[Kristin C]

Hi-I know this is a crapshoot, but does anyone have advice on how to get my dog to gain weight, gluten/grain free? The rescue we got her from says she is part chihuahua, but we were stumped on what other breed(s). She has webbed feet so we thought redbone coonhound, which is possible as she is from Tennessee. I do believe she is part whippet or greyhound though based upon her bone structure. You can see her bones-ribs and hips, and that’s been since the day we got her last December (2013). I fed her 3-4 times per day earlier this year and every time I think she’s putting on weight, she isn’t. She had some food sensitivity issues after we got her so she is currently 80-90% raw. I do add oatmeal or cottage cheese to her food when I can, and when it’s convenient. I thought after she turned 1 she might fill out but that’s not happening. The vet says she is strong, and yes she is very peppy, so maybe she’s burning off more than I am feeding her and I just need to give her more food? She gets 3-4% of her body weight, sometimes more. Any input will be greatly appreciated.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Hi everyone. I was wondering if anyone had advice on how to effectively brush a dog’s teeth. When I first adopted Lily, who is ~3, the vet said that there was some plaque on her teeth, not enough to need a professional cleaning, but that we should brush her teeth. Well, I decided to wait a week or two because she was new to our house. Then, I took the doggy toothbrush I had bought for her and put some TropiClean toothpaste on it. I put it near her mouth, and somehow expected her to open it. Not surprisingly, she didn’t. I then searched google for “how to brush a dog’s teeth” and I found something by the ASPCA about how to slowly acclimate them to having their teeth brushed with treats. I began to touch her teeth while she licked peanut butter off my hand, and then tried lifting her lips and giving her treats. Now, two months later, she has made a ton of progress, though i have not been able to really brush her teeth with a toothbrush. She will let me lift her lips for a few seconds and open her mouth for a split second as long as I am giving her treats, or let me rub toothpaste on her teeth. Sometimes she lets me touch the brush to her mouth. She is not a huge fan of any of this, but tolerates it. I also changed toothpaste, I now use CET poultry favored enzymatic toothpaste which she loves.

I give Lily “dental” Nylabones to chew, the flexible non-edible kind. These actually work for her, she chews them but doesn’t destroy them to much. I kind of doubt it helps that much though. She also sometimes gets edible chews, such as Himalayan chews. I know RMBs can help with teeth, but neither me nor the rest of my family is quite ready to use raw bones. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on her getting more accustomed to tooth brushing, because while she is making progress I am not sure if I will ever really be able to thoroughly clean her teeth. Thanks!

[Kristin C]

So I am giving the raw beef ribs a thumbs down. Yes, they gnaw off the meat and the bone is clean. The problem I had today is that both my girls didn’t want to give up the bone afterwards. I was running around the yard trying to get them to drop it. Even my youngest one grumbled at me, but they weren’t aggressive just playful and protective. Once I got them into the fenced area I took out one of their chicken dinners and they both came running inside. So they will be sleeping it off in the garage for a while:) And I will be sticking with consumable bones and treats! I feel like the ribs are more like the marrow bones where they could break a tooth, another reason I am only trying this once.

[Nancy C]

Kristin — I bought 3 turkey necks from HARE TODAY and they are in the freezer still. HOW exactly did you feed them? They look big. Hare Today says they are 1 1/2 pound each. According to the 2 -3% body weight my GSD can eat approx 2 pounds of raw a day. so it would seem to me that ONE neck would be a meal in that he eats two meals a day — but perhaps I should cut it in half?
Were your dogs able to chew it up easily? Did they eat it frozen? Did you feed it outside and just lay it down on the ground (as some say to do) ? I sound so stupid — I just have NO experience and I do not know of anyone around here who feeds “basic raw raw” (meaning raw pieces as in the wild – not “prepared commercial raw’ like Darwins, Primal etc). What I am scared of is choking and the possibility of biting off more bone than can go through the “tubing” in the body.
I think I have read that beef bones are comparatively hard whereas goat, lamb, duck, chicken are softer bones and that would infer easier to chew up. Thank you for what you can say.

