[Marie]

Would someone please explain to me what dehydrated raw food is? Is it kibble or is it canned dog food? I’ve only heard of a few brands of dog food. The brands from the grocery store, what my vet talks about and the brands named on tv commercials.

[theBCnut]

Oh boy did you just open a can of worms…

I give digestive enzymes, probiotics, coconut oil, fish oil(or some other omega 3), raw ACV, super greens, bee pollen, garlic, and some high antioxidant fruits and veggies. And that doesn’t include the eggs, oily fish, oysters, etc. I may have forgotten something, but I don’t know what.

[Lori S]

My almost 10 yr old Labradoodle is a picky eater also… I have never found a food that she actually likes. I have done a dog food taste test with her with 10 bowls of different kibble … she smelled them all and layed down! Now I just give her some kibble and 1/2 can of wet food. I buy different brands and varieties to entice her. One day she may gobble it up and the next she turns up her nose. Most of the time she only eats the wet food but has to eat the kibble eventually because she is hungry. I have tried home cooked and raw with no avail. Some dogs are just that way.. sorry and good luck.

[theBCnut]

I rotate everything, kibble, canned, raw, supplements, everything. One of my dogs used to be picky, but once I started rotational feeding, he has never missed a meal, or even eaten slowly.

[JeffreyT]

Probiotics, digestive enxymes and healthier foods (home cooked and raw dehydrated), plus some other supplements have helped my dog’s bloody, loose stool and immune system. The probiotics that I have used are Mercola, Wysong (which also has colostrum in it to help build immune system), and VSL#3 (a medical grade probiotic delivered with ice). I’ve heard good things about Nusentia’s Probiotic Miracle helping IBD.

You may want to call Animals Essentials (they are very knowledgeable and their products are the purest around) and ask what may help. I’ve used their phytomucil for both loose stools and constipation. I’ve also found Wysong supplements to be helpful during times of sickness.

Here is Dr.Karen Becker’s take on IBD
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/11/02/inflammatory-bowel-disease-in-pets.aspx
Here is Dogaware’s info which may be helpful too
http://dogaware.com/health/digestive.html#ibd
Keep searching and you will find an answer.

Sometimes medicine is needed but my preference is using natural so it actually heals and gets to the root of the problem.
Good luck.

[Marie]

What is dehydrated raw?

[aquariangt]

Have you tried adding canned or dehydrated raw?

[Pauline B]

I have been making my own dog food for several years. I thought they were doing well. No health issues, excellent skin/coat, nice stools, etc.

The other day while my long coat German Shepherd was laying on the floor upside down, i noticed on his elbows two HUGE bald spots. I mean i can’t believe how big they are, it covers the entire elbow!! I just gave baths today and noticed another one on one hip, this one is only about the size of a quarter.

i’m wondering if it is a zinc deficiency. (looked online and saw that might be the problem). Now i am finding this stuff about not using rice. i’m wondering if i am using too much rice.

Here is their diet: i buy organ beef mix from a dog food distributor. it is just that; beef and organ meat mix.

I make a pot of 2 cups rice, 1 cup oatmeal, 1 cup ground vegetables (any scraps that i have accummulated or off the shelf fresh vegetables) 1/3 cup vegetable oil and i cook that in a pot. i add that mix to 5 pounds of the raw meat. i divide it up and feed it in the morning (each dog – german shepherd) gets two cups of the mix with a NuVet supplement; and a tsp of garlic.

In the evening they each get a raw chicken leg (from the regular grocery store).

Like i said, i’ve been doing this mix for approximately 7 years without a problem. Any thoughts, concerns? i’m so confused that i feel like going back to kibble!!

[Dori]

I thought I would chime in also on Brother’s Complete dog formulas and the people at Brother’s. I truly believe that Brother’s is one of the best kibbles on the market (may be the very best) and the owner, his wife and sons who all run the business are truly kind, conscientious people who love canine’s and try very hard to help their consumers and anyone else who ask a question of them. Also, they are ALWAYS available either by phone or email. Wonderful people. I cannot say enough good things about them. The food is really fabulous. My dogs really did fabulous on their food and if you choose to use their food in your rotation you cannot go wrong. Unfortunately for me and my girls I had to discontinue the use of the food because all their formulas contain some sort of poultry and one of my girls is really highly allergic. As she is the poop eater in the group (I run around like a nut picking up as quickly as they all go but she always manages to find something if it’s my husband who lets the dogs out in the yard) I had to switch all three girls to fowl free food. They now all eat raw.

