[jakes mom]

Oh, he loves them, and his teeth look better. He’s had the chicken drums, and backs. Turkey necks, pork neck bones, and some ribs. He was so confused when I gave him the first one, and I was a little nervous, but after the first couple we’re both doing well with them. I still always keep an eye on him, tho, just in case. He was funny, wasn’t sure what to do with it, but was sure he didn’t want me to take it back! 🙂

[jakes mom]

Oh, he does ok, Bobbydog, lol. He had a nice raw chicken drumstick this afternoon.

[jakes mom]

Thanks guys for all your help. No worries, Bobbydog, I knew what Pitlove meant. So here’s my new plan. Darwin’s site says the food can be fed raw or cooked, as some animals just don’t like or can’t tolerate raw. So that’s what I did tonite, lightly cooked a pack of the chicken. Didn’t cook very much, just sautéed a few minutes. Not enough to cook bones, was still partly raw. It went over very well, everybody seemed to eat a bit of it, even the 2 who turned up their noses at the raw. I’ll cook for a few days as well as get some kind of probiotics, and hopefully slowly work back to full raw. I did weigh my old guy, no weight loss so that makes me feel better. I really want this raw thing to work! Besides the better nutrition, one of my girls has a yeasty ear issue which I hope raw feeding will help.

[jakes mom]

I doubt it’s a health issue, really blame the food but don’t know what to do about it. Another person suggested it may be the cat “detoxing”, which I thought about, but I didn’t think it would last that long. Here’s the dilemma, I’ve already postponed the next delivery but now I don’t know whether to cancel, or get the delivery and try longer with some probiotics maybe, or forget Darwin’s and try another brand. Frustrating.

[jakes mom]

Raw feeders…how’s the kitty poos? I had heard that raw fed animals have smaller firmer stools but the litter boxes have been pretty messy these last few weeks. I thought maybe it was just the transition period but still messy! Do you think it will get better or does this mean that they’re not tolerating it well? Don’t seem to be in any distress, it’s just the nasty boxes for me.

[jakes mom]

I do same as Bobby, dog gets cat food leftovers and stuff they won’t eat. Have never bought a bag of cat food specifically for the dog but I’ve used up a bag of dry cat food on Jake. I don’t see that it would be an issue in rotation but I wouldn’t feed cat food exclusively to a dog.

[jakes mom]

Oh geez, if cat food was bad for dogs Jake would have been gone a long time ago, lol. And so would Bobby, I think! Jake eats all the cat food rejects. He’s had cat Primal, too.

[jakes mom]

Yep, we’ll get there eventually. I’ll be happy to get Julie on board with the Darwin’s at least. Maybe the other 2 will come around, too. They are eating canned with a bit of raw so they’re not completely put off by the smell or anything like that.

[jakes mom]

It’s strange, Julie won’t eat the Darwin’s, she loves plain ground chix/turkey from the grocery! So I had a new plan tonite. I made a meatball for her with a combo of Darwin’s and store turkey. She ate it, so I have hope of getting her to Darwin’s soon. The other 2 are baby steps, still. A bit of Darwin’s in the usual canned.

[jakes mom]

Yes, Darwin’s customer service has been good. I’ve gotten several “how’s it going?” emails from them as well. It’s been frustrating, you’re right! But I’m not giving up yet….

[jakes mom]

I agree with Bobby dog. I would just stick with what’s working for her. Don’t drive yourself nuts. Vet visit would be a good idea but I wouldn’t worry about her, really. Probably just an ingredient that doesn’t agree with her, hard to figure out which one.
BTW, update on the raw transition…not going well, brats! Still only have Dustin eating it with enthusiasm. I delayed my first shipment. Darwin’s customer service is great, no problem with rescheduling. They sent me an email reminding me that the shipment was scheduled for the 10th and I replied, asking them to hold off for a couple of weeks.

[jakes mom]

Has she eaten those flavors in the past? No problem? My first thought was that it wasn’t the beef itself, but something else in the can that didn’t agree with her. Maybe just a coincidence that it was beef?

