[Jennifer Y]

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I have spoken to my vet about the results, and have considered contacting the holistic vet at my vet clinic. My dog’s insensitivity reactions has been mild enough that my vet and I decided to try an elimination diet.

Over the past 2 years, if I try to recall her vet appointments along with the kibble I feed her, she seems to be reactive to something in Orijen Regional Red. I believe it’s pork (since it’s the highest reactive ingredient that came back on the Nutriscan test as well). To play it safe, I began her on an elimination diet. So far, so good. No hot spots and no eye infections. When I get around to testing out pork, I will find out whether it’s been the culprit.

Susan, thanks for your input about the rice, duck and lamb. But the test indicated not to feed her anything that she showed a reaction to (mild or otherwise) in either IgA and IgM results. She unfortunately showed a medium reaction in lamb (IgA), strong reaction in duck (IgA) and a strong reaction in rice (IgA). Against the suggestion of the results, however, I have tried lamb in her elimination diet, and she seems to be doing alright. I do believe there is merit to Dr. Dodd’s test, and I trust her research. But in the case of my dog, I don’t think her intolerances are as severe as the test makes it seem. I’ve been giving her probiotics and coconut oil, which may have played a part in her doing better on her current food as well. I am also considering starting her on raw, but I’m still in the process on researching about raw before I fully dive into it.

Once again, thank you everyone for your suggestions. I really appreciate it 🙂

[Chloe K]

Hi there! I have a 12 week old German Shepherd boy and we just started a week ago on raw – We are currently feeding him a premade diet which is costing me a fortune so I would like to look into creating my own meal for him.

So far I’ve learned:

“2.5% of Bears weight (40kg) 1kg

45% Raw Meaty Bones – 450g
45% Muscle Meat – 450g
5% Organ Meat – – 50g

Your goal is to have no more than 20-25% actual bone in the diet.
25% of 450g is 112g”

This is what I have written down, I would like to feed him 2 meals a day when he is older, so that is 25g of offal per meal? Is that right? That seems like such a low amount?

Can I feed raw chicken and raw beef in the same meal?

Can I feed him say 125g of Turkey and 125g of Chicken for one meal, with 25g of beef liver? Is this okay? Should I do this?
How often should I really feed him fish? Twice a week? I think I would like to feed him a whole fish? Gilapia or Whiting Fillets are these a good choice? If not, what are some good choices? I’m trying my hardest to find Green Tripe in Australia but it’s proving difficult, I would like to add some veggies in his diet, which are the BEST? How often should I add them? I know I have to juice/blend them or else he won’t get the full benefit.

I am from Australia so I weigh things in grams and kgs
Is Kangaroo a good source of meat also? What about Kangaroo heart and liver?

Bear is going to puppy school today! I can say he will be the most handsome there

Here is a picture of my little guy 🙂

[J S]

Update on our 2 dogs with struvite crystals. The girl with the recurring UTIs and previous-to-being-adopted-stone-surgery is getting more water with her food and getting out to pee more often. Trying to be calmer on our walks so that she can pee as often as she wants/needs to (every five feet if there are good smells around!). She hasn’t exhibited the crawl-peeing of an infection the last two days and has never exhibited pain when peeing. As soon as the crawl-peeing showed up I added 500 mg of vit c to each meal and she’s already getting a scoop of Cranberry Relief in the morning and a scoop of Wysong Biotic Ph with dinner, and eating the Royal Canin S/O with a little wet food. I’m also using Colloidal Silver (10 drops each meal for 2 days, then 6 drops, until 2 days after symptoms ended. Her pH this morning was 6.75. I’ve used Vit C and colloidal silver on myself when I was told I had a UTI. I really dislike using antibiotics unless extremely necessary. Here’s a website on C.S. by a holistic vet: http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com/2013/08/colloidal-silver-diy-treatment-for-dogs.html . Our boy dog shows no signs of a UTI and his ph on regular diet is 5.75. Next time we run out of food I’m going to switch from All Stages Canidae to their grain-free version to see if that will help with our girl. If anyone has found a difference using distilled water please let me know. I know our country water is a little on the hard side so that would be the next best thing to try. We’d also started giving her a glucosamine/MSM pill which I see includes other minerals which may have contributed to her last crystal-forming. She sure felt like a puppy on that even with signs of an infection, but obviously we’re still learning! I’m thinking her recurrent infections are because of her psyche as well as nearly touching the ground when she pees, and she’s also part husky and loves to dig in the dirt, which flies right back through her hind legs.

[InkedMarie]

I recommend you stop feeding a dry food…dogs with these issues need moisture. Canned, raw or dehydrated are your best bet.

[C4D]

I’m sure some of the “raw” regulars could answer your question better, but here is my experience. I started my older lab mix on raw when he was about 11. He didn’t really have any issues(a bit of loose stool at first) with it but since he had spent so many years eating “cooked” food he didn’t really like the raw unless I warmed it to a medium rare temperature. If your Lab is in good health, you could try it very slowly. If he has any immune compromised issues, I would probably not do raw. Another option is using a premix raw (The Honest Kitchen, Grandma Lucy’s, Sojos, etc) and adding fresh cooked meat to it. This might be an easier transition for him. I do this on a regular basis for my dogs in addition to rotating it with raw, and a canned/kibble mix.

