[theBCnut]

I always mix raw and kibble and have never had a problem and many people here do the same, though I do know someone that has one dog that can’t handle them mixed.

The large kibble companies have far too much influence over the AVMA. I would go so far as to say they are in their pocket. The AVMA claims they have taken their stance for health reasons, but they totally leave out the fact that more dogs AND people have died from tainted kibble than from tainted raw dog food.

[biggles]

Thanks Betsy, and yes, I have been to both sites picking out mock orders! Grinds were definitely on the list just as soon as we are completely knowledgeable and confident. Until then, I am sticking with premade. I want to say that I recall his breeder saying that she ground whole leg quarters, I’m not sure if that would make a recipe of too much bone. While after all of my research on her breeding program, I have only seen one litter at a time with months in between litters, when I got Rodie she had him left over from a previous litter and had 8 little babies! She said she was grinding for them, but, that I should be able to feed small whole parts.

Thanks Patty, I have arranged a fecal exam. I would hate to think my little guy has parasites and I have over looked them! I will check out the books right away. I did not realize that the AVMA took a stand against raw feeding, that is troubling.

On a good note, Rodie’s first #2 of the morning was perfect today! I wonder if it is the probiotics/enzymes?

I have a question, is it ok to continue to mix the raw and Fromm kibble at each meal? We have been doing this for about 9 days. Should I try for one raw one kibble? I’m not entirely sure he will touch the kibble alone……

[DogFoodie]

Have you tried feeding either a chicken wing or leg whole? He may have been eating a bit more bone which is probably why he had the small formed chalky looking stool.

Your pup sounds like he might be a good candidate for grinds from either My Pet Carnivore or Hare Today. Have you checked out either of them by chance?

https://www.mypetcarnivore.com/

http://www.hare-today.com/

Here’s another great site with lots of info about feeding a raw diet and balancing it properly:

http://dogaware.com/

[theBCnut]

I love my vet and she is a great vet in many ways, but I don’t discuss raw feeding with her. I use half raw and half kibble and when they ask me what I feed, I always tell them what kibble I feed(They’ve never heard of it either, but weren’t interested enough to ask). It’s just not a discussion I’m willing to have with them, especially now that AVMA has taken an official stance against raw feeding.

Make sure they send the fecal specimen off to the lab for analysis.

Look for Dr Karen Becker’s book “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” and Steve Brown’s book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet.” They will both help you make balanced meals and have a better understanding of what needs to be in each meal.

[biggles]

She was feeding him chicken grinds, ground beef, and TOTW. When I got him she told me that he should be able to eat small chicken pieces whole. I was cutting off the meat and feeding the bone separately. I tried to feed fish, ground beef, and organs, but, he appeared to become finicky and raw food sitting out does not work. Before finding this site, I read a lot of controversial info about grinding the bone and had no access to a grinder anyway. In summary, I just did not feel knowledgeable enough to feed raw and rather than compromise my boy’s health and nutrition, I decided to switch to a high quality kibble.

I will take him to the vet and have him tested in the next few days. I do have concerns that they are not going to be “supportive” about a raw diet based on what a vet tech said to me once when I was in.

Thank you for responding!

[theBCnut]

With 3 dogs I go through food fast, so I don’t think anything of having 2 or 3 bags of food open. Last Winter/Spring I was changing kibble every day, rotating through 4 different kibbles, plus all the different toppers and raw. Over the summer, I cut back to 2 bags of food so they wouldn’t go bad in the higher heat and humidity. Now I’m back to 3 bags.

Gideon used to only eat about every third meal, but once I started rotating, he has never missed a meal.

[theBCnut]

That’s how I felt about it, but at least I have 2 dogs that I know I can get away with giving chicken to.

[FreeholdHound]

There’s chicken in it 🙁 but I’ll probably risk it.

[theBCnut]

Yes, you should have him retested for parasites. Have you talked to the breeder about what exactly she was feeding?

