[oepth]

Hi there

My pup loves canned food and sometimes getting her to eat her organs is a little challenging. How many people out there mix raw food with canned? What’s a good canned food? I’m looking at Zignature because of its limited ingredient list and zero chicken formulas. Also since I’m giving my pup about 2 – 2.5% of her body weight in raw, how much canned can I add? Can I just add the canned food to make up that 2%? Based on the feeding recommendations of canned food, they don’t seem to go by a pup’s body weight.

Thanks!
Cheryl

[Anonymous]

http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf
“Natural Diet for Dogs: Guidelines for Optimal Nutrition”

I am leery of all bones, but I still give my dog a frozen raw beef marrow bone as a treat occasionally…with caution.
For dental, I brush their teeth every evening, it helps.

[weezerweeks]

I found Dr. Harveys on the dry food review and its freezedried. I can’t find a review for grandma lucys. I wish the freezedried food could be put in a category the way the raw,dry and wet is. So confusing to me.

[Michelle T]

Sounds good LM, guess I’ll just remove the bone first before cooking the meat. I’ve only tried the raw bone once & took away the more brittle part before she was done with it, but she did got lots from it & enjoyed it thoroughly. I use Natural Choice kibbles to mix with her home cooked meals, a better choice, but would love an even better grade if I can find it.

[Anonymous]

From what I understand dogs should never be fed cooked bones of any kind.
You can get in enough trouble with the raw. I had to take my poodle to the emergency place a while back due to vomiting and abdominal pain. She would work on a frozen beef marrow bone and grind the bone into small particles and consume.
Well, the x-ray showed calcified material in her colon and stomach that had solidified and she was having difficulty passing. Luckily she did pass them on her own, had to take a pain med and Pepcid for a few days.
My point is, that raw bones are not a good idea for all dogs. I still let her enjoy a small frozen raw beef marrow bone occasionally, but I take it away from her before she gets to the nitty gritty. My other dogs, the same thing, I don’t give them as often as I used to.
But cooked bones, NEVER.
PS: I tried raw but quickly realized it would be best to use fresh killed organic meat…which I can’t afford.
So I slightly cook their food (minus the bone) and combine with a high grade kibble. I have posted a link to the natural diet (written by a vet) it is in some of my other posts, if you are interested.

[Akari_32]

Got all this for $31.15! Stay tuned for a break down 🙂

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/2014-06/F0C5BF03-2FDB-4B3C-9235-F560AD159F67_zpsyunnf4tx.jpg

I did three total transactions, two at Pet Smart and one at PetCo.

First one at PetSmart:
3x 5lb Purina Pro Plan Savor Salmon and Rice
–Original Price: $13.99 ($14.97 after tax)
–Clearance Price: $8.37 ($7.62 after tax)
1x 5lb Nature’s Variety Prairie Puppy Chicken Meal and Brown Rice
–Original Price: $14.99 ($16.04 after tax)
–Clearance Price: $8.37 ($7.62 after tax)
Coupons:
–3x $2 off any Purina product (found on random Purina products through out the store)
–1x $3 off and Nature’s Variety Instinct, Instinct RAW, or Prairie pet food (received in the mail with samples from Nature’s Variety)
–1x $5 off $25 purchase Pet Supermarket coupon
–1x $3 off any purchase $3 or more PetSmart Coupon

Total after clearance and coupons: $18.27
–Total before clearance and coupons: $60.95
–Total savings: $42.68!

Second transaction at PetSmart:
1x 5lb Nature’s Variety Prairie Puppy Chicken Meal and Brown Rice
–Original Price: $14.99 ($16.04 after tax)
–Clearance Price: $8.37 ($7.62 after tax)
1x 2oz Omega One Algae Wafers
–Original Price: $4.99
Coupons:
–1x $3 off any purchase $3 or more PetSmart Coupon
–1x $2 off $10 purchase for Pet Supermarket
–1x $3 off and Nature’s Variety Instinct, Instinct RAW, or Prairie pet food

Total after clearance and coupons: $5.95
–Total before clearance and coupons: $21.38
–Total savings: $15.43!

And at PetCo:

2x Temptations Cat Treats 2.1 oz (manager approved replacement for Friskies Cat Treats)
–Original Price: $2.13
2x 5.5oz Royal Canin Radiant Shine canned dog food
–Original Price:$1.81
1x PetLinks cat toy
–Original Price: $5.99
Coupons:
–2x Free 2.1oz Friskies cat treat PetCo coupon (manager allowed me to substitute with Temptations because they no longer cary Friskies)
–1x 10% off any PetLinks cat toy PetCo coupon
–2x 15% off any one can of Royal Canin dog or cat food PetCo coupon
–1x $2 off $10 purchase for Pet Supermarket

Total after coupons: $6.93
–Total before clearance and coupons: $14.28
–Total savings: $7.35!

Total savings for my whole trip is $65.46 🙂 Some of this is for donations.

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Akari_32.

[DogFoodie]

Hi William,

It’s important to feed a large breed puppy a food with an appropriate level of Calcium. Here’s a list, which includes grain inclusive, grain free and raw, acceptable foods: https://docs.google.com/a/dogfoodadvisor.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?pli=1

If you haven’t already, take a look at this thread, especially the first few pages and read the articles that Hound Dog Mom shared: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

In addition to appropriate Calicum levels, you should keep your pup lean during growth and avoid over-exercising him, which can stress growing joints.

