[Jackie B]

I feed nearly all canned food. Sometimes I buy commercial frozen raw when I am in the vicinity of a pet store that carries it, which is not very often. I do make homemade food from a recipe book or pre-mixed sometimes, maybe once a month I will make 5 days worth.

I really wanted to go with THK for a lot of the time, however my dog will not eat it. Same story with Grandma Lucy’s and I and Love and You. He will eat a little but has yet to finish a whole bag.

[Dori]

Hi Shasta. No I’ve never tried local raw honey. Do you know anything more about it? Where do you buy something like that? Also wondering if and when I find it, how much do you give? I swear I’m willing to try anything that anyone has had any luck with. This seasonal allergy is prove to me awful for her and it’s just started. I just heard on the news this morning that this allergy season is predicted to be one of the worst in history here in the South. YUCK YUCK!!!!!!

[CSollers]

If it’s available where you live, K9 Kravings is about the least expensive prepared raw I’ve found. FWIW, you’ll probably be saving money in the long run in vet bills when you feed a raw diet.

[CSollers]

Our old vet prescribed Hills when one of our Pugs, Minni, had Struvite issues. After a bit of research, we switched her to prepared raw with absolutely no more problems. Both Pugs have been on a raw diet for around four years and are thriving. We rotate proteins and manufacturers to ensure they get all of the different macro-nutrients. The AAFCO standard is a minimum standard, and does not differentiate for bio-availabilty of nutrients. Low quality food with nutrients/vitamins that cannot be absorbed by the animal’s GI tract may meet the standard.

[Shasta220]

Dori, I don’t know much, but I’ve heard tons of people use local raw honey for allergies. Have you ever tried that for your girl?

[Sharon Buchanan]

MastiffLove ~

YAAY for you, more so for your dog!!! In addition to Dr. Becker’s book, get Kymythy’s book too. Amazon has it on Kindle so you can start using it right away.

If you’re going to go raw, I’d just go for it. Pups aren’t addicted to kibble the way adult dogs who’ve been raised on it are. There will be no need for a transition period. When I decided to transition Mystery to raw, I thought I’d feed raw in the morning and kibble at dinner. A couple days later it occurred to me, if he’s eating the raw in the morning, why not just feed raw for dinner too? I pitched the kibble. So far, I haven’t had any problem feeding Mystery any kind of meat. Unless there’s something inherently wrong with your pup (what’s his name?), everything should be considered fair game (NPI), just keep an eye on him as you introduce new food. Supplementation should be done on an as needed basis.

Since he’s a pup, keep it as simple as possible. I fretted over all sorts of stuff – for no good reason. Mystery’s first few meals consisted of an organic whole chicken that I brought home and cut up myself. It was about five pounds and lasted two days. The liver, neck and gizzards were included so he got those as well. You’ll hear a lot about “balancing over time”. This simply means that you’re to feed 80% muscle, 10% bone, 5% liver and 5% other organs (the balance) over a period of a few days or so. You don’t have to make sure every meal is balanced, just perhaps the week’s meals are.

Mystery’s first couple of weeks weren’t entirely balanced at all while I was trying to locate sources of raw food. When I finally made the decision to go raw, I knew I didn’t want a bunch of frozen patties and chubs. I wanted to feed whole slabs of meat. I’m still working out local sources for purchasing a half a cow here, 20 chicken there, some rabbit… A number of folks here suggested a company that ships whole foods so I started there but the shipping is expensive which is why everyone needs local sources. Do some Google searches for raw food co-ops in your area.

The cost for raw food is definitely more expensive than cheap kibble, however, the tradeoff is that you won’t have as many vet bills to pay because your dog will have an awesome immune system. You will learn though, to shop for deals, look for co-ops, find a friend to share a cow – yeah, you might want to start looking for a freezer so you can spend less by purchasing in bulk.

I could go on, but I’m going to suggest a few more places you will find helpful. One is the LBP raw thread (just two pages), where you’ll find some newbie questions answered: /forums/topic/feeding-raw-non-commercial-to-large-breed-puppies/. I would also point you to Facebook, something I had no use for until our eighth grandchild was born – okay, the kids kept beating me up about joining, but I now use my page mostly for raw nutrition exchanges with others who are likeminded. There are a number of raw feeding groups – search “raw feeding”. Some are better than others. Search for me – I’m currently using the same image of Mystery for Facebook that I use here, and I’ll share my opinion on which I like and which I don’t. I’ll also check with some Canadian “friends” to see if they’re near you and can help you resource food.

What I’m sharing with you is nothing more than what I have gleaned from forum members here, a weekend-long webinar on raw feeding featuring holistic vets and nutritionists, and folks who attended the conference that have been feeding anywhere from a few months to over 30 years. Just wanted to be clear that I’m still new at this too. And if folks who’ve been feeding raw for 30 years still feel like they can learn something new, I’m happy to be in their company. The raw community is amazing!

