I was also going to suggest LID.
A long time ago I had a dog that couldn’t eat the usual proteins like chicken & beef. This was before there were so many dogs effected by allergies so our options were very limited and very expensive.
If he could’ve lived forever I would’ve probably tried enzymes, pineapple, probiotics, pure pumpkin. All things I have found go help my dogs after him.
If he was here today I would probably be giving him raw goat milk. I swear that stuff is good for everything and everyone.
Good luck on your search. I hope your dog gets some relief soon.
Dawn A,
I feed raw, but I use a commercial, complete and balanced diet. If you are making your own, please research how to make a balanced homemade recipe. This is particularly critical since your dog is a puppy and nutritional deficiencies and/or imbalances can cause some really big problems as they grow, particularly in large breeds.
Dr. Becker, Whole Dog Journal, dogaware.com are a few places to start.
Hey,
Your definitely not adding enough bone to the diet. It’s very hard with a young dog to get the consistency right. Our puppy refused to eat any chicken bone and we had to literally starve her but it is all we could do to avoid runny stools.
She now eats a full raw diet with no complaints and looks healthier for it. The trick is to not give in and feed her ‘other’ food just to get them to eat.
Stick with raw and it wil work itself out.
Hello!
I am pretty new to raw feeding, and although I have done (what seems like) extensive research on the topic, I still have a few questions. Our pup is 12 weeks this Saturday and we started him on raw at 6 weeks. We tried a handful of proteins including chicken, beef, pork and turkey, as well as eggs and goat’s milk to begin with, although the last two we only fed a few times before finding that it tended to result in runny stools. More recently we have been feeding about 18-20oz. per day of chicken (we took a whole chicken and quartered I, partitioning it into daily allotments that we freeze immediately, then partially thaw before feeding) and occasional liver, gizzards and hearts and all has been well…until about two days ago. He’s not acting sick (so much energy!) and eats with gusto, but his stools are getting looser. He will have one solid in the morning, then the rest will be runny to completely liquid. Among possible solutions I have read are removing the skin (we haven’t yet, but will be trying that over the next couple of days) and adding more bone (currently we are supplementing with extra chicken breast meat, but are considering legs instead for the bone…plus he loves them!). Any ideas or feedback would be great! Thank you in advance!
Hi Ken,
I haven’t read through all the comments but I wanted to state that it could be the chicken causing the issue — a chicken sensitivity versus and allergy. Maybe the chicken itself OR what the chicken ate even (since it seems to be brand specific). I’m a raw feeder of multiple dogs (I have six of my own right now and foster) for over 10 years by the way. My Pom gets ulcerative colitis (bright red blood in diarrhea (her’s is almost liquid though)). Chicken is what sets my girl off (only the muscle meat – she is fine with eggs, liver, kidneys etc).
Sensitivities can manifest after the dog (or person) has been on the food for a while. A protein in certain foods, called a lectin, can bind with the gut wall and cause disease. Initially it binds with IgA (an immune system antigen) but eventually the body is not capable of producing enough IgA to bind with the lectin and then you see symptoms. Typical allergy tests test for IgE immunoglobulins so they can’t detect food sensitivities (which are actually much more common than IgE allergies). I understand that the food he gets better on is “boiled chicken” but boiling (at least with legumes) leaches some of the lectins from the food making less for the body to have to deal with. OR possibly the boiled chicken is different than the one causing the IBD because of something the chicken ate (organic grains fed to livestock have lectins too).
Okay, that was just one thought. The other is that the raw chicken drumstick and thigh diet is not a balanced diet. I know, I know……eye rolls and oh not one of those must be balanced nuts. 🙂 hee hee But there really is something to it. Dark meat chicken is an excellent source of linoleic acid (the omega 6 fat that is necessary for health). However when LA is over-consumed and/or not consumed in balance with omega 3 fats it can be quite inflammatory. Although a good source of LA, chicken is deficient in saturated fatty acids which the body also needs. You don’t mention organs which supply other nutrients. This may or may not be a direct cause but it certainly could be an indirect cause.
Hope, whatever it is, you can get it figured out and get back to wonderful health.
I haven’t worked with any of these folks but have been following them for years.
Monica Segal
Kymythy Schultz
Cat Lane
Dr. Meg Smart is a board certified vet and taught nutrition. She’s in Canada but may do long distance consults. She is a raw feeder and although she uses some products I wouldn’t (like canola oil etc) I do think she would customize further.
Dr. Susan Wynn is another board certified vet nutritionist. One of my friends uses her and is very VERY picky about what she will give her dogs (only species appropriate foods).
