[theBCnut]

HDM
I’m sooooo jealous of your freezer!!!

Somebodysme
I order from Darwin’s, MPC, and Hare Today, mostly HT. I like their prices, they are slightly more than MPC though. Mostly I like the size choices, I like the 1 lb chubs. Shipping is close enough to the same for all of them to me, a buck a pound.

[InkedMarie]

I probably should have been specific. Gemma gets Darwin’s 4-5 dys a week for breakfast; the other days is THK. Darwin’s for dinner. The other two are the same for breakfast but almost lays kibble for dinner.

[Shawna]

Hi Lagotto,

We noticed (at the breeders) that she had excessive drinking and urination, as compared to her 5 siblings, when she was about 6 weeks old. She came to live with me when she was 9 weeks old. At about 4 weeks old she started failing to thrive — because she had a collapsing trachea and couldn’t get enough milk from her mommy. So the breeder put her on raw goat milk and egg whites, syringe fed every 2 to 4 hours, til she could eat on her own. She was weaned onto raw food — mainly hamburger, eggs, raw milk etc.

When she came to me I was making a home made raw diet for my current dogs and she went on that same diet. At her vet visit I told her holistic vet she urinated/drank a lot but her vet poo poo’d my concern and said puppies drink and therefore urinate more. She has bright eyes, she’s very smart, good coat quality etc. She’s a healthy puppy… In looking back I’m actually thankful that happened. Audrey continued on the homemade raw diet til her one year checkup where her bloodwork showed high bun and creatinine. I started tweaking her diet and would take her in every three months for additional bloodwork to see what the tweaking was doing. Turns out, the diet I had been feeding her all along was the best for her with one exception. To the diet I added a “prebiotic” and probiotics to help lower her BUN. Works like a charm..

Audrey continued on the homemade diet for several years but then I got too busy to keep up with homemade exclusively so I started incorporating commercial raw diets — Bravo as an example. Became busier yet and moved exclusively to commercial raw — Bravo, Darwins, Answers (recently started) and premixes like The Honest Kitchen Preference and Steve’s Premix with raw meats.. Audrey turned 7 years old the end of June and is still going strong. I have NOT lowered her protein. I have not lowered her phosphorus or made any other changes than adding prebiotic/probiotic and supplements. I use Garden of Life’s Primal Defense probiotic and Fiber35’s Sprinkle Fiber as the prebiotic. A really good prebiotic, made specifically for dogs, can be found on Dr. Mercola’s website under the “Pets” link and then under “Products”.

I would NOT regularly feed her kibble if I was paid to do so. In my opinion, kibble will cause a much earlier death in a kidney disease dog.. Kibble is a POOR QUALITY food for kd dogs/cats—even the best kibbles on the market… At the very least, feed a canned diet. If you can, feed raw or lightly cooked. I also don’t feed Audrey any grains. IF you are going to feed grains it needs to be either sushi rice (aka glutinous rice) or cream of wheat (or farina). These two grains are low phosphorus. All other grains have higher phosphorus and don’t add anything to the diet that can’t be found in a more species appropriate food.

You also want to feed higher fat foods — ditch the lean ground beef.. Feed the highest fat foods you can get (unless she is showing signs of pancreatitis). Fat adds calories without phosphorus—adding organic coconut oil is a good idea too. Protein is NOT damaging to the kidneys and only needs to be reduced to prevent symptoms of uremia in the later stages of the disease — such as vomiting or depression. Audrey has NEVER to date ate low protein.

Let her have ALL the water she wants. Audrey used to sleep in the water bowl when it was empty — she was that obsessed with water and, I’m guessing, desperately trying to tell me she needed some. She started this, sleeping in water dish, at the breeders. I kept potty pads ALL over the house for her. I was lucky in that she used them. During the night I keep her in a 4 foot by 4 foot enclosure we made (for our foster puppies). It was made out of wood and plastic chicken wire. I had her water bowl, her kennel, a blanket outside the kennel and a potty pad with LOTS of newspapers under it — she would fill a potty pad to the point of leaking during the night. As she got older she was able to hold it. Since about three months of age she has slept with me in my bed at nights.

