[Hanna S]

I think I have found something that works for my dog for colitis. He is a small 7lb poodle and he is 10 y.o. Its been now 4 months and no flare ups! I started feeding him raw diet made by primal foods. I usually get him the chicken. I started mixing licorice root extract with the food for a week. Then I stopped that so that he wouldn’t get it excessively, only long enough to help his gut to heal. I have been adding raw goat milk by answers and green mush by healthforce nutritional since the day I switched him to raw. It seems go be working wonders. I’m not sure if it’s the combination of things but I’m so happy to see him feeling good again!

*I want to add that the raw goat milk by answers is full of antibiotics and the green mush has all kinds of wonderful herbs as well as digestive enzymes.*

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Hanna S.

[Tanya W]

I am new and have been scouring the forum for info, but not really finding much.
My dog has numerous food allergies found by elimation diets as our vet will sedate him for testing as last time his kidneys shut down. Also with Kidney issues we have to be careful of his diet to try to keep the stress on his kidneys at a minimum.
So far we have found he is alleric to anything with feathers including eggs and chicken fat, pork, peas and alfalfa, possibly beef not sure yet on this one are in the process of testing and more than likely having issues with other grains and such.
I have him on raw diet now in hopes this will help, but becoming limited for proteins available as I cannot feed the above.
So I am looking for a grain free kibble that does not contain any of the above to try and with a limited ingredient.
Please feel free to point me to other threads with the info I am looking for.

Thanks,
T

[Cindy S]

I am transitioning my two greyhounds from Natural Balance to NOW Fresh dog food (dry). They get bored so easily, so I feed them that in the evenings, and I usually mix in some cooked ground beef and a little cheese, or some cooked chicken to make it more enticing/interesting. In the mornings, I now feed them K9 Natural – Chicken Feast raw frozen food, which they really like; the challenge with that is that I live in northern CT and it is hard to find a store that carries it consistently, so I’ve had to order it online (and pay a $30 frozen food surcharge, which I’m happy to do if it means my dogs will eat!). I have been looking for a dogfoodadvisor.com rating for the K9 Natural raw frozen foods, but only see the K9 Natural Freeze Dried Raw (Freeze-Dried); the raw freeze dried chicken feast has a 5-star rating, but not sure if that applies to the raw frozen chicken feast, does anyone know? Thanks so much!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Terry –

You can certainly mix a different brand of raw dog food with Primal’s goat’s milk. My dogs love raw goat’s milk, unfortunately I have a difficult time getting it in my area. 🙁

[Pat G]

Hi everyone, I have a Cavalier who has 25 different allergies and I have gone through many foods trying to find the right combination for her. This included Raw, Dehydrated, Kibble, Canned, you name it. When I got her at the age of 2 1/2 she was on a food called Dynamite Super Premium and had no problems, she was born and raised in Arizona. When I brought her to California her allergies exploded. Veterinarians say this is common. Had her tested and found she is allergic to 5 different foods, so the search began. Now I only took her off the the food she was used to because you get it from a Distributor and the shipping was killing me, I have since found a Distributor here in California. Since putting her back on that food and some of their supplements she has stopped itching, eye watering minimized, coat again shiny. All of my dogs are now on it and I am pleased with the results. I think taking a look at their website would be of benefit to you. http://www.dynamitespeciality.com. You can then decide for yourself. Their customer service is terrific and will answer any question you may have and can also help you find a distributor or maybe become one.

[Naturella]

Tracy,

I second Susan – the smell could be a mouth issue or a stomach/digestion issue.

As for dental hygiene, you could give some bully sticks or other natural chews that actually help clean teeth (kibble doesn’t clean dog teeth any more than a cookie cleans human teeth). His mouth may not smell better but it will be cleaner. Or, if you would, you can give raw meaty bones – now those are supposed to really clean teeth, and combined with daily brushing, you should be good on the oral hygiene.

For the tummy, try considering digestive enzymes and/or probiotics. They may help.

[Kristin C]

Pumpkin works good to firm up stools, while he’s getting used to the food. I use it when I switch kibble just to be safe, although we feed mostly raw.

[Kristin C]

Becky- I have one dog who is pretty sensitive, and one who is pretty solid. However, I have noticed they both seem itchy when their food has sweet potato in it. When I omit the sweet potato they don’t seem to itch. Also, I give them each a can of sardines per week. They eat a variety of homemade raw proteins, plus Orijen kibble and freeze dried.

[Merry G]

PS.
I just read the report from this Doc Bovee for about the 5th time. It sounds like the idea for reduced protein diets was developed in the 40s but it really has no basis in scientific fact. It even appears that a low protein diet is worse for renal failure. We picked up some Science Diet kd last week.
I fed my Boxer some of it trying to ease her into new food and she’s not been feeling well for the last couple of days. She won’t eat but drinks water and then goes and eats grass and throws up. She also seems to spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning her
“girlie area” especially at night.
I’m calling the Vet on Mon and hoping to get her in the same day.
I know that nausea and vomiting are supposed to be signs of more advanced kidney failure but it seems to me that in the so called “early stages” these symptoms shouldn’t be occurring just yet and perhaps there’s something else going on her making her sick. Sigh….and that’s probably just me grasping at straws and trying to maintain hopefulness that my Sage hasn’t moved so quickly into the advanced stages of renal failure.
She was only diagnosed this past month.
I live in the desert and I don’t feel that the vets we’ve been to over the years have been all that great. They seem to care more about cows and horses than house pets. We’ve gone to all 4 of the vets available and their competency has alot to be desired but we’re hoping this guy is the best of the worst.
Ok, thanks again to you all who have taken the time to read my ramblings and responded. We dog folks are sniffalicious top shelf!

