[Susan]

Hi, my boy has a IBD, has food sensitivities, in the beginning vet said he had Colitis, Patch starts farting, sloppy poos & itchy skin, depends on what ingredient he’s sensitive too, carrots make his ears itch & he starts shaking head & scratches his ears, with chicken he gets red paws, sloppy poos, itchy skin & vomited his raw chicken, there’s a list of foods that I finally know he cant eat…
Your best to feed a Elimination Diet, start with just 1 novel protein & 1 carb feed for 6 weeks, if she is OK you have found 2 ingredients that she isn’t sensitive too, then you add another new ingredient & feed for 6 weeks….
Food sensitivities can take from 1 day to 6 weeks to show any symptoms or look at a very limited ingredient kibble or wet tin food “California Natural” has their Lamb & Brown rice has just 3 ingredients or they have a Puppy formula with 4 ingredients but its chicken choose a different protein to the one she’s eating at the moment..
or try a Vet Diet like “Royal Canin” Potato & Venison or Potato & Salmon or the Potato & Rabbit wet tin is better to feed then a kibble, then when you find she is doing best on the say the potato & Venison after 6 weeks cause the vet diet is balanced you can start adding 1 new ingredient say boiled rice 2 table spoons is she OK with the boiled rice my boy cant have boiled rice it irritates his bowel but he can have the ground rice in a kibble…
In the end the best kibble for Patch was “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roast Lamb it’s grain free, the Protein-25% fat-15% & fiber-4% it has purified water as well.
Try & find a kibble with the same percentages don’t go too high with fat & protein….

There’s also “Canidae” Pure Formulas but the protein & fat is higher in some formulas so read them…
California Natural- http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products
Canidae- http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
Taste Of The Wild (TOTW)- http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/

[Cherisse G]

Diet could be definitely the cause i would try that, before following the vet. Because most puppy food, is made with chicken. Which is the most common sensitivity. And you don’t have to feed puppy food because its for puppy’s, the only thing you should avoid is the ones that say adult food. So a good food to go for, is grain free, high quality meat, no mysterious meat, no colouring, no starch. Most of the time vet tests come up negative or inconclusive. Also, sometimes it is the way the food is processed in dry food that your dog can react to. In which case, try raw, it is more expensive, but it is fantastic. Vets go against it because they get a day training of nutrition provided from the big company brands at the vet. And they have to meet a quota each month as well.. Id say try raw and if you are worried that it is not nutrionally balance (because all vets will tell you different), get nupro gold, it has all the vitamins a dog needs.

[Shelby J]

Hi All!

I’m very new to the raw diet. I have 2 10 week old Golden Retrievers and now that we know they can tolerate the food (we’ve been mainly feeding them chicken and an egg (1) daily) I’m ready to move on to new protein sources and menus to make sure they get a balanced meal. I’ve seen some of the menu’s posted on here and it all seems really confusing and complicated. We aren’t overloaded with extra time but I want to make sure they get what they need. Anyone have simple, sample menus for puppies? Kilo is about 20 pounds and Murph is about 17.

Thanks!!

[Stephanie W]

I’m wanting to switch my dogs to a pre-made raw diet. I have been home cooking for them for about a month now and they are doing fantastically on it! However, it is very time consuming and seems to be about as expensive as a raw pre-made.
I really do not want to put synthetic vitamins or carbs back into their system though.
Is there a balanced pre-made that does not use synthetic vitamins/minerals and has little to no carbs? <10g

Thanks!

[Jean R]

I have the same story as Kelly: 6 lb Parti Pom with collapsing trachea (taking Lomotil), hypothyroid (.1mg bid), seizures (Keppra 0.6 TID), knee issues, hair issues and she is diabetic getting 0.5U of N TID. She is on raw diet of meat, I mix in blender: 2 eggs with crushed shell, 1 can of green beans, 1 can pumpkin, 1 can of spinach, 1 banana, 10 blueberries, 1 tsp concentrated OJ, 1/2 Quinoa (Just added for fiber/protein). Garlic And anything else I have like broccoli/low cal high fiber, little or no sugar foods. Once a smoothe, she eats anything mixed in her meat. Her Frutosamines have been low and she went from 2U N to 0.5u but she still went into DKA with over 10000.00 ICU bill. We are not looking at frutosamine any more. I check her urine daily and if she has ketones, I add o.5u to her regimen. She is on it now after high ketone and high glucose reads last week. Her curve was done and she was in the 300s dropping to below 200 at noon and then back up to almost 400 at 5p. Her norm goal is to be under 250. We started her on the extra 0.5u and she is now maintaining 250-500 glucose and no ketones. I am told that she will always have 250 glucose but I get her to negative a lot. The good thing is that we avoided the ICU, the bad thing is that she has lost from 6lbs to 5.2lbs. I try and keep her just under 6lbs. Today she is 5.5lbs. She had been in the 8-9lb area when I started looking at her reasons and found all the above. (her seizures are from a fall down 22 steps, running out the door when a friend opened it to leave). I now feed her 1/4 raw (duck, rabbit, venison, quail-she is allergic to beef) at 6-7 am with insulin (her choice, definitely not mine), either goat milk (a tablespoon) or cottage cheese (a dab) with insulin at 1-2pm since she falls low then and again at 6-7 1/4 cup raw and at 9pm another snack and 0.5U of insulin…so today she is 250 glucose and no ketone urine dip. and has been relatively there for 3 days. I came here to see if there is anything else I can do for this little angel of 10.5 years. I think I will give her pumpkin for snacks, she is on a probiotic, 1/2 canine health and 1/4 tsp mangosteen as well as a small amount of milk thistle. She gets no rabies and her titer is high coverage (that is a total vet racket and kills off their internal organs and give seizures) and no other shots. I have pet protector which seems like voodoo but no one has had fleas the last 3 years so it works, I stopped fostering because she has become so protective of me, I can not work with the dogs in a healthy manner, she has a yorkie sibling that is on thyroid meds and stopped seizures after I fostered him and stopped all the shots/flea stuff. Any suggestions you have for weight gain (and anything else) I would be thankful,

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Jean R.

[Jan D]

Kristen, I am sorry to hear that your pup had problems after giardia as well. It is so hard to watch them get sick over and over, and not have any answers. I think it must really destroy the gut, not to mention being on metronidazole, which I know kills all the good bacteria.

I have been wondering lately if he might have one of the bad bacteria, like Clostridium or Cryptosporidium. I know they can cause the same type of symptoms. I don’t think they routinely test for bacteria on a regular fecal exam, and the next time I talk to my vet I will ask him about it.

He is still pooping a LOT on the TOTW food. They range from firm, to soft serve throughout the day. He has been on it for a little over a week now. Do you think things should have regulated at this point if this food was going to work for him? He used to eat raw, so I’m sure it is taking his body a little time to get used to digesting kibble. His body is almost reacting as if I am overfeeding, but he is still not eating the full amount my vet wants me to get into him daily.

I did ask the vet about the excessive pooping, and he said he didn’t want to change anything at the moment because he has put on a little weight (he needs to gain a few pounds) and has more energy. I do agree that those are positive things, but pooping that much (8 times yesterday!) has to be a sign that something isn’t quite right. He said as long as they are somewhat formed, that it is ok.

I guess I will just keep things as they are for the moment and hope that he starts to regulate on this food. I do have an appointment to see a new Holistic Vet in a few weeks, so it will be interesting to see what he has to say about diet.