How old is your pup and what breed?

[theBCnut]

I strongly believe that no dog food is perfect. All of them have minerals that are not balances, highs that are too high, lows that are too low, too much of one amino acid, too little of another, etc. Because of this, I believe that the best you can do is to rotate foods and feed a variety of different types of foods. Can you think of any single meal that it would be OK for you to eat day in and day out for years? I can’t.

I don’t have any problem with my dogs when I feed Merrick, but they get it for about a week and then we move on to something else.

I feed dry, dehydrated, freeze dried, canned, fresh, and raw. My dogs never have stomach issues either, because they are used to eating variety.

[Naturella]

Akari, so good to know! Yeah, I will see where we are with Bruno when his current food supply goes down. I am starting to job-hunt for full-time jobs that start in May, so come May, I am praying for a salary… LoL. Then we have to move with the hubs in June – no more roommate – yay! And once we settle in the new place (soooo hoping for a house, but I may be reaching here, lol) and the budget is redone, I will see when, if, and how we can put doggers on raw. OR… get another doggers!!! I hope these 2 degrees get me good cash moneys! 😀

Sorry for hijacking, Eugene, but I do second Akari’s sentiments that dehydrated still has to be frozen/refrigerated, that dogs don’t necessarily need fruits and veggies found in BARF, and that it will probably indeed take a little less space. So try it out, see how it works out! Make sure you grind the bone really fine though – you don’t want splinters or a choking hazard.

[Akari_32]

Hey girl! No, I do not use a premix any more. SSLL going off the market (however temporarily) is what finally convinced me to dive in and do balanced raw. I’m happy I did. Bentley loves it, and he eats even less than he did on SSLL. The best thing is I can get away with buying chicken parts because the excess bones I just remove and freeze for later when something like pork tenderloin goes on sale and I need it 🙂 Makes deal shopping really worth while! Publix always has leg quarters for $1.49/lb when you buy 4 lb or more.

[Naturella]

Akari, sorry to butt in here, but I have really been thinking about switching Bruno to raw next year or so, when his food supply is out… Or when hubs feel like we can “afford” it. I did the math, and he would need just under 3 lbs of meat/bone/organ per week if I am giving 2.75% of his body weight in raw, which is not terrible.

So, my question is, did you stop using a premix? Do you feed just solely raw now?

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Naturella.

[Mary M]

Hi,
I just discovered a new brand called “Small Batch.” They are a small company based in the Bay area of California. I’m not sure if the food is sold outside the west coast, but they certainly use high-quality ingredients. They make raw patties, and dehydrated meat treats (jerky). My dog loved the turkey jerky (notoriously picky girl). Would love to at least see a review of this food on the website.

[Lori E]

We have been battling allergies with our 5 yr rottie for 2 years. After many vets and specialists, we are trying a holistic approach. We have her on raw goat milk and grain free and potato free Acana Grasslands. We have been told that it will take approx 7 weeks to see any changes. We are on week 2. The main symptoms are puffy and itchy eyes, excessive licking of paws, and “fly catching” syndrome. Any feedback is welcome.

[puppypiles]

If you’re interested in making your own food or dehydrating it, I suggest looking at http://www.dogaware.com/articles/newsdiet.html#recipestudy. It’s an article about the research and nutrient deficiencies in homemade diets, and links to where you can get supplementation.

I also agree with Akari in that feeding a purely raw (especially PMR) is easy if your calculations are correct. The very basic rule of thumb with dogs is 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, and 10% organs, with 5% of that being liver, and the other 5% being another secreting organ, such as kidneys or pancreas.

[Akari_32]

It’s very easy to ensure your dog gets a proper diet on a raw diet. You just have to do the calculations right. Better yet, each and every meal does not have to completely balanced. The concept is to balance over time. I makes life much simpler. For example, if I were to balance each and every meal for my 7.8 pound dog, he would get less than one half of an ounce of bone at every meal. He’d totally choke on that (not the brightest of creatures)! Instead, he gets a decent sized chicken bone a few days a week.

Also, I feel it’s hard to ensure they are getting everything by using veggies rather than organs. Dogs to not fully digest plant matter, even when it’s cooked and puréed, but they do digest the organs, which is where they get all of their neccessary vitamins and minerals.

(Most) Dogs are perfectly capable of handling “questionable” meat. Their stomach acid has such a low ph that not much can survive in there. I know many raw feeders up north bring carcasses into their yards and let their dogs eat off of it until all eatable parts are gone. There is where knowing your dog comes in, and knowing what they can handle and what they like.

The only down side I find to making up raw meals for my dog and cat is the freezer space. We do not have the room available for even a small freezer, so the humans and animals share a freezer. This isn’t a problem with most people, though.

The problem with what you are suggesting is that your idea is really not that much better than kibble. Dogs to not need rice, or pumpkin, or any veggies. Sure many dogs like these things, but they are of little value as far as nutrition goes. If you were to just dehydrate meat and organs, that would be different. So long as bones were also offered, that is. Bones are neccessary because they provide glucosamine and calcium, among other things. They can be replaced with bone meal, egg shell, or a calcium suppliment, but then you loose the added “work out” and teeth cleaning benefit when the dog chews them. Also, unpreserved dehydrated meat does go bad, and would need to frozen and used from the fridge. So there’s still that.

It is an interesting idea, you just aren’t quite looking at the whole picture. 🙂

[Eugene L]

Hi guys,

This is my first post. Greetings to all.

