[Jaxons Mom]

Hey everyone I’m brand new to raw feeding and I’m trying to learn as much as I can. Like all of you, feeding my lab mix pup the healthiest, most nutritious and enjoyable food and treats possible is extremely important. I think it would be fantastic if there was a thread for anyone who would be so kind to share any recipes they may have for homemade healthy treats that compliment a raw diet! Also I will be investing in a food dehydrator, so recipes & tips for making dehydrated treats is welcome as well.

I go through a lot of treats currently as I do 1-3 sessions daily that last anywhere from 5-15 minutes. I break them up to be pea sized, and I use dehydrated liver, but it gets pricey. Looking forward to trying out some recipes!!

[Jenn H]

Greg, I’m so glad Maddie is doing well. It’s certainly has much to do with her person. I sometimes feel like I’m being condescending so please don’t take it that way. Clearly you are not an idiot who will buy into and purchase all the products some vets & sites push. I’m relieved to see someone doing careful research.
I love THK and would prefer to feed only that. It’s just not possible right now as my puppy and another dog set half my kitchen on fire. The mixes they recommend for my dogs’ needs require me to add the protein.
I’m also glad to see that I am not the only person who doesn’t buy into completely raw as the cure all for every dog.
Too bad their isn’t a holistic vet near you.
I work at a horse farm. Everyone has dogs and everyone raises & feeds them very differently. I’ll people I know & trust if they’ve ever had a dog with lymphoma. We have a lot of different vets as well. Quite a few are holistic/alternative and some practice all schools of medicine.

Also I wanted to let you know that I’m not questioning or judging your treatment choices for the lymphoma. I had a dog that would have had a miserable quality if life if we treated his cancer. But maybe would’ve have survived 6-9 months. Sadly we had 5 wks from the time of diagnosis, but is was a wonderful 5 wks. He didn’t suffer at all. That’s the most important thing.
Diet and holistic treatment had everything to do with his survival. It was sort of a freak thing that caused his death.
I was just wondering too what the other type of lymphoma it could be and what the possible treatment of that is. Is there a reason why you can’t test for it? Just in case it isn’t the probable type. Again, not judging. Just trying to learn.

Thanks for updating. We can all benefit from one another’s experiences. I hope you have many many many happy times with your Maddie and she goes beyond their expectations.

[Jaxons Mom]

Hello! I’m fairly new to raw, I just started my lab mix pup on it when he was around 20 weeks (October 2015) and I was just wondering if anyone would be so kind to reply with a list of RMB’s and other parts that I could get from a butcher and feed? He’s almost 10 mos old and 67 lbs. Thankyou!! Any tips and suggestions would be incredibly helpful and very much appreciated!

[Aracely M]

I have a minuature Poodle with Colitis, IBS and all possible due to his low acid stoamch production. After years on a Vegetable diet he is now low on nutrients. I. Change to mostly raw foods, lamb, veggies and early mornings fruits. The problem now is Costipation to the point of Colitis episodes and bacterial infection. I lived in Honduras, Central America, no good Dog food available here so, any ideas on what can help to help him eliminating the protein and veggie waste??
His digetion has gotten better using Apple Cider Vinegar.

[Greg F]

Virginia
It is good to see your experience unlike many supports my plan of feeding. I think you probably have more options than I do since we need a novel protein. If your current diet stops working or you want more protein two foods I’ve use that may work are THK Zeal and Natures Variety Instinct Raw Boost Healty Weight. Our other two Havanese are on NV and have excellent weight, energy and stools. It has 34% protein and 12 % fat which should be good for pancreatic issues.
The Zeal is 35% protein and only 8.5 % fat while giving you the benefits of more moisture and less proscessing than kibble. Zeal worked well with the IBD dog for sometime until we had a flare up. I think the fish was not a novel enough protein as venison or duck as needed for IBD.

[Greg F]

Jenn
I’m also a little skeptical of Dr Becker and Meracola and how they push and sell products. I wanted to see what is in her book however on Amazon you can’t “See Inside” before you buy like most books. I wanted to see if she had recipes specifically for IBD.
As for the lymphoma the vet said if she has it the type she would have only would gain her 3 months with treatment. Other than weight and hair loss she is pretty good appearance wise. I do wish we had a good holistic vet in southwest Florida to consult without pushing services and products.
Unless I get comfortable with home cooking I plan to buy THK Kindly dehydrated base mix and mix in cooked venison from the bucher. This should give her a high quality product that has moisture, high protein and low fat and carbs which most people agree is good for IBD. I don’t think for quite some time we can consider the raw protein source.
I will however continue my research on cancer fighting foods and will be very interested in the follow up tests next Wednesday.
Thank you for your input.

[virginia R]

Hi Greg – I did buy Dr Becker’s book – it is helpful but the recipes are very complicated because of the need to mix your own supplements – which can include a dozen or more vitamins and minerals in minute to large amounts. I then researched to find recipes and a pre-mixed supplement and had a consultation with my vet and Hilary Watson of Hilary’s Blend. I followed her program closely – everything measured to the gram, cooked according to the recipes and no substitutions. Ingredients included boneless chicken breasts, wild catch salmon, lean ground beef – with rice or potatoes and fruit and vegetables along with the supplements. Cooking for 2 dogs approx. 45 lb. each was a huge effort which I was willing to continue. My dogs did not do well on this program – while it may not be related, the 11 month old has been diagnosed with pancreatitis and the 4 year old doesn’t seem to be able to digest brown rice and/or chicken. We are now on Hills ID for the 4 year old and Royal Canin gastro low fat for the baby. I’ve also tried raw (violently ill). So while I still think that home cooking should be better (especially when you use quality ingredients), my experience is that the dogs do better on commercial kibble and canned.

[Jenn H]

Couldn’t be happier to hear such great news!
Perhaps you should get a definitive diagnosis on the lymphoma. Diet can be helpful for certain cancers.
When 2 of my dogs had cancer I used a holistic vet as well as my conventional vet & oncologists. He was a tremendous asset to their care & quality of life.
I love so much of Dr. Becker’s advice, but I do get very aggravated by her constant “species appropriate diet” preaching. She has a huge agenda in regards to that. It seems like she thinks it’s a cure all. Not all dogs do well on raw diets. Any evidence of thriving is anecdotal not scientific.
Just be aware of anyone pushing their products/agenda when seeking medical help. This is not to say they don’t work. It just may be sales is more of a priority than your individual dog’s needs.
I wish your dog has continued good health. And you have many great years with her.

[Greg F]

Well I think everyone’s prayers worked. After 2 days in the hospital and no positive signs we waited for the vets 10 am call knowing we gave it all and we prepared ourself so for putting an end to her mistery. Then the vet said she turned the corner and we should give her another 2 days in their care and would come home Tuesday. She is down to 8 1/2 lbs from a normal weight of 11. After 2 days she is eating, firm stools and perky.
We are giving her Hills D/D duck, Primal raw venison cooked, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and a little cottage on top at first to eat the food.
We may still be dealing with lymphoma in addition to IBD and PLE and won’t be doing additional testing and chemo since it won’t buy much time.
I’m considering a consultation with Dr Becker or buying her home recipe book. In the near future I think we will go with fresh venison (low fat) cooked and THK base. This way it is safe and should give her a complete novel high protein, low fat low carb diet with an option to go to an all home cooked meal. Not sure on the supplements.
Thanks for all your thoughts and help.