[Ef H]

Any suggestion on dog food to help with this? Have tried Angel Eyes, whitening shampoos and other solutions. Someone said diet could be the problem contributing to saliva issue. Now eating Natures Variety Instinct Raw Boost Chicken Meal formula.

[Denise P]

I have been feeding all my dogs K9 Natural for about 3 years now. Previously my dogs had been on Innova for many many years, but when Innova was acquired there were like 3 recalls in less than a year when there had been zero in all the years before, so I thought to be safe I needed to change manufacturers. Previous to this I was very pleased with Innova. When on high quality food, the output of poop should be much less since the nutrients should be absorbed. After ruling out any medical issues, I tried many different foods and my big 10 year old dog was just not processing and absorbing them well. On the recommendation of a friend and I have been very pleased. I buy the frozen raw food. I actually use only the chicken (they sell lamb as well that is to fattening and rich for my dogs) and I also purchase the green tripe and mussels. I feed raw meet twice per day and alternate the tripe in twice per week. My bigger 10 year old dog had dramatic results, his poop was reduced to a few drops of white movements that would disintegrate into almost sand when picked up. His coat became soft like a rabbits and his energy level increased dramatically. Clearly from the look of the poop… he was absorbing all the nutrients in the food. I also put my Maltese and Chihuhua on the diet. Results on my Maltese was that the brown eye tearing was greatly reduced and again the poop what white in color. (there is ground bone in the raw diet.) All of my dogs love this food.

[Susan]

Hi again,
I just remembered yes the Metronidazole takes time to fix things up & can cause sloppy poos, takes Patch around 5 days for poos to start getting better & farts to stop, you really won’t know if the TOTW is agreeing with your pup until you have finished the course of Metronidazole, I asked my vet can I have a few repeat scripts of the Metronidazole, just in case I start to see Patches poos going sloppy yellow & the farts start up again months later, I just go chemist & buy the Metro it’s cheaper from chemist but he hasn’t needed the Metro since eating the TOTW kibble….
In the Beginning my vet wanted Patch on the Metronidazole for 6 months but after being on the Metro for 1 month Patch was acting weird, real paranoid & was jumping at his own shadow, then 1 morning on our walk he was dazed & confused & he didn’t stop at the usual intersection that he always stopped & sat at, lucky no cars were coming, I went home & google side effects to Metronidazole then I rung the vet & told her what do I do, she said, yes it’s rare but some dogs can have reaction stop the Metronidazole, so now if Patch has to take the Metro he cant take it more then 3 weeks…
also make sure the Probiotic is given 3-4 hours after or before a feed that the Metronidazole tablets were given, Metro has to be taken with food, I was putting the tablets down his throat, Patch was leaving the tablets in his bowl….. I was giving the Metronidazole every 12 hours & Patch was eating 4 small meals a day, I made sure the 2 bigger meals were 12 hours apart to give his Metro tablets…..To gain weight I gave an extra meal (Lunch) 1/2 a cup kibble, then when he’s at his proper weight or looks like he’s gaining too much weight then reduce to 1/4 cup & see does he lose any weight.
Patch does 3 poos on the TOTW some days he does 2 poos he only eats 2 & 1/2 cups kibble a day made into 4 meals & some days I feed a cooked meal for dinner & take 1 cup kibble away replace with the cooked meal & yes the poo that was from the cooked meal is smaller…… later you’ll do the same feed 1 meal raw & the other meal still his kibble & slowly go back onto the raw diet & have the Metronidazole on hand just incase poos start going yuk again & give another course of the Metro while introducing the raw diet again… and remember the Metronidazole will kill the good bacteria in the Probiotic, best to give probiotic after the course of Metro is finished….
Buy a diary write down what your feeding, doing & what is working, just incase yrs later you need to look back, what worked & what didn’t work…. I also write it all down then when I see my vet she puts it in the computer so she can look back if needed….
He’ll get there but it takes time….

[Susan]

HI Jan,
since being on the TOTW are his poos the best they have been since they were good when eating the raw?? I would keep him on the TOTW for a bit longer 2-3months, if you don’t want to try a vet diet, let his bowel heal & adjust to eating a kibble, remember his stomach & bowel was use to eating a raw diet & they do less poos & nice small poos…..he’s only been on the TOTW kibble 1 week also have you tried stopping the enzyme just for 2 days & see are the poos smaller & better, does it make a difference?…..
My Patch was put on a vet diet for 9-12 months, I didn’t want him on a vet diet, also Patches vet is into feeding more natural diets not kibbles, she explained we need the stomach & bowel to rest & heal & not work hard digesting his food, I said OK how long do I feed this vet diet look it has corn grits, she said just for 1 yr to let the stomach & bowel heal….I nillly had a heart attack, 1 yr but she was right in the end, 9 months later I started looking at other kibbles but I still knew I had the vet diet to fall back on just in case the new kibble wasn’t working out….
We tried Royal Canin Gastrointestinal but Patch started to itch, scratch & smell real yeasty, he has food sensitivities & in the end the vet Diet “Eukanuba Intestinal” a low residue kibble worked & there’s also “Intestinal Plus” it has more fiber, he was doing just 2 small poos a day at the same time everyday but sometimes his poos were very soft to pick up & yellow but vet said as long as when the poo is coming out it’s formed, its OK, I look back & I think the Eukanuba Intestinal may have been too low in fiber for Patch, it was 1.7% crude fiber…

Iams also has their Intestinal Plus Low Residue Puppy, Iams KO Oats & Kangaroo & beet pulp, its for Skin & Coat has better ingredients, there’s no corn, no gluten corn meal in the Iams KO & it does have the Beet pulp, Beet pulp makes poos smaller & firmer, a lot of cheap kibbles & vet diets use beet pulp cause people judge a dog food by the way a dog poos & when poos are small & firm they think the food is good but its just the added beet pulp…

Also look at the Hills Vet Diet, Hills I/d Digestive Care, remember all the vet diets are guaranteed money back so until you find one that works you don’t pay for all this kibble that doesn’t work for the dog…
http://www.hillspet.com/en/us/products/pd-canine-id-dry,
the Hills I/d kibble has the digestive enzymes, electrolytes, vitamin B what is needed to gain weight, omega 3-6 fatty acids, prebiotic fiber (Beet Pulp) everything needed to heal the stomach & bowel, I know vet diets have awful ingredients for dogs with intestinal problems like corn, maize, gluten corn meal but they seem to help their stomach & gut heal, I don’t know why but when you find the right vet diet they do work…
Just remember in the back of your head this is temporary it’s just for 6-9 months …

In Australia we have better ingredients in our vet diets or they are not allowed in Australia, I don’t know why Hills & Royal Canin don’t make the ingredient list the same for the American pets as well….probably where they make more money….

Here’s the Iams site to compare ingredients with the Hills & Royal Canin vet diets, Iams KO has just Oat Flour & Kangaroo & has the Beet pulp…. the “Eukanuba Intestinal” also has a puppy formula made for puppies, puppies need more fat in their diet….
http://www.iams.com/dog-food/veterinary-formula
It’s just a thought if nothing is working after a couple of months..
I really hope he starts to improve then when he’s older & better he can go back to a raw diet & a nice raw meaty bone..

