[Kelly P]

@Anonymously – I do know bones can be risky, but you have to get calcium in the diet. Which is why actually most people grind the bones, meat, and other ingredients into mush. I would prefer that my puppy learn to chew.

Also I don’t really care for you bringing in articles in regards to dogs are not wolves. A dog is a carnivore not an omnivore. You can argue that the parasites living on the meat can threaten the animal’s life, but then you have the same issue with your raw Commercial food, unless they’re not telling the truth and it’s really cooked raw meat.

@Aimee – I understand your worry which is why I’ve spent time researching.
I have not talked to a Veterinary nutritionist because I don’t know of any. A Veterinary is not a nutritionist either so I can’t ask them. Here’s what I’ve learned though for puppy specific food. Puppies need more calcium than an adult dog. I’ve also read that it’s best to start raw feeding from an early age. Do you buy the same bag of food for an adult as for a puppy?

Wysong doesn’t seem to have a difference, I didn’t see any of the Dawrwin’s to have a choice between adult and puppy. Primal Raw Food doesn’t seem to have a difference either… Am I missing the Puppy formula? Nature’s Variety Raw doesn’t seem to have puppy specific formula. I know Blue Buffalo does but that’s merely grain free dog food. I’m not trying to be a jerk, but if the formula for the adult dog doesn’t change why is it an issue? I’ve also read that there’s a large margin of error when feeding raw, maybe like you suggested its only for adults because puppy nutrition is so important. Or maybe because no one expects to feed a puppy any raw food?

[aimee]

Hi Lovemypuppy,

There are various ways to calculate calorie needs and none of them are particularly accurate in regards to any one dog. After arriving at the number nutritionists will say that any individual dog can deviate 50% in either direction from that number. So if I calculate 500 kcals a day that means some dogs may require only 250 kcals a day and others 750 kcals.

Feed to body condition, calculate the calories that your dog requires and then if switching between foods feed on a caloric basis.

I have found that feeding calculators for raw diets are usually on the low end. I think that is so it makes the diet look more affordable than it actually is.

I took a look at Natures Variety calculator and plugged in some info and I agree the number of ounces they recommend didn’t add up to the number of kcals recommended. You may want to contact the company about that. The calculator told me to feed 9.5 ounces and 590 calories but 9.5 ounces fell far short of 590 calories using their caloric data.

Inked Marie.. It never made sense to me to say feed 2-3% body weight as the number of calories/ kg vary greatly. For example for Primal pork they report 35 kcals/ounce. Using the 2-3% rule i would feed between 6-9 oz a day for my dog or ~210-315 kcals. But if i used 6-9 ounces of their beef formula 384-576 kcals. Nearly a 2 fold difference.

[lovemypuppy]

I’m confused. I need to figure out about how many calories my pup needs per day. She eats raw (frozen commercial). According to Primal’s website she needs 340 kcal to maintain. But according to Instinct’s calculator, she needs 518 kcal. And, this site’s calculator says she needs 510 kcal a day. I’m guessing the 500 kcal is the correct ones and the Primal calculator is just off?

I’ve been feeding Primal since she was 2 months (she’s 1 year now) and it’s always seemed like she has eating a lot more than what their calculators said she needed. Maybe this is why?! I dunno, but I do need an accurate calculator so I can calculate costs and insure I’m not overfeeding.

TIA!

[JeffreyT]

Hi Daniel,

After a lot of trial and error, we found our very picky maltese prefer freeze dried and dehydrated, to which water is added. It’s pricier than kibble or canned but much more palatable, and also healthier since it’s not highly processed.

Freeze dried ours will eat:
Primal
Stella and Chewys
Stewarts
Orijen
Nutrisca
Northwest Naturals
Tru Dog
Vital Essentials
Most available from Chewy
http://www.chewy.com/dog/freeze-dried-food-336

They also love Only Natural Niblets Venison and Liver but they’ll eat all the flavors. There’s an excellent sale on the chicken now.
Only Natural Pet RawNibs Freeze Dried Chicken & Liver Meal Topper for Dogs

We buy the smallest bags possible, including sample bags, because the variety keep them interested in meals, plus it’s healthier. We also add probiotics and enzymes to the food to maximize nutrient absorption, strengthen immune system and minimize stomach issues.

Dehydrated foods:
Chewy sells these small sample bags of Dr. Harveys to try:
http://www.chewy.com/dog/freeze-dried-food-336/dr-harveys

Honest Kitchen sells sample bags of their dehydrated food. My pups like this less than Dr. Harveys but some pups really love it.
http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/catalogsearch/result/?cat=0&q=samples

We give Real Meat Food Co. when we’re in a hurry. It’s an air dried food made from grass fed, free range meats…..much less processed than dry and much more palatable. They love it. We buy the sample packs so it’s easy to rotate. Wellness Core has also has an air dried that’s very palatable but not as high quality as Real Meat Food Co.
http://shop.realmeatpet.com/Introduction-Dog-Cat-Food-Trial-3-Pack-FD3PACK.htm

Sometimes we do homemade for variety and add a premix.

Lastly, we always put toppers on food to entice eating….they can include their favorite treats like freeze dried Orijen, Stella and Chewy, Lakse Kronch Wild Salmon or lean meats, egg yolk, a sprinkle of parmesan, goat cheese, etc.
Chewy has a nice variety of healthy treats. Mine love the freeze dried type.
http://www.chewy.com/dog/treats-335/freeze-dried-food

[Cotons mom]

I am looking for a well balanced, easy to make raw diet recipe for my cotons. They both get primal, S&C, Vital and I want to learn to make it myself. Suggestions on where to get whatever supplements that need to be added would be also be great. I have a meat grinder so at least I have one thing going toward this adventure ;.))

Thanks

[JeffreyT]

Hi Craig,
DogFoodie gave you some great suggestions.
We have two very picky maltese, one with a sensitive stomach.
After a lot of trial and error with many types of foods, we found the freeze dried is the most palatable, easily digested and tolerated by our pups. I suggest starting with freeze dried that is pathogen-free (HPP process removes bacteria, salmonella, parasites, etc). Add filtered water and let soak in a few minutes. Rotating foods keeps them excited about mealtime, and is healthier than eating only one type of food. The following are some of the pathogen-free freeze dried mine will eat.
Stella and Chewy
Primal
Northwest Naturals (pretty sure it’s HPP)
Stewarts
Nutrisca
Dogs for the Earth (it’s already lightly cooked using all organic ingredients).

