[NectarMom]

I just got my springtime order of joint and fresh factor chews and my dogs readily eat the Mercola joint chewables but are hesitant to eat the springtime chewables. I think they are excellent supplements from the ingredient list but I just wish mine liked them as much as Mercola products. I will keep trying though.

[pugmomsandy]

I think E (especially all 8 forms of E) is hard to get from the diet. But HDM has said something about it I think in regards to giving it along with another supplement.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Melissaandcrew]

I have been reading that recently as well, especially pertaining to a raw diet. However, I have never been told to supplement E when using fish oil, when feeding a commercial diet. So, I am not sure if this is the case or not.

[weezerweeks]

Mom2Cavs and Sandy Do you know anything about Arthroplex by Thorne for joints? I have a hard time giving my Bailey supplements if he’s not having problems but I know he has the luxating patela in one leg and I don’t want to wait til it gets bad but I don’t want to give him supplements if not needed. Thanks

[pugmomsandy]

Glad it’s working! Might have to get some for the fosters. Some come with bad skin!

[Pugsonraw]

I haven’t tried Herbsmith products but have heard of them. I’m super excited about the results I’m seeing so far on the Skin-eze as I’ve tried a variety of products (quercetin, Moducare, Chinese herbs from ONP, Skin Balance from ONP) and several other substitutes for Benadryl without much improvement.

It seems to be working with them. They are more alert and not having any stomach upset or diarrhea on it. I’m going to keep using for a while.

[pugmomsandy]

Cetyl-M, chewable, easy to break apart. Not super strong like Glycoflex 3 Chewables.

http://www.responseproducts.com/advanced-cetyl-m-joint-action-formula-for-dogs-120-tablets/

[Mom2Cavs]

One of my absolute favorite joint supplements is Joint Health Chews from http://www.springtimeinc.com. I’ve used their products for many years with great success. I used their Joint Health Chews, along with their Fresh Factors, for my now deceased Shih-Poo who had both rear luxating patellas. They were grade 3! He never had to have surgery, but his exercise was limited. Check ’em out!

[weezerweeks]

I’ve been looking at all the supplements some of you have suggested and I’m stressed out. My 7lb3oz yorkie has luxating petalla in one leg. It does not give him any trouble but I’ve noticed lately he acts stiff after we walk. We walk couple of miles a day and he’s 5 now so I want to start him on something but not real strong and powerful. I would like for it to be powder or a chewable. Someone with a small dog make the decision for me. Thanks

• This topic was modified 4 years ago by Mike Sagman. Reason: Fix Duplicate Topic Title

[Mom2Cavs]

Molzy, it does sound to me like an acid stomach problem, but I’m not a vet….
This site has some good supplements for acid stomach and digestion problems and some good articles, too. http://www.askariel.com I have a dog that has allergies and has mild occurrences of licking, swallowing. I have used these supplements when that happens with success.

[Mom2Cavs]

It does sound like it’s the raw patties giving her the problem…or perhaps the mixture of the two, kibble then raw, Idk. Maybe you could feed kibble/can or both meals or just use the raw patties for both meals. I have a dog that a some months ago had a similar type of “reaction” but I was using kibble/canned for one meal and dehydrated raw (with water added) for another. She is older, and actually has bladder tumor, but has always been fine eating, and was fine on this regimen for about a month. Then she started intermittently throwing up. After determining what I though was the problem, I finally stopped with the dehydrated raw and all has been fine. I feed kibble and canned for both meals. I’m using TOTW Pac. Stream and TOTW cans. I only use their poultry free kibble and cans (I do this for another dog that has allergies, but all 3 eat the same thing). I also use Wellness cans (poultry free) and use a mix of their 95%, Stews, Simple line, Core. Weruva (poultry free) and Simply Nourish (poultry free) are some other cans I use. This is working for all 3 of my dogs. Oh, and I also add in a probiotic/enzyme supplement. Right now I’ve been using Wholistic Pet Digest All Plus. I have a digestive supplement coming from Nature’s Farmacy, as well. And I plan on ordering some things from http://www.askariel.com. I hope this helps.