[Carlene]

I apologize for yet another lengthy post but it’s so interesting that many of our stories read the same…

I’ve been dealing with the gulpy air licks since my pit bull was around 1.5 years old. He is 6.5 now. He will gulp, air lick, hard swallow, stare at me like “help me!”, he grinds his teeth, he will vomit hand size piles of white foamy bile, sometimes dingy yellowish bile, eat grass, eat more grass, throw that up and then being exhausted, he will sleep for hours. If I’m at work while an episode happened, he will resort to carpet, socks, wicker baskets, whatever he could get in his mouth. In the early days, this happened maybe a couple of times every six months but I wasn’t too concerned. I mean we all occasionally get sick, right? But for the first couple of years, I did casually mention it to my vet at bi-annual appts and even joked about renaming him Stan (the South Park character who pukes all the time). Something else maybe worth mentioning is sometimes I would get home from work after being gone for 10 hours or so and he would puke his kibble. It was still in perfect little round pieces, just like it went in, except it’s wet. So ZERO digestion in 10 hours for whatever that’s worth. His episodes began to increase in both frequency and severity about 3 years ago. No rhyme or reason. No patterns. Nothing I have been able to pinpoint. The episodes are almost a daily occurrence now. I mention to friends “he had a good day today” instead of a bad day because they are so frequent. You can see it in his eyes, his head is down, he’s tired, his eyes are red, he’s drooly, he stretches his neck, and he’s very, very clingy. I honestly don’t even remember what the first treatment protocols were or what order we went in. But here are some of the things we’ve tried:

-Rubbing Trachea/Throat, Singing a song, Going for a walk. Basically distractions – works sometimes.
-Canned organic pumpkin or Plain Greek Yogurt to settle the tummy during an episode – would work sometimes
-Pepcid for acid reflux – seemed to work for a while
-Probiotics
-Elevated Food Bowl
-Pepcid with Carafate Slurries each morning and evening to coat the tummy before meals – maybe worked?
-Metronidazole/Amoxicillin combo for suspected Helicobacter Pylori – tested negative
-Complete Blood Panel
-Barium swallow with Xrays to examine the esophagus and rule out Megaesophagus – all clear
-Daily Prilosec OTC 20mg – works sometimes.
-Dry Kibble Changes – all over the map but all No Corn, Soy or Wheat – settled on Nutrisource Chicken for approx. 2 years –
-Canned food – makes it worse-
-No dry kibble for 6 months – I cooked for him. Chicken, Veggies, Rice. Worked well at first, and got worse toward the end of the 6 month period.
-Animal Communicator – don’t laugh. I was very skeptical too. But this lady I do not know told me that his tummy had been sick for a really long time and that he was tired. She also told me that his body required a warm protein rather than a cool protein. I switched him from Nutrisource Chicken (cold) to Nutrisource Lamb (warm). She also told me to try essential oils. She didn’t say what kind, she said to let him smell the unopened containers and he would be interested in the one his body needed, if he needed one at all. I met with an essential oils expert, did just what she said and let him do the picking. We went vial after vial while he would sniff and turn his head over & over again. Until he sniffed…and he didn’t turn away. He sniffed again. He sniffed all around that vial like I was holding a piece of meat. He nudged my hand. More like a shove than a nudge really. I turned the vial around to see what it was expecting something food related but it wasn’t, it was something called Digize. Digize is:“a dietary supplement that provides valuable aid for digestive concerns and helps support a healthy digestive system. Benefits and Uses: eases heartburn, calms upset stomach, alleviates diarrhea, minimizes bloating, comforts sickness associated with pregnancy, reduces discomfort while travelling, overcomes constipation, improves digestive function, eases acidity in body, and rids body of parasites.” Well I’ll be darned.
-Daily Prilosec/Carafate/Reglan regimen
-And Cerenia. This stuff works beautifully and at $15 per dose, is more expensive than pure gold.

I know I’ve forgotten a few things we tried, but we have tried a lot. In December 2015 he had had several pretty rough days in a row. I’d gotten home from work one eve and knew he wasn’t feeling well. I heard something weird, looked down at him standing in the kitchen and I see his teeth chattering, his body is stiff as a board, and he has this hard stare, like no one is in there. It was the weirdest thing that only lasted maybe 30 seconds, but it definitely happened. After it was over, it took him a good while to get his bearings back. He was so wobbly and confused. I texted my vet and she replied with “He’s just had a Focal Seizure.” I wonder if that’s somehow related to his gulpy air lick? Anyhow, because December was so bad for him I finally bit the money bullet and scheduled his Endoscopy, Biopsies, and Exploratory GI Surgery January 11th 2016. First off I want to say that I’ve done a TON of research too. I was convinced he had esophageal erosion, burns from the severe acid reflux, or big angry ulcers all over the lining of his stomach. Or stomach cancer. Yeah, that. So the results of the Endoscopy? The doc gives me a rundown. The esophagus looks perfect. The stomach looks perfect. Nothing in there at all (I did kind of expect a toy or something). The pyloris spincter looks good. The duodenum looks good, and the very beginning of the small intestine looks good. He said there doesn’t seem to be bile backing up into the stomach at all. So. Inconclusive. I couldn’t decide if that was good or bad news. I do know that I REALLY need an answer though.

Since the surgery, I’ve had him on a regimen of Prilosec/Carafate/Reglan but it seems like he was sicker after the surgery than before. Like the scope irritated something, I don’t know. Results of the biopsies came back and they confirmed IBD, which we already knew. Doc says more testing is needed with the next being for something called Myasthenia Gravis, a nerve/muscle disorder. We haven’t done this test yet, but it is our next medical step. Anyway, after doing a bunch more research and with Doc’s blessing of course, last Wednesday February 10th I changed his food again to a limited ingredient novel protein, Zignature Kangaroo. I took away ALL the treats too. Treats are now Kangaroo kibble. I also went to feeding him 3 small meals a day on as consistent of a schedule as I can. If his tummy is empty, he gets gulpy licky. If his tummy is too full, he pukes. So day 1 on the Kangaroo, Wednesday, was a good day. Thursday was a good day. Friday was a good day. Saturday I discontinued the Carafate and Reglan but continuing the Prilosec. So far the good days have continued. Today is day 8 of “a good day”. I hope this lasts and I want to be positive, but I know the odds are not in our favor. Just one more theory, one more trial, grasping at more straws. I’ll definitey be looking more into the magnesium deficiency and Bilious Vomiting Syndrome that were mentioned earlier in the thread. At some point we have got to figure this out. Seems like none of us are giving up so I’d say we have a pretty good chance.

*One word of warning about the Kangaroo. It stinks. It makes his breath stink, his poops are dense and alfalfa’ish smelling, and it digests quicker than other kibbles. And did I mention it stinks? Wish us luck and thank you for all your comments, for reading, and caring…

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Carlene.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Carlene.

