[NectarMom]

Thanks as always for the info Patty. There are so many options out there. I was looking at another website for stuff “Steve’s Raw” and they just had a recall so moving on to the next supplier. I hope Darwin’s never runs into a recall but if they do I will be forced to buy and make my own which will probably end up being the case just with the expense. But right now Darwin’s is working and is so convenient for us.

[NectarMom]

I need something about 2-3 inches big because my dogs are carpet rats. Patty you might be right on the chicken since Raw is so much more different than kibble. Have you tried turkey hearts before? I have a few places in mind that I want to order from and then I might need another freezer too LOL! I need something that cleans my dogs teeth and something they can gnaw on to keep them busy instead of them up my rear all the time.

[NectarMom]

What about turkey hearts? They are small enough that my girls could probably handle those and the Trachea and gullet mixture with green tripe? Ok now you got me being a food hoarder LOL!

[NectarMom]

I am avoiding chicken because I know whenever my shihtzu eats it she starts chewing on her side really bad. I am venturing out on a limb here and trying other types of protein in hopes that I can rotate between proteins. Next I think in the Darwin’s meals I will try duck but slowly mix it with the turkey and see what happens. I might give Trachea a try since it has no bones.

We so need an edit on here LOL!

[NectarMom]

Darwin’s told me when the dogs are done chewing on themto put them back in the freezer to use for another day. Sandy where did you order the rib bones and how big are they? What about Trechea does it have bones?

[NectarMom]

Thanks Sandy! I will try those sometime. Darwin’s recommended Marrow bones because my one piggy chihuahua swallows things whole and has choked before and they said that with the marrow bones as small as my dogs are they cannot bite off big pieces and choke on them so I added a couple of bags of those on my order and we will see how the girls like them. In the past we got the basted knee cap bones ( not raw) and they loved those so hopefully they will like these and they will stay busy chewing on these. I wanted to order the Duck necks but Darwin’s said they have bones in them and my dogs could possibly choke on them if they tried to swallow the whole thing.

[NectarMom]

)

[NectarMom]

What can anyone recommend as a dental bone without bone LOL…My DH will not allow the dogs to eat any part of an animal that has big bones that they might can choke on. I really want to stick with Raw things but it looks as though I am limited since we are on just turkey Raw. Also don’t they need Omega 3 and 6? What should I get for that? I just got my order from Mercola and I am adding the Spiralina tablets in with the Raw.

[NectarMom]

Wow I thought I was the only one with a dog with such horrible symptoms as this. My chihuahua is like a walking epi pen I have to keep injectable steroids and injectable Benadryl on hand in case she gets stung by or bit by an insect. Shes highly allergic to them. I could loose her in. Matter of 2 seconds if I don’t inject her. We were using Acana and she had bad gas and bloat ( she has intestinal food allergies too) I don’t know what ingredient she is allergic to but I know for certain chicken does not agree with her. She also got bad acid reflux on it and so did my other 3 dogs. From what I gather they could not handle the high protein. We switched to Brothers Allergy kibble and the Allergy symptoms eased up but did not totally go away but improved a lot but the acid reflux stayed. ( For a kibble I would still recommend this food) I am still feeding it until I run out and we are now feeding Darwin’s Raw which in only 2 weeks doing a half Darwin’s half kibble a day plus probiotics and enzymes the results for all 4 dogs is amazing. Acid reflux is gone and no gas and stools are always firm. No licking feet and they all seem to have more energy. My oldest just got her teeth cleaned yesterday and my vet made the comment about her fur and asked what I was bathing her in because she had the softest fur. I told him its not the shampoo it is what I am feeding her “Raw”

Seriously, I am not one to push food on anyone with they’re pets but I swear by Raw now and only wish I would have started mine out when they were puppies on it. But if you just cannot feed Raw then I recommend Brothers Allergy or at least a limited ingredient kibble and possibly grain free. Good luck to you. This is one of the best sites and the people on here are very knowledgable and wise.