[DogFoodie]

No worries about not going raw! It’s not for everyone for various reasons. You can always added canned food as toppers.

Here’s a link to a great download (it’ll cost you $2.95): http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/home/sll/page_41_1. It’s written by Steve Brown, one of the authorities on raw feeding, and will show you how incredibly simple it is to add fresh whole foods to your dog’s diet. Simple, fresh foods like fresh cage free eggs, pureed dark leafy greens and sardines are amazing additions to a diet of kibble. So easy!

Fromm is a great choice! Other budget friendly foods that I really like are Dr. Tim’s, Victor, Horizon and Earthborn Holistics.

[melissa m]

Thank you all for the feedback! I didn’t mean to suggest we got the first bag of the “new” food, and I am not 100% certain of the date that they official switched, but as we progressed into new bags in late summer/fall the allergic reactions have gotten worse. I have now spoken to a few friends who have had similar issues and found that they ALL also use TOTW.

We will be switching this week.

I do appreciate the comment about switching foods more often though. I never really thought about that!!! Going to give Fromm a try and see how that goes. I wish I could afford to go raw, but with a 120 lb American Bulldog, an 80 lb American Bulldog/Catahoula mix, and a 50 lb pit mix I believe we would end up bankrupt!

[melissa m]

Hello! I am new to this forum and am seeking some help. 3 years ago we switched our bulldogs to Taste to the Wild to help with skin/allergy issues, and have had nothing but great success. We have raised a number of foster puppies on TOTW, encouraged friends to switch, and bragged on the product. However, at the end of this summer 2 of our dogs developed horrible allergies resulting in itchy raw skin and hives. We have tried everything from switching laundry detergents to cortisone shots and prednisone — and nothing seems to help. Yesterday when I was at my local pet store the owner told me that he had been receiving a lot of complaints about TOTW because they had changed their formula, now using fewer quality ingredients and more “filler” or low-quality items. He said the change occurred in late July, which coincides almost exactly to when my dogs allergies began to escalate.

However, I haven’t been able to find any reference online to anything other than a change in the probiotic they use that would suggest a big different in allergens control.

Before I spend the time and money on switching my dogs off of a food I had loved for years to another I would like to know if you have found any differences in TOTW recently. I was a little surprised not to see it on your list of favorites as I thought it was a top food. Now I’m really concerned. Thanks!

[Bobby dog]

aquariangt:
I like that bottle and the ability to attach a karabiner, but I have to admit when I checked out the site I was also drawn to the dog back pack. Maybe I’ll give up my purse and make Bobby carry my stuff. lol I actually have one of their collapsible bowls and like it very much.

BC: I have only seen the plain collapsible bowls in my pet store. That one is pretty nifty since you can attach it to a bottle and a clip. Keeping it in my truck would be convenient too.

[pugmomsandy]

I’ve used CarnivoreRaw before. It has bone-in and boneless options (with or w/o calcium) and it’s a powder. You can find it at youngagainpetfood.com.

[Kristin C]

Good idea BC. I’ll store my extra bags in the freezer until I need them. I’m searching for another mix I can move onto after my SSLL stash is gone but not finding anything so far. Anyone ever tried Better In The Raw?

[Lord F]

Is raw green tripe the same thing as beef tripe? The mexican market I buy meat from always has it, labeled as “Beef Tripe”. It’s white though.
Which organ meats should I be feeding? I heard that heart is considered muscle meat and so are gizzards, so what is organ? Kidney, lung.. what else?

[Kristin C]

I was placing a new order yesterday and the SSLL website says they are going to stop selling their dinner mix because Steve Brown is retiring. What a disappointment as I just started using it and it was going to be my go to for homemade raw. Just wanted to post in case anyone else relies on the product

[pugmomsandy]

Liver should be not be more than 5%. And I second the tripe suggestion. Just beware, raw green tripe smells foul.

[theBCnut]

If he tolerates it, you can give him 1/4 cup of kefir or you can give him some raw green tripe. After he has been on the probiotics a while, you should be able to cut back to twice a week on them.

