[Nancy C]

WHERE do you find the goat, llama, mutton rib bones? And they are “softer” meaning easier to chew which MIGHT mean that there could be a decreased chance of a cracked tooth? Oh yes, you have your own goats.

was just at the pet store. INSTINCT has a pkg of two lamb bones. They were about 9 to 10 inches long and had some meat on them — about $9 for two. They must have been femur bones. NOW would THAT BE A GOOD CHOICE? (I have read to stay away from load bearing bones).

Bottom line: I am scared. But I have Got to do it for his teeth.

Would you please tell me WHY you have to “watch their bone intake” because you feed 1/2 raw? I need to understand that concept. Thank you. If you could see my notebook full of notes and things I have learned you would be proud of me. It’s just that there is SO MUCH TO LEARN. I never knew having a new dog would require so much knowledge! But NOT to know these things is dangerous.

Thank you so much!!! You are a great teacher.
nc

[Dori]

Hi Terri M. I went onto the healx.com site. I’ve never heard of them but that’s not so much my issues with them. My issue with anything I give my three dogs (or myself and husband) is they say it’s a proprietary blend. So you don’t actually know what’s in it. I don’t give them anything that I don’t know exactly what’s in a food, supplement, whatever. There are more natural ways that you can give omega 3’s to balance out omega 6’s in foods. Sardines, sardine oil, as I mentioned before. I try to go natural before I start adding pills.

As to the chicken, I don’t feed chicken, chicken fat, turkey, pheasant, quail. In other words, I don’t feed any fowl whatsoever. They are very high as a common allergen as BC noted. You’ll also note that when dog foods are recalled it’s typically, not always, some sort of poultry. If you choose to avoid fowl in all it’s forms don’t be fooled if a food says they are Venison or some other protein on the front of the food. Read the entire ingredient list. More than half the foods on the market will have some sort of chicken or turkey in the ingredients.

You didn’t ask but I will also tell you that I avoid canola oil like the plague. I don’t like anything about canola, don’t use it myself and it has a horrible allergic effect on all three of my dogs. Two of my dogs have no food or environmental issues whatsoever, they never did. Katie, 5 year old Maltipoo is the first dog I have ever had that has allergies. I adopted her at 9 weeks of age and she was a mess back then. It has been trial and error all the way with her but because of Katie I have had a wonderful experience on this forum and other canine forums and have gained a wealth of knowledge that I had never had a reason to know in the past. One benefit of Katie’s allergies and intolerances is that my other two girls have benefited from her having issues. They are all on raw food and look and feel great. Hannah, my 15 year old Maltese with multiple cancers (bladder and lung) has no idea she’s ill. No one would believe it including myself. No one that sees her or plays with her or watches her playing with the other two dogs can believe she is 15 years old let alone has cancer. I attribute all this to the raw food, fruits and veggies. I only wish I had started on raw many years ago.

When Katie was very very young vets had her on antihistamines, Atopica (horrible horrible medication that screws up their organs and lord knows what else). I’d taken her to a canine allergist who wanted to do skin testing which I refused to do. The poor baby was a real mess I wasn’t about to put her through that. Anyway, the long and the short of it is that not only does Katie no longer have allergy problems as related to foods, I can’t remember when the last time was that she had a antihistamine.

Rabbit can be one of the more expensive ones but there are so many other proteins you can use. Chicken is the cheapest but I always recommend anyone that has a dog with food intolerances to stay away from anything and everything with feathers. It’s worked for Katie who was in pitiful shape. There is a theory out there that just because they are allergic to chicken in a kibble doesn’t mean that they can’t eat chicken raw. That theory is just that, a theory. It is very possible to be allergic to the raw chicken as Katie is. I’ve asked before, I’d love to know who makes up all these theories out there. Most of them aren’t true. I guess sort of like “old wives tales”, some worked some didn’t.

By the way, as to the amounts of organic virgin coconut oil and the raw goats milk, you didn’t mention the weight of your dog. We would have to know that before advising you how much to add to your dogs food.

Unless your dog has an active infection, he should not be on antibiotics. They wreak havoc with the system. Also, steroids is only dealing with the symptoms and not whatever he is allergic to. I had been advised to put Katie on steroids but I and her vet said no, also no to the antibiotics. Her vet is very strict about antibiotics. ONLY if a dog has an infection either visually or proved by blood tests. She’s not real thrilled about prednisone either. The practice I go to has four vets. The one I see now that joined the practice last year is good with raw foods. The other three just push the garbage they sell and think you’re misguided feeding raw. The new vet that I use trained for a couple of years at Georgia Veterinary Hospital under the tutelage of Dr. Susan Wynn (homeopathic, holistic nutritionist). Dr. Wynn was thrilled when she found out who I was using as a regular vet. Said my dogs couldn’t possibly be in better hands.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Dori.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Dori.

[theBCnut]

If you liked the raw fed website, you should look at their recipes. I was ROFL for 20 minutes.

[Akari_32]

That is exactly along the lines of what I’m wanting to ask them. I’ve been, out of boredom, looking around online, and found both these websites that make very good sense. I will admit, both the authors seem a little coo-coo in the head at times (like the puppy food protein percentage on the Catahoula page), but they both certainly make very good points.

http://www.catscradlecatahoulas.com/html/raw_meat_diet.html

http://rawfed.com/myths/carbs.html

The Myths About Raw Feeding website is actually very interesting. Heres the main page so you guys can see the rest of the myths.

http://rawfed.com/myths/

[theBCnut]

Sorry. What I left out is that I have Border Collies, so beef ribs are a bit big(thick, hard) for them and they will work on one of them for days, until I throw it away. I feed 1/2 raw, so I have to watch how much bone my dogs get in their diet. I know when I feed them a beef rib, they won’t be eating the entire bone, so I have to factor that in. But they eat the whole thing when it’s llama, goat, mutton, or pork without any issues or delay. Your GSD may have no trouble consuming the whole beef rib and you might want to feed 2 ribs of smaller animals because he may go through them so easily. Mine eat chicken and duck sized bones with no trouble, but turkey they have to work at. Your dog will easily eat either, I imagine.