[theBCnut]

Yes, it can!!! I’m going to try it soon too.

[biggles]

I am going to try to make this brief!

My Rodie is a 20 pound almost 2 year old Boston Terrier. I got him from a breeder at 5 months and she was feeding him a raw diet (one of the reasons I wanted one of her pups). I remember he had a normal stool when I first brought him home, firm and a tad chalky in color. Well, after I got a hold of him I could never keep his stools consistently firm and I was so worried about compromising his nutrition with my own raw feeding. At the time he was also a finicky little guy and I had not yet found this site, so we gave up and went round and round with high quality kibbles and also some wet. Some we tried were: Instinct limited ingredients, Wellness, Acana, Origen.

He has had softish stools really what seems like ever since. I hate to go into detail, but, I think it will help. First thing in the morning stools seem formed and firm, not perfect always, but firm. After breakfast, stool is small and runnier. Before dinner, stool will be formed and more firm, yet still not perfect. Last one of the day is usually softer, but, usually formed. So, it appears that after meals stools are have tended to be softer which makes me believe it is food.

Some time during all of this, my dog store owner told me that I feed too much. I was feeding a cup a day (half cup twice), so I cut him down to 1/3 twice each day. I have been feeding him Fromm pork and peas for some months now as the stool seems to be firmest. I have tried pumpkin and even a homemade recipe and he will not eat it.

I can not forget that this pup came to me with a normal stool and although I have tried everything, I can not get normal, consistent stool produced. He is otherwise, of great health.

I decided after finding this site that I would try raw again. I did not know that my local pet food store sells pre-made raw, and after reading I started to gradually incorporated it in to his kibble. I hope to soon be able to transition him to a home-made raw diet once I feel I have the knowledge and have him stable.

I have also started giving him Nuturvet enzymes and probiotics with each meal. The raw I am adding is Stella and Chewy Rabbit formula (frozen not freeze dried). His first stool of the morning has seemed to have firmed up, but, his second (after eating) has been pretty runny. After some trial and error, I think I may have added too much raw too fast and after backing up a bit, it improved some.

My questions is, should I continue to make this transition with out finding out what type of proteins or ingredients are troublesome to him? Is it still possible that I am over-feeding? I really want to make this transition with confidence because I feel it is the best thing for him.

I know he had a full fecal test when he was younger, but, I wonder should I have him tested further?

Your feedback is greatly appreciated. I hope, with all of your knowledge and help, be able to transition Rodie to a successful raw diet.

[FreeholdHound]

Sandy- the Carnivore Raw w/out calcium can be used with the bone-in grinds from Hare? THAT would be a God send for me – I mean Harry 🙂

[Jamie08]

I have a heeler mix who has always had issues with smelly gas… well it is more of an issue for me! lol. He had been on Iams for a long time and he would have it every once in awhile, especially after he would catch and eat a squirrel (his version of a partial raw diet). He’d clear a room pretty fast. Then I switched him to Evolve dry food, which he really didn’t like very much and wasn’t eating well. He’s now on Whole Earth Farms dry food and has BAD smelly gas. He’s been on it for about 2 weeks. I tried to slowly transition him over, but he would just not eat the Evolve, since he was barely eating it anyway- so it was pretty much a fast transition over to the WEF. The gas seems to be getting worse. Should I give him longer to get used to the food, or at this point is it safe to say that this food is contributing to the smell? I hate to change it because he absolutely LOVES this food (gets so excited when I feed him) and it’s affordable. Also, my other dog is doing really well on it.

Any suggestions? Give him more time? I’m also open to other food suggestions, but please try to keep them in the same price range as Whole Earth Farms.

Oh yeah, squirrels aren’t really out right now so they aren’t a contributing factor at the moment. 🙂

[Oceans11]

Thank you Pattyvaughn and pugmomsandy for the tips and your encouragement. I found out the breeder is feeding our pup Origen Puppy kibble along with Grizzly Salmon. I am going to feed Nature’s Instinct Raw frozen medallions alternating with Nature’s Variety Dry kibble Duck and Turkey and maybe throw in a little Nature’s Variety canned food to mix it up. I read somewhere on this website that Nature’s Variety is good for all life stages so ok to feed to a 10 week old puppy.

