[Jane C]

Dog food recommended and sold in vet clinics contains corn and is not a high quality food. If you are wondering why it is sold in most every clinic it is because the clinic is rewarded by the manufacturer (kick backs). I have been dealing with a similar problem with an 8 yr. old J.R. She has a serious flea allergy, so that is the first thing to address. Even one flea sets her scratching and chewing. I will only use a topical flea treatment when absolutely necessary, otherwise flea comb daily. She is a rough coat so about March I clip her down a bit to help the flea problem. We live in the South and fleas can be awful. My best results have been to feed The Honest Kitchen food that I add my own raw meat. This ensures a balanced diet. On your size dog this could be pricy but it will be worth it in the long run. If you are using steroids please stop as they do so much harm. Start on the low end of the recommended amount and adjust. Then if you begin to see the results start adding back some dry food. I recommend Nature’s Logic as no ingredients sourced from China, all NATURAL ingredients and great company. Ck. out their website. I have 2 other dogs that are doing great on it. Hope this helps. soldiermom1

[Anonymous]

http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf He mentions raw feeding

http://vitalanimal.com/natural-dog-food-work/ Dr Falconer’s latest blog

[Oceans11]

Can someone recommend a good nutrition supplement for my 20 month 13lb Coton De Tulear. He is s picky eater. I have tried expensive can food, Instinct Raw, you name it, I have tried it. He will eat rotisserie chicken – which is pretty much his diet also by with occasional nibbles on Origen puppy kibble. I am sure the rotisserie chicken is not nutritional for him so I am looking to somehow add a supplement to it. I would appreciate your thoughts and any recommendation for a good supplement.

[Z B]

9 yr old female spayed
pit-boxer mix,43 lbs, at ideal weight and in good shape
Diet: Kibble (most recently Dr Tims Kinesis grain free & Natures Variety LID Duck) topped with 5 star canned
Heartguard every 6 weeks
Frontline or other topical flea treatment every 2 months
Flea bath once every 1-3 months

She has never taken steroids, painkillers, or antibiotics except for 2 courses of amoxicillin in the past year for a skin infection. To my knowledge she has not eaten any poisons, poisonous plants, etc. She’s an inside dog and walked on a leash. I don’t have a fenced yard so she’s never outside unattended.

Last week her water intake increased dramatically and she peed large volumes on the floor several nights in a row. Other than that she appears to feel fine, eating well, enjoys her walks, is not showing urgency to pee nor peeing frequently. Urinalysis showed signs of infection so she’s now taking antibiotic Zeniquin.

Yesterday I received the results of her bloodwork and her liver enzymes are OFF THE CHARTS.

The doctor recommends I give her SAM-e and Milk Thistle to support liver health. Is there anything else I can do, diet-wise, supplements, etc. I see Science Diet and Royal Canin have liver support diets but I hope not to feed those foods if I don’t have to. I’m willing to do homemade if I need to (commercial raw is not in my budget) but would prefer to stick with a high quality kibble and canned if possible.

Should I be concerned about the foods I’m currently feeding? Contamination????

[merleGDgirl]

The time is almost here, I’m down to the last month before our gorgeous baby pandora comes home. We’ve got almost everything in place. Giant crate? Check. Collar? Check. Toys? Check. Great trainer lined up? Check. Food? umm….. about that…

Okay I’ll cut the melo dramatics. I fell in love with Danes years ago when I first laid eyes on the sleek giant but because of high school then college then grad school then marriage then children I have been unable to commit to what my heart really yearns for a GD fur baby! Well finally, the time is here.

As many pet parents I have done about six months of research on proper dane nutrition found some EXCELLENT information but… It is ALL contradicting. Some say high protein is fine others say it is fatal some say it doesn’t matter, others are more concerned with calcium and phosphorus levels others shun the thought of giving puppy food at all to a dane, to all of you I say….. Your giving me a headache.

Will someone, (preferably with a giant breed dog that can speak from past experience OR factual scientific information) please help me decide.

At the moment raw food diet, albeit good, inaccessible and unaffordable because our family doesn’t have the time or the massive amount of extra money it would take to feed a dane raw.

The plan is wellness CORE puppy. My sister has a Neapolitan Mastiff female who was fed wellness core puppy from the time she could eat kibble and did excellent on it. She has been moved to the adult line and rotates between core flavors.

I wont hear anything about blue buffalo because well…. You know diamond is a joke and I wont even entertain the idea.

I want the best for my new family member. She has the best toys, crate, trainer, the best kinda love but the food is so crutial and im at my witts end with the conflicting information!

Thanks.

[Robin S]

Needing any advice. My 5 month old male lab is on 4th round of antibiotics for UTI with crystals.(I think). The reason I say this is that after 3 rounds of Clavamox and Science Diet c/d with symptoms reappearing, he is now on Baytril and Science Diet s/d for 2 weeks. He had an xray which showed no stones in the bladder but has crystals in urine, according to the first vet. I have $700 in medical costs with this vet as of today for this UTI. So, I thought I would get a second opinion as I am lucky enough to have 2 veterinarians in my small town. The second vet did a direct draw of urine from the bladder (we had been doing just a catch while he urinated with the other U/A’s) The second vet could not do a culture as I had just started the Baytril so would have to wait until he is off of it for 5 days before she could do a culture. She did ultrasound him and found everything was looking good. She did say his bladder was large and not irritated ( I guess bladders shrink up a bit with UTI’s?). She also did blood work which looked good. She did not find crystals and does not feel that he has a UTI. Now doesn’t that just boggle the mind? My puppy had only had 2 doses of the Baytril and about a can and a half of the s/d so she didn’t feel that things could have been cured that fast. The thing that just slays me is whenever he is not on antibiotics, he turns into a peeing machine, with no bladder control, clear urine, it doesn’t color a paper towel. The longer he is off antibiotics the worse it gets. A previously good puppy where housetraining is concerned suddenly lowers his head starts to walk and pees a streak all the way to the door and out! So if he doesn’t have a UTI (remember one vet says he does have a UTI) what condition would respond to antibiotics that is not a UTI and make the symptoms stop? The second vet said I had two options, I could either finish out the other vets prescription of Baytril and Science Diet s/d and wait 5 days and come in and she will direct draw urine and retest and culture it then if need be, or I could stop the Baytril and wait 5 days and do the direct draw and retest and culture. I am baffled by two very differenct diagnosis. I decided for now to go ahead and do the first vets prescription as I have the Baytril and the s/d and the second vet set it wouldn’t hurt anything to try it. I am aware, however, that Baytril is not recommended for young dogs, but the vet said one round would be okay. Anyway, sorry to be so long on this, but as you can read I am at a loss on this. Any insight would be appreciated.

