[Pitlove]

Hi Tom- Welcome to the site first off. If you like Nature’s Variety there is no reason not to try the Salmon just because there is no raw boost. The raw boost doesn’t really give enough of a benefit for it to make much of a difference and there is often inconsistancy with how much raw boost you get per bag. EVO is a good food, but since being given up by NaturaPet has gone to Proctor&Gamble and now Mars. For some that is a complete turn off as they are worried about recalls and quality changing etc.

[Tom D]

Let me start of by saying i have a hound mix dog, not sure what breed he actually is. He’s about 2 years old. For the first year, he was eating Blue Buffalo/ Wilderness. I was changing between chicken and salmon every few months. But after about a year eating that he lost all interest and would barley eat his food. I then started giving him Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free. He has tried the chicken and duck/turkey so far. But recently i have heard a lot of stuff about EVO.

I have tried doing some research on EVO but the only useful website was this one. What dog food would you prefer.
My dog really liked the salmon BB food and any fish treat i have ever given him, but Nature’s Variety does not have a fish flavor in the raw boost.

Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free VS EVO?

What experiences do you have with either on of these food?

[Peggy]

Red, these symptoms – the raw areas on the skin – are new. Only a couple of weeks.
As I said above, the vet has a dermatologist on staff. He is Board Certified. At least that’s what it says on the wall.

[InkedMarie]

Feeding canned is probably going to make weight loss harder. You’ll have to weigh it out so you don’t overfeed, once you figure out a food. What about ground raw?

[Peggy]

The vet recommended a medicated, anti-itch shampoo. You have to lather her up really good, leave it on for up to 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.

I must say, since doing so this afternoon, they haven’t been scratching much at all. (I used it on Tebow, as well). I have to do this twice per week until the raw areas have cleared up.

[Andrea L]

Wanted to add, its also a plus that they add tumeric, oregano leaf, coconut oil, salmon oil, flax seed and vitamin E and eggs with shell. I still will add occasionally homemade chicken bone broth, coconut oil, and organic yogurt. I give one of the above with the raw meat and sometimes a raw egg with shell.

[Andrea L]

Hello, I just found this forum and wanted to add my experience with All Provide. I have 8 dogs all sizes and recently switched to All Provide. I have used A+ Answers but its way to expensive and personally, I did not like it and my dogs prefer other raw over it. I have tried a local raw distributor, ordered from a raw on line store who was pricey and used Blue Ridge Beef mostly with their own label and I tried Blue Ridge Beef. Blue Ridge is a tad cheaper in the beef and chicken than All provide but is not Human Grade A. I found this to be quality and the company is outstanding! I have been to their facility but did not take a tour because I did not feel the need. They bring their dogs to work. You see more dogs than people and they all look stunning! Very healthy and the staff is so friendly and goes over and beyond. When I fed Blue Ridge, it smelled very gamey where the All Provide does not. It looks and smells fresh and smells like food for humans. I am more into feeding raw protein, bone and guts but found that they only put 15% of the veggies,bean and fruit mixture and the rest is meat. My dogs love it! I am looking forward to more protein options in the future. I mostly beef and rotate turkey and some chicken. I have fed goat, venison, duck, tripe and quail. I am very pleased with this product and encourage anyone to go tour it or just try it. I do have to give the majority of my dogs kibble for one meal as I can not afford to feed all raw but wish I could. 4 out of the 8 are getting all raw and the others get half and half. All of my dogs seem healthier and look better eating the raw even for one meal. I am not concerned with grass fed as my dogs weren’t getting that in their premium kibble plus I could never afford it. I feel this quality is better than most choices out there and the price is also very affordable. Give it a try, you might love it like we do!

[Peggy]

I joined the forum over a year ago for my 2 dogs Tebow (Jack Russell Terrier) and LadyBug (Shepherd/Lab mix). They were both overweight and experiencing food sensitivities.

Upon advice I upgraded their food (from Pedigree). Blue Buffalo, made them sick, so I switched them to Pure Balance on which they’ve been doing very well. Problem is, PB does not offer a large enough variety of can food, so while staying with PB grain-free dry, I’ve switched them to Wellness and Nature’s Recipe grain-free cans. They love both, especially the stews.

Now comes the problem…….. !
Tebow is again itching and scratching incessantly (NO fleas), and shedding horribly. Also chewing at his paws. I noticed a week or more ago that he’d developed a raw area on his chest.
LadyBug has a series of raw areas on her lower back, backend, and upper tail. REALLY raw.

Now, Tebow’s seems to be healing up, while Lady’s was getting worse, so I took her to the vet this morning. After skin scrapes, flea combing (no fleas or flea dirt), and 2 blood tests, the verdict is…. food allergies! UUGGHH!

The vet said that ‘perhaps’ I should decrease their beef and chicken intake and feed more duck and venison. Also decrease their twice-per-week salmon meal to just once per week because her skin seemed oily (she was dirty, as I had not bathed her in a couple of weeks).

ALL of this was preceded by “perhaps” with no real clear instruction. Soooooooooo….
I am again here asking for feeding suggestions. Additionally, both are still overweight, Tebow is 5 lbs over, and Lady is 8 or 9 lbs over.

