[Acroyali]

I wouldn’t worry about balancing every single meal. It’ll make you crazy! Aim for a good overall balance over the course of a week or two (I don’t balance all my own meals, but I try to eat a variety of foods over a short length of time.)

http://rawfeddogs.org/rawguide.html
http://rawfed.com/

I’ve fed raw for decades and have never had any get salmonella or e-coli poisoning. Salmonella is EVERYWHERE, including on kibble.

As far as sensitive stomach issues go, you might check into feeding green tripe (NOT bleached, there’s no nutrition left in it.)
https://haretoday.com/product/raw_pet_food/ground_green_tripe_with_spleen_beef_1_lb_fine_ground
https://www.mypetcarnivore.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=category&virtuemart_category_id=19&lang=en

Both places above carry EXCELLENT quality food. My dogs seem to prefer the tripe from MPC whereas my cats seem to prefer the tripe from Hare Today. Go figure 🙂

My experiences with tripe have been that dogs with sensitive stomachs become much more cast-iron in their ability to eat, digest, and utilize food. I don’t know why. Be forewarned; it smells terrible (your dogs should love it, LOL).

I’ve had good luck using MPC’s ground beef pancreas for dogs with more severe digestive problems (EPI, etc.)

Again, I wouldn’t worry about balancing every single meal, and don’t get overzealous and add in too many proteins at once. Feed chicken for a week, see how they do, and then add turkey or perhaps beef. If all’s well, add in another, and then perhaps organs.

Keep in mind that chicken/beef/etc hearts are highly nutritious, they’re considered a muscle meat and not an organ.

Best of luck!

[Acroyali]

I am a raw feeder, so I can’t suggest much in the way of kibble but I have noticed that there have been some tummy-related complaints with Blue Buffalo. This isn’t to say it’s a horrible food, it’s just that some dogs seem unable to utilize it as they should.
I know that Wellness has a very limited ingredient line (4-5 ingredients only) that can be of a big help when it comes to food intolerances. (I believe most of the line includes novel protein sources like duck, etc.)
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/categories.aspx?pet=dog&cat=3#Simple Dry Limited Ingredient Diets Dog Recipes
I don’t believe it’s formulated for seniors, but it’s just my (personal) opinion that senior diets are kind of gimmicky unless there’s a serious medical reason that specifies a low(er) protein diet.
Fromm is an excellent company that, if I fed kibble, I would feel 100% comfortable feeding. They have a beef formula, no chicken.
https://frommfamily.com/products/four-star/dog/dry/#beef-frittata-veg

Also, it might be worth checking into giving this dog some probiotics and/or digestive enzymes to help digestion. The metronydozale is a helpful drug in this instance and can stop the problem in it’s tracks, but re-feeding her gut with beneficial bacteria might help even out the occurrences of diarrhea. Both probiotics and D.E’s can be VERY helpful when transitioning a dog with a sensitive gut over to a new food, too, so that might be something to consider.

I don’t know if you’ve ever given her pumpkin, but many people swear by it to help with chronic diarrhea and firming the stools.
Hope this is helpful.

[Acroyali]

Everything stated above!

A trainer could definitely be of help, but if the entire household isn’t on board it probably won’t do much good unfortunately. If you can find a trainer with good people skills (as they should have!), the trainer may be able to help your husband understand how much potential a Golden has, and that the old “well, puppies will be puppies” saying is usually just an excuse. I would steer clear of any trainer who decides that a dog or puppy chewing up dentures is “testing” you; dogs don’t know the concept of what will be expensive to repair. Maybe remind your husband had your dog played and chewed through a bottle of Tylenol, you could be in the hole (at the vets office) several thousand dollars with no guarantee of your dog being alive. If he thinks that’s impossible, have him talk to some vets who have seen it (among dogs ingesting other dangerous things, requiring expensive surgery and pain and suffering on the part of the dog.)

Goldens can, and are, such biddable, loving and loyal dogs…simply one of the best. But it takes work!

[Acroyali]

There are risks associated with anything you feed; feed soft pliable bones (no weight bearing bones) and feed size appropriate (a turkey neck for an aggressive large breed chewer can be a serious hazard.)

As far as meat (quality), I do feel there’s a difference between organic and non-organic. I also feel there’s a difference between organic and grass fed. However, feeding organic pastured meats can become very expensive; source human-grade, clean meat from reliable sources and you should be just fine.

I have a lot of respect for any vegetarian or vegan who realizes that feeding their diet to a carnivore is not the best idea. Kudos to you, and best of luck!

[Acroyali]

Lori, check out
http://dogaware.com/diet/homemade.html
This website helped me tremendously when one of my guys had diarrhea on commercial foods, but got constipated on raw (even boneless). Home cooked seemed to be the middle ground and he’s done phenomenally for over a year.
Cooked is more supplement heavy than raw, and I’ll say that raw is easier any day of the week but for health problems in the pet, or concern on the owners part about feeding raw meat, it’s an excellent middle ground provided it’s done correctly.
Hope this website helps you as much as it did me!

