[shelties mom]

This sound to be a yeast problem, no. 1 thing to do is to address the diet, preferrably an anti-inflammatory raw diet with no grains. Adding a probiotic supplement will help since antibiotics destroy all good along with the bad bacteria, so these drugs often make a bad situation worse.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/03/eating-these-foods-can-make-your-dog-itch-like-crazy.aspx

Be sure not to over-vaccinate or over-medicate.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/08/17/stop-using-pet-steroids-until-you-read-these-disturbing-truths.aspx
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/12/23/environmental-allergies-and-your-pet.aspx

Use natural flea control products:
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/03/31/dangers-of-flea-and-tick-problems.aspx

Have you tried this product for his ears?

[Melissaandcrew]

I have a Doberman with horrible stomach issues. Her culprit seems to be higher fiber and rice. After dealing with it for years(meds, restricted diets etc) her diarrhea and weight loss resolved on Abady granular, Natures Variety raw and Victor Grain free Ultra Pro.

[FreeholdHound]

Foods that mine have tested reactive to are: chicken, turkey, venison, salmon, whitefish, sweet potato, milk, soy, & corn. I can say I knew most of the above from ugly trial and error with food. I also believe that anything too heavy on peas, beams & legumes can set him off also.
I just recently found Natures Logic Beef Formula and he is doing AMAZING on it. I have tried the Sardine Formula and he likes that one also. There is one more formula I believe I can try which is their Lamb. I am also rotating in raw beef grinds, tripe, or sardines into his kibble.
I want to be able to rotate kibble as I believe that is best but at the moment I am stumped at what other brand to even consider. I will start up my research again after basking in the glory of Natures Logis for a bit 🙂

[theBCnut]

So far with my dog, I know for sure most grains are a problem and chicken is a problem, though he doesn’t have any issues with chicken liver. I suspect that potatoes will be a problem, but haven’t given him potato enough to make sure. And I’m afraid that too many beans, legumes will be a problem for him, because he gets gassy easily, but he has food issues that some wouldn’t call allergies.

So far he can eat Brothers, all flavors except chicken, Earthborn Holistic Grain Free Great Plains Feast, Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit, Nature’s Variety Instinct LID Turkey. And he gets Darwin’s raw except for the chicken, he also gets pork, quail, goat, mutton, sardines, herring, salmon, etc. all raw.

[somebodysme]

Yes, those are all the typical symptoms of food allergies, my dog has all that but my vet told me it was food allergies. I’m surprised the vet didn’t suggest that you change his food…I actually had TWO vets tell me to change my dog’s food. Also if your dog has been on antibiotics and steriods a lot, he may also be suffering from yeast. I’d add a pro-biotic each day.

Now on to what to feed…UGH this is where we are at right now. I first tried Nature’s Variety Instinct Turkey which did OK with the scratching but isn’t doing OK with her stool which it made too hard and she had issues “going”. It’s a good food but just not for my dog.

Have you gone to the review section and read the hypoallergenic food suggestion article? It will shed some light on what are the most common allergens. I would just suggest to read that and try a different food. It’s just hard to tell you what to try because all dogs are different as to what they are sensitive to. If your current food has corn in it, that would be my first course of action is to use a food that does NOT contain corn, see how that works and go from there. It’s a long drawn out ordeal finding the right food but you may get lucky and it’s simple like maybe you are feeding a low quality food and just feeding a better 4 or 5 star food will help fix it.

Here is the link to the article:
/best-dog-foods/hypoallergenic-dog-foods/

• This reply was modified 12 years, 7 months ago by somebodysme.

[pugmomsandy]

Nature’s Variety Instinct has a frozen raw Bites product that thaws very quickly and would easy and convenient as using some freeze dried foods like Nutrisca freeze dried bites or Vital Essentials freeze dried nibbletts. Raw and freeze dried foods have calorie/serving information so you might just figure out the amount you want to feed that way. X amount of calories in raw and X amount of calories for kibble.

