Search Results for 'darwin'

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  • #15620

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    NectarMom
    Member

    It is not just one dog, it is all 4 but at different times. It happens mainly after they have digested the Raw. My vet would not know about Raw because he does not recommend it. My dogs were not throwing up food. They were all fine except for the acid reflux until we started the Raw. I am pretty sure I have to find a grain free , potato free , low protein turkey kibble.

    #15619

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    InkedMarie
    Member

    If this is just one dog throwing up, I’m thinking its not the raw. I don’t know if Darwin’s can answer about a dog vomiting. Have you called your vet?

    #15618
    NectarMom
    Member

    Mary Lou, I am thinking you might be right so we are stopping the Raw until we speak to Darwin’s and see if they have any suggestions. We may have to stop Raw and try another lower protein grain free , potato free kibble. Sigh. I just really hate seeing my girls uncomfortable in any way.

    #15617

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    NectarMom
    Member

    Well now the same dog threw up once again this evening the frothy liquid so we are stopping the Raw until I can speak to someone at Darwin’s so they can tell me what is going on. What is strange is that they eat at 6AM in the morning and then throw up at 4PM in the afternoon so they are throwing up after they digest the Raw. Now I have the Raw causing issues along with the kibble causing acid reflux, just lovely!

    #15613
    NectarMom
    Member

    Mary lou, My dogs are not throwing up the food. it is hours later after the food has already digested that they throw up clear foamy liquid. I am afraid of any food that has been recalled and Natures Variety has been recalled before. My main concern right now is the acid reflux they have been having since switching to a high protein kibble. I am feeding Darwin’s Raw diet Turkey and I am wondering if it by its self is nutritionally sound for my crew. Darwin’s is closed today or I would be calling them asking. Thanks for your reply though 🙂

    #15594

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    NectarMom
    Member

    I don’t think it has anything to do with mixing kibble with Raw being that if that was the case they would throw up solid food after being fed. They are throwing up clear foam hours later. Even one of mine threw it up this morning when we woke up. She was heaving and I put her off of the bed so she wouldn’t throw up in my bed. This was not regurgitating it was throwing up.

    #15593
    NectarMom
    Member

    Melissa, I know and it is because they do well on turkey and potato free as far as allergies and intestinal. Allergies but the acid reflux is a problem. I wasn’t sure what was causing the reflux until I read this thread and if it is the protein then I have to find a food that is turkey , lower protein and grain and potato free. I have even spoken to Darwin’s about the acid reflux and they said maybe it was because they were drinking too much water after meals which in result made them regurgitate up clear water but I know that would not cause acid reflux. Seriously I am getting tired of switching foods and waiting 6 months to see if it works only for it not to work and cause some issue with my dogs. It is very aggravating. They also had the acid reflux on Acana and that is when my one dog ended up with an ulcer.

    #15591

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    InkedMarie
    Member

    I have no idea if this has anything to do with the puking but some dogs can’t handle raw mixed with kibble. Maybe feed them at different meals and see if that helps.

    #15589
    NectarMom
    Member

    I am having the same problem with my 4 small dogs. I am feeding Brothers Allergy formula since Sept 2012 and I just started adding Darwin’s Raw to it with very little 95% can food (Turkey is the protein ) I am thinking it is the high protein from Brothers since they had this issue before I added the Raw. The problem is for me is that most of these freeze dried are loaded with potato. I give Pepcid AC to them but its not helping. I already had one with an ulcer due to this and an ulcer takes forever to clear up. I don’t want another one coming up with one also. It seems I cannot win for loosing. If I go 100% Raw would that solve it or would they not get enough nutrition? I am getting confused on this whole thing of high grain free protein is better yet it is causing health issues?

