[theBCnut]

Diarrhea is the pits, both dealing with it and spelling it!!!

[Cyndi]

2nd poop today, HARD!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Finally, a whole day without diarreha! (sp?)

[Cyndi]

I don’t think so Sandy. If she was getting too much, wouldn’t that have the opposite effect of runny poop? I thought her poop would be too hard if she was getting too much bone. I really haven’t been giving her that many chicken legs. & she’s only had a turkey neck twice, tonight being the second time. Thanks for your input though. I really appreciate any feedback, just in case there IS something I’m missing.

[pugmomsandy]

Do you think she’s getting too much bone? Chicken legs and thighs and turkey necks have more bone than say – a whole prey that is about 10% bone.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hard poop – yay! 🙂

And yes – it’s perfectly fine to feed more at one meal and less at the other.

[Cyndi]

Thanks so much HDM! I tried so hard to figure that out and my brain just goes elsewhere after a few tries, lol! That’s actually about what I’ve been feeding her, maybe a bit less. I don’t exactly know what an “average” activity level is, but that’s what I always assumed. I would imagine it’s ok to feed less at one meal and then more at her 2nd meal of the day, but making sure she’s getting very close to what she should be eating for the day. Sometimes, like when I give her a turkey neck, I adjust her other meal for the day accordingly.

Not sure if you saw what I wrote earlier, but she pooped this morning on our walk and it was HARD!!! 🙂 Made my day! Thanks for ALL your help!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Cyndi –

No one’s ever accused me of being good at math either…well at least not calculus lol. Raw food calculations are one of the few mathematical calculations I can handle though!

In general, dogs should eat (as a percentage of their weight):
-1.5% for weightloss
-2.0% for inactive dogs
-2.5% for adult dogs of average activity level
-3.0% for active dogs or dogs of average/low activity needing to gain weight
-3.5% for very active dogs or active dogs needing to gain weight
-4.0% for working adult dogs and puppies (8 weeks – 1 year)
-4.5% – 8.0% for heavy-duty working dogs, puppies under 8 weeks and pregnant/lactating females

Based on these guidelines, assuming Baily is of average activity level Bailey should be eating:

53 lbs. X 0.025 = 1.325 lbs. or 21.2 oz. per day

To factor in her 24 hour fast:

[(21.2 oz./day)(7 days/week)]/13 meals per week = 11.42 oz. per meal

Keep in mind – these are just guidelines, you’ll need to assess her body condition frequently and adjust her portions accordingly. Gus eats about 2.5% of his body weight, Mabel eats about 3.5% of her body weight and Gertie eats about 4.0% of her body weight (with their weekly fast factored in). Also – these calculations are for the meat portion (muscle meat, organ meat, bone) only. Don’t count veggies toward the calculation.

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

[Cyndi]

Ok, need someone’s help, please. Math was always my very worst subject. I’m trying to figure out how much I should be feeding Bailey at every meal. She did weigh 53lbs. when I started her on raw and I’d like to keep her there. No clue what she weighs now, because I had my boss weigh her on his scale and it broke, because he got on it holding her to figure out her weight and he’s a BIG guy anyways. I know she hasn’t gained or lost a whole lot. Anyways, I feed her twice a day and I fast her on Sunday evenings for just the one meal. I don’t think I’ve been feeding too much, and like I said to Sandy, I may be feeding too little.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Cyndi]

I have been feeding her chicken with just about all the skin off. & she’s not overeating, because I weigh everything. If anything, I might not be giving her enough, because I never really adjusted how much I’ve been feeding her since I fast her once a week.

We just got back from her walk and she pooped! A Hard One!!! Yay!!! Lol! It had a bit of moistness with it, in a way, but when I picked it up, the poop was really hard. So, that’s a plus. I was very excited! I guess I shouldn’t be, but it’s better than what she was doing. She’s having a turkey neck for dinner, with no skin, so that shouldn’t be a problem either, so we’ll see how she does…

[pugmomsandy]

Maybe she’s getting intolerant of chicken. Are you feeding with fat on or off? Have you adjusted her portions up or down? Could she be overeating?

