[losul]

Hi Faith. Count me in as another raw heart proponent, I too think it’s a great idea! Raw beef heart is a major staple in my dogs diet. I get from a rural meat market that slaughters and butchers their own locally raised, state inspected beef. It’s not 100% grass fed beef, but pastured on grass and supplemented, especially in the winter, with alfalfa, clover, lespedeza hays and minimal grain. But it’s NOT the typical mass produced feed lot beef that comes from most supermarkets. Clean and lean it only costs me $1.49/lb.

Feed heart and you wouldn’t have any need to supplement with CoQ10! Because in addition to the great source of taurine, heart is also one the very best natural sources of CoQ10! Like the taurine, if you cook it, you will also destroy some of the CoQ10. Would also lose much of most the B vitamins by cooking.

If your dog eats say 1000 calories a day, and you are feeding an otherwise balanced diet, you should be able to substitute about 130 of those calories daily with 4 ounces beef heart daily, and not worry much about throwing the entire diet out of balance without other supplementation. It would help to add some calcium though even with that little bit of addition, as heart is also very high in phosphorous. 4 ounces beef heart has about 250 mg phosphorous, and only very minimal calcium.

I also would reccomend some omega 3 fish oils in the diet, not sure why it would need be krill oil though, unless it’s for the high concentration of astaxanthin?

[Faith G]

Thank you guys, I appreciate it. He’s not on medication yet because he hasn’t gotten an echo on his heart. I have that scheduled for the next week. I’m not that sold on raw diets, mostly because I’d feel like their never getting enough nutrients or something. Either way, I would be stupid to not try whatever I can to help my boy. I’ve heard CoQ10 helps with heart health, and talked to my vet about it and he’s iffy on it. Anyone ever used CoQ10 and had any negative effects or positive ones?

[C4D]

Hi Cheryl,

I agree with Red in that many dogs are considered senior at 7 and it is always a good idea to run a complete blood panel, urinalysis, and a thorough checkup at that age, if you haven’t done it before. I run these on my dogs every year regardless of their age. He is also correct about the water, but really all dogs should be getting some fresh or canned food mixed in kibble to help keep them properly hydrated. At the very least, add warm water to the kibble to ensure that they are getting more water in their system. Exercise is very important for senior and all dogs as well.

I have had many dogs in my life and currently have several. I never feed them a “senior” dog food, even at almost 15 years of age (large breed). I have a nearly 11 year old dog Lab who has stellar panels and is very active with a daily 2 mile rigorous walk. She eats a combination of canned/moistened kibble and raw or fresh food daily. They all eat that combination. The biggest concern when they are older is to keep any extra weight off and that they aren’t having any health issues that diet would need to address. Senior dog food is really marketing. If you looked at all the senior dog formulas on the market you would find they vary all over the place in protein levels, fat and fiber. As senior dogs age, they metabolize protein less efficiently, so if you choose one that is lowering the protein, you would actually accelerate the reduction in muscle mass.

Keeping the weight off is very important and feeding a better food that doesn’t contain fillers will reduce the poop factor. You also need to feed them according to their “ideal” weight (not their current if they are overweight) and activity level. I feed slightly less than the recommended feeding guides on almost all foods. Even thought my dogs get daily brisk walks, I still consider their activity level “typical” on the DFA calculator. You need to count any treat calories in that daily total. You also need to get an accurate measuring cup for feeding.

Here’s the link to the DFA calculator:

/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/

[Faith G]

I have a two year old pit mix who just got diagnosed with a stage three murmur. I have heard about feeding raw hearts to get nutrients and minerals that they need that dry food doesn’t provide.

I wanted to know if adding raw hearts to a dry food diet will hurt or help. He’s eating 4health from tractor supply, which is seemingly the cheapest best rated food I can find. It has 4 stars on here. We have a limited income and I can’t particularly afford an entire raw diet. I want to do whatever is in my power to help him live a long life. He’s only two and I don’t want to worry about him dropping dead for just being excited that I came home, or anything like that.

If you have any information or experience with things like this or affordable supplements you could recommend please do!!!! Thank you so much.

[SdianeM M]

I have had so many issues with Sadie’s ears and yeast. I have tried many dog foods, and we are still trying them …. kibbles are a no-go for her, makes her problem a lot worse. Tried a commercial raw, but she got to where she would not eat it. Had her on a raw diet, but I am concerned about her receiving the proper nutrition.

I just purchased a 10b. bag from The Real Meat Company that is air dried. She likes it, it looks and sounds good, but I want to check with some of you and see if you have tried it. Also, possibly if you have even tried a similar product and had good results.

[kathleen t]

Starting my 5 yr old blind pit on raw diet. I have started her out mixing the raw meat with her kibble. Yesterday I gave her a bone in chicken leg for the first time. She took the whole leg into her mouth and seemed to have some difficulty at first then got it situated where she was able to chew it and break the bone. Then she acted like she was afraid of it. She wouldn’t even go near it. I picked it up and put it in the fridge. This morning I decided to take the meat off the bone. I noticed that the bone had some sharp shards. I took all the bone out and gave her the meat. She ate the meat. I am concerned about how the raw bone had sharp shards. I see everyone says that chicken bones are safe but was this normal the way they broke? Also I see different things about beef bones. I see don’t feed them leg bones, but what marrow bones are safe for dogs?

Thanks for your help. She has the start of arthritis and getting her on a balanced raw diet is my goal in hopes that this will help her arthritis along with just keeping her as healthy as possible.

[Tom G]

Is this possible? The hearts can be sourced at around 1.00 a pound vs. 3.49 for the ground beef.

70lb. Athletic dog.
Currently feeding per day (divided into two meals):

1 lb.ground beef
1/2 lb. Chickets hearts
1/2 lb. Chicken necks
4 oz. beef liver
1 soft boiled egg
1 tbsb. Extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsb. Vionate

Active yogurt and apple cider vinager twice a week, not at the same time.

• This topic was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Tom G.
• This topic was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Tom G.

