[Jeanne S]

I’ve been using Titan RED for my girls for about 3 month’s and they love it. Tried chicken and turkey and they don’t like it. Tried the salmon but it was like getting a fish slurpy…nothing holds it together and it smells. Really like the RED fine grind but it’s hard to get in my area. Very affordable and convenient but today someone told me it’s not balanced. ANY THOUGHTS ON THIS? I’d hate to think I switched to RAW and it hurt my girls. They are currently eating 2 raw meals per day plus a small kibble with 1 additive at night for a snack. (no lactose cottage cheese or canned ID)

[Haley N]

Hello! I’m new to this forum and in the process of developing a raw menu for my dog. I’m really here to hopefully get my menu reviewed so I can get a second opinion on its balance. For some context I have a 64 lb medium/large dog, she is quite lazy so I am feeding once a day for 2% of her body weight (1.3 lb). I created this menu since she has a past with allergies, mainly chicken and eggs which makes me avoid one of the easiest proteins out there unfortunately. It’s a process of slowly introducing till there’s balance, any tips and insight would be well appreciated! Kelp powder is a supplement I’m highly interested in including too, does anyone know any places for that? Thanks!
MEAL PLAN
80/10/5/5 Balance over time – 1.3 lb (20.8 oz) a day
Week One (Add meat):
Morning: 1.3 lb (20.8 oz) of Beef
PROGRESS (Monitoring of stools, skin, smell, etc):
Week Two (Add bone): -2.2 lb a week of Turkey Neck-
Morning: 0.3 lb (5 oz) of Turkey Neck, 1 lb (15.8 oz) of Beef
PROGRESS (Monitoring of stools, skin, smell, etc):
Week Three (Add liver): 0.7 lb of Liver a Week
Morning: -BUILD UP TO- 0.1 lb (1 oz) of Liver, 0.3 lb (5 oz) Turkey Neck, 0.9 lb (14.8 oz) Beef
PROGRESS (Monitoring of stools, skin, smell, etc):
Week Four (Add kidney): 0.7 lb of Kidney a Week
Morning: 0.1 lb (1 oz) Liver, 0.1 lb (1 oz) Kidney 0.3 lb (5 oz) Turkey Neck, 0.9 lb (13.8 oz) Beef
PROGRESS (Monitoring of stools, skin, smell, etc):
Week Five (Add Fish): 1.3 lb (20.8 oz) of Fish a Week
Morning: 0.2 lb (3 oz) Fish, 0.1 lb (1 oz) Liver, 0.1 lb (1 oz) Kidney 0.3 lb (5 oz) Turkey Neck, 0.7 lb (10.8 oz) Beef
PROGRESS (Monitoring of stools, skin, smell, etc):

[Debra K]

My 13yr old Toy Poodle got sick, over this past Memorial Day weekend. She had horrible diarrhea and vomiting. I took her to the vet, who did all sorts of blood, urine tests and a sonogram. I’ve spent $1000 and now he wants ($650 worth) MORE tests!! I had been giving her psyllium husks and TUMS (he told me to, because of low calcium). He also wanted to sell me a $40 bag of dog food (I KNOW she won’t eat). I agreed to another $400 of tests this Thurs. Supposedly she has Pancreatitis and also PLE. I got a hunch, so I started searching for a natural alternative to all of the prescription drugs and expensive visits, he recommended. I looked up Apple Cider Vinegar for Pancreatitis. Lo and behold, someone said they used it and within 30mins their pain and symptoms stopped. I had some ACV pills from Big Lots ($3), so I cut one in half and coated it with Hemp Oil. I gave it to her last nite and just like the guy said, within 20mins she was sprawled out on the couch, snoring away. She didn’t have to get up in the middle of the nite with diarrhea and this a.m. her poop was still soft, but formed–almost normal!! I also have been soaking her (for 15mins, 2x a day) in a large Tupperware, with Magnesium Oil flakes dissolved in really warm water and a few drops of Lavender, to replace the Magnesium she lost and put her back in balance. I am planning on cancelling the test on Thurs. I’m a little perturbed that I spent so much money, but at least I know she doesn’t have Cushing’s, Addison’s, Diabetes or anything like that. I am planning on cancelling the appt on Thurs. Hope this can help others, who are at wit’s end and their poor suffering doggies.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 6 months ago by Debra K. Reason: Added the $$ amount of test my vet wants to do

[Frenky C]

Just looked through Ketonatural website, seems legit for me 🙂 Exceptionally liked the blogpost about raw food benefits and the enzyme argument.

[Frenky C]

Can’t add more to Chipy’s ingenious answer but I would also consider Wellness CORE RawRev Grain-Free Turkey Small Breed Recipe. Hope this helps 🙂

[andrea g]

Thanks for sharing that information, Roger. I spent months researching dog food. I did settle on feeding them raw for multiple reasons, one of which was low carb. I’ve had to cut back on raw because of uncertainty with my job during this covid thing so this food, lowest carb I could find, fit the bill. Not sure how I feel about this. In any case, I just hope that what they say is in there is what’s in there. I am surprised Daniel didn’t post in the forum so that everyone could see as he had posted before. Thanks again. Take care and stay safe.

