[mhotz34]

My 4 month old German shepherd is getting diarrhea after she eats. I stopped with the food for a few days and gave her plain white rice and it seemed to help but was still a little loose. Then when i gave her food again i mixed it with the rice for a few more days. But she still has it. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do?

[koa’smom]

Hound Dog mom, I just had xrays done on my 5 month old German Shepherd puppy beccause she was favoring her left hind leg on occasion. She has panosteitis. I have been feeding Wellness Core Puppy. The vet said I need to feed her a lower protein food, something 25% or less. What do you suggest for possible options. I prefer grain free and raw is ok too.

[GSDGuy]

I need to know a few dog foods good for a german shepherd puppy he’s 9 wks of course for bone and coat and joint you know gsd stuff,right now he’s eating blue buffalo life protection chicken and brown rice (puppy) ,I just want to know a brand to were I can stay on for a while cause he needs the best food right now I’m some what knowing what to look just not exactly

[Oceantide2121]

This is what I have done and it works for me On my male German Shepherd. I bought Braggs apple cider. I put 2 teaspoons in his water daily. I bought a grain free sweet potatoes food. I give slightly less than the required amount, I had plain Greek yogurt that has live enzymes. I add to his food a probiotic and digestive enzymes. I also add biotin, Cranberry capsules, I have a boiled egg, And about 2 tablespoons of a mixture of vegetables That I previously steamed and then put into a blender since dogs have trouble digestingwhole vegetables. A common mix that I will do is green beans peas k lol maybe a little bit of spinach very very small amount of garlic with one to two apples. Another thing that I will do with him daily is I will take a container and I had one tablespoon of borax, about one thir and the same amount of apple cider vinegar and I will take a paper towel or soft cloth and wipe that over the areas of the yeast infection. It honestly does workd cup of warm water

[lizbethc41]

Hi,
My dog will be 10 in Nov. He had a malignant fibrosarcoma removed in ’09. Since then he’s had issues with intermittent diarrhea.
His food history:
He has always been an extremely picky eater, going ‘on strike’ often
Fed Iams until he was 3.5 (My first dog & I didn’t know any better, mea culpa)
As a blood cancer survivor myself, I switched our household to an organic one.
Switched to Castor & Pollux Organix dry that I added a small amount of organic chicken, turkey or beef w/occasional wild caught salmon or duck to entice him to eat it. He did great on this until his health issue arose.
After his surgery I started adding pumpkin & probiotics (from Only Natural Pet) to his meals, but he still would get colitis type diarrhea every now & then. So I decided to try cooked homemade.
I had a vet nutritionist diet done up for him (Dr Susan Wynn). I use only organic foods, either turkey, chicken or beef w/either oatmeal, quinoa or sweet potato & then some kind of veggie, usually carrots, cauliflower or green beans. The individual supplements worry me because of the fish oil which he’s never done well on so I use flaxseed oil plus bone meal, choline, canola oil, lite salt & Centrum.
I decided to keep a commercial organic canned food to make sure his nutritional needs were met & for the times where I may not have a homemade meal available. I started w/ByNature Organics canned turkey until I realized it has carrageenan (sp?). I switched to Party Animal grain free organic. I’ve tried the 2 chickens & the turkey.
Problem is he still doesn’t like commercial dog food, sometimes he’ll eat it, sometimes not & he still has some soft poos. So started adding Animal Essentials digestive enzyme/probiotics & Metamucil (on the vet’s advice) I had a second diet done up for him from Balance It, but I haven’t used it yet because it seems like it has a LOT of carbs compared to his other vet diet (2.5 cups of quinoa to 6 oz of turkey) & 6 5/8 tsp of Metamucil! That’s over 2 TBS! I had been gradually increasing the Metamucil again on the vet’s advice as she said there would be Metamucil in the Balance It diet, but 2 tsps bound him up for over a day, so there’s no way I’m giving him over 2 TBS (which is more than the max for a human adult). He’s not a big water drinker, another concern for the Metamucil.
I’m sorry this is such a long post, but I really am trying to find the right diet for my fur baby. I’m thinking of cooking his Dr Wynn diet w/out the individual supplements, adding ONP’s senior multi-vitamin, the Animal Essentials & mixing it in w/the Party Animal, keeping the proteins the same (turkey w/turkey, beef w/beef etc).
Any thoughts, opinions & advice would be appreciated!
Btw, he’s a German Shepherd mix, 48 lbs, body score of 5/9 I don’t use chemical pesticides on him, just Heartgard monthly.