[Susan]

If you read the test your dog can have rice duck lamb & don’t forget the Nutri-Scan Salvia test, test for JUST 20 foods only so there’s probably other foods like Tapioca etc that your dog can eat …. your dog can eat the “California Natural” Lamb & Rice that has just 4 ingredients Lamb, white rice, brown rice & sunflower oil.. or the best thing I would do is feed raw diet that way you are in control of all the ingredients…….
Your dog has just proven LM WRONG she always goes on on that your dog cant have food intolerances chances are your dog has environment allergies, see a Dermatologist for environment testing & waste $2000 then what, how do stop all the pollens in the air, all grass on ground, you cant the Nutri-Scan test has proven LM her wrong.. Dogs do have Food Intolerances..
Jean Dodds has the only & best IgA & IgM salvia testing around….

[Lilli]

Hi, I have a 12 year old Labrador who has a very sensitive stomach. Right now I feed him on commercial wet food and biscuit with some fresh vegetables. I have been wondering if he could take a raw food diet to enhance his latter years or would this be too much of a change at his age. He has never eaten raw meat and bones although he has had fresh raw vegetables.

[Pitlove]

Hi Tonia- Marie did actually point you in a good direction if you are interested in feeding raw/homemade. Hound Dog Mom who is the one who made the thread focusing on large/giant breed puppies does in fact feed a raw homemade diet and talks about it in that thread. It is however a very long thread but a good and helpful thread. Unfortunetly large breed puppies have certain diet requirements until 8mo’s of age that help prevent many diabilitating skeletal diseases, that can end up costing thousands of dollars in vet bills.

Hound Dog Mom has a list of foods that have the proper calcium levels for large/giant breed puppies, some are grain-free and others are grain-inclusive. I would start there and figure out what your budget IS and then compare a few that she has on her list and see if any are budget friendly enough. They are all 4 to 5 star in quality so if you are looking for something 3 stars or lower to save money A) that list won’t be too helpful and B) the food may not have the correct calcium levels a large breed puppy needs.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Cathy-
I’m sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine how difficult it has been. I do not know anything about liver disease, but thought I’d reply to your post to help get it noticed by someone who does.
I do know that Pedigree is not a great choice of kibble to feed when you do not have time to feed the raw. Have you checked out the 3 to 5 star rated kibble on the review site? I can help you with some more budget friendly if you are interested, that may not even cost much more than the Pedigree.
Are the raw meals you are feeding properly balanced? Are you giving any type of vitamin supplements with them?
I’m hoping somebody can chime in and help you with the liver disease as well. Good luck to you and your furry friends!

[Linda G]

Here’s another article regarding OC Raw Turkey from Susan Thixton of Truth About Pet Food dot com:

OC Raw Dog Recalls Turkey & Produce Raw Frozen Canine Formulation

[Dori]

LabTX. The OC Raw recall is for salmonella concerning their turkey. As Marie suggested, please take a minute and read up on the recall. I can’t remember off hand which states it affected. Not too many. Oh, it was a voluntary recall if that makes any difference. Nice when companies don’t have to be hit over the head to do a recall.

Just came across this.
http://m.petmd.com/news/alerts-recalls/oc-raw-dog-recalls-more-2000-lbs-dog-food-due-possible-salmonella-risk-32754

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Dori.

[LabTX]

Thanks for all of the replies, sorry I’m late getting back to the forum. I am currently feeding OC Raw pre-made patties. We get them locally so we do save on the shipping, but I’ll look into the grinds as well.

Dori – It may just be a lab thing, but she just acts like she hasn’t eaten for days. From the replies above that may be normal, the running, jumping, spinning which wasn’t the case in the past. She was excited to eat, but not acting like that. Our main concern, which I’m working with her on now is awareness of our 14 month who is now walking around on the same level as she is. She’s knocked him over and stepped on him more than once getting excited because someone has stood up and it’s within an hour of their “normal feeding time.”

[MaggiesDad]

Hi, why not give the guys at http://www.allprovide.com a call – 678-585-1606 – they do a range of raw meals in convenient 1lb pouches, and even have a feeding guide/cost calculator on their website if you’re stuck working out how much to feed. With four dogs, they also offer a number of different discount options which you may find makes the food even more affordable (it includes natural supplements such as coconut oil etc so you don’t have to add anything to the foods, which makes serving very easy and convenient.) They deliver for free to most of the USA and do a Starter Box too if you just want to try a small amount to see how your dogs take to it.

[Bobby dog]

pitlove:
Questions are never off topic! My grocery store sells kefir, you can find it in most health food stores, and most Wal-Marts carry Lifeway kefir products. I do still feed Bobby kefir a few times a month, but only because he loves it so much. I have a bunch of kefir cubes in the freezer.

jamie f:
Carbohydrates are necessary in order for kibble to maintain their form and texture. So regardless of grain inclusive or grain free you are feeding carbs. There’s benefits and drawbacks to any kibble. There’s food safety, GMO ingredients, nutritional values, your dog’s palate, and many other things to consider when deciding which type of kibble to feed. Grain free foods are a marketing goldmine IMO; I find some to be carb heavy and high in fat. I don’t like to limit food selections. I think eliminating foods that you have never fed your dog narrows down your food choices needlessly. I do believe there is a time and place to eliminate foods such as if your dog is displaying food sensitivities. IMO, by feeding a potato, lentil, etc. based grain free kibble day in and day out you are now subjecting your dog to fewer ingredients on a more consistent basis which may lead to food sensitivities of those ingredients. Not my idea of rotating foods.