[goldenstar]

Well, I had to ask. I had been curious.
“That’s ridiculous. One could say the same about the posters that post the same diatribe over and over again against science based veterinary medicine and promote homeopathic cures, raw diets, etc. Advising pet owners to disregard what their veterinarians tell them is best.”
I have to admit….That kind of sounds like something the skeptvet would say.
I am not against science based information. I am just not crazy about the skeptvet.
You have some great advice and that is appreciated. You and I will probably never agree on some things.
I would not tell people to disregard their vet’s advice. Do people here actually do that?
And the blood work is a very good idea, I do plan on doing that.
I am very sorry about your Corgi.
My dog had soft tissue sarcoma. It started out as a small growth on her leg. About a year and a half later. I had to let her go.
Yes breeding is a factor. But environmental toxins and diet has to be in the mix. I mean… Look how it affects humans.

[anonymous]

“I am wondering if this person posting the skeptvet link is the skeptvet. When someone else recommends a company or product over and over in this forum, people have asked if they have a vested interest in that company. I am wondering the same”.

That’s ridiculous. One could say the same about the posters that post the same diatribe over and over again against science based veterinary medicine and promote homeopathic cures, raw diets, etc. Advising pet owners to disregard what their veterinarians tell them is best.

I am sorry for the loss of your dog, if it was hemangiosarcoma, it’s a very aggressive form of cancer common in certain breeds. Often there are no symptoms until it is too late. I went through this with a corgi. It tends to strike between 8 and 10 years of age.

Annual checkups along with the recommended blood work might help to catch it early, even then, the treatment options are limited.

I blame the puppy mills and backyard breeders that continue to breed dogs regardless of hereditary genetic disorders.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by anonymous.

[Cheryl M]

Hello
I’m looking for help/advice, as I am sure others must have been in the situation I am in.

I have a 10 year old staffy and for the past 4 years or so she been awful with her skin and ears. A couple of years ago she was diagnosed as food intolerant, but I’m in the U.K. and my vet said there was no test to show what foods are safe/unsafe for her. So upon their advise I did an elimination diet….chicken, beef, turkey, fish, kangaroo, buffalo, bison, home cooked meats, raw meats, etc nothing seemed to make a difference. Finally I found a dry food which although very boring for her did calm her down a little. It was grain free and hypoallergenic etc. She came off the steroids and went onto apoquel. She will have the odd scratch and scoot but on the whole it was bearable for her.

In December she had a big flare up – and still is – she is back on steroids as well as the apoquel, and has ear drops from the vets for her ears; she has been scratching them until they bleed then crying in pain. She is always worse in a morning.

At the moment I’m not working so can be with her, but I can’t leave the house for fear of returning to bloodied ears.

I’ve tried anti fungal/bacterial sprays, shampoos, powder enzymes for her food. I’ve tried the lot.

I’m guessing she’s built an intolerance up to the dry food. The vet gave her a strong injection of steroids yesterday she was so bad.

I am just at a loss what to do. I am so stressed out at her suffering. I wish there was a test so we could find what she can eat.

Any advice please?

[pitlove]

Hi Mary-

Veterinary Theraputic diets are made for specific illness and disease processes. They are not intended for healthy pets. Therefore when your vet is recommending one of these diets, its to help manage those disease processes.

Veterinary nutritionists do not use an ingredient deck to evaluate the quality of a pet food as it tells you very little about the food besides what’s in it. It does not tell you the quality of the raw materials, the manufacturing process, how the raw materials are stored and handled, the companies quality control procedures or who is formulating the diet and what credentials they have. Nutritionists prefer to use this set of guidelines when choosing a pet food http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Recommendations%20on%20Selecting%20Pet%20Foods.pdf

I suggest you start there when asking yourself these questions. It’s great to have discussions like this with friends or as part of a public forum, but the opinions expressed should never be misconstrued as fact.

I personally also feed a vet recommended diet and have found it works best for my pets out of the countless “better” brands I’ve tried.

[Susan]

Hi Paul,
as we get older we don’t make as much hydrochloric acid to digest our food & its harder to digest food so the food sits in our stomach, Google “Hypochlorhydria” is low stomach acid
it may just be a coincidence the glucosamine has cause this, I prefer to give my 8yrs old Omega 3 supplements or feed foods high in omega 3 fatty acid for his joints, skin etc, I’ve been very lucky with Patch he doesn’t have any joint problems yet, he is walked 3 times a day cause I live in a unit & he’s kept lean…but my boy does have IBD mainly stomach problems & skin allergies & was vomiting undigested food a year ago, I had to make his gut strong & healthy. Dog probiotic like Purina Fortiflora is good, they tested 10 dog probiotics & found only 3 of them had live cultures & Purina Fortiflora was voted number 1, I give Yukalt it’s a probiotic drink in the fridge section at supermarket, I drink 1/2 & Patch gets the other 1/2 there’s 5 small pink drinks, he has stoped his vomiting & eating grass every morning, so the Yakult drinks have probably fixed his bacteria in his gut & bowel & made it healthy again..
https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets/dp/50000
I feed lean white meats, I buy lean pork grounded mince 1kg (2lb), add 1 whisk egg, a few chopped up small broccoli heads broken off the broccoli, 1 teaspoon chopped up parsley, some kale chopped up just 1 leaf, or you can use 1 spinach leaf or another veggie, I was grating 1 small carrot, I suppose start with less is best then the next batch of rissoles add another finally chopped up veggie….. mix all together & make 1 cup size rissole, (it makes about 8-9 x 1 cup size rissoles) & bake in oven on a foiled covered baking tray, when they’re 1/2 cooked take out tray of rissole & drain any excess water & fat there’s normally hardly any fat, then turn over the rissoles & bake, don’t over cook the rissoles as soon as there’s no blood they’re ready, I also peel & cut up sweet potato & boil, I do not boil rice, rice ferments in the stomach, it’s no good, the new thing is to cook either potato or sweet potato…. Hamburger mince is very high in fat it’s not recommended anymore…. I also boil some pumkin & freeze you can also freeze the rissoles, I only add about 1/3 to 1/2 a cup of sweet potatoes or potatoes & a small piece of pumkin to 1 rissole, mix altogether & cut up rissole finally so it’s easier to digest…
Do not give a raw feed dog any dry kibble, kibble is harder to digest even when water is added, vet hasn’t prescribe any kibble, fed a wet tin food if vet advises a vet prescription diet…but a cooked diet is heaps better then any vet diets….cook foods that are easy to digest & white lean meats for now, beef is a stronger more rich meat like Kangaroo, I didn’t know this lol poor Patch he loved his beef & kangaroo rissole but his stomach didn’t it came back up undigested…
also cook some home made healthy doggy treat biscuits there’s a few recipes online… I have a few if needed.. he may need a 10 day course of Metronidazole it’s an antibiotic for stomach & bowel.. also feed 3-4 smaller meals a day.

[Mary N]

If you go with senior dog food try and find something that has a great amount of protein. If you want your Labrador to keep on developing and getting stronger then he is going to need an extra amount of protein.