Darwins now has a kidney diet.. I haven’t seen it yet but I do think it is worth checking out. Urban Wolf has a premix designed for kd dogs that can be added to raw or home cooked meats. And I think Grandma Lucy’s has a lower phosphorus premix that is also suitable for dogs needing their phos lowered..

Also consider adding a whole food B and C vitamin to the diet. These two vitamins are “water soluble” and because of the excessive urination can become depleted if not supplemented. I use Standard Process Cataplex B and C. I also give Audrey a whole food multi as a precaution. I use Standard Process Catalyn. Standard Process also makes a whole food supplement specifically for dogs with kidney disease. It’s called Canine Renal Support — I HIGHLY recommend using it. I also give liver support also by Standard Process — Canine Hepatic Support. The liver can become overstressed in a kd dog.

I HIGHLY recommend only using reverse osmosis or distilled along with a mineral water like Evian. Mineral waters (only those lower in sodium) have shown some positive benefits to kidney patients.

Also try to eliminate as many chemical toxins from your house as possible. I was already living in a relatively toxin free environment but I had to eliminate my Swiffer mop, candles ets. These have chemicals in them that the kidneys have to filter — putting an extra strain on them OR adding to the blood poisoning when the kidneys can’t filter as well. DO NOT use flea/tick or heartworm meds on her. And DO NOT vaccinate her. Audrey has only had one set of shots (given by the breeder before I got her) and has NEVER had a rabies shot. She was diagnosed before getting the shot and I was able to get a lifelong exemption for her in my state.

As mentioned, Audrey turned 7 last month and is not on any medications (no phosphorus binders, no sub-q fluids etc) just the supplements.

I don’t use it but I know others that have had positive results with the herbal tinctures from Five Leaf Pharmacy. http://caninekidneyhealth.com/ I would NOT follow their diet though… 🙂 http://caninekidneyhealth.com/

I would also highly recommend reading the material on Mary Straus’ dog aware website. This is the site where I got most of my knowledge / as well as courage to continue feeding Audrey a high protein raw diet. She has some EXCELLENT info on the site — when to feed low protein, when to lower phosphorus and how much (phosphorus is an essential mineral – lowering it too much too early can have unintended consequences), which foods are lower in phosphorus etc. http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidney.html

Your puppy can still have a fantastic quality of life.. Learn as much as you can, stay positive and enjoy her fully!!!!!

If you ever want to chat offsite, I can be reached at shawnadfaemail @ yahoo. com (take out the spaces–they are included here to prevent robot spammers from sending me junk mail).. 🙂

[Honeybeesmom1]

Hi everyone.

I noticed about a week ago a lump on the left side of Honeybees butt…about the size of a gumball.
It keeps going away and coming back. At times it’s more soft and other times more hard.
I’ve read a little about anal glands and cysts but how do I know which one it is?
Does he need to see a vet in order to determine what it is? I have no idea what to think of it.
His vet is more of meds than natural…so I’m asking here first.

Also…I’m making my first purchase of Darwins! I’m excited as I’ve read good things here about it.
Honey is only 5 lbs. I can afford to feed him Darwins twice a day..and the others once per day.
What feeding would be best for him? Raw once or twice daily?
He’s the sensitive one that’s allergic to fleas, grass and pollen.
So I’m thinking raw twice daily?
Thanks! :0)

[neezerfan]

Hi! I have a couple of questions.
I’ve been feeding my dog Darwin’s, rotating with canned and giving RMBs about twice a week. I want to start feeding home prepared raw in place of the canned. So…
1. If I buy the grinds from Hare Today, they come in 3 lbs size? My dog is 12 lbs. He eats about 1/3 of a pound of Darwin’s a day. Once I defrost the grind package, will it go bad before I use it up?
2. If I get a grind with bone, is there a premix to use with that? I think all the ones I find are for boneless meat. I don’t want to use synthetic vitamins if possible.
3. I always thought both goat and rabbit were more bony than meaty, if you know what I mean. If I feed that, should I add in extra boneless meat?
4. Rabbit heads…As I said, my dog is 12 lbs, will they be too big for him? He does well with chicken necks, turkey neck pieces, ox tails and pork ribs so far. He’s a good chewer, not a gulper.
Thanks for your help!

