[Katie]

I rescued Bauer, a Great Dane that was a neglect case out of my county shelter. He was being starved and left outside on a chain. Needless to say – he is severely underweight – weighing in at only 103 lbs – when he should be around 145-155. My vet seems to think he is about 2, and that he was being starved for so long during his formative puppy growth stage that he will likely never get to be a full mature male size. That doesn’t bother me. I just want him to gain some much-needed weight.

When I first got him, he had every known parasite and worm imaginable, plus coccidia. I have had him for over a month now, we have been through two rounds of panacur, and his body is now worm/parasite free… but he is not gaining any weight. His ribs and spine poke through, and the definition behind his rib cage and above his hip bones is disturbingly sharp. I have seen very little improvement in a month. He’s gained a pound. I have been feeding him the 4Health Lamb and Rice for Adult dogs twice a day. 4Health is what the Great Dane rescue told me to feed him, saying Danes need a lower protein formula dog food. I have also been cooking him chicken or steak and feeding him homemade meals for one meal a day. I have him on Dyne supplement too, he loves the taste of it. But he is still not gaining weight? His stools are still really loose. Not remotely firm. They seem to be really grainy as well, and light in color.

On top of his emaciation – he’s constantly biting his paws, chewing his toenails, and/or licking/chewing his anus or the top of his hips. He has chewed/licked three different hot spots on his back legs/hips area. He does not have fleas. I have him on Trifexis. I am wondering if this could be food related as well? Or maybe he just has allergies? I have a feeling that it could just be boredom/separation anxiety too. He came to me chewing his nails. This isn’t a new issue. But it does seem to be getting more and more intense right now – particularly with his the hot spots.

I am new to Danes. I have always had golden retrievers/flat coats/labs or aussies in the past – so I have dealt with my fair share of obsessive lickers. But Bauer goes beyond licking, he’s chewing out his fur.. I know it’s got to be painful. And I have never experienced a dog that literally eats his toenails. I mean he seriously splinters them apart and chews them off. It’s neurotic behavior.

Any advice is greatly appreciated and welcomed. Thanks!
Katie

[Katie]

I rescued Bauer, a Great Dane that was a neglect case out of my county shelter. He was being starved and left outside on a chain. Needless to say – he is severely underweight – weighing in at only 103 lbs – when he should be around 145-155. My vet seems to think he is about 2, and that he was being starved for so long during his formative puppy growth stage that he will likely never get to be a full mature male size. That doesn’t bother me. I just want him to gain some much-needed weight.

When I first got him, he had every known parasite and worm imaginable, plus coccidia. I have had him for over a month now, we have been through two rounds of panacur, and his body is now worm/parasite free… but he is not gaining any weight. His ribs and spine poke through, and the definition behind his rib cage and above his hip bones is disturbingly sharp. I have seen very little improvement in a month. He’s gained a pound. I have been feeding him the 4Health Lamb and Rice for Adult dogs twice a day. 4Health is what the Great Dane rescue told me to feed him, saying Danes need a lower protein formula dog food. I have also been cooking him chicken or steak and feeding him homemade meals for one meal a day. I have him on Dyne supplement too, he loves the taste of it. But he is still not gaining weight?

On top of his emaciation – he’s constantly biting his paws, chewing his toenails, and/or licking/chewing his anus or the top of his hips. He has chewed/licked three different hot spots on his back legs/hips area. He does not have fleas. I have him on Trifexis. I am wondering if this could be food related as well? Or maybe he just has allergies? I have a feeling that it could just be boredom/separation anxiety too. He came to me chewing his nails. This isn’t a new issue. But it does seem to be getting more and more intense right now – particularly with his the hot spots.

I am new to Danes. I have always had golden retrievers/flat coats/labs or aussies in the past – so I have dealt with my fair share of obsessive lickers. But Bauer goes beyond licking, he’s chewing out his fur.. I know it’s got to be painful. And I have never experienced a dog that literally eats his toenails. I mean he seriously splinters them apart and chews them off. It’s neurotic behavior.

Any advice is greatly appreciated and welcomed. Thanks!
Katie

[clr]

My GSD, five years old, has had lifelong skin issues. Allergy shots for three years did not work. He has no fleas. He is currently on cyclosporine and ketoconazole which was effective at first but less and less. He’s back to biting bloody holes in himself. He eats raw and Primal and Origen, bolstered by lots of exercise and attention—alot of attention. He cannot be left alone or he bites. I’m now trying herbal calming tincture, nordic fish oil, and coconut oil—still biting. Here’s my question for the forum: I would like to try iodine but how much? Maybe he has a thyroid condition. He has a beautiful coat, weighs 106 and other than bite mutilation, perfectly healthy. Any input from the savvy, informed, and experienced will be appreciated.

[clr]

My GSD, five years old, has had lifelong skin issues. Allergy shots for three years did not work. He has no fleas. He is currently on cyclosporine and ketoconazole which was effective at first but less and less. He’s back to biting bloody holes in himself. He eats raw and Primal and Origen, bolstered by lots of exercise and attention—alot of attention. He cannot be left alone or he bites. I’m now trying herbal calming tincture, nordic fish oil, and coconut oil—still biting. Here’s my question for the forum: I would like to try iodine but how much? Maybe he has a thyroid condition. He has a beautiful coat, weighs 106 and other than bite mutilation, perfectly healthy. Any input from the savvy, informed, and experienced will be appreciated.

[SassyMY]

Love the forum and love the site, this actually helped me pick my dog’s food 1.5 years ago, however, I need Your expertise!
I have a 1.5 year old maltese yorkie mix.
She came to me on diamond (horrifying).
I tried Blue Buffalo (she liked it so much she ate her poop), then I switched to Nutro Natural Choice small breed chicken (what was I thinking?) and Nutro Ultra toy breed.

Then she started biting her nails, licking her paws, and scratching lots. She’s mostly indoors and we have no other pets, so fleas were out of the question. I looked into dog food once again and bough Natural Balance Potatoe and Duck (Am I crazy?!?!) She’s been doing okay on it, not licking her paws and biting her nails. But she’s still scratching. And DEL MONTE bought them.

You guys please help me! I’d like something I can get from PetCo or PetSmart… small breed, lower protein. I’m desperate at this point.

Thank you in advance for advice, yelling at me, anything, but food advice MUCH appreciated!