[Chipy]

Hi Jessica,

So awesome that you are switching to fresh food! Your pups are very lucky to have you!! 🙂

We switched to home-made meals many years ago and it was the best decision to support our dog’s health. I am happy to share some resources that have been super helpful in guiding us to prepare balanced, home-cooked, and raw meals.

To learn the basics, I suggest you start with this quick and easy Natural Diet Course which contains videos and articles full of information on this subject; https://peterdobias.com/pages/course-rawdiet

This online Recipe Maker will help you build healthy meals for your dogs with the ingredients you have available. It provides guidance on amounts of each ingredient and which ingredients are best; https://recipemaker.peterdobias.com

The key is to offer a variety of both proteins and vegetables and add essential nutrients (non-synthetic, wholefood-based supplements) to help fill in any nutritional deficiencies; https://peterdobias.com/collections/adult-dog-essentials

When it comes to recommendations on where to purchase high-quality meat and bones, it’s difficult to provide specific options as that will vary depending on where you live. I have some general advice that I would like to share and hope you find helpful.

Connecting with your local butcher is a great option, but you can always go to the supermarket as most meat departments have butchers working on site.

Bones that we are looking to feed our dogs are not often packaged for the display shelves. If you chat with them, they might have something you are looking for or can work with you to put it aside next time.

Some people that live in the country connect with local farmers or those that have friends or family that go hunting for a game could potentially give you items that they would discard when they are processing meat.

Pet stores are beginning to carry more natural food including stocking freezers with various bones and brands of pre-packaged, raw dog food. Unfortunately many primarily carry a lot of big beef marrow bones which are very hard and can lead to teeth fractures. On speaking to the pet store owner about what you are looking for, they are more likely to carry alternatives if they know that people want to buy them.

There are many Raw Food suppliers that ship nationwide and you can also try to connect with dog lovers in your area in person or online through Facebook groups etc to see if they have suggestions.

I hope you find the above information useful for your beloved dogs. Wishing you a great rest of the week! 🙂
Chipy

[Smith L]

Are you looking for a perfect diet food like Frozen Green Tripe For Dogs in Uk? RawDogsFood is a perfect online store to purchase beneficial enzymes food for your dogs. Our Frozen Tripe Food For Dogs has a good ratio of calcium, phosphorus, protein and fat. We are a leading dog food shop in Middleton UK and has a lot of satisfied retain and new customers. For more information visit our site or make a call

• This reply was modified 5 years, 6 months ago by Smith L. Reason: To optimize

[Chipy]

Hi Jake,

I am sorry to hear that you are going through this with your beloved pup, and understand that you would like to provide him with some immediate relief.

Allergies and skin problems are often the signals that the body is out of balance. Dr. Dobias has written several articles on the topics of allergies and paw licking that I have shared with you below. Many dog lovers are surprised to learn about the underlying cause of these common issues and the natural protocols that can be super helpful.

WHY ARE SKIN ALLERGIES IN DOGS OFTEN MISDIAGNOSED?
https://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/11014037-why-are-skin-allergies-in-dogs-often-misdiagnosed

WHY DOGS LICK THEIR PAWS – NATURAL APPROACH TO TREATMENT:
https://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/11015041-why-dogs-lick-their-paws-natural-approach-to-treatment

5-STEP HOLISTIC APPROACH TO PAW LICKING IN DOGS:
https://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/11014073-what-you-should-know-about-paw-licking-and-chewing-in-dogs

Apoquel can look like a miracle for dogs with allergies and their human companions watching them itch, however the negative effects of this drug are now well documented.

I recommend that you seek the guidance of a local holistic/integrative vet to help you with alternative treatment options and also have your dog’s spine checked by a chiropractor – as issues with spinal health are related to skin problems in dogs. I have included some links to help you find holistic practitioners in your area:

VetFinder – Find a Holistic Veterinarian

http://www.civtedu.org/directory/

Regarding diet, it’s best to avoid processed food (kibble and canned food) entirely and provide a fresh, raw or cooked diet for your dog. Dry dog food/kibble is is an extruded, highly processed product full of synthetic ingredients and starchy carbohydrates, which are very often the main cause of allergies. Every medical professional knows that fresh food is always healthier than processed food!

Fine tuning your dog’s body with a species appropriate diet and essential nutrients is the key to supporting his health and well-being. The best diet is as nature intends; fresh meat and bones with some vegetables and leafy greens, along with all natural vitamins, minerals, omega-3’s and probiotics;

Here is a link to a quick and easy Natural Diet Course which contains videos and articles full of information on this subject and an online Recipe Maker which will help you build healthy meals for your pup with the ingredients you have available:

https://peterdobias.com/pages/course-rawdiet

https://recipemaker.peterdobias.com

We switched to home-made meals many years ago and it was the best decision for our pup. I hope you will find these free resources helpful and wish you and your boy the best in good health.