Like someone said above, I would also suggest that you include some raw diet plans as that would increase the amount of protein your Labrador can use to build more muscle and overall more mass. But stick with lean protein sources like beef for example

[anonymous]

Give the vet a call and ask him to call you back when he has a minute.
I would stop all supplements, keep his diet as simple as possible. He is a senior at 8 years old, break the piggybank and get some lab work done (if you haven’t done so already).
Lab values tell a lot and can identify ailments in the early stages, when they will respond to treatment. I would stop the raw. Instead, get a quality kibble and gradually mix the cooked beef/rice mixture into it, add a splash of water to meals. Maybe presoak the kibble in H2O if he doesn’t frequent his water bowl. Hope this helps.
Also, http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=raw

PS: I would continue the bland diet for your dog, boiled rice and hamburger, until stable.
I would add a splash of water to meals.

[Susan]

Hi, stop feeding the Pedigree, it sounds like its up setting his stomach & he’s reacting badly to ingredients, having bad skin & his stomach problems, he cant eat it.. He probably has food sensitivities they have stomach/bowel problems & their skin itches, smells yeasty, red paws, itchy ears, some will rub bum on carpet, floor & grass… My boy has IBD (stomach) & food sensitivities & skin Allergies, look at foods that have limited ingredients & NO LENTILS OR CHICKPEAS these are harder to digest… Can you cook a lean meal boiled potatoes & a lean white meat or afford wet tin food or a raw diet?? When I rescued my boy I think he wasn’t feed kibble & was feed either a cooked diet, wet tin food or a raw diet, cause he would just look at the bowl of kibble & wouldn’t eat it, he preferred the wet & cooked food, then my nightmare began with his IBD (food sensitivities), vomiting, acid reflux, sloppy poos, up early hours of the morning with his bowel making loud noises, itchy skin, rubbing bum on my carpet, red paws that he licked & licked…all this just cause he was sensitive to something he was eating, I couldn’t believe it, I have never owned a dog like this all my pets could eat anything & were feed Pedigree & Purina until I learnt they’re are awful foods with bad ingredients….The Vet put him on Royal Canine Hypoallergenic HP till I worked out what I was going to do, the Royal Canine helped his skin stop itching but not his sloppy poo & vet gave me “Malaseb” medicated shampoo said to bath daily if needed or do the weekly baths…..you might need something stronger then the oatmeal shampoo your using & do weekly baths. Look for shampoos that are Anti Fungal shampoos like the Malaseb medicated shampoo, I’m pretty sure I read that Walmart sells a Anti-Fungal shampoo that’s like Malaseb…. Can you afford to feed a lean raw balanced diet or feed raw for breakfast & a kibble with limited ingredients for dinner? A Balanced Raw Diet is the best to feed a dog with food & skin sensitivities..
Finally I found *”Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb, 30lb bag for $49 thru Chewy, it worked the best for my boy, it’s Lamb, sweet potatoes & peas & it has limited ingredients..
* “Sportmix Wholesome” Grain free or grain a 40lb bag $$29-$34
*”California Natural” Lamb Meal & Rice it has just 3 ingredients.
*”Pro Pac Ultimates” there’s their grain free or grain a 28lb bag is around $29-$35
*”Holistic Select” Adult/Puppy Salmon, Anchovy & Sardines Grain Free it’s Fish & Potato $54 & its for Digestive health & their skin as well, Holistic Select is high in Omega 3 fatty acids what’s needed for the skin..
Look for kibbles with Lamb & Rice or Fish & rice, or Lamb & Sweet Potatoes or Fish & Sweet Potato NO chicken for now till you work out what he can eat, theres also
*”Canidae” Pure Formulas that’s are limited ingredient the Pure Sea or Pure Wild or look at the Canidae Life Stages formulas the All Life Stages has their 44lb bag for $54….
make sure you read ingredient list, most kibbles are money back guaranteed that’s why I like going to Pet Shops so I can take back the kibble & I say he wont eat it, when I say he scratches or vomits it becomes too complicated. Holistic Select covers every health problem & refunds money but it depends on the Pet Shop, so I always send the kibble company an email telling them what’s happening with my boy & is your kibble refundable then when I go to the Pet Shop or online Pet Shop & I show them the email or say they said it’s money back, I’ve tried nilly every kibble in Australia & taken back so many kibbles…
Look at the Fat% look for around 10-15% max in fat & 24% to 29% Protein he probably wont do well on a high fat over 15% & a high protein diets over 30%….. then later after he’s doing good look for another kibble & rotate between them..

[Jeanne M]

I was dealing with a similar situation with my Sheltie. Food allergies was the culprit. I was already feeding raw freeze dried but it had alot of fruits/veggies in it. I purchased a test from http://www.glacierpeakholistics.com and they did a complete scan of my dog from her fur and saliva samples I sent them. They told me everything she was reactive/allergic to. It allowed me to build her diet from there whether it was something i made myself or purchased. The test was about $80 and worth every penny. Hope this helps!

[Jeanne M]

I have been dealing with allergies of some sort with my Sheltie… didn’t know what was causing it. Her feet were raw (some some of her legs) – she was biting them all the time. I purchased an allergy test from a local privately owned pet store who focuses on holistic remedies and high end dog foods. The test is produced by Glacier Peak holistics – its called a Pet Wellness Life Scan. You purchase the “kit” and send them fur/hair and saliva from your dog and they test for absolutely everything. It took about 3 or 4 weeks to get the results back. You get a complete scan of everything that your dog is reactive to and you can build their diet from there. Whether you purchase your food or make it yourself, this scan provides your answers. I am so glad i did it! The cost was about $80. which is much much less than my vet wanted. http://www.glacierpeakholistics.com Hope this helps.

[SummerRainAussies]

I add 3-4 teaspoons a day divided over her meals. Or a heaping tablespoon. I just eyeball it. Shes 45lbs.
Rule of thumb is a teaspoon per 10 pounds or a tablespoon per 30lbs. All dogs are different. I give it to a few of my other dogs but not even half the dose I give her. She is my problem child.. She also gets Braggs RAW apple cider vinegar, Fish oil, Spurlina, probiotic, and of course she doesn’t get any “crap” in her diet. Also a raw egg on her morning raw meal every other day. She used to be a nightmare scratching herself raw but i’ve got her pretty much under control now. 🙂

[Susan]

Hi, if you can cook here’s a Naturopath Jacqueline Rudan I use in Australia, here’s one of her raw diets for health problems, “Acidifying (Urinary Crystals)” You will get an idea on what foods are best to feed, I noticed for organ meats she suggests lambs fry, lamb kidney, lamb heart there’s no no beef or chicken livers, I wonder why?? Lentils, Chickpeas, Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, String Beans, Cranberries, Strawberries etc, I also saw eggs, so a scrambled egg & a small rissole for breakfast make sure your adding a Omega 3 supplement or feeding sardines, salmon, so she’s getting her Omega 3 for her joints, skin, coat, brain eyes etc sardines are very healthy

I buy the lean pork grounded mince 1kg (2lbs) & add 1 whisked egg, finally cut parsley, cut up a few small broccoli heads, a kale leaf finally cut up, I add 1 teaspoon of Flax, almond bake meal, its high in omega 3 fatty acids mix all together & make small balls & bake on a baking tray in oven, they can be frozen & taken out when needed, then you can add boiled potatoes or lentils whatever else you need to add to her diet …
http://naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/Shop/2016/03/15/acidifying-diet-urinary-crystals/

[Julie P]

my GSD pinched a nerve in his back a few years ago on a slick wood floor. He limped for about four months. Was overweight at the time. 106lbs. Have since covered the floors. In order to help him loose weight faster to help with the limping issue I put him on raw food diet. And cut out ALL treats. He always loved to swim and I have lake nearby and he could do that with limp. He has been at about 90 lbs since then. Feed him Merrick for the last several years. Recently tried Zignature as the local store was offering buy one get one. Both dogs have done really well on it. My GSD has Pannus now. And eye disease. Has to have eye drops now every day for life. This disease came on at the same time I had tried Costco dog food/and had him vaccinated. Either one of these things brought it on or it just happened. The other dog got hot spots from the Costco grain free food. Do not ever feed Costco Grain free. Reviews are horrible too. And if you ever need prescriptions sign up for Good RX. They have saved me tons of money.