[Lord F]

I just barely made the switch to raw for two of my dogs, we feed them raw in the morning and kibble in the early evening. For my 4 month old puppy, he gets half of his food raw, so his full morning meal. We expect him to get 35lbs. For our senior, we starting off by feeding him 1/4 raw per day, so he gets the same portion as the puppy, with a cup of kibble added. He’s 100lbs! I just started this a week ago! I just went out and bought their meat for this week. I’m so new to making it completely balanced and that’s why I’m starting with half kibble, until I get this down. Here’s what they got last week each:
Friday/Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday AM:
5.7 oz Boneless, skinless chicken breast
1.3 oz beef kidney
Saturday/Monday/Wednesday AM:
5.7 oz pork stew meat (boneless)
1.3 oz beef kidney
1 egg
They got turkey necks and cow feet throughout the week as well. This week I switched to a different menu:
Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday:
1 pork rib
1.3 oz pork liver
2 oz beef heart
2 oz turkey gizzards
Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday:
1.3 oz pork liver
3 oz turkey gizzard
2.7 oz beef heart
1 tbs canned salmon
In the PM they get either Acana or Orijen, we switch between the two every night. I now give them an egg once a week, they get turkey and pork necks throughout the week. I’m gonna stop by a Whole Foods tomorrow to get whole raw sardine and feed them this twice a week in addition to the regular meal and omit the canned salmon. I know it’s really basic, but I just wanted to know what I can do to make it more varied and more balanced. I’d like to start now for when I switch them off kibble. My senior also gets probiotics in capsule form to help with his digestion, he gets gas easily. What can I add to his food instead of giving him 4 capsules a day? THANKS!

[Susan]

Hi Amy, Im just reading Lew Olsons PhD, Raw & Natural Nutrition for dogs again, its a good book to have lying around, it has easy home cooked & raw recipes in the book she says this about Epilepsy: While the connection between grains & seizures is still being researched a number of studies suggest that feeding carbohydrates can increase the risks of seizure activity, either by making blood sugar level fluctuations more extreme or by causing allergic reactions due to gluten intolerance. The best defense is a fresh-food diet with low to mediun levels of fats, high levels of animal protein & few carbohydrates….

Supplements: Fish Oil, Vitamin E & digestive enzymes are all good supplements for dogs suffering from Epilepsy. Additionally adding a quality B complex vitamin has proven to fight seizures in both humans & animals. DMG made from a derivative of glycine has also shown promising results in slowing down or stopping seizure activity. For dogs the liquid form given by dropper in the gum line appears to work the best..
If you don’t mind making a few cooked meals she has 4 different Low-Fat Low Glycemic Diets for Epilepsy & what Supplements to add..

[Terry G]

“Small Batch” is a raw, frozen food. The company started in San Francisco, CA. I mix it with “Primal” brand goat’s milk.

[Amy H]

I am adopting an epileptic lab mix rescue pup, 10 months old, and I am told about 60 lbs. I have looked over these forums and printed out a few articles from the Mercola site to bring to my first vet appt with him. Once he is settled in our home I will begin transitioning him to a higher protein, lower carb, grain free diet. The first bag I bought for that is EB Holistic Primitive Naturals. He is on KBr already, as he had multiple grand mal seizures after poison ingestion, but he has been seizure free for several months. I am looking for advice from others who have dealt with this – what worked for you, and what didn’t? I am not up to a raw diet, but herbals and supplements would be manageable within budgetary reason. I wonder whether a rotation diet is still advisable, since I need to worry about affecting his KBr blood levels with varying salt content in different foods. Most labels I’ve checked don’t list sodium content. I read through about 55 pages of the large & giant breed puppy food forum, and think he is old enough that I at least don’t need to worry about calcium content. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated!

[InkedMarie]

I could have sworn I read something not so good about Big Dan’s trucking raw. A search showed me one person asking about it but nothing else. Anyone know anything about it?

[Naturella]

How cute Ginger and Bailey are! 🙂 And I second Bobby Dog regarding the BCnut and her aunt – age is just a number – fabulousness is forever! 🙂

On my end, things are meh, but I am getting used to it. I think that even though I had been “preparing” myself for this for a loooooong time, I was a bit numb myself when it actually happened. I hadn’t fully thought out the aftermath. I forgot to consider the possibility of my family (mom) not REALLY hearing my message and just retaining her shock factors and not the explanations for them or the reiteration of love for my family and desire for us all to love and accept each other and be open and honest with each other. BUT, I am adjusting, as is she, and we will play it by ear and see if time plus constant/consistent demonstration of care and love on my part will help. Hope is still in me. 🙂

Also on another note, I went through Bruno’s “treat box”, which is overflowing actually, and I pulled out a few things to give to the dog of the family I babysit for. An early Christmas present if you will, lol. After I pulled out a can of Weruva, a dental bone, a sweet potato chew, a bully stick, a lamb ear, a pig snout, a cow ear, a beef trachea, a fish skin, a stingray tail, a tripe swirly chew, a pack of salmon treats, and a few buffalo liver treats, I still have an overflowing box of some of the above treats left for Bruno, plus a Himalayan dog chew, a pig foot (I will probably let Bruno share it with the roommate’s dog), and a ton of food samples! I use them as treats, but I may need to up my usage and just give him meal varieties, i.e. give him his regular food and additive for breakfast; a sample (his normal serving of it, not the whole sample) with THK for dinner. Probably 2-3 meal replacements/week will take care of one sample. And if I do this every other week, I should be good until my kibble supply runs down. And then we start over with collecting food and samples. I really think I won’t hoard like that anymore though… I don’t want to keep more than 6 months’ worth of food at a time in the house… I want more variety, freshness, and deals too, so I will stock up when deals come every 6 months or so, and try to include more fresh/natural additives like freeze-dried/dehydrated/frozen commercial raw. But for now, he’s doing well it seems, and I should be transitioning him to Back to Basics in about 2 weeks. Hope he does well and not like the NVI disaster! LoL.

