[Josh H]

I have heard negative things about Pig Ears, Cow Hooves, Raw Hide (really bad) and of course bones, but I haven’t really heard a lot of bad things about Cow ears. Are cow ears a safer alternative to a pig ear?

Also, would they be OK for a puppy?

[anonymously]

We can agree to disagree, after all, we are just voicing opinions. There is nothing to debate.
Any pet owner with serious issues should consult a veterinarian, I assume most people know that.

I used to avoid vets too. I learned the hard way this was not a good idea.

I listened to folks pushing raw diets and such (internet forums) in the past only to end up at the emergency vet $

I now take my advice regarding treatment/diet issues from a vet that has examined my dog.
Every pet is unique, but I share information if I think it will be helpful, short of giving medical advice.

[Denise G]

For all you dog lovers shop at the best pet food store, PROTEIN FOR PETS for all our your pets needs.Over 150 top name brand all natural, organic and raw foods. The staff is very knowledgeable on all of your pets picky and sensitive foods needs. They can assist you in choosing the right food for your pet. Use promo code #272262 for $20 off. A mini Trader Joe’s for dogs!!

[anonymously]

I would make an appointment with a Board Certified Veterinary Dermatologist asap.

Have you checked the search engine here? Example, from on of my previous posts on the subject:

I believe most supplements and “natural” remedies are a scam. I tried various things…nothing worked. Do you really think I wanted to go to a specialist? I am glad I did, as nothing else worked for my dog.

BTW: ASIT (allergen specific immunotherapy) is the most natural treatment available for environmental allergies. No drugs involved. Of course steroids and antihistamine medications and frequent bathing with Malaseb (sometimes twice a week for my dog, even now) may be necessary from time to time to stop the suffering until the ASIT takes effect.
There is no cure for environmental allergies, it requires lifetime treatment. Fortunately there are effective treatments available.

I hope these articles help:
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=allergies

PS: I would not put anything topically on the dog unless prescribed by a veterinarian that has examined her/him, it could make things worse. We ended up at the emergency vet after I applied witch hazel to a rash.
Do not give over the counter meds to a dog unless approved by a veterinarian that has examined the dog.

Hope this helps:

By Klaus Loft, DVM
Angell Dermatology Service

Anyone who suffers debilitating environmental allergies tied to changing seasons, pet dander or household dust mites knows first-hand the misery of a scratchy throat, itchy eyes or painful rashes.

Not everyone knows, however, that our pets can experience similar allergic reactions — and other very bothersome dermatological issues. But our pets need not suffer in silence. Modern veterinary science has evolved such that advanced, comprehensive treatments are now available to treat a range of skin conditions.

Top pet dermatological issues

Our four-legged friends suffer from some of the same skin issues as we do — and several that we do not. The most common conditions we see at Angell include:

•Parasites, such as mites, fleas and mange (scabies)
•Infectious diseases, such as Staphylococcal pyoderma (“Staph”) skin infections, yeast and fungal infections and skin fold infections
•Systemic diseases, such as autoimmune diseases
•Skin cancer, such as Squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma, Mast cell tumors
•Allergies, such as flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, etc.

All of these conditions can become serious and, if untreated, dramatically reduce quality of life. But the tremendous strides made in veterinary innovation, however, is very good news for our pets. Specifically, the testing and treatments for allergies now rivals human healthcare in its sophistication, quality of care and long-term health outcomes.

Unlike humans, dogs and cats cannot tell us about their dermatological health issues. So we as pet owners must look for the signs. The most common indicators that a pet is suffering from some kind of allergy involve frequent episodes of ear infections, red raised or open sores on the skin, constant licking or biting of paws or groin — sometimes causing wounds that will not go away.

Allergies present a particular challenge because there can be hundreds (even thousands) of potential allergens that impact pet health, from foods to pollen from grasses, weeds, trees, dust mites and more. Today’s specialty veterinary hospitals have access to the very latest diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of what’s ailing our pet. Among these tests is the Intra Dermal Test (IDT).

IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.

The results of IDT (as well as a review of the pet’s medical history) can then inform comprehensive immunotherapy treatments to relieve suffering. Veterinary dermatologists rely on IDT to build customized treatment plans for patients called Allergen Specific Immuno Therapy or “ASIT” for short.

ASIT involves a series of injections specifically created for the allergic animal’s skin. These injections, of diluted allergens, are designed to make a pet less sensitive to their allergens over time. In most cases these injections must be continued for life to reduce symptoms, but they are highly effective. Seventy to 90 percent of pets experience a reduction in symptoms as a result of ASIT treatment. These treatments can be delivered even more easily via droplets under the tongue, perfect for pet owners who are squeamish about giving injections to their pet.

This treatment is very new to the North American field of medicine (both human and veterinary) and underscores just how far innovation in veterinary medicine has come.

When it’s time to see the vet

Many pet owners are understandably concerned about taking their animals to the veterinarian because the cost (to say nothing of the fear some animals experience when going do the doctor) may outweigh any perceived reduction in suffering. To help pet owners know when it’s time to bring Fido to the doctor I’ve compiled my “Top Ten” list of dermatological symptoms that should never be ignored:

•Intense itching of the skin (head shaking, running the face into the carpet, furniture, etc.)
•Biting at the skin that creates red, raw crusting areas of the skin
•Multiple ear infections (head shaking, odor from ears, scratching at the ears with hind legs)
•Paw licking or chewing and frequent infections of the skin in the webbed skin of the paws
•Staining of the fur of the paws and nails on multiple feet
•Reoccurring skin infections in the groin, under the shoulders, perianal areas (on or under the tail)
•Greasy scaling skin and/or fur with odorous skin
•Hair loss, or thinning of the fur
•Dark pigmentation of the skin that is chronically infected
•Sudden depigmentation of skin

Allergies and other dermatological issues can be as frustrating for pet owners and their veterinarians as they can be for pets. I encourage any pet owner whose animal is experiencing any of these symptoms to consult with their veterinarian.