Chipy

[Patricia A]

Paul when I notice a discrepancy I email them and they give explanation. I was confused why the one protein/flavor in Stella & Chewy’s freeze dried was rated at a 2.5*s and the same flavor/protein in the raw was a 4*. According to Stella’s the raw is exactly the same as their freeze dried once dehydrated. DFA changed the ratings in the raw to also a 2.5* the next day. So errors do occur and you have to email and call them out on it.

[pugmomsandy]

KH,

Look into a probiotic/digestive enzyme supplement. 22% protein is considered low considering kibble can contain 18-60%, and the minimum to be dog food is 18% for adult maintenance.

I sprinkle in occasionally some Honest Kitchen goat milk+probiotics into my senior’s food or sometimes he eats raw green tripe.

https://www.chewy.com/s?query=digestive%20health%20%26%20probiotics%20for%20dogs&nav-submit-button=

[Patricia A]

Open Farm freeze Dried and Rawbbles freeze dried. No reason to give junk food for treats. Instead give beneficial nutrition.

[Chipy]

Hi Virginia,

I am sorry to hear that you are going through this with your beloved boy and I’ve posted some articles below that I hope will be helpful regarding natural treatment options for your dog.

HOLISTIC APPROACH TO LUMPS IN DOGS:
https://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/11015077-holistic-approach-to-lumps-in-dogs

FATTY LUMPS ( LIPOMAS ), OTHER LUMPS AND WHY SURGERY IS NOT THE BEST CHOICE:
https://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/11016161-fatty-lumps-lipomas-other-lumps-and-why-surgery-is-not-the-best-choice

EPILEPSY ( SEIZURES ) IN DOGS – HOLISTIC APPROACH TO TREATMENT AND PREVENTION (PART 1):
https://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/10933933-epilepsy-seizures-in-dogs-holistic-approach-to-treatment-and-prevention-part-1

Regarding diet, it’s very important to avoid processed kibble and nourish your dog’s body with fresh food and essential nutrients. We made the switch many years ago and it was truly the best decision to support our pup’s health.

We use Dr. Dobias’ free recipe maker to create balanced meals and I recommend you watch his quick and easy diet course to learn more on this subject. It may take a little bit more time to prepare homemade meals but it is so worth it. Investing in high quality nutrition and good health will help you to save on vet bills over the long term.

NATURAL DIET: https://peterdobias.com/pages/course-rawdiet

RECIPE MAKER: https://recipemaker.peterdobias.com

I hope this helps your pup. Wishing you both the best in happiness and good health! 🙂
Chipy

[Natalie R]

Hello y’all, my name is Guinevere and this is my very first post!!! So I’ve been dabbling in and out of feeding raw for years. Im so happy that I stumbled across dogfoodadvisor.com and then greentrip.com. You know to be honest with y’all I wouldn’t have gone searching online for anything but my Dobie has been having the WORST ⛽️!! So yes I figured it out, she needs some tripe or enzymes, but what’s even more exciting is earlier on Craigslist I was looking for feeder rabbits. So now I can sit back take a deep breath and relax.
My poor little puppers have definitely been missing out on important nutrients in their diet. So as bad as I feel about this, its important to realize that I was doing the best that I could and if I knew better I would have done better. So I’m a big believer in the statement “no stupid question”. Well pretty much 😜.
When supplementing with CodLiverOil I noticed on one person’s menu she recommended reduced VitaminA. Ok I got that however like one of the supplements I was looking at , BioFinestCodLiverOil the amount of vitamin a in it is 2500iu. How do I know if that is too much or right where it needs to be? I’m sure I’m going to have more questions but that’s my first. Let me say ahead of time thank you for reading my post and taking the time to answer me.

Guinevere

[andrea g]

I just bought a small bag to try with my dogs. They love the taste so we’ll see how they do with digestion (they’re raw fed currently but I need to cut down on dog food bill). Just got it today.

[Patricia A]

Hi Rachelle,
So sorry you poor Walden are gong through all of this and not finding answers and a solution when trying so hard for him to get relief.
First off I’m curious if you got a very definitive diagnosis of HGE when all this started? A telltale sign is stool which contains blood and mucous but is very raspberry jam like. Also when you got him off all dog kibble did you give ONLY the white meat of boiled chicken with the rice, I’m saying this because my dogs are fine with some boiled white meat but have diarrhea with the dark meat. I imagine higher fat in dark meat
. If Walden truly again has what you describe as spots of blood in stool again then don’t believe the Science Diet ZD is not doing any good since (In some animals, dietary proteins can trigger an abnormal immune response. Hydrolysis uses water to chemically break proteins into pieces that are so small that the immune system no longer reacts to them. Veterinarians typically prescribe hydrolyzed protein dog foods to treat two diseases: food allergy and inflammatory bowel disease.) However, I’m thinking that stomach irritation usually comes with the diarrhea and you stated that her stools are fine as of now but just the drops of blood. So maybe bringing a stool sample to your vet would be helpful?
If a dog doesn’t have enough fiber this could cause strain and hence anal gland problems causing the drops of blood..
Originally Walden was regurgitating . I know at least in my two dogs this was from an empty stomach . So many small meals a day would be helpful once you find the best food for him.
I don’t want to sound like a commercial for a dog food. My one Chihuahua is sensitive to fat and will have diarrhea when I home cooked at times. So if I give a little steak, salmon or even low fat hamburger two days in a row she will have very loose stool. I found a food that they both tolerate which is Stella Chewy’s raw coated grain free chicken. A lot of people on their f/b page have had dogs with stomach issues and they said since feeding and they do very well with this kibble. I also give freeze dried topper in Primal but only give the 5* rating proteins since they are low in fat.
Remember too give VERY, VERY, VERY slowly if you do decide to try a different diet again if he’s not doing well again on the Science Diet food.
Hope Walden gets all better.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by Patricia A.