My dog had many skin and digestive issues when I came to this site. It took a year of tweaking his diet and allot of elbow grease to heal him up. I believed GF was the best initially. As I researched further I found there was no reason to limit my dog’s diet to just grain free. So one day I took the leap and expanded my rotation to include grain inclusive and haven’t looked back since. If there ever comes a time I need to eliminate certain ingredients from his diet I will just tweak my pet food criterion again.

I feed my dog moderate to high protein, low fat, and moderate to low carb kibbles. Since kibble is far from perfect I always add canned, fresh foods, or commercial raw as toppers. I like to add fresh healthy omegas, Now Gamma Advanced vitamin E complex, and organic coconut oil to his food. I have fed about 20 different brands of kibble and many different recipes. I buy small bags and switch brands, protein, and carb sources with each new bag. One of these days I will settle into a more permanent rotation, I am still tweaking his diet.

Here’s an article from the WDJ about carbs and grains in kibble:
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/13_10/features/Carbohydrate-Intake-For-Dogs_20103-1.html

Here’s a DFA post about carbs:
/canine-nutrition/dog-food-carbohydrates/

Here’s a perspective about grains from a Holistic Vet:
http://vetnutrition.blogspot.com/2009/05/are-grains-all-bad.html
http://vetnutrition.blogspot.com/2010/03/grains-2-not-as-allergenic-as-you.html

Here’s an interesting perspective from the Great Dane Lady:
http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/the_corn_myth.htm

As L M mentioned your dogs licking their paws and gunky ears could also be caused by environmental irritants. A single protein and carb food might be a good place to start to determine if it’s food or environmental. It is important to keep in mind each dog is an individual and what food or regimen works for one dog may or may not work for another. You will not know if that is your magic food until your dog does well on it. Just as you have foods that you don’t like or don’t agree with you, but others will rave about how they love it and can’t eat enough of it. So after this long drawn out post my best advice is to be aware of any chemicals you use in your home or outdoors that your dogs could be exposed to, take note of the time of year your dogs have problems (their issues may be seasonal), and to feed your dog the healthiest food he will eat consistently and does well on!

[Pitlove]

Linda- Rotties! i love them. we also have a Rottweiler along with our Pitbull a chocolate lab and an English springer spaniel. Sam, our Rottweiler (technically he is my boyfriends parents dog, so I dont get to control what he eats unfortunetly but i still think of him as my dog since I give him the most attention as hes the outside dog) is 2 probably almost 3 years old now. The bf’s parents have had all the dogs on Purina ONE lamb and rice since forever. The family dog has always been Rottweilers and unfortunely all but maybe one passed away at around 8 years old. Cancer, e-coli poisoning, you name it its happened to our Rottweilers. If it were up to me and I got to choose his food I would feed him the way I feed my Pitbull who is also prone to the problems that large breed dogs have as he is 66lbs at a year old. I do what is called a rotational diet with my dog. I certainly have him on Orijen’s Adult Dog and after that bag is through i’ve got EVO lined up next for him to try. I also feed him wet food. Now that your Rottie is far past the point where you have to worry about the calcium levels not being too high or too low to prevent rapid growth thus causing many different skeletal related disorders, you can kinda give him a nice variety of foods. If you are on a budget as someone who is retired and need to stick with kibbles, definitely go for the 5 star rated ones. I know a lot of people on here have issues with Taste of the Wild. I BELIEVE its manufacture by Diamond which has a long recall history and a terrible reputation. You want to make sure that the kibble is as species appropriate as you can get if you, like myself, can’t feed a raw diet, which would be the healthiest way for any dog to eat. Species appropriate for ANY dog of any breed being high in animal protein, at least 30% or more, moderate in fats, and low in carbs. Foods that I like and have and will use in my rotation for my pitbull are Orijen (all of them), Wellness CORE, Nature’s Variety, Merrick (GF only), EVO, Grandma Mae’s GF. I’m still working on my list but that is what I have so far.

As for raw, if it is something you are interested in, PLEASE make sure you do A LOT of research before feeding raw because it is possible to make your dog very unhealthy by not feeding a COMPLETE and BALANCED raw diet.

Also to help with the transitions to the food, you can add probiotics to their diet, like canned pumpkin and kefir. I also use a supplement thats premade in a power form made by a very great company called The Honest Kitchen. They use human grade ingredients and make their food in a human grade factory. Its called Perfect Form. Probiotics help build healthy flora(bacteria) in your dogs gut to make transitioning to a new food pain free for you and your dog. Just like with humans dogs should be able to eat a different food or protein every meal if not every couple months without digestive upset. Dogs whos stomachs are already sick and lacking those bacteria that make their gut strong due to being fed the same food day in and day out are the ones who get loose stool and vomitting when you switch their food. Instantly the owner blames the food and switches them back and never switches the food again under the claim that their dog has whats commonly called a “sensitive stomach”.