[Robin S]

Needing any advise. My 5 month old male lab is on 4th round of antibiotics for UTI with crystals.(I think). The reason I say this is that after 3 rounds of Clavamox and Science Diet c/d with symptoms reappearing, he is now on Baytril and Science Diet s/d for 2 weeks. He had an xray which showed no stones in the bladder but has crystals in urine, according to the first vet. I have $700 in medical costs with this vet as of today for this UTI. So, I thought I would get a second opinion as I am lucky enough to have 2 veterinarians in my small town. The second vet did a direct draw of urine from the bladder (we had been doing just a catch while he urinated with the other U/A’s) The second vet could not do a culture as I had just started the Baytril so would have to wait until he is off of it for 5 days before she could do a culture. She did ultrasound him and found everything was looking good. She did say his bladder was large and not irritated ( I guess bladders shrink up a bit with UTI’s?). She also did blood work which looked good. She did not find crystals and does not feel that he has a UTI. Now doesn’t that just boggle the mind? My puppy had only had 2 doses of the Baytril and about a can and a half of the s/d so she didn’t feel that things could have been cured that fast. The thing that just slays me is whenever he is not on antibiotics, he turns into a peeing machine, with no bladder control, clear urine, it doesn’t color a paper towel. The longer he is off antibiotics the worse it gets. A previously good puppy where housetraining is concerned suddenly lowers his head starts to walk and pees a streak all the way to the door and out! So if he doesn’t have a UTI (remember one vet says he does have a UTI) what condition would respond to antibiotics that is not a UTI and make the symptoms stop? The second vet said I had two options, I could either finish out the other vets prescription of Baytril and Science Diet s/d and wait 5 days and come in and she will direct draw urine and retest and culture it then if need be, or I could stop the Baytril and wait 5 days and do the direct draw and retest and culture. I am baffled by two very differenct diagnosis. I decided for now to go ahead and do the first vets prescription as I have the Baytril and the s/d and the second vet set it wouldn’t hurt anything to try it. I am aware, however, that Baytril is not recommended for young dogs, but the vet said one round would be okay. Anyway, sorry to be so long on this, but as you can read I am at a loss on this. Any insight would be appreciated.

[constant_lurker]

Hi all,
I’ve hit kind of a roadblock and I’m hoping someone here may have a suggestion.
My dog has a mix of environmental allergies and food sensitivities (or possible sensitivities I’m still trying to figure out). Since the summer, I’ve fed her a combination of a raw diet and The Honest Kitchen foods. Her allergies have improved greatly and I’ve been able to figure out some of the meats that set her off. Chicken (and chicken eggs) and beef are out, and unfortunately, so is fish and fish oils.
I’ve been trying to add in variety and am making headway. But I want to find a good source of useable omega 3s for her. She does very well with rabbit, which has a decent omega 3 to omega 6 ratio. We’re still iffy on lamb, though lamb heart has a decent omega3:omega 6 profile from what I can tell.
Are there other meats I can/should look at? I know (or think I know) that flax oil has lots of omega 3s, but that it doesn’t convert into the important kinds well. Are there other oils worth looking at?
Anyone have a dog with fish sensitivities who’s had good luck with krill oil?

Thanks for taking the time to read through this, and for any suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Homeopathic veterinarians tend to be supportive of raw feeding, examples: http://vitalanimal.com/feed-for-vitality/

http://www.homeovet.net/content/lifestyle/section1.html

Here is the diet he recommends: http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

PS: Just my opinion, but, I don’t think that all traditional veterinarians are bad…just as I don’t believe all homeopathic veterinarians are good.

Sometimes, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

[AJ A]

I personally don’t think it is diabetes or anything wrong with the dog. The excessive urination since it is clear and not dark yellow and concentration is always a good sign. I still think their is excessive salt in the meats, we really don’t know where the meat we buy comes from and what they do to keep it tender and juicy. If I eat salty I pee like crazy.
Mine is a puppy and a 14yrs old Shih Tzu. My pups still pees more, but its getting less often, also I did not change diet. My Shih Tzu pees bigger but not more often, he is on the same diet.
I am not concerned since I see my dogs energetic and active, no abnormal behavior . I don’t run to the Vet unless emergency situation, I try to make common sense. Most Vets are only into your money and getting you into their dietary kibbles where they earn commission on selling it.
Haven’t found yet a Vet promoting raw feeding.

[Dawn R]

My puppy Bella is an 8 month old 9 pound schnoodle that has been suffering from severe diarrhea accompanied by occasional blood & mucus as well as vomiting since November 2014. I have spent thousands of dollars at the vet to eliminate other possibilities such as addisons, parvo, liver shunt etc etc. She had giardia when she was very little and treated with metronidizole. Good news is so far all tests are good (liver enzymes very slightly elevated as is potassium), bad news is we still don’t have a definitive diagnosis, however the vet seems pretty sure it is colitis/IBD/HGE. What the vets are not helping me with is putting her on a diet other than the Hills W/D which she doesnt want to eat. I started her on Merrick dry kibble when I first took her home. When she stopped eating that, I mixed in Merrick wet food. This worked for a month before she had terrible diarrhea. In addition she seem to be allergic to something in the merrick food which caused a chronic cough & eye discharge. Then She went on Natures VAriety for a short while, but would ONLY eat the freeze dried raw bits and not the kibble. So because of this I then I put her on Stella & Chewys freeze dried lamb & duck patties. That also worked for about a month and then she had another bout, this time extremely severe. Through each bout (which seems to happen 1-2 times per month) they put her back on metronidizole again, so I never really get the chance to see if a food is working or not. Vet wanted to try the whole novel protein diet and put her on Hills prescription D/D. Tried it for 2 weeks and she would not touch it and lost 1.5 pounds. At that point I gave up and needed to just get food into her system so I put her back on Merrick but this time tried the grain free duck. One week into it and she started back with diarrhea again and is now back on metronidizole. This time the vet wants me to put her on Hills W/D because of the low fat/high fiber. I already use a probiotic (restore) and give her a tablespoon of pumpkin everyday (which incidentally seems to make the diarrea worse). Took her off all bully sticks (still love the brand BEST bully stick, but never again). No treats either. I have read extensively and there seems to be many different opinions on what to give a dog with GI inflammation of sorts. I have read everything from Canine cavier to Addiction and more. Having had signed up for the editors choice, I am hoping for some good solid recommendations. I do not want to give her Merrick or Hills anymore. Cost is not an issue, but I don’t think puppies this tiny are ok with raw food (just my experience since the worst she ever was when I fed her Stella & Chewys, even though I think its a great product for most). She is going in for spay surgery on May 7th (health permitting) and the vet is saying if I am not able to regulate her with diet in the next month that they want to do an intestinal biopsy which I have a real problem with especially if the intestine is ALREADY inflamed. I have an appointment for her with a holistic vet tomorrow and am really hoping to get some suggestions that I can speak to the holistic vet about. I have read all about pre/pro biotics, digestive enzymes, glucose, fructose, hypoallergenic, L-glutamine and plan to ask the holistic vet which of those she thinks I should try, but I find it troubling that I have not gotten any viable food options from my vet to date. Any advice would be greatly appreciated by Baby Bella & her Mom!

• This topic was modified 11 years ago by Dawn R.
• This topic was modified 11 years ago by Dawn R.
• This topic was modified 11 years ago by Dawn R.

