[anonymous]

Excerpt from an article written by a veterinarian that specializes in nutrition. She is affiliated with one of the best veterinary medical centers in the country.
Hope it helps someone, if not the OP, maybe someone else reading this.

https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/choosing-the-right-diet-for-your-pet/

Raw diets are another popular option on the market today. Studies have shown that 20-35% of raw poultry and 80% of raw food dog diets tested contained Salmonella. This poses a health risk for your pet, but also for humans. This is especially true for children or immunocompromised adults, whether exposed to the raw food directly, or the feces of the pet eating the raw food. Additionally, there is increased risk of other bacterial infections and parasitic diseases when feeding raw diets. And the bottom line is there is no reason to believe raw food is healthier than cooked food.
The numerous dietary choices for your pet can be daunting but if you pick an AAFCO approved food made by a manufacturer with a long track record, odds are good that you will find a suitable food for your pet. Most of the large pet food companies employ full time veterinary nutritionists and have very high quality control standards. That is not to say that a small company cannot produce nutritious and high quality food, but you should check out their website if it’s a company that is not familiar to you. Take the time to research, and ask your veterinarian if you have specific questions or concerns.
Please understand that this article is meant to provide basic dietary guidelines for healthy pets. If your pet has specific health issues, then your veterinarian may make specific food recommendations, which may include special prescription diets.

[Susan]

Hi Tiffany,
I think you’re doing a pretty good job, you’ve had a little set back with Aria, if Aria didn’t catch the rabbit Aria would probably be doing really well now, just start all over again..
You may of panic a little bit but after reading all the bad stuff on the net who wouldn’t panic, I would of paniced aswell actually years ago when Patch was pooing blood diarrhea I paniced & rushed him & took some of his bloody poo to the vets & waited out the front till they opened up at 8am, the vet nurses & vet were so calm & I was a mess, stressing out, I had no sleep, I’ve never owned a dog that pooed just blood all night…. he blood wasn’t from a raw diet, afterward I went thru a animal Nutritionist to put him on a raw diet.
But you learn from these things & if there’s a next time you’ll do things different….
Patch has IBD his vet gives me repeat scripts of “Metronidazole” that I keep in the cupboard & when something happens like Aria vomiting undigested smelly brown vomit or blood vomit or bloody poos & I see Patch isnt getting better after 2 days then I start him on the Metronidazole for 7-14 days..
When Aria spewed the brown stuff it would have been digested food in its liquid form, then she couldn’t poo cause she probably didnt have nothing much to poo out after being fasted for 24 hrs then she spewed a meal, her bowel would have been emtpy & she was unwell with Gastritis she probably felt like she had to poo but didnt have to poo..
What did she eat the day she spewed the digested food??
Just keep an eye on Aria being a GSD she may have a sensitive stomach/bowel then her brother Ronan has….She might be more sensitive to certain ingredients?
I just re read your post maybe don’t feed Aria any beef if she gets bad gas after eating beef. also beef livers are more rich, I’d start a Elimination diet with Aria, I’d feed Ronan the same raw diet as you were feeding before the Rabbit incident & with Aria I’d start feeing just 1 meat probably Chicken, Turkey & Duck & feed from the same animal so the same organ meat & same muscle meat, so feed from the same chicken or Turkey or Duck if you can, you’ll have to buy the whole chicken or whole Turkey try & find a chicken, duck & turkey farms close by, best to feed free range raw, but its more expensive.
also maybe when she spewed she ate too much fat??
My vet tells me, sometimes its good when a dogs spews, its not always a bad Susan lol the Gastro vet said its very easy for a dog to bring things back up, they’re not like us when we vomit, it just stresses me out a bit, I stress when Patch spews, well I dont stress as much now after the Gastro vet has explained it all to me & told me not to worry, its better out then in, also dogs have a short digestive tract & can easily vomit when they have too,
Chicken, turkey & pork these meat are suppose to be easier to digest & the bone is supoose to be softest from the Chicken but the pork has more fat but you can control the fat amount you feed if your making your own raw diet also home made raw is HEAPS better then the Pre made raw you buy already made, when I bought Turkey BARF pre-made for my cat she wouldn’t touch it, then I took the Turkey back & they gave me samples of the Rabbit & Kangaroo Barf & they all smelt the same as the Turkey BARF, you’d think being different meats they would all smell different, well they should of all smelt different, the cat wouldn’t touch any of them, then I went to supermarket & bought fresh human grade chicken & kangaroo mince & it smelt like fresh meat should smell, totally different to the pre-made pet BARF raw formula’s, So your better off making your own raw meals, it probably heaps fresher.. find a butcher that sells cheaper off cuts..

Just make sure when they’re both eating raw meaty bones, you watch them & make sure they’re both crunching & munching their raw meaty bones & if you see a certain cut of meaty bone that they’re not really chewing properly & just swollowing, then don’t use that cut of meaty bone again… Invest in a meat cleaver & a good chopping block & go nuts & start hacking at all the meaty bones lol…
If you join a few facebook groups you might find someone thats selling or giving away their smaller grinder/mincer they might have bought a bigger grinder/mincer?
Dont worry about them eating bones, dogs teeth are made specially for eating raw meaty bones, animals etc, a really good Raw Canine group is called “The Australian raw feeding Community” f/b group…

Canine Dental Anatomy

Incisors — Dog
There are four types of teeth in small animals: incisor, canine, premolar, and molar. Nature designed each to serve a special function. Incisors are named first, second and third; or central, intermediate, and lateral, based on their location in the mouth. There should be six incisors in the maxilla (upper jaw) and six in the mandible (lower jaw). Incisor teeth are used for shearing and grooming.

Normally, the
lower canine
should intersect
the upper lateral
incisor and upper
canine
There are two large canine teeth located in the mandible and two in the maxilla. The canines are designed to grasp and tear with great pressure. Premolar teeth have sharp edges used for shearing. In the dog, there are four premolar teeth on either side of the upper and lower jaws. Dogs have four molars in the upper jaw and six in the lower. Molars have a flat surface used for grinding.
So you dont need a grinder your dogs teeth are one lol

[Tiffany T]

Just makes me wonder what causes certain dogs to react like that, yet others are super healthy on a raw diet their entire lives. I feel like my Ronan would excel on a completely raw diet (his stomach is a machine), yet I don’t think Aria handles it nearly as well (she’s dainty and sensitive).

I hate that since the scare, they are both so disappointed to see their bowl full of kibble again. I want what’s best for them. I wasn’t doing raw because it’s a “fad” but because the percentage of dogs that develop cancer nowadays is really alarming to me (and a lot of vets link it back to what they eat… kibble). So going raw where I knew exactly what was in their bowls was great, and the dogs loved the variety and taste. I think Taste of the Wild is a great brand of kibble, but again. Boringgg. So I’m just stuck in this rut now.

It also sucks that I saw such a detox from both of them on raw (much less shedding, clean teeth, fresh breath, relaxed after chewing, to name a few). It’s now a journey to find a happy median for us.

[Tiffany T]

I’m not insulted, I probably didn’t explain their diets very well in the first place. We do intend to continue feeding turkey necks on the weekends since that was a hit with them, and might make the slow transition back to raw… maybe Aria’s the type of dog who takes a year to transition. If she seriously does have ill affects against beef though, not sure what we will do (I can’t afford raw lamb every day – too expensive). I found a great local butcher that sells 5lb bags of fresh ground raw dog food for $11.99, so we might check that out. If only I could afford one of those $500 meat & bone grinders… lol

Anon, my vet advised that Aria just rest for a couple of days when she was sick and prescribed antibiotics for the upset that she thinks was caused by the wild rabbit. Aria is the only one who got sick – Ronan did not. My veterinarian did not have any ill words against feeding raw. My vet is a very well-educated lady who has always treated us and our dogs with respect. She did not tell us to change their diet.

No offense… but why are you advising people what they should do on a online forum if you don’t believe people should listen to the advice we get here? I’m not looking for anti-raw zealot answers.

[pitlove]

You would have to give me more detail on your meal prep for me to really be able to see what you were doing. From your statement above your dogs were getting organ meat and RMBs but fish only once a week. Muscle meat should be the 80%. Also certain organs are fed as muscle meat in the Prey Model diet. So you have to take that into consideration too.

I don’t really like premade raw like Primal, Stella and Chewy’s etc but there is a service called https://www.wefeedraw.com/ that has prepared Prey Model Raw. It is not going to be as cheap as most dry food though. You have larger dogs too which always makes everything more expensive.

