[Dori]

Kelly P. You could also look in to dehydrated dog foods. You just add water to them to rehydrate. Some are The Honest Kitchen, Sojos, Grandma Lucy’s. I’m sure there must be others but right now these are the three that come to mind. Both Primal and Vital Essentials make pretty good freeze dried foods that do not need to be rehydrated. Just scoop and serve. Just make sure your dog has plenty of water. You could try adding water to the freeze dried I mentioned but it takes a very long time for them to absorb any liquid. I’ve tried doing that and it just didn’t work out well.

Edit: Forgot to mention that both Primal and Vital Essentials Freeze Dried are both rated 5 stars on this site.

Good luck with whichever you choose. I will just add that I wouldn’t go from homemade or raw and then feed a kibble (Blue Buffalo or any other for that matter). That’s a pretty dramatic switch.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Dori.

[Coonhound Mama]

I totally understand your worry, and mine had grain-infested kibble for a long time, too! They are lucky we know better now 😉 As long as you feed on rotation and offer some kibble and/or canned in advance, (oh the dreaded kibble), you should be fine. I’ve found my dog’s system does best when I feed her canned food when I absolutely have to during travel as opposed to kibble. Much easier to carry than raw, and luckily Nature’s Variety Instinct does make a very, very good 95% single protein canned food.

[Kelly P]

Alright, Thanks, I will look into Freeze Dried raw food. I have heard and read a lot about how sometimes switching foods can be hard on their digestive systems, but I guess if I stick to one source of protein before a trip and then buy that source as freeze dried I should be alright. To be honest all the dogs I had growing up just got your run of the mill grain infested kibble.

I do not plan to go on long trips with my puppy until they’re a year or two and trained to some degree, but you never know what the future holds and I prefer to be educated and prepared.

[Coonhound Mama]

Hi Kelly,

I’m afraid I would not be much help as far as balancing food nutrients requirements with homemade diets, but you may be able to buy a bag of freeze dried raw food (guaranteed to be balanced) just for these certain times. I don’t know if this is any easier, but I use premade raw when we travel (Stella and Chewy’s and Nature’s Variety) simply because it stores easier than a whole mess of odds and ends does. Of course that doesn’t eliminate the issue of cold storage. Check out some of the 5 star freeze dried bag foods though if you are looking for convenience.

[Jonathan S]

I’m up against a similar issue as I’m getting one of my dogs into K9 Search and Rescue. When/if we deploy I’m expected to pack 3 days of food for myself and my dog. Obviously my frozen raw mix isn’t going to work with this scenario.

I’m still researching, but my intent is to find a good, freeze dried raw food (I found one that comes in flake form, so I think I’ll be going with that) that can be reconstituted quickly with water. That’ll keep the weight down in the pack as well.

Just remember, as long as you keep it to a quality food that you trust, you shouldn’t have to worry too much about variance from your dogs regular food as (I’m assuming) you won’t be changing their diet up for a really long time.

Finally, and this is just my two cents, it seems to be easier for adult dogs to switch back and forth on food, while puppies need to be transitioned over a week or so. If it were me, I’d try to stay consistent until the pup is older, ie, no trips for a bit.

[Kelly P]

I am going to be getting a Malamute/Husky/Wolf puppy in the near future, I plan on feeding raw making the portions myself. I’ve done extensive research for the past year on raw feeding as to help make sure I get the proper ratios for nutrients etc. However, I know that I’m going to run into at some point needing to go on a trip and going to need food for my puppy, obviously carrying around frozen food isn’t the most ideal because I don’t want to potentially harm my dog.

If I were to use my food dehydrator to dehydrate the food would that work? but wouldn’t I have to feed a bit more because of the lost nutrients? And what about the calcium portion? I could just buy something like Blue Buffalo for these occasions, but I’d rather try to stick to me preparing their food.

[yjesse]

Hi everyone, I was wondering whether my Golden Retriever Charlie is underweight. She is just about 9 months and weighs 41 pounds. I can feel her ribs, but it’s not visible. I can feel her hip bones as well, and she looks narrow. She has good appetite, great energy, and always finishes her food. The vet thinks she’s on the skinny side but otherwise healthy. We’ve had her checked for worms and parasites, and all came back negative. I am currently feeding Orijen Puppy Large or Kasik Pacific Fish with a bit of wet food and 1/4 C. of raw goat milk every days. Any suggestions to help her “bulk up” a bit?

Here’s a picture of Charlie from a few days ago: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B49deblV4jyoenk5NTVfOFpnLWM/view?usp=sharing

Thank you

[Susan]

Hi Kim, when I rescued my boy 3 years ago he was weeing blood, he needed to be desexed within 1-5 days of receiving him, so when the rescue vet desexed him they did an ultra scan & the vet seen crystals, he was put on antibiotics & Royal Canine Vet Diet S/O Urinary wet tin food & dry Kibble for 6 weeks, he had to only eat the Royal Canine S/O wet & kibble for 6 weeks, so his crystal would dissolve, he had an ultra scan after 6 weeks & all the crystals had dissolved, then the vet said put him back on his normal diet, cause I had just rescued him I didn’t know what to feed him so I ended up contacting an Animal Naturopath cause he had other health problems…. Here’s her diets, it’s raw but I cooked the diet, minus any bones, if you scroll down click on the health diets he needs…. Diabetes diet & a weight reduction diet, work out the common foods between both diets & try feeding some cook meals for him, he will lose weight when he starts eating either a raw or cooked diet & the weight loss will help with his arthritis…Kibble isn’t good for bladder problems, wet foods are the better…… http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/natural-diet.html

[anonymously]

I would be more worried about the dog surviving the heartworm treatment, that is a priority.
Otherwise I would go by your vet’s suggestion, maybe a high quality puppy food (canned and dry). I might add a tablespoon of chopped cooked chicken or chopped cooked chicken liver, add a little water to meals. I might feed 3-4 small meals per day instead of 2 regular ones. I would not add any supplements unless your vet advises so, just more junk for the liver to deal with. I would not give raw food to an old sick dog.
You don’t want rapid weight gain, too stressful, just a gradual increase.
Also, see what your vet advises regarding the flea allergy, frequent baths? Be careful about vaccinations and pesticides with a senior dog like this….
Walks/activity as tolerated, keep him moving.