[NectarMom]

Thanks Patty , That gives me an idea of how much to feed. darwin’s wasn’t sure because like you said each dog i different. The good news is we have decided after our next batch arrives we are going all Raw with all 4 of our girls. JRT are a bit more active than chihuahuas and shihtzu’s so I think 1/4 twice a day will be fine. My husband sees the difference in our two problem girls and he agrees lets go all Raw but he says no way are we feeding chicken bones or any Raw whole bones because one of our chihuahuas inhales her food and she has almost choked before on pig ears (we fed those a long long time ago and read up how bad they are and stopped. He does not want any of the dogs choking and dying from eating a chicken neck or wing (rolls eyes) but at least he has agreed to all Raw. My freezer will be here tomorrow and just in time for me to fill it with my new 20 lbs of Darwin’s .

Question, has anyone tried mercolas gentle chews? Are they safe for dogs with allergies?

[NectarMom]

Sheltiesmom , couldn’t you cut the turkey necks to the appropriate size for your dogs? I plan to use PVC cutters when I feed bones to my girls but I just need to get brave like when I switched to Darwin’s , which was a HUGE step for me. I think we are headed in the right direction though 🙂

[NectarMom]

Well I am super impressed with the way they put that away so quickly. Gosh I so want to do this with my girls. I don’t have a clue where to begin though and where to get organic turkey anything around here. We have a fresh market but I doubt they would have turkey necks. My girls are so much smaller that your big beautiful hounds so I am just a bit intimidated by the bones. My smallest chihuahua was eating some of the Darwin’s and I heard her crunching on a bone so I called Darwin’s to ask them if that would hurt my girl and of course they said no. I know I will look back at this in a few months and maybe a year and laugh at myself.

[NectarMom]

I meant each dog gets 1/4 of the Darwin’s meal pouch. There is 4 pouches and one pouch cut into 1/4 for each dog , I hope that made sense.

[NectarMom]

Patty how do I know if I am feeding my dogs enough Darwin’s at each meal? I don’t want the ones that I have worked so hard to get the weight off of gain it back. I have 3 chihuahuas and a Imperial Shihtzu, none weighing over 11lbs. Right now in the morning I am feeding 1/4 of one of the squares of Darwins in the morning with enzymes on it. Then I divide up they’re evening dinner of kibble and can topper. They get 1/2 at 2pm and the other half at 6pm with probiotics mixed in. They are never excited with the kibble and can topper but they eat it. I think they are wanting all Raw but I want to make sure they are getting the amount they require to maintain weight and not loose or gain. I am confused on the eating amount. I just called Darwin’s today and went ahead and told them to send my next order because these foo foo dogs of mine are loving this food so much. I cannot get over the acid reflux is very minimal right now and my girls seem much more active than they have in a very long time. WOW

[NectarMom]

HDM, I am seriously leaning that direction. In a million Years I would have never said I would feed my dogs Raw! Now it is all I want to feed them. The thought of filling up my garage with freezers and hearing my husband tell me ” What are you up to now??” Makes me chuckle. I am just so glad they are lovin the Darwin’s. After I am completely comfortable with the amount of Darwin’s I am feeding then I plan to introduce other Raw things on my own. I am now looking at Urban Wolf’s website….LOL!!! I may need rehab when it is all said and done.

[NectarMom]

LOL! Go ahead and say ” It tried to tell you so” I have a small 5cft freezer that I am waiting to pick up this weekend 🙂 After all this time I may have found my miracle cure food for my intestinal allergy pup 🙂 Whewwwwww lets knock hard on wood!!!

[NectarMom]

Well Marie you were right and when I am wrong and someone is right I say so and Marie we tried just giving Raw in the morning feeding and then In the evening I give them the kibble and no one threw up any frothy stuff. We did the same yesterday and the same today and no vomiting froth. Actually symptoms of acid reflux have been less too. I am debating going all Darwin’s. My dogs love Darwin’s. I may try to add the Darwin’s duck slow with the turkey and see how it goes. Darwin’s called today to check in with me and I let them know that everything has calmed down and I believe the issue was mixing the kibble with the Raw. Thank you to Marie, HDM and Patty for your support and advice 🙂

[NectarMom]

It is not just one dog, it is all 4 but at different times. It happens mainly after they have digested the Raw. My vet would not know about Raw because he does not recommend it. My dogs were not throwing up food. They were all fine except for the acid reflux until we started the Raw. I am pretty sure I have to find a grain free , potato free , low protein turkey kibble.