[theBCnut]

Darwin’s stacks really nicely in tight places!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi MsDad –

Congrats on the new pup and very good decision on going raw. I have two bloodhounds that are raw fed. I make homemade raw and fed 25% of the diet as green tripe until 8 months old to keep calcium levels low, but in balance with the phosphorus. Green tripe has a balanced calcium to phosphorus ratio (1:1) but low levels of each mineral (only about 0.3%). If you’re going the commercial route the formulas I know to have acceptable calcium levels are: Aunt Jeni’s (Turkey), BARF (Beef, Chicken, Lamb), Darwin’s (Beef), K9 Kraving (Beef, Chicken, Beef & Chicken, Duck), Primal (Beef, Duck, Lamb, Quail, Turkey/Sardine, Venison), Stella & Chewy’s (Beef), Vital Essentials (Fish, Beef). If you can get raw tripe (I order mine from My Pet Carnivore and Hare Today) and wanted to occasionally use a formula higher in calcium you could mix it with tripe.

[NectarMom]

My dogs are getting very bored with the ground Rabbit and 2 of them will not touch it anymore so I bought some young beef, green tripe and white fish or something like that so I am wondering since green tripe is so low in fat ( from My Pet Carnivore) can I feed that as a whole meal? They also would not touch the young ground beef so I am having to give it away to a friend. I wish I could find something similar to Darwin’s but not with such high fat and so much veggies. We also tried the Canine Caviar Venison dry and honestly I don’t think it has enough protein for my crew. My short coat Chihuahua started having more coat loss, not bald spots but just more shedding than normal and the itching hasn’t stopped but gotten worse. One of my long coated Chihuahuas was digging at her legs when on Brothers Turkey and egg and she hasn’t stopped yet and the insides of her legs are blood raw 🙁

[InkedMarie]

Wow, still no response? I know you had this issue with Darwin’s (I think it was you anyway) but you’re the only person I know who has!

[Hound Dog Mom]

It’s great that you’re considering adding some variety – eating only one protein source isn’t healthy. I don’t see why you couldn’t just rotate the protein in your “balanced” recipe? Ideally you should be feeding an even mix of poultry and red meat. If you’re worried about balance you could also purchase a pre-mix (i.e. See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix, The Honest Kitchen’s Preference, Urban Wolf, etc.) and just add your meat of choice. I haven’t used OC Raw or Big Dog Naturals (I believe Sandy has?), I did try Darwin’s once. I wouldn’t use Darwin’s again because their customer service was horrible (the food was good though) – but many of the regulars here use it and really like it.

[Michelle]

Hello, just need some opinions. I have 2 Saint Bernards – Summer and Norton (both 4 yrs old) I was doing homemade raw for both – for about 5 months. Summer didn’t do so good on it, Norton did ok, but not the best either. I decided to work with someone to balance out their diets which they have been doing great on for the last few months. My issue is that the main meat is Turkey and I want to change proteins. So, I was thinking do to my balanced diet 3-4 days of the week and then use a pre-made raw the other days to switch up the meats. I was thinking of using OC Raw Dog, Darwins and there is a dehydrated food Big Dog Naturals that sounds halfway decent…Thoughts anyone? Thanks!!

[guidosmom]