[Greg D]

Hi,
I’m new to this forum and have come
across this site as I’m researching. Im going crazy with my dogs yeast infections. I’ve read all the comments, and as everywhere on the net you always find conflicting comments, statements, opinions etc regarding causes and prevention, so I am going to simply provide some of my findings and also hope people can advise any further.
My dog, Digi, a Maltese cross has a yeast problem. Started out in the ears and the paws. This has been going on for 12 months. I started off by changing her diet to a grain free and mostly meat based diet feeding her Wellness core . She loved it at the start but the problem didn’t stop. We then changed to K9 natural freeze dried. Again, she loved it but soon stopped wanting it. The problem didn’t stop. I then started feeding her a raw diet with. I grains or carbs. The problem got worse until she actually had an allergic reaction and ended up at the vets when her face swelled up and she got a red, raised rash all over her body. This happened instantly one night after she finished eating. The vet recommended a fish based diet which against my better judgement contains brown rice, but I was desperate so we tried it. Her ears cleared up miraculously and almost instantly but she still licks her feet. She is washed in anti fungal shampoo regularly but it will not disappear. Her ears are beautiful and clean and no other part of her body seems to be affected anymore. The vet has suggested she may have an allergy to grass as well but how can I keep her inside 24/7? She would go crazy with cabin fever!
I’ve tried soaking them in hydrogen peroxide and water and tried different sprays but she continues to lick them almost constantly and they are that rusty colour. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Willing to try anything. Thank you.

[chris]

@zcRiley Yeah, the thing with Trippet is they use carrageenan which for obvious reasons I won’t be feeding to my dog. Petkind does have the other tripes called “That’s It” which doesn’t include carrageenan. I am not wanting to order offline though and it’s hard to find in my area. Thanks though for the help 🙂

@pugmomsandy Thanks for the info as well, I just asked to join and been reading a ton on there raw diets information on there page. Very interesting!

[pugmomsandy]

You might contact some pet boutique stores or feed stores that carry frozen foods and see if they carry the greentripe.com product. Also, freeze dried tripe is usually available online and in stores. You might also consider joining your local raw feeding group. They probably have contacts for raw foods and might do group bulk orders. I just ordered from greentripe.com with my local group and it came out to be less than $3/lb. Yahoo has a group called carnivore feed-supply. You can join and then post a question about tripe and give your location and any local folks will probably chime in.

[Maria K]

I would avoid Pedigree, ZiwiPeak freeze dried raw, and VeRUS. Wellness is a hard brand because not all of their foods are created equal when it comes to quality. I am using Acana’s Regional Ranchlands formula right now and my dog is thriving on it!

[Jennifer H]

Thank you pitluv. I think you and I are pretty much in sync on this topic. I have many intact Saints as well as not intact saints and they can all eat the higher calorie and fat foods. In fact my 2 older Saints (almost 10) are doing fine without any real adjustment to their diet. The only one I have had to adjust my regular diet for is a 8-year-old spayed girl who started gaining weight and I adjusted her portion down a small bit and she is doing good with her weight now.
I just was wondering if there are any different ideas or beliefs that I may have missed. My guys all eat a RAW diet designed and tested to meet the needs of large/giant breed dogs. It is my own formula (with vet, nutritionist and other breeder input) and I just thought I would see if maybe there was anything else I should be considering in my formula that I might have missed. Anyway, thanks for your input and information.

[Shaleeta H]

Hi Sean b, I’m in the same boat! I have a 15 week IW, and I’m also looking to switch her to raw. They seem so delicate, it’s hard to know where to start.

[Katie C]

I have an 8 week old German Shepherd puppy and I’d like to supplement her diet with some raw foods and go from there. Can puppies have livers, hearts or gizzards? Are they beneficial?

[Andrea V]

Information overload!!! I need some help please! With so much social media I believe I am asking the wrong people for advice. I have gotten a million different responses to what people feed their Cane Corso. We are bringing our puppy home in three days, he is a full blooded cane Corso. Eventually I would like to do the raw diet but definitely need to learn more about that. What is an appropriate kibble to start him on? I heard the blue buffalo wilderness is great? Any thoughts?

[Jasmine C]

Yes she does, and also I forgot to wright ,she also eats raw cow liver, just a couple of pieces, for some reason she doesn’t like chicken liver, hart, and gizzard, but she also eats chicken wings, and necks. People said, she will have worms, but she didn’t. I give her every day carrots, pumpkin seeds- this is keep worms out. Also I would like to start Bentonite clay . I do not used any chemical spray for flees. I make my own natural spray, and it is work perfect Plus I give her raw garlic too, which also keep worms flees away. We don’t go to the vet. She is healthy doggy.

[Jasmine C]

My 4 years old maltese eats raw organic meat and turkey necks for 4 years now. I start from day I bought her . Start with chicken breast and later necks. She is very healthy dog. She loves carrots, apples ,banana I also start giving her Shark liver oil, yougurt, egg yolk , chlorella. She just got 2 female puppies 2 weeks ago. They are growing fast and very healthy too. My dog don’t have bad breath, her teeth is white. And I will never feed her cooked food.

[pugmomsandy]

You might look into Pioneer Naturals, and Wysong Anergan, Wysong Epigen Fish or Epigen Venison. And some of the Addiction Raw Dehydrated products. Grandma Luvy’s Artisan line.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[InkedMarie]

I feed two dogs raw only (one is 32lbs, other was 26.9 yesterday) and my third dog who is 30lbs, eats 2-3 meals of raw a week.

The two larger dogs get around 4.3oz a meal and the smaller one gets about 4.6-5oz a meal
(It’s not exact)

I don’t buy from Reel Raw anymore, I buy from Hare Today. I order once every 6 weeks or so, I always buy 55lbs at a time and with shipping, it runs $235-$300 depending on what proteins I get. I typically have 15 pounds left in the freezer when I order.

I switch proteins every day and mine get two days of red meats then one day of white meat.

[Ashley H]

How much are you guys spending a month on raw? how large is your dog? how often do you rotate grind proteins?

[pitlove]

Hi goldenstar-

Love your new avatar btw! What a cutie!

I’m personally not concerned about plant-based vs meat-based etc etc for a growing large breed puppy. That is something I would focus in on once you know he’s fully grown. I also have no problem with starting a puppy off on chicken. It is a common protein, but why introduce exotic proteins when you don’t need to? There is so much to choose from within the common proteins for variety.

If I were going to add anything at all to the diet it would be raw green tripe. However, as long as there is no bone and the chicken does not exceed 10% of the diet I don’t see the problem with that.

Circa Regal-

That is a great point you bring up and I could not agree more! We decided not to neuter either of our dogs, but even our vet warned us with our pitbull to wait until 18 months old when he was done growing.

I am absolutely a believer in not spaying or neutering early for large and giant breeds especially! It can be so devastating for their growth. Certainly though, it’s tough when you encounter a situation like yours.