[Melissaandcrew]

I have to say that I have was surprised when I did a cost analysis. Granted the farm I am going to be buying from is very reasonable-less than a $1 per lb for the items I am looking for. I based my figures on two weeks of Acana/Nutrisource Vs two weeks of homemade raw. I did not figure in supplements as I already buy Fish oil, kefir, yogurt mackerel and sardines and eggs.. I did figure in the canned, Grandma Lucy’s and premade commercial raw that I buy now. I will save for each 15 days between $221 and $277.

Hubby was a “naysayer” in attempting this(too much work, clean up, bacteria etc) but he heard that and he asked if I woud like him to order a new freezer now, or should he wait a month or two? LOL. I have to tell you, I can’t wait to start grinding something..anything..if this doesn’t work out for the dogs, I may have to take up sausage making, lol.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Do you have a mortar and pestal? Gertie is a pill picker so if I ever have to feed her a pill I just grind it up first, I also use to to grind up nuts and seeds. If you’re going to balance the recipe with the appropriate whole foods (i.e. including cod liver oil, oysters, nuts, seeds, eggs, vitamin e, etc.) the Nupro should be okay for a trace nutrient supplement but it wouldn’t substitute for a one a day type multivitamin if you were planning on relying on that to balance an unbalanced recipe.

I don’t sprout my own nuts and seeds. I have a sprouter but it’s on full time alfalfa sprouting duty for my sandwiches lol. I buy sprouted sunflower seeds and sprouted pumpkin seeds from nuts.com and I buy Nativas Naturals brand sprouted flax and chia from Swanson’s. If you bought a sprouter you certainly could sprout your own though.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi jimmianne –

There’s no such thing as a single “best” food. The less processed the better – so raw would be the best option, followed by fresh cooked, then dehydrated or freeze-dried, then canned, with dry food being the worst option. With whatever you feed, variety is key – don’t stick with the same food. Rotating foods helps to strengthen your dog’s gut by fostering a diverse population of microflora, gives your dog a variety of nutrients and give you options in the event of a recall. If you’re going to feed a dry food as the bulk of your pup’s diet I would add a quality “topper” – such as raw, dehydrated, freeze-dried, canned or healthy fresh foods (i.e. eggs, lean meat, plain yogurt or kefir, cottage cheese, tinned sardines, etc.). Canidae looks good on paper but I personally wouldn’t risk feeding – the majority of Canidae’s products are manufactured by Diamond who has very poor quality control and numerous recalls. Unless you live in the same state as Canidae’s plant or in a neighboring state you’re probably getting product manufactured by Diamond.

As far as supplements, some good supplements to consider would be probiotics, digestive enzymes, quality fish oil and whole food supplements (with “super foods” like kelp, spirulina, bee pollen, etc.).

[Hound Dog Mom]

Wow Melissa, I’m so happy to hear you’re going the homemade raw route! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in the results. 🙂

I would suggest getting as many different varieties of organ meat as possible (remember, hearts and gizzards are considered muscle meat not organ meat). Liver should only comprise 5% of the diet and 5% should be “other” organs – the more organs you can get to make up the “other” portion the better. Ask for items like kidneys, lungs, spleen, pancreas, brain, etc. If you can get gullet and trachea these are a great source of naturally occurring chondroitin (good for the seniors’ joints) – not organ meat though. Obviously if you can get green tripe go for it (muscle meat).

The Nupro would be okay to use for a trace nutrient supply but it wouldn’t completely balance the meals. You’re going to want to be sure to add a source of vitamin e and vitamin d (I use cod liver oil for vitamin d). You’re going to want to add some ground nuts/seeds for manganese (I use a combination of sprouted pumpkin seeds/sunflower seeds/flax/chia). I think it’s a good idea to feed tinned oysters once in awhile as they’re a great source of trace minerals like zinc, copper and selenium. I’m also an advocate of small amounts (10% – 20%) of fruits and veggies (I most often use organic greens, butternut squash, broccoli, cauliflower and berries – be sure to puree) for antioxidants and kefir or yogurt for probiotics. Cage-free eggs are a great source of omega 3’s, have a great amino acid profile and will contain some of the b vitamins, vitamin d and vitamin e – I recommend feeding eggs at least once a week. I mix in various fresh herbs like parsley, garlic and cilantro. I also add coconut oil and apple cider vinegar to every batch. The most important thing to keep in mind is that variety is key!

