[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Jerry –

There’s nothing really wrong with the Blue Buffalo Health Bars, they’re definitely a big step up from treats like Milk Bones, but they aren’t exactly “healthy” despite the name. They’re really high in carbs. While they’d certainly be fine for an occasional treat, if it were me I’d search for a more protein rich treat. I like to give my dogs freeze-dried raw “complete” foods (e.g. Stella & Chewy’s, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Primal, etc.) which typically come in small medallions or nuggets, air-dried ZiwiPeak (also a complete food) or “jerky” type treats with a high meat content from reputable companies (e.g. Etta Says, Bixbi, The Real Meat Co., etc.). I wouldn’t give raw carrots as treats, most dogs don’t need the extra carbs in their diets and raw vegetables are digested very poorly by dogs.

[Jerry J]

Any comments on the Blue Buffalo treats known as “Health Bars”?
I also give my 2 mini-schnauzers petite raw carrots as a treat. Thanks.

[Gloria K]

Yes grapes onions and avocados are not to be fed to dogs. I was thinking of the same things that I put in his food like carrots, sweet potato chips, green beans, things like that.
Since they’re dried without salt, sugar or other spices I can’t see why they would be any different than raw or cooked veggies or fruits in his food. He loves to chew things like that.

[Akari_32]

Hope everyone had an awesome day! We got up, made egg sammiches for breakfast, opened presents, went to one grandmas for another round of presents and visiting, then did early dinner at the other grandmas.

The dogs loved destroying the wrapping paper on their gifts and eating the treats I spiked them all with, and yesterday we had an explodey-leak problem at my friends condo, so we did not get to the store for the big dogs bones. However, I had a partial bag of those frozen Natures Variety Raw Bites and took some ham trimmings and sweet potato skins from dinner and made them a yummy meal. The kitty loved his Natural Balance fish-stuff, but could care less about opening them lol

Mom got me *both* the new Pokemon games (Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire!), some candy, a wall mount for my TV that lives at the foot of my bed on the floor because I have no where for it go with out a wall mount, some other random things (gift cards, AUX cord for my car radio, and so on), my assorted grandmas got me Pokemon Blue for the GameBoy Color I found at Goodwill for 10 bucks, a Magic Bullet, assorted gift cards, and a yummy smelling, beach-themed candle 😀

I got mom a new oven mit, Maleficent on BluRay, and a Baymax toy, because who doesn’t love Baymax?? I never know what to get this chick, and she gets upset that I spend money on her. She likes motorcycle and baseball and golf stuff– all things I know nothing about. She was very happy to see her new oven mit and Baymax toy, though lol She also got lots of Teavana tea and goodies, and she’s been wired up on hot tea all day LOL

It was great spending the whole day with a good chunck of my family, and considering I asked for litterally nothing, I made out pretty good! LOL Omega Ruby is awesome! I haven’t played the original in forever because I don’t have a system to play it on. And Blue is fantastic!! Makes me feel old lol The game isn’t much younger than I am!

I’m finishing my day up snuggled up on the couch with a Ginger Burrito (wrapped in my new blanket!!!) on my chest :3 Merry Christmas guys!

[Cheryl Pepper Millie Sophie]

I know that I can get some advice from the knowledgeable people on this site.
I haven’t posted in sometime but the regulars were very helpful when my Pepper came to me 3 years ago.
We have been through MANY ILLNESSES-I have fought for my angel every step of the way-but as she is aging the chronic inflammation she suffers from reared it’s ugly head again.
I have tried many foods and she adjusted to the amicus senior kibble that I would give her soaked of course wit a topper of boiled organic chicken or grassed beef or bison.
she was doing fine. A few weeks back the regurgitation and then vomiting started along with a touch of diarrhea.
Blood work x-rays and ultrasound showed nothing- next step endoscopy which her internist is not too anxious to do given her age & her numerous other health issues.
He feels it is her diet and you guessed it wants me to try the veterinary prescription foods-now understand I am not trying to get in a battle with these vets-my Pepper is my main concern & if this junk will keep her going I WILL DO IT. I looked at the Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein wet & dry & got sick when I read the ingredients!!!
Can anyone guide me in an alternative-she has been eating organic pumpkin or sweet potato with organic ground turkey (as DR. Karen Becker) suggests, but I can’t keep her on this forever- I thought the Honest Kitchen base mix might work but she threw that up also.
I asked the Dr to put her on Reglan because I feel Pepper has a motility issue-she doesn’t digest her food completely, she has been on the Reglan since Monday & hasn’t reguritated or vomited. I know there are advocates of raw feeding, but, to me & I may be very wrong -she is just too old to start her on raw feeding.
I think since she is taking the Reglan, I may try to re-introduce a tsp. of the Honest Kitchen grain-free base mix again and see what happens.
Thank you for any help anyone may give.
Cheryl,Pepper & Mille-Belle

[DogFoodie]

Hi Jane,

K9 Naturals is an interesting product.

