Hi Kritterlady:
The only suggestion I have for enticing your dog to eat coco oil is trying to melt it and see if he will lick it out of his bowl.
Only one of my cats will eat coco oil in his food, but it can’t be mixed completely in (or melted) because he won’t touch it. I have to hide a small solid amount in his food. The other cats will not touch their food if something is hiding or mixed into it. Sometimes they eat it alone in solid form or melted, when all else fails I just rub it onto their fur. My dog absolutely loves it no matter what and if I don’t watch him he will lick it off the cats fur! lol
Sometimes added supplements don’t agree with our pets and he may also be telling you this by not eating it.
As for the honey I have never had a pet with seasonal allergies, but definately would try either local raw honey or local bee pollen if they did. Since honey doesn’t interest him, I would look into bee pollen. I would imagine it is easier to administer. Here’s a few links with more info on bee pollen and honey. Good luck!
/forums/topic/bee-pollen/
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/10_9/features/Bee-Honey-Products-Help-Canines_15967-1.html
http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.ca/2014/01/honey-good-for-dogs-cats-honey-is.html
So I’ve tried adding the coconut oil and my 11 yr old GSD will not touch it. Same with the raw honey, which I use. He has severe seasonal allergies and I know this would help. I’ve tried adding tiny amounts and even getting him to lick it off my hands. He just gives me the look! Any suggestions would be appreciated
I only just skimmed through the posts, so I might be a replaying record – but if you’re not able to track a food suspect, it might be environmental allergies. I heard you mention mosquitoes – that’s very possible, also some dogs are sensitive to grass, pollen, etc.
Maybe try adding a little spoonful of raw organic LOCAL honey to his food daily and see if that eventually helps. I’ve heard of honey working miracles on itchy allergy dogs. If you want a “quick fix”, then you could try Benadryl (or the equivalent for dogs, I’m assuming you can find allergy tabs)
My dogs really liked it. They already eat raw though but I would sprinkle it on their kibble. I sprinkled some on some of my foster food before too and they liked it too. No GI issues. It’s quick and convenient to use. I used the Raw Boost treats as well.
Have any of you guys used this supplement? If so, I’d like to hear your opinions.
Some dogs who are sensitive to chicken (or other ingredient) and even to certain levels of fat (high fat diet or even marrow from a bone) can have softer than normal stools. If you don’t think chicken or fat is an issue since they have been on raw for a while, try giving them a RMB to eat a couple times a week like a chicken wing or a neck. The higher bone content usually firms up the stool. If you want to try non-chicken, then a duck neck split between them or a pork baby back rib (just one) should do. Generally speaking the amount of bone in a raw diet should be 10% but some do better on a little more. A whole chicken is around 30% bone. I’ve made a batch of raw food with 10% and 30% and none of the dogs had an issue and all their stools were firm. I did notice when they ate a RMB or a higher amount of bone from ground raw that their stools were firmer and more like large pebbles. Or you could try feeding another protein like beef incase they have developed a chicken sensitivity over time. My dogs have been eating raw for about 3 years and haven’t had any soft stool issues, not even after consuming the marrow from a marrow bone. For fiber, I’ve used pumpkin but then went on to use ground psyllium or chia seeds.
The beef, bison, and grains tend to just make is very, very itchy. He doesn’t have any intolerances that we know of. He doesn’t itch himself to the point of being red, raw, of losing fur, but he just shouldn’t be this itchy. I am considering trying to find a dog safe mosquito spray for him. We used to give Jasper canned food with his meals, but sometimes he would get tired of it. The canned foods he had were Go! and Wellness (95% and CORE). Now he gets kibble with an Orijen freeze dried treat sprinkled on top (to entice him to eat it). For supper he often has Orijen freeze dried medallions, which he really enjoys. For snacks (and we know that these don’t make him itchy), he gets fruits and veggies, freeze dried treats, buddy biscuits (hard and soft ones), and ice chips/cubes.
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This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by
ab1028.
Hi Serena. I don’t feed any kibble but definitely canned would be better. Kibble food generally has a lot of different ingredients in them similar to most kibble foods including whatever binder they are using to keep the kibble in tact. Your dog could still have issues with canned food depending on what her ingredient intolerances are but it’s easier to keep track of ingredients and intolerances. A lot of dogs with allergies and intolerances do better on canned, imo, than kibble.