[Nancy C]

Kristin, thank you! I am anything BUT an authority but my Fear has pointed me in the direction of getting info. For starters my RMBs are LONG too. Measuring the curved side they are 8 inches long from end to end which means they are really longer than that. My dog is 75 pounds w big jaws and teeth… however, I have just moved him in the last 2 weeks to raw and I have changed vets to a homeopath vet to whom I am adapting. My regular vet for 12 yrs is a fine clinician if the dog needs surgery (was #1 in her vet class) but as for holistic she is NOT there. She is the one who drew titers on my shepherd back in Sept, called to say parvo was negative and I needed to bring him in for REvaccination. The vaccine her animal hospital uses is a combo of parvo and distemper. She was willing to REvaccinate him for distemper even though his immunity for it (according to the titers) is very strong. THAT is when I found the homeopath who was willing to ONLY vaccinate for parvo. (Singles ARE available). That homeopath RE tested him for titers recently and sent the blood to the Univ of Col Vet Sch for lab work and the parvo was very strong. Go figure. Anyway, if there is trouble w this bone then I will have to make a decision betw WHICH VET and I do not want to do that!
Also – FYI from the NON EXPERT ME — According to my reading marrow bones are not recommended for dogs because they are from the load bearing bones (leg – femur) and dogs can easily break a tooth on those bec they are particularly hard. Dr. Tom Lonsdale DVM is a very respectable vet in Australia who has written two books worth seeing and one is titled RAW MEATY BONES. Can type that in and read more. He has a website. I think it is http://www.rawmeatybones.com. There is another website where his second book is ON LINE FOR FREE. It is RAWMEATYBONESMYTH.com (I think). Google that in and see if it comes up. Otherwise I will go find the exact title…. it gives a little info. Knuckle bones are also bad for tooth breaks.
Let me know how it goes this afternoon. I am thinking about giving mine today or tomorrow. I just gave the GSD his first BEEF last night, continued this morning. And I might wait till tomorrow just in case there is a probl so I can call the homeopath and not the Emergency Vet – they charge so much esp on weekends!
Good luck. Will wait to hear. WHAT I WANT TO KNOW is what happens AFTER the meat is all chewed off. !!! Thanks.

[InkedMarie]

The best way to get more water is to feed a raw, canned or dehydrated food. If you must feed dry, add some canned to it with water.

[pugmomsandy]

You can also feed a raw meaty bone (chicken thigh, drumstick for example) in place of three meals per week which will help with cost. Also, your dog should be able to eat varying amounts of fat and protein so I would still keep Darwin’s in the food rotation with other foods like the FreshPet you mentioned. There are premixes that you can just add raw or cooked meat to and a little bit of oil and that’s it. Pretty simple. I think Tuckers Raw and some of the Bravo raw foods come in the individually wrapped serving size.

[pugmomsandy]

You would actually need to contact the food companies and ask how much liver is in the diet or ask for a nutrient analysis rather than just assume that a food is high in liver since USA dog food companies aren’t required to list ingredients by percentage. Take Primal Beef Formula raw food for example. It has liver as ingredient number 2, but their analysis shows vitamin A within guidelines at 11765 (minimum 5000, max 250,000).

http://www.primalpetfoods.com/product/detail/c/7/a/c/p/all/z/b/t/a/d/b/id/2

[InkedMarie]

For another prepared raw, I like Vital Essentials. I do ground raw that I get from Hare Today and Reel Raw. All you need is a scale, weigh & feed.

[Cheryl O]

Many of the freeze dried raw diet foods that are ‘enthusiastically recommended’ have a significant amount of liver. I’ve heard that because of the high Vitamin A content of liver, this can be toxic to dogs. I’ve been feeding Stella and Chewy mixed with Wellness grain free. Also been giving Orijen freeze dried treats. Any comments?

[Judy M]

Which do (u all, and Mike) consider to be the most “budget friendly” raw diet (already prepared ready to feed – so that I don’t have to source and grind and mix ingredients myself). I MA currently feeding my 7.5 ur old, 22-lb spaniel mix dog Darwins. naturals, mostly duck, but exploring other options die to q new higher fat ratio formulation combined with an increase in price. what to do the best for my dog’s health and longevity, but keep the budget in mind. I felt the naturals, ( no antibiotics, no added chemicals and or hormones,organic better for her health, which I am ok with spending more for her (tho I can’t really afford to so for myself but dogs live such short lives not want to do the very best for her, but it has to be do-able, convenient enough that I will have time for it and not end up wasting ingredients that Ia don’t have time or energy to psirce ingredients, prepare prepare and, mix and prepare and have enough energy and nough time to prepare it myself and not end up wasting ingredients when. I do t have energy to learn how to and do the work of concocting thr daily ears foe her myself. (Darwins is so easy, just thaw, open and feed. is it worth the extra cost by being that much more healthy for her, or would it be just as healthy to switch to something else. ,( I notice that even Fresh Pet (available at grocery store) has received 4 stars). is premium or gain raw really that much vm open Should I stick with Darwins (given those considerations, even tho they at hey will n exchanging the ingredients formulation,raising the price and at same time adding more fat? should d I not be concerned with the fat increase I. the new formulation. like I said, just want my 7.5 ur old beloved dog to live as long and healthy q life as possible. any advice welcome. thanks for all replies , sorry for any typos. touchscreen learning curve)