OK – hit me with it. And thanks in advance.

[losul]

Hi again. Sorry for the tardy reply, all.

I’ve some preference for feeding a dog a majority of ruminant meats overall with a lesser amount of poultry overall in my dogs diet, provided the the beef (or other ruminant) is coming from a good, properly raised and fed source. I think the overall fats balance out better that way, and without using much vegetable fats. And as long as I can afford it!!

I wouldn’t necessarily say that beef heart is better, nothing against poultry
hearts, much depends on the source, and for just some supplemental or small batch
use, chicken hearts are handier to use than beef hearts!

I had kind of a bad experience the first time I bought beef hearts a few years ago.(from a different, conventionally raised source, feedlot) I thought never again! They were oversized and completely encased in a way overly tough and thick membrane and excessive suet.. the inside was as bad, and not at all cleaned-gristle, connective tissue,vessels, excessive suetetc., and frankly, they looked old, grayish, and tough. It took alot of effort to clean them enough to suit me, way too much effort, and ended up with alot of waste. It wasn’t worth it, and was a good while before I ever tried beef hearts again. In hindsight some of that gristle
and connective tissue, etc. , wouldn’t have hurt to include anyway!

Where I’ve been getting them the last few times, the outside only has a partial and thin membrane and little suet fat, are very fresh, and the butcher near completely cleans the insides for me, I have not much left to do except cut them up! And I get them for only $1.49/lb cleaned weight! I get good clean liver and kidneys 1.29/lb the same place. I guess not many people around here want to eat heart or organ meats! But the regular and lean cuts of beef are every bit as expensive as anywhere else! So when I make a beef batch I’ve been using the hearts for up to 1/2 of the total muscle meat amount. It equals a good savings vs using all lean human prefered cuts for all the muscle meat. In making a full balanced recipe, I can’t count the heart as organ meat, I still add the small amounts of liver and kidney, and I won’t press the heart amount any beyond 1/2 of the muscle meat count. They say too much heart can cause loose stools, never had that problem or with any any food, but the extra heart I’m using helps to keep some beef in the diet at more an affordable price for me! If one were to use all heart for the muscle meat though, there would very
likely be some deficit somewhere in the nutrition to look for and abundances of others, and I wouldn’t ever advise using overly excessive amounts. Also dogs handle cholesterol differently than humans, but heart, liver and some other organs do contain a disproportionately large amount of cholesterol, something to keep in mind. Don’t over do it!.

Faith, so your dog is about 60lbs. BTW, I believe my dog is 1/2 boston terrier and
1/2 bull terrier of some sort, probably staffy or pit, I’ve got a compact model though,
only about 40 lbs. That’s great that your feller found a loving home with you! I
would assume that his regular diet is around 1150 calories give or take? For your
purposes and for now as supplemental only, yeah I would limit the chicken hearts to
NO more than about 3 or 4 ounces. at least if and until until you are more prepared too see to it that the diet retains balance with your additions. Here, raw Chicken hearts show more calories and fat than the beef hearts, raw. (you might have to enter the serving size) but 100 grams chick hearts (about 3.5 ounces) has about 150 calories. add to that maybe a teaspoon of fish oil a day, an egg a couple times a week, and youre already pushing nearly 20% of unbalanced supplemental calories in his diet, and that then isn’t allowing for any unbalanced treats!

The more things you would add if you do so, or if you go with homemade meals, the more attention you are going to need pay to keeping nutritional balance. And you should really
balance out the extra phosphorus you are adding as it is, with calcium supplement.

If using finely ground eggshell, add 1/2 teaspoon to 2/3 t for each 1 lb of meat, organs, egg etc used. Calcium is very important in a dog’s diet, overall calcium in the diet should at least equal the amount of phosphorus, but also never going more than 2X the amount of phosphorus. a ratio of between 1:1 to 2:1. Most commercial diets I think fall between a ratio of 1.2:1 and 1.6:1, so there would likely be enough buffer already there in your commercial diet to cover your extra phosporus additions, but if me, I would still add at least a bit of calcium anyway.

raw chicken hearts

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/664/2

raw beef hearts

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/3464/2

I hear ya on financial bias. dogaware.com is a great site with lots of useful info, some is a little outdated, as Mary Strauss is not so active anymore, but she has nothing to sell as far as I know. and has generously accumulated a ton of good info/articles there.

I prefer a pump bottle for fish oil, so I use Iceland Pure sardine/anchovy, I keep it in the fridge and get a fresh bottle every 3 months. This brand already has some mixed tocopherols in it (vit E), but I still add some additional E in my dog’s diet.

I use some veggies, fruits, and even some select grains, but never in abundance. I
don’t know if you’ve ever heard the old idiom “as fit as a butcher’s dog” I don’t
think the typical old time butcher fed his dog an abundance of starchy plant
material!!! I also still use 25% commercial kibble, haven’t ever been able to get away from it completely for various reasons.