When I first started doing an elimination test with Katie, the first ingredient was chicken. Then discovered that she is badly intolerant of all fowl. It’s not the same with red meats. Beef, Bison, Kangaroo, Rabbit, Goat, Lamb, Vennison will have completely different reactions from each other. Katie cannot eat Lamb or Goat but she does fine with all the others so far anyway.
If you’re going to switch to canned food please try to make sure that the cans themselves are BHA free, No Carragean (sp?) and also look for the least possible ingredients made from human food ingredients. My rule is that if I can’t pronounce or would not eat it myself then my dogs don’t eat it either. Another way you can feed your dog is to try rotating with freeze dried foods. Closer to raw, but not exactly. There again, keep in mind what the ingredients are (human grade) and what he may have an issue with. I’ve had my hands full with Katie and her allergies and intolerances since I got her at 9 weeks old. She’ll be 5 years old on 6/24/14. It’s been a challenge and she and I have suffered through it. She always comes up with something she once ate that can no longer tolerate. Some of her latest have been alfalfa in any form and kelp in any form. So you just have to keep trying.
Oh, with the canned or any food, just cause it says Beef doesn’t mean that they haven’t added somewhere in the ingredient list chicken fat or lamb or some other protein so please please please read all the ingredients. Good Luck. Sorry it took me so long to respond. I’ve been busy with my older gal Hannah, almost 15 year old Maltese who was finally diagnosed yesterday with bladder cancer so, understandably I’m in denial and totally freaked out. My best to you and your dog.
My GSD, pit bull, and Doberman are doing great on Wilderness kibble and home ground raw meat.
Are you feeding homemade with bones (or other source of calcium) or commercially made raw?
Another Recipe for Satin Balls:
Mix a pound of raw ground beef, an 8oz package of cream cheese, a jar of all-natural peanut butter, a dozen egg yolks, a 10oz package of wheat germ and a cup of flaked oats that have been soaked in heavy cream.
Form the mixture into balls and place in the freezer.
Feed the Satin Balls as treats or food supplements as desired.
Raffaele C. Do you feed your dogs Darwin’s only or do you use other commercial raw foods? Thanks,
I have been feeding both my dogs raw food for a while now and they have been doing great on it. But lately my groomer has been telling me that she had to express their anal glands because they were filling up. Their stools are not always hard but it’s never diarreha either; it’s in between. I’m guessing though that their stools should be firmer to help express the glands naturally. I was reading some other posts on the forum and some suggested Glandex so I was thinking about that. But my main concern was that I don’t want to buy a bunch of supplements when I thought that a raw diet should be providing the proper nutrients for my dogs to thrive. So before I go buy a supplement for this issue or start feeding pumpkin regularly, I just wanted to ask you all about your experiences with raw diets. Does a raw diet typically cause softer stool? Is chicken a factor?
I feed both my dogs Darwin’s. It’s great because it gets delivered to me every 3 weeks and stays frozen everytime! I have done a ton of research of dog nutrition and what’s best and I have decided that the next best thing to homemade is Darwin’s. The ratio from meat to vegetables is really good for providing a balanced diet for dogs. Both my dogs took to this raw diet very easily and have loved it ever since!
It depends on the size of the pug. They come in so many sizes now. I don’t have “standard” sized pugs, lol! My “normal size” pugs at age 6 eat 2/3 cup a day and weigh 22-24 lbs. My 10 yr old large pug eats a rounded 2/3 cup a day with treats and weighs 28-29 lbs. I’ve fed my “standard” sized fosters 2/3 cups a day. My 15 yr old xlarge (and I mean tall and long – showing some Mastiff traits) pug eats 1 cup day. I had a large female who looked optimal at 27-28 lbs as she was wideset – big head, chest and hips and short legs like a bulldog. And sometimes they get a little wet food on top of the kibble. If they were only eating kibble and canned regulary, they would get 1/3 can and 1/4 cup kibble. The younger ones I might feed 1 cup a day. For my personal ones, they eat such a variety. Dry and wet, raw and wet, just raw, just RMB.