[Dori]

The vets have just been taking your money. To me it sounds as though this is entirely a food issue as well as the touch of arthritis. A fabulous commercial raw diet is Darwin’s. It can only be purchased on line on their site. If you ever think about adding a commercial raw you can try them. They are an auto delivery service also first time buyers get a great deal. Anyway you can check out their site and see what you think. A lot of us swear by them. And yes, commercial raw is more expensive than kibble BUT, you save so much in vet bills it’s not even funny. Since on raw my dogs only go to the vet for their yearly physical. That’s it. Before that I was with Katie at one vet or specialist constantly. Expensive, time consuming and lots of used up gas. I hate the fact that they put your dog on steroids. They cause so much damage, the steroids as well as some vets. I’ve never known of any dog or person (myself included) that was ever made allergy free with the injections. Please check the ingredients in the Natural Balance. If she’s itching on this food than I would change it. It’s obviously got ingredients that she can’t tolerate.

[Lea J]

dchassett, appreciate your response. Did not put a whole lot of stock in allergy tests-and injections just seemed silly and did not help one bit. One vet had her on oral steroids- which helped but at what cost?! Needless to say, weaned her off. Currently, she is on Natural balance and home made “glop” (meat, veggies, fruits mixed in processor) I give her Benadryl when she seems uncomfortable by itching and/or drives me crazy with her itching. I am going to try the Springtime Joint Health as well. I am a bit reluctant to start the raw diet as I live in a small town in Alabama and resources for this sort of thing commercially are limited except via internet. We have been to five different vets over the years and each has a different expensive test to order! I am going to take your advice and try more homemade.

[Dori]

Hi Lea J. I feel like this is my mantra but I will say it again. I have a 4 1/2 year old Maltipoo, Katie, has had severe food allergies and intolerances as well as environmental allergies since we got her at 9 weeks of age. I’ve tried any and all suggestions out there. Went through a ton of food, most of which to no avail. What finally worked for her is commercial raw foods. I like Primal Pronto the best. I also rotate her foods with Darwins, and Answers raw. I’ve tried Stella and Chewy’s raw and Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw which I didn’t like at all. Anyway, I have three small dogs that I feed 1/4 cup twice a day. I do add and/or feed sardines (canned in water, not oil), coconut oil, probiodics, digestive enzymes, fresh fruits and veggies. Their treats consist of fresh fruits or veggies. I don’t use store bought treats. To many issues with Katies allergies. My 14 1/2 year old Maltese has arthritis in her right hip and also two degenerated discs mid spine. I rotate supplements as well as their foods. I haven’t found any particular joint supplement that has worked miracles. I have just ordered Sprintime’s Joint Health and Fresh Factor. Some people have been reporting that they are having good luck with these. Anyway, I think I’ve digressed here from my mantra which is: Grain, Soy, Poultry (in all forms), White Potato and Rice Free food as well as anything else you think your dog may be allergic or intolerant to. Your allergy list really doesn’t seem to be that bad though I wouldn’t doubt that she has more problems than just the ones you named. Full disclosure, I don’t believe that food allergy testing for dogs can be trusted. My dogs allergist/dermatologist as well as their traditional vets all would not do the testing. They said the tests are inaccurate, misleading and cost a lot of money. When vets tell you they won’t take your money, you know they are being accurate. To this date there are no known food allergy testing on animals that are accurate. As far as kibble goes, I can’t really recommend any because I’m not comfortable in my knowledge of their ingredients anymore. I figured out most of Katie’s food allergies by her reactions to the foods I was feeding and then comparing ingredients with other foods trying to figure out what was bothering her. She has many many issues. She just recently became allergic or intolerant to alfalfa. Allergic or intolerant to me is all the same. All I’m sure of is that either way, she can’t eat it so I don’t care whether some people say that it’s not really an allergy, it’s an intolerance. It’s all trial and error really and constantly researching ingredients. What works for my dogs may not work for others but eliminating the obvious typical allergens is a good place to start. It’s an incredibly long road in helping our allergy prone dogs but the work is well worth it for them. Exhausting on us. Oh, Spring is finally here in Atlanta where we live so for the last two days I’ve been giving her Benadryl twice a day. I hate having to do that but there is nothing I can personally do about environmental outdoor allergies. Trust me, if there was a way I would have found it by now. This is the first time I have ever had a dog with allergies and I’ll just say it keeps me on me on my toes with all things food related for her. Katie’s how I came across this site a couple of years ago and I, she and my other dogs have benefited immensely. Good Luck. If you need any clarification on anything I’ve said or any more questions please ask.

