[Tom M]

We need more people posting about their dogs & how old they were, what food the ate.

I have 2 Lab mix males, they are on canidae all life stage kibble, both are 5 years old
so far their healthy.

Years ago we had a Pointer that was fed Raw meat & bones only, he lived until 10 years.

[Jennie J]

I live in Alaska and have been jar canning salmon bones skin and tails for my Pekingese for 8 years and during the canning process the bones become so soft they dissolve and are no danger to them or us. If you can fish I do not vouch for any other fish as to I have never canned anything but Alaskan salmon.

[Susan]

Hi Margaret,
my boy just turned 9 a few weeks ago & about 5-6 months ago I started using a heat wheat pack you put in microwave for 1-2 mins, he has a weird spiral thin bone with nerve endings from his spine growing out of the top of his left back leg, the vets working that day said they have never seen anything like it before, we found it by accident when he had a xray for stones blockage, he doesnt seem to have any arthritis but after he wees & poos he kicks his back legs sometimes & then that’s only when he starts his limping & walks very slowly, I’ve been telling him “No Kick” after he poo’s & he’s been better…I see a Phsiotherapist fortnightly & he puts a heat pack on my lower back & neck/shoulders for about 20mins then I have a gentle massage & what a difference this makes also stretching excerises really help as well, so I started applying a heat pack to Patches left leg lower back side after he limps home, then I give him a very gentle massage & I do streching exicises to his back legs while he’s laying on his side, he’s been doing really well since I started doing Physiotherapy on him it’s made a big diffence & he’s been doing really well lately & he hasn’t been walking home slowly anymore…
Ask your vet if he knows someone that does “dog physio” also swimming is really good for stiff bones & sore joints can you take him to a doggy heated pool, my Patch was presribed Gabapentin for his IBD pain & this weird spiral bone when vet found it, the Gabapentin made him sleep I don’t like giving him any drugs or joint supplements he has IBD/stomach & reacts to alot of things plus I don’t know if the Gabapentin helped his lower back, I think the heat pack & massage helped more….I feed him a diet high in Omega 3 foods, he gets tin salmon in spring water drained with boiled potato for lunch + 2 Green Lipped Mussels they’re “K-9 Natural” freezed dried mussels + 3 Almonds a day as a treat, he acts & runs like a puppy, you’d never know he’s 9yrs old & has a few health problems when you met him…

[aimee]

Hi a.c.,
I’ve seen Smart Bones in stores. Other then I can say they do look manufactured from a dough vs a natural product like hide I don’t know anything about them

[a c]

Aimee,

Thank you for the investigation. I have stop giving No Hide Chews for sometime. I am now giving Smart Bones, the healthy alternative to rawhides. The package also said it’s rawhide free. It’s made in Vietnam. It gets good reviews from a few places. Have you heard anything about this one?

[Jessica M]

Hi Susan, gave them there first quarter tonight and they did great! What are bones are good for them there 25 and 38 pounds?

[Anita L]

Kind of interesting that anon101 dismisses “homeopathic” (actually holistic, not homeopathic) sources of information and their own source happens to be quite biased too. The availability of vets who are aware of kibble-alternative diets may depend very much on where you live. Where I live, there are many holistically trained vets do not use only traditional veterinary knowledge, as helpful as that can be for many people.

A well-researched post about transitioning from a brick & mortar organization specializing in raw pet foods: https://sfraw.wordpress.com/2017/02/09/transitioning-to-raw-sfraw-recommends/ Hope it’s useful!

You can get the meats & bones at any butcher you would go to for your own meats. Bones are really inexpensive – just get small bones such as chicken necks, feet, to begin with, and avoid weight-bearing bones.

Personally, we give our 15 lb dog at least 2-3 meals of meaty chicken bones a week. We just approximate her usual 1/2 cup serving size from how big the bone looks. This is as a supplement to high-quality kibble and homemade (cooked) food, using Dr. Richard Pilcairn’s recipe. You may find his book helpful if you wish to learn more about alternative diets.

We have also fed prepackaged foods such as Primal brand, which comes in frozen patties. If you are open to freeze-dried, Stella and Chewy’s is also great. Ziwipeak is air-dried and an amazing food for the money (considering you can use it as a treat since it comes in little squares and is apparently delicious). All are more expensive than feeding raw sourced from grocery stores but those are premium brands for minimally processed food.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Jessica M-
I mix some commercial raw into my dogs’ afternoon meals with great results. You could give that a try. I mostly use Nature’s Variety, but have also fed Primal and NW Naturals. These are already complete and balanced so I don’t have to worry about them not getting all the nutrients they need.

Other meals, I mix in either canned good, eggs or fish. I also think that bones are risky. Good luck to you!

[Jessica M]

Hi,everyone i been researching raw diets for my dogs and want to make the switch, but where do i start. I have a Cavalier King Charles mix (25 pounds) and Australian Shepard Border Collie cross (38 pounds). What types of meat/cuts should i begin with ? Where do i buy the meat and bones ?
Any help towards the right direction will be greatly appropriated!!

[Susan]

Hi ac,
Why I like the freeze dried Mussels is cause the shell is eatible, You need the shell for the Glucosamine & Chondroitin….
Steve Brown does recommend the cheap frozen mussels from supermarket, but the shells are still hard shells, cause Steve Brown feeds his dogs a raw diet his dogs would just crunch & eat these hard shells, Why I like the freeze dried mussels they seemed to be cooked, so some silly reason I feel better giving Patch the freeze Dried Mussels cause of his IBD….
My cat loves them, she mooooeeeewws the place down like she’s being killed when she see’s me getting out the mussels, I just say mussels & she comes running so does Patch he gets 2 & Indy just gets 1 freeze dried mussel, they’re a bit expensive the freeze dried mussels & they do have to be used within 10-14 days of opening the packet, it says on 1 of the New Zealand brand I buy….The freeze dried mussels just crumble as soon as they bite into them & I know Patch is getting his Glucosamine & Chondroitin from the shell for his joints, bones & his EPA, DHA, Manganese, Iodine, fats, Vitamin D from the mussel meat…
2 x Mussels + Shell are also good to balance a raw diet, Steve said some raw diets are usually short of Iodine, Manganse, Fats & Vitamin D…

[Susan]

Hi Chris,
excellent choice TOTW Siera Mountain is an “All Life Stages” formula, I feed my Senior boy & he’s doing really well, I also add 2 freeze Dried, Green Lipped Mussels as a treat & I add tin Salmon or Sardines in spring water to his diet about 2 spoons, so he’s getting his EPA, DHA, Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Folate, Vitamin D, E, A, C, B-3, B-6, B-12, for his joint’s, bones, heart, brain.

