[Kristin C]

Hi Cindy – I have recently used Orijen Adult Freeze Dried. It took about a half hour to soak and get to the consistency I was looking for. My dogs loved it and since I sometimes feed Orijen Kibble they had no digestion issues. It is expensive but I am looking for something to use on vacation since I feed primarily raw.

As for the Sojo’s, I have tried the Complete grain free mix where you have to add in raw meat. I find that it comes out much like it goes in, it doesn’t digest well. I end up soaking the Sojo’s then putting it in a food processor with my raw meat. I am going to use it up but won’t buy again.

Hope that helps!

[Bobby dog]

Hi katj813:
Look into C4c’s suggestion about Freshpet. Freshpet is a refrigerated food that is not canned, not raw, would mix easily with a dry food, and it is a kibble shape that pours easily from the bag. It is also easy to find at pet stores, grocery stores, and Wal-Mart.

[Susan]

Hi Kellye, I’m having the same problem with Patch keeping on his weight he doesnt have Diabetes, he has Pancreatitis & IBD, I want to have him tested for diabetes Ive read that some dogs that have pancreatitis will get diabetes, I was going to have him tested for diabetes….what I do is I look for kibbles with high calories, low fat%. I found the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal has 450 kcal per cup ME but then Patch started scratching his ear I looked at the ingredients again & released it has potato protein Patch cant eat Pototes so now I feed have him the Wellness Simple Lamb & Oatmeal it has 406 kcal per cup ME its less then the Duck but its higher then most kibbles that Ive found, I also feed Patch 4 meals a day, you have to work out how many calories ur boy should be getting a day & feed him a bit more, well thats what Ive been doing with Patch & he’s gain 1/2 a kilo in weight but its only been 2 weeks since I started increasing his food… I know with raw they lose weight when you first start, does he need the digestive enzymes..
I know when Patch was eating 1 cup of boiled chicken breast, boiled pumkin & 1/2 a boiled egg mixed altogether he gained all his weight back but then I found out he can’t have chicken so I changed it to tuna in spring water drained & he lost weight again, so boiled chicken breast must have more calories then Tuna does, I know pasta would put on some weight but with diabetes you have to watch their carbs but they are allowed a little bit per day…Have you tried a dog nutritionist for some recipes what he can eat with his diabetes & gain weight awell….on yahoo there’s a group call “K9Kitchen” run by Monica Segal she does recipes for illness..

[Naturella]

Ivan,

I second C4C – rotation is great for them, plus it is easy on the budget too! Websites such as http://www.petflow.com , http://www.chewy.com , http://www.wag.com offer awesome sales sometimes and you can stock up on various good 4- and 5-star foods for down to about $1/lb!!! Which is an awesome deal. For Victor, try http://www.sportdogfood.com too.

As for toppers – yes as well! I also use canned (sometimes), The Honest Kitchen (dehydrated raw I think), plain yoghurt, eggs, coconut oil, and canned sardines. Once a week my Bruno gets a Raw Meaty Bone (RMB) too. The effects of all those additives on skin and coat are tremendous, plus, it helps add variety to their diet and is overall better to their general health. 🙂

Good luck!

[Naturella]

Hi, katj813. Welcome to the forum!

It took me a minute to think of such a food, and the only one that comes to my mind is Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost. Now, it is not “raw” raw, it is dehydrated raw that is mixed in the bag with the kibble. It is softer than kibble and the formulas contain pretty unique proteins, so they may be more palatable to your dog. Other than that, if your mom is not willing to mix canned or your dog doesn’t eat softened food (which could be fixed potentially by just letting him try meal after meal, and if he doesn’t eat it, take it away, then serve some again at the next meal until he/she grows hungry enough to eat it), I have nothing….

But please, do your best to get it off of Beneful, or anything by Purina for that matter.

Good luck and let us know if you have any more questions!

[katj813]

Hi I am looking for a kibble for my dog who is staying with my mom. She likes taking the easy route when feeding my pets (I’m in college) so no raw foods, no wet food, etc. She has switched my dog to Beneful because he wasn’t eating his previous food and he eats it well. He’s 12 though and Beneful is a load of crap. The only other food I know of is Purina One which is at least better than Beneful but still not great. My dog won’t eat food soaked in water, no idea why but he’s more finicky than my cat. Are there any other food brands out there with meaty bits mixed in or something?