The joint supplements are a great idea. Glucosamine is a great supplement for joint and hip problems. Cancer, I feel, and I think others do too can have a lot to do with a poor diet. A lot of poor grade dogs foods do contain ingredients that are carcinogenic even for humans and without variety in their diet they are being fed those toxins for years and eventually is catches up with them. The rotational diet helps prevent that and the build up of allergies as well. If your Rottie is already allergic to a protein source like chicken, you are going to want to be very careful with the food you choose as many have chicken meal or chicken fat hidden in the list of ingredients. Its all about reading ingredients but more importantly HOW to read the ingredients and the GA, which is why this website is so helpful. But like many here including Dr. Mike will tell you, its a jumping off point. Once you find a good food, you want to look further into the company that makes it, the co-packers, the recall history etc and make sure that you’re not being fooled into thinking its a good food based on the ingredients. Also knowing where the company sources from is important, what with all the problems we have been having with China lately. Avoid China. Thailand on the other hand is ok.

I really hope that I’ve helped a little and that others will contribute or correct me if I’m wrong about any of my points. I love Rotties so I’m glad to be able to give you some direction with his health!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Pitlove.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Pitlove.

[InkedMarie]

My yeasty dog finally had clear ears & no paw licking once he went on raw.

[InkedMarie]

I personally think a grainfree food would be a good choice. You have a large breed dog that will probably get some arthritis in coming years; grains can be inflammatory. There are a couple good foods that are low grain: Nature’s Logic only has millet and Farmina low grain is obviously low in grains.

Some foods I like are Farmina, Annamaet, Dr Tim’s, Natures Logic….

I’ve read that people think a raw diet is best for cancer dogs; I do feed raw but not because of that.

[Catherine M]

Hi everyone!
I have an 8 year old long-haired mini-doxie named Sweet-Pea. She was recently diagnosed with fatty liver disease when tested at a visit for glaucoma. I am feeding raw meats (various kinds) mixed with rice and sweet potato. She had been off of the raw diet for several months, eating dry pedigree food since I had lost my husband and just taking care of things was overwhelming to me. But I went back to the raw after he diagnosis, and also am giving supplement of milk thistle for her liver. She has voracious hunger and thirst, and pees an ocean, sometimes not making it outside. I know this water drinking and peeing are related to the liver disease.

So what do you recommend to feed her? Red meat is not the best for her, although I feed other meats when I can, and doing the raw diet seems to be too much work for my 4 dogs, including her. I’m looking for something easy to digest, easy on the liver (low ammonia-producing), and easy on the budget and to feed.

Thanks for any suggestions you have!
Cathy

[Ellen D]

I emailed Allprovide with some questions, and they sent me a free trial of the food for my puppy. He liked it, and it compared in appearance and texture to the other premade raw foods I’ve tried (or my dog has tried lol) – like Darwin’s, Bravo, etc. My very picky dog liked it. I was happy with the customer service, packaging, and responsiveness of the company. I would most definitely have ordered more to feed full time if I hadn’t decided to go homemade.

[Ellen D]

Any raw feeders in the Detroit area or general southeast Michigan? Are you willing to share tips on where you get your meat? I have an order of exotic meats in from My Pet Carnivore, and I know we also have local delivery of Carnivore Carry-Out, but I don’t have the freezer space to buy cases of things yet – working on it (anyone want to go halfsies on cases??).

Does anyone have a good local butcher or market with decent prices where you can get things like goat, rabbit, lamb, etc. and offal and bones? I do shop Kroger for manager’s special meats, and I have found a local butcher who can get me beef and chicken parts. I’ve found an Asian market where I get duck feet and liver and pork kidneys. And there’s a halal market around the corner that sells goat liver. But I’d like to find some more variety and better prices.

Has anyone surfed Eastern Market or Gratiot Central Market? Any particular vendors to look for?

Thanks!

[Linda G]

Dori – I was mostly cooking chicken and adding rice and/or vegetables. Had 2 dogs – One was sick for about 2 yrs (old age 17 yrs old), and was worried about her eating and started cooking for her. Now my other dog won’t eat anything else, but cooked foods. I was worried that she may not be getting all the nutrients needed, so started looking at raw foods. Started with Nature’s Variety…had kibble with freeze dried chicken in it. One dog wouldn’t touch it…..the other ate the freeze dried chicken and left the rest. Then tried Bravo….neither dog touched it. Moved to Primal Freeze-Dried Formula (Duck) and it’s a hit and miss. Just got some small packs of Acana – Lamb and Okanagan Apple and Orijen – Six Fish. Trying to find that right combo that they would enjoy eating.

[Denise A]

Has anyone tried this food? Thoughts?

My dog is not doing well on Honest Kitchen foods. She throws up with any of the varieties
of their food.

I’m so stressed! I want to feed her a top notch food, but have no idea what at this point.

