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Cannoli

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  • in reply to: French Bulldog puppy food help – loose stool #147660 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Crazy4cats,

    Thanks for the kind words. Yeah i fell for the hype of High protein low grain diets, or raw food is best, or quality ingredients over corn and rice is better, and etc….

    I fed my pup this hype for over 3.5 years of his life and he still developed allergies….at the end of the day only my vet and vet dermatologist had the answers for what food to feed him…

    in reply to: French Bulldog puppy food help – loose stool #147636 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Jessica,

    Welcome to the Bulldog Family. They are awesome dogs but are extremely prone to all types of allergies ( I blame it on bad breeders and over breeding) …I was lucky my pup did not start showing full blown allergies (itching, ear infections, head shaking, red swollen paws) until about age of 4 but prior to that my bulldog always had loose poops…

    Wish i had taken him to the vet dermatologist sooner in regards to his loose poops but I always thought it was just loose poops and he was normal with everything else.

    Hopefully you might avoid the Bulldog Allergy trap but if you do I highly recommend listening to your vet and avoid any foods unless you talk to him. Don’t waster your money on No grain, expensive high ingredients foods, and raw foods. All these foods did nothing for my pup except build up his allergies.

    My vet dermatologist recommended a great dog food which has the number 1 ingredient of (gasp) Corn. he does very well on corn…no loose poops, no itching..very very minor head shaking and less paw licking…

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 5 months ago by Cannoli. Reason: missing info
    • This reply was modified 4 years, 5 months ago by Cannoli. Reason: missing info
    in reply to: Vet recommended dog food and my opinions #146453 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    I used to look at ingredients list thinking that would be most beneficial for my pup. Always picking protein over corn, rice etc…Until my dog developed and was diagnosed with food allergies at the age of 4 to most common proteins such as chicken, beef, and protein.. He does well on a corn based diet which is the Royal Cannine Food recommend by my vet.

    So if you go for protein packed foods for a younger pup and ignore rice and corn you might be setting your pup up for allergies later in life since proteins are the most common causes of food allergies..

    Cannoli
    Member

    Had a great visit at the Vet Dermatologist and it is pointing more to Food Allergies. Dermatologist notice some things that neither my regular vet nor I saw before. Specifically his paws and skin as I just kept concentrating on his head shaking only.

    Dermatology Physical Exam: Non-seasonal mild pedal licking lately shaking of the head and digging at the neck, tried
    apoquel in the past did not help ear symptoms.

    Skin Description: Mild erythema of a few areas under each ear and mild alopecia and oily seborrhea of the plantar
    aspect of the paws, subtle changes on his chin from prior pedal licking

    AS (left ear): Mild lichenification on concave pinna, no major excoriations noted AU (both ears)

    AD (right ear): No odor or pain reaction from ears AU, negative pinna-pedal reflex

    Otoscopic Exam – Left: Mild cobblestone hyperplasia on surfaces of all aspect of the ear canal, no stenosis and no
    ulcerations, mild edema and slight erythema AU

    Otoscopic Exam – Right: No excessive exudate note

    Assessment: We talked about how the diet trial would have to be a little stricter for the full 60-90 days to yield a
    conclusive answer… and if not seeing a significant effect over the next 5-7 weeks then we could potentially be going
    more towards environmental allergies as the likely life long trigger of the mild skin, paw and ear issues

    Also we looked within his ear canal and on the screen we saw his ear canals were red in irritation. Cool to see the inside of his ear cannals on a giant tv screen as he used his scope with a flashlight to go down deep into his ear.. The ear cannals were visibly red with mild irritation.

    Cannoli
    Member

    Just booked an appointment withe MSPCA Angel Dermatology team. They have good reviews in my area. Not too bad either regarding cost $160 for consultation. earliest appointment is May 30th and my current Vet is going to forward the medical treatment he has done so far.. I just want my pup to have a better life.

    Cannoli
    Member

    thanks Anon I will schedule a Veterinary dermatologists since this has been going since January and I think my Vet is at his wit’s end.