[Jennifer H]

I would stick with Fromm. Taste of the Wild is manufactured by Diamond, and while the food is good, the company is pretty shady and has a long history of recalls. A lot of people here recommend a rotational diet with kibble, there’s a few threads on it around you may be interested in 🙂

As for feeding raw. I personally wouldn’t mix them in the same meal, as this can give some dogs digestive upset. I would feed one meal as kibble, and one meal as raw. For raw, you want to feed him 2% of his body weight per day. So if you’re only feeding one meal of raw, cut that number in half. So since he is 100~lbs, he would need 2 lbs of food per day. Since he is only getting 1 meal a day of raw, that would be 1lb of food at his mealtime.

Start him out slow with just poultry for awhile to get his tummy used to it. Then you can gradually start introducing other meats like beef, pork, etc and organs, which are an important part of the diet. When feeding something bony like a turkey neck, add in some nice meaty meat like chicken breast or hearts (about half the weight of the bones worth) to cut the calcium and prevent constipation.

I currently feed my dog kibble in the morning and raw at night (next week we make the switch to full raw!!) and he does well on it.

For chews, you can try giving him a frozen turkey neck and let him work on that. It can keep a dog busy for hours.

You could also look into antlers, although I know some people have reservations over them being too hard.

This is a good thread to read to find some information on raw food – /forums/topic/menus/

[Alan I]

I changed my 8yo Jack Russell onto a raw food diet about four months ago. A few weeks later she started having little urine accidents in the house which she’d never done before. Concerned I took her to the vets.

A few hours later I received a panic call to say her ketones were very high and her glucose curve none existent – at the time this meant nothing to me – and that she had diabetes. Since then I’ve been injecting her with insulin twice a day.

The vet tried to get me to change her food to diabetic kibble but I refused. So they have accommodated my determination to keep her on raw food, checked the diet I use (it’s fine and balanced but without carbs) and I monitor her ketones and glucose everyday.

Here’s my problem. I’ve done lots of research online and feel like I’m between a rock and a hard place. Whilst there is very little about dogs there’s lots about humans and ketogenic diets. What that tells me is that ketone levels rise dramatically when you remove carbs from your diet and your glucose curve flattens (as you don’t have glucose spikes because you’re not eating carbs). This seems to suggest high ketone levels in my dog are normal – it’s obvious really, she doesn’t eat carbs so she needs ketones in her blood to process the protein; and that the standard measure of diabetes (glucose curve) might not to relevant either!

So here’s my quandary. I don’t know if my dog actually has diabetes anymore. I wonder if everything is a function of her diet. That leads me to be concerned as, if I’m giving her insulin she doesn’t need I’m poisoning her and she’ll create triglycerides that are very harmful to her.

Does anybody have a view? Any research or papers I can read?

[Alan I]

I moved my 8yo Jack Russell onto a Raw Food Diet about four months ago. She suddenly started urinating a lot and having accidents in the house (something she’d never done before) so I took her to the vets. I then received a panic call to say her ketones were really high and that she had critical diabetes. I was obviously rattled by this and we began (7 weeks ago) to inject her with insulin twice a day. The vet tried to get me onto diabetic kibble but I refused.

There isn’t much online about ketogenic diets in dogs but lots on humans and what it all says is ketone levels are always high which you cut out carbs and rely on protein for your energy – it’s obvious really when you think about it. Having read these threads I’m starting to think that her increased urination was a function of the change and her ketone levels had nothing to do with diabetes but were just natural.

I have now challenged the vet – no response yet – to find another measure for diabetes. Obviously they also did a glucose curve which was very shallow (it’s supposed to spike after food then drop) but I watched a lecture on ketogenesis online yesterday that said those on a ketogenic diet don’t have spiked glucose curves – again this is obvious as they are not having to produce lots of insulin to process the sugar in carbs.

I’m wondering if anybody has a view. I now fear my dog doesn’t have diabetes, in which case I could be poisoning her with insulin. Over production of insulin causes triglycerides which lead to weight gain and all sorts of other complications! I feel like I’m between a rock and a hard place.

HELP!!

[Lori]

Kathleen, I actually am not supposed to feed my lab, Chuck a raw diet because he is a service dog to me and also just got certified as a therapy dog this month. They don’t allow it either as a service dog or therapy dog. Dehydrated is okay, however. I just think raw is gross 🙂

Lori

[Liz S]

I know this is an old post, but I’m compelled to share! My little scruffy rescue thing is an allergy pup. We’ve been dealing with his food allergy & intolerance issues since he entered my care at 6 months of age, and even more so after I officially adopted him at 9 months (2010) via elimination diets & trial/error. He seems to acquire new allergies every few months to a year. I work in the veterinary field, so after a recent rapid decline in his health (and trips to the emergency vet) I bit the bullet and we allergy tested him.
He is allergic to chicken, duck, turkey, beef, bison, venison, rabbit, lamb, fish, dairy, egg, barley, flax & pea. He is intolerant to raw carrots (cannot digest them – vomitting), corn & soy (tear stains, upset tummy). (Enviro allergies are bayberry & corn pollen).
That’s nearly every protein source available to us. Our options are pork (did not react), possibly boar, possibly kangaroo, possibly goat & possibly brushtail. Try finding ANY of those foods in high-quality kibbles (none), canned without pea or egg (none), raw without flax or egg or barley (two – OC Raw Dogs Goat & Addiction Raw-Dehydrated Summer Brushtail) so it looks like raw will be the winner! He is currently eating Orijen Six Fish & Cetirizine HCL SID or he breaks out in hives DAILY.

I might add – he also did not react to oats, green bean, pumpkin, sweet potato, potato, rice or alfalfa. Small miracle.

[Rhonda L]

New dog… new to raw… new to healthy bone options… oh, mercy! So much to learn. Thank goodness for you all. I’ve ordered Darwin’s pre-prepared raw food so we can get going while I’m learning. When feeding a raw bone, do you take your dogs outside? (Trying to chill about it, but struggling with the idea of raw bones being smooshed all over the floor.) If they haven’t eaten it all in a certain amount of time, do you remove it? If they bury it, do you just leave it for a future discovery? I always thought I was a semi-intelligent person — may have just been kidding myself — but this raw diet / bone business has had me reading for days, and feeling sadly under-informed. Still, determined to figure it out. My sweet rescue pup deserves a little dinner love.

[Anonymous]

I don’t do raw feeding, but I thought that you folks that do, might be interested in this:
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/raw-roundup/?mc_cid=fe3be7b7d0&mc_eid=cb2524c2fa
Brought to you by Dogs Naturally Magazine, this conference will be led by some of the world’s best veterinarians and canine nutrition experts – live from your computer, anywhere in the world!

“This LIVE, ONLINE and INTERACTIVE event will deliver more health boosting diet plans and ideas for your dog than you can shake a stick at! An amazing opportunity for learning and networking”.

[Jennifer H]

Sooo…this is the menu I’ve drawn up for next month for Toby’s raw diet. Would anyone care to check it over and see if I’m good for calcium/phos, vits/mins? I try to stick to the meat being in the PMR range, but I add veggies and supplements as well to balance everything out.
Toby weighs 13lbs, although I think he should weigh a bit less. The morning mixes consist of ground whole prey (Hare Today), with added cooked/pureed veggies (varies according to season availability, but usually consists of a base of pumpkin, spinach, parsley, sweet potato, berries and I add an 8oz can of Oyster for manganese) and added egg. I mix up as much meat as I would need for all 4 weeks, then add half that amount in veggies, and then 2 eggs w/ shells from my backyard flock.
He also gets .5oz of veggies in the evening. (I make a big batch and then portion into ice cube trays.)

