[James S]

Hello All. My still active, not over weight, 10 and a half year old Pit/Boxer, Nefertiti, is going through some changes & I am Hoping to get some advice on what to feed her. She was on Wellness Lamb & Barley until I discovered DFA, & I have since changed her to Wellness Core Original because of it having a Five Star Rating, however, she doesn’t seem to like it as much/that much, & I would like to change it. I thought that maybe she wasn’t eating as much/as often because she was getting more nutrients from the Core, but I think that we can find a food that she enjoys & can get all the needed nutrition as well. Decisions. . . Decisions.
Recent Happenings. . .Upon taking Nef to the vet, we fear that the swollen lymph nodes under both sides of her chin, & her hind legs may be lymphoma. She had a biopsy on Friday, May 8th & we are expecting the results soon-Possibly today.
Now, I have no basis, proof, or reason to believe (really) that the swelling (whatever it may be) is a result of switching her to the Wellness Core, but in the thread of what I interpret DFA to be at it’s core, I am mentioning that the swelling occurred only AFTER doing so. Again, I don’t want to sound like I am blaming it on Wellness, I am merely stating the timeline in which these events happened.
After a lot of research, I am leaning toward a kibble that is HIGH IN PROTEINS (that are easily bio-available), but is also LOW IN CARBS, possibly supplemented by some Home prepared meals. Orijen is my first choice, but faced with the daunting reality that costly treatments (such as chemotherapy) may be in the future, I am Hoping to find something that doesn’t exceed the price range of Wellness, but will also achieve a balance of her Health & Happiness.
These are some foods that I am considering & I would Appreciate & Value any insight into this uncharted ground of mine & Nefertiti’s continuing Journey>>>
Thank You For Your Time,
-James
-Evo Grain Free Senior
-Merrick Grain Free
-Castor & Pollux Natural Ultramix Grain Free

[Dori]

Hi James S. Well, first before contemplating anything relating to the cost of foods you’ll need to get the results of her tests. If it is not any type of cancer, and I sincerely pray it’s not, then I would advise you to make the leap and switch Nefertiti to commercial frozen raw diets. I think it is the healthiest and most appropriate species diets that are out in the market. I’ve been feeding them with my three for over 3 1/2 years. Yes, initially they may seem more expensive than kibble but in reality they are not. You feed less raw than kibble. They are more able to utilize raw than kibble. Vet visits have dwindled down to once a year for their physical. Hannah goes twice a year because she’s has hypothyroidism and blood has to be checked. That’s it. They always eat their meals, they love meal time and are always happy playful dogs. I feed high protein, moderate to high quality fats, and low carb diets. The easiest way to accomplish that, and the healthiest way, is with raw diets. I go the commercial frozen raw diet route rotating brands and proteins. Quite frankly, I’m too lazy to put raw diets together myself nor do I wish to. It’s also not how I want to spend my time. I sign up to all the raw food companies that I use to their email newsletter program and they email me coupons which helps a little with the cost. Oh, also with commercial raw diets in rotation the only dog that I need to add supplements to, and it’s not a need just a guess on my part, is Hannah who will be 16 in September. Things slow down and don’t quite work as appropriately as they did when they, and we, were young. Let us know the results of tests please. Praying for Nefertiti and the rest of your family.

[InkedMarie]

James,
First, I’m hoping for a benign diagnosis. You’re on the right tract with high protein, low carb. I’;ll suggest grainfree as well. Grains can be inflammatory, your dog is older so there is probably some normal arthritis happening.
Some brands to look at that I like: Farmina, Brothers Complete, Annamaet, Dr Tim’s.
If you get a diagnosis that you don’t want, I’d suggest you work with a holistic vet on the best diet. Good luck, let us know the results.

[zcRiley]

Yes, please let us all know Nef’s biopsy results. You’ll get sound advice from the forum folks.