I have two Jack Russell Terriers. One is 14+, the other is 8. Both have always had fairly sensitive digestive systems. They had been on evo red meat, then switched to Orijen red about 6 months ago. They did fairly well on this. In addition they always got some veggies, plain yogurt, and cooked organic chicken breast mixed in. About a month ago my older dog got sick with some kind of intestinal issue and has since been refusing his food. We have tried all kinds of wet food products, canned pumpkin, etc… some he likes for a day, then refuses the next day. We have been to the vet multiple times, and everything has come back normal. He consistently likes treats though, but I try not to allow him to have many. He also will sometimes eat wet food off a spoon or my finger, just not in a bowl. He started seeing an acupuncturist who gave us some samples of darwin’s natural selections beef and veggie. She recommended poaching it lightly first for him. I also read on the darwin website they recommend doing this for picky eaters or older dogs. He LOVED it, and has since eaten consistently for two days in a row without any vomiting or diarrhea episodes. This is huge for him. I tried mixing the darwin’s in with some of his kibble. He picks all the darwin’s out, and leaves the kibble, making it a little difficult to transition. Our other dog happily eats it all. My question, is poaching the food first recommended only during the transition phase? Or is this recommended for all older/picky dogs? Wouldn’t this take away all the benefits of a raw diet? I am only lightly poaching it, so like to think there is still some benefit. Also, because he is picking out and refusing the orijen (kibble), but eating the darwin’s, will this completely shock his system? I would appreciate any advice or tips anyone has about switching their sensitive, older, picky dog to a raw food diet. I love my older guy, and seeing him refuse food breaks my heart. Thanks in advance!

[InkedMarie]

Hi patty,
It’s brown but I can’t tell you about the smell as my sense of smell is diminished. I don’t notice much smell. I assumed its yeast, same stuff he’s always had, that was diagnosed as yeast from a vet. From what you said about diet, I believe what I’m feeding (Darwin’s, Hare, Brothers soon-to-be NV Instinct lid and Zeal) is fine.

I can’t remember the name of the cleaner I use, it’s cucumber is all I remember, but I’ve used it for years. Should I replace it with what you suggested above? I thought alcohol wasn’t good to use with ear issues?

[InkedMarie]

DieselJunki: I’m not sure what it is. He ate Darwins & Brothers at the beginning of the year and no issues. He’s STILL on it now. I did add in Hare Todays grinds but those have been gone from his diet for a few weeks. He also ate THK’s Zeal way back as well, no ear issues.

The ear issues started a month ago, nothing new was added at that time, he had been eating Darwins prior to that, was eating Hare prior to that as well, same goes for THK Zeal. Now, it has been a very wet, humid spring/early summer up here. Wondering if it has something to do with that?

I’d normally have no problem with the diet but I’ll be out of Brothers and already purchased a bag of NV LID turkey & duck, that’s he has eaten before with no ear issues. If any of these foods were new right before the ear issues started, I’d think it was the food.

As I’m typing this, I’m watching my brittany clean Boone’s ears. That ear. Hmm, wonder if that is helping to keep it moist? Darn dogs.

[InkedMarie]

Boone’s my pbgv. He had alot of ear infections as a puppy. We changed food and he’s only has two problems in seven years. About a month ago, maybe little longer, he started having one gunky ear, the right one. Treated with Zymox with hydrocortisone for a week. Be fine for a week, then again.

He has been on Brothers Allergy for one meal, the other meal was Darwin’s, then Hare grinds, now back to Darwin’s. every few days is THK Zeal. Was on Darwin’s & Brothers with no problems, when he got the first couple ear issues, it was on brothers & hare but he’s been on Darwin’s for three weeks and he has a gunky ear again.

Any thoughts? I’d really rather not take him to the vets for an off & on ear issue. Maybe use the Zymox longer than a week? It says I can, I just haven’t. Just wish I knew why this keeps happening.

[dogmom2]

Hi there! It has been a while since I posted last, but I thought I would pop in and update what is going on in our world.

Hank has finally healed after round and rounds of interdigital furuncles on the one foot. We started out using laser therapy, then antibiotics and then culture and sensitivity. That foot flared up and would “heal” and flare up again at least 6 times. By the time we hit the 3rd flare up I decided that antibiotics, laser etc just were not cutting the mustard and just stopped. We did 3 times daily soaks of epsom, warm water and a “glug” of H2O2…and finally it went away. (knock on wood). We have been free of them now for about 6 weeks.
Meanwhile, we are still feeding Darwins for the main food, and usually evening meals consist of Brothers Allergy or nice organic meat, organ and bone..or meat and preference. It has been a year of feeding raw, and I have een a huge difference in both my dogs health. Dewey no longer has regurgitation, and Hank’s allergy issue has really improved. I have become firmly committed person to “real food for dogs”. My DH is all on board too, which makes it easier.