[pitlove]

Hi Nicole-

There are folks out there that do feed their puppies a raw diet, but if you are new to raw feeding I would not venture into that realm until he is an adult. Growth is an unforgiving lifestage and it is not easy to make sure a raw diet is being balanced correctly for puppies.

If you absolutely want to feed raw even when hes an adult following https://therawfeedingcommunity.com/ or http://mojoandfriends.blog/ would be a good place to start. The couple that runs Mojoandfriends blog just bought a Staffy Bull puppy and shes on a Prey Model Raw diet. Perhaps you could contact them and ask for advice.

[Susan]

Hi Charles,

The only way you will know 100% what foods your dog is sensitive too is to do a food elimination diet, you start by feeding 1 novel protein, a protein source he hasn’t eaten before & add 1 carb….this takes a while to do but you get results, I picked ingredients for the elimination diet that were in kibbles he had eaten & ingredients in kibbles I wanted to feed him.
Raw was the easiest way to do the elimination food diet as you dont have to cook & Patch reacted within 20mins of eating raw chicken breast, his back paw went red, swollen & hot, he was licking & licking his back paw, I had to put an ice pack on his back paw, so I knew straight away “NO more chicken”, then I started cooking his elimination diet as I didnt want to give him raw grated potato, raw carrots etc cause he has IBD & I found cooked carrots made his ears itch & he’d shake his head & scratch his ears, if you dont want to cook or feed a raw diet for the elimination diet then ask your vet about Hypoallergenic vet diets, would be your next step, once your dog has been eating the vet diet for 6 weeks & dog is not scratching, no red paws etc then you start adding 1 new ingredient for 6 week peroid or as soon as you see the dog reacting you stop adding the new ingredient, it can take anywhere from 1 day to 6 weeks to see a reaction to an ingredient..

Alot of people will blame an ingredient in a kibble, there’s so many ingredients so they blame the potatoes, peas, chicken etc like I did, then when yrs later I did elimination food diet & I tested cooked potato then 1 month later I added cooked sweet potatoes, my dog he didnt react at all, no itching, no red paws, no gas, no sloppy poos, so for 2 years I had avoid buying any dog foods that had potato in them, also kibbles have too many ingredients in them so its very hard to know 100% what ingredient is causing the skin, ear or paw problems…. also normal pet shop & supermarket dry kibble become cross contaminated while being made or while being cut into the kibble shape from the cutting machine, so you’ll never really work out what ingredient your dog is reacting too in a dry kibble… Vet diets are suppose to not be cross contaminated…..

If you don’t like Hills, Royal Canine or Purina vet diets then there’s “Rayne Canada” vet diets they have Novel proteins Crocodile, Kangaroo & Rabbit formula’s..
It’s sooooo hard to really know 100% what your dois reacting too cause you also have the envrionment allergies aswell that he might be reacting too that day 🙁
But with my Patch he reacts to foods within 20mins of eating them he starts scratching & gets reditchy paws & start to lick them, & his gastro problems can take anywhere from 6-8hours to 1-2 days depends, Lentils he reacted within 6 hours of eating a kibble that had lentils in it…
I found it best to do your elimination food diet in the cooler months when environment allergens aren’t as active…..also as the dog ages their allergies become worse, Patch had the worst Summer last December & this January it was awful his immune system went into over drive & made his IBD flare up, I nilly put him to sleep, I couldn’t handle watching him suffer, he couldn’t swollow his food, everything he ate was coming back up into his mouth, his vet begged me to hang in there & wait 1-2 months for Summer to be over before you put him to sleep, I’m very lucky, well Patch is very lucky to have a really good vet, he wouldnt be here now…. Make sure your dogs diet is high in Omega 3 & give Probiotics daily, one thing about the Vet diets for skin problems they are very high in omega 3, so make sure if you’re not feeding a vet diet & doing an elimination diet or feeding normal dry kibble, start adding fish/salmon or Krill Oil capsules, Krill Oil capsules are suppose to not cause stomach problems & are better for dogs who suffer with Stomach problems…
Good-Luck
Here’s the Rayne Canada site.. http://www.raynecanada.ca/canine-diets/

[pitlove]

Hi Tiffany-

Couple things. The diet that you mentioned was not in fact properly balanced. It sounds like you were trying to do a Prey Model Raw diet, but not following the 80/10/10 rule consistantly everyday. If you want to see how to properly feed a Prey Model Raw diet follow “The Raw Feeding Community” and I also like http://mojoandfriends.blog/.

Onto the sickness issue. My guess would be this is directly related to the wild rabbit they were allowed to eat. As Tyrion said above, wild rabbits/animals can carry a wide variety of parasites, hookworms included. Hookworms can and will cause GI issues like what you experienced. DO NOT allow the dogs to catch and eat wild prey again. This is asking for trouble. If you need to, I would even recommend purchasing your raw meals from a service like wefeedraw.com.

[pitlove]

Hi Chris-

A raw diet is actually one of the most innappropriate diets for a growing large breed puppy. Calcium and phosphorus ratios are difficult to balance in a homemade raw diet which can most certainly lead to developmental orthopedic disorders. If you intend on feeding a raw diet to a large breed puppy it would be best to wait until he/she is fully grown or if you have a breeder that feeds raw and can prove that they have successfully transitioned their pups onto a raw food diet and had them grow optimally with no developmental issues, get that exact recipe from them and follow it to a T. Otherwise, it’s best to use a commercial dry food from a larger company that staffs nutritionists who formulate foods specifically for large breed puppies.

[Chris F]

Ah, this is great topic of conversation and quite a good bit of debate surrounding the issue.

The various studies that have been done imply that nutrition is an important aspect to a growing large breed puppy and can have signifcant impact the quality of his health later on.

The evidence (http://ivcjournal.com/feeding-large-breed-puppies/) suggests that we should not restrict protein from their diet since this play a huge role in lowering the risk of developing joint and arthritis including hip dysplasia later on in their life.

The second suggestion (http://ipupster.com/best-puppy-food-reviews/) as also purported by DFA is that excess calcium can now be linked to skeletal disease.

So the key-takeaway is to find commercial dog foods that are low in calories, are low in fats and have limited calcium.

With that mind, I think the best way to control these is to choose a raw food diet for our large breed puppies.

Dr. Becker at Mercola Pets has a great and detailed video (https://youtu.be/u9gbxLiKaJU) I also found helpful. A tad long but well worth the watch!

[anonymous]

Consider what happened a wake-up call. You were lucky that the situation was not worse.

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=raw

I feed a quality kibble as the base, about 2/3rds of the diet, I add a little chopped boiled chicken, plain chicken broth or water, sometimes scrambled egg or a little tuna or something.

My chicken broth recipe /forums/topic/grain-free-2/#post-109751

[Tiffany T]

I have a 55lb. amstaff/cattle dog male (Ronan), and a 47lb. GSD mix girl (Aria).

Over the past two months we had been making the switch from Taste of the Wild kibble to a completely raw diet. It started out as a meal here and there, then for several weeks they had kibble for breakfast and raw for dinner. They seemed to be doing great, and I love how much they acted like they loved their food, and how long it took them to eat it (especially their favorite RMB, turkey necks!).

Since it had been two months, I figured it was time to see if they were ready to have a full week of raw. I was doing great at balancing their food I thought (had been doing research through the roof). They were having 1oz. of liver every day, fish once a week, 1 RMB a day (chicken thighs, turkey necks, pork necks, and the like), and other things like goat milk, carrots, snap peas, raspberries, blueberries, pumpkin, etc.

Well, that Monday they caught themselves a rabbit out in the backyard. And I foolishly let them eat it, not thinking about parasites, disease, etc… they ate the WHOLE thing. Aria got all the guts (including the intestines) and Ronan ate the top half. Later that day, Aria threw up EVERYWHERE. Probably the entirety of the rabbit she had eaten. So I fasted both of them for 24hrs.

4 days pass, and suddenly Aria gets ill. She threw up a very foul-smelling brown sludge all over my kitchen and dining room. I didn’t know what to feed them since she was sick, so I backed up and give them both kibble. And while were were outside that morning, she was unable to poop (straining, but nothing coming out). Immediately I was thrown into a panic thinking she had an intestinal blockage from the pork necks I had given them the day before. We rushed to the vet who did x-rays, but they came back fine, other than she had an abundance of gas (but she’s always been a gassy dog).