[pugmomsandy]

pacer1978

Since you’ve already introduced raw into the diet, just try out a raw meaty bone and see how they do. I have small dogs and started with chicken wings and necks. And then went to chicken legs. I do have 2 that chomp their bones pretty well and one that does a so-so job at it but in 2 years of raw meaty bones, he hasn’t had any issues. You can attach a large vice clamp onto a RMB or tie part of it to a broom stick or something like that so he can’t gulp the whole thing down and hopefully learns to not gulp. If gulping is a problem, then I would feed grinds and nothing harder than chicken bones. I would say that chicken necks and duck necks and very small turkey necks (about 1 inch diameter or less) are ok to slightly gulp down. This is what my 30 lb dog does! You can always whack the neck with a hammer first. If you want to incorporate raw and still feed kibble and other commercial products, then I would suggest chicken, turkey or duck necks 3 times a week and then maybe a couple meals of just ground meats/organ/calcium supplement (or commercial raw). Baby back pork ribs are also easy to break so that might be an option too. Frankly, I don’t think there is anything “sharp” in a small poultry neck bone so that might be a good bone for you to use. You can also buy a large leg bone just for them to enjoy chewing on instead of eating it.

[pugmomsandy]

oceans11

There are some easy recipes in “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Karen Becker/Beth Taylor and there is a 4th edition which I just purchased. It makes for good reading too even if you don’t actually make the recipes. Anyhow, that is how I got started with homemade raw, but I use a commercial vit/min mix instead of the book’s recipe (CarnivoreRaw). Homemade is quite easy when you use a premix like CarnivoreRaw, Urban Wolf, The Honest Kitchen, Grandma Lucy’s, See Spot Live Longer. You just add the boneless meat/organs and oil (except for CarnivoreRaw, you have the choice of with or without calcium).

[mrsGHT]

Hello – I’m fairly new to this site, and only feed raw occasionally as we live in Alaska and all types of meat are very expensive. I’m looking for a way to cut the cost and increase the raw meals for both dogs. We have a 4 year old Great Pyranees (Bounder) and a 10 month old Bouvier (Raleigh). I have fed turkey drumsticks to Bounder many times and she does a great job gnawing and chewing on the bone. Raleigh has had other types of meat, and some bone. Tonight I gave him his first turkey leg – he scarfed it down, and didn’t chew the bone as well as I would have liked. Do I need to be concerned about him eating such a large chunk of bone without adequate chewing? Thank you for such a wonderful site!

[theBCnut]

I make some of my own homemade raw, but I still like getting some commercial too. Today I grabbed a container out of the freezer for their dinner, but when it came time to feed I found out that I didn’t grab what I thought I did. I had chicken necks, which 2 dogs can eat, but one can’t. I just went and grabbed a pouch of Darwin’s and floated it in water for a bit for him.

[theBCnut]

Even when I’m doing 20% I want the calcium/phosphorus at least close to balanced and I still add a vit E stabilized fish oil or oily fish.

For a dog that is entrenched in the habit of gulping it’s food, I would not feed whole bones, unless it was in something that was too big for the dog to swallow it. I would use grinds or premixes and boneless meats. That being said, I believe a dog can be trained to eat properly, but you have to be willing to take the time.

[Oceans11]

I am sure that once I become more confidant, I will be looking in to supplementing his natures variety with homemade meals because it will be more cost effective. I will be very interested in what you think of preparing their meals yourself.

[Molzy]

I’m just about to start my own raw with both the cat and our two dogs who are currently on commercial dry and canned food, but I feel more comfortable after using a commercial raw product! I would continue using natures variety if I could, but it isn’t feasible for my budget with two 40lb active dogs. For me, it helped to read the ingredients on my raw bags to see that they don’t add much. I’m going to buy a ground whole prey as well, which seems easier to balance than using parts for now.

