[Nancy C]

BC NUT – I have re read your original email that says, “I give mine ribs…” In that you say, “They can’t consume the whole beef rib in a timely manner, but all the other ribs are completely consumed.” That is not getting through to my thick brain. So they cannot devour the whole rib but all the others are totally consumed?” Did you perhaps leave a word out? I really want to understand what you are saying here. You always say worthwhile things!
Sorry about my thick-ness.

[Nancy C]

Thank you! I just went to MPCarnivore and they have a limited time special for 20 POUNDS of lamb bones for $30. This is an assortment of bones. Wondering if anyone has gotten these yet? Hard for me to know exactly what an assortment is, and if they are too small I suppose they’d not be good for a large dog.

Thank you, BC for your additional comments. I will watch him to see what his bone eating style is.

Tracy at Hare emailed suggesting that I stick to ONE PROTEIN for several weeks when I start the raw feeding. She recommended Chicken or Turkey because they have more bones. This makes sense. It sounds like chicken backs, chicken quarters, wings and even drumsticks or bone in thighs will be good also. Since my Golden Retriever (almost 11 yrs old) transitioned cold turkey to Big Dog Natural without a hint of trouble I think I will start with Big Dog Natural for my GSD and use the Turkey and Chicken formulas. It’s air dried and all of it has tripe and fermented veggies which increase digestibility. So I could feed a Chicken quarter at night several nights a week, right? then after several weeks move to beef. How does that sound?

Thank you again so much for your help!

[Nancy C]

I had a very scary experience. Our GSD dog ( approx16 mos old) in March had had bad diarrhea from transitioning OFF TOW to Origen, then Acana. Spent lots of $ at vet for cure. A week later the dog had gotten back to normal. The vet did a “well check” w thumbs UP and on the way out I bought the Solesto HORRIBLE Collar. Everyone at the vet was raving and the vet herself told me it would probl be better than an oral flea/ tick med due to his sensitive stomach. So I BOUGHT IT and they put it on.

Within 24 hours this dog was so sick. He was literally CRYING in the crate and scratching the door to get out and poop total syrup. One night he woke me three times scratching and crying AND MOANING with discomfort. This was over the weekend. I put him on broth and no changes. Back to the vet on Monday COLLAR STILL ON. Long horrible story short: I finally realized it was the collar! I yanked it off and within 24 hours he was much better. I called Bayer, had to “work it” bec nobody wanted to refund me. I finally got my money back. The VET TECH secretly told me that the rep told HER that they have had a LOT OF TROUBLE with that collar!

It’s not for everyone.

[Nancy C]

Where do you get them? (The grocery store?) And what do you ask for specifically?
I’m worried my GSD will bite them up to pieces but perhaps that’s what they are SUPPOSED to do. (?) I am beyond green on this subject but know I need to get him started. Choking worries me. I guess splintering does not happen with raw.
He’s got tartar and build up on his teeth but my understanding is that the scraping on the bones will really clean that off. ?? Thank you!

[Nancy C]

Don’t get sick of me. ALSO, when you order from Big Dog Natural each flavor of food comes in individual bags about the size of a quart of milk so that the food stays FRESH! (This is better than a large bag of food). In addition to that they TAPE around the entire shipping box to ensure freshness and that nothing enters the box (like bugs on a UPS truck or similar). So it is all CLEAN and FRESH. If you call and talk to customer service you will FEEL the fact that this is a small company and they CARE. Clearly, producing a high quality food is what they are about. I am obviously impressed with them because of the quality control details that are carried out BECAUSE they are not a large factory! Last week I placed my second order on line. I wanted more bags of TRIPE bec my dog went nuts over it. That same day they called me to say that the WAY I HAD ORDERED was costing me MORE MONEY and I am getting less food for the dollar spent! YES! When did any company ever call you to say that there is a way to order that will get you MORE PRODUCT!???
So they REWROTE the order so I would get more food. You will see if you go there that they have “Packages” that you can order cheaper, rather than ordering a lot of different individual food bags.
Think about that. They did NOT have to bother to call little ole me in NOrth Carolina!
Things like that matter to me and offer INSIGHT into who you are dealing with.

[Nancy C]

I will add by saying that this company is in New Jersey and is very small. They are very hands on from the top down. My homeopath thinks VERY HIGHLY of this food. He has studied it and likes the way they operate.