So in addition to their probiotics, and sardines, spirulina etc..I have been reading about organic virgin coconut oil and started adding a small amount into their food daily. Being Labs, they love it and so far no negatives in their stool etc. An added benefit is that my hands are really soft, too.

I just wanted to check in and say hello. I am in and out reading up on what is going on, but have not posted in a bit.

🙂

[InkedMarie]

Resurrecting my thread……I am hoping to have two of my dogs on Darwins for one meal and probably The Honest Kitchen for the second meal (may be kibble off & on, for ease). HDM, in the sixth post on the first page, you say if a healthy dog is eating raw or dehydrated, they probably don’t need digestive enzymes. Does Darwins “count” as raw or did you mean something not pre made?

If you think they should keep on the digestive enzymes, do you know if there are any at Swansons that are good? I’m finishing up the Mercola and it’s too expensive, would rather order from Swansons as I have a whole list of stuff to order from there. Anyone else is welcomed to respond as well, thank you!

[carolsch]

Thank you very much. Based on the standard of less than 3.5g/1000kcal of calcium, I have added Darwin’s beef raw frozen food to my Rottweiler puppy’s diet. She’s also eating Primal’s Duck (1.22% Ca DMB), lamb (1.28 % Ca DMB), and Venison (1% Ca DMB). I’ve looked at several other varieties from different brand of raw frozen but haven’t found anything else with an acceptable calcium level. Any other suggested brands/varieties?

[carolsch]

Some products such as Darwin’s raw frozen food provide the guaranteed analysis of vitamins and minerals in grams per 1000 kcal ME. Since the amount of calcium and phosphorus is important for large breed puppies, I’m hoping someone knows an easy method to convert grams per 1000 kcal ME to dry matter.

[carolsch]

I have found a few products such as Darwin’s raw frozen food where the guaranteed analysis of vitamins and minerals is given in grams per 1000 kcal ME. The amount of calcium and phosphorus in dog foods are important to know for large breed puppies. I’m hoping that you can discuss how to compare products that provide nutrients in this way. Hopefully there is a easy calculation to convert grams per 1000 kcal ME to dry matter.

[beaglemom]

🙂 Thanks Cyndi & NectarMom… yea, mine have been having ground raw (Darwin’s, Primal, etc.) for about 2 months now and haven’t had any trouble with it. I know there’s ground bone in that but thought maybe the RMBs might have sat differently since the dogs probably swallowed bigger pieces of bone than they’d ever had before (but still small obviously, since they chewed them up). I was surprised it took over 12 hours to resurface such as it did. I’m keeping an eye on them but otherwise they’re great… I just hope it doesn’t mean that having a duck neck or whatever causes them to throw up each time. They clearly digested the meat well, just not all of the bone.

[theBCnut]

Frozen raw like Darwin’s may be the way to go. It usually has lower sodium levels. The problem with sodium is that pet food companies aren’t required to put it on the label, so they don’t. That means if you want to know the sodium level you have to ask. And if you don’t ask the right question they may tell you their minimum, which has next to nothing to do with how much is actually in there. You have to ask for the actual or the maximum, and make sure that they understood your question, and that’s if you actually get to talk to a live person.

Don’t try Fresh Pet. Everyone comments on how salty it is.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by theBCnut.

[NectarMom]

I would react just like I did when my 2 got Pancreatitis and bad bacteria when on Darwin’s I immediately get them to the Vet. The food Company would not help after your pet gets sick….Honestly they do not care and feel like you are just blamming them and or their food so they blow you off. I can almost instantly read it in their voice. Yes I agree Customer service is important but it is certainly not there anymore these days from my experience. I am still trying to find the perfect Raw for my dogs that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to ship. I can get Vital Essentials and Primal and Natures Instinct but my problem with the Primal and Natures Instinct is the veggies and fruits they put in them. My dogs are doing good on the Rabbit from Hare Today and My Pet Carnivore but the $45 shipping is killing me. What if I feed Raw low fat meats just from the grocery and add in Steve’s mix? I just don’t want to do all kibble since I have not seen a huge improvement on it. It seems like I am fighting a never ending battle with my dogs are their diet these days. I am beginning to think it has nothing to do with food but the way man has bred dogs for the last years, The DNA code has been terribly messed up. I know dogs to this day that are fed Pedigree and thrive and have no health issues…I won’t feed cheap/grain food to my dogs and try to feed the best I can but it seriously back fires on me. I am to the point of buying my own meat and cooking the snot out of it and adding in supplements and maybe then I won’t have problems. Sorry just venting. I honestly do not know which way to turn in the food direction.