Good luck with your puppy! I have really loved natures variety, and will continue to use it for back up food. It seems like a great company, and I’ve been very happy with the product!

[Oceans11]

I can’t tell you how relieved your response has made me feel. Thank you, thank you.

[pugmomsandy]

oceans11,

Yes a mix of Instinct and kibble and bones will do!

[Oceans11]

I appreciate the tip and will use the medallions. I have great respect and admiration for the people who are preparing their own raw dog food. I just don’t have it in me to do that at this point in life at least not right now.

[Molzy]

In my opinion, the medallions are WAY easier than the bites! My cat has been on NV for over a year. He looks great, hardly sheds. I tried the bites when they came out and don’t like them. Too many edges to get freezer burned, and harder to manage portion sizes. The medallions are all the same size, where I felt the bites didn’t always measure out the same in my measuring cup, and it was harder to split up his meals for the day. Just my opinion, but thought it might help. I’ve been very happy with the natures variety raw!

[RescueDaneMom]

I think any incorporation of raw or fresh foods is a good thing. I’ve just started adding raw to my dog’s diet. I think it’d be easier for you if you stick with the 20% rule. You can add up to 20% (by volume I think) of additional fresh foods without throwing off the balance of nutrients in commercial kibble. That way you don’t have to worry about adding extra supplements and such to make the food complete and balanced. I think it has also been said that you can feed one meal of raw and one meal of kibble and still be ok with vitamins/minerals.

I add the following things to my dog’s food (not all at the same time): lightly cooked eggs (over easy), cottage cheese, kefir, canned sardines in water, and canned pink salmon. I will also add some canned tripe by Tripett.

I also add commercial raw, either Primal or Stella and Chewy’s. Lately I’ve been using the Primal grinds (muscle meat, organs, and bone) which are not complete and balanced. If you used more than 20% of this in a meal than you would need to balance it. You can get Primal from an independent pet store. See primalpetfoods.com for more info. Also a bonus, the bones in the grinds are ground up so small that there is no hazard of choking!

If you are interested in learning more about raw food there are two books that are always recommended: “Real food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Taylor & Becker and “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown. They have recipes for raw and cooked foods. I have made one batch of raw using Taylor & Becker’s recipe. I wasn’t too difficult but I had to go to two different stores to get what I needed. It is easier for me right now to use the Primal grinds instead of making my own raw food.

In my opinion, commercial raw food is a good compromise if you don’t want to go full raw. Yes it is still processed, but very minimally and much less than kibble. It is also convenient for those that are busy or simply don’t have or want to take the time to source raw meats and make their own raw food meals from scratch.

These are just my opinions. There are others here that have way more experience than I do such as HoundDogMom, Pattyvaughn, and pugmomsandy. They may have more feedback for you.

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi there-

I have always fed mostly kibble, and will not give my dogs whole pieces of raw. Recently, I went to 50 50 dry and raw because I bought a grinder to grind up the bones. So far, everyone loves it and see to ne doing fine on it. I buy meats from various places, including butcher, market, processor etc. I found that I actually save several hundred dollar a month doing this, versus just feeding the kibble, dehydrawtd, commercial premade raw and canned that I used to.

[Oceans11]

Your Pugs are adorable! I thank you and appreciate your comments. I made the mistake of going in and reading the comments on supplements – too much information for now! If I feed our puppy Raw Instinct Bites and alternate with an all meat kibble (Fromm perhaps??) and give him a bone every 3 days or so, won’t this be enough for a happy healthy pup? Doesn’t the Raw Instinct and kibble have the right mix of all the nutrients they need?

Also, have you any experience with using Diatamacious Earth as a preventive for ear mites?