[Mom T]

I was given a 10+ yr. old, very neglected, St. Bernard/Husky mix male dog for Christmas! He is so sweet and fits well in our family. After a couple of vet visits he is overall healthy with a few issues being heartworms, severe flea allergy and mild hip dysplasia. He also roughly half his weight at 65 lbs.

The more I read, the more I am confused on how to best put weight on him. The vet recommended puppy food. With his age I am concerned about pancreas issues feeding him a high fat diet. What would you recommend for…
Wet and dry foods?
Additives to food such as raw eggs, oils?
Vitamins…Pettabs?

Thanks for your help!

[Jenn H]

I’m very sorry for your loss.
It sounds like he had a hemangiosarcoma. It’s a very very very sneaky disease. My 8 y/o GSD died from a hemangiosarcoma on his right aorta. And I have 2 friends who had dogs with it on their spleen as well.
The thing about this cancer is usually the bleeding of it that kills them, not the actual cancer cells.
SHEP (my 8 y/o) was being managed very well by the holistic treatment. It was the anesthesia that he had to have to be tapped that his heart couldn’t take.
My first friend whose boxer mix had this was put down a few days after diagnosis. I think he would’ve had a better outcome if she had a better vet and/or sought out a second opinion.
My other friend’s Rhodesian Ridgeback lived for years with his. She fed him a low carb high protein diet. Mainly dehydrated raw. He had to take Pepcid. She never did the surgery because of his age.
It’s a disease more commonly found in some breeds than others. GSDs tend to have it on right aorta. Having the niece of my dog who passed I am in constant fear that she will have the same fate.
My sympathies are with you. I know how devastating it is to lose a dog. Especially so suddenly.

[Naturella]

Hey, all! It’s been a while! I’ve been in and out every once in a while, but mostly been busy with work and being offline while not at work.

Well, all is good, except the day has come that I believe my non-picky, will-eat-anything, didn’t-used-to-be-allergic-to-anything dog may have developed some allergies.

Over the course of 6+(ish) months I have noticed that he has been extremely itchy while on the following foods:

Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural
Wellness Core Original
Castor and Pollux Organix GF

Somewhat itchy on:
Solid Gold Winged Tiger Quail and Pumpkin Cat Food

And had 2 days of diarrhea after consuming 1/2 of a cherry tomato.

Common denominators:
chicken/poultry
potatoes
tomato pomace (in 2 of the foods)

Naturally, I believe Bruno has developed some sort of an allergy to the above 3 items, so after I had had enough of watching him scratch himself hairless, I ran into my favorite store and explained the situation, and left with a bag of Zignature Trout and Salmon to try and heal my pup.

Now, I am somewhat familiar with elimination, and I have never noticed excessive itchiness when I have given Bruno raw or dehydrated chicken bits, so I am not even sure it is the chicken/poultry that is the problem and I may need to just give him a break and feed the plain fish Zignature for a bit to see if the itching clears up (I also plan to equip him with Dr. Wysong’s sensitive skin shampoo), but I would love to be able to feed my usual toppers to kibble, which include raw egg, various canned foods which some do have chicken or other poultry, coconut oil, yoghurt, and other dehydrated additives (whatever’s on sale really). I was told to eliminate all additives (besides lukewarm water and limited coconut oil) for 2 weeks to see if there is an improvement. I will do it and see how it goes, and hppefully I will be able to return to the usual or somewhat modified toppers, and if any of you has an idea or a suggestion, I am very open to hearing it. 🙂

[Howard J]

Good news. We received her blood work and her liver enzymes have dropped into normal range. Everything is excellent, except for slightly high calcium levels. Apparently she had colitis as well as bad bacteria in the small intestine, probably from the raw diet we were feeding her. They gave her Metronidazole and an anti-acid and she is doing better. Still feeding her chicken and rice/potatoes. We are going to to see a nutritionist on Monday.

[Natalie R]

Thank you both!

A friend offered today for us to borrow her vitamix to blend raw chicken after hearing about our problems. We plan to try out what you suggested, Coonhound Mama; it’s reassuring for us, too, that our dog isn’t the only one with trouble eating bones. I read some raw food vets say that it’s okay to give recreational bones like beef knuckles that still have meat attached for teeth-cleaning purposes. Our dog does very well with her deer antlers (doesn’t chew too vigorously and hurt herself), so we may add that to make up for lost jaw exercise and hygiene if grinding works out.

To anon, thanks for the resource! I don’t think grains will work for our girl because she reacts so badly to even oatmeal shampoo (we can feel how inflamed her skin becomes through her thick coat), but the bone meal guide is useful. Every dog is different, so I know some would thrive on that diet plan. I will bookmark it for its produce and vitamin references especially.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Natalie R.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Natalie R.

[Coonhound Mama]

Hi Natalie R,

I am so sorry to hear of your issues but on some level it does comfort me to know that my dog (60 lb Coonhound) is not the only one who experiences great difficulty in digesting bone. Although it doesn’t provide any dental benefits, I would highly suggest moving your Westie’s diet over to a raw ground diet. I feel confident in doing this after many many attempts at feeding whole bone and having my dog vomit just the way you described with yours. Didn’t seem sick, didn’t seem abnormal, just seemed to vomit up bone. We have transitioned to fine and coarse ground raw chubs in every protein variety imaginable from Hare Today Gone Tomorrow (bone, meat, organ blends) and this seems to have cleared up nearly all of her issues. I would strongly advise checking this out for your dog too if you don’t want to compromise on the health benefits of raw. You’ll have to keep up with the teeth brushing with the loss of the RMBs, but other than that I think you will find a significant difference and improvement in GI upset and digestibility.

[Natalie R]

Thanks! Yes, we are aware of those issues and are keeping an eye out for discomfort or unusual behavior. So far, the vomiting I described was not alarming because she acted well before and after and we could easily figure out the cause and avoid it in the future.