This is one of my standard ones: looks great, but technically overweight (that’s why I don’t go by weight, I use body condition)
http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/plutoharness2_zps6d5c006c.jpg
This is a regular and large pug:
http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/0bd6f2d9-225c-454e-9521-122834da060d_zps44b288af.jpg
Here’s what I mean when I say they aren’t just “standard” size anymore! These are both adults:
http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/dooceyboss_zps22223e38.jpg
I’ve had obese ones here. And guess what – I fed them 2/3 cup of kibble to get them down. I’ve had a 43 lb pug before too. Down here in my area, it’s too hot now for outdoor fun. No walking or dog parks until October.
I just sent for trial sizes. My dogs currently eat raw, K9 Kravings, which they love. But I’ interested in something that I can store more easily. Also, they auto ship to your home. I have a friend who switched to it @ a year ago, Her 2 greyhounds love it and are doing well on it.
Glad you ordered from them, Pat! Someone here, on the DFA forums, is the one who told me about them. They’re about an hour from me. The free shipping is absolutely a big help. I’ll order from Hare as well, to get stuff that Reel Raw doesn’t carry.
Hi Dane Mom, I couldn’t believe it, when they stated up to 40 pounds shipped free, but every bit of savings helps. InkedMarie is the one to thank for sharing the reelrawdog.com site
I have couch potato pugs and they eat at least 30% protein and regular fat kibble and get less than the recommended amount on the bag. They also eat raw food which is alot higher in protein too and much lower carbs than kibble and get around 6 oz per day. They have maintained their body shape this way and not by “light” or other “diet” foods.
Hi,
I’m a newbie but not to dogs. Has anyone heard of Common Sense raw dog food. I can’t seem to find the manufacturer. I only know that is produced in a USDA facility in Ferndale Washington but sold in Langley, BC. My new GSD pup will be arriving in 2 weeks and the breeder claims that she started the company years ago and only feeds her dogs this. I used to make my own but it is very time consuming.
Anything would help.
“Well, I feel like this is a very ignorant comment to make. Many people can’t afford dehydrated and/or raw. Just so you know, I feed my dog dehydrated and raw but I don’t condemn people for feeding kibble.”
I’m not condemning people for feeding kibble, I feed it myself, I’m condemning them for feeding All-Life-Stages dog kibble and not a specific life stage formula.
“People who feed All-Life-Stages dog food should be feeding an all natural raw diet or a dehydrated dog food. Anything else is for those what are to ignorant to completely understand a dog’s true needs.”
Well, I feel like this is a very ignorant comment to make. Many people can’t afford dehydrated and/or raw. Just so you know, I feed my dog dehydrated and raw but I don’t condemn people for feeding kibble.
People who feed All-Life-Stages dog food should be feeding an all natural raw diet or a dehydrated dog food. Anything else is for those what are to ignorant to completely understand a dog’s true needs.
The only way I would feed a dog All-Life-Stages dog food is if it were a mutt from the pound because usually you don’t know their actual age.
Yes, it’s crazy. I can’t afford that. I live in FL so I have to get 50lbs of food for free shipping from Reel Raw but that’s not a problem for me. 🙂 Thanks again for sharing that. I will definitely be buying from them in the future. I have to use up what I have first 😉
Thanks Dane Mom, I’ve heard of My Pet Carnivore, but haven’t bought their product yet. I’m going to give their tripe a try, my EM loves tripe and doesn’t really care that the smell makes me want to vomit. I just ordered from reelrawdog.com (recommended by InkedMarie) and even though 40 pounds doesn’t last very long, they ship that amount free. Give them a try, and save a little on shipping. Thanks for the response
ab1028, I have a 13-lb terrier mix who gets 1 teaspoon of raw extra virgin unrefined coconut oil at breakfast every other day. It has made his coat super soft and shiny. He still itches every once in a while but that was not a concern before, so no change there.
Pat,
You’re good! Lots here buy from Hare. I’ll be using them and Reel Raw. RR has really nice pricing & shipping while Hare offers more. There is also My Pet Carnivore but I’ve never purchased their products.