[crazy4cats]

Ivan-
I think it’s a good idea to rotate food. I try to rotate kibble, but I definitely rotate toppers every meal. I think variety is important. I also think it is very important to add fresher type foods to kibble to boost its nutrition as kibble is the least healthy, but the most convenient and affordable. I add canned to every breakfast. To their evening meals, I add either eggs, sardines, dehydrated, raw or lightly cooked fresh meat. I feed mostly Victor kibble, but you could print the 4 or 5 star list of foods and bring with you to your store to see what they carry and fits your budget. You will probably have to transition slowly if they have eaten the same food for a long time to avoid digestive upset. Also, some plain canned pumpkin or probiotics and digestive enzymes may also help with the transition until they are fully adjusted. I’ve seen a noticeable difference in my dogs’ coats since I’ve started the sardines and eggs. Good luck!

[Angela H]

I make a homemade dog food, but I don’t really have a recipe, I use what ever ground meat, veggies and fruits are on sale, but here is what I do;
Use;
70% meat/mixed with organ meat
20% Veggies
10% Fruit

Ingredients;
2lbs lean ground beef
1lb ground chicken
1lb ground turkey
1/2lb beef liver, chicken livers, or chicken giblets
Brown all meat in coconut oil, let cool
Steam the following veggies, fresh is best if you have them on hand, or you can use
frozen veggies (just make sure there is no corn, onions or mushrooms in the frozen blend)
Broccoli
Spinach
Kale
Peas
Sliced Carrots (they don’t have to be peeled)
Red Bell Peppers -chopped
Swiss Chard
Add the steamed veggies to the cooled meat
Then add to the meat mixture;
1 Apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 Banana, chopped
1/2 Raspberries
1/2 Blueberries
2 raw eggs, shell and all
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp Coconut oil
1 Tbsp Vitamin fatty acid supplement, such as Dr. Maggie
Using a potato masher, mash all the ingredients together as much as
possible. Then transfer to a food processor to blend, or if you have
a hand emulsifier blender you can mix it together
Make sure to blend evenly leaving no big chunks
Put approx. 11-12 oz into Ziploc freezer bags and freeze
I take out only 1 bag as I need it and let defrost in the fridge

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

[Marla J]

To Marilyn E.
Thanks for the advice about Darwin’s. I have an introductory order coming soon. also, I used to hand out treats all the time to train my dogs, and then I found gentledogtraining.com. These trainers live in my city, but they have a training package with DVD you can order online which teaches you great stuff on how to train through leadership vs treat dispensing. I love it! They are the ones who recommended a raw diet, as they use it for their 8 dogs.

[Kellye P]

My little poodle has been diabetic for 4 years. His glucose levels are good. I have had every imaginable test run on him to find out why he can’t gain weight. Everything checks out perfectly except one time his electrolytes were off. I now put an electrolyte powder in his water. He was 10 lbs when diagnosed and is now 6 pounds. Every bone in his body sticks out. I take him to a Traditional Chinese Medicine vet, an acupunture specialist, and his regular vet. He is on Vetsulin and thyroid. I give him Caniotic probiotics, coconut oil and digestive enzymes. I have gone raw, dehydrated, bought recipes at Balance It, bought recipes from a California company that makes food based on their vet’s advice, tried Sojo’s and other “add meat” foods, dry food, canned food, etc. I have tried everything. High fat foods make him throw up. It is breaking my heart that we are heading back into winter and he’s skin and bones. Yes, he stays inside and wears shirts or sweaters all year, but he is way too skinny.

[Cotons mom]

Anyone had any experience with this company. They are located in Virginia and are actually a bison farm. I found them while doing a search for raw food.

thanks

[mandy d]

Hi Sue66b, I actually must have missed that one somehow! I’ll check out both. She’s never eaten raw before but the vet we just saw is a pretty big proponent of the paleopet diet and didn’t seem concerned about feeding her raw even with her colitis so I figured it was worth looking into. She’s doing much better after the vet visit, but I do think I’m going to try her on some different food and see if I can find something that prevents the flare ups.

Crazy4cats- I’m looking for fat around or less than 10% and fiber around 9% for a kibble, but I suppose those amounts vary for wet or raw foods. Unfortunately I think the wellness core reduced fat that we had tried in the past is the only one that high in fiber. Right now I’m adding pumpkin to her normal food for extra fiber. The formulas that fall in the range I’m looking tend to be senior or weight reduction foods, so that’s been most of what I’ve looked at but unfortunately almost all (or all) are poultry based which she is allergic too. They tend to have either chicken or turkey as the main ingredient or have poultry fat somewhere in the ingredients. Even all of the prescription GI health/senior/weight management foods are poultry based.

[Laurie B]

My vet also made the recommendation of Royal Canin SO, but after looking at the ingredients, there was no way I was going to feed that! So I switched to a kibble with a higher protein, gave a vitamin C supplement, and D-Mannose. My dog’s urine pH went down to normal levels within a week. The kind of levels where the crystals won’t form (about 5.5.) a friend switched her dog to raw for the same reason, high pH and struvites. Crystals gone, pH normal, within two weeks. Neither case had a UTI present.