We would like to exhaust our resources for raw before trying something else, and we refuse to give commercial dog food (even high quality stuff) after reading several scientific studies about it. We chose raw over cooked homemade food because bones provide calcium in what should be an easily digestible form. Since she does digest bones when she chews and doesn’t digest ground eggshell, we aren’t sure if we could use many alternative calcium sources for a cooked diet.

[anonymously]

I hope you will rethink the raw diet thing, raw doesn’t agree with all dogs.
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/
/forums/topic/rectal-issues/
Just a couple of examples.

[Natalie R]

Hello, everyone! I’ve had some trouble getting responses from other raw groups, so I though I would try here.

We started our nearly 7-year-old Westie on a raw diet about a month ago. She eats chicken thigh meat, occasional eggs (without shell because we dry and grind them sometimes and she doesn’t even digest THAT well), chicken wings, liver, gizzard, and veggies (the veggies aren’t included in her meal calculations and are purely extra. We have fed them to her since she was a puppy and know what she digests flawlessly).

She does not digest bones well. With wings, she will often have extremely mucusey poops with long chunks of undigested bone (she gulps). If we give her larger bones (drumsticks) every other day instead of small ones everyday, she vomits for 24 hours. We tried neck bones early into the raw feeding process, and she just threw up undigested bone, so we thought they were too dense.

She never seems ill until she vomits, her coat is softer than on kibble, and she has lots of energy, but we really don’t know what to do. I know vomiting is sometimes part of the process, but it doesn’t seem healthy to vomit two meals in a row because of one.

Does anyone have any advice? She’ll happy eat anything (except thawed liver – we have to give it frozen for textural reasons), so all suggestions are possible.

Thank you very much!

• This topic was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Natalie R.

[Susan]

Hi, have you joined the “Canine Pancreatitis Support ” group on face Book ? someone on the site might know good low fat wet tin foods with good ingredients cause I live Australia I don’t get a lot of the American foods, we get all the Well Pet range Wellness, Holistic Select, Eagle Pack, Earthborn Holistic range & all our Royal Canine Vet diets have different ingredients to the Americian Royal Canine vet diets the Australian R/C has a bit better ingredients cause we have very strict custom laws…..

My boy was eating theVet Diet Royal Canine Gastrointestinal Low Fat Kibble, but it has wheat & barley & Patch started to smell real yeasty & scratch & had bad fermenting breath smell so I changed kibbles again, he couldn’t eat the R/C Gastrointestinal Low Fat wet tin food cause it has rice in the Australian Royal Canine, there’s also Hills Vet Diet I/d Low Fat Restore wet tin food, it has digestive enzymes but it has rice so Patch can’t eat it… http://www.hillspet.com.au/en-au/products/pd-canine-id-low-fat-canned.html

I understand about the raw having enzymes but when a dog has a compromised immune system they can’t fight the bad bacteria in the raw that’s why I went thru a Naturopath Jacqueline Rudan from “Natural Animal Solutions” & she would not let Patch eat any of the commercial raw diets, she said I’ve seen them all being made & they all have very low grade meats & veggies, so I had to buy raw human kangaroo, fresh chicken breast & fresh veggies & make my own raw, it was pretty easy & soooo fresh, I had to put her digestive Enzymes 1/2 capsule & a human Probiotic that is dairy free gluten free 1/2 capsule with every meal to help Patch digest the raw & not get diarrhea.. but he kept regurgitating & burping up the raw even with the Digestive Enzymes & Probiotic, so I cooked the raw & stopped the Digestive enzymes & stopped the Probiotic Patch doesn’t do well on Probiotics he does better on Prebiotics… here’s her site she answers all emails & only cost me $60 for 1 hour phone consultation, she does Skype for overseas customers, every now & then Patch gets bad pain right side chest area under front paw, stomach pancreas area, he comes to me lifts his right paw whinges & wants me to rub his chest after eating certain kibbles that are high in protein over 25% protein, Jacqueline told me Patches Pancreas isn’t doing its job & working properly, all vet test came back OK but he gets all the symptoms of Pancreatitis, vets said it IBD & Helicobacter-Pylori he had Endoscope & Biopsies done 1 year ago, we tried every vet diet none worked for Patch but that’s cause of the boiled rice cause when I was first buying the Hills I/d Low Fat Restore the wet tin had no boiled rice, when we read the ingredients we must of missed rice & when I opened the tin I couldn’t see the rice he was doing really well on the I/d Low Fat Restore wet tin food, then I must of bought a different batch when I opened the tin the top was full of clumps of boiled rice, I rung Hills & said whats happening she said the I/d Restore is made at 2 different places, it sounds like the rice wasn’t grounded & has clumped all together, do I know the Batch numbers of the I/d Low Fat wet tin foods he was doing really well on, I said NO but I have the Batch numbers of all these tins full of rice, so I had to take them all back to the vets for refund, I was so disappointed even though, I hate Hills it worked & you start to not worry what the ingredients are when they start gaining weight & doing better, I tried feeding the i/d wet tin with the rice & scoping out most of the boiled rice but he started having his yellow sloppy smelly poos again farting rumbling bowel noises that you could hear in the next room, his breath stunk so his vet put him back on the Metronidazole for 3 weeks & gave me 3 repeat scripts for when it happens again I don’t have to keep seeing her just for some Metronidazole, the Metronidazole clears everything up I can’t believe how good it is the vet wanted to keep Patch on the Metronidazole she said she has a few dogs like Patch & they are on a low dose of Metronidaole once a day, but I just use when needed I have found since Ive been cooking chicken breast, sweet potatoes, broccoli, zucchini & kangaroo some days & using 1/2 spoon of the Natural Animal Solutions DigestaVite Plus-100 Patch is slowly getting better……I can’t believe it all these years I thought he couldn’t eat cooked food but it was the stupid rice it ferments in their stomach & was iratating his bowel….he can eat grounded rice in kibble just not boiled rice.. I contacted Jacqueline the Naturopath for help naturally.. her diets are under “Information” you pick 1 to 2 proteins I started with just the 1 protein Kangaroo now I feed chicken more then you pick 2-4 veggies & 1-2 fruits, I picked apple when he was eating raw but now I cut up watermelon & give as a treat or Paw Paw, Paw Paw is suppose to be excellent for the somach it has natural digestive enzymes..I freeze inice cube tray, its Summer here in Australia
http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/intestinal-flora-imbalance.html

[Howard J]

So does the Fromm have less fat per 100g than the Zeal dog food or more? Also, would administrating probiotics and pancreatic enzymes help her pancreas. The reason why we chose to feed raw food was because of the good enzymes. Cooking would kill the enzymes, correct? Also, thanks for the input, I really appreciate it!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Howard J.