I have an Akita which have a pretty sensitive stomach. We have tried some “high range” dog food and BARF. There are some pros and cons between the two.

commercial dog food : consistent nutrition amount, easy to feed and storage. But you have no control on the source of the raw product or additive.

BARF : total control of the source and raw product. But making consistent nutrition value each meal is not easy, feeding is more messy and storage is a huge problem as all the cooking, freezing, thawing creates complication on contamination and rotting. Bones are sometimes not recommended if your puppy do not chew properly.

I am thinking of a solution that have the best of both world.
First Dehydrating the meat, bone and veg product that rots easily. Then mill them to fine grains so each meal can be a cup of meal mix and 1/4 cup of veg fix or something like that. mix the powder with rice or pumpkin puree when feeding. Is it a good idea?

So comparing to BARF, no more freezing and thawing, you just need some rice/pumpkin available which is much more easier. Less chance of contamination as very low water content and can be easily stored. All we need to do is dehydrating a large batch of ingredient and milling them like each month.

Any thoughts on that?

[a c]

Hello,
I have been reading this forums for a while now. It really convinced me to start feeding my i dog raw and I thank all of you for that.
Right now Im trying to find a nice superfood mix. I came across this and was wondering what people think about it. I didn’t come across any ingredients which are harmful. It is called pHresh Greens Raw Alkalizing Superfood. http://shop.phreshproducts.com/phresh-greens-1-month-supply/
The diet I feed my dog looks like this. He is a male, 55lb 9 month old pit mix.
AM – 1lb chicken grind
PM – 1lb chicken grind
– 1/2lb of tripe and eggs every 2-3 days
– Carlson cod liver oil, 1 pill every 2 days
– Carlson salmon oil, 1 pill every day
– Coconut oil, 4-5 teaspoon every day
– apple cider vinegar, 1 garlic clove 2-3 times a week.
I am trying to find good superfood mix and also to supplement with some probiotics, either kefir or yoghurt. I can get them both from the farmers market. Would that be necessary or any store-bought will be just fine?
Thank you

[SdianeM M]

Last week was my first time posting since I was just about to take the plunge and begin my pup on a new way of feeding. Yes, I was a bit apprehensive about this change, but with everything I have read, I knew this was the answer to her yeast issues.
I came across a raw food manufactured in Norcross, GA called AllProvide … Being the apprehensive person I am (and after having something horrible happen to my pup before Sadie), I am very protective and cautious. I called this company to ask questions in regards to their food, I expected to hear from customer service and hear the same chat that lacks the personal touch — was I ever surprised when I was able to speak with one of the owners of the company! Not only did he answer all my questions, but he even emailed me with a list of medications that he has tried with his dog. Wow! I could not believe it!
The rest of the weekend I researched and tried to find reviews, etc. When I called them back in regards to reviews, they offered to send me a free sample of their food. Another Wow moment — who does this in this day and time?
I happened to find two other ladies that wanted to try the food too, so we all went into this at the same time and wanted to compare our findings. This is what I have found: from the very first feeding my Sadie started sleeping all night, her yeast issues are clearing up – they are very minimal right now, and she has lost that musty smell! She absolutely loves the food — she has gone from a dog that would pick and eat her kibbles, to a dog that is downright greedy and in love with her food.
I spoke to both of the other ladies who happen to have smaller pups than Sadie, but both have reported that their picky eaters are now anxiously waiting in the kitchen for their food. All have accepted the food very easily, with minimal problems. One had a touch of diarrhea, but the lady was able to overcome the problem very easy.
Yesterday I spoke with Dr. Judy Morgan, DVM – Holistic Vet in regards to Sadie, and explained to her the new diet that I have placed Sadie on. Dr. Morgan has authored a book on making dog food and dog nutrition, but she did tell me that 1/2 of her clients are on the home cooked meals, while the other 1/2 is on a commercial raw food. She said how she recommends 3 different companies to her clients for the raw … I told her about All Provide, and while we were talking she pulled up their website and studied it. She was very impressed with what she saw, and was even more impressed with their prices. At the end of our conversation she told me that she was going to start recommending this company to her patients. That, my people, meant a whole lot to me — I highly respect Dr. Judy Morgan’s decisions.
There are several ways to offset the cost of the food on their website: you can join and earn reward discounts by liking their page, sharing their page, etc. You can also earn discounts by recommending it to your friends … if you recommend the food and they give your name when placing an order, you each get a $10 discount … pretty cool!
I would like to ask that if you decide to try this company that you please consider giving my name as the person that referred you … my 53 lb. fur baby and I would really appreciate it. Looks like Sadie is trying to work overtime on ways to make me feel sorry for her and feed her more! Just put in my name: Diane Miller
Here’s the website for All Provide — http://www.allprovide.com

[SdianeM M]