DFA is a fabulous site and Mike and Sandy have truly done a wonderful job. We’ve all gotten a free educational here and though I’ve thanked Mike and Sandy often, I don’t think they really understand how indebted we all are to them. Unfortunately, the site also brings out “trolls” as they are called. I think of them as despicable human beings who decided that their envy of Richard, his knowledge, his sons and their food were fair game for them. It’s really a shame because Richard brought so much knowledge to this site. I will also be forever indebted to Richard because he shared Katie’s story (allergy riddled poop eating dog of mine and one of the loves of my life) with Shawna and gave me her phone number after getting her permission a couple of years ago. She helped me enormously and continues to help me now with all that we are going through with Hannah.

[losul]

Jerry, I think you’ll find this a great site for info about EPI.

http://www.epi4dogs.com/

They also have an active forum where you can participate and ask questions.

http://www.epi4dogs.com/apps/forums/

According to epi4dogs, most EPI dogs do respond best to a low fiber diet and higher or mid range protein food, but it may take some experimentation to find what works best for your dog. Have you considered raw or homemade food?

Also according to them, <b>unless there is a concurrent medical condition</b>, It’s usually best not to restrict fat intake, <b>as long as they are receiving the proper type and dose of enzymes, and B12 and antibiotics if needed</b>.

If your dog also has SIBO and B12 deficiencies, I think it’s usually much safer to try tylosin/tylan first rather than metrondiazole, which I would consider a dangerous antibiotic, especially in longer terms.

If cost of the pancreatic enzymes is an issue, enzymediane has a cost analysis, I think you will find theirs the lowest pricing ordering direct from them (pancreatin 6X or 8X)

http://www.enzymediane.com/enzymecomparisonchart.htm

It sounds like you are preparing the food with the enzymes correctly. (with water, near room temp., 20 minutes, etc. ) but maybe you need to experiment with the dosages?
——————

Sue66b, I know you and Patches have been through a tremendous lot and I really feel for you and Patches. Always wanted to tell you that I think Patches is a VERY handsome fellow. Would love to see a good and long lasting solution for Patches troubles. Just wondering, since Patches has had repeated bouts of pancreatitis, which can damage the pancreas ability to produce enzymes, also insulin, and also has SIBO ( I think?), has he ever been tested and diagnosed with EPI? Have you ever tried pancreatic enzymes?

“· Always confirm EPI with a trypsin-like immunoreativity (cTLI) blood test (12 hour fast). Normal range is between 5.0 – 35.0
· Whenever there is persistent gastro upsets and weight loss, it is advisable & economical to do a cTLI blood test.”

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by losul.

[InkedMarie]

I use Reel Raw from Maine, google for the website. Excellent pricing & free shipping for a certain number of pounds.

[Melba W]

Bravo Raw Diet

[Cyndi]

Just wanted to chime in and tell you guys about where I, and quite a few raw feeders on this site, get their food. A company called Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow. I’ve been using them for a year now and I have nothing but praise for this company. The owner, Tracy, is so helpful with any questions you have and they carry boneless meat and grinds, bone-in meat and grinds, organ meat and whole prey animals. They truly are a great company. They are in Pennsylvania and the shipping isn’t too bad. Their website is Hare-today.com.

There is also another site, very similar to Hare Today, call My Pet Carnivore. They carry a lot of similar meats and grinds. Their site is Mypetcarnivore.com

[patvl246]

Hi Becca, The only difference I’ve noticed is TQDF does not add bone to their food, I wonder if that is an issue with raw feeding. Also, I always have concerns about quality and sanitary handling of the food. You’ve never had any issues with TQDF?
Thanks again for your help. Pat

[Becca]

it wind up costing me less to feed raw than kibbles and canned cause you feed less and there no bloat like the risk in kibbles. plus the are meant to eat meat

[Becca]

you are quite welcome. I picked up an order today and I spoke to Debbie at TQDF and they do deliver to new jersey there is also another company that is even cheaper, although a little less organized, pawfectlyraw, they are from new Hampshire, the deliver to mass, nh, Vermont, I think they even go to Pennsylvania and maybe they have added other stops to their list. the TQDF. is so awesome with quality and professionalism.

[Becca]

I believe raw is much better. there is a company called topqualitydogfood. they are excellent, they may have a delivery in your area. I struggled with this same issue. I fed bravo at first and it was so expensive as well as making my dogs sick. it is over processed. cooking the food for dogs cooks out some nutrients. my dog have a little bit of kibble one day and threw it up it was 10 times the size it was before he ate it, I did a lot of research and found out this is where bloat comes from. at this point feeding my dogs raw turns out cheaper than kibbles and cans. commercial raw is too expensive, I feed my dogs raw no bones in the morning at raw with bones at night, bone ratio is great that way.

