[Bobby dog]

Jakes mom:
HAHA!! It’s been so long since I have talked to you it’s the least I can do. And you know me, I have a million things bookmarked and I love to post links! lol

Good thing we have our living garbage disposals for unwanted cat food, AKA our dogs.

I can’t wait to hear how it goes, so don’t forget about us on the cat rec thread. I have too many things I want to try, this brand is definitely at the top for Bobby and the cats. I will go with the cooked food version for the cats. They just don’t care for raw. I will be buying the SSLL dinner mix when it’s back on the market. I was going to buy a bag before he stopped selling it on his site, but I thought what if I like the old version over the new. So I figured if I never feed it I won’t know anything about the old.

[jakes mom]

Bobbydog, you’re costing me $$ lol! I started this asking about mixes for Jake but you gave me the link for KBPF and I just ordered cat premix! I got a trial size of both raw and cooked mix, since I don’t know how this will go over with the kitties. Jake has a lot of kibble bags in the pantry so I’ll think about him when and if I order more cat mixes. A few of the cats like raw chicken/turkey so they’ll probably go for the raw but I’m not sure about the others so I decided to try a cooked premix too. If all fails, Jake has toppers for a while. With 5 cats I’m constantly lugging home cases of cat food and if they like this it might be a tad more expensive but better for them and easier for me.

[Akari_32]

Only when cooked. Raw bones are generally very safe. However, some dogs are terrible chewers. Always supervise when giving any sort of chew, and take it away if you feel the dog isn’t chewing it properly. Bentley is very good at making sure he completely brakes the bone up into tiny piece before eating them. Some dogs get them into several larger pieces, and swallow them down, which is what you don’t want. Nor do you want a dog to chew too strongly on a bone that is too dense and break any teeth. Poultry bones and chews are best for small dogs. I also give Bentley pork hocks every now and then, as the bones are very small and soft, and there’s a lot of chewy skin on the outside.

[Peggy]

I have never heard of this Jo. I will definitely try it.

Akari, you mention giving them raw necks, wings, thighs, legs…….. I always thought these bones were too brittle to give a dog?

[Dog_Obsessed]

I also don’t usually give or recommend rawhide, but I had seen a blog post recommending them: http://www.brisbanesbarkblog.com/2014/05/wholesome-hides-are-best-rawhides.html

As you can see, the Whole Dog Journal post is linked to in the blog. Apparently Wholesome Hides have a different build to them than most regular rawhides, which makes them safer. Personally I’d still prefer other natural chews, but if you want rawhide it sounds like this isn’t a bad choice. Of course, with any chew you still have to supervise.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I have the same struggle of Lily refusing to let me brush her teeth. I can sort of brush the front ones, and I can rub toothpaste on, but not much more than that. And this is after trying for several months to acclimate her to it.

I can also support that RMBs are good, even though I don’t give them myself. The idea of “raw” just grosses me out too much. I give Lily Himalayan Dog Chews, which are vegetarian natural chews made out of very hard cheese. I have no idea if they clean teeth, but she loves them anyway and it seems like they could. More on those here: /forums/topic/himalayan-dog-chews/

I don’t really believe that commercial “dental chews” such as Greenies really work, though I suppose they are better than nothing. The ingredients in most of them are really bad. I occasionally give Lily one of the ones with slightly better ingredients as a special treat. There is a topic on Greenies and other commercial dental chews here: /forums/topic/greenies/

Good luck!!! 😀

[DogFoodie]

I don’t buy rawhides and prefer bully sticks also. I’m curious though as you mentioned the product was recommended by Whole Dog Journal. Here’s the link I’m thinking you might’ve read: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/12_5/features/Best-Rawhide-Chews-For-Your-Dog_16120-1.html.

I haven’t read the article yet, but I consider WDJ to be reliable source of information.

[Akari_32]

Is his mouth infected at all? If not, start giving raw meaty bones (like turkey and chicken necks, wings, thighs, and legs– my 8 lb Jack russell mix loves legs!). If the mouth is infected you can give chews like bully sticks and tracheas (you can give these along with RMBs, as well). If there is an infection, you should also consider asking the vet about giving him some antibiotics.