[Jagger2012]

I have my 14 month old lab “Jagger” and my 15 week old German Shepherd “Keesha”. Keesha was taken in a few days ago for her last set of shots and I was discussing with my vet that Keesha is a poop eater! Bad! She will not eat her poop but my labs. I have watched her out the window following him around and when he hunches up to poop she will stand right there and eat it as it hits the ground or catch it as it falls and eats it! I am not kidding! I know the whole dog eating cat poop thing but I have never had a dog eat anothers or their own. I try to be outside when they go out to potty but it does not always happen. I do pick up the poop several times a day. My vet suggested getting something “I can’t for the life of me remember the name” to feed them both so his poop is not so appetizing.
I feed them Earthborn Holistic Meadow Feast and Coastal catch. I did order some of the Darwins to try but I can’t afford to have them on that only. I would like to give them Darwins as a lunch and then the kibble for morning and night.

So to my questions: My thought is that she is lacking something as to why she is eating his poop? I was reading on the supplements. Should I try doing some kind of supplementing? And if so what? I have no clue on a lot of this so am needing pointed in the right direction.

Please ask any questions you may have to help me out! 🙂
Tammy

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Julie –

I’m so sorry to hear about what you and Bentley and going through. You must be so frustrated. 🙁

Have you had Bentley tested for an IgA deficiency? German Shepherds are one of the breeds predisposed to IgA deficiencies. IgA or Immunoglobulin A is one class of immunoglobulin proteins known as antibodies. The purpose of IgA antibodies, specifically, involves the skin, respiratory passages, the digestive tract and exposed parts of the reproductive system or urinary system. Some common symptoms are skin infections, urinary tract infections, pustules, nasal discharge and diarrhea. Dogs with IgA deficiencies are prone to developing allergies and immune-mediated dysfunctions. I would encourage you to have your vet do a blood test for this.

[TmMura13]

Shadow is my 10 month old German Shepherd mix with diarrhea, demodex mites, demodectic mange, is extremely picky, needs to put on weight, might have a food allergy (possibly needs to stay from birds), is very high energy and has a low immune system. Please keep in mind that I live in Florida and I’m surrounded my national pet store retailers. There are very few small speciality pet store retailers around. Also I would prefer not to order online unless it’s truly necessary.

Shadow – Hill’s® Science Diet® Puppy Large Breed / Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance® L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets® Sweet Potato & Venison / Nutro Natural Choice Limited Ingredient Diet Lamb & Whole Brown Rice Formula Large Breed Puppy Food / Wilderness™ Chicken Recipe for Puppies

We feed him what ever he will eat at the time. This also may include canned food, treats mixed in and even sometimes table scraps.

[TmMura13]

Shadow is my 10 month old German Shepherd mix with diarrhea, demodex mites, demodectic mange, is extremely picky, needs to put on weight, might have a food allergy (possibly needs to stay from birds), is very high energy and has a low immune system. Please keep in mind that I live in Florida and I’m surrounded my national pet store retailers. There are very few small speciality pet store retailers around. Also I would prefer not to order online unless it’s truly necessary.
Shadow – Hill’s® Science Diet® Puppy Large Breed / Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance® L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets® Sweet Potato & Venison / Nutro Natural Choice Limited Ingredient Diet Lamb & Whole Brown Rice Formula Large Breed Puppy Food / Wilderness™ Chicken Recipe for Puppies
We feed him what ever he will eat at the time. This also may include canned food, treats mixed in and even sometimes table scraps.