(P.S. I just realized that my post is halfway entirely related to dog food, but I didn’t know where else to put that second half, so sorry guys – it s here!)

[Amber M]

She still has all of her allergy problems on this kibble and has on other kibble also. She has had allergies since she was around 1.5 years old. Pills don’t help much and are not healthy.

For the raw diets I have been looking at BarfWorld, Natures Variety, and have just looked into Vital Essentials. I am leaning more towards raw because it is a healthier option than freeze dried or dehydrated. I am still unsure of raw and what brand to feed. I am definitely not ready to make my own diet. I am liking the Natures Variety raw more than BarfWorld and I have not looked into Vital Essentials much yet. What do you think of these brands?

[Susan]

Hi Amber, can you do home cooked or raw as it would be the best as you will know exactly what she is eating & can start an elimination diet.. also with the raw or home made cooked meals you can see what foods are causing these problems with the elimination diet……or if you get a freeze dried or dehydrated diets, get ones that has limited ingredients, so there’s less chance of food intolarances….I found my boy can’t have Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, peas, wheat or boiled rice so far…..has she stopped her sratching on the Back to basic kibble?? if you can, get her off the dry kibble its over processedm its only good for us humans, as it is quick & easy……

[Amber M]

I have a 4 year old lab that has allergies (scratching jaw, itchy body, sore/irritated paws that she chews, licks, and bites) and I have been looking at alternative diets to kibble. From researching and speaking with many dog food companies, I have found that even high quality kibble is not the best option for dogs.

I have looked into freeze dried diets, dehydrated diets, raw diets, and spoke with many different companies for each type of diet. I am still very unsure of what to do and would like to get input from people other than the dog food companies.

I have mainly been looking at Sojos, Grandma Lucys, The Honest Kitchen, BarfWorld, Vital Essentials, and Nature’s Variety. I am currently feeding Back to Basics dog food, which is a dry kibble. I am planning on giving a probiotic and fish oil, but cannot decide what to feed. Or if I should just keep her on dry kibble.

[InkedMarie]

My favorites: premade raw by Vital Essentials & Darwins, The Honest Kitchen (dehydrated), for kibbles: Farmina, Annamaet, Dr Tims

[crazy4cats]

Hi Linda J-
Welcome to DFA. My labs’ favorite dry food is grain free Victor Joint Health. I feed other kibble now and then also, but usually end up back with this again. I mix something in with every meal, such as canned, dehydrated, raw or fresh foods. Once a week, I try to feed them a kibble free meal with the See Spot Live Longer dinner mix. I stick to mostly the budget friendly list for both kibble and canned.
Also, most pet stores will take back a bag of food if your dogs don’t like it, or it doesn’t agree with them. Who knew that feeding your pets could be so complicated? LOL!
What do your dogs eat now? I’m sure you will get some more opinions. Good luck!

[neezerfan]

OK, I’ll jump in here. You’re right, Linda, there is no straight answer. First of all, I don’t feed kibble. I think it’s too processed, too high in carbs and not species appropriate. But then I have 2 small dogs and not 3 big ones so that keeps finances more out of the decision.

For one dog, I feed him a combo of Darwin’s raw and a few types of canned I like. Fromm, Whole Earth Farms, Nature’s Instinct and Ziwipeak are my favorites. I also add in fresh human food when available. Plain meat and cooked veggies.

My other dog has food intolerances so he is now eating Royal Canin potato and venison canned food. If you had told me a year ago I would feed this I would have said you were crazy but it’s been a savior for him. After 3 months on this I’m slowly adding other brands of venison food to see how it works for him.

So, it is a matter of what works best for each individual dog. You read and learn and makes some choices of good quality foods, and see what works!

BTW, is there really a food that labs won’t eat? LOL!

[theBCnut]

Here’s Hound Dog Mom’s latest list of safe foods
https://docs.google.com/viewer?srcid=0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk&pid=explorer&efh=false&a=v
You may have to join google docs, but that is an easy sign up and well worth it.

I would definitely look at calcium level as the reason for her issues. If you can get raw green tripe locally, you can add that to what you are feeding th lower the calcium level. But if the food you are feeding doesn’t have a legal AAFCO regs label, I would wonder what else it’s missing.

[Victoria W]

The Malasab is 25-30$ so if you have any other shampoo suggestions that would be helpful. Thanks for telling me about not feeding the raw fish! The neighbor didnt mention that but I guess Ill just bake it or something before I blend it for them. choco lab weighs 56lbs, black lab 72lbs, gold retriever 80lbs, the probiotics I got this morning say 1 pouch for <50 lbs and 2 pouches for >50. Kefir is just youghurt right? I feed my Taz plain low fat youghurt as a topper and occasionally cottage cheese b/c he likes it but how much do dogs this size need? I guess Ill have to read the ABC pdf and see.