[Acroyali]

Taylor, that is one gorgeous boxer you have!

I’m so glad you found a solution for her problems. She’s a very lucky dog to have such a caring and observant owner that was able to do what was needed to help her live a long and happy life.

[Acroyali]

https://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/cardiovascular-diet/

https://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/heart-healthy-diet/

Also, it might be worth checking with your vet about making sure his potassium isn’t being depleted by his medications. Ask to have his levels checked if you haven’t already. (This isn’t to say the medications are bad–heart disease is nothing to sneeze at and medications can, and are, life savers and life-extenders and helps give the dogs much better quality of life.)

When I had a dog with heart disease, he fainted once and it scared me badly. I’d never seen a dog faint like that but he came to in a few moments and seemed unshaken. My vet highly recommended adding fish or salmon oil and vitamin E for heart support (I use wholistic pet organics brand, as it contains both!) I also added COQ10 (liquid).

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/06/02/the-silent-pet-killer-that-you-can-now-avoid.aspx

While it’s not applicable for every person and every dog, I did opt to feed my dog a raw diet. For a time, he went “off” his raw food so I fed him cooked and canned and he gobbled it up. He was around Gizmo’s age; while I feel raw is best if a dog who (formerly) ate a certain diet for years and enjoyed it then abruptly stops, there’s a reason. The goal was to keep food in him so we fed him what he wanted. During the time(s) he was happily eating raw, we fed him a lot of pastured beef, chicken, and turkey hearts for the naturally occurring taurine (crucial for heart function, and I feel food sources are better than synthetic but that’s simply my preference.)

One other thing. If you live in a cold weather climate, or live somewhere where you experience very cold months out of the year, keep Gizmo inside at all times unless you take him out to potty. My dog had a horrible fainting episode when I took him out to pee when it was extremely cold (sub-zero; we were outside for less than 30 seconds when it happened.)

I know, emotionally, it’s difficult for you. I hope some of the links and suggestions help. I wish you the very best of luck.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by Acroyali.

[Acroyali]

Jessica, have you thought about using one of their meatless pre-mixes and adding protein (cooked or raw) on your own? It’s not for everyone but I know of a few people who do this and love it. They can feed “real” food without having to worry about all the balancing (and time prep if you’re going for cooked.)
One girl I know who feeds this way also keeps a few cans of wellness (the 95% meat variety) to add to the premix if and when she forgets to buy or thaw or cook meat. It’s a nice middle ground for those who want to do a home prepared diet but are unable to at the moment.

[Acroyali]

Melanie:
If the Kangaroo diet was helping, is there any way you could get another novel protein source that your dog has not had (venison, rabbit, etc?) There are some dry and canned varieties on the market that might fit the bill, as well as some pre-made raw diets (many raw food suppliers have exotic proteins–my cats vote for Hare Today’s rabbit chunks.)

One of my dogs had seasonal allergies completely unrelated to food. We did the testing route, and while identifying at least some of his triggers certainly helped it wasn’t a cure all. For awhile we did allergy shots and prednisone. It lasted 4-5 days and he’d be miserable for the rest of the month. As he got a little older, we worked for a few years with a wonderful vet on building a healthy immune system any way we could. We added a few things (mostly in the form of probiotics and other nutritional supplements, as well as medicated baths, etc). More importantly (I feel) is that we subtracted things that we suspected could possibly be linked. We gave him only clean, filtered water. We stopped using fabric softener (that helped tremendously!), and stopped giving annual booster vaccines (he was older, even our allopathic vet agreed with us on this) and stopped using flea prevention on him (as it seemed to be doing no good anyway). We let his immune system rest as much as we could. I can’t say it “fixed” him and I can’t put my finger on the one thing we did that did the most to help, but it seemed that the combination of factors helped him build an immune system that knew what it was doing. He had occasional break-outs, but I’d say he was 85-90% better. Just my personal experiences of course. I wish you luck with your little dog.

[Acroyali]

http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.ca/?s=allergies

Keep in mind I’m not the owner of this site, nor do I have anything to do with it. But her website has helped me out a lot over the years. If all else fails, give it a look.

[Acroyali]

Just my experiences, but after fighting allergies in one of our dogs for years we contacted a homeopathic vet who was able to shape him up in a month’s time. It may not work for every person or every dog, and like medications the correct remedy MUST be chose, but it sure gave us all relief. My concern was yours; the medications work and work well but eventually you need something stronger, and eventually that doesn’t work so you need something even stronger, and it’s a vicious cycle.

I’ve heard some people swear by Solid Gold Seameal powder as an allergy killer, but others say it does nothing so I would assume it depends on what the dog is allergic to.

[Acroyali]

I’m horrified by this; I am so sorry for your loss!