[Dori]

Hi Mountainhound. Though I have no objection to any of the ingredients specifically, it does seem as though there are an awful lot of lentils, peas and garbanzo beans. Just thought I’d add my thoughts for anyone thinking about this food. I feed raw, but if I were to go back to feeding kibble I would not feed this change up. When I was feeding kibble Acana Pacifica was in my rotation, none of the dogs did particularly well on it. Not anything really bad other than my allergy prone sensitive stomach girl who couldn’t eat the Acana. I eventually switched to all raw because of her. They are doing fabulous now EXCEPT Spring has come to Atlanta and, of course, allergy girl also has environmental allergies. So bad that I’ve had to put her on Benadryl twice a day for the last couple of days. I hate it!!!!!

[L R]

For what it’s worth, as a possible future consumer of BRB, I was curious about BRB company, looked up some info, and wrote Steve Lea (the owner) to ask him some questions. He didn’t answer anything regarding the two companies Lea-way Farms Inc., and BRB. He said “no 3D/4D” in my email reply below and on an email someone else got back he said “no 3D/4D material”, why he wasn’t more clear/specific and just state “no 3D/4D meat”, I’m not sure, I don’t know if that means anything like he was sort of dodging the question or not. I also wrote to Susan Thixton, author of “The Truth about Pet Food” blog to see if she had any info on BRB. This is the info I found and received from them.

My email to Steve. . .
“Hi Steve, I’m sure you get this a lot but I would really appreciate if you could answer a few questions I had, and clear up some confusion.

I know that you own BRB as well as Lea way Inc., I’ve read from Iredell county commissioner minutes on the Iredell county government website archives that Lea Way Inc., is in the business of animal removal from local area farms and recycles it for pet food for Grey hound racing tracks in FL. At least you were as of May 2006.
http://www.co.iredell.nc.us/Departments/Planning/minutes/April2006pbminutes.pdf
Page 6
”Lea-Way Company picks up deceased cattle from area farms and provides a means for sanitary disposal; the existing plant processes useable materials into pet food products”

http://www.co.iredell.nc.us/Commissioners/minutes/Regular/May_9_2006_regular_minutes.pdf
Page 4 notes from that meeting stated. . .
”Lea said since 1979, his company had helped to recycle dead animals, at no cost to the county or state.” “Commissioner Robertson asked about the process — muscle tissue removed from the carcass. Lea said this was correct, and the tissue was boxed, frozen, labeled, and shipped to the Greyhound Tracks in Florida as pet food.”

Are the Iredell county documents correct in their information or were they at the time they were written correct? Are BRB and Lea Way Inc. connected in any other way besides sharing a mailing address? Is Lea way Inc. still in the practice of collecting downed animals and recycling them for petfood products for greyhound racing? If not, what happens to all the muscle meat you process from the downed animals you pick up, if it’s not going into pet food products? Are you still greyhound breeding for racing?

If the information is correct, I’m curious why one company produces pet products/food from picked up dead animals, and why your other company BRB would have a different meat quality standard?

I am interested in trying your products and I would really appreciate some information, and I’m hoping you reply back and answer my questions directly and honestly.”

Steve Lea’s email Reply. . .
“I will try to give you a short direct answer?
This was an attempt by me 8 years ago to take material that is unusable for ANYTHING, and turn them into renewable fuels.
I see that now you have dug up the commissioners Minutes as well.
If you read them you will see it was tabled and then withdrawn,
None of this happened then and is not happening now, and has NOTHING to do with BRB, or the products in BRB…
There is no 3-4D in Any of our products..
The internet is full of old outdated information that is no longer the case.
Some people have spent allot of time digging up this old outdated information and attempting to link it to BRB
to attempt to destroy it
WHY????????
I have answered these questions hundred’s of times only to find my words turned around and misrepresented on chat sites
I WILL NO LONGER ADDRESS THIS ISSUE!!!!
If you choose to believe these internet bullies and not feed BRB we wish you and your pets the best.
If you choose to believe your own eyes and your pets health and feed BRB we thank you for your business and support
Steve”

Susan Thixton’s email reply when asked about any information she might have about BRB as a company…
“A year or two ago – I had a horse rescue volunteer reach out to me about this company. She provided me with the USDA website link that gives the owner of Blue Ridge Beef (but in the name of another company) a license to be a dead animal hauler. Also I was told – same ‘other’ company offers inexpensive euthanisia services for horses. I was told he comes to the farm and shoots the horse and then removes the body. I reported this to the Georgia Department of Agriculture, Florida Department of Agriculture – and to my knowledge they did nothing with the information I provided them. To me, it is a conflict of interest for a raw meat pet food company to also have a license to haul dead animals. But…they don’t ask me. I suggest – if you are not completely comfortable with the company – listen to your gut.
Susan”

When looking for info, I did find a 2013 forum post in a horse forum that referenced using Lea way farms in Statesville, NC to humanely euthanize and dispose of their horse. So it may be that as of 2013 Lea way farms was still collecting/disposing downed animals.
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?393457-Spin-Off-on-Cabelas-amp-Rendering-Plants

[MastiffLove]

Sharon,

Thanks again for your reply!