Honest Kitchen makes a great food. I wish mine liked it. You can order sample packs online.

I always add probiotics and enzymes to food which helps strengthen gut, digestion, immune system and vitality….we alternate between Dr. Peter Tobias, Mercola and Animal Essentials….all source non-GMO, pure ingredients. We keep Perfect Form by Honest Kitchen on hand in case of loose stools, but we rarely need to use anymore. I always start any supplement at a much lower dose than suggested and slowly build up.

When your pup gets stronger you may consider adding freeze dried foods that do not go through the HPP process since it’s less processed, like Orijen. Ours are crazy for the crunchy freeze dried like Tru Dog, which uses grass fed, free range meats, Only Natural Niblets and Vital Essentials. The only dry type food we give is an air dried, grass fed, minimally processed food from Real Meat Food Co. We buy the 3 pack sample bags for our rotation. They love this it and it’s easy to serve when in a hurry.

FYI, we use toppers on meals to entice our picky eaters. When feeding cooked food like Dogs for the Earth we add a cooked topper such as Dogs for the Earth liver and parsley treat, egg yolk, a sprinkle of parmesan, some lean meat or Lakse Kronch Wild Salmon Treats, etc. When feeding the raw freeze dried we top it with a few freeze dried treats (Stella and Chewys or Orijen). I try to add cooked toppers to cooked food and raw toppers to raw food to make it easier on digestion.

[jewel0247]

Hi all,
My doggy had a pancreatitis episode 2 weeks ago and was hospitalized for a day. She made a good recovery. Placed her on bland diet sweet potato and puréed chicken breast and transitioned to raw primal venison (she loved it! She was on darwins before). We ended up at the vet Monday with vomiting… She vomited undigested food 6 hrs after her dinner :/ and then vomited several more times even water the next day. The vet thought she ate too fast or she maybe was over fed? I think her pancreas is still upset and she couldn’t digest the food or too high in fat?

I’m at a loss what to give her now. We’re back on sweet potato and puréed chicken doing fine (of course on nausea med). Trying a sample of zeal here and there but she’s not crazy about it. She’s a very picky dog.. Will go on hunger strikes and vomit bile. :/ scared to give her primal.

Looked for homemade recipes but it seems complicated and I’m not sure what to portion out for a 12 lb dog :/.

Appreciate any input!!

[Dori]

Kelly P. You could also look in to dehydrated dog foods. You just add water to them to rehydrate. Some are The Honest Kitchen, Sojos, Grandma Lucy’s. I’m sure there must be others but right now these are the three that come to mind. Both Primal and Vital Essentials make pretty good freeze dried foods that do not need to be rehydrated. Just scoop and serve. Just make sure your dog has plenty of water. You could try adding water to the freeze dried I mentioned but it takes a very long time for them to absorb any liquid. I’ve tried doing that and it just didn’t work out well.

Edit: Forgot to mention that both Primal and Vital Essentials Freeze Dried are both rated 5 stars on this site.

Good luck with whichever you choose. I will just add that I wouldn’t go from homemade or raw and then feed a kibble (Blue Buffalo or any other for that matter). That’s a pretty dramatic switch.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 11 months ago by Dori.

[Margie R]

The raw diet primal lists lamb liver as its second ingredient. My vet was horrified. Any comments?

[Brad C]

You aren’t supposed to feed a dog with kidney disease a dry food. You need a food with a high moisture content, and low phosphorus. I use Primal raw food. It’s got very low phosphorus, and really high moisture content. Look up Dr. Becker on YouTube, she does free videos on these topics. She’s an holistic vet. who does the videos free. She’s been a wealth of info., myself, and my dog who also has kidney disease. Hope this helps.

[Shawna]

Hmmmmm? Creatinine is only a little high… Something doesn’t jive here. I’m sure there are exceptions to the rules but creatinine is a better indication of how well the kidneys are actually functioning (from everything I’ve ever read). Maybe newer data is suggesting different but data on this site, veterinary medicine dvm360, published in 2011 still agrees “A serum creatinine concentration is the most commonly used measure of severity of renal dysfunction and is the basis for staging chronic kidney disease (CKD) (Table 1). To optimize accurate staging of CKD, serum creatinine concentrations should be evaluated on two or more occasions when the patient is well-hydrated.” http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/laboratory-evaluation-kidney-disease?rel=canonical

Based on a BUN of 77 and a creatinine of 1.6, I personally wouldn’t do low protein but rather moderate amounts of “high quality” protein.

Does your girl have large amounts of very dilute urine? Was there any protein in the urine? Was any other tests done? Is there any other medical conditions? Did you get a second opinion? She doesn’t want to eat often but you said this is just her normal. Does she have any other symptoms such as vomiting, depression etc?

This may help… My Audrey was diagnosed when she was just 13 months old but had symptoms when she was just 6 weeks old. Within the first year of diagnosis I made dietary changes and then had her blood work done every three months. On December 18, 2007 (the second blood work done after the dietary changes) her BUN was 77 (6 to 25 normal) and her creatinine was 1.9 (0.5 to 1.6 are normal ranges for this lab). Audrey didn’t eat a lower protein diet for another almost 7 years.

They also now know that senior dogs actually require MORE protein than adult dogs because they are less efficient at digesting it. Even toy breed dogs – I had a 4 pound Chihuahua live to age 19 eating a HIGH protein diet.

Please take some time to read the articles on this website. http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidneyprotein.html

Okay……..YES – I would highly recommend starting her on Standard Process Canine Renal Support. It’s pricey up front but will last a long time for a four pound little girl. I’ve never used Five Leaf but others I’ve directly talked to felt it helped. The Primal Defense and Acacia Fiber will help lower BUN. I personally would look at feeding foods with higher quality and amounts of protein and getting rid of the cream of wheat and gravy. See if you can find canned tripe — a brand that is just tripe. There is one out with quinoa but I’m not sure how much phosphorus is in quinoa so not sure it is suitable? It may be, I just don’t know. Tripe itself is higher in protein with moderate amounts of phosphorus. Most dogs really really like it too. You can continue the goat milk (best if it’s raw in my opinion). Eggs are a good option but the yolk is higher in phosphorus so, recommendations vary depending on stage of the disease, you might want to feed more cooked whites then whole eggs (maybe a one to one ratio – one whole egg with one white only). I would also suggest against feeding homemade as it is really important to get the phosphorus to calcium ratios correct and to limit phosphorus to appropriate amounts for the stage of the disease (which is early stage based on the numbers you mentioned—unless your lab normals are way different than mine?). There are recipes online if you want to home prepare. Dr. Meg Smart has a recipe – you would want the one for “early to moderate stage” http://petnutritionbysmart.blogspot.com/2013/02/home-made-diets-and-renal-disese-in.html

There’s lots more you can do but you mentioned you have a budget so start with these and then if there’s more for other things you can add on as able–such as herbs that can be helpful.