    #15588

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    NectarMom
    Member

    I am going to change my review just a bit because I do not know if it is the Raw causing this or not. I feed at 6AM every morning before I go to work and then usually around 5:30PM I feed again. I am mixing 1 TBSP of Raw with 1/8 cup of Brothers Allergy, less than half TSP of pumpkin and wellness 95% turkey and then mixed with that in the morning they get half a scoop of mercola enzymes and evening meal they get half scoop of probiotics. My problem is in-between because all the sudden hours later after a meal some are throwing up clear foam. Is this because they are needing something in between meals? I was thinking of getting some mercola bones for them to chew on. We have been on a good routine before the Raw added where 2 of my girls are loosing weight and they needed to. I don’t want to add anything else to the diet to make them gain weight. Stools are fine and no throwing up any solid food so just the throwing up hours later the clear foamy liquid. Any suggestions on what I can give them? Thanks 🙂

    #15578

    In reply to: Kibble + Raw

    NectarMom
    Member

    Yep sometimes I mix canned 95% all meat mixed in with the Raw and kibble and pumpkin and I switch up and do in the morning feeding I put enzymes and in the evening feeding I put probiotics. My crew is really thriving on Darwin’s Raw. They are for sure eating better, even my picky eater 🙂 I am seriously lovin it!

    #15523

    In reply to: Kibble + Raw

    NectarMom
    Member

    My 4 dogs have been on Darwin’s Raw turkey for a week now and we mix some kibble in with it plus probiotics and enzymes and some pumpkin at times and have not had an issue by mixing the two.

    #15522

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    NectarMom
    Member

    But if you are feeding just raw or mostly Raw such as I am feeding 1/4 Brothers and 3/4 Darwin’s Raw turkey so where are my dogs vitamins and minerals coming from? I wonder if that is why they are trying to eat grass and now dirt? They’re stools are firm and they gobble down the Darwin’s without any issue now besides the trying to eat grass and dirt. They get enzymes on the food in the morning and probiotics on they’re food in the evening. IMO for them to do this there is something missing that they are not getting. Darwin’s claims they put ACV in the Raw. I don’t know but just trying to learn and understand more so my dogs get everything they need. I am lovin the Darwin’s with my dogs because they are eating it so well and the stools are like they should be. My last beloved dog died from cancer and I believe it was from some ingredient in kibble so I do not want this to happen again if I can prevent it.

    #15484

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    Hound Dog Mom
    Participant

    Hi nectarmom –

    Some brands perform what’s called “high pressure processing” on their “raw” food to eliminate bacteria. Darwin’s doesn’t do this and – IMO – that’s a good thing. I wouldn’t feed HPP “raw” and would only recommend it in the case of an extremely immune-compromised dog. HPP is just one more process – processing should be limited and food should be kept as close to its natural state as possible. HPP has been shown to cause denaturing of proteins. It’s also speculated that it may affect the fats and enzymes as well. A normal bacteria load present in raw meat is not a concern for a healthy dog. My dogs have been eating raw for almost 2 years, in which they’ve likely been exposed to salmonella numerous times, and have never gotten sick. If bacteria is a concern I’d recommend supplementing with quality probiotics (a healthy population of “good” bacteria will help your dog to keep “bad” bacteria in check) and adding foods that have natural anti-bacterial properties (such as unfiltered apple cider vinegar and coconut oil).

    #15478

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    NectarMom
    Member

    What about giving them Raw Goats Milk? Darwin’s told me to mix some Tripe in with the Raw but I didn’t want to make matters worse by introducing something else into the mixture.

    #15476

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    NectarMom
    Member

    I was at the store today picking up some can pumpkin and I was telling the Nutritionist there that my dogs were on partial raw and the reason I was asking him is because my vet claimed that I was so worried about salmonella poison from kibble and now here I am feeding RAW…He didn’t get it. Now the nutritionalist there at the store said that the raw they carry has been prepared against salmonella? Does Darwins also do this? I have found that my shihtzu has been puking in the futon where I couldn’t see it so I called Darwin’s and they are suppose to call me back tomorrow with some suggestions.

    #15475

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    theBCnut
    Member

    Mine are also half Brothers Allergy and half Darwin’s, except that I’m finally going to get to try Micah on Brothers Red Meat and see how he does!!! And I also do some homemade raw.

    #15458

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    InkedMarie
    Member

    Glad it’s going well! One of mine is on half Darwins, half Brothers Allergy!

    #15456

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    NectarMom
    Member

    Marie, everything seems to be falling into place. It is nice not to have to hand feed every little piece to my Shihtzu to make her eat she eats right out of the bowl and the only problem I am having is keeping each one out of each others bowl LOL. But I think thats a good thing. For now I think we will stay half Brothers Allergy and Half Darwin’s since we have seen improvement with both. And of course I will continue giving Mercola enzymes and Probiotics. Yesterday all stools were firm and no issues so I am real hopeful. Thank you for asking Marie 🙂

    #15451

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    InkedMarie
    Member

    NectarMom, how’s it going now?

