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Nora L

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  • in reply to: New to Raw Food #86605 Report Abuse
    Nora L
    Member

    I have a booklet that explains raw feeding in detail, the practical application as well as the reasons behind it. I’d be happy to send it to either or both of you, free of charge. (Visitors to my site pay $10 for it but I don’t want to be accused of being here just to sell stuff.:)) You can have a look at my other content as well if you’d like: http://www.NoMoreVetBills.com.

    in reply to: Raw Diet – Diarrhea and Blood #86590 Report Abuse
    Nora L
    Member

    That’s an interesting article, thanks for posting. It does seem to dispel the notion that kibble “digests” slower. I put digest in quotes because digestion is not just the moving of food through the body, it’s the process of the body actually converting it to fuel. Obviously a lot less of what is contained in kibble is actually digested (converted to fuel), even though it goes through and comes out the other end just like all foods do. The voluminous poops that come out of kibble fed dogs are a testament to that. I’ve transitioned dozens of dogs to raw food in the last 20 years and the experiences I’ve had lead me to conclude that it’s just wise to not combine the two. Jmho.

    in reply to: Raw Diet – Diarrhea and Blood #86588 Report Abuse
    Nora L
    Member

    There’s not likely to be an answer that would pass your criteria (“scientific”) because these days scientists are not studying important, practical dilemmas, they are too busy developing new drugs. And back when science was an objective search for truth, there was no such thing as kibble.
    The reason why kibble should not be combined with raw food has nothing to do with bacteria, but the speed with which various foods are digested does play a part. Kibble, being a complex mixture of different types of foods, some digestible and some not, and being mis-combined in such a way as to render some of the constituents indigestible for that reason alone, digests very slowly. Anything that is manufactured with the intent that it will be sitting on a shelf for a few months is necessarily going to be difficult to digest. Raw meat has no such properties so it decomposes AND digests much quicker, particularly when consumed by an animal biologically adapted to its consumption, like a dog. I think there are grey areas in the rule that they should not be fed together, and that’s what allows some people to get away with it. I have had many occasions where the combination caused a great deal of digestive upset to the dog, and to account for the difference I think you have to look at the types of food, what may have already been in the gut, the age and condition of the dog, etc. When people are transitioning their dogs, I highly recommend a full day of fasting between the last kibble meal and the first raw meal, because this practically eliminates the possibility of digestive issues. Raw meat sitting on top of kibble will decompose if it’s not digested and the process of putrefaction produces toxic by products that the body will attempt to eject. If the encounter happens in the stomach, vomiting may be the result and if it happens further down in the intestine, it will be diarrhea. Since it’s always iffy to combine the two I have a pretty strict policy of never mixing them for the dogs that I feed. I don’t think there’s any situation where feeding kibble is necessary, because when raw feeding is done properly it is no more expensive or inconvenient than kibble, particularly when preventable vet bills are factored in. There is more info about raw feeding and various related topics on my website http://www.NoMoreVetBills.com.

    in reply to: Pancreatitis in my senior dog #82682 Report Abuse
    Nora L
    Member

    It is difficult to ascertain the actual fat percentages of commercial foods (including treats) because producers are not required to divulge this information, and they do not do so voluntarily. Even when they do provide a percentage, it is deceptive because it is by weight, not by calorie. This is the trick that allows milk producers to put “2%” and “low fat” on their labels. They include the water in their calculations. 2% fat milk is actually 35% fat by calorie. So using the same trick, if a pet food producer says their product is 9% fat, it is more likely at least half fat by calorie. That’s not low If my dog had already had pancreatitis, I’d be making sure that I was feeding low fat and the only way to do that is to feed meats that are low fat and/or that you can cut the fat off of. When you buy commercial pet food of any kind, you give up control over the fat content of what you feed. It is also easier on all the digestive organs to feed raw.

    in reply to: Raw Diet – Diarrhea and Blood #82492 Report Abuse
    Nora L
    Member