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by Shawna.
• This reply was modified 10 years ago by Shawna.

[Shawna]

Hi Bev A,

I don’t come on DFA, and especially the forums, that much any more so didn’t see your post. Betsy alerted me that you had asked me a question. Thanks Betsy!!

Probiotics and certain prebiotics do help lower BUN – even the Merck Vet Manual agrees “feeding moderately fermentable fiber can facilitate enteric dialysis and provide a nonrenal route of urea excretion.” Unfortunately it seems most vets don’t know this yet. 🙁 http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/management_and_nutrition/nutrition_small_animals/nutrition_in_disease_management_in_small_animals.html

How high is your baby girl’s creatinine? Creatinine is more indicative of how the kidneys are doing. BUN can be elevated for additional reasons besides the kidneys. Example — feeding kibble (even KD prescription kibble), while simultaneously not getting enough water, can increase BUN. Does she have unlimited access to water and does she drink often? If you are feeding KD kibble, I would HIGHLY recommend switching to Science Diet’s KD canned foods — they have three of them (one is egg based, one is chicken based and one is beef based). Mixing up the canned food could keep her eating better based on her history. IF her creatinin is on the low side of high AND you can get the BUN down by feeding canned food and giving probiotics/prebiotics, you can also consider adding some higher protein, lower phosphorus toppers to her food and see how she does. The Merck Vet Manual has some info on this too. “In addition, research in dogs is also showing that higher protein levels than what are typically used in most therapeutic renal diets is beneficial as long as the diets are phosphorus restricted. Energy should be supplied primarily via feeding relatively more digestible fat and carbohydrates.” As stated, most of the “energy” in the diet should be fats and appropriate carbs but adding the right kinds of protein can help as well as being more appealing. For now, while the BUN is high, don’t mess with adding anything with protein, including treats, to the diet. If she likes organic, extra virgin coconut oil you can add small amounts of that to each meal and blend it in well so she doesn’t pick it out. It won’t add to the BUN. Oh, and I do like raw goats milk.

Changing from a kibbled diet to a canned KD diet should help reduce BUN. Adding a GOOD quality probiotic (I like Primal Defense by Garden Of Life or the product at Mercola Healthy Pets website) and the right prebiotic can help further reduce BUN. Adding the wrong prebiotic (fermentable fiber is another term) can make things worse as they ferment in the wrong part of the digestive tract apparently. The product I found the most beneficial for my KD girl is called acacia fiber. NOW brand makes one. http://www.nowfoods.com/Acacia-Fiber-Organic-Powder-12oz.htm

If she’s never been on probiotics and prebiotics before then I would introduce them slowly over several weeks period. My Audrey was 9 pounds and I gave her 1/2 of a Primal Defense and 1/8 tsp of acacia fiber in her food as needed (when I noticed she seemed off). To start out I would give maybe 1/8 of the probiotic for a few days. Then continue that dose but add a pinch of the fiber for a few more days. Then increase the probiotic to 1/4 but leave fiber at 1/8 for a few more days. If you don’t see any symptoms you might be able to go a little quicker. If you do see symptoms you might want to decrease the amounts being given a bit. Given to quickly to dogs not used to them, probiotics can often have diarrhea as a symptom as an example.

Let me know if you have any more questions for me and let us know how things are going.

Good luck to you and your baby!!!

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by Shawna.
• This reply was modified 10 years ago by Shawna.

[Jenn H]

Everything I have learned about diet for dogs w/ cancer is high protein, low carbs. Not the easiest foods to find and/or afford (if on a tight budget).
Whenever I’ve had dogs with cancer I head right to the integrated vet. He’s great at mixing & matching treatments, diets, supplements, etc using holistic (not necessarily homeopathic) and convential medicine. If you can find a good vet like that it’s worth a try.
Some vet hospitals also have nutritionists that do consults. For a fee of course.
I’m really into raw goat milk. Check out the Primal or Answers site for info on its benefits.
Good luck & good health to your dogs. I hope they all stay healthy & have long wonderful lives. I feel for you.

[Jenn H]

I have to say that raw unpasteurized goat milk has been a lifesaver. I wish I knew about it years ago. It’s considered a super food. And I never really thought it was all that it was cracked up to be until I had was so desperate for anything to work in a particular situation.
If you have a certified organic farmer that sells it near you or at a farmer’s market get it. That’s the least expensive.
If you can’t find it locally try a small mom & pop pet store that sells raw diets. That’s where I end up getting it most of the time. My store sells Primal brand.
Online you can try The Honest Kitchen Pro Bloom. It’s dehydrated. More reasonably priced than Primal.
If you look on the Answers website they have tons of info & links about the million benefits of raw goat milk.
Like I said I didn’t believe it til I tried it. Now I swear by it. Since giving it to my dog with Lyme she hasn’t needed any anti-inflammatory drugs and her stomach didn’t get upset from the antibiotic this time.
The puppy has been having diarrhea off & on for some unknown reason. Since giving it to him daily no more diarrhea.
Every morning about 20-30 min before breakfast I give them pure pumpkin mixed with raw goat milk.
It has been a miracle. I really can’t say enough about it. I suggest trying that before spending a ton of money on nutritionists. I really think you’ll find improvement pretty quickly.