[Susan]

Hi Bronwyn, there’s one thing you have not mentioned, he’s not on an ant acid medication like Zantac (Ranitidine) or Pepcid (Famotidine)… I had an Endoscope & biopsies done on my boy & he had Helicobacter-Pylori, he was given the triple therapy meds-Metronidazole, Amoxicillin & Zantac for 21 days, after the 21 days his acid reflux returned cause I didn’t know that I needed to change his diet so I’d say the Helicobacter returned & Patch was put on Zantac & I did the triple therapy again & put Patch on a Gluten, Sugar, Dairy free kibble…. he got his appetite back again I had to give 1/3 of a 150mg Zantac tablet 1 hour before breakfast then 8-12 hours later again 1/3 of a 150mg tablet…….
Has he had a blood test to see if he has Pancreatitis??
Most of the foods he’s refusing to eat cheese & oil are high in fat, when you have acid reflux you need a low fat diet…. with kibbles the fat % has to be around 10% in fat %….with wet tin foods 3%fat & under, 5% fat in a wet tin food is about 22% fat when converted to dry matter (Kibble) same with raw & dehydrated….that’s probably why he doesn’t eat wet tin food, the fat was probably tooo high & he got his acid…. if I feed my boy wet tin food with 4-5% min fat, he starts grinding his teeth about 40-60mins after eating the wet tin food….

Your last paragraph, you wrote this morning he decided he didn’t want to eat the kibble…
if you give him a ant acid medication 40mins before breakfast he probably will eat or even liquid Mylanta, I give my boy 3-4mls of the Liquid Mylanta some mornings cause as soon as
he wakes up, I can tell if he has his acid reflux, he starts to grinds his teeth….I hate that sound now cause I know we are going to have a crap day, well he is going to feel like crap & I have to watch him feel like crap all morning, so I have 2 syringes of 3-4mls Mylanta in the fridge already made up, the Mylanta seems to work for Patch, also Slippery Elm is suppose to help with acid reflux, I tried the Slippery Elm it worked the first 2 times, then the next 2 times I gave the Slippery Elm slurry & Patch vomited, so I went back to his Mylanta…

I’d be putting him on either Pepcid or Zantac every morning & every night & you watch, he probably will start eating more & feeling better, he’s a very smart dog, he knows what foods make his tummy worse…..
also I’ve read adding water to kibble can make acid reflux worse…. I’ll try & find the link I saved it, that’s probably why he won’t eat kibble with water in it…..I’ve been giving Patch those Jatz dry biscuits as a treat, I give him 2 at 9pm & a couple thru the day, the Jatz seem to settle his stomach or line his stomach they help..
http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/acid-reflux-gerd-in-dogs-cats-natural.html

[DogFoodie]

Ugh! I just typed a long response that disappeared. Let’s try it again.

I’ll second Aquariangt’s recommendation for The Honest Kitchen.

I’ll also make a suggestion for raw. Answers. Answers is a fermented raw product. Straight Answers is meat, organ, and bone only. It’s made complete and balanced by adding Answers goat milk. Detailed Answers is complete and balanced. In addition to meat, organ, and bone, it includes veggies, eggs, Montmorillonite, decaffeinated green tea, and anchovy, and sardine oils. I estimate your 55 pound adult dog would eat about 10 ounces per day of Detailed Answers. A two pound carton sells for about $14 where I live. You’d need about 9.5 cartons per month for a total of 300 ounces monthly, which would cost you about $135 per month. My dogs eat less Answers than they do other raw foods, although both have around 60 kcals per ounce. Fermented foods are more nourishing.

For the record, my dogs are currently eating Answers, but they eat a wide variety of foods including, kibble, can, fresh whole foods and raw.

Also, I believe allergy tests are fairly unreliable and the gold standard for determining food intolerances is a well constructed elimination diet. That said, I was shocked at my saliva and hair test results from Glacier Peaks. The test was only $85, which for me was affordable. I had always thought my dog was fish intolerant, but the GP test results said otherwise. I’m happy to report that my dog just polished of a bag of Acana Pacifica, a fish based food, with zero issues whatsoever.

[Anonymous]

I didn’t rush to a dermatologist either. I spent a year doing various elimination diets, trying various expensive foods, going back and forth to the regular vet and the emergency vet, prednisone, benadryl, fish oil (which I still give) blah, blah, blah. Oh, I forgot, yes, ear infections, prescription drops…
At one point I had 2 air purifiers and a dehumidifier going at the same time (both went to the Goodwill). Daily baths, special shampoos, etc.
My dog found relief after seeing the specialist. Yes, the initial testing is expensive, but the maintenance isn’t bad at all.
It is an option, and it worked for my dog.
PS: I tried raw too, it made my dog vomit uncontrollably. And the raw beef marrow bones resulted in a blockage that required emergency veterinary care.

[InkedMarie]

I use a little Reel Raw. I find it fattier than other products. I’ve never used the premeasured service; too costly IMO. I get the ten pounders but to be honest, thawing & re3packaging is a pain in the butt.

If you get grinds with bone, they are complete diets so yes, Hare’s are balanced (assuming you get it with bone). It’s prey model raw in ground form.

If you go to DogAware dog com, search for co-ops and meetups.

[Chuck]

Thanks for the information, I ended up doing another month of Darwin’s until I can figure it out. How do you like Reel Raw? are you using their pre-measured service? I live in Florida so I like the idea of free shipping as all of these companies seem to be located in the NE.

If you order from Reel Raw pre-measured is that a complete diet? (similar to darwins patties) and does Hare today have something similar, all I seem to see is individual meats?

Also what is actually a “meetup”, and how do you actually find one? I live near Tampa, FL.

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

[Paula W]

Hi everyone…. I have a six-year-old Shih Tzu boy (ChewieBahka) who has been having tummy troubles for about a month now. I’ve taken him to the vet twice in the past few weeks and the vet feels he may have colitis. I was given Forti Flora to add to his meal, Metronidazole (antibiotic), and Cerenia for his diarrhea. I fed a bland diet of chicken with rice. By day two of the meds he was feeling noticeably better, and didn’t need the anti-diarrheal.

He had previously been eating Hill’s Rx Science Diet D/D Egg and Rice kibble. I do not like this food at all. My other dog, my girl Lhasa Apso mix, Coco Latte’, (who I will post about later) was put on this food. I was told it was ok for Chewie to eat it also. (Really mad at myself for not researching into that further.)