[Naturella]

HDM, wow! Thank you for the detailed explanation! I keep learning tons over here!

I was confused, because on the rating side, Dr. Mike seems to regard “meal” as favorable/quality ingredient… Probably because of its high animal protein value, but now I need to go through my “stash” of food and see how many foods contain meal only and I will think about mixing them with some that contain more fresh meat in the ingredients. I do also use additives such as THK, raw eggs, coconut oil, RMBs, yoghurt, canned sardines, etc., so I think Bruno will be fine, but this is good information for future food shopping.

[Kristin D]

Hi Cyndi!!! Thanks for the Instinct Raw coupons!!! Do I have to go to a website or do I screenshot it or…??? I wanna get Oscar get started on raw food soon so those coupons might come in handy!!!:D

[Nancy M]

I can’t believe this, I was just getting back on site, when your message came through. And yes! I just realized this! So scratch that! Doggone it, thought I had found a good one! Thanks for the prompt reply to make sure I knew! I appreciate it. Is there anything they don’t have their hands in? Gee whiz, back to the drawing board.

Thanks!
Nancy

[Susan]

Hi Mandy, have you had a look at the Wellness Simple Healthy Weight Salmon & Peas grain free there’s no chicken or turkey the fat is min-8% the fiber is 6%, Omega 6 is 1.80% Omega 3 is 90% Glucosamine is 3.75mg /kg…I just looked at the Wellness Core Ocean & the Fat min-16% fat thats high & that was min-16% fat so I add around another 1.5%-2% max fat on top of that, thats making it nilly 18% fat…. if u email Wellness they will email back max % on fat & the Carb %…..Holistic Select also made by Wellpet has their Grain Free Salmon, Anchovy & Sardine meal fat-min-13% Fiber-6% Omega 6 is 2.00% Omega 3 is 1.50% has no chicken or turkey….
Have you ever tried raw?? maybe cooked would be better to start with then you slowly cook the meat less then get to raw & slowly introducing from cooked to raw over 3-4 weeks, Karen Becker she says take 3 months introducing raw with dogs with GI problems in her book…I’d be to scared to try raw with Colitis..
Dogs with Colitis normally have IBD awell, I belong to the Yahoo group IBDogs & alot of the IBD dogs have Colitis so u’ll need to be careful when introducing new foods, so you dont have another flare….Good-Luck, its hard..

[mandy d]

I’m not sure if this actually exists…

My five year old mini schnauzer has periodic bouts of colitis after having an intestinal blockage&surgery a few years ago and a low fat, high fiber food helps. However she also has a poultry allergy and basically all the foods that are significantly lower in fat and higher in fiber than her current food have chicken or turkey as the protein source. We currently feed her Wellness Core, alternating between the ocean and lamb flavors, but she still has the occasional bouts and just had the worst one yet. At one point we tried the Wellness Core reduced fat version, and the fat/fiber content worked really well for her but it is turkey based and this confirmed that it was poultry in general that she was allergic too, not just chicken. I’ve done A LOT of searching in the last year here and on other websites, but I’m hoping maybe I’m just missing something and the perfect food is actually out there. I was originally looking for a kibble, but at this point I am totally open to canned or raw food, it would just be best if I did not have to prepare her food myself. Any suggestions?

Right now I’m leaning towards trying her on Addiction canned foods or the OC Raw dog goat&produce formula. Although I am a little hesitant to try her on raw food when she is so sensitive.

I also think it would also be nice for it to have things like omega 3s or other healthy oils, added nutrients for joint health (she has early signs of degenerative disc disease), and maybe something low-carb to prevent any other future health problems. But of course, I can always supplement the omegas and joint health. I can also always add more fiber too, so a low-fat, low-carb food with average fiber would be ok.

[InkedMarie]

Kristin, I feed ground raw, mostly from HareToday.com. While its ground, it’s prey model. Whether you feed whole meats or ground or both, Tracey from Hare is very helpful. You could also buy pre packaged raw. I don’t use fruits or veggies do my choice of pre packaged raw would be Vital Essentials.

[Cotons mom]

I’m not making a recommendation but am wondering if anyone has/had experience with Wild T Bison Dog Food? They are located in Virginia and I found them while doing a search for raw food. They are a bison farm and make their own products. Thanks for any info.

[Nancy M]

I have very recently acquired from my daughter, an 8 month old mini Aussie, who is currently about 20+ lbs. She has been on Diamond puppy formula, dry, since 8 weeks of age. Not being a Diamond fan, and not willing or able to go with the RAW, I am looking for suggestions as to a more healthy and favorable dog food for her. I have always used the premium brands with my previous dogs, hoping to offer much better nutrition than the run of the mill, grocery store brands, but there have become so many choices, I have no idea where to start to switch this girl over. Being an energy, performance type of breed, opposed to my more calm, laid back lifestyle, I do not wish to feed a formula that will create more energy. Truthfully, I’m not sure she will be happy with or acceptable, of a more sedentary life with me, but rather than allow her to be given off to a stranger, I am just trying to give it my best and see if it can work. I’m not sure this is going to do her justice, but time will tell.