[Barbara]

I cannot edit or delete my earlier comment (which is completely frustrating to me!) and now have read many of the posts from people much more knowledgeable about feeding raw to dogs than I am. I now understand why they feed their dogs raw and it really is better…but I guess I would rather spend my extra time with my dogs exploring the outdoors than all the trouble involved in making raw from scratch when I cannot afford the high prices of commercial raw and “freeze dried” options… but I do completely respect the time you take to make the effort of feeding your dogs raw.

PS I realize now that there must be a “time limit” on editing your comment even though there has not been any responses… It seems that you should be able to edit longer like in the non-member area…

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by Barbara.

[Barbara]

Is raw that much better than gently cooked? I have a 13+ yr old Border Collie mix, a 11+ Husky/sheppard mix and 5 yr old lab. They eat 5 star grain free kibble and Kirkland’s cuts in gravy. They also get “gently cooked” poultry and meat as a topper a lot of the time and also unseasoned fresh “cooked” veggies. I guess I don’t feel comfortable feeding them raw and have always fed cooked…I am sure they would love it but the 2 big ones are gulpers as well…sometimes sensitive stomachs when I change kibble. I’ve had only adopted dogs for about 60 years and they all seem to live long lives without health issues, although in the past I lost a couple of them to cancer but they were also 15+ and large dogs… just wondering… PS I could not find a topic regarding raw vs cooked so I asked this question here….Thanks for your help!

[Taylor D]

I have been an avid follower to this forum and website and decided to finally register to participate, not just because I have a question, although I do 🙂

I own three female Golden Retrievers. Misty is 10, Daisi is 6, and Lena is 7 months.

After much research and reading Hound Dog Mom’s list of Large Breed Dog Foods (I even printed it out) I decided to feed Lena Wellness CORE Puppy for her first year.
She made the switch great (she was eating Blue Buffalo Wilderness at breeders) and is doing great on it. Her coat is sooo soft.
The thing I have noticed is if I give her too much of that kibble, she will get soft poop.
I know this is a high protein/ high fat food and I should be giving her less than what the bag says.
She is a good weight now, nice and lean, no ribs or hips showing, although I can feel her ribs. But she is small for her age!
She weighs 30 pounds and she is 7 months!
She is only gaining about 5-10 pounds a month.
I am feeding her 2 and a half cups of the puppy food a day, divided among three meals, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
She does fine on that amount, poop is fine. When I try to increase the amount, she gets soft poop.
I do pour some fresh raw goat milk in with her food each meal when I am increasing her food, and sometimes it keeps the soft poop away but not all the time.
I know why she gets the soft poop, and I know she is of good weight for her size, no ribs are showing.
But she is small for her age and breed.
Is it possible she is not getting the calcium she needs, because of the decreased amount I am feeding her, because of the protein rich food?
Wouldn’t the calcium levels listed for the food be for an average serving size?
Wouldn’t it be okay to feed her a food slightly lower in protein maybe around 30-32%, instead of the 36% in Wellness Core Puppy, but with slightly higher levels of calcium?

Their is a Slow Growth Method of feeding Goldens or large breeds that some breeders recommend following. Even with the Slow Growth Method, Lena should weigh at least 65 pounds for her age.

I also know high protein is not a problem for large breeds.

I was just wondering if I could switch her to a good 4.5-5 star grain free food with 30-32% protein with higher levels of calcium. Or even a 35%+ protein food with higher levels of calcium, since I would still be feeding her less than the amount listed on bag.

[RescueDaneMom]

I actually asked about this food 5 months ago. See the thread here: /forums/topic/thoughts-on-raw-performance-dog-food-by-tefco/

[DieselJunki]

I just wanted to share the email I got back from Wysong regarding whether or not they use BPA in their canned foods. I’m not sure how many other folks here are BPA conscious but figured it was good info to pass along. I also wanted to point out I got the response literally in an hour. When I had ferrets on kibble all I fed was Wysong because they make some of the best ferret food. And when the dog ate kibble I used their Aus Jus line as a topper. I do like the company, wish their larger cans were BPA free but at least their 5.5oz cans are.

“Good Day,

Thank you for your recent e-mail.

Our aluminum cans (5.5oz) are BPA-free. The larger, steel cans (14oz) do contain BPA.

The can linings that are used in Wysong canned pet foods are in compliance with the standards set by the FDA. The materials are approved for high temperature heat sterilization. The material films and adjuvants are either prior sanctioned, GRAS, subject to a FCN, or conform to FDA regulations. There have been tests conducted on certain linings, particularly BADGE, but the results of these tests were inconclusive because true scientific method was not employed.