[pugmomsandy]

A low carb/high protein/moderate fat canned food (5 stars list) would good unless you want to try raw food. Dogswell Nutrisca is certified low glycemic and they have a new food that is even lower glycemic than Nutrisca called LiveFree (kibble and canned). http://www.dogswell.com/livefree

You might also want to contact Merrick as they used to have certified low glycemic canned foods too but it’s been a few years and the formulas are different.

I can’t ever get this site to work lately as the scroll bar is stuck (maybe it’s just my computer)
http://www.gripetfoods.com/CertifiedDogFoods.htm

[puppylove]

Replace gradually until you no longer are feeding kibble. (don’t worry, his teeth will be fine!)

Look into a raw dehydrated food, they have these at the pet food store and many are sold online. Usually you can get a discount code for shipping. Believe me the extra cost is worth it and will be made up in trips to the vet later. If you can get one that’s grain free too, even better!

[rileys mom]

I currently feed my Sheltie puppy (Riley) Earthborn Holistic Grain Free – Meadow Feast. I am very happy with the food but I have been reading a lot about the benefits of a raw diet. I can’t afford to have him on a completely raw diet, but I would like to add some raw food to his kibble. I have been looking at Primal and Nutrisca freeze dried raw food. Would it benefit Riley to have a little bit of raw added to his kibble?

If I do add raw how much of his kibble should I replace? I am currently feeding him 1 cup a day split into 3 meals. He is about 10lbs and 6 months.

Thanks

[kaoconnell]

My 9 1/2 yr old irish wolfhound mix was diagnosed with IBD after numerous tests and a endoscopy 1 week ago. Just got the results back and they put him on prednisolone. He is also on Cipro, Sucralfate, pepcid ac tramadol and metoclopramide. He is not eating very well. I have tried many different canned foods (evo..wellness ..prescription gi ones from the vet) but he is picky also. I have also done home cooked and raw. The vet wants his belly to heal up before we do a allergy blood test to see if that is the cause. Im at my wits end trying to get him to eat.. any ideas?? He usually weighs 114.. last vet visit..102. So I’d like to get his weight up also.

[jamie_aa]

Hey I have a question for HDM

I wanted to see if you knew anything about the calcium levels in the Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Diets. My local pet store started caring this and i wasn’t sure if the calcium level would be ok for my Saint Bernard puppy? I was originally just going to buy the BARF Raw dog food online and have it shipped but I would rather go get the food myself.

[theBCnut]

Over the winter, I had 3 or 4 different bags open at any given time and I switched kibbles every day, as well as raw. Right now I’m switching between 2 bags, one week on, one week off. I use Brothers, Earthborn holistic Grain Free, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and I hope soon to also use Nature’s Logic. My dog does best on the Brothers so that is like my fall back food. Right now I’m feeding Brothers Turkey and Earthborn Great Plains Feast, a few weeks ago it was NVI Rabbit and Brothers Beef. As I run out of one thing, I rotate in some thing different. You can rotate however works for you, but I think you should change brands at least every 3 months. That way if one is high or low in something, your dog will only get that extreme for 3 months before you change. I do rotate through a brands different formulas, if they are within the parameters that I need for dog food, but not necessarily one after the other. And I keep looking for new brands to try.

[JLezinsky]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I really appreciate it.

[InkedMarie]

I switch between brands of food and types (kibble, canned, dehydrated & pre made raw) of food. With kibble, I change brands after a bag is finished. Canned is new every can (I use as a topper). Dehydrated stays the same.

[beaglemom]

Hi everyone… one of my pups has fallen into the “late summer itchies” stage and I’m at a complete loss for what to do for her because nothing works. Her only symptom is paw licking/chewing – intermittently. She’ll go for hours seemingly fine and then have a serious itchy paw attack, primarily the front paws. Her ears seem fine, and though she occasionally scratches at them I’d say it’s 10% or less of the time. She’s been getting us up in the morning… will sleep until ~4-5 am and then it’s up chewing the paws.