His symptoms are as follows:

* Diarrhea – (Not watery, but not well-formed….almost like a cow patty.)
* Trembling (which I believe is due to the cramping he feels in his tummy)
* Periodic lack of appetite (He’s a foodie, so this is unusual!)
* Lethargy

His fecal sample was tested and the lab results saw nothing bad with it.
Temperature is normal. No dehydration. No vomiting. Chewie is about 1/2 a pound overweight, and has a very good appetite 95% of the time. He’s an active, happy, curious litte boy, but when his tummy is bothering him, lethargy sets in.

I was afraid that he may have eaten something in the back yard, and spent two days pulling every single thing I wasn’t sure about out of the ground. (Believe it or not, Chewie enjoys “gardening”. He watched me pulling weeds one day, and he mimics what he sees. He does eat them sometimes.)

I also think that stress contributes to whatever the problem is. My husband “threw me away last December”, and it was very unexpected. As you can imagine, depression/stress for me are very high. I know it transfers over onto my dogs. Coco handles stress pretty well, but Chewie is more of a gentle soul and it’s harder on him. Also, having nowhere else to go, I became a full-time caregiver to my mother who has dementia (a lot more stress.)

The meds helped, but his symptoms returned today (about two weeks later). The vet advised that if this happened we should look into doing blood work and changing his diet. He also suggested pumpkin and a high fiber dog food. I was wondering if anyone has had similar troubles with their dog, (or a diagnosis of colitis) and what you found helpful. I just want my little boy to feel better, and I’m open to all suggestions you might have for us.

I want to feed him the best possible food I can. What’s the best possible commercially prepared food I can offer him? Is canned food better? Dry? Raw or freeze dried? Should I home cook? I have a million +1 questions and would value your insights.
Thanks in advance.

[Bobby dog]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[zcRiley]

Some dogs don’t do well on raw or an all wet diet. Unless your dog has a severe allergic reaction to the 4 proteins used in Zignature formulas, it’s probably the best on the market because it excludes chicken, egg and potato. I switched my pups overnight to Zignature Zssentials after intestinal issues with Orijen Adult. If they have a bad reaction to any food, I stop it immediately. Cleared up every issue they were having in 48 hours. Side note: their canned food’s not that great, so I use Weruva and ZiwiPeak for soft. The new Zignature Kangaroo formula is a hit as well!

[Jamie P]

We recently rescued a ridgeback mutt (9 weeks old), and I am researching the raw diet options and am so thankful to have found these forums to help me wade through the info available on the web (as well as help me formulate good questions for our vet!).

I’ll be checking out dr. Becker and other concerns listed here. My follow up question about transitioning to raw is– what’s the most cost-effective and convenient way to feed raw? Freeze dried or frozen? The prices are all over the place!

Also, is there a kibble that can (reasonably) mimic the raw diet?

[Allison A]

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

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

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

[Susan]

Hi was your dog tested for EPI & have you ever used a Digestive Enzyme? when I reed what you have used I see pumkin & the pumkin didn’t help …..Pumkin is high soluble fiber, what % fiber is the Hills light kibble made up of more soluble fiber or more insoluble fiber, email Hills & ask you want the % of the soluble, insoluble & crude fiber in the Light, but were his poos ever firm on the Hills light??? the Hills Z/d vet diet is high in insoluble fiber, it went thru my boy, so my boy needs a kibble & foods that have soluble fibers, not insoluble fibers, my boy did real well on the vet diet Euknauba Intestinal low residue kibble, the fiber is only 1.7% & the Royal Canine Intestinal low fat the fiber is 1.7%
another thing if he’s doing better on the raw, raw doesn’t have much fiber so ur vet may have it wrong, have you seen any other vets that specialise in IBD, I can try & work it out with you….I think ur dog need less fiber…..

[Susan]

Hi, I had a white boxer Angie, she just had a tan patch above her left eye, her skin was good, she ate home cooked mainly, so that’s probably why her skin was good, (no Kibble)
Angie ended up having Mast Cell Tumor on the rump of her back leg & stomach, when she was about 9years old they were removed but they were high grade 2 cancer, broke my heart when I had to put her to sleep, she was a real lady & sooooo gentle….

Origen or Acana Regional is suppose to be good, high protein & less carbs….
I worry about the higher protein diets cause the fat % is normally high, that’s one thing my boxer didn’t do well on foods that were higher in fat… some boxer have a sensitive stomach…

“Earthborn” Grain free kibble “Primitive Natural” has only 17.5% carbs….their Great Plains Feast has 25% carbs the Coastal Catch has 29% carbs the Guaranteed Analysis tells you the Carb %
http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/dog_formulas/primitive_natural/

I was feeding raw for breakfast & kibble for dinner with the dog I have now, he’s eating
cooked or wet tin for breakfast & kibble for dinner at the moment….

[Kristin C]

Hi Anna-I do think some dogs do well on a grain free diet. I have one beagle/aussie mix as an example. She has lost 7 lbs (from 37 lbs) when switched to raw plus grain free kibble. She currently eats Farmina Lamb Grain Free a few times per week. But of course it has potato,has to have something to bind it. I have another dog that seems to do better with grain. I have fed her Farmina Lamb Ancestral Grain, but since I don’t feed kibble enough it’s hard to say whether it works. I have better luck with satin balls putting weight on her. I have learned that each dog is different so it’s not one size fits all for food.

[Tammy H]

I wouldn’t feed Pedigree or anything Blue Buffalo. Fromm GF Surf and Turf or Orijen Six Fish would be great choices as would any of the quality raw diets available but you need to transition slowly. You can also add a small amount of quality canned or freeze dried raw. Adding fish or crill oil are great ideas. Honestly, anything you feed that is not grocery store food is going to make a big difference.

[Pitlove]

Ah ok, I misunderstood. Are you planning to take her off raw? If you do not want to switch from raw back to kibble, you can buy grinds of different proteins that don’t contain bone from companies like Hare Today and work with a nutritionist to balance the meals. Wysong also makes a supplement that is said to balance a raw fed diet.

http://www.wysong.net/products/cotw-dog-cat-supplement.php

[Jan M]

Well, we had a horrible night with her…she felt so bad, paced and paced.i was at vets early and guess what? X-ray showed a mass of the ground up bones from raw food was blocking part of her stomach! And I thought I was giving her the very best! I was the cause of it! He gave her a shot to help with her nausea, several medications to help with her tummy right now. She is already feeling better. Most of her misery was coming from nausea due to partial blockage. Needless to say , she will never go back on a raw diet. Thanks for your advice.