[Susan]

Hi my boy suffers with Food Sensitivities & Environment allergies.. your best of doing an elimination food diet to make sure she is sensitive to chicken?? My boy is sensitive to chicken he gets red paws, itchy ears, itchy skin & sloppy poos, as soon as I feed cooked or raw chicken his paws went red & hot within 20mins, also when he eats a kibble with
barley, corn, maize, gluten meal….
“Taste Of The Wild” puppy formulas both are chicken free & no chicken fat….one is Pacific Stream puppy with Smoked Salmon the other one is High Prairie Puppy with Roasted Bison & Roasted Venison….your better off feeding the Salmon kibble. Fish is a cooling meat where beef isn’t my boy itches when I made him Beef rissoles now I feed pork rissole with sweet potato for dinner & the Taste Of The Wild Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb kibble for breakfast, the TOTW Sierra Mountain is an all life stages kibble & can be feed to a puppy & is chicken free. send TOTW an email ask for some puppy samples & All Life Stages kibbles for a large breed puppy & their booklet so you can read ingredients & which kibbles are All Life Stages kibbles…their samples are pretty big..

also BATHS are the best when your dog has environment allergies, I bath weekly sometimes twice a week depends if Patch is itchy & scratching after a walk…Baths wash off any pollen & allergen that are on their fur & skin & relieve any itch when you wash in the right shampoo I bath Patch in Malaseb medicated shampoo. I also wipe him down with Huggie baby Cucumber & Aloe wipes after going on our daily walks… http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/
Another chicken free kibble is “Holistic Select” Salmon & Anchovy & Sardine Meal Adult & Puppy Health is suppose to be really good for itchy dogs…
http://www.holisticselect.com/
If after changing kibble to an all fish kibble & your dog is still itchy red eyes then book an appointment to see an Dermatologist they are better then a vet, dearer but a Dermatologist knows all about allergies & the skin you’ll end up saving money vets just put the dog on a vet diet & give antibiotics & steroids….Have you tried an antihistamine?? especially her eyes are you sure its not a turned in eye lash?? that can cause irritation & infection, I’d see a new vet for her eye…
besides the red eyes is she itchy all over her body & scratching, red paws or itchy ears?? she may just need the eye drops & be put on a premium kibble..

[pitlove]

Hi Tonya

Welcome to the forums!

Tripett is a canned variety of green beef tripe that is a great topper for kibble because it has a perfect 1:1 ca/phos ratio.

Basically as I’m sure you have learned, excessive calcium and excess weight gain are the two major causes of bone growth disorders in growing large breeds. Some of these diseases don’t manifest until later in life, some manifest early on and then clear up. Either way it is important to feed a food appropriate for a growing large breed. The calcium to phos ratio should not exceed 1:5:1 and the calcium to calorie ratio should not exceed 3g/1000kcals.

Here is the issue….some foods make the claim “All Life Stages” which does mean it can be fed to a puppy or an adult. However, that does not always mean a LBP. Natural Balance makes the claim “All Stages, All Breeds” however that may or may not be true depending on what their nutritional philosophy regarding LBP’s is. Some companies are running on the old tired myth that protein is the main cause of bone growth disorders, dispite this theory being debunked some 20 years ago. They put so much emphasis on low protein that they ignore the calcium content.

Some companies list their “nutrient analysis” right there on their website, which I love! Some do not and you have to email the company and ask for it. Reason this is important is because there is a great tool on DFA here in that thread we orginally were talking on that lets you put in the MAX calcium, MAX phos and the calories/kg of the food and it tells you the calcium/phos ratio and the calcium/calorie ratio. However, you can not use the MIN numbers found on the bag. It does not tell you the true amount of calcium contained in the food. When using the MIN numbers, just about every food on the market would look LBP safe lol.

When it comes to feeding guidelines on the bag, they are simply a guideline. NB is a lower calorie food, so in order to meet the dogs daily caloric requirements, more food needs to be fed. Higher calorie foods would require less. One issue with feeding SO much less than the guidelines is the dog becoming nutrient deficient over time.

A lot of factors come in to play in keeping a dog lean. Being spayed/neutered will decrease metabolism, being less active, consuming too many calories in ratio to what is being burned. Personally, I would reward with something like green beans instead of the Zuke’s treats you are using if you are doing a lot of training with her and she is getting a lot of treats. We don’t use a lot of treats in my house because I’m very careful with my dogs weight. I have 3 kinds of treats right now, each with different kcals/treat and I use them based on how much excersize I feel they have done that day. Many days they don’t get a treat at all because I’m also incorporating raw into their kibble, so that takes up the calories of the treats. Praise is also a good training reward vs a treat.

[Mike Sagman]

Hi Lynn,

Please keep in mind that currently, there are more than 340 dog foods rated 4 stars or higher on our website. Yet (by design) Editor’s Choice includes a much smaller selection. Currently, just 21 brands.

There are many reasons why a particular brand may not be included on our lists. And we are particularly cautious with small batch and raw dog foods (as testing and science based design are typically minimal or non-existent).

For example, in most cases, a company may not have met all our guidelines. Or more rarely, its agents may have been unwilling to reveal important manufacturing information.

Or we may be aware of unfavorable information about a company. Or we may have received tips from industry insiders that disqualify certain brands from inclusion on our lists.

In any case, you should be able to find a more detailed answer to your question and many others on our Editor’s Choice FAQ page as well as our How We Rate Dog Foods FAQ page, too.

Hope this helps.

[Acroyali]

What pills from the vet are you considering? Reason I ask is a lot of vets don’t sell supplements as much as pain medication for arthritis. They are very different things and it all depends on what your vet has available. I agree with C4D; in order to get enough glucosamine from the food, you’ve have to feed enough food to create an obese dog, which would defeat the purpose entirely. There are a lot of supplements out there, from over the counter G&C you can get at Wal-Mart, to tumeric, right down to feeding raw chicken feet (or boiling them, discarding the feet and pouring a bit of the stock onto their food.) I had an extremely arthritic dog for many years, and did all of the above and then some but what really seemed to help him was Arnica (homeopathic). Every dog is different. Best of luck.