[Acroyali]

There’s been great advice on this thread so all I can do is say I’m awfully sorry about your dog, but I’m very glad it was her leg that couldn’t be saved and not her life. So scary.
We have a very small dog (we think Chihuahua mix, or long haired Chi) who broke her leg and the leg was saved. It was in a cast and all that, but due to her tiny bone structure the leg healed improperly and it’s a constant worry that it will rebreak. It seems to move around a lot more than it should. The vets that worked on her after the break said it healed well, but her age (she’s 10-11 years old) we think made it more difficult for it to heal well.

Keeping her lean helps. This particular dog has (in the vets words), “Not the greatest kneecaps”, so that’s kind of a double slam on her. As tempting as it is to carry her everywhere, she walks on her own to (hopefully) keep the muscles and ligaments surrounding the joints strong. I’d make sure she gets a moderate amount of exercise so she retains good muscle mass. If you’re really ambitious, teach her how to back up. This is great for rear muscles and could hopefully help the breakdown of her rear end while she learns to go on 3 legs vs. 4.

Hope this helps and again–very sorry for the scare!

[Acroyali]

Depends who you ask.

“General appearance
The German Shepherd Dog is medium-size, slightly elongated, powerful and well-muscled, with dry bone and firm overall structure.”

Breed Standards

“The German Shepherd Dog is a medium-size, slightly stretched, strong, and well muscled, with the “bone” dry and firm in the over-all construction.”
http://www.germanshepherddogs.org/sv-standard/

Akc doesn’t specify that I can see.
http://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/GermanShepherdDog.pdf?_ga=1.75638421.160310691.1487289527

(Not trying to be nitpicky, but it seems to be the norm that people think GSD’s are supposed to be these huge things and weigh 120 pounds when it’s not so. But for feeding purposes, I’d agree–LB.)

[Acroyali]

If your dog has stopped eating, and has bitten you bad enough to draw blood in 4 places during a routine procedure he’s done without issue in the past, I’d get to the vet. Yesterday. Something could be wrong, or hurting bad enough, that eating is the last thing on his mind and being messed with creates cranky behavior. (I liken it to having the stomach flu and having a manicure or facial done. I normally enjoy those things, but not when I feel rotten. If your dog feels poorly, this could explain his reaction but a vet visit is an absolute MUST to figure out what, and where, the source of the problem could be.)

I’ve fed raw for many, many years and have never had a dog “turn” on me, so I can’t offer any suggestions on that. (My personal experiences have been dogs that are more even-tempered, less high-strung and much easier to live with and train when fed a species appropriate diet.) Over the years I’ve had only two pets that couldn’t handle raw, and those instances were due to health problems in the gut. One was able to be on raw once he healed, the other was not and ate homemade cooked.

[Acroyali]

Many people I know do one raw meal and one kibble meal per day, and have had no problems. Like Cannoli mentioned, know your dogs chewing style and choose appropriately. A good rule of thumb is to feed larger than (the dogs) head size to avoid them swallowing things whole. For a small/medium puppy, poultry necks and feet I would personally stay away from until they learn how to slow down and chew (things like oxtails scare me to high heaven).

[Acroyali]

Too much of a good thing (omega 3’s) can be bad. I would stick with fish oil, or small oily fish as you’re doing without worrying about getting too much into her system.

If you’re using capsules of oil, keep in mind oil can go rancid pretty quickly!

Is there a reason you’re feeding all, or mostly fish? If she can handle other types of meats, some grass fed beef would be great as the Omega 3 content blows the feedlot beef out of the water. Eggs, IME, are much loved and are a great skin and coat supporting addition. (A few of mine get them raw, others prefer them warmed in a skillet. They’re spoiled..!)

[Acroyali]

Cassie, one of my dogs developed a gulping/coughing/gagging sound that happened any time, day or night, with no rhyme or reason. It got so bad that he began vomiting whenever it would happen. We, too, went to vets, specialists, did X-rays, bloodwork, scopes etc. They said it was IBD. I disagreed and consulted another vet, who suggested we take him OFF the acid reducers and try something else as he felt the dog had a horrible case of GERD (acid reflux) that had gone out of control, and damaged his stomach lining as well as his esophagus. His problem was he didn’t have *enough* stomach acid, so the acid reducers were covering up the symptoms temporarily, and making the actual problem worse and the lack of stomach acid explained why he was unable to eat anything I gave him without throwing it up during times he was having an episode. The vet prescribed few key supplements, a few homeopathic remedies, and helped me devise a meal plan of cooked food for him to make myself while we helped his gut heal. The vet did advise me, as he apparently advises anyone with a dog that has any kind of stomach problems, that smaller meals are key and larger meals should be avoided. He also suggested I re-seed his gut with good bacteria via probiotics, and make bone broth from organically raised chicken legs and give him several tablespoons per day (lots of naturally occurring L-glutamine that helps heal and seal that gut.)

[Acroyali]

Please, too, keep in mind that hearts and gizzards, while nutritious, aren’t technically organs. If you’re looking for organs vs. a multi, think things that secrete (liver, pancreas, spleen, etc. Kidney is good, too.)

