[theBCnut]

Sandy, marrow has a high level of fat but it also has other things that have protein in them and the bone itself has some protein in it. Darwin’s marrow bones are pretty well cleaned off but not completely cleaned off.

[theBCnut]

I give a whole food supplement, a supergreen, fish oil and vit E, and ACV with the mother. Plus occasionals like garlic, coconut oil, probiotics, that sort of thing.

[theBCnut]

You’re welcome!! And something strange is going on here and in the reviews too.

[theBCnut]

Marrow is very high in fat, so it could be that too. My JRT only gets the marrow bones after the other dogs have eaten most of the marrow. I usually give rib bones to her. I get mutton and goat ribs from Hare Today.

[theBCnut]

My dog with yeast, grain intolerance, and IBS issues got probiotics and enzymes with his raw and kibble until he was no longer showing symptoms for a while. Now he gets them a few times a week like the other dogs. I’m like Sandy, I feed whatever I grab out of the freezer. I do make a point of not putting the same stuff side by side in the freezer. My dogs get a different raw every day, but when I started, I fed beef for a week and then added in chicken, then turkey and pork. Now I feed about 8 different proteins, but I make sure I feed fish once a week, tripe once a week, and raw meaty bones two or three times a week.

[theBCnut]

When I decided to go grain free with my dogs I chose a food that was similar to what I was feeding but slightly better and switched to that then found another food that was slightly better and switched to that and then switched to the food that I really wanted. Sometimes a big jump in quality is hard for them to handle too.

[theBCnut]

Does your dog have a problem that makes you limit fat other than gaining weight easily? As long as the fat % is no more than about 1/2 the protein % I wouldn’t consider the food to be high fat. Whether you need to take the fat level into account depends on how much of it you are feeding and if your dog has any health problems that limit the amount of fat he should get.

You say he does not do well on grain free foods. Some dogs that have been on the same food long term have trouble switching because their body has acclimated to the food that it has always had and they actually have to grow the normal gut bacteria back or in different proportions than what the old food would support. Many dogs need a little extra support during transition in the form of probiotics and digestive enzymes.

[theBCnut]

I totally agree with InkedMarie and HDM.

[theBCnut]

Ox tail is great and yes you can freeze it.

[theBCnut]

Wow, it doesn’t even cost me cookies at Christmas. The UPS and FedX guys ring and run in our area, except when they don’t ring at all.

[theBCnut]

Everything I’ve read says to refreeze them not to boil them, that would be cooking.

[theBCnut]

Usually fresh meat in a Chinese market or whatever would be local meat but processed in the way that is culturally familiar ie cuts that they are used to, body parts that are normally removed are left on, cuts that we might normally consider trash, that sort of thing. It is probably a good idea to ask, just in case.

[theBCnut]

A lot of people are complaining about their dogs getting sick on BB. I haven’t heard about reports to the FDA, which would probably be essential before a recall could happen.

[theBCnut]

As I said somewhere else; There are some conversations I just don’t have with my husband.

[theBCnut]

If you are trying to determine what your dog is allergic to then it is absolutely essential that treats are of the same protein and carb source as the food you are trying and that everything is limited to as few different ingredients as possible or you will never be able to figure out what your dog is reacting to.

[theBCnut]

I’m just going to add to your OCD, sorry. Hound Dog Mom has done a wonderful service for owners of large breed dogs and researched calcium levels on grain free foods. Your vizsla may or may not be considered a large breed because the breed is borderline with females usually smaller and males right at the weight to be considered large breed, so to be safe I would feed as if you know he is going to be large, which means watching calcium levels. Many foods that are labeled for large breeds still have calcium levels that are too high. Here is HDMs thread about large breed nutrition, in it is her list of foods with appropriate calcium levels:

/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

[theBCnut]

Dogs need meat proteins to thrive. Fresh meat is better than kibble, but just about any meat is better than no meat. There are some better quality kibbles that are not so questionable, you know.

[theBCnut]

Raw should be about 80% meat, 10% bone, and 10% organs(half should be liver). I also add fish oil, superfoods, and a whole foods vitamin supplement. An easy way to get started balancing your raw is to get a premix.

[theBCnut]

I get raw from 3 companies and the grocery store, but Darwin’s is the only “balanced complete” diet I buy. I really like it.

[theBCnut]

Dentibones have some BAD stuff in them. You are better off giving a raw rib bone or turkey neck. For a dog with a sensitive stomach always add probiotics. Find one with as many different strains as possible. Swansons has a couple good ones and Mercola has a good one too.

[theBCnut]

Turkey hearts are all meat, very little fat even.

Oh, and you can edit for about five minutes after the original post. The edit option shows up as a button by the post number.

[theBCnut]

One of my dogs can’t handle chicken in kibble, but he can handle it raw as long as I only give it for one meal every few days. Once you go raw, it is amazing the changes you see in what your dog can handle.

I have 3 different companies raw in my freezer and 3 different homemades too. I also have beef ribs, goat ribs, and sheep ribs. And duck necks, turkey necks, and chicken necks. Close to 100 pounds total.

Which is nothing compared to what Sandy has…

[theBCnut]

Trachea is almost all cartilage with a little bit of meat. It’s a good chewing workout, so I believe it helps with teeth. But aren’t you sticking to just turkey? Or are you avoiding chicken, but other proteins are OK?

[theBCnut]

Cooked turkey wings can definitely splinter, no problem raw.