[theBCnut]

I feed a variety. For kibble I feed all of Brothers Complete’s flavors except the chicken(but so you know they have chicken liver in them, mine doesn’t have a problem with chicken liver), Any Nature’s Variety Instinct that doesn’t have chicken, Earthborn Great Plains Feast and Coastal Catch, and when they get the new Orijen here I’ll give the chickenless ones of them a try too. Mine does fine on duck and turkey, it’s just chicken meat that he can’t handle.

I use any of the 95% or 96% canned food from Merrick and I can’t think of the other one now, that aren’t chicken. I don’t use them much anymore because I’m using raw instead.

For raw, I use Darwin’s. I also order from Hare Today and My Pet Carnivore and I make my own raw food. We just had a goat butchered, so I’m feeding a good bit of that right now, until I have room to move stuff around in the freezer.

[InkedMarie]

Yes, still using THK. I always will. Right now just using it for Gemma. I just Re-started Darwin’s, will get here on Thursday. My hope is that Gemma can eat it and not get bound up. I ordered less chicken since Boone won’t be eating it.

[Labsnme]

I was hopeful that some other Bravo feeders might have some input. As interesting as the other foods may be. It is really not what I was asking fpr in the original thread on this.
No doubt this information should be posted on the Darwin Review list?
Just say’n.

[theBCnut]

HDM

We know you’re crazy…about your dogs. I don’t think that anyone doubts your experience with Darwins. I think we’ve been lucky to catch them at the right time and you’ve been unlucky to catch them at the wrong time is all. They obviously have good customer service some of the time and not the rest of the time. Every single time I have called, I have talked to the same person, which leads me to wonder how small they really are. If only one person normally answers the phone, then there are bound to be times when they can’t get to the phone.

I love Hare too. I’ve only ever emailed them with one question and it was a weekend evening, so I knew I wouldn’t get an answer until Monday. Boy, was I wrong. Tracy got back to me with exactly the info I needed really quickly.

[Hound Dog Mom]

NectarMom –

Phew – confirmation I’m not crazy and others have experienced Darwin’s poor customer service. 🙂 BTW – the rep I spoke to was a little short with me too..

I LOVE Hare – Tracy is awesome and so are their products. I’ve been ordering from there for years.

[NectarMom]

Yes my dogs got Pancreatitis on the Duck from Darwins because Darwins told me and it states on their website that duck is lower in fat than Turkey. We were on their turkey meals for 6 weeks without any issues and then when we fed the duck meals BAM Pancreatitis. I am not saying that Darwins is a BAD Company and it may agree with some others dogs but trying the duck with 2 of mine caused Pancreatitis. I was only feeding Darwins and nothing else so I know it was the duck in their meals.
The customer service is not up to par and everytime I eventually got someone on the phone ( very rare) they were very short with me. When you own a business and want to sell your product you have to please the customer to some extent. If I call you and leave a message on your answering service I expect a call back and when I don’t get that then it is horrible customer service to me and then that proves to me that they are not in it for the animals but to make a damn buck.

Hare Today called me back the same day and even though she was busy she answered all my questions in a pleasant manner and to me this does matter when purchasing from a Company.

Today is our first Day trying Hare Todays Rabbit and so far no reactions except one of mine would not eat it but we are still going to do Raw part time and Brothers Turkey and egg part time and see where we go from there but we are in no rush.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by NectarMom.

[InkedMarie]

I don’t know anything about pancreatitis but your dog got it solely because of Darwin’s?