I agree with Cannoli on more rotation, and maybe lessening the grains.

This is also just my personal opinion, but cooking in the microwave pretty much zaps all nutrients and enzymes right out of the food. If possible, I would experiment with steaming the veggies on the stove.

[Acroyali]

I’m not in this to bash Blue Buffalo, but I have noticed a lot of people have dogs with digestion problems while on this particular brand. IIRC, they changed formulas not too recently so hopefully they will take complaints into consideration and make some more changes.
If you can get Fromm, or are willing to order, I’d go with Stacy’s recommendation. Another option would be a dehydrated food, some dogs don’t like it but others do and many seem to have less gastric complaints than they do on a diet of pure dry.
If the symptoms continue no matter what, a thyroid test might not be a bad idea. Low thyroid is surprisingly relatively common.

[Acroyali]

Another thought–

Even if you have already, have you considered enrolling her in a basic obedience class? Not because it sounds like your dog doesn’t know the basics of sit, down, come, etc, but when the excitement level hits it’s like she loses what she knows (it happens to a LOT of dogs at that teenager age.) A class situation is good with a dog who already understands the basic words, as the challenge comes with teaching her to respond even when something more interesting catches her attention. If you run into a snag, you’ll have a trainer right there to help you, in person.

I liken it to taking a kid to Disney World, sitting them down, and expecting them to do math homework. It’s probably not going to happen right away; there’s too much to see, do, hear, and way too much excitement. Now take a kid who has parents who work at Disney World, and the kid has spent a ton of time there and it’s boring and familiar. They’ll more than likely be able to do homework in the middle of the Magic Kingdom without batting an eye.

Please steer clear of medicating this dog to keep her “down.” In 10 years, you’ll miss the antics (or at least some of them.) Frustrating sometimes, but don’t give up and simply keep her drugged. It can be worked through, honest. And when she matures and calms on her own, you’ll have a very well trained companion to be your best friend for many, many years. It pays off!

You might even consider getting her into some kind of competitive venue to channel that energy into something positive. Most dogs really like things like flyball, agility, or rally obedience. You could try tracking or any kind of nosework games. Teach her silly parlor tricks to impress your friends. Dobermans weren’t bred to be couch potatoes, but are some of the most loyal dogs on the planet. DO something with her, and enjoy every minute of it!

[Acroyali]

My mother’s dog had surgery to remove stones. I don’t remember what kind of stones, and there are differences in how they form and what diets are best. Her dog, for whatever kind of stones he needed, needed low oxalate foods. She refused the prescription foods and cooks for him herself, and keeps a list of high oxalate foods (to avoid) and low oxalate foods (to include) in her kitchen for reference.

If you google search the dog aware website, there’s a lot of good advice (and it’s only advice, as the webmaster is not a veterinarian) about formulating cooked diets for healthy dogs, and formulating cooked diets for dogs with specific health problems. Personally, I’ve found it to be a wealth of information, as well as the b-naturals website. Lots of good advice on diet and health issues there.

We all form our own opinions through trial and error. My own personal opinion (and it’s just that…an opinion) is that a lot of a prescription diets are hype. It’s not something I’ve chosen for my pets, despite the fact that I was told two of them would have to be on them for life due to various problems. I’m sure there are Rx diets out there that have helped dogs and cats, and are a saving grace for their owners, and for that I’m (truly) glad. For now, we’re doing alright without them and if you choose to cook for your dog due to his problems, I hope the suggestions above help get you off on the right foot. Best of luck and happy cooking! 🙂

[Acroyali]

“Because, it is clear to most medical professionals that a lot of the things some homeopathic vets recommend clearly have potential to harm animals.”

Ah, but there are indeed two sides to this coin.
Some things that conventional veterinarians recommend can harm animals, too. Monthly steroid shots, yearly vaccines, and poor food can have their downfalls. Ignoring the fact that quacks are quacks no matter HOW they practice is ignorant.
I had a very sick dog. After 4 grand spent at a local animal hospital, my dog was no better. I started exploring other treatment methods, as it was getting ridiculously expensive and, more importantly, my dog was not getting better. A very pragmatic holistic vet worked with me. He recommended medication (not “holistic” medication, but “medication”) to get my poor dog some relief…WHILE we worked on what was causing the problems in the first place. For my other dog, he strongly recommended heart medications–3 separate kinds–but we devised a few other things in the form of supplements that seemed to add length and vigor to his life. He outlived everyone’s expectations.
There is no magic treatment that fits every animal. THAT is what holistic medicine should be all about–sizing up the patient. It really has little to nothing to do with scorning the usage of life-saving drugs. Take into account a dog or cats over all health, diet, activity level, exercise tolerance, age, past health problems, right down to their emotional state (are they high strung and anxious, or easy going?) That’s the kind of practice I respect. Any vet who completely ignores the patient’s progress and only pumps more medications into them is wrong, as is the holistic vet who scorns the use of ANY medication and lets an animal suffer in the name of “holistic healing.” The two ways CAN work together, and work very well.
I recently read of a homeopath who “fired” a client because her dog became very ill, spiking a fever in the middle of the night, so the dog was rushed to the ER and placed on antibiotics. Because of placing the dog on these life saving medications, the homeopath fired the client, stating that she refused to work with someone who wasn’t holistically minded. Absolutely RIDICULOUS and I would have fired the homeopath because he or she could have fired me.
Quacks and quacks. They’re not limited to one form of practice. And it completely sucks that there are so many holistic vets (and doctors) who feel antibiotics are bad when your pet spikes a 105 degree fever and scorn the use of life-saving drugs in an elderly pet to give them more time, and better quality of life. And it completely sucks that there are many allopathic and conventional vets who roll their eyes the minute someone mentions a supplement or herb that seemed to help their animal. I refuse to patronize either kind.
Just my opinion.