    #15429

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    theBCnut
    Member

    My JRT used to have a super sensitive tummy. I used to have to take a solid month to do any transitions. Fortunately, over time and with healthier feeding practices, she has gotten better. I can now feed her something different at every meal with no issues, but it took over half a year to get her there.

    #15428

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    NectarMom
    Member

    Yes we are on turkey. I think in my situation it is best that I do not over load my dogs with raw meat on a bone due to they are so sensitive to change in anything in a diet. I am currently having issues with my shihtzu after day 2 on just mixing a half a teaspoon of Darwin’s turkey. Shes eating and no temp but shes very sluggish which is surprising due to my one with intestinal issues is fine and my shihtzu is following me around like there is no tomorrow and shes never like that. My shihtzu’s stool was a bit soft but not runny but I don’t like the way she is acting and nothing else has changed in her environment but the Darwin’s. I do things slow with them since they have had alot of issues with diet change. I am super parinoid of introducing any type of Raw with my dogs so I am taking baby steps to do this transition if it even works. Thank you both for your wealth of info and just to let you know it has been taken in and I really appreciate the advice.

    #15409

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    theBCnut
    Member

    Try replacing a meal with a chicken wing or a half or whole(depending on size) chicken neck or duck neck. If you ever cook Cornish game hens, cut off wings and legs before cooking and give them. Sorry, I forgot, are you staying away from chicken? I have the butcher cut up turkey necks to a size my JRT can handle and a turkey wing can be cut to pieces, then froze, to use over multiple days.

    #15408

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    NectarMom
    Member

    Thank you Patty I will try that this morning. HDM , I have seen the dog grass sprouts. I sprout beans all the time for my parrot. I will see if I can find the website again where I bought the bird sprouts. I believe it was called The Sprout People. I just cannot get over how well my Shihtzu is eating her food out of her bowl every time and seriously I have never seen her so excited about eating..ever!

    Can you recommend which raw bones I should start out with that are safe and small enough for tiny dogs?

    Patty I will try the partial defrost Thank you both so much , Jennifer

    #15406

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    Hound Dog Mom
    Participant

    Hi nectarmom –

    I wouldn’t be too corncerned about your dogs eating grass. Canine herbalist Juliette de Baircli Levy says that dogs bring on deliberate internal cleaning by eating grass, the grass helps to expel bile, mucus and other impurities. It’s not a strange thing for a dog to be eating grass and it doesn’t ncessarily mean they’re trying to make themselves vomit. If this becomes an ongoing issue, often if you add cereal grasses to their diet the behavior will lessen or cease completely. You can grow your own with a sprouter or buy a grass kit (they sell some specifically for pets). You would take the fresh grass sprouts and mice them and mix with your dogs’ meal. You can also buy grass supplements – wheat grass, barley grass, kamut grass, etc. Cereal grasses rich sources of several nutrients including chlorophyll, enzymes, amino acids and various trace minerals. I include wheat grass in my dogs’ whole food supplement and I grow fresh grass for my cats to nibble on.

    #15404

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    theBCnut
    Member

    No, the eating grass is not a normal reaction to Darwin’s. And yes, it is normal for it to turn brown. Try giving them a spoonful of it without any kibble, maybe you have the rare dog that can’t handle raw mixed with kibble. Also, you can partially defrost it just enough to divide it in to smaller portions and refreeze what you don’t need immediately.

    #15402

    In reply to: Darwin's Transition

    NectarMom
    Member

    Is it normal for them to want to eat grass after starting on Darwin’s? It is only a half a teaspoon of Darwin’s mixed with the regular kibble so I don’t get why they would want to throw up. I am feeling bad for adding something new with them once again 🙁 The best part is that they wanted it so bad and now they act like they feel bad. The directions say it is good for up to 48hrs in the refrig after defrosting it and it has already turned brown, is this normal? Thanks I am a bit parinoid.