[Shawna]

Hi Vicky T,

My Chihuahua mix had kidney disease from birth and lived to just shy of nine years of age. The most important thing I can say about kidney disease is DON’T feed a kibble diet — even prescription kibble. If you want to stick with prescription, Science Diet has some nice canned products that they recently came out with. One is beef based and the other is chicken based. If you are interested in feeding homemade, Veterinary Nutritionist Dr. Meg Smart has a nice recipe on her blog page. Dr. Smart gives a recipe for “early to moderate” and for “late stage” kidney disease. http://petnutritionbysmart.blogspot.com/2013/02/home-made-diets-and-renal-disese-in.html

Many, if not most, vets have not yet heard about (or understand if they did hear) the importance of probiotics and certain prebiotics (aka fermentable fibers) for kidney patients. These two supplements help to re-route BUN from the dog’s blood to the colon. This helps pup feel better and allows for a bit higher protein diet. The Merck Vet Manual has a nice blurb about it if your or your vet might be interested. They write “In addition, feeding moderately fermentable fiber can facilitate enteric dialysis and provide a nonrenal route of urea excretion.” http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/management_and_nutrition/nutrition_small_animals/nutrition_in_disease_management_in_small_animals.html

The fermentable fiber I found to be the most helpful with my Audrey was a human product called “Fiber35 Sprinkle Fiber”. It is no longer made but the fiber used, acacia fiber, is also sold by NOW brand. The probiotic I used is also a human product called “Garden of Life Primal Defense”. I gave the products together with Audrey’s meal whenever she seemed depressed, down or not feeling well. Audrey at a HIGH protein diet her whole except the last couple months and then I added some canned KD to her diet.

If Audrey had symptoms of nausea (which was rare until the very end) I would add a drop or two of peppermint essential oil (therapeutic grade only) or ginger extract (from health food store). Now vet Dr. Melissa Shelton has a line of essential oils for animals that are wonderful. I tried her GI Goe product when I had eaten something that wasn’t agreeing with me and it helped TREMENDOUSLY.. I put a dot of the oil on my finger and rubbed it on my tongue. Helped almost immediately.

Having a purified source of high quality drinking water always available is a great idea. Also giving Evian (or another high calcium, lower sodium mineral water) has been shown to help kd patients too.

The one supplement that I gave my Audrey from the day of diagnosis to the day she passed was Standard Process Canine Renal Support. It is a whole food supplement that can help prevent damage to the kidneys from inflammation. I HIGHLY recommend it.

I also really really like Answer’s Raw Goat Milk for kd dogs. It can often be found in pet boutique stores.

I found my local vets (two regular vets and one holistic vet (that I otherwise LOVE)) to be almost useless when it came to diet (or anything else natural that could be helpful with kidney disease).. I hope your vet is much more helpful!!!

Do take a look at the link that C4D posted (dogaware). That site was HUGELY helpful to me when I was trying to figure out what to do with Audrey right after diagnosis.

Good luck to you and thanks to C4D for the kind words!!!!

[Pitlove]

The Primal rep that comes to my work a few Saturdays a month always throws samples of their freeze-dried at me for my cat and dog. Dog loves them, cat used to like them, but did not like the Chicken & Salmon variety I brought home recently. She won’t eat raw either. She eats around the Primal if I put it in with her canned. I am however feeding her Ziwipeak Lamb now for canned food and it’s got a lot of the organ meat and bone in it that raw has. That could be another option for you guys. Shes eating that for breakfast and Orijen dry for dinner.

[jakes mom]

Diane, welcome! Have you tried feeding raw? Or freeze-dried or dehydrated food? Something like Primal freeze-dried nuggets, or Honest Kitchen? Might be easier on his tummy. I have a “geriatric ward”, lol. My 20yo loves the Primal nuggets, just crumble it up and mix with a little water. Check out Honest Kitchen, too, they have samples so you can see what flavors your guys like.

[Alana S]

I currently feed my two Chihuhuas primal pet food for the last year and a half. They love it and I love it. They are extremly healthy dogs at 11 and 10 years old.

My local health food store started carrying Northwest Naturals raw food and its significantly cheaper.

What’s your expirences with the brand?

Is it worth it to switch?

Thank you for your help,
Alana

[Pitlove]

I’d look into Primal. Its a commercial raw food that is formulated by veterinary nutritionists and is already complete and balanced.

[Pitlove]

Hi Ptcbass- Very sorry for your loss. I can’t say whether or not the rX food caused the loss of your pet. My cat was on Royal Canin SO for a UTI, but he died 2 years after I put him on it.

Zignature is an excellent dry kibble to look at. It’s certified low glycemic and grain and potato free. Primal Freeze Dried is an organic freeze dried raw food that might also meet your needs and for a small dog, wouldn’t be too expensive to feed.

http://www.zignature.com/product_range_dog_dry.html

Goat Milk <br> Select Variety

edit: as an aside, if she needs to drop a couple pounds, just feed for her ideal (target) weight and current activity level. She needs to burn more calories than she takes in to get back to a healthy weight.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Pitlove.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Pitlove.

[Jenn H]

I really love that site. It convinced me to try the goat milk for my dogs. The only pet store that sells raw milk only carries Primal. They love it.
I was hoping it may be an alternative to giving glucosamine & chondroitin supplements. I have a horse that gets so many supps I hoped to avoid that with my large breed dogs as they get older.
One of my girls is having a flare up of her Lyme. The vet suggested she not have the milk until she finishes her treatment. This time we are giving her Minocycline instead of Doxycycline since the side effects were too much for her.

I’m not sure if I want to stop giving her the milk. It has anti-inflammatory properties and good bacteria. But I also don’t want to mess up the antibiotic.
The vets at this hospital are amazing, but I don’t think they all keep up with the latest & greatest natural stuff. I’ll be contacting my integrated vet today.

Thanks for the suggestions. Even if Chevelle has to wait for her Lyme to go into remission before she can begin the goat milk, I can still give it to the puppy and my other girl.

[Jenn H]

Thank you for the reply.
I did find Primal raw milk at a specialty pet store!!!!
The dogs will be starting it today!

It’s good to know that the other is acceptable should I not be able to get a hold of the raw.
Seeing how well the babies did on the pasteurized I am looking forward to seeing if the real deal works better.
I kept 1 of the pups that I fed the pasteurized milk to. He loved that kind so I have no doubt he’ll love this.
Now I have to do the calcium math. Ugh. Large breed puppy.

[Shawna]

Hi Paul R,

They now know that dogs with kidney disease actually need good amounts of protein in the diet as it helps with the blood flow (aka GFR) and therefore keeping the blood clean. The exception to that rule is when the dog has high amounts of protein in the urine as that is a sign of inflammation of the kidneys. The protein should be lowered until the reason for the inflammation has been found and addressed — possibly a bacterial infection, stones, food sensitivity (they know in humans that gluten can cause increased proteinuria – I would assume reactions to foods can be the same in dogs). Here’s some data on that “A gluten-free diet induced in 75% of the cases a parallel improvement in these abnormal immunological data. Mean proteinuria values were found to be significantly decreased after 6 months of the diet and a reduction was also observed in microscopic hematuria.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2311308

May not be the case with your pup but I think it is often overlooked as a possibility.