Dr. Barbara Royal and Dr. Karen Becker are not certified nutritionists but in my opinion have a great grasp on species appropriate ingredients and foods and have a better understanding on why not to use some things (like canola oil). Dr. Royal created a prescription raw liver and a kidney diet that are sold through Darwins. Dr. Becker co-wrote “Dr. Becker’s Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats”. She has a wonderful grasp on healthful foods and nutrients and how those foods could help or harm our pets.
Hope the above gives you a few jumping off points!!!
Hi Vicky T,
My Chihuahua mix had kidney disease from birth and lived to just shy of nine years of age. The most important thing I can say about kidney disease is DON’T feed a kibble diet — even prescription kibble. If you want to stick with prescription, Science Diet has some nice canned products that they recently came out with. One is beef based and the other is chicken based. If you are interested in feeding homemade, Veterinary Nutritionist Dr. Meg Smart has a nice recipe on her blog page. Dr. Smart gives a recipe for “early to moderate” and for “late stage” kidney disease. http://petnutritionbysmart.blogspot.com/2013/02/home-made-diets-and-renal-disese-in.html
Many, if not most, vets have not yet heard about (or understand if they did hear) the importance of probiotics and certain prebiotics (aka fermentable fibers) for kidney patients. These two supplements help to re-route BUN from the dog’s blood to the colon. This helps pup feel better and allows for a bit higher protein diet. The Merck Vet Manual has a nice blurb about it if your or your vet might be interested. They write “In addition, feeding moderately fermentable fiber can facilitate enteric dialysis and provide a nonrenal route of urea excretion.” http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/management_and_nutrition/nutrition_small_animals/nutrition_in_disease_management_in_small_animals.html
The fermentable fiber I found to be the most helpful with my Audrey was a human product called “Fiber35 Sprinkle Fiber”. It is no longer made but the fiber used, acacia fiber, is also sold by NOW brand. The probiotic I used is also a human product called “Garden of Life Primal Defense”. I gave the products together with Audrey’s meal whenever she seemed depressed, down or not feeling well. Audrey at a HIGH protein diet her whole except the last couple months and then I added some canned KD to her diet.
If Audrey had symptoms of nausea (which was rare until the very end) I would add a drop or two of peppermint essential oil (therapeutic grade only) or ginger extract (from health food store). Now vet Dr. Melissa Shelton has a line of essential oils for animals that are wonderful. I tried her GI Goe product when I had eaten something that wasn’t agreeing with me and it helped TREMENDOUSLY.. I put a dot of the oil on my finger and rubbed it on my tongue. Helped almost immediately.
Having a purified source of high quality drinking water always available is a great idea. Also giving Evian (or another high calcium, lower sodium mineral water) has been shown to help kd patients too.
The one supplement that I gave my Audrey from the day of diagnosis to the day she passed was Standard Process Canine Renal Support. It is a whole food supplement that can help prevent damage to the kidneys from inflammation. I HIGHLY recommend it.
I also really really like Answer’s Raw Goat Milk for kd dogs. It can often be found in pet boutique stores.
I found my local vets (two regular vets and one holistic vet (that I otherwise LOVE)) to be almost useless when it came to diet (or anything else natural that could be helpful with kidney disease).. I hope your vet is much more helpful!!!
Do take a look at the link that C4D posted (dogaware). That site was HUGELY helpful to me when I was trying to figure out what to do with Audrey right after diagnosis.
Good luck to you and thanks to C4D for the kind words!!!!
Thank you everyone for the comments. The blood spots and diarrhea has stopped after fasting him and then giving him rice. We will still be taking him to the vet to be safe, but my friend’s cousin, who is a veterinarian, stated that this is commonly caused by irritation to the digestive system and usually corrects itself.
I received my shipment from Reel Raw, which is a variety of ground, bone-in chicken, green tripe, duck, turkey, lamb, organs, etc. I initially ordered the premeasured service meals to test different types of meat and see if he can adjust to them. The goal is to start grinding his meals at home as my father owns a restaurant and has all the equipment. I still want to minimize his carb intake.
Unlike the bones in raw salmon, the bones in canned salmon are pressure cooked and safe because they are soft and crumbly. They are also a hood cource of calcium.