Last week was my first time posting since I was just about to take the plunge and begin my pup on a new way of feeding. Yes, I was a bit apprehensive about this change, but with everything I have read, I knew this was the answer to her yeast issues.
I came across a raw food manufactured in Norcross, GA called AllProvide … Being the apprehensive person I am (and after having something horrible happen to my pup before Sadie), I am very protective and cautious. I called this company to ask questions in regards to their food, I expected to hear from customer service and hear the same chat that lacks the personal touch — was I ever surprised when I was able to speak with one of the owners of the company! Not only did he answer all my questions, but he even emailed me with a list of medications that he has tried with his dog. Wow! I could not believe it!
The rest of the weekend I researched and tried to find reviews, etc. When I called them back in regards to reviews, they offered to send me a free sample of their food. Another Wow moment — who does this in this day and time?
I happened to find two other ladies that wanted to try the food too, so we all went into this at the same time and wanted to compare our findings. This is what I have found: from the very first feeding my Sadie started sleeping all night, her yeast issues are clearing up – they are very minimal right now, and she has lost that musty smell! She absolutely loves the food — she has gone from a dog that would pick and eat her kibbles, to a dog that is downright greedy and in love with her food.
I spoke to both of the other ladies who happen to have smaller pups than Sadie, but both have reported that their picky eaters are now anxiously waiting in the kitchen for their food. All have accepted the food very easily, with minimal problems. One had a touch of diarrhea, but the lady was able to overcome the problem very easy.
Yesterday I spoke with Dr. Judy Morgan, DVM – Holistic Vet in regards to Sadie, and explained to her the new diet that I have placed Sadie on. Dr. Morgan has authored a book on making dog food and dog nutrition, but she did tell me that 1/2 of her clients are on the home cooked meals, while the other 1/2 is on a commercial raw food. She said how she recommends 3 different companies to her clients for the raw … I told her about All Provide, and while we were talking she pulled up their website and studied it. She was very impressed with what she saw, and was even more impressed with their prices. At the end of our conversation she told me that she was going to start recommending this company to her patients. That, my people, meant a whole lot to me — I highly respect Dr. Judy Morgan’s decisions.
There are several ways to offset the cost of the food on their website: you can join and earn reward discounts by liking their page, sharing their page, etc. You can also earn discounts by recommending it to your friends … if you recommend the food and they give your name when placing an order, you each get a $10 discount … pretty cool!
I would like to ask that if you decide to try this company that you please consider giving my name as the person that referred you … my 53 lb. fur baby and I would really appreciate it. Looks like Sadie is trying to work overtime on ways to make me feel sorry for her and feed her more! Just put in my name: Diane Miller
Here’s the website for All Provide — http://www.allprovide.com

[SdianeM M]

Last week was my first time posting since I was just about to take the plunge and begin my pup on a new way of feeding. Yes, I was a bit apprehensive about this change, but with everything I have read, I knew this was the answer to her yeast issues.

I came across a raw food manufactured in Norcross, GA called AllProvide … Being the apprehensive person I am (and after having something horrible happen to my pup before Sadie), I am very protective and cautious. I called this company to ask questions in regards to their food, I expected to hear from customer service and hear the same chat that lacks the personal touch — was I ever surprised when I was able to speak with one of the owners of the company! Not only did he answer all my questions, but he even emailed me with a list of medications that he has tried with his dog. Wow! I could not believe it!

The rest of the weekend I researched and tried to find reviews, etc. When I called them back in regards to reviews, they offered to send me a free sample of their food. Another Wow moment — who does this in this day and time?

I happened to find two other ladies that wanted to try the food too, so we all went into this at the same time and wanted to compare our findings. This is what I have found: from the very first feeding my Sadie started sleeping all night, her yeast issues are clearing up – they are very minimal right now, and she has lost that musty smell! She absolutely loves the food — she has gone from a dog that would pick and eat her kibbles, to a dog that is downright greedy and in love with her food.

I spoke to both of the other ladies who happen to have smaller pups than Sadie, but both have reported that their picky eaters are now anxiously waiting in the kitchen for their food. All have accepted the food very easily, with minimal problems. One had a touch of diarrhea, but the lady was able to overcome the problem very easy.

Yesterday I spoke with Dr. Judy Morgan, DVM – Holistic Vet in regards to Sadie, and explained to her the new diet that I have placed Sadie on. Dr. Morgan has authored a book on making dog food and dog nutrition, but she did tell me that 1/2 of her clients are on the home cooked meals, while the other 1/2 is on a commercial raw food. She said how she recommends 3 different companies to her clients for the raw … I told her about All Provide, and while we were talking she pulled up their website and studied it. She was very impressed with what she saw, and was even more impressed with their prices. At the end of our conversation she told me that she was going to start recommending this company to her patients. That, my people, meant a whole lot to me — I highly respect Dr. Judy Morgan’s decisions.

There are several ways to offset the cost of the food on their website: you can join and earn reward discounts by liking their page, sharing their page, etc. You can also earn discounts by recommending it to your friends … if you recommend the food and they give your name when placing an order, you each get a $10 discount … pretty cool!

I would like to ask that if you decide to try this company that you please consider giving my name as the person that referred you … my 53 lb. fur baby and I would really appreciate it. Looks like Sadie is trying to work overtime on ways to make me feel sorry for her and feed her more! Just put in my name: Diane Miller

Here’s the website for All Provide — http://www.allprovide.com

[puppypiles]

While generally I agree that starting a commercial raw first is the best idea, it’s pretty cost prohibitive with a dog as large as your. Prey model raw can be done exceedingly cheaply, IF you know what to get and where to look.

[MaggiesDad]

Have a look at http://www.allprovide.com – although a commercial food, it is raw with all natural ingredients and supplements to give your dogs all they need. Its a good place to start whilst you get the hang of DIY 🙂

[jakes mom]

There’s a whole forum devoted to raw feeding, lots of great info there and lots of knowledgeable people. I do give my dog and cats some raw food, have not transitioned to only raw yet. Part raw and kibble is fine. Some say the difference in digesting the two types of food can cause a GI problem but I think that idea has been mostly debunked. Check out the raw feeding forum, I think you’ll like it. Good luck.