In the meantime, I want something substantially better for her than Diamond. Suggestions, please. My first inclination would be TOTW, but depending on what her system may accept and thrive on, I could be on a trial and error rollercoaster. I thought all of this was behind me for a good while, until I lost my beloved Sheltie a couple weeks ago and now trying to give this pup a new home. Now it starts all over again. Whoopy!

Looking for input soon, so I can try to get started. Thanks much to all!

Nancy

[cindy q]

has anyone ever used this freeze dried food?

[charles h]

Hey,

Thanks again for the replies…

She did have her monthly worming tablets about a week and a half ago.

The injections she had was one for antibiotics, one for Anti-inflammatory (as she was passing blood due to swollen intestines) and one for anti-diarrhea. I mean they work to a point as in she is not passing blood, she didn’t have diarrhea anymore, etc.

She does seem to be gaining weight well and when she is not ill I do tend to feed her a slightly higher % of her adult body weight to help her gain. We had her weighed about 2 months ago and she was 22Kg, six weeks later she was 27Kg so 5Kg in six weeks seemed like good weight gain to me. She has had two bad weeks so she might have lost some weight again now…

However she was fed with about 300 grams of plain raw chicken last night with some bone. She has not been sick or had any diarrhea, so no stool sample taken however I’m prepared with my little pots to collect it if she has another bad turn.

Moving forward I’m going to purchase these two items from amazon:

As well as keeping her on a chicken only diet with some fish oil to keep up nutrient levels. After four weeks of this I will judge if I believe she is better and ready for another meat to be added to her diet.. I’m also removing the Chicken skin to try and reduce fat levels as I know they can be hard to digest and cause loose stools…

What does everyone think of my plan 🙂

Charles

[crazy4cats]

Hi James D-
Welcome to DFA! I’m glad you pulled the trigger! I feed my dogs grain free Victor with various toppers. They have a grain free Ultra Pro formula that is 42% protein and 22% fat that might be a good option. Also Nutrisource has a few formulas for active dogs that are a lot higher in calories than average.
As for the chews I can totally relate. I have two golden labs that compete for food so they tend to gulp things before they should. They have actually passed a few socks. Yikes! I feed them thick bullysticks that are attached to vice grips that prevent them from swallowing too soon. I also,give them raw marrow bones that are at least 4 inches or bigger. However, some don’t recommend marrow bones for fear of breaking teeth. So far so good! I’m thinking of trying knuckle bones next.

[aquariangt]

Real Meat is great. Another meat option would be Sojos Simply treats. Just dehydrated raw beef, turkey, or lamb. They are the best commercially sold training treats ive found

[charles h]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply..

Yeah when she was first ill (at about 8 weeks) we took her to an animal hospital and she was tested for everything (except stool actually only blood). This is when we went through lots of different foods and digestive enzymes and all sorts to try and settle her stomach.

Since then we moved to raw food and she was great at first (like first month) but has slowly deteriorated (possibly since introducing more meat types on a monthly basis). She has been to the vets two or three times in the last couple of months each time given a set of injections and told to starve for 24 hours then start feeding again…

I will definitely read that link. We did feed boiled chicken and rice but now we find that just plain chicken with bone and no skin is actually better, she has much harder stool this way…

I’m thinking we simply take her diet right back to chicken only and almost restart the introduction to raw food again… Keeping in mind that when she first started this diet she was like a different dog…

However if it continues I guess we need to convince our vet to take diagnosis further as simple injections are not helping just masking over the problem..

My concern is that she is 9 months now and with this continuous issue and keep feeding her plain food to try and settle her stomach is she missing vital nutrients that she needs to grow and develop…

Charles

[Akari_32]

Well guys, looks like we’re keeping her LOL After talking with mom, it appears she doesn’t think anyone is capable of caring for her like we do *rolls eyes* I told her the lady with the Dachshund rescue wanted her, and that she had a few other dogs as well, and she came back with “well, she’s old right? I read they only live to be 16, so she’s on her last leg!” (Of course to that I came back with how large dogs, like my 130 pound rott mix, usually only live to be 8 or so, and he’s going on 11 this coming march). And she’s also looking at a pink cage for her XD

Last night I fell asleep on the couch, and then dragged off to bed later, and Ginger plopped down on some blankets on the floor. I told mom to put her in her bed in the closet but she insisted that she would sleep right there all night and not move. Of course, I’m half asleep, so I’m not going to argue with her and get all woke up again. Then at 2 am this morning, I hear Ginger crying, and think “oh she must need to go potty” and turned the flashlight on on my phone and got up to take her out. Well, she did need to go potty, but certainly didn’t wait for me! Peed all over my carpet. At least she has just done it, so it came up easy. Needless to say, her little butt went in the closet for the rest of the night. Then she woke me up again at 8:30 crying, so I crawled out of bed, found some shoes and took her out. She didn’t waste any time going pee when we got out there. Then she promptly came inside and drank water till she threw up. Gross dog lol Mom gave her a bunch of crap yesterday (sausage and French toast), so hopefully that’s all out of her system now and she won’t do it again.