[TmMura13]

Shadow is my 10 month old German Shepherd mix with diarrhea, demodex mites, demodectic mange, is extremely picky, needs to put on weight, might have a food allergy (possibly needs to stay from birds), is very high energy and has a low immune system. Please keep in mind that I live in Florida and I’m surrounded my national pet store retailers. There are very few small speciality pet store retailers around. Also I would prefer not to order online unless it’s truly necessary.

Shadow – Hill’s® Science Diet® Puppy Large Breed / Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance® L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets® Sweet Potato & Venison / Nutro Natural Choice Limited Ingredient Diet Lamb & Whole Brown Rice Formula Large Breed Puppy Food / Wilderness™ Chicken Recipe for Puppies

We feed him what ever he will eat at the time. This also may include canned food, treats mixed in and even sometimes table scraps.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Switch the dog to a species-appropriate, low carbohydrate diet. A raw, home cooked, dehydrated or canned diet free of any grains or starches is ideal. If you must feed kibble look for a high protein (>30%) grain-free/white potato free kibble. If kibble is necessary, I think somebodysme made a good suggestion with Nature’s Variety Instinct.

I would also highly recommend starting the dog on a high quality, multi-strain probiotic supplement and an enzyme supplement. Probiotics are “friendly” bacteria that will help to get the body’s microflora back in balance (a yeast infection is an imbalance of microflora). Enzymes will help to rid the body of toxins that can contribute to yeast overgrowth and help the dog to more efficiently digest the food.

Yeast infections can also be caused by deficient levels of IgA and German Shepherds are prone to IgA deficiencies. If there is an IgA deficiency the probiotics and enzymes should help and you may also wish to consider an immunoglobulin supplement (such as IgG 2000 DF or colostrum) and coconut oil (the lauric acid in coconut oil is beneficial to immune function). You vet could test for an IgA deficiency.

You should also regularly disinfect the parts of his body that are yeasty. You can use a solution containing 1 gallon water, 1 C. hydrogen peroxide and 1 C. white vinegar. You can also bathe him using an herbal shampoo (such as tea tree) – avoid oatmeal shampoos as oatmeal feeds the yeast.

Good luck! 🙂

[TmMura13]

There are four dogs in my house with four different needs. Gidget is an 8 year old Cocker Spaniel with serious colitis problems. Angel is a 6 year old Golden Retriever with minor skin problems. Ginger is a 4 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi with an overweight issue. Last is Shadow my 10 month old German Shepherd mix with diarrhea problems, demodex mites, demodectic mange, is extremely picky, needs to put on weight, might have a food allergy, is very high energy and possibly needs to stay from birds. There are so many brands of food out their I really don’t know with to choose.

[AJs4leggedkidsx4]

Hello!

I have read tons of your topics and responses. I must say that I have seen the light! My “Kids” are my world and I def have been doing them an injustice!

I hear about food fillers/kibble toppers I need more information.

What are good options to implement (such as veggies and fruits)?

What is the ratios?

Generally how many times a day do people feed their kids? (I feed mine a breakfast snack, but they do not eat dinner until I do in the afternoons) I should note that I have 4 kids, corgi/blue heeler/, TWIN German shepherd/pitbull mix and a applehead Chihuahua. The Chihuahua is on a calorie controlled diet. My kids are active and lean. I feed them 2 to 2 1/2 cups at meal time.

Are dairy products like cheese bad for dogs?

What is the advantages of “bully bones/or marrow bones” vs rawhide bones?

I am sure that I’ll more questions, but right now I need to get the basics down of a healthy diet.

Thank you all for your help!

AJ

[ShepherdMom]

I have a german shepherd x Belgian shepherd. He is allergic to:
Potatoes (very)
Chicken
Fish
Rice
Peas
Barley
Anyone have a suggestion for a dry food? Right now we are feeding Natures Instinct but would like other options.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Yeah but he stuff that comes up is just topic areas in general dog discussion forums and there isn’t much there. I wish I could find something along the lines of germanshepherds(dot)com or lab-retriever(dot)net, etc.