    #15386
    NectarMom
    Member

    I got my Darwin’s Turkey order Wed and it was packed so well and still very frozen so I put all of it (which was ALOT) into the freezer and kept one pack out for in a couple of days ( Today). Darwin’s called me the day the shipment came in and walked me through how to make a hopefully smooth transition start. I can honestly say I was very very nervious about starting a raw diet for my dogs since I hate meat with a passion ( I do not eat it)

    Day one: Per advice from Darwin’s – Feed my usual mix and add in just half a teaspoon with each dogs meal of Darwin’s and mix in enzymes ( Mercola Brand) Now I have a VERY picky Shihtzu that will only eat out of my hand her kibble and can food but not this morning, she was trying to eat everyone elses and when I put her bowl down ( shes always last eating because shes so picky) Everyone else would eat her food before she got a chance but not this morning she actually ate all of her mixture right out of the bowl…OMG …I have not ever seen her do that in 2 1/2yrs she was born.

    My short coat Chihuahua ( GiGi) smelled the Darwin’s in the bo as soon as I brought it in and put it on the floor. She was litterally climbing the walls wanting what was in that box ( Frozen Darwin’s LOL! I truely believe she would have eaten it frozen she wanted it that bad..hehe!

    Now this is just the first day on it and the first feeding so I am hoping we do not have issues and I guess my only concern is the sweet potato since we are on a potato free diet. Time will tell if it agrees with GiGi since she is the one with intestinal allergies to what we do not know yet but for sure she is allergic to insect bites but that is not food related. Keep your fingers crossed for us. This is going to be a very slow process and we hope to make this work for our girls. I love the extra container they send to keep the raw in but I just for right now wish the porportions were a bit smaller since I am sure within 48 hrs I will be throwing some away.

    #15182
    InkedMarie
    Member

    I’m sure your dogs will love the Darwin’s!

    #15178
    DogFoodie
    Member

    I’ve tried to drink a bit of apple cider vinegar in water myself for all the same reasons you’d give it to your dogs, but I just can’t do it. I bought a bottle of Braggs ACV bottled drink with honey (which I’m sure I could have easily made myself at home), but I haven’t tried it yet. It just creates a weird sort of coating on my tongue and it seems hard to swallow. I wish there was a way to make it more palatable.

    Last time I put it on Bella’s Darwin’s, she immediately regurgitated her whole meal and neither of them would touch it after that. I figured Sam would scarf it up. It’s not like I used a lot either. No more than 1/8 tsp I would guess.

    #15176
    theBCnut
    Member

    Good luck!! Mine are crazy about their Darwin’s

    #15175
    NectarMom
    Member

    I bought the Darwin’s $14.95 Turkey Raw only so I will give it a shot with my 4 rug rats and if they don’t eat it raw I can always cook it and they will eat it. We will see. This morning we had all solid healthy stools so it looks like the can food topper did not do any upsets. They all ate like champs too….YAY

    #15142
    patvl246
    Participant

    He’s never had mucousy stools, sorry I can’t help you there. If you log onto Darwins, I’m pretty sure they have a feeding calculator there

    #15141
    NectarMom
    Member

    I am curious also because I am thinking of ordering some of the raw Turkey. How long did the mucousy stools last? How many Pattys should I start out with when I get it? I have small dogs. 3 Chihuahuas and a Shihtzu. The Shihtzu weighing the least, 4lbs.

    #15131
    patvl246
    Participant

    DogMom, My 210 lb English Mastiff has been eating Darwins since he was 12 weeks old. He’s 20 months now and still runs to his bowl for Darwins. I do mix in a cup of Natures Variety Instinct Raw Boost Venison and Lamb (Kibble), some green tripe and chicken from Big Dog Natural in Brick, N.J. (Dehydrated) and even some Bravo Complete. Switching things around so he doesn’t get bored. He also loves raw beef liver and raw chicken necks and backs.