Lastly, I might not be around here to write much anymore, but as you can see from the replies to your thread(and other threads) there are so many awesomely helpful people, good people, on site to help with questions you have, or even just support!! And even if they don’t have answers right away, they have also proven to be excellent researchers!!!

G’night everyone!

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

[Don P]

Is there an Editor’s Choice for Raw food?

[Kim J]

So, I just became a member after considering adding a dehydrated food to my dog’s raw diet. After choosing the 7 dehydrated foods that received 5 stars on this site, I went to the Editor’s choice section to see if that would narrow my choice down even further. Eureka! Wellness Core Air was on the Editors choice list. I clicked on the link to buy it, and then also did a google search to try to figure out how much food this two pound bag would make toward the daily requirements of my three great danes.

And that’s when I came across some horrible reviews on Amazon.com from people who cited to the inclusion in allegedly all of Wellness’ products of green tea extract and underlying research indicating that green tea extract is toxic for dogs. Links were provided to publications and were active and did lead to actual publications – one in 2009 and another in 2011. Granted both indicated that the toxicity was seen in fasted dogs, but still.

So, my question is this – how do I reconcile these papers with the reviews on this site? Do the reviewers of this site have information to the contrary?

[C4D]

Hi Faith,

Losul did give you some good information, as always. The others have as well. 🙂

Heart is technically considered a muscle meat. It is loaded in natural CoQ10 as well as a host of vitamins. Giving any dog fresh food will make for a healthier dog. I do feed mine a combination of fresh and kibble, simply because I have too many pounds of dogs at my house, otherwise it would all be fresh/raw. Here’s another link from Primal, a reputable raw food company confirming that heart is a muscle meat, even though it’s considered an organ.

http://blog.primalpetfoods.com/post/19313616133/muscle-meat-vs-organ-meat

Another raw website explaining what the organs are:

http://dogsdinner2.webs.com/offalororgan.htm

Good Luck with your dog! I wish you the best! 🙂

[crazy4cats]

Apparently for raw feeders heart is considered a muscle meat along with gizzards and tongue?
http://www.aplaceforpaws.com/blog/what-exactly-constitutes-organ-meat

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/why-organ-meat-is-important-for-the-raw-fed-dog/

YUM YUM!!! 😉

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by crazy4cats.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Faith G-
I was just curious. Have you had the dog for a long time and he just developed the murmur? Or do you think he came to you with the murmur? I guess I’m just wondering if it is something that can happen over time or if it is usually a congenital condition. One of my cats came to me with a very slight heart murmur when he was a kitten and it has not got any worse at all and he is 5 years old now. I hope that is going to be the case for your pup also.

Raw Heart Proponents-
Faith mentioned that she was going to feed chicken hearts. Losul mentioned Beef Heart. In your opinions, is one better than the other? I have bought both, but always wondered if it made a difference.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by crazy4cats.

[losul]

Hi Faith. Count me in as another raw heart proponent, I too think it’s a great idea! Raw beef heart is a major staple in my dogs diet. I get from a rural meat market that slaughters and butchers their own locally raised, state inspected beef. It’s not 100% grass fed beef, but pastured on grass and supplemented, especially in the winter, with alfalfa, clover, lespedeza hays and minimal grain. But it’s NOT the typical mass produced feed lot beef that comes from most supermarkets. Clean and lean it only costs me $1.49/lb.

Feed heart and you wouldn’t have any need to supplement with CoQ10! Because in addition to the great source of taurine, heart is also one the very best natural sources of CoQ10! Like the taurine, if you cook it, you will also destroy some of the CoQ10. Would also lose much of most the B vitamins by cooking.

If your dog eats say 1000 calories a day, and you are feeding an otherwise balanced diet, you should be able to substitute about 130 of those calories daily with 4 ounces beef heart daily, and not worry much about throwing the entire diet out of balance without other supplementation. It would help to add some calcium though even with that little bit of addition, as heart is also very high in phosphorous. 4 ounces beef heart has about 250 mg phosphorous, and only very minimal calcium.

I also would reccomend some omega 3 fish oils in the diet, not sure why it would need be krill oil though, unless it’s for the high concentration of astaxanthin?

[Faith G]

The vet who heard the murmur isn’t a cardiac specialist, I took him to get neutered and that’s when they heard it. The doctor who is doing the echo in a week is a specialist. I am going to get a second opinion, although I have no doubt he has a murmur, he is very mucus-y sounding in his breathing every once in a while, and has a hard time taking full deep breaths. I have no issue with waiting until the echo before giving him supplements, it is only a week. I just don’t have a lot of experience with vitamins, or raw food, I am just doing some personal research to see if there is anything more I can do besides giving him heavy medication that they will probably prescribe after the echo. I have already spoke with my vet about CoQ10 and fish oils, he said I can try them, although he told me to be careful with coq10 because he didn’t know the recommended doses.

[Faith G]

Thank you guys, I appreciate it. He’s not on medication yet because he hasn’t gotten an echo on his heart. I have that scheduled for the next week. I’m not that sold on raw diets, mostly because I’d feel like their never getting enough nutrients or something. Either way, I would be stupid to not try whatever I can to help my boy. I’ve heard CoQ10 helps with heart health, and talked to my vet about it and he’s iffy on it. Anyone ever used CoQ10 and had any negative effects or positive ones?