[Dennis L]

My puppy has been on a raw diet since we got him. We feed a combination of food from My pet carnivore including tripe, whole ground rabbit, whole ground chicken, pork, and beef. I give him raw meaty bones everyday. He was doing great on the bones and even was eating turkey necks, but last week he started chewing all of the meat off the bone and leaving the rest. I tried giving him a chicken thigh and then I went down to chicken wings. He eats the meat off of each bone and leave the rest. He used to crunch the bones up like they were nothing, but he has no interest now.
I know he needs more than the 10 percent bone that is in his ground food so I have been adding bone meal to his food to supplement. I am really not comfortable with this as I don’t want to give him too much calcium. I am wondering if teething is an issue and if anyone has had this problem and if their pups started back up on the bones. Thanks

[Susan]

Hi Lynne, stop feeding the boiled rice, my boy can’t eat boiled rice, it irritates his bowel causing Colitis…Feed your dog foods high in omega 3 like fish, start feeding white fish even raw grounded almonds are excellent source of vitamin E, change her protein & carb to sweet potatoes or potatoes instead of the rice also I keep Metronidazole tablets, every now then I put Patch back on 200mg at night with dinner for 10 days the Metronidazole is an antibiotic for the stomach & bowel & has an anti-inflammatory in it to help with inflammation…I try to change Patches food I cook & rotate between foods he can eat, I’m feeding Lean Pork & Sweet Potato & “Taste of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb kibble there’s also a wet tin food.. then I change the protein, he doesn’t do well on chicken no more, so I changed it to lean Turkey breast, the tin Salmon, then lean Beef, then lean Pork then I start again..

[Maniza D]

HOMEMADE DOG FOOD FOR DIGESTIVE AND SKIN ISSUES
My 13 month old Tibetan Terrier has been sick on and off since I got him at 14 weeks old. After spending thousands of dollars, I decided to cook for him. After doing a lot of research, I discovered that the Acana Pacifica he was on was too rich for him. Acana, like most dog foods does not have a balanced protein to fat ratio (1:1). It is a very fatty kibble. Also it has quite a few sources of carbs lentils ( which are also a source of protein) etc. Lentils are hard to digest, even for humans .. see Indian cooking where Hing is added to aid digestion of these pulses. The Acana ingredients may work well for other dogs but not mine. I decided to switch to homemade meals and the recipe below cured him of stomach ailments overnight!

I was able to create this recipe using BalanceIt website. Couple of important things to note : I added in one capsule of Slippery Elm, great supplement for digestive issues, rosemary, one teaspoon of fresh garlic-ginger paste, parsley, a half teaspoon of bonemeal, and substituted out a portion of the corn oil (causes inflammation) for 1/2 tsp of high quality fish oil. I also adjusted the ingredient quantity to cook for 14 meals ( 2 per day). I cooked the base consisting of the cod, salmon, sweet potatoes and pumpkin and froze the portions. The fresh veggies in the recipe are par-boiled and pureed in the water they were boiled in, and added on a daily basis, along with the above ingredients and a VITAMIN SUPPLEMENT. Very important to add the vitamins and bonemeal (for calcium) to create a nutritionally balanced meal. I add in the bonemeal because the calcium to phosphorus ratio is off in the BalanceIt Vitamin powder.

The following homemade recipe was specially created for a 28 lb healthy adult dog who requires 659 Calories per day. The following recipe provides 692 Calories, enough for 1 day.

TOBY’S HOMEMADE PET FOOD RECIPE
Ingredients Grams Amount
(1) Sweetpotato, baked in skin, without salt (BalanceIT.com; flesh fed only) 200.0 g 1 cup
(2) Fish, cod, Pacific, baked 159.5 g 5 5/8 oz
(3) Fish, salmon, Atlantic, wild, baked 74.4 g 2 5/8 oz – *I used canned
(4) Pumpkin, canned, without salt 61.2 g 1/4 of a cup
(5) Celery, cooked, boiled, drained, pureed, without salt 56.2 g 3/8 of a cup, diced
(6) Spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, pureed, without salt 45.0 g-1/4 cup
(7) Squash, summer, crookneck and straightneck, cooked, boiled, drained, pureed without salt 45.0 g 1/4 of a cup, sliced
(8) Apples, raw, with skin 40.9 g 3/8 of a cup slices
(9) Oil, corn, industrial and retail, all purpose salad or cooking 18.7 g 1 3/8 tbsp – *I use only 1.5 tsp.

You MUST also add the following supplement(s) to prevent essential nutrient deficiencies:
2 3/8 teaspoons (4.75 gram) of Balance IT® Canine – I give Toby half the dose.

Per Above Recipe: 692 Calories; 33% protein calories (228 Calories); 34% fat calories (238 Calories); 33% carbohydrate calories (226 Calories).

[crazy4cats]

Hi RobbW-
If you are feeding the Adult Chicken Blue Wilderness kibble, it has 415 calories per cup. Here is a link the the dog food calculator that may help you determine how much to feed your pups: /dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/

Raw food has a lot more moisture in it and most likely a lot less calories. You either need to feed less of their current food and exercise more. Or, find a food with less calories. I tend to feed lower calorie foods and add different toppers to my dogs’ meals. In fact, I feed commercial raw mixed in their meals three times per week. You could still feed partial raw along with kibble to help save money.

I agree with the others about not adding any supplements that advertise stopping urine burn to you dogs’ diets. Changing the pH of their urine could be dangerous. Best of luck to you!!

[RobbW]

I should also mention that my dogs are overweight. So, along with trying to alleviate the lawn burning problem, I also want to try to get their weights down. My Golden is about 85lbs (would like to get him down to 70-75lbs), and my Beagle is about 40lbs (would like to get her down 25-30lbs).

Our dogs used to not be so heavy when we were feeding them THK. But like I said, it because an inconvenience constantly having to mix up the food, especially for our house/pet-sitter when we’d go on vacation. That’s why I did a lot of research and settled on what I considered to be a high-quality dry kibble. But, obviously, my dogs ballooning up over the past year is probably indicative of the dry kibble not being all that great for them.

I don’t know. Maybe I should just go back to exclusively THK again. If I had my druthers (and unlimited funds), I’d do frozen raw food nuggets. But those are prohibitively expensive with our two dogs. We used to feed our first (and only dog at the time) Steve’s Real Food and Northwest Naturals, and she did awesome on those. She was lean and had no health problems on the frozen raw food. But it was only one 40lb dog. Our current two dogs (at a combined ideal weight of nearly 100lbs) would put us in the poor house trying to feed them frozen raw!

[sean b]

Hi guys,
Is there anybody on here that has an irish wolfhound?? I am trying to get onto giving my Winston a raw food diet,but have no idea where to begin,it all seems very intimidating and would love to know if anybody here has wolfhounds and if so how much do you feed…any help would be much appreciated, how to start out with my feeding regime etc etc thanks guys 🙂

[Mary L]

It would be interesting to have a “Pre-mix” rating category along with wet food, dry food and raw…
I just received the following from “Urban Wolf” who makes base mix : “None ingredients are gmo, some are organic. And we do not add any artificial vitamins , all vitamins are naturally sourced”

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Mary L.