I’ve had the exact opposite experience regarding their customer service. Phone calls answered right away except for once, when they had. Staff meeting but they returned the call promptly.

[theBCnut]

The carbs from the fruits and veggies in Darwins are still much lower than any kibble and many other raws. And I, fortunately, have had the opposite experience with their customer service as HDM, because that would frustrate me to the point of being a deal breaker, too.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by theBCnut.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I’m with you NectarMom, I’m not a Darwin’s fan either but not because of the fruits and vegetables (I think fruits and vegetables in small quantities are a VERY important part of a balanced raw diet). The reason I don’t like Darwin’s has nothing to do with their food really, I just found them to have extremely poor customer service. I had to call about 4 or 5 times on two different days during their business hours before someone answered my call – unacceptable imo. My favorite commercial raw foods and what I’d recommend are Aunt Jeni’s or Answers. I also recently tried a brand called HPP (it’s not high pressure processed, the HPP just stands for healthy pet products or something like that) and it was really fresh looking and reasonably priced (similar price to Bravo Balance).

[NectarMom]

The thing with Darwins is that the website is misleading or misprinted , its a known fact that Duck is higher in fat than turkey but thats not what they say on their website or on the phone. I have gone to 5 legit people asking them about duck being as lean as they say and no one agreed and this is why my dogs got Pancreatitis. Plus I am not a fan of veggies and fruits in a raw mixture, especially when you have yeast build up. But thats just my opinion and my unfortunate experience.

[InkedMarie]

You have to order Darwin’s. if you look at the website, they have a very nice introductory offer. You ill need to sign up for auto delivery. Not to worry, one call and canceling is that easy.

[Labsnme]

The person I spoke with said that the chickens are fatter than they used to be. ! What a ridiculous answer. She did not address the fact that the Turkey numbers were so high.. or that all these labels are different . I said that the new label totally is the wrong profile for what I have been feeding. She did not comment. She said what was on the website needed to be update. I got the feeling I spoke with the wrong person in customer service.

I spoke with my vendor about this to see if they could help.. They also put a call in. Supposedly now they are saying the labels were all wrong and what is on the website is correct.( What is on the website does not match this new food I just bought.. or the one chub of food I have left from my order 2 months ago….

I don’t know what to believe, but don’t plan to feed this to my dogs.

I had to scramble to a local pet shop and by some Natures Variety, to get something quickly..
But do like K9 Cravings… but will look at Darwin’s too. Thank you.

[InkedMarie]

What did Bravo say when you called? It’s said here on dfa that the fat should be about half of the protein. I personally wouldn’t feed this new Bravo. Have you looked at other pre mades? Take a look at Darwin’s.

[InkedMarie]

I don’t think Boone can have raw chicken; he hasn’t had any ear issues in years but in the past few months, he’s had two. For kibble, he did best on turkey or fish. For THK, he ate Embark & Zeal (turkey and fish). When he ate half Darwin’s, it was turkey, beef and duck. I think we had much less duck. On Hare, it’s beef, duck, chicken & turkey.
Ear issues back. He’s had more duck and chicken lately; is duck that closely related to chicken? I’d really like to have him never have another ear infection.

[InkedMarie]

thanks HDM, I saved that link, will order that next time.

Kind of pissed off. I ordered two things from Swanson last night, got free shipping. Got an email this morning and free shipping AND 10% off. I replied asking if I could cancel the order and re-do it to get free shipping. If they don’t respond, I’ll call them.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Something like this would be fine – 1/2 tab. per day would have just about the perfect amount of calcium and they’re pretty cheap (a 200 ct. jar so it’d last the year for her):

swansonvitamins.com/twinlab-dualtabs-200-tabs

[theBCnut]

I keep a heating pad by my bed…

[InkedMarie]

Decided against that one Patty, simply because she’d need two and only 45 in the bag. I found another one that hopefully is good. Been a long day, I screwed up my neck, my head is spinning and I’m just going to order it and hope! thanks for the help, both of you!

[theBCnut]

Marie,

That’s a good one for now. It looks like it has the right amount of calcium for her.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by theBCnut.