[Cyndi]

Thanks for the “flea cheat” suggestion Patty! I went out and got a flea comb yesterday. I never even thought about getting one til you mentioned it (I can be a bit spacey sometimes, lol!) Anyways, I went over Bailey last night with it real good and only found one flea. I will probably bathe her again today, but she hasn’t been scratching hardly at all. What a pain in the butt. I was planning on doing nothing yesterday and I had to vacuum the entire house (took the vacuum bag to the garbage when I was done), wash all the bedding, mine and bailey’s, give bailey a bath, comb her, spray her with flea spray, all on top of my regular saturday “chores”… I’m tired today, lol! Hopefully I got rid of most of them, if not ALL of them. What a pain in the butt!

[Cyndi]

Well, I don’t have a flea comb. I have to run out and get one, but I sprayed her Thursday completely with the Mercola’s Flea & Tick spray, that’s when I found a flea. The spray had killed it or immobilized it. That was all I found. So I sprayed the entire house with a different organic spray I had & put more DE down. Then last night I covered her entire body in DE. Today, I still didn’t see any other fleas, but she’s been scratching more so I bathed her in Dawn, Apple Cider Vinegar & Water (saw that online) and I found a couple more fleas that I picked off of her. They were dead. When she was dry, I sprayed her with more of the flea & tick spray and she hasn’t scratched once. So, I am going out in a few to get a flea comb and I will probably bathe her again tomorrow. Damn fleas! Damn me for saying I wish it WAS fleas.

[theBCnut]

I do so know what you mean!! So you know a flea cheat…Bailey has short hair, so you should be able to get a flea comb through her hair, right? Get a damp paper towel and drop any dirt you get on the flea comb onto the paper towel, if it makes a red spot, she is hiding fleas somewhere. That way you don’t actually have to find the flea to know they are there.

We always admonish our pets that they aren’t allowed to keep pets, but they rarely listen.

[Cyndi]

Someone shoot me for saying “I kind of hope it is fleas…” Well, atleast I know Bailey isn’t allergic to any foods, it’s just those f’n little insects! I’m working on getting rid of them now. Ugh!! I can’t believe it took me so long to find any. I checked and checked and checked her so good and I finally found one. And we all know, there’s NEVER only one! Wish me luck!

[somebodysme]

I’ve lived in Texas most of my life and fleas don’t have a season…they are all the time and horrible. Just a while back, my niece(in Texas) asked if I knew why her dog would be suddenly scratching and gnawing herself. I asked her if she had fleas and she said “NO!!!!” She ended up taking her to the vet and she admitted that the vet showed her that her dog not only did have fleas, she was COVERED in fleas!

I live in Ohio now and it freezes a lot and we still have a problem with flea infestation. Luckily I don’t have fleas but I keep a very close eye inspecting daily. I’ve only found one flea a few months ago….I nearly had a heart attack! HAHA!

• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by somebodysme.

[justme2]

hello,
we have a 10 mo old 105lb shepherd, we leave the food out all the time and he only eats when he’s hungry, both parents are 150lb so he’s going to be big. We’ve been feeding him Purina Pro Plan Focus large puppy breed but we’ve noticed on the last 2 bags he’s been scratching terribly, no fleas and he’s starting to get red spots on his stomach. Is there a better dog food to feed him? thank you so much

[justme2]

Hello,
I have yorkies and a 10mo old shepherd puppy, what is the best food for them? they’ve been on Purina Pro Focus but they’ve all started itching horribly, no fleas and we don’t understand what’s changed?

[AnaG.]

Thanks for the info, guys. Right now they don’t seem to have fleas but everytime I was out with them it seamed like they would get a new “batch”! Lol
I don’t think they ever had this much problems with fleas in their lives! Anyway, I be doing all of the above recommendations and now that summer is “over” (I’m in Texas, it still feels like summer, lol) I think it will be easier to keep them away. 🙂

[Cyndi]

Well, haven’t found any fleas or flea dirt on Bailey. I checked her from head to toe. I’m going to check yet again thoroughly before I start her on an elimination diet. I think, since I just bought so much food, I’m just going to try eliminating one thing at a time and see how it goes. I’m not so sure it would be chicken that she’d have an allergy too, because she’s been on that the longest, unless they can all of a sudden develop a food allergy to a certain food.

We’ll see what happens…

[Hound Dog Mom]

Here’s the article from Dr. Becker:

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/08/12/natural-strategies-for-a-fleafree-itchfree-pet-this-summer_2620_.aspx

[Hound Dog Mom]

I’ve never used DE for fleas but a few times a year I’ll mix a tablespoon in with my dogs’ meals for a few weeks to help prevent intestinal parasites. For fleas I use natural oil based topicals or sprays and Earth Animal’s herbal tincture. Unfortunately though, if you dog is already infested with fleas you may need to use a chemical preventative just to get rid of them. The pills are more effective than the topicals and I know many vets feel they’re safer – if I recall correctly I believe Dr. Becker recommends Comfortis for dogs with flea allergies. Personally, I’d give one dose of Comfortis and treat the household (VERY important to rid the environment as well) and once the fleas are gone start on a chemical free regimen the next month. Natural products can be very effective for preventing flea infestations but not very effective for getting rid of an infestation that’s already occurred.

[pugmomsandy]

Well, I mix the DE in their food instead of on their fur, and there doesn’t seem to be any side effects from that. I’m using Flea Free Supplement (garlic and vinegar liquid) right now – about 1 teaspoon per day (not every day). In my other room, I give the other dogs Bug Off garlic chewables. I use Halo Herbal Dip for flea/tick spray. For the yard, I use Neem Oil spray, Cedarcide spray and AntiDOTE brand nematodes (not all at once). I foster and haven’t had any flea problems since last year when I started these products (except Bug Off is a new product around here).

http://www.wolfcreekranch.net/flea_free_food_supplement.html

http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/bug-off-garlic-dogs

http://shop.halopets.com/Grooming-Supplies/Herbal-Dip-5oz

• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[AnaG.]

Thanks for the reply. Do your dogs do well on it? Does it help with fleas? I read somewhere that it did. I am considering giving it to my dogs too. I give them garlic but not other oils. How much vinegar do you use, just a few drops? Sorry for the inquisition. Lol

[pugmomsandy]

There’s info at http://www.earthworkshealth.com/pets-animals.php

Be sure to use a mask as you don’t want to breath it in while applying it around the house and bedding and be careful applying it to the dogs as well. You can find it at most garden supply places and be sure to get “food grade” DE (don’t let the picture on the can scare you especially if you don’t get one marketed just for pets). I feed it to my dogs. As for fleas, I use essential oils, garlic and vinegar. I’ve been meaning to make a facial scrub with it but keep forgetting and keep buying commercial products from the store.