[Cyndi]

I know, right? But I think I’d rather have Bailey poop every other day, lol! I have been going crazy trying to figure out what the heck is going on, but with any luck, I’ll get it all figured out. Thanks Marie! 🙂

[InkedMarie]

Cyndi, regarding my dog, it’s hard for me to be okay with pooping every other day but Ive resigned myself to the fact that may be how she is.
Hope you get Bailey’s problems ironed out. You’re right, frustrating it is! What we do for our dogs, eh?

[Cyndi]

Marie, she’s never had canned or dehydrated, since I’ve had her anyways. So, I’d be really afraid to try something different again, at this point. I’m gonna try to give it a few more days and see what happens, then if sticking with the raw doesn’t work, your idea and what HDM suggested, sound like the option I’ll go with. I really don’t want to go back to just kibble, even though she was getting Nature’s Variety Instict and Deli Fresh, so that wasn’t all THAT bad.

I have read about the problems you are going thru and I hope it’s gotten better for you. This is so frustrating. I know you know that. But, with any luck, maybe just balancing out Bailey’s meals and feeding her what I know she’s been ok with will do the trick.

[Cyndi]

Oh, ok. Thanks HDM! I’ll just get one of the herbal stool supplements you suggested, for now. But, let’s hope she does NOT still have loose stools come Friday!

Hi Sandy, Yes, there was a time when she had normal stools. This week starts her 4th full week on raw. She had a problem with runny stools and threw up once right at the beginning, but that only lasted for like a day and a half, 2 days at most. Then she went 11 days with perfect hard, small poops. The only thing that was different in her diet this time she got diarrehea (sorry, I just can not spell that word) was I added a small piece of chicken gizzard to her food. I can see her possibly getting runny stools from that, but not for 4 days, right? I am going to, more or less, start over. I’ll stop introducing new foods and just keep her on chicken thighs and leg quarters and the chicken grind for a bit longer.

So, I gave her breakfast about 45 minutes ago and nothing yet. She didn’t poop first thing this morning, of course, because I fasted her last night, so we’ll see. I’ll keep you guys posted….

Thanks you guys! Happy Memorial Day!!

[InkedMarie]

Cyndi: Can you do a combination of many foods: raw, dehydrated, canned, kibble if you want to feed it? I wonder if that might clear up the loose stools and give her a variety.
You may have read I have a few stool issues with one dog and I think I am going to end up doing Darwins & boneless ground for her raw, plus The Honest Kitchen and am going to buy canned as well. She has no teeth so I would prefer no kibble plus I don’t see the need for her to have it

[pugmomsandy]

Cyndi,

Was there a time when she had normal stools? What was she eating then? Can you go back and start over? Give her a longer time to acclimate? Or just give her old food for one meal and raw for the other?

[Hound Dog Mom]

The Dr. Harvey’s herbal supplements are like whole food multi-vitamin/minerals – I don’t believe they’re for loose stools so you could give it in combination with one of the herbal stool supplements I suggested. Good luck!

[lassiebaby]

Thank you very much

[Cyndi]

HDM, I actually had that written down to get when I get paid on friday. I was actually going to get Dr. Harvey’s Multi Vitamin Mineral & Herbal Dog Supplement, but I will look into the one’s you suggested instead…..or both. Thanks again!!

[Cyndi]

HDM, thank you so very much for your opinions and suggestions. I do still have her on the probiotics. Or, I should say I put her back on them when the loose stools started again, along with pumpkin. I’m wondering, instead of the freshpet tomorrow morning, like I have been giving along with a couple other things, maybe I should give her a rmb for breakfast? She hasn’t pooped since this morning so I am going to be on pins and needles till she does go tomorrow. I will keep an eye on her in the yard and not leave her out for a few days, as hard as that will be. And you are correct (good memory) that she was on Fresh pet, well, Deli Fresh and Nature’s Variety Instinct. I do still have her on the Deli Fresh, which I give her in the mornings along with whatever else I have, like chicken grind, or ground beef, etc.