[Rachel M]

Thank you for spotting that bug! We’re figuring out how to fix it and adding some new allergens and redoing the simple search.

We’re hoping to add canned/raw/dehydrated foods as well as more brands of food. Common pet store foods and the remaining foods from the existing brands are probably the next step, but I can also prioritize adding certain brands by request

[Bobby dog]

You are very welcome!

Not sure if the fish you bought is cooked or not, but do not feed raw salmon or trout to the dogs because they may contain bacteria that causes death in dogs. Good idea to puree it if you are uncertain about the bones, better safe than sorry.

You will really find that PDF useful. On top of it being packed with great info, it’s an easy read and written so that you can reference info easily. Your questions about food and portions should be answered in there. I don’t feed the ABC diet in one day, I feed all the extras throughout the week as toppers. Please ask if you can’t find what you are looking for; someone here should be able to help.

It does sound like a yeasty skin issue. Dandruff is much better than open sores so the Malesab must have helped. How do you stand budget wise with purchasing more shampoo? I found another budget friendly option for shampoo if you are interested.

My dog had a bad yeast infection last year. It took 8 months of consistent care and tweaking his diet to rid him of it. Changing his diet was integral in the healing process. If at all possible getting them off Ol’ Roy will be the most help. I know it’s not up to you, but if your uncle could at least switch to a food without chemicals, dyes, and meat & bone meal it would be a step in the right direction. With the added fresh foods you are improving their diets regardless, however by eliminating the chemicals etc. I believe you would see their health continue to improve. You might have a fighting chance to prove your point because more than likely some of the issues the dog had a few months ago will show up again after a few weeks back on Ol’ Roy.

I was feeding Bobby a canned food along the lines of Ol’ Roy that contained chemical preservatives and dyes, the kibble I fed was not bad. He had a skin infection so I took him to the Vet. During the visit my Vet discussed the importance of a healthy diet and suggested I stop feeding that canned food and choose another. When I eliminated it from his diet I saw an improvement in his skin within two weeks. That gave me the incentive to find out what else I could do for him.

I can’t answer your questions about enzymes, I don’t use them. Having no teeth would not necessarily be a reason to add enzymes. There was a very interesting conversation on the review side about using enzymes and whether or not they even survive the stomach. This did not pertain to enzymes used for pancreatic issues. Maybe someone else will be able to answer your questions.

I love the results I get from probiotics; wish I started using them long ago. I feed my cat kefir 3x/wk and my dog daily. I upped Bobby’s dose of probiotics when he had a yeasty skin relapse a month ago. When I feel he’s back on track I probably will feed it every other day. I think your choice of probiotics is a good one. Even though I am feeding kefir, it is more out of convenience for me since Bobby and the cats are doing well and like it. Kefir is very affordable, but I think your choice is more economical in the long run and you get more strains of probiotics. Write back with the weights of the dogs who will be getting them, I have info on dosage for human probiotics.

Canned food is much easier for dogs to digest since it is not as processed as dry food. There are several budget friendly canned foods out there. Depending on if they have teeth pulled mixing kibble with canned is an option too. At this point I am guessing it depends on what your Uncle decides to feed them. At the very least, you can add enough water to kibble prior to feeding them to make it a canned consistency if necessary.

I am not sure about specific exercises for arthritis & hip dysplasia. Keeping arthritic animals slim and fit is extremely important. The fish you are adding to their food is really good for arthritic pets! Try searching the forum for this topic and hopefully someone with experience on this subject will stop by.

[Bobby dog]

I am glad you stopped by with an update! It sounds like you are doing everything within your means to help these dogs. Other than a change in diet and seeking medical attention for their teeth, I still recommend probiotics if it is feasible. I listed some suggestions for them in my previous post.

Were the dogs able to transition to Pure Balance without any digestive upsets?

Does she have yeasty skin or just itchy from allergies?

What is the can size of the sardines you are feeding? About how many cans/week are you feeding each dog?

Healthy teeth and gums are very important for all of us; when they are unhealthy it can lead to other diseases. I would certainly address the situation in my dog. The only suggestion I have are for the owners to seek medical care ASAP. Do they have trouble eating kibble? Are the dogs given anything to chew?

I really recommend Steve Brown’s download, “See Spot Live Longer the ABC Way.” It will help you with what you are trying to achieve for these dogs economically. More importantly, it is specific as to the quantities/types of fresh foods to feed and keeping the diet balanced; it would also benefit your dog regardless of the quality of kibble he currently eats!
http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/home/sll/page_41/see_spot_live_longer_the_abc_way___electronic_down.html

Here’s a DFA thread about adding toppers:
/forums/topic/toppersadded-nutrition/

Too many raw egg whites can interfere with the absorption of biotin; egg whites contain avidin which binds with biotin preventing dogs from absorbing it. Lightly cooking some of the eggs you feed or just the whites can remedy this. Dogs the size of Labs should probably be fed about 4 – 5 eggs per week depending on their body condition and weight. Check out this thread for some suggestions from theBCnut on feeding eggs:
/forums/topic/how-many-eggs-shell-or-no-shell/

Other canned fish you can feed is mackerel or wild pink Alaskan salmon; avoid tuna due to possible contaminates. Be sure to feed only fish packed in water with no salt added.