[Susan]

Hi
Atlas & Cockalier Mom as well,

I follow “Rodney Habib” https://www.facebook.com/rodneyhabib on his face book page, Dr Karen Becker & Rodney have been traveling all over the world speaking & interviewing Dr’s Vets, Scientists etc like Dr Steve Marsden, Dr Marty Goldstein, Dr Jean Dobbs, Dr Richard Patton, Dr John Robb, Dr Ian Billinghurst, Dr Gregory Ogilive, DR Karen Becker, Dr Erin Bannink, Dr Joseph Mercola, Dr Tim Spector & many more & Rodney & Ty Bollinger have put together a 5 part video’s free so we all can learn how to have a healthy dog the way nature intended them to be, click on Rodneys link above then scroll down his page & look for “The Truth About Pet Cancer” Episode 2, “Hidden Hazards & Causes” get a cuppa sit back & watch, then watch Episode 3 Raw Diet vs Kibble, Episode 4 “Heal & Repair” has just been put on Rodneys F/B page.
“Steve Brown” is also good to follow when it comes to healthy feeding & what to add to your dogs diet, when Steve Brown was asked, if he had to add just 1 ingredient what would he add to balance the diet & he said “Mussels” they’re cheap & very healthy, Mussels have Manganese, Iodine, Fats, Vitamin D, EPA, DHA, Glucosamine, Chondrotoitin get some Freezed Dried Green Lipped Mussels I buy “K-9 Natural” New Zealand Brand, Patch gets 2 Mussels a day around 11am, yes he does do a few smelly farts after he eats te Mussels but so far pooo’s have stayed the same firm & I know Mussels are very healthy for his skin, coat & his joints, he’s nilly 9yrs old in Novemeber, Steve also said to add 1 spoon of Salmon & a pinch of kelp to their diets….
Dr John Robb & Jean Dobbs are really good Dr’s watch their interviews about Vaccinations in “The Truth About Cancer” Episode 2, we all want answers why are our pets dying so young from cancer & other diseases, back 20-30 yrs ago this wasn’t happening cause we weren’t putting all these flea tick poisons on or in their bodies or feeding dry processed kibble, we feed table scaps what we ate, we didn’t over vaccinate, I only remember my mum going to the old drunk vet up the road when the cats needed desexing or putting down, she’s carried them in small round leather bag & bring them back & burry them in the back yard.
When watching these video’s get a writing pad to jot things down quickly, in Episode 3 when Ty Bollinger who is also doing these Episode with Rodney Ty talks about what he uses for Flea products, after watching this section of the video you will think twice before using any poison flea products, Ty said he gets “Orange Oil”, “Lemon Oil” & “Grapefruit Oil” he gets a little 99c spray bottle adds a few squirts of all 3 oils then add some water shakes & spray Atlas for Fleas & Ticks instead of giving him any poison flea products, Mike Adams said he uses “Cedar Oil” for fleas & Ticks especially if your dogs swims, the Cedar Oil doesn’t wash off, Dr Eward Group uses “Diatomaseous Earth” for worms & heartworm adds once a week to 1 of the meals “do NOT give him any of these new Flea Chews or tablets” they change the dogs blood, so think about it a tick has just bitten your dog & the Tick dies straight away, this poison is in their blood running & pumping thru their body going thru our dogs organs now that wouldn’t be healthy for the dogs. Bravecto should be taken off the shelves its the worst flean product & cause its new we dont have any real research yet about long term side effects, the Poisons in Bravecto stays in a dogs body heaps longer then the 3 months it states on Bravecto, vets have taken blood tests from very sick dog after they had been given Barvecto Chew & became very ill & 9mths later these sick dogs still had the poisons that are in Bravecto still in their system…
There’s not much research when it comes to our dogs & cats especially food & diet, most of the research is done by the big companies like Hills but in Australia our vets & some of our pet food companies tell us pet owners if you feed kibble also add raw meaty bones to the dogs or cats diet at least once or twice a week, we have one brand kibble called “Stay Loyal” made by brothers & they tells their customers to fast your dog 1 day a week Sunday & feed raw meathy bones instead of a kibble meal thru the week, this is what all pet food companies should be doing being honest with pet owners but it wont happen in America…
I hope you both enjoy watching Rodney & Ty Bollingers video’s there’s a lot to sink in so maybe watch the video’s a few times, the sad part is we have sick pets & cant do alot of the things like feed the Raw Diet but we still can add healthy foods to their diets, in 1 yr time when Atlas is an Adult & gut has healed, Atlas might be able to chew on a nice raw meaty bone & have no problems at all later on, he’s lucky he has you helping heal & fix his intestinal problem now in the beginning while he’s still a pup, so chances are his intestinal tract will slowly heal & then just avoid the foods he’s sensitive too, where Patches old owners we think he had a few owners cause of his name “Patch” he didnt know or answer to Patch when I get him thru rescue & he was micro chipped at 3months old all details DOB were on his M/C paper work, patches first owner must of given him up to someone else cause he would of answered to Patch, his owners mustnt of bothered when he had diarrhea or did real sloppy poo’s & just kept feeding him them same diet that was causing all his intestinal problems ..When I move I’m re introducing Patch onto raw again, I’m trying 1 last time, he’s getting a Crocodile meaty bone for his 9th birthday, he always pulls me to the fridge section & looks at the raw Crocodile & Kangaroo meaty bones….
We can stop using the flea tick products, I don’t use any flea/tick, allwormers or no Heartworm products, Patch always became real ill after I’d use any flea/tick products & his vet said NO to all the new flea/tick chews & tablets, the Fleas dont seem to jump on him, he doesnt seem to get any fleas only 1 Summer the fleas at the Park were bad we had had heaps of rain & a few fleas would jump up on his legs but he’d tell me straight away, he’d stop walking & look to where the flea was on his body & I’d squeeze inbetween nails & kill them, I dont use allwormers or Heart wormers either I dont live in a bad Heartworm area ask your vet he’ll know if your living in a high heartworm area, the only flea product Patches vet said to use & doesn’t go thru to the dogs blood is “Frontline Plus” Spot On & Frontline Spray, the rest all go into the dogs blood, that’s another thing try & find a GOOD vet, there’s some bodgee vets around & some really good vets like Rodney’s video’s they do heaps more studying after they have become vets & learn heap more about diet, nutrition, poisons, vaccines etc did you know a vet isnt taught how to prevent your dog from getting sick or cancer the vet is just taught how to treat the dying dog who already has cancer or is already sick, that’s sad I think…..
I’ve seen a lot of different vets over the years thru rescue, you have vets that love giving the dogs drugs & dont bother working out why this is happening with teh dog etc but lately the vets I’m seeing thru the pounds that are younger & learning now have an different approach then the more older cranky vets, so I hoping thats going to be a good thing for the future of our pets….

[haleycookie]

A raw diet is a very good diet for some dogs. If you have an Instagram check out flynnandace.eats. She has it private because of hateful fear mongering ppl such as anon above but just request and she’ll usually accept a few days later. She has four dogs on a raw whole prey diet. She mainly videos her two working breed shepherds on a whole prey diet. They eat whole rabbits sometimes. She’s had all four of her dogs on whole prey for a long time with only positive effects. Bones aren’t a scary thing if you feed the right kind. There are many accounts I follow that do whole prey raw diets and none of them had had any issues at all.