My gut tells me to ride it out and give it just a few more days. I’ll try to keep her diet as regular as I can and see what happens AND supervise her in the yard. I guess I just needed to hear it from someone else. Thank you HDM, so much. I really, really appreciate it! And if you would, could you please cross your fingers for me, lol! I need all the luck I can get. Thanks again!! Have a good evening!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Cyndi –

Another thought – you could try an herbal supplement for loose stools. I’ve never had to use one, but I have heard of individuals having success with them. Many contain ingredients such as slippery elm, marshmallow root, papaya leaf and licorice root. These herbs help to heal the gut and firm stools. Some to look into would be: Perfect Form made by The Honest Kitchen, Gastriplex made by Thorne Research, Phytomucil by Animals’ Apawthecary, GastriX by Hilton Herbs and Enhance by Aunt Jeni’s.

[Cyndi]

lassiebaby, go here /forums/topic/how-to-create-your-own-custom-avatar/
to find out about adding a picture. And to post a new topic, go to the forum subject you want, and go to the bottom of the page to start a new topic.

[Hound Dog Mom]

lassiebaby –

Go to the general forum area and click on the forum you want to post under – at the bottom of the screen there will be a box where you can enter a title and post. To get a picture go to gravatar.com.

[lassiebaby]

lassiebaby
Member
can you please help ? how to post a new message and add profile picture. Thank you.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I can imagine how frustrated you must be! If it were me, assuming the stools aren’t completely liquid diarrhea and you really want to make a raw diet work, I would ride it out awhile longer. Some dogs just take longer to adjust to changes in diet. Although I don’t feel it’s common, a raw diet just may not be right for some dogs. Do you have her on a probiotic supplement? (I’m almost certain this has been discussed already, but I thought I’d check just in case). If not, that could help. It is possible that she could be eating something in the yard – if you suspect this is the issue, try not letting her outdoors unsupervised for a few days and see if things clear up. Ultimately, you need to follow your gut and do what you feel is in the best interest of your dog. There’s no reason to feel guilty or like you’re not doing the best you can for her by not feeding raw. If I recall correctly you were feeding Fresh Pet and a 5 star kibble prior to trying raw, while this may not be a raw diet be comforted in knowing this is better than what about 95% of dogs are eating. There are also several non-raw options that, with the addition of digestive enzymes, could be nearly as good as a raw diet. You could try a homemade cooked diet with enzymes and see if she tolerates this better, Fresh Pet + enzymes, a dehydrated food + enzymes (The Honest Kitchen, Grandma Lucy’s, etc.) or a high quality canned food + enzymes. If any of these combinations worked out you could attempt to incorporate a RMB 2 – 3 times a week just as a treat and not at the main component of the diet so that she would get the dental benefits a raw diet has to offer.

[lassiebaby]

can you please help ? how to post a new message and add profile picture. Thank you.

[Cyndi]

I know you said you were out of suggestions &I apologize for sounding so desperate. But, anything you could suggest might help. You have alot more experience than I do & I just dont know what else to do, but I dont want to do the wrong thing. If you suggest that the best thing to do would probably be go back to kibble, then I would probably end up doing that…

[Cyndi]

Thanks HDM! I’m really, really frustrated, because I don’t want to go back to feeding her kibble instead of raw. Do you have any suggestions? Maybe ride it out a few more days? Give her a few straight meals with alot of bone? I mean, she is acting totally fine, except for the loose stools. She only had one bm today, and it WAS better than yesterdays, and I fasted her tonight. I have been feeding her enough bone meals. Dinner is when she gets her RMB’s and I’ve never skipped a bone meal. That’s why I just can’t figure it out. Do you have any suggestions or do you think maybe some dogs just can’t handle a raw diet? I totally value your opinion and would appreciate any suggestions you might have.

An afterthought, I have been wondering if maybe she’s eating something in the yard that she shouldn’t. She is out there alot during the day. She loves to just sit and watch the goings on around her and I hate to keep her couped up in the house when it’s so nice, I just can’t watch her every second though….