[jakes mom]

You’re probably right about the 4% for your kitten, I was using adult %. You’d feed a kitten more calories, just like you’d feed a puppy more. I may try to heat it up a tad, as Darwin’s suggests, maybe get their noses more involved, lol.
I’ve never heard of a teacup cat, heard of some toy breed dogs referred to as a teacup. That’s cute! I think her weight is fine, too. My Julie is only about 7. I made a tiny “meatball” of raw and cook chix mixed together this am and Julie had to eat some raw altho she tried really hard to avoid it, lol.

[jakes mom]

I know, patience is key, lol! I’ve been bribing with a bit of cooked chicken on top, and pushed into the raw with a fork. Julie is pulling the chicken out, so at least she’s getting a taste of the raw, might decide she likes it. She likes plain raw chicken, eats chicken liver, hearts and gizzards so I have hope for her. This is different tho, “richer” I’d guess, with the meat, bones, liver, heart, neck, etc all ground together. At least I was already done with the first step. They’re already eating canned not dry, and fed twice a day, so I don’t have the “free feeding” hurdle to get over. BTW, I was figuring out the amounts I need to feed every day if I ever get that far, lol. I don’t know how much your girl weighs, but just to give you an idea …at feeding 2% of cat’s body weight (you might want to feed a kitten 3%) a 7# cat would get about 2.2 ounces per day.

[jakes mom]

Yeah, saw that video on facebook or somewhere. Amazing!
Raw update…not much progress. Dustin will eat all 3 flavors, nobody else is happy. Oh well, got a couple more weeks before my first shipment is scheduled. I’ll be postponing at least, maybe cancel. We’ll see. I had high hopes….

[jakes mom]

Bobbydog, I haven’t gotten far in my yard, either.
So far, my old guy is eating the Darwins, I actually witnessed it, not sure about anyone else. Altho, you know cats, he may decide tomorrow that he doesn’t like it anymore. Tried turkey and chix, duck is next.

[jakes mom]

Forgot the other part of your question, lol! Of course Jake likes it! Has a hopeful look on his face when I come from the kitty’s room! He loves food, period. Only thing he ever turned down was a piece of celery. Always laugh when I read the forums and somebody’s complaining about a picky dog. I’ve never had that problem with any of my dogs!

[jakes mom]

I think the cold might have something to do with them turning up their noses at first, since it disappeared a little later on. The literature I got from Darwin’s says the food can be cooked, sometimes cats just won’t eat raw or tummy can’t handle it. But I can cook a homemade diet cheaper than cooking Darwin’s so that’s not going to be an option for me! Might try cooking a bit of it “rare” to get them started if things don’t improve after a few more meals. They’re used to room temp canned or the Primal fd which I make with hot water. I was a mean Mommy this am, gave them a spoonful of raw on each plate and a bit less canned than usual so we’ll see what’s gone when I get home from work!

[jakes mom]

Well, somebody ate the raw I put out for their dinner. Don’t know who or how many. I put a spoonful on each plate along with their usual canned. They all looked at it and sniffed, then looked at me very suspicious! lol! I didn’t see anybody even take a nibble. I left them alone and went to look again later on. The raw was gone!
I agree with their logic, too. But as I told them in my email, I don’t want to pay for something they won’t eat. Don’t mind giving something from the sample pack to Jake if the cats don’t like it but certainly won’t waste money buying it again. We can always supplement the raw with occasional cans for variety if necessary.
BTW in case you didn’t notice, the site has tips for transitioning to raw. Pretty much common sense, but worth a read so you’ll be ready to go when you get your samples.

[jakes mom]

Pitlove, I heard from Darwin’s customer service. They set up the autoship with the combo proteins because it’s best for the cats to eat a variety of proteins. However, if you want a particular thing you can call or email and they’ll send whatever you want.
So far none of the cats seem thrilled with their new addition to dinner. I’ll keep offering it and see what happens. I suspect they may not be happy with the fact that it’s cold, as well as a new thing.