[AnaG.]

I’ve been trying to find a more natural way to get rid of fleas and came across DE(Diatomaceous Earth) and was wondering if anyone can give me any info. I am using AdvantixII but it’s not working, and I don’t want to give my dogs pills that could make them sick, they are both senior dogs around 20pounds each.

[Cyndi]

Thanks so much Patty! I was hoping to avoid the elimination diet but I may have to do that. BUT after reading your second post, I think I need to really check her good for fleas. Bailey HAS been scratching her neck and back end area. She does her legs too, but also her neck and back end. She doesn’t have thinning hair at all, I’ve checked for that as well & she doesn’t have soft stools. I check her for fleas all the time, but maybe that’s what it is. I’ll check her tomorrow and go over her from head to toe. I really hate fleas, but I’m kind of hoping that’s what it ends up being (never thought I’d say that) and not have to go thru an elimination diet (especially considering I have a big order from Hare-Today coming on Tues, lol!)

and thank you also, PrincessPiper. That ran thru my head too, that she could be allergic to grass. She does lay in the grass all the time.

[theBCnut]

Allergies are rare and true allergies are more commonly due to environmental factors than food. Food intolerances are a different matter though. You can usually get an idea if it is an environmental problem versus a food problem by where the dog is itching. Environmental allergies are usually contact allergies and the dog will experience itchy skin in the specific areas where the contact occurs, like feet with a grass allergy, or stomach for something the dog lies down on. Fleas hang out around the neck and tail. Food allergies/ intolerances tend to be a more generalized reaction, itching all over, soft stools, vomitting, eye discharge, ear irritation.

[Cyndi]

I have a question for any raw feeder that would like to help. I have had Bailey on raw for just about 5 months now. I give her raw garlic and use different flea sprays, Mercola’s being one of them, so I’m 99% sure she doesn’t have fleas. I check her all the time too. It’s been maybe over a month now, not sure, but she’s been scratching and biting at herself and licking her front legs. The leg licking is like frantic leg licking for like 5-10 seconds and then she’s done and goes about her business. The itching and scratching isn’t constantly and just about every time she does it, I check her over and I find nothing. So, I’m thinking she maybe allergic to something she eats. In the mornings I give her the ground beef, ground tripe and ground organs for 2 or 3 days and do whole carcass ground rabbit for 2 or 3 days, with either sardines or eggs or veggie blend baby food alternated & right now I’m using the See Spot Live Longer mix on the beef days. For dinners I rotate between a chicken back/feet/heart/gizzards/liver or turkey neck/gizzards or a large rabbit piece & a rabbit head.

So, I know how a typical “elimination diet” goes, but I’m wondering if I just cut out something from her diet for a while, if that would work? & what should I start with? Is chicken the likely culprit here? I wish I could pinpoint when her itching and biting started, but I have no clue. Any help, as usual, is greatly appreciated!

[NectarMom]

I thought Garlic was not good for dogs? If this Garlic bug off is safe then I might be interested in getting some because of mosquitos in the summer time. I do not have a flea or tick problem but I do worry about mosquitos. Anyone have any idea?

[Lara]

I have a chocolate Lab that has had numerous issues. I rescued her off of Craigslist in Oct. The person I got Karma from had her on Rachel Ray Noutrish. I switched her to Blue Buffalo Freedom for puppies (grain free) It all started in December with a big ear infection to both ears and small, red bumps on her abdomen last December. Diagnosis: chicken allergy. Switched to Natural Balance Potato and Fish with tuna and salt-free peas which she did fine on…for awhile. I noticed increased itchiness..she scratched and bit everywhere…no fleas. She also developed a UTI with struvite crystals so I switched to NB Potato and Rabbit. My vet suggested Hill’s Prescription for the crystals and UTI which I refused. The vet also states to stop giving her tuna and peas as the peas may have contributed to the pH problem. My baby has had 2 back to back UTI’s one with the crystals and one without. During the 2nd UTI I switched to Nutrisca Lamb and Chickpea (grain and potato free) and canned Lamb from Wellness as a topper (only in a.m.) She seems to be doing better although she still itches and bites her paws but it appears to go in spurts….. I’m wondering if it is enviromental allergies and not food. She has some eye goobers but I started using Ark Naturals Eyes So Bright and that has helped tremendously. She also was very flaking but that has almost gone away since starting her on Nutrisca. She is on Claritin/Benadryl/probiotic/salmon oil/liquid glucosamine and sometimes coconut oil. She is also on a cranberry extract for a urine pH of 9.
I have started to notice she is losing fur on the tips of her ears (just started last week). She has no ear infection that I can see. I had been cleaning 3x per week because they began to smell…now I am down to 1x per week
I use Richard’s Organics Incredible Skin Spray for the itchy areas and any hotspots. I also at times will rub in coconut oil
She has little red bumps on her belly which come and go….literally they are there in the morning and sometimes almost gone by night (could be the benadryl/claritin combo)
I have tried digestive enzymes twice (different brands) and she has vomited with both…not sure she can tolerate them…I’ve started slowly both times
I have to bring her back in for a re-check of her urine to see if the pH is down
Every dog food she has been on she has liked….she is not a picky eater (she even eats pills as if they were a treat)
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated and sorry it is long

[shelties mom]

This sound to be a yeast problem, no. 1 thing to do is to address the diet, preferrably an anti-inflammatory raw diet with no grains. Adding a probiotic supplement will help since antibiotics destroy all good along with the bad bacteria, so these drugs often make a bad situation worse.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/03/eating-these-foods-can-make-your-dog-itch-like-crazy.aspx

Be sure not to over-vaccinate or over-medicate.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/08/17/stop-using-pet-steroids-until-you-read-these-disturbing-truths.aspx
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/12/23/environmental-allergies-and-your-pet.aspx

Use natural flea control products:
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/03/31/dangers-of-flea-and-tick-problems.aspx

Have you tried this product for his ears?

[theBCnut]

Try Earthborn Coastal Catch or Meadow Feast. They are a decent price for a great food. Also pick up some digestive enzymes and probiotics at the health food store and canned pure pumpkin. Give him a heaping teaspoon of the canned pumpkin with all his meals while you are transitioning and for a little while after. Give the enzymes in every meal too, enough that he is getting an adult dose every day for at least 2 weeks after you have finished transitioning. Give an adult dose of the probiotic every day. You can do this any time you transition foods as long as you need to.