[puppypiles]

This is all really excellent! I appreciate everyone’s input.

I think I have been lucky in that I have had managers and worked in stores that dedicated significant time to training their employees. One store I worked at had great relationships with food reps, so we got news and info about their foods as it was happening. For example, when I found out that Nature’s Variety was changing their frozen raw to distinct dog and cat formulas, I went immediately to a raw feeding Facebook group and told everyone. No one believed me cause it hadn’t come into stores yet! But I had a good chuckle when it did start integrating into stores.

Have there been other instances where you needed to correct store employees? Or when you spoke to the customers after the employees helped them and helped them instead?

[InkedMarie]

I have been at PetCo, overhearing employees talking about dog food. I have yet to find one who knows what they’re talking about. I did correct an employee who told someone tht Freshpet is raw. It’s not raw, its cooked then cooled’

We have a local pet store who has mostly teenagers to early 20’s employees. They don’t know much. I overheard someone saying ‘corn is fine for allergies” & I butted in.

I wish all employees were trained but who’s going to train them? I haven’t met many managers who really knew about dog food either.

I do frequent some boutique pet stores & they DO know.

[Abe A]

First I want to thank Mike for setting up this site. Great job! We have a 1 year old puppy who is healthy. We have been feeding her Blue Wilderness product and she recently stopped eating two meals a day and going to 1 meal a day. We switch per the recommendation of friends, a local pet store, and the vet said…try a raw meat diet.

We purchased Orijen Adult Food Kibble and then Stella and Chewy raw food. WOW!!!!! she devoured the food over the past three days.

Questions:

1.) We are thinking about transitioning her to Raw meat diet. Any thoughts or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

2.) Is it ok to give her a combo kibble/raw meat in the morning meal and then a full raw meat dinner? Frankly, I do not think she even cares about the dry kibble food. She wants the meat.

Thank you,

Abe

[Mike A]

Hi everybody, my name is Mike and Im an owner of a almost 3 year old Boxer. I’ve come here for advise on how to deal with pancreatitis.

So, as I mentioned before I have a Boxer named Kolbie and shes 3 years old and weighs in about 65 pounds. She has had an issue with an upset tummy, arched up back, drueling, and wont eat from time to time the past year or so. It always seemed to clear up by days end so we never thought too much of it and it didnt happen very often. As of late, the instances increased and she has since been diagnosed with pancreatitis. We were feeding her Taste of the Wild, and Mother Hubbard peanut butter flavored treats. We would also put peanut butter in her kong for her as an extra treat also and this was a daily thing. I would also give her marrow bones to chew on and have since learned the marrow is high in fat.
She has been on Purina HA now for almost 6 weeks as prescribed by our vet and we have cut out all the extra stuff and the pancreatitis episodes have stopped. I have been adding boiled chicken and rice to the food to make it more appetizing for her. I have noticed since being on the food she has lost about 3 pounds, her coat has dulled and she seems to be shedding more. I would like to get her off this food and back to a better diet but I have no idea where to start. A raw diet is not possible for me to do on a daily basis so I would like to feed her a high quality kibble and I dont mind adding boiled chicken and rice to it if thats a good thing to do.
I was going to put her back on TOTW and nix all the other fatty stuff but after reading the bad reviews from forum members I am reluctant. So I guess what I am getting at is I need some help to choose a quality food and treat to keep my pup healthy and happy.
Thanks for reading and I’ll be happy for any advise and suggestions.

[John M]

in case nobody knows this apparently appears to be a thing and appears to be superior to all of these things.

http://www.rawmeatybones.com/petowners/feedyourdogrmb.php

okay ya do know
/forums/topic/eating-raw-meaty-bones/

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by John M.

[puppypiles]

I know raw and canned are more species appropriate, and I want to continue feeding him this way. It is however hard for me to feed him a can at 7am, and not be home until 8pm. If he’s tired of that flavor, the can of food has sat out for 13 hrs, and that’s 13 hrs that he hasn’t eaten. Plus who can have a social life when they have to be home every morning and every night on the dot to give him food? I want to give him the option of being able to eat when he needs to, and not have to schedule everything around canned diet.

As far as cost goes, he is the pickiest gosh darn cat in the whole universe, and one can he might have loved 3 days ago no sits uneaten. He has actually been diagnosed with anorexia by 2 separate, excellent vets, and has a standing prescription of mirtazapine, an appetite stimulant.

[Akari_32]

Since dry food isn’t species appropriate, and can cause some serious health issues anyways, if he doesn’t want to eat it, don’t make him. Dry is especially dangerous for males if they don’t get enough water. If we were talking going from dry to canned, and he didn’t want to eat the canned, I’d say keep bribing him, but there are more cost effective ways to feed a cat than introducing dry food. Brands that typically offer coupons for canned food are Halo, Wellness, Holistic Select, Blue Buffalo, and if you dig, there are many more…. I can tell you right now that you can get 5.5 oz cans of Halo Vigor for free at PetCo with the coupon Halo has on their website. I fed my cat for $20 a month on canned with coupons. Now I’m doing it with raw, and he loves it 🙂

[weezerweeks]

Dumb question but I have an ant hill in my back yard where Bailey plays. It is under the straw so I can put something on it and water it in and put the straw back but I am paranoid about chemicals. Does anyone know of something safe I can put on them. Thanks

[puppypiles]

My cat has been on an all wet and raw diet since he was about 8 months old, and he’s nearly 3. He’s the picture of health, very svelte, and the vets just love him.