I guess I need to get her on some flea meds now (she can share the lufenuron with the cat, I suppose), and see about getting those talons cut and getting her bathed. Also need to pick a few more dog bowls, and make a place for the collection of bowls we have now LOL

[charles h]

Afternoon,

We are having some quite serious problems with our dog and runny stool on a raw food diet. To be honest we moved to a raw food diet because all other diets she was so bad we couldn’t leave her for more than an hour. We are working with the idea of 10% bone 10% organ 80% meat… However we are finding that we need to give bone with nearly every meal which is pushing the bone % up much higher than I’m happy with..

Do you think this is a problem? She sometimes strains to poo but I believe this is better than having diarrhoea which is so bad she sometimes goes in the house as she cannot wait… If I feed anything ‘mushy’ such as mince or a pre-made raw food diet she has sickness and diarrhoea within days of eating… So its basically chicken with another meat so she gets bone and something else, the problem is when she stops eating the chicken and only the other meat then we know she will have diarrhoea again…

Any advice would be appreciated,

Charles

[Michael G]

I feed my 8 month old Australian Labradoodle Origen Adult plus raw chuck. He’s 35 lbs. and gets a heaping cup of Origen + ¼ cup of raw chuck cut into cubes in the AM and just the Origen for dinner. I also add a heaping teaspoon of nonfat plain yogurt to each meal. He’s doing great on that diet and stools are easy to pick up. I expect his adult weight to be about 40-45 lbs. The chuck is not expensive since I buy about 4 lbs. at a time.

[Susan]

Hi Jennifer, a grain free would be better then Purina One but I found alot of grain free kibbles have potatos & you need a low carb diet, yeast loves carbs, I few people I know feed the “Holistic Select” Anchovy, Sardines & Salmon meal, for their dogs with bad skin problems & they say its excellent the vet diets never helped their dogs, the Holistic Select also has 2 grain free kibbles Deboned Turkey & Lentils has no potatos & their Salmon Anchovy & Sardine grain free…or you can do an elimination diet to see what foods make him itch, but an elimation diet takes time…Wellness has their Simple limited ingredients range, that way he’s having limited ingredients, less ingredients to make him itch, also sardines in spring water are excellent for itchy skin, I give a couple sardines as a treat…I’m using the Wellness Simple Lamb & Oatmeal as my boy cant have potatos or sweet potatos, he’ll break out in a rash all over his stomach & chest, then his ear starts to itch, then his paws go all red & itchy, its awful.. I wouldnt believe it if I didnt see how a little bit of potato can do all this, I found this out buy doing an elimination diet…maybe try raw thats the best for skin problems, cooking or raw works out cheaper then kibbles, ..

[Kristin D]

I want to start feeding my 5 year old Miniature Dachshund,Oscar,raw or cooked food. Any advice at all would be SOOOOOO helpful!!!!!:) Oscar is a couple pounds overweight right now because I was on vacation for a week and he stayed at a family member’s house. She didn’t walk him because I didn’t think about asking her to(silly me!!! *Face palm* Lol!!!)and she has a dog who grazes, so Oscar would always eat some(probably most)of his food. Right now he weighs 13 pounds, but I would like to get him down to about 10 pounds(I walk him just about everyday, so he should be back in shape in no time!!!). Now for “some” QUESTIONS!!!!:D YAAAAAY!!!! Lol!!!;P How much raw food per day should I feed him??? Should I start out getting packaged raw food??? Should I just give him the bones or grind them up??? What meats can he eat??? What should his daily, weekly, etc… diet consist of??? How much of what should I feed him weekly, daily, etc…??? How slowly should I introduce him to raw food??? What meats are good to introduce/start out with??? What things should I get to start out with(what kind of meat grinder, what kind of storage containers, etc…)??? What are some good books I should read??? What are some good sources(websites)I should check out??? How should I handle the meat??? How do I clean up and things like that??? Where should I get the meat??? What should I look for in the meat??? How much will this cost per month??? What veggies and fruits should I include in his diet daily, weekly, etc…??? How much low-fat cottage cheese, veggies, etc… should I feed him daily, weekly, etc…??? What kind of fish can he eat??? Should I add fish oil or probiotics or whatever else to his daily, weekly, etc… diet??? That’s it for now!!! Don’t worry, I’ll be back with MORE!!!!:D Lol!!!;P Thanks guys!!!:D

• This topic was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Kristin D.