I can’t answer about the blood but chicken only for four months is not good. Dogs need primarily red meats. I feed raw and mine have a mix of beef, venison, chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, green tripe, goat, rabbit…
Hi, my boy does poos with red blood when he eats something that he’s allergic too, also Bone stop any bone in the diet & add grounded egg shells instead for calcuim, I went thru a Animal Nutritionist to put Patch on a raw diet, I had to start with low fat meats Kangaroo, Chicken or Turkey & just 1 protein, no bones or organ meat….. I then had to blend some broccoli, Celery, Carrot & Apple in a blender & stop just before the veggies turn to a pulp water, I was adding 1 cup kangaroo with 1-2 spoons blended veggies, freeze the rest in section in freezer for the rest of the week/month… the Nutritionist wouldn’t let me feed any pet shop meats, raw Barf diets….she said the meat is real low grade quality & make my own raw…..
Patch didn’t last on his Raw Diet, he has IBD Skin/Food Allergies, I now cook his meals & he’s doing heaps better no blood, no jelly poos he also eats a kibble but not mixed with any cooked meals….
Hi Ken,
I’m pretty new to the site too. My dog has seasonal allergies (watery eyes and nose) and also a chronic yeast issue. The vet says they feed off of each other, compromised immune from environmental allergies make opportunistic yeast more rapid spreading. I have a French Bulldog with lots of folds, so yeast has a great place to hide. Like you, I wanted to cut out all sugars, which feed yeast, too see if it helped. I chose a freeze-dried raw from this site (TruDog) which has been less complicated from a safety standpoint. They have Turkey and Beef ( which it looks like your dog is allergic to).
I do try to keep her off as many harmful meds as reasonable, but I have found that despite my best efforts, she still needs allergy meds during seasonal allergy times. We will see if after a good freeze, the yeast slows down with the other allergies. I regularly clean my dogs “folds” and ears, and soak her feet. That helps some with yeast.
I guess basically what I am saying is the whole allergy/food/environment/ genetic thing is complicated, and while I personally think cutting the sugar with a raw diet seems like a good plan for dealing with yeast, I am finding that if I really want to do right by my dog, just the diet won’t alleviate all of her issues. You might check out a freeze dried raw. There are a couple on the site. A little more quality control for my piece of mind. Good luck, itchy is complicated!
I don’t listen to Dr Google if I see blood…..
I go to a real veterinarian who can examine my pet and advise me.
BTW: I have a medical background, I don’t go to the vet for every little thing.
PS: I had a dog on a semi-raw diet with raw bones, and I ended up at the emergency vet x 2 due to a blockage. No thank you.
I hope your dog is well, good luck.
I feel as if your response is a little bit of an over reaction.. I appreciate the information provided and did read through some of it, but I have done plenty of research of my own before choosing to put my dog on a raw diet. As indicated, he was perfectly fine for the first 4-5mo without incidents. Are you yourself familiar with the idea and benefits of the raw diet?
As for his condition, there’s a big difference between ‘bloody’ and ‘spots of blood’ in his stool.
“FIELD GUIDE
While normal stools can be many shades of brown, some abnormalities in color and consistency may indicate an underlying problem.
1. Streaks of bright red blood and/or mucus on the surface of a mostly normal, formed stool. This is generally caused by inflammation in the large intestine, where mucus is secreted to help protect the intestinal lining. While this does not necessarily indicate an emergency, it’s a good idea to keep a close eye out for further changes in your dog’s behavior and stool.
2. Soft-formed to liquid brown diarrhea, with or without streaks of blood. “Cow patty” and “soft-serve ice cream” are two frequent descriptors. As with the previous type, it is generally not life-threatening as long as there are no other signs of concern and it begins to improve within 24 to 48 hours. If your dog is acting normally otherwise— eating well, not vomiting, good attitude —a wait-and-see home approach may be tried (more on this to follow). Here again, red blood indicates inflammation and bleeding in the colon but does not necessarily mean that your pet is bleeding internally, as is often thought. This is a step up in concern from the previous condition, in the sense that the stool is now softer.
3. A large volume of bloody, watery, diarrhea. This one does require immediate evaluation by your veterinarian, especially with smaller dogs, as it can be an indicator of a common condition called hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, or HGE. (Read more about it here: thebark.com/hge) Tissue sloughing from the intestines gives it a distinctive appearance, and it’s often described as “raspberry jam” diarrhea.”
If it was my dog I would take him to the emergency vet now/today for some testing and x-rays.
Bloody diarrhea is an indication of something being very wrong. Maybe a sharp bone fragment has caused some internal bleeding? Why are you doing this? A lot of dogs can’t tolerate raw.