However, I am interested in adding some dry food into his diet. This is for several reasons.

Firstly, it’s a cost issue. Feeding high quality wet and raw foods (Weruva, Natural Balance, Earthborn, Rad Cat, Feline Naturals) is pretty pricey, and dry food, even the highest quality, is significantly cheaper per pound.

Secondly, I work in retail and work long hours (50+ a week). When you’re only feeding wet foods, it’s difficult to leave some out as it will go bad. I’d like to give him the option of having SOMETHING there if he gets hungry.

I realize the diet I’m feeding him now is a good one and dry food is not as good for a cat as wet and raw. My intention is to find a food he likes so it can be used in an emergency, and up to 25% of his current diet.

When he was younger and eating some dry, he ate California Natural Grain Free chicken. I haven’t tried that again, but I did try some Orijen red meat, which he totally snubbed. He also hates all things fish, and only eats canned/raw foods with poultry, lamb, or beef.

[puppypiles]

I would check with your vet and maybe also THK. They say you can mix premade raw with their base mixes, and I don’t think that would be much different than the supplemental cans like Wellness 95%.

[InkedMarie]

Hi Chrissy,
I buy it ground from both Hare Today and Reel Raw Dog.

[Dori]

In my opinion, and that’s all it is, I would change their food. They’ve been on this particular food for a long enough time that you know they are not losing weight. Feeding them at the low end (25% below their intake plus on the low side) could cause health issues of another sort. Recommended guide lines of manufactured dog foods will mean that more or a little less, they will get their nutritional needs from that food given the approx. amount they recommend. If you are always given them less then or at the lowest end of recommendation could possibly lead to nutritional deficiencies.

My suggestion would be go find a 4 or 5 star rated quality food from a reputable company with a moderate to high protein, moderate fat and low carbs and I wouldn’t feed any of the foods on THE list. I checked almost all of those foods earlier today and they are all low in fat and high in carbs.

I may have mentioned that I have three toy breed dogs that I keep on the lean side. I feed them all commercial raw diets. I rotate proteins and brands. Commercial raw dog foods are all very high protein, high fat and low carbs. I don’t have to adjust the amount of food that I feed them going from one to the other commercial raw food because they are all accustomed to high protein and fat diets with low carbs. As a matter of fact there are times that I will feed them more than their normal amounts to get a little more weight on them. My feeding method for them is that I feed them between 2.5% and 3% of their body weight. I bought a cheap digital kitchen scale on Amazon. I think it’s a more precise way of knowing that you’re feeding them the correct amount of food each of them needs. I’ve never liked measuring dry kibble (when I used to feed it to them over three years ago) because not all dry foods are the same exact size so that the cup size will always vary somewhat in the amount your feeding them.

[Dori]

Please don’t suggest any foods that contain any form of rosemary in it. Rosemary and Rosemary extract have been known to trigger seizures in seizure prone dogs even if they’ve never had a seizure before. There have been studies that have confirmed this for humans. My step daughter has suffered from epilepsy after a car accident many years ago and she was told to avoid rosemary. She, of course, is on seizure medication because hers were constant and severe. No studies, to my or my vets knowledge, have been done so far on canines and due to the cost may never get done. I know vets do site the human studies and feel that it’s probably best not to feed a dog with seizures or possibly seizures in the canine family background rosemary and rosemary extract with the thought that this would also carry over into the canine world. If home cooking or giving dogs leftovers for meals they should not contain any rosemary either. Why chance it. Better safe than sorry as the saying goes.

A good kibble that doesn’t contain rosemary (but please double check any and all recommendations) is Nature’s Logic. I know the sardine formula doesn’t contain it.

Nature’s Variety Instinct kibbles do contain rosemary and/or rosemary extract so please do not recommend that kibble. I do feed the Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Foods but they don’t contain rosemary. At least not the ones that I feed.

[Judy P]

What about The Honest Kitchen dehydrated food? There are numerous choices including at least 3 grain free and including numerous minerals and supplements. Also, for kibble, what about Great Life and Pioneer Natural (made by Great Life)? I prefer to feed raw and dehydrated but the ingredients in these two grain free kibbles certainly seem far above the norm.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Linda:
I am always on the lookout for average to low fat commercial raw foods. I find most recipes too high in fat. Good or bad fat it’s in there and I want the majority of my dog’s calories to be from protein not fat. Here’s an article on fat in commercial raw foods:
/choosing-dog-food/raw-dog-food-fat/

From my list I only have one food that may fit your needs Primal Frozen Venison. On a dry matter basis using the numbers from their site it is about 16% fat. Their Frozen Rabbit recipe is also low fat (17% DMB), but you mentioned rabbit might not agree with your dog.

You might consider making your own raw if you are unable to find a suitable commercial diet. Here is a list of books for making raw and home cooked diets:
http://www.dogaware.com/diet/bookreviews.html

Since your dog is not too thrilled eating TOTW kibble maybe try another brand or have you ever thought about supplementing with canned instead? Here are some low-fat canned foods I feed Wellness Core Weight Management, Innova Large Breed Sr., and Weruva’s Marbella Paella, Paw Lickin’ Chicken, and Bed and Breakfast recipes. On Weruva’s site they list their nutrition information in dry matter basis. Other low-fat canned foods I want to try are Fromm’s Four Star Shredded Chic or Beef and Petsmart’s Simply Nourish bisque or stew foods.