[pacer1978]

I’m sorry if these questions were already asked. There are so many posts, that I feel it may just be faster to ask instead of reading through every topic on the forum. I am mostly a kibble type since that is convenient and fast, though I do feed my dogs premium kibble: NV, NP, Earthborn Holistic, and Fromm for instance.

Here are my questions. If I do incorporate raw into their diet, how do I go about doing that? Where do you purchase this from? Is there a butcher you go through? How much does it cost typically? I have stayed away from raw thinking it would be unsanitary and very expensive. Plus, I try not to give my dogs bones since they inhale their food and seem to cough and gag a lot after eating one. My thought is that it gets stuck in their throat. Not to mention, I will come home to a pile of bile with sharp bones in the mix and that freaks me out. I’m afraid the sharp bones will do damage to them. Sometimes I will purchase the NV raw patties and freeze dried food and sprinkle or chop that up into their food, but probably don’t do it often for it to make any difference. I’m sure that their raw food is not the same anyway since it is probably still processed in some way.
I know many of you here believe 100% in the raw diet, but I remember when I first investigated it, I had read articles that didn’t support it. One lady explained how she switched to raw and her dog ended up extremely sick with contamination. Any ideas on that? I feel right now with supplements, treats, and premium kibble I am spending so much on their food as it is. I want the best for my dogs, however. I feel you shouldn’t take them on if you can’t provide for them the best you can. Who knows…maybe the raw is cheaper than what I’m spending right now. On the other hand, I’m the main person that handles the feedings in my house. I doubt on the nights I’m at school my husband will have the patients or agreeableness to feed and deal with raw food. Anyway, just looking for your thoughts on some of these questions. I always thought raw was too difficult to feed since there really isn’t a place for me to purchase this other than my grocery store. For some reason, I figured most people purchased it another way. Thanks for anyone reading!

[Oceans11]

Thank you pugdmomsandy for your thoughts. I hope our little guy doesn’t have any gastrointestinal issues. We haven’t had a puppy in a good while. Over the years we have raised many great wonderful dogs (Shepherds and Dobermans) but never a little dog. After reading so much about diets for dogs, it’s a wonder our dogs lived to ripe old ages and never had digestive problems being raised first on Purina Puppy Chow and later on Iames dry kibble. Now after doing some reading and being educated on this forum, I feel so guilty having fed our dogs the same food day in and day out. I feel like a novice dog owner now and am thankful to everyone for sharing their wisdom and making this my number one go-to web site. I have to admit that right now after trying to take everything in, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed but thankful that so much helpful information is available.

[pugmomsandy]

You can do that. In fact you can alternate anything and everything – kibble, canned, freeze dried, raw. If he’s used to change you can mix up his meals, or you can feed one type of food per meal. My boys are used to change. This morning they had some raw, canned and freeze dried together. Now I wouldn’t have done this 2 or 3 years ago. But they’re used to it now.

[Dfwgolden]

I have a 16 week old purebred Border Collie puppy out of working stock lines.
He’s an amazing pup in every way, intelligent, lively, loving, and very social.

However….

Ricky has since I got him had very loose stools. We have three other dogs two Golden Retrievers and a Chihuahua (Shh, don’t tell him I called him a dog!)
None of our other three ever had loose stools, Ricky also poops a lot!
Not like 4-5 times like some puppies do but like 8-10 times a day.

His potty training has been an extreme difficulty and is not progressing as it should.
We’ve tried changing foods and adding supplements.
He just has show no signs of improvement.

I am a big fan of the raw diet but am not currently able to feed that with my finances.
He is currently on Diamond Lamb and Rice Large breed puppy.
My other dogs eat Diamond with no problems what so ever, they have a nice shiny coat and have never been in better health.

What do I do about this? I just am all over the board here and don;t understand why he poops SO MUCH and why it is so loose.
He is 100% healthy (had a blood panel done and everything) he is on Revolution for fleas and HW.
He gets feed in the afternoon around 12:00pm and at night around 6:00pm
Then gets a small snack of food before I leave for school around 7:00am of so.