    Cannoli
    Member

    @joanne- I thought the exact same thing. I thought he had something stuck in his ear. I told the vet to sedate my pup and look deep within his ears. Vet said he did without sedation and found nothing. It told him money is no problem please sedate him and check his ears really good for something stuck in there before we go down the allergy path. Vet said he checked deep and found nothing. I guess vets can check dog ears without them being sedated

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 9 months ago by Cannoli.
    Cannoli
    Member

    thanks Anon101.

    let me recap. Sorry I think I go the dates all wrong regarding the vet visit. I had to go visit my vet website to look at the dates I visited vet. I noticed he had something going on with his ears back in January but since he seemed fine and normal in regards to eating and playing I did not take him to the vet until March. My mistake….first time ever owning a dog.

    So March of this year was the first Vet visit in regards to the ear infection. We did the ear drops for about 7 days in March. That cleaned up his itching and smell. Did not notice the head shaking as much then because of all his ear scratching back in Jan and Feb. So was happy to see his ears smelly good and pup not scratching.

    Later that month in March Vet did a recheck..ear looked good..the infection was almost gone. Still the head shaking was not bothering me as much but he was still shaking his head. Vet recommended ear cleaning for the next few weeks maybe that might help with the head shaking.

    Now in march and april I followed the ear cleaning regiment. Notice his head shaking was not going away but was eating normally and playing. No scratching of his ears.

    In April I contact vet and noticed that his head shaking was still going on. not as much as back in January or February where he was shaking every 20 minutes. Now his head head shaking was about 20 times a day.

    Vet put him on an elimination diet in beginning of April. Notice head shaking but now about 10-15 times a day. So it went down some what. Went back to vet at end of April and asked what I can do to stop the head shaking forever.. He stated he wants to sedate dog and look deep with his ears and do a culture analysis. Vet thinks it is allergy related but the culture analysis could rule out that out. Also vet gave me steroids for 7 days.

    Culture analysis came back in beginning of of May or so where vet stated the lab found staph pseudointermedius. Recommended me to put pup back on Mometamax for 10 days to finish the bacteria and informed me to keep him on elimination diet.

    i have been seeing the same treating Vet since March so is not like a new vet every visit. My vet is very responsive. I send him emails with lots of questions and he always responds. He states allergies are very difficult to treat.

    Now why should I visit a veterinary dermatologist if he is not scratching his skin? But it is within the ear. I can definitely setup an appointment if you think that would help

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 9 months ago by Cannoli. Reason: spelling
    in reply to: Questions To Ask Your Raw Food Distributor #108413 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    I used to order from them but the ground bone caused major constipation issues for my dog. So I turned to powder calcium supplements. My dog is just one of those dogs who has issues digesting ground bones

    in reply to: Questions To Ask Your Raw Food Distributor #108284 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    When I used to feed my dog raw I would call and ask the company if their supply chain and production process have been reviewed by the FDA to earn the Human Grade distinction. Human Grade means ‘food grade’, ‘edible’, or fit for human consumption.

    But none did. So I opted out.

    in reply to: Honest Kitchen – Where's the meat? #108282 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    I use Honest kitchens minimalist chicken and duck foods as a base when I don’t always feel like making everything from scratch or during the cold fall/winter months. But like most people I do end up topping this food with additional home made meat on top of it. I too don’t see the meat.

    Also my pup won’t touch his honest kitchen meals unless I soak it with my homemade chicken or turkey broth which adds even more nutrients to this controversial food.

    in reply to: Cooking whole salmon (including skin and bones) #108281 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    I forgot to mention. Invest in a slow cooker. This time of year you can get good deals. I have cooked whole birds and fish for 20hrs in them. After 20 hrs most bones have turned into mush

    in reply to: Cooking whole salmon (including skin and bones) #108279 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Anon101-I think she is cooking the salmon first (poaching) but agree with you feeding raw fish is no good.

    Although I do indulge in sushi grade sashimi, which once in a full moon I give to my dog and myself. But I get this from a reputable Japanese restaurant that knows how long and at what temperature to freeze their fish.

    • This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by Cannoli.
    in reply to: Cooking whole salmon (including skin and bones) #108276 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    I would not risk it. Just give him the salmon and discard the bones.

    in reply to: Disappointed with my disobedient dog #95888 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Your husband bought a dog that is part of a working breed. They are bred to work and not meant to be walked an hour a day. It’s like buying a Ferrari and only driving it to the grocery store.