[Naturella]

C4C, we also use vice-grips… Doesn’t slow Bru down too much, just prevents the swallowing of a big piece, like you said.

I have also wondered about smoked bones and have given Bruno a rack of smoked lamb ribs from Best Bully Sticks, but they worry me the way they break… I only gave Bruno one then took it away when the pieces looked too splintery and sharp… I tend to stick with raw marrow bones and dehydrated necks, feet, chews, etc. vs. the smoked ones… For my own peace of mind. 🙂

[Naturella]

Cotons mom,

I have a 13.5-lb JR-Rat Terrier mix, so he’s right in between the sizes of your two dogs.

Once a week I give him either a chicken back, or a beef/pork neck piece (RMBs) as a meal (Sunday night). For recreation, I have given raw marrow bones, about 2-inches long, maybe a bit less, from my local Publix (they sell the longer ones and the short ones, they call them soup bones). Chicken backs and beef/pork neck pieces also come from there. I have noticed Publix is very responsive to customer demand and I believe they have had customers request those pieces so they decided to sell them. I would also give Bruno raw chicken necks, and turkey neck pieces. I have given him a rabbit neck before too.

He has never choked, and he works on them diligently. The marrow bone he gets once a month, so he doesn’t get excessive fat from the marrow especially because I also feed coconut oil a few times/week and canned fish once/week. Once the marrow is gone, sometimes I would take the bone and fill it with a variation of “doggie ice-cream”) – plain yoghurt, coconut oil, turmeric, peanut butter, pinch of cinnamon, pinch of ground flax seeds as a base, and either some berries and/or bananas, or some canned pumpkin/sweet potato. Blend together, fill the bone and freeze it, and give once/week until it is time for his next marrow serving – that’s what I do at least. Bruno loves it to bits.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Naturella.

[Cotons mom]

OK I have two cottons both a year old. I am really interested in giving them raw bones both for recreation and meals but am so afraid of them choking. The little guy is 10 pounds and his sister is 17 pounds. I feel them a raw diet (primal, S&C, and a few others) and give them frozen/defrosted tripe from vital essentials.

What animal size would be appropriate for them? and do I need to take the marrow out of the marrow bones to keep them from getting too much fat and then GI distress?

Thanks so much

[Lisa]

After about 4 months of various symptoms my 18 month old male GSD was down to 64 lbs(normal weight was 80-85 lbs) we finally got a the EPI diagnoses from our vet. He was originally on Eagle Pack, then Taste of the Wild eventually we tried to Go!Sensitive and Shine and Grandma Lucy’s Goat. With these 2 foods he improved a little and gained about 5 lbs in 2 weeks. The vet prescribed enzymes but after doing some research we decided to try raw food including raw beef pancreas. We ordered beef pancreas and green tripe from http://www.hare-today.com and from the very first feeding we saw results. Green tripe is totally gross but Reggie absolutely loves it!
It took about 3 weeks for him to completely stabilize, he went from 3 meals a day to 2, his poops are perfect and he goes about 3 times a day, no gas or stomach rumbling, he sleeps through the night again. Now he is about 100 lbs and is full of energy he probably runs/walks about 5-7 miles a day, barely sheds and his coat super soft and shining.
We are been able to reduce the amount of beef pancreas per feeding so a 16 oz tube will last a few days and his diet is probably about 70% raw he likes ground meat,organ,bone mixed with Taste of the Wild kibble or Grandma Lucy’s with a occasional egg. We switch the type of protein(fish,chicken,beef, turkey, goat, even llama) he eats every few days and their is no change in his bowel movements. He gets coconut oil as a supplement as well as 8 Gentleman Chinese herbs. We got the Chinese herb from a local holistic equine vet, we believe it was a key component in his recovery.
I love to watch him eat RMBs he throughly enjoys laying in the grass and slow tearing into the meat and savoring every bite, just like his ancestors did..this is the way canines are supposed to eat!
Raw feeding takes a little extra work but it is definitely worth it. We have a freezer in the basement and we have a small refrigerator where we keep the raw food separate from our food. I know every dog’s situation is different but this solution saved Reggie’s life.