If you are looking for a supplement to “balance” the diets, I’d recommend Steve Brown’s See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix. It makes AAFCO compliant meals and it’s really cheap in comparison to other pre-mixes plus there’s a quantity discount when you order several bags at one. I don’t use pre-mixes too often but it’s my favorite to use when I do. He also advocates adding various fresh ingredients (up to 20%) so you have the freedom to customize a bit while being assured that the dogs are getting a balanced meal. If you want to make your own supplement – buying the ingredients separately definitely is the cheapest route. The pre-made supplements like Nupro are much more expensive. Check out Swanson’s, they sell all the ingredients you’d need and everything is super cheap and you can often get bulk packages (I use a lot of the Starwest Botanicals items in my whole food supplement).

• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Marvins mom]

Well, i have been researching dog foods as best i can over the years and 4Health i think is made by Diamonds (since i don’t think they’ve had any recent trouble), but have not had ANY trouble with it. It’s been a long hall trying to keep our boy from being sooooo miserable and finding a grain free food in the past was not easy, that we could somewhat afford. OF COURSE now i have been able to afford the Dinovites along with his food and have gotten GREAT results from it. I am curious though, with his allergies definitly being seasonal…if the grain free is really needed and if just buying a great quality reg. dog food would be sufficient? I posted in the supplement part of the forum on how the “vites” has helped him.

[jimmianne]

I want to get my Aussie pup off to the very best start possible. She is now 12 weeks old. My feed store sold me Canidae Pure Sky All Life Stages. I am very happy with it – all my dogs like it.

I just wonder if it really meets the nutritional needs of a very young dog and if there is any other product or supplement I should consider.
Somehow it does not make sense that a puppy and a 12 year old dog would have the same needs.

thanks!

[InkedMarie]

would they go rancid putting them in the fridge? I supplement twice a week with vitamin E. I’m concerned about any mixed tocopherols being soy based. Boone and soy dont mix well. Does the Carlson have soy or do you know what they preserve with?

[pugmomsandy]

Well, I mix the DE in their food instead of on their fur, and there doesn’t seem to be any side effects from that. I’m using Flea Free Supplement (garlic and vinegar liquid) right now – about 1 teaspoon per day (not every day). In my other room, I give the other dogs Bug Off garlic chewables. I use Halo Herbal Dip for flea/tick spray. For the yard, I use Neem Oil spray, Cedarcide spray and AntiDOTE brand nematodes (not all at once). I foster and haven’t had any flea problems since last year when I started these products (except Bug Off is a new product around here).

http://www.wolfcreekranch.net/flea_free_food_supplement.html

http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/bug-off-garlic-dogs

http://shop.halopets.com/Grooming-Supplies/Herbal-Dip-5oz

• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[kimberley]

My husband bought Dinovite for our Jack Russell, for her itchiness. After a month of feeding her the dinovite, there was no change, she was still itchy. (She has never lost hair, chewed or licked hair off, just had a bad case of “scratch my butt”). I have since switched to plain old fish oil, I open a capsule, pour it on her food (Blue Buffalo) and so far, no issues (3months+). And as far as ingredients, you should look pretty closely to some of them, some are big animal livestock supplements, one of them is commonly used as a cat litter filler and there is at least one of them that can be toxic if used long term. Yes, I looked up the ingredients, and while most are good things for our pets, some are certainly questionable.

[pugmomsandy]

Generally, meats are acidifying and increasing the protein in the diet can help with struvites. Try using meat treats like Stella & Chewy’s Carnivore Crunch or Kisses, Vital Essentials freeze dried nibbletts, Fresh is Best dehyrated meat treats, Pure Bites, or some safe jerky. But you also want to increase fluid intake with these dried treats and overall to flush out the bladder. A wet food diet might be better. When her UTI is gone and she’s on regular food, give her urinary tract supplements. There is one called Wysong Biotic pH- and Clear Tract or Berry Balance, etc.

http://www.wysong.net/products/ph-dog-cat-supplement.php

http://www.wysong.net/pet-health-and-nutrition/urinary-problems.php

[pugmomsandy]

It looks interesting. I definitely don’t know herbs enough to say if any are harmful. Have you tried Herbsmith?

[Marvins mom]

Well Pattyvaughn…i decided to try these supplemants and well…….look for my post in the supplement part of the forum! I am very happy with the results!!!!!!!!