What does this sound like? She eats an incredibly varied diet, primarily raw so food allergy is last on my list of suspicions… but I can’t rule it out I guess. Stools have been perfect though. We’ve tried rinsing off her feet every time she comes in from outside in either water/baking soda, water/iodine, and recently I picked up some Epsom salt but I’m not even sure it’s worth trying. The foot rinsing does not seem to have an effect, though. I’ve also been giving her half a Benedryl (12.5 mg) OR half of a Zyrtec (5 mg) with meals but neither seems to offer her any relief.

Any input or suggestions are greatly appreciated. It may come down to allergy/blood tests at the vet but they’re my last resort just because of the money… however, I hate to see her suffer like this. If it is a seasonal thing, we’re still at least a month away from first frost. Thanks in advance.

[FreeholdHound]

Me again :). I just received my order from HT and I have a question (I know, what else is new?) I ordered beef gullets …ummm what the hell do I do with these things??? << scratchinghead>>
The description said strips but I’d classify it as large chunks I guess as I am unfamiliar with what a whole piece looks like, I expected something longer. Unsure if this would pose a choking hazard. I’m sure I’m over thinking again but has anyone ordered these before?
I also received the raw Green Tripe strips… Harry better appreciate these as scooping it out of the bag & separating was was NOT the highlight of my year. He must have smelled it (ok, I think the neighbors probably smelled it) because he was dancing around Behring the kitchen gate whining & crying. Yes, he got a piece to shut him up.

[pugmomsandy]

“What are good options to implement (such as veggies and fruits)?”

Toppers can be scrambled egg, sardines, raw meat, canned food, whatever you like it to be but the general rule is to not use more than 20% as a topper and try to use species appropriate toppers. As for veggies or fruit, use these in small amounts as dogs don’t need too much of them but they do contain nutrients and antioxidants, etc. Fruit has a lot of sugar so I don’t use much. When I make a homemade batch of food I don’t use more than 5% fruits, and 20% veggies. And actually my last batch of food, I didn’t put in any veg/fruit.

“What is the ratios?”

When talking about ratios, a couple things come to mind. First, the calcium to phosphorus ratio is important for large breed puppies. This affects their bone growth. Secondly, the prey model diet ratio of 80/10/10 of meat/bone/organs. Some recipe books have varying ratios.

“Generally how many times a day do people feed their kids?”

I feed twice a day, occasionally once a day. Some will fast their dogs one day a week.

“Are dairy products like cheese bad for dogs?”

It depends. If your dog is lactose intolerant, then yes. If it’s cheese from a cow that had antibiotics and growth hormones, yes it’s bad. I suggest a goat product like goat milk or goat milk kefir or cow product that came from free range cows that did not receive antibiotics or growth hormones. Products like full fat, no artificial sweeteners or colors yogurt has live cultures of beneficial organisms so it can help some dogs with digestive problems. Cottage cheese can be a good source of protein and is low in lactose (I think).

“What is the advantages of “bully bones/or marrow bones” vs rawhide bones?”

Rawhides are hard to digest and can cause blockages and the way they are processed can be problematic. Sometimes chemicals are used. And I think many of them come from China. Marrow bones aren’t processed and once the marrow has been taken care of, you can reuse the bone by stuffing it with something else and freezing it and giving it as a treat. Bully sticks can cause blockages too if they are gulped down. I usually take them away when they get small but gnawing on them helps clean the teeth. Cow hoof is another item that my dogs like to gnaw on.

[pugmomsandy]

If there are a couple of foods she does good on (solid poop), you can rotate between them and switch out before she has a problem. Another option is to add some fiber like ground psyllium to her meals if you don’t want to do pumpkin. You might even supplement her food with some a few medallions of dehydrated raw (like Instinct, Primal, Stella & Chewys, Nutrisca). Sometimes the bone matter helps with formed stools.