[jakes mom]

Many people on this site feed raw. Check out the raw forum here, you’ll find good info and a lot of support. Some say their pet’s problems cleared up completely once they were on a raw diet.

[jakes mom]

Yes, you only feed about 2-3% of kitty’s weight per day on raw. My guys aren’t as easy as yours, they only like the pate type canned food. Just lick the gravy/sauce from the other kind and leave the bits.
Stuff is starting to thaw a bit. Will be able to try it tonite, I feed 2x a day, too.

[jakes mom]

I don’t know that you HAVE to send the cooler back. They give you a return label and a spiel about helping them be environmentally responsible. You can also leave it for the UPS guy to take next time he delivers.
Have you tried giving her some ground meat from the grocery store? Just to see what she thinks about the idea, the texture? My guys like it plain, but I tried one of the supplement mixes and nobody would eat it. However, the mix smelled kind of like dry soup mix, so maybe it was too strong a flavor for the cats. Just remember if you decide to try some ground meat from the store, pork needs to be frozen for at least a couple of weeks to kill any parasites. Beef or poultry you can feed right away.

[jakes mom]

Pitlove, I see what you mean, I went back on the Darwin’s site. The autoship doesn’t bother me that much. They will email a few days before they ship and I check emails every nite so it’s no problem for me to change or delay a shipment. I did shoot them an email asking about the availability of single proteins instead of the combos but have not heard back from them (just sent it last nite). I’ll let you know when I hear back.
I rec’d the food tonite. I have a couple of packages in the fridge, thawing. It’s packed very well, with a little dry ice. Everything was rock hard when it arrived. One thing you may not like is, they ask you to return the cooler box. Give you a return label so it doesn’t cost anything but may be inconvenient if you’re not near a UPS store.
I had another thought for you, too. Have you tried freeze dried raw? ( Sorry if you mentioned that in a previous post) I use Primal nuggets sometimes. Comes in a bag with chunks that you just crumble with your fingers and add a little hot water. Very convenient, and you could customize it for her with a bit more or less water depending on her preference. Look for it with the higher quality dry food, not in the fridge/freezer with the other raw products, also online, got mine at Chewy’s. Various flavors and bag sizes.
I’ll try feeding the kitties this weekend, when the stuff thaws. Wish me luck!

[jakes mom]

wouldn’t hurt to add a little coconut oil to the dog’s diet as well as topically. Will soothe the feet and ears if nothing else. One of my cats is prone to yeasty ear infections and once I started putting a dab of oil in her ears each day she’s a lot better. Antifungal properties could help keep it at bay at least, while you’re working out the allergy issue.

[jakes mom]

thanks guys. It’s been tough, we all miss Teddy. It helps a bit to have other furries in the house, tho. Can’t imagine losing an “only”. How empty the house would be!

[jakes mom]

Have not rec’d it yet, they ship to my area on weds, so should arrive on Friday. I’ll be sure to keep you updated. Hoping at least somebody will like it.
BTW, sad to say I lost one of my kitties last week. Renal failure. He was my youngest kitty, 14yo. But the rest of my geriatric ward just keep chugging along. My 20yo got a clean bill of health ( except for the thyroid issue ) last month. Kidney, liver functions all fine.

[jakes mom]

Maybe I misunderstood your question or I misunderstood Darwin’s when I ordered last week. I ordered the $14.95 sample pack. It has all 3 proteins but wouldn’t you want that in a sample pack? They do set you up for autoship for future orders but you can cancel if she doesn’t like it, or change the timing of shipments anytime. There are also meal mixes you can get from several companies, just add to your own ground meat. Also Hare today and My pet carnivore are other raw companies a lot of people here use.
C4C, so glad you got your escapees without any problems!

[jakes mom]

The yellow box Arm & Hammer litter is really dusty but I love the new kind, the Clump and Seal, black box.

[jakes mom]

Hey pitlove, I’ve seen kefir in regular grocery stores. Usually near the organic juices and that kind of stuff, not with the regular yogurt in the dairy section.