You can try foot baths & rinses. Below are links to several different baths & rinses that would help with skin and coat issues. If you decide to try the povidone iodine solution foot bath or rinse, since the dogs go outside, rinse with clean water afterwards because it makes the skin sensitive to the sun:
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/10/25/dog-foot-bath.aspx
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/03/eating-these-foods-can-make-your-dog-itch-like-crazy.aspx
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/12/16/thirty-seconds-to-relieve-your-pets-itchy-paws.aspx
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_01/features/Pet-Uses-Of-Apple-Cider-Vinegar_20435-1.html?pg=3

Ol’ Roy is definitely not my choice for a healthy food, but it sounds like it’s your uncle’s. Keep encouraging him to rotate and hopefully feed a better food. Other places to look for affordable dog food are whole sale clubs, hardware, large animal feed, and garden supply stores.

If your uncle will not invest in better food, maybe you can try to research some kibbles that are in the same price range that don’t contain as many undesirable ingredients, chemicals, and dyes. One brand that comes to mind is PMI Nutrition; they make three grades of dog food. I often read comments from people on hunting dog forums recommending their Red Flannel line, their lowest grade of food. I don’t recommend this food, but perhaps it (or another similar food) could be considered the lesser of two evils.

Here is PMI’s website with a store locator:
http://www.pminutrition.com/main.html

DFA review:
/dog-food-reviews/red-flannel-dog-food/

[theBCnut]

Raw eggs a couple times a week are fine, but probably not every day. Lightly cook them the rest of the time.

[Tiffany K]

Yes, I have tricked them into thinking a carrot is a big deal. Thank you for the response!

Do you think it is safe to give the eggs raw as a food topper?

[Jenny Rellick]

My dog, Leo, was like yours–begging for more food. He went from 62 lbs. down to 50 lbs.over the course of a year on a grain-free dry food. Here are my 4 tips for dog weight loss:

1. Feed the calories for your dog’s ideal weight, not her current weight: Leo gets 725 calories per day, including treats, and has gotten that amount since he hit 62 lbs.. Use The Dog Food Calculator on this site’s home page to figure out you dog’s caloric needs, entering an estimated ideal weight in pounds from your vet or from a time before your dog was overweight, and for activity level, select “overweight.” Leo’s food is 500 calories per cup, and I feed him 1 and 1/3 cups per day, for 650 calories from a high protein dog food. I leave 75 calories for other food, and because the grain-free food I use is so nutritious, I am confident he is well-nourished with the small quantity. Leo gets 2 meals of 2/3 cups, measured with a measuring cup (never eye-ball the quantity.)

2. Pump up the volume with warm water: Use a big, flat-bottom bowl to spread the kibble out, and add enough warm water to just cover the kibble, letting it steep on the counter for a minute or two.. Some kibble swells to make it more filling, and even if your part kibble doesn’t swell much, you are making a tasty broth to drink without adding calories. The water makes the meal take longer to eat, and tricks Leo into drinking extra water, which is necessary for weight loss. My dog goes crazy fpr the aroma while it steeps. Many vets recommend canned dog food for weight loss for exactly these benefits I provide by adding warm water to dry food. My way is much less expensive.

3. Feed green beans liberally with every meal. You can use frozen or salt-free canned (never give salted canned vegetables to a dog.) Of all the vegetables, green beans have an extremely low caloric density but, when cooked (canned green beans are pre-cooked and can be fed directly,) they are appealing to dogs. My dog won’t eat cabbage, lettuce, or celery, but he loves green beans. He gets 1/2 cup at each meal, stirred into the steeped kibble. This adds about 20 calories per meal, but he feels very satisfied with each meal, gets plenty of fiber for bowel regularity, and thinks I am preparing something special for him at each meal. He watches each step, and if I leave the kitchen while the kibble is steeping, he barks and cries as if to say, “you are forgetting to finish cooking my dinner!” If he starts begging before I put the green beans in, I show him the bowl and say, “Don’t you want green beans?” He barks and cries until I add the green beans! If I run out of green beans, he looks so disappointed. When I get back from the store, he goes to his bowl and waits just to get his half cup of green beans by itself.

4. Give very small treats. Except for 2 regular Greenies per week (90 calories each,) Leo gets tiny treats for going potty the right way or listening well. They are about 1/2 the size of the tip of my pinky finger. Most dogs will enjoy one treat three times more than they enjoy three treats all at once. Liver biscotti treats are Leo’s favorite tiny treat. Zuke’s mini naturals are also a convenient size. You could chop up human cold cuts or pepperoni and keep them as treats in the refrigerator. If your dog loves to chew for a long time, antlers are great because only a small amount is ingested or digested at a time, and your dog will burn calories by chewing. Elk antlers seem to be a good size and wear down just fast enough for Leo to get flavor and satisfaction from his efforts. Marrow bones from cattle are similarly good chews for dogs, but bully sticks, pig’s ears, raw hide, and the like present a choking hazard, can cause bowel blockages, have empty calories, and often contain chemicals. By the way, my dog loves his Greenies so much that they serve as his emergency recall reward. For the emergency recall reward, don’t worry about calories!