    My friend had 3 golden retrievers the first 2 were not hyper but she got lucky on her 3rd retriever. The 3rd was super hyper. Great news for me I take it hiking every weekend with my own pup. It is one of the smartest dogs I ever saw. But to my friend it was one of the most disobedient dogs she ever had. The dog was bored to death staying cooped up her house for over 16 hours a day but with me her dog behaved awesome.

    • This reply was modified 6 years, 12 months ago by Cannoli.
    in reply to: "Vegan" feeding dog raw meat #95885 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi lovelybear,

    You can still feed your dog fruits and veggie albeit not more than 10% of their meal.

    As you being a vegan there are tons of vitamins and minerals that you are aware that can be added to your dog’s meat meals to really balance it out.

    It’s really not hard to feed a dog meat the hard part is understanding the minerals and vitamins that fruits, spices, and vegetables have. I think vegans have this knowledge that they can transfer to create natural supplements rather than relying on synthetic vitamins that many homemade feeders use.

    • This reply was modified 6 years, 12 months ago by Cannoli.
    • This reply was modified 6 years, 12 months ago by Cannoli.
    in reply to: Rough draft raw dog food menu #95883 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Ashleigh,

    You are missing a lot of vitamins and minerals just raw chicken (not a fan of raw chicken) will create defincies.

    I recommend reading the website dog’s naturally. Tons of veggies, natural supplements, fruits, and spices that you can read to add to your dog’s meal.

    • This reply was modified 6 years, 12 months ago by Cannoli.
    in reply to: Raw as occasional meal or treats #94064 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Amanda,

    It is hard to advise whether thighs with bones or chicken feet or turkey necks are safe to feed your pup. In my opinion you need to analyze and train your pup first on how to eat these bones.

    With my pup I stay away from small bones as he tends to be a gulper and when I was hand feeding him these type of bones he still had a tendency of gulping his food so I stayed away from any whole bones. No need to create a choking hazard.

    Otherwise since the base of your diet is a puppy food there is nothing wrong with introducing your pup to these foods. Once your pup has stopped growing than it is safe from a nutritional perspective to experiment with more raw or home cooked foods.

    But I must stress that you really need to pay attention to what type of an eater your pup is. If he is a gulper like mine than whole bones, regardless of whether they are soft or not, can create a choking hazard

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Cannoli.
    in reply to: Premade w/out synthetic #93921 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Stephanie,

    You do not have to feed whole bones to your dogs. Hare today sells ground bones with their grinds.

    If you are totally against all bones (including ground bone) Hare today also sells ground meat without bones and you can add your own calcium supplements

    in reply to: 3-4 Weeks in to Homemade Food – Need Advice/Input #93920 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Are these dog puppies or are they already grown?

    I would skip the brown rice unless your dogs can’t handle a high protein diet.

    I would rotate proteins. I prefer to feed my dog more red meat and chicken and turkey more as a treat.

    I also prefer to add more organ meat and add tripe but you need to be careful with organ meat since you are already feeding your pups vitamins.

    I like to rotate calcium sources too. Sometimes add ground shells, or ground bone, or calcium supplements. I also like to rotate veggies and supplements.

    In short this is a good recipe for a short time but ideally the best recipes involve ROTATION of different sources of meat and fish (if your pup has no allergies) rotation of supplments..Maybe use some organic supplements, rotation of veggies, etc to prevent deficiencies.

    in reply to: Home made dog food suggestions #93660 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Mary N,

    You and I think so much alike. We are kindred spirits

    in reply to: Premade w/out synthetic #93594 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi,

    There is Hare Today Gone Tomorrow, Miamia Raw, My pet Carnivore which offer pre-made raw with no vitamins added.

    You can then buy all natural none synthetic vitamins online at Amazon that you can add to the pre-mad raw from the above suppliers such as Animal Essentials Herbal Multi-Vitamin

    in reply to: Home made dog food suggestions #93542 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    When I started sneaking veggies into my dogs food I invested in a good blender. I am a fan of sneaking veggies into my homemade dog food as it provides an additional plethora of vitamins that meat can not provide.

    I normally feed him 1 large tablespoon per meal. My pup gets two meals a day.

    Here is an example of one of the smoothies I make. I rotate veggies every 3 weeks. This makes enough for 3 weeks

    large sweet squash roasted in the oven with extra virgin coconut oil- Squash has sweetness that sweetens up the veggie mix and most dogs like a little sweetness in their life.
    Organic raw apple
    Package of blueberries
    Spirulina- This is blue-green algea loaded with minerals and has naturally occurring salt
    Mother’s apple cider vinegar
    Fresh tumeric root
    Fresh ginger
    Some fresh parsley
    Alfalfa sprouts
    Pumpkin seeds
    Some organic supplement powder that covers any other vitamins I might be missing.