Please do some research:
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=raw+food
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=nutrition
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2011/09/integrating-myths-and-nonsense-with-standard-advice-for-allergic-pets/ (excerpt below)
Bottom Line
Allergies are a serious medical problem that causes a great deal of suffering for pets and their owners. Causes are complex and involve both genetic, developmental, and environmental factors, and symptoms tend to come and go unpredictably, which makes evaluating the effects of any particular intervention challenging. While there are many safe and effective therapies that can help manage allergy symptoms, there is no cure. Only complete avoidance of the antigens the individual is allergic to can eliminate symptoms entirely, and this is often not possible. No treatment that has any benefit is completely without risks, and the risks and benefits must always be carefully and rationally weighed.
Article on apoquel and treatment options for allergies http://www.2ndchance.info/Apoquel.htm
excerpt below:
Food Allergies are probably over-diagnosed in dogs (they account for, perhaps 5-10%). Hypoallergenic diets are occasionally, but not frequently, helpful in canine atopy cases but you should always give them a try. Food intolerances are more common – but considerably more likely to result in digestive disturbances and diarrhea than in itching problems.
Intradermal Skin Tests http://www.allergydogcentral.com/2011/06/30/dog-allergy-testing-and-allergy-shots/
“An intradermal skin test involves the injection of a small amount of antigen into your dog’s skin. This procedure is most often performed by a veterinary dermatologist or pet allergy specialist”.
BTW: Dogs can be stoic and not show any signs and symptoms of pain and discomfort, until it is extreme.
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This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by
anonymously.
Hello Everyone,
As the title reads, I am currently having a diarrhea with bright colored blood, which has been on and off twice now for about 2weeks. This is my first post and I read a few other posts on here about my dog’s current condition, but didn’t find exactly what I was looking for.
I have a 5yo Male Boston Terrier named ‘Hammond’ who was brought up on Taste of The Wild (Fowl Mix) dry kibble. He is my dog, but my father has grown quite fond of him and takes him during the work week and I get him on the weekends. He has been allergy tested due to an ongoing itchy skin condition since he was 1yo and tested positive to an abundance of substances. The main allergens consist of beef, venison, milk, dust mites and certain grass. I recently read an article that seemed to indicate that his skin condition may be a result of a yeast infection and have since switched his diet to a carb free raw diet.
He has been on a raw organic, no additive, low sodium chicken drumstick and thigh diet for about 4-5months now. He was about 28lbs before the raw diet and has since slimmed down to about 25lbs. His calculated serving size totals to be about 1.25lbs a day. I have found a prefered brand I like at a local grocery store and my father has been feeding him an organic brand from Costco with similar listings. He was perfectly fine with the switch with only one or two incidents, which involved bile throw up since the switch until recently. He has had about 2 separate incidents this past 2 weeks involving diarrhea and bright red blood spots. I took the appropriate steps and fasted him for a full day and gave him some rice and boiled chicken to see if symptoms improved and then went back to the drumsticks and thighs. Everything seemed fine for a few days, with the exception of softer stool than usual, but just yesterday, my father told me the diarrhea and blood was back.
We are taking him to the vet this Sat, but I’m more than positive that the Dr. is going to tell us to switch back to a reg dry kibble dog food as most vets don’t approve of raw diets.
Both diarrhea incidents happened when my father had him, feeding him the Costco organic chicken. Is it possible that maybe he got a bad batch of chicken? I have ordered a supply of the ‘Premeasured service’, chicken necks and green tripe from Reel Raw as recommended from this site and it will be arriving today. I made sure to list his allergens in the ground mix.
Should I stop with the raw?..
Thank you for the long read and any advise is appreciated.
I’ve used oral flea and tick treatments for years (when available) and have NEVER had a problem. On the farm we used Proban for 20 years until it was withdrawn from sale due to difficulties sourcing a key component of the preparation.
In that time we didn’t have fleas or ticks on the dogs. Yes it did cost us a bit to treat 4 dogs (one of which was 45kg) however this was small in comparison had we had to treat for scrub tick paralysis.
I was devastated when Proban was no longer available but did manage to keep the dogs flea and tick free from regular use of flea and tick collars. It is only the scrub ticks we are concerned able in Australia as the kangaroo, dog and cattle ticks are a nuisance but don’t have the severe consequences should a dog come in contact with them.
I am now using Bravecto and love it. It’s easy to give, doesn’t leave a smell or stickiness on their coat and the dogs tolerate it well.
Hi Michelle,
No proof just my opinion that breed specific food is just a sales pitch. All dogs are different in a specific breed. Blue Buffalo has had it’s share of problems; I wouldn’t feed it. If you do a google search for Dr. Karen Beckers video on the best food, you’ll see that she feels a high quality wet food (canned, raw, dehydrated) is better than dry. Dry food is dehydrating to dogs (according to her). If you must feed dry, at least add warm water to it and/or canned.