My dog had kidney disease from birth and lived nine years. I fed her a raw diet but once in a while I was running in and out or really sick for a few days and would give her some kibble. Each time I gave her kibble I had to deal with the consequences of doing so for several days after. I would highly advise against ANY kibble, even prescription. The new prescription Science Diets are chicken and beef based and look appealing. If you can’t home cook and don’t want to feed raw it would be something to try while you are trying to deal with the proteinuria. I would also give a high quality omega 3 fish oil as it is anti-inflammatory etc. Another to try is organic (must be organic) turmeric (the spice). Turmeric is anti-inflammatory as well as anti-fibrotic, which are both helpful for the failing kidneys. Start with a small amount and build. Most dogs do well with it but my Audrey didn’t seem to tolerate it well. 🙁

Don’t give any more flea or tick meds or heartworm preventatives. Also no more vaccines. Some states will give rabies exemptions for pets with life threatening diseases. Take advantage of that if your state does.

It also helps to give reverse osmosis filtered water. There are so many impurities in most tap water. Always have water available. I would also look at a good probiotic and prebiotic. The right ones can help clear BUN etc from the blood which will help your pup feel better. This is called “nitrogen trapping” which was apparently discovered and coined by Iams researchers. I used a probiotic called Garden of Life Primal Defense (a human product) and a prebiotic called Fiber 35 Sprinkle Fiber (also human). I’ve heard that Sprinkle Fiber is no longer made but it was simply 100% pure acacia fiber. Any source of acacia fiber will work. Not all fibers work, some make things worse. I found this out the hard way. The one product I would not do without is made by Standard Process and is called Canine Renal Support. It helps in many many ways.

I hope something I’ve wrote is helpful for you and your sweet puppy!! Let me know if I can clarify anything or answer any questions etc.

Prayers to you both!!

[C4D]

Hi Faith,

Losul did give you some good information, as always. The others have as well. 🙂

Heart is technically considered a muscle meat. It is loaded in natural CoQ10 as well as a host of vitamins. Giving any dog fresh food will make for a healthier dog. I do feed mine a combination of fresh and kibble, simply because I have too many pounds of dogs at my house, otherwise it would all be fresh/raw. Here’s another link from Primal, a reputable raw food company confirming that heart is a muscle meat, even though it’s considered an organ.

http://blog.primalpetfoods.com/post/19313616133/muscle-meat-vs-organ-meat

Another raw website explaining what the organs are:

http://dogsdinner2.webs.com/offalororgan.htm

Good Luck with your dog! I wish you the best! 🙂

[Pitlove]

Hi- A lot of customers at the small pet store I work at use the Primal Raw Meaty Bones (they are beef marrow bones) and we have yet to have an issue. Perhaps trying the beef would be better. Them splintering like that is definitely concerning and I would not try to feed that bone again.

As for her arthritis, make sure she has comfortable things to lay on and I would definitely suggest a supplement like this one: http://www.chewy.com/dog/naturvet-arthrisoothe-gold-hip-joint/dp/48764
Also is she still getting excersized? Its kinda like how they tell humans that they need to continue to excersize to keep their joints from stiffening when they get older. I think continueing regular excersize for older dogs is a good idea to keep the joints mobile. Obviously only do what she can handle, but it should help. Was she a rescue? She seems young even for a pit to be having arthritis.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Ashley:
My dog is six, can eat anything, and has no health issues other than a tendency to gain weight during hot weather months. For canned foods I only take brands, ingredients, calories, proteins, and GA’s into consideration. I feed whatever recipe fits the bill regardless of what is on the label, puppy, small/large breed, Sr., etc. I try to feed foods with a fat to protein ratio of 50% or less; equal calories coming from fat and protein or more from protein than fat. For example, a recipe that is 4% fat and 8% protein would be ideal for him, 7% fat – 8% protein not so much. Some of the f-p ratios I feed can be up to 70% which is okay at this time since I rotate foods.

My budget foods are Tractor Supply Company 4Health – Turkey & Sweet Potato, Beef & Veg stews, or Sr. Chicken & Rice recipes, Triumph Puppy or Turkey recipes, BJ’s Earth’s Pride Chicken & Rice, and Wal-Mart Pure Balance Stews.

Here are some brands to check out that I currently feed or have fed:
Blue Buffalo Home-style, by Nature (no 95% recipes), California Natural, Canidae Pure Sky or Foundations, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Eagle Pack, Halo Spot’s Stew or Spot’s Choice recipes, Holistic Select, Hill’s Ideal Balance stews, Lotus, Nature’s Recipe canned or tubs, Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed recipes, Precise, Purina Pro Plan Natural recipes, Purina Beyond, Red Barn stews, Tiki Dog, Wellness – Core, Simple, Complete Health, or Stew recipes, and Weruva Human Style or Dogs in the Kitchen recipes only (Kobe/Kurobuta recipes are canned by Evanger’s).

Low fat recipes; most are available at my local stores. I order Life’s Abundance from their website. Generally I find stews to be higher in protein and lower in fat, but not always. These are between 12-20% fat and below 25% carbs on a dry matter basis using their label info:
Fromm’s Shredded Beef
I and Love and You Stews
Life’s Abundance Turkey & Shrimp or Chic & Crab stews
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials LID GF Chic/Broth or GF Lamb/Broth
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials tubs LID Duck or LID Venison
Nature’s Recipe tubs GF Chic & Duck in broth or GF Chic & Venison in broth
Nature’s Recipe tubs Chicken in broth or Chic & Turkey in broth
Nature’s Recipe GF Chic & Turkey stew or Chic & Venison Stew
Purina Beyond GF stews
Red Barn Beef Stew
Tiki Dog – Kauai Luau, Lahaina Luau, Maui Luau, or Tonga Luau recipes
Weruva – Marbella Paella, Bed & Breakfast, or Paw Lickin’ Chicken recipes
Wellness Core Weight Management