    It taste good to me. It has a hint of sweetness, a little bit of saltiness from the spriulina, and a wonderful coconut apple cider tumeric aroma.

    Cannoli
    Member

    I would stay away from Orijen. I used to feed it to my pup but that was 2 years ago before they moved to Kentucky and had all theses issues.

    I would stay away from store shelf salmon oil as oxidation occurs very quickly.

    Feed fresh fish and you will know you are giving your pup none oxide and none spoiled fish oil.

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Cannoli.
    in reply to: Doberman: Diet and Hyperactivity #93356 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    “before we look toward a medical/drug solution in resolving this always up puppy”

    you have a dog that is genetically bred to be working dog and instead you plan to drug your dog to reduce his effectiveness.

    I recommend that since you decided not to get a lapdog a mere two walks a dayain’t cutting it.

    Maybe some hiking or teaching your dog to use a treadmill would be a better solution than drugs.

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Cannoli.
    • This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Cannoli.
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Stephanie C,

    Sorry to hear about your troubles.

    With all the work and effort you are putting in for finding the right kibble why don’t you just make your own dog food? You will know exactly what is going in and you can never worry about chicken

    I feed my dog fish meals such as sardines and mackeral twice a week. These fish can either be brought fresh,frozen, or canned. They are cheap to buy at the store since humans don’t like smelly fish..Although canned mackeral and sardines tend to be more expensive than fresh or frozen seafood. Regardless it is so much cheaper than Origen…

    I used to feed my dog origen over a year ago when he was a pup but hearing the horror stories about Orijen makes me happy knowing I don’t buy their food anymore

    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Mary N,

    To add to my previous comment I think it’s difficult to answer your question of whether we should trust your vet’s recommendation in regard to your pet’s food.

    It’s hard for me to tell no or yes since we don’t really know anything about your vet.

    For me when I first got my pup two years ago I had to decide between three vets. This was a daunting experience for me since I knew nothing about Veterinary medicine and most lay people don’t. So I checked out their yelp reviews and how long they have been in business. All of these 3 vets all had over a hundred reviews but two of them had really terrible reviews (quite a lot). The first two vets people complained a lot about their pets getting even sicker for months after the treatment received from these vets and being forced to buy unnecessary shots.. But the third vet and the one that I chose had only negative reviews based on the amount they charged.

    In addition the first two vets were relatively new in practice while my 3rd vet has been around for 20 years. I chose the 3rd vet. He really knows his stuff..I have had few times that I had to take my pup to the emergency to see him and all times were false positive. He never orders unnecessary blood work or tests, never pushed me on food that he sells at his store, and he never pushed me when it comes to unnecessary shots. For example lyme disease shots. He knows that I know that my town has no history of ticks with lyme (my town has a website and they list any instances of lyme infections) he doesn’t recommend it. But yet the other 2 vets are constantly mailing me “it’s time for your dog to get lyme desease shots”

    Even if my vet recommended me his food he knows I would grill him on the ingredients. He knows I am fanatic about eating healthy. We have had animated discussions about raw food and my home cooked food. He is against it but so far my pup is thriving and he is impressed with how healthy my pup is. My vet has seen a lot of malnourished dogs.

    So sorry for the long diatribe but if you have a good relationship with your vet and they listen to you and don’t send you mailers in the mail every 3 months that your dog needs this shot and that shot (ha) than I see no reason why you should not trust your vet’s food.

    in reply to: Homemade treats ingredients #93229 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Andrea S,

    Congrats on making your own treats. maybe you can provide us with an example of the ingredients in your current home made dog treats and we can add some input on what you might add.

    Since these are just treats they don’t need to be complete and balance.

    I make my dog treats occasionally. Sadly I don’t have the entrepreneurial spirit to turn this into a small side business.

    Here are some of the treats I have made:
    Liver Cookies.. Basically liver that I cook on very low heat in the oven for about 4 hours ( i cut them into round cookie shapes) and then I dip them in a tumeric extra virgin organic coconut paste. I love the taste of them and so does my pup ha.