[Susan]

Hi Joseph,
its fine what Roar is doing, I have a English Staffy (in my photo) Patch & he’s a chomper all gone in under 1 minute this is how some dogs eat & it’s normal I’ve been told, in the wild they dont have all day to eat their kill they eat it as quick as they catch it before another wild dog comes along, same as our wild Dingoes in Australia they are fast eaters aswell…
My Boxer female would have her meaty raw bone all day & slowly eat it same as her weekly treat pig nose or pig ear, she’d take around 2 days slowly chewing but my Staffy Patch its gone & he’s looking for more, I can’t give Patch the pig ears or nose no more, he chews chews & swollows the pig nose, so instead he gets “Kangaroo Tendons” its the strong Achillies Tendon in the back of the Kangaroos strong back legs. Kangaroo Tendons are excellent for chompers & breeds like Staffys/Pit Bulls…High in Protein, High in Omega 3 Allergen free, no additives or preservitives…

Are you on facebook Joseph? go onto “Rodney Habib” F/B page he has finally made his video’s after traveling around the world doing research this last year, link below.
“The Truth about Pet Cancer” Episode 2 & 3 you’ll have to scroll down his page a bit for Episode 2 both video’s go for about 35-40mins, after watching you are going to be very happy you have changed your dogs onto a raw BARF diet, its the best thing you’ve done for them feeding a BARF diet & raw meaty bones it’s what their ment to eat…..

It’s great you’ve got Luna all better, it just shows us raw works it’s what Dogs & Cats are ment to eat not this over processed dry crap they call healthy kibble, watch episode 3, it shows the University of Helsinki did a 15 yrs study & they proved raw is better to fed our dogs. https://www.facebook.com/rodneyhabib

[anonymous]

You have fallen down the homeopathic rabbit hole (IMO)

I hope you rethink your decision and return to the vet that examined your dogs and advised you.

If you are at all receptive to science based veterinary medicine go here. http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2010/04/give-a-dog-a-bone-not-fda-warns-of-dangers-of-feeding-bones-to-dogs/

[Joseph S]

To clarify the bones are about the size of my fist.

[Joseph S]

I was looking at a $2500 (after spending $800) estimate for a vet bill to save my sweetheart Luna. I did a weekends worth of research and decided to put my dogs on a BARF diet. A month and a half later Luna is about 100% better. And all 3 of my dogs are acting about 200% happier. But I have a question about my pitbull Roar, when I feed them bones Luna and Precious chew on them for about an hour. But Roar chomps his bone down in about 2 minutes. There doesn’t seem to be any negative effects, only a little sad as he looks at Luna and Precious while they chew on their bones. My question is, could him chewing up the bones so fast potentially be unhealthy?

[poodaddy]

Ahhh, it is the weekend again and time to post good stuff. A lot of the above sounds soooo familiar with our situation for our both dogs, plus we had many other simultaneous symptoms occurring with our dogs, inconsistent stools, anal gland flare-ups, tooth/gum issues, we had been “fighting” the symptoms for so long it seemed we were destined for either living with it or changing the outcome. We were at the 4-year mark with our two cockapoos and I had enough of the personal ignorance and following everyone’s prescriptions including our Vet’s. So,… the long road on research and learning began (and it still continues), discussions with our Vet at a far more informed level (or at least the level I could study to), lots of webinars listened to given by licensed Vets with pet nutrition specializations, and reading reading reading. Talking to senior GOV nutritionists including the USDA, talking with pet consultant business owners, etc – you get the idea now that this was a lot of figuring out stuff that I could find in one condensed place. The secret we eventually (over an intense investigation period of months) came to was that we needed to take charge of the food data and get it done (science-based input = good results/output). The bottom-line in our case is that until we went to a complete raw food diet (this means really knowing first-hand what we were doing), we were destined on a course of mediocrity or worse and chasing symptoms which I (we) had enough of. The addition of ground bones and connective tissue with the raw diet addressed many issues (but that is just the beginning of the solutions). The experience, learning, demystification of misinformation, disinformation, and anecdotal information that is “out there” is staggering. This whole experience of ours is one that is very enriching and I am on a quest to tell everyone I can about the lessons learned, the solutions put into practice, the observations and iterations to make tweeks to the raw diet, etc needed to take control. On the money side, we have avoided thousands of dollars and or lots of worrisome situations with our two dogs. Because cost comes up regularly, our food cost ranges from an average of $1.00-$1.25 per dog per day (13.5 lb and 15.5 lb) not including time to plan, design, iterate, shop, prepare, manufacture, bag, clean up. And our Vet just smiles at us when we go in for the check-ups and tells us congratulations, you have broken some barriers of ignorance and have the data to back up your “program”. So, we are on the quest to get this project done and share the nutrition model (and all that goes into it) with those who want or need to start where we are and not have to recreate it. The model is in the final phase of designing the menu analysis section for supplements needed (or not needed) but it is based on nutrition data. Disclaimer: the model does not address any aspect of diet for treating diagnosed disease(s). The model is about proper diet and maximizing probability of prevention of problems that can be avoided by applying nutrition science.

[poodaddy]

Weston Pro Series #22 – for us this was the right balance of price for performance. We make 60 days of food for two dogs at one time, i.e., bones and all. Also important is the food processor for the non-meat portions of the menu.

Did my own comparative analysis of meat grinder specifications, price, company longevity, number of units in circulation, performance, risk, warranty, reviews, and then made the decision based on best value for us. For about a month prior, we used lesser capacity, lesser capable food processor devices when starting to mess with raw food augmentation of dry food, then when we were comfortable with raw food preparation in its entirety, and we committed, the decision was made. After 6-7 months of complete raw food preparation, we are convinced we made the right choice. The only reason we did not step up to the #32 was our volume did not call for it, otherwise if I were making raw food for friends or commercially, the decision would be for a more robust unit. As far as Weston, we love its sturdiness, and I really like its engineering/design. Anyone going 100% raw food preparation, which in our case includes the entire chicken or and bone-in red meat products (pork chops etc), a grinder that handles the bone, gristle, etc with ease is the key. Getting in the middle of a 10-hour production process the size we now do once every two months, and having a grinder break, is not a good thought. My wife cannot lift the Weston #22 from the pantry where we store it and onto the kitchen counter-top so be forewarned, good quality grinders (designed to handle bone, are heavy units).

[haleycookie]

It probably is bone. And from my understanding when it comes to these higher quality foods that have more real whole meats and are less processed to preserve the ingredients a little better that bones do appear sometimes. I wouldn’t be severealy worried about it. They look tiny and you’re dog is a large breed. However I would continue to pester champion and see if they can give you a more accurate answer as to what exactly it is.

[Bill K]

I make my own chicken stock just leave out garlic and onions. I roast the chicken bones, carrots, and celery. I then throw them in a pot of boiling water and let it simmer for 4-5 hours. I do add one small pinch of kosher salt. Soon as it’s reduced down to a nice rich broth I let it cool down. As soon as it cools down I pour the stock along with the carrots clery and aome of the chicken meat into a blender & puree.Then i pour into ice cube trays and then freeze them. Soon as they are frozen I take them out and put them in a big gallon Ziploc bag. Each meal I melt a couple of cubes in the microwaves and pour over his kibble and he loves it. Each big pot of stock makes a couple months worth of cubes.