If he will chew any of these things, you will probably end up not even having to a dental.

[crazy4cats]

I prefer not to buy rawhide chews. Have you ever tried bullysticks?

[Christine C]

I’m looking for a good quality rawhide chew. Wholesome Hides was recommended on another “whole” dog website. Does anyone have any experience with these?

http://wholesomehide.com/index.html

Thanks!

[Kristin C]

Bobby dog-they’ll be getting their first rabbit bones in the morning. If all goes well, I’ll probably buy an entire rabbit and just cut it up myself. If it freaks me out I’ll probably just do rabbit grinds in the future.

Re: the dinner mixes. Urban Wolf looks like an awful lot of work to me. Better in the Raw is on my list to try. I’ll check out the CarnivoreRaw.

I’ll post if the rabbit bones go well, or not.

[Bobby dog]

Kristin C: Do you feed your dog rabbit bones?

Hi Jakes Mom:
I haven’t tried a pre-mix yet, but I have several bookmarked. I plan on trying SSLL dinner mix when it’s back on the market in the spring. I haven’t looked at THK dinner mixes. Here are some others:
Urban Wolf
http://www.urbanwolf.cc/
Know Better Pet Food, they sell a trial size bag:
http://www.knowbetterpetfood.com/
CarnivoreRAW
https://www.youngagainpetfood.com/10browse.asp?category=raws

On another topic, KBPF makes dinner mixes for cats…

[Caitlin H]

Hello (:

I have an almost 7m old rough collie pup. I want to start feeding him RMBs, but I’m worried about keeping the calc/phos in check. If I gave him, say, 1 chicken neck every 2 days or so and fed him a bit less kibble on those days would that be ok?

Also, I’m getting some raw green tripe tonight but I’m not sure how much of it to feed. I’d like to give a little bit each day or maybe every other day. He’s getting about 4c/day of kibble, so should I give him a few tablespoons of tripe to supplement or cut out some kibble and give him a more significant portion? Basically, how much should I give him to where he’s reaping the full benefits of it?

Thank you so much to anyone who answers!

[Kristin C]

I think you should stick with one protein per meal if your dog has allergies. Omit one ingredient at a time if you can. I make most of my own food so I guess that’s easy. Raw eggs make my dogs’ eyes run, sweet potato makes them itchy.

[Kristin C]

I use SSLL and I agree with C4C the dog poops are great. I don’t love the color or smell but when I make my own food I carve a hole, dump the SSLL in the center, cover it, and voila a great doggie dinner. I use small mason jars and freeze. Have only tried THK once and I did not love it, there’s a lot of chunks, and it’s dehydrated not raw. Have you looked at Better In The Raw? I may try it when my SSLL runs out.

My dogs are having raw rabbit chunks in the morning topped with sardines:) Their one RMB meal of the week. I am thinking about buying a whole rabbit at Whole Foods and carving it myself.

[Kristin C]

In the future is it possible to identify whether The Editor’s Choice raw picks are treated with HPP? It would be helpful if that’s something you think is important. I was looking at purchasing some Primal and found on their website that some of their products are treated with HPP and some are not. Thankfully the ones I’d like to purchase are not HPP products.

[jakes mom]

Just when I’m thinking about trying to put Jake on raw meat and dinner mixes I find out I can’t get SSLL. What are your opinions on the Honest Kitchen mixes? Price wise and quality wise? And which one? There are 3 to choose from. He’s a 30ish# beagle/bassett mix with no allergy issues or anything, I’m just thinking about better food for him. I’ve upgraded his kibble since I found this site altho I’m glad to know at least I was never giving him the 1 or 2 star stuff! Also added RMBs which he loves, but I’m not quite ready have a freezer full of bunny and quail. So I thought meat and the mix would be a good compromise if it’s not terribly pricey. Would that be comparable to a bag of 4star kibble? I’m betting he might drop a pound or 2 on the new diet, too, which would be good for him. He’s gained a couple of pounds since my other dog went to the bridge, Mom’s overcompensating I guess.