I looked at it a couple of years ago for my Golden with food intolerance issues. My first concern was cost. For my Golden who weighs about 80 pounds, it was going to cost me about $15 per day, which is a whopping $450 per month. I typically feed him 2.5% of his body weight when I feed raw. That’s more than I’m comfortable spending. I could feed a commercial raw food for less. The calories for the products vary quite a bit, for example the venison has 196 kcals / per cup and the lamb 330 kcals / or cup. My calculations were basex on prices at Only Natural Pet (dot) Com.

It has a lot of fat, and in most cases more fat than protein. And, for my dog, the additional starch from the added vegetables would likely result in a yeast flare up in his ears over time.

[Susan]

Hi Jane, have you looked at “K9 Natural” its NOT a kibble with all the binders to bind the kibble, it has limited ingredients, they have either freeze dried or they have raw, it was invented for dogs with bad skin problem, here’s their site… http://www.k9natural.com/
I’d try the Venison, it’s worth a try..

[Akari_32]

Merry Christmass, everyone!

For Haley and Dweezle, we also get them huge bones, sometimes raw hides, sometimes big huge pig knuckles. Depends on way we find. I may brave the grocery store for a couple pig knuckles. If not, the pet store will be much less scary, and they’ll just get raw hides LOL That’s what I get for waiting till Christmass eve to shop for them. Bentley and Ginger have some treats and a Fruitables chew each.

The cat has nothing so far. I want to buy him some cat nip, though, for his turbo chaser toy thing (round, with a ball in a track, and a scratching pad in the middle). I also want to buy him toys, but he eats anything small and hard (found that out the hard way, $400 later) and Bentley destroys anything with feathers on it, so that’s rules out 99% of all cat toys LOL He does have a few cans of special food, though. He better like it, that’s all I have to say! He’ll have a great time with the gift bag, at least! Darn cats…

[Akari_32]

Oh boy, this’ll be fun lol

Haley and Dweezle: Natural Balance Ultra Small Breed. Only got it because it was $1 a pound after coupons– I’m not very happy with, so after the two bags I have are gone, I’ll not buy it again. However, they like it. But they like anything, regardless of how eatable it is lol They also each get a salmon oil pill in their food. Next will be Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health Senior and Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health Adult, mixed 2:1. These dogs are 60 and 130 lbs, btw LOL after that will probably be Ideal Balance puppy, then Wellness Core Puppy and Small Breed mixed, then who knows. I have a good sized stash to chose from. I try to keep it interesting.

Bentley: SSLL mix, with coconut oil (won’t eat the mix plain, the little brat!) and a nice de-boned raw turkey leg. He gets a random pick of turkey or chicken (bought whole and cut up and separated into white meat, dark meat, and bone-in meat), ground pork, or beef or chicken hearts every day.

Ginger: half Wellness Small Breed Simple Salmon and Potato, and half Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health Healthy Weight. She’ll be moving to Purina Veterinary Diet Joint Mobility when I have the money in my account to order it, her Wellness Simple was running out, so I’ll put it off a bit longer, so she’s not switching arounf too much. Her stomach just can’t handle it. Nothing Purina is my first choice except for a very select few of the canned cat foods due to cost, but I’m at my wits end at what I can do to help her poor old joints, and not break the bank (not that there’s much of a bank to break at this point…). I can get it less than what the same size bag of Wellness is, so it’s worth a shot. Her treats today was a half of an Amoxicillin pill in the morning and tonight. She eats it like it’s the most delicious thing she’s ever tasted, so I just let her think that LOL

Usually they all get some form of Zukes or Pet Botanics treats, but no one got any of those today, except the cat, who did high-fives, shakes, and up’s for his G-Zees treats :p He also got 3oz Wild Kitty raw cat food mix (made with chicken) for breakfast, and a 5.5 oz can of Friskies Ocean Whitefish as a very special treat. I don’t do fish or any other Friskies other than two flavors of Special Diet for him very often, but I’ll grab something fish based every now and then for something that isn’t turkey, chicken or beef. Gotta have something different when your crazy mommy limits you to very specific flavors from very specific brands lol I’ve also been giving Bentley a few pieces of Natures Variety Instinct Raw as a treat a few times a day. He loves to eat the little pieces still frozen. I think he likes the texture, and the fact that it’s red meat, something I can’t afford for his rotation very often. Innova Prime Red Meat used to be his favorite kibble before we realized he had carb allergies and before Innova got bought out.