[losul]

Chloe, I agree mostly with ed p. I think it’s really good advice. It’s hard to calculate an all homemade diet for pups for all their needs. I feed alot of homemade for my adult for several years, but I still couldn’t feel confident or comfortable doing it for a pup, at least not without going back to the books and even then probably not for 100% of the diet. It doesn’t have to be kibble necessarily, but commercial balanced quality kibble and/or canned and/or commercial raw. You can always start to add a small amount of homemade to his diet, only keep small enough that it doesn’t throw off the balance. I’m not familiar with some of the meats you have either.

Is he a large breed? If so, proper balance is even more so important.

[Susan]

Be very careful with rawhide they swell in the stomach if pieces are swallowed & those cooked bones you see in pet shops, dogs are dying the bones splitter in the stomach & bowel…. Go on Face Book look at “Rodney Habib” page, he is often posting stories about rawhide & the chemicals used to make rawhide & other bad treats….. If you scroll down on his page he has a easy to make sesame honey chicken jerky strips you can make yourself…..I just bought Kangaroo Tendons but I live Australia these Kangaroo Tendons last hours…..this is what they look like there might be something similar in America…
http://shop.petsnacks.com.au/products/kangaroo-tendon-dog-treat-1

[Kathy N]

The company called OC Raw…DOES NOT use any gullets or tracheas or any form of the thyroid tissues in any of their meat sources !! If any one has any questions just email or call Oliva Hudson ..of OC Raw…I am very happy with the results of their raw diets so far…it is important to know what is in the meat trims,the raw companies are getting from the suppliers..if a company can’t verify this ..I won’t use them….I trust OC Raw..and also trust North West Naturals..who also verified they use nothing with thyroid tissue attached either….in their raw meats….

[Cannoli]

Since I am new to raw been only doing it for 4 months I would advise that you feed your dog a high quality kibble diet until they are 1 year old. That way there is no nutritional deficiency impact

I had concerns about the nutritional requirements for pups and hence I waited until my pup was 1 year old and while I waited for my pup to be 1 year old I did plenty of research.

If you are concerned this is what I would do.

[Kathy R]

Hi everyone,
New to site, just adopted a 20 month Aussie/BC/Retriever mix. Our first dog in 10 years. Until we can trust him not to kill the cat he will be in a crate 2 days a week while we work, with a walk at lunchtime. Want to get him a long lasting, safe chew toy to keep him busy while we’re gone. Tried a frozen pbutter filled kong but he took care of that in about 15 minutes.

The store has a million types of rawhides, antlers, Himilayan yak stuff, synthetic bones, etc….I am overwhelmed. What do you recommend that he can be left alone with? He has not chewed on anything inappropriate but shredded a tug of war toy in about 5 minutes…chewed right thru it so I think he’s a strong chewer. Greenie’s last about 2 minutes.

I do not want anything that is colored or messy/smelly or bloody as his crate is on my light tan carpeting. Hopefully something the cat won’t be interested in either. What is safe? Our old dog loved rawhides and they lasted forever…but they seem to be ‘out” now though we never had any problems with them.

[Chloe K]

I’m really concerned in starting my puppy off with feeding raw chicken because it’s so hard to find just chicken out of the bone, (I’m Australian, and I pretty much live out in the country so it’s hard to find things like that) I can get heart mince, liver mince, and I can very easily get beef and kangaroo diced, but no where sells chicken diced. :/

What can I do? Is Chicken Mince ok to use for a few weeks before I can progress to beef/cow? The closest to us that sells raw for dogs has “Chicken Scapular Trim” which I’m not 100% sure but I think that is just meat and no bone? Is that ok to feed + the liver/heart and bones in the night for their bone intake.

Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! I’ve heard of Grandma Lucy’s I will check it out. And then onto the introducing part. And just save the rabbit for treats as she had no problem with rabbit that way before. I thought about venison, but was leary because the internist vet did not recommend that one 3 years ago and I had previously feed that to my first Aussie when I found out she had Cushing’s Disease and then switched to a raw diet

I was devastated when I found out Chewy’s could not send my order of Kanagroo because I lived in California. I hadn’t heard it had been banned and learned it had previously been banned.

Thank you again the suggestion!!!

JMP

[InkedMarie]

There is a dehydrated food called Grandma Lucy’s that has a goat formula. Many foods come in venison.

If you’d try ground raw, Hare Today has goat, rabbit, emu & many others.

[Codex]

Looking for a supplement for my spayed, 20.pound dog. I was looking at this:https://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-premium-raw-multi-glandular-women-60-caps

[Shawna]

Hi Bev A,

I’m soooooo glad to hear that Bitty is feeling better!!!

Low albumin could be an indicator that she’s not getting enough protein and also a symptom of kidney failure. Inflammation is also a cause. High glubulin is caused by inflammation as well so that would be my guess as to the cause of both. Did your vet test for an infection? The teeth may have caused an infection. That’s what happened to Audrey. A food sensitivity can also cause this sort of inflammation. My best guess, if she doesn’t have an infection, is that one of the foods she is eating has an ingredient in it that she is reacting to. If you are feeding the kibbled KD then I would try one of the canned foods. If she is eating one of the canned foods then I would try another — they now have the original egg product but also have two stew products – one with beef and one with chicken. I would eliminate the other two foods for a few weeks at least unless she won’t eat without them. If you have a source for raw green tripe I would try mixing that in with the SD to entice her to eat.

Although the supplements are of supreme quality, it could be something in them that she is reacting to as well. Did you notice any negative reactions shortly after they were started. Audrey, as an example, was allergic to beef bone. I was giving her Standard Process Catalyn (a multi vitamin) which had beef bone in it — before I knew she was allergic. I personally would also contact Standard Process and talk with one of their vet techs or the vet on staff. Additionally, if you have access to a good holistic vet it might not hurt to have a consult with him/her.

If you think that the inflammation could be diet related and you cant figure it out with elimination, I would consider using a product made by Glacier Peak Holistics that can help identify sensitivities. Not everyone here on DFA agrees that the test is worth the $85.00 cost but myself and many friends have used it with great success.

I’m very happy that Bitty is feeling better but bummed for you both that this has cropped up… 🙁

Hugs to you and little Bitty, Bev!!!!!!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Shawna.

[Kathy N]

Becca
Were you feeding raw diets .you made yourself or were you buying commercial raw dog food diets? and if it was commercial raw,which ones were you using??? I also raw feed,but buy from North West Naturals, Natures Variety..OC.. .Primal…..they do not use gullets or tracheas..so they say,but this scares me…about raw feeding also……

[Becca]

I have a dog with hyperthyroidism, due to raw feeding. the past couple of years they have trachea and gullet, although this is a glucosamine for the joint I had no idea it would do this. till my dog had 2 seizures, lost almost 6 pounds, his fur got extremely thin and he could not get enough to eat or drink.and weakness. my other dog lost 7 pounds and thinning fur but not much else. it was so scary. so I started him on home cooked meals and he’s improving. I was so happy when feeding them raw they were on it for over 4 years.

