Hi BRT,
I have 2 Havanese. When I first got them, 1 from a puppy, 1 2 yrs old from a rescue, they had both been eating kibble and had terrible eye/mouth staining. I switched them both to a combo of raw and canned and no more stains! It takes a while to grow out though so you have to be patient. When I got the second dog, I tried introducing kibble to save money and the staining started right up again! I use Darwin’s and Nature’s Variety raw and they do wonderfully on it. I’ve discussed it with my vet and we agree to disagree about it. I think they are required to discourage raw feeding because of public health concerns. It’s the “official” AVMA position.
Thanks everyone for the replies. I hadn’t even considered Wellness. No, I hadn’t even thought about looking at other ingredients. I knew I was on the right path of grain free and then I’ve just only focused on the protein.
I have been reading a lot about NV Instinct Raw Venison and have not read or heard one negative thing about it. I had my heart set on switching him to that and my gut is telling me I have to at least try it before I shut it down. He had his annual exam on Sat and I mentioned it to his vet. She was visibly upset that I would even consider feeding him raw food and how so many raw foods have feces and other disgusting things in them. I love his vet and I was so shocked by her harsh response.
Plus, his staining is just terrible. He used to be so white and his whole face, feet, tummy, and bottom are stained.
They did all of his baseline bloodwork and he’s completely healthy and I want him to stay that way.
Dori, I see from your profile pic you have little dogs as well. How long have you been feeding them raw? They’re all doing well on it?
Thanks!
For those of us that do not feel confident quite yet in feeding raw bones, I would like to find a safe and quality edible chew/bone type of treat. Something to occupy his time. I have been told to avoid pig ears.
Also, for training treats I have been using Ziwipeak daily dog venison and fish dry food, they are perfect little squares for training, and they’re very high interest, he loves them, we adjust his mealtime portion of his regular food to allow for these as treats and its actually a pretty cost effective way to treat I have found/
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This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by
arwyru24.
Thanks for all the info BCNut and BobbyDog!
I will definitely be going to TSC tomorrow for the DE.
Our 55 lb Aussie/Blue Heeler (Gazpacho or Spocho) mix is the one that is having the worst reaction with the fleas (hot spot and hair loss -wise). Doc said she is allergic. He put activyl on her and said don’t bathe her for the next 3 or 4 weeks. But she has no hair on her butt (baboon butt)! He also gave her a shot for the itching. That was Friday and today, Mon, she is itching horribly. So now I am realizing about the house, the yard, the bedding, etc. We do not have carpet (hate it!). Actually we have slab right now due to water damage, ugh! But we do have a rug in the den and a rug in the bedroom. The rug in the den is a shag rug! I am dreading treating it but I know I have to. Any suggestions on this?
Spocho is also 9 years old and has trouble with her hips. The DE sounds like it would help her greatly! I am thinking that I will add it to the other supplements (Miracle Pack) which I give in plain yogurt. They love it!
On the treats, I do have some milk bones, marrow bones and raw hides left. I’m thinking I need to quit being cheap and throw them out. I have done so much research on the food that I haven’t gotten to treats and don’t even know where to start. Suggestions?
On the food, my pups only get kibbles (the quality kind). Now I am wondering if I need to add a canned food (quality kind of course).??????
I will also be picking up the medicated shampoo and the p/i sounds great too. I have coconut oil that I use already (on my skin, my hair, cuts/scrapes, and the list goes on). I tried to put it on Spocho’s butt once and it def seemed to soothe her right away, but a few mins later she was licking it off….is that normal?
I’m also thinking of adding coco oil to their supplements. What would you recommend on this? How much and how often?
Sorry for so many questions. I appreciate any answers!
Freeze-dried may or may not be raw. The process of freeze drying doesn’t use heat so if raw meat is freeze-dried the end product is raw, if cooked meat is freeze-dried the end process is cooked. Grandma Lucy’s cooks their meat prior to freeze-drying. If you want a raw freeze-dried product Stella & Chewy’s, Primal, Orijen, Nature’s Variety, Vital Essentials, Northwest Naturals and Dogswell Nutrisca (I’m sure there are others I’ve forgotten) all have some good options. Just be aware that freeze-dried foods are VERY expensive. Frozen raw is much cheaper, but a commercial frozen raw will still likely cost more to feed than kibble.