[cherryl]

Hi all,
I have an 11 year old Maltipoo (Friday) who’s been battling Yeast infection for 3 years. I got tired of going to the vet having the same treatment over and over (they just prescribe her some medicine,Royal Canin sensitivity and medicated soap and shampoo) without any good results, she’s still stinky, itchy and miserable. I started researching and found out that possible cause of yeast is diet (vet never mentioned that to me) and it’s when i decided to try raw. I followed the yeast starvation diet on homemadedogfood: lean ground beef, boiled egg with shell. I live in Asia so Dinovite is not available so I replace it with supplement, fish oil and megaderm (alternate). Friday loved it. Her yeast is now coming out as expected. However, i observed that her bowel changed dramatically. Her normal schedule on kibble is after meal but once she changed to raw, sometimes it would take more than 24 hrs for her to poop. Her poop is also inconsistent, one day it would be very soft and wet but can still be picked up, the next day then it will be well formed but with mucus, then it will be tarry.. oh and its really smelly too..these changes on her bowel keeps me awake at night as well. Then the other night, her poop was tarry with fresh blood and some mucus, this worried me a lot so i sent her to the vet the next day. She was examined thoroughly and found everything is normal. Also, no vomiting and coughing occurred her movement is also normal.

So i researched again and most of what I read is that I’m supposed to start with chicken, so last night i bought chicken wings and chicken breast fillet. I cut the fillet in small portion and gave Friday half of the chicken wings (this is after 24hr fasting) . She DOESN’T like it. I had to give her the chicken meat by hand and most of it she spit, she ate the chicken wing but with so much pleading. This morning when i tried to give her meal, she did not eat the wings at all. I tried cutting the bones to small pieces but to no avail. (oh this is plain chicken not the yeast starvation diet)

I have another dog Bailey, (Wire Dachshund, normal size) she started on raw the same time with Friday, she’s also having the same bowel problems like Friday (but without the bloody poop (yet)), so now she’s taking chicken wings and no problem eating it at all.

Both dogs started raw about 3 going on 4 weeks now and I dont know if there’s any alternative recipe/food that I can give her. Oh like i said I live in Asia so Turkey, lamb and other kind of meat isn’t readily available here. Basic is pork, chicken and beef.
Should I stick with the yeast starvation diet but with ground chicken? How important is the bones for the dog? And what can i do to make my dog eat chicken?

Really sorry for the long read and I really hope you guys can give me some advice on this.
Thanks so much!!!

[Dori]

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

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

[Susan]

Hi, some kibble companies will write the Carb % on their website …. you add the protein % the fat% the fiber % the Moisture % & the ash % if the ash % isn’t on the bag or their site just add about 6-8% then take away from 100 & you’ll get a ruff estimate of the carbs….

Earthborn Holistics has the carb % written on the guaranteed analysis, I’m introducing the Natural “Ocean Fusion” it has 12%min fat the least ingredients, no peas, tomato pomace or probiotics… The lower the carbs the better, when dogs eat a raw diet some dogs don’t eat carbs, Patch was eating about 5% carbs when feed a raw diet but that was cause he was a bit under weight, all his yeasty smelly ears paws & skin went away….
http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/dog_formulas/

[Susan]

Hi have you thought of feeding raw or a cooked diet & stop feeding kibble?? A dog digestive tract has been made to digest meat not peas, garbanzo beans, lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes these are all high in Lectins & can cause leaky gut.

My boy suffers with IBD & skin allergies from certain foods & he doesn’t do well on grain free kibbles, (bad gas, sloppy poo, rumbling bowel noises, nausea) … Over the last 2 years I’ve tried heaps of kibbles & in the end I found the kibble with just rice & 1 protein like fish was the best a limited ingredient kibble then I add fresh chicken or beef or fish on top….I try not to feed kibble & feed a wet tin food or cooked meals with ingredients that I know my boy can eat, some kibbles have tooo many ingredients & it just takes 1 ingredient & your dog is scratching, sore ears or has gas diarrhea etc…

If you don’t want to feed a raw or cooked diet have you looked at “The Honest Kitchen Zeal” its low in carbs, gluten free high in protein – http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/zeal

ZiwiPeak – http://www.ziwipeak.com/air-dried-dog-food-ziwipeak-daily-dog-air-dried-cuisine/

K9 Natural – https://www.k9natural.com/

[Dori]

Chuck. I’m wondering if you’ve checked out Darwin’s on Amazon. They only sell it in variety packs but the shipping is free regardless of the size of the variety packs. As long as your dog doesn’t have any food intolerances with any of the variety packs proteins I feel it’s a good way to do rotation diet. For a raw diet I’ve never thought it was particularly expensive, or should I say any more expensive, than any other commercial raw frozen. It was the shipping that made it unaffordable as far as I was concerned. All other frozen raws that I feed I can purchase locally so I didn’t care for the shipping fees.

[DogFoodie]

From the MPC website:

“We recommend a diet consisting of 80% meat, 10% bone & 10% organs which approximates a whole prey diet as we believe nature intended. Any My Pet Carnivore product that has “Whole Ground…” or “Whole Prey…” in the description is the complete animal (minus intestines, fur or feathers). If you are looking for an easy meal, that’s the way to go! ”

https://www.mypetcarnivore.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=143&Itemid=391&lang=en

When I order raw, I order from MPC because I’m on their home delivery route.

[Susan]

She may have more environment allergies, if the raw didn’t really help, I saw a change with 2 days when I started to feed a raw diet…..When you did the allergy testing did you do the “Glacier Peak Holistic” Salvia & Hair testing, it tests for 100+ Environment triggers & 200+ food items for $85….. http://www.glacierpeakholistics.com/More-Than-an-Allergy-Test_p_80.html …

[Elyse M]

Thank you!!!! I was trying to stay away from grains, but I don’t think I will be able to, and truthfully- she doesn’t have an allergy to them.

She’s a sensitive dog with many issues in the past (cardiac changes, bloat, etc.) I was trying so hard to get her on a diet that was balanced, that her body could tolerate. The raw didn’t really solve any of her allergy issues, and- instead, added a GIANT issue.

[Elyse M]

Ok, new to this site and need help!!

Bella’s history. Adopted at 3-years-old from shelter. No history.
Switched to grain free (Wellness), then to Merrick BG in November 2011. Switched to Acana Pacifica in May 2012.