Found a couple of good ones for boxers:

boxerworld(dot)com and boxerforums(dot)com

[Jessica1]

I just adopted a puppy from a rescue, his mom and her puppies were dumped. The mom is a smaller German Shepherd and the vet thinks he has Burmese Mountain Dog. He is the cutest and sweetest “little” guy. I can guess this is going to be a big boy. Ever since I considered adopting him I started doing research on dog foods, they have changed a lot since my last dog.
I feel like I’m studying for an exam and failing. I am so confused at this point. I looked into brands like ; Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Blue Wilderness, Canine Caviar, Innova, Natures Variety, etc etc … After speaking to many people they stated that the higher end brands were to rich for their dogs and or created loose bowls. I’ve looked at the med end, but not all that happy with some of the ingredients. I loved the information on the, “Large Breed Puppy Food List” with the calcium percentages, and the food with rabbit as the main ingredient sounded to be like one of the best meats to use. But I just don’t know which might work out best for him. I was able to bring him home today and they have him on Pedigree so I want to wean him off this as soon as possible. Also, I would like to find a good food that won’t break me. I don’t mind paying a little more for better quality but some of the pricing is way out there.
I really want something that is good for him but it has to be something he enjoys. Oh and I’m looking for a dry food.
If anyone has any suggestions or recommendations for me I would greatly appreciate it.

[GSDsForever]

Article on Longevity in Dogs:
http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/features/dogs-and-life-span-which-breeds-live-longest

Life Spans for Popular AKC Dog Breeds, per World Atlas of Dog Breeds:

Labrador retriever — 10 to 14 years

Yorkshire terrier — 12 to 15 years

German Shepherd — 10 to 14 years

Golden retriever — 10 to 12 years

Beagles — 12 to 14 years

Boxers — 11 to 14 years

Dachshunds — 12 to 14 years

Bulldogs — 10 to 12 years

Poodles — 10 to 15 years

Shih Tzu — 11 to 15 years

Miniature Schnauzers — 15 years or more

Chihuahuas — 15 years or more

Pomeranians — 13 to 15 years

Rottweilers — 10 to 12 years

Pugs — 12 to 15 years

German shorthaired pointers — 12 to 15 years

Boston terriers — about 15 years

Doberman Pinschers — 10 to 12 years

Shetland Sheepdogs — 12 to 14 years

Maltese — 15 years or more

[GSDsForever]

I wanted to start a topic on these dogs, from newstories of record breaking oldest dogs to dogs we’ve known to live well beyond the breed average life span. I’d like to see what we can learn.

The GSDCA, national German Shepherd Club, does something simillar recognizing long lived GSDs and trying to learn all factors that they have contributed to long live/good health: diet, exercise, health care, genetics in dog’s background, etc. For example, one of my family’s showlines GSDs lived 15 yrs 8 mos, which while not setting some world record, is extraordinarily long lived good health for the breed, where even 13 is considered long. Other national breed clubs/their health foundation wing may have something similar.

So please list any dogs in the news you come across or not in the news you know about. Please list as much information known about the dog as possible, food and beyond to other factors that might have given a greater chance for longer life.

[Jo Ingram]

I owned Oorang Airedales for 15 years and after losing both within a year and two weeks, I adopted a mixed breed german shepherd/border collie from a local pound last Fall. I named him Rain because it was raining when I picked him out and raining when I picked him up. The pound estimated his age at 0-6 months but I believe he’s alot older than that. I think he was at least a year old when I adopted him.
I fed my Dales “Taste of the Wild” and homemade treats but this boy suffered through terrible bouts of the runs when I tried their diet with him.
I backed off on the protein and tried him with Kibbles & Bits. It has so far cured the runs but he’s so hyper that I’m suspicious of the ingredients affecting his system. I’m thinking somewhat like a kid on a food that he’s allergic to. When I saw the ingredients and rating on this website I can see that I was correct to have concerns.
So, I need help trying to figure out what I can feed this poor kid without having another physical crisis but still see if I can help him calm him. The Airedales are rumoured to by hyper because of their terrier breeding, but believe me, they had NOTHING on this guy. Sometimes the way he just “goes off” would make an observer believe he’s totally insane. He’s not – he’s actually a great dog 90% of the time. I think I’m causing these meltdowns with what I’m feeding him. I bought a low price biscuit for him two weeks ago and within 36 hours he was completely out of control. That was when I realized I am causing the problem with his diet.
Please, has anyone some guidance or opinion that could help me?

