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RescueDaneMomMember
That is a valid point that LM has. Those values could be from the prolonged infection.
RescueDaneMomMemberAkari,
What did your vet say about the risks? Does he think she could handle the anaesthesia?
I think I would try to detox her first to get her liver levels down so that the anaesthesia drugs can detox better after her dental.
RescueDaneMomMemberHey Akari,
From those results, it looks like it’s more her liver than kidneys that is having problems. Her liver enzyme values are similar to Max’s. I would give her milk thistle and Sam-e for her liver. There is also a good formula I found recently for liver detox. I bought it on Amazon. It’s called liver guard by source naturals. If you want to try that, let me know and I will get you the dosage for Ginger.
RescueDaneMomMemberHi Jan,
The detailed recipe and directions are located here: http://dogcancerdiet.com/pdf/DogCancerDiet.pdf
If the link doesn’t work for you just google the dog cancer diet by dr. dressler and you should be able to find it.
I hope this helps.
RescueDaneMomMemberHi Andi,
Some very good budget friendly dry food brands are Dr. Tim’s and Victor. Chewy.com has Dr. Tims. You can get Victor on Amazon. Both brands have large bags 40-44 lbs for $50-65. Plus, they will last you longer because they are high quality and you will feed less of them. To stretch out the canned food, try adding other tasty things to his kibble like eggs, canned fish (sardines or salmon), plain yogurt or kefir, or healthy bits of your leftovers (veggies or meat if not seasoned to heavily.
I hope this helps. I know how expensive it is to feed big dogs. I have a 150lb Great Dane.
RescueDaneMomMemberDori,
I don’t mind the high carbs because it comes from the pumpkin as there are no grains in it. Again, I wouldn’t feed it all the time but I don’t mind it in my rotation.
RescueDaneMomMemberI have a Great Dane and 100% agree with theBCnut. Large Breed foods may advertise added joint support but it’s not enough to be therapeutic.
RescueDaneMomMemberHi Dori,
I feed Tucker’s occasionally. They make single source foods now. They have Turkey/Pumpkin and Beef/Pumpkin. I have tried both and Max seems to like them. I also have used the Pork/Lamb. It’s not something I would want to feed all the time but it works for me if I need something to feed quickly because I can get it locally and it defrosts quickly in it’s 0.5lb pouch.
RescueDaneMomMemberHi Bob b,
I have a rescue Great Dane that is almost 9 now. I got him when he was 2. I didn’t have to worry about the critical feeding time when their puppies, but I will give you my suggestions for brands that I have used or would use from HDM’s list.
Annamaet: I have used this brand and Max loved it and did well with it. They have 6 formulas that made HDM’s list. I would feed the grain free over grain inclusive but that is just a preference.
Earthborn Holistic: Again, I have used this brand and Max loved it and did well with it. They have 2 grain free varieties on the list.
Dr. Tim’s Kinesis: I haven’t fed this but if I were still feeding kibble I’d try Dr. Tim’s.
Nutrisource: I have fed it and Max did well. They have 2 varieties on the list.
Victor: I’ve never fed it but I would try it if I still fed kibble. They have 2 varieties on the list.
I would also feed The Honest Kitchen and NRG but they are dehydrated foods. I fed them both to Max and I think they are great but they are pricier than kibble. If you want to feed just kibble, my advice would be to choose several brands to rotate through.
I hope you find this helpful. Good luck with your Dane! 🙂 They’re the best.
November 2, 2014 at 7:55 pm in reply to: Something entirely unrelated to dog food. #56196 Report AbuseRescueDaneMomMemberSo sorry I am just seeing all this now. I haven’t been on here all week or I would have wished you well, Naturella. I’m glad things went as expected or as well as they could have. Just stay positive and continue on trying to improve your relationship. All you can do is try. If things don’t work out, you’ll know it wasn’t because you didn’t put the effort in. Also, I commend you on being so brave and being the bearer of news you knew wouldn’t be received well.
ps- I have seen pictures of you two on FB and you are really cute together! 🙂
RescueDaneMomMemberI’ve used the Turkey and Egg as well as the Venison and Egg. My dog did fine on them. Keep in mind there is no perfect dog food nor a perfect dog food company. I would also suggest rotation of foods for that reason.
RescueDaneMomMemberPoor baby! Bless your heart for taking her in and trying to help her! I don’t have any words of wisdom for you but it sounds like you’re on the right track. Max had a sudden episode where he attacked my mom while we were dremmeling his nails. Turned out he had a fractured toe we didn’t know about and he bit my mom because he was in so much pain when I tried to dremmel that toe. I would bet money that she probably bit her owner because she was in pain.