[Matt S]

Hi All!
I live in the UK and have a gorgeous 5year old Golden Retriever who I’ve always fed raw. He’s my 3rd Golden, my first two both reaching 14 years old, but both of them fed complete biscuit diet, with the odd treat of tinned meat.
My supplier here is filled TPMS, ( TPMS.co.uk )and I buy boxes of 25 x 1lb packs of mince beef and minced lamb. Info on the boxes are as follows.
Beef:- protein 16.2% oil 14.9% moisture 65.2%
Lamb:- protein 13.5% oil 16.3% moisture 66.7%

All seems well and his coat is fantastic and although he weighs 96lbs he’s not overweight. He has 1 pack a day with a cup of kibble.

Reading about pathogens in raw dog food (with the current corona crisis going on) has made me wonder if going dry/tinned would be safer?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the above food I’m giving him. If I can add photos I’ll add one of the food and label showing all details.

Cheers
Matt

[Melinda M]

Sometimes the best food is the worst food. I have a 5.5 yr old American bulldog. He had skin issues, yeast, waxy ears, hot spots, rashes, k9 acne, you name it he had it.
I had him on Merrick, orajen, froom, every expensive kibble out there. Nothing helped. I know Raw is the best but at 112lbs, I cant afford it myself to feed him 8 dollar a day food.
So I got desperate and went to walmart because I had given up. I spotted new food on their shelves, NOOD. He prances around like a puppy now. Skin is perfect. No issues with gas or stools and his skin is no longer pink.

[Patricia A]

Stephenie first off so very sorry you’re going through this. Nothing worse then stress from seeing your pup is getting no relief after trying all these different foods. First I know my dogs ALWAYS had diarrhea when switching foods. So it’s possible your switching between too many too fast. It takes at times many weeks of a VERY, VERY slow introduction of a few kibble at a time. I use Open Farm for my two small dogs but just for treats because of the cost. I stay away from too much fat in food for my two. Even when I give home cooked if they have a little steak two days in a row it’s diarrhea time. Same with boiled salmon or even lean chop meat.My dogs are doing great on Stella and Chewy’s . If you go to their f/b page you’ll see all the posts from pet owners writing their dogs are doing very well on their food after having stomach upsets with other brands they tried. I use their RAW Coated chicken grain free. But they have limited ingredients and grain inclusive also. Just go VERY SLOWLY went introducing. I also got my two slowly used to Primal freeze dried as topper.. I only use the LOW in fat proteins such as turkey/sardine, rabbit, and occasionaly duck which they love. Stella’s also has freeze dried toppers. Here is their website . Stella’s has samples you can get in a pet supply store. I hope this helps. https://www.facebook.com/stellaandchewys/ https://www.stellaandchewys.com

[Chipy]

Hi Jen,

I’m sorry to hear that you are going through this with your dog. I know how upsetting this must be for you.

In the case of pancreatitis, Dr. Dobias recommends giving FeelGood Omega as it beneficial to cell repair and helps to heal the pancreas. This has really helped our dog.

FeelGood Omega®

I’ve also included a few articles here that I trust will be useful to learn more about the topic of Pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis in Dogs Treatment & Prevention Natural Approach:
https://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/11016097-pancreatitis-in-dogs-treatment-and-prevention-natural-approach

What Causes Pancreatitis in Dogs and What you can do:
https://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/11014065-what-causes-pancreatitis-in-dogs-and-what-you-can-do

The Mad Science of Processed Food Making:
https://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/11015013-the-mad-science-of-processed-food-making

A high-quality protein diet is much better for dogs suffering from pancreatitis than starch, rice or a grain-based diet. He does not recommend feeding a low protein diet, but he does recommend lower fat meats for dogs with pancreatitis. Chicken, turkey, kangaroo, llama, rabbit and eggs are good examples of low-fat foods. He doesn’t recommend fatty meats, such as duck or lamb, or large red meat animals (beef, buffalo or bison) as they are higher in inflammatory factors.

https://peterdobias.com/pages/course-rawdiet

I hope this helps your pup. Wishing you both the best in good health!
Judi & Chipy

[haleycookie]

I would get with a vet nutritionist on this. They can help you formulate a proper balanced diet. Currently your dog is only getting half the nutrients it needs. Plain ground chicken isn’t balanced and shouldnt take up more than 10% of the daily diet. The raw you feed should also contain bone organs liver etc not just raw chicken.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by haleycookie.