[Kathleen C]

Thank you for your response. Green beans are canned so cooked. Carrots are raw baby carrots mostly without skin. It’s been very hot here until lately, hopefully fall and winter will cool us off to walk more than once a day in the cool A.M. He loves the dog park and runs a lot there, but again not cool enough yet. I play tug of war with him at home in doors or I throw his squeaky and he runs and brings it back. This is upper desert so lots of rocky yards, no grass. He’s going in for obedience training this saturday so hopefully that will also help. I found the list of carbs in Wellness foods that was posted on one of the forums and the Wellness Core Reduced Fat is As Fed 34.19 and Dry Matter 37.16. Is that high?

[theBCnut]

Are the green beans and carrots raw or cooked? If they are cooked then they are additional calories and carrots have a lot of carbs. Does he get any exercise? Short but intense exercise several times a day will help boost his metabolism. Will he play fetch or tug of war with a towel?

[Mom2Cavs]

Hi, Cav lover! I have 3 and all 3 of mine have murmurs. Hazel has a grade 2 that was early onset and hasn’t changed in 5 years. She’s 7 now. She is on no meds at this time. Laverne is 9 and was diagnosed with a grade 3/4 about a year ago. She is on no meds at this time. Rupert is 7 and was just diagnosed this past April with a grade 5 and MVD. 🙁 He is doing fine, atm, and is on enalapril. I do give supplements like coq10 and fish oil. I have used others in the past, in supplements like Bio-Cardio by Thorne and Cardio Strength from Vetri Science. My vet likes to use Standard Process glandular supps. and I’ve used the Cardiac care one. I do know that homecooked or raw would probably be best but I do as good as I can for them. I am feeding a rotation of base kibbles, Wellness Simple Small Breed, Fromm Salmon Tunalini. I add canned foods like Fromm 4Star, Wellness 95% or Stews, Simply Nourish and also Fresh Pet Vital. They are great eaters! You can also find tons of info. at this site: cavalierhealth.org. Good luck with your pup, they are a special kind of breed!

One more thing…..I do know that Wellness makes a Small Breed Senior (only comes in 4lb. bags, though) that is lower, controlled sodium but it’s not grain free (if that’s a concern, may not be). Actually, pretty much all of Wellness Small Breed formulas have decent salt percentages (not outlandish).

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Nancy C]

Thank you! I just went to MPCarnivore and they have a limited time special for 20 POUNDS of lamb bones for $30. This is an assortment of bones. Wondering if anyone has gotten these yet? Hard for me to know exactly what an assortment is, and if they are too small I suppose they’d not be good for a large dog.

Thank you, BC for your additional comments. I will watch him to see what his bone eating style is.

Tracy at Hare emailed suggesting that I stick to ONE PROTEIN for several weeks when I start the raw feeding. She recommended Chicken or Turkey because they have more bones. This makes sense. It sounds like chicken backs, chicken quarters, wings and even drumsticks or bone in thighs will be good also. Since my Golden Retriever (almost 11 yrs old) transitioned cold turkey to Big Dog Natural without a hint of trouble I think I will start with Big Dog Natural for my GSD and use the Turkey and Chicken formulas. It’s air dried and all of it has tripe and fermented veggies which increase digestibility. So I could feed a Chicken quarter at night several nights a week, right? then after several weeks move to beef. How does that sound?

Thank you again so much for your help!

[theBCnut]

I get beef and pork ribs from the butcher. I raise my own goats(and now a steer too). I also order from Hare Today and My Pet Carnivore.

Your GSD will chew them up, and then because they are NOT cooked, he will digest the pieces. To start with, you do have to keep a close eye on your dog to make sure they actually gnaw instead of trying to gulp the whole thing, so it is best to start with bones that are really too big for him to even think that he can swallow them. He will learn than he has to eat them instead of gulping. Some people have had to try tricks to slow their dog down, like attaching vise grips, but that isn’t common.

All cooked bones are dangerous. They will definitely splinter. Chewing raw bones will definitely help clean his teeth, though he may prefer to chew on one side more than another and you may have to hold a bone so that he has to chew on the other side. I used to have to do this with one of mine, but somewhere along the way I no longer have to do that.

[Nancy C]

Where do you get them? (The grocery store?) And what do you ask for specifically?
I’m worried my GSD will bite them up to pieces but perhaps that’s what they are SUPPOSED to do. (?) I am beyond green on this subject but know I need to get him started. Choking worries me. I guess splintering does not happen with raw.
He’s got tartar and build up on his teeth but my understanding is that the scraping on the bones will really clean that off. ?? Thank you!

[Dori]

Hi Terri M. Please make sure that the raw virgin coconut oil is organic. Also, with the coconut oil, don’t start at 1 TBSP. start by adding very little per meal and eventually work your way up to the TBSP. Giving your dogs that much coconut oil without having introduced it slowly is sure to cause diarrhea. As far as the raw goat’s milk, I would also introduce that slowly until you’re sure that your dog is tolerating it well. I would also not start with both the coconut oil and raw goat’s milk at the same time. If you’re dogs have any issues you won’t know what caused it. What omega 3 supplement were you thinking of using? Canned sardines in water with NO salt that you buy in the grocery store is a good way of adding omega 3. Another way is also adding a fish oil. I use Nature’s Logic Sardine Oil. I keep it in the fridge and splash a little on one of their meals in the day then the bottle goes right back in the fridge. Fish oils go rancid pretty quickly so even though a food will say it contains fish oil, it’s viable really to be of any use which is the reason that fish oil should be kept refrigerated. I feed my girls canned sardines two or three times a week either as a mid day or evening snack or as a topper on their meal and on those days I do not add the sardine oil. I prefer sardine oil to other oils because sardines have a very short life span. In other words they’re not swimming around in waters long enough to absorb a lot of the dangers and toxics that have now so contaminated our waters. I never ever feed my dogs salmon or salmon oil because of the contaminated waters that they general come from. You have to really trust your fish monger when selecting fish for your dogs and make sure they know where the fish came from.