If anyone can help, it would be much appreciated.
Thank you –
Denise

[Susan]

Enzymes also help with dry flaky skin I add enzyme 1/2 capsule with the raw diet
http://www.allthebestpetcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/digestive_enzymes.pdf

[Susan]

Hi Amanda, I have just started a raw diet with 1 protein Kangaroo & 3-4 veggie/fruit.. I blend 1 broccoli head 5 celery sticks 1 apple & 1 banana all blended in a blender then I freeze 2 spoons portions & take out the night before I add 1-2 spoons with 1 cup Kangaroo….I’m not feeding any organ meats yet… its a elimination diet
have you joined the F/B group “Dog Allergy International group” look in the files at “Raw elimination diet” candida-yeast itchy smelly dog” … I’ve just started a raw diet thru a Naturopath & posted in the files what I used & did , Patches red paws itchy skin & hive like lumps all went away within 2-3 days on the Raw diet, I couldn’t believe it, 1 year going from kibble to kibble then it took just 2 days & all his skin started to clear up, no more red paws, I always thought it was from the grass his red paws ….also there’s limited ingredient foods in the files with just 3-4 ingredients are in the files … someone was asking about the Dinovite yesterday… have you tried tin sardines in spring water drained, they are high in omegas & his coat will start to come good again also a good medicated shampoo.. I use Malaseb medicated shampoo…. https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogallergyinternationalgroup/

[Amanda G]

I have a 6 year old Great Dane. He is allergic to what seems like everything. He was finally allergy tested after chronic ear infections and has been on shots for the last year. The shots do not help as much as I’d hoped. He is allergic to white potato, sweet potato, flax, peas, corn, and soy. This has left us with few options. Even high quality kibble has at least one of those ingredients. We found a few that didn’t and had horrible results. We thought we were making progress with Big Dog Natural until his neck and ears went crazy. Come to find out they use potato as a binding agent. Next we tried Sojos original and added meat. We could not figure out why his ears swelled up like pork chops. They were even worse than with Big Dog. There seemed to be no listed ingredients he was allergic to. The only thing I could figure was it had pecans in it and he is allergic to pecan trees? Now I am making his food. I am lightly cooking meat, veges, oats, and egg with shell. His coat is dull, he is tired, and still itchy. His ears are not 100% but better. I can’t continue this. I know he’s not getting all the nutrition he needs out of my homemade food. I want to try raw. We’ve attempted it before but he has no interest in raw meats especially organs. I’m thinking of trying the Dinovite recipe. It seems to be a simple place to start but I’m afraid it’s also lacking. It’s only egg, shell, ground meat, rice and their supplements. Can anyone help with suggestions or experience with anything I’ve mentioned? I feel like I’m failing my dog and all I want to do is feed him. All opinions and advice will be respected and greatly appreciated. Sorry about the book. I just want to give as much info as possible so that one of you could possibly help us. I’m begging! Lol I feel like I’m going crazy.

• This topic was modified 4 years ago by Mike Sagman. Reason: Fix Duplicate Topic Title

[jakes mom]

I agree with Marie, grinds would be the way to go. I have cats and a dog. I just ordered raw grinds (chix, turkey,duck) for the cats from Darwin’s. They asked for the cat’s weights and estimated the amount I needed. You just need to get yourself a scale and a calculator and do some math. The usual suggested amount is 2-3% of your dog’s weight per day. There are also premixes that you can mix into your own ground meat so you don’t need to worry about balancing supplements. Good luck, you’ll get a lot of good advice from the regulars here. I’m just starting raw too, have learned a lot.

[idunnowhat2callmyself]

Thanks for the reply, Marie!

I suppose I would be looking for something like that–a ready-made ground product to simply weigh out in the appropriate amounts, so that I wouldn’t have to be wondering whether I’m doing it right. I like how straightforward it is to just dump a cup or half-cup of kibble into the bowls.
Or really, any high-quality diet that comes in sizes suitable for multiple varied dogs…raw just seemed to be posited as “the best possible option,” so I’ve been starting to look into it.

Hare Today is actually the same site my aunt uses.

Hmm. The Miami site’s product list offers this: “Build An Order”  -­‐New  to  RAW  FEEDING,  or  dont  want  the  hassle  of  choosing  items.  Let  us  do  the  work  for  you.  At  no  extra  charge,  you  give  us  your  
budget    and  Dogs  info  (  Weight,  Allergies,  Breed  )  and  we  build  your  order  for  you!  Please  Email  us  for  this  service  and  request  BUILD  AN  ORDER.”
…Which is pretty much exactly what I sought, because I have absolutely NO idea what I’d have to order or how much I’d need per month or so…but then, I don’t think they were the one that mentioned free shipping……and Reel Raw looks similarly interesting.

Thank you for the recommendations.

[InkedMarie]

Are you looking to feed whole meat raw or a ground product?
If ground, there are various companies with grinds that you just weigh out & feed. It’s what I do, plus I offer beef ribs for dental health.

Some companies that offer grinds are Hare Today, Reel Raw (they are in Maine, they have 10lb bags of complete mixes, depending on where you live, shipping is free for buying 30lb or 50lb)….I use these two companies. The other two I haven’t used but I recommend are My Pet Carnivore and Raw Feeding Miami.

[idunnowhat2callmyself]

Okay, I’m just going to throw this out here because I’ve found this to be a remarkably useful website, and if there’s anyplace I might productively ask my question, it’d be here. I apologize in advance for the length of it.