[Jennifer N]

My Pumpkin is a 45 lb Shepherd/Shibu Mix, super active. He was abandoned at 1 month, and had GI/Giaradia/Recurring Pancreatis from about 2 to 10 months. Finally, I transitioned him off Puppy food and switched him over to a diet of 1/2 cooked ground chicken and 1/2 Honest Kitchen Whole Grain Dried Chicken. Which he tolerates VERY well (except for the big poops due to all the veggies, but they are perfectly consistent and perfectly formed…so I’m okay with this).

My question is, as long as I freeze the chicken, is there much risk to moving him to uncooked chicken? I know I’d have to do the transition gradually, but I figured since his stomach is already accustomed to the diet overall, moving from cooked chicken to raw would be a minor change. Would be great if I didn’t have to cook 60 lbs of chicken every month!

Thanks

• This topic was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by Jennifer N.

[Debra D]

Not really sure what the best food for dogs is – raw, homemade, commercial?? Nutrition is a very tricky science – for humans and animals. But, I do know what is cost prohibitive – Dr Marty. Seriously – $30-50 for a 16oz bag. That doesn’t even feed my dog for a day, according to his weight. So that’s a minimum of $45 a day to feed my guy this food.
How can Dr Marty possibly suggest that this is an affordable way to feed your dog? That is what is agrivating to me – don’t market a product as affordable when it clearly is not.
I want the best for my dog, but I’ll stick with the mixture that I’ve been using – commercial dry (won’t mention names, but has seemingly decent ingredients) mixed with some raw meat (grass fed) or egg , some veggies and omega supplement. He also loves fruit. We buy organic for ourselves (fortunate to be able to afford that, but doesn’t come close to $45 a day) so, that’s what he gets too.

[Gina E]

3/24/20. By Gina Emenheiser: I know it’s been a long time since you posted this, however, if you get this reply it it will save you and others reading it, a lot of pain, concern, sick pups and cats, along with untold amounts of wasted money.
I raised goldens for 40 years. Goopy, painful ear infections were a curse.! When my last boy Fletcher was in such agony, I was frantically trying to find answers to help him as everything the vets recommended failed.
Google search had been getting better over the years and one day during my searching, I typed in… Ears smelling like gangrene! (for the truly did smell like rotten flesh)
I will cut to the chase… Thornet ear and foot cankor powder. A century old remedy for this malady. Still in production today. Mostly found in the UK and easily shipped, my niece in Twickenham sent a $12. Bottle to me. It was easily dusted in Fletchers ears with a cosmetic brush.
The itching and pain stopped immediately! The poor ol boy fell into a peaceful sleep and caught up on his rest. The ears cleared up like magic. The raw sores healed in a week.
Here’s the reason. Much like scabies, Burrowing Microscopic Mites Under the skin go undetected with normal Veterinarian scraping. The vet rules out parasites. And so begins a never ending cycle of solutions, diet changes, allergy tests, medications, on and on. PLEASE PLEASE help your dogs, cats and even rabbits from the pain and infection of ear mites and between the toes mites. It’s NOT an allergy!
I’m not affiliated with any sales or companies. I only want to get the word out. Ps: don’t bother asking your Vet about Thornit Powder. Neither of my vets had ever heard of it nor seemed interested. Best wishes to all animal lovers out there! I’ve been sending this same post into cyber space with the hopes of ending the needless suffering.

[Yazmin A]

Hi,

We’ll be getting an 8 week olde English bulldog in April, he’s currently on dry food and I would like to feed him on a raw food diet. How would I go about introducing this without upsetting his stomach? And which foods are the best to start with?

Thanks everyone

[Marisa J]

Hi I work at a pet store and have a hand full of customers with Shih Tzu’s.

If your dog has a sensitive stomach I would recommend adding goat’s milk (a universal milk) into your dogs diet. This will not only aid in digestion but also add hydration too! Some brands even added spices into the goat milk for added benefits.

If not goat’s milk I would encourage you to find a good probiotic powder for your dog. This will help with the sensitivity of your dogs stomach.

Merrick is good brand and Duck is a cooling protein (this will help with any inflammation). I would recommend after 2 months switching through Merrick’s formulas to help your dog become accustomed to other proteins and amino acids.

Other brands that are high in protein and low in carb (easier to digest) are Zignature, Orijen, Farmina, Acana, and Essence.

If your dog has a sensitive stomach I would also try introducing freeze dried treats. These treats are a lot easier to digest than biscuit treats. I only give my dogs freeze-dried raw treats.