[NectarMom]

Mary Lou, I am thinking you might be right so we are stopping the Raw until we speak to Darwin’s and see if they have any suggestions. We may have to stop Raw and try another lower protein grain free , potato free kibble. Sigh. I just really hate seeing my girls uncomfortable in any way.

[NectarMom]

Well now the same dog threw up once again this evening the frothy liquid so we are stopping the Raw until I can speak to someone at Darwin’s so they can tell me what is going on. What is strange is that they eat at 6AM in the morning and then throw up at 4PM in the afternoon so they are throwing up after they digest the Raw. Now I have the Raw causing issues along with the kibble causing acid reflux, just lovely!

[NectarMom]

Mary lou, My dogs are not throwing up the food. it is hours later after the food has already digested that they throw up clear foamy liquid. I am afraid of any food that has been recalled and Natures Variety has been recalled before. My main concern right now is the acid reflux they have been having since switching to a high protein kibble. I am feeding Darwin’s Raw diet Turkey and I am wondering if it by its self is nutritionally sound for my crew. Darwin’s is closed today or I would be calling them asking. Thanks for your reply though 🙂

[NectarMom]

I don’t think it has anything to do with mixing kibble with Raw being that if that was the case they would throw up solid food after being fed. They are throwing up clear foam hours later. Even one of mine threw it up this morning when we woke up. She was heaving and I put her off of the bed so she wouldn’t throw up in my bed. This was not regurgitating it was throwing up.

[NectarMom]

Melissa, I know and it is because they do well on turkey and potato free as far as allergies and intestinal. Allergies but the acid reflux is a problem. I wasn’t sure what was causing the reflux until I read this thread and if it is the protein then I have to find a food that is turkey , lower protein and grain and potato free. I have even spoken to Darwin’s about the acid reflux and they said maybe it was because they were drinking too much water after meals which in result made them regurgitate up clear water but I know that would not cause acid reflux. Seriously I am getting tired of switching foods and waiting 6 months to see if it works only for it not to work and cause some issue with my dogs. It is very aggravating. They also had the acid reflux on Acana and that is when my one dog ended up with an ulcer.

[NectarMom]

I am having the same problem with my 4 small dogs. I am feeding Brothers Allergy formula since Sept 2012 and I just started adding Darwin’s Raw to it with very little 95% can food (Turkey is the protein ) I am thinking it is the high protein from Brothers since they had this issue before I added the Raw. The problem is for me is that most of these freeze dried are loaded with potato. I give Pepcid AC to them but its not helping. I already had one with an ulcer due to this and an ulcer takes forever to clear up. I don’t want another one coming up with one also. It seems I cannot win for loosing. If I go 100% Raw would that solve it or would they not get enough nutrition? I am getting confused on this whole thing of high grain free protein is better yet it is causing health issues?

[NectarMom]

I am going to change my review just a bit because I do not know if it is the Raw causing this or not. I feed at 6AM every morning before I go to work and then usually around 5:30PM I feed again. I am mixing 1 TBSP of Raw with 1/8 cup of Brothers Allergy, less than half TSP of pumpkin and wellness 95% turkey and then mixed with that in the morning they get half a scoop of mercola enzymes and evening meal they get half scoop of probiotics. My problem is in-between because all the sudden hours later after a meal some are throwing up clear foam. Is this because they are needing something in between meals? I was thinking of getting some mercola bones for them to chew on. We have been on a good routine before the Raw added where 2 of my girls are loosing weight and they needed to. I don’t want to add anything else to the diet to make them gain weight. Stools are fine and no throwing up any solid food so just the throwing up hours later the clear foamy liquid. Any suggestions on what I can give them? Thanks 🙂

[NectarMom]

Yep sometimes I mix canned 95% all meat mixed in with the Raw and kibble and pumpkin and I switch up and do in the morning feeding I put enzymes and in the evening feeding I put probiotics. My crew is really thriving on Darwin’s Raw. They are for sure eating better, even my picky eater 🙂 I am seriously lovin it!

[NectarMom]

My 4 dogs have been on Darwin’s Raw turkey for a week now and we mix some kibble in with it plus probiotics and enzymes and some pumpkin at times and have not had an issue by mixing the two.