    #15123
    NectarMom
    Member

    Well I could only find Wellness Turkey 95% so I bought 2 cans. I only mixed up just a tiny bit to coat the regular Brothers Allergy formula and I have not seen my dogs eat like that in 6 months. Seriously my very very picky Shihtzu that will just about starve herself wanted more than what she was suppose to get. She is only 4lbs but shes probably a lb under weight IMO but my vet thinks shes a perfect weight. I just hope we don’t have no runny stools. I even added mercola probiotics in with it. I am shocked at how it made me feel seeing them beg for more, it made me feel like I have been starving them 🙁
    I may try Darwins next but it is just so expensive. I tried raw instinct before ( The medalions and all 4 threw it up so I am hesitant to ship some in and have the same thing happen. HDM , The only concern I have with Brothers Allergy is that if there is indeed a detox period and I have been on this since Sept and my one with intestinal allergies has not shown any signs of problems except the last couple of weeks she has been chewing on her ankles and now there is a bald spot where he has never done this before even before switching to Brothers Allergy. All 4 have been shedding more than normal too and that started right after the switch but I assumed it was a part of the detox but I don’t know. My one chubby Chihuahua was 17.5lbs before starting Brothers and now she is 11lbs ( shes big boned) So I think her normal weight should be approx 10 lbs. We will see how the Wellness can turkey goes even though I am not a fan of Wellness.

    #15077
    theBCnut
    Member

    I have a yeasty, allergy dog on Brother’s Complete Allergy, too. He started on it in the same timeframe as yours, back at the beginning of September. I’ve found he can’t handle grains at all, he can’t handle much starch, and he may be sensitive to some chicken, but not all. To give him a little variety, I feed some raw food(with Richard’s blessing). I get some from Darwin’s, beef, turkey, and duck. And I also order from Hare Today, rabbit, goat, mutton, things I know don’t bother him. Yesterday, I got my first order from My Pet Carnivore. I also get tripe and a few kinds of fish. The key is learning what proteins your dog is having issues with and staying away from them.

    #14958
    InkedMarie
    Member

    DogMom2, how are your dogs doing on Darwin’s.

    #14944
    konamisan
    Participant

    Hi ALL,
    I’m new to your forum and truly new some advice! My JRT is 6 yrs old. 2 1/2 years ago, she woke me up at 3am in the morning whining. I turned on the lights to see what was wrong. To my shock and amazement, you could see how red her body was through her white fur. Her body had small lumps and her face had literally changed and looked like a pug! She was scratching, runnining round the house, jumping in & out the tub it was totally frightening and horrible for her. I rushed her to the ER pet hospital. Where she was given a cortiszone injection and Benadryl. I, half bent over the metal cold table coddling her as the lumps, redness,scratching and whining subsided and a whopping bill. It was ok to take her home a 8am in the morning and told to give her the Benadryl 2 times a day for 7 days. 6 months after that episode, she started scratching her ear and body, shaking her head excessively, her shedding, I could have made another dog with the fur that was falling off her although she wan’t balding. So I took her to the vet and he too gave her meds and irrigated her ears. It wasn’t ear mites. She scartched her ear so bad that it bled and she had to wear an e collar in total about 4 months. This went on and off for another 6 months. Her vet never tested her for what could be the problem. He said it may be allergies. Maybe is not the answer I wanted to hear and my JRT & I were both miserable not to mention the bills which was exhausting my finances. I love my Xena and could not stand to see her suffer any more! So I started doing some on line research of what could be the problem? I learned that putting her on a “Raw Food Diet” might be the answer. So I set out to find which one would be helpful.
    I stopped feeding her chicken, anything that had potatoes in it and any other grains & cut out the dry kibble. I started her on Steve’s. After about a month, I started seeing that the scratching had subsided the shedding had not. I kept her on it for another half month then introduced her to others like Bravo, Primal, Darwin’s Instinct & Stella and Chewy’s. I even tried shampoos with out success making sure there was no oatmeal in it. For sure that made her scratch & ear cleaning products. I also founf Dr. Karen Becker’s site and bought the “Probiotics, Krill Oil & Ubiquinol” The last 3 products I ran out of. When I can afford it, I’m thinking of purchasing Dr. Becker’s product the “Detox” bites.
    Her coat is soft and shiny, but the scratching has come back, she is licking her paws now and her privates & the shedding continues which I serioulsy vaccum 3 times a week. Don’t wear black to my house 🙁 lol although not really funny. Please someone HELP!!!!!!!!!
    Konamisan
    Well here I am again and the scratching has crept up on us both.

    #14860
    theBCnut
    Member

    I’ve been using Darwin’s for months now and my dogs do great on it.