You described tapeworms exactly, your vet is not guessing at all. It only takes eating one flea to get them, so they didn’t have to have noticable fleas. And he had to have eaten that flea fairly early on for him to be shedding segments already.

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone. I’m looking for suggestions for my 11-week-old Golden Retriever. He weighs 20 pounds, and is a healthy weight- can feel ribs and see a waist. Our vet says that he looks great, and if we weren’t reporting problems she would think him completely healthy. He came from the breeder at 8 weeks with Iams puppy food for small/toy breeds (!) and we immediately started switching him to Fromm Large Breed Puppy. His stools immediately got soft, with frequent diarrhea and a few incidences of bloody diarrhea. Our vet thought it was stress and treated with metronidazole, which showed temporary improvement but never really got his stool firm. A couple days ago I saw what I thought looked like worms in 2 bowel movements: rice-like, segmented, pale yellow, and profuse! Unfortunately, I didn’t think of saving a sample for the vet until after I’d disposed of it, and the later samples I took in tested negative. Based on my description, and the fact that he has already had Heartgard, they are assuming tapeworm, though at 11 weeks old I’m not sure where he would have gotten them. We visited him weekly from 8 days old, and his mom and litter mates never had fleas, and he’s never been off-leash to eat a rodent! So as of yesterday we are back on metronidazole, plus panacur dewormer, and he’s eating Purina prescription diet EN, which is almost entirely rice and corn, with just 23% protein and 10% fat. Only 18 hours after the switch, his stools are completely firmed up. Obviously we can’t keep him on this long-term, though. The vet said after 5 days we should start to transition back to regular food, and suggested perhaps something with fewer protein sources since the Fromm’s has duck, chicken, fish and lamb. So, in your much-respected opinions, should I give the Fromm’s a second chance, or go to another new thing? I want to stick with one of Hound Dog Mom’s recommended kibbles, but am of rather limited means. The breeder had recommended TOTW, but I would really prefer to avoid anything from Diamond. If environment might suggest another problem, we are in upstate New York. Thanks so much!

[idahogal]

We have a 2 year old yellow lab retriever that we love dearly-he currently weighs about 75 pounds. He is constantly licking and itching. He does not have fleas that we can see-and we maintain his flea medicine. He also has ear problems-mostly one ear. The vet has seen him many times and treated him with antibiotics and steroids. I don’t like having him on these all the time. He was also diagnosed with “teen-age” acne under his chin. We were told to use sensitive acne wipes on those and make sure his bowl is not rubber, and always clean.
All of things we do-but I am beginning to think it is food allergies with everything. Can someone please help and give us some advice? Dog food, treatments, etc.
Thanks so much!

[idahogal]

We have a 2 year old yellow lab retriever that we love dearly-he currently weighs about 75 pounds. He is constantly licking and itching. He does not have fleas that we can see-and we maintain his flea medicine. He also has ear problems-mostly one ear. The vet has seen him many times and treated him with antibiotics and steroids. I don’t like having him on these all the time. He was also diagnosed with “teen-age” acne under his chin. We were told to use sensitive acne wipes on those and make sure his bowl is not rubber, and always clean.
All of things we do-but I am beginning to think it is food allergies with everything. Can someone please help and give us some advice? Dog food, treatments, etc.
Thanks so much!

[jamiek]

I happened across this thread while googling something and couldn’t help but registering just so I could reply. There are many well meaning but sadly uninformed thoughts here. I have a phd in animal nutrition and really encourage all of you to get your nutritional advise from your veterinarian not from a forum of people with opinions formed from the Internet. Dogs DO NOT “need” animal protein. There are several complete vegetarian diets on the market. Most dogs also do not “need” to eat a vegetarian diet. There are many dogs that have severe food allergies and their quality of life is greatly improved by a strict vegan diet. There are also MANY dogs whose lives are shortened by eating a diet too high in protein. It does not matter much whether that protein is from animals or plant based. A high protein diet is very hard on the kidneys and will eventually lead to premature renal disease. The trend of the pet food companies pushing a high meat diet is very scary. Especially for older pets. The argument that that is how our dogs ancestors ate is ridiculous. Their ancestors were not spayed or neuter, they were not on flea, tick or heartworm prevention, they were not vaccinated. There are reasons we don’t treat our pets as there ancestors lived. We love them, want to take the best care of them we can, and remember, their ancestors didn’t live very long. FYI, I’ve had dogs that have eaten foods with meat, 1 dog who eats vegan because of severe allergies, and 1 dog who ate vegetarian based on the recommendation of a veterinary neurologist for the treatment of a medical condition. They have all thrived. It’s not a question of meat or no meat for the average healthy dog. It’s a question of the correct balance of nutrients. Too much protein is just as bad as not enough. PLEASE consult your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist, not a random person with an uninformed opinion and an Internet education when it comes to the health of your pet.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I vaccinate my dogs as puppies (8 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks) with the core vaccines. I’ll then get another booster for the core vaccines one year after the final series of puppy boosters. I do not vaccine again after this (aside from rabies every three years which is required by law). I never vaccinate for non-core vaccines such as lyme, bordetella, etc. It’s known that these core vaccines provide immunity much longer than a year and even much longer than the three year intervals that some vets are starting to recommend. Through challenge it has been proven that most of these core vaccines provide immunity for at least 5 to 7 years and it is believed that they may even provide lifetime immunity. Rather than re-vaccinating yearly (or even every three years) it’s much smarter to have a titer – a blood test which measures the dog’s immunity. If the titer shows that your dog is immune there’s no reason to re-vaccinate – re-vaccinating provides no benefit (or increased immunity) it only puts your dog at risk for the negative side affects that may be caused by vaccines. I would highly recommend checking out this series of videos in which Dr. Becker interviews Dr. Ronald Schultz. Dr. Schultz is an immunology specialist in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the School of Veterinary Science at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/31/what-your-vet-didnt-tell-you-about-all-those-puppy-and-kitty-vaccines.aspx

I do not use any chemical flea or tick preventatives. In my opinion, when it comes to fleas and ticks the best defense is a strong immune system. I have a SNAP 4DX test done on my dogs every 6 months to test for tick transmitted diseases. I comb my dogs with a flea comb daily during flea/tick season and have never found any fleas or ticks (and they’re hounds that spend quite a bit of time outdoors). Since switching to a species-appropriate raw diet I haven’t had any parasite issues (internal or external). I do use some natural-oil based topicals and shampoos and give them an herbal flea and tick tincture from Earth Animal (formulated by Dr. Goldstein).