Hi Marie, Thank you so much for your responses. Our English Mastiff loves Hare Today, I just needed a little reassurance of their product. Want to be sure he’s getting a quality food. I’m going to check out Reel Raw too, thanks again. Pat
Hi Pat,
Hare is a great company & Tracy is very helpful. If I remember correctly, their offerings are all natural, no added stuff. I buy from them and also a company called Reel Raw out of Maine. I highly recommend both. Hare has more novel proteins than Reel Raw.
Hi Marie, Is there anything you can tell me about this company. I’ve been using their raw products for about a year, on a recommendation from another user, but really don’t know much about the company. Thanks for your reply
If you mean a review, I doubt one will be done. It’s not a dog food company, they just sell raw meat. Raw dog food companies are ones like Primal, Bravo etc.
Would really like to know if these 2 brands are recommended,
“Darwins” and “Hare Today Gone Tomorrow” I use these raw products to feed my 240 lb English Mastiff. I want him to be safe and to eat good food. I also want to know that the more than $350 a month I’m spending on his food is a top quality food. Thanks
Any plans on testing raw food from “Hare Today Gone Tomorrow”
Hey guys! This is my first time posting. I have a 15 pound schnoodle that I adopted almost three years ago. I’m not entirely sure how old Wilson is as his surrender paperwork had a few different ages on it but I think (as does his vet) he is between 6 and 8 and in good health.
He’s always, always, always been a picky eater. He’s my first dog and I honestly didn’t know anything about feeding a dog beyond kibble and canned at first. I fed him Vet’s Choice Health Extension for a while and then Acana but they took inordinate amounts of coaxing or soaking in water or additional treats (i.e. cottage cheese or some eggs, etc.) to get him to eat. Meal time would become sometimes a 15-30 minute exercise in who was going to be more stubborn. He would also occasionally throw the kibble back up (anywhere from 30 minutes to hours after he ate). Clearly, this didn’t seem like the best possible diet for him anymore.
I had considered transitioning him to raw, using a commercial raw diet like Stella and Chewy’s or Primal. Well, we tried for about a month and he really struggled with it. A) he hated the Primal with a passion and B) had trouble keeping both of the diets down. I instead decided to try home-cooked and use Grandma Lucy’s as a pre-mix. We’ve been doing this for about three weeks and it has been super successful so far which is a huge relief to me. I want him to have the healthiest life possible! I’ve been rotating him through several kinds of protein (chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, eggs, salmon, tuna) and it all seems easy enough to combine with the pre-mix. I give him 4 oz of the pre-mix and 6 oz of protein (I’m using Primal’s recommendation to give protein between 2-3% of a dog’s weight) split across two daily meals. I haven’t been following Grandma Lucy’s pre-mix recommendation (they recommend 1-1.5 cups per day for dogs between 10-20 lbs) because that seems really, really high to me in contrast to the protein. Any thoughts there?
Here’s my question: do I need to add any additional supplements? Like I said, this isn’t raw meat and it’s making me nervous that I might be screwing something up with the calcium and/or phosphorus. I’m assuming I should also add some sort of fish/krill/flax oil as well and would love some advice! So far, I had looked at Wysong’s Call of the Wild as a possibility but wasn’t sure if that was overkill (Grandma Lucy’s pre-mix has 1% calcium). Any advice would be much appreciated!
Case-
I have a Great Dane. I agree that it depends on the size of the dog. The most important thing is to NOT feed a food that is only approved for Adult Maintenance by AAFCO to your puppy. I would feed an “All Life Stages” or puppy food (they truly are the same thing) until at least 1 year. If you have a large breed, then 2 years. If you have a giant breed (like a Dane), then 3 years. I also agree with aquariangt about vets. My vet and I butt heads over what I feed my dog. I choose to feed The Honest Kitchen and raw. My vet says that feeding Purina or Iams is just as good and all I’m doing is wasting my money on expensive dog food. I told him that we’ll have to agree to disagree and we don’t speak on the subject anymore.