[DogFoodie]

I second Jo’s recommendation! Raw heart would be wonderful for your dog. Heart is a muscle meat, so it can be given liberally.

[Jo R]

Raw heart is rich in taurine which is good for some heart issues. Cooking destroys the taurine. I buy whole beef hearts from my local supermarket (do need to order them as they are not a stock item) they are very inexpensive. I freeze them and when ready to use I let them partially thaw as they are much easier to cut up when firm. Taurine is important for issues like dialated myocardiopathy, not sure about heart murmur, but raw heart is a great cheap protein source and dogs love it. Hope this helps.

[C4D]

Susan,

I cook this often. It does smell just terrible while cooking, but it is supposed to be very good, I’m not sure that it will help the heart murmur though. 🙁

Faith,

I don’t know that the chicken hearts would do anything special to help, but feeding more fresh food (cooked or raw) is better overall for any dog. It’s not that expensive to buy some fresh meat and vegetables, cook it in a crock pot and add a bit of the mix to his kibble.

Here is Karen Becker’s link on heart murmurs just to give you some additional info:

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/07/21/what-your-vet-looks-for-when-listening-to-your-dogs-heart.aspx

Good luck with your pup! 🙂

[C4D]

Hi Nick,

I tried to find the info on eggshells as we had this discussion on another forum. I can’t find it, but yes, they are essentially all calcium plus essential minerals and if you use the entire eggshell, it throws off the calcium/phosphorus ratio. That’s why you dry the egg and grind it up. I’m including a couple of other links regarding eggshell as they really need to be cooked to kill the possible bacteria, particularly if you store them.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/490605-eggshell-calcium-as-a-source-of-calcium/

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/custom/1145333/2

This is a good site for recipes as well. This is the calcium discussion:

http://dogaware.com/articles/dwcalcium.html

This is a cat site but it discusses the calcium/eggshell quantity:

http://www.holisticat.com/en/raw-feeding/2-esp.html

Good Luck with it! 🙂

[C4D]

Hi Cheryl,

I agree with Red in that many dogs are considered senior at 7 and it is always a good idea to run a complete blood panel, urinalysis, and a thorough checkup at that age, if you haven’t done it before. I run these on my dogs every year regardless of their age. He is also correct about the water, but really all dogs should be getting some fresh or canned food mixed in kibble to help keep them properly hydrated. At the very least, add warm water to the kibble to ensure that they are getting more water in their system. Exercise is very important for senior and all dogs as well.

I have had many dogs in my life and currently have several. I never feed them a “senior” dog food, even at almost 15 years of age (large breed). I have a nearly 11 year old dog Lab who has stellar panels and is very active with a daily 2 mile rigorous walk. She eats a combination of canned/moistened kibble and raw or fresh food daily. They all eat that combination. The biggest concern when they are older is to keep any extra weight off and that they aren’t having any health issues that diet would need to address. Senior dog food is really marketing. If you looked at all the senior dog formulas on the market you would find they vary all over the place in protein levels, fat and fiber. As senior dogs age, they metabolize protein less efficiently, so if you choose one that is lowering the protein, you would actually accelerate the reduction in muscle mass.

Keeping the weight off is very important and feeding a better food that doesn’t contain fillers will reduce the poop factor. You also need to feed them according to their “ideal” weight (not their current if they are overweight) and activity level. I feed slightly less than the recommended feeding guides on almost all foods. Even thought my dogs get daily brisk walks, I still consider their activity level “typical” on the DFA calculator. You need to count any treat calories in that daily total. You also need to get an accurate measuring cup for feeding.

Here’s the link to the DFA calculator:

/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/

[Anonymous]

Is the dog on medication? I don’t understand why you think raw food is indicated? What does the vet that examined your dog recommend?
Heart murmurs are not that unusual, often they are benign and asymptomatic….just saying.
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

Daily brisk walks may help, check with your vet first.

[Faith G]

I have a two year old pit mix who just got diagnosed with a stage three murmur. I have heard about feeding raw hearts to get nutrients and minerals that they need that dry food doesn’t provide.

I wanted to know if adding raw hearts to a dry food diet will hurt or help. He’s eating 4health from tractor supply, which is seemingly the cheapest best rated food I can find. It has 4 stars on here. We have a limited income and I can’t particularly afford an entire raw diet. I want to do whatever is in my power to help him live a long life. He’s only two and I don’t want to worry about him dropping dead for just being excited that I came home, or anything like that.

If you have any information or experience with things like this or affordable supplements you could recommend please do!!!! Thank you so much.

[SdianeM M]

I have had so many issues with Sadie’s ears and yeast. I have tried many dog foods, and we are still trying them …. kibbles are a no-go for her, makes her problem a lot worse. Tried a commercial raw, but she got to where she would not eat it. Had her on a raw diet, but I am concerned about her receiving the proper nutrition.

