[Erika I]

My pug was also very, very itchy and I transitioned her to raw thinking it was her food. But she was still scratching like crazy and losing big patches of hair so I now have her on a seasonal allergy medication (Vet’s Best Seasonal Allergy Support Supplement for Dogs)… and it worked! we have seen a complete change… no more scratching… and her fur is growing back. Mind you this was after several expensive vet visits and several food changes (thinking she was allergic to a specific protein) and nothing helped her. Vets Best is very affordable… only like 7 dollars on Amazon and I tell you it is the magic pill… all natural ingredients too!

Hope this helps!

[Erika I]

The key to raw food (in my experience) is “take your time with it!” What I mean is, introduce new ingredients slowly and start slowly. I started my 4-year-old pug on raw food with just ground beef and ground up cooked eggs(shell and all) along with fish oil and a vitamin powder. the first week she started with a 1/2 cup of food the first day and I slowly increased the amount of food till she was at 1 cup a day. She was on this diet for about 3 months before I changed her to a more complex diet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P85BMCCboI). From my experience, raw food has its ups and downs in the beginning but once you find what works well for your puppy it is the best! Bella (my pug) at first threw up the food had lots of bad diarrhea. and even months into the new diet she had bouts of throwing up and diarrhea when I introduced new ingredients too quickly. So that is why I suggest taking your time with it. Now Bella loves it and her coat is super shiny and thick and her seasonal allergies are even better!
– I had Bella on goats milk to try and help with her allergies and it is great it helps with all kinds of things – but I found it to be unnecessary now that I have her on a balanced raw diet.

As far a spaying, I waited till Bella was about 1 year old before she had the operation. Sometimes young pups don’t do so well with the operation and Bella was so little that we felt more comfortable waiting. She went through one cycle which wasn’t bad at all…just be sure to have diapers on hand!

Hope this helps!
All the best,
Erika

[Erika I]

I am sorry to hear that. I have only ever given my dog raw chicken liver and heart but that was about month 2 into our transition. I am new to raw food but I can say that it took about three months for Bella to transition to completely raw food. I know of some dogs who can do it in less time but she took a while and we are still slowly adding more and more to her diet. Each time I add something new she does usually respond at first with diarrhea and sometimes even vomiting. One thing to note is that heart and liver meat is super rich and should be added slowly into their diet and only in small amounts. I have been told it should only equate to about 10% of their diet.

I hope your puppy feels better- all the best!

[Erika I]

Thank you Anon101 for your help! I will try taking her into a veterinary dermatologist. I thought it was a major yeast infection but maybe it’s this hyperpigmentation. I was hoping the switch in foods would help but I think now it might be something she’s allergic to. Her itchiness and hair loss subsided for a month or so but now its back.

[Erika I]

Thank you so much for help Leelina! I found that video super helpful and I am going to follow that recipe. I switched her over to ground turkey and she is doing so much better! thank you again for your advice:)

One other question I would like to put out there is about hair loss. She is losing small patches of hair and the skin underneath is a gray color. Is this yeast that is still dying off or is it a sign of malnutrition? I have taken her to our vet and they are not sure what it is. she is at a healthy weight and acting her happy normal self. Has anyone ever dealt with this issue? I should also add that she is super itchy!
Thanks for the help!

• This reply was modified 7 years ago by Erika I.

[Erika I]

Acrovali- yes, she has had it in the past and did fine on it. I’m not sure if it is caused by another ingredient. I am going to try a different recipe to see if it’s the ground beef. Thank you for your input on various ingredients. I am a bit nervous to give her bones – I thought the egg shells would have been sufficient, but maybe I need to read up on that more.

[Erika I]

yeah, I was told to stick to this diet till I saw improvements in her skin. The few websites that talk about the Yeast Starvation Diet seemed to suggest you could keep your dog on this diet for awhile… but maybe this is not the case. I have searched and found some good raw dog food recipes that I will implement. I just was not sure how long it takes for a dog to fully transition over to raw and if her throwing up is a part of that or something else.
Thanks for your help.

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