a little peanut butter and dog biscuits are wedged inside for them to work out.

[Bobby dog]

Is Sentinel an option? The Vet Tech gave me some info on Activyl the last time I took Bobby in, I never looked into it because I changed HW meds. I agree the older flea chemicals don’t seem to work anymore.

I have been looking at a few different chew options for Bobby, I’ll pass the info along to you when I can find them. I got a little frustrated researching chews, there seems to always be a caveat with everything. lol Do you ever worry about accidents leaving your dog unsupervised with bones, chewies, dental bones, or rawhides?

[Akari_32]

I know about Trifexis and the problems it’s been causing. Unfortunately, it’s the only thing that works for fleas around here. Like I said, super fleas. Haley has no reaction to it, and Bentley used to get sleepy on it when he first started, but after a few doses, he now does fine on it. When he was on it, and the fleas weren’t biting him, his hair grew back. Now that he’s been out for several months, and the fleas are back in full spring time force, he looks terrible.

However, my coworker just bought a box of Comfortis (the flea-only Trifexis), and her dog just started having seizures after never having them before. From what I hear, they are pretty mild and there are symptoms that show the dog is about to have one, so they see pretty controlled. I don’t know if she plans to take her dogs off it or not, though I should hope so.

Bobby dog, the only way our fleas die in soapy water is if I’m flea combing for them and some hair comes off in the comb, and I rinse it in some soapy water. The fleas are stupid enough to cling to the hair and drown after a few minutes. Common flea meds don’t work here anymore, which is why I’m pretty much stuck with Trifexis, though I did hear about that new Activyl, and plan on checking into it. I’m also hoping my generic Program (Little City Dogs brand) works well, because it’s cheap, and there are no side effects at all ever reported. I don’t really like how rigorous Trifexis is, but the fleas are so bad here that it’s necessary. Thankfully we’ve been lucky so far…. But I have a new plan for Haley at least when she’s done with this box in few months. As bad as it sounds, Bentleys medications are not my problem. I’ll give mom the info, and even do all the work, but I will not pay. I’ve got my own dogs and etc’s to pay for. What she does is up to her at this point.

I do plan on raw bones, but I want something I can give him when I’m leaving the house for a few hours. Something that isn’t a a hard glob of chewy carbs and chemicals lol

[Tina]

Be careful of Wellness Simple, I found bones in the Salmon

[Karen B]

I started giving my 15 month old Lab Nature’s Variety Beef bones that I buy in the freezer section of a local pet store. My dog loves them!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Laura –

You could try warming it slightly or, if there aren’t bones, cooking it and then gradually making it more and more rare each day. Some animals get turned off by the cold temperature.

I’d also recommend mixing in a little green tripe with what you’re feeding – if you can get raw that’s great, there’s also a decent canned version sold by Petkind under the name Tripett.

[Melissaandcrew]

Patrice..if the bones are all able to be felt I am guessing your boy should be around 55lbs though you can’t go just based on height..bone structure also comes into play but 55 is probably a good start.
I would use Abady granular. Almost 800 cals per cup he will gain. For poodles who wont gain weight I start with 1 cup dry am and pm mixed with 1/2c Abady then increase to 50 50 etc until he gaind the needed weight. I would also look out for addisons disease as some of the early signs are genrral malady as well as lack of appetite and weight issues. Standard poodles are one of the most affected breeds.

[Akari_32]

You guys may recall, my moms dog, Bentley, is always itchy. Right now, his back half is almost completely bald, and his skin is bright red. No matter what we do, what foods he’s on, what protein and carb sources the food has or doesn’t have, fleas or no fleas (obviously we strive for no fleas, but we have some sort of freakish super fleas around here, and he’s so small he’s like a flea magnet in the grass). It just doesn’t matter. We yell at him for scratch so much that he actually goes and hides so he can scratch. Crafty little terrier… Lol

He also smells. Doesn’t matter of he just had a bath or not. He’s stinky. I think it’s a yeast thing?

I’m 99% sure most of it has to do with seasonal allergies, as he gets much better in the winter, and almost all his hair grows back by the time is warms up again for spring.

I always hear of these stories of these dogs that are doing terrible on any kibble, no matter what kind it is, and then they are put on raw and all their problems go away, or are greatly reduced to the point where they can actually be dogs again.