[Naturella]

Hey, Korey! What other brands have you tried? Maybe a fish-based food will help, or, you could start adding raw, organic, unrefined, cold-pressed coconut oil or wild salmon oil to his food. Walmart or Costco have affordable coconut oil, but only get the unrefined stuff. It has made a ton of difference for my Bruno

I have also used Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch with great success. Other affordable brands besides Earthborn Holisitic are Victor, Dr. Tim’s, NutriSource. Rotational feeding is also a plus both for the dog and for the wallet – this way you can take advantage of sales and add variety to Max’s diet. 🙂 If you’re into ordering online, you can use websites such as petflow.com , chewy.com , wag.com , petfooddirect.com . They often have great sales and deals.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Naturella.

[DogFoodie]

You’re not feeding the salmon raw, are you?

[theBCnut]

Lucky you!! Dogs need calcium in their diet, that’s what they were talking about with the egg shells. You can either feed consumable raw bones(which are great for teeth) or eggshells with each meal. For bones, they need to be 10-15% of the animal portion of the meal. For eggshells, it’s 2 shells for every pound of meat.

They also need organs. About 10% of the animal portion of their food should be organs. Half of that should be liver and the other half should be other secreting organs. Heart coulnts as muscle, but kidney, spleen, etc. count as organs.

They need a regular source of omega 3s. The salmon should cover that as long as it isn’t too overcooked. Or add an Omega 3 supplement, 100mg of DHA and EPA combined per 10 lbs of body weight daily.

They need vit E and D, zinc and selenium, manganese, and a whole food supplement would be good.

If you want an easier way to do it, they sell premixes for boneless meats. Look for The Honest Kitchen Preference, See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix, or Dr. Harvey’s Veg to Bowl fine ground.

[Sandi S]

I work in a large steak house and can get unlimited amounts of cooked beef. Filet mignon, NY strip, rib eye and prime rib. I wash them very well before use. I also get sweet potatoes. I know the cuts of meat all have different percentages of fat and protein and that is my biggest concern. Also what else do I need to add to make a complete daily balanced dog food. If I completely stop feeding dry dog food what is the best way to keep my dogs teeth healthy? She doesn’t get cooked bones, Should I give her raw bones? Also I read that she needs raw chicken and egg shells? occasionally I also give her chicken and salmon that I get at work I’m trying to keep this as simple as possible.I refuse to feed my dog cheap dog food and I really can’t afford the better dog food on the market. It is hard for me to throw it all this meat away! Thanks to anyone who can help 🙂

[Karen J]

Good information, any thoughts on canned foods or just freeze dried raw with water added? Looks like there is some Calcium Ascorbate from Ester C in Cranberry Comfort.

I have to get the PH strips and trade in kibble for no grain. She really loves the BB canned, this morning I added too much water and other stuff to some canned and she wouldn’t eat it, so I’m concerned about just freeze dried raw with water, someone told me to just give her that and make it like oatmeal. I don’t think she’ll eat it.

I re-did her food this morning with a small amount of filtered water and less Stella and Chewy on top. She ate some of it, but she usually gobbles the BB canned with a scoop of the cranberry. Not eating isn’t an option either. I usually put the kibble with Stella and Chewy topping in separate bowl and she nibbles at it.

I have to figure out a combo she will eat.

[theBCnut]

We ate about 10 lbs of blackberries and I froze more than 10 lbs, but I think I’m down to the 3 lb bag I’m saving for a huge blackberry crisp on Christmas morning. I have about 6 lbs of blueberries and the strawberries are all but gone.

[theBCnut]

I use frozen berries all the time. We have U Pick fields all over the place, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries. I try to pick enough to last me until at least New Years. The antioxidants in the berries are as good for the dogs as they are for people.