[Nancy C]

No but I have been using Big Dog Natural, a dehydrated air dried. Can’t say enough about it but I own no stock and don’t know anyone in the company. All flavors include fermented veggies and Tripe in every meal. My 10 1/2 yr old Golden transitioned to it from kibble cold turkey without the first problem. Never even a softer stool. BDN was recommended to me by a homeopathic vet who feeds it and Darwins to his 6 dogs. My neighbor started using it with her three dogs with the same experience. She also went cold turkey from kibble and it was a piece of cake for all 3. You might want to try it. Customer Service (Chris) is great help.

[Nancy C]

Dear Ladies, How I share your feelings and fears. But knowing how good raw seems to be I felt that I must give it a try. Here is my experience and it is one of many – but I have learned at DFA Hearing others’ Experience helps. Due to my 15 mos old GSD having terrible problems due to transitioning to a high end food from TOW due to the recalls- we ended up for 6 weeks at the vet (due to diarrhea) who put him on antibiotics and HILLS POISON WD Formula to heal him. He lost 6 pounds over several weeks. A nightmare.
I was scared of raw, but felt I MUST TRY. So I hired a Homeopathic Vet to help me through to raw. (My reg vet is not into nutrition) He recommends raw for dogs. He also recommends two brands of raw which he feeds to his own 6 dogs: Darwin’s and Big Dog Natural. BDN is a air dried -dehydrated raw to which is added TRIPE to every formula and the veggies are fermented. BOTH these aspects support digestion. First I started with our 10 1/2 yr old Golden Retriever. He suggested that I start with the BDN – would probl be easier to digest. I went Cold Turkey. Chris at BDN strongly advised AGAINST mixing raw and kibble. She all but guaranteed cold turnkey would work fine. One morning I held my breath, stopped kibble totally and fed the BDN as directed. It was a piece of cake! Dog did not skip a beat. The vet said it is bec this food is SO EASILY DIGESTED. And my dog licked the bowl for over a 1 1/2 minutes! Loved the food. There was NEVER any diarrhea nor ANY signs of ANY difficulty. It was magic. I am leaving her on this for 1 month and then will start introducing the Darwins WITH BDN 2 oz at a time. I told my neighbor about BDN and she ordered it and today told me she went COLD TURKEY with her THREE dogs and no problems at all. EASY! She’s now into her second large order of the food! So I will start my GSD soon. He just arrived from training and I want to acclimate him to being back home and I too shall go cold turkey with him. Chris at BDN says one of her customers is a GSD Breeder and he LOVES the food and gives it to ALL HIS DOGS! So, hope this helps a smidgen. Good luck to you!
Nancy Calloway
Oh PS — I do not have stock in BDN, I am in NC they are in NJ, I do not know the owners nor do I know ANYONE there. Chris in Cust Serv is very helpful and nice. I never heard of the food until the Homeopath vet told me about it.

[Nancy C]

Marilyn: Great info. thank you.
My into order of DARWINs is in the freezer. I transitioned my 10 1/2 yr old Golden Retriever to Big Dog Natural dehydrated raw first. It is fermented and green tripe is in every meal; both help digestion. My homeopathic vet recommends BOTH these raw brands on his site, also feeds them to his dogs and he suggested the Big Dog Natural would probably be easier to digest cold turkey. Our dog transitioned beautifully without a loose stool, diarrhea or any transitional symptoms. Was a piece of cake and she loves the food. BDN is a very small company and the Customer Service is great. Ask for Chris. The number is on the website. After several weeks on BDN we will move to DARWINS as part of rotation. it is true raw & I anticipate no troubles. Their website is great and people seem to like the food.
There are several other raw foods I plan to use: ANSWERS Raw food, OC Raw, VITAL ESSENTIALS, & Hare Today. All have websites. There are other good ones! These suggestions come from the generous, helpful posters at DFA. (I really don’t have much experience but have studied raw all summer.) Best of luck. Hope this helps.

[Nancy C]

Hi Stacey – this can be a difficult mystery. Check out my post that I just sent (near the top of the page) under “ZiwiPeak” — as an idea. Last spring my vet thought our GSD’s digestive problem “Might Be” EPI. Turned out it was due to a SOLESTO flea collar which was making him terribly sick with some of the standard symptoms of EPI. The food I discuss there is highly digestible. Good luck. Don’t give up! There is a solution somewhere, but the food is definitely part of it.