[jakes mom]

Thanks, Dori. looks very informative.

[jakes mom]

I agree with Marie, grinds would be the way to go. I have cats and a dog. I just ordered raw grinds (chix, turkey,duck) for the cats from Darwin’s. They asked for the cat’s weights and estimated the amount I needed. You just need to get yourself a scale and a calculator and do some math. The usual suggested amount is 2-3% of your dog’s weight per day. There are also premixes that you can mix into your own ground meat so you don’t need to worry about balancing supplements. Good luck, you’ll get a lot of good advice from the regulars here. I’m just starting raw too, have learned a lot.

[jakes mom]

I don’t think there is really a need for a “breed specific” food as such. I can understand a food for a small or large breed or for puppy food. For example, a pup needs something easier to chew with it’s baby teeth and needs more nutrition in a small amount of food since he has a small tummy. Same for small dogs. Large breed puppies need to grow slowly, so their food needs to be formulated a bit differently. Other than that I think the breed specific foods are just kind of a marketing tool for the dog food companies. Feed a high quality food and maybe a supplement or 2 if you have concerns about a particular problem. I think that would be fine unless you had a dog with allergies or intolerances to certain things.

[jakes mom]

C4C and Pitlove made some good points, hope things are going well for you. I’ve had a lot of cats and luckily have never had any litter box issues. I buy a variety of litters and my cats use the box no matter what brand it’s filled with. Have had my share of UTI and crystal issues as well with my boys. I use totes as litter boxes now, too. Have been using them for years. In the past when I had many more cats than I have now (13 at one point), I also used kiddie swimming pools as litter boxes in my basement. The hard plastic ones. Good size, high enough to keep the litter in but not too high for older cats or kittens to climb in and out.

[jakes mom]

I know what you mean! The trial has 10#, 4 each of chix and turkey and 2# duck. I just read an old post here tho. Said something about not using grinds for cats because bacteria will eat taurine? Hope somebody can comment on that! I’m not sure how this will go. Dustin likes freezedried Primal and fresh meat and Julie likes fresh, the others not really interested at all. Nobody will eat the frozen. Might end up cancelling after this trial or maybe just changing the auto ship to a longer interval if I’m only going feed to one or 2 instead of all of them. Would be better for them and save me from lugging so many cans home!

[jakes mom]

Just ordered the $14.95 trial of cat food. Will be about $28 shipping for me (in Ohio) if I continue with an every 3 week auto ship. I’m doubtful all the cats will like it but I thought the trial price was great. If nothing else, the dog gets more yummy extras. Seems like that happens a lot when I try to give the cats something new.

[jakes mom]

Jeffrey, thanks for the info! Lots to think about.

[jakes mom]

Dori you have a good memory! The conversation you remember is referenced in another topic here, milk thistle after hw. That’s what made me ask you if you used it after the Sentinel, since you’d mentioned giving it to Hannah.

[jakes mom]

Thanks, Dori. I knew Hannah had some medical issues. Glad to hear her liver enzymes are lower now. I have been giving Jake some raw food and RMBs but only 2 of the cats will eat raw. Fresh or the freeze dried. Not the frozen, brats! Julie likes raw meat, Dustin will eat freeze dried. I was just curious, as I said, if supplements were used more as treatments or preventives. You mention milk thistle for Hannah, but do you give it to everyone after a dose of Sentinel? I’ve seen a few posts lately about milk thistle after hw meds.

[jakes mom]

No specific problems with any of them except one cat is hyperthyroid. Dog is getting the joint supplement just because he’s getting older, thought it might be a good idea, kind of a can’t hurt, might help thing. I guess that’s one of my questions, really. If there’s no issue you’re trying to improve, do you give some supplements routinely anyway, like some people take a multivitamin every day. Using coconut oil because the hyperthyroid kitty has dry skin. Everybody else gets it just because they like it. Another case of can’t hurt them, might help!