She has had numerous health issues, but we have battled allergies from the start. This spring I ran the Heska environmental/food panel. She came back allergic to sweet potato, peas, and flax. I put her on raw diet to see if it would help iron out these issues. We don’t notice an allergy difference and now I am treating salmonella. I also have a 15 month old human child at home. I can’t continue raw.

So KNOWING she can’t tolerate sweet potato, peas, or flax- any suggestion on kibble? Or is my best bet to cook for her?

[Pitlove]

Very loaded question FoxEye. Someone on Susan Thixon’s website commented about people being so concerned about homemade dog food diets being nutritional sound, when we, for centuries have been able to homecook for our children and have them be healthy. We don’t rely on bags of “complete and balanced” processed foods for our kids made by human nutritionists or big name companies. I thought it was a clever comparison and held some truth.

Kibble works for a lot of dogs and it doesn’t work for a lot of dogs. We used to have a 23 year old toy poodle that would come into the groomer I used to work for that had eaten nothing but Kibbles N’Bits for her whole life and was completely healthy. Does that mean I want to run out and buy a bag of Kibbles N’Bits? No, but it shows that some dogs can do fine on kibble (even some of the worst ones).

Looking at the other side, there are tons of raw feeders whos dogs are equally as healthy and look amazing. I definitely think that fresh diets are the healthier option for dogs and humans, but not everyones lifestyle works for a homemade diet either.

But, to answer your question pointedly, yes, a lot of people think dogs should eat kibble and not raw. More and more people are seeing the flaws with processed diets though.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Pitlove.

[Susan]

Hi Kevin, You need to change her diet, kibbles aren’t really good for yeasty dogs as they are very high in carbs, you need to cut out the sugar carbs Potatoes, peas, sweet potatoes etc yeasty dogs need a low Gi diet, raw, wet tin, home cooked diets are the best, most vet diets are high in carbs…. if you have to feed a kibble try “Earthborn Holistic’ their grainfree flavours the carbs are only 17.5% -29% the “Great Plains” & “Meadow Feast” are potato free….their natural kibbles are a bit higher in carbs… http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/dog_formulas/
I feed wet tin food for breakfast & I have just started the Earthborn Ocean Fusion natural kibble for dinner, my boy needs a lower fat diet & the grainfree diets are too high in fat for Patch…he has IBD… also read what the carb % is in the kibble, if it isn’t written on the kibble bag or their web site you add the protein% + fat % + moisture + ash % & then you take what you have away from 100% & you get the carb %….Earthborn has it written on their site under Guaranteed Analysis…

Glacier Pecks Holistic does Salvia & Hair testing & test for 100+ Environment triggers & 200+ food items for $85….
http://www.glacierpeakholistics.com/More-Than-an-Allergy-Test_p_80.html

[Pat J]

I am new to this site. I would like to switch to a raw diet, I am elderly with health issues. The diets mention are too complicated and time consuming for my condition. I have been looking into a dehydrated food from Big Dog Natural company. A dog breeder told me about this company and likes their food. Has anyone tried their food and if so, what were the results and opinions? Thanks

[Pitlove]

Hi Michelle- Wow, your dog makes my dogs skin problems look like nothing. I’m so sorry for what you are going through, but thank you for rescuing.

Are you working with a specialist currently? If you are only working with your general vet I would highly suggest seeking out someone who specializes in nutrition or at least is familiar with whats going on with your dogs.

Have you tried feeding raw/homemade? They offer venison meat and also cavie (guinea pig) and rabbit which could be options. HareToday offers these as grinds and you could work with a nutritionist to balance the meals. It might also be cheaper than feeding canned food and you would be able to completely tailor the diets to your needs.

[Kimberly W]

Hi all,

I have a puppy-mill Boston Terrier female named Lexie. I got her at 1 year old and she was in bad shape – demodex mange being one of the issues. We got rid of the mange, but she itches almost constantly still ….. especially mid-back and butt. Her tail has a spot where she’s rubbed all the hair off and now it’s like a callous there. I’ve tried all different proteins (even ground raw venison!) and grain-free foods, allergic injections, prednisone ….. even trying an immuno-therapy serum for common Florida allergens. She’s currently on Apoquel at $2 per DAY ….. it does help, but she still itches. I liked the idea of the Dinovite supplement + the raw diet they promote and switched her over VERY slowly. My first box of Dinovite lasted over 60 days. Lexie has a very touchy tummy and I didn’t want her to get sick. She seemed to do okay with the supplement and the diet, but we noticed that only the Apoquel made her scratch less. And by no means did the scratching stop ….. :/

So, into the 2nd box of Dinovite, Lexie started spitting up after eating. This had happened all along, but just once in awhile – now she was doing it after almost every meal. And it wasn’t RIGHT AFTER she ate, it was hours afterwards. Like we were sleeping at 3am and she’d vomit in the bed with us. And it was always GREEN. Like she was just spitting up just the Dinovite. We weaned her back onto the white fish based kibble she’d been on (that we were sure didn’t make her sick) and just put the Dinovite in that – thinking we’d eliminate the chance that it was the raw food. She STILL would vomit only green stuff.

I’m at my wits end here. I hate thinking she’s miserable. We have really tried a ton of stuff, but I think something in the Dinovite is making her sick. I’m wondering if all the time she was on the raw diet, it was moving the toxins from the crappy food she was fed (before I got her) OUT of her body and then, the grain (sorghum) in the Dinovite finally made her sick????

I wish I could post a picture – she looks SO good – hair is all grown in from where the demodex had her bald, so glossy she shines in the sun ….. everyone comments on how beautiful she is ….. but she itches. Almost all the time. Doesn’t lick her paws and her skin doesn’t smell at all, her ears are pretty pink inside ….. no yeast that I can see manifesting itself on her body anywhere. When I scratch her back where you can obviously tell it itches the MOST, there is some dandruff that comes out. She has no fleas and I’ve washed her with DermaBenss shampoo – as suggested by my vet – for the flaking skin ….. but when that didn’t work, I used a soap-free emu oil shampoo that’s FOR DRY SKIN and that didn’t help either.