[Liz S]

My 16 week old BC puppy has been fed a combo of raw and kibble. He’s a maniac for his food. The first time I offered him a chicken neck whole, at ten weeks, he swallowed it whole, no joke! I offered him a pork rib bone then took it away (traded) because I was worried the same thing was going to happen, he was so frantic with it. Since, he’s been eating ground food. He chews nicely on bully sticks and pig ears. Any recommendations for safe ways to teach him about knawing on raw bones vs the gulp method he’s currently in favor of? Thank you!

[Jenn H]

I’m so sorry to hear your Maddie is in hospital. I hope something works for her soon and forever. It’s the worst when they can’t figure out what exactly is wrong.
At first they thought my girl’s problem was acute pancreatitis. Then figured inflammed bowel from the powerful antibiotic to treat Lyme. She had every imaginable blood test and a lot of x-rays & ultrasounds, sub-q fluids (she tends to stop drinking). Went on that ride twice. And other things in between.
This last time I took her to a specialist referred to by the emergency hospital. It was him who said to stop all raw & blah blah blah. Her numbers went back to normal with all his suggestions.
I did have another dog a long time ago that had IBD/IBS. At the beginning he was on Prednisone and Imodium. Then weened off both. Tweaked his diet and he never had a really bad episode again. When symptoms did start he was given a much smaller dose of steroid, bland diet for a few days and he was fine again.
My point is that if your usual vet isn’t getting you anywhere, then have another take a look. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes sees something else. This last ultrasound he looked at every single organ very carefully and didn’t blame everything on the Lyme.

Make sure when she gets home you put a lot of water in her meals. Dehydration makes things so much worse and it helps to keep things going thru the gut.

If it means taking meds and/or supplements for life that’s a small price to pay for her being otherwise healthy.

I truly hope you get answers very soon and she gets well. It’s heart wrenching to see them suffering and uncomfortable and not being able to do anything.

Please keep us in the loop. Best of luck. She’s lucky to have a person like you.

[Greg F]

Jenn
Thanks for the reply. We admitted Maddie today around 2:00 to give her the best chance for recovery and hope the new drugs start working. She is on IV, feeding tube and pain meds. They are redoing the ultrasound to check out the pancreas and see if there are other diseases ongoing. In 2-3 days we will evaluate and make some decisions.
The diet you mentioned makes sense to me. In fact I was just checking out the Wysong Epigen kibble for the high protein low carb content.
I think if she makes it past this I will go all out and start making a home food that is an approved balanced recipe. I believe a dog in Maddies health cannot tolerate any problems that commercial dog food can have. Raw is good for many dogs but you can’t take the chance with dogs in Maddies condition.
An interesting comment from the new vet: some dogs with IBD respond to a diet change and the others will always be on medication.

[Jenn H]

Jeffery T had some good advice.
My dog has also been experiencing symptoms of IBD and pancreatitis off & on for the past yr.
After much research and different gets & specialists I have it pretty under control (knock wood).
The most recent specialist was adamant about not giving her any raw meat or goat milk. She was put on a probiotic, pumpkin, bland diet, etc.
It’s been 2 months w/o relapse so I’m thinking of getting her off the prescription can food and trying something else. She gets very little kibble. Not even 1 cup/day.
She continues to get 30 mg Pepcid 2x/day and 2 Tbsp pumpkin for breakfast.

My problem with changing her diet is that low fat is recommended and she’s so active. Keeping weight on her can be tough.

I’m told to try a food with highest protein possible, low carbs and 10% fat on DRY MATTER BASIS (cans seems to be working better for her). Because she’s a GSD that’s kind of low as they really should have about 19% fat. So we’ll see.

The lower the meat protein, the more carbs there will be in the food. The source of the carbs can be difficult on the GI.

The kibble she gets now is Wysong And then
Her wet food is i/d. Usually turkey. Sometimes the stew (not her favorite) or chicken (that’s low fat).
I’m about to try Wysong Epigen cans.

Basically I have had success so far by cutting out raw animal products, probios, pumpkin and lower fat & carbs.

You may find adding enzymes to be helpful also. And maybe even try a novel protein. (If you choose fish be certain no one uses Ethoxyquin as a preservative.)

Remember to make sure the makers of your supplements aren’t sourcing anything from China.

Good luck to you.

[Greg F]

RRLOVER
I just lost my lengthy reply so I’m going to be more concise. Right now we are trying to get her to eat anything to get her to survive; eating cooked chicken, sweet potatoe and duck treats and ice chips (not drinking either). We were on HK Zeal which is dehydrated grainless fish with 35% protein and 8.5 % fat. When I transitioned in Gramma Lucy’s dehydrate fish and Primal raw venison with more fat and calories she turned worse. I’m not sure it is food related. The new vet thinks her 5 years survival with IBD is much better than most??
Tonight she will only eat very small bits every 2 hours.
If she makes it through this (now also has an extended liver and numbers off the charts high) I will reintroduce the Zeal with more smaller meals. I’m assuming the dehydrated novel protein is beneficial and not detrimental. I just wonder if the fish is novel enough.
Thank you for your suggestions.
Greg

[Greg F]

Thank you Everyone. I didn’t see these replays until now. We had another slip in Maddies health and took her to a Diplomate specialist who studied at Texas A&M. Her albumin is down to 1.2 is not eating, extended liver and very lethargic. The vet said predizone is not working and added Atopica, Mirtazipine and Cerenia with hopes to wean off of the prednisone. After he consulted with our vet up north he said they could admit her put on IV and more testing for another cause of the liver issue for approximately $5000-6000.
We are grasping at straws and may try Some enzymes if she starts eating.
We are not sure if we want to put her through the testing on this 8 y/o dog.
I’ve had her on Geneflora probiotic for the last 2 weeks.
Not a good day.

[Shawna]

Yeah, I think there definitely could be a connection between the yawning and anemia. There are different supplements that can be used depending on what the cause of the anemia is.

The cause is likely due to her kidneys BUT the antacid could be exacerbating it by impeding intrinsic factors action on B12. Standard Process has a human B12 supplement (that is suitable for dogs) that has porcine intrinsic factor right in the product. I would personally start my own on this if experiencing the same things. I would give it away from meals and the antacid being used. There is another form of B12 that I have had excellent results with but it is given intranasally and likely won’t be well tolerated. I’d try the Standard Process or a similar product.

Inappropriate bacteria in the gut can utilize iron being consumed so if that was a potential factor, being on the probiotics will address that with continued use.

Chlorophyll is considered a “blood builder”. It is chemically just like blood except magnesium replaces iron. Many holistic practitioners use it in cases of “blood loss”. Audrey became anemic and HIGH doses of Standard Process Chlorophyll Complex Perles given over a weeks period did the trick for her. The maintenance dose for humans is two perles per day. From memory I was giving Audrey six to eight per day. The first few times I gave it I had to coax her to take it but after that she was almost frantic to get them when I even grabbed the bottle. After she was back on track I started her on a maintenance dose (for financial reasons) of a high quality Chlorella supplement. I tried three different brands before I found one that really worked well for her.