    Hi Ken,
    Sorry to hear about your dog’s problems. I do think it is related to the food. The legs and thighs you’re getting are likely very high in fat. It is fat in the raw diet that causes so many problems for raw fed dogs. This also causes bile vomiting because bile is overproduced in dogs who over-consume fat. So that’s a clue that you’ve been feeding too much fat. You did the correct thing to fast your dog during the bout of diarrhea but there is no reason to feed any inappropriate foods like rice, cooked chicken or commercial dog food. A second day of fasting would allow the digestive tract to heal, and after that you need to find lower fat cuts of meat to feed, such as game hens with all visible fat removed, quail, buffalo, beef, pork and turkey. If your dog has problems eating meat that does not have bone (this causes loose stools in some dogs), supplement each of his meals with a cut that has bone, such as part of a game hen. A game hen leg (for example) along with 4-6 ounces of lean pork or beef would be a great meal for your dog. The advice you got third hand is correct, this condition does usually clear itself up when the proper changes are made to the diet.

    in reply to: Best food for dogs with seizures #82488 Report Abuse
    Nora L
    Member

    I cared for a Siberian Husky who had a long standing case of epilepsy. Her seizures never went away completely but were greatly decreased when her owners started feeding her a home-made, low-fat, raw meat/bones diet.

    • This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by Nora L.
    in reply to: Pancreatitis in my senior dog #82487 Report Abuse
    Nora L
    Member

    Pancreatitis is associated with high fat consumption. All commercial foods have too much fat, and most don’t even disclose actual percentages on the labels. If a dog of mine had this problem, especially if s/he was as small as yours (and therefore cheap to feed), I’d opt to feed the best foods possible, raw, uncombined and in proper quantities. People are brainwashed to believe that disease just happens out of nowhere. This is not only not the case, it is possible to avoid disease and, in most cases, even reverse it by recognizing and removing the causes. My own dog died (naturally and at home) at age 19 and had not visited a vet for a symptom in the last 11 years of his life. My sister’s dog almost died from Pancreatitis 6 years ago and she switched him to a rotational mono-diet and he has not been to the vet since, for any reason. I’d be happy to share the details if you are interested.

    Nora L
    Member

    Sorry to hear that. My parents’ dog was recently diagnosed with cancer as well. I advised them to switch him to a raw diet and he is making progress — more energy, some weight loss and the tumor is shrinking. It has to be done properly though, and commercial raw blends should not be used (they are too complex and high in fat). When you have a problem like cancer, particularly when it’s located in a part of the body whose function it is to eliminate the waste products of digestion, you have to look at what you’ve been feeding. Vets don’t get the connection between food and disease although yours alluded to the problem when s/he mentioned “residues”. What s/he’s recommending however is a food that produces only slightly less waste than the normal commercial foods. The kinds of foods a dog with cancer needs are the kind that produce no more than the canine body has historically had to deal with — the minimal kinds that are produced from a very lean, clean diet of herbivorous animals, fed raw and uncombined with other foods. Dogs sometimes recover from cancer with very small dietary improvements, but since you don’t know all the factors that will determine his/her ability to heal, you want to err on the side of feeding as close to perfectly as you can. I worked up a protocol for my folks and I’d be happy to share it with you if you’d like.

    in reply to: Raw diet for lymphoma #82481 Report Abuse
    Nora L
    Member

    The increase in the growths may have to do with the fat content of the food you’re feeding. Although cooking presents problems of its own, it melts fat and allows it to be removed from the meat before feeding. When you’re feeding raw you have to be more careful about buying cuts of meat that have fat that can be cut away. The problem with fat is that this is where the animal’s body stored the waste that was produced by the bad diet it was fed while it was living. That’s why you see so much fat on domestic chickens and cows — it’s good for the producers because the cheaper foods create it and the animal is heavier when it is killed. So they make money on both ends. It is a disaster for the animals who end up eating them, however. I guarantee it is not the fruit that is causing the problem, except perhaps that it is mixed with other foods and will not be properly digested. Fruit is a natural food for dogs and when it is eaten alone it is easily digested. However, dogs would never in their biological history have had occasion to mix it with other foods. Fruit is regarded by dogs to be a contingent food, to be eaten when prey is not available. I would be interested to know how your dog did after her diagnosis and change of diet, as I am working with someone now whose dog was just diagnosed.

    • This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by Nora L.
    • This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by Nora L.
Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)