[AJs4leggedkidsx4]

Hello!

I have read tons of your topics and responses. I must say that I have seen the light! My “Kids” are my world and I def have been doing them an injustice!

I hear about food fillers/kibble toppers I need more information.

What are good options to implement (such as veggies and fruits)?

What is the ratios?

Generally how many times a day do people feed their kids? (I feed mine a breakfast snack, but they do not eat dinner until I do in the afternoons) I should note that I have 4 kids, corgi/blue heeler/, TWIN German shepherd/pitbull mix and a applehead Chihuahua. The Chihuahua is on a calorie controlled diet. My kids are active and lean. I feed them 2 to 2 1/2 cups at meal time.

Are dairy products like cheese bad for dogs?

What is the advantages of “bully bones/or marrow bones” vs rawhide bones?

I am sure that I’ll more questions, but right now I need to get the basics down of a healthy diet.

Thank you all for your help!

AJ

[Mom2Cavs]

One of my Cavaliers (in my avatar pic, Laverne) has anal gland problems off and on. I attribute it to allergies with her. I have taken her, all the dogs, off all poultry. She is now eating for kibble Holistic Select grain free. It is a poultry free, fish based kibble with a pretty decent fiber content at around 6% max, I believe. It does have potatoes, but they don’t seem to be a problem with my dogs. I do top with canned foods and have been keeping them poultry free, as well. So far, I’ve been using Wellness for the majority….95% Salmon or Beef or Lamb, Beef Stew, and Simple Salmon or Lamb. This seems to be working. She hasn’t had any issues since I switched to doing this. I was using Zignature kibble, and will probably keep it in the rotation. I just bought some Big Dog Natural dehydrated raw in beef flavor that I plan on trying in the mix. I also add probiotics and enzymes to my dogs’ food. There are lots of them recommended on this site. Currently, I’m using Wholistic Pet Digest all Plus (or something like that lol!). This is all I do, no other supplements atm. Oh…I almost forgot, I do give a biscuit at night before bedtime. I’ve been using Wellness Lamb grain free or Whitefish (not grain free). Any soft treats given, usually during therapy dog visits, are Wellness Pure Rewards beef. As you can see, I like Wellness hahahaha. 🙂 I’m not saying this regimen would work for your dog, but to think about allergies….perhaps do away with chicken and definitely grains. Go from there. I’ve been battling this with Laverne for awhile now and I feel I finally have a handle on it.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 7 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[theBCnut]

I don’t like that the only organ is liver, heart doesn’t count, it is muscle. And I don’t like that there is no fish, fish oil, something, that is a good source of omega 3s. That wouldn’t bother me in the least if he was telling you to add a source of omega 3s, but he is telling you to add nothing. There are other things that I would add to this too, but those were the first 2 deal breakers for me.

[Mom2Cavs]

sandy, I just received my BDN order (the beef) and mixed some up to top the dogs’ kibble for dinner. Wow….Lucy was very enthusiastic, as were the Cavs. They licked their bowls clean in a jiffy lol. Now, my question is this….you said you top kibble with it, too. Is this ok to do as it’s “raw” food? On their FB page, the owners said they don’t recommend topping kibble with it as raw digests differently than kibble. Now I’ve heard this said before but I do know that Nature’s Variety says it’s ok to top kibble with their raw medallions. I know it’s a different food, but it’s still raw. So, I’m confused as to what to do. I would like to use it like I do the canned foods and top their kibble….maybe though, I could just feed one meal of the BDN and one of kibble/canned. If it does okay digestion wise, I will continue to buy it because so far the dogs went nuts for it lol. What are your thoughts? Thanks for the help! 🙂

[Alexandra]

Lol, it’s ok Marie!

I have been remiss about posting lately. Trying to return to normal.