Just a side note on the Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health forumlas: I’m extremely happy with all of them. Typically, even in the rest of the Wellness line, senior and diet foods are just complete crap, but these are comparable to other puppy and adult grain inclusive foods. They have good protein (close to 30%), and low fat (which is what my three old farts need), and are still high calorie (high 400’s!). Would definitely recommend either of these to anyone with a dog that needs a low fat diet, or to any owner who likes to feed lower fat diet food, small or large breed. It’s pretty decently priced, too, especially if you have coupons 😉

[Naturella]

Today Bruno had 1/4 + 1/8th cup of Castor & Pollux Ultramix GF Duck and Sweet Potato, with 1/2 of a pouch of some new local food – Have Dogs – as a topper. It is chicken-based, with chicken, fish oil, bone meal, vitamin E, and egg. Normally on Tuesday he gets yoghurt or kefir on his kibble but he really didn’t like the plain non-fat one I got by mistake (I normally get plain full-fat yoghurt), so he wouldn’t eat it at all last week. For dinner he had same Castor & Pollux with 1 tsp. THK Keen. We just got on Castor & Pollux from Back to Basics Open Range, and next kibble up will be Wysong Nurture with Quail. Treats we use right now for training are are Fromm Pork and Pea and TOTW Southwest Canyon from sample baggies, and also Annamaet Manitok and Canidae Pure Bison and Sweet Potato as grand rewards or when he is simply irresistible. He didn’t have any of those today, but he did have 1 chicken heart and a piece of chicken liver as I had bought some and I was portioning them out, so I just HAD to give him some while they were still fresh and not yet frozen up. He gulped them immediately.

Tomorrow Bruno will have same kibble with raw egg as a topper for breakfast and BDN Tripe Supreme as a topper for dinner. Bruno’s menu is pretty predictable and set, written out even to help hubby if I’m not home. I will post a picture of it too. On occasion I do vary it though, like I will for Christmas and like I did on Thanksgiving. And I have several cans that are not penciled in his menu, just so I can spice things up. RMBs for him are usually chicken/pork/beef neck pieces.

I also, like Dori, feed Bruno nothing after 7pm or 8pm latest. He doesn’t eat breakfast until 9-10am or so. On occasion he fasts himself for 24hrs or so, if he decides he doesn’t like the yoghurt I have gotten, lol, or if he is just too full or something. He is decent with food and always happy to eat, as his meals are controlled so that he’s lean, healthy, and enjoys some variety.

I also have some Etta Says chews laying around, but the deer one gave him diarrhea, so I am cautious and want to be sure his tummy will be fully good when I give him another of the chews. I also only give him 1/2 at a time of those, and 1/2 of the biscuits (Annamaet and Canidae) when he does get them. From the kibble treats (Fromm and TOTW) he gets about 1/8th cup of either one when we do training or play puzzle games, which is about every other day. He can chew on his antler freely anytime, all day if he wants, and I also just got him a stingray tail chew, which may be a bit hard for him to get through as it is thicker than his usual ones, but he has unlimited access to it too. Other things we give on a whim are bully sticks, cow/lamb ears, pig snouts, chicken/duck feet, Himalayan Chews, fish skins, and the like.

[Naturella]

Today Bruno had 1/4 + 1/8th cup of Castor & Pollux Ultramix GF Duck and Sweet Potato, with 1/2 of a pouch of some new local food – Have Dogs – as a topper. It is chicken-based, with chicken, fish oil, bone meal, vitamin E, and egg. Normally on Tuesday he gets yoghurt or kefir on his kibble but he really didn’t like the plain non-fat one I got by mistake (I normally get plain full-fat yoghurt), so he wouldn’t eat it at all last week. For dinner he had same Castor & Pollux with 1 tsp. THK Keen. We just got on Castor & Pollux from Back to Basics Open Range, and next kibble up will be Wysong Nurture with Quail. Treats we use right now for training are are Fromm Pork and Pea and TOTW Southwest Canyon from sample baggies, and also Annamaet Manitok and Canidae Pure Bison and Sweet Potato as grand rewards or when he is simply irresistible. He didn’t have any of those today, but he did have 1 chicken heart and a piece of chicken liver as I had bought some and I was portioning them out, so I just HAD to give him some while they were still fresh and not yet frozen up. He gulped them immediately.

Tomorrow Bruno will have same kibble with raw egg as a topper for breakfast and BDN Tripe Supreme as a topper for dinner. Bruno’s menu is pretty predictable and set, written out even to help hubby if I’m not home. I will post a picture of it too. On occasion I do vary it though, like I will for Christmas and like I did on Thanksgiving. And I have several cans that are not penciled in his menu, just so I can spice things up. RMBs for him are usually chicken/pork/beef neck pieces.

[URL=http://s1352.photobucket.com/user/aninova/media/Bruno2014-2015Menu_zps6ccc6e19.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1352.photobucket.com/albums/q644/aninova/Bruno2014-2015Menu_zps6ccc6e19.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://s1352.photobucket.com/user/aninova/media/BrunoWeeklyToppers_zpsdfd1a9be.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1352.photobucket.com/albums/q644/aninova/BrunoWeeklyToppers_zpsdfd1a9be.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

I also, like Dori, feed Bruno nothing after 7pm or 8pm latest. He doesn’t eat breakfast until 9-10am or so. On occasion he fasts himself for 24hrs or so, if he decides he doesn’t like the yoghurt I have gotten, lol, or if he is just too full or something. He is decent with food and always happy to eat, as his meals are controlled so that he’s lean, healthy, and enjoys some variety.