[poodaddy]

Ahhh … what a juicy topic and it seems full of emotion – perhaps a story of multiple parts which will eventually be relevant to chewing bones will help others – gotta love real life stories. Context – Not a Vet or a Licensed Dog whatever but have been training dogs from basic obedience to field trials (for about 40+ years of studying mostly working with many breeds in dog training clubs – some of the best times in my life – some of the most diverse professionals who were in those clubs – try it if you don’t do it). Was finished with years of shelties and open jumping and wanted a gun dog and to be active in a gun club in upstate PA. So studied up on it, and got an awesome yellow lab, bred for hunting, waited a year for him from a professional duck hunter, and was soooo excited when the day came for me to drive 10 hours to pick him up at 7 weeks old (1995 in Pennsylvania). Carefully trained the puppy to six months in puppy obedience (of course) with the understanding this was going to be a gun dog and of course our favorite home companion too! This big strong consistent smart yeller was amazing in the field under the tutelage of a retiring yellow lab female for upland game and an unreal black for water dog training. Yes, …. for those who do not know, gun dogs in high end clubs mostly learn from retiring master gun dogs and the owners learn from the professional handlers. That dog grew up able to chew, crush, devour anything with jaws and teeth that were bred to handle it (and snapping the neck of a really big furious goose when needed). Teeth were shiny white, never came close to breaking a tooth that I could see, no periodontal disease, healthy male lab, as loving as could be around children/people, but was a focused working dog in the field with an unbelievable level of hearing, great sight and instincts that made me a better person, hunter and handler. Fast forward, many years later, we were suffering from the loss of this companion and we get two pups (14 lb at maturity) cockapoos because I am done with hair in the house and I want a canine companion in my office with me in my 12-15 hour days as a business owner. After the poo male’s first broken adult tooth from meaty bone chewing and the female’s bowel issues from eating “stuff” not even close to bone fragments, and a couple vet visits, gone was bone chewing other than VERY careful observed knawing on some softer meaty bones that are more trouble than they are worth due to the messiness – but the poos love them nonetheless. We were driven to address the anal gland secretion issues, the normal onset of periodontal disease at the 4 year mark and scale build up, bad breath, …

* We learned something REMARKABLE after our vet informed us we must make an appointment for two dogs to be anesthetized and get their teeth cleaned (expensive situation that carried some risk). Early in this year 2017, for different reasons, I embarked on a journey of raw food self-education primarily for anal gland issues and my growing nervousness of kibble, my reading about how commercial dog food is prepared, and my ignorance of what is in it (we were feeding them Blue Buffalo Company products) which may be high quality but I did not trust any kibble and the dogs were finicky with any kibble diet. Since March 2017, their diet (100% raw) has apparently changed their body chemistry so dramatically that the scale on their teeth started “slowly dissolving” after about 6 weeks. Their breath changed in about a week or two for the better. I could rake the scale off with the slightest pressure from a fingernail after a month. The follow on vet visit since then resulted in “anal gland secretion problem resolved” – saved $60/visit/60 days gone due to firm stools from ground bone in the raw diet, “periodontal disease problem – $1600/both dogs resolved” due to (1) the change in digestive chemistry according to our vet with my research concluding the same, (2) and combined with once a week brushing to keep removing the scale, “all digestive issues of periodic loose stools or strange eating habits – resolved as they love the raw food diet we manufacture. So, what is the relevance? The risks of raw meaty bones with a dog directly correlate to the breed, size, and situation. At least this is the conclusion from our real life experience, backed up by concurrence with our vet, and it is consistent with our friends’ experiences who have smaller poo-hybrids versus those with labs. Who is learning? The human for certain … and both the human and dog are benefiting. Booya for education, trial and error, doing things for the love of the dog, and persistence!

[anonymous]

Panting could indicate pain/anxiety. I would get to the vet for an x-ray asap. Bowel obstructions can occur with bone, even finely ground up bone.

Per the search engine. /forums/topic/dog-not-digesting-bones-properly/

[zcRiley]

It can be genetic or start in a normal fracture. Full bone removal is necessary, nothing good about it at all.

Fluoride ingestion can cause dental fluorosis (disease of the teeth), weakening of bones, bone loss, bone cancer, kidney disease, osteosarcoma and hormone disruption. It’s synthesized when added to water, not natural.

It’s a Class 2 environmental toxin. Whoever did this to your dog should be under investigation.&

[zcRiley]

Is his Lymphoma in remission for the first time? I’m really sorry to hear about it, can’t imagine.

Is he taking any meds that would cause weight gain or bloating? I wouldn’t lower the quantity of food, it’s the correct amount or he’ll constantly feel hungry. Stop the probiotic, as it can have bad side effects for a those with a weakened immune system. Stop the oil (i.e. Calories in Sardine Anchovy oil? Calorie Content: 10 calories per 1 gram. 1 Litter (33oz) =10,000 calories). Get low calorie treats and bones.

My pit mixes are around 78 lbs at 4.5 yrs old. They eat 2.5 cups of food total in two meals per day. They also get Dasaquin MSM, broccoli and meat toppers, treats, bully bones and they love Pasta and pizza!

I feed Zignature Zssentials dog food because they have a lot of food intolerances. The brand also makes limited ingredient formulas.

[InkedMarie]

I used to use beef marrow types of bones for gnawing then Boone busted two teeth on them. No more. I do give turkey necks on occasion and they chew them up completely but, truth be known, they make me nervous.

[anonymous]

I am responding, only because I am concerned about your dog.
Please take my advice and find a vet that you trust and can work with.
Best of luck.

In the meantime: NO BONES
NO FREE FEEDING, DO NOT LEAVE FOOD DOWN AFTER 10 MINUTES, PICK UP THE FOOD AND STORE IN THE FRIDG, OFFER AT THE NEXT MEALTIME
YOUR PUP IS FOOD AGGRESSIVE
DO NOT GET IN HIS FACE WHEN HE IS EATING. STAY AT LEAST 5 FEET AWAY FROM HIM WHILE HE IS EATING AND DO NOT TOUCH HIM!

[Atlas T]

Thanks again to everyone for all the info! I hear both of you on the reasons to choose the Salmon food (continuation of the current protein) or the Turkey food (the fish one might have more toxins). I’ll have to weigh the good and the bad and make some decisiosn. A few quick responses:

-Susan, on the bones – I have some raw beef bones that I gave him about 1.5 months ago. It sort of coincided with his belly issues, so I have some hesitation whether raw bones could have contributed. What are your thoughts? Do you think it’s ok to give raw bones to a 7mo old puppy with some tummy issues? Or should I wait until we’re totally in the clear? And in regards to Rodney Habib, I’ll check him out. As to the healthy treats/toppers, shall I wait to give him those until his tummy is more sorted? I wonder if raw carrots or things like that may do more harm than good at this point.

-CockalierMom, thanks for the recommendation of calculating calories. I took some time to do that yesterday, and seems like I’ve been feeding him exactly the right amount, maybe even a bit on the high side. Given all that, he still seems super hungry. Should I give him more food? He does get quite a bit of exercise. We are on day 5 of the LID food, and he is getting 2.5 cups of that per day, as well as 1.5lbs potato, and .5lbs chicken (more info below). Great point about the LID not being All Life Stages, I hadn’t considered that.

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General updates:

We are on day 5 of the LID food, and he is getting 2.5 cups of that per day, as well as 1.5lbs potato, and .5lbs chicken (more info below). Maybe this week, I’ll start incorporating some of the Nature’s Domain into it and seeing if his poop continues to be ok. One thing to me that seems strange about his poop is that in the morning and early afternoon, he has great solid poop. Towards the end of the day, the poop gets much softer (though never to the point that I’d call diarrhea). I’m not totally sure what to attribute this to. Maybe he processes food more quickly during the day and it doesn’t get fully processed by the time he poops it out? Also, (sorry if this is TMI) when his poop starts coming out, it’s quite solid, but towards the end of the poo, it is much more soft. Also, he is pooping very frequently still, about 5-6 times per day. It’s not like he urgently needs to go, but we take him on lots of walks, and he always takes advantage of being outside to poop.