[Kristin C]

Ron-sounds like Blue Buffalo works for you. I thought it worked for me too. I fed my older dog Blue Puppy and then Blue Wilderness over the course of 4 years. I thought it was a premium food, and maybe it was at one point. When we got a new puppy Dec 2013 I naturally transitioned her to Blue Puppy and the shit literally started flying, and the barf. And for several weeks I tried everything I could think of to get her used to the food but it stumped me, never had an issue with my older dog. As I read more about kibble in general it horrified me and I tried the new pup on raw. Voila, no more diarrhea and barfing. So I transitioned my older dog to raw and not only did she lose weight taking her off the Blue Wilderness, but her coat got better and she doesn’t even smell like a dog anymore:) In fact, I feel terrible that I fed my older dog only kibble for as long as I did.

So my point is, maybe you have a dog with a great constitution and it works for you, but The Editor’s Choice is just that, it is The Editor’s Choice and there’s specific criteria he looks at. I signed up for a membership so I could keep track of how the kibble I feed a couple times per week ranks on a regular basis, and to see when any new raw foods make the list. If the kibble I use comes off the list I will most likely look at making a change. The information I have found on the forums, and the answers the other members provide, have been invaluable to me for keeping my fur babies healthy.

[Kristin C]

One of my dog’s ate her poo for the first 4 years. She was on Blue Buffalo (puppy, then wilderness). We switched her to a raw diet last year, along with the occasional Orijen kibble and she no longer eats it. From what I’ve read the flavors in kibble don’t digest and so poop tastes just like kibble to some dogs. Unless your clients are willing to change diet then picking it up right away is about your only option.

[Kristin C]

I can’t seem to find the bad reviews on Reel Raw on this site. I’ve looked for online reviews several times too and there’s not much out there on the company. I agree the 10lbs looked fatty so I have not purchased it again. As I said, the smaller portions look ok but I only order novelty meats. I don’t completely thaw the beef organs, just partially thaw and cut off what I need. Perhaps that’s why I have not experienced the leakage issue. Different products work for different people I guess.

[paz de paws]

Hello Kirstin,

The grinds I ordered from Reel Raw were the 10 lb bags. The packages I received were quite noticeably fatty. I have been buying grinds from other sources and none have ever looked fatty like these do. I did contact Reel Raw about the fatty grind and the holey packaging and received a very short (and late) reply stating that some of their bags do have holes in them and that they only are required to state the minimum fat content to customers.
I wish I had read the previous Raw Reel reviews on this site prior to purchasing. As there are others who have had issues with the fatty grinds also.

[Kristin C]

Hi Paz-did you order the smaller portions, 1 or 2 lbs? Or the the 10 lbs? I’ve ordered from them for about 6 months and I have to say I don’t care for their new packaging. They used to deliver the smaller portions in tubs. I ordered 10 lbs of beef once and noticed a lot of white and I was concerned with the fat content since they don’t post their nutrient data. So now I just order the smaller portions and they actually look ok to me, but I only feed a few meals per week of the novelty meats. I make the rest of my dogs meals with chicken and lean beef from the grocery store. I do order individual beef organs from Reel Raw and haven’t had the leaking issue you have. You may want to email them about it. They are very responsive.

[paz de paws]

I just recently received my first order from Reel Raw. I am quite disappointed in the quality of the meats and packaging. The individual bulk grinds of turkey, beef and chicken are much fattier than any other grinds that I have purchased from Hare Today and My Pet Carnivore . There is more white than red in these grinds indicating too much fat and skin in place of muscle meat and organs. The dogs are eating it but I am only going to serve it every 3-4 days as it is not something I am comfortable feeding them everyday.
I also purchased six 2lb bags of organ meet. Every single bag had holes in it. Some were not noticeable until they began to thaw at which time the blood started streaming out.
I will NOT be making another purchase from Reel Raw.

[InkedMarie]

ground raw isnt cheap any way you look at it, unless you want to go with Blur Ridge Beef

[crazy4cats]

Peggy-

You could still give them more wet food as long as you reduce the amount of dry you are feeding them and the wet food is a complete and balanced formula.

My kitties have a hard time liking reduced fat food as well. I guess it would be like eating plain popcorn after you are used to eating it with butter. LOL! I try to feed my dogs moderate to low fat dry foods because the toppers that I use tend to be a little higher in fat. Such as the canned and frozen raw that I add to their meals.