His organs consist of 2lb beef liver, 1lb chicken liver, 2lb beef kidney, and 1lb beef pancreas that were ground and mixed together and then portioned into ice cube trays for ease of use.

AM
Monday – 2.5 oz Tripe Mix
Tuesday – 2.5oz Llama Mix
Wednesday – 2.5oz Rabbit Mix
Thursday – 2.5oz Tripe Mix
Friday – 2.5oz Llama Mix
Saturday – 2.5oz Rabbit Mix
Sunday – 2.5oz Mutton Mix
PM
(Meals total roughly 3oz)
Monday – Skinless Chicken Neck, Chicken Gizzard, .5oz Organ
Tuesday – Chicken Foot, Beef Heart
Wednesday – Goat, Sardine, Beef Gullet
Thursday – Duck Neck, Turkey Gizzard, .5oz Organ
Friday – Chicken Back Piece, 1oz Organ
Saturday – Cornish Hen Wing, Goat, .5oz Organ
Sunday – Goat, Sardine, Beef Gullet

His supplements are as follows –

MORNING – 1/2 TSP Missing Link Skin and Coat – Daily
15 IU Vit E – Daily
Carlson Low A Cod Liver Oil – Daily
2tsp Kefir – Daily
Fish Oil – Mon, Wed, Fri
Coconut Oil – Tues, Thurs

EVENING – 1/2 TSP ONP Daily Greens – Daily
15 IU Vitamin E – Daily
2tsp Kefir – Daily

I’m also looking at adding k9 Natural Health Skin and Coat to his evening meal as well….but only at half dose or less (their doses seem extremely high).

Does this look okay? I’m learning all the time, and hoping to create a nice varied but balanced diet for Toby. He loves his raw, and he’s done so well on it.

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Jennifer H.
• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Jennifer H.

[K-Rae]

SO I posted my question two years ago…March 2013….We have been on raw ever since. We continued on with the chicken, started feeding less of it to the dogs effected with excessive urination and it totally went away. We feed a lot of chicken and turkey still since we now have 7 dogs, and have never encountered the problem again. So my best guess is that it was their systems getting in check with a proper raw diet.

[AJ A]

Thanks for all your opinions and experiences, I am glad I received replies.
I won’t ever go back to kibble EVER.
And I don’t run to the Vet all the time. I am organic myself since 15 yrs and haven’t seen a doctor since. Not even once!
I use common sense and needed to see if my case was only happening to my pup. As I can see it is definitely the water in the meat. Thats why they dont need to drink as much water as they do with kibble. Today I controlled a little the water intake and he pees less often, but still bigger spots than before and specially after feeding the chicken. He is doing just fine and has top energy, his coat started shining and it is growing faster than it was 1 month ago.
Before I switched to raw I did a deep education to be prepared, asking raw feeding breeders all over from Australia to Germany, checked everything online and started to understand that raw diet should not contain veggies neither grains like the BARF diet.. Wolves dont get a complete balanced diet everyday, neither do we and certainly they wont be searching for carrots, spinach and grains in their habitat. They receive the fermented enzymes from the digested food of their prey’s tripe, thats the good stuff, thats what they will eat first, thats where lots of balanced nutrients are.
When starting a raw diet with puppies (especially small breed) you best start with chicken, because low fat and easier digested than ground beef. Because I tried both, beef (grass fed 95%lean) and chicken. He regurgitated the whole ground beef everytime he ate it. He never did with the chicken. The wing helps cleaning his teeth and he gets supplements from the core of the bone and calcium.1 egg a week for breakfast. I give bone meal since he does not yet get enough bones in his food yet. Once he is used to the chicken and wings/necks I will start to join some liver and heart and green tripe little by little to not upset his digestion. Than we will do the same with duck, lamb and rabbit including organ and muscle meat as well. Of course a meaty bone everyday or 3 times a week.
Once established his likes than we can start feeding 1 day chicken, next duck and so on. I forgot the fish. Some fresh fish once a week is important as well.
I think probiotics , enzymes and clay are a must have in the kitchen. So is ionic silver and therapeutic grade essential oils like geranium, peppermint, frankincense and lemon. When they get lose stool some clay with enzymes/probiotics and diarrhea is cleared.
I use ionic silver to disinfect drinking water, once in a while internal against parasites and to clear my Shih Tzu’s eyes (14yrs). He suffers dry eyes and since he is on raw diet as well since 2 weeks his dry eye symptoms are already totally gone!! Yeahhhh! Now I hope to see changes in his coat like color and softness. His constant fear should disappear as well and his appetite should get better and better. I really hope to gain some more years of his company. I love him so much and hope we can gain back as much health as he has lost due to those bad kibble diet. He lost some of his hair on his back and I truly hope the high protein intake will fix most of his problems.
I stopped using vaccines on my Shih Tzu since 10yrs, neither I believe in spaying/neuter dogs. My pup received vaccines from her Vet, he won’t ever receive any other vaccines in his life. I dont believe it does any good, not for pets and neither for humans. Build up a healthy immune system and eat organic food and you will be fine!!! Same for dogs. THEY ARE DOGS NOT HUMANS!!! THEY DESERVE TO EAT HOW NATURE DESIGNED THEM TO.

[aimee]

Hi Losul,

The physiology behind it is the same reasoning as with people; urea is a solute. From Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats ” For example, higher protein and/or mineral content of food may increase the solute load and subsequent degree of water consumption and urine production” From Applied Veterinary Clinical Nutrition in regards to patients with renal compromise: “Modified protein diets can help diminish the degree of polyuria and polydipsia because less solute is delivered to the kidneys in the form of proteinaceous wastes.”

There could be other factors as well. I’d think it reasonable that with a raw meat based diet you would have less water loss via feces than a commercial kibble diet.

Yes absolutely, low protein diets ( much lower than AAFCO) will cause dilute urine. The reason again is solute load. In this case is it so low that the concentration gradient in the kidney isn’t maintained.

[losul]

Aimee, I tried a search on “protein dehydrating” and “protein dehydrating in dogs” all I came up with was an article or two pertaining to humans and high consumption of protein.

It’s interesting though that I found this article, that said this;

“Other potential factors behind polydipsia and polyuria are low protein diets,”

http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/urinary/c_multi_polydipsia_polyuria

K-Rae, I couldn’t come up with much info on the ingredients in carnivora.ca from their website, not sure, but I get the feeling from reading on it that they are against any carbs in the food? Regardless, I would be trying a different raw diet, and don’t be afraid to to use a good balanced one that does include some moderate carbs, they might do much better on it. It could be that your dogs are still drinking in excess as part of a learned/ingrained behavior from dry food days. I agree with the others though that this polyuria should be reason for concern, and should be investigated further. Seeking vet care/tests would be best, but you could at least do a phone consultation with a vet that knows raw feeding, and then go from there.