[Roberta A]

Hello, I was wondering if anyone could recommend a gravy or sauce. I have a 16 year old Yorkie who has become very picky. She is on a raw diet, has been since she was 5. Anything that is dry and crumbled she will pick it out of her food and leave the food so must be a something that coats her food. My criteria is: It must be human grade, must be made in USA, and not full of chemicals, dies or the unexplainable bad stuff companies use in pet food.
I have been making my own broth but it is quite labor intensive for only 2 tablespoons over her food when in 2 or 3 days she’s over it and I’m forced to find something different. Currently I’m using human gravy from a jar it comes in several favors but the sodium isn’t great but she eats. She will go days without eating and that makes me more nervous than the sodium.
She is on Standard Process renal support 1/8 tsp Am and Pm in her food and she absolutely hates it this is what has caused her to become picky, but she has to have it her kidneys are showing signs of kidney disease Standard Process is making a difference. Can you suggest something?

[Jeff L]

I have been switching proteins from beef, turkey and chicken. I will throw in pork next round. I have been bouncing form Answers to Primal Pet foods. His stools changed a little with the chicken. I have also been feeding different raw meaty bones and will probably switch completely to raw once I figure out what works for Nick. Right now I feel better giving him a prepared raw food diet because those two companies have already done the thinking for me, but at a much higher cost than I want to pay forever. Definitely not as convenient as kibble, but I know he is thriving right now. I will keep everyone updated..

[Parul S]

Should apples be given raw or cooked to dogs? We recently rescued a 1 year old Australian Cattle dog mix and I would like to improve her diet. She has only ever eaten kibble and I can tell she doesn’t like it but doesn’t know any better. So far I have given her a bite or 2 of raw Apple, banana, coconut oil, boiled sweet potato, raw carrots, frozen green peas, frozen blueberries, raw chicken skin, cucumber and boiled egg with shell. She has loved every new addition. Any inputs would be welcome. She is 42 pounds, very energetic and the love of our lives. We are first time dog owners and would really like to do right by her.

[SummerRainAussies]

I agree with both zcRiley and Elaine. Raw food is the best to eliminate allergies but it is not an option for all. There are plenty of premixed raw formulas but a unbalanced raw diet is worse than even an average kibble.
I have a girl that was really itchy. Things that really helped my girl other than her homemade raw diet include Brags apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, fish oil, and a good probiotic.

[Susan]

Hi Tides, gee your a good mum, it’s really good to see people feeding their dogs what their digestive tract is meant to digest & feed a Raw healthy diet even if 1 meal is raw & the other meal a dry kibble your still on the right track..
If your on Face Book join & follow “Rodney Habib” F/B page, he posted a video a couple of months ago “How to make your own balanced dog food in 3 easy steps” link posted below…Rodney has heaps of good information about feeding a healthy diet also what’s in our kibbles, how to work out the carbohydrate % & the little tricks these kibble companies do to trick us into buying their kibble & how to read the ingredient list & work out what brand kibbles are better..
If your girl cant eat chicken & turkey just be careful adding egg shell & slowly introduce just in case…
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-to-make-your-own-balanced-dog-food-in-3-easy-steps.html

[Acroyali]

Hi Tides:

http://dogaware.com/diet/freshfoods.html

Here’s a nice article on adding fresh foods to a commercial diet.
I’m not sure if your dog could tolerate eggs since he’s so allergic to chicken. Personally, I wouldn’t risk it. I wouldn’t concern myself with the variety needed for a stand-alone raw diet if he’s still getting some commercial foods.
Beef bones aren’t the best option for consumable bones, however letting him gnaw on bones would help keep his teeth clean. The only dogs around here who don’t get recreational chew bones (beef bones) are those who chew aggressively, so much that chipping teeth is an issue.
Though I don’t feed it a lot, green beef tripe is an absolute hit in this house and the acidic nature helps keep their teeth clean, as well as all the great enzymes helping digestion. As long as the butcher gets it from a good source, I’d take him up on his offer, it sounds great!
Hope this helps get your plan off the ground!

[tides]

A couple of links about the dangers of bone obstruction and/or general dangers of raw meat/dietary guidelines actually doesn’t help very much. I want to supplement my dog’s food, rather than replace the kibble entirely, and I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t already discussed the option with her vet AND done a fair amount of research myself. I’m looking for guidelines when the vast majority of raw diet/raw supplements discusses chicken and turkey as primary food sources and my pup can’t have them.

[Susan]

Hi, my kitten eats a raw diet, at first she wouldn’t touch turkey pre-made frozen… he may just like the more leaner white meats with less blood etc, have you tried kangaroo dogs all love kangaroo but kangaroo taste more meaty & is a stronger meat, I didn’t like it, look at trying Rabbit, Goat, Pork, white meats…..
Is this Pre-made frozen raw your feeding or home made raw?? My kitten wouldn’t eat the Pre-made Raw patties plus when I smelt them they didn’t smell like raw meat should smell, I think I wouldn’t of eaten it as well…. can you take them back? I bought frozen pre-made patties & contacted the company on their Face Book page & they said take back & exchange & try the Rabbit instead but she still wasn’t fussed about the rabbit either, I think it was the brand of raw, so now I buy the fridge chilled raw, its not frozen & she loves it.. I just put in the freezer & freeze it & smells like meat should smell..

[Shyla S]

Hi All,

I have a shichon ( Mix of Bichon and Shitzu) 4 years old weighing 23lbs. He has started developing arthiritis in the hip area.

The vet has put him on Metacam and Joint Plus glucosamine HCL liquid form and has suggested that he should lose 5 lbs to come to 18lbs.

His thyroid is fine and blood work came clean. I give him boiled chicken and 3/4th cup kibbles twice a day.

kindly suggest any raw diet which has helped in losing weight. He does not like any meat other than chicken and yes baby carrots.

[Susan]

Hi, for her weight is she being walked daily & throwing a ball in a park is good excercise, you just stand there & they do all the work running after the ball… My boy gets walked 2-3 times a day mainly cause I live in a unit/villa, he’s 8yrs old looks good, no joint problems (yet), I put it down to exercise being active & a lean diet, have you tried raw diet? dogs & cats love raw or freeze dried raw like “Ziwi Peak” when my boy was on raw he lost too much weight, probably cause he wasn’t getting all the carbs you get in kibbles….
I had a boxer before Patch & she was the same, she’d just look at food & put on weight, she ate 1/2 of what my Staffy Patch eats & he loses weight very quickly but he’s more active then my boxer was..

[EDITH S]

CAN YOU ADD THE KEFIR TO YOUR DOGS FOOD. I MAKE MY RAW DIET DOG FOOD FOR MY FRENCHIE AND WANT TO GIVE HER KEFIR TO FIX HER YEASTY PROBLEM.SHES NOT TO HAPPY WITH IT PLAIN AND JUST WANT TO KNOW IF I CAN PUT IN HER FOOD.