[Kathy N]

I use commercial raw frozen Northwest Naturals..etc… I just called Vital Essentials.they do use necks in their grinds..and weren’t aware of Dr. Dodds info…and the thyroid tissues being ground in too…so am waiting an answer from North West Naturals..now…hate to have to go back to kibble..but I don’t want to cause problems that I don’t have….and Yes I tried making my own raw dog food.by Dr. PITCAIRN’S book..just don’t feel I’m qualified to make my own dog food correctly..HELP……..

[Kathy N]

I feed NorthWest Naturals raw for my dogs..and rotate the proteins..is this a worry about this dogfood? Should I go back to Kibble?..HELP…….

[Victoria W]

So I thought I would give an update……the choco lab with the skin allergies is doing better still not 100% but better.Unfortunately they have only been fed a good food ( pure balance ) 1.5 months and since my uncle picked up ole roy this weekend to replace the dwindling bag of pb I guess my hope of them having seen the improvement with the food change was unrealistic. I now feed all the dogs coconut oil on top of their kibble and I stocked up on sardines from the local Aldis. Currently they each get 3 sardines every meal and 1 or 2 raw eggs cracked over their food at supper. I bought a small bottle of the malasab to use on all of the “itchy” dogs and it helped…until it ran out 🙁 I brush all the dogs every night and I’m doing my best to keep them clean and as flea free as possible ( since they are hunting dogs who routinely go out into the woods this is proving very hard to do ). All the dogs seem happy and are at least recovering some of their hair. My other concern is that the black lab 8 y.o. and the golden retriever 4 y.o. both have lost almost all their teeth, I mean they have worn them down to the point that all that is left of some is the red inside part and they are even with their gum line and their canine teeth are only half left ….I don’t know how long theyve been like this but I’ve been with them for 7 mo. now and I can only assume they have had no teeth ( maybe from all their chewing on themselves ) for several years now. It looks so painful and Im worried its a way for dieseases to enter into their bloodstream. Their vet says its no big deal but what Ive found online says this is something that should be taken care of immeadately. I think its also the reason they are lethargic, they just dont feel good. I see a bleak road ahead and if you have any advice I can pass on and implement while I am here I would again greatly appreciate it.

[Naturella]

I had commented on another thread with wrong info – my dog IS allergic to something in his rabbit-based kibble, and I am not entirely sure what – he has had a small raw rabbit neck before with no issues, but the NVI rabbit kibble made him very sick. I need to check what it is in the ingredients that he’s never had before, but for now, I will go with rabbit, I guess.

[Dori]

Chicken in any form including eggs. Turkey. Quail. Pheasant. All grains. Lamb. Goat. Rabbit. I avoid foods that contain corn, soy, white potatoes, rice in all forms. These are the ones that come to mind this moment. I know there are others, I’m drawing a blank. I’ll get out my list in the morning and add the others.

[Kerry W]

My Dog has just been diagnosed with this also…Lab-pointer cross, full of life, 5yrs and now vomiting and diarrhea bouts for 3 weeks. Have been on all the medications, not steroids – yet.

We tried Eukanuba veterinary diet, worked for a couple of days, then relapse. Then, tried Royal Canin hypoallergenic kibble and cans – same again. WOrked for a couple of days, then relapsed. Now not sure what to try 🙁 Maybe potatoes and something else. We tried raw chicken first, but she doesn’t tolerate that. Nor cooked chicken. Then tried raw beef, comes straight back up 🙁

Perhaps we will try and fine the royal canine venison and potato option

[Jane E]

I am looking for a grain free dry food without lentils/peas or alfalfa. I have senior Boxers with a history of IBS/colitis and one with some reoccurring yeasty skin issues. I would like to have a food that I could feed all 3 if possible (to date I have not accomplished that). I currently raw feed one,another is on Honest Kitchen Zeal with occasional Thrive or Force and the other is on Orijen Senior (and I think that may just be too much of a good thing for her now) her stools are soft. She’s been on this for about a year and is in beautiful condition otherwise.
So I am interested in anyones input. It’ll be greatly appreciated
Jane

[C L]

If it wasn’t so late as I was watching your dogs eating the chicken necks and backs, my eyes would have be popping out of my head! Just watching that chicken neck disappear little by little, as you hear the crunching! Your dogs did very well.

I’m just investigating feeding bones. I bought marrow bones for my 3-1/2 pd 12 year old Chi. She eats Nature’s Variety raw organic chicken mostly, so she’s used to raw food. I put an old bedsheet down, thinking maybe she will understand I want to to eat this bone on it, and she did stay on the sheet, long enough to bury the bone in the sheet by pushing the sheet over it with her nose! I tried giving it to her again, but this time, I dug some marrow out & put it on my finger, which enticed her to eat the marrow, but I took it away before she ate all of the marrow.