[Nancy C]

I started transitioning my 10 yr old Golden R to RAW 8 days ago. She ate kibble for TEN YEARS! I was scared. With the help/ advice from a good Homeopath DVM I started with Big Dog Natural, a dehydrated raw. He suggested it because he knows the company, it is an excellent food which he feeds his 6 dogs (rotates w Darwins). The strength of the food is that it is FERMENTED and every meal has GREEN TRIPE included. Both these 2 ingredients are excellent digestive aids. So when I fed the first meal — Cold Turkey – NOT mixed with kibble due to the different digestion times for kibble and raw (There are varied opinions on feeding raw and kibble simultaneously). Customer Service and Dr. Loops recommended cold turkey – NOT MIXING THE TWO. Customer service all but guaranteed me there would be no problem.
I was very nervous but I followed their advice. There was NOTHING TO TO IT! Worked beautifully plus my dog LICKED THE BOWL for over 1 1/2 minutes. She LOVED the food. NO DIARRHEA and NO LOOSE STOOL which I was expecting! NONE. This was a PIECE OF CAKE! She has Significantly smaller stools. After a few weeks on this raw food I will ADD DARWIN’S. Then will ADD other raw foods.Have Darwin’s patties, Tripe and Turkey Necks from HARE TODAY in my freezer. The homeopath said that going to BDN would be easier and a great intro into raw. They are on the net. Great Customer Service. The ONLY thing that is “difficult” is that you have to let the food REHYDRATE for about 12 to 15 min before feeding. Can do that at night and leave in frig so to feed your dog immediately in the morning. Check out the website and good luck.

[Nancy C]

So- BCNut, are you saying that Titering is not nec after they are done once? And are you of the mind that after that one titering we should let well enough alone, meaning don’t vaccinate and don’t titer either? I am not quite understanding this. Thank you.

[Nancy C]

Me again… shopping information for my GSD and Golden Retriever. 72 lbs and 60 lbs.
I emailed Tracy at HARE about the Tripe strips. She encourages them for teeth cleaning. But I chickened out and got the regular ground tripe. was afraid they would choke on the strips. What has been your experience? Your dog looks like he’s about the size of mine. Tracy was big on the teeth cleaning potential w strips but I’m still feeling afraid of it.
Thank you.

[Nancy C]

Sorry to ask a stupid Q but WHY are duck necks too small? Choking?
Thanks.

[Nancy C]

Hi – I found this thread bec I too am needing to learn about RMBs. Just received 2 pkgs of Turkey Necks from HARE. They are huge and I was shocked. Tracy says for my 72 pound GSD that one neck should be “a meal.” Seems like a lot to me, as 2% of 72 pounds is barely 2 pounds of meat a day. These necks must be at least 12 inches long.
So can you give out a little info on your experience? I’m still a little threatened but experience should help, and hearing from others will inspire me to get started.
Thank you.

[Nancy C]

Yes, Sandy, I agree with you. Each dog is different and the hope is to know each in particular so we can succeed. Our GSD will require a slower pace, so I will be mixing kibble and raw with him. (There’s room in the world for both approaches! )
Splitting one patty: tricky. We’re so blessed by these precious animals, aren’t we! Have a nice day and thank you.

[Nancy C]

Okay – For whoever is interested, I am presently transitioning my 10 yr old Golden Retriever to Raw. I acquired the help of a homeopathic vet to be my coach for the transition of my two dogs due to the horrific time I had with my GSD in the spring. Dr. Loops has a website on which he strongly recommends raw. He specifically recommends BDN and Darwin’s. His 6 dogs all eat rotations of those two foods. In consultation with him on Friday he suggested that I try the BDN first , due to the fermentation and the tripe which is in ALL of BDN food. After a few days I will introduce Darwin’s which arrived Friday. The woman at BDN all but promised me the golden would do fine, saying so many very sick dogs have transitioned to this food with ease. She claims that the tripe and fermentation are key to digestion.
Yesterday morning I gave my golden 1/2 cup of BDN with NO KIBBLE. (The BDN company recommended NOT mixing the two together due to the different digestion times. They were confident that she would do fine).
Hannah gobbled up the food and licked the bowl like there was no tomorrow.
Early afternoon I gave her some homemade bone broth.
For supper she ate 3/4 cup of only BDN. All was well.
TOday it was 3/4 cup again and tenacious bowl licking.
During our walk she pooped small poops as the woman at BDN said she would. It was normal in consistency and NO DIARRHEA (yet ?) and the stool was not even “soft.” It was moist, smaller than usual and just fine. Yesterday’s stool was the kibble from Friday and it was large and lots of it. Today’s, which reflected yesterday’s BDN, was VERY different.
The woman told me to watch the poops, that they would tell all.
That’s my story of the last 28 hours.
It appears that by tomorrow she will be on her protocol of 1 cup 2x day.
This transition has been a piece of cake.