Sounds like you are making some great changes. It sure is a learning experience isn’t it? Who knew?

[Akari_32]

Also, I’m wondering, for the sake of space, if I order off that prepared meals things Reel Raw has going on, and I doubled his weight on the meal sizes, if that would be more economical, and space-convenient. We don’t have a big freezer, or space for a chest freezer. I can’t help but think of how big the 5 lb packs of hamburger are at work, and how we would have to have 10 of those in our freezer! LOL

[Akari_32]

So I just finished doing up Bentleys tenderloin. 7.85 pounds made him something like 28 meals. Ooh to have a small dog! Aaaaand, I actually made it how you’re supposed to this time and mixed the meat and mix together in a big bowl. I did add about a cup of water to it to mix better, and not be so sticky. I usually do just under a tablespoon per 4-5 oz serving of a chunk (or cubes/pieces if it’s hearts) of meat, so I can’t really pre-measure otherwise. I’ve never bought this much ground meat before (had them throw the whole tenderloin in the grinder– he said right away “are you feeding this to the dog??” I buy too much meat…. Lol) so i never really thought about putting it all together before freezing lol

One thing: I’ve got 11 or 12 days of turkey left. Should I buy some beef or something to hold him off that couple extra days from the pork, or would it be ok to start feeding the pork at the 12-13 day frozen mark?

I never realized exactly how much he got out of a pound of meat. Those 5x 10lb packages I’m gunna have to buy from Reel Raw are going to last him the rest of his life LOL

[InkedMarie]

Akari,
regarding Reel Raw, if you buy in 50 pound increments, free shipping! Those of us in the north east get free shipping 30 pounds and over.

[InkedMarie]

It’s been awhile since I ordered from Reel Raw out of Maine and I could swear their mixes (meat, organ and bone), 10 pounds for $29.99, came in beef and chicken only. I just went to their site and they have those plus pork, turkey and a combo (beef, chicken, turkey and pork).

[Akari_32]

I just opened a bag of SSLL, thankfully. I ordered it sometime in early December. I emailed them to make sure they got my order, and I asked when they were going to have their new products available and they said they didn’t have an exact date just yet. The bag should last about 3 months. I also have a bag of TruDog and some Natures Variety frozen raw if I run out of SSLL before then lol

I meant to find out if I could do local pick up for MPC, but I’m nowhere near close enough anyways lol I don’t even live in the right state for free shipping from Reel Raw! However, 50 lbs for free shipping is fine, I think. I’ll get creative if I have to. I’m also trying to figure out if the pre-made meals are going to be cheaper, or if i can find a decent way to get to 50 lbs for free shipping and still keep it with in my price range. They do this weird free shipping at 50 lbs increments thing lol I’ll have to play with on the computer.

[Akari_32]

Reel Raw does look a bit more expensive. The 10 lb complete ground mixes may be cheaper though, at just $3 a pound. I’d have to recheck on Hare Today. That would last about a month, too, since he only eats about 4 oz a day on SSLL right now, and should eat less on all raw according to the calculator.

How do I find out if I am, HDM? That sounds really good if I could find a place close by to pick up.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Shipping for me is about $1 per pound for Hare’s stuff but it’ll depend on which state you’re located. I’m in the NY and Hare is in PA so that’s why it’s cheaper for me than My Pet Carnivore. Someone living further west would probably be better off ordering from MPC. I’m always weary of any site that offers free shipping on raw, every one I’ve seen just jacks the prices of the products up to compensate for the free shipping and in the end it doesn’t end up saving any money.

[DogFoodie]

Don’t be afraid of a German butcher! They’re the ones who perfected the art!

Growing up, there was a butcher shop where I lived that had a third generation German trained Master Sausage Maker who passed along his skills to his sons. They’ve closed up shop for human products and now make raw dog food. 🙂

You aren’t by chance on the home delivery route for MPC, are you? I can order all I want and pick it up at a designated drop-off site for only $10.

[InkedMarie]

I love Hare but cant tell you about shipping. Make an order, including shiping, to see what the cost is. Look at Reel Raw. If you order a certain amount, there IS free shipping. 10 pounds of beef and chicken complete mix is $30.00 I think.