[jakes mom]

Thanks, guys. I was pretty pleased with his results. Considering all that could be wrong with a 20yo cat he’s doing pretty well. I always worry about his kidneys and give him as much liquid as I can. I make his FD Primal with more water that the instructions say, he likes it that way, drinks up all his juice then eats the food. I don’t know of any ways to increase his weight other than feeding as much as possible and extra high calorie stuff like coconut oil. He loves that and it’s about 120 calories per tablespoon.
I saw Muse at Petsmart tonite. Didn’t look too closely, but the 3oz. cans are $1.09, currently on sale for $1. I just ran in quickly for litter, might check it out another day. One of the cats had a reaction (yucky ear) when she ate some Beyond dry so I’m not sure if I want to try the Muse.

[jakes mom]

Update…Dustin’s blood work wasn’t bad. Kidney and liver function good, do need to up his thyroid meds a bit, tho. I don’t like that he’s so thin. Doc says it’s partly due to age as well as the thyroid. Compared him to a 90 yo man and pointed out that you don’t see too many fat, very old people. Guess he’s got a point there. In any case, he seems to be pretty healthy and happy for an old guy. Still runs and plays and jumps over the baby (dog) gate with no problem. I’ll increase his meds and feed him at every opportunity and maybe he’ll gain a little.

[jakes mom]

I bought some Sojo’s cat food and it’s full of vegies so now Jake’s eating the rest of that bag. IMO the chunks were way too big, I don’t know any cat that will eat a big piece of veg, it would have to be very finely diced for my guys to eat it. Anyway, Jake’s happy, at least it’s not going to waste. Seems I say that a lot about cat foods.
C4C, I don’t know anything about the gel. Interesting! Dustin is a very good pill taker, luckily. Even comes when I call him to “come get your meds”. I know what you mean about the guilt about vet care, too. We just do the best we can for them. Seems like we’re doing pretty well considering their ages!

[jakes mom]

C4C so glad Rosie did well. So nerve racking, isn’t it? I’m taking my old guy in for a checkup and bw for his thyroid on Tuesday. He will not be a happy boy, hates the car ride, poor guy. Gets carsick if he rides too long. Actually had to change vets when I moved a couple of years ago because of that. Imagine arriving at the vet with a carrier full of longhaired cat, pee, poop, and vomit! Fun times, lol!
Bobbydog, thanks for the new food suggestions. I’ll be cat food shopping this week and will see what I can find. My guys like the pate style best, chunky style always means vegies left in the bowl.

[jakes mom]

I agree with Marie, dog liked it but I felt it had too many vegies that went right thru my dog. It was actually the cat variety, they refused it so dog ate it instead!

[jakes mom]

Bdog, same with me, my hyper-t guy eats well. But I have created a monster! Bought some Primal freeze dried from Chewy. Now the brat won’t eat anything else! lol At least it’s easy to feed, just add warm water and stir. The other cats don’t care for it, so not too expensive just for him.
Sorry to hear about your family health issues, you’ll be in my thoughts.

[jakes mom]

C4C, how’s Rosie?

[jakes mom]

Good, Bdog, how are you? We’re both busy outside now that the good weather is finally here, right? I was hoping you’d pop in, I knew you had a list of good less expensive foods. Jake is fine, just had a checkup and heartworm test. Cats are all good. Dustin, my 20yo is still hanging in there. Going to vet next week for checkup and bw to monitor his hyper-t.

[jakes mom]

some of us use Friskies as part of a rotation diet, just to help the budget a bit. If you look back to the first few pages of this thread, you’ll find discussions about some budget friendly foods, including a few varieties of Friskies, Authority, and 4health.

[jakes mom]

You could probably go to a 5 star but just go very slowly. Take a week or 2 , mixing a little more of the good stuff in, decreasing the dog chow. Might get some GI issues but going slow will help that.
How old is the aggressive dog? Hypothyroidism is fairly common in older dogs and can cause some personality changes.
Definitely talk to the vet, the office may be able to refer you to a local trainer to get you started. Good luck!

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