[pugmomsandy]

You’ll probably get several different answers from us as well! And we’re not vets. But, these are some suggestions. (1) increase moisture intake (canned food, freeze dried/dehydrated foods (rehydrated), fresh/frozen raw foods, even kibble flooded with water) to help keep the bladder flushed out. (2) avoid feeding only dry food. (3) more frequent potty breaks. (4) cranberry/d-mannose supplement daily.

If she has alkaline urine, you can also add (1) small vitamin C capsule or a methionine (amino acid) capsule daily. (2) or a commercial pH reducing product (ex: Wysong Biotic pH-) or “grass saver” type product with methionine. Purchase pH test strips so you can monitor the urine pH.

I haven’t heard of fish being a problem regarding struvites.

[JeffreyT]

We recently stopped feeding pet food fish b/c of the rancidity factor that BCnut refers to and also the ethoxyquin.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/01/03/fish-as-a-protein-source.aspx

You could use a pre-mix with fresh fish, canned sardines if you can’t bring yourself to feed other types of animals, and alternate with some veg meals (humane certified eggs, veg pet food, etc).

You can also buy the highest humanely rated meats (already prepared or raw) at Whole Foods and use with a pre-mix. If you can’t deal with the preparation aspect, Primal and Answers pet food are certified by the Global Animal Partnership…the same system used by Whole Foods that rates humane conditions and certifies feed gmo-free. And there are hopefully more out there I don’t know about.

Some companies use pasture raised and pasture finished so no factory farms or feed lots, like Healthy Pet Products, Stella and Chewys and Dogs for the Earth.
Dogs for the Earth raises their chickens above and beyond humane guidelines. Generally pet foods with wild boar/bison are free range too. Just some options you may want to consider.

[pugmomsandy]

I’ve mix yogurt or kefir, frozen fruit and some juice and maybe some Garden of Life Raw Meal and make a smoothie.

[pugmomsandy]

There are combo products on the market from many pet brands like Total-Zymes Plus Probiotics. I like to use a product that has several strains of organisms in it. If you read the ingredient list of the Total-Zymes products, you can get an idea of what I’m talking about. That being said, human products are less expensive and you can also give it to your dog. You can use sardines and even mackerel instead of salmon. I feed raw sardines.

[theBCnut]

If you get another commercial raw and a premix or 2 to rotate between, the only thing I would want to make sure of is tripe at least once a week or a multistrain probiotic and the omegas. If you are feeding twice a day, one meal of oily fish is enough Omega 3s. Their fish was only part oily fish, so may not be enough. If you are adding a fish or krill oil supplement, then you want 100mg of DHA and EPA combined for every 10 lbs of body weight daily. Skip flaxseed oil, it has the wrong form of omegas for dogs.

[Angie]

Thank you the BCnut,

I will look into another or two raw food suppliers or get a premade and mix in my own.

Should I get some liver and kidney to add to the mixture of Big Country Raw? Also is there any vitamins I need to give?

I do give a tripe blend they have sometimes.

Thank you so much,
Angie

[Karen J]

Trixie a 1 year old Terrier Mix/Chinese Crested 12.8lbs, has some crystals in her urine, no infection no stones. I’m getting not one straight answer from any one on what to feed her.

I’m now using filtered water not tap.
I crumble Stella & Chewy onto her Blue Buffalo kibble but take out the dark bits. Was told I should get “low ash” kibble.
Was told not to give her kibble and wet food?
Was told to give her only freeze-dried raw.
I’m putting Cranberry Comfort powder on her food.
I give her bully sticks as treats and Natural Balance dental chews.
I was told to stay away from all fish products.
The vet wants to put her on some prescription food, I don’t believe that is best for her.
I’m so confused.

Karen

[Karen J]

Trixie is a rescue, she just turned 1 year I’ve had her for 8 months, a terrier mix/chinese crested. Diagnosed with urinary crystals. No infection or stones. But she peed in house twice, there is a dog door and she walks and goes to daycare.

Since diagnosis 2 days ago I’ve switched her to filtered water and add Cranberry Comfort to her food, was told to get low ash food and also raw dried. I put Stella and Chewy on her kibble and she loves it. I give her Natural Balance dental chews. I also remove the dark kibbles from her Blue Buffalo kibble.

Right now she eats Blue Buffalo canned chicken and lamb and small dog kibble. She weights 12.8lbs. I’ve heard this brand and food are really not the best for her condition.