[acs379]

Hound Dog Mom, thank you for being so thorough in your answer! It clears things up quite a bit; the article discussed briefly that the fat percentage should be at a lower level but did not go into specifics as for the health implications of excess fat. I just wanted to confirm that there was nothing about excess fat SPECIFICALLY that would cause health issues (i.e. like excess calcium). I’m thinking I can start with Nature’s Variety Instinct and Orijen, because they both have good nutritional stats, good ingredients from what I understand, and seem to be used with success by other owners who have posted. If you have any other suggestions for foods, please let me know! I was planning on supplementing with fresh food (i.e. hardboiled eggs, yogurt) and canned food (i.e. tripe) as well as digestive enzymes to help aid in the digestion of the dry food.

I do have a few follow-up questions. Here’s my situation: I’m getting a German Shepherd puppy in a few weeks (yay!). It’s coming from a well-known breeder, who made some nutritional suggestions based on years of experience with multiple vets. They suggest, “Puppies from 8 weeks to 1 year should be fed Science Diet Maintenance, fresh meat, yogurt, and boiled eggs.” However, Science Diet Maintenance has extremely LOW ratings on this site, as well as negative reviews from other posters on this site. This really concerns me, and I’m curious as to why they would make that particular suggestion.

In addition, they make suggestions for vitamins as well: 1,000 mg Vitamin C a day and a multi-vitamin and a B complex capsule once a day. In the research I did, the only supplements mentioned were calcium and Vitamin D. Do you see any issue with giving the suggested 3 vitamins?

Thanks so much for your help! You’ve provided so much valuable information and have also had to guide further research for me.

[gsdmommy89]

Hello Hound Dog Mom!

I recently posted a question in the Orijen dog food review. One of the persons that replied to my questions recommended this forum. I will be getting a German Shepherd puppy in the next few weeks and I was interested in the Orijen Large Breed puppy formula. I went on their website and the Calcium content for this formula was min/max 1.2%/1.5%. I also liked the Earthborn Holistic Primitive Naturals formula but their website states that the Calcium content for this formula was not less than 1.5% and also, the calorie content for this formula was 717 kilo-calories per cup. That’s a very high number, I think. I’ve also taken a look at Nature’s Variety Instinct in the Duck Meal and Turkey Meal formula, but the Calcium content for that was not less than 1.92%. I looked at the Wellness Core Puppy and their website states a Calcium content of no more than 1.5%. I saw in one of your responses that you fed Nutrisca. I didn’t find the Calcium content on their website, but what did you think about this food for your dogs? The las one I wanted to mention that I’ve been looking up is Merrick Grain Free in either Duck, Pork, or Beef. Merrick did not have their Calcium content on the website either but I did email them. Haven’t gotten a response yet.

I’d like to know what you would recommend for a German Shepherd puppy? I know it will all depend on his energy level, how big he is, etc. But something to start out with, what would you recommend. I’m really interested in the Orijen, and I’d like to stay away from plant protein boosted kibble if possible. Out of the foods I mentioned above, which would you think would be better for me to try? I’m sorry if it’s alot of questions. I just want to make sure I do things right, and make the right decision. Thank you so much for your time. Also, if you’d like to recommend something else besides the kibble mentioned above, I’m all ears

[gsdmommy89]

Hello Hound Dog Mom!