I noticed that you said you also bought freeze dried. Keep in mind that freeze dried is the most expensive way to go.

Let me say that I am delighted that you are going to feed your dogs raw. I’ve been feeding my three dogs commercial raw foods for a little over 2 and 1/2 years, maybe closer to three and the difference in them is nothing short of miraculous. I have a maltipoo, Katie, who I used to say was allergic to life in general. She was a complete and total mess. She was always itchy, tear stain,, gas to clear a house out, diarrhea, yeasty ears, shedding like crazy (her breed is not suppose to shed, they have hair not fur…..I’m allergic to animals), I could go on and on and on. Other than the occasional bout of seasonal allergies (Spring, Fall), all those issues have cleared up. No more scratchy, stains, gas, yeast, her hair is now not shedding at all and very very shiny. Good luck I know you’ll be happy you made the switch. Eventually when you have things better under control I hope you’ll give thought to rotating your dogs commercial raw meals with different brands and the different proteins within those brands.

Sorry, one more thing. Don’t forget the treats you feed. Most commercial treats contain grains and other garbage. Not all, but most. I feed little bits of organic fruits and veggies as treats. Healthy and none cause harm as commercial treats do. You also don’t have to worry about the dreaded recalls.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Dori.

[Terri M]

I really appreciate all the feedback I have gotten. I am determined to heal my dog holistically, if at all possible, and I believe I can. I am not anti-vet by ANY means……I just believe his immune system is not where it needs to be along with the allergy problems and I believe it starts with nutrition. I picked up some raw food today at the pet health food store (Stella and Chewy’s) and also some freeze dried raw. It was also suggested that adding raw virgin coconut oil (1 TBSP per day) to their food, in addition to 4 oz. raw goat’s milk and omega 3 supplement (1-1 1/2 tsp) per day. Do any of you have any experience with this? I was told it works particularly well to cure yeast as well as heal the skin.

[Nancy C]

Can some of you give me some advice as to where to find and what to get for my German Shepherd 75 pound 2 yr old dog? His teeth need cleaning. I am going to start RAW feeding soon. I understand that weight bearing bones are out – too hard and great for tooth cracking. I know about duck and turkey necks but wondering if there is anything in the goat, beef or llama department that any of you has tried. I am totally GREEN GREEN in this activity of bones yet they are important.

Thanks so much for whoever can help!

[Victoria W]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I am trying to convince them to invest in better dog food, they don’t see the point in sacrificing any of their monthly extras so they can afford decent food. I’m a college student and therefore am on a limited budget, but every month since I found DFA I’ve put aside money to spoil my baby min pin/ chi mix, he comes first you know and I really don’t care to spend money on him. I bought some of the Malesab Sue and I will give her weekly baths like you suggest, God knows her owners wont take the time to do it. Naturella, thank you for the food suggestions I supplement my Taz’s Dr. Tims and Pure Bal with Merrick Southern Comfort among other canned food plus eggs, raw meat, and veggies b/c he loves them 🙂 I’m unsure if I can afford to much food for 4 huge dogs but I will try for their sake. I did not know I could give a dog sardines though, should I be concerned about the mercury usually found in bottom tier fish? How much do you think I can safely feed her or could I give her Fish oil pills in place of the sardines and avoid the merc. all together? I will try the yoghurt too. Again thanks for any suggestions, I am feeling a little better about helping this poor baby out now.

[Naturella]

Victoria,

I feel for you! A few of us here have had our fair share of stubborn dog owners who just refuse to get the facts and do what is truly good for their companion…

That Ol’ Roy is crap, you obviously know… I guess, if you can, try to get a small bag of Walmart’s Pure Balance/Pure Balance Grain Free (two of the more decent foods sold at Walmart), and maybe entice the family to try and add some to Ol’ Roy, see how their dogs like it. When I added some of the food I feed my dog to the food of the dog of the family for whom I babysit, she did not want to touch her Kibbles ‘N’ Bits anymore at all! Lol, she knew the good stuff! Maybe this will help them – plus, Pure Balance is ALSO sold at Walmart, where Ol’ Roy is.

Another thing you could do, is just add some good canned food as a topper to their meals, or a raw/lightly cooked egg here and there, some canned sardines, coconut oil if you have/can afford it, and some plain yoghurt and canned pumpkin (plain, not the pie-filling stuff). That’s what I do even with better-quality kibble and I believe it helps. If you can throw some raw/lightly cooked meat in there, or raw meaty bones here and there, it should help improve their diet a TAD, but really do try to get them off of Ol’ Roy…

Good luck, and know that many of us have been there too!