    For Christmas I made my pup and I the following cake:
    Coconut glazed cake-basically i baked some sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Then smashed them.. Then I use one of my cake baking trays and put the smashed sweet potato butternut squash in it. Drizzle some raw honey on top. Sprinkled it with fresh coconut and baked it for 25 minutes until coconut got nice and toasty brown.

    Would love to hear some of your recipes.

    in reply to: Transitioning To New Dog Food #93215 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Leslie,

    Sorry to read your pup is having so many issues with new food. Sad to hear breeders are breeding dogs with food allergies.

    You may need to embark (which it sounds like you are) on an elimination diet.

    Probably visit a vet to ensure nothing else is at play with your pup

    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Mary,

    It depends on the situation. If my dog was sick and depending on the illlness and the vet recommended it in the hope that it will make my pup better than probably yes. I would give a try since it is temporary. Kind of like eating hospital food.

    But if the issue has nothing to do with food helping my pup (example he had sprained his leg) than no I would not buy the food at the Vet

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Cannoli.
    in reply to: Apple – raw or steamed? #92891 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Parul S,

    I am a big firm believer of daily teeth brushing. If not daily at least weekly regardless if your pup is just eating kibble, or raw only, or chewing on bones, etc.

    Nothing beats a toothbrush when it comes to cleaning the gum lines. Bones and kibble don’t get in between the gum lines.

    So in regards to your question you should always be brushing your pup’s teeth regardless what you feed him. You might like it as his doggy breath will disappear. I love it when my pup licks and kisses me. His breath never stinks..

    in reply to: Fish for dogs? #92880 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Molly,

    There is no science out there yet that I have read that feeding your dog fresh fish can cause a vitamin deficiency. I guess maybe if all you did was just feed them fish than I can see the concern. Molly is that what you are asking? That only feeding them fish will cause a vitamin deficiency?

    Although one interesting article I read was regarding the Alaskan Eskimos and that they solely fed their sled dogs frozen fish and seals. Most lived to a fine ripe age. So who the heck knows dogs can thrive on anything. Ha

    in reply to: Congo raw frozen #92879 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Tao,

    Never heard of this company.
    There are a lot of new frozen raw food brands coming out. If you can’t find any information on this company than stay away. Me personally I prefer to source my own raw meat but if you must use a frozen company stick to the ones people write about here. Such as Hare today gone tomorrow, Miami Raw(great feedback on yelp), My pet carnivore, etc.

    in reply to: Diet variety opinions #92878 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Liz,
    Regarding your question:

    ‘if anyone had an easy way to incorporate more variation in my dogs’ diets’

    This is tough for us to answer as we don’t know your dogs nor do we know how well they handle different foods or if they have any allergies. My guess is that if your dogs have been fed grain free dry food most of their lives a very slow transition might be needed with different food sources so that they don’t poop their brains out

    If your dogs can easily handle different foods without massive amounts of loose stool or any known allergies than your only your imagination is holding you back.

    Simple things as canned mackerel or sardines are rich and loaded with Omega 3s that you can add to your dogs kibble during the cold winter months to help them with their coats.

    Obviously the concern is too feed toppers or food that is not lethal to dogs….Basically go down to your grocery store with a list of foods that are toxic to dogs and don’t buy those.

    in reply to: Apple – raw or steamed? #92877 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    It’s nice that your are feeding your pup none processed food.

    I feed my dog raw apple because he can handle it. If your dog can handle raw apple stick to it because cooking the apple does break down some of the nutrients. I normally feed my dog apple as part of his veggie nutrient blend:

    In a blender I blend:

    raw apple( I rotate with the fruits sometimes I used blueberries, or bananas, or pineapple) it helps cutdown the vinegar taste of the smoothie. Sometimes I skip the fruit and add a dollop of fresh organic honey
    alfalfa
    fresh tumeric root
    organic virgin coconut oli
    apple cider vinger with the mother
    fresh ginger
    spirulina
    some green leafy veggie
    carrots
    organic none synthetic vitamin powder such as Animal Essentials (but since you are still feeding kibble you don’t need this since kibble has the synthetic vitamens and you don’t want to over do it)
    calcium supplement (again since you still feed kibble this is not required)

    Keep in mind that once you start incorporating fruit which is high in sugar teeth brushing is even more essential for your pup

    in reply to: Need some help about premixes #92860 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Weezerweeks,

    When I started doing homemade I went the pre-mix route. Realize I wanted to go even more fresh as dehydrated food did not seem all that fresh to me.