[NectarMom]

But if you are feeding just raw or mostly Raw such as I am feeding 1/4 Brothers and 3/4 Darwin’s Raw turkey so where are my dogs vitamins and minerals coming from? I wonder if that is why they are trying to eat grass and now dirt? They’re stools are firm and they gobble down the Darwin’s without any issue now besides the trying to eat grass and dirt. They get enzymes on the food in the morning and probiotics on they’re food in the evening. IMO for them to do this there is something missing that they are not getting. Darwin’s claims they put ACV in the Raw. I don’t know but just trying to learn and understand more so my dogs get everything they need. I am lovin the Darwin’s with my dogs because they are eating it so well and the stools are like they should be. My last beloved dog died from cancer and I believe it was from some ingredient in kibble so I do not want this to happen again if I can prevent it.

[NectarMom]

What about giving them Raw Goats Milk? Darwin’s told me to mix some Tripe in with the Raw but I didn’t want to make matters worse by introducing something else into the mixture.

[NectarMom]

I was at the store today picking up some can pumpkin and I was telling the Nutritionist there that my dogs were on partial raw and the reason I was asking him is because my vet claimed that I was so worried about salmonella poison from kibble and now here I am feeding RAW…He didn’t get it. Now the nutritionalist there at the store said that the raw they carry has been prepared against salmonella? Does Darwins also do this? I have found that my shihtzu has been puking in the futon where I couldn’t see it so I called Darwin’s and they are suppose to call me back tomorrow with some suggestions.

[NectarMom]

Marie, everything seems to be falling into place. It is nice not to have to hand feed every little piece to my Shihtzu to make her eat she eats right out of the bowl and the only problem I am having is keeping each one out of each others bowl LOL. But I think thats a good thing. For now I think we will stay half Brothers Allergy and Half Darwin’s since we have seen improvement with both. And of course I will continue giving Mercola enzymes and Probiotics. Yesterday all stools were firm and no issues so I am real hopeful. Thank you for asking Marie 🙂

[NectarMom]

Yes we are on turkey. I think in my situation it is best that I do not over load my dogs with raw meat on a bone due to they are so sensitive to change in anything in a diet. I am currently having issues with my shihtzu after day 2 on just mixing a half a teaspoon of Darwin’s turkey. Shes eating and no temp but shes very sluggish which is surprising due to my one with intestinal issues is fine and my shihtzu is following me around like there is no tomorrow and shes never like that. My shihtzu’s stool was a bit soft but not runny but I don’t like the way she is acting and nothing else has changed in her environment but the Darwin’s. I do things slow with them since they have had alot of issues with diet change. I am super parinoid of introducing any type of Raw with my dogs so I am taking baby steps to do this transition if it even works. Thank you both for your wealth of info and just to let you know it has been taken in and I really appreciate the advice.

[NectarMom]

Thank you Patty I will try that this morning. HDM , I have seen the dog grass sprouts. I sprout beans all the time for my parrot. I will see if I can find the website again where I bought the bird sprouts. I believe it was called The Sprout People. I just cannot get over how well my Shihtzu is eating her food out of her bowl every time and seriously I have never seen her so excited about eating..ever!

Can you recommend which raw bones I should start out with that are safe and small enough for tiny dogs?

Patty I will try the partial defrost Thank you both so much , Jennifer

[NectarMom]

I have found that with having 2 over weight dogs and I have put them on low fat diets that did not work so IMO you have to feed only the recommended amount for what weight your dog would normally be. If you free feed it is like us eating whenever we feel we are hungry and or bored. What kibble do you feed and how much and what size dogs?

[NectarMom]

Is it normal for them to want to eat grass after starting on Darwin’s? It is only a half a teaspoon of Darwin’s mixed with the regular kibble so I don’t get why they would want to throw up. I am feeling bad for adding something new with them once again 🙁 The best part is that they wanted it so bad and now they act like they feel bad. The directions say it is good for up to 48hrs in the refrig after defrosting it and it has already turned brown, is this normal? Thanks I am a bit parinoid.