I have had great luck with Sophie my 120 pound Komondor on
Nutrisource Large Breed Lamb (she was on large breed puppy previously but now
she’s 15 months old).
It gets great reviews and reasonably priced especially compared to Orijen or Acana.
Before that, she did well on canine Caviar Lamb Puppy dinner but was very expensive
plus they had a labeling problem, where there was a misprint on the bags showing
the puppy formula calcium level over 2% and did nothing about it
(Oh, the food inside is ok, we just need to use up the bags!!!)
Another good one I used but don’t anymore is Artemis’s Osopure Duck and garbanzo beans
but the big bags are $70.
Personally, not into the “raw” diet for my pups;
I do supplement their diet (have 2 springer spaniels also) with a very lean
Hamburger or turkey burger—cooked—once a week or 10 days.
They love green beans, blueberries, cooked spinach.
It’s great to supplement with veggies, etc
GLTA!
Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw is a great choice for a dog with food intolerances. Along with the typical proteins, they have a Vennison, a Goat and a Rabbit formula that you could try. The ingredient list is very short and should do nicely for your dog. Go to their actual site and you can read the ingredients list for each of their raw foods. Good Luck. As “nut” said, it could also be a reaction to one of the many ingredients that most dog foods include. It’s one of the reasons I like feeding my girls raw. Not too many ingredients.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by
Dori.
All my dogs (three toy breeds) are fed commercial raw diets as of about 1 1/2 years ago. I rotate brands as well as proteins. I can now rotate them from meal to meal without a slow transition but that took quite a while to accomplish. Their guts are now at the point that changing from protein to protein doesn’t bother them in the least. My favorite of the commercial raw brands are Primal Pronto (although any of their complete “Formulas” are great), Natures Variety Instinct Raw, Answers Detailed Raw (a bit hard to find), Darwin’s Natural Selection (that’s an auto delivery food only from their web site or by phone), Vital Essentials Raw. These are the brands that my dogs have thrived on. Some of the others are pretty popular also such as Stella & Chewy’s, etc. my dogs haven’t faired as well on the other brands. Since being on raw they no longer has goopy stuff coming from their eyes, tear stains are gone, no more yeasty ears, their skin and coats are healthy and very very shiny. Oh, also no more gas, gurgling tummies, no more smelly poops. You’ll find that their poops are much much smaller and firm enough to easily pick up and dispose of. Their bodies utilize more of the nutrition in raw than they do on kibble. Added benefit of raw is that they are grain free. Dogs don’t have a necessity for grains, white potatoes, corn, soy, etc. One of my girls is allergic to all things poultry (anything with feathers) so I avoid all of those.
Many people start their puppies right on raw after a couple of weeks being home. Usually when you bring a puppy home it’s best to keep them on their same food for a couple of weeks that they were eating at the breeder. Theory being that they are stressed enough going home with a stranger to a new environment with no familiar scents, missing litter mates, etc. But then you do a slow transition as if you were transitioning from kibble to kibble. Initially you may find that the puppy has some diarrhea but that will pass. What I did was purchase a product from The Honest Kitchen called Perfect Form and while I was transitioning them to raw (good for transitioning any foods really until they get healthy enough to transition without issues) I would add the recommended dose to each of their meals. Gets rid of the diarrhea almost instantaneously. At least that’s been my experience with the product. I no longer feed dehydrated foods because to me they’re not strictly raw. Not crazy about freeze dried either.
Commercial raw is more expensive than kibble but you’ve already been feeding ZiwiPeaks which is an expensive dog food already so it shouldn’t be too shocking. I believe raw is much healthier therefore you save a ton of money at the vet which makes up for the more expensive diet.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Dori.
if the food is too rich…any thoughts on a less rich brand…i like the notion of feeding raw diets…i decided on ziwipeak after a fair amount of research but would primal or one of the other 5 star brands be less rich or should i consider moving him from raw to something else given he’s a puppy?