[Nancy C]

Hi Pugsmom: My intro box of BigDogNatural just arrived yesterday. Their customer service is wonderful. My Question to you since you have experience: I’m transitioning my 10 yr old Golden to Raw. Historically she can eat anything anytime. The Homeopathic vet I talked to yesterday highly recommends this food and Darwin’s for raw dogs. Says he uses both (rotates) with his 6 dogs with great results.
The Customer Service urged me yesterday to feed it Cold Turkey – not to mix with kibble due to the length of time kibble requires to get digested. (That seems so severe esp for an older dog) but their rep was very clear about not mixing bec could cause gas and stomach upset. She said with the tripe and fermented veggies the dog will do FINE on it alone. The plan is to move to Darwin’s next. My Darwins arrived yesterday too. The vet yesterday said he thinks BDN will be more readily welcomed by the gut than even the Darwins, due to the fermentation and the tripe. But he really likes Darwins as well.
In her video Karen Becker suggests NOT mixing kibble with raw but to feed kibble and offer the raw separately as treats during the day, increasing the treats and reducing the kibble gradually.
The BDN woman said if I still feed kibble should feed it separately as a meal without raw, and feed the raw as a separate meal.
Any insights/ suggestions FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE will be welcome.
Thank you.

[Nancy C]

Sheryl:
My suggestion is to spend time on this site. It is a great place for a new dog owner (which I was in January). I discovered by reading these posts how clueless I was and how MUCH there is to learn and Know in order to feed our dogs the best way possible. This is a necessity. These people here know a LOT and they are generous and gracious with their time and are happy to reach out and help you. They have helped me through some rough transitions and have opened my eyes and shined LIGHT. There is information available here to get you going and see you through it. Welcome. And, thank you to all you precious old timers. You are truly wonderful!
Nancy Calloway

[Nancy C]

OMG
I am SPEECHLESS!
Probably won’t talk for days!!
UNBELIEVABLE!
Thank you dear Sandy, for sharing and inspiring.
Your pugs are the happiest dogs and BLESSED beyond belief.
Nancy Jane Calloway

[Nancy C]

A couple of thoughts: My 10 yr old Golden R will eat about anything but not in a gobbling it up sort of way. HOWEVER, I have just lately been adding TO the bowl some sample packs of The Honest Kitchen flavors (which they sent for free in a box) and I have mixed that tog with Fromm’s Four Star Salmon, Dr Tim’s Kinesis GF, and Acana Grasslands, and she has LICKED every food molecule out of THE BOWL every time! Each pack has about 100 calories, so I reduced the calories in the dry kibble to make room for the HK food. THK food is wet such that it will coat all the kibble in a nice way if you stir it. also, I have added Coconut Oil to the food, putting little dollops on top of the food. Both my dogs LOVE coconut oil and it is SO GOOD for them. (The substitute mailman just commented yesterday how beautiful the Golden’s coat is — that it is noticeably thicker and prettier. I told him I’ve been giving her coconut oil. He said it has made a difference.) Dr Becker recommends 1 tsp per day for every 10 to 20 pounds of weight. It’s like CANDY to them and I think makes contents in the bowl more interesting and tasty. I sometimes snip large fish oil capsules and drop the drops on the kibble. Also just bought some very high quality Norwegian Salmon Oil. The woman at the pet boutique said several pumps of this on top of kibble really upgrades the flavor.

[Nancy C]

C4C
Thank you for the link. Had a good time learning.