[InkedMarie]

HDM: hope you read this today since Swansons is having a free shipping today….if I get Gemma a dog multi with calcium, is 200mg daily of calcium enough? looking at this:

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/pet-naturals-daily-best-dogs-45-chews

[Hound Dog Mom]

If you go back to the Darwin’s you could continue to add boneless if it helps her stools and keep the multi. Mixing foods (canned, dehdyrated, raw, etc.) is fine but the same rule would apply – if more than 20% total is unbalanced I’d recommend a multi. I’m sure there are a lot of good multi options on Swanson’s. I would look for a multi that supplies 30% – 50% DV calcium (for people) and give her 1/4 the human dose (this would provide roughly enough calcium to balance out the phosphorus in the boneless and shouldn’t stop her up like bone would). If you go with a multi without calcium give her a calcium supplement that provides about 100 mg. per day (if you continue to add that amount of boneless). You’re not being dense, it just gets kind of confusing! It took me awhile to figure all this stuff out too.

[InkedMarie]

” If you find that the increased amount of boneless is the only thing that makes her pass stools, you could continue with what you’re doing however I’d recommend adding a multi (it would be the simplest thing to do to ensure balance). I’d give one at about 1/4 of the recommended human-dose of one that would provide about 100 mg. calcium for that dosage. It’s just with 75% of the diet being un-balanced foods I’d be concerned about her getting adequate levels of vitamins and minerals.” from HDM

I know it is here, somewhere, on some thread but can you or anyone else tell me what a recommended multi is? Not a chewable unless I can crush it up.

I believe we will be going back to Darwins when I’ve exhausted most of what I have for boneIN.
My head is spinning with information however and I am confused as to what I do for a mix (of Darwins and boneLESS). Are you saying that if I use Darwins as my boneIN, I can add the boneLESs as I have been and just add the multi?

What if I want to do a mix of foods, with raw, canned and dehydrated? Do I still need the multi? This won’t come for awhile, need to exhaust most of my Hare.

Sorry if I;m being dense.

[InkedMarie]

“Tripe is one Tablespoon 3 times weekly, herring is same amount twice weekly”

sorry Patty, I posted the above after that. I should have said it all at the same time. So, this is what she gets:

1.2oz boneIN
If it’s a day where she gets tripe, it’s one Tablespoon 3x weekly
if it’s a day where she gets herring, it’s one Tablespoon 2x weekly
I then add boneLESS to equal about 3.2 or 3.3oz

her proteins are beef, chicken, turkey and duck. She ends up with ALOT of boneLESS beef because I’m a dumbbutt and ordered too much once.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Okay so if you’re feeding 3.3 oz. total and 2.2 oz. of that is boneless and 1.1 oz. is Darwin’s that would mean 2/3 of her diet is unbalanced – factoring the tripe and herring (without doing the exact math) that means probably about 3/4 of her diet is unbalanced. If you wanted to keep the balance you would have to keep the un-balanced extras (the boneless meat, tripe, herring) to 20% or less of the meal which would be, as Patty calculated, 0.66 oz. of extras per day. If you find that the increased amount of boneless is the only thing that makes her pass stools, you could continue with what you’re doing however I’d recommend adding a multi (it would be the simplest thing to do to ensure balance). I’d give one at about 1/4 of the recommended human-dose of one that would provide about 100 mg. calcium for that dosage. It’s just with 75% of the diet being un-balanced foods I’d be concerned about her getting adequate levels of vitamins and minerals.

[theBCnut]

OHHHH. Your post where you list what you feed her didn’t have an amount on the tripe and herring. So once again my algebra teacher, Mr Davis, from back in highschool, is proven right. When you ASSUME, you make an ASS out of U and ME. Sorry. I’ll just be quiet now…

[InkedMarie]

No, HDM, the boneless is beef, chicken and turkey. The tipe and herring are the small amounts a few times a week. Bone IN is beef, chicken, duck and turkey

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Marie –

Is the tripe and herring your “boneless”? Or is that in addition to the Darwin’s and “boneless”?