[anonymously]

Hope this helps:

By Klaus Loft, DVM
Angell Dermatology Service

Anyone who suffers debilitating environmental allergies tied to changing seasons, pet dander or household dust mites knows first-hand the misery of a scratchy throat, itchy eyes or painful rashes.

Not everyone knows, however, that our pets can experience similar allergic reactions — and other very bothersome dermatological issues. But our pets need not suffer in silence. Modern veterinary science has evolved such that advanced, comprehensive treatments are now available to treat a range of skin conditions.

Top pet dermatological issues

Our four-legged friends suffer from some of the same skin issues as we do — and several that we do not. The most common conditions we see at Angell include:

•Parasites, such as mites, fleas and mange (scabies)
•Infectious diseases, such as Staphylococcal pyoderma (“Staph”) skin infections, yeast and fungal infections and skin fold infections
•Systemic diseases, such as autoimmune diseases
•Skin cancer, such as Squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma, Mast cell tumors
•Allergies, such as flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, etc.

All of these conditions can become serious and, if untreated, dramatically reduce quality of life. But the tremendous strides made in veterinary innovation, however, is very good news for our pets. Specifically, the testing and treatments for allergies now rivals human healthcare in its sophistication, quality of care and long-term health outcomes.

Unlike humans, dogs and cats cannot tell us about their dermatological health issues. So we as pet owners must look for the signs. The most common indicators that a pet is suffering from some kind of allergy involve frequent episodes of ear infections, red raised or open sores on the skin, constant licking or biting of paws or groin — sometimes causing wounds that will not go away.

Allergies present a particular challenge because there can be hundreds (even thousands) of potential allergens that impact pet health, from foods to pollen from grasses, weeds, trees, dust mites and more. Today’s specialty veterinary hospitals have access to the very latest diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of what’s ailing our pet. Among these tests is the Intra Dermal Test (IDT).

IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.

The results of IDT (as well as a review of the pet’s medical history) can then inform comprehensive immunotherapy treatments to relieve suffering. Veterinary dermatologists rely on IDT to build customized treatment plans for patients called Allergen Specific Immuno Therapy or “ASIT” for short.

ASIT involves a series of injections specifically created for the allergic animal’s skin. These injections, of diluted allergens, are designed to make a pet less sensitive to their allergens over time. In most cases these injections must be continued for life to reduce symptoms, but they are highly effective. Seventy to 90 percent of pets experience a reduction in symptoms as a result of ASIT treatment. These treatments can be delivered even more easily via droplets under the tongue, perfect for pet owners who are squeamish about giving injections to their pet.

This treatment is very new to the North American field of medicine (both human and veterinary) and underscores just how far innovation in veterinary medicine has come.

When it’s time to see the vet

Many pet owners are understandably concerned about taking their animals to the veterinarian because the cost (to say nothing of the fear some animals experience when going do the doctor) may outweigh any perceived reduction in suffering. To help pet owners know when it’s time to bring Fido to the doctor I’ve compiled my “Top Ten” list of dermatological symptoms that should never be ignored:

•Intense itching of the skin (head shaking, running the face into the carpet, furniture, etc.)
•Biting at the skin that creates red, raw crusting areas of the skin
•Multiple ear infections (head shaking, odor from ears, scratching at the ears with hind legs)
•Paw licking or chewing and frequent infections of the skin in the webbed skin of the paws
•Staining of the fur of the paws and nails on multiple feet
•Reoccurring skin infections in the groin, under the shoulders, perianal areas (on or under the tail)
•Greasy scaling skin and/or fur with odorous skin
•Hair loss, or thinning of the fur
•Dark pigmentation of the skin that is chronically infected
•Sudden depigmentation of skin

Allergies and other dermatological issues can be as frustrating for pet owners and their veterinarians as they can be for pets. I encourage any pet owner whose animal is experiencing any of these symptoms to consult with their veterinarian.

[Dru F]

Currently feeding Blues Stews along with a little kibble. thanking of incorporating some raw freeze dried any thoughts?

[Shawna]

Hi Katie C,

There definitely is LOTS of opinions on right from wrong with raw feeding. I think there are three really important factors and everything else is just opinion — 1. No matter what you decide to feed, minimally processed food is always going to be an improvement over highly processed food. 2. The diet MUST be balanced. That said, except for calcium/phosphorus, the balance can happen at every meal or over a weeks time. 3. Variety in the diet (even if feeding commercial prepared, balanced foods) is absolutely a must.

I’ve been feeding raw to about 35/40 dogs over the last 11 to 12 years (my own and foster dogs). I’ve weaned pups onto raw and fed 19 year old seniors raw. I personally don’t feed grains or many starchier vegetables but if the pup isn’t having specific issues these can help keep the diet financially friendly. 🙂 I personally DO like small amounts of fruits (about 5% of total diet) and veggies (about 15 to 20%). They are not necessary, I will totally agree, but they do add a lot of nutrient bang for the buck when properly processed. Since our pups live in a somewhat toxic environment those extra antioxidants etc can only be beneficial in my opinion. I live pretty clean but my pets are exposed to formaldehyde in a few pieces of particle board furniture in my house as well as the anti-stain coating on furniture and rugs. I don’t spray my yard but my neighbors do. Then there’s car exhaust and………

I mostly feed commercial raw, right now I have more money than time. But I do buy meat on sale and use a premix to help balance it. I also have freeze dried raw, and even kibble, on hand for those days I literally run in to feed the dogs and run back out, or maybe I’ve got the flu and don’t even want to get out of bed let alone dish up meals for seven dogs.

There are recipes in books and online that you can use but, as mentioned, I don’t think it’s good to rely on one recipe all the time. Dr. Karen Becker has a book with recipes called “Dr. Becker’s Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats”. She uses a few supplements but, in my opinion, it’s better to use supplements (even synthetic ones) than to omit that vitamin / mineral from the diet all together because of a bias. Balance IT website is another place where you can create recipes using ingredient you chose and then use their supplement mix to balance the diet. You also DEFINITELY CAN balance over a week but you have to be way more committed to finding and using harder to find ingredients/foods.

To recap, best thing you can do is not get too wrapped up into what is wrong or right and just strive for balance using whatever fits best into your lifestyle, price range and belief system.

[pitlove]

Hi Jennifer-

To answer your first question, those numbers are the recommendation from the NRC (National Research Council) which in conjuntion with AAFCO, sets the minimums for the nutrient profiles in all dog foods. As far as I know there is no legal obligation to NRC for companies unlike AAFCO, however they influence AAFCO greatly and are a good rule of thumb. These are nutrient guidelines you would want to consider in preparing homemade and raw diets as well.