Concerning Frontline and which contains the active ingredient “fipronil”:

• Dr. Dobozy of the EPA’s Pesticide Division has found that the active ingredient (fipronil) in Frontline remains in a pet’s system with the potential for nervous system and thyroid toxicity. Tests on laboratory animals resulted in thyroid cancer and altered thyroid hormones, liver and kidney toxicity, reduced fertility and convulsions. Frontline’s web site creates the impression that the product stays in the oil glands of the skin. But Dr. Dobozy’s study showed that, in fact, it does enter the body and the organ systems.
• This investigation determined fipronil residues on gloves worn while petting dogs after Frontline application. Frontline contains 9.8% fipronil, which controls fleas and ticks on dogs for at least 30 days. Frontline (1.34 ml) was applied topically on adult household dogs and gloves worn for 5 min during pettingwere collected 24 hr and 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 w post-Frontline application for fipronil residue determinations using GC/MS. The highest concentration of fipronil (589.3 +/- 205.7ppm) was detected 24 h after Frontline application and was undetectable in the gloves collected at 5w. Repeated exposure to such contamination can pose human health risks. [“Human Exposure to Fipronil from Dogs Treated with Frontline” can be found on Pubmed]
• Journal of Pesticide Reform Factsheet: Fipronil:
1. In tests with laboratory animals, fipronil causes aggressive behavior, damaged kidneys, and “drastic alterations in thyroid function.” The fipronil containing product ‘Frontline’ caused changes in the levels of sex hormones.
2. The offspring of laboratory animals exposed to fipronil during pregnancy were smaller than those of unexposed mothers. They also took longer to mature sexually.
3. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies fipronil as a carcinogen because exposure to fipronil caused benign and malignant thyroid tumors in lab animals.

Imidacloprid (active ingredient in Advantage) and Pyrethrins (active ingredient in Biospot) have been found to have similar negative effects.

Concerning heartworm prevention. I do use heartworm prevention, however I’m very conservative with it. My dogs get an ivermectin-based preventative every 45 days during hearworm season. The FDA approvals cite that Heartguard, Interceptor and Revolution provide protection beyond 30 days. I use preventatives that contain heartworm prevention only – I avoid the preventatives that also contain wormers, flea preventatives, etc. I’m in northern NY so I usually end up administering the first dose in early May and the last dose sometime in November. Starting the day after my dogs receive their preventative I give milk thistle daily for one week to help protect their liver from the damaging effects of the ivermectin. The SNAP 4DX test I have done every 6 months also tests for heartworms. Dr. Becker has an article about heartworm prevention here: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/08/03/why-havent-pet-owners-been-told-these-facts-about-heartworm.aspx . This website also has a wealth of information concerning heartworm prevention: http://dogaware.com/articles/wdjheartwormprevention.html .

[pacer1978]

Ok, I’ll check the site out.
What is your opinion on vaccinations and things like Frontline and Heartguard? I took my dogs off of that and only get them rabies shots since that is the law. I don’t ever board them and they are all inside dogs. We don’t live in the “country” so to speak and not near standing water, so not a lot of mosquitoes so don’t really feel the need for all of that. But, I get the “disapproving” looks when the vets mention that they need another heartworm test or some other vaccine. If we move out further into the country where there is tall grasses, I can understand and most likely will put them back on preventative medicine like Heartguard, but the research I did on it explained how hard it is for pets to actually contract it. The article made sense and Mattie was having bad skin reactions a few years back and was diagnosed with Canine Atopy or something like that. She was put on a very strong and very expensive ($100/mth) medicine. It just makes me wonder with all the chemicals in vaccines and topicals for fleas that it would have some side effects. Of course, something else could have caused it since at the time I wasn’t aware of what was considered “good” versus “bad” dog food nutrition. I always thought Iams, Pedigree, and Eukanuba to name a few were good dog foods. But, now I know that they are mostly fillers and are less than 4 stars.

[dog34747]

I have an 8 year old male, retired racing greyhound with a very sensitive stomach and allergies. He’s had severe ear infections, nasal congestion, compulsive licking and digestive problems. He is also hyper allergic to flea bites, with them even turning in to mini staph infections at each bite. Over the past 3 1/2 years I have tried nearly every brand on the market from Purina on up to Orijen. If it’s sold anywhere between the specialty boutique shops and PetsMart, I have probably tried it. I’ve tried grain-in, grain-free, corn-free, soy-free, gluten-free, chicken-free… etc. etc. I have tried chicken, turkey, fish, lamb, beef, bison, and I think one even had ostrich or something. Basically I’ve tried everything. I have even tried the high-end frozen raw diet food, he just simply won’t touch it. He does not appear to be allergic to chicken specifically, I’ve tried poultry based foods and foods with absolutely no poultry of any kind and the result is the same.

Every single grain-free food causes, horrendous breath, loose stool and severe gas. No amount of pumpkin, yogurt, supplement pro-biotics or pre-biotics seems to fix it, sometimes those relieve things for a day or two but never permanently. It seems directly linked to the percent of protein, above a certain point and these issues start. He seems ok around 22% but usually anything in that range is not grain-free.

The grain-in foods (and treats) increase his nasal congestion (like a kid sucking the snot in vs. blowing his nose, not the same as a reverse sneeze) and the obsessive licking, and they also exacerbates the ear infections. He has had the ear infections recurring, or perhaps even continually but low level, since I got him. He was on a grain-in food when I got him and I immediately switched to grain-free but the ear never fully cleared up even on grain-free. The ear is finally cleared up (for now) after lots of meds though I’m worried his diet will bring it back.

I have tried some raw foods and veggies but they seem to pass through him without even being digested at all.

Any kind of food with potato as a major ingredient seems to act as an immediate diuretic, causing him to be constantly thirsty, panting and drinking and therefore needing to go out 7+ per day every few hours and even having accidents in the house which otherwise he has never had before. This includes all those limited ingredient foods because they all seems to be potato based.

The only time I have had any luck with a food is with Iams Sensitive Naturals Ocean Fish. Yes, I know it doesn’t rank highly and many people here are against it, but it was literally the only food that stopped the breath/stool/gas problems in their tracks, nearly overnight. I’ve heard others say they had similar good luck with Iams and attribute it to the beet pulp, not sure if that’s really true but I can say it worked for my dog. He went about eating it with no digestive issues for 9 months or so but the silent ear infection got worse and worse and the nasal issues got worse. Then we tried Eukanuba Wild Salmon/Rice and the ear/nasal continued to get worse and the licking started. The only benefit to the Eukanuba was his coat was suddenly full, fluffy and soft and the traditional greyhound bald spots were even filling in. I was bothered by the increase in allergies so I’ve gone back to looking for something else.