I also have some Etta Says chews laying around, but the deer one gave him diarrhea, so I am cautious and want to be sure his tummy will be fully good when I give him another of the chews. I also only give him 1/2 at a time of those, and 1/2 of the biscuits (Annamaet and Canidae) when he does get them. From the kibble treats (Fromm and TOTW) he gets about 1/8th cup of either one when we do training or play puzzle games, which is about every other day. He can chew on his antler freely anytime, all day if he wants, and I also just got him a stingray tail chew, which may be a bit hard for him to get through as it is thicker than his usual ones, but he has unlimited access to it too. Other things we give on a whim are bully sticks, cow/lamb ears, pig snouts, chicken/duck feet, Himalayan Chews, fish skins, and the like.

[Naturella]

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it and Happy Holidays to those who don’t, and Happy New Year to all who use the Julian calendar (and not any East-Asian one or another one where the New Year is not on Jan. 1st)! Either way, hope everyone has high spirits and is surrounded by joy and loved ones!

As for us, I have really wanted to get Bruno something Christmassy, at least a collar, but he will only wear it for a month at best, and so far we haven’t. We haven’t gotten him anything special either, except I may feed him a Weruva can as a Christmas dinner this time. On Thanksgiving he had 1/2 of a raw turkey neck for dinner. Yum! LoL. He will also get to “vacuum” around the kitchens of my mother-in-law and her sister, and he will lick any and every crumb or drop of sauce or whatever it is. At least they don’t drop or spill stuff too often, lol. I think I also have a dried chicken foot that I could give him tomorrow night, on Christmas Eve – a little something extra so he can feel special on a day that he doesn’t usually get a special something. 🙂

[Dori]

Interesting Dog Obsessed. Though I don’t do it for weight issues, I’ve always thought that dogs that were free fed would have a tendency to be over weight or at least the possibility is there. I’ve also always thought that the digestive system for any animal needs a “rest” period so I use the evening and overnight as that for Hannah, Katie and Lola. My girls, in my opinion, are much too small to fast an entire day. After all, Lola only weighs 5 lbs. and that’s on a good day. As I’ve mentioned before, I keep them all on the lean side. They all lost any fat they really had on them when I made the switch to raw. Interesting because most people have the misconception that dogs will gain weight on raw because of the high fat levels. It’s really not true. Raw doesn’t have all the carbs. Anyway, when I made the switch to raw they all lost any excess they had on them and they’ve stayed that way. They very rarely vary from their weight. Lola 5 lbs., Katie 6 lbs. and Hannah 7.3 lbs. I’d be concerned about fasting them for an entire 24 hours and since I don’t give them rmbs to tide them over as some do when they fast their dogs, again because of their size and they are all gulpers, fasting for that long for them could do them more harm than good. I could very well be wrong I don’t really know. It’s just what I’m comfortable with. Another plus about it is that no one needs a potty break in the middle of the night ever. No accidents in the middle of the night either.

I guess caramel coloring once in a while is not too bad compared to all the other garbage that’s out in the marketplace.

[Dori]

About the Etta Says chews? No one minds the caramel coloring? Just wondering.

Oh by the way, the girls had THK Zeal for breakfast. Dehydrated apple was the afternoon treat and for dinner they’ll be having Primal Pronto Raw Beef. Probably some dehydrated veggie a little later on after dinner. I don’t normally give them treats too late at night because I like their digestive systems to get a rest before the next days breakfast. I know it’s not really the way one is supposed to fast their dogs but it’s my way and it seems to work okay for them.

[Hound Dog Mom]

breakfast was nature’s variety chicken – that quick that raw nibblet stuff, it was on sale at agway so i grabbed some – with a raw egg and a dollop of yogurt. for dinner i’ve pulled out some pork necks. treats today were stella & chewy’s freeze dried lamb medallions.

i’ve been picking up those etta says chews too patty. the girls love them, they’re sure not cheap though! i’ve got a couple of the rabbit ones, they might get those as a bedtime snack. 🙂

[Dog_Obsessed]

We talk so much about dog food in general, and many of us rotate foods. I thought it would be cool to have a place where we just talk about what we are currently feeding our dogs, and what treats/chews they’ve had today. I got this idea from the raw food section of the Dogster forums, where there was a similar topic.

Mine: Lily is currently eating Nulo Turkey and Sweet Potato kibble, and we rotate wet food toppers. The current topper is Nulo Lamb and Chickpeas wet food. I’m happy to report that Lily is doing great with rotation. She can change toppers cold turkey with no problem, though I sometimes add a little Perfect Form just in case. We are still being careful with kibble, so we usually give her about a week to transition.

What about you? What did your dog(s) eat today?

[Dori]

Thanks Aimee and BC. As it is a minute part of my rotational feeding (too icky for my husband to feed raw), I often forget about all the people that feed one food for long periods of time or possibly for the life of the dog. I take back my suggestion. You are both correct that Nature’s Logic obviously has no business being on the EC food list. I continue to use Nature’s Logic as the only kibble fed to my girls but it is so rarely fed that it doesn’t concern me. I rotate every day, sometimes every meal, every other day. Whatever. The only time they get Nature’s Logic kibble is if I’m out and I’m desperately calling my husband to feed the dogs. He won’t feed raw. As it’s the only kibble, to date, that I have found that doesn’t affect Katie with all her food insensitivities that’s the one that’s in the pantry.