Feeding a balanced diet is important, however if my dog had a health issue it would definitely be priority for me. Regarding Sojos foods and mixes there have been comments posted on DFA about the vegetables coming out of their dog as they went in and lack of info on their labels. Some posters suggested grinding the mix before feeding it. You can do a search for comments on Sojos here’s one thread:
/forums/topic/sojo-premix/

Concerns have also been posted about The Honest Kitchen foods and mixes. Posters have commented on digestibility issues, label accuracy, feeding recommendations, and questionable information provided by customer service and the owner of the company. Check out the comment sections on the review side for more info:
/dog-food-reviews/honest-kitchen-grain-free/
/dog-food-reviews/honest-kitchen-dog-food/

Good luck!

[DogFoodie]

Hi Joanne,

I’m not a Merrick fan, but know others who do who haven’t had issues. Personally, I chose not to use their products.

You can only get Timberwolf via mail order and that might be inconvenient for your sister. I once ordered some samples of Timberwolf and was disappointed that the samples I bought were so close to expiring and that the ingredients were different that those listed on the website. Maybe I bought my samples in between the updating of the website or something. Either way, I chose not to use it further.

Personally, if one of my dogs had ever had a seizure, I’d avoid rosemary at all costs. There is enough evidence to support that it can cause seizures in those dogs that are seizure prone.

Like I said before over on the review side, I’ve always like Canine Caviar. They’re in the process of changing some recipes. So, if you go that route, I’d make sure to look at the new foods and be sure that’s what you’re using because the old formulas will no longer be available soon.

Will your sister be feeding a rotational diet? I feed both of my dogs a rotational diet of all kinds of kibble, canned, dehydrated, raw and fresh, whole foods. That’s one of the ways I satisfy my passion for trying all those great foods that are available out there! Plus, it provides a more complete nutritional profile and limits exposure to less desirable ingredients – especially ingredients like carb sources; ie: grains, potatoes, peas and other legumes.

Edit: I was just recalling that I believe Timberwolf may be available in some retail outlets. I live in the Chicago area and have never seen it in a store near me.

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by DogFoodie.

[Chrissy L]

InkedMarie- when you say you feed ground raw do you grind it yourself? Or do you purchase it?

[crazy4cats]

Hi Kevin-
So far treats have not been rated on this site. I too have dogs that like to gnaw. Bully sticks are their favorite. My dogs each get one 6 inch bully per week. I have to attach them to vice grips to make sure they are not swallowed. I have 80lb golden labs. I mostly buy the Cadet brand at Costco with no issues for the last 3 years. If Costco is out, I have bought them from best bullysticks.com.
I also give them large raw marrow bones, pig ears, and most recently Fish beams from THK occasionally.
Another thing they enjoy is when we prepare a kong for them. You can stuff one with canned food, pumpkin, wet kibble or any combination of ingredients they like and then freeze it. This is the most time consuming chew toy I’ve come up with for them. Unfortunately, I rarely take the time to do it. Lol! 🙂
I hope you get some ideas that work for you.

[Susan]

Hi, I don’t know many American raw diets… Barf has their Kangaroo 3% fat, 11% dry matter (kibble) that’s low in fat & a new one has just come out called Barf lite or Honest Kitchen ZEAL is suppose to be good.. http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal

[Dori]

In all seriousness I would start feeding your dog a commercial raw diet. Also if she continues to vomit, diarrhea and not eat during the weekend you need to start administering plain, non flavored Pedialite which you can buy over the counter at any pharmacy or grocery store in the baby/infant aisles. Also purchase a syringe. If she won’t drink it, then start administering small amounts, maybe 3cc’s at intervals. You need to keep her electrolytes in check. Make sure it’s plain unflavored so that it doesn’t contain any sugars.

[crazy4cats]

Hi All-

Just received an email informing me that Primal Pet Foods is voluntarily recalling a single lot of Raw Frozen Feline Turkey Formula 3 lb. size.

Akari-
Something that helped us with the open door issue is to add a screen door that automatically shuts when you let go of it. That way when you are bringing in groceries and such, it closes behind us. But, it doesn’t help when someone stands there holding it open. (my mother!) LOL!

[Linda M]

I have a 14 y/o bRat Terrier whose has been on Stella & Chewy’s frozen patties since late last summer. Since switching her to raw, her Trygycerides have been rising, but I was alarmed when they doubled on her last blood panel (they are now at 2200). The rest of her blood panel is normal, aside from an elevated Liver ALP (now at 174…but that is down from 600 about 4 years ago, thanks to a daily dose of Denamarin).

Her weight fluctuates between 18 and 20 pounds. She is sedentary for the most part (sleeps most of the day while we are working), but otherwise has tons of energy and always happy to go for walks (thankful that Chicago weather is finally breaking and we can get some exercise again).