I have two pit mixes that had a slew of issues over a two year period. My recommendations come from not wanting to spend too much time second guessing ingredients when I needed to make a change fast. I needed clean results with a clean food. If your dog doesn’t eat it, it can’t affect her, can it? So I subtracted a lot of iffy ingredients with the following:

For budget: Zignature Zssentials

For raw without the thawing/mixing: ZiwiPeak air dried

It was the best risk I ever took. I said goodbye to Orijen.

[James S]

Thank You All So Much For Your Advice & Concerns In This Difficult Time. The vet should be calling back any minute now. I’ll let you know what happens. . .

[James S]

Ok-She does have small cell lymphoma, which, of either small cell or large cell, small cell IS the more treatable one. So we have Hope. As you can see in the avatar picture, she is an Amazing Dog ( Looks like she was running across the water, right?), & Hopefully, she’ll pull through for a lot longer.
Now, let’s get her on some Good Food! I’m going to research some raw diet options & I invite your Advice & Knowledge.
Thanks,
-James

[James S]

Hello All. So, I was wondering if something like Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw is considered frozen raw, & what are some other options for a raw diet? Thanks.

[Dori]

Sorry James S. Just saw your earlier post. I’m glad at least the diagnosis was for the more treatable one. What treatment has your vet suggested? Yes, Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen is a frozen food and one of the one’s I feed my dogs in rotation.

As to a list of commercial raw frozen foods, these are the ones that I use in rotation. I rotate brands and proteins within brands with the exception of fowl. One of my girls is intolerant of all fowl.

Answer’s Detailed Raw Frozen (Not always easy to track down but any store that carries any of the products can usually order it in for you from their distributor)

Primal Raw Frozen Formulas (My favorite of all frozen raw foods)
Vital Essentials Frozen Raw
Nature’s Logic Raw Frozen
OC Frozen Raw
Darwin’s Raw Frozen (only available on their site on auto-delivery plan)
Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen
(Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen will be the easiest to find as pretty much everyone carries it including the large stores like Petco and Petsmart.)

The others on the list are typically found in smaller more local type pet food stores.

I’ve recently won a bag of Steve’s Real Frozen Raw (very excited about that) and I’ll see how that works out with the girls. It just arrived yesterday so I’ll defrost some for their dinner tonight. I’ll let you know about that one after they’ve eaten it for a while.

The only two freeze dried foods that I use, but only infrequently, is Primal Freeze Dried and Vital Essentials Freeze Dried. I use Vital Essentials Freeze Dried Tripe Treats as their treats when I call them to “come” from the yard. I keep a jar with them near the back patio door and it’s the only time they get them.

I forgot to add that once in a while, not often, I feed The Honest Kitchen Zeal formula. It contains no fowl, no potatoes, no alfalfa. Is GMO free. The Honest Kitchen is made with all human grade ingredients and made in a plant that only processes human food. It’s all documented and the FDA allows them to use the information on their packaging. It’s the only company that the FDA has given it’s approval to.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by Dori.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by Dori.

[zcRiley]

Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw is kibble with small freeze dried balls mixed in. So not completely a raw diet.

If you click on the site’s home page, there’s a review list of raw foods you may like. Frozen, mixes, freeze dried, dehydrated, etc.

[Dori]

zcRiley, I assumed that James S was referring to Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen food not Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost. I could have misinterpreted that post of his.

James S. As zcRiley posted, Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost is not considered a raw food at all. It’s basically kibble with a few freeze dried bits in it.

[zcRiley]

Dori, you are correct. I misread. There is a raw & a boost!

[InkedMarie]

Sorry that was the diagnosis. I still think an appointment with holistic vet would be a good thing.

[Pitlove]

sorry to hear the diagnois. i agree with marie and also with your choice to try raw with her. a holistic vet could actually help you with making sure that your raw meals (if you aren’t doing something that’s premade like Dori suggested) are complete and balanced. remember, the best food you can feed is a complete and balanced raw diet and the worst food you can feed is an unbalanced raw diet.

i wish you the best of luck with your girl and her diagnois

[Author]

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