    #14859
    Judy
    Participant

    Hi dogmom2. How is Hank doing with Darwin so far? I’m looking to also purchase Darwin for Blitz. I’m currently on Primal and have tried homemade raw but Blitz got sick probably because of the fat content like your experience. Primal is a bit expensive and Darwin looks pretty appealing especially with the green tripe option for subscribers. I’d be interested to see how your dogs like Darwin and if you would recommend the product.

    #14804

    In reply to: Walnut Oil

    DogFoodie
    Member

    I bought krill from Mercola for my dogs. It comes in a super convenient airless pump bottle. One pump per ten pounds of body weight. Clean, neat, easy, quality.

    Unfortunately, I’ve discovered that the dog I bought it for seems to turn her nose up at most things fishy. The other dog who doesn’t really need it, loves it. Go figure. I have yet to find a kibble or canned food that is fish protein based that Dog A really likes. She will, however, devour a tinned sardine. She eats high quality kibble, canned toppers and the occasional meal of Darwin’s raw, but the black part of her coat (she’s a tri-color Cavalier) still isn’t that shiny in some places ~ in particular, on her rump. I use organic coconut oil, but not as regularly as I should to really see the benefit in her coat quality. I also add an occasional raw egg. I’m thinking my next supplement of choice will be Solid Gold Sea Meal.

    Why are you wanting to supplement with oil? Is there something you’re hoping to correct?

    #13931

    In reply to: Chicken?

    InkedMarie
    Member

    Thats what I’m hoping, HDM. We’d like to buy 100 pounds of Darwins when we get income tax back; if I get more chicken than anything else, it would make the price better. Ginger can eat it and it’d be nice if Boone could, too. I’m not giving our new gal any Darwins. I still don’t know what caused her to be bound up but she had had Darwins for a few days before it happened. I am just starting to add some Bravo Balance to her meals, to get her used to that.

    #13905

    Topic: Chicken?

    in forum Raw Dog Food
    InkedMarie
    Member

    Hi all,
    I’ve kept chicken away from Boone for years, thinking it may be a problem ingredient for him (he used to get frequent ear infections). What is the thinking about raw chicken, as in raw Darwins, for a dog who doesn’t eat chicken kibble? Is it possible it won’t bother his ears? We do not get the free range Darwins, that’s above our means, we get the zoologics

    thanks!

    #13500
    InkedMarie
    Member

    Gemma has been here 3 weeks tomorrow (she’s a 9.5yr old sheltie) and this past week, she has finally come around. I’m pretty sure the foster person told us what we wanted to hear. I have a feeling, from how she acts, that she was either an outside dog or spent a great deal of time in a crate, or both. If anyone remembers, she had her remaining teeth removed a few days before we got her. I am pretty safe to say she wasn’t well cared for in her last home and I don’t think in her foster home either (she was there for two months or so). They claimed she loved kids, loved other dogs, was housebroken, etc. She IS great with kids, she lights up when one of my grandaughters walks in. Other dogs? Wants nothing to do with them. When we went to meet her & Mitch, the other available sheltie, they didn’t interract with each other and we were told they lived together. Housebroken? Nope. I realize dogs have accidents in new homes but just by some things she’s done, I don’t think she was ever truly housebroken. We don’t care, we have all hardwood but she’s doing much better, no accidents this week.
    I don’t think she was ever allowed on laps. We pick her up because she doesn’t seem able to jump up on the chairs….her hips are a bit arthritic and her front legs look kind of “bull doggy”, if you know what I mean. We’ll bring that up at the holistic vet appointment she has in a week. So, we put her on our laps and for the first week or more, she sat up, uneasy. Slowly, she started laying down, then finally sleeping on us. I think she finally realized she is home and safe with us.
    Eating is fine. We had an issue last week, can’t remember if I mentioned it here but she couldn’t poop. I don’t know if it was the food (Grandma Lucys at that time), the raw (Darwins) or what. She ended up at the vets and needed an enema. The day after this happened, I saw her put stones in her mouth (we have stones, 1/2″, in our kennel). We now have astroturf stuff over the stones, no more stones for her! I was told that Bravo has smaller bone pieces than Darwins so I will be starting her on that next week and we changed from the chunky Grandma Lucys to The Honest Kitchen.
    A little interesting thing: I was scrolling thru FB last week, saw someone I know with a sheltie. Had to ask about the dog. Long story short, the dog is Mitch, the other available dog we met, with a new name. The foster home is over an hour away yet the adopter of Jamie aka Mitch lives five minutes away! They are supposed to come and visit tomorrow but since we’re having a blizzard, I don’t know if that’ll happen.
    Anyway, thats my update.