[InkedMarie]

Hi Ali,
Thanks for chiming in, I didn’t know if I should use your name or not.

[Alexandra]

Hi Jon,

I am the one that Marie was mentioning. I ordered 50# to try out. My dogs a 90# GSD and 50# Cattle dog mix did very well on it. Marie mentioned to me about the fat, which that got by me when I placed my order. GSD’s can have pancreatic issues and higher fats can cause these issues. I was going to keep it in my rotation but it is a chance that I wasn’t willing to take.

I make my own most of the time using Hare-today or My Pet Carnivore for my meats. I may add Darwins back in as they have lower fat and are a very good company.

[InkedMarie]

There is someone here who has used their products. I was going to, until I saw the fat & protein levels. Fat should be around half of the protein but its almost the same in Sirius. I passed on ordering.

[JLezinsky]

Hi Hound Dog Mom,

We have been wanting to switch our pup to a raw food diet for a while now. We have been doing tons of reading on this forum and research and decided to start with a pre-made raw mix while we figured out how to add more from scratch.

Last weekend at our local pet store the owners of Sirius Raw Dog Food (a small company from Ruby, NY) were out front talking about their product. I was wondering if anyone has heard or more importantly used their food? We decided to give it a try and start or 8 month old Catahoula (40 lbs) on it. We switched her cold turkey without any problem, in fact she went crazy for it. However, the more I read on this form the more excited I get about making good food for her, but at the same time the more overwhelming this starts to seem. Our biggest concern right now is that she is getting the proper nutrition and the correct amounts of food. Sirius told us that she will be good with 2% her body weight, about 1lb a day. And that everything she needs is in the food. We started giving her ½ lb twice a day. It has only been a few days and it is hard to tell if she’s hungry or just wants more because it is so good. Yesterday we increased her feeding to ¾ lb twice a day. Since she is only 8 months should she be giving her more than 2-3%? Sirius told us that she was considered an adolescent. I just want to get your opinion.

Also, should we be using any additional supplements while we stay on the Sirius pre-made mix? Should we be concerned about the calcium while on this?

I figured this was the best place to get answers. I appreciate any help you can give us.

Thanks,
Jon

There is not a lot of information on their site so I attached the nutritional info. that they had emailed to me. They have a few blends, a chicken, a beef, a turkey.

beef blend….Ingredients: Beef, Chicken Bones, Beef Heart, Beef Liver, Sweet Potato, Carrots, Zucchini, Romaine Lettuce, Spinach, Cilantro, Parsley, Ginger Root, Garlic
Guaranteed analysis: crude protein, min 16.00%; crude fat, min 14.00%, crude fiber, max 00.30%; moisture, max 64.00%

http://www.siriusrawdogfood.com

[bkagel]

Hi all. I have been using dog food advisor for quite some time. Here’s the deal. I have an 8 year old pap and I think she has ibs. She’s sensitive when it comes to grains and overly processed foods. The last dry food she was on was Merrick’s grain free buffalo. She was doing okay on that kibble but she get’s seasonal allergies. She was one yeasty dog! I slowly took her off the Merrick and put her back on her raw food diet. With a lot of baths, and her adjustment to her old raw food diet I thought we were good to go. Unfortunately she started having serious diarrhea, so she just ate cooked chicken with pro- biotics from Nature’s Farmacy. I cooked her a low residue food and then I started adding 1 tablespoon of acana per meal thinking I could switch her to acana. No way. I thought I was going to pass out from her second poop. Talk about foul smelling!!

She does well with a protein ratio of 28-32% and a carb ratio the same or lower level. I really liked brother’s complete, but realistically, I can’t afford it. I have two fur babies and while they are small I don’t know if I could afford them. At least with a 50 lb bag of Acana, I would be set for a good 4-5 months.

This is what I’ve tried over the years that hasn’t worked or I didn’t like:
back to basics-diarrhea city too much protein
Evo, Innova, California Naturals-she didn’t do so well on those as a puppy. Ibs flare ups etc.