[Marvins mom]

I have to mention the best help i’ve had for my dog in the 8years that i’ve owned him. It’s – if I may mention a brand name – the Dinovites product out of Kentucky. All the years that he’s itched and scratched off all of his hair, having the itchy red, watery eyes for months on end – it’s the only thing that has helped him have some amount of relief. For years we’ve tried the extra fish/oils, grain free dog food, probiotics, benedryl, steroids, vet visits…..and NOTHING…i mean nothing helped him. Sadly he looked like a chemotherapy patient?!?!? Since taking the Dinovites this year, starting in May he was three months free of his irritations. Sadly come Aug. he burst into red inflamed skin and sad eyes, also lost wieght again. I thought – OH NO, not again! BUT IT ONLY LASTED FOR 6 WEEKS… vs the 5-6 months of misery!So, i bathed him every other day with a soothing bath shampoo and continued with the Dinovites and he is now been itch free again since the last 2 weeks! it is now Oct. 1st. I have to say that seasonal allergies are the worst to treat and this IS the only remedy i will continue to use year long for him to be happy in the later years of his life! He is now 8 — i only wish i had known about this product years ago and saved him the misery!!!!!!!! I am hoping that come next May it doesn’t start again and holds off til at least Aug. or doesn’t come at all….we’ll see! It’s worth the invest ment for us!!!!!!!!

[Pugsonraw]

I took my two pugs that have seasonal allergies off their daily Benadryl dosage. They are normally quite itchy year round despite eating a raw diet daily, immune supplements, super greens, anchovy and sardine oil, coconut oil, probiotics and digestive enzymes… etc. I really check out all products and ingredients before giving them anything new.

Decided to try to Skin-eze for them, not really expecting to get any major results and it seems to be working. They have been on it for about a week and definitely less itchy than when taking Benadryl.

I was looking to see if any of the ingredients are harmful. It appears they are all natural, but wanted to get some opinions.

Here is the link…. http://www.allergicpet.com/products/skin_eze.

[bruno]

I hope Vader is doing ok.
You may be interested in a couple of formulas I have. They are non-kibble, do not contain any processed ingredients, wheat, soy or sugar or chemicals. One is Rolled Oats, dehydrated veggies, garlic with a packet of vitamin/mineral supplement. These Rolled Oats only contain 4% fat and none of the other ingredients contain any discernible amount of fat. The other formula is Brown Rice with the remainder of the ingredients (veggies, etc). Brown Rice contains less than 1% fat. These formulas are a great compromise between the (horrible) commercial processed food and feeding raw (more preparation than my formulas). You can read about them here California Gold I also have free samples of each formula.

[bruno]

I think you may be interested in a formula that would be a compromise between the raw diet and commercial (kibble) pet food. I have one that is Brown rice, pearl barley, dehydrated raw carrots, red & green peppers, brocolli, garlic including a packet of high-end vitamins and minerals. This one takes the time to cook a pot of rice (20-30 min), you add your choice of fresh meat and it makes about 2 weeks worth of food. The other formula is Rolled Oats plus the veggies and so forth. This one takes one-minute to hydrate. Both would eliminate dealing with raw meat and eliminates all the cons of processed food–meat contamination, lack of nutrients from processing and questionable ingredients. If you or anyone is interested in seeing/reading about these formulas please visit California Gold
P.S. I disagree with the responder that stated that raw veggies are not good for dogs. I haven’t had any problems with any of my dog’s customers in over 13 years and raw is good!

[Melissaandcrew]

Okay, question for the raw feeders here. I was out pricing meats today at various supplier throughout the area, and they all seem to be big on selling chicken necks for dogs. I will not give whole bones as I have too many dogs to feel confident that someone will not gylp it down just to try to steal anothers. So, can these somehow be utilized as a ground product? For example, Sandy had posted a starter recipe and it said 5.25 lbs chicken with bone. What cut of chicken? Can the necks be used as this? And, would that suffice as the “bone/calcium” source in the diet, or would a calcium supplement still be needed?

[scottNY]

Hi All,

Sorry for the delayed response. To answer HDM’s question, I have been giving my puppy, who isn’t much of an eater, a daily multivitamin for the same reason I take one; it is extra insurance that, hopefully, I am getting all the nutrients I need.