So we went back home with instructions to just take it easy. We went outside and she was able to poop a very small amount, but it was also a brown sludge of diarrhea with some blood in it. And then a couple hours later, she threw up her kibble breakfast. So we went back to the vet for another x-ray and the stool sample.

Our diagnoses that day was gastroenteritis and hookworms. We were given antibiotics, and here we are 4 days later, and I finally have my normal Aria back.

I am just shook by this entire experience, because I don’t know what caused her to become ill. Was is the rabbit she had eaten 4 days before her sick episode? Did I get her something that completely threw her off? I had given her anything she hadn’t eaten before…

It is unfortunate to say that we are now back on kibble with the occasional supplement of goat milk yogurt, cooked chicken, and rice. I do not know where to go from here, because I don’t want to pay another $300 vet bill if she gets sick again. Perhaps I am too close to the situation. I just have no idea what I should be feeding them at this point, and even though she did not have an intestinal blockage, I scared myself so badly with the thought that day that I am now worried about it.

If you’ve read this far, thank you… sorry to be so long winded. Any advice is appreciated.

TLDR: Dogs were making a transition to raw. They caught and ate their own wild rabbit. Aria got extremely ill 4 days later, vet diagnoses was gastroenteritis and hookworms. I am now scared to feed raw because of my fear that it may not have been the rabbit that made her ill but I have no idea… and I am also extremely worried about intestinal blockages.

Thanks,
Tiffany

[jennifer m]

Well, she has been on the Nutrisource Lamb Meal and Rice for a few weeks. I bought a small bag. Still having at least 6-8 poops a day. She literally will go about 3 times before she even eats her first bowl of food for the day. I can also tell she does not really like the food.

I tried 2 days of Pure Vida and had less poops so I thought I could possibly transition over, plus she liked the food. Bought a bag, and day 3 was a blow out.

So back on the nutrisource for the time being. At least we are solid on it, but obviously just have not found the right thing.

I am concerned about a raw diet. The holistic vet in the community is known to suggest Honest Kitchen Raw food. She is currently on maternity leave so I may see her when she gets back.

I am beginning to think it may be peas. The foods I have tried have varied by proteins, but the two she has had the most success with contact no peas. It’s been hard to find a good quality food that doesn’t have peas in it.

[pitlove]

Hi puppypiles-

Yes Corgis are technically suppose to be a fed a large breed puppy formula because they are often plagued with the same growth disorders large breeds get.

For puppies the best thing to do is use a commercially available dry food that is suited for the growth of large breed puppies and then once he/she is an adult switch to a raw diet. You also can talk to the breeder or multiple breeders and see what they recommend. Make sure you are talking to breeders that know what they are doing though.

[pitlove]

Hi Vishakha-

I have yet to find a brand of raw that makes bags large enough to last a month for larger sized dogs. I guess they feel it would be so expensive that it would discourage people from buying it. Not really sure.

There are services out there like https://www.wefeedraw.com/ where they ship you pre-packaged raw food enough for either 2 weeks or 4 weeks. This is a prey model raw diet however.

[Susan]

Hi Ellies Parents,
why dont you feed them home made raw diet when you get to Canada? go & buy the same ingreients in Canada if you can.
Go onto “Rodney Habib” facebook page he lives in Canada & has a Dog Shop, ask him, Dr Karen Becker or people that follow Rodney might be from Canada aswell & they’ll point you in the right direction, but if you make home made raw now then make the same raw diets while you’re in Canada & make enough for the amount of time you’ll be there & freeze small meals, that’s if your staying with friends….
Try & stick with the same diet your feeding now especially if you have a dog with Stomach poblems, the stress of traveling might upset the dogs, so try & keep their routine the same if possible…

[pitlove]

Hi Jessica-

Since you have a dog with food sensitivities, the issue is not so much the lower of the amount of meat in the food, but whether or not they have added any other proteins to the diet. I also wouldn’t stress over whether or not it will remain a 5 star food. The rating DFA gives the food has no correllation to why your Frenchie has done well on it.

However, if your concern IS the fact that they have added more fruits/veggies and you are trying to stay with more of a meat based diet, you could consider a Prey Model Raw diet like the ones provided from https://www.wefeedraw.com/

[Susan]

Hi Brianne,
My boy has IBD, he gets bad acid reflux & gets Pancreas/stomach pain lifts his right paw up whinges & wants me to rub around his stomach & Pancreas area, we have done the blood test & Ultra scan for Pancreatitis & everything comes back OK his Gastro vet says its his IBD, its his stomach….
If your dog isnt really interested in his Blue Bufflo kibble change it & find a kibble or low fat wet can or Freeze Dried raw kibble to feed him, I have found I need to rotate between a few foods that agree with him, they must be low/medium fat around 10%min to 14% max in fat, Protein over 25% & Carbs under 30% & fiber under 4%..
A dogs digestive tract is short & ment to digest a raw meaty diet not these processed dry kibbles, this is why I think so many dogs are having stomach & bowel problems……

My boy loves the Hills I/d Chicken & Vegetable Stew wet can food & the Royal Canine Intestinal Low Fat wet can food I just get a paper towel & pat down & dry all the oil from the Royal Canin low fat wet food, Why I buy teh Vet Diet Wet can foods cause the fat is low where pet shop went can foods are higher in fat…
Patch gets his acid when a food has fish/salmon oils, he does well on Canola & sunflower oils…
Have you tried an ant acid reducer like Pepcid or Zantac ? you give 30mins before 2 of his main meals a day, my boy is on an ant acid blocker now he started off on Omeprazole (Prilosec) took it for 2 yrs then around December last year I moved & Patch went down hill really bad, I asked his vet can he do another Endoscope + Biopsies you must ask for the Biopsies so the vet knows what is really happening in stomach, my Patches Sphincter flap isn’t closing & the acid is coming up his esophagus into his mouth & went back down into his wind pipe this probably why he became so unwell the beginning of the year, I nilly put him to sleep he just gave up it was awful to watch, also his Helicobacter-Pylori were come back & he had Gastritis stomach…so he was put on 21 day triple therapy meds Metronidazole Amoxcillin & Prilosec given every 12 hours with a full meal, then after the 21 days I continued giving just 1 x 20 Prilosec tablet of a morning for his acid reflux & to keep his Helicotor away, it lives in their stomach walks & loves sugary carbs (kibble)
In the end I had to stop any wet foods cause they kept coming up into hois mouth causing bad acid reflux, I found Wellness Core Large Breed dry kibble & he’s doing really well now, he’s acting like a puppy, he isnt a large breed dog he’s an English Staffordshire Terrier, the Wellness Core Large Breed formula is low/med Fat-13%, Protein-35%, Carbs-31% low in Kcals per cup -345Kcals per cup & is high in Omega 3 & has Glusomine & Chondroitin helping his joints & bones he’s 9ys old & it has no chickpeas or lentils…

I’d change his diet, if you can cook 1-2 of his meals a lean white meat with boiled sweet potatoes, sweet potato freezes really well & feed his other 2 meals the Wellness Core large Breed formula, try & feed 3-4 smaller meals a day, I feed him at 7am, 9am-1/2 cup kibble both times 12pm-wet can food or cooked food or his freeze dried raw food & 5pm -1/2 cup kibble & 8pm-1/3 kibble, & try an ant acid reducer first either the Pepcid (Famotidine) or Zantac (Ranitidine) 30 mins before 2 of his main meals, if they dont really help him then ask vet about trying Omeprazole (Prilosec) 20mg best given first thing of the morning just wait about 20mins then feed him but you dont really dont have to wait before feeding him as Prilosec is a Protein Pump Inhibitor (PPI) sends a msg to the brain not to make as much Hydrochloric acid in the stomach, where the Zantac & Pepcid works differently & I found didnt really help Patch… You will see results within 2-3 days after using the Omeprazole..
Sometimes I also give Patch either 5ml liquid Mylanta or 1/2 a Quick-eze chew when he has vomited up acid these line his throat & eosphagus & make him feel better…

[jessica n]

Hi Raw Food Experts –
I have been feeding my dog Nature’s Instinct Variety Raw (Beef + Lamb) his entire life. He is a French Bulldog, and with all their allergies and health issues, he does extremely well on this diet, so we’re careful that he only gets this food.

Nature’s Variety has changed this food and I am very concerned. The primary change I can see if that it went from 95% meat to 85%, and the fruits went from 5% to 15%. It is clear that they did this to lower price.

They’ve also introduced a new frozen raw food line, now their “Signature” frozen raw line that maintains the 95% meat, and is only sold at independent retailers.