I found this, in my opinion, really cool article on supplements for renal disease that may be helpful. I haven’t had a chance to read the whole thing but here’s the section on “Kidney-associated anemia”.
“Renal Disease in Small Animals: A Review of Conditions and Potential Nutrient and Botanical Interventions
Susan Marie Pollen, DVM, CVA

Kidney-associated anemia is characteristically normocytic, normochromic, and nonregenerative.18 Anemia may cause tachycardia, lassitude, and cold and exercise intolerance.17 Erythropoietin must be given. In addition, nutrients that benefit RBC production, including water-soluble vitamins B12 and folic acid, are especially important when vitamins are lost in isosthenuric urine. Also useful are eggs, raw beef liver, liquid chlorophyll, kelp,63 and supplements containing vitamin C for optimal iron absorption, vitamin E for antioxidant protection of RBCs, vitamin A, and iron and copper for hemoglobin synthesis. Supplementing branched-chain amino acids (valine, leucine, and isoleucine) and glutamine is also useful if nephrogenic anemia is accompanied by amino acid deficiency. 61” http://www.anaturalhealingcenter.com/documents/Thorne/articles/RenalDiseaseSmallAnimal.pdf

Standard Process Chlorophyll Complex is fat soluble but worked like a charm. Not sure why the recommendation for “water soluble” but most chlorella supplements contain water soluble chlorophyll.

Obviously the addition of animal proteins (eggs and liver) would need to be evaluated for the amount of protein and phosphorus they add. The Standard Process Renal Support supplement has many of these suggested nutrients without adding a significant amount of phosphorus.

I truly hope all of your hard work and dedication shows wonderful results with the next lab work!!!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Shawna.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Shawna.

[Randi S]

I’ve been using Fresh Is Best freeze-dried raw for about 6 months and I have noticed a very positive change in my my two labs – ages 5 and 7 years. They have both lost weight, their coats are very shiny and the poop output has shrunk which says to me their bodies are utilizing what I’m feeding them. It’s a small company, the owner sometimes answers the phone herself, and she’ll certainly email back. The only drawback for me is the expense with two big dogs.

[Daisy D]

Hi RebeccaRose, and Susan, thank you both for sharing your experiences. I came across this post while doing my own research into what is happening with my own dog. My almost-7-year-old female French Bulldog has always been what I would describe as a sicky dog. She has always regurgitated water if she drinks too fast, too much – and would often regurgitate food too.

I tried her on a RAW diet which didn’t suit her, she would regurgitate after every meal. We settled on Ziwipeak lamb which suited her well for years. November last year her vomiting and regurgitating increased to daily episodes, along with some mild exercise intolerance, and also increased coughing.

She’s always had a wet cough on and off since I got her aged 1. Vets did all sorts of tests and couldn’t find out what it was from, it lead to her having soft palette surgery and her tonsils out, she’s also been on various antihistamines and more recently appoquel for allergies, assuming it’s from allergies.

I’m wondering if she’s actually had this GERD problem the whole time. My vets suspected GERD last November as Roxy’s had vomited bile unexpectedly (and through her nose) on three occasions in the morning, a few weeks apart. They put her on Zantac and metronidazole but she unfortunately got an eye ulcer NYE which caused her lots of pain and stress, (she’s highly vet phobic).

IT seemed like nothing was working, she would be lethargic, and clearly feeling sick every day – often running about desperately wanting to eat grass. Squeely sounding stomach, not eating etc. Sometimes would vomit, but mostly the hard gulping coughing and gagging – when it was really bad she would shake for around 6 hours at a time.

The vet did an abdominal ultra sound, everything was clear apart from slightly enlarged spleen (they say common with the sedatives). She was also clear for a fecal test.

We haven’t done blood tests as my vet thinks they would be a waste of money – should we consider this? Everything is telling me she will need the endoscopy and biopsies, but am so worried to put her under general anesthetic being a brachycephalic breed and vet phobic to the point it makes her ill.

Two weeks ago the vet prescribed Omeprazole and she was doing great on it, got her appetite back and was waggy again. They kept her on the metronidazole too while her eye ulcer was healing so as not to change too much as once. But this finished on Friday. On Sunday she relapsed and spent the whole day and night shaking, feeling awful.

She picked up the next day and was back to her ‘almost’ usual self, but then today she woke up and I knew she was going to be ill – she’s been shaking and panting since this morning, but is just sleeping quietly now.

MY vet is great, but only works three half days a week at the practice, meaning I sometimes have to wait days to get her on the phone. Today I spoke over the phone to a difference vet who would like to put her back on the metronidazole as it’s the only thing that’s changed since she was doing OK. I pick it up later. Roxy has always been a really anxious dog, and her separation anxiety has got worse since she’s been sick – and i’m sure when she’s been under stress it’s making the nausea worse too.

I’m very aware that both metronidazole and omeprazole are not great long-term options, should I be pushing for a referral for the endoscopy?

[El]

Hi Ana A

“Fresh” to me is whole foods either fed raw or lightly cooked. The 2 below are complete diets for Adult Dogs, and because they DON’T contain bone they can be lightly cooked.

/dog-food-reviews/freshpet-vital-raw-patties/
/dog-food-reviews/freshpet-vital-raw-rolled/

For transitioning from Kibble or canned to raw, I would lightly cook the raw to eliminate some of the possible bacteria, and to slowly accustom your dog’s digestive system to the new diet. I would also transition very slowly. Start with 10% of lightly cooked raw and go up by 10% every third day. Repeat when transitioning from lightly cooked to fully raw. It’s slow, but it’s worth it. A high potency multi-strain probiotic along with a prebiotic will help in these transitions.

Once you are feeding fully raw for a couple of months with no problems, you can start looking at ALL raw foods, including those with bones. The transition periods from one raw food to another can usually be done in a couple of days, and some are able to switch raw foods with no transition at all.

If you would like to learn more about raw feeding along with recipes for preparing food at home, I recommend this book;

Good Luck, and feel free to ask away 😉

[Bobby dog]

Hi Huskypup:
I agree with Pitlove and C4D, finding another store might be a good idea.

Out of all the ACVN/PhD nutritionist sites I visit I only remember one that will formulate a raw diet, Dr. Susan Lauten of Pet Nutrition Consulting; there are probably others. However, I don’t find that service listed on her site any longer. Under partial list of services offered they do list they will analyze your current raw diet. Maybe try contacting them to see if they will formulate a raw diet.
http://petnutritionconsulting.com/

It looks like Dr. Lauten has been consulting for Fresh Choice Complete raw food company over the last year. Looks like a fairly new company:
http://www.freshchoicecomplete.com/index.html

You can find nutritionists at most Vet schools and here is the ACVN diplomat directory. For some reason the link won’t post so I am editing the address:
http://www dot acvn dot org/directory/

Just Food For Dogs makes fresh meals delivered to your house and they also have kits for making fresh food:
http://justfoodfordogs.com/

Check out Weruva Human Style (not Kobe/Kurobuta) and Tiki Dog canned foods. They both have pictures on their sites of their recipes. They look just like shredded chicken or fish you would eat.
http://www.tikipets.com/tiki-dog/
http://www.weruva.com/dog-cuisine-human-style.php

[Ana A]

Hello el doctor, I would like to try feeding her raw…is that what you mean by “commercial fresh food”?