On a different note, we’ve run into another problem. Before, his food used to be out all day, but now that it’s perishable because I’m cooking it, he gets specific feeding times and amounts. He’s become a bit possessive of his food, which he’s never been before :-/ He allows us to touch and move his bowl without a problem, but he starts growling if we pet him while he’s eating, especially if we touch his paws or tummy. I am trying to combat this by doing some handfeeding so he understands the food comes from us, as well as holding his bowl while he eats and stroking him, even if he growls. I have zero fears about him actually biting, but I welcome more feedback on whether I’m addressing this correctly, and what else I should be doing to combat this behavior. He doesn’t do this with anything else…not bones, not his favorite toys, etc.

[pitlove]

I guess my dogs are unforunate as well. Being in the veterinary medicine field and hearing all the surgeons at an emergency clinic talk about the things (including bones) they have had to pull out of dogs stomachs, I would never in my right mind give my dog any type of bone. I brush my dogs teeth for oral health.

Comparing your dog to a wolf is old and tired rhetoric. Wolves have a short lifespan in the wild and do not eat an optimal diet. We do not know the mortality rate of wild wolves or other canid species that consume bone due to blockage or intestinal perforation.

[Susan]

Hi Atlas,
I would feed the Natural Balance Fish & Potato for 4-6 months to let his Gi tract settle & heal or start him on the the brand that is cheaper, the Kirklands Natures Domain Turkey Sweet Potato formula this way you have some of the Natural Balance Fish & Potato formula to introduce with the kibble & just feed that kibble for 4-6months then once he seems stable rotate between a few different brands with a different protein source… & make sure they do not have Chickpeas & Lentils..

He’s probably growing it’s called “growth spurt” it happens between 8-12months old, google Growth Spurts in dogs….
You could give him a meaty raw bone, no cooked bones, this way he chewing & keeping busy & he’s eating something & you could feed him 3 smaller meals a day instead of just 2 larger kibble meals a day, that will keep him feeling fuller.
I follow “Rodney Habib” on his face Book page watch his videos, his vidoe’s are quick & to teh point & really good, he recommends blueberries, apple, healthy whole foods added as a topped to kibble fed dogs I give the toppers as a treat instead, if your dog likes cooked food instead then feed him cooked meals & try & feed less kibble he’ll be healthier….

The only problem I have with fish kibble they are higher in toxins & contamintes.
Have a look at Clean Label Project 2nd test study on kibbles, wet foods & treats, alot of the expensive brands some of their formula’s came back very high in Toxins & Acrylamides & BPA & BPS… Kirkland had a few formula’s, so did TOTW & I think Nature Balance had a few brands high in toxins, you’ll have to look thru & see which formula’s only got 1-2 stars
here’s the link below click on it, read thru then scroll back up & look to your left & click on “Dry Dog Foods” you’ll see all the 5 star foods then go to pages 11 thru to 16 is teh start to all the bad 1 star brands & the formula’s that tested very high in toxins. Just stay away from these formula’s if you can…..
The last 2 Summers I’ve been rotatating Patches kibbles to a fish kibble cause he has skin allergies in Spring & Summmer months & fish formula’s are higher in Omega 3, my vet & I couldn’t work out why poor Patch was doing really well thru the Winter months then after I started feeding him new fish formula’s that didnt have any ingredients he is sensitive too “Wellness” Complete Health, White Fish & Sweet Potato, he got sloppy poos & was unwell, so I put him back on his TOTW Roasted Lamb formula he was good again then I introduuced & tried “Earthborn Holistic” Ocean Fusion after 1-2 months later he became ill again, same with “Holistic Select” Salmon it took 3 months he became sick & wouldnt touch his food if ever your dog wont eat a kibble dont make him, take the food back, I keep all my recipts, then I tried the TOTW Pacific Stream Salmon formula which is the Kirkland Nutures Domain Salmon & Sweet Potato formula, he kept vomiting up the TOTW Salmon, then last April CLP released their first ever pet food testing & I was shocked there were 3 of the foods I feed Patch in the top 10 worse pet kibbles all these formula’s tested very high in toxins, now CLP has just relesed their 2nd test 1 week ago join & get their emails click on link below also on your left click on “Brand Report Cards”
Some people say CLP is this & that, all they want is money, yes they need donation to test pet & baby foods that’s how we get it for free.
My dog & other people dogs have been very sick after eating these 4 & 5 star brands that DFA gives & they have tested very high in toxins, when you go & look at these brands up in the DFA “Reviews” section, read all people’s post, my dog is sick, my dog died, my dog has diarrhea, I know some dogs may have health problems but there’s some foods like TOTW’s High Prairie formula where a heap of dogs became very sick all of a sudden after eating the TOTW High Prairie & Pacific Stream formula’s these formula’s both tested very high in toxins in CLP 2nd testing…
I’d rather be safe then sorry & when you have a dog with a sensitive stomach & bowel these’s are the dogs that become very sick first, Purina rated good with some of their formula’s but some of Purina’s formula’s didnt rate good at all, like Purina’s Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach formula it rated 3rd worse formula with the higest amount of Toxins.. there’s more information on different pet foods on Clean Label Project F/B page…
Im staying away from fish pet foods, I buy human tin salmon in spring water give that as a small meal with sweet potato for Patch
http://www.cleanlabelproject.org/pet-food-study-2-0/

[anonymous]

Below is an excerpt from http://animaldentalspecialist.com/safe-and-appropriate-chew-toys-for-dogs/
Click on link for full article. Hope this helps.

Fractured pet teeth are one of the more common dental problems encountered by veterinary dentists. Broken teeth, more often than not, have exposed pulp tissues that subsequently become infected.  Just like for humans, apical infection (apical periodontitis, dental “abscesses”) will occur in a matter of time. They are painful and cause exposure of the body to chronic bacteria infusion and inflammation. In most cases, the problem is caused by dogs being allowed to chew on objects that are just too hard for their teeth. These objects may actually be harder than the teeth.  It is important to remember the evolutionary function of carnivores…they are meat eaters. The function of carnivore oral behavior is to grasp, pull and hold prey. This is followed by cutting and tearing meat before crushing and gulping. Carnivore teeth are not designed to chew bones or other objects harder than the teeth.  Starving wild animals often have only bones to eat, however, they also break their teeth, which places them at a survival disadvantage (survival of the fittest). Wild carnivores that do eat bones are usually doing so from freshly killed prey.  Fresh bones are softer, however, they still can lead to traumatized and fracture teeth. Dental treats and chew objects should be considered as only part of preventative dental health care (please refer to information on dental diets, chews and antiseptics).  In conjunction with daily tooth brushing, dental diets and regular professional cleanings, toys and treats can play an important part of oral health care maintenance.
Strictly avoid bones (cooked or uncooked), cow hoofs, pig ears, hard & thick rawhides, plastic or nylon bones, and large ice cubes. Tennis balls and other objects with abrasive surfaces should also be avoided as these have a sandpaper-like effect on tooth structure that damages and may expose the pulp. The flatter, softer rawhide chews have been shown to be safe and effective in reducing the rate of plaque accumulation. C.E.T. Hextra rawhide chews contain Chlorhexidine which enhances their effectiveness.
When trying to select safe chew objects for your pet, there are two good approaches:
General rules of thumb.
Use products approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC)
A. Rules of Thumb
You want to be able to indent the surface with your finger nail.  Surface has some “give” to it.
“Knee Cap Rule”: If you hit your self in the knee with the object and it hurts, it’s probably too hard/heavy for your dog.
“Hammer Rule”: If you can drive a nail with the product, don’t allow your dog to chew on it.
Also avoid objects with abrasive surfaces like Tennis Balls and Frisbees.
If you cannot flex or break the product with your bare hands, it’s probably best to avoid it.
Please take note: you should always monitor your pet when they are chewing on anything.  Verify they’re not gagging, trying to ingest too much at one time or attempting to eat an inedible product.
B. VOHC approved products
Although not all safe products have VOHC approval, using products with the VOHC seal of acceptance is recommended as these products have successfully met pre-set requirements for veterinary dental efficacy and safety.  A complete list of VOHC approved products can be accessed at http://www.vohc.org.