Having written all of that, is there some grain free, potato free (or at least low potato) food I can get my dogs that I can get a sample packet(s) I can afford. It used to be that the stores would give you a sample packet. Pet people charged me $10.00 for a sample packet.

I live in Columbus Ohio. I usually go to Petco or Pet People because they tend to have the better foods in stock.
Please tell me there is help for this situation. She’s on the prescribed low resolution and she’s taking “their” probiotics. It’s only a matter of time 2-3 days until she’ll be back to normal. I have NO clue what to give her that I can afford for both of them.

[Josiesmom]

I saw that (on the Brothers site) so I ordered enough of the Beef Formula to get her through at least 2 months and I’m thinking it will be out before then.
I wish I could do raw with Josie but I couldn’t get her into it. I tried all different proteins and she just was not having it. So far so good on Brothers. Fingers crossed!!

[Hound Dog Mom]

I wouldn’t feed raw eggs more often than every other day. Egg whites contain a biotin-binding protein called avidin. There’s controversy over whether or not there’s enough biotin in the yolks to counteract the effects of the avidin. I give my girls raw cage-free eggs three days per week. For a dog as small as yours, one egg a week or every other week should be plenty.

[Colorado huntress]

Thanks Patty & HDM 🙂 where do I find the Carlson fish oil capsules? Will my little 13 lb guy be able to take a capsule? Don’t know dosages…..45lbs & 13 lbs. Yeah, as much as I would love to give them some of our trout, even if I cook it, I’ll probably be a little nervous…..how often do you give the fish oil? I also have cage free eggs & can feed them raw (already have actually), but don’t know how often. You guys should write a book….seriously!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Aside from sardines once in a blue moon, I typically don’t feed raw fish for fear of parasites. When I give fish oil I use Carlson brand fish oil – capsules. Nordic Naturals is another good brand though. Fish oil is one of those things you don’t want to take the cheap route on. I also feed raw cage free eggs and tinned sardines for omega 3’s.

[theBCnut]

I feed primarily Brothers and raw, and yes, now I rotate. I had a very sick puppy and couldn’t start rotating until I got his issues under control. Then I rotated through the Brothers formulas. And now I add in another brand here and there. BTW, I was wrong about when the venison formula is due out, it’s still a few weeks away. The venison biscuits are due out any day though.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Weight loss is based on calories in and calories out – your dog has to create an energy deficit in order to lose weight (in other words, the dog needs to burn more calories than it’s consuming). Weight loss can be achieved on any food as long as the portion size is controlled appropriately – although it’s definitely easier on foods that are less calorically-dense. Personally, if I had a dog with weight issues I would definitely avoid kibble. Kibble is very low in moisture and for this reason much more calorically dense than higher moisture foods (raw, canned, dehydrated). To give you an idea – a large can of food (~13 oz.) will contain roughly the same number of calories as an 8 oz. cup of dry kibble. Dehydrated foods contain roughly the same amount of calories per cup as a quality kibble (sometimes slightly more), but they are re-hydrated with – usually – 1 part food to 1.5 parts water which results in about 2 1/2 C. of food for roughly the same amount of calories as 1 C. of kibble. A raw diet formulated with lean meat will be very low in calories – generally only 250 – 300 per cup of food. If you do decide to go with a kibble, my recommendations would be Annamaet Lean, Wellness CORE Reduced Fat or Acana Light & Fit. Be sure to reduce portion sizes accordingly.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 7 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[theBCnut]

I’m afraid of feeding raw fish that may potentially harbor that parasite. I have heard that freezing for a couple weeks kills the parasite, but I haven’t researched it myself. There are several good salmon/fish oils, but the thing to keep in mind is how quickly they go bad. For that reason, I think that capsules are the way to go.