[Acroyali]

http://dogaware.com/health/digestive.html

I hope this is helpful.

[Acroyali]

Yep, agreed with Anon101. When you say he “goes mad”, is it silly, over-excited behavior (typical of *young* Goldens!), or aggressive behavior? Any sudden changes in behavior means it’s vet time. Goldens can be notorious for health problems showing up early. If he’s randomly showing aggression, I would speak with your vet in depth about a proper thyroid test and having a CBC ran. If it’s a young dog showing problems with impulse control (meaning, the dog prefers to leap at someone in over-exuberance and land on their head in order to say “pleased to meet you” because they just can’t help their excitement,) I’d talk with a good trainer. An in-person trainer with good credentials, a good reputation, and a good head on their shoulders will be able to evaluate what’s going on and be right there–in person– to help you.

[Acroyali]

Glad it helped! Best of luck!

(Keep in mind that organs are extremely nutritious but very rich, and can cause loose stools if fed in excess, so I’d go easy on the organs at least at first. Heart isn’t technically an organ (it’s a muscle meat). I can get that cheaper than some meats so we feed a lot of that.)

[Acroyali]

I’ll second Acana. If I fed kibble, that’s the brand I would choose.

I’ve seen many dogs do well on Orijen (their sister brand), however some do not as it seems to be a bit “rich.”

It’s just my own opinion, but I am not a fan of ProPlan even though certain dogs do well with it.

Best of luck!

[Acroyali]

Hi Tides:

http://dogaware.com/diet/freshfoods.html

Here’s a nice article on adding fresh foods to a commercial diet.
I’m not sure if your dog could tolerate eggs since he’s so allergic to chicken. Personally, I wouldn’t risk it. I wouldn’t concern myself with the variety needed for a stand-alone raw diet if he’s still getting some commercial foods.
Beef bones aren’t the best option for consumable bones, however letting him gnaw on bones would help keep his teeth clean. The only dogs around here who don’t get recreational chew bones (beef bones) are those who chew aggressively, so much that chipping teeth is an issue.
Though I don’t feed it a lot, green beef tripe is an absolute hit in this house and the acidic nature helps keep their teeth clean, as well as all the great enzymes helping digestion. As long as the butcher gets it from a good source, I’d take him up on his offer, it sounds great!
Hope this helps get your plan off the ground!

[Acroyali]

Glad he’s doing better! I’ve never used tums, but as Susan pointed out a sluggish digestive system can be the breeding grounds for nasty breath as the food basically sits there and ferments. Hopefully you all can find some long term relief.

As Anon pointed out though, a home scale job isn’t the same as a professional cleaning if there are problems (it’s virtually impossible to get under the gum line, even on the worlds most patient dog). However, if there are no problems and the bones and an occasional scraping is doing the job and your vet is satisfied with how things are going, I say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

I was in a bind a few years back when one of my oldest dogs developed heart failure at a ripe age, and his teeth were in need of some help. The dogs vet(s) and I discussed it at length, and all were in agreement that a home scale job, done slowly (as to not bombard the dog’s bloodstream with icky crap, as some plaque DOES get swallowed) was the way to go for this dog, given his situation. The vet checked his teeth monthly. In about 3 months time, about 85% of the plaque was gone. (To loosen up some of the really bad stuff on the back teeth, we tried using Fragaria Vesca 6x daily to soften the plaque. By God, it worked.) He lived well beyond the vet and I’s expectations, and while he was on a few medications and heart supplements, we feel that cleaning his teeth up helped extend his life expectancy, too.

So now, we brush teeth, as I learned the hard way that prevention makes more sense than a cure. Any dogs with poor bites, poor root structure, or problem teeth in general get brushed 4-5 times a week. The dogs with good bites and no problems are once a week or so. Everyone gets recreational bones.

If this doesn’t apply to you, be grateful as it’s a difficult situation to be in when your dog’s teeth aren’t in the best shape, but health problems put them as a high risk case for being put under to get those teeth taken care of, yet NOT having the teeth cleaned creates the risk of worsening the organ failure. Hopefully this helps someone who’s reading!