[Susan]

Hi Kristin, Welcome….Yes, Ive read Lew Olsons book, it’s excellent, I love how she has a food section for health problems, (Pancreatitis, IBD, Heart Disease, Kidney Disease etc) I dont use raw but when I started to cook I got most of my ideas from her book, also she has a yahoo group its in her book…
scroll down to the bottom of this page & click on “Contact Us” then click on “How can I add a custom image to my personal profile?” then you’ll see the link to create your free Gravatar…

[Akari_32]

I’m fostering a 16 year old Mini Dachshund right now and am using the Wellness Toy Breed formulas. I love the looks of them, and she eats them as well. Wellness also has a Small Breed CORE (grain free) recipe out now that looks fantastic I just bought to use for treats for my 2 year old Jack Russell mix that eats raw and needs a low carb diet, but loves his treats. Not Chihuahuas, but they are similar in size 🙂

[Naturella]

Hey, Travis!

Well, you asked for personal experiences and here is mine. I got Bruno when he was 4-6 months old (probably around 5-6). He was changing teeth and needed some serious chew supply. He is an avid chewer ever since. He really likes “meaty” chews like bully sticks, tracheas, gullet strips, cow/pig/lamb ears/snouts, fish skins, etc. However, they do not last him too long.

I did give him an antler as a puppy and have never stopped since. It contains good minerals and lasts a WHILE! It never hurt his teeth – not even the puppy ones, them sharp bastards! lol But, if you want, you can try your pups with a split antler – it doesn’t last that long, but it is mostly the inside “marrow” part, which is must softer and gentler. But for me, I always have to have an antler on hand, plus one to have when the first one is chewed to a nickel-sized piece, when I take it away (Bruno is 13.5lbs). But I have a great pet specialty store with seriously the best AND most affordable antlers I have seen, if I move from this area I will drop at least $70 but stock up on them antlers! Lol.

Other “long-lasting” chews are the Himalayan Dog Chew (super hard, dry yak cheese), raw marrow bones,. and the bull horns as aquariangt said. Bruno likes it all, just give him something to gnaw on, lol, but antlers keep his interest the most and last him the longest, so they are our household favorite. 🙂

[pugmomsandy]

My foster dogs do well on Nutrisource grain free Lamb Meal formula. Not too high and not too low! It’s 28% They’ve also rotated with the Heartland Select formula at 25%. And the majority of the time I put a little 5 star canned food on top.

And the more protein a dog food has, the more stars it gets on this site (but also taking into account any red flagged ingredients). There are other sites that rate food according to different criteria. For instance, one site will rate Ol Roy as the best food. For my fosters, they handle 25-33% well. My personal dogs eat raw. You could just rotating brands and different percentages and let him have time to adjust over the next several months.

/frequently-asked-questions/rate-dog-food/

/choosing-dog-food/dog-food-reviews-problems/

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Travis A]

Ok thank you very much, we did have some of the marrow fille bones you mention and they do like those quite a bit. I may hold off on the antlers till they are closer to a year or older, are Raw bones from a butcher the best for them or do they still pose a risk of splintering and bacteria and what not?

[aquariangt]

at 8 months antlers could still be worrisome, but if you want to go for it, try to find moose instead of elk-they’re a bit softer. The horns don’t really chip off any different than a rib bone. Frozen marrow bones are great as well if you can find a place that carries them. Once they’ve gotten the marrow out you can refreeze them with peanut butter or canned food or rehydrated raw food, so it works for a nice long time.

[Kristin D]

Hello!!! My name is Kristin!!! I have a 5 year old miniature Dachshund named, Oscar. I came to this forum because I’m seeking advice about feeding raw food. I just bought a book called; “Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs, The Definitive Guide to Homemade Meals.” by Lew Olson. So far I am really enjoying reading this book!!! I highly suggest it!!!:) I’m wondering, how do you edit your profile picture??? For the forum and for commenting on reviews??? Thanks!!!

• This topic was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Kristin D.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Louis –

It’s great that you’re being proactive about your dog’s dental health! 🙂

Unfortunately, the Milk Bone brand dental chews contain very unhealthy ingredients (kind of the canine equivalent of a candy bar for us humans!). The good news is there are a lot of healthy chews available that I’m sure your dog will love just as much.

My number one recommendation for a healthy and effective dental chew is raw meaty bones. My dogs are fed an entirely raw diet and their dinner every night consists of raw meaty bones, but raw meaty bones can be fed to dogs that don’t eat raw as well. The best options for small dogs are things like chicken necks, wings and feet. Larger dogs do well with items like chicken backs, chicken quarters, pork necks and turkey necks.

If you’re not comfortable with feeding raw (which is completely understandable, many aren’t) the next best option would be a natural chew – things like bully sticks, dried trachea, pig ears, etc. These treats are high in protein and low in carbohydrates making them species-appropriate and healthy – plus dogs go nuts for them! Just be sure to get these types of treats from a reputable supplier (avoid treats imported from China!). A great site to order chews from is BestBullySticks.com – they have a wide selection and their chews are sourced from free-range Brazilian cattle.