[Huskypup]

For the past few months I’ve been feeding my new dog (just under 1yr old) Freshpet Select Turkey Rolls. Pup loved it, I loved getting her a higher rated food.

That’s no longer the case. Starting a couple months ago I started getting rolls that smelled funky. I half wonder if maybe I’m just mentally conditioned to think I smell it now, but then I think back to the first one I got. How instantly I picked up from the smell that something wasn’t right with it. With a faint, barely detectable smell of … vomit. Within a couple days it was so fowl I almost puked. At first I tried taking it back and exchanging it for new rolls. That worked fine the first time, but now it’s a ratio of 4 out of every 5 rolls is funky. They’ll think I’m a crazy paranoid if I keep taking it back. Who knows, maybe I am.

I’ve considered switching to raw (it’d almost be cheaper) but between the book pedaling and lack of general knowledge it’s hard to find information from a source that seems reliable. The book pedaling makes it nigh-impossible to look up their credentials beyond what is ‘claimed.’ I really wanted to contact a nutritionist and just consult directly but realized they are very hard to find! Does anyone have advice on getting in contact with experts about proper balancing? Raw feed is scary, knowing how badly it can affect your pets if done wrong.

I also don’t know any good fresh-food alternatives to Freshpet. Here it is the only refrigerated food sold, and I don’t see many canned foods that aren’t chock full of nutritionally useless gravy.

I’m looking at other stores while I try to sort out my food problem. Maybe it is just this store. Is the fact that their fridge is packed very full a possible culprit of why I have such bad consistency in the food quality? Before it happened in December I never had any problems with their rolls. They were more scarcely packed then. Now they’re stacked up to the next shelf.

I guess I’m just looking for any advice on how to proceed. Alternatives to kibble-based or mostly-gravy foods. I’m trying to research but my head is spinning and I haven’t made any progress in hours.

• This topic was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Huskypup.

[Naturella]

I have a list of foods for my dog, for whom I need to use chicken-free foods, and I would steer clear of all poultry just in case, but I have all those foods on my list, plus some more. I would share it with you, but I didn’t look for potato-free options – you can check them out and see which ones fit your bill – but the foods mentioned above are all meaty and potato-free from what I saw, so they should work for you. 🙂

Here is my list, in case you are interested, and FYI, not all are labeled if they have eggs – only if they have the actual meat like duck or turkey:

*Orijen*
Six Fish
Regional Red
Tundra (duck – MAYBE)

*Acana*
Wild Atlantic
Appalachian Ranch
Grasslands (duck, eggs – MAYBE)
Freshwater Fish
Heritage Meats
Wild Mackerel
Lamb and Apple
Pork and Squash

*EVO*
Herring and Salmon Formula
Red Meat Small Bites

*Nature’s Variety Instinct*
Salmon
Rabbit
Raw Boost Lamb

*Castor and Pollux*
Ultramix Salmon
Ultramix Red Meat with Raw Bites

*Merrick*
Backcountry Raw Infused Pacific Catch Recipe
Backcountry Raw Infused Great Plains Red Meat
Grain Free Salmon and Sweet Potato
Grain Free Real Texas Beef and Sweet Potato
Grain Free Lamb and Sweet Potato

*Farmina* (eggs – MAYBE)
N&D Grain Free Fish and Orange
N&D Grain Free Lamb and Blueberry

*Annamaet* (has potatoes)
Aqualuk
Manitok

*TimberWolf Organics*
Ocean Blue
Wilderness Elk and Salmon
Black Forest Venison and Lamb
Lamb with Potatoes and Apples (obviously, has potatoes)

*Wellness – Core*
Ocean

*Victor*
Yukon Salmon and Sweet Potato

*Horizon Legacy*
Adult Fish

*Fromm Gold*
Salmon Tunalini
Beef Frittata Veg
Lamb and Lentil

*I and Love and You – Nude*
Simply Sea
Red Meat Medley

*Only Natural Pet*
Just Fish Feast
Red Meat Feast

*Wysong*
Epigen Fish
Epigen Venison
Anergen 2 – Rabbit

*Canine Caviar*
Wild Ocean
Wilderness
Open Range
Open Meadow

*Earthborn Holistic*
Coastal Catch
Great Plains Feast

*Holistic Select*
Grain Free Salmon, Anchovy, and Sardine Meal

*Zignature*
Whitefish
Trout and Salmon
Kangaroo
Lamb
Zssential (turkey, duck – MAYBE)

*Canidae Pure*
Sea
Land

[C4D]

Hi September D,

I’ve owned a lot of dogs over the years. I’ve never fed a senior dog food to them. Senior dog food is really just a marketing ploy. My large breed dogs live well over their expiration date. The most important thing is to watch that they don’t gain too much weight, get exercise on a daily basis, and address any health issues they might have as they age or due to injuries they have sustained. I also get yearly checkups and do blood panels on a regular basis. That let’s you know if there are any issues that might need addressing. My vet once said to walk my dogs for as long as they could walk. I’ve always done that. I’m not saying this is a miracle cure, but dogs need exercise and they need a job. That’s their job and they love it. I have a senior right now, 11 yo Lab along with other older adult dogs, but if you didn’t know her age, you wouldn’t think she was that old. She has bad knees too, but she walks briskly almost 2 miles daily and runs the yard after everything she sees. She does get supplements (fish oil, joint care) and I am very careful about her diet to keep her lean. I also feed her a combination of kibble, canned and fresh/raw food daily. So, I’ll get off my soap box now. Best of luck with your pup!

[Jim G]

I am really trying to like Life’s Abundance dog food but have a problem. My 4 month old lab has been on it since I picked her up from the breeder. Her stools have always been loose, and at times, she has a hard time holding it in. I switched started giving her cooked chicken and rice. Stools were perfect and no accidents. I slowly reintroduced Life’s Abundance and the loose, mucusy stools started again. I have heard that a raw diet could be the way to go, but I am on a budget. Has anyone’s dog had loose stools with Life’s Abundance and if so, were you able to find a quality dry food that worked.

I’m not knocking Life’s Abundance. I’m sure it is great for some dogs, just not mine.

Thank you.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Lauren,

I think I’d take a look at doing a true elimination diet if I were you.

Since you’ve been working with your vet on identifying your pup’s food sensitivities, you could talk to them about it and get your instructions from them. Essentially, you choose a single protein and a single starch that your dog hasn’t eaten before and feed only that. After you’re dog’s condition has settled down, you slowly introduce other ingredients, one at a time. If he reacts, you withdraw the food and continue with your single starch and protein. If not done properly, you’ll end up with inaccurate results. If done properly, it’s the gold standard for identifying food sensitivities / allergies.

Some folks will use raw or cooked foods, prepared at home. Others will choose prescription foods from the vet. Either way, it’s not forever, but it’ll help you get some answers.

With my food sensitive dog, I have better luck with Nature’s Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Diets.

Good luck! I know how frustrating it can be!