This is what a meal looks like for Lexie:

1/2 cup of white fish based kibble – NO GRAINS (no corn, wheat or soy)
3 pumps of Yummy Chummies salmon oil
baked sweet potato or canned pumpkin
2 capsules of food enzymes (opened and sprinkled on the food)
Drs. Foster and Smith adult vitamin
vitamin E capsule – 400IU
***Also, before bed, I’m giving Lexie 2 capsules of bifidophilus, to help repopulate the good bacteria in her intestines.***
***We only use one kind of treats – Yummy Chummies Grain Free treats made with 95% salmon + potato and pea flour.***

The food we are using scores a 3.5 star on the food advisory list and I’m willing to buy her a 5 star food, but am not sure that food is her only issue. Does anyone have ANY suggestions for me? I’d be very grateful for any ideas that I haven’t already explored. Another supplement? A different shampoo? Anything I haven’t thought of or don’t know how to look for? I’ve even wondered if the itching is just a HABIT and maybe she doesn’t know how to stop ….. :/

Thanks for any thoughts!!!!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Kimberly W.

[Pitlove]

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

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

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

[Aaron J]

For anyone that has purchased from Hare Today…what am I supposed to purchase to have the most complete prey model raw diet? They have many varieties of any ground protein/bones/organs… however looking at turkey as a protein, it has 27% bone. I don’t know what I would need to purchase in order to have a complete pmr diet for my dog. Ideally, I would prefer to just defrost the meat, scoop, measure, and feed… I don’t think they have that option?

Any feedback in regards to this is appreciated!!

Thanks!

• This topic was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Aaron J.

[aquariangt]

While certain grains have some useful nutrition if you have to stay grain inclusive, as Marie said, they have no real need for them. Dogs derive the most energy and benefit from meat protein.

That said:

Dani eats grain free because I prefer to have as high of protein content as possible. I’d feed raw if my life allowed for it, but atm, it doesn’t. When she starts competing I will adjust my life and go raw. She also gets about 25-40% of her daily intake via dehydrated or canned, both of which tend towards much higher protein to carb ratios

Liesl however eats grain inclusive because she has some food allergy/intolerance whatever you feel like calling it that comes from grain free (legumes, mainly) so she eats 50-60% of her diet as canned and dehydrated. Grain inclusive is almost always lower protein than grain free

[Melissa S]

My pitbull, Ktulu, is having really bad skin problems. Just recently her right ear also became crusty and irritated on the inside. This has happened before to both of her ears, once. We cleaned them out with Keto (we have a prescription from the vet) and it never returned. Until now. She’s also always had skin issues on her stomach and flanks.

It’s gotten incredibly worse and her skin has become darkly pigmented, has lost hair, and I know she’s miserable. She smells like dog. Not like yeast or cheese or stinky feet. Another thing to keep in mind is that because of our living situation, the dogs must stay outside at all times. (Yeah, I know. I hate it, but this isn’t my house and we can’t afford to move to our own)

We haven’t taken her to the vet for this, because I’m afraid they’re going to try and do all kinds of unnecessary tests and give us drugs that won’t work or try to get us to buy Hills Science Diet (which I’m not a fan of at all). Although, I’m thinking that I will, just to see if they’ll take cultures and help us determine if this is a yeast issue (I think it is, along with allergies).

Now, that’s not really my issue. My issue is my partner thinks what we feed our dogs is just fine (Purina Dog Chow-please don’t judge us!). I’ve never liked it, but with our limited budget and our dogs liking it, I thought that it was okay for the time being. Well, the time being has passed and I can’t take it anymore. I’m even considering giving the dogs to people who can properly take care of them (ie. have more money).

If I were to start with a homemade diet, where do I actually start? How expensive is it really going to be? How do I make sure my dogs are getting all the required nutrients? Do you think this is the best route to go considering her skin issues?

I was looking into already prepared raw and freeze-dried, but with how large both of my dogs are, it’s out of the question regarding costs. Also, I want to make sure that I can pinpoint any food allergies as well, and so many of these commercially prepared foods have tons of ingredients.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Susan]

Hi Wifsie, when I rescued my boy about 2 years ago he had the same swallowing & swallowing & worse at night & what I’ve learnt is too LOWER the FAT & protein in the kibble & kibble makes it worse, I’m finding low fat cooked meals seem to be the best & low fat wet tin foods 3% fat & under for wet tin foods, the fat% is different in wet tin food to the fat % in kibbles…
I buy extra lean beef ground mince or the lean turkey breast mince & add broccoli, celery, carrot & quiona that I’ve already boiled made into a meatloaf & baked in oven, I feed wet food for breakfast & soften kibble for lunch & wet for dinner sometimes kibble, you could change it around & feed kibble for breakfast & wet tin or cooked meal for dinner & see if there’s a difference… the fat in the Taste Of the Wild is high, when it says min fat add another 2% for max %…..
if you do soak the kibble in water make sure you fully drain all the water, squeeze the soft kibble while in the bowl, then I put thru a blender for 3-5 sec, the kibble should fluff up & separate, not be a ball of gluggy glue kibble, it means you soaked the kibble in water too long if its a gluggy ball, some kibbles when soaked only take about 30-60mins & are soft, I’ve found kibbles with rice are better & digest easier then kibbles with potatoes, sweet potatoes.. I’ve just read that water can make acid reflux worse if water is left in with the kibble in bowl, something about the Ph levels in the stomach rising & making more stomach acid (Hydrochloric acid)…. if you still want to feed a kibble & see if he gets better on another brand, look for a lower protein around 24% & lower fat around 10% & a limited ingredient kibble, so less problems of 1 ingredient giving him acid reflux…like us some people can eat tomatoes, garlic, raw onions etc & are fine, when I eat acidy foods, I get bad acid reflux…. I look for a kibbles with rice without tomato pomace & all those added ingredients, I’m going to try the “EarthBorn Holistic Ocean Fusion” next I running out of kibbles to try, I’m worried cause the fat % is 12% min so max will be around 14% http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/dog_formulas/
I have found when I feed a low fat 10-12% fat & higher protein 30% kibble, Patch had his bad swallowing & swallowing again… you may have to try a few different kibbles to find the right one…. “The Honest Kitchen Zeal” is suppose to be very good for dogs with stomach & skin problem…. http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal fat is 8.50% but the protein is higher at 35.50%…. there’s a lot of really good kibbles & wet tin foods in America so google around before deciding & make sure its money back guaranteed….I just say my boy wont eat it, when I start saying he gets acid reflux or sloopy poos the lady just looks at me weird…..I feel embarrassed when returning foods..