I doubt one grape will cause any kidney problems. Don’t bother talking dog food with your vet unless it’s a holistic vet or nutritionist. They get very little nutrition education in vet school.
Why do you think she has a skin allergy? Pick a food and stick with it. If you keep changing foods because you think she doesn’t like it, you’re going to create a picky eater. Switching foods often is a great thing to do but leave her on one food for a bag, or more, then transition to something else.
If she doesn’t want to eat it that bad, listen to her. Dogs know what food is good for them when they are unwell they often only eat certain things. Raw chicken is highest in bacteria so maybe its not right for her now.
Do you have a vet in your area that also uses natural remedies/herbs as well as traditional? Would be worth a visit.
Hi Tom-
Sorry to hear about the troubles with your pup. My dogs also have struggled with sensitive stomachs. Have you tried any digestive supplements at all? I’ve used Gastriplex by Thorne, Vetri-Pro BD by Vetri-Science, Perfect Form by The Honest Kitchen. I think Perfect Form is the best, but it does have a strong odor which may turn off your dog. You can read about these and other issues at http://www.dogaware.com and click on the digestive disorders tab. I have had the best luck with Victor and Whole Earth Farms kibble. I also add a little commercial frozen raw, tripe or egg to their meals to bump up the nutritional value with no digestive upset.
I agree with Susan, that you might want to explore a different brand of Rx food such as, Royal Canin if you want to continue with that route. Good luck!
since meat is high in phosphorus and lower in calcium, too much meat is not good for dogs over long periods of time”. (Many people still confuse the disastrous all meat diets with meat-based diets; one is not good the other is ideal.) Grain-based diets for dogs, and even more so for cats, do not make nutritional sense.
You can offer some natural foods to provide some variety. Natural foods include fresh human-grade raw meat (e.g. raw lamb), raw meaty bones and vegetables
Hi, All –
My sweet pup has been diagnosed with severe left hip dysplasia and mild right hip dysplasia. We passed on the option for a triple pelvic osteotomy as when he was diagnosed we had about 2 weeks until he was considered too old for it, and even then, they would have only done it on his right hip as the left was too far gone.
We’ve opted for rehab and medical intervention over surgical at this time, knowing that in the future, he will have to have a total hip replacement. Hopefully we can put that off for a few more years.
My question is about food. He currently gets a rotation of Instinct Raw, Acana Pacifica (salmon) and Honest Kitchen. We are giving him supplements like Welactin fish oil and Dasuquin (glucosamine chondroitin w/ MSM)
Anyone here have a dog with hip/joint issues? What have you used? What has helped?
Regarding the raw spots:
The specialist prescribed: Douxo pads Wipe affected areas every 24-48 hours, Malaseb Shampoo Bathe once to twice weekly, allowing 10-15 minutes of contact time before rinsing.
This was in conjunction of course, with her immunotherapy. Didn’t need to use the pads after the treatment took hold. But they seemed to be soothing to her skin.
Ask your vet about them.
Chewy . com has them. You can find the Nutrisca there, also.
Thank you
The vet did do the skin scrape and everything came back ok.
Also, it is not that the steroids made her worse but the side effects (couldn’t hold bladder/ depressed) are what we didn’t care for and would like to stay away from.
Thankfully at this point she does not have any raw spots, mainly thanks to the cone and her wearing a shirt but she is still very itchy and has red eyes.
She is currently on chicken protein but I am considering putting her on salmon/sweet potato next and hope it will help or at least minimize her discomfort. Also considering moving the area rugs we have as they are shaggy and she spends a lot of time on them. At this point I’m willing to try anything to help her . If this persists and she does not get better in the next month or two we will definitely speak to a dermatologist and hopefully find a solution .
The Primal rep that comes to my work a few Saturdays a month always throws samples of their freeze-dried at me for my cat and dog. Dog loves them, cat used to like them, but did not like the Chicken & Salmon variety I brought home recently. She won’t eat raw either. She eats around the Primal if I put it in with her canned. I am however feeding her Ziwipeak Lamb now for canned food and it’s got a lot of the organ meat and bone in it that raw has. That could be another option for you guys. Shes eating that for breakfast and Orijen dry for dinner.