[Nancy C]

I have a GSD who had acute diarrhea from eating Origen and Acana. Both have lentils and chick peas so I would NOT recommend that. AFter weeks of working with a vet we finally got him onto a sensitive stomach food which he did well on. That was Purina Pro Plan for Sen Stomachs. Hated the THOUGHT of Purina but it worked well. (I have heard that their boutiquey higher end brands are much better but I do not KNOW that this is true). This food is NOT in the Groc Stores. We fed that for a month. Then the vet said move to a regular kibble. I chose DR TIMS PERSUIT and he has done beautifully on it now for 3 months. It is for an active dog. You might want to move “down” to KINESIS which is what my Golden Retriever eats and likes. But I rotate. Dr Tims has a website. his food is NOT GMO or Organic but it is made in a facility that meets European standards which are higher than the US. Try the website and read about it. I am planning to move him in Sept to RAW, simply because I am convinced it is healthier. Brothers Complete is another excellent brand to consider. Can study that at DFA and their website. And VICTORS. I have no experience with either. Just putting it out there. The best of luck to you.

[Nancy C]

I speak with no authority however, have reviewed in detail and have come to the same conclusion. Have talked to Scott the owner and he is very informed and I think they are committed to making a superior food. I like the “no synthetic vitamins.” He does not commit to GMO and I asked him WHY. Answ was that there is no established definition of exactly what that is and how one can claim to be GMO (I am paraphrasing) and until there are set definitions of it he is not claiming it. However, they strive toward the best. I was going to use it in my rotation until I decided to try Raw. Should that not work NL will def be in my rotation.

[Nancy C]

Thank you C4C. So you think I can just put the NECK right on top of the kibble? Maybe should try necks first then move to wings. Will check for NV, Primal and NWNaturals at our stores here. There is also an organic farmer here who sells whole organic chickens for $4 a pound. I could get him to bring me some necks and they’d be very fresh AND organic. I appreciate your post. The whole thing scares me but I’ve gotta get brave and do it. I think the GSD will have no trouble. He’s bigger with strong teeth and crushing those RMBs will be a piece of cake.

[Nancy C]

Will add that Kinesis comes in GF and G inclusive. The golden is eating the G inclusive now. But last bag was GF. I rotate. I used to do TOW for both dogs and dropped it due to Diamond being scary. Fromm has been good for them too. Golden loves The Salmon veggie meal. Dr. Tims is on the DFA Budget List and is five star. If you go to Dr Tim’s website you can read about this food. Dr. Tim will email you if you have questions. He has carefully mixed the formulations (as expl on the website) and there have been NO recalls. The plant where it is made qualifies in accord to the European requirements (which is good bec they are more stringent than the USA.) Suggest you read about Dr. Tim. I think he cares a lot and has been thoughtful about his foods– or else he’s fooled me. Good luck.

[Nancy C]

Yes, I feed my Golden Dr Tim’s All Stages Kinesis and it is 5.8% ash. She loves the food. My GSD eats Tim’s PERSUIT and loves that. It’s more stepped up.

[Nancy C]

I checked prices at Costco for organic whole chickens. $2.49/lb. Chicken thighs bone in are $1.29/lb. Chicken wings $2.19. Are these prices “good” in comparison? Just curious.

[Nancy C]

Are you serious? I have not fed my GSD (72 pounds) RMBs yet but plan to. Someone told me they tend to swallow chicken wings whole AND can then upchuck them. I asked if you just refrigerate it then and she said NO – you give it back to the dog so they can SWALLOW it again. She said her dog swallows wings whole, and chicken necks too. I don’t understand WHY they don’t choke. This would really scare me but I know I have to give them these RMBs. Any other experiences to help me out?
Thanks so much.

[Nancy C]

Inked that is WHY DFA is so great. IT’s a GodSend and we all know it.
Thanks again to Dr Mike and his crew!!

[Nancy C]

Hi Deirdre: I am in Winston Salem, NC.