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Cyndi –

I’m sorry you’re having such difficulties. 🙁

I wish I could be of more help but I’m really out of suggestions. I’ve never experienced such a thing with any of my dogs – all three of mine had no issues transitioning cold turkey to a raw diet. I guess I’ve just been lucky because every dog I’ve ever owned has been able to eat whatever I feed them – whether it’s a bowl of Beneful or a balanced homemade raw meal – with no issues. I’m always amazed every time I visit DFA at the numbers of dogs that can eat this, can’t eat that, get diarrhea from this, have allergies to that, etc. etc. I’ve just never experienced such things with my dogs..

[weloveloki]

We’ve been feeding Loki, our, now 5mo Rott/GS mix, a raw food diet since we brought him home from the shelter at 3 months; been serving him mainly Stella & Chewy’s and also Primal Canine, he seems to love it, all varieties. Recently, our local Pet Food Express gave us an individual sample of “Tucker’s”, a new product they carry from a “local, USA company” and “the hook” was that it was “$10 less” per bag…!!! They have a very positive, “pat yourself on the back” web-site and Loki had no problem “wolfing” the sample down, either; was wondering if anyone else here has heard of them and tried their products, and if you have any feedback to share on your experiences….THANKS in advance, looking forward to any replies…!!!

[InkedMarie]

It takes time to figure out how much boneless and bony to give each dog.

[Cyndi]

Well, I am going to be taking Bailey to the vet & I guess I’m going to take her off raw and go back to what she did well on without having diarehhea all the time. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to handle doing the raw thing. I have no idea what I’m doing wrong & I don’t know what else to do.

Bye everyone & thanks for your help. I hope you all have a nice holiday.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi jacklyn –

The most effective thing you can do to repel fleas and ticks from your dogs is to boost their immune system. Vital dogs are less susceptible to parasites (both internal and external) than dogs with weaker immune systems. The first step to creating a strong immune system is by feeding a species-appropriate diet. For years I used chemical flea and tick topicals on my dogs (Advantix or Frontline Plus). Two summers ago was a really bad summer for fleas in my area, despite receiving a monthly dose of Advantix my dogs (I had two at the time – Gus was 6 and Gertie was a pup) got infested with fleas. When I say infested, I mean really infested – Gus had the hair chewed off both his hindquarters exposing the raw skin because he was chewing on himself so much and Gertie was just crawling with them, when I separated her hair I could just see fleas crawling. So in addition to the Advantix I put them on Trifexis (oral flea preventative, with heart worm preventative – took them off Heartguard) and set off flea “bombs” in the house. To no avail. I hired an exterminator to treat the yard and house – that didn’t do any good either. Finally I gave up and we all suffered through the summer and early fall until the temperatures dipped below freezing, then the fleas died off. That fall I switched my dogs to a raw diet (at the time of the infestation they were eating The Honest Kitchen and various 4 and 5 star canned foods). I read online many reports of dogs not requiring flea and tick treatments while on a raw diet because their immune systems grow so strong. It sounded bogus to me but I really didn’t like using chemicals on and around them (I had began learning more about chemical flea and tick preventatives and started to become scared of using them) and I figured it things couldn’t be worse than the previous summer. So that next summer (would have been last summer – 2012) I didn’t use any chemical preventatives. I used Sentry Natural Defense topical (chemical free – contains natural essential oils) and Earth Animal herbal flea and tick tincture (drops that I add to their food made with herbs known to make the dog’s natural scent/blood less appealing to fleas and ticks). I combed my dogs daily with a flea comb and did not find a single flea or tick the entire summer. I’ve been chemical-free ever since and so far so good for this summer too. I’ve been having a snap test (blood test for tick transmitted diseases) done prior to the start of tick season and after tick season and all my dogs have tested negative for tick transmitted diseases each time – ticks are bad in my area and last summer 4 individuals I know had their dogs (all of which were on either Advantix or Frontline Plus) test positive for lyme. I’m now a believer that healthy dogs are less susceptible to infestation.