There are risks associated with any processed foods, and even unprocessed foods, if fed exclusively. If foods are given to animals on a rotational basis as part of an IV (intermittent and varied) diet with fresh fruits and vegetables and raw meats as we recommend, then any possible toxins from food ingredients or can linings won’t have the chance to accumulate.

Please also see: Toxins: http://www.wysong.net/pet-health-and-nutrition/wysong-products-and-toxins.php.

If you have any further questions please let me know.

Wishing you and yours the best of health,

Jenni
Wysong, a Family Owned and Operated Organization”

[Bobby dog]

I did recently give Bobby a beef trachea to chew on which he enjoyed. I haven’t really looked into them like a should though.

Suggestions for chew treats from http://www.daneangelnetwork.org/rawhide.htm:

The following products are all digestible and safe for your pets.

Budda Chew Products- all digestible chew bones and treats

Muscle Chews- all digestible, contains no hide product.

Bull Pizzle Chews- all natural alternative to rawhide.

Healthy Edibles- all natural health chews, completely digestible and contain no sugars or fillers. Available at http://www.drsfostersmith.com

Kong rubber products are great chew toys, which can keep dogs very busy, especially when a little peanut butter and dog biscuits are wedged inside for them to work out.

[Bobby dog]

Is Sentinel an option? The Vet Tech gave me some info on Activyl the last time I took Bobby in, I never looked into it because I changed HW meds. I agree the older flea chemicals don’t seem to work anymore.

I have been looking at a few different chew options for Bobby, I’ll pass the info along to you when I can find them. I got a little frustrated researching chews, there seems to always be a caveat with everything. lol Do you ever worry about accidents leaving your dog unsupervised with bones, chewies, dental bones, or rawhides?

[Akari_32]

I know about Trifexis and the problems it’s been causing. Unfortunately, it’s the only thing that works for fleas around here. Like I said, super fleas. Haley has no reaction to it, and Bentley used to get sleepy on it when he first started, but after a few doses, he now does fine on it. When he was on it, and the fleas weren’t biting him, his hair grew back. Now that he’s been out for several months, and the fleas are back in full spring time force, he looks terrible.

However, my coworker just bought a box of Comfortis (the flea-only Trifexis), and her dog just started having seizures after never having them before. From what I hear, they are pretty mild and there are symptoms that show the dog is about to have one, so they see pretty controlled. I don’t know if she plans to take her dogs off it or not, though I should hope so.

Bobby dog, the only way our fleas die in soapy water is if I’m flea combing for them and some hair comes off in the comb, and I rinse it in some soapy water. The fleas are stupid enough to cling to the hair and drown after a few minutes. Common flea meds don’t work here anymore, which is why I’m pretty much stuck with Trifexis, though I did hear about that new Activyl, and plan on checking into it. I’m also hoping my generic Program (Little City Dogs brand) works well, because it’s cheap, and there are no side effects at all ever reported. I don’t really like how rigorous Trifexis is, but the fleas are so bad here that it’s necessary. Thankfully we’ve been lucky so far…. But I have a new plan for Haley at least when she’s done with this box in few months. As bad as it sounds, Bentleys medications are not my problem. I’ll give mom the info, and even do all the work, but I will not pay. I’ve got my own dogs and etc’s to pay for. What she does is up to her at this point.

I do plan on raw bones, but I want something I can give him when I’m leaving the house for a few hours. Something that isn’t a a hard glob of chewy carbs and chemicals lol

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
You’re right, I must be underestimating your superfleas! I have never have seen a flea survive a good dose of shampoo during bath time before. They always die fairly quick while I bath Bobby no matter what shampoo I use. I even use a soapy water dish to kill fleas when I flea comb. Most of the time they never make it to the water, they just die trying to get out of the suds.

Well try the oil, I am not a scientist, but to me it looks like the oil breaks down the outer shell because they just seem to fall apart in front of my eyes in very little time. If nothing else, he will have a moisturizing treatment!!!! 😉

I was giving Bobby rawhides last month until Labs forwarded info to me about the chemical process used to make them. I am looking into other stuff for him to chew on since RMB’s don’t interest him. If I were you I would incorporate RMB’s into his diet when you are home and able to watch him. Maybe in place of a meal or just reduce one of his meals. Since you know he likes them, does well eating them, why not make it simple plus it gives him variety.

Sharon:
I forget how I came to my conclusion, but I will look at my info later and catch up with you on the catfood thread. I do feel certain I have tracked down the co-packer. Of course it still makes me apprehensive that they won’t share this pertinant info with customers; what else won’t they share when necessary?