    Instead invest in a good blender. Look at the ingredients of your premixes and buy them yourself. My grocery store always has sales on squash, green leafy veggies, alfala sproutes, tumeric root, ginger, blueberries etc. You can buy those in bunches and make great smoothies.At the end you save a lot of money and you can make large batches and freeze them when not needed.

    Keep in mind you will need to add some supplements along the way but after a few tries you will get the hang of it and your wallet will love you for it.

    in reply to: PREMADE RAW?? #92859 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Crystal,

    A premdade raw will not ensure you have healthy puppies with no defects.

    Genetic testing of the parents and grandparents along with hip dysplasia, thyroid imbalances, and any tests required for health problems associated with labradors going back to the grandparents would be the best bet.

    in reply to: Supplementing Raw #92858 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Tides,

    I am not a fan of giving whole bones to my pup. No matter how much i tried teaching him to chew correctly he stubbornly chomps and swallows.

    Your pup is 11lbs he might crack his tooth on that bone. Instead you can make a nice beef marrow broth and add it to the raw food. Although you probably won’t get the required calcium from the broth you can supplement it with calcium products from Amazon like calcium seaweed, bone calcium, egg shells, or ground soft bones that are finely ground. Ask your butcher to see if he can ground up some soft bones for your pup

    In short you can feed raw without actually give your pup whole bones. I have been doing it for two years now.

    Best of luck

    in reply to: advice re: Omega 3 or other type #91503 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Newmom,

    I skip the Omega 3 pills most of them are useless as the fish oil has gone rancid and the Omega 3 has degraded and oxidize over time. Time and heat is the killer of Omega 3 and those pills sitting on the shelf are pretty much rotten fish oil you are feeding to your dog.

    Big jars of extra virgin organic virgin coconut oil (about 4lbs) can be bought on amazon for less than $20 and it lasts 3-4 months on a daily usage. I rob my 65lb dog with coconut oil every weekend and feed it to him for every meal.

    Fresh frozen whole sardines are $3 at the super market. You can get 12 of them for $3 . Which has a tone more none oxidize Omega 3 than human pills.

    Mackeral and herring is extremely cheap to buy as most humans don’t like the smell and strong fish flavor. I see those in the supermarket everyday for sale.. They can’t wait to get rid of them

    in reply to: What Should I Look for in Dog Food #91500 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Alyss,

    This is a very vague question you asking about “working” dogs.

    You need to define the kind of work a dog is doing before you chose the food.

    Don’t start by looking at dog food lables..Most dog food companies just like human food companies have no understanding of “working”. Instead you need to define what kind of “work” a dog is doing and tailoring your food to meet the dog’s work demand.

    For example, if your dog is involved in weight pulling competitions you would want to build muscle. Just like in humans, when we lift weights and we want to put on muscle mass we consume higher rates of protein. So you would need to feed your dog a high protein diet. If your dog is into dog mushing as work during the cold winter months than you need to provide a food that provides higher ratio of healthy fats and carbs to compensate for the cold weather and long miles they will be running.

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Cannoli. Reason: typo
    in reply to: New to homemade – need advice #91490 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Logan and Kim,

    I like your preparation. One thing that I learned early on is investing in a good blender like a Vitamix. It helps cut down on the time in preparing the veggies. Just throw all the veggies in the blender with whatever additional supplements you like. It even has a setting to cook the veggies in the blender to keep the nutrients. Heck I even cooked squash and pumpkin in my blender. I just cut the pieces really thin and small. Throw them into the blender and it steams them up and cooks them.

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Cannoli.
    in reply to: Ground beef vs other? #91487 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Bag of Opals,

    Sorry for the late response.

    In regards to your question “what’s your opinion on ready-ground meat?”

    It all depends on how it is handled. At my local butcher he grounds the meat in front of me. At my big grocery store a bunch of kids who just got back from their smoke break is grinding tons of meat daily in the back room.

    There is always a risk you take but I rather get my ground meat from my local butcher who I have used for years.

    in reply to: Bone/Organ Replacement? #91416 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Sally Z,

    I am not sure how much cheaper you want to get when feeding raw meat to your dog. Eventually the cheaper you go the less quality and safety you get.