So I’ve since re-tried several other grain-free foods and the Biljac Sensitive formula, all produce the same old problems. Re-tried a limited potato food, same problem.

I’d like to note he has been tested repeatedly for worms, giardia, heartworms, etc. and all negative. He has had bloodwork taken regularly and it is all absolutely perfect, including thyroid. His teeth have been cleaned by the vet recently and are good. He has absolutely no medical issues outside of the allergies and stomach sensitivities. Also, several vets and others suggested giving him claritan or benedryl to relieve the nasal and skin related reactions but it seems to do nothing for him.

I’m sorry this post is so long, thanks for reading all of it, I was trying to give the full background so folks know what I’ve already tried on this great food adventure. I’m looking for any suggestions, advice, testimonials, whatever on food and treats. I’m willing to try any food to get him to be comfortable, as long as it doesn’t require a second mortgage to pay for it. Thanks in advance!

[pugmomsandy]

This might be easier for you: http://www.wysong.net/products/ph-dog-cat-supplement.php (Wysong Biotic pH-)

I shop mostly online but also get items at the health food store. I give d-mannose or other cranberry herbal product, Garden of Life Raw C or Mercola liposomal C, and Bragg apple cider vinegar or Flea Free Supplement (garlic and vinegar). And they take probiotics and colostrum. If their pH does not become more acidic, then I will give a dl-methionine product instead (Wysong Biotic pH-).

[emchide]

Hi everyone, and thanks for such an informative site with a lot of informative posts by those willing to share their hard-learned experiences. I’ve been poring over a lot of the discussions and digging in to the facts presented, and I’m trying hard not to duplicate questions already asked.

One manufacturer I came across seems not to have a presence on this website yet – it’s listed in the topic, GreenTripe.com. What particularly intrigues me are their various formulations using trachea, gullet, and pancreas, among others. What do you experienced raw food people think of this variation? At a glance, it looks like shipping costs might be somewhat prohibitive unless ordering in serious bulk.

I’m thinking my best bet to start is simply checking with the local grocers for various RMBs and organs on the cheap and using those as well as eggs, yogurt, and so on as a topper for grain-free kibble (currently rotating among Halo Puppy Salmon, Halo Surf and Turf, Nature’s Variety Instinct Duck, and Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit with canned toppings like Wellness Core and Solid Gold Green Cow Tripe). Ideally I would eventually transition to all home-prepared ingredients but I definitely need to read up more on vegetables and supplements for a while first.

Oh, and my dog is a four-month old boxer/pit mix – he’s growing like a weed and I’m slightly concerned we’ve been using a few too many treats for training in addition to his three meals a day as he’s gone from 13 lbs on June 12 when we adopted him to 32 currently, but he seems healthy as a horse and has great energy. The only issue seems to be some scratching and itching which has somewhat receded as his flea treatment has kicked in (I still find fleas on him but they seem unwell and are easy to catch and crush), but he came home on SD of course from the SPCA so I am hoping that dietary improvements might eliminate any potential skin issues if they exist.

I look forward to gleaning a lot more valuable knowledge from these discussions, and thanks again for expending the energy to inform more people – I really appreciate the love-driven data!

• This topic was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by emchide.
• This topic was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by emchide.

[DogNHorseLover]

I am just wondering about home remedies for flea control.
I know garlic can help, but with all the issues surrounding the use of garlic, I’ve been wondering about any new ways, inexpensive, and not lining the pocketbooks of chemical using companies!!
Does anyone have any recipe that actually works?
Please share! :))

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi EHubbman –

It’s all pretty confusing when you start out isn’t it?

I would like to start out by saying I strongly disagree with those that say supplements aren’t necessary for a raw diet. The thing is, if a dog was eating whole wild prey daily this may be true but that’s not practical in real life. It would be next to impossible to feed an actual prey model diet so people approximate it by feeding ratios of muscle meat, organ meat and bone (80:10:10) that mimic the ratios found in a whole prey animal. While this is a good estimate of the dog’s natural diet, it’s not going to provide all the nutrients a dog needs for various reasons: 1) Your dog isn’t getting the whole animal. When a dog eats prey in the wild it eats everything – all the organs, the glands, the brain, eyeballs, fur, feathers, sinew, some intestines and intestinal content, it even picks up some dirt of the ground where it’s eating. 2) Commercially raised meat such as what is available to us in the supermarket is not as mineral dense as wild prey. 3) Domestic dogs are bombarded with toxins on a daily basis that their wild relatives aren’t – i.e.) flea treatments, heart worm treatments, vaccines, exhaust fumes, cleaning chemicals, etc. etc. – and for this reason benefit from additional antioxidants in their diet that are provides through fruits, vegetables and whole super foods.

You do not need to supplement with enzymes when feeding a raw diet. Raw food contains enzymes. These enzymes are destroyed when the food is cooked and this is why kibble and canned foods should be supplemented with enzymes. Probiotic supplements are also a waste of money unless you have a dog with serious digestive issues. Feeding green tripe and/or plain yogurt and/or kefir at least a few times a week will maintain a healthy population of gut flora in a healthy dog.

You will need to add supplemental omega 3’s. You can do this by adding a quality fish body oil, cage free eggs or feeding a fatty fish such as sardines. If you want to feed sardines the recommend servings are (based on 3.75 oz. tin): 5 lbs. 1/4 tin, 15 lbs. 1/2 tin, 25 lbs. 5/8 tin, 50 lbs. 1 tin, 100 lbs. 1 3/4 tin – per week. If giving fish oil you want to add enough to provide about 100 mg. combined EPA and DHA per 10 lbs. of body weight. While the majority of a dog’s omega 3’s should come from animal sources, some plant based omega 3’s can be beneficial as well. If you’re feeding predominantly poultry, flax should be given to balance the fats and if you’re feeding predominantly red meat hemp seed should be given to balance the fats. My dogs get a cage free egg 3 days per week, Carlson brand salmon oil complete (with astaxanthin) daily and I also give small amounts of sprouted flax, sprouted chia, etc. If not supplementing with vitamin d, you should give cod liver oil as well. Carlson makes the highest quality cod liver oil – my girls each get 1 capsule of Carlson Super Cod Liver Oil daily which provides 250 IU vitamin d. If giving fish oil it’s very important not to skimp on quality – fish oil is one supplement you don’t want to find a bargain on. The cheaper brands are often rancid at purchase and don’t contain enough antioxidants to prevent oxidation. Coconut oil, as Patty pointed out, is comprised of MCT’s. Coconut oil can be given in addition to (but not instead of) omega 3’s. Coconut oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties. You can give up to 1/2 tsp. per 10 lbs. of body weight daily. My girls get coconut oil daily, I find it’s a healthy way to increase the fat level of their meals.