Hi, to save all the stuffing around, Get a Salvia & Hair test done thru Glacier Peak Holistic cost only $85 & test for 100+ Environment Triggers & 200+ Food items… once you know what is causing her itch you can eliminate them…
I bath in Malaseb medicated shampoo look into feeding a raw or cooked balanced diet, you cant eliminate the carbs in kibbles as they need the carbs to bind the kibble, most grain free kibbles are high is starchy carbs, peas, potatoes, tapioca, lentils, chickpeas etc or look at feeding those Dog Rolls read ingredients first as some may have crappy ingredients…. in Australia we have Crocodile rolls, Lamb Roll or Kangaroo rolls for dogs with allergies….
http://www.glacierpeakholistics.com/More-Than-an-Allergy-Test_p_80.html
Hi JM-
I have tried to feed my cats a little thawed out raw a while back and not one of them even took a bite. Then, I tried the soft Fresh Pet kibble thinking my senior kitty would love it. No luck! But….the other day I was mixing some freeze dried Orijin treats into my dogs’ kibble as a meal mixer. I got a couple of free samples that I thought I’d put to good use. Two of my cats would NOT leave the treats alone! Their naughty kitty instincts took over and there was actually some growling going on. They loved them!!! It took me by surprise.
Not sure if I’ll be buying much freeze dried food for them as it is so expensive, but I agree with you, they really do love it and will try to give it to them as a treat now and then.
Hi C4D-
I’m not exactly sure what triggered them. I am signed up for Pet Smart’s rewards/membership program and emails. Maybe it is because maybe I bought some NV raw there when I had a manufacturers coupon or some NV treats or something. But, I have received at least six $15 off NVI’s frozen raw coupons in the last 5 or 6 months. And I can use them on any size or flavor. Woo Hoo!
I keep buying more even though I don’t need them because I’m not sure when they are going to end!
I can’t share them because they have my full name and Pet Smart membership number on them. Darn!
Hi Alana-
I give NW Naturals a thumbs up. I only have fed it as a topper, but have had no issues. Currently, I’ve been using Nature’s Variety Instinct because Pet Smart has been emailing me $15 off coupons on their raw food that I cannot pass up!
I think NW Naturals is a great value. I also like their fruit and veggie nuggets. They are a great addition to a dog’s meal. Especially, if they are trying to lose weight. They add healthy volume and fiber to the dog’s meal. Once I run out of the NVI, I will return to buying NW Naturals.
Like Marie said, give it a shot and even feed both for a bit of variety.
Good luck!
Nope, it is not too early….I have a puppy coming home in less than 2 weeks and he/she will be weaned to raw!
I feed ground raw. I primarily buy from Hare Today, a little from Reel Raw Dog. I live in the northeast so these are good options for me. If you live elsewhere in the US, Raw Feeding Miami & My Pet Carnivore are good options.
I buy grinds that have meat/bone/organs & some have tripe. I scoop/weigh into a bowl, add salmon oil & eggs 3x a week and thats it. I’m a prey model believer, I don’t think dogs need produce in their food. Thats a choice for you to make. Buying grinds are much cheaper than buying premade raw.
I’m desperate for help trying to find some good treats and chew bones for my dogs. They are so picky with treats and I’ve had a hard time finding something for them that really lasts. My big guy is 120lbs and my little one is 75lbs so, please no comments from people with cat sized dogs. I really just want to hear from other owners of XLARGE dogs, what do you use? What lasts a long time (a day or more)? Here is my experience so far:
– Nylabones: last less than an hour (even the Super size)
– Benebones: dogs don’t like them
– Bullysticks: last less than an hour
– Antlers: dogs don’t like them
– Cow hooves: Not recommended by our vet.
– Rawhides: definitely not recommended by our vet.
– Himalayan chews: they liked one brand and not the other. So we’re still testing this.
– Whimzees: pretty good, especially if I freeze them with yogurt in the back.
– Stuff kongs: pretty good
– Marrow bones: last about an hour
What have I not thought of?? Thanks a lot for the help!
Diane, welcome! Have you tried feeding raw? Or freeze-dried or dehydrated food? Something like Primal freeze-dried nuggets, or Honest Kitchen? Might be easier on his tummy. I have a “geriatric ward”, lol. My 20yo loves the Primal nuggets, just crumble it up and mix with a little water. Check out Honest Kitchen, too, they have samples so you can see what flavors your guys like.
I currently feed my two Chihuhuas primal pet food for the last year and a half. They love it and I love it. They are extremly healthy dogs at 11 and 10 years old.
My local health food store started carrying Northwest Naturals raw food and its significantly cheaper.
What’s your expirences with the brand?
Is it worth it to switch?
Thank you for your help,
Alana
I’d look into Primal. Its a commercial raw food that is formulated by veterinary nutritionists and is already complete and balanced.