[Nancy C]

Deborah – I heard back from him late last night. I was mostly interested in the prices per day bec I have a GSD AND a Golden Retriever– two big dogs. He said that the AMOUNT to mix with water is on the back of the bag/ box. I did the figuring and it’s at about $8 a day IF the amount is accurate for my dog. An 8 lb bag makes 32 pounds of food and will last about 2 to 3 weeks he said. That fits my calculations.
It could easily take more than they recommend. One never knows for sure. And I have a second dog… So I am looking at other producers, checking prices. Darwins, (Not dehydrated) for ex is Organic which also means GMO Free and it is $6 a day for Turkey, $6.75 for beef and $5.25 for chicken. I do not know if k9Naturals is GMO Free or Organic, but there is no mention on the website of it.
Today I am pouring over DFA Raw to see what else is recommended by some of the old timers. I also do not want anything HPP. (I don’t know if k9 is HPP and need to find out). As one of the old timers said, the pickings get mighty slim.
This is a time consuming process. I learned so much from the posters this morning at the Nature’s Variety discussions. Wow. So much to learn about Raw. Thank you again too. I am so grateful to the kind helpful people there, just like you! I talked to Jaqualine, one of the owners of ANSWERS raw food, yesterday. Wow she was so helpful and knowledgable. She also has a GSD and was able to give me first hand advice.
Have a good day! Many thanks to you!

[Nancy C]

This is to thank Deborah M for your post about K9. IT is on Susan Thaxton’s most recent list of her recommended foods, btw. I have emailed Customer Service to ask about the amounts I would have to use for my 72 pound dog and holding my breath for the response. Trying to figure out the cost. It will be expensive. They have a calculator on there but it was unclear to me exactly how to calculate. Thank you again very much.

[Nancy C]

Thank you, Dr. Mike. This information sheds light. DFA is wonderful and I join others who have expressed appreciation for your tenacity in digging for the Truth, making it possible for us to be as informed as possible. It is tedious work, just as explained above regarding Big Dog Natural and your efforts there. Details matter and your maneuvering through them enables us to feed our pets safely and healthfully. I think this is what’s behind the community’s curiosity about why certain foods are removed from a list. As a vigilant group we want to be sure that some new discovery about a particular food doesn’t affect its safety, especially if we use that food. People worry until they know the reason. Thank you for creating this great site!

In Gratitude to you, Sandy and HDM,
Nancy Calloway

[Nancy C]

Hi Deborah:
I’m very interested in your experience w K9 Natural. When you started it did you notice any weight loss or gain? I have a 72 pound GSD and am planning to go raw. But when we travel I need a good dehydrated food which means that I will probably feed raw raw in the mornings and dehydrated at night or several times a week at least. Can you share a little more about your transition and anything else? Also have you tried Darwins or Answers? Or has anyone who has just read this? Thank you.

[Nancy C]

Sounds interesting. Dogs are all unique and we have to find what works for each dog. My Golden Retriever likes the Fromm and is okay with it. I noticed that her poops are particularly large after eating Fromm. She gets soft stools if I give more than 50/50 Acana OR Origen (I am quite sure it’s the Lentils and Legumes ) I’m trying to use up the Champion food I bought earlier which my GSD ate and got very sick from. Your experience with K9Natural sounds inspiring. And Tripe is a home run. Good luck!

[Nancy C]

Hey – Thank you. This is Nancy C. I was inquiring bec a highly regarded Homeopathic Vet recommends DARWIN and Bid Dog Natural food for those people who are not going to feed raw implemented with the extra nutrients which he lists on his website. The homeopathic vet is very meticulous, but I could not figure out WHY it is not reviewed here.
Thank you!

[Nancy C]

This is great help for me. Thank you to those who led me to this forum and to the teachers… I’m on my way to raw, I HOPE!! (The dogs get their say too.)

[Nancy C]

Any experiences with Dr. Harvey’s Veg-To- Bowl ? How about See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix?, Urban Wolf? Needing a good starting point. Thank you.

[Nancy C]

I am in NC. My vet has always been glad to titer, but I do not consider her holistic. She’s young (40 – 45) and open about that. She was no one in her vet class so I would guess she stays abreast of things and must know there is something TO titering. ??

[Nancy C]

Like EVERYTHING ELSE going on in this country what is required of each individual is wakefulness. It appears their decision is made. We cannot know how the food is affected until a later date, if even then. It’s very hard to “know” anything anymore. What choice does one have but to wait and see?

[Nancy C]

Victors makes a high protein low carb food – 17% carbs – 42% protein. Can’t remem the name. I think it’s GMO free too. go to their site, you can’t miss it. Good luck.