After talking about all the dog food kibbles and other food types we can give to our puppy and reading and watching videos on http://healthypets.mercola.com/ (thanks HDM) me and my wife decided that we will go raw! It might end up being more costly in the end but at least we will know for sure what is precisely in his dog food and we can have a better control on his diet plus it just makes sense to feed him that way …you don’t find kibbles in the wild!

I’ve ordered Dr. Becker’s Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats Cookbook, Probiotics, Krill Oil and Spirugreen Superfood, that way i’ll have everything on hand for whatever needs our dog has. (just mentioning what i bought so far, still more to come for a complete diet like Coconut Oil and such).

I am currently researching for a meat manufacturer that provides food stores to get the best price, luckily for me there are several in my area.

We have bought the breeders kibble (1st Choice Large pup) for the first 3 weeks, then i was thinking of switching him to Orijen (i know the calcium lvl is a bit high) for the next 2 weeks to get him on a better kibble. Then mix Orijen and Raw to finally end up to only raw.

Should i switch 1st Choice and mix it with raw after the first 3 weeks and increase the raw dosage and skip Orijen entirely?…i don’t know, it would be a faster way to get him on a better and proper food balance but he would be on 1st Choice longer and honestly i really dislike the ingredient in that kibble.

[Sharon Buchanan]

MastiffLove ~

I was reading over my notes from a recent raw feeding conference and it isn’t just meat that will throw off the calcium/phosphorus in your dog’s diet. Having spent the better part of a few months researching bone health before getting my Mystery, I had asked the question about how to ensure he wouldn’t get too much calcium on a raw diet – even though eight months later, he was now able to process excess calcium (he won’t be our last puppy).

“Calcium can go out of solution when feeding too many vegetables. Keeping normal acidity (low alkaline) in the digestion by avoiding veggies in puppies keeps calcium in solution and won’t deposit excess on the bones.”

That was the answer from Kymythy Schultze a certified clinical nutritionist who raises champion Newfoundlands. She has a wonderful book called Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats.

[Sharon Buchanan]

MastiffLove ~
Fromm’s Frittata Beef has very little meat protein in it since the first ingredient is Beef, not Beef Meal. There’s probably more pork than beef in this recipe even though it’s listed as the number six ingredient. It’s nice that they’ve added Whole Egg but the other top three ingredients are starches. So, no grains but… If you can get it, I like their LBP Gold better. First and second ingredients are Chicken and Chicken Meal and the calcium/phosphorus is a bit lower but so is protein at 26%. Looking back at my notes, I’m showing protein should be between 29 and 30%. $90 for a 26#bag is outrageous. There just is no really good option for LBP kibble.

Be careful about feeding kibble and feeling like you need to supplement with additional protein. Kibble stays in the digestive tract longer than raw or home cooked food, creating a situation where that “real” food will become rancid. If you must, never feed them both in the same meal.

One of the neater benefits of feeding raw is that their bodies efficiently process that food and therefore, you have less waste. I was so surprised and absolutely delighted when Mystery’s poop went from stinky gigantic soft logs to what looks like it belongs to a miniature pup and the smell is only noticeable when I bend over to pick it up. Now that the cats are eating raw and home cooked, the litter box isn’t noxious anymore (and when I say noxious – I mean hope-you-can-hold-your-breath long enough to empty the litter box noxious). The cats had been on Orijen as well and my kitten was forever having issues with soft stools. All of that is a thing of the past.

It took me nearly a year to make the decision to go raw so yeah, I’m now a die-hard convert. Sorry about that if it isn’t a consideration for you – yet! 🙂

[Shasta220]

Thanks for the help, guys! Ah, yes, Dori. Drives me nuts to see everyone say that kibble cleans teeth. I mean, yeah, it’s probably better than canned, but it still gives gross buildup – if it didn’t, then my dog wouldn’t have lost a tooth! I’d love to do raw, but resources and wallet just don’t allow it.

I’ll definitely check into those brands recommended. Good to know that I’m not the only one who thinks water additives do virtually nothing. The best breath-freshener for my super picky dog (he is DISGUSTED by ANY tooth products, he’s way too smart to fall for that “chicken” flavor, or “flavorless” stuff lol!), was to smash coconut oil into the edge of a bowl and let him lick it off. That way it’d eventually spread all through his mouth; if I’d just let him chew/gulp it down, it wouldn’t have time to get everywhere.

For sure, next time I get a puppy (not seeing that for another 5-10yrs at least), oral hygiene will start right away. My rescue guy has naaasty teeth with strange brown tartar/stains that won’t come off regardless of brushing/scraping. His personality/energy makes him seem about 3y.o., but those teeth look almost as bad as a 7-8y.o. dog…dang I wish I could know about his past LOL!