Aimee makes a good point. General treats are different from training treats, at least in my mind. Training treats need to be very small, like the tip of your little finger. And if the treat isn’t that small, it needs to be dividable. Zukes are a good size. I like training treats that are smelly and very, very special to the dog, although I draw the line at fish. Because my dogs get such small amounts, I am not fussy about ingredients and, luckily, my dogs will/can eat anything.
Are you preparing home cooked or raw food? If so I’d suggest freezing.
That does make sense C4C, I should have mentioned that I feed raw. Thanks for clearing that up! 🙂
I give my Bailey a few raw, cage-free chicken or duck eggs per week. I feed her the whole egg, shell and all, and she loves it. I also use tinned sardines, yogurt or kefir, pumpkin, etc.
Here is a good article about feeding your dogs eggs. There is also a ton of good info on the rest of the site.
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/feeding-your-dog-raw-eggs-good-or-bad/
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This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by
Cyndi.
Steve Brown is considered by many to be one of the authorities on raw feeding. Here’s and article from this site: /choosing-dog-food/raw-dog-food-fat/
Down toward the bottom of the page, you’ll read where there is mention of the e-book, the ABC Way. Here’s a link to that also: http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/home/sll/page_41/see_spot_live_longer_the_abc_way___electronic_down.html
The download costs $2.95, but it’s great for learning about healthy toppers and even how to replace meals, once weekly, with fresh whole foods and the benefit that it can have. It’s a great download for the money!
So I just give my dog the raw yolks and slightly cool the egg whites? I’m not trying to question you and be rude but why don’t you give the eggshells? I just want to extend my knowledge.
My dog with food intolerance issues is doing very well on Nature’s Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient foods currently. I’d probably look at the LID formulas for your pup rather than the regular products.
If you’re interested in raw, you should pursue it, regardless of what your vet says.
Zach-
I do not give my dogs the shells. I separate the yolk from the whites and give the yolk raw and lightly cook the whites. My dogs are about 80 pounds each and they get two eggs twice a week.
I have an eight year old male maltese/toy poodle mix. He’s 19 lbs. Anyway, my poor boy is struggling with allergies. He’s actually on prednisone for a week. Otherwise, he’s perfectly healthy.
He cannot tolerate chicken, beef, and lamb. He’s been on Lotus Grain Free Duck for a year and his itching is still pretty bad, so the vet and I are thinking we need to add duck to the list of foods that don’t work for him. Plus, I just found out the glucosamine chews he’s been on are beef flavored. Ugh! Now, I just switched him to a veggie based hypo allergenic chew.
I feel so bad for him and want to find him some relief. I’ve been doing a lot more research and my options are switching him to Lotus Grain Free Fish. I’ve also been researching Nature’s Variety.
I’ve looked at NV Instinct Kibble Salmon formula, NV Instinct Raw Boost Kibble Venison formula, and of course NV Instinct Raw Venison formula. I have no idea what to choose.
Of course his vet is completely against raw.
Please, please help me decide. I have to find a food that will give him some relief.
He used to be on Natural Balance Venison for the longest time and did great on it, but after the recall I never went back. Then I learned they were bought out and the food hasn’t been the same.
Thank you!
Dear Friends,
I am Suresh PM from Chennai, India. I am planning to make a own Dog food fr my Tweety. I have prepared the dog food for my dog but unable to preserve it for long time and so i planned to add preservative. After long search I found that ASCORBIC ACID, a Natural preservative will be suitable. But, I have some doubt in which you can help me I believe,
> How to add the preservative with the food. I brought it in powder form. Should I mix the powder in water and add them with raw materials whole mixing? Or should I spray the preservative after the process?
> How much of preservative should I use? Can I use 3 gm/Kg of Vegan food and 5 gm/Kg of non-vegan food?
> What will be the approximate shelf life of the product?