These are 22-25% fat and below 25% carbs DMB:
Halo Sr. Beef
Merrick Golden Years Medley
Nutro Natural Choice LID Sr.
Precise Holistic Pork w/veg in gravy
Red Barn Chic, Turkey, or Steak & Egg stews
Wal-Mart Pure Balance stews
Wellness Stews

Here are some freeze dried/frozen commercial raw and dehydrated foods I feed. I use the same guidelines for these foods:
I and Love and You dehydrated Turkey (I also want to try the Beef and Chicken)
Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Beef, Lamb, and Venison
Primal FD Turkey & Sardine, Frozen Venison, and frozen Turkey & Sardine
Stella & Chewy’s FD Chicken

Here is some info you might find helpful:
/choosing-dog-food/canned-or-dry-dog-food/
/dog-feeding-tips/how-much-dog-food/
/canine-nutrition/low-fat-dog-food/
/choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis/
/choosing-dog-food/raw-dog-food-fat/
http://www.dogaware.com/diet/freshfoods.html
Carb calculator:
http://www.scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html

[Allison A]

He has not been tested for EPI, nor have I given him enzymes. I can contact Hills, but based on the ingredients list, the majority of the ingredients that contribute to the fiber content are insoluble (wheat, corn, etc.). His poops are not great with Hills Light, but that has been BY FAR the most successful food for him. He probably poops 5-8 times a day. First thing in the morning, the stool is formed. After that, it gets softer and softer with each subsequent BM. On any food other than the Hills, his stool is just straight liquid.

I am trying to get him off the Hills (chicken, wheat, corn) because his ears and bum are clearly bothering him. Both of those issues have gotten exponentially worse in the last two weeks with the incorporation of the Orijen (he’s getting half Hills, half Orijen Red). It hardly makes sense!

He has never had a full raw meal, only a couple freeze-dried nuggets (Primal brand) on top of his kibble. Because of that, I can’t say that going raw is the definite solution for him, but I am investigating how to go about that in a way I can afford. The commercially available frozen raw diets are going to run $400 a month, which I just can’t do. Unfortunately, I live in a very large, major US city where all meats are ridiculously expensive. We’re talking about $3/lb for the cheap stuff.

[Pitlove]

Jan- Wow! So sorry for what your girl went through, but very glad you found out what it was. Not sure if you want to continue feeding the raw bones or not, but I was curious as to how often they were given? Raw meaty bones really should be recreational feeding only, meaning not every day and more infrequently than not. We carry Primal’s raw meaty bones at work and it even says that right on the packaging.

Perhaps she was getting them too frequently and it wasn’t allowing for enough digestion time? Or perhaps she really just can’t break them down. Either way, best of luck with whatever your choice is for her!

[Dori]

All Orijen is grain free, so is Acana Singles. The Honest Kitchen has a few grain free formulas. It has for quite some time.

As for freeze dried grain free foods there is Primal, Vital Essentials and I believe Nature’s Logic makes a grain free freeze dried food. I feed commercial frozen raw diet for my three but I do use freeze dried in a treat jar near the back door when calling them in. They consider it a reason to come flying into the house regardless of what they were up to outside. From time to time the only dehydrated food that I will use is The Honest Kitchen grain free fish formulas. Zeal is one and I believe they have just come out with one that has even less ingredients in it, I believe it’s called Brave (?) something like that. I just got an email about it last week or could have been this week. I don’t care for any of the other dehydrated foods that I’ve tried although Grandma Lucy’s is not bad.

[Barbara W]

I feed Orijens kibble and mix Honest Kitchen in it. My dogs love it but I really want only grain free and not a lot of plant based protein. I read here that HK doesn’t get its protein from a lot of meat. Is there another raw preferably dehydrated that is grain free and high in meat rather than plants? I’ve seen Stella and Chewy and Primal but not sure if that is the best route. Is Honest Kitchen really good? It doesn’t seem to make the editors choice list.

[FoxEyeX]

Frozen or Freeze Dried Raw Food brands like Stella and Chews or Primal. Mix with pumpkin or preferably dehydrate pumpkin add water. Start slow and work your way up to a full meal.

[Pitlove]

“I didn’t know there were dermatologists for dogs. I wonder if I can just go see one instead of a vet? They might know more than a vet would maybe?”

Yes! They have a lot of different specialists for dogs as they do for humans. My vet gave me a reference to this dermatologist I’m going to be seeing, however I’m not 100% sure if you need one. I know typically with humans they want you to have a referal from a general practioner. Perhaps call your normal vet and see if she can give you a phone # to a dermatologist. And yes, they do have more knowledge than the vet. Thats exactly what mine told me. She even told me to talk to her about food choices for my boy as well. My vet really only knows about Science Diet and Primal Raw. When I asked her for suggestions for other foods she said “I don’t know really”.

As for the recommendation from Red to essentially continue feeding Purina Dog Chow- That is on you. If you feel Dog Chow is a low quality food (most of us here except for a few would agree) then switch. If you can find a retailer for Fromm near you or order online “Fromm Family Classics Adult” is a huge step up from Purina Dog Chow and it’s 35.64$ for a 33lb bag on chewy.com. I recommend this food a lot at my work to people looking to switch from Purina, Iams, Science Diet, etc who are on a tight budget.

[Randy K]

I thought it was 8 months before LBP could properly process calcium? Totem is a little over 6 months and I’ve been holding back a bit on switching her to foods with a bit more calcium. I do mix it up a bit in her food rotation with Fromm LBP, Primal Freeze Dried, Honest Kitchen, Vital Essentials freeze dried, Tripett canned beef Tripe and recently Canadae Life Stages canned LGP. I’ve ordered some Ziwi Peak foods for her but have not started her on that yet. Eventually I’m fairly certain I’ll switch her to fresh raw foods.

[Pitlove]

Nice updates guys!

C4C- Glad they are liking the new litter box and the WEF! Praying they don’t change WEF either as thats exactly what my little girl is on and she’s very happy with it right now.

JM- Oh no! Sorry to hear about Jake. So thankful we really don’t have skunks around here, cuz my boy would be the first to get hit! However, I’m glad to see you haven’t completely given up on the raw. Keep at it girl!

I guess my update is I’m convinced that Dani can not have beef now. I gave her a sample of Primal Beef & Salmon freeze dried raw for a little treat and she threw up instantly. It definitely has nothing to do with the quality of the food. So that’s it, I’m staying away from anything beef for her.