[Dori]

Hey Shasta 220. I have to admit that I’ve used quite a few different water additives for my dogs teeth and none of them ever did anything. The only thing I have ever found that helps their teeth is a raw diet and brushing their teeth twice a day. I brush their teeth after their breakfast right after I brush my own after my breakfast and before their bedtime right before I brush mine before my bedtime. I have found that kibble was the worst for their teeth regardless of the fact that the old myth continues that kibble helps with cleaning teeth. Ridiculous.

[Shasta220]

I would probably agree with Sue. Picky eaters are easy to form, hard to UNform! Skipping a meal or two will not hurt him (I know some dog owners who fast their dogs for a day once every week or two even.). Is he overweight or are you concerned about keeping weight on him?

I’ve not dealt with picky dogs before, since I try to keep my food fairly consistent with my dogs. Only one guy was picky, so I just offered him the same food. He ended up going hungry for about 2 days, then finally ate and hasn’t had a problem since.

I do have a picky cat, so I totally feel you – she refuses ANY cat food, so she has to be on a raw diet. Have you considered doing your own homemade diet for your guy, or are you going to give commercial foods one more shot?

[jakes mom]

Thanks, I may try the vinegar. She has no raw areas, just has a bit of brown discharge. I was wondering if there was anything I could use to help her feel a little more comfortable while we’re working on the food angle. Bought an assortment of canned foods for her, so far she’s not thrilled with any of them. All grain free and no soy, etc. Any other suggestions? Stay away from anything special?

[Margie W]

My 8 year old lab that I currently cook for (tried the raw but he wouldn’t eat it- immediately regurgitated it) is on a high protein high fat diet (due to cancer diagnosis for spindle cell sarcoma a year ago) I steam veggies mix with cottage cheese and egg and then add canned mackeral. I use RX Vitamin onco support in the evening, Berte green blend morning and evening and Berte immune blend in the AM. He’s also on a holistic regimen of Carcinosin and Thuja (which we began after a recurrence of the spindle cell and that is now in remission) He’s been having issues with mucus in his stool and some diarrhea (sporadically) for the past couple of months. He’s been on two rounds of metronidazole- his poops are fine during the medication and then for sometime after. But now he’s had another mucusy soft poop. Wondering if adding probiotics would help but also want to know if he’s getting some already in what I’m giving him. Don’t want to overdo the supplements. I’ve looked at the Mercola probiotic which doesn’t seem to have any of the ingredients that are in the other things he’s getting. Trying to keep this short but my Rupert is complicated! Any help would be appreciated.

[Sharon Buchanan]

MastiffLove ~
Don’t try adding too much to the kibble you feed. All those toppers add to nutrients already in whatever kibble you decide to feed, including perhaps calcium/phosphorus – which should be your primary concern until your Mastiff is at least six to twelve months old. Not saying you shouldn’t add anything, just be mindful of what they’re adding to the diet.

When feeding kibble, it’s unlikely that you’re going to find the perfect food for a large breed puppy. When I brought Mystery home, I’d already done several months of research on food. Although I would have preferred grain-free, I couldn’t find it with an acceptable calcium percentage. I put him on Innova LBP (which has since changed their formula and I’m not sure I’d recommend it now but it’s still better than Pro Plan, Science Diet, Iams and others). I moved Mystery to Orijen LBP when he was about nine months old and able to process excess calcium properly. Orijen will tell you that they shoot for their minimum percentage but as long as they think their maximum is acceptable (and they do hide behind the AAFCO guidelines), I wouldn’t have been comfortable with it in those early months.

Mystery is now a year old and has been on a raw diet for about two months. We’ve transitioned two more Goldens in Korea with my husband and I’m working on four cats (the kitten didn’t need transitioning). If I were to get another puppy today, she’d go straight to raw where calcium/phosphorus is perfectly balanced among protein and organs in a whole-prey diet. And still I don’t add a lot to his diet. He gets coconut oil because of a skin condition, vitamin C and curcumen because of the high cancer mortality in Goldens (though the raw diet and minimalist vaccine schedule will help that as well), and garlic for pest control. I haven’t started adding any fruits & vegetables as I’m still researching their benefits (or lack thereof).

Good to see your note about not feeding RC!

[Pugsonraw]

Hi Dchassett,

I took both my pugs off several supplements right now (not just Springtime)… I have food & allergy tests run about every 6 months and this time around something I’m giving them triggered for NutraSweet in it as well as some of the normal food allergies I usually see. I’m not sure what it is so I’ve completely scaled back to rotating in a few of these things:
organic coconut oil, mercola krill oil, mercola enzymes and probiotics, braggs apple cider vinegar, and a hypoallergenic phycox joint supplement. I’ve used these over the year… and these have not triggered anything for the pugs. Not sure where the NutraSweet came from but I don’t want it in their diet.