For number 2, my best advice is what you already know. Keep them lean, all throughout life. I find that I can still feed my older large breed (8 year old 75lb Lab) high calorie foods, but still keep him at a good weight, so long as I consider his activity level and any extras that he gets. I also do prefer leaner meats like chicken, turkey and fish. The other thing that certainly helps their metabolism is them being intact. It’s going to be much different with neutered/spayed dogs, as their energy requirements change. It’s said now, with some of the new research, that senior dogs require more of a high quality protein because of their inability to metabolize protein as efficently as their adult counterparts. Some still argue that high protein damages the kidneys etc. Others argue that processing excess protein is a passive process of the kidneys and has no effect on a healthy dog.

[Erin N]

Hi Shawna,

I have a 10 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback that has been diagnosed with stage II kidney disease. I have ordered the Standard Process Renal supplement and working on implanting some raw into her diet. I am very curious about the Nitrogen trapping. Do you have a suggested guideline for how much to give a dog per weight? Mine is ranging from 90-100 lbs (trying to get some weight back on her, currently 95 lbs, but always been 100-105).

Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

[Jennifer H]

I made the jump to RAW a couple years ago and could not be more happy with the decision. My dogs are healthier and happier and never leave any food in the bowl at feeding time. I honestly have not had a sick dog since I made the switch on one dog that had been diagnosed with cancer prior to the switch is still with me and doing great.

Books I would recommend for thinking about making the jump would be as follows:

Canine Nutrigenomics by W Jean Dodds, DVM and Diana R. Laverdure. This is the book that finally got me to make the switch after thinking and researching the idea for a couple years. This book has become my Bible so to speak.

Give Your Dog a Bone by Dr. Ian Billinghurst

Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs by Lew Olson, PHD

Common Herbs for Natural Health by Juliette de Bairacli Levy

The Dog Cancer Survival guide by Dr. Demian Dressler, DVM

There are more but these are the books I keep handy when looking to make any changes to my dogs diet.

[Katie C]

Hello everyone!
I am a lifetime dog lover who has recently moved away to college and am owner-training a service dog, Ariel, with the help of an amazing personal trainer. My trainer expects her clients to be on the best food so they can be as amazing as possible. Ariel is currently on Nutro, which is not my first choice but a good product for the price.
I started to research raw diets as Ariel has intermittent bouts of intense diarrhea which I am convinced comes from the ingredients in commercial dog foods. I was overwhelmed by the amount of information on the internet. It seems like everyone has an opinion on what is right and what is horribly wrong, so I figured I’d ask some real dog owners.
Ariel is a 40 lb. spaniel mix that is about ten months old and just about fully grown. She is always starving, despite giving her a little more than the recommended amount of food. How did you guys begin feeding raw? Are there specific resources that are helpful? What is your tried-and-true? If you have the time, I’d love a novel on raw dog food for beginners. 😉

[zcRiley]

ZiwiPeak freeze dried raw. No freezing or mixing. Ingredients listed on Chewy.com

[DogFoodie]

Hi Oceans11,

I feed my dogs a base of kibble and vary the toppers. The extras I mentioned are the toppers. Sorry I didn’t make that clear! 🙂 I buy small bags of dry food that will be used up within two or three weeks. I rotate foods with each new bag. Neither of my dogs requires a transition. My Cavalier would love to eat raw at every meal, but my Golden turns his nose up at it and walks away. I feed them similarly for my sanity. I can’t feed them the same dry food because my Golden has lots of food sensitivities. They both love raw tripe though. I use tripe as a topper or occasionally a full meal. It stinks to high heaven. I order mine from My Pet Carnivore. I’m on their local home-delivery route. You could also order from Hare Today. I prefer frozen raw over canned.

ALS foods are all life stages. They meet the AAFCO profile for growth. Growth foods are called “puppy” foods by some manufacturers, but some might also refer to growth foods as ALS foods. The other profile is adult maintenance. I prefer not to use maintenance foods. Some foods labelled puppy just might be higher in calories, so it’s a good idea to pay attention to calories (usually listed as kcals per cup) all of the time. Feeding guidelines on bags and cans of food tend to be high. Determine for sure how many calories your pup needs daily and measure it out. Be sure to include calories from all sources… kibble, canned, treats, etc. With a small dog, you might need to weigh food using a digital kitchen scale to ensure accuracy. There’s less room for error when you’re talking about a small number of calories to begin with. Keep an eye on their body condition and use that as your guide for portion control.

If they’re truly hungry at mealtime they’ll eat eagerly!

[Oceans11]

DogFoodie, are you saying that by varying your Cavalier’s daily diet between kibble, canned, fruits and veggies that he is getting the nutrients that he needs? We can certainly do that plus I will not leave good out and pick it up and offer later as Anonymously recommended. BTW, what are ALS foods? Where do you get raw green tripe? I have gotten it canned but he was r thrilled with it. U just wish there was a well balanced food I could feed them and vary between chicken and beef.
Thank you all who replied. I really appreciate your feedback!

[DogFoodie]

I’m not at all a fan of Evanger’s at all. They’ve had lots of major quality control issues.

I see no problem with your feeding your adult dog puppy food, just be aware that it’s typically higher in calories. Puppy foods are AAFCO growth foods, which are same thing as ALS foods. My adult Cavalier is about the same size as your Coton and she occassionally gets puppy foods in her rotation. She eats about 350 calories per day from various sources; ie: kibble, canned, fresh fruits & veggies, lean meats.

It’s possible your pup is being overfed, which is probably the leading cause of loose stool. They miggt be reluctant to eat because they’re not really hungry.

I would be really careful about home cooked unless it’s properly balanced. If you’re just feeding fresh or whole foods as toppers, just be sure it’s not more than 20% of her daily calories. A homemade, properly balanced, diet is the best thing you could feed them, but it’s tricky. Raw green tripe works wonders when you’re trying to entice a picky eater at mealtime.

[Rikki W]

Thank you so much for your quick reply pitlove! Sadly I am back to the drawing board as it seems the Dr. Tims formula has too much calcium in it. It shows the minimum to be 1.5% therefore I would think the average levels are going to be too high for my growing mastiff pup. Back to the drawing board I go. Who knew this would be so difficult.