I have a 61/2 month old boxer. I do cook for my dog. I feed him Fromn’s w cooked chicken and beef. I’d say he gets 2/3 Fromn’s for lg. breed puppy’s and 1/3 meat. since I own a market he also gets fresh ground raw hamburger mixed w/ his food at times. I also give him yogurt once a day. also he gets Nyzmes antioxidants granules every morning in his food. occasionally an egg/ cooked. the meat mix is cooked in water. I would say be careful of the fat amount w/ the cheese spread. my former dog got systemic yeast from to much antibiotics. this took several yrs. to figure out since I had a bad vet at the time. I found the cure myself- Nyzmes, and they where the one’s who turned me on to Fromn’s dog food. I think that if your dogs are eating at least 2/3 kibble they will get all the nutrients and elements they need. my dogs always turn fussy. I think because they smell all the cooking and want people food. that’s why I mix cooked food in w/ the kibble. Fromn’s is a very good kibble/ not sure if 4 or 5 stars. this time I’m taking no chances that’s why I give the Nyzmes and yogurt good luck!
Hi
Is it recommended to start my 15 week old pug puppy on raw food or is this too early? I am planning on feeding 1/2 raw and 1/2 kibble. Any advice or recommendations would be great! If so, is there a certain raw you would recommend for a puppy? Thanks!
I don’t have any specifics to give you, but if your dog is happy and healthy, you’re probably doing ok. In my raw mixes organ meats end up being probably a third of the total meat portion of the dishes. In one recipe I use turkey organs, in another I use a combination of lamb tripe and chicken organs. It seems to be working well for me.
I think you could probably go by a rule of thumb of looking at any prey animal and try to gauge how much of the entire animal would muscle compared to bone and organ. In that case, your organ to meat ratio is probably fine, or a little light.
Again though, if your dog is doing well and your vet doesn’t think he’s missing some key piece of nutrition, you should probably feel comfortable continuing as you have.
Sorry I don’t have more specific direction for you.
I have an 11 year old beagle mix. He did fine on the BJ’s food (dry). I’ve used it as part of his rotation diet in the past but now he gets mostly raw.
I’ve tried a number of supplements etc and the only thing that works is picking it up when they go. I’d do this even one didn’;t eat it; how else do you see possible works, diarrhea, white stool (for us raw feeders) if you don’t pick up?
Mike, does the Darwin’s company with its recent formula changes still meet your 5 star
rating criteria?
Darwin’s notified its customers in September, 2015, that “with new AAFCO pet food
nutritional guidelines on the horizon” it was time for them to make improvements in their raw food formulas. The result has been an increase in fat and decrease in protein. An example:
Canine Turkey old formula -protein 46 percent;fat 27 percent vs new formula – protein 43 percent; fat 39 percent. My concern is finding the correct balance for two senior dogs.
Thanks for any input,
Anita
Great, thanks for the replies. I think I will look into a premix. Also never thought to look into a raw feeding co-op!
I’ve been feeding raw for a month or 2 now and have noticed great results, however I can’t seem to find anything anywhere about the frequency of feeding offal, just your “don’t feed too much”.
My German Shepherd is 30kg, I feed him 2.5% of his body weight as he’s at a pretty good looking weight.
300g Muscle Meat (80%)
18g Liver (5%)
18g Either Kidney/Pancreas/Spleen (5%)
A bone of sorts (drumstick, good sized wing etc) I don’t really measure as his poos have looked very solid, yet not too hard and crumbly so playing it by eye has worked for me.
I can’t find anywhere as to whether feeding offal every day is okay in such small portions, but he seems to be happy and healthy. Was hoping somebody could offer insight on frequency and how it works.. Or is it better to only feed organs every couple of days instead of every day in this format I’ve listed, with mostly muscle meat and bone comprising the rest of the days?
I have two recipes I use, but I feed half raw half kibble. They are as below. Measurements are not always exact…
Lamb Recipe:
2 lbs Ground bone in rabbit
1 lbs ground lamb
1 lb reconstituted lamb green tripe
2 lbs chicken organs (hearts, gizzards, livers)
2 large carrots
1 container greens (green juju)
1 lb of peas
1 can organic pumpkin
blueberries
apples
coconut oil
turmeric
Thanksgivingish Recipe:
2 lbs ground duck necks
2 lbs turkey organs
2 lbs ground chicken backs or ground turkey necks
broccoli
butternut squash
mango
greens (green juju)
ground fennel seeds
ground hemp seed hearts
1 can organic pumpkin or 1 cup Firm Up! with cranberry
One thing I did to develop these recipes is I look carefully at the ratings on this site. If Dog Food Advisor praises a particular food for having a beneficial ingredient in it, you can bet that ingredient is going to find its way into my food.