He is very active and shows know underlying issues what so ever. His coat is beautiful! No smelly breath, or itching ect.

I just am baffled.

[griam01]

Thank you all so much for your posts. We have gone through all of the ingredients and are currently trying Natural Balance Legume and Duck, but within the first meal, his ears swelled up and he dug at them continually. I continued for 2 more meals and then switched him back to Merrick Duck and Sweet potato and the ear swelling went down and he stopped digging them, but he still digs under his arms. Back to the drawing board.

[Oceans11]

I am picking up our 10 week old Coton de Tulear puppy next week. The breeder has him on kibble and is sending some home with us. I plan to transition him to Nature\’s Variety Instinct Raw and give him raw meaty bones several times a week for teeth cleaning purposes. My question is whether or not I should alternate giving him kibble and the raw diet?

[soprano1]

I am interested in knowing if Blue Buffalo is safe for my Siberian Husky who has early stage kidney disease? I was feeding her Purina NF, but I heard some really bad things about Purina. My dog had chronic diarrhea, occasional vomiting, and lost a lot of weight. Her coat was also very bad, with big raw, bald spots, and she also really did not feel good. I believed it was the food doing it to her. Now that I switched her to Blue Buffalo, her coat is looking great, she no longer vomits or has diarrhea, she has gained weight, and she feels better than she has in years! She plays like a puppy, and she is 9 years old! Is the Blue Buffalo safe for her? If not, can you recommend a food that is safe for her? Thank you!

[pugmomsandy]

I chose the horse version since it didn’t have “beef flavor” or something like that and it makes it a real small dose. The raw feeders in my group large dogs use the horse version.

[boobear27]

@pugmomsandy, My dogs eat Wellness small breed dry kibble twice a day..I plan on replacing a meal twice a week with a RMB..I’m afraid if I give then kibble with a RMB they might get stomach/constipation issues…My Toy poodle is susceptible to teeth problems I’m hoping the Turkey necks help keep her teeth healthy:)

[Katie]

Thanks for all the advice y’all. I appreciate all the feedback.

As far as the chewing goes – I have been trying to distract him whenever I catch him chewing his nails or licking/chewing his legs, hips, or butt with chew toys, rawhides, bones. Bauer doesn’t really care for toys – but man on man he absolutely loves bones and antlers. If I am holding it for him, he would chew and chew on them for hours. He gives up faster if he’s having to hold them between his paws on his own. They have really helped clean his teeth a bunch too. His teeth were HORRIBLE when I first got him. I have been trying to brush them, but nothing has worked as well as the antlers have in cleaning those back teeth up. The plaque/tartar build up was disgusting and black when I first got him. It’s so much better now. As far as the bones/antlers go – the redirect seems to work whenever I catch him in the act of licking/chewing to switch out for the bone or antler. But it’s when I am not home during the day and can’t reprimand and redirect – that’s when it’s the worst. I come home and he’s got a new raw spot, or the one he had is now even worse. I try to not let him be home alone for more than 4 hours at a time, but I do believe that some of it is just boredom. I take him on a long walk in the morning to try and wear out some of his energy too. I think I am going to have to diaper him if he doesn’t leave his back legs and butt alone.

As far as his weight issues go, I have another vet appointment on Tuesday so I am going to ask her to do a lab work up on him. It worries me that he hasn’t gained weight. I am definitely going to be switching to a grain free dog food (I know Sor recommended Halo) and I am going to the meat store in a bit to pick up ingredients for Satin balls. I have been giving Bauer fish oil supplements as well as glucosamine/chondroitin pills just bc my goldens always needed it for hip/joint issues and I figure that even though he’s severely underweight and still young right now – hopefully he will eventually gain weight and he won’t always be young – so preventative measures are always best.