She has always had a heart murmur (around a Grade 2 for most of her life)…about 3 years ago we were told it was a 3 borderline 4…last summer she started coughing and the vet told us her murmur was a 4 borderline 5 and she was in the early stages of Congestive Heart Failure. She was put on a daily dose of Enalapril (2.5mg twice per day) and Vetmedin (5 mg. per day split into two doses). That was also when we switched her to a raw diet, and within weeks her cough disappeared. That was last September…at her visit this past week, she no longer shows any signs of CHF and her murmur is now at a 2 borderline 3…the vet is shocked and amazed that her murmur has improved and told us that he wouldn’t believe us if hadn’t seen it for himself…he says murmurs NEVER improve. He is skeptical of the raw food, however, I attribute her improvement to the change in diet more than anything (not to say the meds haven’t helped…I have no doubt they have).

This is a dog who shed like crazy until switching her to Raw – now she barely loses any hair and her coat is thick and shiny. The muscle mass along her spine was deteriorating (you could see her pointy spine bones sticking up along her back) and she was developing spondylosis…with a “clicking” sound that you could also feel along her spine. After a month on raw, her bones no longer protruded through her back and now she can once again race up & down the stairs and on the furniture (to my dismay)…the clicking is gone. Raw had done wonders for her health, and I’m sold on it being the best for her.

She is, however, sensitive to birds…no chicken, duck, pheasant or we start dealing with itching along her lips and paws that quickly devolves into infections. We have been rotating her on beef, venison, lamb & rabbit (tho I have my concerns about the rabbit being an issue with her lip…so lately I’ve avoided feeding it to her).

She is fed strictly 2 1/2 small patties of Stella & Chewy’s twice per day, 12 hrs apart…and her only treats are carrot chips. I keep a bag of Taste of the Wild Lamb on hand…I leave handfuls of them in her bowl to eat at her leisure if she get’s hungry between meals, but she rarely touches it (unless I’m late with a feeding).

Because of her high triglycerides, my vet would like to get her onto a lower fat diet. He suggested kibbles & prescription kibbles…but I will not go down that road again…Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein nearly brought her to the brink of a malnourished death prior to Raw…no way I will go back.

So…any suggestions on how to lower the fat content while still keeping her on raw and not feeding any “crap” foods?

My working theory is to use SOJOS grain-free fruit & veggie mix (the kind you rehydrate with water) and combine that with 1 Stella & Chewys patty per day (half 1.5 oz patty at each feeding). I am having a difficult time working out how much of each to feed her while keeping the fat under 15%, the protein and fiber in a higher range, and the calorie amounts appropriate for her size/age & slower-pace lifestyle. Would love to see all of her blood panel numbers in the normal range at her next test…not just for her sake, but to prove to the vet how beneficial this raw diet has been.

ANY suggestions or help would be GREATLY appreciated!!

• This topic was modified 11 years ago by Linda M.
• This topic was modified 11 years ago by Linda M.

[DogFoodie]

I’ve used the VE tripe treats. The dogs love ’em. There are gobs in a big bag, too. Most are pretty well sized, but some are scrawny.

[InkedMarie]

I use ground raw so I won’t be of much help. If you’re on fb, look for some raw feeding groups. There are also non fb raw groups too. I stopped feeding marrow bones as I had a dog crack two teeth & he gnawed on marrow bones & Nylabones; I’ve stopped both. I now use beef rib bones.

[Dori]

Riley and Molly. If she is your only dog then there is no reason why you could not afford to feed her a good quality commercial raw diet. I have a Maltese, a Maltipoo and a Yorkipoo. They have all been on a rotation of commercial raw diets for the past three years and all are doing phenomenally well. A toy or small breed dog does not need a different diet or food than a regular dog other than a large breed dog puppy that needs less calcium in its growing years.

[Akari_32]

He said with out knowing exactly what is causing the levels to be so high (which would require testing and such), he couldn’t say for sure if she would be ok to be put under or not. He said they could be high because of the state of her mouth, or because of something else, such as cancer. My thought is that they are probably that high because of this infection that she’s had for who knows how long, most of her life, I’m sure. Antibiotics are no longer helping her. We just finished a $25 week of Clavamox, with no change at all. The free 250mg Omoxacylin (how ever the crap you spell it… lol) did more than the Clavamox did.

I think detoxing first would be a good idea. But that would then involve more blood tests later down the road… Ugh, so much money D: What would the risks be of detoxing for a while and then doing the dental with out another set of blood work?

I posted a brief history of more or less whats been posted in this thread on RCF Chat (Off topic sister group to the Raw Feeding Community group on Facebook) and the general consensus is that I should just bite the bullet and do the dental. Actually, no one thats replied said I shouldn’t do it. In the end, it is moms choice, and she’s really upset about the results of her blood work, and would devastated if anything happened to her while she was under the anesthetic. She’s pretty much at the no-dental-ever-put-her-on-medicatcation-to-fix-her-liver-and-kidney-functions point right now.

[Anonymous]

I loved the raw frozen beef marrow bones as a treat, once or twice a week for my dogs.
My medium sized dog is fine with them, however my poodle developed pain and discomfort (nausea, vomiting, shivering), she liked to grind the bone into small fragments and consume…..well x-ray showed calcified material in her stomach and colon. Luckily it passed on it’s own, however if I give this dog a bone, I have to watch her carefully and remove the bone before she gets down to the nitty gritty.
Proceed with caution.
PS: I prefer to lightly cook meat, chicken…as I cannot afford fresh killed organic meat.
I buy from the reduced price section at the local supermarket and often freeze first.
I had a meat grinder, I recently took it to the Goodwill…not worth the trouble, imo