[Dori]

Hi Chabs. I feed all three of my dogs (they are the three in my avatar) commercial raw foods. I also feed rotation with the different brands and also with the different proteins within the brands. All with the exception of anything fowl or fowl in the ingredient list. One of my girls, Katie, is highly allergic and intolerant. The brands that I rotate within are Primal Formulas, Vital Essentials Raw, Answers Detailed, Stella & Chew Raw, Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw, OC Raw. I used to feed Darwin’s also but they have upped their fat content and raised their prices so though all commercial raw foods are pretty expensive, I don’t appreciate a company raising their prices due to a fat increase. More nutritious ingredients I would have been fine with but not fat. I feed my girls pretty high fat foods as it is. I feed high protein, moderate to higher fat and low carbs. As for dehydrated foods (not strictly raw in the truest sense) I use The Honest Kitchen (now that they have removed alfalfa from Zeal), and Big Dog Natural. Once in a blue moon I would use freeze dried but freeze dried is the most expensive way to go. I used to need freeze dried when traveling with the dogs. I’m not one to drive around with frozen foods in coolers. Now that The Honest Kitchen has removed alfalfa from their Zeal formula (the only one that Katie could eat until she developed an intolerance to large amounts of alfalfa) I’m using THK and Big Dog Natural for traveling with the dogs. Yes, the commercial raws are expensive but not as expensive as having to spend a lot of money at the vet with issues that now no longer exist so it all paid off for me and my girls. 🙂

By the way, though your vet may have meant well, tear staining is not necessarily from the water but more an issue with foods being fed. Somewhat of a grain intolerance or allergy. There is not a type of water that I have not tried throughout the years. Tap, filtered, bottled, distilled, reverse osmosis. I even went so far as to put in a whole house water filtration system. I have an additional filter in the fridge. None of that worked. Changing them to grain free and then raw is what did the trick.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Dori.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Dori.

[Chabs]

Well, my PetSmart doesn’t even carry the Lamb and Oatmeal variety anymore, so I’m back to the drawing board. The other two were something and potato and I didn’t think that was a good fit so I am back to the drawing board.

Dori-what kind of raw are you feeding that your dogs no longer have tear stains? My vet told me that was from our water. I have two white dogs, so that’s something I’d be interested to find out more about.

[Elizabeth G]

Hello, I am looking to change my dogs food. They are currently on Purina one smart blend but noticed it was NOT recommended. I have looked at the 4 and 5 star foods but am overwhelmed. One of my dogs has a history of pancreatitis so it must not have too much fat. Please no raw food diet. Thank you

[Dori]

The only thing that I can contribute to this discussion is that I would urge you to switch to a grain free dog food if you haven’t already. At one point when I was feeding my dogs kibble they all had yeasty ears and tear stains, as soon as I switched to grain free (a couple of weeks or so) all that disappeared. I now feed raw for other reasons which is all grain free and no yeast issues, no tear staining, no gas, bad breath, itchiness, etc. etc. Try a 3 – 5 star reviewed grain free food and then go from there. It may be that your dog is having issues with only grain, or grain and some other ingredient in a food you are feeding. Typically it’s grains. Dogs were not meant to eat grains nor do grains have any benefit for dogs.

[Kristin C]

Hi Adrienne – my 1 year old was having issues with kibble earlier this year, vomiting and diarrhea. The only thing that really helped was feeding her raw, single source protein. I started with chicken and moved to beef. She eats duck and turkey too and I through in some novelty meats every other weak. Have you tried green tripe? It’s supposed to be good for digestion. I feed it as a treat (freeze dried) or I have some ground up that I mix with yogurt and freeze in a treat thingy. My dog’s do fine on Nature’s Variety but it is expensive.

[pugmomsandy]

Agree with above. The premixes mentioned are for boneless meat. There is a mix for bone-in meats: CarnivoreRaw by Young Again Pet Foods.

[Dori]

Primal Raw Formula has a Venison that does not contain any other “animal” ingredients. It does contain some fruits and veggies. I don’t know whether your dog has any issues with any fruits and veggies in particular. It is one of the foods I use in rotation because I have a dog with allergies and intolerances to all things fowl including eggs. She does well on their Venison Formula.

[gmcbogger38]

Hey Guys!

So, I have decided to feed my dogs a meat and bone grind mixed with a pre-mix. I am looking at Sojos and The Honest Kitchen. I’m leaning mre towards Sojos for the price and the fact that it is actually freeze dried raw, whereas THK is dehydrated. Would that make much of a difference with one versus the other? Would it be best to rotate between the 2?

[Dori]

Hi Liz S. Two brands would be fine. What you can do is rotate protein formulas within the brands so that gives you even more variety in nutrition. I wouldn’t bother to add anything on the Nature’s Logic kibble when you start using it, if you start using it. They are all quality companies with quality ingredients. This way if you feed them separately your dogs will digestive systems will further strengthen allowing them to tolerate different proteins and different ingredients in the foods. I don’t believe in mixing kibble and raw in the same meal. I know plenty of others do. My girls are very small. Kibble and raw digest at different times so I don’t want anything causing any upset. Also though my biggest reason for not mixing meals is that if your dog suddenly develops digestive issues you then have to figure out if it was the food and if it was the food, which one. I like to make it very simple on them and myself.

With rotation, there really isn’t any wrong way to do it. You can feed NV Instinct Raw and when you buy the next food, pick out a different protein. When you’ve gone through all their proteins you can go to a different company and do the same thing. A lot of people rotate from bag to bag or meal to meal. Once your dog’s gut is healthy you can rotate however it’s most convenient for you. That’s one of the beauties of rotation and definitely one of the advantages to raw feeding. No transition periods from food to food. By the way, you can ask me all the questions you’d like. We’re all happy to help on DFA. We raw feeders all started somewhere and most of us got lots and lots of help along the way.

Awwwwww! I love ferrets. My son used to have two of them. Smokey and Bandit. What characters they were and so sweet. Though the did like to nibble on everyone’s ankles. Not fun at all that was for sure. Lots of jumping on sofas and screaming yikes, somebody come help! Funny little guys although not so funny if you were the one they decided needed a little nibble on your ankle.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Dori.

[Liz S]

Also would it be okay if I only used the NV Instinct Raw for awhile? Is that enough nutrition for her?

[Liz S]

Dori would it be ok if I only rotated with the NV Instinct Raw with one MAYBE 2 of those others you mentioned? I have 3 ferrets, 3 dogs and 2 cats. And a 2 yr old. I try to make sure everyone’s getting the best. And I love the idea of a rotation diet. You think 2 would be ok? I could experiment the others later but for now I think money wise I can only do 2. Would mixing the NV with the Natures Logic Sardine kibble be fine? Or should it only be NV mixed with Stella & Chewys Raw? I already know the brand from my ferrets and love it. And when could I give the Natures Logic? Mix it with the raw every once in a while?