    #12887
    dogmom2
    Participant

    I spoke with them today. They have exceellent support staff
    He seems to be feeling just fine, and so we will watch and wait. They had turkey today. I think I will feed them turkey again tomorrow and see how thinks look. Then go from there.

    I love the looks of their product, so I hope it works itself out…(so to speak). 🙂

    #12880
    InkedMarie
    Member

    Welcome to the forum! One of mine got mucousy stools when mine first went on Darwins. It went away. If you have any questions, give them a call!

    #12873
    dogmom2
    Participant

    Hi there.

    I have been reading this forum and pet food reviews for quite some time, and feel like I know some of you quite well.

    I am a dog mom, 48, married to a retired carpenter. We have two labs, Hank, yellow and is 10 1/2…and Dewey, black, who is just over 7 now.
    Hank has always been itchy, required bathing etc fairly regularly. When he turned about 2 he started getting interdigital cysts on his front feet pretty regularly. ( two or three times a year). We did regular bouts of Cepha ( my vet would sell it to us in 500 pill bottles to use as needed. ) at the age of 9 he started having constant anal gland issues on top of the skin stuff. then about a year ago, out of frustration over an episode withnhis feet that just would not heal…I took him to the local
    Holistic vet. We went over everything…diet, vaccines etc. she told me that innova ( the food I had always used) had been bought out and since we did not support P&G…we switched to wellness senior, and Merrill canned. We did laser treatments on his foot, and it finally healed.
    Long story short, then the black dog Dewey started regurgitating his food, and bile. After a few months of this we decided to go back to innova, since Dewey tolerated it. Well!! After a few days Hank starts tearing himself up, licking his butt, and his ears flare up. We had not even noticed that he wasn’t doing that while on wellness. So we have two dogs and no food that they can share. So we decided to switch again…this time to Evo, red meat, despite being a P&G product…and they both did fine. Dewey not harfing it up, Hank not tearing himself apart. ( and no sign of foot blowouts).
    Around this time I started experiment with raw frozen patties…NV lamb, duck etc. they seems to like it, but I did not like the smell. I started reading more, and bought some nice grass fed heart, tongue, etc at we would give them, along with their kibbles and Merrick. And I read…mostly here, and slowly over the last year we have moved further from kibble and more to primal raw frozen (duck, lamb, venison and rabbit), raw ground tripe, local pastured beef , pre and probiotic and hk preference. I still do Evo red meat once a day most week days, because DH prefers to let me do all the raw feeding.
    No foot blow outs in over a year, which is a miracle….both dogs seem to be thriving and I am convinced this is the best for them and us.
    We had one blip in the road last winter, when I decided I was going to go prey model and finally gave the boys their first chicken leg raw. Hank ended up sick the next day with a horrible case of gastritis that had him pretty sick for a few weeks. (holy giant vet bill!). I suspect the fat from the skin may have been the culprit…but I am gun shy now. Dewey was fine.
    So…that is my introduction!!! Lol.
    my question is this….we switched from primal to Darwin’s recently due to cost. Darwin’s product looks lovely, and they seem to like it. I fed the beef first, and then yesterday they had chicken. Today hank has gooey looking stool, not quite diarrhea but mucousy. Dewey’s is fine. We have not had this experience with any of the other foods, and yesterday his stools were fine.
    Have any of you used Darwin’s had a similar experience??