> Is there any other better preservative I can use to increase shelf-life without causing any problem to my Tweety?
Please help me with full details.
Eagerly waiting for your kind help.
Regards,
Suresh PM
Gimborn Raw Naturals are our favorites. Our German Shepherd has a sensitive stomach and she tolerates these very well, plus they are of course made in the USA which is a must. They’re made with fruits, veggies, and real meat.
Betsy – Great description, I like the NV treats too. Have you tried their (sorta new) freeze-dried raw that come in the little nibblets? It’s the same formula as their frozen food. Makes great training treats!
Aquariangt – Thanks for the description of EOS. I’ve seen them online before and was actually considering ordering them sometime because I liked the ingredients. Maybe I’ll try them now. 🙂
I admit that I get confused when people talk about feeding raw, bacteria,etc. Unless you’re a vegetarian, you handle raw meat for your family. What’s the big deal? Feed a pre made raw if you’re inclined to feed raw but don’t like the “ick” factor.
Regarding vets & raw, yep I’ve read similar writings. I just ignore it. I do my research, which includes the fact that unless a vet is a nutritionist or holistic vet, I probably know more than they do. Jmo
Hi Zach M –
I like to suggest toppers that are high in both moisture and protein as these are two things that kibble is generally lacking. These are some of my favorite suggestions to make for toppers:
-Cage-Free Eggs (omega ‘3’s)
-Tinned Sardines (omega 3’s)
-Canned Salmon (omega 3’s)
-Plain Yogurt (probiotics)
-Plain Kefir (probiotics)
-Raw Goat’s Milk (buy locally is it’s available or both Answer’s and Primal sell raw goat’s milk for dogs that has the additional benefit of added probiotics)
-Cottage Cheese
-High Quality Canned Foods
-Re-hydrated Freeze-Dried Foods
-Meat (use lean leftovers, purchase meat that’s on sale or items such as gizzards or heart that are fairly cheap
Remember that if using unbalanced extras, they should account for 20% or less of each meal (if using balanced additions such as canned food or commercial raw this rule doesn’t apply).
Hi Zach-
I give my dogs canned every morning with their breakfast. In the evening they get either sardines, eggs, dehydrated, or frozen raw nuggets with their Kibbles. If we have healthy leftovers, I’ll throw those on too!
I think it’s really healthy to add to dry food. Good luck!
I just want to get some ideas of toppers for kibble. My friend won’t go raw, but wants to ensure that he is feeding well. I suggested some stuff I learned from HDM, like salmon oil and coconut oil, as well as adding things like meat. I want to get some of your guy’s opinions on adding toppers to kibble. All suggestions are welcome.
If I can go raw for less than Orijen, I’m likely to do that in the future.
It’s not raw?! My bad! I’m trying to watch Criminal Minds and research food at the same time…obviously it’s not working out for me
Hi Case –
Are you comparing Grandma Lucy’s to Orijen? Grandma Lucy’s isn’t a raw food. Like BC said, you’d need to compare cost to feed on a calorie basis but I’d assume any (or at least most) commercial raw foods would be much more expensive to feed then even a super premium kibble like Orijen. Homemade raw, however, can be done fairly cheaply. I feed my dogs homemade raw for cheaper than it would be to feed Orijen. I haven’t done the calculations in awhile but I believe most of the commercial raw foods would run me about 4X – 5X more than I spend making it myself.
Hi Jazz Lover –
The bacteria present in raw meat isn’t a concern for healthy dogs. Just prepare it with the same safety precautions you would take when preparing raw meat for human dishes – wash the counter, wash your hands and wash and utensils and dishes that touched the meat. The potential for bacterial contamination is there when feeding kibble as well – there have been many recalls over the last year for kibble contaminated with salmonella. So the same safety precautions apply when feeding kibble as well.