What do you guys think about the change to 85% meat and the new recipe? Will this still be a 5 star frozen raw food? Or, should we consider moving to their new Signature recipe (if we can find it!)?

Details here:
https://www.instinctpetfood.com/newraw

[Zeke S]

Hi Patty! Is there some other place in your home that you could do the meal prep? Mine is usually done in the garage, where we keep a second fridge dedicated to raw diet foods.

[Sloane K]

@Jessica M, I’m glad you chose not to listen to anon101. There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the legitimacy of feeding a raw diet.

[Sloane K]

Very helpful info! I feed my yellow lab rescue a homemade raw diet but have been thinking of switching to a name brand. Might give this one a try.

[Sloane K]

Very helpful info! I feed my yellow lab rescue a homemade raw diet but have been thinking of switching to a name brand. Might give Top Quality a try.

[Kalii16]

I have my daughters beautiful 10 year old Pit Bull girl Kalii. Recently took her to the vet for her checkup/shots & the vet said she’s 12lbs over weight. She should weigh 55lbs and weighs 67lbs. When we play in the yard, she does come back in limping. She definitely has arthritis and the extra weight is not helping! My daughter had her on Taste of The Wild – smoked salmon. Recently I was told to put her on Zignature Catfish Formula. She’s been eating that for two days now (mixed with her Taste of the Wild). In the past, we have had issues with her skin. So we assumed she had allergies & took her off grains and chicken etc… and her skin cleared up. I guess my question is, is this Zignature food the best choice for her and will it help her lose weight? I give her two scoops a day. Also, what should I be giving her for the arthritis? Should I consider a raw diet and if yes, how do I go about that? I know zero about any of this! I just want her to be healthy and to live as long as possible pain free and happy. Thank you to anyone who can help me. Appreciate it very much!
Jean & Kalii

[Susan]

Hi Jennifer,
I have a Staffy with Food Sensitivities Environment Allergies & IBD, I would be making her your own raw diet with human grade meats, no pre-made raw dog food, I went thru animal nutritionist in Australia & we started PAtch on a raw elimination diet to work out what ingredients he is sensitive too…
Dogs have a short digestive tract, their intestinal tract is make to digest a raw diet quickly so if the meat they have eaten is spoiled etc it quickly moves thru their stomach then onto their small bowel onto the large bowel then a small poo, kibbles are high in fiber & some grainfree kibbles are even higher in fiber especially if it has peas, lentils, chickpeas, I have found kibbles that have sweet potatos & potato work the best for Patch, if you do go back to a dry kibble look at “Natural Balance” LTD Sweet Potato & Bison or Natural Balance Potato & Duck formula or look at “Wellness Simple” Turkey & Potato formula..

If you can afford it look for a Holistic Vet in your area.. My boy went down hill last December & now I’m feeding my boy “Frontier Pets” Freeze Dried dehydrated raw thats free range grain free raw diet human ingredients, I started to slowly introduce & give to him at Lunch time only they’re small balls & you add warm water, straight away he started to get better I saw good results like you have seen he also eats “Wellness Core Large Breed dry kibble he isnt large breed dog but this Wellness Core large breed formula is high protein-36%, low/med in fat-13% low in carbs-31% low in Kcals-345Kcals Per cup… & has no lentils or chickpeas…You need to work out what agrees with your dog…or even join a few Raw feeding groups on facebook someone will help you get your dog onto a balanced raw diet with homemade ingredients not a pre-made raw….
Start with 1 meat protein she hasnt eaten before & you blend some green veggies & fruit,I used peeled apple, take out any seeds, broccolli, celery & parsley blended then put in ice cube tray cover with cling wrap & freeze, you add 1-2 spoons of the Veggie/fruit mix 1-2 frozen veggie/fruit ice cubes to 1 cup of meat…I balanced diet with Natural Animal Solution Digestavite Plus powder….

[Sloane K]

Matt –

If you’re still around on these forums I am curious to learn how your pup reacted to the transition into a raw diet. Let us know! Thanks

[Sloane K]

Surprised to hear that raw beef heart would cause sickness in your dog. I am sorry to hear, but glad to see he had gotten better after what appeared to be a scary scene. You are probably no longer considering a raw diet, but on the off chance you do in the future I wonder if slowly introducing the raw diet would’ve helped made the transition easier. Very seldom do I hear or read of stories where going raw resulted in ill pups. Take care

[Sloane K]

Jr S-

If you’re still around I’ve love to hear an update on the status of your pup after trying out a raw diet with them? Thanks

[Sloane K]

Would raw coated kibble still be considered appropriate for a strict BARF (Bones & Raw Food) diet? It is an interesting concept and I believe my pup would make an easier transition from kibble to raw coated kibble.

Thanks for the advice in advance.

[Sloane K]

Glad to see some positive results on the raw diets!

Quick question – is frozen raw the same as free-dried raw? And if not, what would the differences be? & What would be preferred?

[Sloane K]

Patty –

It’s a very controversial topic right now, but just like with humans, cutting down portion sizes & introducing more exercise is a great way to burn fat. You could also replace any treats you give your dog with healthier options such as carrots, for example. There’s a chance your pup is not receiving the right nutrients, either. Any diet, raw or not, should be balanced to allow for your pup to receive different nutrients throughout the day.

However, I am not a licensed professional & I always advise people to consult their veterinarian before introducing new diet plans to their pet – including a raw food diet.

Wish your pup the best.

[Sloane K]

Connie L-

Here’s a great beginner’s guide to check out before starting the raw food dog diet:
https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/raw-dog-food-dietary-concerns-benefits-and-risks#1

I would also consult my veterinarian on these choices before starting.

Wish your pup the best.

[Wendy M]

I totally disagree with anon101. A dog’s digestive system can handle Salmonella & many other bugs humans can’t. After all think about dogs in the wild-They ate most anything-the older the better! If you buy your food from a reputable store & handle it like you would your family’s food there shouldn’t be an issue.
I see she posted a link from the SPCA. Sorry but they get a lot of funding from dog food companies & support them (BTW-I support the SPCA).
I too distrust the AAFCO.
I have been feeding 2 standard poodles raw for their whole lives. Never had better teeth or coats. Very small amt. of stool since ALL the food is digested.
Bottom line-please do what works but don’t give up on raw. It’s the most appropriate diet for your dog.

[Sloane K]

I think raw diets are perfectly fine. I mean – think back to when dogs didn’t have access to commercial food (i.e. kibble) as they do now… what did they eat? They hunted prey, killed & ate what they had killed.

But for anyone considering a raw diet for their pet, I would consult a professional first before trusting someone’s advice on a forums website.

Just my .2 cents.

[Sloane K]

Maikolo-

Making the switch to a raw dog diet does include a few changes. For the sake of simplicity, a rule of thumb is to feed your dog 2x per day: noon & dinner time. But your dog should be fed every day.

Prepare your raw food once per day, but split it into two meals: one for noon & one for dinner.

Your dog will likely act hungry during this switch, but you sohuldn’t give in to this. Use their weight as a guide to more or less food.

But ultimately I would seek out a professional such as your local veternarian for the best advice.

Wish you the best.

[Anonymous]

Hi, Everyone. I have been participating in this forum about Dr. Marty’s pet food for a couple months. Today, I took my pup in for his annual physical and was surprised to learn that my dog’s liver numbers (ALP and ALT) were very high. These same numbers were normal when he had his blood chemistry done in December for a suspected urinary tract infection, which was successfully treated. I need to mention that my pup is diabetic.

I had tried the Dr. Marty’s and had returned it, as neither of my dogs would eat it. I did find a dehydrated raw product that my dogs LOVED, called Wellness Core Tender Bites and had recommended it in this forum. I fed this to my diabetic pup for a little more than two months. Come to find out, diabetic dogs apparently don’t do well on a raw diet. They are already “immuno-compromised,” being diabetic. A raw diet can encourage infections in compromised dogs, which is what we think we’re dealing with, now. This is not anything against the Wellness Core Tender Bites or raw diets, but I just wanted to make sure that folks check with their vet before they get adventurous with diet changes. I have learned my lesson…..