She is on Whole Earth Farms like C4C’s kitties, so I’m in the same boat with the whole Purina thing. I’m keeping her to just one food now with different proteins since I find her poop is a lot better when she’s on one food.

Also, did anyone see the new Purely FF food they came out with? No by-products etc? I was reading reviews for it and apparently it replaced their FF Appetizers line (which I’m assuming had by-products) and people are pissed lol. They want the old formula back.

[jakes mom]

OK C4C, not much of an update but here goes, lol.
Your new litter box sounds good! I never add used litter to a new box, tho, never had to. It seemed like somebody always wanted to be the first to christen the new one. Years ago I used a hard plastic kiddy pool as a litter box (when I had 13). I still remember Dustin working his way around the whole circle, peeing every foot or so!
I tried a bag of Stella and Chewy’s frozen raw chic for the cats, On sale, figured I’d give it a shot in case it was just Darwin’s they didn’t like for some reason. They didn’t like Instinct, either, but hope springs eternal I guess, lol. I have put it out a couple of times and it’s disappeared but don’t know who ate it. I’m assuming it was Dustin but haven’t been able to see. So I have that and a couple of Primal dehydrated raw flavors that he’ll eat. I figure I’ll pick up a small bag of those once in a while, just a little extra for him, he can use all the calories he can get.
The biggest news at my house is not cat related, tho. Poor Jake got skunked again on Monday am! We’d just gotten up, 445. He went out and came right back in, started rubbing his face all over the carpet. No, not again!!! So I had to call off work and spent the last couple of days cleaning. Tuesday was my usual day off luckily so have had 2 days to deodorize. Lots of vinegar and baking soda, lots of baths for Jake and showers for me. But he’s very pretty, lol. The peroxide in the skunk wash mixture made his white fur nice and bright!

[Stephanie M]

My dog (1.5 year old Terrier/Korean Jindo mix) has been fully on raw since we returned from Korea in May (my husband is military, and we adopted him from a shelter who rescued him, his mom, and his siblings from dog meat truck!) We started the transition from the middle of April until the beginning of May, then tried Stella and Chewy’s for the month of May, but he wasn’t having much of it. He turned his nose up at the stuff most of the time.

We then transitioned to Primal, and he seemed to really enjoy Primal (we rotate proteins every week) and was doing quite well on it for the first week or two. During that time, we moved from Kansas to Colorado (friend’s house). He started shaking his head a lot more, biting at his paws, and scratching his face (mostly snout and chin) and neck. I assumed this to be an environmental allergy/stress symptom because of the grass and moving from Korea to Kansas to Colorado in such a short amount of time. About three weeks ago, his excrement began to have a lot of mucus in it, and two weeks ago, he had some projectile diarrhea. It was so bad that he cried when it came out. I immediately took him to the vet and she put him on antibiotics and a probiotic powder. He finished the antibiotics last week, diarrhea gone, but scratching, biting, and head shaking still persist.

I still have him on the probiotic and raw goat’s milk at the recommendation of a local “healthy pet store” manager.

We moved into our permanent home about a week and 1/2 ago, and his bowels started to have mucus again yesterday, so I haven’t fed him mostly because he’s eating grass again and won’t eat the Primal patties. I understand it could be stress related, but I am inclined to think that it is an allergy to the food (my previous dog was not picky and had very minimal health issues, so this is all new to me).

Is there anything I can do for him at home? The vet suggested I cook up some chicken and rice for him to see if he can eat that for about 8-12 weeks to eliminate any food allergens, then re-introduce the ingredients in Primal one by one. He’s never liked rice, so I can’t imagine that he’d enjoy that, but I guess if he’s hungry enough, he’ll eat it, right?

Any and all advice or suggestions would be helpful! Thank you!

[Ysabella J]

We have fed a variety of high quality canned food, kibble, and premade raw to our Golden Retriever for her entire life. I’ve recently done research and am just trying to get some more opinions/options. So, in your opinion what is the best canned food out there? Personally, I think Orijen/Acana are top notch when it comes to dry, Stella & Chewy’s or Primal for raw, but haven’t found a personal favorite for canned food.

Which also brings me to.. Does anyone know a high quality canned food that uses chemical free packaging? I wish the brands I listed above had canned foods as well.. Lol. Thanks in advance you guys!

[Dori]

I rotate between brands and the proteins they make with the exception of any fowl as one of my dogs is intolerant of all fowl.

Primal Frozen Raw and I use their freeze dried as treats
Vital Essential Raw and I use their freeze dried tripe as treats
OC Raw Frozen
Answer’s Detailed Frozen Raw
Nature’s Logic Frozen Raw
Steve’s Frozen Raw
Darwin’s (recently put it back into rotation)

I’m sure there are others I use in rotation but can’t think of them at the moment.

[LexiDog]

I’m currently using Darwins. I like it because they stamp on the package when it was made so I can tell how long it has been frozen. It is a little more watery than Stella & Chewys or Primal. My girl eats it up! I have priced it out, shipping and all, and it is still cheaper than Stella & Chewys 6 lb bag. Even of the less expensive proteins like their chicken. I also like that on average it has less fat in their formulas than other frozen raw. Sometimes the packages do leak. I think I only have had 1 half pound packages leak out of the last 42 lbs. order, so that isn’t too bad. The food is always frozen when it arrives.

i constantly get compliments on my dogs coat and how shiny and soft it is. Her poops are firm and small. She poops about once a day, which is nice. Although I am going to be going to half raw half dehydrated. Just to save a little bit on her food costs.

Have you tried their sample offer? It’s 10 lbs for $14.95. Great deal.

[Rhonda L]

Since she was doing well on the dehydrated raw, how about trying another brand and protein? The Honest Kitchen, Grandma Lucy’s, Primal… all good options. As for her teeth, our yorkiepoo loves a nice leisurely gnaw on a recreational bone or bully stick.

[Pitlove]

nice progress JM! Dani ate a little of her Primal raw turkey with her FF turkey (no throw up btw), but shes still hesistant for the raw. I’ll sway her in time tho 😀

[Pitlove]

bdog- im thinking you’re right. why toture her when i dont need to. i have so many other foods i can choose from that dont make her sick.

c4c- that is a great idea! i love that suggestion. and i love that part about if it shows up twice you stop feeding it. i am totally going to take that idea!