[Howard J]

She does not take Metronidazole. We gave her Royal Canine low fat wet food a few hours ago, the ingredients are horrendous but she seems to be doing better. Probably will never give it to her again. Still looks like she is losing weight though.

Her breath does not smell good. Smells like putrid throw up, although it has gotten better. Her butthole seems to be inflamed too. I’ll try the mashed potatoes.

I’ll refrain from giving her a raw based diet, also I mine as well buy the Honest Kitchen food looks great! My only question is the Fromm wet food I have been feeding her has 44.63% Protein on a dry matter basis of 100 grams and 10.24% Fat on a dray matter basis of 100 grams. I can only imagine the fat content of Natural Instinct’s Venison Raw.

For Honest Kitchen the Zeal Dog food profile says Protein is 38.40% on a Dry matter basis and Fat is 9.25%, which is less than the Fromm wet food. However, it does not say the amount of grams, which would be my only concern. If its 100grams then she would likely do better on this food, in part because of the low protein and fat content and the better ingredients. The Fiber is much lower than Fromm’s wet food however the carbs are higher, not sure if that is good or bad for pancreatitis.

http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/media/wysiwyg/AAFCO/ZEAL-nutrient-profile-1.pdf
http://frommfamily.com/products/four-star/dog/can/shredded-chicken/technical-analysis/

Also, the As-Is Basis of fat per 100 grams of the Fromm is 2.10, which is lower than the As Received (8.5%) as well as the As Served Hydrated (4.25%). Yet, Fromms dry matter basis of 100g, the fat % is higher than all the categories in the Zeal Dog Food Nutrient Profile.

Really confusing!

[Susan]

Hi Howard, did she take Metronidazole (Flagyl)? its an antibiotic for the stomach & bowel, also smell her breath does it smell & what of?? that’s how I know what’s happening with my boy when I smell his breath, when my boy starts doing the yellow mushy poos I have a few scripts of Metronidazole the vet has given me & I put Patch on the Metronidazole with food for 10 days & change diet, also I cook potatoes instead of rice, boiled rice can irritate the bowel…. Australian vets are using boiled potatoes now instead or the old fashion boiled rice..
When Patch has had the gurgling pinning bowel noises it was either from the boiled rice or an ingredient he was sensitive too, then over the years I found he has food sensitives…. He has had Pancreatitis when I first rescued him, vet put him on a vet diet for his skin allergies & the fat was toooo high at 19%…..now I cook chicken breast, potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, sweet potatoes, it depends some days I add Kangaroo rissoles some days or I add salmon in spring water drained, I put it all thru a blender for a few seconds….
I cant get The Honest Kitchen in Australia if I could I’d be feeding Patch the “Zeal” the fat is only 8.50% its low in carbs & limited ingredients & fish as protein so easy to digest, for the days I’m lazy…..http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal

I wouldn’t be feeding a raw diet with those symptoms, or if you do want to feed a raw diet, I went thru a Naturopath cause Patch was diagnosed with IBD & needs low fat diet & has Skin Allergies the raw worked for his skin but not his stomach (IBD) he kept regurgitating & burping up the raw Kangaroo & blended raw veggies but when I bake the kangaroo into rissoles & boil the same veggies, he’s OK, so I cook instead now & freeze meals…..

Sounds like you just haven’t found the right diet yet or she may do what happens with Patch, he needs his foods changed every month when I feed kibbles or he starts reacting to an ingredient, I posted a link about this I’ll try & find it, he cant stay on the same kibble too long he starts doing yellow sloppy poos….
Go supermarket get a couple brown potatoes, 1 small sweet potatoes, 1 zucchini & a small broccoli head, peel boil & put in containers in the fridge also maybe change the chicken to turkey or try the chicken & potato & see if there’s any gurgling pinning bowel noises & yellow mushy poo, if its still making loud noises change the protein, no chicken…maybe at first just do the chicken & potato & see if there’s improvement in stools, if there is then add some zucchini wait 2 days look at poos if poos are firm then add broccoli or whatever you want to add, then after a couple of weeks start adding some tin salmon in spring water drained to get all the healthy omegas & vitamins from the salmon, I add 1/2 a small tin per meal but you could make a few meals for a couple of days having a smaller dog… if you do see vet ask for a script for some Metronidazole its good have in cupboard when this happens, she may have too much bad bacteria in the stomach/bowel (S.I.B.O) & needs the metronidazole to fix everything up again….

[Howard J]

Seven months ago the vet discovered that my 11 year old cairn terrier had multiple nodules on her pancreas. They said that it was either a tumor, benign or malignant or hyperplasia of the pancreas, which is common in old dogs. A month ago she was acting lethargic, depressed and had a seizure like episode. They prescribed her doxycycline after she tested light positive for anaplasmosis and from here on she got much worse. She threw up yellow, foamy bile every night. She’s always had GI PROBLEMS but the doxy made her feel very sick, she refused to eat anything, and lost 2.5lbs in the process.

We brought her back in and they took her off the doxy, they gave her an anti-nausea injection and prescribed various medications to treat her stomach and pancreas. A few weeks later her blood test seemed to have improved, her ALKP at the time of the crisis was over 6000!! However, it went down to less than 2000 with all other liver enzymes in the reference range. Everything else was normal, including the blood count, except for slightly high calcium and BUN levels.