Something I did want to mention before and forgot in my previous post is that if you do add veggies to the kibble you want to be sure to cook them. Dogs don’t produce the enzyme cellulase which is necessary to break down the cellulose in plant matter. Cooking in a sense “predigests” the veggies and starts to breakdown the cellulose. They should be mashed or pureed as well. However, imo, it’s a much better idea to top with high protein additions like canned food, raw food, cooked meats, eggs, yogurt, kefir, etc. Dogs don’t really have any need for the additional starches from fruits, veggies and grains when they’re eating kibble which is starchy to begin with.
ugggghhhhhh I am soooo not a Florida person. I just don’t do well with heat and humidity or all those creepy crawly things. I remember my Grandma telling me the fire ants can kill a person. And I have heard many disgusting stories about those Palmetto bugs. I do have the heebie jeebies just thinking about it.
When I lived in Southern California, I did see scorpions crushed on the road sometimes, and a good sized lizard got into my apartment and was hanging out inside my closet one time he snuck in somehow….. but no mosquitos it was so nice. Now I live back in the North East… which definitely is mosquito country (I grew up and went to college in NY state) but here in Maine we don’t have any poisonous snakes or spiders. Or fireants. Or Palmetto bugs. It makes winter seem not so bad 😉
Don’t look at the price per weight, look at the price per unit of calories. Some raw foods are definitely cheaper than some kibbles and homemade raw can be even cheaper.
Jazz: Your dog sounds like he/she eats very well already. I was intrigued by the benefits of raw but can’t bring myself to feed it and I would be concerned about balancing out the nutritional needs. I am totally neurotic about kitchen sanitation and food safety and can’t bear the thought of the dog dragging around meat. Nor can I bring myself to even cut up a chicken for my own family. This is my first dog in 20 years and my housekeeping standards have dropped since I invited the animal into my life. I love my dog even though I clean more often, and am very happy that there is good kibble out there. From this list I learned about rotation diets which made sense in the event of a kibble manufacturer having a recall. But a raw diet is not something I am willing to do even though I think it would be cheaper to give the dog chicken than some of this kibble I’ve been buying.
Imnordrum, I have similar concerns w/ raw. I just want to ensure I’m feeding him the best I’m able, given his surgery… it’s prompted a lot of reading on food and LBDs. Which I knew nothing about prior, and thought I had been giving him great food (first 8mos) as the recommend of Eukanuba LB came from someone who raises lab guide dogs. When I actually read the label, corn was one of the first ingredients 🙁 I don’t even eat corn.
I think I would be open to trying 1 raw meal/wk, so long as he appears to be thriving and no new issues. Perhaps I could add sweet potato, I’m not game for rice unless he’s been ill. What are other vegs some of you give regularly? We do gr bean too, but he seems to get tired of that.
I also add water to every meal. I used to add warm, but we have a serious drought in CA and now he gets regular temp from faucet 🙂
Love this group. Thank you HDM!
J-L:
Not HDM… but my vet is not a fan of raw because of bacteria and how it impacts the rest of the house and the impact of this bacteria to the humans. He’s fine with cooked food as a topper because the risk of illness to humans is eliminated.
Thanks for the book recommend HDM. Just what I’m looking for! I actually do have some Nature’s Valley Instinct in my freezer that I give on rare occasion. I also have a couple chicken backs in there too. I given him 1, which he wasn’t sure about initially.
Recently p/u Evanger’s (can) whole chicken thighs, and I thought “What a waste, I can do this.” Today I p/u chicken breast, family size pks .99/lb. How could I substitute that in? I struggle w/ the correct caloric intake quantity. I feel like I just about have Jazz on the right track after his post surgery ‘chubby sway’ (is how my kids referred to the few extra pounds after his elbow dysplasia surgery in January.).
He seems to be doing well, & he always get compliments on his healthy looking coat.
I’ve mentioned raw a couple times to our vet & have been told, “whatever you do… don’t feed raw.” I don’t understand how vet’s knowledge can vary so greatly.