    Nothing wrong with store bought meat or poultry. I feed that to my dog but I COOK it first. Nothing wrong with feeding your dogs cooked protein. As long you you add the necessary supplements afterwards to balance it on a weekly basis.. I have discovered that feeding cook food is cheaper than feeding my pup raw. Supermarkets always have sales on fish, turkey, pork, and chicken.

    Heck I am now feeding my pup raw food once a week out of the month and the other weeks I feed him cooked proteins.

    Anyway in regards to bone replacement you can use eggshells, calcium seaweed (found on Amazon-the bottle lasts for months cost is less than $20), bone meal powder (found on amazon just make sure it does not have added vitamins.

    Organ is cheap to find at supermarket just slighlty braise them to kill any bacteria. Or what I like to do at times is I make liver and organ treats by putting them in a dehydrator.

    Or you can buy pre-made dehydrated organ and liver treats online. Just make sure they are 100 made in America and are organic free range.

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Cannoli. Reason: added more context
    • This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Cannoli. Reason: typo
    in reply to: Sardines for Dogs #91091 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Mary V,

    I actually increase the sardine intake for my dog during late fall and winter months to help them get that Vitamin D since they don’t spend as much time outside as I would like.

    If your supermarket has it I recommend the flash frozen sardines. They taste awesome grilled and are a lot more oily. Just take the backbone out and leave the head on. My pup goes crazy over the heads.

    in reply to: Ground beef vs other? #91087 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Bag of Opals,

    It depends on how the animal was raised and afterwards how it’s meat was handled.. I eat my meat raw in the inside and been doing that for years and years with no issues. Hence my dog gets raw beef and bison. I also eat a raw egg in my smoothie for years…Again no issue found. For fish I only eat sushi raw grade fish and only feed that type to my dog otherwise he gets grilled fish

    On the other hand I don’t eat raw chicken or pork so I don’t bother to feed those meats to my dog raw.

    Here in MA we will be voting a law on election day called cage free produce. Basically mandating that cows, chickens, etc to be raise cage free. Apparently there is overwhelming scientific evidence to demonstrate that cage free animals have a much lower instance of being infected by Salmonella

    in reply to: Orijen or Raw #91064 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Since Orijen is a high protein kibble your pup may be able to handle raw. I like for online services Miami Raw, Hare Today Gone Tomorrow, and Real Raw since their beef and bison are grass fed and organic.

    good luck

    in reply to: Orijen or Raw #91062 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    My pup liked Orijen but I switched him to half raw half home cooked about 6 months ago.

    I gave up on kibble. At the end of the day Orijen is expensive stale kibble that has sat on shelf for weeks. At the price you pay for Orijen you can make your own dog food

    I only feed my pup raw organic meat or bison or tripe every other protein source I cook for him. Raw Chicken, pork, and fish scare me so I cook those. If you do the research there are plenty of organic supplements that you can provide to balance your meal. Heck you can even make your own organic supplements if you have a good blender.

    Good luck

    in reply to: Questions concerning raw #90416 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Acroyali,

    In regards to your comment “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.”

    You can train your dog to be brushed inside their teeth. I trained mine.. At times he doesn’t like it but he puts up with it.

    When my pup chews his toys I don’t see his back teeth getting any chewing action. With a toothbrush you can pinpoint all the areas that need to be cleaning. Including the gums and the the inside of the teeth all the way in the back.

    in reply to: Questions concerning raw #90265 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Thank Aimee and sorry to read about seeing such a tragedy at a young age.

    I tried once feeding my pup a whole duck neck edible bone under supervision and he nearly choked on it. I vowed to never take that risk again and sought other forms of calcium sources

    in reply to: Questions concerning raw #90241 Report Abuse
    Cannoli
    Member

    Hi Bill,

    even soft edible bone can cause choking hazards if dog is not appropriately trained or supervised. As well as potential intenstinal blockage.

    Plus you are never exactly sure how much calcium your dog is absorbing from that edible bone. Hence I always advise in rotational feeding. That includes calcium sources too. Natural organic calcium powder doea not only prevent choking hazards but it is alot easier for a dog’s body to absorb and you know the exact amount of calcium to phosphorus ratio that you are providing.

    In regards to dental health, daily teeth brushing has proven to be more effective for dogs than edible bones

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