I gave her this other type of bone that’s supposed to be a femur, but sliced lenghwise in half and lightly smoked with some meat on it. She really got into that to pull the meat off and the fat and I could see how that would clean her teeth.

[Akari_32]

I’ve got a dog almost exactly like yours. We finally out him By Nature 95% canned food (around $20 a case on PetFlow) and he cleared considerably. Then I put him on a raw diet with See Spot Live Longer pre mix (the lowest carb pre mix I could find, and thankfully the cheapest!), and he’s gotten even better. He still, however, chews his feet from the grass, but there’s just no stopping that. He’s finally got hair grown back in all over body after chew himself bald from his ribs back, and he’s less red, other than his feet and tummy where the grass touches him.

[Michael H]

Hi everyone! Not sure if this is the right forum section to post this, but I’m in dire need of some help.

We have an almost 9 year old rescued Basset Hound, who we have been struggling to manage yeast and chronic inflamed skin since we’ve had him this past year. The vet has him on persistent hydroxyzine and prednisone, of which I try to give the least effective dose, as especially prednisone I’m not that comfortable using due to the side effects.

Upon shelling out for an allergy test (environmental and diet [Spectrum Groups Spot Report]), we’ve found out he’s positive for 19 things and borderline for another 7 out of a total of 91 tested items.

His symptoms are always the worst in the spring/summer, as one of the main allergens is grass, which as far as I know I can’t do much about. I’ve replanted our yard to grass that he’s supposedly not allergic to, but anything that blows our way from a neighboring yard cancels that out.

There are a lot of dietary items as well, and finding a food for him has been a nightmare. I’ve considered cooking food for him, but unsure what’s considered “balanced”, and raw feeding makes me a bit nervous as I’ve heard that grocery-grade meats can possibly be tainted since they are meant to be cooked until a safe temperature, and I don’t want to hurt him. Any outlet in our area that sells organic/free range/etc. isn’t very accessible or is very expensive.

The list of foods he tested positive for are:

Venison
Eggs
Lamb
Wheat
Rice
Oats
Potato
Carrots

Borderline Foods:
Dairy (Milk)

Low-scoring/Negative:
Beef
Rabbit
Poultry Mix
Pork
Soy
Corn
Beet
Flax
Barley
Brewers Yeast
Kelp
Alfalfa
Fish Mix
Green Pea
Duck

So, I have to avoid conventional grains. Due to his yeast issues/dermatitus, I’m also assuming that the lowest starch/low glycemic food would be in his best interest. The main issue I’m running into is that most grain free foods use potatoes, eggs, or carrots, which he’s also allergic to.

On one had it seems that wet food may be the way to go, but as he’s older, his teeth aren’t the best. They are all still intact, but he doesn’t really gnaw on anything at all (can’t really with his droops, they are probably easy to chomp down on and would hurt) to clean them, and brushing hasn’t seemed to do a whole lot, so I’m fearing that wet food may make it worse. I’ve bought knuckle bones for him and our other dog, but he only eats the tasty stuff on the outside and his sister gets the hand-me-down since she will actually gnaw and grind it down. Her teeth are excellent in regards to tartar.

From the test it looks like he can have peas, lentils, or chickpeas as a binder, but again I’m unsure of how much starch content may be in the resulting food. I’m finding sweet potato in a lot of the foods as well, but it wasn’t tested for, and I’m unsure of how related they may be.

So far I’ve tried Taste of the Wild Wetlands & Pacific Stream (which we feed to our other dog), but they didn’t do a whole lot for him-both contain either sweet potatoes, potato, or egg. Our other dog doesn’t seem to have any issues thus far at 3 years, thank goodness, and hopefully it stays that way.

The best looking food I’ve come across is Orijen 6 fish, but it’s very expensive. It doesn’t start listing carb sources until the 12th ingredient, but I can’t really tell if that’s a good or bad thing-chickpeas, red lentils, green lentils, and green peas all have protein as well, and they seem to count that towards the protein % for the food, so their ingredient %’s could be just as high as if it were listed as the second ingredient, like I find in a lot of other, cheaper foods.

If we can get any help with this, it would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time!

Mike & Beth

[InkedMarie]

My Gemma is my toothless senior sheltie. A few months ago, she started with was three bouts of giardia. Ended up on meds & I chose to put her on canned Rx food. Three different times, I tried to add back a couple spoonfuls of her old food: Canidae Pure Sea. It didn’t go well, lots of diarrhea.
I tried her on ground raw, again (we tried when we first adopted her) but it’s not going well. I can’t get hood stools from her. They’re either hard & she has trouble expelling it or its diarrhea. My raw guru who helps me agrees that raw just isn’t for her. So, I just ordered two small bags of Farmina small bites but I want to add some canned to it. With no teeth & a tongue that goes in all directions while eating, I’m not sure she’ll be able to pick up Kibbles without canned.
I’m looking for high quality pate, smushy types of canned. They don’t have to be complete diets because they’re just add in’s. Canned isn’t cheap so I’d rather not buy an assortment to try.

Please tell me what you’ve used for smushy types of canned and thanks.