AJ, you CANNOT feed your 12 week old puppy nothing but chicken breast and wings, if that’s what you are saying. He will DEFINITELY have malnutrition disorders if you do so, and I would strongly suggest getting him back on a complete and balanced diet.

[DogFoodie]

Hi AJ,

I’d also take a look at the raw threads in the forum because the diet you’re currently feeding doesn’t sound properly balanced. Are you also feeding some organ meats?

[Bobby dog]

Hi AJ:
If I observed my dog urinating more often the first thing I would do is take him in for a check-up. However, I also have another thought on the subject. I don’t feed a prey model diet, but I do feed some commercial raw. The increase in urination could be from the extra moisture content of his new diet. Maybe someone else will have some thoughts for you as well.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know much about raw diets. But, I am wondering if some of the dry food/kibble (even good quality) have a high sodium content. A decrease in sodium might lead to an increase in urination, I think.

[AJ A]

I am having the same probems, not sure if it is a problemem or just occuring because feeding raw chicken breast?
Anakin, Lhasa Apso puppy of 12 weeks today
I switched from holistic Fromm kibble to raw diet 2 weeks ago. Today we are on all raw chicken breast and 1 chickenwing a day. The poop is kinda lose but not running and only a tiny poop 1 or sometimes twice a day. He eats quite a lot, 2x times a day, and he eats it within 1 minute.
Now his pee is just a lot. They seem like lakes. On kibble he peed yellow and normal quantities. But now the pee is clear and just a lot of pee. He does not drink more water. Kinda concerned if this is good or not. On kibbles he pees as expected, so kidneys are ok.
Anyone can help me here?

[Bobby dog]

Hi Rhonda:
How often you rotate is up to your pup. Some do well rotating brands frequently, some need a longer transition period. My dog can eat different foods for each meal with no issues whatsoever.

I feed about half a meal of kibble topped with either canned, fresh foods, or commercial raw freeze dried or frozen. His kibble is the most constant out of the rotation. He will eat one brand/recipe of a smaller bag until it’s finished, about a month. Then I switch to another brand with a different protein and carb source. All other foods change with every meal or every few days for canned food.

Sounds like you’re set for your pup’s treat menu! For commercial raw my dog does well on Stella & Chewy freeze dried Chicken, Pheasant, Venison, or Duck, Duck, Goose, Primal freeze dried Turkey & Sardine, Primal frozen Venison, Nature’s Variety Instinct freeze dried Lamb, Nature’s Variety Instinct frozen beef, lamb, or venison.

Here’s a few DFA articles on rotation and info to help you choose a commercial raw food:
/frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/
/choosing-dog-food/raw-dog-food-fat/
/best-dog-foods/raw-dog-food/

[theBCnut]

When you are just starting a rotational diet you need to take it slowly. Choose a food you like and slowly transition to it and then go choose the next food you want to try. When you get near the end of the first bag, start mixing in the new one. Start out with changing monthly, then as your dog gets used to rotating, you can decide to rotate more frequently or keep it at monthly. You can also add canned, fresh, freeze dried, or whatever as toppers and change those more often.

I rotate kibbles weekly and feed half raw, which I change daily, but everyone does it differently.

[Rhonda L]

New to the forum, and loving all of the great info here. We rescued a precious little doggie about 2 weeks ago, and want to transition him to a great diet. Best guess, he’s a cockapoo, but others have guessed Maltese, along with other assorted possibilities. He’s 2 years old and about 17 pounds. Would love info about frozen, freeze-dried, air-dried foods. Not sure I’m knowledgeable enough yet to go totally homemade raw. Have a dehydrator and have made some tasty treats… beef and chicken livers, sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas, apples, etc. plus some pumpkin/peanut butter/rolled oats no-bake balls. Am interested in a rotational diet, but don’t know how to go about it… rotate daily, weekly, monthly, AM/PM. What’s the best way to go about designing a rotational diet for my sweet boy… and anything else I need to know to pamper a formerly tossed-to-the-curb angel?

[DogFoodie]

Charlee Bear treats were created by Steve Brown, a highly respected expert on raw feeding and canine nutrition. Steve is the author of Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet and has made contributions to this site. If you have questions about his products, shoot him an email. He’s very responsive.

[Susan]

Hi Sally, I’d say who ever owned her before you has let her lick human plates & bowls & has probably feed her left overs from their plate, she probably even had a biscuit dipped in coffee, When I first rescued Patch he wouldn’t eat kibble either but he has health problems, IBD, kibble gives him pain, he too can’t eat water foods like stews, he brings them back up…..
Your girl may never eat kibble or dog tin foods, she has had a taste of good food fresh human food, If I owned her I would be googling some easy to make dog recipes, then make the meal all up & then you freeze them in little containers & take out the night before & put in fridge…there’s even places that cook meals for dogs, the ladies on this group may know some names of home cooked meals for dogs in America as I’m in Australia, I did have the name of a few in America but I can’t find the links..
I get 1 kilo turkey breast mince (grounded) mix in 1 egg & I make little bite size rissoles, you roll the turkey breast mince into little bite size balls & put the little balls on a baking tray, they bake in about 15mins, then I freeze them all, they thaw in about 15-20mins when left out on bench, you can feed the turkey rissoles as treats or I put some in the blender add some boiled pumkin that I have thawed out & some sweet potates that I have also thawed out…once a fortnight I boil half a butternut pumkin cut into pieces & freeze, I also freeze sweet potato, I have boiled rice frozen in the freezer aswell…there’s a few cook books that are balanced diets & real easy to make, google Lew Olson, Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs her book cost about $12 online, it has real easy recipes too follow & are balanced…I cooked for my last dog & I never balanced her meals & she was so healthy, shinny coat, she had all her teeth, her teeth were still nice & white at the age on ten, I never ever gave her any bones or kibbles, so that’s not true how kibble cleans a dogs teeth…

[Vincent C]

Everything people are saying sounds so familiar. I definitely agree with what Susan said about trying different meats (kangaroo, venizen, etc), special shampoos (I found MalaPET to work better for me than Malaseb – perhaps due to the ketoconazole), and avoiding foods with potato ingredients. Rabbit meat (Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit Meal) really seems to have made a difference for my dog, but there are still bad days. My next step is to try a raw food diet or at least home made diet at some point if things get worse.

The only other thing I will add is that acidophilus probiotic also seems to help — but it’s really hard to measure the effect.

[Anonymous]

http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf
“Natural Diet for Dogs: Guidelines for Optimal Nutrition”

I am leery of all bones, but I still give my dog a frozen raw beef marrow bone as a treat occasionally…with caution.
For dental, I brush their teeth every evening, it helps.

[Anonymous]

From what I understand dogs should never be fed cooked bones of any kind.
You can get in enough trouble with the raw. I had to take my poodle to the emergency place a while back due to vomiting and abdominal pain. She would work on a frozen beef marrow bone and grind the bone into small particles and consume.
Well, the x-ray showed calcified material in her colon and stomach that had solidified and she was having difficulty passing. Luckily she did pass them on her own, had to take a pain med and Pepcid for a few days.
My point is, that raw bones are not a good idea for all dogs. I still let her enjoy a small frozen raw beef marrow bone occasionally, but I take it away from her before she gets to the nitty gritty. My other dogs, the same thing, I don’t give them as often as I used to.
But cooked bones, NEVER.
PS: I tried raw but quickly realized it would be best to use fresh killed organic meat…which I can’t afford.
So I slightly cook their food (minus the bone) and combine with a high grade kibble. I have posted a link to the natural diet (written by a vet) it is in some of my other posts, if you are interested.