It’s hard to get anyones attention about this I need a sponsor or something lol.

Let me know what you think about my rotation idea.

[theBCnut]

Cage free eggs, any lean meats, a few berries for the antioxidants. If you can handle it, a raw turkey, chicken, or duck neck. Fresh is definitely better!

[Kristin C]

Haven’t tried it yet but I have a bag of See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix I’m going to use next time I make raw food.

[Nita P]

I’m not familiar with that brand if food, but if you like it, I would stick with it. For my dog Bella, I actually switched her to just white rice & ground elk meat when her ear issues got really bad this summer. I had ordered the dynovite and it arrived a few days after we went to the vet. The vet gave us a round of meds that really made her feel bad – she lost complete control of her bladder & just laid around with no energy. Took her off meds after 2 days. Kept with the rice and elk (you can use rice and chicken too) with broth mixed with the Dynovite and the Lickychops omega oils. I had a different dog in 2 weeks. Her personality changed completely too! Her ears (yeast infection, allergies) cleared up, the bad breath got better (it’s not all gone), her coat is amazing and she sheds about 10% of what it was before dynovite. She also had the paw chewing & licking issues, which are supposedly allergies. From my personal human issues, antibiotics caused yeast issues (along w/ diet choices) and I see that in my dog too. I read a lot of the info on the dynovite website and I wasn’t up for the raw diet, but I did learn a lot from their suggestions. I went to the rice/meat only with the dynovite to clear any food allergies we might be dealing with (just like I’ve done w/ myself in the past).

I don’t store it in the fridge – just in an airtight container.

We recently lost our oldest dog & I stopped the dynovite for about 7-8 days (just for no reason other than grief forgetfulness) and Bella’s paw chewing came right back. Needless to say I’ve now had a 2nd round of proof this supplement works for my dog.

I moved Bella to a full serving pretty fast and she tolerated it very well. I’m very pleased with Dynovite!

Hope that helps!

[Kristin C]

Thanks for the picture 4FF. Looks dehydrated to me so I probably won’t try it. Sojo’s dehydrated comes out like it goes in which I don’t like at all, doesn’t digest well. A 2 lb bag of Sojo’s Complete is 14.99 but that’s with no meat. So as Dori said BDN would be less expensive. I keep coming back to making my own raw food and adding a supplement that meets AAFCO standards. But that doesn’t work too well on a 2 week vacation.

[Dori]

Kristin C. As others have posted, the food is air dryer which would be a dehydrated food. It’s different than any dehydrated food. When rehydrated, as others have said, it looks and smells like ground meat. Also as cindy q. said, you do need to add water, but I also don’t add as much as they say. This is basically a personal decision as to how much water to add. Depends on how your dog likes his food. Some like real mush and don’t want to have to chew anything at all, lol, and others like a more substantial chunky food. As I’ve mentioned before I food rotational so the GA and analysis don’t really make a difference to me and my dogs. I rotate with every meal.

Cindy q. The trick with THK is to either not add as much water as stated on the box (I never do) or make up a batch that will last two or three days and put in the fridge. At meal time scoop out as much as you need for the meal. If your dog doesn’t like cold food then just leave it out on the counter until room temperature. I do it both ways but overnight works best. Also Cindy q. before spending money on actual size bags or boxes of the foods you’re trying out ask for samples at your local small pet stores, they always have samples or email or call manufacturer of food. They’ll pretty much always send you out samples for either a very nominal fee or others just have you pay for the shipping which is also a small fee. You’re going to go through way to much money buying the actual boxes or bags of the food. Also, if you rotate your foods you should try to buy the smallest size so that the individual foods won’t go bad. I realize the small bags/boxes will cost you a little more but you’ll be sure to be able to rotate and not have the bottom of bags or boxes go bad before you get to the end. That’s important with rotating foods that are not frozen and kept in freezer. Also BDN is less expensive than Sojo’s. I don’t particularly care for Sojo’s so I don’t feed it. The only foods I presently feed other than commercial raw foods are THK, BDN and in a pinch if I won’t be home or dogs left with someone else who refuses to feed raw (jeesh) I use Nature’s Logic dry. Excellent as kibbles go. They also have a good canned food but the canned foods all contain something or other that my allergy/intolerant maltipoo, Katie, cannot tolerate. It’s the only kibble they do well on and that I don’t feel awful feeding them.

[Kristin C]

I heard back from BDN and they did not provide the reconstituted nutritional analysis nor did they answering whether they’ve through feeding trials. I was mostly wondering if this is really a raw product but I think it’s dehydrated based upon their pricing. I agree that it should be used rotationally. I may try it but can anyone tell me if it reconstitutes to a mushy substance or are there chunks and hard pieces (like Sojo’s). I tried Orijen freeze dried which I like but it’s too expensive to feed on a regular basis. I am looking for options when I travel because I feed mostly raw.

[Dori]

Hi Liz S. NV Instinct raw is one of the foods I use in rotation feeding with my three toy dogs. I also use Answers Detailed, Vital Essentials Raw, Stella & Chewys Raw,
Primal Raw Formulas, OC Raw. In rotation feeding I also use The Honest Kitchen which is a dehydrated food and BDN which is another dehydrated food. The only kibble I have fed recently is Natures Logic Sardine Formula. The food is teeny tiny and they love it and have had no issues. The reason for the kibble after almost three years on raw is that if I have to leave them with someone or travel with them it would be more convenient than traveling lots of raw food which means a number of coolers with ice packs and I’m not Sure I feel completely safe with the food that way. I’ve also tried some freeze dried from a couple of the raw food companies. It’s an expensive process to freeze dry apparently so that’s the reason for freeze dried being so costly.