[Marisa J]

Hi, I work in a pet store and lots of my customers have had concerns with DCM. Therefore I have done plenty of research on it to help out these customers and for my pets sake as well. It is a topic that I am very knowledgeable. I recommend reading the whole FDA article or at least skimming through it. There are two documents, one is all the cases and one is the FDA’s study. The results are inconclusive at the moment and many brands are working together with the FDA to further investigate.
From reading it I can tell that there are many factors that the FDA left out like affordability (who can afford the vet bills for these tests? What food are they feeding if they can afford? Are they feeding a more expensive kibble or a cheap one at Walmart?), genetics (what breeds are more likely to have which diseases? How many of this species is in the USA (out of 77 million dogs), metabolism (how can a dog digest a kibble diet compared to dehydrated, canned, freeze dried, or raw? How bioavailable is taurine in kibble?), what diets were these dogs on (a majority were on kibble only, some had a mixture, I think 1 or 2 were on raw, and couple had dehydrated foods).
In the end, out of the 500 some cases of dogs with DCM a huge section were fed kibble only diets. So, if anything I would link it more so as a kibble problem than a grain free vs with grains. With the research I have done looking at scholar articles, brand studies (of course always reading between the lines because brands what to do a study to help their brands cause), blogs, and websites, I have noticed that grains cause more inflammation in dogs than peas as they are not as easy for dogs to digest. They force the organs to work a little bit harder. If you notice too, no raw diets (at least that I have come across) have grains in them, only fruits and vegetable, and meat.

There are many other diseases like cancer, liver problems, kidney disease, and pancreatitis that are a lot more common than DCM. DCM affects a small amount of dogs (less than 600 out of 77 million dogs in the US). But if you do decide to feed grains. Please watch out for smelly ears, itching, and hot spots. As grains, along with chicken, are a very common allergy in dogs (since they are put into a lot of foods due to their low cost).

[Marisa J]

Hi I work in a pet store and study dog and cat nutrition at work and at home. Duck is a cooling protein that helps with inflammation but so is whitefish, alligator, red snapper, and there are a few others as well. As far as your concern with DCM; it is a topic that I am very wildly knowledgeable in and talk to many customers about. I recommend reading the whole FDA article or at least skimming through it. There are two documents, one is all the cases and one is the FDA’s study. The results are inconclusive at the moment and many brands are working together with the FDA to further investigate.

From reading it I can tell that there are many factors that the FDA left out like affordability (who can afford the vet bills for these tests? What food are they feeding if they can afford? Are they feeding a more expensive kibble or a cheap one at Walmart?), genetics (what breeds are more likely to have which diseases? How many of this species is in the USA (out of 77 million dogs), metabolism (how can a dog digest a kibble diet compared to dehydrated, canned, freeze dried, or raw? How bioavailable is taurine in kibble?), what diets were these dogs on (a majority were on kibble only, some had a mixture, I think 1 or 2 were on raw, and couple had dehydrated foods).

In the end, out of the 500 some cases of dogs with DCM a huge section were fed kibble only diets. So, if anything I would link it more so as a kibble problem than a grain free vs with grains. With the research I have done looking at scholar articles, brand studies (of course always reading between the lines because brands what to do a study to help their brands cause), blogs, and websites, I have noticed that grains cause more inflammation in dogs than peas as they are not as easy for dogs to digest. They force the organs to work a little bit harder. If you notice too, no raw diets (at least that I have come across) have grains in them, only fruits and vegetable, and meat.

But if you do decide to feed grains. Please watch out for smelly ears, itching, and hot spots. As grains, along with chicken, are a very common allergy in dogs (since they are put into a lot of foods due to their low cost).

[Ciera D]

I have *(two)* Bernese Mountain Dogs, both are around 100lbs. I plan on feeding each 2lbs per day or about 2000 calories. I am wondering how much it costs per month to do your own raw diet. I cannot afford the prepackaged stuff because it would end up being around 400 a month. Or fresh pet would be about $280/month for both of them. I want to keep my cost to about $100-$120/month.
Along with the cost, how much in weight are you giving in the meat /vegetable ratio.
Thank you, Ciera

[Chipy]

Hi Lindsay,

Some dogs are more sensitive than others when it comes to different smells, tastes and textures in their bowl. It is also nutritionally sound to feed a cooked diet. It can be helpful in dogs that either refuse to eat raw meat or in dogs that are weakened or older and do not digest raw meat well.

Dr. Dobias has created a free Raw and Cooked Diet Course which contains videos and articles full of information on this subject;
https://peterdobias.com/pages/course-rawdiet

He also has an online Recipe Maker that helps dog lovers create healthy custom recipes. It provides guidance on amounts of each ingredient and which ingredients are best;
https://recipemaker.peterdobias.com/

Wishing you and your boy all the best in good health! 🙂
Chipy

[Patricia A]

Kathleen has your JR gained weight when the tumor spiked in growth? Some info from an article on fatty tumors below.
Because lipomas are so common in overweight dogs, one obvious treatment is weight loss. In some cases, diet and exercise have reduced the size of existing lipomas and may have helped prevent new ones from developing. Even if your dog’s lipomas don’t shrink as a result, helping an overweight dog trim down should help her feel better and be more active.

Switching to a raw, grain-free diet has been said to help some dogs, although most raw diets are high in fat, which may be counterproductive.

Limiting vaccinations may help some dogs, especially if lipomas tend to occur after vaccination.

“In my practice I have been following several dogs who are now 6 to 14 years old,” says Judith K. Herman, DVM, of Augusta, Maine. “So far these dogs, all of whom received minimal vaccinations and are fed raw, have not developed any lipomas. Most are Jack Russell Terriers, Belgian Tervurens, Labrador Retrievers, and Golden Retrievers.”