[puppypiles]

If you’re interested in making your own food or dehydrating it, I suggest looking at http://www.dogaware.com/articles/newsdiet.html#recipestudy. It’s an article about the research and nutrient deficiencies in homemade diets, and links to where you can get supplementation.

I also agree with Akari in that feeding a purely raw (especially PMR) is easy if your calculations are correct. The very basic rule of thumb with dogs is 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, and 10% organs, with 5% of that being liver, and the other 5% being another secreting organ, such as kidneys or pancreas.

[Akari_32]

It’s very easy to ensure your dog gets a proper diet on a raw diet. You just have to do the calculations right. Better yet, each and every meal does not have to completely balanced. The concept is to balance over time. I makes life much simpler. For example, if I were to balance each and every meal for my 7.8 pound dog, he would get less than one half of an ounce of bone at every meal. He’d totally choke on that (not the brightest of creatures)! Instead, he gets a decent sized chicken bone a few days a week.

Also, I feel it’s hard to ensure they are getting everything by using veggies rather than organs. Dogs to not fully digest plant matter, even when it’s cooked and puréed, but they do digest the organs, which is where they get all of their neccessary vitamins and minerals.

(Most) Dogs are perfectly capable of handling “questionable” meat. Their stomach acid has such a low ph that not much can survive in there. I know many raw feeders up north bring carcasses into their yards and let their dogs eat off of it until all eatable parts are gone. There is where knowing your dog comes in, and knowing what they can handle and what they like.

The only down side I find to making up raw meals for my dog and cat is the freezer space. We do not have the room available for even a small freezer, so the humans and animals share a freezer. This isn’t a problem with most people, though.

The problem with what you are suggesting is that your idea is really not that much better than kibble. Dogs to not need rice, or pumpkin, or any veggies. Sure many dogs like these things, but they are of little value as far as nutrition goes. If you were to just dehydrate meat and organs, that would be different. So long as bones were also offered, that is. Bones are neccessary because they provide glucosamine and calcium, among other things. They can be replaced with bone meal, egg shell, or a calcium suppliment, but then you loose the added “work out” and teeth cleaning benefit when the dog chews them. Also, unpreserved dehydrated meat does go bad, and would need to frozen and used from the fridge. So there’s still that.

It is an interesting idea, you just aren’t quite looking at the whole picture. 🙂

[a c]

Hello,
I have been reading this forums for a while now. It really convinced me to start feeding my i dog raw and I thank all of you for that.
Right now Im trying to find a nice superfood mix. I came across this and was wondering what people think about it. I didn’t come across any ingredients which are harmful. It is called pHresh Greens Raw Alkalizing Superfood. http://shop.phreshproducts.com/phresh-greens-1-month-supply/
The diet I feed my dog looks like this. He is a male, 55lb 9 month old pit mix.
AM – 1lb chicken grind
PM – 1lb chicken grind
– 1/2lb of tripe and eggs every 2-3 days
– Carlson cod liver oil, 1 pill every 2 days
– Carlson salmon oil, 1 pill every day
– Coconut oil, 4-5 teaspoon every day
– apple cider vinegar, 1 garlic clove 2-3 times a week.
I am trying to find good superfood mix and also to supplement with some probiotics, either kefir or yoghurt. I can get them both from the farmers market. Would that be necessary or any store-bought will be just fine?
Thank you

[SdianeM M]

Last week was my first time posting since I was just about to take the plunge and begin my pup on a new way of feeding. Yes, I was a bit apprehensive about this change, but with everything I have read, I knew this was the answer to her yeast issues.
I came across a raw food manufactured in Norcross, GA called AllProvide … Being the apprehensive person I am (and after having something horrible happen to my pup before Sadie), I am very protective and cautious. I called this company to ask questions in regards to their food, I expected to hear from customer service and hear the same chat that lacks the personal touch — was I ever surprised when I was able to speak with one of the owners of the company! Not only did he answer all my questions, but he even emailed me with a list of medications that he has tried with his dog. Wow! I could not believe it!
The rest of the weekend I researched and tried to find reviews, etc. When I called them back in regards to reviews, they offered to send me a free sample of their food. Another Wow moment — who does this in this day and time?
I happened to find two other ladies that wanted to try the food too, so we all went into this at the same time and wanted to compare our findings. This is what I have found: from the very first feeding my Sadie started sleeping all night, her yeast issues are clearing up – they are very minimal right now, and she has lost that musty smell! She absolutely loves the food — she has gone from a dog that would pick and eat her kibbles, to a dog that is downright greedy and in love with her food.
I spoke to both of the other ladies who happen to have smaller pups than Sadie, but both have reported that their picky eaters are now anxiously waiting in the kitchen for their food. All have accepted the food very easily, with minimal problems. One had a touch of diarrhea, but the lady was able to overcome the problem very easy.
Yesterday I spoke with Dr. Judy Morgan, DVM – Holistic Vet in regards to Sadie, and explained to her the new diet that I have placed Sadie on. Dr. Morgan has authored a book on making dog food and dog nutrition, but she did tell me that 1/2 of her clients are on the home cooked meals, while the other 1/2 is on a commercial raw food. She said how she recommends 3 different companies to her clients for the raw … I told her about All Provide, and while we were talking she pulled up their website and studied it. She was very impressed with what she saw, and was even more impressed with their prices. At the end of our conversation she told me that she was going to start recommending this company to her patients. That, my people, meant a whole lot to me — I highly respect Dr. Judy Morgan’s decisions.
There are several ways to offset the cost of the food on their website: you can join and earn reward discounts by liking their page, sharing their page, etc. You can also earn discounts by recommending it to your friends … if you recommend the food and they give your name when placing an order, you each get a $10 discount … pretty cool!
I would like to ask that if you decide to try this company that you please consider giving my name as the person that referred you … my 53 lb. fur baby and I would really appreciate it. Looks like Sadie is trying to work overtime on ways to make me feel sorry for her and feed her more! Just put in my name: Diane Miller
Here’s the website for All Provide — http://www.allprovide.com

[SdianeM M]