[Shawna]

Hi Gina,

Proteolytic enzymes are protein digesting enzymes. For several reasons these may be beneficial for Faith. I’ll outline below —
1. Hydrochloric acid in the stomach is produced when food is eaten. When the ph of the gut gets to the right level it activates pepsinogen into the protein digesting enzyme pepsin. Pepsin begins the breakdown of protein. If you are giving an acid blocker with the meal it is quite likely that the initial phase of protein digestion will not be adequate as pepsinogen may not be converted to pepsin.
2. If that initial phase is not adequate it may create the need for the pancreas to produce more enzymes. Since Faith has had pancreas issues the organ may not be working optimally. “May” being the operative word here.
3. If the protein in the food is not digested and absorbed it — a. won’t be available for the body and b. could be consumed by protein digesting bacteria in the digestive tract which will in turn create more ammonia which then becomes urea and eventually will increase BUN. Exactly what you aren’t wanting to happen.

One of the benefits to raw tripe is it is already high in active enzymes and beneficial bacteria (it’s my understanding that gram negative bacteria primarily consume proteins and also create the ammonia that gets converted to urea). Between the beneficial bacteria in the tripe and the Primal Defense there hopefully and eventually, once on long enough, won’t be enough of the bad guys to dine on any undigested protein. Personally, I’d give the enzyme as a precaution though. This article is talking more about carbohydrates effect but this sentence clearly ties protein in as well. “These results suggest that gram-negative anaerobic bacteria make a major contribution to ammonia generated from peptides and amino acids in vivo, and that ammonia may be formed from bacterial cells in the colon.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7381915

In summary — If the food is highly bioavailable (like tripe) and is properly digested more of the protein will be utilizable by the cells of the body leaving less for the bacteria to feed on. By giving tripe and a high quality probiotic you will help clear the gut out of any bacteria that will create higher amounts of ammonia / urea / elevated BUN. Raw beef has far less natural enzymes than tripe but has a relatively high bioavailability. It’s my guess that it is the lack of proper digestion, and gram negative bacteria in the colon, that caused the elevation in symptoms. Aside from the glaring fact that it’s not good to feed just meat —- my husband would have done the same thing. 🙂

[Pittiemama]

Thanks Laura! So far my guy has also been ear mostly infection free since finding an appropriate food. We got him a couple of years ago from the shelter with a myriad of problems and it can take a while to figure it all out. We really do like HK although of course the one that seems to work is the most expensive and sadly it’s not going to be able to last long term anyway due to his kidney disease…it’s too high in phosphorous. So here I am trying to be proactive and figuring out a lower phosphorous, allergy friendly, tasty food for him. They are complicated critters aren’t they? I’ll take a peek at Sojos. I’ve seen them before but haven’t tried them. I prefer not to feed raw (just my opinion at this point but I’m not closed off from it) and with the protein being fish (so far) that’s out of the question anyway. I’m trialing some food and next up is cooked turkey to see if that will be an option. Thanks again and best to you!

[Lauren D]

My American Bulldog, approx 3 years old, has been dealing with horrible allergies for most of his life. He was allergy tested in April of 2015 and the food issues for him are: Egg, soybean, duck, rabbit, yeast (scored lowest possible), oat, and potato.

I switched his food over to Zignature Turkey He seemed to do well with it for the first couple of months, but I’m not convinced it is having a positive effect anymore. I did have him start allergy injections in October 2015 (focusing on some food and some environmental like human dander).

He has a pattern of doing ok for a week or so and then once I think he’s doing well he turns all red and inflamed, sometimes gets hives, his legs and stomach are raw and he sometimes scratches so hard he bleeds and scabs over, eyes are swollen and red, his hair thins out a lot, and he smells horrid. I bathe him in a medicated shampoo on a regular basis.

With his food restrictions, does anyone have recommendations on dry food brands to look in to? I can’t afford anything over $70 per 30lb bag. I have two other dogs and they switch to whatever food he is on as I don’t want any chance for cross contamination. I’ve also looked in to the addition of supplements such as coconut oil, fish oil, and digestive enzymes. Thoughts on any brands or whether or not that would be worthwhile to do very much appreciated.

• This topic was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Lauren D. Reason: wrong html code

[Nora L]

It is difficult to ascertain the actual fat percentages of commercial foods (including treats) because producers are not required to divulge this information, and they do not do so voluntarily. Even when they do provide a percentage, it is deceptive because it is by weight, not by calorie. This is the trick that allows milk producers to put “2%” and “low fat” on their labels. They include the water in their calculations. 2% fat milk is actually 35% fat by calorie. So using the same trick, if a pet food producer says their product is 9% fat, it is more likely at least half fat by calorie. That’s not low If my dog had already had pancreatitis, I’d be making sure that I was feeding low fat and the only way to do that is to feed meats that are low fat and/or that you can cut the fat off of. When you buy commercial pet food of any kind, you give up control over the fat content of what you feed. It is also easier on all the digestive organs to feed raw.

[Shawna]

Hi Gina W,

Sorry for the delay, I missed this yesterday.

So so sorry about your pup but so happy she is back to herself!!

Audrey was nine pounds and I started her out with 1/4 of a primal defense tablet and then after a few weeks increased it to half a tablet and maintained that dosage. I gave a maintenance dose of the fiber at 1/8 teaspoon. I can’t remember for sure but I believe I started the fiber at 1/16 tsp for a week and then increased to 1/8. For a Border Collie I personally would work up to one full Primal Defense tab and work up to 1/4 to maybe even 1/2 tsp Sprinkle Fiber. Because you are feeding raw tripe regularly you may find you don’t need as much of the Primal to achieve the desired results. I would keep it on hand for those times when you might need a probiotic boost though.

Because the aluminum hydroxide will impede digestion (if given with food at least) it might be helpful to also add a quality proteolytic enzyme.

Five and half years old, way too young to be dealing with this!!!! 🙁

Prayers for you and Faith!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Coonhound Mama]

Just a very urgent reminder to never feed your dog cooked bones. Raw bones are fine when fed in a size-appropriate proportion.

[losul]

Interesting theory on the palatibilty enhancers, Dr Carol.

I don’t think this is the one that Aimee referenced, but here is a survey/study that could give insight.

http://www.associationofanimalbehaviorprofessionals.com/boze412010.pdf

At least 50% of my dogs diet is homemade raw, with limited (35%) kibble, but I have had no experience with coprophagia so couldn’t help there.

I found in the the following article in Can Vet, that seems to be relative to what you have asked.