As Sandy pointed out, vitamin e is also necessary to add – this is especially important when supplementing with omega 3’s as vitamin e prevents the delicate fats from oxidizing in the body. For dogs <25 add 50 – 100 IU per day, 25 – 50 lbs. 100 – 200 IU per day, 50 – 75 lbs. 200 – 300 IU per day, 75 – 100 lbs. 300 – 400 IU per day, >100 lbs. 400 IU per day. I use NOW Foods Gamma E Complex – it has all 8 tocopherols and tocotrienols.

Other supplements my dogs get:

-A homemade super food mix. I generally use 1 part kelp, 1 part alfalfa, 1 part spirulina, 1 part wheat grass and 1 part bee pollen although I’ll sometimes sub in a different ingredient for variety. I buy most of my ingredients from Swanson or Starwest Botanicals in 1 lb. bags. This provides vital trace nutrients to the diet. I’d recommend about 1 tsp per 25 – 30 lbs. (roughly) for a supplement such as this.

-I give my dogs colostrum 3 days per week. Colostrum is high in immunoglobulins which helps strengthen the immune system.

-They get a glandular 3 days per week (opposite the colostrum). I use Natural Sources Raw Multiple.

If you read through the raw menu section I have my dog’s full menus (with supplements) posted.

I prefer to balance my dog’s diets using whole foods versus adding synthetic supplements. The nutrients from whole foods are more efficiently assimilated by the body and contain all the necessary co-factors for optimal absorption and utilization. There’s also a much lower chance of overdosing on nutrients when using whole foods.

If you have any more questions don’t be afraid to ask. 🙂

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[avamom]

Hi, I am new to this forum. I have been referencing DFA since I first put down the deposit on my English mastiff puppy. She is will be 7 months old this week and we have had a time. I was feeding Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy for the first 5 months. She had a rash and I thought it might be a food allergy she was on flea meds and I never saw any. It wasn’t horrible but it was constant. I took her off thinking maybe it was the chicken and put her on Natural Choice Sweet Potato and Venison. It got much worse within a week. Got to looking at ingredients and realized there were sweet potatoes in the BBWP as well. Tried Natural Choice Venison and Potato better but still not gone (this one had carrots). We discovered a beta carotene or at least an orange vegetable allergy. Took her off everything and cooked her rice or potatoes and ground venison for a month. She got too lean and even though she was getting a multi vitamin I was concerned about proper nutrition. Help! What can I feed her that is good for her overall health and proper growth, but that does not cause allergic reactions.

[EHubbman]

Also have a little guy with possible sensitivities? Needing some advice here, because I’m at a complete loss.

The whole timeline: 8 weeks, brought Dom home, had him on TOTW Puppy, which he stopped eating. We then switched to NV Rabbit, which he liked but got a smidge bored with, so I started adding different canned toppers. This whole time, his stools were normal and he was doing great.
After the small back of NV Rabbit, we switched to NV LID Turkey, which he did fine with for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, though, he started getting diarrhea. In those 2 weeks, though, he also went swimming (and drinking) in a lake. He also go to play with his sister who, while she didn’t have fleas biting her, she had fleas on her (owner was in process of getting rid of them, I didn’t know this till later.). With how they were rough housing, I’m sure Dom ate a few fleas along the way.

So he has this diarrhea, and it’s not really going away. His stools softened then loosened. Took him to the vet and she gave him metronidazole (his stools were just soft, no mucus or blood) which did nothing for him. I took out the canned toppers, which also did nothing. I talked to a vet friend, and we talked about a few different things, including getting him on a bland diet to help sort him out. I went out to clean up the dog yard before this, though, and found a rice-sized white …thing? In his stool. Talked to the vet friend again, she said it was tapeworm. We ran into the vet, got Droncit and tylen powder (wormer and antibiotic.) So he was on a bland diet, took the dewormer. Had a solid stool full of odd white stuff (shed worms), Kept him on bland for a week with the antibiotics, and he did great. As soon as I started slowly mixing the NV LID Turkey back in, though, his stools got soft again. He also, though, went swimming in a different lake and probably drank some of that water, too. So I kept with the half and half (bland and kibble) to make sure it wasn’t the lake water upsetting his tummy. It wasn’t, so I went to find different food for him.

The gal I talked to at the local food store is suggesting Zignatture LI Lanb for him, but it’s not on the list of approved foods. What, in your opinion, should I do now? He’s currently back to bland, which I’m really not fond of because he’s not getting the nutrients he needs. This morning’s stool was firm, but slightly orange, and had two odd white things in it. Not sure what they were.

Should I take him to a different vet to get him a full work up, switch foods (and what to?), or…? This is my first time as an adult having a pup, and I’m really just lost now, because nothing seems to be working. I want to make sure and get him the best nutrition I possibly can.
Another friend and I spoke about just taking him full raw which, at this point, if it’s going to work for him, I’m not opposed to doing it but have no idea where to start and how to balance it for him.

Thanks for listening, all, and for any help or advice you have.

[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).. 🙂

[mah4angel]

Thanks! I’ve actually comprised an all-natural herbal prevention plan with Only Natural Pet products. So, no more chemical heartworm prevention for Louie ^_^

I did not know that milk thistle has properties that would help with the cleansing of the liver! We’re going to have him re-tested for the liver enzymes soon. The vet said that the elevation was so small that it most likely is less than nothing to worry about, and that when she re-tests they should be back to normal.
I’m pretty much 99.9% sure that I know what happened, though. The HW pills we’ve been using (Quadriguard) was from the previous vet that saw him, and the new vet had never heard of it. The new vet didn’t know that the Quadriguard had wormers already so she would give him additional wormers every month (which is one of the things I pointed out early on because I found it strange that she was giving him wormers even though he tested negative for heartworms).
I kind of think she didn’t believe me when I said we had him on something. Every time we go to the vet, the computer system tells the vet tech to ask if we wanted to put him on heartworm prevention because “it says he’s not covered” even though we’ve told them over and over and over again that we have him on Quadriguard. I’m kind of done with Banfield. I want to find a local Holistic vet, but all of them are quite a drive and Louie gets DEATHLY carsick. Also, the two holistic vets within half an hour of here have pretty awful ratings on Yelp 🙁

I’m actually finalizing my purchase from Only Natural Pet. I’m getting a ton of stuff. Two different kind of prevention (the HW Protect Herbal Formula and the Para-Gone), the Herbal Defense Oil Blend (to prevent bugs from biting in the first place), and Cranberry Wellness for his UT issues (apparently he has crystals in his urine that make him more likely to have bladder/kidney stones and UTI’s). I currently have him on FirstShield for fleas and ticks but I want to move away from chemical flea and tick prevention as well.