[Margaret H]

Dear Liz, toppers, rotations and raw food are good options for dog food. As you need an easy way for variation in your dogs’ diets then I would suggest you to go to a dog meal supplier. Dog meal suppliers are well experienced and they know how to feed dogs by giving them variety of food with the proper amount of supplements including in their meal. You can even look for some suppliers online. Brooklyn dog food delivery or NYC dog food delivery (http://hudsonschow.com) can be good options too.

[Susan]

Hi Kerrin, your best to make a balance raw diet or buy the pre-made raw diets or cook.
I feed my dog a cooked meal (Dinner) & rotate between “Taste Of The Wild” “Holistic Select Adult/Puppy” Fish grain free & Canidae Life Stages the Canidae Pure grain free gave Patch his pain, it may have been the Chickpeas & higher protein % but Canidae Pure formulas would be excellent for healthy dogs, the Canidae Life Stages has the big 44lb (20kg) bags at a very good price…Canidae uses human grade ingredients, kibble size is nice & small for dogs that gulp & don’t chew, easier to digest…

My Patch just turned 8 yrs old, he has no joint pain that I can see, body & coat looks excellent, the only problem is he has IBD mainly his stomach, to look at him you wouldn’t know he has IBD & is ill some days…..I put Patch down to being so healthy & getting better from cooked meals, fresh foods, peeled apple pieces as treats, Almonds as treats, broccoli, kale, egg, spinach parsley all cut up & mixed with lean pork mince or extra lean beef mince & made into 1 cup size rissoles & baked in the oven, sweet potato boiled & added to rissoles as well after cooked, I cant think what else I feed him, I feed what ever I’m eating & I rotate between kibbles, changing the proteins mainly feed Fish & Lamb kibbles, I stay away from chicken if I can, chicken is very high in omega 6 & low in Omega 3…
Omega 6 is pro anti-inflammatory & Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory & as we know chickens are pumped with hormones to grow quickly.

A balanced raw or cooked diet is the best to feed a cat or dog, kibble is just easy for us… have a look at Ziwi Peak Air Dried, Canidae Pure or Life Stages, Victor Super Premium or Sport Dog Elite, the Sport Dog Elite is similar to the Victor but cheaper, the Sport Dog Elite link I have isn’t working but it shows the Sport Dog Elite formulas & compares them to the Victors formulas….
http://victorpetfood.com/

[Acroyali]

Hi Rob:

I’ve been a raw feeder for decades and, like pitlove stated, it’s not for every dog. I have two animals now that can’t do 100% raw, and one that gets violently ill from ingesting bones of any description. They get cooked diets, which might be something you’d be interested in researching and trying if you’re not happy feeding kibble. Mary Strauss at the dog aware website has a ton of information on balancing a cooked diet correctly (it’s more of a science than raw when it comes to balance and supplementation, but can be done.)

If he was happily eating raw, got sick, and now refuses it, I agree that he’s trying to tell you that the food just isn’t agreeing with him. It might be temporary, it might be life long, who knows. While his gut is healing, I would steer clear of raw (think of raw as cleansing, and cooked as nourishing). You can boil down bones in a crock pot and feed the stock; mineral rich and very healing to the GI tract.

If, down the road, the time comes where you feel he’s ready to try raw again I would go easy on the bone content (it’s not uncommon for small breeds and cats to do better with less bone than larger breeds), or forgo the bones all together and use a calcium supplement. But for right now, I agree with the other posters, please consider trying something else if your dog is telling you raw food isn’t working for him right now. Best of luck.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Liz-
I learned about rotating foods and adding variety on this site as well. Many of us think it’s a healthy way to go if your pups do not have any medical conditions that would be aggravated by it.

Toppers are simply foods that you add to their kibble meals. They can also be described as meal mixers by some companies. You can start off slow by just trying out one, such as canned food to see how they do. Just remember that you need to feed less kibble to make up for the extra calories. Most canned and kibble have the calories listed on the containers they come in. Also, most canned food is complete and balanced so you won’t have to worry about feeding unbalanced meals as long as the can does not say for supplemental feeding only. My dogs get canned food in their morning meals. For their afternoon meals, they get either an egg, tripe, sardines or commercial raw mixed in their kibble. I have to keep in mind that these are not complete and balanced add-ins so I need to keep them under 15% of their total diet. I have big dogs so it isn’t as difficult.

There is a $2.95 download on dogwise.com called “See Spot Live Longer the ABC Way” that gives info and a helpful chart with ideas on what to add to kibble meals to get some less processed foods in their diets.

I rotate between three or four brands of kibble. I sometimes stick with one for a few flavors before switching and sometimes not. It really depends on sales at our feed store and Petco. I’d start out slow as not to cause any digestive upset. Otherwise you may get frustrated and give it all up. I don’t think it is totally necessary to feed this way, but we feel good about it and I think the dogs enjoy variety. Just be careful, now if we try to feed them plain old dry food because we are on a day trip, we get the stink eye at meal time. Lol!

Hope this helps!

[pitlove]

Hi Rob-

Your vet is not crazy for considering the possibility that the raw food diet caused GI upset for your dog. Raw is not for every dog, my own included. Your dog is trying to tell you something by refusing to eat a diet he once ate and most likely that message is “this food makes my stomach hurt”.

You trying to force him to eat a diet that could be making him sick because you prefer it, is unfair and will only ruin your relationship with him.

[Robert B]

Hi guys,

this is going to be long, and drawn out, but is a build up of events over a few months, so i totally understand if you get bord of me real quick, but here goes

My name is Rob, I live in west London, Im 31 years old..

when i was 13, My dad let me get a puppy, wich was a beagle and jack russell cross, (he was my best friend) fearless, clever, loving etc etc,

his name was kane, and he was fed scraps from the table, potato, spagatti, sunday roast, smoked haddok, etc etc (he even got the odd cup of tea) all cooked stuff!!!!, he sadly died at the age of 12, as we had to put him down due to suffering from throat cancer!!!! ( he stopped barking in the end, and he loved to bark)

well, now, i have a 10 month old pure breed, short legged jack russell, who has been fed a raw food diet since the age of 11 weeks, until he was 10 months, but he devoleped gastro interitus, and the vets blamed the raw food!!!

but he was ok on the raw food for many months, so surely he just ate something bad on his walks (he chews everything)

the vet told me to feed him kibble, now his toilet is twice as much, bigger, and it stinks!!!!

I tried to introduce him back to raw, but he turns his nose up at it!!!!!

Is there any tips that i can apply to get him to eat raw food again?????

the problem with raw, is it is odorless, so theres no interest,, but is there a product avalible, that i can coat the raw food with, to make it more appealing to him?????!!!

any help greatly appreciated

rob

[Liz H]

I have a pitbull and chihuahua and I feed them grain free dry dog food. I’ve seen people talk about toppers, rotations, and raw food. I know a little about all of that but I was wondering if anyone had an easy way to incorporate more variation in my dogs’ diets like that. Ideas/creativity welcome.

[Crystal P]

Hey!

I am new to the whole raw diet food. I was wondering if someone can help me start off.

I am not sure if I want to start with raw chicken or beef first.

Can anyone help me with a raw diet meal plan? My boxer bella is 7 months old. I would like to start her on a raw diet this week. Any advice would help!