[aimee]

Hi Michelle R.

My experience with Natures Logic was /is very different. I considered using the brand as my dog is on a diet of venison. I went to the website and was very concerned by what I found. The company inserted words into quotes which changed the meaning of the quotes, and it appeared that they only had one product analyzed and then posted those results for all the products.

I’ve talked with Mr Freeman on the phone and in person. In person was very telling!! I asked him about inserting words into quotes and he looked up and off into the distance, stroked his chin and in with a long drawn out affect said as best I remember “Oh… did I? Gee… I’ll have to look into that” When I asked about the nutrient analysis all looking the same he looked down and started to chuckle and said well yes, he only had one product analyzed, the chicken formula and then just changed some numbers here and there for the others. I asked him about the low Vit D levels in his diets and he told me to let my dog sit at the windows when the sun came through and my dog would make all the Vit D she needed. When I reminded him that dogs only make insignificant amount of Vit D and it is a requirement of the canine he said something like “Of course they make Vit D, probably when the researchers tested them they had the dogs locked up in a room in the dark without any windows.

Pressing onward, I asked him about the calcium levels in his diets and the effect on growth for large breed pups. He said you can feed a puppy all the calcium you want they would only absorb what they needed. When I reminded him that puppies can’t regulate calcium absorption which is why they need a controlled level in their diet he told me to feed a high calcium food and measure the calcium level in the blood .. it would be fine. YIKES !!! So I tried again and reminded him that yes the calcium level in the blood would be normal despite the effect the diet had on the C- cells and calcitonin levels. He didn’t know what those were. Then he handed me a copy of Dog Naturally magazine to use as a reference instead of the NRC Nutrient requirement of dogs and cats. I found that downright scary!

I asked who formulated his diets and what that person’s education was. He formulates the diets and his degree is in marketing. Suddenly it all became very clear!!! He doesn’t know anything about nutrition because he is in the business of marketing not in the business of nutrition!!

Combing that with him telling me he doesn’t do any type of ingredient testing and he didn’t seem sure of what post production testing was done as far as quality control pretty much lowered the boom of doom onto that company for me.

He is good at what he is educated in .. marketing. Well except for promising things he never follows through on. Like posting correct nutritional information on his website. I think it was last year that he told Dr. Mike he had each individual product analyzed and the data would be posted shortly. But the information really hasn’t changed much…. except for a few numbers here and there.

After talking with Mr. Freeman and evaluating his company I can see why the company isn’t on Editors Choice. The food has a great concept but poor execution in my opinion.

[Andy B]

Thanks for your help. I called Darwins. They make a raw diet. They told me I can use everything they have except the duck, due to it having sweet potato. I’m learning a lot about dog nutrition after countless hours on the computer. I’d love to feed both my bostons a raw diet but it’s very expensive so I would need to use a 50/50 mix of raw and a good quality kibble. However my dog is extremely allergic to certain foods. I had a blood test done due to him having three seizures. I was feeding him at the time “natural balance” sweet potato and fish formula which had peas also in it. His treats were old mother hubbard peanut. That’s when he started having seizures at night. I had the vet do the allergy test and he’s exGood! I’m glad I did test. I wonder with everything we were feeding him if he was going in aniphilctic shock ( sorry don’t know spell) peas listed as the fourth or fifth ingredient. It seems I can’t find a kibble without peas, & Orijen is the only one having it toward the middle of there ingredients.

[Dori]

Dog Obsessed. I think THK’s Embark has potatoes as an ingredient.

Andy B. The Honest Kitchen’s Zeal dehydrated formula contains no white potatoes or peas. It’s the one I feed my dogs in rotation with raw foods.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Darwin’s is a great food. You could feed raw at one meal and kibble at the other. Also, there is a human-grade dehydrated food called The Honest Kitchen. Their Embark (turkey) formula meets these requirements. Here is the link to the food on the THK website: http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/embark

[Dori]

Michelle R. I agree with you completely about Nature’s Logic. Nature’s Logic is the only kibble in my rotational diet for my three dogs. Everything else I feel is commercial raw and home made raw. ☺️

[Andy B]

We just received His Blood work back and hes Extremely allergic to sweet potato’s & peas. Also has to be grain-Free and rosemary free. Anyone have any ideas for me for a Dry Kibble? I was thinking about using a half raw diet from Darwin’s raw diet and a kibble mix. It is extremely hard to find a kibble with not having these ingredients.

[stephanie b]

We just found out our Boston has some severe allergies to specific foods (sweet potatos, green peas, barley) we were looking to start on Darwins raw diet but also wanted a good quality kibble (pref grain free). Any suggestions?

[crazy4cats]

Yes, I have fed it a couple of times. It’s just too expensive for me to feed regularly. Grain free joint health Victor is one of my main Kibbles. I tend to use less expensive kibble so that I can add quality toppers. I’m one of those rebels that mixes raw with kibble. Lol! Take care.