[Akari_32]

Bobby Dog, you underestimate our super fleas. Dawn dish soap doesn’t even kill them! I may try an oil dip after a while once I see how this shampoo is working though. Which seems to be pretty good right now, actually. After just two baths, his skin is less red, and he’s itching less. We have an other bath data for tonight, which I’m sure he’ll be just thrilled about :p

I’ve also been adding some coconut oil to his food, as well. Makes it look even more gross, since I make his food the night before it’s used, and reheat it before I feed it to him LOL It’s like greasy, confused jello XD

Also, the canned food should be here today or tomorrow, I think. I’ll start him on two days of canned, one day of THK, when it does, since the canned food is 1/2 can a day. Get a good rotation thing going, and keep it interesting.

Also, since I’m cutting out carbs as much as possible and giving him weird mushy food and such, I need to find him a chew that won’t count as a meal (so no raw right now. Later, though). I used to give him a Greenie a few times a week when I left and no one else was home to give him something to do for a few minutes while he was locked up (which is why I don’t want to do raw– his small size would make any raw yummy a meal and I won’t be home to clean up after he’s done), so I need something else. Obviously, chews are out, since they are like entirely grain and starch products. I was thinking raw hides, though. They shouldn’t have carbs, right (in theory lol)?

[rob e]

Does anyone have any experience with this food? (http://www.hudsonvalleydogs.com/raw-dog-food-products/performance-dog/ )

Have been feed raw for 5+ years but recently moved away from my food maker!

Thx for any input.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Paige,

I’m looking for the email, but I asked NV a while back about the source of the rabbit in their kibble and it’s sourced from France. They also source rabbit from China and Italy. Like BCnut said, they’re trying to eliminate all sourcing of rabbit from China, which would be a great move on their part!

Some other “limited ingredient” foods to check into might be Acana, Back to Basics, Simply Nourish and Wysong. Nature’s Recipe (Del Monte) has a new line of limited ingredient foods that haven’t been rated yet, but are probably OK foods that would be very budget friendly.

Edit: Found it!

Here’s the response to my email that I received from them on 10/15/2012:

Dear Betsy,

Thank you for e-mailing!

The rabbit protein we use in our raw diet is from China. The rabbit in our canned is sourced from Italy and China, while the rabbit in our kibble is from France. We employ a U.S. educated food scientist in China to oversee our rabbit sourcing. All rabbit protein is tested before shipment from China and again after it arrives in the U.S. for processing into our raw diet. We are very confident in how we handle our sourcing from China. We source most of our ingredients from the U.S. and turn to other locations only as needed. We are very stringent on our sourcing and have good relationships built with our vendors for quality ingredients.

Thanks for supporting our products!

Sincerely,
Shannon

Consumer Relations
Nature’s Variety
1-888-519-7387
http://www.naturesvariety.com

[Paige]

Thanks everyone! I will check out the suggestions and maybe give the turkey a try. @theBCnut I had read rabbit from a China was used by NVI in their canned and raw, but the kibble used rabbit from France. Sadly, I don’t trust most mfg but I will read some more about it. Thank you! And my Jake thanks you all too!

[theBCnut]

If you are talking about NVI LID Rabbit kibble, there is no China connection, and it fact I read that they are planning on changing their sourcing of rabbit in their other lines too, so that all their rabbit comes from France. It was the NVI raw that had rabbit from China.

I have a dog with multiple food intolerances and I went to Chewy dot com and read the ingredient list on every single food they carry that the name didn’t automatically rule it out. It took me about 6 hours, but I now have a list of foods to try.

BTW, my dog has a chicken allergy, including eggs, but does fine on turkey, duck, goose, quail, pheasant, etc.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by theBCnut.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by theBCnut.

[Paige]

I’m searching for a limited ingredient kibble for my allergy prone Bully. I know chicken and salmon are out. I’ve tried Zignature lamb with not much success either. I’m frankly hesitant to get the NVI rabbit because of the China connection. He does ok on Bison and Venison, both aren’t available in NVI choices. I think he has trouble with higher protein levels too. Like human food that is just too rich. I hope this isn’t a stupid question but…if a dog has a chicken allergy, will turkey be too close of a protein? To me..fowl is fowl, but I’m getting desperate and my options are just so limited. Right now I have him on Natural Balance..Venison and he’s on his second bag. He has started with nose rope rawness for the first time ever and very weepy eyes. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Bobby dog]

I didn’t really look at any other flavors Newman’s had because I was looking for a different protein. The only other brands of beef I have fed were Merrick, Wellness, 4Health, and BB. My cats do alright eating beef, but I don’t buy it often.

Mine don’t like duck or lamb and I haven’t really fed rabbit. If you find any budget friendly rabbit I would love to hear about it too; I’ll keep an eye out for it too. My friend in England feeds her cat raw rabbit every morning. She gets it from her corner butcher. I used to think she was crazy feeding her cat raw rabbit.