I just purchased a 10b. bag from The Real Meat Company that is air dried. She likes it, it looks and sounds good, but I want to check with some of you and see if you have tried it. Also, possibly if you have even tried a similar product and had good results.

[Pitlove]

Hi- A lot of customers at the small pet store I work at use the Primal Raw Meaty Bones (they are beef marrow bones) and we have yet to have an issue. Perhaps trying the beef would be better. Them splintering like that is definitely concerning and I would not try to feed that bone again.

As for her arthritis, make sure she has comfortable things to lay on and I would definitely suggest a supplement like this one: http://www.chewy.com/dog/naturvet-arthrisoothe-gold-hip-joint/dp/48764
Also is she still getting excersized? Its kinda like how they tell humans that they need to continue to excersize to keep their joints from stiffening when they get older. I think continueing regular excersize for older dogs is a good idea to keep the joints mobile. Obviously only do what she can handle, but it should help. Was she a rescue? She seems young even for a pit to be having arthritis.

[Anonymous]

A word to the wise. Forget about it.
Example: /forums/topic/rectal-issues/
I stopped serving my dogs raw bones (or any bones) after 2 trips to the emergency vet due to them.
Not worth the risk, in my opinion.
Did you check the search engine? Example: /forums/search/bones/ Hope this helps.

[kathleen t]

Starting my 5 yr old blind pit on raw diet. I have started her out mixing the raw meat with her kibble. Yesterday I gave her a bone in chicken leg for the first time. She took the whole leg into her mouth and seemed to have some difficulty at first then got it situated where she was able to chew it and break the bone. Then she acted like she was afraid of it. She wouldn’t even go near it. I picked it up and put it in the fridge. This morning I decided to take the meat off the bone. I noticed that the bone had some sharp shards. I took all the bone out and gave her the meat. She ate the meat. I am concerned about how the raw bone had sharp shards. I see everyone says that chicken bones are safe but was this normal the way they broke? Also I see different things about beef bones. I see don’t feed them leg bones, but what marrow bones are safe for dogs?

Thanks for your help. She has the start of arthritis and getting her on a balanced raw diet is my goal in hopes that this will help her arthritis along with just keeping her as healthy as possible.

[Brie B]

Thanks guys! Lots to think about. Its good to know that the swab test isn’t that expensive. Its definitely cheaper than having my vet do it! (they would charge the $60 office visit fee plus the lab fee, which they said was $100. So its good to know theres other options than going through my vet).

I’m going to try the “new protein” thing first. Just to see whats up. My local store has some uncommon protein food with limited ingredients. That should help me start narrowing things down. Shes on salmon now, and although thats an uncommon allergy you just never know!

I found Darwins pre-prepared raw food to actually be fairly cheap considering. If it comes to that.

And thanks, Pitlove! (for the comment about taking her in with issues). Shes stranger aggressive, but a complete love if she knows you and is comfortable. Shes scared of everything, pretty much. Most of my work is trying to come up with a routine she can follow when meeting someone new that lets her get comfortable. Strangers reaching for her is still bad news tho (although why you would reach for a strange dog without asking is beyond me! One guy kept petting her when she was growling, I almost was going to body slam him to get him away “its ok, she’ll back down” uh….no she wont, you might get bit and then I’ll have to deal with my dog having a bite history! ugh). With her skin and ears flaring up it makes it difficult for her to feel comfortable. She was extremely reactive and aggressive for a month, and I took her to the vet and thats when we discovered her terrible ear infection and skin infection. Now that thats treated and shes back to her “cautious, but generally friendly” state I’m doing everything I can to help prevent flare ups. But her skin still looks like its covered in dime-sized flattened domes all over. And I discovered the metal on her collar was causing her neck rash. I definitely got such a wonderful grab bag of issues when I adopted her, shes lucky I love her so darned much 😉

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

[Joni h]

Hi Brian, I’m just wondering what you ended up going with? Did the RC Sensitive digestion or Derma contact work out? And/or did you order the Zeolite supplement?
I have a 3 year old boxer with Pancreatitis history (the whole 1st year and half of her life!!)
The vet put her on the RC LF Gastro- which did work- but it’s SOOOO expensive!!! And I didn’t like the ingredients, plus she was super skinny on it. I’m in Canada too. I put her on raw which worked like a charm, but she lost interest in it recently, plus I’m concerned about salmonella etc.. So I have had her on RC Boxer kibble for about the last year, but my vet thinks it’s only a matter of time before she has another attack. I can’t bear to see her go through that again! We almost lost her a couple of times!! But I just don’t like the ingredient profile of the LF Gastro- despite my vets assurance it has very high quality of minerals and vitamins etc, which is apparently the whole point of the food- NOT the actual “food” (protein, fibre etc). So I’m wondering if the Zeolite is the main ingredient that will be key for her.

[Tom G]

Is this possible? The hearts can be sourced at around 1.00 a pound vs. 3.49 for the ground beef.