[Nancy C]

Hi Crazy:
I’ve been captured by Raw Feeding Protocols… setting up to do it, learning details, getting a small freezer for the food, finding farmers/ resources for food etc. It takes a lot of time to learn the ins and outs and get my system going. The dogs really are doing well – never skipped a beat. I also only feed at supper, which helps. Using BDN once a week for a break… maybe twice when busy.

Hope you are fine!

Q: Have you ever fed Nature’s Logic? Thinking about buying some to stash away in case of a disaster hitting and my not being able to get Raw for a while. need something in the closet to pull out. Have some BDN but need something else too. Suggestions?

Thanks.
Nancy Jane Calloway

[crazy4cats]

Hi Nancy-
Long time no see! Glad to hear your dogs are doing great on raw!

[Nancy C]

I use it once a week as rotation. I moved our GSD and 11 yr old Golden Retriever to FULL TRUE RAW (using Whole PRey Model) and they had an easy transition from BDN to true raw. I fed raw chicken for 4 weeks and am now feeding raw beef. They are doing better than ever and their TEETH are white as snow now. NO TARTAR AT ALL. I just saw my neighbor who started using BDN in August and she says her three dogs are STILL eating it exclusively (all flavors) and love it and there are NO ISSUES. It is SO EASY. She is very satisfied as well.

[Akari_32]

I will occasionally give her and Bentley a raw hide stick to chew on, and some times she will chew on it for a while, especially after Bentleys got a hold of it and slobbered it all up, but it just doesn’t seem like the most fun thing for her. It’s like she feels obligated to do it, but doesn’t really want to. It’s almost like she only does it because she doesn’t want Bentley to have two bones lol I’d imagine is also hurts her mouth to chew it, as well.

Neezer, that’s my thought as well. If it doesn’t bother them, then I leave it. She’s got this unsightly fatty tumor hanging from her neck that looks, as the vet she came from puts it, like testicles. It’s not attached to the muscle underneath at all, it’s just chilling there, in its little skin-pouch looking all inappropriate and such LOL Oh well, such is life :p

[Dori]

A better way to know if your dog needs to lose or gain weight is by feel. You don’t need a scale for this. Feel your dogs body especially her rib cage both sides. Can you easily feel her ribs or do you really have to push in on her flesh to feel them. You should be easily able to feel her ribs but not to the point where you can actually feel too easily the space in between each rib. Also while she is standing still look straight down on her. You should be able to see a waist line. If you you don’t, then just keep adjusting her weight downward until you can. Same with the ribs. Also don’t forget that in feeding raw you feed much less than you would if you were feeding a dry or canned food. By regularly feeling her body you can then always adjust her meals by a little more or a little less once she gets to what feels right.

Also, as BC said. 5 – 10 lbs. overweight on a dog is a huge deal. Once she looses the weight you’ll be surprised as to how more active she’ll be. It’s best for all her internal organs and musculoskeletal system to be a little on the slim side. Much healthier all around.

[Dori]

frostyrockyk. Your vets can make all the faces that they would like, the decision on what is given to your dog is yours, not theirs!!!! Whether it’s vaccines or food, it’s your decision. Just stand strong. Your dog has already had all the vaccines it needs. You can have them do titers if you wish though they are not cheap. The only acception to no vaccines is the rabies vaccine. It’s required by law. Just make sure what the county that you live in requires. I have heard that there are a few counties around the country that will accept titers for the rabies vaccine but, personally, that has not been my experience. Some are one year and others just require three year. Mind you it’s the exact same vaccine, it’s the paperwork and tag that changes. If you can get away with the three year rabie’s vaccine then that means less chemicals going into your dog. My vets are not always crazy about my choices for my dogs but they know they are my dogs and not theirs. I don’t do vaccines other than the three year rabies and I feed raw diet. The vets don’t like it but I could care less what they like and what they don’t.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Rob-
Do you feed any canned or raw food at all? If not I’d definitely start. By increasing moisture, it helps to flush out the crystals. Try to find the lowest carb, highest protein canned food you can afford and mix it in and add water. Also, You may want to use the prescription dry food for a while to help dissolve the crystals. After that, I believe Wellness Core is a good food for maintaining pH levels. Good luck!

[pacer1978]

Hello All,

I haven’t been on in a while, but I recently switched one of my dogs to a 100% raw diet (over time of course). However, I’m just not sure how much I should be feeding. I started it 3 weeks ago, supplementing with Dinovite, because of severe paw licking (to the point she has bad sores). We are guessing she is over 10-13 years old since we took her in about 4 years ago. She is a little “porky” to begin with, but I’m wondering if she just has a wide chest. I’m not really sure if she is overweight or just “girthy” for her size. I’ve noticed her waist tapering a little, but I want to ensure that I’m also not underfeeding her. She was last weighted in about 40 lbs. when I took her to the vet and I’ve been told by vets she was a little overweight. She is considered a medium size dog. The best guess I can give is either part Corgi and terrier. I don’t see any place to submit a photo otherwise I would do so. I’m not really sure how much she should weigh, but I’m thinking if I’ve been told she was overweight, then she can afford to lose 5-10 lbs. If that is the case, how much raw should I be feeding for a 30-40 lb medium dog per day (preferably in oz)? Anyway, I feed my dogs twice a day so they are eating smaller meals (my other two are Weimaraners and they suggest this for bloat). Thank you!