[Colorado huntress]

Nope, don’t have fish oil – I remember HKitchen recommended Nordic Naturals…..what do you suggest? Also, we catch rainbow trout in Utah (have them vacuum sealed in freezer), & plan on giving them fish on a weekly basis, but I was told that I should not give it to them raw because of a parasite that can kill dogs (salmincola) – looked it up & it sounds legit…..any thoughts?

[Colorado huntress]

Ok, my Swanson’s order (Dr Langer’s & soil based organisms products) should be arriving any day – my lab is 45 lbs & my little guy is 13 lbs. They’re capsules, right? How much do I give to each one (I remember that I give them 3x/week)?? They are on HK Preference & raw game meat, plus coconut oil – anything else I should be giving? Thanks again 🙂

[somebodysme]

OH yes, sounds just exactly like my dog with allergies too. She’s a “lab mix”…AKA no one knows!

The vet did the same thing. What I did was go with a limited ingredient diet. I have her on Nature’s Variety LID Turkey which is doing an adequate job of keeping it under control. Remember that everything he consumes can contribute, not just their dog food. Treats and rawhide etc. even vitamins and supplements. People food…it can all cause problems.

Really the antiboitics help heal it up but then it just will come right back because they are killing the dog’s immune system.

I chose the NV food because it had the least amount of ingredients and not potatoes of any kind. I don’t even want her on sweet potatoes either.

Does he stink like strong cheese? If so that is yeast too so you don’t want a food with too many carbs or it will get worse. You’d also want to give a probiotic.

Just out of curiosity, what are you feeding him now?

[theBCnut]

There are a lot of Darwin’s fans here. Myself included, but none of us were willing to try it, except Losul. Dogs need the bits of bones in it, people don’t.

[Colorado huntress]

Oh, the EVO did come back positive for Salmonella, but all of the vets said that he didn’t die from that. But, after researching dry kibble brands forever, I feel more comfortable feeding raw. Not to say that there aren’t some very good kibble brands out there, but I would have to have everything shipped to me because where we live is VERY remote, & it just wasn’t practical….

[Colorado huntress]

My sister, who lives in Covington, LA, almost lost her 9 month old Great Dane/Weimaraner mix recently due to a poisonous mushroom, so obviously it is a possibility – my dad is a doctor & he didn’t know about the mushroom, but he knew something was horribly wrong & sent her to the ER vet clinic & they said if she had gotten there 5 mins later the dog would have died….
I am so sorry about you losing your dogs- I lost my 22 month old British lab import in March & we still don’t know what killed him 🙁 He woke up next to the bed w/me yelping, running around, & w/in 2 mins had a major grand Mal seizure ( this dog was NEVER sick a day in life – I got him @ 8 weeks) – he came out of the seizure a little bit, but w/in a min or so had 2 more smaller ones back to back & never came out of them – I kept his airway open, but there was nothing I could do. He died w/12 mins of waking up. He had been eating EVO grain free RIGHt before the recall, but after his autopsy, food testing, they still don’t know what killed him. The pathologist thought it was definitely Clostridium Perfergens UNTIL he got the anaerobic cultures back & they came back negative, so I will probably never know. What I do know, however, is that we have sheep herders who still put out poison for coyotes even though it is illegal – after a LOT of research I have found that not all poisons will kill a dog immediately – there are a variety of rodenticides that are second-generation & although most dogs will show symptoms & you can usually get them to a vet in time, there are quite a few cases where the dog has absolutely NO symptoms ( no vomiting/diarrhea, etc) like mine did. I did send the pathology report (autopsy) to a number of vets in the country & most say they have no idea what killed him. Did have one vet who said that even though he showed no aneurysm in the brain (I had them do brain tissue slides), it is still possible that he had a stroke that was so severe……found out later they didn’t dissect the whole brain, so unless they happen to cut right into where there is damage, they can miss it…
Anyway…..sorry for the long post, but it has taken a VERY long time for me to recover from this, so I can not imagine how you must feel after losing both of your dogs – my heart goes out to you…

I just got a British lab (22 months old) in mid June, & rescued a wire-haired doxie mix (9 months) from Crowley, LA in July from a kill shelter & I now feed them Honest Kitchen Preference (base mix)supplemented with our raw game meat & they are doing great on it & love it.