Some information about the active ingredients found in many popular flea and tick preventatives:

FIPRONIL (active ingredient in Frontline)

“Journal of Pesticide Reform Factsheet: Fipronil”
-In tests with laboratory animals, fipronil causes aggressive behavior, damaged kidneys, and “drastic alterations in thyroid function.” The fipronil containing product ‘Frontline’ caused changes in the levels of sex hormones.
-The offspring of laboratory animals exposed to fipronil during pregnancy were smaller than those of unexposed mothers. They also took longer to mature sexually.
-The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies fipronil as a carcinogen because exposure to fipronil caused benign and malignant thyroid tumors in lab animals.

IMIDACLOPRID (active ingredient in Advantage)

“Journal of Pesticide Reform Factsheet: Imidacloprid”
-Imidacloprid is a relatively new, systemic insecticide chemically related to the tobacco toxin nicotine. Like nicotine, it acts on the nervous system. Symptoms of exposure include apathy, labored breathing, incoordination, emaciation and convulsions. Longer-term exposures causes reduced ability to gain weight and thyroid lesions.
-Pregnant laboratory animals exposed to imidacloprid experienced increased incidence of miscarriage and had smaller offspring than unexposed animals.
-Imidacloprid has been shown to increase the incidence of genetic damage called DNA adducts.

PYRETHRINS (active ingredient in Bio Spot)

-According to CPI, from 2002 through 2007, at least 1,600 pet deaths related to spot-on treatments with the pyrethrins were reported to the EPA.
-According to the website “Bio Spot Victims”: Toxicological studies have linked this pesticide to serious acute and chronic health effects. The EPA has classified it as a possible human carcinogen because it increases the frequency of lung and liver tumors in laboratory animals. It suppresses the immune system. Permethrin is also suspected to have played an important role in the development of illnesses known as the Gulf War Syndrome.

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

[Cyndi]

For a few days this week, her poop was just very soft. Last night it was a bit on the harder side. First poop this morning was hard, then about an hour after breakfast it was complete liquid. I know she’s eating grass outside, but other than that nothing has changed except for the turkey neck for the first time last night. Last week when the very soft poop started, I had given her a very small amount of chicken gizzards. So I didn’t feed that again, just her normal stuff. I have been watching the amount of skin on the chicken (I take alot of it off) and she hasn’t had anything else out of the ordinary lately. Should I maybe give her a few RMB’s for meals for the next couple meals? I have been giving her pumpkin and probiotics with meals since the diarrehha (I wish I could spell that word, lol!) started.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Cyndi –

How watery is her poop? Like complete liquid or just on the soft side? In my experience the amount of fat, organ meat, muscle meat and bone all affect the “hardness” and color of the stool. For example, if I feed my dogs a pork neck for a meal (high bone) their poop will be very light in color and powdery. If they get a meal high in organ meat their stool will be very dark. A meal high in fat will make their stool on the soft side (kind of like soft serve ice cream as opposed to the hard “pellets” they normally) have. If the stool is very watery (like explosive diarrhea) she’s probably eating something that doesn’t agree with her and/or getting too much fat. If it’s just on the soft side but still formed (like soft serve ice cream) I wouldn’t worry about it as long as it doesn’t persist more than a day or two. When dogs are eating a varied diet, their stools will tend to vary as well. And as far as how long after eating something diarrhea could happen, I’d say most likely the first or second stool she passes after eating a food would be when it would hit.

[Cyndi]

Good Morning Everyone! 🙂 I have more questions…

I would like to know if anyone can tell me how fast diarrehea can happen if a food doesn’t agree with a dog? I have been having problems with with Bailey with runny stools, off and on for about a week. She’ll do great for a few days, have small hard poops, then all of a sudden have very runny poop for a few days. I have every meal written down what she’s been eating since we started raw on May 5, and I keep going over it trying to figure it out. She was doing great, then had runny poop, went back to 2 or 3 hard poops, gave her a turkey neck last night for dinner (for the first time), she had a hard poop this morning, ate breakfast, then watery poop on our walk about an hour later. I am getting really frustrated and almost thinking of going back to just the Deli Fresh and Nature’s Variety Instinct kibble that she was on before I switched to raw. If it wasn’t for her looking better, shinier coat, brighter eyes, more playful, etc., I probably would have already….