[haleycookie]

It’s unfortunate anon that you don’t let your dogs be dogs. I’ve met other like yourself. That are so scared something will hurt their dogs they don’t let their dogs enjoy themselves or live their lives naturally. I have a co worker who’s little dog hurt his knee a few months ago. He’s only 6 not old at all. And my coworker has made the absurd decision to get rid of all his toys and not throw any of them or play with him anymore purely out of the fear his dog will hurt his knee again. He has to be supervised to prevent any running in the yard so that he doesn’t hurt his knee again. What a sad life I can’t imagine not being able to enjoy things that are natural and fun and heathy. He’s also already over weight and on a high carb prescription weight loss diet that is doing nothing and his owner is so blind to the fact. He also seems to believe that milk bones clean his dogs teeth. Letting a dog chew on a bone is not homeopathic science. It’s nature. And a much better teeth cleaner than a milk bone. That’s for sure.

[Susan]

Hi,
why not gve fresh raw meaty bones? they are fresh un cooked bone so no shattering or bone that has been cooked etc, In Australia we have raw or slow air dried Kangaroo tendons, they’re healthy & good to chew…. find a company that makes really good high quality slow air dried bones if you don’t want to feed fresh meaty bones & if there’s any 2 day old bones laying around the yard pick them up & throw them out, if you have local butcher they normally sell cheap off cut meaty bones & know the best part of the carcass to give dogs to chew & keep a pup busy that wont splinter etc, a butcher told me the best bone to give a dog is the elbow section of the Lamb, I don’t know if this is correct or he just likes that bit of bone for his dogs??, ask your local butcher or join a few Raw feeding F/B groups they normally know which meaty bone is best to give, just do not feed any of those rawhide chews made to look like bones…

[anonymous]

Like I said before, homeopathic views are different from traditional medicine (veterinary included).
There is nothing to debate.
However, I have been to the emergency vet, paid the bills and decided offering bones to any animals that are under my care is not worth it.
PS: They were all supervised when the emergency situations occurred, it only takes a second to crack a tooth. Gastrointestinal obstructions can take a week or two to develop. It’s not pretty to watch an animal suffer.
It’s not 1955, they have veterinary orthodontists that are just waiting for you folks that give bones to their dogs to come in for treatment for fractured teeth.
It can run anywhere from $1000-$3000 for an uncomplicated emergency surgery.

[haleycookie]

All of those things are such extreme circumstances they make me laugh. Do you know all the things I’ve seen dogs chew on and eat that haven’t hurt them that are far less digestible than a bone? When a responsible dog owner watches their dog and only allows certain amounts of time with a raw bone theyre will rarely be any negative corcumstances. I know way to many dogs that eats raw bones of all kinds of animals on a daily basis that are included in raw diets. Bones are necessary in raw diets especially. Dogs digestive tract, teeth, stomach, and esophagus are still that of a wolf. Wolves eat small bones whole, break them with their teeth, and shatter them to pieces and eat them. I’m not concerned with leaving my dog or any dog UNDER SUPERVISION with a raw bone. And neither should anyone else.

[anonymous]

Excerpt below from http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2010/04/give-a-dog-a-bone-not-fda-warns-of-dangers-of-feeding-bones-to-dogs/comment-page-1/
Click on link for full article and comments. I hope this helps someone.

Give a Dog a Bone (Not!)–FDA warns of dangers of feeding bones to dogs
Posted on April 25, 2010 by skeptvet
The Food and Drug Administration issue a warning about feeding bones to dogs recently. Just like feeding milk to cats (which also isn’t a very good idea), giving bones to dogs is a cultural cliché that we learn about as children. Bones are often the symbol for all things canine. Unfortunately, the idea that they are a fun and healthy part of the domestic dog’s diet is a myth. Eating bones can result in all sorts of medical problems, some minor and some serious. The FDA warning lists some of the more important:
Broken teeth. This may call for expensive veterinary dentistry.
Mouth or tongue injuries. These can be very bloody and messy and may require a trip to see your veterinarian.
Bone gets looped around your dog’s lower jaw. This can be frightening or painful for your dog and potentially costly to you, as it usually means a trip to see your veterinarian.
Bone gets stuck in esophagus, the tube that food travels through to reach the stomach. Your dog may gag, trying to bring the bone back up, and will need to see your veterinarian.
Bone gets stuck in windpipe. This may happen if your dog accidentally inhales a small enough piece of bone. This is an emergency because your dog will have trouble breathing. Get your pet to your veterinarian immediately!
Bone gets stuck in stomach. It went down just fine, but the bone may be too big to pass out of the stomach and into the intestines. Depending on the bone’s size, your dog may need surgery or upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, a procedure in which your veterinarian uses a long tube with a built-in camera and grabbing tools to try to remove the stuck bone from the stomach.
Bone gets stuck in intestines and causes a blockage. It may be time for surgery.
Constipation due to bone fragments. Your dog may have a hard time passing the bone fragments because they’re very sharp and they scrape the inside of the large intestine or rectum as they move along. This causes severe pain and may require a visit to your veterinarian.
Severe bleeding from the rectum. This is very messy and can be dangerous. It’s time for a trip to see your veterinarian.
Peritonitis. This nasty, difficult-to-treat bacterial infection of the abdomen is caused when bone fragments poke holes in your dog’s stomach or intestines. Your dog needs an emergency visit to your veterinarian because peritonitis can kill your dog.

[haleycookie]

RAW bones such as the frozen primal bones sold at petvalus are safe but there are always risks with anything. Just always make sure with ANYTHING you give your dog you are watching them while they chew on it. I often get ppl that ask me “what is something I can leave with my dog to chew on?” The answer is nothing. Don’t leave your dog to chew on anything alone. Which you did not do and I’d imagine you’re smart enough to know that. Great that you taught your dog drop it too. I also wouldn’t recommend a rotted bleached bone off of a mystery carcass. Go to a petvalu if you have one near and pick up one of the raw primal bones or I believe they can be ordered online. I have used those with several different dog sitting dogs and they all love them. Don’t be scared of bones, I find they are a great way to clean the teeth of tartar. I also toss raw bones within 24 hrs of opening. And if I ever purchase those filled bones or meaty bones from petco I toss those once the dog has pulled out the center filling or pulled off all the meaty bits from the bone.