[Liz S]

I’ve always fed a kibble or canned for a dinner treat. But no matter what I do my chi will only eat canned. Vet visits etc. She is fine.

She was on Science Diet. Once I found out how bad it was I tried switching. I gave her ample time. I tried HQ kibble.

I’ve heard good things about Instinct Raw. I got a sample bag of the boost treats and she LOVED them. I think the fact that they weren’t too hard really appealed to her.

I’m going to give this stuff a go I think.

Who else feeds Instinct Raw?

[Dori]

THK is not cooked, but it’s not truly considered a raw food either. They use very low heat to dehydrate the ingredients. This keeps most of the integrity of the nutrients but since low heat has been used it cannot really be considered raw. I really like the company and their philosophy. I’ve spoken to Lucy Postin from time to time and I really like her.

[Naturella]

Hey, T. I second Sue on not giving leftovers. When you first said “human food”, I thought you meant things like raw/cooked lean meats and veggies (no seasonings or only such that are dog-friendly, like cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, a little bit of garlic). Yoghurt is ok, but only if it is plain – not the sweet-ish, fruity-ish stuff a lot of us eat. Noodles are sometimes okay if that’s all they are – one noodle (he really doesn’t NEED it though), and not covered in pasta sauce and seasonings. Cheetos are not very good for humans or pets (they contain formaldehyde and burn like they’re made of pure petrol if you set them on fire).
Bottom line – anything on your plate for dinner is PROBABLY not good for your doggie, especially cooked bones of any kind, because they could splinter and cause all kinds of internal disasters if he/she doesn’t choke on them first.

Good news though! What you CAN give to your dog are raw or lightly cooked lean meats (no bone) and veggies/fruits, eggs (probably just 1 egg/week for a teeny dog like a yorkie), canned sardines in water with no salt added (their spinal bone is okay to give), plain yoghurt/kefir, and safe seasonings like the ones mentioned above (a pinch of cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, garlic are totally fine). Also coconut oil and canned pumpkin (the plain one, not the pie-filling cans) – the latter can help your dog’s tummy when introducing new foods. You can add a teaspoon of canned pumpkin with every meal at which new food is present, and watch the stool. If it is still bad, back off the new food, and give just pumpkin or just his BB kibble until the stool is normal. Sometimes probiotics and digestive enzymes may help strengthen his/her gut too.

It is really good to supplement a dry kibble with canned or otherwise wetter food, or any of the fresh foods mentioned above. So maybe try that for your pup, and good luck!

[Naturella]

Hey, all! 4FF, did you try copying and pasting the code, or just typing it in? IDK if it will make a difference, but as Dori said, maybe just try calling them. It took off my shipping AND the 10% off the food. I only got 1 lb of the Green Tripe Supreme, but I will use it in rotation with THK’s Keen, Force, Embark, and Love, so it should last a while! I’m excited to try this – and the coupon basically made the food free, it is like I’m just paying the “shipping” (amount-wise, I am not really paying the shipping). So it was cool, I got to trick the hubby into believing the food was free and that we just paid shipping, so I could get it… Muahahaha! Ok, time to stop now… lol

P.S. This is probably not the place, but quick question – is THK dehydrated RAW or COOKED food?

[Dori]

Kristin C. I feed rotation raw foods to all my dogs as I mentioned above but I was wondering what your concerns are about this food. Also would you please post here when you do hear back re reconstituted analysis? Thank you. This food will be fine for rotation feeding but it’s important for people that feed one food for long periods of time, which I’m totally against, to have as much info as possible, but we all do what we’re comfortable doing. Thanks.

[Kristin C]

What are you feeding him? I have one dog who is pretty sensitive. When her stools are loose I give her some canned pumpkin and that clears it up. I have been adding green tripe to her diet which I think helps. I find she does better if I feed her raw food, versus kibble. In fact, I started feeding her raw because I was beside myself on all her barfing and diarrhea while on kibble. If you are integrating healthier, whole food into his kibble diet maybe take it a bit slower. It’s no different than a human used to eating processed food and getting an upset stomach when he eats a salad.

[Dori]

I’ve recently started using BDN in rotation for my girls. The food looks and smells good and the girls love it. I haven’t seen any negative issues with the food. It’s a very small company and I suspect that is why there prices are as good as they are. They don’t seem to spend too much money on packaging, advertising, etc. so I guess that also lets them sell the food as inexpensive as it is. When I was doing research and asking questions I just called them and someone, usually a woman by the name of Chris, picks up the phone. She’ll stay on the phone with you as long as you like, seems pretty forthcoming on everything. I think they’re out of New Jersey if memory serves me. With all that said, I feed my three dogs commercial raw foods in rotation and I rotate their foods with every meal (they eat twice a day) so their digestive systems are very healthy. I can’t think of any food that I would feed solely as long term. I recommend rotation to everyone.

[Kristin C]

Hi Holly-I know you posted this a while ago and have probably figured some of this out. I feed my dogs mostly raw, but I think if you are using this only as a kibble topper and not more than 25% of their diet you can use whatever’s left over from dinner. I personally would avoid the fatty part of the meat. I use a ratio of 80% meat/organs, 5% fruit/veg purée, 15% sweet potato or pumpkin. You might want to omit the rice as that’s probably already in the kibble, if not another carb. Eggs are good, as is a little fish oil, vitamin e and yogurt. Any cooked meat is fine. I avoid pork and fish because I feed raw. There’s a book called See Spot Live Longer that has a few pages on how to supplement your kibble FYI.

[Kristin C]

Thanks for mentioning BDN Cindy. I have not heard of it and am very interested so I emailed them with a few questions. I’m afraid their pricing might be too good to be true though. I’ve been using Darwin’s for the last few months and their trial was worth it, but they’re changing their formula and not offering any samples so I cancelled after my first auto shipment. Plus their meat turns brown in the frig and that can’t be good. My homemade raw stays nice and pink unless it’s older. I see you’ve queried on BDN on another post so I’ll keep my eye out for anyone else chiming in on whether they add supplements to it. I may just try it as “supplemental” feeding.