[Frena H]

I’m so sorry, Sue — I didn’t realize anyone was responding to my post — just got a notification today for the first time. Our guy was touch and go for another year after his surgery, he had to have another surgery for obstruction in December of 2016 — the vet told us at that time that the obstruction was caused by a TINY piece of stuffing from a toy that he had played with — they said the obstruction was so miniscule that any other dog would have passed it with no problems at all — but his intestines are a “tightly packed ball” with lots of “V” shaped turns. Like everyone else’s vets here, they said there is really nothing that they can do for the adhesions. That said — after his last surgery he has done very well. I think they might have taken out the worst of the V-curves during that surgery because before the surgery his bms were always pencil thin, afterwards they were a lot more normal sized and normal looking. I retired in January of 2017 so now I’m able to keep a very close eye on his activities, no toys and no chewing on anything allowed. I keep his diet as low in fiber as I can — he’s a very picky eater and will eat only a very few things (i.e. I offered him some steak last night and he said “NO”) — so i just give him what he likes — he’s especially fond of Polly-O cheese sticks and boiled chicken. He also likes Wellness Core Raw Rev kibbles and Real Meat Dog Food Company kibbles that are more like jerky. Since I’ve retired I’ve found that he does MUCH better if he eats several small meals a day and he will only eat small amounts at a time — he frequently stops and checks in with his stomach to see how it is reacting, and if it is bothering him, he will stop eating. If it feels okay, he’ll continue eating. So I pretty much feed him several times daily and on demand whenever he asks for food and give him however much he feels he can tolerate. The vet also gives me a prescription for Sucralfate, which I keep on hand at all times since it seems to soothe his stomach and intestines. Charlie has learned to ask me for it whenever his stomach is bothering him, and he almost always feels better once he has had it. We just take it “day by day” and that’s about all we can do! We can go for weeks and even months eating great and feeling great — then have a few days or weeks where he doesn’t want to eat and needs to have Sucralfate until he feels better. Plus our vets are always on call if we need an emergency visit, but we haven’t had one in about a year now. All the local vets use a “travelling” sonographer with the ultrasound machine, so if he has an emergency, I go to the vet where the sonogram is or will be soon. Our emergency vet says that Charlie has a “complicated relationship with food.”

I also did some research on “human” intestinal adhesions, and apparently there is really nothing that can be done, except diet and medications that can help soothe the intestines, which is basically what we are doing. The Facebook idea is great — I doubt there is a dog intestinal adhesion group, but there may be a human group, which would help me understand what they are going through and what helps.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by Frena H.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by Frena H.

[Patricia A]

I need my 6 year old chihuahua to lose a little weight. I always gave Fromm kibble mixed with health extensions canned as a topper. I wanted something better for topper so went with Stella Chewy’s freeze dried. Within the last year she has gained weight. I’ve cut down the kibble and give her less then is advised on the freeze dried. I REALLY would like to not go back to canned. I only gave the chicken, Venison and Primal Turkey Sardines. But I can’t figure out now how some of these freeze dried are rated so high but be SO high in fat at the same time. Would it help if I slowly switched from Fromm which has above average fat to Stella Chewy’s raw coated kibble which is 5 star and lower end of fat? I would then cut down the patties to just one. Or is it impossible for small dogs to maintain a healthy weight on raw. I just would like to give myself a break and stop all my research and feel good about my girls diet.

[Susan]

Hi emmygirl,
sorry my post is so long but as I’m writing I’m remember heaps of information & what I did with Patch….
You have written everything I have been thru with my IBD boy Patch who is nilly 10yrs old, I nilly put him to sleep in January, instead we did another Endoscope-Biopsies on esophagus & stomach, I thought he had stomach cancer…
Find a vet that does Endoscope + Biopsies & a vet that knows about IBD, you must get the biopsies done if you ever do Endoscope, some vets dont think to do the biopsies when looking at the stomach & small bowel, these vets are lacking experience in IBD, Patches stomach looks perfect when he had his 2 Endoscopes but his the biopsies told a different story. Biopsies tell the vet so much information what is wrong with your boy intestinal tract….Ultra scan was a waste of money, you cant really see the stomach & the vet can see the bowel but only if the bowel is thickening, vets thought Patch had thickening of the Bowel but he didnt, this happens after the dog has diarrhea for years, I wouldnt like to be a vet, 1 dogs cant talk & tell the vet were is sore what hurts etc, so vets have to do alot guessing sometimes when test come back OK.

*Food
Over the years my good vet told me to keep a yearly diary, cause you cant rememeber every single thing you’ve done & they have done.. now I look back thru Patches diaries when I need to remember what was Patch eating when he was doing so much better, write what your feeding, times, meds, what were poos like when he’s eating ?? etc
Is he doing OK when he’s eating the cooked Turkey, Squash & Oatmeal, how are his poos? one of Patches first vets told me in the beginning, to look & see when dog is pooing, does the poo come out of bum properly formed poo?, then when it hits the ground it turns to slop cow patty poo? the vet said this is OK as long as poo’s are formed when its coming out of the bum & as long as the dog is just doing his normal 1-3 poos a day & is not pooing at all thru day & night at all hours, vet said to me this might be as good as your going to get Patches poos, he was eating the Royal Canine Hypoallergeniic dry kibble… but I ended up getting Patches poos firmer when he started teh TOTW kibble & I ended up trying the Royal Canine Hypoallergenic wet can food last year it was better then the dry R/C HP kibble, then after trying all the Intestinal vet diets Hills, Royal Canine & Eukanuba Intestinal Low Residue worked the best but Patch skin was yeasty itchy & smelt bad then after joining the Canine EPI f/b group dogs were doing really well on TOTW or the Kirkland Signature, Natures Domain, Turkey & Sweet potato & Salmon & Sweet potato formula’s so I started Patch on TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb & the Pacific Stream Salmon but teh Pacific Stream Salmon made him vomit he does firm poos but kept vomiting up the TOTW Smoked Salmon later I seen TOTW Pacific Stream Salmon is very high in toxins & another 2 fish formula’s brands Patch kept vomiting are very high in Toxins after being tested, then 3 yrs later Patch refused to eat his TOTW Roasted Lamb kibble, something had changed with TOTW kibble it smelt different, looked different & kibble size became very small….so now it makes me wonder if these kibbles are high in contaminates & toxins making my boy IBD have a flare??? thats why its best to cook their meals or find a really good dog dehydrated dog food that uses human grade ingredients.. as Patch has gotten older his acid reflux has gotten worse so he cant eat kibbles that are over 15% in fat now..
loow for lower fat around 10-13%-fat & low carb diet higher protein

Have you tried adding scramble egg with his meal? also the egg shell dry it out & crush & add 1 egg shell 1 teaspoon egg shell to one of his meals a day for his calcium, slowly start adding the egg shell if you fed home cooked diet……..Patch cant eat any kibbles that have fish or salmon oil in them he gets bad acid reflux from the fish oil also the fiber is very low in those Farmina vet kibbles 1.10% -fiber…Patch would be doing sloppy cow patties eating the Farmine vet diets that are very low in fiber..

When I read your post about your dog can’t eat most ingredients I knew its more then just the ingredients he is reacting too, sometimes it’s not the ingredients they cant eat, it reminded me of Patch when I first rescued him, he does have food sensitivities that I worked out BUT later I worked out there’s In-soluble Fiber, Soluble Fiber, Crude Fiber & Dietary Fiber, dogs with IBD need to work out what fibers agree with them & there isnt that perfect dry kibble diet for our dogs even vet diets dont help Patch or if a vet diet did help Patches IBD he gets his itchy smelly yeasty skin paws & ears.

Have you tried Royal “Canine Gastro Intestinal Low Fat” wet can food??? I bought a 12 can pack last week I had credit from a pet store I had forgotten about & at Lunch time if I think Patch doesnt seem well I open a can of R/C Gastro low fat & I take out the meat loaf from the can as it has heap of oil in the can so I pat dry the loaf with paper towel then I cut into 1/3 & he gets 1/3 of a can & I put the rest in bowl cling wrap bowl & put in fridge Patch does firm poos on the R/C Gastro Low Fat wet can & 5 yrs ago when he ate the R/C Gastro Low Fat he had diarrhea, so sometimes you have to re try foods or wet can or kibbles again cause sometimes its not the ingredients they are reacting too… its something else wrong either their small bowel or large bowel in the beginning it was Patches small bowel S.I.B.O now its his large bowel….
I would start the B-12 weekly injection ASAP you can buy & do yourself, if you join “EPI” Canine face book group they can help & tell you which B-12 tablets to get from chemist & where to buy the B-12 liquid for injections, you can never over dose your dog with B-12′, if they’re feeling crap or have had diarrhea the B-12 can really help them feel heaps better, alot of the EPI dogs take B-12 injections or tablets, I was going to get the tablets for Patch as B-12 is good for them & us humans when we are run down & unwell…..