I recently posted a question in the Orijen dog food review. One of the persons that replied to my questions recommended this forum. I will be getting a German Shepherd puppy in the next few weeks and I was interested in the Orijen Large Breed puppy formula. I went on their website and the Calcium content for this formula was min/max 1.2%/1.5%. I also liked the Earthborn Holistic Primitive Naturals formula but their website states that the Calcium content for this formula was not less than 1.5% and also, the calorie content for this formula was 717 kilo-calories per cup. That’s a very high number, I think. I’ve also taken a look at Nature’s Variety Instinct in the Duck Meal and Turkey Meal formula, but the Calcium content for that was not less than 1.92%. I looked at the Wellness Core Puppy and their website states a Calcium content of no more than 1.5%. I saw in one of your responses that you fed Nutrisca. I didn’t find the Calcium content on their website, but what did you think about this food for your dogs? The las one I wanted to mention that I’ve been looking up is Merrick Grain Free in either Duck, Pork, or Beef. Merrick did not have their Calcium content on the website either but I did email them. Haven’t gotten a response yet.

I’d like to know what you would recommend for a German Shepherd puppy? I know it will all depend on his energy level, how big he is, etc. But something to start out with, what would you recommend. I’m really interested in the Orijen, and I’d like to stay away from plant protein boosted kibble if possible. Out of the foods I mentioned above, which would you think would be better for me to try? I’m sorry if it’s alot of questions. I just want to make sure I do things right, and make the right decision. Thank you so much for your time. Also, if you’d like to recommend something else besides the kibble mentiones above, Im all ears

[Orwellian]

Hi Folks,
Can anyone recommend which dog food brands tend to be both healthy for dogs and less expensive than other healthy brands? In other words, which of the good brands are more affordable than others? My dog is a large breed mix (German Shepherd, Lab, etc.). She is 3 1/2 yrs old, healthy, happy, obedient, and very active. I would like to upgrade her diet from Dog Chow and Iams mixed with Alpo. Any advice about which of the better brands are less expensive than other better brands?
If this topic has been discussed elsewhere already, please refer me to that forum. Thanks.

[ramroxy]

I have a Shar Pei / German Shepherd mix and she has allergy problems, itchy eyes with severe eye booger issues. My vet has her on Allegra and some medicated eye drops and has suggested that I put her on hypoallergenic food. Through just reading on the internet I found some that I thought would be good choices. She eats Wellness now and the eye issues did not start until we moved, she had been eating Wellness for at least a year before that. The hypoallergenic foods I had been looking at were Avoderm and Acana, mainly. My concern with Avoderm is the avocado with seems to be a controversial ingredient. Acana is a little more expensive than the food she eats now, but if it would be better for her then I will switch. I have also had a local rescue suggest Taste of the Wild but I haven’t read anything that says this is a true hypoallergenic food, but it does score well for nutrition and her dog with severe allergies eats Taste of the Wild and it seems to help him. So, with all that said, I’m just wondering what others would suggest as the best food for a dog with these issues?

[Magnus Campbell]

New to the forum.

Just got a 3 and half month old german shepherd/rotti mix from a local animal rescue.

I’ve been reading this forum the past few days trying to find the best food to buy our little guy (trying out some Wellness Core Puppy and Avoderm Rotating Menu – Trout and Peas), but for the past two days he won’t eat any kibble.

I also got him a few cans to top of the kibble and he will eat that. It looks like he doesn’t chew his kibble when eats it and then he ends up throwing it up (I assume because its upsetting his digestive system). He seems totally normal and not sick at all, just won’t eat the kibble and when he does he doesn’t chew and usually yacks later.

So, since he eats the wet and has no problem with it, what would be the best wet food to give him while we slowly ween him onto kibble again?

I want a wet food that would meet Hound Dog Mom’s recommendations for the dry food (i.e. a good calcium/phosphorus ratio). He’s going to be a big boy, so I want to make sure he’s getting what he needs to avoid joint/growing issues.

Thanks!!!

Nick

• This reply was modified 12 years, 7 months ago by Magnus Campbell.