[theBCnut]

Personally, I would feel better if you were also using raw from another company or two. With this company, all their recipes have apples, carrots, pears, kale, etc. That means that every day your dog gets the exact same fruits and veggies and never any others. I also don’t think that they use enough variety of organs. Every formula should have 5% liver and 5% some other secreting organ. Some of the formulas only have liver, some have heart, which doesn’t even count as an organ, some have kidney and spleen. I noticed that the chicken formula used beef liver, what’s with that? On the whole, I liked their recipe, and I would try it with my dogs, but I would rather see one formula have one set of fruits and veggies and another formula have another set of fruits and veggies.

[Angie]

Hi Guys!

I looking for advice from some of you avid raw feeders. I have been feeding Big Country Raw dinners to my two pups for the last 4 months. I have a Samoyed that’s just under 2 years old and a Shih Poo who is almost 8. The samoyed is 65lbs and the Shih Poo is 16 lbs.

My Samoyed had Coccidia and Giardia as a puppy and he has been treated for it a few times and since then his digestive system haven’t been the same so we tried raw for him and it was almost a miracle. He has small solid poops to where I don’t have to bathe his butt every morning before work.

Anyways the main reason for this post is that.. is there anything I need to add to their diets? They are getting a rotation diet of Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Lamb, Breeder Blend, and Fish Dinner. Is there a supplement I need to add since they will most likely been on this diet for a while. I do give them chicken and Turkey Necks once a week and Bones to chew + Brush their teeth a few times a week.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,
Angie

http://www.bigcountryrawstore.com/Dinners-s/1818.htm

[Ry K]

I’ll definitely start keeping track of his day to day – that’s a great tip.

I virtually bathe in coconut oil myself, so I’ll definitely start applying it to him topically or even adding a bit to his food.

Another person just mentioned to me that it may be fleas. I made a 50/50 apple cider vinegar and water mix and sprayed him today – hoping that will help. He’s really not that bad lately to be honest – it’s always so hard to tell why it gets worse and then goes away.

I don’t add any carbs like sweet potatoes to his diet – the raw food comes with the proper vegetable ratio already added into it. I never considered yeast – definitely another possibility.

Thanks again – great info!

[Dori]

Hi Courtney. If your dog does wind up having crystals be sure to ask what type. As far as the UTI the other posters have helped. It is important that your dog is walked often and that she drink plenty of water. If you are feeding her kibble then please add water to it and let is absorb the water before feeding her the food. It’s a good way to get more moisture into a dog that doesn’t drink enough water. As the others have suggested, dry food (kibble) is not what she should be eating. Commercial raw foods (if you don’t want to hassle making your own), dehydrated, canned, freeze dried. In that order would be the best way for you to go imo. Normally I would put freeze dried before dehydrated but a lot of freeze dried foods don’t absorb water very well. There are plenty of quality dehydrated foods so your dog will win with the moisture and the quality of the food.

You didn’t mention what food you feed your dog. How many meals a day does she get and hopefully you leave water down for her all the time.

[theBCnut]

I hate cutting up raw liver, so I throw it in a pot of water and boil it until it starts to turn grayish, then I cut it up and dehydrate it. That improves the texture or the finished product, too.

[InkedMarie]

Hi Courtney,
I had a dog with frequent UTI’s and he was diagnosed with struvite crystals. My vet had me give him one 500 mg vitamin C a day but you don’t do this without your vets okay. It is extremely important to get enough liquid into your dog. Dry food is the worst you can feed. Best is a raw diet, canned or dehydrated. If you must feed dry, add canned & water to his food.
Don’t worry about low oxalate foods unless it’s needed. I would not use a prescription food at all. If your vet tells you to, I’d find a holistic vet to go to and get their advice. Keep us posted on how she is.