[Acroyali]

I would offer it once or twice more, but not force it. If you can get plenty of variety in other protein sources, I wouldn’t worry about feeding beef if he doesn’t take to it.

One of mine will eat beef, but immediately throw it back up. It just doesn’t agree with him.

A few years ago I gave one of my bigger dogs a few chicken hearts, and he ate a couple and didn’t finish them. The result was diarrhea. Sometimes they know better than we do!

[Acroyali]

Assuming she’s had a fecal done and wormed if necessary, I would consider adding a probiotic and/or enzymes to help her gut re-adjust and settle down a bit.

One of mine would go 4-5 times a day as a puppy, but as an adult he’s a once-a-day’er.

How much are you feeding and how many times a day? Sometimes the instructions on the bag are a bit on the high side (or, WAY on the high side) which will result in a lot of poop and a fat dog in a few months time. If she’s inhaling her food, it might be going right through her. A puzzle toy might help (buster cube, etc). Most dogs love these, and most puppies easily figure it out of you move the toy a bit, let them see that movement = food appears. Plus, it’s fun to watch them!

[Acroyali]

Do you have a large freezer? If so, buy in bulk and stock up. Talk with any local farmers, butchers, or hunters about getting scraps; a farmer nearby us raises pastured meat and gives us a lot of hearts, liver, and things like wings, necks, etc, that don’t sell well. A butcher shop I use will sell a lot of stuff pretty cheap if we buy in bulk; they also have year-old venison, etc that hunters have processed but never pick up.

As far as Hill’s goes, I’m not a huge fan, especially for the price.

[Acroyali]

Hi Rob:

I’ve been a raw feeder for decades and, like pitlove stated, it’s not for every dog. I have two animals now that can’t do 100% raw, and one that gets violently ill from ingesting bones of any description. They get cooked diets, which might be something you’d be interested in researching and trying if you’re not happy feeding kibble. Mary Strauss at the dog aware website has a ton of information on balancing a cooked diet correctly (it’s more of a science than raw when it comes to balance and supplementation, but can be done.)

If he was happily eating raw, got sick, and now refuses it, I agree that he’s trying to tell you that the food just isn’t agreeing with him. It might be temporary, it might be life long, who knows. While his gut is healing, I would steer clear of raw (think of raw as cleansing, and cooked as nourishing). You can boil down bones in a crock pot and feed the stock; mineral rich and very healing to the GI tract.

If, down the road, the time comes where you feel he’s ready to try raw again I would go easy on the bone content (it’s not uncommon for small breeds and cats to do better with less bone than larger breeds), or forgo the bones all together and use a calcium supplement. But for right now, I agree with the other posters, please consider trying something else if your dog is telling you raw food isn’t working for him right now. Best of luck.

[Acroyali]

Andrew, if she’s not eating OR drinking on her own I’d consider it a possible emergency, especially due to her size and health history in the past few weeks. Pancreatitis can be nasty business and difficult to get fully under control.
When the weather is warmer, the Huskies want to go off their food and Parmesan cheese is our go-to pick for an appetite stimulant. I have no idea why it works 99% of the time, but it does. Just a pinch.
Best of luck.

[Acroyali]

Agreed with Susan, especially on probiotics.

I’d also have the vet check to make sure this dog doesn’t have impacted anal glands; that alone can make their breath smell like rotting death.

Old dogs shouldn’t smell just because they’re old. Something else has to be going on.

[Acroyali]

The only experience I ever had with tan colored stools was with a dog who had a taxed liver from a battery of antibiotics and medications for an unrelated health problem. His liver was not diseased nor damaged, but had been working hard. This dog didn’t have diarrhea, though, so that’s something else to keep in mind.
Has he had a good old fashioned blood panel, and have his liver enzymes been checked?
Best of luck.

[Acroyali]

Shawna, after thousands of dollars of drugs, X-rays, medications, bloodwork panels, “special” foods and exploratory surgery, the vets came up empty handed with what was causing my dogs GI problems. A 7 dollar tube of pellets from Boiron (2 doses, 12 hours apart) stopped the problem. I have no idea HOW homeopathy works, but it works and works well, and to me this “petition” is just another way for Big Pharma to shut down anything that threatens their legal drug pushing. My dogs are doing very well without drugs for every little problem, as am I.

[Acroyali]

Skepvet conveniently forgot to mention that petco also sells medicated and “special” shampoos for dogs with allergies, as well as “allergy” diets, not to mention the ear drops and ear wipes meant to avoid a vet visit even though your dog has a raging double ear infection. Don’t forget the myriad of chews, water additives, and toothpastes to avoid a dental at the vets from years of eating their selections of poor quality food…Petco also sells Hartz and Sergeants flea “prevention”, which is responsible for killing many, many pets. If you’ve been lucky enough to never have seen the reactions and the slow, neurological deaths these crap drugs cause, your life is slightly better than mine.
If the blog insists that homeopathy is the sole cause of people delaying vet visits, and why on earth would any thinking person sign a petition to stop it when all of the above are still easily accessable in the store aisles? And what about those of us who have actually studied homeopathy and used it in the past and healed what their vet and doctors could NOT heal? I’ll have to tell my cured animals that they’re victims of placebo. I bet they were “faking it” anyways.