[Oceans11]

We are feeding the Orijin Puppy kibble because we have a one year old also. Both are Coton de Tulears. They aren’t that active except they do run around and play hard in their area which is quite large. We tried feeding him Fromn Gold Adult kibble along with the can food but they completely ignore it. I am afraid I sound like an idiot but I am exasperated as to what to fed them. The two year old has been a finicky eater. So we keep trying to come up with something he will eat. If he doesn’t like it, he will go two days without eating. We have tried: cooking chicken breasts or thighs which the like but I am concerned they are getting the right mix of nutrients (when I add veggies and blueberries, they pick around and just eat the chicken.). We tried balance It Whole Canine menus w/the supplement and they wouldn’t touch it. We tried Basic Instinct t Raw with no luck. Tried Freshpet – they didn’t eat that after an initial meal. They are eating the Evangers canned chicken thighs supplemented with the Orijin Puppy kibble which we leave out all day. The reason we leave the kibble out all day is they often don’t eat the canned food right away. I think we are making feeding them way harder than it should be.

[anonymously]

My 20 lb dog gets 1/2 cup (1/4 cup kibble and 1/4 cup topper) twice a day, I add water to the kibble as most dogs don’t drink enough.
I would start with something like this and see how he does, weigh him once a week.
Do not free feed. Pick up anything not eaten within 10 minutes, store in the fridg and offer at the next mealtime.
The guidelines on the dog food packages are usually too much.
Maybe 1/4 cup kibble as a snack once a day or a bite of something (maybe cooked lean chicken) usually as a reward after a long walk, I try to walk him 2-3 miles per day.
My dog with environmental allergies does best on Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea kibble.
check chewy.com

Environmental allergies.
excerpt below from: http://www.2ndchance.info/Apoquel.htm
“Food Allergies are probably over-diagnosed in dogs (they account for, perhaps 5-10%). Hypoallergenic diets are occasionally, but not frequently, helpful in canine atopy cases but you should always give them a try. Food intolerances are more common – but considerably more likely to result in digestive disturbances and diarrhea than in itching problems”.

Mail-in hair and saliva tests do not test for allergies and tend to be inaccurate. Food sensitivities fluctuate. Food allergies are rare.

It sounds like environmental allergies, I went through this with my dog and did not have good results till I took her to a dermatologist. Wasted a year going back and forth to the regular vet. Tried all kinds of diets, nothing helped.
She is stable now x 4 years, we see the specialist once a year. They can still have occasional flare-ups even with successful treatment, and it can take up to a year to see results, however I saw improvement right away .

Consider making an appointment with a dermatologist:

By Klaus Loft, DVM
Angell Dermatology Service

Anyone who suffers debilitating environmental allergies tied to changing seasons, pet dander or household dust mites knows first-hand the misery of a scratchy throat, itchy eyes or painful rashes.

Not everyone knows, however, that our pets can experience similar allergic reactions — and other very bothersome dermatological issues. But our pets need not suffer in silence. Modern veterinary science has evolved such that advanced, comprehensive treatments are now available to treat a range of skin conditions.

Top pet dermatological issues

Our four-legged friends suffer from some of the same skin issues as we do — and several that we do not. The most common conditions we see at Angell include:

•Parasites, such as mites, fleas and mange (scabies)
•Infectious diseases, such as Staphylococcal pyoderma (“Staph”) skin infections, yeast and fungal infections and skin fold infections
•Systemic diseases, such as autoimmune diseases
•Skin cancer, such as Squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma, Mast cell tumors
•Allergies, such as flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, etc.

All of these conditions can become serious and, if untreated, dramatically reduce quality of life. But the tremendous strides made in veterinary innovation, however, is very good news for our pets. Specifically, the testing and treatments for allergies now rivals human healthcare in its sophistication, quality of care and long-term health outcomes.

Unlike humans, dogs and cats cannot tell us about their dermatological health issues. So we as pet owners must look for the signs. The most common indicators that a pet is suffering from some kind of allergy involve frequent episodes of ear infections, red raised or open sores on the skin, constant licking or biting of paws or groin — sometimes causing wounds that will not go away.

Allergies present a particular challenge because there can be hundreds (even thousands) of potential allergens that impact pet health, from foods to pollen from grasses, weeds, trees, dust mites and more. Today’s specialty veterinary hospitals have access to the very latest diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of what’s ailing our pet. Among these tests is the Intra Dermal Test (IDT).

IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.

The results of IDT (as well as a review of the pet’s medical history) can then inform comprehensive immunotherapy treatments to relieve suffering. Veterinary dermatologists rely on IDT to build customized treatment plans for patients called Allergen Specific Immuno Therapy or “ASIT” for short.

ASIT involves a series of injections specifically created for the allergic animal’s skin. These injections, of diluted allergens, are designed to make a pet less sensitive to their allergens over time. In most cases these injections must be continued for life to reduce symptoms, but they are highly effective. Seventy to 90 percent of pets experience a reduction in symptoms as a result of ASIT treatment. These treatments can be delivered even more easily via droplets under the tongue, perfect for pet owners who are squeamish about giving injections to their pet.

This treatment is very new to the North American field of medicine (both human and veterinary) and underscores just how far innovation in veterinary medicine has come.

When it’s time to see the vet

Many pet owners are understandably concerned about taking their animals to the veterinarian because the cost (to say nothing of the fear some animals experience when going do the doctor) may outweigh any perceived reduction in suffering. To help pet owners know when it’s time to bring Fido to the doctor I’ve compiled my “Top Ten” list of dermatological symptoms that should never be ignored:

•Intense itching of the skin (head shaking, running the face into the carpet, furniture, etc.)
•Biting at the skin that creates red, raw crusting areas of the skin
•Multiple ear infections (head shaking, odor from ears, scratching at the ears with hind legs)
•Paw licking or chewing and frequent infections of the skin in the webbed skin of the paws
•Staining of the fur of the paws and nails on multiple feet
•Reoccurring skin infections in the groin, under the shoulders, perianal areas (on or under the tail)
•Greasy scaling skin and/or fur with odorous skin
•Hair loss, or thinning of the fur
•Dark pigmentation of the skin that is chronically infected
•Sudden depigmentation of skin

Allergies and other dermatological issues can be as frustrating for pet owners and their veterinarians as they can be for pets. I encourage any pet owner whose animal is experiencing any of these symptoms to consult with their veterinarian.

[Jenni M]

My doberman started with the gulps at about 2 years of age. She has been raw fed since puppy-hood- which surprised me as most cases seemed to be dogs with conventional kibble diets. I’ve seen theories that say the “gulps” could be neurological, emotionally triggered, diet related, and so on. Since I fed a raw diet, and exercise her frequently, I did worry it might be genetic. I never got my vet to test her though, as that route seemed frustratingly inconclusive/expensive for most the owners online.