Any help or opinions would be greatly appreciated!!

[GSDsForever]

It looks like the Classic version of the Elk would be okay for you also, none of known allergens listed for it:

1st 5 Ingredients: Elk, Salmon Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Salmon Oil

Elk, Salmon Meal, Oats, Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Salmon Oil, Dried Kelp, Alfalfa, Pears, Blueberries, Strawberries, Figs, Sage, Rosemary, Summer Savory, Cinnamon, Flax Seed, Carrots, Celery, Beets, Watercress, Potassium Chloride, Lecithin, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Lactis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Taurine, DL-Methionine, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Choline Chloride, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Cobalt Proteinate, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenite, Mixed Tocopherols, Citric Acid, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Rosemary Extract

[GSDsForever]

Ocean Blue Classic version *might* be okay too. I’d ask — because I know in the past, the “potatoes” the owner has used he stated are sweet potatoes, not white potatoes. It’s easiest to reach them via online chat (pops up on their website).

Classic is their lower priced, more moderate protein line, which may or may not by formula include grains. Here are the Classic version ingredients:

1st 5 ingredients: White Fish Meal, Herring, Salmon Meal, Salmon Oil, Blueberries

*Fish is wild caught Alaskan, no Ethoxyquin. Salmon oil is from wild caught Alaskan also.

White Fish Meal, Herring, Potatoes, Salmon Meal, Salmon Oil, Blueberries, Figs, Basil, Dill, Anise Seed, Caraway Seed, Watercress, Spinach, Celery, Parsley, Marigold Flowers, Sesame Seeds, Almonds, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Thermophilum Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Longum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Choline Chloride, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Cobalt Proteinate, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenite, Mixed Tocopherols, Citric Acid, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Rosemary Extract

As you can see, there are no grains in this lower priced formula either. I’d inquire whether the potatoes are white or sweet potatoes.

[GSDsForever]

Dogspot,

I am not exactly an apologist for raw meat diets or bones & raw food. It’s not how I choose to feed or what I would even consider to be the very best diet out there.

My #1 preference is for a balanced homemade diet with a wide variety of lightly cooked and raw ingredients, depending on each ingredient, prioritizing nutrient dense, active super foods. Digestibility also matters to me, as well as whether my dog actually enjoys his food.

But, to be fair, 1)I’ve known many dogs doing well on well prepared safe raw meat based diets with very conscientious owners. 2)Many commercial kibbles, treats, etc have had huge contamination problems and recalls related to salmonella precisely, as well as moldy grains, melamine, vomitoxins, aflatoxins, e coli, etc. This is hardly a raw foods specific hazard or common occurrence. 3)Dogs, in truth, typically handle bacteria and such much better than humans do and healthy dogs have high tolerances.

I think some alarmist stuff with raw feeding is rather overblown. For example, I feed raw eggs and cooked eggs, and have eaten undercooked eggs in various forms and recipes all my life . . . without once getting sick from salmonella or having my dog do so either. At the same time, I became very sick with food poisoning from a single COOKED organic SWEET POTATO — likely either from inadequate washing or black spots on the skin that can cause rather virulent food poisoning.

[GSDsForever]

More cancer fighting foods to make liberal use of:

Herbs & Spices:
Turmeric
Ginger
Raw Garlic
Basil
Oregano
Thyme
Sage
Mints
Marjoram
Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
Rosemary
Tarragon
Fenugreek
Fennel
Chili Pepper (in small amounts!)

Greens (Organic):
Kale
Mustard Greens
Turnip Greens

Veggies:
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Asparagus
Cauliflower
Carrots (preferably organic)
Celery (organic)
Eggplant
Mushrooms, all: especially Enoki, Shiitake, Maitake (also cordyceps)
Bell Peppers (organic)
Winter Squash
Rutabagas
Turnips
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Daikon
Fennel
Sweet Potatoes

Fruits:
Berries (organic)
Citrus (organic)
Papaya
Cantaloupe

Seafood (Uncontaminated)

Legumes:
Lentils
Miso
Organic Non-GMO Tofu

Whole Grains (IF using in homemade or choosing among in a food):
Barley
Steel Cut Oats (slow kind)
Brown Rice
Whole Wheat (organic)

Oils:
Organic Virgin Coconut
Extra Virgin Olive
Fish Oil (Clean Source)

Other: Flaxseed (fresh ground), Licorice Root, Decaff Green/Oolong/Black Tea

Source: USDA NAPR ALERT/Natural Products Alert/database of 100, 000 studies from University of Illinois @ Chicago; and Nutritional Almanac (Lavonne J Dunne)

[GSDsForever]

LOL. I think I want to come eat at your house. Some yummy foods that are favorites of mine!