I hope this is helpful. Just my two cents 🙂
Hi Camano-
Welcome to the cat food thread. Most of us on this thread often mention catinfo.org as one of our favorite sites for cat food information. Lisa Pierson is a vet and author of the site. She highly recommends feeding species appropriate wet food to cats. This tends to help prevent urinary tract problems and blockages especially in male cats. She suggests not using any dry at all. That being said, it is expensive to feed my four cats all canned, dehydrated or raw. So, I feed about 3/4 canned and 1/4 dry. My big male cats are the ones that eat more dry. I tend to believe that most of the high quality dog food makers also make high quality cat food. My cats are indoor only, so I lean to lower calorie kibble. Right now, I am feeding Wellness Core kibble with budget friendly canned such as Authority, Chicken Soup, Nutro Max, Soulistic and even some Friskies and Fancy Feast to keep the costs down. I have also fed Taste of the Wild, Earthborn, and Premium Edge dry foods. I’m sure a couple of the other regulars will pop in and give their recommendations as well. Oh, yes, I try to stay away from fish as my 15 year old cat has hyperthyroidism. Again, welcome!
All-life-stage dog food is very unclear to the proper amount of vitamins that they may or may not have in each bag/brand. In fact, most all-life-stage dog foods are created for puppies and by the time the dog gets older, they are over-weight and sometimes very sick. Unless you plan on feeding some sort of Raw Diet to your puppy or a dehydrated dog food, if thats the case then all-life-stages is the way to go.
Hi All,
I just wanted to share about the great deal Amazon has on the #8 Weston meat grinder right now. The Weston 575 Watt Electric Heavy Duty Grinder usually retails for about $150 but Amazon is selling it for $98.99 today. I bought mine on May 27 for $86.66. It may not be under $100 for long. If you want to try making your own homemade raw, I would suggest this grinder as a place to start. I didn’t want to spend $500-$700 on a really good grinder until I was sure I could fully commit the time to prep/grind. I bought two Harvestland fryer chickens from BJ’s last night for $1.49/lb and prepped them for grinding today. I ground through about 8 lbs of chicken in less than 10 minutes. It was awesome!
Hi Steve and Corey-
I enjoyed both of your posts because I have had the same puzzlements. And yes, I have also weighed food to see how many cups per bag to compare prices. I have since just decided to go with foods that are around 400 calories per cup and just compare their prices to keep things easier. Also that way everyone knows how much to feed when I rotate to another brand. I have it posted above their food in the garage who gets how much. Lol! I found that with just a little tweaking, the dog food calculator on this site worked pretty well for me. I’ve also found that most companies have the calories listed on their websites or you can email them to get the information. I also add toppers and use less kibble to compensate. A lot of canned foods do list the calories on the can or their websites also. I just use an average of 350 calories per can now. Fresh Pet, Honest kitchen and Northwest Naturals frozen raw nuggets also list their calories on the package, if you want to use any of those as toppers.
I can’t say anything about the seizures either.
My personal favorite kibbles are Acana Regionals and Orijen. These are expensive but I feel we’ll worth it. I have an active 38 # dog and she was getting 1 1/4 cups of food a day on these kibbles. These can be found at Pet Supplies Plus stores and local specialty boutiques. I was actually surprised to see how many specialty shops were around when I started looking for them.
Other favorites include Wellness Core (found at Petsmart and Petco) and Fromm Four Star (Pet Supplies Plus and boutiques). A lot of people like Dr. Tim’s and Victor grain free but I can not find these in the local stores, so I haven’t tried them. I would have to order them online. I have had great experiences ordering food and other stuff from Chewy.com.
If I had to pick a kibble on a budget, I would probably try Whole Earth Farms Grain Free. This can be found at Petco and Pet Supplies Plus. I’m not sure if Petsmart carries it or not because I haven’t been there in a while.
Just remember that not all foods are made for all dogs. Just because my dog does great on certain foods doesn’t mean that yours will. You have to find one that works for you and your dog.
You may want to look at feeding a 4 star kibble before jumping right to a 5. Moose will be going from a plant based diet to a meat based diet and that can cause some upsets. Just remember to transition him very slowly. You can also add some pumpkin while switching. If you buy it from the grocery store just make sure that it is pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Fruitables makes a digestive supplement with pumpkin to help with switching.