[Cyndi]

I FINALLY dehydrated (in my oven) a little bit of the deer liver I had gotten from a friend of mine. My Bailey is funny, she will eat chicken livers raw, no problem, but any other kind of liver she will not eat. So, before I dehydrated some of the deer liver, I gave her a little slice and she wouldn’t eat it. Damn mutt! So, I sliced off about 20 little slices and cooked them in the oven on low for a few hours and she LOVES it. It didn’t even smell all that bad while cooking, but it sure was gross slicing it up, lol! Next weekend I’ll do the rest and I’ll probably have enough treats to last a month. Yay for free liver treats! 🙂

[pugmomsandy]

If he’s having solid stool and no gas than continue on with what you’re feeding. But for a healthier gut and immune system, it could be beneficial to add some additional probiotics once a day or just a couple times a week, and also doing a rotation diet. I buy the Swanson Vitamins Dr Langer’s Ultimate Probioitcs. They’re often buy 1 get 1 free! I also buy Garden of Life Raw probiotics from the health food store. I buy the human products and just share with the dogs.

http://urbanpawsmagazine.com/archives/59

http://probiotics.mercola.com/probiotics-for-pets.html

[Kristin C]

I think adding any real food, cooked or raw, is a great addition to the canned food. The SSLL Dinner Mix would make any homemade meal balanced if I read it correctly. If you are feeding at least one meal per day commercial food though you probably wouldn’t have to worry too much about balancing it as long as you use proper ratios of meat, veggies. I started using SSLL to be safe but am not adding it in all the time.

[Naturella]

Does anyone know if these chews are safe to give to a dog, recently recovered from a tummy upset? Bruno is 100% right now, but still on Perfect Form for this week and next week, and for now on canned and dry food, same protein, same brand. However, I have midterms and papers this week, so what (if anything) can I give to the poor guy to distract him from me?

Also, do you think he will be fine with having THK (like he used to before he got sick) as a topper after I take him off the canned? I will introduce all his usual additives (coconut oil, yoghurt/kefir, raw egg, canned sardines, RMB) one by one and one per week or until I’m sure his tummy can handle it. But THK is his usual staple – and I rotate between 4 flavors of it and one BDN. Should I just go one at a time and one per week for those too, or would it be safe to rotate again?

[cindy q]

Thanks for the replies! I just found NRG dog products, originally in Canada but now in the US. Its a dehydrated Raw and it looks very good. Anyone use it?

[Nancy C]

So, I just emailed DARWIN’S to cancel my order which was due Oct 22. I told them the new formulation has too much fat and with the price increase along with the incr in fat — NO, NOT FOR US. Too bad.

I was sorry about that bec I saw Darwins as a primary participant in my supply. I liked the fact that it was organic. So, do you ladies feel that STEWARTS is equal to the old Darwin’s?

I don’t hear you mentioning ZIWIPEAK. (I’m not attracted to it for some reason.) Should we be? And I can’t get into K9Natural, mostly bec of the fat. So, Good Question, CindyQ. ANSWERS is a good one I plan to try. Also Vital Essentials and That other Raw one Dori was trying. O A Raw or something like that? It is supposedly very good.

[theBCnut]

Freeze dried is better. Dehydrating applies some heat, which destroys some very sensitive nutrients. It also takes longer allowing for more bacteria to grow. It isn’t a huge difference though. I just don’t think in an either/or fashion when it comes to dog food. I think and. Feed dehydrated and freeze dried. And raw and (fill in blank)…

[cindy q]

First is one better than the other? My picky eaters seem to like this type of food, they love Big Dog Natural and now they will also eat Stewarts freeze dried raw. I want to add more so I can rotate their food. What freeze dried or dehydrated food do you like? They seem to prefer a chunky food not mushy, they would not eat Honest Kitchen and I tried several of them. So what are your favorites and how many foods are good to use in a rotation? I was thinking 3.

[Marietta B]

Only Natural Pet Easy Raw doesn’t have enough protein. I bought a sample packet from them and my dog wouldn’t eat it. I do buy their Max Meat dog food and my dog loves that.

[Akari_32]

I just kind of eye-ball it for canned, to be honest. I use just enough canned to coat the kibbles evenly (a few spoonfuls of canned over 1/3-1/4 cup dry for my dachshund, and a whole 13 oz can to 3-4 cups split between my big guys) and if I notice undesirable weight change, I adjust accordingly.

For “fresh” toppers, as long as it’s not making up more than about 20% of the dogs diet, it’s fine. That 20% can mean daily toppers, or even a whole meal once a week or so of a raw meaty bone or something. No need to make it all scientific, really. Have fun with it!

As for size and breed specific marketing, it’s pretty useless. Keep life interesting and switch it up. I’m actually feeding all my dogs on Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health right now– even the 130 pounder! I shoot for 25% and up (the higher the better, but I use coupons for my dog food, so I can’t be too picky), and as high callorie as possible. This one happened to fit the bill with 30% protein and 502 calories per cup, and be free, plus money back, after coupons.