Thanks!!!!

[elaine c]

zcRiley is on the right track!!! However if the itchyness continues switch to a raw food because even great kibble is going to be so good.. because they are all processed and lack live bacteria that is needed for a healthy body. I use ANSWERS DOG FOOD it is raw and it is wonderful. I have seen many dogs transformed by this kind of food, including my own two pits. SCIENCE DIET is a very poor dog food.

[Cheryl P]

My cavalier King Charles spaniel has a struvite crystal/stone and a ph of 9. She is on antibiotics and has the Royal canine SO food. She has only been on a raw food diet of Stella and Chewy’s frozen raw. We’ve added only 1/6 of a cup of the Royall Canine to her raw for 3 meals to transition her and she already has diarrhea from it. She’s never had the byproduct crappy ingredients in big brand kibble before. Any advice? The runs are not from the antibiotic. She’s been on them before for previous UTIs with no problem.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by Cheryl P.

[D S]

Our 10 year old setter/border collie has been progressively having worse and worse breath. We were feeding our dogs Rachel Ray which his breath smelled then, but now it smells like death. We switched to Diamond Naturals Lamb and Rice and it smells awful, as in we ask him to leave the room when we’re watching TV. He gets raw meaty bones weekly and table scraps. We have several other dogs all on the same diet who are just fine. His weight is good, though he is more lethargic and cold sensitive than he was when he was younger and he prefer to sleep a lot near the woodstove. He still enjoys walks and loves to ride in the car. Had him checked out by a vet a while back and he was Aok, he is a decent weight and in pretty good shape (still enjoys a 2 to 4 mile walk/light run- though he’s ready for a nap when he gets home and the others (all under 3yrs old) are still raring to go) . His teeth have been cleaned, he was wormed recently, he eats fine and drinks normally, has regular bowel movements and otherwise seems normal. Any suggestions on an affordable, good dog food that will improve his breath?

[Susan]

Hi I don’t know why your vet only put your poor dog on the Metronidazole antibiotic for 7 days?? they need to be on the Metronidazole for a good 21-28 days especially for S.I.B.O Small Intestine Bacteria Overgrowth.
My boy Patch is also a rescue he just turned 8yrs old, he has IBD, Helicobacter pylori, nausea, vomiting sometimes, acid reflux, seasonal environment skin allergies, red itchy paws, itchy ears, food sensitivities, eating grass, yellow sloppy poos that smell bad, pain in stomach/pancreas area….. the best thing I did was have an Endoscope + biopsies done (camera down throat to stomach) sometimes they can go into the small bowel as well & do a biopsies but only if their pyloric sphincter is open, Patches wasn’t open but the 2 Biopsies told us what was wrong finally Helicobacter Pylori & IBD, when the vet looked into Patches stomach everything looked excellent, so you need to do the biopsies…
Patch starts reacting after eating the same kibble for 2-3 months, sloppy yellow poos, gets his pain, it can take from 1 day to 6 weeks to show food sensitivities, after trying so many kibbles, the only kibble that he hasn’t reacted too after being on it for 8 months is “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb. I don’t know if is cause TOTW uses Purified Water, or all the ingredients he isn’t sensitive to any of them & TOTW don’t change their suppliers?? some kibble companies buy their potatoes from whoever, that’s been a problem in the past for Patch, he was eating Earthborn Holistic, Ocean Fusion he was doing really well while on the small 2.5kg bags, so I bought the 13kg bag it’s cheaper, it was a new batch number & different use by date then Patch was farting doing sloppy smelly poos again, so I emailed earthborn told them what has happened & the lady said we use, rustic, white, red, brown potatoes whatever we can get & I think when the potatoes are green & rotten batches Patch gets his sloppy poos & bad gas problems …
Taste of the Wild has been the only kibble a few dogs with IBD, EPI, S.B.I.O & IBS don’t react too after eating it for a while…
Your best to feed a cooked balanced diet, instead of any processed kibbles, you know what they’re eating, join groups on Face Book like “Rodney Habib” “Canine Nutrition & Natural Health” run by Cat Lane, “K-9 Kitchen” run by Monica Segal, you can also book an appointment with Monica or Cat Lane or another dog nutritionist, they may be cheaper there’s also Judy Morgan DV, she also has the supplements to balance the meals & Judy has cooking videos on You Tube that are so easy to follow & she adds the Honest Kitchen Base meals & you just cooked & add the meat & veggies but I think the Honest Kitchen is dehydrated & Patch can’t seem to handle dehydrated kibbles foods…
I live Australia & I contacted Jacqueline Rudan to put Patch on a raw diet about 2 yrs ago, Jacqueline said I need to heal his stomach & bowel & balance his gut flora his pH is probably tooo high…so I give him some of my Yakult, it’s a pink probiotic drink sold in supermarkets, there’s also Kefir but start real slow when introducing any probiotics, some probiotics made Patch very nausea, Jacqueline wanted me to keep giving Patch the probiotic capsules but they made Patch ill so I stopped & now I give the Yakult drink & he does good I don’t give him much maybe 3 spoons in a bowl..
Cause they are rescue dogs we don’t know what has happen when they were pups & growing up, did they drink dirty contaminated water? were they starved & not feed proper diets, what 1 vet thinks has happened with Patch & when he came to me & I started to feed him a healthy cooked diet he couldn’t handle eating good healthy foods, I’ve had him 4 yrs now & finally in small amounts, I can give him anything to eat as long as I’ve introduced that food to him & it’s not high in fat, where before he’d wake up 2am 3am or 4am with his bowel making loud rumbling noises, it was gas/wind going thru his bowel, 1 vet said Colitis, Food Sensitivities, so I started an elimination cooked diet & worked out what he cant eat, also feed foods that are high in Omega 3 fatty acids, the omega 3 helps their skin, coat, stomach, bowel, heart, joints & brain, Patch doesn’t do well eating a kibble with fish or salmon oils, he gets acid reflux, so I feed other foods high in Omega 3 like raw almonds, 3 raw almonds a day given as a treat & I have a few almonds myself, you should see his coat it’s so shinny, just feeding foods high in omega 3, tin sardines in spring water are excellent but you must start real slow, feed 1 spoon mashed sardines for 1-2 weeks watch poos if still firm then then increase to 2 spoons of sardines a day, I feed salmon or tuna instead it’s not as greasy…
My recipe I make for Patch, Rissoles + Sweet Potato, it’s so easy & you do not have to cook every day, I cook every 8 days but if I made more it would be every 16 days..
I buy Lean Pork mince or the Lean beef mince, it say 5% fat on the packet, I think in America you call it grounded meat, make sure the mince is lean, some minces have a lot of fat, Patch can’t eat turkey, he gets diarrhea also boiled rice irritates his bowel, something that took me 2 months to realise it’s the boiled rice…
I get 2 x 500gram packets lean pork that’s 1 kilo, I think just over 2 pounds, I whisk 1 egg in the bowl, I buy a small broccoli head, Patches Nutritionist said feed green veggies when it’s their skin, stomach & bowel, food sensitivities, I cut up say 1/3 cup chopped broccoli, then I grow parsley & kale & spinach, it grows forever in the veggies Patch, I finally cut up about 1 teaspoon parsley add too bowl, then I add some cut up spinach & cut up kale but only 1 small leaf, then I add the pork mince & mix all thru, I was adding 1 small grated carrot but Patch has food sensitivities & gets red paws, itchy skin & ears, then he starts to smell real yeasty, “Malaseb Medicated Shampoo” bathed weekly is the best when they have itchy paws & skin, so I’ve stopped adding the carrot to his rissoles…
I had too slowly add all these ingredients, at first it was just 1 kg pork mince with a little bit of cut up broccoli, then when I made a new batch of rissoles, I added 1 whisked egg saw how he went, if all was good I added 1 new green cut up veggie & the veggies seem to heal his stomach & bowel, you have to be careful, certain veggies ferment in the stomach so stay away from foods that ferment cause they sit in the stomach & cause gasses…. just Google “what veggies ferment in the stomach” & what veggies, grains don’t digest easy” lentils, chick peas don’t digest easy… you mix all the finally cut up greens with mince & make 1 cup size rissoles, I have scales & weight at 130-136 grams & I make the rissoles the length of my middle finger & flatten them a bit they look like a small sausage then I put on baking tray that has foil on the baking tray, I get around 8 rissoles from 1 kg mince, I bake in oven then about 15-20mins I take out baking tray drain any water/fat & turn over the rissoles & bake till cooked they don’t take long maybe 30mins don’t over cook or you’ll have a leathery rissole, I also boil sweet potatoes & I cool & freeze, same with the rissoles cool & wrap in cling wrap individually, I take out a cut piece of sweet potato & 1 rissole put on a small plate cover with cling wrap & thaw then put in fridge then for dinner I cut up the rissole & mash the sweet potato, for breakfast & lunch Patch has his “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb Kibble, I’m slowly introducing the “Holistic Select” Adult/Puppy Salmon, Anchovy & Sardines grain free kibble so I have another kibble just in case + I rotate his kibble now we just finished trying “Canidae” Life Stages Platinum kibble, too many ingredients & the carbs are too high at 50% in the Canidae Platinum & his poos started to go sloppy & smell again, so now introducing the “Holistic Select so far all is good poos are still firm they don’t smell but its mixed with his TOTW kibble but he’s not farting like he does when I’ve introduced a new kibble that doesn’t agree with him, so hopefully the Holistic Select will be fed in the Summer months, I like to fed a fish kibble in the Summer months for his skin allergies & in the Winter months I feed a lamb kibble “Taste Of The Wild” + his rissoles & raw almonds & I forgot I also feed peeled apple pieces as treat, K-9 Natural Green Lipped Mussels, tuna or salmon with boiled potato rissoles….
You need to make his gut strong again, if he has a set back give the Metronidazole, I have scripts the vet gives me & I just go & get from the chemist, Patch goes back on the Metronidazole for 10days 1 x tablet 200mg at night with a meal, but your dog may need a 21 day course Metro to start with to rest & heal his bowel & a diet that’s very easy to digest & the omega 3…
Good luck, I hope something in this small book, helps