Last week was my first time posting since I was just about to take the plunge and begin my pup on a new way of feeding. Yes, I was a bit apprehensive about this change, but with everything I have read, I knew this was the answer to her yeast issues.
I came across a raw food manufactured in Norcross, GA called AllProvide … Being the apprehensive person I am (and after having something horrible happen to my pup before Sadie), I am very protective and cautious. I called this company to ask questions in regards to their food, I expected to hear from customer service and hear the same chat that lacks the personal touch — was I ever surprised when I was able to speak with one of the owners of the company! Not only did he answer all my questions, but he even emailed me with a list of medications that he has tried with his dog. Wow! I could not believe it!
The rest of the weekend I researched and tried to find reviews, etc. When I called them back in regards to reviews, they offered to send me a free sample of their food. Another Wow moment — who does this in this day and time?
I happened to find two other ladies that wanted to try the food too, so we all went into this at the same time and wanted to compare our findings. This is what I have found: from the very first feeding my Sadie started sleeping all night, her yeast issues are clearing up – they are very minimal right now, and she has lost that musty smell! She absolutely loves the food — she has gone from a dog that would pick and eat her kibbles, to a dog that is downright greedy and in love with her food.
I spoke to both of the other ladies who happen to have smaller pups than Sadie, but both have reported that their picky eaters are now anxiously waiting in the kitchen for their food. All have accepted the food very easily, with minimal problems. One had a touch of diarrhea, but the lady was able to overcome the problem very easy.
Yesterday I spoke with Dr. Judy Morgan, DVM – Holistic Vet in regards to Sadie, and explained to her the new diet that I have placed Sadie on. Dr. Morgan has authored a book on making dog food and dog nutrition, but she did tell me that 1/2 of her clients are on the home cooked meals, while the other 1/2 is on a commercial raw food. She said how she recommends 3 different companies to her clients for the raw … I told her about All Provide, and while we were talking she pulled up their website and studied it. She was very impressed with what she saw, and was even more impressed with their prices. At the end of our conversation she told me that she was going to start recommending this company to her patients. That, my people, meant a whole lot to me — I highly respect Dr. Judy Morgan’s decisions.
There are several ways to offset the cost of the food on their website: you can join and earn reward discounts by liking their page, sharing their page, etc. You can also earn discounts by recommending it to your friends … if you recommend the food and they give your name when placing an order, you each get a $10 discount … pretty cool!
I would like to ask that if you decide to try this company that you please consider giving my name as the person that referred you … my 53 lb. fur baby and I would really appreciate it. Looks like Sadie is trying to work overtime on ways to make me feel sorry for her and feed her more! Just put in my name: Diane Miller
Here’s the website for All Provide — http://www.allprovide.com

[SdianeM M]

Last week was my first time posting since I was just about to take the plunge and begin my pup on a new way of feeding. Yes, I was a bit apprehensive about this change, but with everything I have read, I knew this was the answer to her yeast issues.

I came across a raw food manufactured in Norcross, GA called AllProvide … Being the apprehensive person I am (and after having something horrible happen to my pup before Sadie), I am very protective and cautious. I called this company to ask questions in regards to their food, I expected to hear from customer service and hear the same chat that lacks the personal touch — was I ever surprised when I was able to speak with one of the owners of the company! Not only did he answer all my questions, but he even emailed me with a list of medications that he has tried with his dog. Wow! I could not believe it!

The rest of the weekend I researched and tried to find reviews, etc. When I called them back in regards to reviews, they offered to send me a free sample of their food. Another Wow moment — who does this in this day and time?

I happened to find two other ladies that wanted to try the food too, so we all went into this at the same time and wanted to compare our findings. This is what I have found: from the very first feeding my Sadie started sleeping all night, her yeast issues are clearing up – they are very minimal right now, and she has lost that musty smell! She absolutely loves the food — she has gone from a dog that would pick and eat her kibbles, to a dog that is downright greedy and in love with her food.

I spoke to both of the other ladies who happen to have smaller pups than Sadie, but both have reported that their picky eaters are now anxiously waiting in the kitchen for their food. All have accepted the food very easily, with minimal problems. One had a touch of diarrhea, but the lady was able to overcome the problem very easy.

Yesterday I spoke with Dr. Judy Morgan, DVM – Holistic Vet in regards to Sadie, and explained to her the new diet that I have placed Sadie on. Dr. Morgan has authored a book on making dog food and dog nutrition, but she did tell me that 1/2 of her clients are on the home cooked meals, while the other 1/2 is on a commercial raw food. She said how she recommends 3 different companies to her clients for the raw … I told her about All Provide, and while we were talking she pulled up their website and studied it. She was very impressed with what she saw, and was even more impressed with their prices. At the end of our conversation she told me that she was going to start recommending this company to her patients. That, my people, meant a whole lot to me — I highly respect Dr. Judy Morgan’s decisions.

There are several ways to offset the cost of the food on their website: you can join and earn reward discounts by liking their page, sharing their page, etc. You can also earn discounts by recommending it to your friends … if you recommend the food and they give your name when placing an order, you each get a $10 discount … pretty cool!

I would like to ask that if you decide to try this company that you please consider giving my name as the person that referred you … my 53 lb. fur baby and I would really appreciate it. Looks like Sadie is trying to work overtime on ways to make me feel sorry for her and feed her more! Just put in my name: Diane Miller

Here’s the website for All Provide — http://www.allprovide.com

[Abe A]

First I want to thank Mike for setting up this site. Great job! We have a 1 year old puppy who is healthy. We have been feeding her Blue Wilderness product and she recently stopped eating two meals a day and going to 1 meal a day. We switch per the recommendation of friends, a local pet store, and the vet said…try a raw meat diet.

We purchased Orijen Adult Food Kibble and then Stella and Chewy raw food. WOW!!!!! she devoured the food over the past three days.

Questions:

1.) We are thinking about transitioning her to Raw meat diet. Any thoughts or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

2.) Is it ok to give her a combo kibble/raw meat in the morning meal and then a full raw meat dinner? Frankly, I do not think she even cares about the dry kibble food. She wants the meat.

Thank you,

Abe

[Mike A]

Hi everybody, my name is Mike and Im an owner of a almost 3 year old Boxer. I’ve come here for advise on how to deal with pancreatitis.

So, as I mentioned before I have a Boxer named Kolbie and shes 3 years old and weighs in about 65 pounds. She has had an issue with an upset tummy, arched up back, drueling, and wont eat from time to time the past year or so. It always seemed to clear up by days end so we never thought too much of it and it didnt happen very often. As of late, the instances increased and she has since been diagnosed with pancreatitis. We were feeding her Taste of the Wild, and Mother Hubbard peanut butter flavored treats. We would also put peanut butter in her kong for her as an extra treat also and this was a daily thing. I would also give her marrow bones to chew on and have since learned the marrow is high in fat.
She has been on Purina HA now for almost 6 weeks as prescribed by our vet and we have cut out all the extra stuff and the pancreatitis episodes have stopped. I have been adding boiled chicken and rice to the food to make it more appetizing for her. I have noticed since being on the food she has lost about 3 pounds, her coat has dulled and she seems to be shedding more. I would like to get her off this food and back to a better diet but I have no idea where to start. A raw diet is not possible for me to do on a daily basis so I would like to feed her a high quality kibble and I dont mind adding boiled chicken and rice to it if thats a good thing to do.
I was going to put her back on TOTW and nix all the other fatty stuff but after reading the bad reviews from forum members I am reluctant. So I guess what I am getting at is I need some help to choose a quality food and treat to keep my pup healthy and happy.
Thanks for reading and I’ll be happy for any advise and suggestions.