Have I read too much today and confused myself? It appears that it’s more cost effective to feed raw than high end kibble. Am I overlooking something here?
http://www.chewy.com/dog/grandma-lucys-pureformance-grain/dp/36506
-vs-
http://www.chewy.com/dog/orijen-puppy-grain-free-dry-dog-food/dp/29733
Hi Jazz Lover –
Sounds like your dog is eating pretty well already! 🙂
Incorporating a little raw is definitely a great idea though if it’s something you’re able to do. You could check out the book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown – there’s a chapter on how to prepare a simple raw meal that you can feed once per week. The day you feed raw is called an “ABC Day.” Some other options would be to top the kibble with a balanced commercial raw or just keep some commercial raw in the freezer and feed a few meals of week of entirely raw. Or you could look at incorporating some raw meaty bones into the diet as a treat a few times a week – turkey necks, pork necks and chicken quarters are great for large dogs.
Jazz Lover: If its working and your animal is healthy and thriving, why change? I give my dog good kibble (Wellness Core and Fromm) moistened with hot water and some coconut oil, and she’ll get cooked food from our meal, like meat and some plain rice. When I have some older eggs they get boiled and put on top of the kibble in lieu of meat. Dog gets small bits of cheese for treats and has no interest in fruit, veggies, peanut butter or bread. I do not feed my dog grains and she doesn’t seem to be missing them.
I have no guilt about not doing raw because frankly I can’t deal with it in my house. Plus the thought of raw meat and bacteria just freaks me out. As a cook I get grossed out by things such as bone-in chickens and large hunks of raw anything, and forget about anything that looks like it would on the animal itself (tongue, liver, etc.) If I didn’t function so much better on a higher protein diet I would probably be vegetarian. I would cook for my dog if she didn’t do well on the kibble. We are in a rural area and I could buy a cow or hog, but this is not something I have any interest to do. My dog does well on what she’s being fed and there’s no reason for us to change it. Plus she can be boarded on a kibble mixture. I can’t send her off to the kennel when I travel with 20 pounds of meat. lol
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This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by
lmnordrum.
Meky6ra –
Kibble – CJ Foods
Canned – Simmons
Raw – Self Manufactured
I’m trying to do the best I can to feed our 89lb lab the healthiest I’m able.
Currently he has been on Orijen LB Adult. Jazz is now 1 yr old (Apr). Generally, I give him 3 cups daily, w/ Grizzly Salmon Oil. I substitute out 1/2 cup dry for 1/2 can Merrick, raw vegs or a couple sardines packed in water. I plan to give him Fromm for a change and switch back & forth for variety. For training snacks, I use apple, or died unsulferated, unsweetend fruit.
I don’t feel going raw entirely is something I can afford, however I’m open to toppers & suggestions, even the possibility of one meal per day other then dry.
Thank you
I totally agree Patty. I should be stocked up for a little while. I made 15 pounds of chicken and 8 pounds of beef.
C4C, I will post back after Max has been eating it for a little while. I’m trying to go all homemade. Money has been tight since I moved and started a new job. Max got tired of THK so I reintroduced some kibble but he’s not doing so hot with it. I want him on all raw but commercial is too expensive. He needs 3-3.5 lbs a day. I think I have my sourcing figured out so he should be on full raw soon. It’ll definitely be cheaper than THK and commercial raw.
I use this recipe for Satin Balls:
1 pound of raw ground beef
8oz package of cream cheese
1 jar of all-natural peanut butter
12 egg yolks
10oz package of wheat germ
a cup of flaked oats that have been soaked in heavy cream
Mix ingredients. Form the mixture into balls and freeze. Thaw and feed as treats or food supplements as desired.
My dog LOVES them. I roll them into small balls and use them for treats.
Never heard of it. But some small companies don’t advertise and aren’t well known even if they have great food. Example- Maverick Pet Foods makes a great raw product called Genesis Raw.
A 3 star food is average for that type of food. Your average DRY dog food may not be as good as your average RAW or WET dog food. So a 3 star wet or raw dog food may be superior to a 3 star dry food. I typically look for 4 or 5 star rated foods within the category that I feed to my two dogs.
Anyone heard of Common Sense Raw dog food? It has been tested over generations of GSDs. The breeder from whom I got my GSD is now a distributor. Never heard of it.