[NectarMom]

Thanks Patty I hope it agrees with them and they like it. I tried the mixture of 15ml ACV and one quart water and put it in a bowl and only one drank some LOL but she did not go back for more.

[NectarMom]

I bought the Darwin’s $14.95 Turkey Raw only so I will give it a shot with my 4 rug rats and if they don’t eat it raw I can always cook it and they will eat it. We will see. This morning we had all solid healthy stools so it looks like the can food topper did not do any upsets. They all ate like champs too….YAY

[NectarMom]

I am curious also because I am thinking of ordering some of the raw Turkey. How long did the mucousy stools last? How many Pattys should I start out with when I get it? I have small dogs. 3 Chihuahuas and a Shihtzu. The Shihtzu weighing the least, 4lbs.

[NectarMom]

WOW I did not know that about Apple Cider Vinegar. I am currently giving my parrot ( my vets instructions) 15ml to one quart of water as his sole drinking water for 10 days because he had slight yeast in his crop. Interesting topic about the Vinegar. HDM Thanks so much for your wealth of info 🙂

InkedMarie I am going to go check that out …Thanks

[NectarMom]

Oh I forgot to add that all 4 of my dogs have had horrible acid reflux and I am even giving one of mine that had an ulcer Pepcid AC and shes still got acid reflux even on that. I don’t know what else to do and neither does my vet. I do not want to put them all of prescription meds for acid reflux. What would be in this food that is causing this?

[NectarMom]

Well I could only find Wellness Turkey 95% so I bought 2 cans. I only mixed up just a tiny bit to coat the regular Brothers Allergy formula and I have not seen my dogs eat like that in 6 months. Seriously my very very picky Shihtzu that will just about starve herself wanted more than what she was suppose to get. She is only 4lbs but shes probably a lb under weight IMO but my vet thinks shes a perfect weight. I just hope we don’t have no runny stools. I even added mercola probiotics in with it. I am shocked at how it made me feel seeing them beg for more, it made me feel like I have been starving them 🙁
I may try Darwins next but it is just so expensive. I tried raw instinct before ( The medalions and all 4 threw it up so I am hesitant to ship some in and have the same thing happen. HDM , The only concern I have with Brothers Allergy is that if there is indeed a detox period and I have been on this since Sept and my one with intestinal allergies has not shown any signs of problems except the last couple of weeks she has been chewing on her ankles and now there is a bald spot where he has never done this before even before switching to Brothers Allergy. All 4 have been shedding more than normal too and that started right after the switch but I assumed it was a part of the detox but I don’t know. My one chubby Chihuahua was 17.5lbs before starting Brothers and now she is 11lbs ( shes big boned) So I think her normal weight should be approx 10 lbs. We will see how the Wellness can turkey goes even though I am not a fan of Wellness.

[NectarMom]

HDM, What would you recommend as a fresh food that my dogs with allergy issues can tollerate? If I find something that is working for all 4 of my dogs then I am terrified to upset that balance that we have built so hard to get too. I hope everyone knows that having a dog that has intestinal allergies is tough. I know when she cannot tollerate something because she gets bloated and is in alot of discomfort. Shes allergic to most anything including insect bites or stings. she is a dog that like a person has to have an epi pen close by or she could die in 2 seconds. I have had ALOT of dogs in my lifetime and loved them all but this little chihuahua is truely my heart. I think you are misunderstanding me but it has taken so very long to get just to where we are today with the allergy battle and it is far from over yet. I am truely scared to try anything else with these dogs.

[NectarMom]

I think it can depend on your dogs system and what they can handle. For my dogs we cannot rotate due to I have one with intestinal allergies and one that will litterally chew her fur off. I am not sure how people can rotate or switch when they’re dogs are going through a detox period. I would honestly be afaid to keep switching and or feed 2,3 or more foods at a time because if an issue with your dog arrises then how would you know which food was the culprit? I am of the mind set that over the years even when I mixed a couple of different brands of kibble that I cannot be certain which one caused the damage so in order to cure my dogs issues I had to drop both foods and start over.