[Nancy C]

Yes, I read some of that a while back and thank you for reminding. If I do not do titering and do not do vaccines then the very PICKY STRICT Kennel where we occasionally board our dogs will not allow them to stay there. Titering allows me the luxury of qualifying at the picky kennel without poisoning my dogs with vaccines anymore than necessary. That’s good for something because I need a safe place to leave them periodically.

[Nancy C]

Oops I realize I am veering away from TOW…. but I AM actually moving toward RAW as well, just got Dr. Becker’s book and have watched her videos, been on field trip to local pet stores to SEE the foods. Here I can get NV Instinct, PRIMAL if necessary but they are out of sight $$. I have located a few drug free livestock suppliers here where I could get my meat, so I think I’m moving along in my education. We go back and forth to the coast a good bit. (I’m in NC) and we take our dogs — pack up all our food (have a little cottage on a quiet little island ) — so it will be difficult doing raw, driving 4 hours to then get on a ferry. NOPE. I need to find something EASY (more portable) that I can rotate on and off of as necessary. Had thought about The Honest Kitchen also but then read those reviews on DFA at Honest Kitchen Review, with the pictures of the large veggies in the food. There was a strange poster there. The discussion veered AWAY from THK to the identity of the multiple “poser” – Poster….. Consequently my search continues for a few easy but highly healthy, high quality (protein, fat, carbs all within a healthy range) food. I REALLY appreciate your comments as well as the more advanced people at DFA. Thank you!!

[Nancy C]

Thank you, BC. When I started feeding TOW last fall I was totally ignorant. Some how I slowly began to wake up and since then I have been HORRIFIED at what I have learned about kibble. (Had been busy working on a phd) Fortunately I have tended for 10 years to feed my sweet Golden “top” foods, relying on the owner of a Pet Food place here to guide me. I fed what he fed his golden. So you have helped. I keep going back to ZiwiPeak and am getting closer about feeding it, but now skeptical about the high carbs. DMB: protein is 40%, Fat is 31% and carbs are 21%. I would appreciate your input. Even the fat at 31 is feeling high to me. I have this GSD who had all that diarrhea in the spring, all which started with ORIGEN and ACANA! He is now doing well on Dr Tim’s PERSUIT but I think the 30% carbs is too high, so need to find something to replace that. The testimonials both at ZIWI site and AMAZON (Lots of reviews there), are excellent, usually 5 stars. The main complaint is the price, although most posters agree it is expensive but worth it. With all your knowledge I am interested in your perspective. Thank you!

[Nancy C]

I have been throwing one in the food bowl at breakfast and then sometimes at supper (during high season — summer). I’m in NC. Looking at this bottle it is WF 365 Odorless Garlic 500mg and is PINK on the label. My vet nicely chewed me out late last fall for NOT giving the Sentinel year long. I had ONLY been giving it in the warm months (May-Sept) which is what my breeder told me 25 years ago when I got my first golden. THat golden lived over 15 years! She got heart worm meds during those warm months ONLY. With this second Golden ( 10 yrs old and GREAT HEALTH) I did the same until the vet realized it last fall and told me I was PUTTING HER AT SERIOUS RISK. SHE COULD GET HEART WORMS EVEN IN JANUARY! I am not sure I believe that, however, this is an excellent vet so I started the sentinel. I HATE IT. Now that I do the Sentinel there is no reason to continue the garlic.
I have learned about a product that is NON TOXIC which works also as heartworm prevention. I know someone who I consider “very informed” and connected in high places maybe I should say — has two extraordinary dogs to whom he is devoted and he uses this non toxic stuff. The company does not advertise it for heartworms, nonetheless this individual says that it covers them and many people use it for heartworms. Here is the website: http://www.firstchoicenaturals.com/resourcearticles/parasitesbegonefrommypet.php
This individual knows such information and would NEVER trust a company unless he KNEW. His dogs are big in his life. So go and see.
I will add this: The same vet who got me BACK on the Sentinel Wagon full time also in June initiated a conversation about LEPTO VIRUS, recommending that I get the shots for both my dogs. I have been researching LEPTO VIRUS and so far as I can tell there are too many strains of it for the vaccine to cover AND there are risks in taking the vaccine. The vaccine is expensive and you start with TWO SHOTS. Also you must keep up with it annually. This is a MONEY MAKER FOR THE VETS. Lepto is not new. It was “discovered” back in the late 1800’s and my suspicion is that the vets and researchers AND BIG PHARMA have created this hype about YOU NEED THIS VACCINE!! A neighbor’s dog supposedly died from it in March but her other 2 dogs did not catch it. And I am even wondering if the diagnosis was correct. I read that sometimes it is MISdiagnosed. Bottom line: This is a subject that warrants more research and WAKEFUL OWNERS. I am interested in any other opinions.
Good luck with the Garlic. OH – my dog would just eat it up in the food. The capsule is so small that unless you have a picky eater it will disappear. Otherwise you could wrap it with cheese softened in your hand and the dog will hopefully swallow it.