[Jennifer H]

Yes, my goal weight is 11 lbs, so 2.5 oz per meal at 3%. Some meals are 3oz, those are the RMB portions because I try to keep the bones pretty big so he can’t swallow them whole. He’s usually a good chewer though. I let him have a pork tail for fun this afternoon and he had a blast. I was surprised he limited himself, he only ate half.

I know 3% is a bit high, but I worry about blood sugar, and I had seen a few people suggest feeding up to 4% to small dogs.

I also have a small flock of backyard chickens and he will get a raw egg 2x a week. He refuses to eat the shell though, even if I break it up.

Are tinned sardines okay? I can get them in brine or oil. Not sure which is best…

[pugmomsandy]

Are you using his goal weight for his portion size split in half since he is only eating one meal of raw?

[Jennifer H]

I’ve portioned out 1 week of raw food for my 13lb Maltese. He is slightly overweight. I plan on feeding raw in the evenings, and continuing his morning meal of kibble + wet food.

Atm I can’t find another secreting organ meat besides liver, but I am currently looking for something.

This is what I’ve portioned out so far. Each meal is between 2.5 to 3 oz. He has 1oz of beef liver cut into 4 portions for throughout the week.

Day 1 Beef Liver, Chicken Gizzard
Day 2 Beef Liver, Pork Tail
Day 3 Chicken Gizzard, Beef Heart
Day 4 Beef Liver, Chicken Neck
Day 5 Beef Heart, and a smidge of chicken skin/fat
Day 6 Chicken Thigh
Day 7 Pork Tail, Beef Liver

Does this sound balanced, minus the missing other organ? I would like to add more proteins and variety, and some fish.

[Akari_32]

Dori, she should probably weigh about 12 pounds, so with her joint problems, I’d say she’s about good where she is now. I can see her ribs when she bends, so she’s not scrawny, but not quite at an “ideal” weight either.

I have tried giving her the glucosamine with out food, but because it’s a capsule, with everything powdered inside, she spits it out as soon as it breaks open and looks at me like in trying to kill her. This is the same dog that is on a wrapper that falls on the floor in half a second flat and tries to run off with her prize. So I figure over the food is better than nothing, especially since it’s about twice as much as she “needs”. I have seen an improvement since starting her on it, but she needs some anti-inflammatories or something, I think.

She’s doing good on the wellness simple small breed salmon, btw. No more messes in her cage at night since removing canned food from her diet! Yay! I feel like I have only dog ever that can’t eat canned food LOL

Yes, I’m just trying to do right by her. If she decides to live for another 5 years, then I’ll do what I can do to keep her comfortable and moving. If she decides she’s had enough next week (though I hope to God not! She’s my baby lol), then so be it. We took a walk this morning since it was warm enough for her to tolerate, and she loved every minute of it, and did her wiener dog run for a good quarter of it :p She was feeling it by the time we got home, though, limping on all four legs up the drive way and to the door. Poor thing lol

Don’t worry about how long your post is! I need help with this joint drama dog. I’m open to all sides of the situation :3

[Sadie’s Mom]

Surprisingly, the first thing I look for in a treat is the texture. My mini dachshund HATES crunchy treats. It’s the strangest thing! The only crunchy/hard things she likes are the rawhide dental chews (Dentley’s brand is the current favorite). I also have to factor in price, as I am a college student living on a tight budget. The best thing I have found are the Zuke’s Mini Naturals. They are soft and squishy, grain free, and low in calories. Sadie likes all of the flavors, but the chicken seems to be her favorite. I’ve been wanting to try the Wellness Petite Treats Soft Mini Bites, but they haven’t been on sale for a good price. The Zuke’s are a better deal because they are less per ounce and last a really long time. I give her 3 or 4 at a time as a normal treat to make her feel better since the other 3 dogs my parents own get small milkbones lol. She also likes the Milkbone Brushing Chews after her evening meal. I give her half a mini bone. I am currently on the hunt for a treat with added glucosamine that is reasonably priced. Any suggestions?

[DogFoodie]

I have a big bag of them in the freezer all the time. Mine both love them raw. Just be sure to cut the nails off first.

[pugmomsandy]

Raw also.

[neezerfan]

I feed them to my dogs raw, they love them.

[Sam D]

Hey all
I need your help with something. We’re bringing home an 8 week old Aussie next week. We have Taste of the Wild for his Kibble and a stock pile of Honest Kitchen Turkey and Aunt Jeni’s Turkey Raw frozen pre-made meals.

In a perfect world I would feed him Kibble in the AM and Raw in the PM so his tummy has time to digest each type of food separately. Though – when he’s a puppy he will be eating 3 or 4 times a day so that complete digestion time won’t be there.