Any who, they compared her pancreas photos from seven months ago and the nodules have not changed at all. They said they are ruling out cancer, and it is most likely something that shouldn’t be worried about. However, they are saying her liver enzymes are still high and they want to do a liver biopsy to figure out what is the problem, in order to give us a better diagnosis and to implement a treatment plan. We refused and instead opted to give monthly urine samples, as well as administrating milk thistle into her diet.

MY QUESTION: What should her diet consist of? After the supposed pancreatitis episode we introduced her to chicken and rice, which she seemed to do okay on. We then introduced her to Fromm grain free, shredded chicken and Natural Instincts frozen raw venison. She absolutely loved it, and seemed to be doing great. We fed her a small amount of the medallions. I know raw diet, especially natural instinct has high fat content, so maybe it isn’t good? She is back to Fromm with some boiled chicken and rice and her symptoms of pancreatitis seem to be coming BACK!

Her stools are muscusy, yellow, greasy diarrhea, which are signs of pancreatitis and/or too much fat in her diet. She has also been dry heaving occasionally. These symptoms have developed after we stopped giving her Natural Instinct. Today we fed her just chicken but her stools are the same. Pungent, yellow diarrhea.

Should we give her ENZYMES and/or probiotics, it seems that she isn’t digesting her food properly and the vets aren’t really helping diet wise. Is it wise to give dogs with pancreatitis raw diets and if so which brand is the best for this condition. If not, what food is appropriate for her condition?

I would greatly appreciate the input!

John

[Cathy C]

Hi. I am currently feeding my dog the Darwin Raw Canine diet and I would like to know if this is a good choice. I don’t see this product in the Editors Choice section. Please advise !!

Cathy

[InkedMarie]

Why was your vet horrified? Raw fed dogs need organs. Unless your vet is a holistic vet or nutritionist, he/she doesn’t know much about nutrition. They get very little nutrition education in veterinary school.

[Margie R]

The raw diet primal lists lamb liver as its second ingredient. My vet was horrified. Any comments?

[Susan]

Hi Sunny,
I feed cooked chicken, broccoli, sweet potatoes, zucchini for breakfast, then for dinner I feed kibble, I change foods, I don’t feed the same food everyday… I have frozen cooked kangaroo rissoles that I made the other day, so today I added 2 small kangaroo rissole with Patches chicken & veggies & less chicken only 1/2 cup chicken instead of 1 cup chicken cause I added the Kangaroo, the next morning I add salmon with the chicken… they love sardines or salmon mixed thru a meal…

Have you tried feeding a balanced raw diet, your dog may prefer a raw diet, my dog loves raw, but he regurgitates the raw when he burps then he gets his acid reflux, he has IBD so I cant feed raw….I don’t think you need to see a vet he’s just becoming a fussy dog, maybe a bit spoilt, so be careful when he refuses to eat something put it in the fridge after 10mins of it sitting on the floor & him not eating it & bring it back out 1-2 hours later when he’s hungry & see if he will eat it…. I always warm my boy food in microwave but once you heat it they have to eat it, you cant stick it back in fridge….they know how to do the sad puppy eyes & look at you real sad, so you feel guilty & give them what they want & he’s a pup, so he’s working out what he can get away with…

What are you feeding him?? maybe its yuk or he ate it,then felt sick,I had a boxer & my old cat, they would eat something once maybe twice then if the food made them feel sick & or have diarrhea then they wouldn’t eat it again….

[anonymously]

Raw is not for all dogs. Have you tried the search engine here?
Example: /forums/topic/rectal-issues/

[Coonhound Mama]

Hi guys,

My 5 year old rescue Coon hound is new to raw and we have started her gradually onto the fine ground raw meat, bone and organ chubs from Hare Today. She does wonderful with the finely ground raw, but I switched her to coarsely ground turkey meat bone and organ this week and she has vomited up a small amount of bile and fingernail sized or smaller bone shards. I’m not thinking she is in any kind of discomfort, but I am concerned about a possible GI blockage and/or upset occurring from these bone shards. She has a VERY sensitive system and at this point I’m not sure moving her past FINELY ground raw grinds to prey model will ever be a good choice for her.

Any advice or feedback regarding this would be greatly appreciated, although obviously if anything more serious occurs she will go to the vet immediately.

[kobe]

I was sold by a store in NYC-in November 2015
2 bags of stella and chewys raw frozen patties
I did not know that this store would be selling bags that had been recalled in July
my dog became progressively sicker with watery diarrhea
workup with the vet nov 27 was negative for a parasite
I called stella and chews Monday-11/30-to discuss poss raw food problem especially since this store would often transfer foods from a remote location to the store I was near
I found out the lot numbers were recalled 5 months before!
the owner of the store has refused to talk to me!!
I have reported his store to the FDA AND DEPT OF AGRICULTURE this week!!
he has refused to refund me money for the bags that should not have been available–
I also have a 205 dollar vet charge that he should pay for!!
any suggestions to keep this moronic owner from harming other animals
and refunding my money?

[Dori]

LadyJane. Glad to hear all you are doing. I stop flea, tick and heart worm meds quite some time ago. I also no longer have them vaccinated. They are all on raw healthy diets and are all healthier than they ever were. Blood tests always come back great. My three are homebodies also. Their excursions to the outside world are on our own property and on occasion to the vet where I carry them in and out.

[Susan H]

It sure sounds like she has food allergies. I, personally, would try feeding plain old chicken and rice for a while, then consult the list and start on a raw product or any limited ingredient (/?s=limited+ingredient+dog+foods) food. I like the raw because of the lack of additives.

My old (16, 13 and 11 yrs) dogs are getting a combo of Orijen freeze dried, Natures Variety raw and green tripe. We had some skin and coat problems and this seems to be clearing it up. It'[s not an inexpensive way to go, but neither were all the vet bills.