[Nancy C]

BCNut, thank you. Here’s my issue: CARBS. Ive contacted Earthborn for carb info on the foods and Dry Matter numbers as well. They give crude. On one of the formulas the first ingredient is meal (can’t remem which animal protein) and the NEXT FOUR ingredients are flour, barley, sweet potato and 1 other one -pea something perhaps. Seems to me that will raise the carbs, and if so, Is this a good thing? Watching Dr. Becker’s videos has led me into “carbs- aware ville” so I am interested in your perspective. Also at NutriSource GF I noticed the 28%Protein, 17%Fat and a whopping 48% carb! Is this healthy? I’m confused and welcome your illumination.
Thank you for your help.

[Nancy C]

Pauline: I have a 70 pound GSD too. Have never given him bones. Q: Do you just put a chicken leg in your dog’s bowl at suppertime and let HIM chew it up? Does he really CHEW UP THE BONE? I have been scared to do that. What can you tell me about it? I’m afraid of puncturing the intestines. That might be stupid. Thank you for what you can say.

[Nancy C]

Just to say to all you “teacher-responders” I am so thankful for this help! I’m feeling overwhelmed with all the info available and you are really helpful! I plan to move to raw as soon as I can get it all straight in my head and feel confident about it This is REALLY useful and thank you so much!!

[Nancy C]

Just for the record, my 10 yr old Golden hs been titered since age 2 when she finished the mandatory vaccinations. Every single year the blood work has come out GREAT. The breeder of my first golden who lived over 15 yrs told me to TITER and not vaccinate. She was always healthy. She also told me to ONLY give heart work meds during May through September, which I did. I also did that with my present 10 year old Golden and 1 year ago my vet chewed me out, saying she could get heartworms and I should do it ALL THE TIME. IT scared me so badly I started full time. HOWEVER, I am researching a protocol that is not unsafe and is holistic which I will share later. When I took my two dogs in back in May for annual check ups the vet gave me a pamphlet on LEPTO VIRUS. NOW she wants to vaccinate BOTH DOGS for that virus. I have been studying it and from what I can tell there are several strains of it and not all are covered by the vaccine, plus getting the vaccing CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS… in other words, like ALMOST ALL VACCINES it is not risk free. The vet office called me yesterday to SCHEDULE THE 1st LEPTO SHOT (they come in twos apparently) and I told her I was not ready to commit.
I am sharing this because the vets are tied in to BIG PHARMA, sorry, but they are. It is part of their bread and butter. The Pharmaceutical Industry is HUGE and they are in bed with the FDA. Don’t be fooled that the FDA is looking after you. NOPE. They look after themselves. BIG HUGE MONEY. At the 9/11 tragedy in NYC of all industries in the USA, BIG PHARMA did the best economically. I studied for 6 yrs with one of the FOUNDERS of the AMERICAN HOLisTIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION and learned more than I could absorb about the Pharmaceuticals. Marcia Angel MD writes a wonderful book, THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DRUG COMPANIES; WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. She was the EDITOR IN CHIEF of the NEw Engl Jour of Medicine for 20 years and explains HOW the Pharmas control the journals now. PRESSURE. And the clinical trials — watch out. Enough on that but suffice it to say that you DO need to keep your eyes open and go HOLISTIC when you can. Last comment: My daughter is a doctor at Stanford Medical Center and I will tell you that MEdical People are marinated in Pharma Talk. IT’s all they have: Meds and Surgeries (Procedures)…. and I am suggesting that mainstream vets are pretty much prey to them too.
That’s it for me. Good luck.

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