Some people have had success with antacids, so that was my first test. An appropriate dosage of Pepto-Bismol worked to stop her gulps every time. However, research has led me to believe pepto itself is not a healthy option. Some studies suggest that antacids actually exacerbate the issue…. so the solution mentioned, among other things, apple cider vinegar. The hard part is making it palatable, so to get her to eat it I mix it 40/60- 30/70 with water, and mix in some ground meat to make a soup. It worked! I use about 1/3 of a cup (Braggs Apple Cider) for my 75lb girl. I have reduced the episodes down to almost non-existence- and avoid known triggers (fatty meat like chicken skin or heavily marbled beef).

For those interested in the information, I’d recommend reading the research on Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD in people. Specifically those that have taken the natural route to ‘fix’ their symptoms. The similarities to the gulps in dogs is interesting.

[Paul M]

Hi I have just joined the site, my 1year old Labrador/poodle cross (labradoodle) has been fussy since we got her at 8 weeks of age. We continued feeding her the same dry diet she was on at the breeding kennels, but after a month or so she went right off, so we tried dry kibble, we tried pouch foods from different makers, tinned food, Caesar meals, we even went over to raw prepared dog food from a local butcher, Bessie’s tries it for a day to two maybe a a week max, then she turns her nose up at it.
We have never fed her from the table, or after every meal from our plate, the odd scrap, but after we have left the table and from the kitchen into her own bowl and placed where he food is always put.
We walk her minimum of twice a day, she always has a good run with other dogs in the park, plays and runs happily, chases the balls and drinks well after, then has a sleep. But. . . She just doesn’t seem interested in her food.
We are worried she isn’t eating enough.
Any thoughts, comments or advise would be most grateful.

[pitlove]

Hi Valarie-

My pitbull experiences several different symptoms, each related to different sets of allergies. When he has a reaction to food he develops a red mouth, acne bumps on his mouth and inbetween his digits becomes raw, red and yeast starts to grow. When he is having symptoms of his allergies related to the outside environment he gets sores and flakey oily patches of skin on the under side of his belly (similar to yours) and on his sides by his ribs.

For his food allergies, we did a food trial through the vet using Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein for 2 months, to diganose it. After that we switched to Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach. It is corn, wheat and soy free, but not grain free and is fish based. This cleared up all of his food related symptoms and he actually likes it. He is not a fan of fish based foods normally (we have tried many of the “higher end” brands). We stay away from all red meat for my boy because he has been known to be sensitive to beef and lamb. Fish is usually safe for most allergy dogs (but that is not always the case).

Unfortunetly for the environmental allergies, he will continue to get those symptoms every year around this time. We live in Louisiana, so we don’t really have a true winter and our summers are terrible. It’s not a great place for dogs with allergies lol. Best advice I can give you is limit exposure to the outside (no more laying outside on the porch 🙁 ) and bathe him twice a week in Malaseb shampoo. If he does have any excess yeast from his immune system being suppressed by the allergies, this will kill it. It is also very gentle and makes their fur nice and soft.

Don’t forget though, your boy could also be reacting to something in his indoor environment. This is where environmental allergies get very complex. These things can be dignosed vis blood tests through a dematologist or the vet, but it is expensive. Very expensive. If you can afford it though, it’s worth it. Also consider washing his bedding etc in something like ALL free clear which has no dyes or perfumes.

You can purchase it here: https://www.chewy.com/malaseb-medicated-shampoo-dogs-cats/dp/119234

We changed Bentley’s diet many times too before realizing that we were just changing his diet to different brands with similar proteins and not trying something new for him (in his case fish). I would highly recommend doing a food trial through your vet with the Royal Canin prescription food if you think food is an issue. Personally though, your pitties symptoms to me, don’t sound food related, but you never know.

Hope this was helpful!

[pitlove]

Yes, this has thread has become a great platform, for those who are passionate or have questions, to dicuss the unique dietary needs of large and giant breed puppies.

That is awesome! It is refreshing to see someone put thought and effort into a raw diet for giant puppies rather than just taking any old recipe off the internet.

That is wonderful that you breed and do rescue work. I dislike that responsible breeders get a bad rap. The next puppy I will most likely be getting is a Cane Corso and I already have a breeder picked out. I’ve seen one of her puppies first hand at the small pet store I work for and he was stellar! Thank you for the work that you do with pitbulls. I am a pitbull owner, advocate and lover myself. They need more support!

Umm, I kind of forgot how to post pictures myself lol. Let’s see if I can remember…

No I keep failing trying to do it…

[Jennifer H]

Wow, I love this. It is so good to be able to learn and share information about nutrition for the big guys. As for me and my food, yes I consulted with vets, nutritionists and other giant breed breeders who have fed RAW before switching my adults. Then I did more research and consulting before starting puppies on such a diet. I am a breeder of Saints and also work with rescue for any large/giant breeds that come into shelters in my area. I have fostered Mastiffs, Great Danes, Pitbull’s, Rottweilers and more over the years. Most shelters aren’t equipped to house giant breeds or aren’t allowed to even take in Pitbulls, so I am on their list to call when these breeds come in. I would gladly post photos but am new to this and not sure how?

[pitlove]

I totally agree about keeping all large and giant breeds lean. I have 2 big guys and I am very picky about the way I feed them and how lean they are! My 8 year old Lab still has good mobility and can run like crazy.

I take it you breed Saints? Did you work with a nutritionist for your recipes for the puppies?
I would be highly nervous too about feeding a homemade raw diet to a giant breed puppy, but it sounds like you put a lot of work into it before trying it out on the litter.

Post some pictures if you have any!!

[Jennifer H]

Thanks. Keeping any dog/puppy at a healthy weight is important but for large/giant breed puppies I can’t stress enough how dramatically proper weight can impact their entire life. As for my puppies, yep I do feed my puppies an all natural RAW diet. I have tested and formulated my mix to ensure it is not only balanced but also to ensure it has the right Calcium and Phosphorus levels for a giant breed puppy. I will admit, the first time I gave a litter of puppies a raw chicken back at about 5 weeks of age I was scared to death. I was simply amazed at how well they took to it. I am now tracking the health and development of the puppies I have kept and continue to feed raw as well as the health and development of the puppies that have gone to new homes and are eating different foods. It is a lot of work, but it is worth it to me. I looked at the commercial RAW diets and kibbles available and just didn’t find any that I felt truly addressed the needs of the large and giant breed dogs, so….. I just took the plunge