70lb. Athletic dog.
Currently feeding per day (divided into two meals):

1 lb.ground beef
1/2 lb. Chickets hearts
1/2 lb. Chicken necks
4 oz. beef liver
1 soft boiled egg
1 tbsb. Extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsb. Vionate

Active yogurt and apple cider vinager twice a week, not at the same time.

• This topic was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Tom G.
• This topic was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Tom G.

[C4D]

HI Deb,

I posted a long post, but somehow it disappeared. 🙁

I had a past dog that had several lipomas (Vet aspiration confirmed). They did not interfere with his movement, etc and my vet does not remove them unless there is an issue in comfort or quality of life, as they tend to grow back.

My current lab has 2 very small ones on her back thighs that were noticed about 2-3 years ago. Prior to that I was only feeding a canned/kibble mixture with occaisonal raw/fresh meals a couple of times a week. Since we discovered the lipomas, we have switched to feeding our dogs 1 meal fresh/raw daily and 1 meal canned/kibble/water mixture. There is some debate on the link between processed food and lipomas. The lipomas have had very little, if any growth. While there is no specific food that I’m aware of, I believe the incorporation of fresh, less processed food has helped (my vet is a bit skeptical). I do feed all grain free and have for almost 10 years.

Unfortunately, Labs are prone to lipomas. Fortunately they are almost always benign. I don’t think you need to see an oncologist as you’re own vet can send a sample to the lab for diagnosis. I would remove the lipoma if it is causing discomfort or difficulty in moving. I’m including some links for you to read, if you’d like, including a forum on DFA discussing lipomas. Good luck with your pup! 🙂

/forums/topic/lipomas/

http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com/2013/03/fatty-tumors-lipomas-in-dogs-benign.html

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/lipoma-dog-lumps/

[Pitlove]

Brushing your dogs teeth is the best way to clean the teeth. Others on here use Raw Meaty Bones. I’ve tried them, but my dog gets confused on how to eat them. He has an Elk Antler he chews on regularly and because of the way he chews it, its similar to a Raw Meaty Bone and I feel that the antler, along with his regular teeth brushings has helped keep his teeth in good condition.

[zuponicafe]

Ellen,
Do you cook the meat & organs? And by RMB, does that means raw meat bones? If so, do you just give your dog a few chicken wing bones? I’ve always been paranoid of them mostly due to my parents scare tactics when I was a kid. ie:eating a bay leaf will kill you.

[Susan]

Hi Bronwyn, there’s one thing you have not mentioned, he’s not on an ant acid medication like Zantac (Ranitidine) or Pepcid (Famotidine)… I had an Endoscope & biopsies done on my boy & he had Helicobacter-Pylori, he was given the triple therapy meds-Metronidazole, Amoxicillin & Zantac for 21 days, after the 21 days his acid reflux returned cause I didn’t know that I needed to change his diet so I’d say the Helicobacter returned & Patch was put on Zantac & I did the triple therapy again & put Patch on a Gluten, Sugar, Dairy free kibble…. he got his appetite back again I had to give 1/3 of a 150mg Zantac tablet 1 hour before breakfast then 8-12 hours later again 1/3 of a 150mg tablet…….
Has he had a blood test to see if he has Pancreatitis??
Most of the foods he’s refusing to eat cheese & oil are high in fat, when you have acid reflux you need a low fat diet…. with kibbles the fat % has to be around 10% in fat %….with wet tin foods 3%fat & under, 5% fat in a wet tin food is about 22% fat when converted to dry matter (Kibble) same with raw & dehydrated….that’s probably why he doesn’t eat wet tin food, the fat was probably tooo high & he got his acid…. if I feed my boy wet tin food with 4-5% min fat, he starts grinding his teeth about 40-60mins after eating the wet tin food….

Your last paragraph, you wrote this morning he decided he didn’t want to eat the kibble…
if you give him a ant acid medication 40mins before breakfast he probably will eat or even liquid Mylanta, I give my boy 3-4mls of the Liquid Mylanta some mornings cause as soon as
he wakes up, I can tell if he has his acid reflux, he starts to grinds his teeth….I hate that sound now cause I know we are going to have a crap day, well he is going to feel like crap & I have to watch him feel like crap all morning, so I have 2 syringes of 3-4mls Mylanta in the fridge already made up, the Mylanta seems to work for Patch, also Slippery Elm is suppose to help with acid reflux, I tried the Slippery Elm it worked the first 2 times, then the next 2 times I gave the Slippery Elm slurry & Patch vomited, so I went back to his Mylanta…

I’d be putting him on either Pepcid or Zantac every morning & every night & you watch, he probably will start eating more & feeling better, he’s a very smart dog, he knows what foods make his tummy worse…..
also I’ve read adding water to kibble can make acid reflux worse…. I’ll try & find the link I saved it, that’s probably why he won’t eat kibble with water in it…..I’ve been giving Patch those Jatz dry biscuits as a treat, I give him 2 at 9pm & a couple thru the day, the Jatz seem to settle his stomach or line his stomach they help..
http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/acid-reflux-gerd-in-dogs-cats-natural.html

[DogFoodie]

It’s so frustrating!