Just when I think I’m wining the battle with their allergies or food choices, something changes…. and Spring is here in CA! My pugs are so different and it is hit and miss with products I try… what works for one, makes the other super itchy…

I have been looking at the Bug Off garlic though… even ordered the granules but they have not arrived yet. I was just at the vets yesterday and they were trying to suggest accuguard which is an oral pill.

Not sure if this helps but I find sometimes you just need to test it out, cross your fingers and see how it goes…

Dawn aka Pugsonraw…

[Sharon Buchanan]

GoldenMom ~ I don’t know what you finally decided on for feeding your new Golden but hold off on antlers. One – you don’t want to add more calcium to his diet and two – you don’t want to damage his teeth. Mystery just turned one and I’ve only recently gotten him his first antler. I feed him raw so he’s got the whole bone crushing thing down, though I watch him like a hawk when he’s gnawing on the antler.

[Sharon Buchanan]

MastiffLove ~
No, no, no – do not feed Royal Canin Giant Puppy just because it has a low calcium. I agree that the calcium should be lower than 1% to start but the food needs to be at least of decent quality. Royal Canin Giant Puppy has virtually no protein whatsoever and only junk fillers in the first five ingredients:
Brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, wheat gluten, corn, corn gluten meal

You need to look over the list of foods that HDM put together at the beginning of this thread. If you’re going to continue feeding kibble, after six months of age you can move your pup to Orijen. In the meantime, find the lowest calcium, grain-free (or limited) giant/large breed puppy food you can. If a company doesn’t list their maximum calcium percentage, call them and ask.

Better yet, go raw!

[Shasta220]

Yesss I know I know! He has good intentions, and does put the ointment on until the spot goes away, but like I say – it’s like putting perfume on body odor. It masks it, but ain’t gonna take it away.

What just irks me THE most is that danged Beneful!!! You can buy 4 star foods for the same price, if not less! I somewhat understand someone needing to feed a cheap food due to tight budget, but this guy does not have a tight budget… He thinks he spoils them by buying Puperoni, rawhide chews, and Beggin Strips *long depressed sigh*

I’m glad you guys totally understand me though. I’ll admit, there was a time when I thought that the fancier packaging, various colors/shapes, and “wholesome soy” in Beneful was healthy; but I was a seven year old girl. Ya can’t blame me. By the time I was 11-12 (when I got my first personal puppy), I was aware of the fact that dogs need quality of some sort. I’ll admit, I was content when my folks bought a bag of food with bone meal or by-product as the first ingredient, but hey! For being uneducated, at least I had enough common sense to know animal products are needed in a dog’s diet.

[theBCnut]

If the cat has no raw skin in the ear, it’s great. But it burns like the dickens if there are any raw areas.

[Shasta220]

I’ve also read about people who use apple cider vinegar as an ear treatment. Mix some raw organic acv with an equal amount of water and wipe her ear out with the solution daily. I don’t know for sure if it’s safe for cats…it’s great for people and dogs, so I’d guess cats can handle it too.

[Shasta220]

It does sound like you need to take a slow approach to food, Patty and Sue gave good suggestions – starting with only a couple ingredients at a time, since he probably has many allergies.

There’s the slight possibility that he’s reacting to environment as well. Maybe try an anti fungal shampoo to see if it helps, and if it’s environmental allergies, possibly trying to give him coconut oil and raw LOCAL honey daily? That seems to have helped my sensitive lab a whole lot when diet alone wasn’t quite cutting it. Plus, the coconut oil helps oral health and makes super soft fur 🙂

[Susan]

Have you tried the elimination diet where he just eat 1 food for 1 month like kangaroo or chicken or fish Etc then if that meat seems ok then after 1 month add something new here’s a diet for yeasty itchy skin
1cup ground beef human
1/4 cup beef liver or kidney
2 eggs scrambled or boiled
1/2 cup steamed or boiled broccoli
1/2 cup cooked yellow crookneck squash
1/2 cup yogurt
serve meat cooked or raw combined with the cooked vegetables eggs & yogurt, If serving the meat cooked wait for it to cool before stirring in the yogurt..
intstead of the beef mince u can use chicken mince, pork mince or a tin of salmon or mackerel drained..
This was from this book called ‘Raw & Natural Nutrition for dogs’ The Definitive Guide to Homemade Meals by Lew Olson PhD… an excellent read explaining all health problems & what to feed dogs, there was more meals for skin problems, I just borrowed it from my Library…its raw & cooked Healthy meals, also a good shampoo is needed like Oatmeal shampoos..

[Tammi H]

I have tried many types of dry food for my Shepherd, we have even had him on two different types of prescription food. He still has itching. The vet suggested allergy testing, not sure I want to go that route. My boyfriend wants to try the raw diet, but I am not sure about that either, because he itches so much I am not sure where we would eve begin. Any suggestions?