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by Patricia A.

[Patricia A]

Kris did your vet have any concern regarding this…Orange Dog Poop
It could indicate a liver issue or biliary disease, or it could just mean that your dog’s food moved too quickly through the GI tract to pick up the bile. Bile is what changes poop to the normal brown color we expect. If your dog has orange diarrhea, contact your vet.
I have two chihuahuas’. One never has a problem with stomach issues. My other is sensitive to feeding certain foods which results in diarrhea or vomiting. I have been feeding both Freeze dried Primal and Stella Chewy’s raw coated kibble in chicken with no stomach issues ever. I see a lot of people on the Stella’s site who’s dog had various problems with other food but do very well with Stella’s. If diet is what is causing the diarrhea then maybe get a sample of Stella’s kibble and introduce VERY slowly. You can read here on their f/b page all the positive comments. https://www.facebook.com/stellaandchewys/

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by Patricia A.

[Marisa J]

I would try goat’s milk since it has tons of probiotics in it and helps rebalance the gut. It will make sure your puppy is has more good gut bacteria than bad gut bacteria. It will help with the loose stool along with hydrating your puppy as well. As far as a diet, I would try something that is complete and balanced like a dry food (without corn, wheat, soy, by-products, and grains), dehydrated (without grains), freeze dried, or raw. Ideally raw food is the best diet for dogs and kibble is the least freshest food.

[Marisa J]

I follow breeders on social media and many that feed raw will give their puppies the deer, rabbits, chickens, ducks, pheasants, etc… but will remove the skin/feathers. They do not freeze the meat but they deworm their dogs once every year sometimes I’ve heard twice. I also know people who will feed ducks and quail whole, feathers and all. I preferably like to freeze the meat for 3-5 weeks to kill of bacteria but I’ve seen people go about it differently. If you know the source of the meat and that it doesn’t have worms I think you will be okay.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by Marisa J.

[Marisa J]

Hi! I work in a pet store and feed a raw diet for my dogs. I would try switching up brands of where you get the raw. Do you buy it from the grocery store or a pet store or hunt for it? Try switching up brands! If your puppy still wont eat the raw try adding bone broths on top. I really like the frozen bone broth from Primal! I’ve had some customers relate it to “crack” for their dogs.

[Chipy]

Hi DanDad,

I completely understand your concern about commercial dog food. It’s very difficult to trust any brand nowadays while the industry is so unregulated. It’s so awesome that you are considering to prepare home cooked meals for your pups.

We switched to home-made meals years ago and it was the best decision for our dog. I am happy to share some resources that have been super helpful in guiding us to prepare balanced, home-cooked meals.

This online Recipe Maker will help you build healthy meals for your dogs with the ingredients you have available. It provides guidance on amounts of each ingredient and which ingredients are best;

https://recipemaker.peterdobias.com

Dr. Dobias has created a free Natural Diet Course which contains videos and articles full of information on this subject;

https://peterdobias.com/pages/course-rawdiet

The key is to offer a variety of both proteins and vegetables, and add essential nutrients (non-synthetic, whole-food based supplements) to help fill in any nutritional deficiencies;

Dog Essentials

I hope you find the above information useful for your beloved Chihuahuas. Wishing you a great rest of the week! 🙂
Chipy

[Angie C]

I’m looking for a Co-op on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, I’m in Queen Anne’s county. I have 2 dogs that are on a raw diet and I’m trying to cut my food expense down. Would like to try Titan raw dog food. Thanks in advance!

[Lindsay D]

I need some advice. I’ve been feeding my dog raw for quite a while now and am very limited to the types of protein I can feed him as he is very picky. He has a hard time with red meat due to the blood so I’ve stuck to mainly chicken, turkey while also adding pork every so often. Recently it has been a struggle to get him to eat all raw. He is still healthy and happy, not losing weight etc… He will only eat his raw if I add cooked chicken or rice to it, which I feel may defeat the purpose of it. Anyhow I’m just looking for advice on other options and if anyone else has encountered this same scenario and how they dealt with this challenges.

Thanks!

[Teagsmom]

So sorry, I forgot to post back. We switched to a LID duck diet and her enzymes went back down to normal. I feed primal duck in evening and Go! Duck sensitivities mixed with vital essentials raw duck nibs. MY vet said it was a food intolerance. Unfortunately we need to switch AGAIN bc my vet wants her off any food with peas, legumes etc due to DCM. I can’t find a food without those ingredients. Primal would cost $80 month which is too much. FYI my dog is approx 12-13 yr old Chi mix. She’s a rescue so age is a guesstimate.

[Teagsmom]

My dog has a food intolerance which caused her liver enzymes to go up. Once we switched to a duck LID they went back down to normal. I have been feeding her Go! Duck kibble mixed with Zignature duck and vital essentials duck nibs in the morning and Primal freeze dried duck in the evening. We just saw our vet for her annual exam and she wants us to switch to a food free of legumes, peas etc due to DCM. I can’t afford to spend $80 a month feeding raw. I also am finding it impossible to find a LID food that doesn’t have any of the ingredients listed above. I can switch to another rare protein but my dog has been doing great on her duck food. Any suggestions? Thank you.