Tripett is my favorite. I used to use it all the time, they’ve got several varieties to choose from too which is nice. If you can get the raw though (Hare Today and My Pet Carnivore are probably the best) your dog will benefit a lot more. The raw green tripe is loaded with enzymes and beneficial bacteria, that’s all destroyed during the canning process. I may be in the minority here, but imo the canned smells MUCH worse than the raw.
Hi-
I’ve seen Tripett recommended by several posters. I can’t find it in my area so I use Solid Gold about once a week. I’ve also tried Merrick’s. I would be ok suggesting either of these also. It’s a little stinky, but not too bad. I guess raw is really odorous! Good luck.
Hi Justine-
I have had similar issues with my dogs, however, they did have parasites. I’ve tried several supplements as well. Currently, I feed Victor grain free joint and health kibble. I use various toppers such as canned, raw, dehydrated and fresh mixed in. I almost always use a digestive enzyme and an occasional probiotic. They are doing much better now. I strongly suggest checking out dogaware.com website as they have so much information on digestive issues. If you are looking to change dry food, give Victor a try. Many on this site have done well with it. Also, plain pure pumpkin might be a great addition to your dog’s food. It is very healthy and adds fiber that is both helpful for constipation and loose stools. The supplements that I have used with success that I discovered from dogaware are: Gastriplex, Vetri Pro BD, Perfect Form and Phytomucil. I hope you find a winning combination because I know how frustrating your situation is. Cleaning up runny poop is not a good thing! Good luck.
Hi, Cavvie lovers! I have 3 of this beautiful breed. I have Laverne, a Ruby retired show champion who weighs around 17 lbs. and tends to have mild intolerances and trouble in the past with anal glands. She is 9 yrs. and has a murmur according to my holistic vet. No meds, though. She’s lived with us for 3 years now. Hazel is my 7 year old Black and Tan who weighs around 19 lbs., all muscle. She was born with a murmur but has never had meds. She’s been with us for 5 years. She and Laverne are registered therapy dogs. My newest is Rupert, a 7 year old Blenheim retired show champion who weighs around 19 lbs. I’ve had Rupert for 3 months now. He has a grade 5 murmur and MVD, asymptomatic, however he is on enalapril twice a day. Now that his health is pretty good for him (he came to me not so healthy) I plan on making him a therapy dog, as well.
I had to try many foods due to Laverne’s intolerances, which started with loose stool, rumbly tummy, not wanting to eat at times and of course the dreaded anal gland issues. We are finally (hope I don’t jinx us, lol) doing great with Wellness totally. I’ve always used Wellness cans and biscuits/treats but their kibble size was just too big for them, especially Laverne who I needed it to work for the most. So I used others, like Acana Singles, Merrick, Instinct LIDs, Zignature, Annamaet, Dr. Tim’s, Victors and probably others I’ve forgotten about. Some worked and I’ll still feed if needed…Annamaet, Dr. Tim’s and Victor, but a lot of others didn’t. I even tried premade raw, which was fine but too hard for my household to deal with. Foods like THK didn’t go over well. However, recently Wellness came out with new Small Breed formulas…YAY! So I tried them. I now rotate through Small Breed Senior, Small Breed Whitefish and Small Breed Simple Salmon along with their canned Stews for topping kibble and Yogurt biscuits for bedtime snack. I use their Pure Bites for training. Things are great, atm!! I do add a probiotic/enzyme supplement and a fiber supplement called Firm Up with each meal. It’s simply dried pumpkin and apple pectin. They also get coq10 for their heart. This has been working for us for 2 months now and I will continue this regimen. Sometimes I will use other canned toppers, like Simply Nourish, Fromm or Weruva for variety. All 3 have such soft wonderful coats and great skin. I did shave them down a little for the first time this summer and can honestly say that I love the haircuts! I kept their ears and tails long. I will keep them cut this way. I hope some of this info. gives hope for you guys with other Cavvies, my heart breed! 🙂 <3
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This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by
Mom2Cavs.