Nothing wrong with questions! If you don’t ask, you don’t learn. 🙂

[Haleybop]

Thanks. Along with all the info, it doesn’t help that you have a vet that you’ve been trusting and going to for 18 years who follows AAHA’s guidelines of no raw. Really hard to find a holistic vets in my area but I now have a lead on one. Just found out that the beef hearts I bought for the ABC diet, when I bought my grass-fed/antibiotic free beef, aren’t grass fed. Sigh. We try and try to do the best for our babies. Sometimes, I wish someone would tell me exactly what to do but it might not be the right thing for my pup (or me). I’m still going to keep on learning!

[Kathleen C]

That’s OK, I’ve actually wondered about feeding raw. My idea of raw, though, is the ready to eat you can find at higher end pet stores, or feed stores like we have here…Olsen’s Feed and Grain carry things like that. If it had everything added the dog needs it would be a consideration. However, I don’t even cook for myself so probably wouldn’t do it for Jack either. The vet recommended Forbid, but I’ve read reviews and many people say it doesn’t work. Thanks for the information.

[jakes mom]

Don’t feel guilty about not doing raw. I feed kibble and do the ABC diet, although I add fresh throughout the week instead of all on one day. I think that’s better for my guy’s tummy, I’m afraid all fresh one day might be a bit much for him. I agree, there’s way too much info out there, hard to sort thru it all. I think a good quality kibble and the ABC diet is a good compromise.

[Kristin C]

Kathleen-re: your dog eating poop, I have read that the natural flavors added to kibble don’t digest so the poop appeals to the dog because it still tastes like kibble. My older dog used to eat her poop religiously. Then I switched her to eating raw and I have not seen her eat poop at all. I know this reply doesn’t have anything to do with his weight issue but just wanted to mention it.

[Kristin C]

Hi Kari-I feed both my dogs raw and have found making my own food to be the most economical, although I estimate it’s still almost twice the cost of high end kibble. Buying commercial raw or freeze dried raw is probably 3-4 times more than the kibble. My husband and I agree we’d rather spend the money on real food for them versus vet bills and potential illness. Sounds like you have a lot going on as it is, but you can probably start by making small changes. The book See Spot Live Longer the ABC Way might be a good start. I’ve started using the SSLL Dinner Mix to ensure my homemade meals are AAFCO compliant. There are other supplements and base mixes you can use as well and just add meat. Hope that helps some.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I am also wondering about commercial treats, for homemade I like to use bits of raw carrot or apple(no seeds or core), or plain, boiled, chicken. These can be un-ideal because they don’t keep long and need to be refrigerated, so I am also looking for low-cal commercial ones.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Here are the ingredients to Hills z/d:

Starch, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Soybean Oil, Hydrolyzed Chicken, Powdered Cellulose, Lactic Acid, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Glyceryl Monostearate, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement , Folic Acid), DL-Methionine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Natural Flavors , Beta-Carotene.

It doesn’t look overly horrible, but it doesn’t look great. I am surprised that it contains chicken and soy, both common food allergens. I might recommend trying your own elimination by buying high-quality dog foods free of certain common allergens and seeing which ones help. I have heard that feeding raw can help with allergies, but I can’t say from experience on that. Hope this is helpful!

[Kari L]

Hi, I am considering doing a raw food diet with my two dogs. They are old and have no real health problems but do have big lumps forming on their skin for the past 1-2 years. Fatty tumors I am guessing. I haven’t taken them to a vet in a very long time.
My daughter has autism and is obviously my priority. We eat 90% organic diet as a family and spend most of our money doing so among many of her supplements.
I am kind of sick of buying crappy dog food for them. I buy them a grain free dry dog food now which is mostly meat then followed by sweet potato which I know they don’t need.
I am not so worried about these two ( I love them but realize they are on there way out of this world and the damage of their teeth wont be repaired) but when they go would like to ditch the crappy dog food for sure.
So sorry for the long introduction but my question is how much does this all cost and how much preparation is involved? I have been buying what I thought was raw dog food at Whole Foods lately but realized it was lightly pasteurized. It was lamb and many lamb organs with many synthetic vitamins/minerals.
Do most people use synthetic vitamins/minerals on this diet? Again total newbie but do love nutrition.
BTW my dogs now are 11 and are 10 and 15 pounds. My next dog I plan will be bigger like a golden retriever.
Thank you much!