[Rusty T]

Mine aren’t working dogs, but they are incredibly active. They run like crazy on a fenced seven acre private dog park, go hiking with me, and are constantly wrestling around in the backyard. I look for food with no grain, high in protein, real meats, no artificial colors, etc. We feed them dry kibble in the morning, and kibble mixed with a high quality wet food in the evening. On Fridays the evening meal is replaced with fresh fish. Once a week they are fed raw food for the evening meal.

Both dogs are two years old and both are high energy with soft shiny coats. It’s the same diet I had my lab on, and until he got bone marrow cancer, he never had a single health issue. I figure for what I spend on food, I save on vet bills. I don’t skimp on my family’s food and the dogs are a part of our family.

[Tao G]

I have a 14 weeks Samoyed puppy, I’m feeding him bones products from this brand. Recently, I wanna switch his diet to full raw food, does anyone try raw frozen from this brand?
Thanks.

[Susan]

Hi Pauline, google Low Fat Dog recipes & make sure you’re balancing diet properly & are adding omega 3, my boy can’t have fish or salmon oils, he gets acid reflux so I give him 3 raw almonds as a treat daily, I also give him about 5 small apple pieces he chews, around 11am as a treat, I don’t boil rice as rice gives Patch diarrhea, I boil sweet potato & freeze, I peel & cut about 1/3 cup size of the sweet potatoes & boil & I buy lean pork mince & I make 1 cup size rissoles, I add, 1 whisked egg, cut up fresh parsley from the garden I add about 1 teaspoon parsley, finally cut up broccoli about 1/3 to 1/2 a cup, grate 1 carrot & mix all together with about 2lb of the lean grounded mince you pick, then I make into 1 cup size rissoles, I don’t make them round, I make them as long as your middle finger & flatten a bit looks like a fat sausage & put them on foil on a baking tray & bake in oven after cooking for 15mins, drain any excess water fat & turn over the rissoles bake till cooked, when cooked I cool, wrap in glad wrap individually, then freeze them & take out of freezer the day before & thaw in fridge for the next day, I also take out a piece of sweet potato, cut rissole mash the sweet potato mix together & warm in microwave, I add 1/4 teaspoon of “Natural Animal Solution” “DigestaVite Plus it balances the meal, I was adding Almond & Flax baking meal to the rissole mix but Patch was getting his acid reflux so I stopped adding the Flax & Almond meal…
Instead of giving the Pepto I use 1 teaspoon 5ml liquid Mylanta for Patches acid reflux the Mylanta seems to work & make him feel better then the Pepto… Pepto is banned in Australia for humans we can only buy for horses..
All Hills Vet Diets have chicken, that’s probably why he got diarrhea always read ingredients, the only Hills formulas that don’t have chicken is the Hills, d/d Venison & Potato & Salmon & potatoes but fat is too high 15.5% there’s the Z/d, but the Z/d gives Patch bad acid reflux Hills use Soya Oil, its best to cook their meals…
another good meal to give twice a week is tin tuna in spring water or tin salmon in spring water, drain the water & add boiled potato & some boiled pumkin or add the sweet potato..

[Ryan K]

I have no information at all about the mass this vet felt other then her telling me it doesn’t appear to be related to the anal glands. She said anal glands can abscess and get cancerous but this seems to be along the rectal wall above or around that general area. She didn’t say anything was an emergency or that I should rush to get an x Ray or treatment ASAP. She just said that when I bring him in for his next anal gland expresssing that she will feel it to see if it has gotten larger. She said to watch for irritation and if he shows signs of struggling to defecate or continues to scoot his butt then I should possibly run him in sooner for the biopsy which would involve putting him under and prolapsing the anus to use a needle and aspirate the mass for a sample. I am wondering if this could be a hernia? His diet has been massively changed since his slipped disc issue as well. He’s had a life of strict grain free- high quality dog food but since he has been on tramadol, Prevacox and gabapentin his appetite is pretty much destroyed. He’s been living off peanut butter (I hide his pills in it), canned chicken and tuna fish and some raw hide chews which he only eats the coating off of and leaves the actual rawhide. So, I don’t know if this is dietary related? I ordered some Glandex to see if that helps his anal glands in the meantime. I doubt he will eat them though. He’s seriously so uninterested in dry kibble or even most scraps. Should I just stop giving him tuna, bones and treats and force him to only eat kibble? This is so frustrating. This whole experience has truly shown me that I don’t think I can handle another dog again. It’s so much emotional and financial stress and trauma. I love my dog though so I’m trying my best for him.