So how do you handle? Rotate days between kibble and raw so every other day is a different type? Is that a bit much for a new puppy to get used to?

Right now the breeder has him on puppy kibble.

Thanks, guys!

[Kristin C]

Has anyone fed their dog chicken feet? If so, raw or dehydrated? I have some raw ones I am using for chicken stock and was just wondering if it’s better to dehydrate them, which concerns me because of the cooked bones.

[Elizabeth G]

How can I quickly find the best quality of dry lamb food on your website? I feed raw and have for 20 some odd years but my new rescue dog has frequent ear infections so my vet wants her on a limited lamb food for about two months to see which protein might be causing it. I will be feeding fresh lamb meat for one meal but need a dry for the other feeding. Any tips on how to find the best lamb dry on your website? Thanks for doing this website by the way. I recommended it to all my puppy buyers when I was showing and breeding.

[frostyrockyk]

I started this in case other folks had the same problem . I saw in a post the use of cottage cheese in home made food & made me think of this . RE: calcium , I got the cook book ” REAL FOOD for healthy dogs & cats ” in the book they cover many , many things . I know too much of anything can be bad , like a belly full of rocks & a huge vet bill to cut him open to take them out ! I don’t recall word for word , but they talked about the need for Phosphorus with calcium . There are also charts of how much per weight of dog . Like many here I also mix up what I feed my dog , my guess I don’t feed enough calcium , I don’t give it every meal & also give her cottage cheese , milk , sour cream , cheese , ice cream , yogurt . She gets deer bones from the woods on her own & killed & eaten rabbits . RE: raw bones , most people likely can’t get them , but if you know any deer hunters , the full rib cage is good for them to chew on . The ribs are good because the dogs eat them like buggs bunny eats a carrot . They use their back teeth to nip off bits of about 1/4 inch at a time , so there are no shards that would cut their insides , just crushed bone . Their teeth come out super clean . I’m not a raw food kind of guy & am a little freaked out about what they may catch from the deer. But hunting season in MO. is mostly cold so I don’t think it will spoil too soon . Other than the ribs , I take away any bones they bring home . I have raised Grt. Pureness dogs for about 30 years & only had problems with 1 a few months ago , that’s why I’m here. They eat a lot & I have fed them LOTS of table scraps , deer & catfish for ever & had zero problems related to food . I don’t know what killed Frosty ?? The Med. College cut him up to find out because they couldn’t save him & they wanted to know why . Bottom line , they don’t know for sure , age 2 1/2 , possible toxin . The av. age of my dogs was 12 years , the ones not hit by a truck , shot , antifreeze, or just gone & never came back ??? Bo Bear was shot in one eye by a turkey hunter & later BLIND sided by a truck ! He was not fixed & 1 rainy night just took off running & that was the last time I saw him alive . I think it’s a good Idea to get them fixed if you don’t want pups . Every single one was the BEST DOG EVER!!

[Dog_Obsessed]

I would recommend going with the USA made ones from now on. There is a chew called Etta Says! that is made in the USA, made of meat and digestible rawhide. Lily loves them, but they don’t last too long with her, maybe 20 minutes. Here is a link to their website: http://ettasays.com/pages.php?pageid=13

Also, there is a company called Superior Farms that makes natural chews and treats. They source all ingredients from New Zealand and the USA, and manufacture in the USA. I have not tried their chews, but I have tried their venison treats which were a big hit Brisbane’s Bark Blog reviewed their venison chew today: http://www.brisbanesbarkblog.com/2014/12/treat-tuesday-superior-farms-venison.html

Here is the Superior Farms website: http://www.superiorfarmspet.com

[frostyrockyk]

I think the meals listed are great , ……. I would drop the rice 100% , & Gloria’s dish should be able to cook from raw in 1 hour with a lid on it at 350. Also things like peas with a very short cooking time could be add near the end & the cottage cheese could be a topper ( cold ). I think we have many good cooks here! PS I think I need to start a new thread on cottage cheese !!

[Susan]

Lew Olsons book called “Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs & Cats” THE DIFINITIVE GUIDE TO HOMEMADE MEALS, Lew has cooked recipes in her book for puppys, for health problems etc & the recipes are so easy & balanced, her book is cheap around $12 on Amazon….You’ll see a heap of dog meal books on Amazon.. Dr Becker also “Real Food For Healthy Dogs”..but I found Lew Olsons the best for home cooking & easy..

[Laura M]

Hi Nancy – I just recently purchased an e-book on the subject of Home Prepared Diets for Dogs – Cooked Diets from the Whole Dog Journal website. I haven’t gone through it much yet, but I rely heavily on the Whole Dog Journal for information. Maybe you are a subscriber as well, but if you go to their home webpage at the bottom it says “products” and then click on e-books and you will see a series of e-books on preparing food – part three is for cooked diets. They also have raw and a mixture – so if you decide to do raw I’m sure it would be great info as well. Good luck!

[jakes mom]

check out the homemade food and raw food forums, lots of good advice and book recommendations there. Good luck!