[Michelle D]

I went to purchase the Fromm from the only dealer that sells it locally. The owner said they are not purchasing any more and it was listed as a DCM brand, so I purchased the Canidae. I started with a small amount mixed in with his regular food and within an hour, he was scratching at his mouth. So, I am guessing it is possibly a chicken allergy he has after all. The Pro Plan Sensitive Salmon he is on now is great for the itching, but it is causing him to gain weight (even with only a cup a day). He is also scooting and leaking anal gland fluid even though I had them expressed less than 2 weeks ago. I will go back to the drawing board trying to find a chicken free dog food with grains that is not as high in calories and fat as what he is on now.

[Birdie30]

Octopus B –
You mentioned that your dog already gets chicken necks? If you happen to only give her one, can you increase that to 2 (given that she’s over 35lbs)? Or one every day?

I ask because I always found that anal gland issues involve the dog not being able to express them naturally because the stool is usually too soft. My dog had to get her glands expressed once a month, and if I’d know to give her foods that would produce firmer stools, I wouldn’t have wasted so much money getting them expressed at the vet’s!

Since I’ve switched my dog over to raw this past year, her poop is way firmer, and I know this is gonna sound so gross, but I can actually SEE the gland fluid dripping as she goes…not always, but occasionally. It’s a few drops, and then her actual poop. Also, no more butt scoots as well.

You can try other foods first or try what your vet recommended, but really, I think it’s a matter of firming up the stool so that the glands express naturally. Pumpkin, owelo carrots, and raw meaty bones help firm up poop.

And lastly, giving the chicken necks works as a natural toothbrush for dogs – if you give necks often, you may not need to give her the CET treats, which have ingredients that look a little ugh, IMO.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by Birdie30.

[Nicole H]

Thanks Patricia, I appreciate you replying. I can’t think of anything that changed in his raw food diet? I was switching up the different proteins every week or two. Maybe something different triggerd him? I am being very conscious now about fat content in his food since the vet said “pancreatitis”
I wondered if maybe the kibble could be aggravating the situation since he is not used to it.
I got some chicken breasts and have boiled them and been adding that to the kibble. Sounds like maybe I should just do plain boiled chicken breast only for a bit?
at this point I am open to any suggestions and options.

[Patricia A]

Nicole H I’m curious if ANYTHING had changed in his raw feeding diet when this started? Were any food ingredients added that was new to him? You said he’s been on raw for years with no problem? Was he fed too much of a fatty meat for a few days in a row ? My one dog cannot handle a protein higher in fat and will get diarrhea and vomiting if given two days in a row. I’m not talking raw but when I give cooked food such as dark meat boiled chicken, hamburger that is not 90% lean etc.
Also switching over to kibble right off when his stomach is still very upset is not helping. He didn’t get a chance to get used to that food. That is a BIG switch from raw to kibble.
Maybe to get his stomach settled you can feed WHITE meat only boiled chicken with a little white rice. Then slowly introduce the raw back in with low fat meats??
Although raw feeders don’t believe freeze dried is TRULY raw feeding that is what I feed my two. I always stick to lower fat proteins/flavors in two different brands rotated My dogs do very well on this diet with no tummy trouble. I add some high quality kibble on the side to make the expense of this stretch.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by Patricia A.

[Nicole H]

not going to go back to raw diet, just having a hard time understanding why he is good for a couple days and then gets sick again. So many questions, i dont know what to do.

[anonymous]

Going back to raw is about the worst possible thing you could do. It may take a long time for the dog to recover from the damage the raw diet has caused. Some of the damage caused by the raw diet may be permanent.

Please continue to work closely with your vet, diet recommendations and all. I would go along with more testing, or ask for a referral to a Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist.

[Nicole H]

My dog started having repeated episodes of bloody diahrea and vomiting clear foamy mucus. Vet did xrays , blood tests and stool tests. Xray was clear and stool tests came back negative. Blood tests showed pancreatitis. He has been on a raw food diet most of his life so the vet figured it was the raw food contributing to these issues and said we should switch him to Royal Canin Gastro low fat kibble. So we stopped the raw and went to the kibble right away. He is still having issues. He will be great for a couple days and then have a bout of bloody diahrrea for a day and then be good again and then a couple days later another flare up. Wondering if this kibble could be the issue? I am at my wits end and no help from the vet but more tests .

[Nadia K]

Kelly,
Have you considered putting your dog on raw? That may be an option.

[Nadia K]

Personally I would put the dog on raw food. Kibble is the worst thing you can feed your dog. I am so sorry your dog is having these issues.

[Kathy W]

My dog is a very picky eater I’ve tried everything from raw to organic, from what the vet suggested. I finally decided to tried cheaper brands but no she still would eat, one day I saw open nature and thought what do i got to lose she loves it. So there you have I just sprinkle some probiotics and prebiotics and it and she’s good to go.