My family’s got four dogs currently: One small, one medium, one medium-large, and one large. It’s a nice range. I try to order higher-quality kibble brands to offset the lower-quality ones sometimes brought home by other people. A month or two ago, I had a two-hour phone conversation with my aunt, who’s got one small dog on a raw diet (with wet canned stuff in the mornings.) I’d hoped to simply be able to follow her precise regimen, adjusted for our pack…and got a half-page worth of notes during that convo in Microsoft Word. I should’ve figured it wouldn’t be simple, and I suppose I could start ordering some whole rabbits or tripe or turkey necks and supplements or any of the other various things I jotted down from the site she mentioned…but the whole thing still seems so overly, excessively complicated and worrisome. She said that she hadn’t even told her vet about the switch, but had been at it for about a year now.

A few benefits stood out: Cleaner teeth naturally, because no matter how much toothpaste or how many correct-ingredient-inclusive wipes I use, nothing removes the ‘icky’ stuff (which is worst on the oldest dog.) My aunt also noted that cleaning up after them is much easier thanks to the raw–and since that job typically falls to me, I’d really appreciate that. AND potential weight loss/healthy-weight management, as well…I almost always opt for the low-fat variety of everything to be on the safe side. Fortunately the hefty Brittany did recently move down to a smaller dosage of heartworm med, and can suddenly fit behind the sofa again–so I guess it finally paid off.

I’ve given the pooches everything from the raw-coated kibbles to Stella & Chewy patties to Fresh Pet to Honest Kitchen “green slop” (we’ve had that huge box for over a year now), to dozens of kibble brands that all seem essentially identical–and so on and so forth. When I try to look up which kibble or commercial raw food to try (assuming that cans would disappear far too quickly to be worthwhile), I am instantly overwhelmed and confused–I see loads and loads of brand names and packaging and shapes, but all of the food and flavors appear to be the same. I have no idea how to even tell which to buy. The sizes and portions and pricing baffle me–how am I to tell what will feed multiple dogs of various sizes and breeds for more than a couple days? We usually get a new big kibble bag about twice a month. I simply cannot tell what the raw equivalent would be…and even for dry food, I’m now kinda stumped. Every time I’m asked to order another bag, I freeze. How to choose?!?! My list’s grown so long, and we’ve tried so many…now I usually go with whichever has the best price per pound at the time, and a decent rating/reviews. I wish I could just find the perfect brand to consistently turn to, and continuously rotate through their flavors and treats. (Deciding which treat to pick up becomes a whole other can of worms, and I’m just like, “Gods, why, why, why must this be so bamboozling?! Why the hundreds of redundant choices? The dogs don’t even care, they just want our stuff!”)

Only one of the four dogs eats neatly (my Saluki, who has a snood. 😉 The other three are slobs, knocking the bowls around and splashing before they even touch the floor. The little Beagle frequently flat-out refuses to eat from a bowl, insisting that the food be spilled onto the floor for him. Also, my mom’s a clean freak–and I’m a bit of one myself at times. For these reasons, I knew that any attempt to transition would be tough and drawn-out, if not impossible. I knew I’d have to discover the cleanest, neatest, easiest, least odiferous method.

Now, before I got older and started performing more research into these areas, my parents…well all right, let me just put it this way. The two Beagles we had at the time I was born ate cheap supermarket kibble and human leftovers, lived in the backyard, never once to my knowledge had their teeth brushed (the one had green teeth and rancid breath) or nails trimmed or even saw the vet…yet both lived happily & health-problem-free for 16-18+ years (we can’t be exactly certain because they were adopted from a shelter.) Thus it can be very difficult for me to convince these guys, no matter how many times I reiterate what the healthy-food brochures say, to go out of their way for “special frou-frou dog food” or anything they’re unused to.

WHEW. Ever so sorry to unload all that frustration here. Any advice, recommendations, or assistance that anybody ever feels like dropping would, of course, be most appreciated.

[SdianeM M]

I’m sorry for the confusion. I switched Sadie from Castor and Pollux kibbles to a raw diet. Allprovide is my first experience with a raw diet. When I first made the switch, I started her on the chicken.

I read how important it is to switch out the proteins, so the second one I added was the turkey. While on the turkey, I found that she started having a repeat of the yeast issues. I added the beef last weekend, but she had a rough night of itching.

Not sure what’s going on with her. Not sure if it’s the proteins, environmental issues, or something added to the food.

The past few days I’ve cooked chicken for her. I’m just not sure of what I’m doing.

[Dori]

Yep, C4D. That’s typical in raw fed dogs. They almost like regress into younger dogs. Their health and energy goes way up. I believe it’s the elimination of all the processed foods and grains and gmo ingredients. The truth is we really are what we eat. I never gave that much thought until Katie came into my life and I had to deal with all sorts of food issues. I always say I would be so much healthier if I ate closer to what I feed my dogs. I am too much of a junk food, no time each what I can grab along the say type of person. Plus….I hate to cook unless the mood strikes me.

[Dori]

Yep Marie. I don’t know if this is a short term thing or not. But if you want to get some Darwin’s with free delivery go to Amazon. I’ve got a feeling this is not going to be a regular thing. Somebody on a different blog emailed me about it.