    #12870

    In reply to: Pre made raws

    konamisan
    Participant

    Hello Everyone 🙂
    I thank God for this site & Forum! I have a female JRT, she will be 6 yrs this March 2013. I have transitioned my beautiful JRT to “RAW” 9 months ago. I changed her diet because she wok me up at 3am in the morning whinning, scratching and the strangest thing I ever saw and experienced in my life. Her skin under her coat was a inflamed red and couldn’t believe how much she resembled a pug due to the whelps, bumps and hives she had all over her body. I could not imagine what could have brought this on??? I rushed her to the aspca emergency costing me a not so pretty penny! She was given an injection & some allergy meds. I held her and rocked her as the whipppering subsided.
    Now nearly a year, vet visits, excessive shedding, scratching, ear infections, paw sores, excessive licking, more vet visits, more money, more money, 3 months wearing an e-collar. Just miserable. So as a MOM, I decided to do some research for these allergies she was yet properly diagnosed for and I read that an ancestral diet would be the best thing for her, so I have tried several brands from Steve’s to Nature’s Instinct, Darwin’s, Bravo’s Stella & Chewy, the list goes on. I had to elimnate dry kibble that consisted of glutens, grains, white & sweet potatoe, rice, flax seed, which increased the yeast growth in her ears which was almost like a cauliflower shap from the scratching, bleeding and infections. So here I am looking for much needed help because her allergies started up again. She scratched so bad under her front leg that she developed an infection there as well! she wouldn’t even let me touch her. She is still eating raw, but I don’t see any positive results nor changes. I currently have her on Instinct’s “Rabbit & Lamb” Buying anything and ordering from any retailer is practically hard to order due to the location of where I live. I have been reading the forum thread here & see that Primal & Bravo is the hot topic. I have her on Dr. Karen Becker’s Krill oil, Ubiquinol & probiotics. She is still shedding excessively! I can make another dog with all the hair on the floor & furniture of my home. I vaccum 3 times a week. I even had to change the shampoo I was bathing her with. If anyone comes by to visit, I tell them don’t wear black! LOL. I also have a Yorkshire Terrier, thankfully no problems with him Amen! So to all you wonderful people here, I could sure use your advice on what I can and should do??? As far as putting her back on Primal or Bravo’s???
    Thank You ALL Sincerely,
    Konamisan

    #12436
    Hound Dog Mom
    Participant

    Hi Marmaduke –

    I love Carlson’s products – I think they make some of the highest quality fish oils. I give my dogs their cod liver oil a few times a week for extra vitamin d – I wouldn’t feed most cod liver oils due to excessive vitamin a and Carlson’s is the only one I’ve found without excessive levels.

    I get my meat from several sources. I do buy meat from the grocery store on occasion (Be VERY careful with buying fish – depending on the type of fish and where it came from it could have salmon poisoning. I personally don’t feed raw fish very often – occasionally raw sardines, but that’s it.), I occasionally order from hare-today.com and mypetcarnivore.com (I can get a lot of difficult to find offal from these places), I get unwanted parts (usually offal and bones) from hunters (I actually got my dad to give me a whole deer this year 😉 ) – but mostly I get meat delivered from a wholesale distributor. I order shipments of 300 lbs. at a time from a wholesaler that also sells to grocery stores, restaurants and caters to large dog kennels – I can get a lot of the stuff I need (chicken backs, turkey necks, hearts, gizzards, livers, ground beef, etc.) for about half of what I’d pay in the grocery store. The only downside to buying in bulk is everything just comes in huge 40 lb. boxes – I have to divide it all up myself, but it’s worth it considering how much money I save.

    To answer your question about offal – offal i very high in protein, about the same amount if not more than muscle meat. Organ meat should only constitute 10% of your dogs’ diet – 5% should be liver and 5% should be other offal. Organ meat is VERY nutrient-dense – it’s necessary to feed in order to provide adequate amounts of certain vitamins and minerals but it’s easy to go overboard. Many of the vitamins and minerals found in organ meat, while necessary in small amounts, can be toxic if fed in large amounts. For example, liver is extremely high in vitamin a – vitamin a is a fat soluble vitamin so extremely high levels fed over an extended period of time can cause toxicity. Remember green tripe, heart and gizzards are NOT organ meat – a lot of people think these things are organ meat, but they’re not and the amount fed of these things doesn’t have to be restricted (like it does with true organ meat). The things that would count toward your dogs’ 10% organ meat would be: liver, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, spleen and brain.

    I wouldn’t be too upset that you can’t get Darwin’s or other pre-made raw foods – homemade is much higher quality, more customizable and you can feed more variety. It is time-consuming to make food from scratch, but I’ve gotten to where I think it’s fun to formulate new menus – I would get bored feeding pre-made. If you check out this link you’ll be able to see some typical menus for my crew of three bloodhounds:

    /forums/topic/menus/

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