Does anyone have tips on how I can do an extremely cheap raw diet? And is it cheaper to go with a RMB base and not supplement calcium, or to do mostly muscle meat and supplement the calcium, etc associated with bones? Money is defiantly an issue, but we can’t have this freakish Chinese crested/poodle/terrier Frankenstein love child looking thing. There is a Save-A-Lot near the house, which I know would help with the cost, but I’m not sure the quality of their meats. We usually shop at Publix or SAMs Club for meat, depending on what we need. We also have Winn Dixie. I know they do great deals on meat, as well.

He’s about 8 pounds, very active (so fat isn’t too much of a problem), and loves him a good raw bone (I’ve given him chicken necks, pig knuckles, a few others before).

And back on the supplement thing again, is it possible to feed raw with no supplements? What supplements are some cost effective ones?

I’d love to hear of some of your recipes and weekly meal plans and such, as well 🙂

[Melissaandcrew]

Do his hip bones stick up? Ribs?

[Raffaele C]

Commerical: Darwin’s. It has ground bones in it.

[pugmomsandy]

Are you feeding homemade with bones (or other source of calcium) or commercially made raw?

[Akari_32]

Well I had a fun day today. And by fun I mean terrible, for both my mental and financial well being. -_-

Left for class like normal this morning, everything was good, blah blah blah. Got home, cat was in his usual spot on the couch. Went over, said hi, took Bentley out to go potty, and decided to take Haley for a walk. I was gone for like 30 minutes, came home, kitty-kitty was waiting in the window (where he’s not supposed to be unless the blinds are up, I might add). He came over to me, said hi and hung out for a few minutes, checked out the terrifying giant monster (yeah, right lol) that is Haley, decided it was best if he just left the living room, got half way to his cat tree, made a really nasty sound, and puked all over the place.

Like. Everywhere.

More than any cat should ever puke.

So I kick Haley out to the yard and lock Bentley up, and clean the mess up, and I look over at Alec, and he just looks terrible. Laying spread out on his side, looking litterally like some sort of road kill, kind of hic-upping, or something like that.

I figured maybe something was stuck i his throat, so I’m trying all kinds of things to get him to try and throw up again or cough it out, or something. At the same time I’m calling my vet. Which, go figure, it’s 5:04. They closed at 5. I call our secondary vet, and they’re closing in 5 minutes by the time I get their number. So they told me to call the emergency vet. By the time I get to the emergency vet, it’s been 45 minutes since he threw up.

They took him back right away and gave him an exam, and what not, while the lady at the desk took all my info and whatever medical history I could give them.

First they came in with a huge long list of crap. Xrays, tests, shots. Like $600 worth! I was like, that ain’t happening. I know this game! Not that i said that or anything. I was on the verge of tears since I realized something was wrong with him lol Even still, I didn’t have that much money to name, so clearly that wouldn’t work anyways.

But, we finally settled on xrays, a few shots (antibiotics, subq fluids, anti nausea) and staying over night on an IV. We were worried that he could have fluid in his lungs, or something lodged in his throat, since his breathing was terrible, and his gums were white. X-rays showed neither.

Turns out, he’s got something (she couldn’t even tell what– she sent it off to be looked at) lodged right at the end of his stomach. It was the same color as the bones were, and pretty big. I can’t think of anything that he could’ve gotten that would match up with that. So that changed our plan again. For the cheaper at this point, thankfully.

She didn’t want to give him any anti nausea medicine because she didn’t want to mask any symptoms of him trying to rid of whatever’s stuck in there. Makes sence. And she didn’t think he needed to stay overnight, either. So she gave him some fluids, told me to keep him confinded, and said no food or water tonight, and go to the regular vet in the morning for a follow up if he got worse and didn’t get any better.

Dished out $360 and went home, and got him set up in Haley and Dweezles cage (it’s huge) with a towel, bed and litter box, and there he’ll stay till morning I guess.

He’s looking better as the fluids absorb. He can support his weight now and isn’t all limp anymore. His breathing has slowed, but still looks a little labored. And he’s responding to my touch, and leaning in for cheek scratches. When he purrs is real gurgley and wet sounding, but he’s looking much better. His front half looks like a little fury sausage :p He doesn’t look sick any more, just more like sleepy-drugged kitty (he’s not drugged, though), but he’s alert to sounds, which I know is really good.