[K-Rae]

I started my 4 dogs onto pre-made raw a month ago. They are currenty getting chicken and beef (carnivora.ca), and mixed raw bones to chew on once or twice a week. I plan on switching them onto a different brand (k9choicefoods.com) and serving beef, bison and llama. No more chicken.
My 9 yr old pom/chi and my 8 yr old german shepherd are urinating way to much. The 10 yr old westie is a little more and the 1 yr old collie/chihuahua (yes I know) is completely normal. I have asked my vet for her opinion and she says switch back to kibble and you won’t have a problem, and if it does continue bring them in. I will not switch back to kibble, and the increased urination is the ONLY negative side effect.
– not drinking any more water (actually was less then when on kibble)
– eating supper at 6:30 out several times before bed at 10-11pm and directly before bed
– urine is clear when they mess in the house over night (not sure which dog, but probably the pom)
– eating 2% of their weight (they are at perfect weight and all extremely fit)
– never had any health problems other than food allergies (why we went to raw)
– normal energy level, maybe slightly increased because they feel good
– the pom has started eating feces again (he did it when he was a pup) * I have reviewed other forums on that and will be adding enzymes as per HDM 🙂
– everyone is defecating properly as per raw, not straining and not overally chalky
I am an educated dog owner, and have done my research before switching to raw. The pre-made works best for us because we work in emergency services and really never know when we will be called out and how long we will be gone. We need to be able to have a friend stop by and feed the dogs and can’t expect someone to feed primal raw for us or spend a long amount of time preparing it. I always keep 2 days of food portioned out into sealed glass containers in the fridge.

I am curious if other people that feed raw have had this problem? Did it resolve it’s self? Is it possible it is the chicken diet? I really don’t know? I am at a loss as to why they are urinating so much. Any help is appreciated.

[tarancara]

Actually, like humans dogs CAN thrive on the right vegan diet. Many people say that humans MUST eat meat- which is very untrue. But the supplements used for dog health are different than human health. I knew a vegan family that raised German shepherds and their dogs were on a highly researched vegan diet and were GORGEOUS healthy dogs who all lived long lives. Unfortunately I am not in contact with these folks anymore.. Vegan diets can be done well or dangerously bad for both humans and animals alike. Most people who say it can’t be done havent seen a good example of it.

[fortunatecookie]

I have a German shepherd that’s been on orijens for the last 3 years of his life.
He’s not finicky. He’ll literally eat anything. We were told by his breeder to give him this brand, which we’ve done for his entire life.
We recently adopted a Pomeranian puppy. 3 months old. We got him on Nature’s Variety, recommended by a store employee. It’s the same brand that makes the frozen versions.

Now I’m thinking I either switch them both on one brand. I don’t know what I was thinking. Orijens makes a puppy version meanwhile, Nature’s Variety is an all age type.
Suggestions???

[lewalk]

Okay, here’s my situation that I’m hoping to get some help with. There are no shelters or rescues in the parishes where I live and work so the animal problem is out of control. I have become the crazy dog lady around these parts. It’s to the point where people stop me on my mail route and offer me dogs. Ten years ago we bought our daughter a lab. I didn’t know better than to not shop, adopt. I do now. Actually I pick up starving and abandoned dogs rather than adopt. This has led to my having the lab who is ten and seven other dogs age three and under. I have realized recently that I need to change their food as they have an array of health problems. My lab is fairly healthy with the exception of dry skin and icky runny eyes. The three year old rat terrier has an itchy behind and has developed a darker pinkish tint bordering on a rash on his belly and inside his arms. The three year old pit mix is surprisingly healthy especially since she was starving when I picked her up. The one year old husky/German shepherd mix is healthy as well. I picked up four pit mix litter mates several months ago running down the highway in the rain. We have since learned they have an immune disorder which has led to them having red mange. The two black pups have dry skin and runny eyes like my lab. One brown pup has diabetes and one has recurring yeast infections on her belly. They are all on a mix of Red Flannel Adult and Purina Puppy Chow with Red Flannel Puppy recently mixed in. I feed them all the same food because it’s easier for me because they always want what the others are eating. I just realized their health problems could be from food allergies. Of course I feed the diabetic dog differently. She eats Science Diet w/d dry and canned food. I don’t have the money to spend a fortune on food as I have a lot of vet bills but I want them to be healthy and happy. Added to this is a puppy less than a year old who has IVDD. I had the sheriff go to the people’s house that had her and talk to them as she was barely able to walk and they weren’t caring for her. Cut to, me having another baby to care for. My saint of a mother is keeping her at her house while we give her the time she needs to rest and hopefully heal. I was also wondering if there was something I could feed her to boost her immune system as well. I was never really an animal person so I don’t know much. I’m trying to learn but am a bit overwhelmed. I will gladly accept all advice and be very thankful for it. I’m sure I haven’t included the correct info. I tend to ramble on and on when it comes to my fur babies.