Try & work out does your boy do better when you cook & add pumkin a soluble fiber soluble fiber is very easy to digest & dissolves in water or does he do better eating Lentils & Chickpeas they’re Insoluble fiber & Soluble fiber food? My boy doesn’t do well on Lentils or Chickpeas he gets instead dirrahea that night if he has ate a kibble with lentils..
google foods that are soluble fiber & foods that are insoluble fibers?

Try & stay feeding the home cooked diet or try a limited ingredient Freeze Dried raw if you I’m slowly introducing a new freeze dried dehydrated raw free range diet we have in Australia called “Frontier Pets” they’re small balls & you add warm water, so many dogs that can’t eat & have IBD symptoms are doing really well on this free range, dehydrated Frontier Pets dog food, it has no lentils, no chickpeas like most of these new grain free foods have now & my Patch is doing firmer poos then what he does when he’s just eating his Wellness Kibble…
I have to feed my boy dry kibble for some of his meals cause his sphincter flap isnt closing now & his food comes back up his esophagus into his mouth causing bad acid reflux, then sometimes the acid goes into his wind pipe & he becomes so unwell, cries, whinges, its awful to watch him when he becames so unwell, I wanted to put him down in January out of his pain, these last 5-6 yrs Ive tried everything & something always seem to work, I had him on Taste Of The Wild, Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb the Australian formula, has no chickpeas or lentils like the American TOTW formula’s have…. I could always fall back onto his TOTW if he started to do cow patty poos again when I was rotating his kibbles his vet said cow paddy poos is the large bowel where yellow sloppy poos is a small bowel problem but when he stopped eating it in December I had no kibbles that I knew worked & didnt iratate his IBD, his vet said please wait 1-2 months before we put Patch to sleep, his environment allergies are real bad at the moment & have put his immune system into over drive, we had just moved as well, so I didnt put him to sleep plus I couldnt do it, I just wanted more help, I wanted a miracle but vets cant always help the dog sometimes no matter how good my vet is, she always tells me Patch is her favorite & she always thinks & wonders how is he going when she doesnt see us but she said she knows he must be doing better cause I havent come…
Have you tried Metronidazole (Flagyl) tablets when he become unwell with vomiting & diarrhea/sloppy poo’s, I have Metronidazole in the cupboard with repeat scripts so I can just go chemist & get them out if I need them saving at $60 vet visit & as soon as I see he’s becoming unwell doing sloppy poos, vomiting or when Im introducing a new food, I put him on the Metronidazole for 14-21 days it helps him, Metronidazole has an anti inflammatory & antibiotic in it, so it helps a few health problems…
With a dry kibble, I’m feeding Wellness Core Large Breed at the moment even though Patch isnt a large breed dog, he’s a senior & when I email Wellness they said yes their Large Breed formula’s are OK to feed a senior dogs, they are high Glucosamine & Chondroitin for their joints & high in DHA, Patch is small to medium English Staffy weights about 40lb -18kgs, the Wellness Core Large Breed formula is high protein-34%, Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, then potatoes, peas, Patch can’t eat chicken he gets red paws but I had no other kibbles left to feed him & the man at Pet Barn said, if anything happens just bring it back all dogs food are money back Guaranteed, I got the 5,4kg bag 1/2 price $40 so I tried it, Patches paws went red but his stomach became better, he had no acid reflux, poos firmed up not 100% firm in the beginning but better then when he was eating a kibble that had grains, I can pick his poos up now on our walk & not leave a poo stamp on the grass, Wellness Core Large Breed is low-med fat-13%max, low Kcals-345 per cup, carbohydrates are 31% you must read the Kcals per cup when looking for a kibble, stay under 360Kcals per cup the higher the Kcals the more dense the food & harder to digest…
also have you tried giving your boy a acid reducer? Patch was taking Losec-(Omeprazole) for 2 yrs then this year I change it to Somac (Pantoprazole) what i take & he stopped eating grass everyday so he mustnt feel sick as much now, sometimes you have to do things yourself when you know in your heart what the vet is doing & advising you isnt helping your dog, & I saw my vet & she now wrote me repeat scripts so I can get the Pantopraozole from chemist cause the vets dont have Pantoprazole in Australia, Pantoprazole is used by American vets… but know if my vet & Patches other vet that does his Endoscopes & Biopsies see a dog like PAtch & cant work out what to do with the dogs bad acid reflux they can rememeber what we did with Patch & touch wood he seems to be getting better he has some bad days but I have his acid reflux under control no & I really want him on this Dehyrated free range, grain free food..
Try the new food just for 1 of his meals, thats what I do now, I feed new food for his lunch 12pm this way Patch has his kibble from breakfast 7am in stomach & small bowel then he eats something different for lunch a small meal then he gets his dinner 5pm kibble again & it seems to work for Patch when Im introducing a new food he gets it at luch time cause you can’t mix kibble & dehydrated raw wet food with a dry kibble, it would probably upset Patches stomach & the Holistic Vet Kathy that help formulate this new Frontier Pets dehydrated raw dog food droped off Patches new food + some samples to try & she said take baby steps, it took 1 of her patient dogs Bernie 6 months to get him onto the Frontier Pets, he was doing well then when down hill but yiou just restart again she said search for “Frontier Pets” on facebook & scroll down, look for Bernies Story” Italian Greyhound story, it will give you some hope…

[Yousaf S]

To tell you the truth, I used to feed my dog Acana.
It’s a high quality kibble, but I often found myself asking for that price is there anything better to feed my fur babies.
After all, Acana ain’t cheap!

That’s when I made the switch to a raw diet. It actually works out to be cheaper than Acana. But if for any reason I run out of raw meats, I have an emergency bag of ACTR1UM just sitting in my kitchen cupboard.

I’m not a huge fan of feeding my fur babies kibble, but if I absolutely must, I have this brand in my arsenal of dog food. 🙂

[Susan]

Hi Robert,

A dogs digestive tract is short, made to digest meat, raw meat, not a high carb high fiber over processed dry kibble….
Why the dogs digestive tract is short so if the dog eats rotten meat etc the meat is quickly digested & passes thru into the small bowe,l then large bowel, then he poo’s, so no bacteria can start to breed in th e stomach….

A homemade cooked or raw diet would be heaps healthier then feeding wet dog can food but wet can dog food is better then feeding dry processed kibble, so you’re getting there, when you cook your dogs food you know whats in their food & what they’re eating, also when you cook you’re not cooking their food are very high temperatures like wet & dry dog foods are cooked, killing all the good nutrience in their food, maybe baby steps, next time you’re cooking, cook some extra boiled sweet potato or potato, a bit of meat & some green veggies for your dogs meal, mix 1/2 wet can with the cooked food & slowly start feeding cooked meals..
Join Monica Segals Face Book group called “K-9 Kitchen” & Lew Olson group called “K-9 Nutrition” & follow “Judy Morgan DVM” she has really good videos you can watch & very easy to make dog recipes you just put in a Crock Pot slow cocker, Judy has a 16-17yr old dog.

People think if the kibble is grain free kibble then its healthier but some of these grain free kibbles are higher in carbs, higher in fiber, full of lentils chickpeas & peas to up the protein %, so the meat protein % isnt as high as you think it is cause your getting plant protein as well, it would be good if these dog food companies had to write the Meat Protein % the Plant Protein %….. honest dog food companies are starting to write the plant protein %, google “Earthborn Holistic” Venture formula’s they write the Pumkin protein% , the Pea protein% the meat protein %…

Back in the 50’s, 60’s, 70′ & 80’s our dogs were so much healthier then the dogs now who eat dry kibble 24/7, in the 90’s the dog food companies started telling us “DO NOT FEED YOUR DOGS HUMAN FOOD” its no good, kibble is better & we believed them, you have even even written
(Our dogs do not est human food.) why??
what makes you think dog food is better then a “balanced” cook meal, why some vets are against cooked or raw diets is people don’t balance their dogs diet properly causing health problems, this is why the vet will recommend to feed pet food for cause they know it will be balanced but after tests on cat wet can foods in Australia scientist found supermarket, pet shop cat foods Hills & Royal Canine all those little expensive cans of cat food were not balanced properly & now it says on these really small cans of cat food “not to be feed as a main meal”… this happened last year & the scientist who exposed this was sponsered by Hills & wouldnt give up the names of the expensive cat foods they had found not to be balanced properly, the reporter doing the story put 2 & 2 together & worked out which expensive cat foods werent balanced…
Rodney Habib & Steve Brown recommend you add either fish or salmon oil capsule once a day to 1 of their meals, use Krill oil capsule if dog has sensitive stomach or start adding 2 spoons of salmon or sardines in olive oil or spring water to 1 of their meals a day, just read the salt % look for lowest salt % in the can salmon or sardines… for lunch sometimes I open a small can of salmon in spring water drain teh water & add some boiled sweet potato mix & give to Patch for lunch.. I boil sweet potato & freeze small pieces sweet potato freezes really well & its healthy for them..