[crazy4cats]

Ok, I’m back. I was thinking more about the bone broth. Can you use cooked bones to make it? Like can I use the carcass from a Costco rotisserie chicken that we’ve had for dinner to make it? Or, does it have to be raw bones?

[Barbara P]

Hi Dori,

Wow, thank you so much for all the information on raw foods. I will go through them this weekend and determine if any of them work for Colby. I understand about tweaking the basic food to make sure Colby is getting what he needs.

I really appreciate all your time.

Gratefully,
Barbara

[Dori]

Hi Barbara. Sorry I haven’t chimed in sooner, it’s been a very busy day. As I’ve mentioned to you before, it has been a very long road to achieving a quality to Katie’s life. My favorite and most trusted commercial raw foods are: Primal Raw Formulas (the formulas are the only one of their foods that are complete and balanced), Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Foods, Answer’s Detailed Raw Foods (a bit difficult to find but any pet store that carries their raw goats milk should be able to order in the food for you), OC Raw, Stella & Chewy’s (I go back and forth with my feelings about the taste of their food for my dogs but as a company they are top notch), Vital Essential Raw, Nature’s Logic Raw. With all of this said I continue to always be on the look out and continue to tweak Katie’s diet. The companies that I mentioned are the ones that I feel very confident and comfortable with feeding to my dogs; but you always have to be on the look out that if any of these foods you feed to your dog don’t agree with them, look for different ingredients in the foods that may be the culprit. Katie cannot have any fowl whatsoever. Sometimes a food may be labeled “bison”. Please make sure that there is no other animal protein in the food. Sometimes some companies will add chicken fat, turkey fat, or some poultry to up their protein requirements for their label. Also some companies may have an over abundance of peas or some other ingredient which may bother your dogs. I have not found that to be the case with any of the above mentioned companies and foods. I do have to be careful which foods from these different companies I feed my dogs because Katie cannot have poultry of any sort, duck, lamb, quail. I stay away from all those. The only kibble that is fed to my dogs on very rare occasions is Nature’s Logic Kibble. They are not strictly a grain free food because their formulas contain millet which is a pseudo grain. For some bizarre reason Katie, who cannot tolerate any grain whatsoever, doesn’t seem to have any reaction to millet. It started out as an error on my part. I thought Nature’s Logic was a grain free food. It wasn’t after some time that I found it contained millet which I didn’t realize it was grain free. I was looking for a kibble that she might be able to eat because my husband who, on the rare occasion has to feed my dogs, is very squeamish and hubby is a bit on the lazy side, and just wants to be able to scoop a food and pour into their bowls. It doesn’t happen often because I don’t like feeding them kibble. Anyway, if I can be of further help please ask away and I will do my best to answer any and all questions that I can.

Just a quick add on to my post is that I do rotate brands, proteins within brands, etc. etc. My very favorite of all commercial raw foods is Primal. Without a doubt I have no qualms about recommending Primal Formulas. Primals Pronto Formulas are also an easy way for you to transition into commercial raw feeding because they are small little bits that you can scoop out frozen and put in bowls and wait till they soften (approx. 15 minutes) and then feed. I have three dogs…..5 lb. Yorkipoo, 6 lb. Maltipoo and a 7.3 lb. 15 year old Maltese. They have been eating these high protein, moderate to high fat, low carb foods for approx. 3 years. None have developed any issues from eating high protein, moderate to high fat foods. Many will scare people into believing that some foods have too much fat to feed dogs. It’s not the quantity of the fat or the protein for that matter, it is the quality of the fats and proteins in the foods. Huge Huge difference. As I’ve said, I have spent years figuring all this out, researching ingredients, companies, supplements in the foods and I’m very confident that I feed my girls high quality foods with high quality ingredients from companies that I trust implicitly and companies that, to my knowledge and investigation, have never had recalls.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Dori.