There is invaluable advice here in this website/forum & I hope you find some answers – I am a newbie here, wish I had found it sooner….

Again, I am so sorry for your losses…..
Suzi

[InkedMarie]

TopDog: yay! Told ya, looks so much different than most other pre made raws.

[InkedMarie]

Well, you posted that you only have a few days of Brothers, a food that is only available from them, unless they’re selling it elsewhere now. You tried to order a couple weeks ago but they don’t make the fish right now. I’m assuming you know to transition over a week, unless your dog transitions easily so you should already have another bag of something. You say you can’t afford the raw for both meals and she’s picky.

I don’t know what I’m missing and I’m sorry that you don’t like what I said but when you won’t feed raw for two meals, your dog eats only one kibble that has to be ordered direct from them and you only have a few days left of food but those are the facts as you’ve presented them.

[topdog]

Now you tell me! 🙁

[theBCnut]

Losul did try it. He fried some up in a pan. He said the bits of bone were unpleasant.

[topdog]

InkedMarie, received delivery of Darwins. Wow it looks sooo fresh I feel like eating it myself. Looks like the butcher just finished grinding it. Big difference in appearance to the NV I was feeding. Haven’t tried it yet because waiting to finish off the NV but it looks AWESOME.

[Bill Rogan]

Hello!!! Beagleowner? Hope you feel better than before because your dog is gradually progressed.

You should bring diversification in you dog food menu. You should ensure that the diet you feed meets your dog’s requirements. It’s important that the diet you feed your dog is “complete and balanced,” meaning it meets all of your dog’s nutritional needs. It is not important, however, that every meal would be completed and balanced, unless you feed the same meal every day with little or no variation.

Following are the guidelines for feeding a raw or cooked homemade diet to get a healthy dog. No single type of food, such as chicken, should ever make up more than half the diet.

You should keep the followings in your consideration while cooking your dog food. Proper balanced dog food includes:

Meat and other Animal Products:

Raw meaty bones (optional)
Boneless meat
Fish
Organs
Eggs
Dairy

Fruits and Vegetables:

Starchy vegetables
Leafy green and other non-starchy vegetables
Fruits
Grains

Supplements:

Calcium
Oils
Fish oil
Cod liver oil
Plant Oils

Other Vitamins and Minerals:

Vitamin E
Iodine
Green blends

Hopefully you be benefited. Best of luck of you with your beloved dog.

[SandyandMila]

My dog’s skin gets red when we come in from our evening walk. I might have to decrease the amount if time shes exposed to the outdoors. 🙁 I do bathe her often. I also have tried bee pollen recently but not seeing much of a difference. I do like using coconut oil in her food and topically and seems to work better. Have you tried coconut oil, Pugsonraw?

[dogmom2]

Patty, I was thinking about the age factor in the coarseness of his outer coat. And it has been almost 2 years since our “food epiphany” and their introduction to raw, and the like. (they were on innova before..with canned innova.). This last year has been the best coat Hank has ever had, and I attribute it to the change in diet to better more natural foods.
He really is pretty healthy, and happy overall. It has just been a crazy amount of hair on the lawn after evening brushing and all over the house. We vacuum every day as it is, but holy moly!!!

Hdm….you are right. I will watch and wait before I panic!

• This reply was modified 12 years, 7 months ago by dogmom2.

[theBCnut]

My dose is one tablespoon per day and before you ask, yes you can add that to whatever. I sweeten tea with it or have peanutbutter and honey for breakfast.

BTW, I do give bee pollen granules to my dogs and I think it helps them.