I feed prey model raw in ground form. I buy mostly from Hare Today, some from Reel Raw Dog, a little from a local co-op. It is meat/bone/organ & most have tripe. I use beef rib bones and pork ribs for dental health. I add salmon oil daily and eggs 3x a week. It is balanced just as if it was whole prey.
You might consider using a premix that contains the vits/minerals like CarnivoreRaw (comes with or without calcium). Other premixes are Urban Wolf, Grandma Lucy’s, Honest Kitchen and Sojo’s but these do not recommend adding bone, just muscle meat. Dr. Karen Becker has a recipe book with simple recipes but you will need to purchase some vitamins and grind them up to add to the food at serving time. You can make a batch of the vitamin mix that will last a while.
Also, you might see if there are any raw feeding groups in your area. Several times a year, the one near me orders bulk from a few companies at less than retail, sometimes wholesale.
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This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by
pugmomsandy.
She has gotten the sturvite crystals a few times in her life. We have kept it under control pretty well but just want to safeguard against them coming back.
My other dog had sturvite and calcium oxide ones but they were very tiny. We were hoping she would pass them. I think the prednisone she was periodically on due to allergies was the cause of them.
I plan on rotating foods and watching her fat intake. A lot of the raw and freeze dried foods are higher in fat so it might be a struggle to find very many to put into the rotation. Since we live in the hot south I really want to stay away from frozen.
I have been feeding raw for over 5 years now, but as life becomes more hectic I’m really struggling with it. Does anybody have any recipes for raw food that cover all the essential vitamins and nutrients? To buy commercially prepared raw food would be way to costly (I’m feeding a 75 lb lab mix and a 110 lb Rottweiler/Doberman mix)! So my thinking is that if I can get a few good recipes that I can grind (I have a very good grinder that can handle chicken bones), spend an hour or so every couple of weeks grinding and freezing everything in portions, throw in a chicken back once a day to keep their teeth sparkling, it would help simplify my life! I just can’t seem to find any recipes to follow. I just want to be sure my doggies are getting everything they need. Honestly, I think I overthink things way too much….my girls have shiny coats, sparkling teeth, and lots of energy, but I’d appreciate any advice anyways!
Hi Patti S,
Sorry, but you did say ham. Here’s your post from farther up:
“You won’t find a large difference between the calories in pork tenderloin, ham, bone-in pork chops, and skinless chicken breasts, legs and thighs. Pork tenderloin has the fewest, with 93 calories in a 3-ounce serving, while ham contains 116 calories, which is the highest of the six samples. All six provide about the same amount of protein: 16 to 19 grams in 3 ounces.”
That’s why I cautioned about ham. I generally feed commercially processed raw and home cooked when using meat for human consumption. I do agree that you never really know what’s in the meat you are buying. 😉
Would you mind posting a link regarding undercooked beef and lamb? Do you mean less than Rare on a meat thermometer? I couldn’t find that, other than hamburger or ground meat, which needs to be cooked longer.
Trichinosis can be killed, if pork is properly cut to the right portion prior to freezing. Here’s the CDC:
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/gen_info/faqs.html
Hi C4D,
I didn’t say ham, I said Pork Tenderloin. And I trim off the excess fat, too.
As long as the pork is cooked, neither you or your dog will get Trichinosis.
To those of you concerned with Trichinosis, any raw meat can get you or or dog sick, it can be a source of E. coli and Salmonella. Aside from that, many people don’t realize that raw or under-cooked chicken, beef, or lamb can carry parasites too!
In closing, I leave you with this happy thought, we trust the cattle, pork and chicken producers to keep their livestock wormed on a regular basis, but over 50% of animals that go to slaughter are parasite infected. The bottom line is cook the meat you and your pets eat.
Hi all, I am looking to transition from kibble to a home cooked diet for my dog, but am having trouble locating a good book to do so. I have saw the books by Dr. Becker and Steve Brown, but judging by the reviews, it seems they may focus mainly on raw diets. There is another named “Feed your Best Friend Better: Easy, Nutritious Meals and Treats for Dogs,” that gets some good praise from http://www.dogaware.com. However, the author suggest the recipes be added to commercial food. I’m trying to find good, balanced recipes in order to avoid commercial food. That’s my whole point of doing this. Any suggestions? Thanks.
2 months, 1 week ago