[Dori]

Hey Patti. Another quick question. Do you think a chiropractor or acupuncturist would help with Hannah’s condition or am I just reaching for straws?

[Dori]

Hi Pugsonraw. How did the Advanced Hip and Joint Springtime supplement work out? Have you seen any improvement? I’m thinking of using this on Hannah. She’ll be 15 years old on 9/9/14. I rotate her supplements as well as her foods so I’m always on the look out for supplements that some may be having some luck with. She’s got arthritis, a couple of degenerated discs center spine, but lately I’ve noticed that the swing in her gait seems to be coming more from her hips than her legs. She’s also developing a tremor in both back legs. She had it a while back but it would only be one back leg or the other. Now it’s both back legs trembling when she’s standing still. Thanks, Dori

[theBCnut]

You need asystematic approach to discovering his allergies. He is likely allergic to more than one thing, and it isn’t just meats that you have to figure out. Plant matter has protein in it too and can cause these reactions. I understand that you don’t want to do a raw diet, but you need to do an elimination diet at least temporarily. You need to give him one protein and one starch for a few weeks, nothing else, and see if that takes care of the itching. If not, you need to try a different protein and a different starch for a few weeks and see if that stops the itching. Once you find something that he doesn’t react to, you can start adding back one ingredient at a time to his diet every couple weeks to see if he starts reacting. Then you will be able to figure out what specifically to avoid.

Some people get lucky and can find a Limited Ingredient Diet that works to start this process with, and if you want to try that route, your best bet is to try different varieties of Natural Balance or maybe Nature’s Variety Instinct LID Rabbit. You need to keep ingredient lists of foods you have tried that didn’t work and try to figure out what they have in common. If you find a food that works, you need to compare its ingredient list to figure out what it doesn’t have in it.

It’s quite a bit of detective work, but once you know what to avoid it is easier.

[GizmoMom]

I’ve been feeding THK Preference with ground meat. I rotate the proteins between bison, beef and chicken. Gizmo also gets raw chicken neck for teeth cleaning about 3 times a week. I add ground flax seed and coconut oil to his food. He’s been on this diet since January, and this seems to be working best for him.

Before this I’ve tried just about anything. High end kibbles, freeze dried, canned, premade raw, PMR. He’s a picky dog and sometimes would refuse to eat. THK is the only food that he hasn’t turned his nose up.

[DogFoodie]

Well, not proud to say that lately I’ve been feeding about 95% kibble and the remaining 5% is dehydrated or raw. I still have a load of Darwin’s in the freezer, so they still get a weekly meal of raw. I continue to feed an occasional bit of Dr. Harvey’s Oracle mixed in with the kibble and water.

I’ve been trying so hard to find kibbles that work for Sam with his intolerance issues, that I’ve been feeding straight kibble to see how he responds without adding anything to it. For various reasons, I cannot do raw full-time, and I choose to continue to use kibble as a base. So, there are frequently meals that he eats just kibble to which I’ve added water. Right now, I am basically down to two kibbles that Sam can eat… big sigh… He can eat Canine Caviar (either lamb or chicken with pearl millet) and Mulligan Stew (lamb only). Even things that he used to do well on aren’t working for him anymore so I’ve had to scratch Horizon Legacy and Nature’s Logic from his rotation.

[Cyndi]

I feed Bailey 100% raw. Mostly stuff from Hare Today and my butcher and also sardines, cage free eggs, veggies & other add-ins.

• This reply was modified 12 years ago by Cyndi.

[K a]

I have a 4 year old golden retriever/maremma/chow and the poor guy will not stop itching. He has been like this for the past few years and we have tried all different kinds of dog foods. He is currently on a vegan formula and he doesn’t itch as bad but he still itches, he was previously on natural balance, canine caviar, a kangaroo based food and a bison based food to name a few. The vets have told me they do not know what to do which is leaving me confused, does anyone have any suggestions or natural remedies to try? I would like to stay away from raw food as the cost is too much as he is a large dog.

Thanks for your help!

[chris w]

Our puggle loves to eat and chew on bones. I am afraid to get bones that splinter. She gulps everything down! She is over weight,so I have to watch what I give her. What is a good bone that will last,but not slinter? Should they be raw or cooked?

[mountainhound]

you need to feed your dog a moisture rich food, even if your dog drinks a lot of water, feeding kibble is counter productive to preventing UTI’s and crystals. Either raw, dehydrated foods like honest kitchen or grain free canned are your best options. I would also add probiotics and cranberry extract to the food daily. D-mannose works well if the uti is caused by e-coli bacteria.

[theBCnut]

It would depend on where my dog was boarding. If they could handle feeding raw, I would package up exactly the right amount using a premix or 2, so all they would have to do is thaw and put it in a dish. If they couldn’t handle the raw, I would make sure my dogs could handle full meals of freeze dried before I left and then have them use that.