[wendeyzee]

Hi Mintie, no, after the food trial was over and there weren’t indications of food alergy i went to a limited ingredient fish. The food my gsd boy is on currently is Natures select cold water and hes doing well, the one draw back (sort of) is it can only be ordered from the website. Best wishes

[Susan]

Hi Raquel, my boy has IBD & suffers with the Helicobacter-Pylori on & off, we found this all out thru Endoscope & Biopsies 1 year ago, the only why to diagnosed Helicobacter in dogs is thru Endoscope & Biopsies….. he was put on triple therapy meds Metronidazole, Amoxicillin & Zantac for 3 weeks…. the vet that did the Endoscope & biopsies recommended prebiotics when the antibiotics were finished, he doesn’t believe in probiotics for dogs but Patches other vet does…..I have found diet plays a big part when too much bad bacteria takes over….
My problem is probiotics & prebiotics seem to make Patch worse, he feels sick, nausea, wants grass etc after having his probiotic, it’s like the probiotics has a party with Patches bad bacteria & make everything worse, then I joined a group on Face Book called “Fast Tract Diet” run by Dr Norm Robillard, then I read about the die off period when you take probiotic & how you can feel real sick also Norm Robillard say’s you should take probiotics on empty stomach when your stomach acids are low, so either first thing in the morning or night before bed all by themselves, not with food, when we are eating our stomach acids are real strong & kill the live probiotics….
Do you know anything about the die off period, Patch was taking a real good animal probiotic called “Protexin” a live probiotic that’s kept in fridge….in the Fast Tract Diet group Dr Norm Rollibard has a book & what foods to eat & not to eat starchy Carbs as they are the worst especially potatoes most dog grain free food have Potatoes, I haven’t bought his books yet, but Patch gets worse after eating potatoes he gets his bad fermenting breath back, he starts his whinging his stomach hurts, so I put him on the Metronidazole for 2 weeks & he’s all good again…I’ve been trying to work out his diet, I know raw is the best but he burps & some of the raw food comes up & then he get acid reflux, the Raw seems to digest real quick & then he regurgitates the raw… Do you have any research that probiotics are working & helping dogs?? cause I know a few other ladies from a IBD group & their dogs can not take probiotics either their dogs get sick with vomiting & the probiotics seem to make everything worse…..I know antibiotics are being over prescribe & are bad, here’s a link “Antibiotic Over Use” that was on the Fast Tract Diet Group site… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4240113/

[Cotons mom]

Has anyone used this as an additive to raw food?

Thanks

[InkedMarie]

Carrie,
It would be best for your dog to be on a wet food: canned, raw or dehydrated. I feed ground raw but I add water to the bowl as well.

[Sherri P]

Hi, God Bless Everyone,

My Lab Tank Drake, likes these bones. He is a very sensitive doggy & everything seems to upset his tummy. The vet recommended this, so My husband & I started buying him Grain Free dog food by Rachel Ray which has helped him tremendously & this DreamBone which is rawhide free, cause our boy tank cannot eat rawhide either, without vomiting all over the place. I have read a lot of your comments & I am posting what the ingredients are in this: which I am copying right off the bag. DreamBone- (Dino chews) Grain Free, Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Helps maintain healthy teeth & gums, natural added vitamins…. Sweet potato, flour, pea flour, chicken, vegetable glycerin oil, dried brewers yeast, calcium carbonate, peanut butter, fish oil, dried kelp source of chlorophyll, dried tomato, calcium ascorbate source of vitamin c, vitamin e supplement, rosemary extract. Plus no GMO’s. All I can say Tank hasn’t vomited up by eating them. Which makes Dad & Mom Happy & Doggy Happy too 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Hi Chris S:
I agree, this diet as written is not complete. I feed a kibble based diet along with commercial raw, canned, and homemade meals. Variety works well for my dog and most of my cats; sometimes it doesn’t for some.

If you are interested in making some or all homemade meals I purchased this download written by Dr. Susan Lauten a few months back that has grain free and grain inclusive recipes for healthy adult dog maintenance that are balanced to both AAFCO requirements and NRC recommendations. The supplements to make the recipes balanced can be found on the Internet or in drug and health food stores:
http://petnutritionconsulting.com/susan-lauten-phd/
http://backtobasicspetcare.com/

[InkedMarie]

The best food you can feed her is NOT dry: raw, canned, dehydrated….If you must feed dry, please go to the review side & look for a 3 star food. Once she does well on that, you can upgrade to a 4 or 5 star if you wish. Her current diet is a very low quality food. Be prepared for diarrhea when you transition. Transition over a week or so. If you have to feed dry, add some high quality canned and water to her food. It is very important that she get water.

It is also very important that she has ample opportunity to urinate.

Good luck!

[Boo S]

I’ve read on these forum pages several things to do with irritated skin for pit bull mixes, but there is ALOT of information. Prior going to the vet — what are some DIY things I can do for her?

My pooch is otherwise fine but has been licking inside her legs, and now there is a red raw rash like thing happening. She doesn’t do this incessantly, but just now and then. She doesn’t seem that uncomfortable.I don’t know if this is an inner or outer allergen, but the licking seems to cause the rash itself or at least make it work.

I don’t know if it’s yeast or another allergy, but do want to give her relief. Apple cider vinegar? Lemon Juice? Something topical? Food change? (She has a sensitive stomach and has been doing great with some high-quality kibble, infrequently, and usually, trader joe’s can food)

Thanks i advance for your help.

[Dori]