(In fact I have a favorite gourmet pizza place here with a pizza with 3 types of gourmet olives (including Kalamata and large green), roasted red pepper strips, artichoke hearts, and feta. You’re killing me with the feta stuffed olives!!!)

One tip: I really recommend, especially for a small dog, organic bell peppers when possible — because they’re on the top ten list for pesticide/fungicide/etc contaminated foods. What I do is try to save my money for organic for just the top ten lists in veggies/fruits. Apples, strawberries, bell peppers, leafy greens, etc.

[pugmomsandy]

Angels6121,

Look up these foods or brands and look through their different varieties:

Canine Caviar GF
EVO cans
Fresh is Best dehydrated
Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance freeze dried
Great Life GF
Honest Kitchen Zeal dehydrated
Hound and Gatos canned
Merrick 96% canned
Natural Balance LID dry
Nature’s Logic canned and dry
Only Natural Pet Easy Raw and MaxxMeat dehydrated
Pioneer Naturals GF
Sojo’s Complete dehydrated
Smack dehydrated
Tuscan Natural Simply Pure dry
Weruva Marbella Paella
Wellness Simple canned
Wellness cans – duck, turkey, venison, whitefish

[GSDsForever]

angels,

What about Stella & Chewy’s? Excellent food. They make raw dehydrated medallions that are meat & bone based, with organic fruits, veggies, seeds and do not contain any of those ingredients you listed. In fact they don’t include any starches or grains period. This is great brand and dogs seem to really love the stuff. With a maltese it would be pretty affordable to feed, vs a medium or large breed dog. They’re easy to feed too, can be fed either with water or dry, shredded/broken into quarters/whole. Try the DuckDuckGoose — has duck, turkey, goose. No chicken.

Also, I highly recommend Timberwolf, have fed it for years. The Platinum Ocean Blue (fish based) has sweet potatoes (which you said are fine), but no peas, white potatoes, or grains. It has sweet potatoes and garbanzo beans (chickpeas). It’s nutrient dense, very high calorie; so you would be feeding very little especially to a tiny dog. I’d recommend introducing this food slowly over 1-2 weeks to ensure tolerance, as it is very rich and contains ingredients not commonly found in other foods and all at once.

Aside from these, rather than trying a whole bunch of commercial foods, I’d try first pinpointing what your dog CAN handle by feeding ONE protein and ONE carb. And I’d try to make sure that something is an actual allergy vs an intolerance or upset, since they are different. I’d try boiled turkey or cottage cheese and sweet potato OR oats (since you know your dog is okay with either). (By the way, many dogs are intolerant of lactose & milk, but fine with yogurt or cottage cheese.)

[mah4angel]

Yes, yes, I know, feeding your dog table food is never a good idea. We should stick to our homemade, raw, dry, whatever dog foods and not feed our dogs table scraps.
However, my dog doesn’t understand that just because something fell on the floor, does not mean that he can pick it up and then growl at mommy when she tries to take it away from you and then eat it.
He did this with a feta cheese-stuffed olive the other day and today he stole a bit of my red baby bell pepper! The bell pepper was completely void of seeds, I checked about ten times before sitting down to eat it and my little guy snatched some up while I was at the stove and he ate it. I mean, I really didn’t expect him to want to eat my olive or my bell peppers. He doesn’t like Ziwipeak’s treats! He’s a very finicky dog. My dog is weird.
It’s not like children, where when they like a vegetable it’s really fabulous, I have no idea whether or not that but of bell pepper was good for him.
IF IT IS GOOD FOR HIM, should I give bell pepper slices to him as a treat as something low in fat, protein, and carbohydrates? I have no idea what kind of a monster I’ve created here…

[Hound Dog Mom]

You could try adding a limited ingredient venison-based canned food, dehydrated food or raw food to make the dry more palatable.