[pugmomsandy]

Yes you can use freeze dried food when boarding your pet. It’s a little more pricey though. Even though my dogs eat raw, they still also get kibble and canned food so they wouldn’t have a problem eating either of those for a period of time if needed. That’s one good reason to feed a variety. I would probably use freeze dried or canned food if boarding my dogs.

[Shasta220]

You guys are all hilarious!!!!!! Toooooo funny, Marie! Sounds like being interested in dog nutrition just happens to bring the other hobbies around, LOL! Seems like everyone here loves some sort of music or art as well!

Thanks for the compliments. I’ve thought about trying a business out of it, but really it’s nothing more than a hobby. I’ve sold custom portraits to a few people, but I can never just find inspiration with someone saying “here’s a pic of my dog. Draw it and I’ll pay you.” Last one I did, I waited about a month before starting on it (if I’m not “inspired,” my drawings are lousy LOL!)… Then almost every drawing I do, it starts out looking /this/ way in my mind, and ends up WAY different when I’m finished. I’ve never had any lessons/classes, and I like it that way. I’m not really looking into doing anything more than draw on a rainy night or something.

I’m glad y’all like my steer! 😀 his name is Inigo Montoya (or Iggy), he just turned 1y.o. in January. He is a clever little claud he is! I’m actually not in the country – well, sort of yes, but not really. We’re on a 5acre plot. It’s 1.5mi to the nearest town (a very small one), and then the beach is only 7-8mi away. Ironically, we go there maybe twice in a year LOL!

[mountainhound]

There’s really no need to add vitamins if you feed commercial food since it’s already fortified. You can add whole foods like raw eggs or fish oil, but giving synthetic ones like the tablets you see sold at big box stores can lead to vitamin overdose.
there are some holistic premixes that also incorporate whole foods like flaxseed and kelp, I would use those instead.

[mountainhound]

with a dog that size, you can easily feed raw like primal nuggets at low cost. Yorkies are notorious for having bad teeth, and raw is the best way to prevent this.
As others said, puppy food isn’t necessary, a lot of it is just marketing gimmick. Puppy food has little more protein and calories, but not by much, usually just 1-2%.

[theBCnut]

I haven’t used those in particular, but I wouldn’t hesitate to use alligator, shrimp, crab, or crawfish for my dogs. A friend of mine uses bay scallops as a high value training treat for her dog. The dog gets one, she gets one, the dog gets one, she gets one…

[theBCnut]

The only raw I know of that isn’t expensive is homemade.

Have you looked at Darwin’s?

[Haywood U]

Thanks for sharing your recipes. I picked up a dog treat book about a year ago and have experimented with a couple of different recipes.

One that really surprised me was one with sardines. I happened to have a few cans in the pantry – trying them is something on my bucket list, but I can’t ever seem to bring myself to try them 😉

3 raw eggs
1 can of sardines packed in olive oil
Package (sleeve) of graham crackers

Mix in blender until liquified. Pour onto a cookie sheet and spread out. Bake at 350 F for approximately 20 minutes until it looks rubbery and light brown on top.

Let cool then cut. (I used a pizza cutter to slice up into little squares).

My dogs went absolutely nuts for them.

Recipe didn’t give any tips for storage, but they lasted about a week in a plastic bag before they started to get fuzzy, so I’m thinking they need to be refrigerated or frozen. ???

[Haywood U]

Just wondering if anybody has tried these treats.

http://www.biglots.com/p/c/dogs/bayou-bites-natural-dog-cookies

They are made by Delca Corporation. They also sell under the think! dog brand:

http://www.petco.com/product/123697/Think-Dog-Natural-Louisiana-Jerky-Dog-Treats.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

Are there any potential issues with dog treats made from alligator, crawfish, shrimp or crab?

I used to give my dogs the Grandpaw’s P’Nut Butter cookies (found during a random stop at Big Lots) and they loved them. The smaller size is perfect for use during training. I stopped by again to pick up some more and they didn’t have them, only these new Bayou Bites – same size and design, just different ingredients.

[Amy J]

I’ve used several top rated raw foods but they are very costly even for a small 15 lb dog. Can someone give me a 5 star recommended brand that is not so expensive? I’ve used Stella and Chewys patties and now using Primal Pronto (Chicken).

Thank you!

[aquariangt]

I have 2 tanks that I’ve used before, they each can fit 6 small plants (last year strawberries and cucumber) this year I’m adding a 6 box vertical vertigro planter, but don’t know what I’ll put in it yet. My mini greenhouse does all my herbs, and my outdoor garden does tomatoes, artichokes, 3 squashes, a few peppers. This year I’m going to toy with some more root vegetables too

[Iride4tnt]

The kiddos got their first chicken back and neck today. I gave them frozen and was amazed how quickly they were devoured. No ill digestive effects so far.