If after you change her diet a few times to a lower fat, lower protein & if she is still swallowing & eating grass, ask vet can you have an Endoscope & Biopsies done on the stomach & make sure the biopsies are done, After changing my boys diet & giving ant-acid meds, Patch was still having his acid reflux on & off waking up about 11pm & was bad in morning about 10am after eating, so the Vet did a Endoscope & Biopsies & found Helicobacter-Pylori often found in shelter-pound dogs…. also what I do when I see Patch swallowing & eating grass & uncomfortable, I give him about 4ml liquid Mylanta in a syringe, some people use Pepto Bismol but we don’t have Pepto in Australia..it gives instant relief, please keep us updated on your girl & what worked for your new girl…..

[Pitlove]

“And it’s pretty bizarre to see in one paragraph a complaint that I don’t provide scientific evidence, then a suggestion such evidence doesn’t matter anyway since “science changes,” and then an argument that good evidence concerning raw diets is impractical anyway so we should all just rely on anecdotes. Since you clearly don’t think science matters, it’s pretty hypocritical (and, of course, factually incorrect) to complain that I don’t provide any scientific evidence.”

Science is constantly changing and as a DVM I’m certain you were taught that in your classes. If not maybe consider going back and take a more up to date biology class. It was discussed frequently in all of my biology and psychology classes. Also I am a firm believer in science and I do not like to 100% give into an idea if I can not see any tangable evidence of the success or failure of an idea or practice. I simply said (and this is true) that it is impossible to do a feeding trial on ANY type of dog food be it kibble, canned, raw whatever long enough to 100% know the long term effects of feeding that food for years of a dogs life. And I did not say that anecdotes should be the only thing considered, I said that they need to be factored in and taken into account regardless of there lack of data based science BECAUSE feeding trials can not accurately show long term effects of feeding a certain diet to a dog.

If you are going to respond to something I say, please read what I wrote more carefully next time.

[SkeptVet]

Wow! It appears to be impossible for some here to disagree with someone else without being abusive and outright lying about them. Apart from being dishonest and gratuitously mean, it doesn’t really help answer the OP’s question, so it’s just snarking to make yourselves feel better.

For the record-
1. I’m not “extremely against raw diets.” I think the arguments made in favor of them range from complete nonsense to reasonable but unproven. The bottom line is that such diets might or might not have health benefits but no one has yet done the research to prove it, and all the armchair theorizing and anecdotes in the world won’t substitute for that.

And while the benefits are unproven, some of the risks are known. They are small, and not a reason to avoid raw diets if some benefits do turn out to show up in scientific studies some day, but there’s no reason to take even small risks when the only evidence is guesswork.

So I am skeptical of raw diets, but like anyone who understands how science works I proportion my judgments to the evidence, and since the evidence is almost non-existent I don’t make definitive judgments for or against the practice.

2. As for the UTI mentioned in the OP, I am not aware of any evidence that suggests raw diets increase the risk of UTIs. Sure, they expose pets to additional bacterial pathogens, but most of the common UTI organisms are already ubiquitous, and it seems unlikely that a few more would make a huge difference.

3. I won’t bother responding to the vapid and silly personal stuff, but anyone who actually reads my articles on raw diets will see plenty of links to original research studies.

And it’s pretty bizarre to see in one paragraph a complaint that I don’t provide scientific evidence, then a suggestion such evidence doesn’t matter anyway since “science changes,” and then an argument that good evidence concerning raw diets is impractical anyway so we should all just rely on anecdotes. Since you clearly don’t think science matters, it’s pretty hypocritical (and, of course, factually incorrect) to complain that I don’t provide any scientific evidence.

Bottom line is that I doubt the diet has anything to do with the UTI problems in this case, and I cannot understand why adults can’t discuss and debate these sorts of issues without all of the hyperbole and personal abuse. Even if you don’t like my opinions, try to cite them accurately.

[Anonymous]

Hi Brianna-

So Sorry! I re-read your original post and I now realize that you were hoping someone would have good information on homemade raw diets, and not necessarily looking for suggestions about pancreatic issues. It is probably true that unless your dog also has SIBO or low B12 he may not need antibiotics or B12 supplementation, but it’s worth asking your vet as these things could be reducing his appetite.

When my dog was having major digestive issues (which turned out to be IBD) I came across an informative website: epi4dogs.com. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it.

Hopefully someone with more information on raw diets will respond. I do know that if not feeding bone, you must supplement calcium.

Again, so sorry for misunderstanding. Hope your vet gets back to you soon and your pup starts eating!

[Anonymous]

Did your vet diagnose him with pancreatitis? If not, you are just guessing.
If it was my dog I would make an appointment with an Internal Medicine Specialist, I am assuming you have already had diagnostic testing and exam by your vet.
Get to the root of the problem. Diet is not medication. You need to make sure he is stable first before making diet changes, especially something as extreme as going to raw. Some info here http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

[Brianna D]

Hi! I’ve got a 1 year and 6 month old husky German Shepard mix. Sadly, he’s only 35 lbs due to health issues with his pancreas where he isn’t absorbing enough nutrients. I was going to switch him to blue buffalo food ($$$$$$$) but then someone mentioned I try a raw food diet to help with his digestive issues (food allergies & lack of nutrients, etc) I’ve been doing research for the past 3 days trying to figure out where to start and I’m still lost.

Someone told me they just feed their husky raw chicken & steak and steamed veggies. Everything else I’m reading online is saying organs and stuff like that. I want to make sure I’m doing this right and I’d love to see some weight gain within the next 30 days. Also, I see raw food lists and all of them have multiple different things like chicken backs and grass fed beef 1 whole egg. Is that how much you feed in one day?

Any information would help! I’ve read the measuring chart but unfortunately can’t find my food scale to measure. I’ll probably buy a new one but right now, I’m feeling very overwhelmed and could use some help! Thanks 🙂

[Jonathan S]

It might be tough to find in a puppy formula, but maybe try bigger kibbles? That helped with my dogs. Also, as I understand it, puppy food tends to be higher in fat… that may be contributing. Because of the fat content, I had to move my pups to adult food earlier than I had planned when I started feeding them raw diet as well. Once I did though, their tummies settled down and they started chewing the bigger kibbles instead of wolfing everything down!