I placed an order while it was free shipping. Marie, we feed rotationally so why not. I know some say it’s to high in fat and I agree with a lot of the raw that I feed but if we’re feeding in rotation and not all the time for ever single meal every day, why not? Free shipping? Yep!!!!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Dori.

[C4D]

I have a 10 yo chocolate lab that I used to feed a blend of 5 star kibble & canned mixed. We did raw about 3-4 nights a week for the last 6 years & raw or fresh cooked with a “raw” premix for dinner for over a year now. I have 2 large dogs and usually large dog fosters so I need to keep costs down or I would do raw or fresh all the time. We noticed an energy increase in our already energetic 10 yo since we’ve increased the raw.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by C4D.

[Dori]

Hi Linda G. Here is the list of commercial raw frozen foods that I feed. I rotate my dogs food. I rotate brands and proteins within the brands with the exception of any fowl as Katie, allergy girl, can’t tolerate any fowl. I have been at the point where I rotate with every meal for quite a while now. Nutritionally I find rotation is the best way to feed. Also by rotating as often as I do no body ever gets bored with a meal nor do they know what to expect to find in their bowl.
OC Raw Frozen, Primal Raw Frozen Formulas, Answer’s Detailed Raw Frozen, Vital Essentials Raw Frozen, Nature’s Logic Raw Frozen, Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen,

Primal Freeze Dried
Vital Essentials Freeze Dried

The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Zeal (The Honest Kitchen is not a raw food but I do sometimes have it in rotation for the occasional time when something hasn’t defrosted enough for me to feed). I also happen to like the company for the fact that their foods are made in a human food manufacturing plant so I thought I should reward and buy their food for that fact alone. Just my thing, though. No other dog foods are made there.

[Linda G]

Dori, What kind of raw food do you feed them? I have one dog that’s very picky and have been trying to find a good raw food. So far have tried Bravo and Primal. Thanks!

[Dori]

I agree with Marie most definitely. Raw, fed properly be it pre made commercial raw diets or home made, is far superior and species appropriate than any kibble you are going to find.

My one question to you is what makes you think your dog is hungry? I believe she’s so excited to eat her meals because she’s loving her food. If she’s maintaining her proper weight than she’s not hungry. Most, if not all dogs, that eat raw get seriously excited at the mere prospect that their meal is being prepared for them. My three go nuts in the kitchen as soon as they see me go towards the area on the counter that has the kitchen scale that I use to weigh out their food. One will squeal and bark and cry the entire time, the other runs and spins in circles and the other sits and stares at my every move. They all crack me up. They never got excited over kibble or canned for that matter.

[InkedMarie]

I personally think raw is best. I feed ground raw which I think is easy: turn on scale, put bowl on scale, tare to zero, scoop food in, addthe few supplements I add and feed.

Kibble might be easier but I don’t think it’s best. Are the foods you mentioned pre made? If yes, buying grinds would be cheaper. Look at Hare Today & Reel Raw. Hare is in PA, if you happen to be lucky enough to pick up, you can save shipping costs. RR is in Maine. They have free shipping in the Northeast states if you get 30 pounds. If you aren’t up there, I think the free shipping starts at 50lbs. They have ten pound bags of complete mixes at a good price.

[Pitlove]

sorry to hear the diagnois. i agree with marie and also with your choice to try raw with her. a holistic vet could actually help you with making sure that your raw meals (if you aren’t doing something that’s premade like Dori suggested) are complete and balanced. remember, the best food you can feed is a complete and balanced raw diet and the worst food you can feed is an unbalanced raw diet.

i wish you the best of luck with your girl and her diagnois

[Tracy M]

Hello

I have a 70 lb White Boxer with skin issues.
I have been feeding Frozen Raw and it has been costly.
Can anyone recommend any advice on possibly doing both? Been stressful looking at kibble, as I don’t want high Carbs. I just lost my other Boxer to cancer, and I took them off kibble completely.

Thank You for any input.

[zcRiley]

Dori, you are correct. I misread. There is a raw & a boost!

[Dori]

zcRiley, I assumed that James S was referring to Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen food not Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost. I could have misinterpreted that post of his.

James S. As zcRiley posted, Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost is not considered a raw food at all. It’s basically kibble with a few freeze dried bits in it.

[zcRiley]

Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw is kibble with small freeze dried balls mixed in. So not completely a raw diet.

If you click on the site’s home page, there’s a review list of raw foods you may like. Frozen, mixes, freeze dried, dehydrated, etc.

[Dori]

Sorry James S. Just saw your earlier post. I’m glad at least the diagnosis was for the more treatable one. What treatment has your vet suggested? Yes, Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen is a frozen food and one of the one’s I feed my dogs in rotation.

As to a list of commercial raw frozen foods, these are the ones that I use in rotation. I rotate brands and proteins within brands with the exception of fowl. One of my girls is intolerant of all fowl.