[Karen K]

Again, always use FOOD GRADE. The DE for pools and such contains toxic chemicals.
DE is used in grain silos to control weevils & such. It can be taken internally for parasites but will not kill every type of parasite so research this and also the amount to use. It does not require a large amount of DE.
DE kills fleas because it kills exoskeleton pests which also includes roaches, spiders, etc.
It kills them because the sharp edges of the material (think really tiny tiny sand) of the diatoms from which it is made puts cuts in exoskeletons and the bug dehydrates to death.
Works great on Palmetto bugs (think huge roaches) in Florida. I have used it on kittens & puppies. Expose the skin by holding back the hair and powderpuff it on the area around the neck and tail (fleas favorite places). Eventually the fleas will crawl over the area and they are goners. No need to create dust while applying it. The dust is very dangerous if inhaled as it will also cause tiny cuts in lung tissue of any mammal. DE does not kills bugs by chemical action but by a natural method which does not harm mammals as long as they don’t breathe the DE dust in.

[DogFoodie]

How is she found on THK so far? You said you got samples and she’s eaten several varieties?

I have a young Golden who has food intolerance issues, in addition, he has a sensitive digestive system. When he encounters a food to which he’s sensitive, he will frequently have loose stools. Some of the things I have to avoid for him are tomato, chickpeas, lentils, beans and flax. All of those can potentially be irritating to the digestive system for various reasons and produce gas and loose stool. When I can successfully avoid those ingredients, and fish, he’s a happy camper. I would look for foods for your pup that don’t contain those ingredients either due to her digestive system being easily inflamed.

I would try adding a good quality digestive enzyme. I had great luck with Swanson’s BioCore. I’d also offer raw, green tripe which is full of wonderful digestive enzymes. I buy my raw, green tripe at Hare Today.

[bill c]

Thanks Cheryl,

I’m on Honest Kitchen (Zeal…moved from Thrive and Embark due to those twos high fat content) and Acana (changed that too, based on feedback here in the group). You’ll appreciate this. To keep all the wet and dry flakes from messing up his beard i fill Glad bags with the allotted portion, trickle-in some water (filtered of course) shake and mix, then flatten it and stack one on top of the other. The bag-pancakes then go into the freezer. When I feed him, in the morning, I break it up–while its still in the bag–then pour out the little chards into his bowl (on top of his raw, frozen chicken breast) and get it to him before it liquifies. It works wonders. I’ll have to try Primal or Vital. Will see if they have it in the markets here.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Barbara,

Yes, I would suggest that you go back to square one and complete a proper elimination diet. Did you conduct your elimination diet using veterinary guidance? Here’s an article that will give you an idea of what your elimination diet should look like: http://communityvet.net/2010/03/diy-elimination-diet-for-the-dog-an-cat/

Elimination diets take a long time, many months, in fact; and require strict discipline. If your diet wasn’t conducted like the one in the article, it’s time to reconsider starting fresh.

You’ve mentioned some other items that your dog cannot have that you didn’t originally mention. Were those ingredients that you unearthed or did they show up on your dog’s allergy test?

Once you’ve identified his allergies, you can safely begin looking for foods. A raw diet, either homemade or commercial is great, but not if it contains any of his allergens. You could consider looking at Rayne customized diets, if you’re unable to find a commercial diet that meets your requirements or are not comfortable making home-prepared meals that contain none of his allergens, and are most importantly, properly balanced.

[Barbara P]

AQUARIANGT – Thank you for your suggestion of Nature’s Logic raw. It looked very healthy and good until I got to the eggshell meal, whole eggs and kelp. I didn’t realize kelp is in so many foods but we had to eliminate it after trying some we got and dried (kale chips) from our local organic farmer this summer. I have not tried sardine oil with him as I figured it would be the same as salmon oil, although he can tolerate catfish, cod, herring, mackerel and white fish. I’ll have to try it. His dog biscuits are Blue Seal Lobster Bisquettes and those have not been a problem for him so far but I’m holding my breath. Thank you again.

[Akari_32]

Food for the next 72 days!