So yeah. That was our fun adventure for the day. I think it was worse for me than it was for him, though. I’m such a baby when it comes to animals being sick or injured. I was like crying all the way to vet, all the while making fun of myself in the back of head for being such a retard *rolls eyes* :p

[Charlene G]

jumpyourbonespettreats.com
All healthy and nutritionally contains high quality ingredients

[RescueDaneMom]

Mine did. In the directions it says not to grind bones but it handled chicken bones just fine. I ground all of the bones except the leg bones. I think I maybe could have ground those too if I broke them up with a mallet first but I didn’t want to break it on my first run. 😉

[Naturella]

Good job, Harper’s Mom! 🙂

Ok, guys, so my donation includes:

TOTW High Prairie Puppy – 5 lbs – $13 from PetLand
TOTW Pacific Stream Puppy – 5 lbs – $13 from PetLand
NutriSource Grain Free Lamb – 5 lbs – $14 from PetLand
NutriSource Grain Free Seafood Select (Salmon really) – 5 lbs – $15 from PetLand
2 free Castor&Pollux Organix Adult Samples – free from a health food store
4 cups of Bruno’s food mix – Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch:Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension:Victor Yukon Salmon in a ratio of 3:1:0.5 in the overall mix – free-ish from my stash, lol
4 J&W Small Chew bones (the nylon ones) – @ $.97/piece from PetSmart
3 rope toys – @ $.94/piece from WalMart
3 chew/rope toys – @ $.94/piece from WalMart
3 tennis balls for fetching – two @ $.99/piece and one @ $.01/piece from PetSmart
2 clickers – @ $.99/piece from PetSmart, but I already had them, so free-ish, lol
1 frisbee – @ $.99/piece from PetSmart
1 stuffed turtle toy – free gift from Petland
1 Small Greenie – free gift from Petland
8 Meow Mix Souffles – @ $.49 or $.50 from Target and PetSmart respectively

All for: $38 (includes also 12 more Meow Mix Souffles for friends’ cats, not the shelter ones)!

Here’s how it adds up: for the PetLand foods I had a coupon for $10-off a $25+ purchase, and they have a one-time promotion of buy-any-TOTW-bag-get-one-NutriSource-Free! So hence the cost of the NutriSource is nulled and for about $17 (with tax and stuff) I got 20 lbs of good food! And added the extra stuff, that can be used as treats! 🙂

Now, I just pray TSA doesn’t raid my bag and snatch it all up, cause I’d be sad… And hope the animals in the shelter like it all! 🙂

For reference – 4 bags of food, plus 2 plastic bags of toys, samples, and cat food, cost me under $40, while 2 non-full plastic bags of gifts for the family and friends cost me over $70. So I think I did good! 🙂

P.S. I think PetLand hates me though… sigh… Meh. lol

[InkedMarie]

Beef rib bones are the best choice. Some dogs break teeth with marrow bones.

[Leah12345]

My year old Lhasa-mix is a chewer…thankfully not on household items, but she loves to gnaw and chew. I have read on other posts that bones are a good option for dogs not only for chewing, but also for teeth health. I found a brand called Barnsdale Farms from Canada that sells rib bones and marrow bones. Has anyone had experience with this company or a suggestion for brand of this type of item? I do not eat meat so I will never have beef bones around the house that I can give her so I am going to have to buy them. Thanks for any help!

[Jenna R]

Hi Amy!

I am looking to take him off of Beneful. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I joined yesterday.

I have already rid my house of milk bones and other ‘treats’ that aren’t good for him, and replaced them with carrots and other yummy veggies. He loves them! He does not have any dietary restrictions.

Last year I decided to gradually switch him over to Royal Canin (a recommendation by my vet – it’s the only dog food line that they offer), and he liked it, but I cannot afford that stuff, and I was not impressed when I read its 3.5 star rating on the website yesterday.

Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it!!

Jenna

[Hound Dog Mom]

Yes – RMBs can most definitely be fed daily. My dogs get a ground red-meat based meal in the a.m. (I make my dogs’ meals from scratch – this is when I add items such as vegetables, fruits, yogurt, supplements, etc.) and in the p.m. they get poultry RMBs and some sort of offal (i.e. a turkey neck with a couple turkey hearts or a chicken back with a few chicken gizzards). RMBs are great for the teeth and also the joints as they’re high in glucosamine and chondroitin. Just make sure to feed an RMB that is an appropriate size for your dog because you want to minimize choking risk. The RMB should be larger than the dog’s mouth – my dogs are large (65-75 lbs.) so they only get large RMBs, I wouldn’t feed them chicken necks. For small dogs, however, chicken necks are great.