Answer’s Detailed Raw Frozen (Not always easy to track down but any store that carries any of the products can usually order it in for you from their distributor)

Primal Raw Frozen Formulas (My favorite of all frozen raw foods)
Vital Essentials Frozen Raw
Nature’s Logic Raw Frozen
OC Frozen Raw
Darwin’s Raw Frozen (only available on their site on auto-delivery plan)
Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen
(Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen will be the easiest to find as pretty much everyone carries it including the large stores like Petco and Petsmart.)

The others on the list are typically found in smaller more local type pet food stores.

I’ve recently won a bag of Steve’s Real Frozen Raw (very excited about that) and I’ll see how that works out with the girls. It just arrived yesterday so I’ll defrost some for their dinner tonight. I’ll let you know about that one after they’ve eaten it for a while.

The only two freeze dried foods that I use, but only infrequently, is Primal Freeze Dried and Vital Essentials Freeze Dried. I use Vital Essentials Freeze Dried Tripe Treats as their treats when I call them to “come” from the yard. I keep a jar with them near the back patio door and it’s the only time they get them.

I forgot to add that once in a while, not often, I feed The Honest Kitchen Zeal formula. It contains no fowl, no potatoes, no alfalfa. Is GMO free. The Honest Kitchen is made with all human grade ingredients and made in a plant that only processes human food. It’s all documented and the FDA allows them to use the information on their packaging. It’s the only company that the FDA has given it’s approval to.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Dori.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Dori.

[James S]

Hello All. So, I was wondering if something like Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw is considered frozen raw, & what are some other options for a raw diet? Thanks.

[James S]

Ok-She does have small cell lymphoma, which, of either small cell or large cell, small cell IS the more treatable one. So we have Hope. As you can see in the avatar picture, she is an Amazing Dog ( Looks like she was running across the water, right?), & Hopefully, she’ll pull through for a lot longer.
Now, let’s get her on some Good Food! I’m going to research some raw diet options & I invite your Advice & Knowledge.
Thanks,
-James

[Susan]

Hi, join this Face Book group “Dog Allergy International Group” look in the files for “Foods for dogs with Food Allergies/Intolerances IBS IBD” there’s a heap of limited ingredients kibbles & wet foods with their links also Michele Dixson from Petcurean (Go Sensitivity LID Venison) can help with any questions also look at feeding a Raw diet in files under “Raw Elimination Diet Candida-Yeast Itchy Dogs” there’s a easy diet for puppies done by a Naturopath…
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogallergyinternationalgroup/

[Susan]

Hi Kris, I just posted a post about Candida yeast & what foods to avoid… join this Face Book group “Dog Allergy International Group” & look in the files for “Raw Elimination Diet for Candida-Yeast & itchy dog” also look for “Foods for dogs with Food Allergies/Intolerances, IBS, IBD” there’s a heap of limited ingredient kibbles & wet foods, also Michele Dixson from Petcurean (Go Sensitivity LID Venison) can help with any questions..
also what are you bathing her in? I use Malaseb medicated shampoo, it kills any bacteria on the skin & does not dry out their skin leaving them so soft, weekly baths are needed & a complete diet change….
I just went thru this with my boy he was put on a Prednisone for 2 weeks then when he finished he started to smell like a stinky yeasty dog, so on Friday I started a raw diet with the help of a Naturopath cause Patch has IBD as well… his skin cleared up within 2-3 days no more red paws, no more scratching, no more smelly dog… its all in the “Raw Elimination diet Candida-Yeast”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogallergyinternationalgroup/

[Kris L]

I’ll try to condense this as much as possible! I adopted my dog 2.5 years ago. I discovered early that she does not do well on chicken based food. Researched on this site and switched her to Merrick Classic Lamb (not grain free) and she did well on it. She had one bladder infection and a couple ear infections and went through a super itchy foot phase (which vet prescribed prednisone for of course!), but nothing TOO crazy bad in those 2.5 years. A few months ago I saw that her belly was turning slightly black in a couple patches and her eyes were getting goopy more often. I researched online and saw that it could be related to yeast. I thought that kind of explained her susceptibility to gunky ears and itchy feet as well.

Long story short, I looked on the potato free post here and switched her to Nutrisource Grain Free Lamb. She has been on it for almost a month now and unfortunately there hasn’t really been any improvement. Should I wait longer and keep trying it or should I perhaps try a different protein source? I was thinking of switching her to the seafood Nutrisource grain free.

Again, her symptoms are not TOO crazy. She’s not scratching herself raw or licking her feet for hours on end, but I just feel she should be more comfortable than she is. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[Drew D]

Yikes! DogFoodie, that is kinda scary. Back to the drawing board AGAIN. Also, I know canned is better, but I will have to feed three dogs the same thing, so I really need to find a descent dry. As the canned premiums are way out of my budget.The other two are overweight as well so a low carb will benefit them also. So being that I have to feed three, a premium kibble will be better for my budget. Feeding three dogs Hills W/D is too expensive for me. W/D is 23.00 for a 8.5 pound bag. Is it even possible to find something better that I will get more bang for my buck?

[Pitlove]

glad to hear hes doing better! Im really careful with treats usually. the only ones ive got in the house at the moment are PureBites freezed dried raw treats. there is only 1 ingredient and they are made in the USA. I use the turkey breast for my kitten and beef liver for the dog. you can break them up into smaller pieces for training if you still are giving treats for pottying outside.