Katie

[pugmomsandy]

Boobear27,

What are you feeding for dinner? Necks have alot of bone compared to meat. Could tend to make harder than normal stools. Just FYI. And raw fed dogs have small, formed stools that turn ashy in color BTW. For dinner, I would suggest some muscle/organs or whatever they are normally eating. I can feed 3 meals a week of RMB without worrying about nutritional deficiencies. I give my pugs 1/3 to 1/2 a turkey neck or 1/2 a duck neck. Actually I should give them 1/2 a duck neck, but I gave the whole thing! Generally speaking, they would only need 6 oz a day total of raw food so when I give them a big bone like that, they only get a small snack for dinner. Chicken necks are alot smaller and easier to measure out. I gave mine chicken wings when I first started too.

[sor]

FYI
Quoted from Food Safety News.com 2012
The results of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspection into a Diamond Pet Foods production plant may benefit the trio of lawsuits filed against the Missouri pet food manufacturer tied to a Salmonella outbreak and recall earlier this year.
That inspection, conducted six days after the first of Diamond’s eight recalls, found numerous health violations, including failures to clean and maintain equipment and a lack of contaminant screenings on raw ingredients. The evidence does not bode well for Diamond as the company faces three separate lawsuits from human victims and pet owners in the U.S. and Canada, according Benjamin England, a 17-year FDA veteran and founder of FDAImports.com, a food industry consulting firm.
One unfortunate event can bring the entire weight of the federal government to bear upon your door.” another reminder of the importance of FDA compliance:
If Diamond had operated in compliance with FDA rules Instead, it’s being used against them. The lawsuits specifically cite the inspection report as evidence of Diamond’s negligence and breach of warranty. Diamond must resort to “damage control” — making it clear to customers that plant management has been revised and the product’s quality improved. For everyone else, he sees it as another reminder of the importance of FDA compliance: impossible to determine the number of dogs sickened, as so few pets are ever tested for gastrointestinal bacteria

[DogFoodie]

Hi Katie,

Bless you for taking on this big boy. He’s lucky to have you.

I would think it’s likely that the chewing and biting could be food intolerance / allergy issues as much as it could be compulsive behaviors. Would you be in a position to try to distract him every time you catch him chewing? A quick walk, a quick game of fetch, a doggie massage? Also, maybe give him something healthy to chew on that is tastier than his nails or fur. That’ll give him some extra calories also. Try bully sticks or raw, meaty bones like a turkey neck for snacks and chewing satisfaction. Samoan81’s suggestion for satin balls is a also a great idea.

I think I’d get him off of the grains though and would definitely increase his protein. His body needs more protein to repair and rebuild. I wouldn’t use anything less than 30% protein. He’s an adult now, so you don’t have to be as concerned with Calcium levels ~ which are what you limit with a large / giant breed puppy ~ not protein. While she mostly suggests foods with grains, the Great Dane Lady has a list of foods she recommends along with some great advice. Have you visited her site: http://www.greatdanelady.com/. Also, here’s a link that’ll take you right to the page of foods she recommends: http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/criteria_list_of_better_foods.htm.

Also, one food I’ll suggest you try adding to his diet is Abady granular. It’s usually very well tolerated and is very calorie dense, about 800 kcals per cup. Their website is very strange, but I would suggest calling them and telling them what’s going on and get their recommendations. They’re extremely helpful over the phone. Here’s their website: http://www.abadyfeeds.com/ and here’s their phone number: Tele: (845)473-1900 * Toll Free: (877)-99ABADY .

Have you tried giving him some pureed pumpkin for the loose stools? That usually helps a lot.

Peace & Blessings,
Betsy

[boobear27]

@neezerfan My dogs did great for their first time:) I was really nervous to give it to them at first, but they turned out doing just fine. I got it at the Turkey meat section at Stop and shop from a brand called Shady brook farms and it was already cut to a nice small size for my small dogs. They were pretty inexpensive as well I bought some that had to be sold that same day and put it in the freezer as soon as I got home.