While I do feel that RMBs and natural chews are a much better option than commercial dental treats, if you do choose to go with a commercial dental treat there are some things to look out for. The vast majority of commercial dental treats are loaded with unhealthy ingredients (like the Milk Bone dental chews) but there are a few out there that aren’t so bad. You just have to be sure to always read the ingredient list – avoid items like propylene glycol, artificial colorings, corn, wheat, soy, by-products, digests, etc. The downside to commercial dental chews is that, for the most part, they’re all fairly carb-heavy (even the healthier options) and they’re typically very expensive (RMBs are cheap!). A few commercial dental chews that I would feel comfortable recommending: Zuke’s Z-Bones, Cloud Star Dynamo Dog Dental Bones, Halo Spot’s Chew, Get Naked Dental Chew Sticks, Newman’s Own Organics Dental Bones and Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials Dental Chews.

Also, be sure that you’re brushing your dogs teeth regularly (at least three times per week) – while dental chews are certainly a valuable tool for dental health, the only way to ensure optimal dental health is through brushing.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Travis A]

I’m trying to find something for my 2 boys Pit/Shepherd mixes. I want something that’s durable where they won’t eat it all in one setting. I would say they are average chewers nothing overly aggressive. I hear the Antlers are good but could risk teeth damange, which is odd because it promotes good dental health so idk what to think. The bully sticks i hear about bad manufacturing of them which leads to dogs getting sick. Id really rather have a bone or antler something they can work on for a while. What would be the best options and best places to find them? Thank you very much.

[pugmomsandy]

I agree with crazy4cats. I would definitely contact the company. They should easily give you the phosphorus content. You and your vet might check into the Lamb Kidney Support formula from here:

http://www.myperfectpetfood.com/products.html

Or the kidney diet from Darwins:

http://www.darwinspet.com/our-raw-foods/our-raw-dog-food/intelligent-design-ks/

[Dori]

I stay away from foods that have long lists of ingredients. I want their food to be foods and with Katie and all her issues I need foods to be simple with short list of ingredients that I no she can eat. I’m sick to death at this point of doing any more elimination with her. I’ve got a pretty long list of foods now that she can easily deal with and as for my picky husband who is grossed out with dealing with raw foods The Honest Kitchen finally came out with the Zeal without alfalfa. It’s fish, so not for Sam. She tolerates Nature’s Logic Sardine (also not for Sam) very well for some reason. Didn’t think she would. Oh, I should mention that Katie’s good with Vital Essentials freeze dried (I’m not thrilled with the price of freeze dried but jeesh, I’ve got to be out of the house sometimes). Jim’s ok with feeding that as he thinks it’s a sort of kibble and I haven’t told him otherwise. So anyway, it’s at least three foods that he’s ok feeding the dogs and I no longer have to go crazy speed racing trying to be home for their dinner time if I’m running late. Husbands grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!! Gotta love em but sometimes………….

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Dori.

[DogFoodie]

I got a bunch of raw grinds recently from My Pet Carnivore. The only one Sam will eat is the Beef Tripe Supermix. I ordered them specifically for the same reason, no fruits or veggies. He’s picky. He’s a bit of a squeamish wimp actually.

[InkedMarie]

I picked up a bag of Vital Essentials raw for Ginger. One reason I got it is because there’s no fruit or veggies. I am to the point of not wanting to pay for them in my raw. If I want to add them, I can. I’d rather pay for an all meat product.

[DogFoodie]

Thanks, Dori!

I have looked at Vital Essential, but not recently, so I’ll look again. I’m actually using their tripe treats right now, because as you said, it’s just tripe and nothing else! I’ve all but given up on raw for Sam. He likes the tripe I order from MPC, but other than that, he often won’t touch it. He’s big too, so it’s expensive to feed him raw or freeze dried. Raw and freeze dried are hard on my budget!

I’m always open to suggestions!

Thanks again. : )

[Dori]

Oh my goodness Betsy. You have never come off as rude to me. Absolutely not. Your concerned about Sam and I know what you’re going through. As I mentioned, Katie has so many issues and thank goodness fish is not one of them. It has literally taken me years to find foods she’s ok with for the moment. Have you tried Vital Essentials. They have a raw and a freeze dried. The reason I mention it to you is, yes, they are a little costly depending on what part of the country you live, but they make a raw and a freeze dried and they are more the prey raw dog food model. From time to time I feed the freeze dried version and the raw because they have absolutely no other ingredients other than the limited ingredients listed on the bag which is basically the protein and variations on that particular protein. Nothing else. Go to their web site and check it out, there may be something that you can find for Sam. I periodically have my local dog food store order in for me. They don’t carry it but if one of their distributors carries it than they are able to order the food for me.