Yes, I do like Answers. Sam isn’t a big fan of raw, but he actually seems to like this. It’s also actually more affordable than other raws I’ve used as well. I’m feeding less of it then other raws. I’ve got some fermented fish stock thawing right now. I haven’t used that yet, but have used the goat milk and they both love that. Answers is coming out with fermented raw cow’s milk kefir this month!

[DogFoodie]

Ugh! I just typed a long response that disappeared. Let’s try it again.

I’ll second Aquariangt’s recommendation for The Honest Kitchen.

I’ll also make a suggestion for raw. Answers. Answers is a fermented raw product. Straight Answers is meat, organ, and bone only. It’s made complete and balanced by adding Answers goat milk. Detailed Answers is complete and balanced. In addition to meat, organ, and bone, it includes veggies, eggs, Montmorillonite, decaffeinated green tea, and anchovy, and sardine oils. I estimate your 55 pound adult dog would eat about 10 ounces per day of Detailed Answers. A two pound carton sells for about $14 where I live. You’d need about 9.5 cartons per month for a total of 300 ounces monthly, which would cost you about $135 per month. My dogs eat less Answers than they do other raw foods, although both have around 60 kcals per ounce. Fermented foods are more nourishing.

For the record, my dogs are currently eating Answers, but they eat a wide variety of foods including, kibble, can, fresh whole foods and raw.

Also, I believe allergy tests are fairly unreliable and the gold standard for determining food intolerances is a well constructed elimination diet. That said, I was shocked at my saliva and hair test results from Glacier Peaks. The test was only $85, which for me was affordable. I had always thought my dog was fish intolerant, but the GP test results said otherwise. I’m happy to report that my dog just polished of a bag of Acana Pacifica, a fish based food, with zero issues whatsoever.

[C4D]

Dinovite is just a supplement. I also feed THK base mix, as Cockaliermom mentioned, with fresh cooked meat I buy at the grocery store. It’s a less expensive option to raw. My dogs don’t have allergies to chicken, turkey, beef or pork, so I stock up on what’s on sale & crock pot cook several days worth.

[Brie B]

Thanks for the input, guys!
I guess I’ll have to reconsider my stance on raw. I would like to find a balance between cheap/easy. Doing it from scratch just isn’t realistic for me timewise, and I can’t afford totally premade frozen meals. Her vet hasn’t pushed for testing yet, just because she is fairly certain its food related, and that we can get to the bottom of it through elimination, or (her suggestion) is to do raw. She said she doesn’t recommend it for every dog but shes known a lot of “itchy pit bulls” that really respond well to it.

In that case it sounds like having a veggie dehydrated base and adding raw meat (or cooked, I guess!) would be the easiest? Is Honest Kitchen the same as Dinovite? the dinovite seems cheaper?

I could probably spend $100 a month on food, MAYBE $200. Its hard to tell just because I’m so broke due to all of her vet issues lately (last month between her vet bill, her behaviorist, tests, anxiety meds, and training I spent over $1000 on her. And I don’t make that much money). But if it saved me money on vet bills it would be worth it.

But anyways, I live in the Bay Area (in Oakland), and I have no idea how much it realistically costs to feed your dog raw (if you use a dehydrated base like Honest Kitchen, OR do it from scratch). The prepackaged stuff is way too outrageous to even consider. Anyone have some base numbers?

[Anonymous]

I didn’t rush to a dermatologist either. I spent a year doing various elimination diets, trying various expensive foods, going back and forth to the regular vet and the emergency vet, prednisone, benadryl, fish oil (which I still give) blah, blah, blah. Oh, I forgot, yes, ear infections, prescription drops…
At one point I had 2 air purifiers and a dehumidifier going at the same time (both went to the Goodwill). Daily baths, special shampoos, etc.
My dog found relief after seeing the specialist. Yes, the initial testing is expensive, but the maintenance isn’t bad at all.
It is an option, and it worked for my dog.
PS: I tried raw too, it made my dog vomit uncontrollably. And the raw beef marrow bones resulted in a blockage that required emergency veterinary care.

[Brie B]

Hi there. I have a pit bull mix thats around a year and a half old. Shes recently started developing some terrible allergy issues. She gets these rashes all over her neck and armpits, gets really bad ear infections, and is constantly itchy and restless.

I was considering switching her to raw, but I just realistically can’t do it (shes a rescue with a ton of behavior issues so the cost for trainers/meds/behaviorist is outrageous). I dont make a lot of money, but I want her to be happy and healthy.

ANYWAYS. Shes on Taste of the Wild for her food. I use their salmon formula. Shes 55lbs.
Are there any suggestions for supplements, probiotics, or anything to add to her food that you think would help? I also would be down to switch her food brand, I just want to make sure its grain free.

[kassie m]

Hi all!

I’m currently feeding Earthborn Holistic Primitive to my three and they all have done extremely well on it and love the taste. They also get raw eggs, fresh fruit and veg, coconut oil, alaskan salmon oil, and occasional raw meats as kibble meals replacements – mostly cuts of lamb, turkey necks, or chicken hearts.