“The dog should be fed a consistent, good quality
diet, high in fat and protein and low in carbohydrate,
with no treats or scraps. Diets high in carbohydrate
tend to enhance the drive to eat stool. The dry food
component of the diet should be reduced and replaced
with a high protein food. Although dry food is generally
a good diet, it has been shown clinically that the
above diet change will often lessen the drive to eat
stool. The addition of vegetable oil (increased slowly
over 7 days, to 15 mL/4.5 kg of body weight/day) is
also helpful. Sufficient food should be given twice
daily, on a regular schedule. Adding the fat and feeding
twice a day helps suppress the appetite for a longer
period, reducing this particular stimulus for stool
eating. Often, a diet change, maintained for 4-8 weeks,
may be all that is required to stop the behavior, in conjunction
with the decreasing strength of the drive as
the animal ages.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1680886/pdf/canvetj00575-0079.pdf

[Suzanne W]

I like your recipe, although I give my dogs blue wilderness grain free dry, I make a topper in the crockpot with meat(various kinds) canine appropriate vegetables, with appropriate and minimal herbs. I also supplement as treat fruit bits when we are snacking. I will have to look up dulse. Never heard of it,but our recipes are sort of similar though my girls eat raw sardines. NEVER raw salmon, though! I like to give them sweet potato in tiny bites as well, and I put a very small amount of turnip in the crock(like half a turnip for three quarts in the crock). My meat is whatever I have or find on sale. Chicken, beef, fish, but if it’s pork on occasion, I only use tenderloin as there is very very little fat. You mentioned cinnamon. I will have to add that as well. We make cookies for us which we share with the dogs as well. Although they are primarily grain free, their cookies have oatmeal in them, but are flourless and we all like them and I add extra cinnamon in them. My dogs love mandarins and apple and strawberries for vitamin c and antioxidants. I also add a small handful f spinach if I have it in there for iron and iron absorption. Do you allow any type sort of bone? Real or fake?

[Suzanne W]

Hi Aimee! Thankyou. Actually, this happened after business hours, so I gave the peroxide to induce vomiting and read up on what they would do. I have not been happy with my vet with 13 visits in 2015 and planned on finding another this year after we get caught up on finances. I am hoping you are correct as the gelcaps are obviously deodorized and tasteless(at least to me) and the label states it as well though soph obviously disagreed. If she should show any signs of hemolytic anemia(I am with her except to take my dog out as I am mostly bedridden) I of course, will take her to emergency care, but don’t want to take her in for blood testing as I read several, actually many sites where supportive care is the treatment. I was a hot mess yesterday after this happened, but feel calmer today objectively thinking that I did make her vomit a couple times. I also read where many people give garlc to dogs(though I wouldn’t) and even some nutritionists recommend this, so I feel a bit better about that. I know that I must watch her for several weeks as well. After this is all said and done I will post an update. I plan to give her additional foods which will increase her production of red blood cells and hopefully ride this out. my vet is open now, so I will call, though I doubt I will take her in unless absolutely necessary since I’ve found out they give antibiotics every time they stub their toe till they are sick from the antibiotics. As trump would say, “bad!” Ok just called vet they were pleased with the peroxide3percent one tsp two different times as she’s ten pounds, and told me signs and symptoms to watch for i.e. Lethargy, weakness, panting, decreased appetite, pale gums, redness, bruising, petechiae, any signs of generalized not feeling well, and to bring her in if she has problems. They said they could draw blood work to see, but thought watching was sufficient at this point, so yay. Liver, sardines, mandarins for Sophie today as treats with her peanut butter cookie treats. Thanks, Aimee and anonymous, I will post if any changes if nothing else to help the next little precious patient!

[Susan]

Hi Greg, my boy was diagnosed with IBD thru biopsies 2013, I contacted a Naturopath thru email first to see if she knew anything about IBD & she did, so I booked a consultation over phone she rings you or does Skype for overseas….
Here’s her link her “Maintenance Diet” http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/natural-diet.html
I told her everything about Patches health, she said it sounds like Patches Pancreas isn’t doing its job & working properly & we need to fix Patches gut……
Jacqueline put Patch on the home made raw “Maintenance Diet” she would not let me buy any of those premade raw diets she said, she has seen them being made & they are not good for dogs especially if they have any health problems especially IBD…..
I had to pick 2 proteins, I picked Kangaroo mince & Chicken breast, 2-4 veggies, I picked, broccoli, celery, carrot & 1-2 fruits I pick apple, all veggies & fruit must be washed & peeled then cut & put thru a blender, for breakfast I feed 1 cup protein kangaroo & add 1-2 spoons of the blended veggie/fruit mix also had to add Digestive Enzymes 1/2 capsule & live probiotic 1/2 capsule per meal…..she told me freeze the veggie/fruit mix in 2 spoon sections & freeze the meats separate in 1 cup sections, it was so easy to do, then when Patch was doing firm stools & was OK which was the next day, I was surprised he did the firmest poo I’ve ever seen, Jacqueline promised me he would, she said the Digestive enzymes & probiotic will firm stools & they did, then I could start to add the DigestaVite Plus Powder 1/4 teaspoon then increase after 1 week.
You need to add supplements & ingredients slowely 1 at a time over 5 days cause if something goes wrong you will not know what is causing the problem……. Less is best in the beginning 🙂 also she told me No bone, some IBD dogs don’t do well eating bone……
I now cook this diet minus any meaty bones & add potato, zucchini….

Sounds like your dog Pancreas isn’t working properly either, not digesting her food properly, I would start with cooking first & see how she does, its fresh & you know what you have cooked, I freeze 2 weeks worth of meals….
have you heard of “Balance It” http://secure.balanceit.com/….Balance It gives you recipes to suit your dogs health problems takes about 20 sec then gives you all recipes, shows you how many calories, how much fat, protein fiber is in that meal & you can contact a their Vet Nutritionist….
Have you tried a digestive enzyme?? instead of increasing the steroid…..also have you tried Metronidazole (flagyl) for 2 weeks, the Metronidazole often fixes things up & kills the bad bacteria these dogs have problems with, Patch has a few scripts of the Metronidazole in the cupboard & I put him on it for 2 weeks as soon as I start to see his poos going yellow & sloppy & smelling bad….Good Luck

[Shawna]

I’ve read research discussing illnesses associated with palatants (specifically MSG and free glutamic acid) but I’ve never heard of them associated with copraphagia. Additionally, several of the supplements given for copraphagia have MSG or a form of free glutamic acid in them. Although they don’t work for all dogs, they do seem to work for some. I’m not sure what other palatants are used in pet foods?

Although I never had copraphagia, 🙂 I did have pica for about 15 or so years. I didn’t have digestive issues of any kind but turns out I had villous atrophy from a caseine sensitivity (I react to both cow and goat dairy products, raw or pasteurized, organic makes no difference either). My blood work was normal however my iron was on the very low side of normal. I also developed slight hypothyroid symptoms but test showed no issues. Anyhoo, I was finally diagnosed at age 39 by a wonderful M.D. who is also a Certified Clinical Nutritionist. She put me on an elimination diet. The only ingredients that jump out at me in Barking at the Moon would be the lectin proteins in the pea protein and the potato. I’ve not seen either of those lectin foods associated with villous atrophy but so much about lectins is still not yet known…?? Treats might be a potential source?

I currently feed commercial raw but used to feed home prepared (my time is limited now). Three of my dogs used to make a game out of eating bunny poo. That completely stopped when I started giving digestive enzymes. I never felt they were necessary in raw fed dogs but those three showed me differently. An adult foster dog came in eating poo. She was also a little over 20 pounds overweight. We got the weight off but no matter what we’ve tried she is a poop eater. She’s been an ideal weight (12 pounds) for several years now (we adopted her) but she still to this day has a snack given the opportunity. She won’t eat all poo though, so I’m assuming my senior dogs are not thoroughly digesting the proteins despite the added enzymes.

I don’t know if any of this is relevant to your pup but thought I’d put it out there.