I have to admit I have never bought an expensive litter. It has always been the cheapest unscented clumping litter. However, I really do like TSC and would not buy anything else now (unless they doubled the price). You know, with my luck, now that I wrote that they will probably discontinue it. lol

[Fabienne L]

Freeze-dried and Dehydrated pet food are NOT the same as raw non-hpp pet food. You may consider raw hpp, freeze-dried and dehydrated pet food as processed pet food. Yes, it is better than dry pet food, but it is still processed. Supplements should be added to this food! Recommended supplements include: vitamins, minerals, probiotics, milk thistle to name a few. Non HPP raw pet food is truly species appropriate pet food. Small Batch and Halshan are true species appropriate pet food. When comparing pet food you can see the differences in the ingredients. HPP raw and freeze-dried, such as Stella and Chewys and other pet food contain many added supplements in them. The list of ingredients is long! When you look at Small Batch the ingredients are simply simple, no added supplements. Pets gets the nutrition they need from the meat, organ meat and fruit and vegetable. I always suggest that pet owners (guardians) add probiotics and milk thistle to their non hpp raw pet food.

[crazy4cats]

I did worry about it at first, but not as much anymore. I cooked the eggs at first, both scrambled and boiled. Then I started just very lightly cooking. Now, I separate them and stick the whites in the microwave for about 30 seconds first and give the yolk to them raw. So far so good! I give them each 2 eggs twice a week. They are both about 80 pounds. In addition, they each get a tin of sardines once a week. We call it “Sardine Sunday” at our house.
I personally wouldn’t worry about finding a food that is labeled for giant breed dogs. Most of that is marketing in my opinion. I would be more concerned about buying from a reputable manufacturer. I find that large breed foods are usually lower in protein. That is why is I don’t usually feed mine the large breed foods. Also, just read the label and use common sense. It seems as though you have a lot of that! The ingredients and the guaranteed analysis are the most important to me.
What is funny to me, is that most of what I read, says it is best to feed variety, no matter what size the dog is. But, you really need to do what you think is best. Good luck to you!

[tracy b]

thanks for the suggestions crazy4cats, one of the boys, Bozwell, does seem to have a more sensitive tummy than the other one (Elwood) so I am leery about giving new foods being that the one they are on is working well. Everything I have read/learned about the breed does tend to lean towards sticking with the same food and not making too many changes. obviously I want to do what is best for the boys no matter what the cost I realize when we got them that this would be a huge commitment both time and money. because of their predicted short life span I want to do what will lengthen their life as much as possible. they will soon be transitioning into giant breed adult food so this would probably be the best time to make a switch. I am looking at holistic select but im not sure yet if they have for giant breed. when you give eggs im assuming raw? do you not worry about salmonella? thanks for your advice!
Tracy, Bozwell and Elwood

[crazy4cats]

Hi Tracy-
Welcome to DFA! It sounds to me like you are doing a great job with your pups. I have litter mates also. Two lab mix males. They will turn three next month. What a handful! I’ll never do that again! However, I can’t imagine life without them.
Anyway, you got a clean bill of health at the vets so you must be doing something right. Most members on this site believe that it is best to feed your dogs variety. A rotating diet is recommended. It sounds like Royal Canin is very expensive for a 2.5 star food. You could definitely keep it in your rotation since the dogs do well on it if you want. You could probably add another kibble to your rotation that has more protein and even be less expensive. So far I use Victor and Natures Logic Kibbles. I also use several different toppers for variety. Such as canned, eggs, sardines, raw nuggets and even dehydrated.
When you are introducing a new food, just transition slowly and add a little plain pumpkin and probiotics to help with the change. Good luck to you and your pups!

[DogFoodie]

Hi Laura,

These are some tips that were sent to me by the company when I first transitioned my dogs to Darwin’s, a commercial raw. They’re ideas specific to their product, but you might find some of them useful.

You can try these tips if you haven’t already (singly or in combo):

1. Adding cheese or canned food is usually a good trick to start with. Also adding spices can increase interest.

2. You can feed Darwins very warm. You can either float it in its bag in hot water or, at least to start, cook it a little on the stove or in the oven. This will release some of the fat molecules in the meat and hopefully overcome some of the veggie smell. Also put just a small amount in the bowl. No sense wasting food and also a small amount might be less intimidating. Add more if your dog eats the first offering.

3. Mix either straight ground meat or some healthy table scraps into the Darwins. Some people find that mixing ground meat into the Darwin’s at a ratio of about 30-50 percent warm Darwins with 70-50 percent fresh ground meat for a few days will convince their dog to start eating Darwin’s.