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/9ED9755D-F378-42C5-8076-CDC2820623C0_zpsinsoiy6d.jpg

The single 5.5 oz cans on the left are for raw in the morning and and a can at night. The rest of the meals are 3oz cans in the morning and 5.5 oz cans at night. Two funny combinations that’s happened during sorting:

Wellness in the morning, 9Lives at night:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/63C91AD6-7959-41F4-B1EE-4B00423A09AF_zps90rbtcqp.jpg

And raw in the morning and Friskies Sausesations at night:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/BBD4B1CC-ADCF-4DAC-8021-A5D1ED5F6BF3_zpsfmr8rsvk.jpg

I can’t decide which is worse LOL Only at my house…. Both of these are the last cans, Btw. I try to spread out the super junk as much as I can, that why I still have these. The rest of his food is good, though! Or at least decent for the most part lol

Halo Impulse, Wellness, Authority Flaked Turkey, some sort of Blue Buffalo Healthy Gourmet, Newmans Own, Sheba, my two selected Friskies Special Diet and Fancy Feast varieties each. Oh, and some Insticnt Pride. I think there may be one more, but I’m not sure… lol

[Barbara P]

Thank you DORI, DOGFOODIE and KAREN, for your input. DF – I have tried an elimination diet but continually changing ingredients was hard on his bowels (and my carpets) when I was working. I retired in June and am now trying to address his food and behavior concerns. Are you recommending that I go back to that after investing the expense of the allergy testing? Do you think this would this be helpful to me, or would it be better for him to try the commercial raw/ homemade/freeze dried as Dori recommended. I believe you mentioned you have a golden too and they are know for this. KAREN – Thank you for the info about the kibble. From that statement I deduce that the reason he is turning prematurely white in the face since beginning the latest kibble must be the starch, would you agree? DORI – It sounds like you have been through with your Katie, everything I have with my Colby. I know nothing about how to make homemade meals that are complete and balanced, and am worried about choosing raw foods that might not be. Do you use a certain brand or do you mix them up?

[Akari_32]

You guys know I’m always on the look out for a deal, and to better the dogs diets at the same time. I was surfing around and came across Hare Today. I know several of you guys use it, so I decided to check it out.

I’ve figured out that I need to keep it at $3.89 and less, to keep the price competitive to what I am doing now, which is See Spot Live Longer, and sale meats (lots of sale whole roaster/frier chickens @.@). Which should be easy, I think.

However, what is shipping like? Is there a “free shipping when you spend so much” deal they do? I need to stick with less than $30 a month. If it needs to be bought in bulk, thats fine with me. Shipping is a huge factor on this right now.

What makes me really like this idea, though is that the prices are cheaper than in store (which means nothing if shipping is too much lol), and I can get Bentley more than mass amounts of chicken, because the variety here sucks. Its either chicken, beef, chicken, pork, chicken, maybe some random organ someone ordered at Publix but never picked up, more chicken… Everything but the chicken and some pork is just so pricey, $5 a pound and up! I’m thinking he is still having problems with chicken though, because even though he’s been on raw for some time now, he still breaks out and gets red and itchy and yeasty at times. I know the grass and rain and other pollens has something to do with it, but I can’t help but wonder if completely cutting out chicken would help him even more, or maybe cutting out the pre-mix, if its something in the SSLL.

If I can cut out the SSLL, are the meat/organ/bone grinds on Hare Today balanced? Like this beef blend, for example?

“Ground Beef/Organs/Tripe/Bone, 5 lb $19.20

Hormone and antibiotic free beef. This is approximately 80% meat, 7% tripe, 7% organ [heart,liver, lung, and kidneys] and 6% bone.
Fine Ground

This food is low in Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6, Phosphorus, Zinc and Selenium, and a very good source of Protein and Vitamin B12”

I would think yes, but I figured I’d make sure. According to the calculator, he’d only need about 3.84 oz. He currently gets a 5 oz chunk of whatever meat I give him and SSLL, and a little coconut oil because the princess won’t lap up the SSLL anymore without the coconut oil, or a good deal of blood from the meat. Rotten little dog lol

Also, since I’m considering cutting chicken from his diet, should I also cut out other birds, and stick with beef, pork and maybe fish? He didn’t really like fish based kibbles when he was a puppy, and he’s not a huge fan of fish oil, but maybe he’d like raw fish? The whole sardines or anchovies, or whatever they were, on Hare Today are right in my price range at $3.85 a pound, and I know whole fishes are balanced meals. I’d also like if you guys that know the site better than I do to recommend some goodies that are in my feeble price range. Mixes of meats to make balanced meals are also good, as well. Just keep the average price per pound in my price range 🙂

As far as bones and RMB, I can just get those in store, I think. Some prices are cheaper at Publix than Hare Today, so I’ll price shop for bones first before deciding where I’ll buy them.