From speaking to a Canine Nutritionalist I was lead to believe that dogs do not need Variety like we do so please enlighten me where it is stated that dogs need a variety in their diet? My dogs completely hate the diet they are on and some days turn their noses up to it and it bothers me but I do not give in and give them just anything they want because of the issues certain foods will cause them in the long run. When they get hungry they will eat. Its called Tough Love. My dogs get no treats, no can food and no table food. All they get is their Allergy kibble and that is it.

[NectarMom]

I use Earth Bath ( Tea tree and Aloe) This works awesome for my girls when winter weather can dry out their skin. I also use Mercola products but I find that just treating internal isn’t enough so using the Earth Bath helps a bunch. You puppy is too young for yeast problems but if he has it when he s adult Dr Karen Becker recommends 2 cups of white vinegar to 1 gallon of water. I just soaked one of my Chihuahuas feet in this mixture and then towel dried her feet ( do not rinse) and be careful not to get into the dogs eyes. My girl hasn’t licked her feet yet.

[NectarMom]

I would not give her steroids unless you just have too. I can speak from expierence on this level because time after time my vet put one of my dogs on steroids and now from her being on it so long it is taking her longer to go through a detox period. I wish I would have found Dr Karen Beckers info a long time ago because then I wouldn’t have to be dealing with so many issues with my girl.

I feed her now Brothers Allergy Formula and I use Mercola brand probiotics and enzymes on her food. Dr Becker and Brothers recommend a no potato, grain and no sugar diet. Now I have been on Brothers Allergy since Sept 2012 and it has been a rough road and still is a bit bumpy at times but things have improved alot. My girl still would lick her feet constantly and so I read Dr Beckers solution for this and it has worked so far. She advises to mix 2 cups of white vinegar to one gallon of water and soak your dogs feet and do not rinse but towel dry. ( Keep mixture away from your dogs eyes) Also when giving your dog a normal bath only use a shampoo that is tea tree oil and Aloe. Using oatmeal baths only feeds the yeast. I don’t mind getting my food shipped in if my little dogs are going to be comfortable with the out come of their diet. Now I tried the white meat formula from Brothers and this made us go on a set back once again because of the sweet potato and fruits added in it so we are back on the Allergy and things are getting back to almost where they were. Good luck with your sweetness. Oh and if your dog has problems with yeasty ears then Dr Becker has recommended “Witch Hazel”

[NectarMom]

My Vet put my dogs on an all Veggie diet and the results were horrible. Their hair started falling out and they acted sickly and no energy. I learned the hard way that Vets are NOT canine Nutirtionalist so I done tons of research. I do not eat meat myself but dogs require meat to survive so please do not feed your dogs a all Veggie diet without consulting with a dog nutrionalist.

[NectarMom]

I feed Brothers Allergy Formula and my largest Chihuahua was 17.5 lbs and she has lost 6.5lbs in the last 3 months we have been on Brothers. She still needs to loose a few more pounds and I feel very confident if I keep feeding her the recommended amount then she will loose the rest in no time. I don’t mind getting my dogs food shipped to me since they all seem to be doing well on this brand. The only thing is since the ingredient change with adding Menhaden Fish my dogs don’t eat their food as well so I am hoping by the time I order another bag that they will have changed the Formula back to the original ingredients. But I am grateful that my one with intestinal allergies has not had any issues since we switched off of Acana onto Brothers Allergy Formula. We are still having detox issues though , all 4 of my dogs are still licking their feet and scratching like mad but I am hopeful that this will pass once we are on Brothers for approx 6 mos. I am also adding Mercola Enzymes and Probiotics on their food and that is all they get. No treats or anything else

[NectarMom]

The Westminister Dog Show promotes Pedigree. My sister raises Doxxies and feeds Pedigree. I have never fed Pedigree and never will. Doing your research on this site for one will help you recognize what ingredients are being used in some foods. If more people did extensive research on foods they are feeding their canine and feline family member then most wouldn’t suffer from the health issues they have, being some just plain cannot be helped because they are inherited.

[NectarMom]

Is this what you are looking for? /dog-food-reviews/natures-variety-dog-food-raw-frozen/

[NectarMom]

I have been using Mercola Probiotics and Enzymes for about 3 weeks and all 4 of my dogs are doing fantastic on them. I even ordered from Mercola the probiotics and enzymes for us and great products. My husband loved it so much he had me order more just the other day.

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