[puppypiles]

I know raw and canned are more species appropriate, and I want to continue feeding him this way. It is however hard for me to feed him a can at 7am, and not be home until 8pm. If he’s tired of that flavor, the can of food has sat out for 13 hrs, and that’s 13 hrs that he hasn’t eaten. Plus who can have a social life when they have to be home every morning and every night on the dot to give him food? I want to give him the option of being able to eat when he needs to, and not have to schedule everything around canned diet.

As far as cost goes, he is the pickiest gosh darn cat in the whole universe, and one can he might have loved 3 days ago no sits uneaten. He has actually been diagnosed with anorexia by 2 separate, excellent vets, and has a standing prescription of mirtazapine, an appetite stimulant.

[puppypiles]

My cat has been on an all wet and raw diet since he was about 8 months old, and he’s nearly 3. He’s the picture of health, very svelte, and the vets just love him.

However, I am interested in adding some dry food into his diet. This is for several reasons.

Firstly, it’s a cost issue. Feeding high quality wet and raw foods (Weruva, Natural Balance, Earthborn, Rad Cat, Feline Naturals) is pretty pricey, and dry food, even the highest quality, is significantly cheaper per pound.

Secondly, I work in retail and work long hours (50+ a week). When you’re only feeding wet foods, it’s difficult to leave some out as it will go bad. I’d like to give him the option of having SOMETHING there if he gets hungry.

I realize the diet I’m feeding him now is a good one and dry food is not as good for a cat as wet and raw. My intention is to find a food he likes so it can be used in an emergency, and up to 25% of his current diet.

When he was younger and eating some dry, he ate California Natural Grain Free chicken. I haven’t tried that again, but I did try some Orijen red meat, which he totally snubbed. He also hates all things fish, and only eats canned/raw foods with poultry, lamb, or beef.

[Dori]

In my opinion, and that’s all it is, I would change their food. They’ve been on this particular food for a long enough time that you know they are not losing weight. Feeding them at the low end (25% below their intake plus on the low side) could cause health issues of another sort. Recommended guide lines of manufactured dog foods will mean that more or a little less, they will get their nutritional needs from that food given the approx. amount they recommend. If you are always given them less then or at the lowest end of recommendation could possibly lead to nutritional deficiencies.

My suggestion would be go find a 4 or 5 star rated quality food from a reputable company with a moderate to high protein, moderate fat and low carbs and I wouldn’t feed any of the foods on THE list. I checked almost all of those foods earlier today and they are all low in fat and high in carbs.

I may have mentioned that I have three toy breed dogs that I keep on the lean side. I feed them all commercial raw diets. I rotate proteins and brands. Commercial raw dog foods are all very high protein, high fat and low carbs. I don’t have to adjust the amount of food that I feed them going from one to the other commercial raw food because they are all accustomed to high protein and fat diets with low carbs. As a matter of fact there are times that I will feed them more than their normal amounts to get a little more weight on them. My feeding method for them is that I feed them between 2.5% and 3% of their body weight. I bought a cheap digital kitchen scale on Amazon. I think it’s a more precise way of knowing that you’re feeding them the correct amount of food each of them needs. I’ve never liked measuring dry kibble (when I used to feed it to them over three years ago) because not all dry foods are the same exact size so that the cup size will always vary somewhat in the amount your feeding them.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Linda:
I am always on the lookout for average to low fat commercial raw foods. I find most recipes too high in fat. Good or bad fat it’s in there and I want the majority of my dog’s calories to be from protein not fat. Here’s an article on fat in commercial raw foods:
/choosing-dog-food/raw-dog-food-fat/

From my list I only have one food that may fit your needs Primal Frozen Venison. On a dry matter basis using the numbers from their site it is about 16% fat. Their Frozen Rabbit recipe is also low fat (17% DMB), but you mentioned rabbit might not agree with your dog.

You might consider making your own raw if you are unable to find a suitable commercial diet. Here is a list of books for making raw and home cooked diets:
http://www.dogaware.com/diet/bookreviews.html

Since your dog is not too thrilled eating TOTW kibble maybe try another brand or have you ever thought about supplementing with canned instead? Here are some low-fat canned foods I feed Wellness Core Weight Management, Innova Large Breed Sr., and Weruva’s Marbella Paella, Paw Lickin’ Chicken, and Bed and Breakfast recipes. On Weruva’s site they list their nutrition information in dry matter basis. Other low-fat canned foods I want to try are Fromm’s Four Star Shredded Chic or Beef and Petsmart’s Simply Nourish bisque or stew foods.

Feeding a balanced diet is important, however if my dog had a health issue it would definitely be priority for me. Regarding Sojos foods and mixes there have been comments posted on DFA about the vegetables coming out of their dog as they went in and lack of info on their labels. Some posters suggested grinding the mix before feeding it. You can do a search for comments on Sojos here’s one thread:
/forums/topic/sojo-premix/

Concerns have also been posted about The Honest Kitchen foods and mixes. Posters have commented on digestibility issues, label accuracy, feeding recommendations, and questionable information provided by customer service and the owner of the company. Check out the comment sections on the review side for more info:
/dog-food-reviews/honest-kitchen-grain-free/
/dog-food-reviews/honest-kitchen-dog-food/

Good luck!

[DogFoodie]

Hi Joanne,

I’m not a Merrick fan, but know others who do who haven’t had issues. Personally, I chose not to use their products.

You can only get Timberwolf via mail order and that might be inconvenient for your sister. I once ordered some samples of Timberwolf and was disappointed that the samples I bought were so close to expiring and that the ingredients were different that those listed on the website. Maybe I bought my samples in between the updating of the website or something. Either way, I chose not to use it further.

Personally, if one of my dogs had ever had a seizure, I’d avoid rosemary at all costs. There is enough evidence to support that it can cause seizures in those dogs that are seizure prone.

Like I said before over on the review side, I’ve always like Canine Caviar. They’re in the process of changing some recipes. So, if you go that route, I’d make sure to look at the new foods and be sure that’s what you’re using because the old formulas will no longer be available soon.

Will your sister be feeding a rotational diet? I feed both of my dogs a rotational diet of all kinds of kibble, canned, dehydrated, raw and fresh, whole foods. That’s one of the ways I satisfy my passion for trying all those great foods that are available out there! Plus, it provides a more complete nutritional profile and limits exposure to less desirable ingredients – especially ingredients like carb sources; ie: grains, potatoes, peas and other legumes.

Edit: I was just recalling that I believe Timberwolf may be available in some retail outlets. I live in the Chicago area and have never seen it in a store near me.

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by DogFoodie.

[Susan]

Hi, I don’t know many American raw diets… Barf has their Kangaroo 3% fat, 11% dry matter (kibble) that’s low in fat & a new one has just come out called Barf lite or Honest Kitchen ZEAL is suppose to be good.. http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal

[Dori]

In all seriousness I would start feeding your dog a commercial raw diet. Also if she continues to vomit, diarrhea and not eat during the weekend you need to start administering plain, non flavored Pedialite which you can buy over the counter at any pharmacy or grocery store in the baby/infant aisles. Also purchase a syringe. If she won’t drink it, then start administering small amounts, maybe 3cc’s at intervals. You need to keep her electrolytes in check. Make sure it’s plain unflavored so that it doesn’t contain any sugars.