I’ve been considering adding another food to their rotation to add more variety and keep them interested (My husky gets especially bored with food). I was leaning towards Wellness Core Ocean formula, but any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

[Frances A]

I started feeding my mini schnauzer and GSD a locally made food called Pet Wants which was recommended by my groomer. I went to reorder it and noticed the first ingredient in every flavor is meal….chicken meal, lamb meal, whitefish meal. Is this a no no?

We have struggled with finding the right mix for our GSD. He tends to get the itchys very easily, as does the mini schnau. I have tried all sorts of foods from Natures Variety to Taste of the Wild to Raw. We seem to be in a good place with this food but I’m leary the main ingredient isn’t pure chicken. Here’s the ingredient list: Thank you!

Whitefish & Duck Grain Free
Pet Wants Whitefish & Duck Grain Free dog food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles for “All Life Stages”.
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS:
Crude Protein, min – 30.0%
Crude Fat, min – 16.0%
Crude Fiber, max – 4.5%
Moisture, max – 10.0%
* Omega 6 (Linoleic Acid), min – 2.5%
* Omega 3 (Linolenic Acid), min – 0.53%
* Glucosamine, min – 800 ppm
* Chondroitin, min – 400 ppm
* Not recognized as an essential nutrient by AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles.
INGREDIENT LIST:
Whitefish Meal, Duck Meal, Chick Peas, Field Peas, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Lentils, Tapioca Starch, Carrots, Celery, Beets, Parsley, Lettuce, Watercress, Spinach, Whole Ground Flaxseed, Natural Flavor, Kelp Meal, DL-Methionine, Salt, L-Lysine, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride
Vitamin & Mineral Premix:
Glucosamine HCL, Potassium Chloride, Fructooligosaccharide (FOS), Chondroitin Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Niacin Supplement, Organic Dried Kelp, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Acetate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Citric Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Iron Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate.

Calorie Count: 437 kcal/cup
Feeding Suggestions*: (Standard 8 oz. measuring cup)
*These are quantity suggestions; the amount you feed your pet can vary, depending greatly upon the breed, activity level, metabolism and your preferences.

[InkedMarie]

I use a little Reel Raw. I find it fattier than other products. I’ve never used the premeasured service; too costly IMO. I get the ten pounders but to be honest, thawing & re3packaging is a pain in the butt.

If you get grinds with bone, they are complete diets so yes, Hare’s are balanced (assuming you get it with bone). It’s prey model raw in ground form.

If you go to DogAware dog com, search for co-ops and meetups.

[Dori]

I would try either a commercial raw frozen food, home cooked or even canned (Weruva) until he gets over the loss of her friend. It’s a difficult time for both of you I’m sure. You can even try a dehydrated food that you add water to or goats milk. Something tasty with a good scent that may encourage her to eat.

If all else fails I would call the vet and ask for an appetite stimulant but I would do that only as a last resort.

[Chuck]

Thanks for the information, I ended up doing another month of Darwin’s until I can figure it out. How do you like Reel Raw? are you using their pre-measured service? I live in Florida so I like the idea of free shipping as all of these companies seem to be located in the NE.

If you order from Reel Raw pre-measured is that a complete diet? (similar to darwins patties) and does Hare today have something similar, all I seem to see is individual meats?

Also what is actually a “meetup”, and how do you actually find one? I live near Tampa, FL.

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

[jakes mom]

Cancer. Hope your younger guys don’t get any of them. We know better now, feeding better, less vacc, etc. Any new animals in my future will get initial vac then titers, and raw food. I’ve had a lot of animals and a lot of medical problems, hyper and hypo thyroid, cancer, heart disease, seizure disorders, renal disease, male cats with crystals and blockages, one cat with vac-associated sarcoma….on and on. I believe now most of it could have been prevented.

[Anonymous]

A word to the wise. Forget about it.
Example: /forums/topic/rectal-issues/
I stopped serving my dogs raw bones (or any bones) after 2 trips to the emergency vet due to them.
Not worth the risk, in my opinion.

[Jeffrey Andrew A]

I have 2 Shih tzuz, the female one is a fast eater and the male one is slow eater. I heard that for small dogs, Chicken legs/thigh are bad them because of the big bones on them. The female eat the meat first then the naked bone on the chicken.

Other than Chicken legs/thigh, what are good RMB for shih tzus/small dogs?

[Dori]

I use Standard Process’s Canine Whole Body Support for only one of my dogs and that is because she is 16 years old and has some health issues now. My dogs are commercial raw frozen fed, also at times freeze dried. Their treats are fruits and veggies. Nothing processed so that, in theory, the other two (6 years old) don’t need any supplements so they don’t get any. I only started adding the supplements to my old girl a couple of years ago on a regular basis. My theory with her is that at her age and health issues she could use a bit of extra help.

IMHO, Pet Tabs are one of the worst multi-vitamins on the market complete or otherwise. As I said, just my opinion.

Standard Process Canine Whole Body Support can be purchased on line or directly from Standard Process through a veterinarian. It’s a whole food supplement in powder form, comes with a scoop and for my size dog I give her 1/8 tsp. 1X daily mixed into one of her meals.