Canned Options:
-EVO Grain-Free 95% Venison
-Canine Caviar Green Venison Tripe
-Natural Balance LID Venison & Sweet Potato
-Addiction Venison and Apple Entree
-Wysong Venison Au Jus

Dehydrated Options:
-Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Venison
-Addiction Fig’licious Venison Feast

Frozen Raw:
-Primal Canine Venison Formula

Also, another dry food that’s venison based and limited in ingredients to possible try would be Addiction’s Viva La Venison.

All of the formulas I mentioned contain venison as the only protein source and some of the canned formulas contain only venison and no other ingredients (aside from vitamins/minerals) so they shouldn’t trigger any sensitivities.

I would also recommend supplementing his diet with a high quality multi-strain probiotic supplement and digestive enzymes to help strengthen his digestive system. A spoonful of pumpkin with each meal during the transition may help as well.

[Hound Dog Mom]

There is no such as thing as “too much protein” for a healthy dog. Size also has nothing to do with protein requirements – all dogs, regardless of size, have the same basic nutrition requirements. Dogs only require protein and fat, they have no dietary requirement for carbohydrates. Ideally – the diet for a healthy dog with a typical activity level should be high in protein, moderate in fat and low in carbohydrates.

My dogs eat a homemade raw diet that ranges between 45% and 55% protein, 30% and 40% fat and roughly 15% carbohydrates. My dogs are active and have trouble maintaining weight so I keep the fat content of their meals on the high side. For a less active dog or dog with an average activity level you would want to keep the fat level around half the protein level – so if you were feeding 50% protein you’d want fat at about 25%. You want to keep the carbohydrate level of the meal low. I wouldn’t ever recommend less than 30% protein or less than 15% fat for a healthy dog and I believe protein levels above 40% are ideal. It will be easier to achieve proper protein levels if feeding raw, fresh cooked or canned foods – all kibbles are fairly low in protein as they require a certain amount of starch in the formula to act as a binder.

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

[theBCnut]

Since it takes such a short time for all of mine to go through a bag of food, I have 4 open at any given time. As we finish one something else gets rotated in. Mine get something different at every meal, kibble, fresh, and raw. If I only had one dog, I wouldn’t have so many bags open at once, but for some reason I find it fun to be able to change things up for them so much. They must like it too, because even my very picky dog has forgotten his picky ways and gobbles up every meal.

[crazy4cats]

Oh boy, I hope Moose brings up something soon. I totally know what it feels like waiting and worrying. One of mine also swallowed a glove. My previous dog would occasionally chew things up, especially when young. But, I think my two now will try to eat and swallow anything! I try and keep them occupied with an occasional bully stick in a vice grip and also raw marrow bones. However, I do worry about chipped teeth with the raw bones, but so far so good.

Good Luck!

[theBCnut]

The person I know used them raw feeding. He has a huge Pit that swallowed a whole chicken thigh. He read about using vise grips on one of the raw feeding sites. It really worked for him. He says he used the vise grips for about three months and then he stopped. The dog learned to chew his bones. I’ve never seen the dog, but how big would he have to be to swallow a whole thigh!?!

[petsforpeace]

Woodrow is an amazing 55 lb. 2-3 year old Cattle dog/ shar pei/lab mix rescue. He has issues with a few triggers that send him across the threshold. Woodrow and I are being coached by a positive trainer/behavior specialist. He has plenty of exercise throughout everyday. The trainer has suggested a low protein diet could possibly could help him. He is currently getting Acana Regionals grain free in the morning and Vital Essentials or Primal Raw in the evening. I mix the proteins with both the kibble and the raw. He has been on this diet for 1 1/2 years. She has also instructed the use of only kibble, no raw. Has anyone had any experience with this? And….what the heck would I feed him? Thank you.