4. At first only feed the meat variety that your dog is used to eating. Also, it seems that many dogs take to the turkey and chicken faster than to the beef. It might be the smell of the meat itself or it might be that the beef contains bone meal instead of ground pieces of bone and some dogs don’t like the smell of bone meal. Also, I think the red meat variety smells more of organ meat than do the chicken or turkey. Unfortunately the veggie smell is the first noticed smell and it is the same in all Darwin’s varieties; so dogs who didn’t like their first meat variety might think that all the Darwin’s is the same since it all smells the same. That’s when using trick 3 is helpful to get them started by cutting the percentage of vegetables and, thus, reducing the smell.

5. Warmed chicken or beef broth poured over the food to make a soup or stew sometimes works, if your dog will eat a very wet food. Some do not like soup.

6. Make sure your dog is good and hungry and don’t feed anything else if the Darwin’s is refused. Just try again next meal. . Easier to get a child to eat broccoli if he or she hasn’t had access to McDonalds for the past few meals.

7. Cook the food like a meat loaf (325 for 30 – 40 minutes or so) and start there. You can mix in raw Darwin’s with the crumbled cooked loaf slowly until you are transitioned. Or mix the crumbled loaf into the food that your dog is used to eating and then transition to raw once you have convinced him/her to eat it cooked.

8. Adding Green Tripe to our meals is an excellent idea for notoriously picky eaters. It is highly palatable, and considered a “superfood” for dogs. We do offer Green Tripe in 1lb packages, and can be added to your standard order any time.

[spaniel39]

Mimi, thanks
My Sophie is so sweet too; I knew the importance of socialization given the protectiveness
factor as an adult and I think I went too far.
If she sees anyone walking towards her or across the street, she will sit and “smile”
and wait to greet them. Impossible to take her/walk her anywhere lol
but I don’t mind, She is just starting to form her “cords”
I didn’t read your post carefully. Sorry, didn’t realize you had been on raw.
I found it much too expensive and kibble has come a long way (Acana, Orijen, etc)
and you can always supplement it with a tablespoon of a good canned lamb/duck/etc.
or in Sophie’s case last night, a big extra lean, Hamburger!
I forgot to mention Evangers!
They’ve done research for decades on large breeds
They have a meat lovers with Rabbit, not real expensive, my dogs loved!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Laura –

You could try warming it slightly or, if there aren’t bones, cooking it and then gradually making it more and more rare each day. Some animals get turned off by the cold temperature.

I’d also recommend mixing in a little green tripe with what you’re feeding – if you can get raw that’s great, there’s also a decent canned version sold by Petkind under the name Tripett.

[Mimi S]

We have an Irish Setter that was raised on raw. Lately he’s been “off his food” and getting what we call grumble belly. He was getting Bravo, a balanced raw, chicken drumsticks and various, good, expensive treats. We switched to canned Nature’s Variety, different sources of protein plus chicken drumsticks. He’s still not right, although never diarrhea like the previous post and his stool doesn’t smell much. He’s still pooping, has energy but no interest in food. Should we stop the chicken and go to a good kibble, keep some canned and ad kibble, feed only raw without the chicken drumsticks? Help! We’re frustrated. He came to us at about 1 1/2 and was fine. We lost our last setter to stomach cancer and are so afraid there’s something we’re doing wrong. He drinks the filtered water that we drink.

[Anonymous]

Hi, I recently started my dogs on the RAW diet. My two little dogs are loving it, however, I am having great difficulty getting my 200 lb St. Bernard to touch the chicken. Does anyone have any help. I even added a little of her old food to the mix, after having her fast for one day. Now it is day 3 and she really has eaten very little.

Thanks in advance

[Honeybeesmom1]

Oh and he was also on Bravo raw, and Natures Variety raw and still no change in his red skin, and hair loss on his back.

[mah4angel]

I’ve fed my dog the Kahoots canned duck food. Pretty good ingredients list and my family is devoted to their store because of their amazing customer service. The store began down here in Southern California (I believe in San Diego) and is a relatively small chain at the moment. My dog loved the food and it didn’t seem to give him any issues, but I only fed it every three days (if that) to augment some of the cost of his homemade raw diet. They have a pretty awesome special for their canned food, where you get 12 for $12 (I think, I could be wrong- I just remember it was a great deal) so it wouldn’t hurt your wallet to check them out 🙂

[crazy4cats]

I hope not either. Mine were treated four times maybe five with flagyl and panacur for giardia. The with Albon for coccidia. They did, however have parasites. So, boy, do I know about loose stools and diarrhea. It was the main topic of conversation here for about a year! We have all kinds of “grading” systems for poop! I’m not sure if the bugs or the meds did more damage to their digestive systems. Have you checked out dogaware.com? There are several suggestions and information for digestive issues on that site. Another supplement you could use with the vetri pro is Phytomucil. It is made by Animal Essentials. I believe it has slippery elm, plantain, DGL and marshmallow root. It helps to soothe the tract. I guess the main thing, though is to figure out what is causing the issue. Does it occur more when she is excited or after exercise? My dogs do best when I’m feeding Victor with raw frozen nuggets and a supplement. Good luck!