[Acroyali]

Interesting. How long have you studied and used homeopathy, anon101?

[Acroyali]

Just a few of my own thoughts:

When I was in the transitional stages, one of my cats choked…on kibble. He was excessively hungry, and I was removing the 24 hour a day buffet in order to get them acclimated to meal times. He was OK, but any living thing can choke on anything. Bones can be scary, and if someone isn’t comfortable feeding bones I never would suggest it dissuades them from feeding a healthier diet than they’re already feeding. Hare Today offers boneless grinds (meat only) as well as boneless chunks of meat. I believe chicken and turkey both come this way, check the product description to be sure.

I’ve used boneless chunks as “reminders” to chew. I never give an excessively hungry dog anything bone-in; bones come after the main meal, which is mostly muscle meats and organs. It works for us, hopefully it can and will work for others.

I have and do brush teeth on a few of my dogs as a precaution. The issue I have is getting more brushed than the stuff we see at first glance. Getting the gumline on the inside part of the back molars with a toothbrush is next to impossible. Your dogs’ teeth may look wonderful when you lift their lip up. But if they yawn or pant and you get a glimpse of gross stuff on the INSIDE of the teeth, chewing is their best bet to get their teeth cleaned up.

I used to be a huge fan of recreational bones until a recent tooth fracture on one of my larger dogs. Now I know why some owners call them “wreck” bones 😉

I have never had the unfortunate experiences described here by some from puncturing or choking to death, and hope I never do. I know of one person who had a boxer choke on an ox tail and the dog died on the way to the vet. I’m SUPER weird about choosing large things for my dogs to chew on for this reason; even if they don’t totally consume the whole thing at once. There’s no doubt in my mind that dogs have suffered and even died from consuming raw bones, but there’s also no doubt in my mind that dogs have suffered and even died from consuming tainted, moldy, spoiled “safe” dry food (covered in salmonella, BTW), or have suffered greatly from eating a poor choice of food *for them* and have had the symptoms suppressed with drugs.

JMO.

[Acroyali]

It could most definitely work. However, I wouldn’t start out feeding all those protein sources at once. Pick one (chicken is usually good) and make sure they do well, then add in another. Go slow. I started out feeding a single protein source for about 2 weeks, then added another, etc, as well as organs. (Keep in mind things like hearts and gizzards are considered muscle meats, not organs; though gizzards are great for teeth on smaller animals that can’t swallow them whole.)

I personally don’t feed pork or fish for various reasons. It all boils down to what you can ethically source, what your animals do well on, and what is affordable. Turkeys are really cheap after the holidays; if you’re in the states, you can get turkeys (even organically raised) for cheap after Thanksgiving. (Our stores have whole duck, too, during the holidays.)

If at all possible, it might help to locate a pro-raw vet (they’re out there, trust me!) who can help if you run into any issues. Our primary vet is 2 hours away, simply because the clinic is very holistic. And as bad as the term “holistic” is thrown around anymore, they truly embody the term in their practice. Best of luck.

[Acroyali]

The dog in question was a farm dog, so my guess is he ate a bunch of “undesirables” that most farm dogs eat that, I’m sure enable them to thrive. I’m not getting into the omnivore or carnivore debate, and I know this thread is about dogs and not horses. However, feeding my horses meat meant for my dogs would be no better than feeding my dogs the food meant for my horses. Sorry if you disagree but dogs were not meant to be vegans. Open their mouths, look at the teeth.

[Acroyali]

What an asinine excuse for a vet.

I’m sorry, but whether or not she supports or advocates raw feeding, saying your abusive and she will have your dog taken away is unprofessional, cruel, and screams “ballistic.”

I’d print this out and leave it on her desk, personally.
http://leerburg.com/vets.htm

[Acroyali]

Would you be willing to offer a raw knuckle bone? Those, IMO, do WAY better than CET chews for teeth, and most dogs love them. One or twice a week cleans a lot of their teeth right up. (As far as the bacteria issue in raw…there IS bacteria in raw, yet I’ve been feeding raw for way too many years to remember and have never had a dog get salmonella poisoning, but I know of many dogs who have gotten sick or died from recalled kibble. It’s a personal choice, but please don’t feel that all kibble is automatically safe from bacteria and all raw food is automatically contaminated.)

I brush the teeth of my dog with poor root structure and an incorrect bite. I consider it insurance; and I use coconut oil vs. pet toothpaste. Now that he’s getting older I’m giving him bio-dent. It’s too soon to know if it’s helping, but I’ve heard others say it can really help strengthen their roots, teeth, etc.