[theBCnut]

Probiotics and digestive enzymes will help with the gas, diarhhea, and ear infections. I would get him on them as quickly as possible. Human ones from the health food store will work. Find a probiotic with as many different strains as possible. You may find that some of his allergy issues are because his gut is not as resiliant as it should be and the probiotics help a lot. If shopping online Swanson’s has really good ones.

I would not feed a kibble with several different kinds of protein until you figure out which ones don’t bother your little guy. Stick with a food that has very few ingredients.

I also used Brothers Complete Allergy Formula and raw with good results, but my dog didn’t have the same issues or to the degree that your’s does, so while I believe it would help, I don’t know that it would solve all your dog’s problems.

[theBCnut]

I definitely give turkey wings, I even feed turkey legs, well actually since I got my new meat cleaver, I feed whole turkeys, in pieces of course.

[theBCnut]

I bought their bugs off garlic for my horses and got free stuff for my dogs for years. I love their spirulina and fresh factors.

[theBCnut]

Have you ever tried canned, dehydrated, or raw?

[theBCnut]

Ox tail and wings are good for small dogs too. I have a 13 lbs and 2 40 lbs dogs. When I get turkey necks, I have the butcher cut off about 3 inches from one end and then cut the rest in half. I do the same with the ox tail.

[theBCnut]

Back when I used to show dogs, I knew this lady that made the fanciest tooled leather collar that you ever saw. My saluki had this Egyptian themed winged collar that I got from her. But the hound people went gaga over her rope collars and I never understood until I finally saw one on a foxhound. It was a simple twist of rope all the way around except where you normally fasten it. There it had this amazing knot that was incredibly totally adjustable and the ends were finished in monkeys fists. It had places to attach a leash and tags and just appeared to be a simple rope, but was so much more. I wish I could find a collar like it now.

[theBCnut]

Post their ingredients list and guaranteed analysis and I’m sure someone will have something to say about it.

[theBCnut]

Wow HDM

Your girl eats a turkey neck like mine eat chicken necks!

BTW I LOVE her collar, perfect for a hound dog.

[theBCnut]

I can tell you that I was feeding my JRT 1/2 cup of Brothers and when I started feeding raw I substituted 1/4 cup of Brothers for 1/4 cup of raw which is 1/4 of a pouch. That maintained her weight for months, but recently with the cold weather I’ve had to up her feed some.

The amount is going to vary dog to dog so the only way to know for sure is to see how much each dog needs by feeding it and seeing how they do.

[theBCnut]

I give mine calf, goat, and lamb ribs too.

[theBCnut]

Wouldn’t that be something like 8-10% protein? That’s horrible! Not to mention extremely unbalanced.

[theBCnut]

Thanks, I’m actually ready to order some in a few days.

[theBCnut]

HDM
You once posted where you found Urban Wolf cheapest. Now is a good time for a repeat.

[theBCnut]

I really like the Carlsons too. And does the phrase “Go big or go home.” mean anything to you? I do the same thing when I place an order. I try to get everything I need and 1 or 2 things I’ve been meaning to try. sigh.

[theBCnut]

My JRT is my first too, but she has always had hard stools no matter what she’s eating. I think her large intestine is a little too good at resorbing liquids, so if I don’t add in something that helps keep moisture in the stool, she dries out too much and everything doesn’t move through the way it should.

[theBCnut]

My old girl has slow bowels, everything just moves slowly with her. I always make sure she has a little fiber in her diet so her poop doesn’t get too hard. I don’t think there is a down side to trying chia seeds as long as you don’t add too much at once.

[theBCnut]

Let’s just say I haven’t used chia seeds for the dogs… but I do know they work great.

[theBCnut]

That’s what I would do.

[theBCnut]

DinOvite is a powdered whole food supplement that is primarily flax and kelp. I’ve used it in their Yeast Starvation Diet as half of my dogs daily food and had great results, but I haven’t used it added to a regular kibble. I liked it well enough that I will use it again. You do need to add fish oil to it.

[theBCnut]

Try finding a food that is grain free, potato free and pretty low in carbs. My favorite kibble is Brothers Complete Allergy Formula. It is pretty pricey, but it really worked for my dog with issues like yours. It has to be ordered from their website unless you live in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

After all of the Brothers Complete formulas, I think my next choice would be Orijen or even Wysong Epigen.

High quality canned or raw are even better, but somewhat cost prohibitive in a large dog.

[theBCnut]

I mix raw in kibble all the time and have had no problems with any of my dogs.

[theBCnut]

Nutri Source has a chicken and rice that was easy to transition to for my dog that was sensitive.

[theBCnut]

Mine are also half Brothers Allergy and half Darwin’s, except that I’m finally going to get to try Micah on Brothers Red Meat and see how he does!!! And I also do some homemade raw.

[theBCnut]

For me to feel OK about leaving any of the bone in, I would have to have a way of guaranteeing that they were actually pulverized instead of just broken into sharp pieces.

[theBCnut]

When my dog was diagnosed with epilepsy, the first thing my vet told me to do was to make sure my food had no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. The second was to look for sources of MSG such as natural flavor, broth, citric acid, brewers yeast, etc. The third thing was to eliminate chemicals he could come in contact with as much as possible, insecticides, fertilizers, and cleaning chemicals. The fourth was to eliminate or mitigate stress as much as possible. Every epilepsy dog has a threshhold level, when they are pushed over their threshhold, they seizure. The trick is to reduce the things that keep them near their threshhold so it takes more to trigger a seizure.

[theBCnut]

My JRT used to have a super sensitive tummy. I used to have to take a solid month to do any transitions. Fortunately, over time and with healthier feeding practices, she has gotten better. I can now feed her something different at every meal with no issues, but it took over half a year to get her there.

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