As for species appropriate food. Kibble is not one of them because kibble does not contain the amount of moisture needed for a species appropriate diet. The ideal moisture would be a food that containes around 70% moisture. For example canned is better than kibble and frozen raw is better than canned. Google Dr. Karen Becker best to worst foods. There is a video and a list that is super helpful.
Right now I am feeding my girl Primal frozen raw and The Honest Kitchen dehydrated. There are a ton of great foods out there, just need to know where to look. You should keep an open mind about ordering online. I’ve never had a bad experience with Chewy.com.
This is probably way more info than you want but this is only a little bit. Trust me. There is so much info out there it will make your head spin for a while. You can also get into feeding a homemade diet too. Others will have to help with that.
From being on this site and reading what others have posted about dogs with seizures, you should try and eliminate as many toxins in your home as you possible can AND please, get your dog off beneful. Any kind of air freshners, cleaning sprays, flea products, etc. can all contribute to seizures. Hopefully BCnut will see this and respond, because I’ve learned alot from her advice to other people. As for food, I’m sure someone can give you some good options. I feed my dog a balanced raw diet, which is the very best you could do for your dog, but it’s not right for everyone.
Just curious, why don’t you want to order online? It is so convenient and you have access to so many good foods. Most of the 5 star foods on this site can be easily ordered online. What about Freshpet Vital? Have you looked into that. That is a 5 star food that you can buy at most Petsmarts or Walmart and it’s 100 times better than Beneful. I feed that to my dog occasionally and she loves it. I also use cage free fresh chicken eggs or sardines as toppers.
Bobby dog,
Thanks so much for the great info! I really have learned a lot from this thread and from the catinfo webswte. I have actually been on catinfo.org and if I had a cat I would only feed that sucker raw/good canned. But for a shelter and my friends, I thought that just some “exotic American and still decent foods” would be a good change. I plan to bring kibble for the dogs and none for the cats unless I find a great deal on sale or something. All grain-free is what I will try to get. And then promote this site and catinfo.org to them. Just hope they find someone to translate for them on the go, lol. If all else fails I may just grab some Pure Balance from Walmart and Rachael Ray Nutrish Zero Grain but I will go on a deal hunt tomorrow!
I also got some great deals on small chew toys on clearance for $.99 at PetSmart (got 4 for the shelter + 2 for Bruno) and tennis balls for chasing (got 3). Plus the 14-so-far souffles and I want to get at least 6 more. And the dog kibble. My checked bag will be full! LoL.
And I will miss my men as well! But we got this! Should be back in no time! 🙂
Hello everyone,
I have a 3 year old Puggle, his name is Moose, and he was diagnosed with Epilepsy last year. He has been on Phenobarbital since December 31, 2013, and has only had 2 very mild seizures since then (for which I am deeply thankful). He loves food more than anything on earth, and I want the healthiest products to go in his body.
When Moose was still in the first month of taking Pheo., he put on a bit of weight. He was 30 lbs when he had his first blood draw to check his numbers. I stepped up the exercise and playtime to get his mind off of ‘eat, eat, eat’ and back on ‘fun, fun, fun’. It’s been working extremely well for us. He is going back in mid-June to have another blood draw and get weighed.
I have never heard of most of the brands presented in Editors Choice, so I would like a little bit of advice. My three primary concerns are: 1) The brand should be common enough that I can leave the house and go pick it up – I am not looking for something I have to buy online. 2) I am looking for a product that is healthy, and one that he would be drawn to if he were out in the wild. 3) Weight management. He and I are both active and very playful, but I still need to keep an eye on his weight. He loves to eat and it’ll go to his hips in a heartbeat.
Any advice or personal testimonials are welcome. Thank you for taking the time to read this and help me out. It is much appreciated!
Jenna
Have you seen this yet?
/forums/topic/pictures-of-dogs-eating-raw-raw-meals/
What are you feeding currently? My lab battled Otitis for many years. This was before any of us knew what dog nutrition was… She constantly had irritated ears. All the vet did was prescribe drops and washes to “neutralize” the problem.
One day, it got so far out of hand that her whole body broke out in raw spots. We had to keep a sweater and a cone on her to prevent biting/scratching. I bought her a better food and, no lie, all of the problems disappeared within a month!