JM- well at least you’ve got one guy eating it! my kitten ate around the primal raw for the most part lol. Im gonna try the turkey with her and see if she likes that better since the one i gave her was beef and we have this beef issue now!

[Randy K]

Thanks Belinda! I’d love to switch Totem to to fresh raw foods but I’m a bit overwhelmed by all the info. We do have a small local company that sources grass fed and organic meats and organs and bones so I may still try to do it. She did really well eating her first raw turkey neck chewing every last bit really well. She loves the Primal stuff and sings when I mix it up but I’m also going to give her the Fromms LBP food in rotation so I don’t miss anything important in her diet.

[Pitlove]

alright guys, new issue arising for me with the kitty. 3 times now she has thrown up eating beef. Once it was nature’s variety, second it was fancy feast beef and now this morning she got a little bit of the beef & salmon Primal raw that I got in the sample pack from my pet store and threw that up and wont eat the rest. HOWEVER, last night she got a can of Merrick beef pate to test the waters…no throw up. suggestions? do I take beef out of her diet? Im so confused as to why she threw up NV fancy feast and raw beef but not Merrick…

edit: as i just finished typing this i look up to see her eating the rest of whats in her bowl (Max cat kitten chicken &liver pate mixed with the Primal beef& salmon) lol. I was about to go pick it up and throw it out

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Pitlove.

[Randy K]

We have 4 month old Shiloh Shepherd and I’ve had her on Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy and THK Embark/Love mixed in. I also add krill oil and occasionally ground lamb or a sardine and a couple times a week she get a frozen raw beef rib bone with meat on it for her teething so I think I’ve been feeding her ok.

I want to transition her to raw eventually and I’m trying out some of the Primal formulas to start with rather than jump into full force to start. I’m just using the freeze dried nuggets right now for convenience. My question is are the suggestions on HDMoms PDF still pretty valid and would the Primal formula suggestions on it apply to the freeze dried as well? I just want to assure I’ve got her on the right path.

Thanks for any help

[Maikwe P]

Thank you for the article that certain minerals in vegetables can create sparks in the microwave. Primal raw food has ground vegetables so maybe that is the issue. I am keeping an open mind and will show your link to my husband:
http://www.eatyourbooks.com/blog/2013/11/8/why-microwaving-kale,-carrots,-or-other-vegies-can-create-sparks.

[Naturella]

I agree with C4C (btw, @crazy4cats, Akari said that you have her email, so you can/should email her! And how come I don’t have your email? May I have it? My email is [email protected], so anyone can feel free to shoot me an email too!).

Also, just wanted to throw in there how much I love where I live at the moment as far as dog boutique-type stores are concerned, because we just had a doggie fest of sorts, with all kinds of adoption agencies and dog food reps present, and we got a whole box of samples from all kinds of people – Primal, Stella and Chewy’s, Open Farms, All Provide (1 lb of raw for free!), Weruva (6 cans, 4 pouches), Bixbi, Hi-Tek Naturals, Pro-Pac and Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Logic, NutriSource and Pure Vita, DoTerra, and so many others. My purse and the freaking box were full! My Bruno is definitely good for a while! I love free samples and with a small dog, those work as full meals and stuff! So yeah. 🙂 I am pretty excited.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Maikwe-
That certainly is concerning. Have you contacted the company about the issue? I just bought a bag of the Primal nuggets, but haven’t opened them yet. I also sometimes put my dogs’ frozen raw in the microwave for a few seconds. I’ll definitely keep an eye on that. I don’t know if it is only metal that causes microwaves to spark or not? Definitely something to look in to. Thanks for the heads up. Also curious about what the fermented food is that you are currently feeding. I occasionally put a little sauerkraut in my dogs’ meals. I’ve read that fermented foods are really good for their (and ours) digestive tracts.

[Maikwe P]

Has anyone else noticed that if Primal raw dog food is put in the microwave it reacts as if there might be metal in it? I have had this happen a couple of times over the last four months (different batches), but I have likely only microwaved six times over that period. I know not to microwave it, but if I am in a hurry in the morning and it still has ice crystals I will do it 6 seconds or so on defrost. Yesterday it starting cracking and popping hard the moment I turned on the power, and the “fire” and sparks coming from the dog food were stronger than any I ever observed in a microwave (as if a mug with metal in the decoration was in it, but a much larger blast of “fire”). It never does it with human food. My husband said about three months ago maybe there were tiny shavings coming off the metal grinder in the plant. I alternately use another raw food and have not had these happen with it. The other brand is a relatively newer brand and is not ground as fine as primal, and it is fermented. (By the way, I know microwaving counteracts the benefit of raw). I have been feeding raw food to two dogs for 10.5 years, both starting as young puppies, with no problems. Primal was my first raw food.

[Tracy M]

I recently took my dog in for a skin issue and after a skin scrape, urine test and Senior Blood work, I am told she has Pacreatitis.
I am very confused as to how she got pancreatitis, as she is on a raw diet. I also give her yogurt in her food .
I recently ordered the new Orijin Tundra Dry. I wanted to do a Raw and Good quality kibble. I thought this would help with cost of Raw.
I have not started her on the Tundra yet because of the diagnosis.
This is her information below:

Diets I’ve used:
Primal Turkey Sardine
Primal Duck
Stella and Chewys Duck Duck Goose
Natures Instinct Rabbit
Natures Instinct Venison
Sojos Turkey Complete

She is a 68 lb White Boxer. She went in for a skin check. She has been itching and loosing hair on her sides, behind ears, down legs, her belly. Has bumps and redness. She has irritated skin and is scratching. She has an odor when wet. I thought it was a yeast issue.
She went on prednisone and antibiotics from first Vet. I made a consult with a different Vet 2 weeks later. He did a skin scrape that was negative for mites etc. Senior blood work and urine were fine except the pancreas. Did second test to confirm. I was told it was pancreatitis. They put her on 2 more types of antibiotics and a topical steroid/conditioner for her skin.
Suggests bland diet for 2 weeks and retest.
Very confused with diagnosis. She started with the skin issue, then started drinking a lot, urinating more. She has no change in appetite, but had a bout of diarrhea.
She had a few accidents in the house and got into the trash a couple of times. These are things she never has done. When she got into the trash, I do not believe she got anything high in fat. But I’m not sure.
I recently lost my male Boxer in Feb and she has taken it hard, as well as myself.
She is 7
Anymore advice/recommendations would be great!