[Acroyali]

I wonder if those who choose to force their vegan beliefs on a carnivorous animal would have a problem with my feeding my horses a raw diet…

[Acroyali]

IME, nutrition is a single finger of a hand. Alone it does very little, but when combined with the “other fingers” (genetics, exercise, toxic load status, etc) it all comes together as a functioning thing.
I firmly believe nutrition plays a large role in the health of any living thing. I feed raw, I’ve fed raw for decades but I still find myself getting extremely irritated when I read people claiming that a raw diet is guaranteed to “prevent” cancer or any disease known to the canine species. It’s bullcrap, I and many others have had raw fed, naturally reared dogs out of raw fed, naturally reared parents that die of a genetic disease (or, a disease with a strong genetic link) at a young age. I simply think, anymore, that diet can bring any living thing up to it’s genetic potential, and that’s the best that we, as owners, can strive for. I do feel the vet is wrong, though, and would encourage your client to feed her dog a so-so food for a month or two, then switch to a good diet for a month or two and see what differences (however subtle) are noticed.

[Acroyali]

Anonymously, what a cool place!

Weezer, are you hoping to make them indoor cats, outdoor cats, or both? A few of my current house cats are former outdoor strays, and they’re indoors strictly except for a smallish outdoor cat enclosure they have access to 24 hours a day. This has been a tremendous help to cure that wander-lust. Do all the cats get along, and are they able to be handled by humans at all?
My rule of thumb when bringing a new cat home is confinement for a few days, in a small, quiet room (a guest bathroom or spare bedroom works well) so they can adjust to their new surroundings and hopefully the homing instinct to their previous dwelling will at least lessen. Free roam of a new house, the entire thing, can be “too big”. One of my newer cats was kept in a covered ex-pen, and if she gets afraid or tired she seeks that place out as “home”. I haven’t had the heart to take the ex-pen down as she loves it 🙂
If you’re planning to keep them outdoors, a barn or an outdoor building that has plenty of air flow and is cool would be your best bet; if you’re able to keep them confined in it for a few days. Feed them there, let them know that’s where food arrives, and that it arrives at the same time every day so even if they do tend to roam around, they’ll hopefully come back at feeding time.

[Acroyali]

For years, one of our dogs fought this problem, and we kept him on Pepcid as a maintenance and would switch to Cerenia if things got bad. Surprise, after so long the pepcid stopped working at the recommended dosage and we needed to switch to a higher potency. Endoscopy showed inflammation. The symptoms got worse. As much as I love my vet in general, the diagnosis “IBD” and being offered z/d and cerenia for life was just plain not good enough for us.
Like Jenni M, we decided long term, drugs weren’t a good option for us, and we did the Apple Cider Vinegar as she suggested and it worked. While the flare ups still happened, things got better. We worked closely with a homeopath who was able to pinpoint the rest of the symptoms and select a remedy that knocked it out for good. Upon reading about GERD (Dr. Becker has excellent articles on this, as does the ottawa valley dog whisperer), it was mentioned that high stomach acid has the same symptoms as LOW stomach acid (just like it does in humans). Our dog was actually experiencing low acid, and we were treating his stomach as if it were highly acidic and we were giving him MORE things to reduce his stomach acid which he didn’t even have. That itself led to mild pica and vomiting as, without any stomach acid left, he was unable to break down his food and it had nowhere to go but up. (It also makes me think twice before popping a pepcid, myself.) I’m extremely grateful for conventional veterinary medicine, as it truly does save lives (you can’t fix a broken leg with coconut oil and herbs.) But when something, conventional or not, isn’t working, it’s time to look elsewhere and try something else. JMO.

[Acroyali]

I’ve heard of boarding kennels using intact dogs for breeding, and whoever does so ought to be shut down. A place in my area was caught red-handed by the owner of the male dog. They were livid as the dog was rescue (no health background) and had recently been non-communicably ill, which caused the vet to recommend post-poning the surgery. I was sold a pup from a rescue many years ago with the OK of neutering at 6 mos vs. being neutered at 8 weeks before I brought him home, and they did indeed call the vet to make sure the dog had been sterilized. I really respected their allowance on the issue, however I can understand their point (in pediatric neutering before allowing a puppy or kitten to go home with a new family.) There are just too many people out there that worship dollar signs, unfortunately.

[Acroyali]

Any male dog that makes it a routine habit to ejaculate for 72 hours straight is hormonal, over-sexed, and needs veterinary intervention, ASAP. I’ve had intact boys my entire life, some neutered at 2-3 and some never and have never dealt with this, nor have I dealt with dogs lifting their legs in my home, or in the homes of others. They didn’t roam, fight, or “get aggressive”. De-sexing a dog early doesn’t automatically make it a calm, laid back pet, incapable of humping or leg-lifting. Having been in the dog business for decades I can honestly say the majority of humpers and leg lifters have been the product of pediatric neuters. I’m glad breeders are recognizing this and educating their puppy buyers that most “bad male dog” behaviors are a training issue, not a body-part issue.

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

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