[Julian R]

Hi Kristin,
I adopted my chow/akita mix almost two years ago and I started feeding him raw meats more or less after a month of his arrival. I started slow, mixing ground beef with canned wet food. I eliminated kibble right away or should I say he rejected it once he was presented with an alternative diet. After about a month of a raw/canned mix, I just fed him raw meats. Once I have made the full decision of a raw diet I searched for commercially available raw meats (http://www.darwinspet.com) but it was not a cheap option. I turned to my local meat markets and bought chicken (breasts, necks, hearts, thighs), turkey legs (cut in pieces), pork neck bones, beef kidney and heart, and ground beef. I followed the advise from (http://www.dogaware.com/articles/wdjhomemade2.html) to understand the proportions needed (lean meat:bone:fat:organs).
Now let me provide potential answers for some of your questions.
How much raw food per day should I feed him? Raw diet is more nutritious than kibble and canned food so there is not need to feed them as much. Based on your dogs desired weight I would estimate 3-3.5 oz daily.
Should I start out getting packaged raw food? It tends to be more expensive and if there are good meat markets in your area with a good selection, you can buy what you need at a lower price.
Should I just give him the bones or grind them up? Most dogs can handle bone (make sure they are uncooked) but one has to be careful since choking can still happen. Avoid chicken necks since they can cause choking in small dogs. Pork necks are a good option since they are meaty and dogs can easily break them (at least medium-large dogs). Now since you have a small dog you can give him small pork neck bones but not too small that he will try to swallow it whole. Supervision is key here.
What meats can he eat? chicken, beef, pork, venison, rabbit, turkey, duck, lamb, etc
What should his daily, weekly, etc… diet consist of? The article in dogaware.com provides a very straightforward guide to establish your weekly dog diet, in summary it states that it should be 30-50 % meaty bones, 45-65 % lean meat (including eggs and dairy products) and 5% or less of organ meat.
How slowly should I introduce him to raw food? Start slow mixing 3/4 of of his usual food with 1/4 of raw. Increase slowly over a 2-4 week period.
What meats are good to introduce/start out with? Chicken is usually a good start and lean ground beef is also good. Do not feed him chicken with the skin since it will be too rich for him.
What things should I get to start out with(what kind of meat grinder, what kind of storage containers, etc…)? I don’t use a meat grinder and most likely you can ask your local butcher to do the grinding you need. I ended up buying a freezer for his food and I thaw enough for 2-3 days inside the refrigerator. I keep thawed food in a closed large glass container inside the refrigerator.
How should I handle the meat? I have a cutting board, knife and other utensils to handle his food which I do not use for anything else. I wash everything with plenty of dish soap and hot water. I obviously I wash my hands thoroughly after handling raw meats. How much will this cost per month? For my 62 pound, I spend in average $70 a month. What veggies and fruits should I include in his diet daily, weekly, etc…??? About 6 months ago, I found out about a dog raw food vendor that distributes a great variety of raw food in NJ, CT, MA, NH, and VT. (http://www.topqualitydogfood.com/). They don’t mail so one has to picked up at specific services areas where they stop and it is once a month only. Anyway, they have meats mix with veggies and fruits which I give to my dog. You can see more information about giving vegetables and fruits to your dog. Keep in mind that vegetables should be preferably cooked and give as a puree mixed with meat for better absorption. How much low-fat cottage cheese, veggies, etc… should I feed him daily, weekly, etc…??? Cheese is as an occasional part of his diet but I dont feed him daily perhaps once a week but not too much.
What kind of fish can he eat? most fish except salmon or trout fromPacific Northwest. I feed my dog Chilean Salmon.
Should I add fish oil or probiotics or whatever else to his daily, weekly, etc… diet?? It is recommended to complement his diet with fish oil. I am not sure about probiotics, though.

I advise you to take a look at the books recommended if you can or at least check the websites. Also, try to connect with owners of small dogs that feed them raw. I strongly believe it is the best diet for dogs but it requires some learning from the owner.

[Kristin D]

Thank you, Bobby dog!!! I actually own the book Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs!!! I like it a lot so far!!! It’s a GREAT book!!! I just got Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw food!!! I got chicken to start out with cause it’s easier to digest. I’m gonna be feeding him a forth a cup of kibble maybe less, 2 raw chicken medallions, and a tablespoon of canned food a day. I’m gonna be feeding him the raw at a separate meal than the other food. Does that sound like too much food for a little miniture Dachshund??? I will give him less kibble a day if that sounds like too much. I don’t think it’s too much but I could be wrong. I feed him three small meals a day. I would feed him an 1/8 of a cup of kibble and a half a table spoon of canned food for breakfast and dinner. For lunch I would feed him two medallions. Once again I ask is that too much or too little of food??? Should I give him more canned??? Lol!!! Idk!!! Maybe I should give him TWO tablespoons of canned a day… I am trying to get him to lose weight though… Whatever you guys think I should do please tell me!!! Lol!!!