I’d also like to know if there are any other sites like this that may be cheaper, or have other things. I’m also looking at complete freeze-dried and dehydrated meals, if anyone can recommend any that are going to be about $30 or less a month for an 8 pound dog.

Thanks a bunch guys!

[Susan]

DogFoodie, peas are high in Lectins like lima, beans, sweet peas, cow peas, potatoes, tomatoes, lentils, sweet potatoes, the list goes on..

Barbara, I found sweet potatoes & potatoes made my boys ears itch, he would shake & shake his head while walking, scratch & scratch his ears, I had to do a elimination diet to find out what foods made him itch scratch & have diarrhoea.. its worth it in the end..

Like Dori said the best is either home cooked, commercial raw or freeze dried..
kibble is the worst to feed as it has starchy ingredients that bind the kibble….

[Dori]

Barbara P. Thought I’d jump in and say that one of my dogs has many many food sensitivities. In my opinion, (and it’s the path I took three years ago) dogs with multiple allergies do best on either a home made food, home made raw, or commercial raw dog food formulas. I feed commercial raw dog food formulas (complete and balanced). Unfortunately, it’s the most expensive way to go. I also feed some freeze dried and The Honest Kitchen dehydrated food. I’m not inclined to spend time making dog food at home. I barely cook for my husband and myself. I also don’t want to worry about whether I got everything complete and balanced. My three dogs are small so the cost of feeding them in this manner is not outrageous. Before I started feeding raw, Katie would scratch 24/7, horrible breath, gas to clear out a house, not just a room, yeasty smelly ears, shedding all the time (she’s a Maltipoo…they are not suppose to shed), really coarse hair, goopy gunky eyes, runny loose stools and diarrhea, I could go on and on and on. I am happy to say that all those issues are a thing of the past. She doesn’t have a single one of those issues anymore. She’s a real happy camper now as am I and her two little sisters as they all eat the same foods. I believe in rotating proteins within brands and also rotating brands. Let me also add that the only time she needs to go to the vet now is her yearly physical. Before the change to commercial raw dog foods she was always at the vet, allergist and dermatologists trying to figure out what was going on with her and they always had her on different prescription anti-histamines and wanted to put her on steroids (I didn’t allow that). Those costs were way more than it costs me to feed all three of my dogs commercial raw dog food. I am also happy to report that Katie does not need any anti-histamines anymore. None!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Dori.

[DogFoodie]

I think it seems odd that the same thing is happening to both dogs at the same time.

Any chance of changing to a different brand of commercial raw or even a home cooked diet?

I have no first hand experience with UTIs or crystals, but wondered if something was going on with one of my dogs when she started licking herself, so I started both of my dogs on Mercola Bladder Support. The batch that Mercola is shipping expires in February, so I’d wait until they have a fresh batch on hand if you decide to consider it.

[DogFoodie]

I’m not sure, with what information we’ve been given, what intuitive conclusions can be drawn about peas that cannot be drawn about beef, lamb, poultry, fish, and et all.

[crazy4cats]

I think that is weird that your pups got crystals while eating raw food. However, after one of my cats blocked due to crystals, I have been researching causes for them. There are other reasons besides just diet. Definitely, make sure they continue to get a lot of moisture and plenty of opportunities to go potty. Also, feed two or three times a day to keep their pH levels in check. I believe that stress and anxiety caused much of my cat’s issue. Have you made big changes at home recently? Any new pets or people in the house, or changes to their routines?
Prescription food, both canned and dry has helped rid my cat of his crystals. I’m giving him about 75% prescription food and 25% regular diet. I am going to gradually decrease the prescription over a year’s time and reevaluate his urine regularly.

Crystals in dogs are not as serious as in male cats as their parts are no where as likely to get blocked as cats. However, they can make it painful to pee as they are like little pieces of glass. Can you feed them the Royal Canin temporarily or with the raw until the infections and crystals are gone? Also glucosamine has been recommended to me by more than one vet for bladder support. Good luck to you. It can be worrisome, can’t it?