[anonymous]

/forums/topic/bones-2/
All bones are bad,. I know that you don’t believe me and that you prefer to listen to the homeopathic crowd.
Fine, make sure you have the number for the 24/7 emergency veterinary clinic, directions and how long it will take you to get there. The odds are you will need this information readily available.

[Coonhound Mama]

Oh no, I absolutely would not do that again. Aside from the fact that that bone has been sitting there long enough to harbor some very serious bacteria, a sun bleached bone is not edible. Sun has the same effect on bones that cooking them does- it breaks them down into dry and flaky shards that could potentially cause cuts in the GI tract. Stick to fresh, raw rib bones only.

[Alamo]

As the title suggests, I found an old carcass last night (a scattering of bones and sun tanned leather at this point) and I snagged a bleach white beef rib for my 7 month old Corso. After giving it to her this morning and listening to her thoroughly enjoy it for several minutes I heard a brittle snapping sound. After the “drop” command was given she spit out a quarter size shard of bone, it didn’t have jagged edges but I was still too worried to let her continue. She absolutely loves these bones and I’ve supervised her chewing them into dust before, but is this one too old?

Is exposure similar to cooking?
Are old carcass bones ok to give?

Thanks in advance, and please advise quickly….River is under my desk right now complaining because her antler is suddenly no good….

• This topic was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by Alamo.

[Susan]

Hi Lori, I just posted a post about “Clean Label Project” click on link & look at all the 5 Star foods, Canidae & Under the Sun, Nutro, Purina, I & love & You all got 5 stars, & Acana, Wellness & Orijen got 1 star they are very high in Toxins. Wellness has a lawsuit at the moment for false advertisement saying their dry kibble is high quaility but Clean Label Test tested a few of Wellness formula’s & they tested very high for toxins…..
If you can cook then freeze meals, home cooking is heaps better then feeding a dry processed kibble, Ted will probably start to feel & get better especially at age 10 Ted would probably love a nice cooked meal, I buy tin salmon in spring water & tin Sardines in spring water & add a few sardines to one of the cooked meal or some Salmon to 1 of the meals a day, Salmon & Sardines will help balance the meal with Omega 3, Vitamins for his joints, bones, heart, brain, skin & coat,.. I buy tin Salmon & Tuna slices in Spring water & drain all teh water & I boil some sweet potatoes & mix 1/2 & 1/2 & make a meal, it’s healthy & probably wont have any toxins like the dry kibbles have.
If your not happy feeding a Chickpeas & Peas diet then take the food back & say your dog won’t eat it, most pet foods are money back guaranteed for palability…

[Norma R]

Myths about Supplements to your dogs food, including Calcium. Good info:

1. “A multivitamin added to the food will cover any gaps.”

The question here is this: Which multi, and with which diet? Any unsupplemented home-prepared diet will be low in some nutrients and adequate or high in others. But because there is no standard formulation for human multivitamins and they can vary greatly in what they include, just tossing one in the dish is not the answer.

Choosing an all-purpose multi made specifically for dogs doesn’t necessarily solve the problem either. These usually contain very low levels of nutrients because it’s assumed they will be added to commercial food, and so are unlikely to provide enough supplementation to round out a homemade diet. This is why “balanced” is not just a buzzword; it’s a valid and essential aspect of proper nutrition. Once you understand your dog’s nutritional needs, work out what her diet actually contains and then add what’s missing.

2. “I’m adding yogurt to my dog’s food daily so she’s getting enough calcium.”

Dogs require fairly high levels of calcium, and yogurt absolutely won’t cut it. Here’s a quick example: My own 75-pound dog has a daily requirement of 1,840 mgs of calcium, and since I use quite a bit of fiber in his diet in the form of brown rice, I want to offset any absorption issues and ensure that he gets about 2,000 mgs per day, or 14,000 mgs per week. His weekly diet alone—turkey, liver, sardines, brown rice, ground lamb and acorn squash—only provides 1,750 mgs. That means I need to add over 12,000 mgs of calcium; in other words, more than 40 cups of plain yogurt.

Calcium supplementation is always necessary unless you are feeding raw bones. I recommend using a commercial carbonate or citrate form of calcium, or an eggshell crushed into a fine powder—one teaspoon of this powder (about 5.5 grams) equals roughly 2,200 mgs of calcium carbonate. To use eggshells, rinse them well and then bake for about 10 minutes at 300 degrees; use a small grinder to make the powder. Bone meal can be used if there is also a need to add phosphorus, but many homemade diets supply plenty of this mineral.

[Susan]

Hi Croeber,
I think it is really important to rotate between diiferent brands & feed a diffferent meat protein source & different ingredients, a rotational diet allows a beter chance of providing a more complete & balanced diet, while most dog food sold has been balanced to meet nutritional guidelines there’s always a chance that one brand might be a little deficient in a nutrient compared to another brand, by rotating a variety of foods your pet is less likely to suffer any deficiencies & rotating helps strengthen the dogs immune system & may reduce the risk off allergies or sypmtoms developing later on as teh y age this is very important for young animals…
You know your girl does well on Merrick so now look for another brand with a different protein source & different ingrdients but stay around the same protein % & fat % it doesnt have to be exactly the same fat & protein 1-3% higher or lower… some people rotate with the same brand that’s not a good idea, say that brand has toxins or high contaminates in their fish formula then the other formulas may also have the fish meal or whatever is in that brands meats etc so best to look for another brand it doesn’t have to be real expessive to be really good, look at “Clean Label Project” pet food testings some of the very expensive brands had the highest toxins & Purina got 4-5 stars ause of the lean meats tehy buy, Turkey & Chicken are suppose to be very clean meats….