Both of these articles by Dr. Becker have some good information on selecting bones:

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/05/19/caution-bones-can-kill-your-dog-find-out-which-ones-are-safe.aspx

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/05/09/bone-supplements-for-pets.aspx

Also – if I’m not mistaken, it’s been awhile since I’ve ordered from Darwin’s – I believe Darwin’s actually sells duck necks. Duck necks are larger than chicken necks but smaller than turkey necks – they’d probably work out well for most small to medium sized dogs.

[nat r]

I do not have a great dane, however I am doing A LOT of research on these dogs as I am crazy about them, but refuse to have one until I know I can give it the proper care, diet and love it needs. I have read so many things about the typical diet for great danes that they need a diet that is under 24% protien, however I have also came across things, such as this argument, explaining otherwise. I will share one thing I have found out about these dogs and there diet. On every website I have came across it has advised me to feed a great dane food that has protien 24% or less and never feed them puppy food even when they are pups as it can cause bone problems. Now to all of you arguing that protien does not help grow bones, I agree! However it does help grow muscle, and to a dog with such a huge frame that is likely to develop bone probolems already, I don’t think that a dog of that state would need extra weight put onto there bones until they are a little older, so out of everything I’ve heard, just to be on the safe side, when I do get my great dane, I will feed it food with 24% or less of protien, and never feed it puppy food.

[zcRiley]

Take the guess work out. Order from this link: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/search/dogs/treats-and-chews/raw-frozen-bones

[Mareo T]

I was reading an article related to food for dogs or any breed. It is clearly mentioned and doctors also say give chicken bones or mutton bones but the proportion should not be excess. It does not means that you are giving thrice a day. there are many more things to give like milk , egg and fish. today doctors and dog training academies provide food chart for different breeds. It really works and helps.

[Naturella]

Christina, I would say probably give it a few days (2-3-ish) before you add a new ingredient just so you know if he would react for sure. As for tomatoes, I guess you could put them in a blender or food processor for a few seconds until they are pretty much mush, then try them. Make sure the whole elimination diet does not last too too long, as it is not a balanced way to feed a dog, so hopefully within 10-14 days you will know if he reacts to a particular ingredient. If he doesn’t react to any of the ones listed above, I would go with a grain-free diet, or a rice-and-maybe-oatmeal-or-millet-or-barley-as-the-only-grains diet. But grain-free is generally safer for an allergy-prone dog.

One of my classmates and friends told me that her dog was extremely itchy eating Pedigree and Beneful, so I told her what I know, and she got him on a grain-free diet – said the itch has been considerably reduced to just an occasional “normal” scratch here and there. She didn’t do an elimination diet, just straight up eliminated the grains, and she was lucky her dog did not react to anything else. So that is also another way you can approach it – just try a good quality fish-based kibble and add the THK Beams as treats and coconut oil, and see how that goes. I would probably still do an elimination though, just to be sure for myself. But, it may work out that he just needs good-quality grain-free kibble.

In case you want to just try the kibble round, some good grain-free kibbles (I will just list them for your ease, in no particular order) are:
Wellness Core – I want to feed in the future
Holistic Select
Orijen – I want to feed in the future
Acana Grain Free – I want to feed in the future
Victor Grain Free – I feed now
Earthborn Holistic Grain Free – I feed now
Dr. Tim’s Kinesis Grain Free – I have fed, no issues
Holistic Health Extension Grain Free – I have fed with no issues and I feed one of their grain-inclusive formulas now
Now! Fresh – I have fed a small bag (less than 1lb) with no issues
Nutrisca – I have fed, no issues
Nature’s Variety Instinct – I will feed (have a bag lined up under the sink, lol), and I have fed samples with no issues
Back to Basics Grain Free – I will feed the grain-inclusive one (have a bag lined up under the sink also)
NutriSource Grain Free – I have fed samples with no issue but it is severely overpriced in my area so I’m not sure I would buy a bag to feed it
Taste of the Wild – some don’t like it as it is produced by Diamond and that company had a huge recall issue in 2012 that they handled poorly, but 3 friends feed/have fed it with no issues
Blue Buffalo Wilderness – I have fed with no issues but some owners report tummy and stool issues with their dogs when on Blue food. However, 2 other friends have fed/still feed Blue with no issues.

I am sure others can pitch in with more recommendations, plus, if you can afford it/want to, it really is better to feed canned/dehydrated/homemade/raw. Or you can mix them up – I feed kibble and canned/THK food/fridge add-ins (like eggs, yoghurt, raw bones, etc.). But yeah, just start off with determining what works for Chance, you can always add new things once he is at least on better food. 🙂