Kevin R. One of my girls, a Maltipoo, was riddled with food intolerances, sensitive and allergies and also environmental issues. Her dermatologist/allergist here in Atlanta, Ga. at Blue Pearl Georgia Veterinary Specialists suggested that I not do that particular testing nor the skin testing and shots. He told me it would be a very long process and the duration of the injections would probably be long term as she was such a mess. He advised me that the very best way to deal with her situation was to attempt to either do an illumination diet or try to figure out and eliminate ingredients in her diet and also to remove all, or as many, toxins in the home environment. I no longer burn candles, no air freshener sprays, no plug ins. I switched to natural type cleaners. Never ever any type of carpet freshening powders that are then vacuumed up. Hardwood floors are cleaned with a solution of vinegar and water. I also wipe her paws (all three dogs actually) when she comes in from out in the yard. I switched to a landscaping company that only uses organic products. I removed all the lawn in our patio/back area where they play and potty to stone, gravel and flower gardens….annuals and perennials. Just early on this year I had two types of testing done solely out of curiosity on my part because I had spent years “fixing” her issues to see what they would come up with. I did the Nutriscan Saliva test by Dr. Jean Dodds first and I believe the cost was around $250.00. If memory serves me that tests for 20 items. Though the test was informative as it did have things that I had already eliminated from her diet I did find that the test showed that she was sensitive to one of the few foods she actually does very well on. I then heard about a test called Glacier Peak Holistics on an allergy group I’m on. That tests for 200 including food and environment which cost $85.00. It is a food and saliva test. I that test was spot on for every single thing that through the years I had eliminated from her diet. The food that she does well on was not something that came up as a sensitivity on that test. It did come up with with food ingredient that I was not aware of and that was cucumbers. From time to time Katie would itch, not a lot but it was there. Turns out that they must have coincided with times that I shared cucumbers with the girls. I eliminated the cucumbers and she’s never scratched again. I feed all three of my dogs commercial raw frozen diets rotating brands and proteins with the exceptions of the ones that Katie cannot tolerate. For treats they get fresh fruits and veggies. I’ve been feeding them this way for a little over 4 1/2 years. Switching to the raw frozen was how I was able to eliminate her food issues as it was the quickest way to eliminate soy, grains, all fowl, corn, white potatoes, tomatoes, white rice, all night shade plant ingredients which are all pro inflammatory. I got Katie at the age of 9 weeks old and at that early age she was an allergy sensitive mess. It took me two years to go through the elimination process with her. She is now 6 1/2 years old and a happy camper. Quite comfortable and happy in her own skin. I continue to wipe all three toy dogs privates and paws with warm clean wash cloths. I should mention that I also have a “no shoes” policy in our home. No one, including repairmen, etc. enters our home with shoes on. It would defeat all I’m doing by dragging in environmental stuff that’s on the bottom of their shoes. Everyone is perfectly happy to go along with my wishes and as a matter of fact through the years more and more people that I know have gone with the “no shoes” in the house policy. I also purchased one of those iRobot Roombas that is programmed to go on daily and then I do a deep in the wall vacuuming once a week. It sounds like a lot but when it all comes together it’s all really easy and has changed her and our lives around.

Edit: I will add that there are some people that do not believe in the allergy tests that I have had done on Katie nor their efficacy. All I can say is that they really were spot on with Katie’s issues. Both companies will send you the kits that you need to do the testing with detailed instructions, you send everything back to them and typically in a week or so you’ll get an email with the results. You can then call them and they will go over the results in detail with you.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Dori.

[jamie h]

My 7 year-old girl (rescue so it’s really a guess),Twiggy, has a grade 3/4 heart murmur and I don’t want to put her on pharmaceutical meds. Anyone suggest a good mix of supplements? She has been on a raw diet before, but switched to kibble/canned mix for financial reasons, but would be willing to do it again, if that’s best. Also, I didn’t have to think about health conditions before. I was looking at Swanson’s raw heart pills, but wondering what else I should do. I also noticed a bit of harsh breathing, but it could be from the murmur? Thank you for your time!

• This topic was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by jamie h.

[kassie m]

Hi, my Siberian husky had his first seizure during thanksgiving last week. He just turned 2. The vet was unable to pinpoint a cause, but I would like to be cautious and proactive moving forward while I monitor him for more seizures.

He’s been eating Earthborn holistic primitive with raw eggs, raw meats and bones given as other meals. I read that Rosemary is bad for seizures so I switched him to Acana singles duck and pear, despite my disdain for the legume content. I’m looking for suggestions on anything that might be better or if someone could look at this food and let me know what they think? I’ve also been told poultry could be bad for seizures? I am berg information overwhelmed and just want the best for my boy. 🙂 thanks.

[Susan]

Hi have you had an Endoscope & Biopsies done?? my Patch is also a rescue & he regurgitates water when he eats raw, cooked & wet tin foods, I have found if the food is real fine water like paste or the meat is minced, Patch would regurgitate, burp water & little bits of the food into his mouth…
I cook for him now & he has kibble as well, he eats 4 small meals a day, the food stays down better, when there’s less food in his stomach, I’ve been cooking Chicken breast, Potatoes, Broccoli, Zucchini, pumkin, 1 cup cooked chicken cut up into chunks, 1 big spoon cooked Zucchini slices, 1/2 a small boiled potato cut up, 1 spoon pumkin, & about 4 little pieces of cooked broccoli & I put all into a blender but I only blend it a few pulses so the chicken is still chunky & sticks to all the veggies….Kibble he holds down the best but some kibbles gives him stomach pain, I think when the fat is higher over 14% fat & if the protein is higher then 25%…..

This time last year Patch had Endoscope & Biopsies done & they found he had the Helicobacter-Pylori & IBD, he was treated with Amoxicillin, Metronidazole & Zantac for 3 weeks, but as soon as the meds were finished all Patches symptoms all came back… I’ve found probiotics made him feel sick… have you tried any dog probiotic for the gut they may help your boy stomach get more healthy & good bacteria into his stomach, you start with 1/2 the recommended dose…
My boy can hold down his drinking water now, when I first rescued him he wouldn’t drink any water but I make sure he doesn’t drink heaps of water at once, I change his water as soon as he drinks from his bowl & I give him fresh water every morning, I feed him 1 spoon cooked food at a time or wet tin food when he was eating wet tin food its cheaper to cook & freeze little meals & I raise his food bowl, I bought 1 of those children plastic stool, kids can step up to the toilet with one of these plastic stool I think? then after he eats, I make sure he does NO running around or playing, we go for a slow walk & he sniffs, he eats 7am cooked meal, 12pm 1/2 cup Fish & Rice kibble, 5pm cooked meal, 1 spoon at a time, 8pm 1/2 cup kibble Fish & Rice, 1 kibble at a time, I sit in front of TV & just drop 1 kibble in his bowl & make sure he chews the kibble, I’ve taught him to chew kibble he’s a gulper….