[Linda S]

I’ve been feeding Blue Ridge Beef since Dec’13. I’m looking to switch to a more balanced brand so I don’t have to add all the ingredients to make it balanced. I have 4 dogs and go thru 7lbs per day of Blue Ridge. Does anyone have an opinion on Blue Ridge?? I am now looking at either Darwins or Steve’s Raw (Primal is more expensive) since all the nutrients are in there and I can assume it’s balanced like they say. I like the idea of Steve’s as it is in nugget form and easy for when I have a petsitter and easier to weigh out amongst my 4 different weights.

[raam]

Oh, and while I applaud those who take the time to cook for their dogs or feed raw, it is not an option for me. I’m a vegetarian and while I do believe dogs need meat and happily feed it to my pup, handling it directly in its raw state is just one step too far for me, so I prefer a high-quality kibble.

[Susan]

Hi, can you cook for him & only give him a little of kibble also can he eat wet food without having diarrhea, then give him the wet foods intstead of the kibbles..I cook chicken & pumkin & freeze about 2 weeks worth & take out the night before for breakfast then I give kibbles for lunch & dinner.. I cant give wet foods as the fat% is too high & Patch gets Diarrhea…maybe try a kibble with less Fat % protein % as Farmina has high fat% & Protein % maybe it makes him feel ill & he has stopped eating the kibble…dogs are smart if something disagrees with them.. Have you tried raw he might prefer raw…..Kibble was made for us humans easy & quick way to feed opur animals, kibble isnt that good for dogs its processed over cooked & hard on their digestion..

[Dori]

Shawna: I’ve been giving them whole house filtered water for years. Hadn’t been giving them HW medication until losul had HW diagnosis and I started in again. Stupid Stupid Me!!!!
I have read about the issues with HW medication and bladder cancer just yesterday and a few of the sites specifically name Sentinel and that is the brand I’ve used for years. Obviously I’m never ever using HW medication again. Dogs are all on 3 year rabies vaccination. Hannah at almost 15 years old and bladder cancer will never get it again. I have read everything I can and everyone’s posts here and well wishes and kind words and, of course, they all make me cry knowing everyone is so caring and loving. Just breaks my heart. I’m just a weepy mess right now. My husband and close friends keep telling me what a wonderful life Hannah and I have given each other for 15 years and, selfishly, I just don’t want to hear that kind of talk. That means everyone of them is resigning them to the fact that it’s the end for Hannah and I just can’t deal. She’s the only thing that got me out of bed after my son, Matthew, passed and she’s my last tangible connection to him. It’s just too damn hard. I’ve ordered tons of supplements today and read every site that everyone has guided me to, thank you, thank you, thank you everyone. I’m now concerned of having ordered too much and making matters worse my overdosing her on supplements.

Shawna, I know how crazed and consumed your life is with your family both human and furry, so please let me know when might be a good day and time might work out for you for me to call you. I’ve been feeding all the girls raw for over a year and I think that I want to continue feeding commercial raw as I’ve been doing. Just to let you know Hannah has never had a urinary tract infection in her life, no bloody urine and her urine tests are still clear. They only discovered this because of doing ultra sounds checking her liver because of all four liver levels being so high. They have all come down significantly. Still high of normal but not sky high like before. Okay. I need to breathe right now and attempt to pull my self together because all three dogs are too attuned to my stress. Love to all and from the bottom of my heart I thank you all.

[Susan]

Hi, Omayra has ur little man been fleaed? as that is probably causing his itch, a nice bath & a good flea product like frontline should keep the fleas away Frontline make a really good spray, I dont know if it can be used on pups u’d have to check..food allergies are rare especially a 3month old pup, only around 5% of dogs will suffer food allergies, some may be intolarant to certain foods, & have food intolarences also look at the Fat% on ur treats alot of treats are high in fat & you can only give a few treats a day as they can cause diarrhea & muchy poo.. its best to use ur dogs daily kibble (Blue Buffalo) as a treat when training…..make sure you keep up with his worming….sounds like u are both sharing ur little boy so make sure that you both arent giving treats at different times & just use some of his kibble as a treat…
Someone else will have to help with the Raw as my boy is on kibble & home cooked chicken & pumkin..sounds like ur little boy has a loving caring home..