I use the Vetri-Science Laboratories Chicken Canine Plus Supplement, which he likes chewing, and it has the NASC seal of approval. As I mentioned, he is not much of an eater [8-month old 65 lb pit-mix eats two cups of kibble per day or less] but he looks and acts healthy and certainly isn’t boney, so it just seems to be his way. I use a 5 star kibble from the HDM list and occasionally mix in some wet food, also a 5 star from that invaluable list. Is the multi really unnecessary? If I do want to use one, is the one I am using good? I struggle giving him human supplements because they don’t taste good to him and after awhile, I feel that disguising food for him is a bad habit. I prefer to save that for things that I need him to eat.

Any additional thoughts or ideas?

[Mom2Cavs]

Desi, my Shih-Poo, who’s now at the rainbow bridge, had both rear luxating patellas and we kept surgery at bay by using joint supplements. We tried a few before settling on Joint Health Chews from http://www.springtimeinc.com. These worked the best for him in every way. Helped his joints and didn’t upset his stomach like some others we tried. He took these chews all his life. After he passed away, I discovered Springtime had a new chew that was supposed to help with pain a little better. I keep both kinds on hand. They really did help him.

[weezerweeks]

My 5 year old yorkie has leg patella. It does not bother him but I was wondering if I should start him on a joint supplement. Does any of your dogs have this and do you supplement them with anything,if so what do you use? There’s so many supplements out there and I want to use the best one. Thanks

[theBCnut]

Done!!

[InkedMarie]

Patty,
Email me your address & I’ll get it to you next week!

[theBCnut]

Hi Marie
I had always heard 5-10 minutes and never worried about it because it takes me that long to get everything ready. I would love to see that article!!

Hi Sandy
I don’t know if pickled is as good. Shawna would know. I know that you can peel your garlic in advance and store it in olive oil.

[pugmomsandy]

Are you saying you want to switch them to a boneless meat & veggie diet? Because meat & veggies is not a good diet for long term use. If you do just want to feed meat and veggies, then I would suggest the recipe book “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Karen Becker/Beth Taylor. It has boneless recipes (meats and organs) and gives you the amount of calcium supplement or bone meal to use along with a vitamin mix recipe. Your dog needs a source of calcium if you’re not feeding bones. Another option is to use a premix where you just have to add boneless meat and some oil like Urban Wolf, See Spot Live Longer, The Honest Kitchen, Grandma Lucy’s.

[pugmomsandy]

Is pickled garlic just as good? Just mince and serve?

[InkedMarie]

Patty, I can’t type the whole article but the newest Dog Fancy, with NaturalnDog on the other side, has an article on garlic. I can send it to you but it says it’s best to let it sit 10-20 min before serving but don’t go over 20

[NectarMom]

Thanks Marie and Patty

[theBCnut]

Garlic is safe in small doses and it should not be given every day, only 3-4 days a week. Personally, I like to get the maximum out of my garlic, so I use fresh cloves and I mince it right before adding it to their food.

[theBCnut]

I don’t think you are being too hard on Hill’s. Let her stomach settle for 2 weeks. If your dog has trouble switching foods, I would continue with the supplements for 2 weeks after the switch, then I would give the probiotics a couple times a week forever, every day when switching foods. If your dog has trouble switching foods, give about 10% new food, 90% old for a couple days. If the stools look fine, proceed, if not keep feeding 10% until they look fine. If the stools never got loose then go right to feeding 25% new, 75% old, if they got loose only go to 20% new, 80% old. Again feed that way for a couple days watching the stool. Increase by 25% if the stools are fine, increase by 10% if the stools get soft and you have to wait for the stools to firm up again. Keep doing this until you are 100% on the new food. I cured my sensitive stomach girl by starting the switch to a new food as soon as we got her settled on a food. After about 6 switches she no longer requires any transition at all.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by theBCnut.

[InkedMarie]

Your dog would need to injest a huge amount of garlic for a problem. I’ve been using Bug Off Garlic for years.

[NectarMom]

I thought Garlic was not good for dogs? If this Garlic bug off is safe then I might be interested in getting some because of mosquitos in the summer time. I do not have a flea or tick problem but I do worry about mosquitos. Anyone have any idea?