Maybe make a few changes, feed 4 small meals thru the day, make the food more chucker pieces or buy wet tin foods that have chuncky pieces, I wasn’t feeding any of the gravy cause Patch was bringing it back up then he was getting acid reflux from regurgitating his meal, look at the fat% no more then 4% in fat, try kibble again 10%-12% fat, don’t feed with the wet food with the kibble, feed separate times…& introduce a dog probiotic best to give probiotic when stomach acids are low, so first thing of a morning but no food can be giving for 1 hour or at night is best just before bed around 9-10pm I was mixing 1 teaspoon probiotic powder with 10-15mls water in a bowl & Patch just drank it……

[Claire P]

I did give him a small rawhide treat about a month ago, and he hasn’t had ANY treats in the past few weeks.

[Dori]

I’m assuming you feed him twice a day. If not, please correct me. I would portion his food into maybe four smaller meals so that he’s not trying to digest so much food at a time and that he doesn’t have long periods of time with an empty stomach. I’d definitely switch his water to filtered or spring, reverse osmosis would be great too. You can even buy one of those Brita filter pitchers and use that. You can also, but costs more, of course, add a reverse osmosis filter under your kitchen sink and drill a hole above for it’s own faucet and use that for his water. Yours to for that matter. There’s an awful lot of stuff in tap water that no one should be drinking let alone a dog that his having some health issues. But store bought water is perfectly acceptable. Just you have to deal with all the plastic bottles and the cost eventually adds up though he’s a poodle so he’s not going to drink all that much. I’ve got three toy dogs. Maltese, Yorkipoo and Maltipoo. No dry (kibble) for sure. It takes longer to digest and you don’t want his stomach to have food sitting around in him for that long. I should also let you know, full disclosure, that I feed my three dogs commercial raw frozen foods. I rotate the brands and the proteins with the exception of any and all poultry, fowl. But you shouldn’t start rotating foods with your dog until you can figure out what the issue is that he’s dealing with. Is he vomiting more with the dry food or the canned or does it make any difference at all? Just curious.

[Dori]

Claire P. When he vomits, what’s coming up? Also what type of water are you giving him? Bottled, Spring, Filtered, Reverse Osmosis or tap water?

It is possible that he is sensitive to something in his food. I’d try avoiding all poultry, all fowl, and go grain free, avoid soy, corn, any veggies in the night shade group as though all promote inflammation. Also no white rice or white potatoes for the same inflammatory reason. I’d also switch brands. Maybe try something like a dehydrated food. Grandma Lucy’s, The Honest Kitchen and Sojo’s I believe all make grain free formulas. You rehydrate them with warm water so that will get some liquid into him. You can also try adding digestive enzymes to his meals and probiotics. The brand I use is by Enzymedica as they are vegan and also vegetarian containing no grains, soy, etc. etc. so there very likely isn’t anything in them that could bother him. I have a allergy girl and it’s the only ones she’s perfectly fine with taking in her meals.

Another thought is, are you or anyone in the home giving him store bought treats or bully sticks or anything like that? Rawhide chews? If so, you shouldn’t.

One last thought: Have you given thought to allergy testing. Dr. Jean Dodds has a NutriScan test that is a saliva test. Another one that I have used and is way cheaper ($85.00) is by glacierpeakholistics.com. There’s is a saliva and hair sample test. You order there’s on line, same for the Nutriscan (I think that one was around $250 or $275) they’ll send you what you need with directions. You return the kit back to them and then you’ll have the results usually in about a week by email. If you then have any questions, you can call them and they’ll go over the results with you in detail. I found the tests very useful and only wish I’d done them early on instead of going through years of eliminations.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Dori.

[dendad]

More about Science Diet and why I’m glad I found out about it before getting more dogs.

/dog-food-recall/hills-science-diet-dog-food-market-withdrawal-november-2015/

[Mike Sagman]

Hi Dori,

As a matter of policy, I never publish any recall announcement unless it can be officially confirmed.

Since this particular event has not (yet) been posted by the FDA and cannot be verified by the company (over the weekend), I had to personally travel to a PetSmart retail store to capture a photograph of the announcement.

I then had to manually convert the photographic lot information to HTML text format, write and format the article, share it on Facebook and write and broadcast an email for our subscribers. So, sorry for the delay.

Here’s a link to our article:

/dog-food-recall/hills-science-diet-dog-food-market-withdrawal-november-2015/

Hope this helps.

[Shawna]

Ya no, you are right…. Homeopathics should definitely be attacked when I make a personal choice to take my pets (or myself) to them… Makes perfect sense to me????? If allopathic medicine “worked” and worked well, there’d be no way holistic practitioners could stay in business. Allopathic medicine certainly has it’s place but it’s not the only option — THANK GOD FOR THAT!!!

“Promote homeopathy as an alternative to scientific medicine” It seems to me that skeptvet and others like him are threatened by the alternative movement just as they are to the raw movement. It’s not a big secret that allopathic medicine is often ineffective, can be very dangerous and is used inappropriately/off label.

If skeptvet wasn’t so anti everything natural I might be able to consider him somewhat credible but as it is, not so much… Just my opinion of course.

PS — can you point out one homeopathic medicine that directly causes death (or any of the others listed) as a side effect?
“Rimadyl, like other drugs, may cause some side effects. Serious but rare side effects have been reported in dogs taking NSAIDs, including Rimadyl. Serious side effects can occur with or without warning and in rare situations result in <b>death</b>. The most common NSAID-related side effects generally involve the stomach (such as bleeding ulcers), and liver or kidney problems. Look for the following side effects that can indicate your dog may be having a problem with Rimadyl or may have another medical problem:
• Decrease or increase in appetite
• Vomiting
• Change in bowel movements (such as diarrhea, or black, tarry or bloody stools)
• Change in behavior (such as decreased or increased activity level, incoordination, seizure or aggression)
• Yellowing of gums, skin, or whites of the eyes (jaundice)
• Change in drinking habits (frequency, amount consumed)
• Change in urination habits (frequency, color, or smell)
• Change in skin (redness, scabs, or scratching)” http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AnimalVeterinary/Products/ApprovedAnimalDrugProducts/DrugLabels/UCM050408.pdf