[Naturella]

So, we went to the vet today to get Bru his 3-year rabies shot he was due for (last year he got the 1-year one). I also wanted to talk about titers and skipping the rest of the vaccines. The vet we saw was not my usual semi-holistic vet, who does TCM, but another one. Still, she seemed nice and talked to us about titering and how most vaccines last a while, BUT, that if we plan to be taking Bruno to the dog park and socialize him with “questionable” dogs, we should vaccinate, and how it is cheaper than titering, and how expensive it is to cure some of those diseases that he may get if we don’t vaccinate and he happens to get sick, etc. My husband was so absorbent of the information and I was worried. I didn’t want to do the DAPP and Bortadella again because I KNOW he has immunity for at least the Bortadella (kennel cough) – my roommate’s dog got it bad, and Bruno did not, and he was around her a lot. So he has some good immune strength, I believe. But the doc said $250 for titers and $150 for shots, so that was kind of the dealbreaker for us there… It was one or the other for the hubs, and shots won… 🙁 He took them ok, was acting normally and what not. Now he’s all sleepy and seems a bit distressed… He growls at every movement – the wind blows outside, he growls. Ice gets dispensed in the freezer, he growls. And he was growling occasionally before, mostly at people/kids/dogs making noise outside, but OMG, it is like he got growl shots today, not rabies/DAPP/Bortadella shots! Geez… Last year he had no negative reaction to the shots and I don’t know if the sleepiness and growling are from the shots per se or just from the distress of being at the vet and being done things to, but otherwise he eats okay, pees and poops okay so far, and was playful with a dog-friend who lives in our complex, so he’s mostly alright…

Bottom line, I’m not too happy though – I think because we got the 3-year rabies, I will just “forget” to remind my husband of the other annual shots until 2017… And by then, I hope he will be more okay with skipping them… I’m thinking every 3-5 years as a booster should be fine (do them in 2017, then 2020, then 2025, 2030, etc., for as long as my sweet little baby is around), aside from rabies, which is every 3 years anyway. Hope it works out…

At least everything else on Bru checked out with accolades! He has great body condition and weight – now at 14.5 lbs – still growing as a lean muscle-machine! lol Vet did say to try to keep him between 14.5-15 lbs though, would be ideal for him. But as long as his body condition is good, I don’t care what he weighs… Muscle is heavier than fat anyway. Also great eyes, teeth (yay RMBs and brushing!), skin/coat (yay raw eggs, coconut oil, and sardnies!), and ears! Negative heartworm test and fecal float. Clean bill of health. 🙂

P.S. Vet also said to do year-round HW prevention… @Dori and @weezerweeks, what do you do for HW – year-round or no? (They live in GA as do I, and I think y’all may have told me in another post, but I forgot… 🙁 )
I read somewhere that it’s safe not to administer the pill between December and April, so I MAY try that if hubs does not notice… He freaks out at the possibility of Bruno being sick, and even more at huge vet bills, sooo he would rather take ALL preventive measures than “risk it” (even if it MAY be okay and better for the dog) and have a sick dog and a humungous bill…
I mean, I do understand him… But I am trying to instill a more holistic lifestyle in our household and all these meds and shots are messing with my philosophy, lol… Oh well, I’ll take meds too in emergencies – like when I had a pinched sciatic nerve – “ohmygodworsepainIhaveeverfeltIwantedallthedrugs”… After all the meds I was a happier camper, with nice crazy vivid dreams from them narcotics ;)… But still… the less chemical additives, the better I believe. Anyway, went off too far on a tangent, reeling back in to vaccines and opinions on them! 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Naturella.

[Haleybop]

Hi! I feed my 10-month-old beagle Back to Basics (all four high-protein varieties while the duck is still in stock). I add coconut oil in the morning, an additional source of lightly cooked protein for lunch, and a capful of raw ACV (to help keep yeast in check) for dinner.

Since BTB is a high protein/high fat quality food, I’m wondering about my choices for adding additional protein for that one meal. Do you have any suggestions?

Also, BTB does not have any probiotics in it. After a recommendation from Hound Dog Mom, I bought Swanson Ultra Soil Based Organisms. My dog actually chews her food and bites these capsules open. So, I started opening them and pouring half of it in her lunch (she’s only 24lbs). Do you think the probiotics in this item will even make it past her stomach and into her intestines or am I wasting the product? I know there are some dog products out there that your sprinkle on their food, but I wonder about their effectiveness, as well.

Thanks so much for any suggestions!!!

[InkedMarie]

I can’t help with the leakage but I wanted to comment on the crystals. A previous dog had recurrent crystals. My vet said special food wasn’t necessary. It’s very important to get enough fluid into your dog. Dry food is the worst; wet food is best: raw, dehydrated, canned. If you must feed dry, please add canned & water to it. Aldo make sure he has ample opportunity to urinate. My vet also told me to give my dog one vitamin C tablet but don’t do that without talking to your vet.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Kristen D:
I am not a raw feeder so I don’t have much info to share with you, but I can help you get started with some websites and books. I would like to incorporate more raw foods into my dog’s diet so I try to bookmark websites that are recommended on DFA for future research.

My dog’s diet is mostly kibble, but I feel it’s important to incorporate fresh foods so I follow Steve Brown’s ABC diet for kibble feeders. The rest of his diet consists of fresh vegetables & fruits, eggs, sardines, goats milk, canned, lightly cooked fresh meats, or commercial raw for toppers. I try feeding him RMB’s, but each time he buries them in the yard. I have to be careful with any raw or pet food due to a family member with health issues so I am unable to feed him RMB’s indoors. The meats that I have tried so far don’t appeal to him and I end up lightly cooking them. lol

Here’s some books that several regular posters on DFA recommend: Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet – Steve Brown, Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats – Dr. Karen Becker, Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs: The Definitive Guide to Homemade Meals – Dr. Lew Olson.

Here’s a couple websites:
http://www.dogaware.com/articles/wdjhomemade2.html
http://seespotlivelonger.com/

Here’s a link to the raw dog food forums on DFA for more info:
/forums/forum/raw-dog-food-forum/

[Kristin D]

Hello everybody!!! Sorry… I didn’t mention I don’t have a printer… Lol, sorry!!! If I show it to the person at the pet store would they print it??? Bobby dog: Thanks!!! I’m excited to try raw food!!! I’m a little nervous and scared but I think everything will go smoothly. Speaking of raw food I have a topic in the raw food section of the forum if anybody has advice for me, I would love to hear it!!! Thanks!!!!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Kristin D.