[Susan]

Hi, after Patch finished his triple therapy antibiotics Metronidazole, Amoxicillin & Zantac last December for his Helicobacter-Pylori 2-3 days after stopping his meds, I saw a tape worm on his black bum, I looked & thought is that a tape worm then the next afternoon the same another tapeworm, they look like rice but cause it was Christmas eve the vet was closed that sells his Milbemax all wormer, Patch can’t take any other all-wormers they make him ill, vomiting & pooing blood, I rung the 24 hr vets & they didn’t have the Milbemax they had another all-wormer, so I had to wait till the holidays were over to worm him…I told his vet at the time & he said, yes he often see’s tapeworms in dogs after they have been on antibiotics but he didn’t say why, he just said tapeworms won’t hurt him, I’d prefer no worms…. so the next time he had too take the Metronidazole again, I wormed him first then started the Metronidazole the next day & when he was finished taking the Metronidazole, I kept looking at his bum after he’d poo to see if I could see any more tape worms & I couldn’t….the thing is Patch doesn’t have fleas, the fleas don’t stay on him & jump back off him, the cat did have fleas at the time & Patch doesn’t kill wild prey mice, rats, rabbits, etc…

There’s several species of Tapeworms Dipylidium Caninum from fleas & Teania & Echinococcus species from mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels, deer & sheep…you have to wash all bedding everything he sleeps on.. Does Doc eat wild prey?

I was giving Patch probiotics Protexin Soluble but it was expensive $60 for 1 month, so I found another dog probiotic Vetafarm at the pet shop with the same ingredients for $20 but I don’t think the Vetafarm was as good as the Protexin & I stopped giving probiotics to him then about 3 months ago I saw a Animal Naturopath cause I wanted to put Patch on a raw diet & she sent out human live probiotic capsules that were dairy & gluten free, I had to open the capsule & put only half a capsule on the raw meal, Patches itchy smelly skin & red paws all went away within 3 days of being on the raw diet, the only problem he was regurgitating the raw, water was coming up into his mouth about 3 hours after eating the raw & he hadn’t drank any water after breakfast & he was swallowing & swallowing it, this water came out of his mouth one day while we were shopping & went all down my shopping bag, that’s when I seen it was water & a few little bits of blended veggies thru the water, I think the enzymes were breaking down the raw meat too quickly, so I had to stop the raw cause he was getting acid reflux & a sore throat but I was shattered & so was Patch, he loved his raw Kangaroo, so I started to cook extra lean beef mince & the same, he was regurgitating the cooked meal as well….. the thing is he doesn’t regurgitate wet tin food if its chunky or soaked kibble put thru a blender, so I started looking for wet tin foods but I couldn’t find a low fat, low fiber wet tin food in the Pet Shops, Wellness has their Core grain free reduced fat but the fiber is 3%, so that will be too high when converted to dry matter, so I tried the Hills & Royal Canine low fat vet diets but they all have boiled rice & boiled rice goes thru Patch (diarrhea) the corn or something in the vet wet diets was making him itch & smell again, so about 2 weeks ago I went to the Supermarket & I started to read all the ingredients, fat & fiber in all the wet tin foods & I bought a 700g tin of Purina Supercoat Homestyle casserole Lamb Veggies & Pasta, the Purina seemed to have the best ingredients fish oil, vitamins & minerals, the fat was 4%, fiber-1%max, I also bought another brand that was duck the smaller foiled wet tin food, it had only 2% fat, we tried the duck first at night his last feed he loved it but poo wasn’t as good as they are now on the Lamb Casserole…. I would need 10-12 small foil tins of the duck a day & it works out too expensive to feed…
I also started him on the Royal Canine Intestinal low fat kibble about 2 weeks before, cause when I went to buy his regular Hypoallergenic, gluten, dairy, sugar & potato free kibble “Salmon & Sardines with brown rice & green veggies” it had a Gold sticker saying “New Improved Omega 3,6, & 9 formula” so I looked & all the ingredients were still the same, so I bought the bag of kibble but the new kibbles were smaller & black & felt real greasy, even when I soaked the kibble in water, I could feel the greasiness & Patch was getting his real bad acid reflux again, so I stopped the Meals For Mutts kibble & I gave the R/C low fat Kibble ago… but he has spewed up the R/C Low Fat kibble a few times that’s then I thought I’ll give the wet tin food a go again, I’m feeding the Purina Lamb Casserole for breakfast, for lunch & dinner the R/C low fat kibble & the Purina Lamb Casserole for his last small dinner & he doing the best poos ever.. so today I’m going to just try feeding the Purina Casserole all day & see how he goes & see if he start to get his yeasty smell again, I take out the beans & wholemeal pasta & throw it away & I’ve been adding a little bit of boiled sweet potatos & some boiled chicken, I have a freezer full of cooked foods for him that he regurgitates when feed by themselves, so I’m going to add them with the Lamb casserole tin food & see how he goes… I really think the kibble is causing all his problems with Helicobacter, S.I.B.O, acid reflux & nausea..

With soluble & insoluble fibers you need to work out how Doc goes, if you have ever tried the Hills Z/d kibble, Hills I/d Gastro or the Hills W/d all these kibbles have more insoluble fiber, the Hills Z/d was making Patch do 1 big cow paddy poo in the morning, his poo was just slop & he started to smell real bad with yeast on the Hills Z/d kibble probably the Corn Starch, so Patch doesn’t do well on insoluble fiber, he does better poos on soluble fiber but soluble fiber sits in the stomach longer, where insoluble fiber passes the stomach into the small bowel, so I don’t know is that a good thing for S.I.B.O probably not…

If you can try & get Doc on wet food or raw is the best, a lean protein, like Rabbit, Chicken, Turkey, Kangaroo these are all low in fat… I never added any bone in the begining, the Naturopath said no bone or organ meat yet cause of his IBD… maybe give him his kibble for dinner & try the wet tin or raw for breakfast but I never mixed the 2 together Raw & kibble or wet tin & kibble…. I thought it will just sit in his stomach & something will happen, it always does with him lol… another thing try 1 new thing at a time so if anything happens you will know what is causing what..

[zcRiley]

ZiwiPeak dehydrated raw, lamb formula. One protein complete balanced diet. A food allergy testing kit might be worth your while, too!