Google “KetoPets” for Liza & start making the Ketopets diets or cook the Ketopets diets & I bet you Liza will be here longer then 2 years….
Dr Judy Morgan talks about this subject in one of her video’s on her facebook page look at all her “Video’s”..
It works out cheaper cooking meals or feeding a raw diet then it does buying the wet can dog foods… also start looking at Freeze Dried food for your dogs instead of giving Benji the kibble with his wet can food..

[emmygirl01]

I am hoping someone may have some advice or even just a word of kindness.
My dog is going to be 10 years old in May. He had parvo as a pup. It messed up his intestines and now he is sensitive to foods. We have literally tried almost every kind of food on every shelf, in every pet store. I have done home cooking, I have ordered Balance-it, I have tried alternative/medicine, I have tried probiotics, enzymes, chinese herbs, I have tried hypo-allergenic Royal Canin and Science Diet.
He has been on beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, pork, venison–grain free, you name it.
He has been on steroids, antibiotics, Tylan powder. I have B-12 shots that I am supposed to start this week.
The only thing I have not tried is RAW or BARF diet.
Most recently, he has had diarrhea for 4 months. He has vomited a hand full of times.
I have been to 4 vets, he has had his poop tested, blood work, ultra-sound (april 2017)-YOU NAME IT, we have done it. Test results: clear, no real problems.
Currently: Until this morning, I was feeding 3x a day 1/3 cup of home cooked turkey, 2 TBS of acorn squash and 1 Tbs. Oatmeal. 2 TBS FARMINA Digestion
I was trying to transition from home cooked to Farmina.
I thought we were doing well until last week when his stool started to become soft, then turned to liquid and this morning he barfed.
SO–no more of that.
He was starving a few hours after he barfed, so I gave him a few tablespoons of The Honest Kitchen Embark and 1 TBS of canned goat.
He tolerated that all day and I gave him more at 7 pm. Diarrhea at 9:00pm.
He is not taking any medications or probiotics or enzymes at this time.
I really have no idea what to feed him to get him back to normal. Home cooking does NO better than canned or dry.
These are my questions:
1. I would like some feedback on Sport Elite ( no peas) dog food
2. I would like to know how I approach my vet–3 out of the 4 won’t call me back after I leave a message at the front desk–they say, “i will have her call you back today'” I never hear from them—
Does anyone have any words of encouragement or any help?
I know my experience is not your experience, and I am following my vet’s advise to the best of my ability. But when she puts my dog on Royal Canin Hypoallergenic food and he barfs and has massive diarrhea, tummy gurgling and looking like death–this is NOT the answer. Just because a food is “healthy” or “hypoallergenic” does not mean it is tolerated.
He has a great appetite, always appreciative of food and eats anything, but I continue to look for the combination that will keep him healthy, happy and no diarrhea.
I literally don’t know what to do!

Thank you in advance for listening.

[Tyrionthebiscuit]

I would into the Facebook group k9 nutrition if you’re on there. Lew Olson runs it and she’s very helpful in answering questions. It’s not a strictly raw group so you’ll get a well rounded answer. Are you feeding premade or homemade? If homemade, is it a reliable recipe? If you’re not sure check out balance it.com. A lot of people have seen amazing changes in dogs with a raw or homemade diet but it has to be done properly. A bad recipe will cause a person to have a negative experience and then always discourage that type of feeding

[anonymous]

Please reconsider the raw diet, it is not worth the risk. I hope these articles help. All written by veterinarians (The Angell article is written by a veterinarian that specializes in nutrition)
Discuss with your vet. Raw food is well known to cause gastrointestinal distress and obstructions. Ask any veterinarian that works in an emergency clinic.

https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/choosing-the-right-diet-for-your-pet/ (excerpt below)
Raw diets are another popular option on the market today. Studies have shown that 20-35% of raw poultry and 80% of raw food dog diets tested contained Salmonella. This poses a health risk for your pet, but also for humans. This is especially true for children or immunocompromised adults, whether exposed to the raw food directly, or the feces of the pet eating the raw food. Additionally, there is increased risk of other bacterial infections and parasitic diseases when feeding raw diets. And the bottom line is there is no reason to believe raw food is healthier than cooked food.
The numerous dietary choices for your pet can be daunting but if you pick an AAFCO approved food made by a manufacturer with a long track record, odds are good that you will find a suitable food for your pet. Most of the large pet food companies employ full time veterinary nutritionists and have very high quality control standards. That is not to say that a small company cannot produce nutritious and high quality food, but you should check out their website if it’s a company that is not familiar to you. Take the time to research, and ask your veterinarian if you have specific questions or concerns.
Please understand that this article is meant to provide basic dietary guidelines for healthy pets. If your pet has specific health issues, then your veterinarian may make specific food recommendations, which may include special prescription diets.

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/ (excerpt below)

“There is evidence of risk in feeding raw, including infectious disease, parasites, and injury from raw bones. There is no scientific evidence, only anecdote and dubious theories, to demonstrate any benefits from feeding raw”.

[Tiffany A]

My husky is 8yrs old and we just figured out she has hypothyroidism. On top of that she has slightly elevated liver enzymes(we still dont know why) and high calcium (which we strongly believe is her parathyroid). She has not eaten a consistent meal for over 2wks now and I am stressing the heck out. She is on antibiotics and thyroid meds(theze only a week now) a pain killer for her back legs which we believe she has arthritis. I am completly tapped financially from the past three weeks of tests and buying her any food I can think of she might eat. I am at my wits end. My vet is stumped. She is normally very very food motivated. I have tried the following foods.
Northwest naturals (her original diet which raw isnt the best right now with her body going through so much)
Hills i/d (she ate ok for 3 or 4 days)
Vitality (ate for 2 days)
Pet pantry(cooked stew)
Koha(canned cooked stews)
Acana meadowlands(she was on before raw)
Boiled chicken and beef with rice(chicken one meal beef the other ate for a couple days)

She will beg for my food even thougb she knows I wont feed it to her I know she is hungry. She wont touch tripe I have tried gravy tricks,toppers,etc. Maybe I am switching to much but with all these meds she needs to eat something. She is already dropping weight from the thyroid meds and her energy is now through the roof. Its early but my vet agreed to lessen her does a bit because she has been panting and tanking water.

I know no one here is a vet her anything but I just dont know what to do anymore 🙁 am I supposed to just medicate her and wait until she is hungry enough to eat here or what? She hasnt fought me on food like this since she was a puppy.

[Susan]

Hi Stacey.
Raw is easier to digest then cooked, raw food has enzymes, when we cook food we kill the enzymes……
What are the ingredients, he’s eating in his raw diet?
When my boy does bad smelly farts, gets bad wind & wind pain means he’s sensitive to an ingredient he’s eating, I’d re start his diet, start feeding him an elimination raw diet, just feed 1 lean muscle meat, say turkey, kangaroo or pork, I started with Kangaroo mince for breakfast & Chicken breast for dinner + blended green veggies + 1-2 blended fruits & 20mins after eating the chicken & blended veggies, Patch got 1 red hot swollen back paw & was licking his back paw like crazy, then he started farting, doing smelly farts, so I stopped the raw chicken & just feed him the Kangaroo mince & I was blending peeled green veggies, broccoli, celery, zucchini, apple & some parsley then freeze in a ice cube tray, 1 cube in tray is about 1 spoon, then you cover ice cube tray with cling wrap freeze & take out as you need the blendedveggies & fruit……

Feeding raw is so easy, easier then cooking their meals, I slowly added 1 spoon of the veggies/fruit mix then after 1 week whenPatches poos were firm I added 2 spoons of the blended veggies & fruit mix, you add 2 spoons of the blended fruit & veggies to 1 cup of raw meat for 40lb dog.
Slowly add 1 new ingredient to his diet over 1 week, then if he starts having bad wind then you know its the new ingredient you’ve started to add…..dont add too many things to his diet at once, you will not know what is causing what if he starts having health problems, farts, sloppy poos etc..