I’d really love to see how his liver and the rest of his body will react to the lack of chemicals! I’m spending so much money to do this whole chemical cleanse but it’s SO worth it!

[ShihTzuOwner]

To start things off, I am a first time puppy/dog owner so I’m a rookie but I’m getting the handle of my 2 month old Shih Tzu.

My puppy was eating Purina Puppy Chow [GARBAGE] before he became mine and I knew that the food was just not healthy seeing as how a large bag was just $8 at Walmart. So I Googled around and found out that Blue Buffalo’s Puppy Food as seen below….

was an excellent alternative. Grain-Free, No Preservatives, generally much better then most dry puppy food selections out there.

As a first time puppy owner, I did make the mistake of switching the food in just one day and suffered the dreaded diarrhea problem but some white rice with chicken relieved it and I did the whole 50/50, 75/25, 100/0 new to old dog food trick.

My MAIN problem and I do not know whether it’s the food I’m giving him, is that he itches ALOT. He always scratches near his ears and his neck constantly. Now, I didn’t keep him on the Purina Puppy Chow long enough for me to find out if the issue was also relevant with that dog food as well or JUST Blue Buffalo. I took him to the vet and his ears were fine. There appears to be no flea problem so my only conclusion was that it could POSSIBLY be the food.

So I wanted to know if there are any recommendations you guys can give me based on the age and breed of the puppy and his troublesome itch. I heard Blue Buffalo has a Basics Formula but the review it got on this site [which I trust] makes me hesitant to buy that alternative. I’ve heard of Orijen but that seems to be too much of a high protein formula for such a young pup and for Shih Tzu’s.

[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)

[pugmomsandy]

There are heartworm “nosodes” available and other herbal heartworm prevention http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Only-Natural-Pet-HW-Protect-Herbal-Formula/999068.aspx

Dr Will Falconer in Houston TX sells nosodes. His website is VitalAnimal.com

And there are also herbal parasite products as well. There are some at onlynaturalpet for you to look at too under “shop by condition” then “parasites”.

I use Halo Herbal Dip and Mercola Natural Defense Spray for mosquitoes and fleas.

[Saint Louie]

Agree, Sully’sMom. So grateful to have found this thread as a “short list” while searching for a new food! My 8-year-old black, flat-coated lab/border collie mix has been in great health with an amazing coat until 6 months ago when I let his flea control lapse for about 6 weeks. As a result, he developed dermatitis on his behind for the first time — itchy, scaly skin with occasional hot spots. The vet restarted his Trifexis, gave him a steroid shot and antibiotics and changed him to Science Diet. Since then, his problems have intensified and we need to act quickly. I suspect we need to steer clear of grains for now and possibly chicken to get this under control, but would really appreciate input from you experienced “moms.” I’ve narrowed my search of foods in my price range to the following, but would sincerely appreciate more opinions — trying to choose among Earthborn GF Coastal Catch, Earthborn GF Great Plains Feast, Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF Formula or Victor GF Select Ocean Blend. Earthborn has fruits included, which appeals to me. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

[pugmomsandy]

I use Flea Free Supplement and Bug Off (oral), whichever one is handy at the time. For the dogs body I have Mercola Natural Flea & Tick spray. On their harness or bandana (some kind of cloth) I put a couple drops of Halo Herbal Dip undiluted or essential oil Eucalyptus Citriodora every couple days. Halo can be used as a spray and in bath water too. Been using these (except for Bug Off) since last year. And I spray my yard with garlic spray, neem oil spray, Wondercide spray and put out AntiDote beneficial nematodes periodically.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi somebodysme –

The number one defense against parasites – both internal and external – is a strong immune system. I battled parasites yearly with my dogs until I switched to a species-appropriate raw diet. My dogs get raw garlic a few days a week (for a dog the size of yours I’d say between 1 and 1 1/2 cloves 3 – 4 times per week), I use Sentry Natural Defense Topical Drops monthly (natural oil based repellent that comes in an applicator similar to Frontline or Advantix) and Earth Animal No More Fleas & Tick herbal tincture 6 days per week. I also comb them with a flea comb nightly. I haven’t found a single flea or tick this year.

[somebodysme]

I just really would rather not put Frontline or Advantix etc on my dog. What do you use that is helpful and most importantly is safe and healthy for a dog to keep them free of fleas (and other pest too would be great). I just found ONE flea on her and that’s the first one since I got her but she was on Frontline and has not had an application since May 1st. The last time I put it on her, she got this rash on her shoulders but I only think the frontline may have aggravated her skin and allowed her demodex to come back (does that sound reasonable?) because it is still there, two and a half months post frontline and many baths later.

Please if you could give me specifics as to how much and what brand etc etc. She is a mix that is probably lab/cur hound and weights a tiny bit over fifty pounds and is 17 months old. She has had lots and lots of skin issues and was covered with demodex when she was rescued at 8 months of age. When I got her in Dec, she was clear of mange but after a treatment of Frontline, she broke out in that rash. The vet said he got a negative scraping though but from what I understand that doesn’t really mean anything.

I’ve heard some of you use garlic, if so then you do mean fresh right? And how much for her size and how many times a week etc?

I would certainly appreciate any helpful tips! 🙂

[jnbuglady]

Hi, I have a little dachshund who has terrible allergies, he is bitting,chewing all the time, his skin is leathery where he has chewed so much, I have taken him to the vet multiple times, we have tried medications,medicated soaps,the only thing that helps him is prednisone, but you can’t stay on that all the time, we don’t know what to do for him. We have to be real carefull with him because he has liver problems, and hemmoragic gastroenteritis, so we are severly limited in our treatment. Any ideas? Thanks Joann