She’s currently on a grain free food (I’m testing to see if her doggie dandruff is a grain allergy or not. It’s not itchy, just a little flaky now), but pretty much everything that had no corn, wheat, or soy was fine for her to eat.
I used to have a picky Shih Tzu. She would never eat and she always vomited bile from having an empty stomach. Then I discovered raw dehydrated food! She eats every day now and I’m guessing it’s been 3 years since I started feeding her the dehydrated raw. I alternate between Stella and Chewy’s, Primal and Ziwipeak. I also started feeding her Only Natural Pet Max Meat and the air dried variety of The Real Meat Company. Every time she finishes a bag I switch to another brand and protein and she never has digestive issues. I keep Tiki Dog and Weruva canned varieties on hand for days when I want her to have a special treat. Hang in there. You will eventually find some foods that your dog will love. Just try not to give in and offer treats because your dog will catch on quickly and will hold out for them.
Our family has had Saint Bernards since before I was born, but the diet choices weren’t either as varied or as useful as they are now. “What’s cheap?” reigned over “What’s the best diet?” Now I have a Saint Bernard puppy (9 weeks) coming into our household who’s been raised on Sportmix Wholesome. It averages 3.5 stars, but given its first few ingredients are major flags, I’m not willing to “save a few bucks” in exchange for a less healthy and shorter-lived pup!
I can’t access HDM’s Large Breed Dog Food list on Google (argh); am considering Victor Grain Free, but am open to any dog food good for giant-breed dogs (my pup’s dad is 220 and a strapping boy, so he isn’t likely to be small…) Saints develop at a rapid pace, so their dietary needs are similar to other giants (Newfies, Mastiffs, Danes, Pyrenees, etc.)
Am reading everything I can get my hands on. I’m willing to get better quality dog food; would appreciate any advice, as well as thoughts on feeding raw vs. great-quality package food. Thanks!
Hi zolicylus –
Supplementing a raw diet with items such as those suggested above – RMBs, sardines, oils – will not result in the components “digesting at different rates.” Why would a chicken neck digest at a different rate than ground chicken?
In fact, it’s very beneficial to supplement any diet with healthy fats such as coconut oil and sardines, as Sandy mentioned. Coconut oil offers many benefits – it has natural antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties and may help improve skin and coat health. More info here.
Darwin’s does not add a source of available omega 3’s (DHA/EPA) to their foods so it would actually be advisable to feed sardines (or another fatty fish on a regular basis). The only source of omega 3’s in the Darwin’s recipes is flax. plant based omega 3’s (with the exception of algal oil) contain omega 3’s in the form of ALA. ALA is a a short-chain fatty acid that is, essentially, a pre-cursor to long chain omega 3’s DHA and EPA. It is DHA and EPA that the body utilizes and because ALA is poorly converted (in most cases less than 10% actually gets converted) it’s necessary to feed foods naturally rich in long chain omega 3’s (EPA/DHA) such as fatty fish, algal oil or cage-free eggs.
Feeding RMBs in conjunction with a balanced ground raw diet (such as Darwin’s) will provide the dog with the dental benefits they miss out on when eating ground food.
Go to the foods website to look for the calorie content. Once you have that, you can use the calorie content. I’ve read that dogs with sensitive tummies do well on NutriSource. You could feed it to all your dogs, if they do well on it. For the one with teeth issues, add done warm water to soften the food. You could feed canned but that would be expensive for a dog of his size. You could try dehydrated or premade or ground raw.
Haha, it’s helpful to be honest, thank you. And I’ve read that raw meats are really good for great danes, raw meat is probably high in protien? I’m not sure but if it is, that doesn’t make sense. I think I’ll maybe just stick to the 24% dog food and chop up some raw meat too! I swear ill get one, it’s my biggest ever life goal, I love them to bits, just as I said previously, I wouldn’t want to be harming him/her by feeding food that isn’t good for them! I more or less know everything other than the diets because there are so many different theories about it, but like I said I think as long as they’re getting protien, calcium etc, a healthy diet! Then nothing crucial could happen! 🙂