Organ meat is very rich & can cause diarrhea. gas etc, are you adding Liver, Kidney Hearts, Tongue etc, reduce the amount of organ meat if your addding any organ meat & see does he improve, or stop adding any organ meat for a couple of days & see if he’s better, then just start adding some organ meat only 3- 4 times a week to 1 of his meals..

You have to remember this dog stomach & bowel is probably use to processed dry kibble he may have never eaten a raw diet before & it can take a up to 3 months for his stomach/bowel to get healthy & strengthen up..

I bet you he loves his raw meals, my boy does, I’m introducing dehydrated free range raw to my 9yr old boy, he has IBD & food sensitivities, so I have to take baby steps with him…the Holistic Vet who helped make this new free range dehydrated freeze dried raw said it can take up to 6 months for their stomach bowel to get use to raw & to do it slowly with Patch but that’s cause Patch has IBD…

Just make sure you balance his diet over the week, doesnt have to be daily & add either tin salmon or sardines in spring water or olive oil, it adds EPA & DHA all those good fats we get from fish, add about 2 spoons to one of his meals a day, 40lb dog, add 1/4 can of sardines 1 serving per day…

Steve Brown also recommends adding, 1 heaped tablespoon of salmon, 1-2 mussels & a pinch of kelp, this will balance his raw diet, mussels are very healthy & have manganese, Iodine, Fats, Vitamin D, other vitamins & minerals he needs, Steve said just buy the frozen mussels in the freezer section at supermarket…
also Beets contain natural anti-inflammatory agent that support heart health, vitamins & minerals, B1,B2,B12 & C, copper magnesium, potatssium, iron, phosphorus & iodine protect us against liver disease & fatty liver disease, Steve recommended
“Olew Dehydrated Red Beets” dog Food Supplement trial size 1.01lb thru Amazon

[stacey k]

Hi,

I started my dog on raw diet about 2 weeks ago, I did the slow transition because he’s old and we just adopted him from the SPCA not long ago. So he did fine when we were transitioning, but now we are on almost 100% raw (with exception of treats), he has been passing VERY stinky gas and his poop is extremely stinky.
He did have diarrhea when he was first fully switched, so I added more bone, calcium, and pumpkin to his food. The diarrhea is much better. I’m just wondering why the stinky gas and stool? Does this mean he’s not able to digest the raw meat? Do I have to add probiotics? Any suggestion is appreciated, if you have experienced the same, please help.
Thank you.

[Susan]

Hi Sandra,

Have you look at different diets, cooked, raw, wet can, freeze dried, air dried, what are their symptoms?
Have you done a food elimination diet?
until you work out what both your dogs can & can’t eat, you’ll be going around in circles & getting no where, or work out if they need more fiber or less fiber?? that’s easy, start adding boiled pumkin 1-2 spoons to one of their meals & not to the other meal & see if poo is firmer from the added pumkin meal. Poo will be a bit more orange..

I did the same with my boy, he didnt seem to do well on no kibbles when I first rescued him, turned out to have IBD, food sensitivities & environment allergies finally after 5yrs I’ve worked out his kibble needs to be higher in protein, low in fat & low in fiber %, less carbs & more meat & the Wellness Core Large Breed seem to agree with him maybe your dogs are the same…need more meat proteins & less carbs, I also feed dehydrated raw for 1 of his meals, I’m trying to get him off kibble he has too many stomach problems on dry kibble.

Have you tried “Wellness Core” Large breed kibble, its money back guaranteed if it doesnt agree with your dogs, that’s why I tried it + I had run out of dry kibbles to try on Patch, it does have potato but its very high in meat protein, it has 3 meat proteins as 1st, 2nd & 3rd ingredients then a carb as 4th ingredient.
low in fat & fiber & only 30% carbs & only 346Kcals per cup so easier to digest, the higher the Kcals the more dense the kibble, so kibble is harder to digest.

It may not be the ingredients they are reacting too? maybe the fiber, fat & protein percentages may not be agreeing with them in the kibbles you’ve tried?…

*Wellness Core Large Breed formula,
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Potatoes, Peas, Tomato Pomace, Dried Ground Potatoes, Ground Flaxseed, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Natural Chicken Flavor, Pea Fiber, Potassium Chloride, Spinach, Broccoli, Vitamin E Supplement, Carrots, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, Kale, Sweet Potatoes, Taurine, L-Carnitine, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Zinc Proteinate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract, Spearmint Extract.
This is a naturally preserved product.
low in fat & fiber & only 30% carbs 346Kcals per cup,
it may not be the ingredients they are reacting too?? the fiber %, fat % & protein percentages may not be agreeing with them…

PROXIMATES:
MOISTURE
PROTEIN 34.17
FAT 12.88
CARBOHYDRATES 30.66
FIBER 4.89
ASH 7.56
AMINO ACIDS:
ARGININE 2.64
HISTIDINE 0.77
ISOLEUCINE 1.34
LEUCINE 2.20
LYSINE 1.98
MET + CYS 0.94
METHIONINE 0.57
PHE + TYR 2.40
PHENYLALANINE 1.37
THREONINE 1.31
TRYPTOPHAN 0.40
VALINE 1.53
FATTY ACIDS:
LINOLEIC ACID 2.19
ARACHIDONIC ACID 0.08
MINERALS:
CALCIUM 1.61
PHOSPHORUS 1.12
POTASSIUM 0.96
SODIUM 0.22
CHLORIDE 0.40
MAGNESIUM 0.17
IRON 254.27
COPPER 2.35
MANGANESE 2.82
ZINC 20.17
IODINE 0.29
SELENIUM 0.05
VITAMINS & OTHERS:
VITAMIN A 1,144.24 VITAMIN D3 84.63 VITAMIN E 62.67
VITAMIN K N/A THIAMINE (VITAMIN B1) 0.33 RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2) 0.76 PANTOTHENIC ACID 2.40
NIACIN 7.50
PYRIDOXINE 0.49
FOLIC ACID 23.44
BIOTIN 0.58 VITAMIN B12 7.96 CHOLINE 152.33
TAURINE 0.01
1 cup (g) 98
kcal/kg ME 3,540
kcal/cup 346
kcalories Total %
kcal- Protein 1,220 35.6%
kcal- Fat 1,117 32.5%
kcal- Carbohydrates 1,095 31.9%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids 1.00%
Omega 6 Fatty Acids 3.25%
Other Total per cup
Glucosamine Hydrochloride 750 mg/kg 73.3 mg
Chondroitin Sulfate 250 mg/kg 24.4 mg

[Airseabattle]

Pitlove,
Thank you very much for the links. I liked the mojo videos and watched two of them …so far. I’m now following them as I feel they can be a great source of information. They seem pretty progressive. I also found balanceit to be useful. Initially I had some problems finding the consulting section on balanceit. However, I eventually found it.

I am very excited about the idea of working with a pet nutritionist. So again, thank you for that. Have you used any of the consultants listed? Do you recommend any of them in particular? Also, do any of them work with raw diets? The ones I’ve viewed seemed to be geared towards those who want to feed a home cooked diet. Did any of you raw feeders work with a nutritionist?

Thanks again

• This reply was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by Airseabattle.

[pitlove]

Hi again Airseabattle-

I think you will really enjoy BalanceIt.com. It’s a great website. If you decide to use their consultation service they can contact your vet and get any records needed to formulate a proper diet for your dog.

Also if you do end up staying on raw here is a link to a blog that I like. I feel this couple has successfully done a Prey Model Raw diet with their Staffordshire Bull Terrier. They have a YouTube and Insta gram page as well. http://mojoandfriends.blog/dog/

They have information about Mojo’s diet and other dog related things as well. They are also super nice people and if you comment on their Insta gram page are really nice.

As far as the debate on genetics vs environment goes… I will say that I disagree that pure bred dogs are unhealthy. Especially when purchased from an ethical, responsible breeder. These breeders are health testing these dogs, and spaying/neutering dogs that are not fit to be in their breeding program, so as not to put bad genetics into the population. Mixed breed dogs of unknown origin in my opinion are just as likely to be a walking health problem and vet bill, as a pure bred dog from a BYB. I’d personally rather a pure bred dog whos lineage and parents, grandparents, great grand parents, etc health I know. Kudos to you for supporting a responsible breeder and doing your homework on the breed/breeders.