[neezerfan]

I would say 1 is enough for them. How did they do? Did Stop&Shop cut them lengthwise by any chance?

[boobear27]

How many turkey necks do you give a dog? Since it was my small dogs first time I gave them both one small size maybe half of a Turkey neck to start off with..Is one enough for them since they are small dogs? I don’t wanna cause any issues with them.

[boobear27]

I gave my Toy poodle and Rat Terrier their first Turkey neck this morning for breakfast. At first they weren’t really interested in it when it was frozen so I let it defrost and after that they loved every bit of it they were in turkey neck heaven:) I think next time I’m gonna try chicken necks and see how they will like those.

[pugmomsandy]

The big dog people in my raw group suggested using Actiflex 4000! A gallon goes a long way.

Under 25 pounds:

½ tsp. daily loading dose for 5 days
¼ tsp. daily maintenance dose

25-50 pounds

1 tsp. daily loading dose for 5 days
½ tsp. daily maintenance dose

50-75 pounds:

1 ½ tsp. daily loading dose for 5 days
¾ tsp. daily maintenance dose

> 100 pounds

2 tsp. daily loading dose for 5 days
1 tsp. daily maintenance dose

[pugmomsandy]

It depends on the cuts of meat you’re using for the homemade raw and if it’s regular, free range, grass fed, antibiotic free, etc. You probably don’t want the regular chickens that have been injected but rather get some that are less processed, no antibiotics. You can find discount prices when the sell-by dates are coming up. At the health food store, I can get a package of turkey neck with giblets for around $1.49/lb. But duck necks are about $2.69/lb. Ground beef 80/20 is less than $1/lb and containers of heart and gizzard are under $2/lb. I guess it also depends on your area of the country. There is an initial investment of freezer space and a meat/bone grinder but they are well worth it. Or you can use boneless meats and supplement with bone meal or other source of calcium. The recipe book “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Karen Becker/Beth Taylor has simple recipes with and without bone. I would say my average (guessing) would be $2.20 a pound and my dog would eat 6 oz per day = 11.25 lbs per month = $24.75 per month PLUS supplements. Kibble would be $15.60 per month for me ($79 for 100 cups). I don’t ever use the $0.39/lb bag of chicken thighs!! But yes, you can get homemade to be real cheap. Let’s say a combo of ground beef 80/20 or 70/30 and chicken heart/gizzard and some supplements would be cheap, in rotation with the Core. I think it would work out. You can also join a local raw feeding group and order in bulk with them. I like to buy tripe which is $2/lb for me. I also feed raw sardines which I bought on sale for $1.19/lb. You can also add up to 20% of unbalanced raw food to his diet without having to worry about extra vit/min supplementation. Maybe give him a chicken wing, a heart and piece of gizzard a couple times a week.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[gixx0r]

Thanks again for the suggestions, I now have our boy Dez on Core Wellness Small Breed kibble, but have gained the sudden fascination of the raw diet. I am close with my local butcher shops so I think the meat products won’t be a problem, my question is, from a pure cost standpoint, is it cheaper to create my own raw menu or use premium kibble?

I know the cost of pre-packaged raw balanced diets are far greater than kibble, but how about preparing your own?

[clr]

My GSD, five years old, has had lifelong skin issues. Allergy shots for three years did not work. He has no fleas. He is currently on cyclosporine and ketoconazole which was effective at first but less and less. He’s back to biting bloody holes in himself. He eats raw and Primal and Origen, bolstered by lots of exercise and attention—alot of attention. He cannot be left alone or he bites. I’m now trying herbal calming tincture, nordic fish oil, and coconut oil—still biting. Here’s my question for the forum: I would like to try iodine but how much? Maybe he has a thyroid condition. He has a beautiful coat, weighs 106 and other than bite mutilation, perfectly healthy. Any input from the savvy, informed, and experienced will be appreciated.

[theBCnut]

My 12 lb JRT gets about 1/5 to 1/3 of a turkey neck depending on the size of it.