[Chip]

As of last night, it looks like she has finally gotten over it. After I use up the type of probiotics I received from my vet and what I ordered on-online, I will switch to one of the two brands you both mentioned. Is this the type of thing that I ought to be giving to them as a daily supplement? Or, just when they are ill? Or, once a week or so on a continuing basis? And, how soon should I (if you recommend it) stop feeding them the HSD i/d food and switch to a brand with higher quality ingredients? The idea that I’m paying $2.75/can for corn and pork liver “flavor” vs. a brand with actual meat and whole veggies in it is killing me. Even if it was “formulated” to be bland, they are making a killing off of charging a premium price for selling subsidized GMO corn and what ever other table scraps are in it. While it might be useful when a pet is sick… it doesn’t seem like a product that they could subsist on in a healthy way an thrive. Or, am I being too hard on HSD?

[theBCnut]

I like Springtime products, but this strikes me as kind of limited. If you are going to give it for a while then move on to something else, then I like it. Which really is what you should do with joint supplements anyway.

[NectarMom]

I know this is a little older thread but I have been using Mercola joint supplement and I have no complaints except it is getting pricy for 4 dogs. I found this and was wondering if it looks just as good as mercola? http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/joint-health-chewables?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=Bing&utm_campaign=Dog_Glucosamine&utm_term=canine%20glucosamine

[ninpiggy]

I have a 2.5 year old blue American pit bull terrier. She’s a rescue dog that spent most of her life being used as a breeder. My girl is spayed and happy now. We adopted her on valentines day (coincidence I swear) earlier this year. I think she finally knows she’s home and has flourished to be one happy dog.

We’ve had problems with her health from the start. Scabs, scratching, rashes, fur falling out when adopted. Problem continued. I had her on nutrish (because it went to a pit bull charity) but that made her worse. Several rounds of prednisone, antibiotics, some crazy immune suppressant drug and nothing helped (except the prednisone but it would only work until about 4 days after the meds stopped). I spent over $1000 in vet care in 1.5 months and as a community mental health therapist that makes less than $30K year, I sat in my vets office crying because I was afraid I’d have to return her to the shelter. I guess the vet took some pity on me and prescribed Luna a medicated shampoo. That, along with avoderm salmon and sweet potatoes was a miracle. Two weeks and she had occasional rashes that would clear up with hydrocortisone cream.

She still has problems with yeast despite the shampoo and I was wondering if the avocados and sweet potatoes were contributing to this. Does anyone know of any dog food that is poultry free, grain free, soy free, white and sweet potato free? She does best with fish but is good with beef. I don’t think she’s allergic to peas and I’ve never given her tapioca so that’s unknown.

I’m not rich by any means either so I can’t afford anything that is over $65/15 lb bag. Avoderm seems to be an okay price for us but if there’s anything cheaper that’d be awesome. Cooking Luna’s food isn’t really an option for me due to time constraints and financial. It would be most convenient to find a pre-mixed bag. I suppose I could supplement it if I had to.

Any help is appreciated.

[theBCnut]

Yeah, I’ve noticed that about their calorie counts too. I can’t imagine how they could possibly be that low. I would have to feed my dogs 10 lbs of their stuff a day if that was the actual calorie count and that was all I fed. I just don’t see how a pound of meat could have a calorie count that low.

Most premixes are for boneless meat. To a grind I would add vit E, vit D, omega 3s, a whole food supplement, a fruit and veggie mix, some ground nuts/seeds, and canned oysters or some other zinc and selenium source once a week.

If you are going to continue doing half kibble, you don’t have to worry as much about balancing a grind. I still add omega 3s every day and I give a whole food or superfood supplement every day. The other daily stuff I add every third day or weekly depending on dosage available. Since I do feed half kibble, I add a digestive enzyme to the kibble every day and probiotics or tripe about every other day.

[theBCnut]

I would add the SpiruGreen Superfood and depending on how well you rotate different veggies in, I might consider using a multi a couple or three times a week. If you give a good variety of veggies, I wouldn’t bother though. In my opinion, you are better off just adding the E, and I’d add D too.

I rotate my super foods and if you are worried that you might be missing something, a whole food supplement is the best way to go about covering nutritional bases.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by theBCnut.