[InkedMarie]

Melissa: three 4mos old doxies, a litter of 4 week old doxies, two senior doxies (who had nothing to do with the litters so somewhere was at least two mama doxies and one dad), a german shepherd dog and a corgi. Add six cats, the two shelties I met and she talked about other dogs that we never saw. While some can have 8, when you walk into a house and smell it as soon as you walk in, IMO, too many. When we went the first time, I couldn’t wait to take a shower & change clothes. This is an elderly couple who breeds doxies. IMO, it’s a money maker for them and it’s what they do to make ends meet.

You’re right, i should mention it to the rescue but the head of the rescue went to her house five days before we did, to meet the shelties and take their pictures. She never said anything to me so who knows. Didn’t impress me much

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi DieselJuni –

The prejudices against bully breeds are unfortunate and in most cases unwarranted. I work for an open admissions humane society and at any given time our dog population is between 50% and 75% bully breeds and bully breed mixes. We have a lot of issues with individuals wanting to adopt bully breeds and their landlords not allowing it and even issues with people who do adopt, then a months or years down the road move and have to return the dog because they can’t find a new landlord that will allow a bully breed. When I was growing up we got a german shepherd, this was back in the 90’s when the public perception of shepherds was still really bad (I do think it’s improved quite a bit since then) – my mom owned our home, so that was fine, but our insurance company dropped us because we got the shepherd and we had to get new insurance and pay way more. She was the nicest dog ever and wouldn’t have hurt a fly. It would be nice if landlords and insurance companies could actually base their decision on the individual dog – like possibly make exceptions for all the breeds with bad raps (pits, shepherds, rotts, etc.) if they received a signed behavioral evaluation from a certified trainer or behaviorist or passed their canine good citizen test.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Growing up we always had a big tree in the living room then I’d have a small tree in my bedroom that I put homemade ornaments and popcorn strings on. We had a German Shepherd at the time. One day we left her alone in the house – BIG mistake. When we got home the big tree in the living room was tipped over, ornaments were chewed up, she went in my room and ate all the popcorn strings off my tree and she was pooping out tinsel for a couple days. She’s so lucky she didn’t get an intestinal blockage (this is the same dog that climbed on the counter to reach the shelf above the counter to get to my halloween candy another year, ate it all and lived to tell the tale lol)! Anyways, my hounds don’t bother the tree. I had more of an issue with my kitten to be honest – he was always trying to climb it and was batting at the ornaments and tearing them off the tree. I’d just put a doggie gate up – if you’re not going to be there to supervise sam just put the gate up so he can’t get into the room the tree is in.

[Hound Dog Mom]

As everyone probably knows, I’m going to be totally obsessed with this new raw food topic area 😉 – anyways I’ve been checking out other forums for some good discussions to get going and got a great idea from the German Shepherd forum. They have a topic area where raw feeders can post their menus. I think this would be a great tool for newbies to see what experienced raw feeders feed their dogs and also a great opportunity for knowledgeable people to comment about what others are feeding and make suggestions (maybe they’re feeding something they should, not feeding something they should, etc.). I know when I first started raw I was always looking for menus – the only place I was able to locate a good menu was on Leerburg Kennel’s website.

• This topic was modified 13 years ago by Mike Sagman.