I can’t be too fussy with what I feed my boy, I have to feed him what agrees with him, he was a rescue I rescued at age 4, he suffers with IBD, Skin Allergies & food intolerances, vets & his nutritionist said he probably was feed the same cheap Aldis dog food & when he was reacting with diarrhea & vomiting the owner didn’t bother changing his food or the owner changed & feed another poor quality brand that had the ingredients he was sensitive too & was reacting too, he is a prime example of a dog feed a very poor diet & was never introduced to a lot of different foods…probably why he ended up at the pound cause of his IBD, when I got him he was pooing blood & weeing blood, vet said the weeing blood would have been from being used for breeding..
I’m feed “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb grain free with Lamb meal, sweet potato, potato, peas, egg, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, formula, TOTW Roasted Lamb is Patches go to kibble that he does the best on so far…
I’ve just finished introducing Hills Science Diet, Sensitive Skin formula it’s a grain formula with rice, corn, pork meal & egg formula, I’m trying this in my rotation cause it has Pork Meal & Hills gave me a free voucher-$140, my IBD boy does really well on his cooked Pork rissoles & Sweet potato, so when I saw Hills had a Pork meal formula I had to try it & see how he does on it & he’s doing really wll he gets bad acid reflux so its very hard finding foods that agrees with his stomach & he doesn’t grind his teeth & doesn’t swollow & swollow & lick his lips, I was rotating & feed “Canidae” Pure Wild Boar & I tried the Pure Meadow Senior, “Canidae has some really good grain free & grain kibbles….
I have to give treats instead of adding foods to his kibble, he gets 1-2 freeze dried, “K-9 Natural” Green Lipped Mussels, the mussel shell is high in Glucosamine & Chondroitin for his joints & bones.
“Love Em” Mini Cookies Chicken Liver & Cranberry with DHA for immune support biscuits an Australian Brand, I’ve just started these, he was getting peeled apple pieces, he gets his Yakult probiotic drink, he gets about 1/4 of the Yakult probiotic drink in between feeds when his stomach acids are low so they dont kill the live bacteria in te probiotic & I drink the rest of te Yakult drink, he gets his yogurt ice cream only about 1 teaspoon after his dinner & if I’m running late or on the computer he tells me about his ice cream yogurt he whinges & barks at me till I get it out of the freezer. I can’t remember what else he gets at teh moment, I’ve had him 5 yrs this November & he has tried heaps & different brand kibbles & foods the Australian kibble brands are really good but some are way to high in protein & fat for him, no vet diets have worked for Patch, TOTW has been the best dry kibble so far that covers all his health problems, I’ve strengthen his gut (immune system) heaps since I got him 5 yrs ago he was always very sick before, but now he has a beautiful shinny coat, he is very healthy runs, jumps acts like a puppy doesnt seem to have any arthritis yet, (fingers X) he’ll be 9 years old on the 20th Novemeber & it’s the same day I rescued him 5 years ago his “Got You Day” he was being Put To Sleep on his birthday..

Steve Brown was asked if you had to pick 1 food to add to your dogs diet to make it healthier what would you add & Steve said, “Mussels” you can buy them in the freezer section or buy freeze dried mussels, Mussels are very healthy they have Manganese, Iodine, Fats, Vitamin D he said alot of raw diets are short of Manganese, Iodine fats & Vitamin D so add about 1-2 mussels a day + 1 tablespoon salmon & a pinch of Kelp to your dogs diet….

Follow “Rodney Habib” on his face Book page, you’ll learn heaps about adding really good healthy fresh whole foods to your dogs diet…
Sounds like your doing a pretty good job already….

[Susan]

Hi Shannon.
next time try a low fat dry biscuit like Jatz or some dry toast white bread toast is best that’s what I use to do before Patch was put on an ant acid medication Omeprazole (Prilosec) also liquid “Mylanta” 5mls 1 teaspoon works great lines the esophagus & stomach… aren’t Milk bones high in fat? just have to be careful with fat it doesn’t make things worse….
Acid reflux can be from high carb diet, high fat diet, diet with fermentable fibers, barley, oats, oatmeal, legumes, beans, lentils, carrots, apple, peas… Best to avoid these type of foods & see how she goes.

[Shannon W]

I have finally figured out something that works for our Boxer when she does this swallowing/gulping/licking episode. I hope that it will help some of you as well. I have tried so many different things, such as massaging her to relax her, taking recommendations from her vet, letting her go out and eat grass, etc., but nothing has worked until now. As soon as she starts to do this, I give her something to eat in order to make her swallow. I use milkbones, cheese, or something of that sort. After she takes a few bites and has swallowed a few times, it goes away.

[anonymous]

Food aggression in dogs
Dogs with food aggression may stiffen their body, show teeth, growl, snap, or bite when they are approached by a person or another animal when they are in possession of or near a food-related item such as a rawhide chew, bone, pig’s ear, food bowl, sandwich wrapper, or food that was dropped on the floor.
Reference: centerforshelterdogs.com/home/dogbehavior/problemsandmanagement/f…

Here is another article https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/food-guarding excerpt below
Guarding possessions from humans or other animals is normal behavior for dogs. Wild animals who successfully protect their valuable resources—such as food, mates and living areas—are more likely to survive in the wild than those who don’t. However, we find the tendency to guard valued items undesirable in our domestic pets, especially when the behavior is directed toward people.
Resource guarding in dogs can range from relatively benign behavior, like running away with a coveted item or growling at an approaching person, to full-blown aggression, such as biting or chasing a person away. Some dogs only direct resource guarding toward certain people, often strangers. Other dogs guard their resources from all people. Dogs vary in what they consider valuable. Some dogs only guard chew bones or toys. Some guard stolen items, such as food wrappers from the trash can or socks. Many dogs guard food.

[Erika C]

Hi! If you have time you don’t need to go with premix, I have 2 small dogs, and I started today to with the barf diet. I’ve researched a los about how should I balance their food, how much to give, etc… I saw you are worried about calcium that is something easy to fix, you just have to give them whole eggs (shells incluides since they are small you can give them 1 or 2 quail egg each day) you can give them calcium supplements too, mines take multivitamins and calcium supplements just in case, you can buy it in petco, I also going to start adding to their food bone meal is in powder form so you don’t have to worry giving bones, one of mines doesn’t even like to chew bones🙄 So supplements are good options, if you have a miller you can try milling chicken neck bones to just add it to their food

[Evan G]

Thanks for the reply Nadine,

I am heading to the vet on Wednesday to get Jackson his 3rd round of Parvo Shots so I just want to be a little more educated for my conversation with the vet.

I’m not set on anything yet, he seems to be doing good with the Horizon, fish smell is a little strong, just want to make sure I shouldn’t be putting him on something specifically for bones and joints, as his breed tends to have problems with that.

As far as his stools, ive got to have a convo with the vet about that too, he seems to fluctuate between firm and loose. Morning will be firm, then during the day loose, then night firm again. But it seemed to start even before the diet change.

[Evan G]

Thank you so much for this post!
We are the proud parents of a 3mo old Weimaraner puppy. When we got him, he was being fed blue buffalo wilderness large breed. After talking with our vet, it seems he feels the same way that a lot do, too much protein. While reading this forum it seems that may not be completely accurate. His explanation was too much protein would make him grow faster than his joints and bones could keep up.

In an effort to help him with his growth we have gotten him into swimming, to be a low impact exercise on his joints.

Back to the food though, with our vets advice in mind, we started him on Horizon Pulsar which is salmon based, and much lower protein, (28%)

I really want to find another option that will be a better fit for him. I’m looking for some advice. I tried looking at the 5star options, but they all seem to be very high protein.

Any suggestion for some good quality food within our budget of about 100$ a bag would be greatly appreciated.

[anonymous]

Communicate with your vet that the antibiotic is making her nauseous (from what you can tell).
On more than one occasion I have had the vet change the antibiotic to a different one, problem solved. There are other broad spectrum antibiotics that may be able to be used.
Something to keep in mind, have the vet note on her record that this antibiotic does not agree with her.

Stop worrying about the quality of ingredients in this food and that food, you can worry about that later, if and when she is stable.

I told you, dogs LOVE Mighty Dog and they have gravy formulas. I have owned dogs for over 30 years, I think I know a thing or two.

Another trick, supermarket rotisserie chicken meat (no bones, of course). I have NEVER seen a dog refuse it, mix it with the prescription food and a splash of water and watch her eat!
Try it and let us know.

Oh, and take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt 🙂
For science based veterinary medicine go here http://skeptvet.com/Blog/

• This reply was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by anonymous.