[MaggieM]

Hello,

I have a question about using vitamins and green super food supplements. I just started feeding raw and I think I have the meals balanced between the raw meaty bones and the other half muscle meat, organs and some vegetables, eggs and dairy. I am hoping that this puts the calcium/phosphorus ratio is in a balanced range. I have been adding fish oil for the omega 3s and now I am a bit confused as to what else I should be adding. I know E is needed with the fish oil but I have been debating between just adding the E or just adding a simple multi-vitamin or one of these vitamin/mixes.

Berte’s Daily Blend
EarthOrigins
Dr. Harvey’s Multi-Vitamin
SpiruGreen Superfood

The Berte’s and the EarthOrigins seem to be more of a cross between a vitamin and green blend compared to the others. I have heard so many different opinions I am no longer sure what is really needed. Does any one have any thoughts?

Please help.
Thanks,
M

[pugmomsandy]

1. Is it better to get a premade mix of raw food online or buy meats from the supermarket or meat market? Or is it better to have a mix?

As a newbie to raw, I think it would be better for you to feed a food that is complete and balanced whether that is commercial frozen raw like Nature’s Variety, Primal, Bravo, Stella & Chewy’s, Darwins, and others, or dehydrated/freeze dried raw (but more expensive) food like Orijen freeze dried, Primal, Stella & Chewy’s. Meat by itself is not a good diet. For beginners, I would buy a commercial raw or use a Premix such as Urban Wolf, See Spot Live Longer, Grandma Lucy’s, The Honest Kitchen. You add meat and some oil and that’s usually it. No additional vitamins needed. You can make these in advanced in big batches and freeze in serving sizes or a couple days worth in one bag/container. You can feed up to 20% of an unbalanced food without having to worry about additional vits/minerals. For example, topping kibble with some meat or scrambled egg (but not more than 20% of the meal). As you become more comfortable with raw you can give homemade a try but be sure to use a recipe book.

2. Is ground or whole better? Your dog might like the texture of some chunks, versus ground. But in any case, raw meat has enzymes that also helps keep teeth clean. The ripping of the flesh and tendons from the bone cleans the teeth too. I have small dogs so I use a coarse ground. My dogs don’t have a preference for meat sizes. They eat it all.

3. I keep seeing people talking about feeding bones, including chicken bones… I was always told that chicken bones are dangerous? This is going to be the one that the hardest to get my wife on board with.

Raw bones are edible. The cooked bones are dry and splinter. Also there are recreational bones versus consumable bones. Most small animals can be consumed whole (chicken, rabbit, quail, turkey). But dense, weight bearing bones from larger animals are for gnawing only (marrow bones/leg bones). For heavy chewers, they can break teeth. For instance, my small dogs eat chicken legs, turkey and duck necks and feet and pork baby back ribs. They gnaw on beef/bison rib bones and marrow bones/femur for the enjoyment and it keeps their teeth clean. I feed these outside and don’t worry about cleanup when the weather is nice. You can train your dog to eat bones in the house on a towel, blanket or tarp. This winter, I’ll be feeding my small dogs in a crate or I could feed them on the bathroom tile and mop.

4. Do you need to add supplements to these meals? If so are they included in the premade mixes or am I adding them?

If you use a complete and balanced commercial premix, no additional supplements are necessary. Although there are a lot of people who give whole food supplements like supergreen foods (chlorella, kelp, barley grass, etc), bee pollen, and herbs, a complete vitamin E.

5. What is the best site for ordering?
I’ve heard Chewy.com is good. I’ve always used Petflow and amazon.

6. Does someone have a schedule or process I can literally follow to the letter?
Sorry, I am sure this has been answered over and over again but I would really appreciate the help. I am not too concerned about the cost as Wellness and Core are not cheap, however if I can pre-make these and feed her in the morning because we are often in a rush and it’s so hard to get her to eat kibble before we leave.

At my house, they eat raw if I have it thawed out. If not, they get other foods (kibble, canned, freeze dried). Darwins comes in convenient packaging and serving sizes and most commercial products come in patties or small bite sizes or chubs (which are the least convenient for me). You just have to remember to thaw! You can put 3 days worth out to thaw in the frig. I also use dehydrated foods (The Honest Kitchen, Addiction) where I just add water and let sit. I make some ahead of time and put it in the frig. But these are not raw.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 2 months ago by pugmomsandy.