RescueDaneMomMemberI completely understand! I was super nervous to try it too. From what I’ve read, it is more likely for dog’s to get salmonella from tainted kibble than raw. But I started with raw slowly myself. I fed Max kibble with toppers like canned and dehydrated/freeze-dried foods for the first 4 years I had him. Then as I learned more about canine nutrition, I started experimenting with adding raw. I started with Stella & Chewy’s as a topper as well. The Duck, Duck, Goose is a favorite of Max’s. From there I started trying other brands and gradually increased his amount of raw and decreased the amount of kibble. A year ago I decided to stop feeding kibble altogether. I was feeding Max a dehydrated food (Honest Kitchen) and raw. I kept that up for about 7-8 months until he got tired of the Honest Kitchen. He was refusing to eat his food even with the raw mixed in. I tried other dehydrated and freeze-dried foods with little success. His system was just not liking them. I made the switch back to half kibble 2.5 weeks ago. He is doing really well on the BC kibble. I would love to do full raw but I just don’t have good enough local sources and I don’t have enough time to do all the prep. I’m a firm believer that some raw is better than no raw so I’m happy with the compromise I made.
Best of luck to you and Zane. Baby steps is the way to go. You can easily figure out what he does well on if you introduce things one at a time.
RescueDaneMomMemberHi Zanes Mom! I live in Central Florida and have a Great Dane. He is 8.5 years old and 145 lbs. He gets walks in the early morning and evening and lays around and sleeps the rest of the time. I am currently feeding half kibble (Brother*s Complete) and half raw. I have fed him some high fat raw for a month or two and his weight kept consistent. He seems to put on weight if eating a high carb food not high fat. He maintains weight well on low carb foods. I am personally not worried about fat content unless it is absurdly high. I would look at some low carb kibbles for more variety. Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural is one I can think of off the top of my head. Max also liked Annamaet Grain-Free and Petcurean’s Go! Fit and Free.
RescueDaneMomMemberAkari,
Publix does have plain kefir (at least the one I shop at does). It actually lasts much longer than milk once opened.
August 12, 2014 at 6:47 pm in reply to: I need HELP!! Bailey's hair is falling out! #49380 Report AbuseRescueDaneMomMemberHey Cyndi,
I’m checking back in too. I’m glad you may have identified the culprit. Max is allergic to Tide and/or Bounce. I’m not sure which and I didn’t feel like figuring it out so I switched to Tide Free and Bounce Free and his problems stopped. He actually got hives from it. It always happened after I gave him a bath and dried him off with a towel. I finally figured out it was what I was washing and drying the towel with that was doing it after I switched to a hypoallergenic shampoo too.
Good luck! And I hope Bailey continues to improve. Coconut oil really helped improve Max’s skin and coat.
August 12, 2014 at 6:35 pm in reply to: Bone-in Grinds with Dr. Becker's Recipes?? #49378 Report AbuseRescueDaneMomMemberUnfortunately I don’t know the answer to your question but I am very interested in what the answer is.
RescueDaneMomMemberThere isn’t a GA listed anywhere for any product they sell that I could find.
RescueDaneMomMemberHi Jeanne! How is Harry doing? I just got my order from Reel Raw yesterday. Everything was correct and the meat looked great. I love the free shipping! I couldn’t afford it otherwise. I’ll let you know how Max likes it after he tries it.
RescueDaneMomMemberHi Kelly,
The only good food I know of for joint care is Victor GF Joint Health / Adult Canine Formula
with Glucosamine. Here is the website: http://www.victordogfood.com/However, the amounts of glucosamine and chondroitin in dog food are usually not enough to be therapeutic. There is 750mg/kg of glucosamine and 250mg/kg of chondroitin in this food. I have a senior Great Dane (8 yrs old) that needs joint support. I am giving him glucosamine and chondroitin from Springtime Inc. I use their equine line because my dog is so large but they have a canine line as well. I would check out the Supplement forum and look for threads on joint health. I know there are a few of them. It would probably be most beneficial to get your dog on a high quality joint supplement in addition to a high quality food.
Best of luck!
RescueDaneMomMemberI ordered 50lbs last night and got free shipping. The scheduled delivery is for July 18. You definitely have to plan. I am excited to try their food though. I got chunks of duck and 5 whole quail as well as 10lbs each of the bulk ground (chicken, turkey, pork, and beef). I thought their prices on the bulk stuff was really reasonable. It will help me get through the times when I don’t have time to make my own.
RescueDaneMomMemberHome Depot is still having a sale. I just picked up another chest freezer for $158. It’s a Magic Chef, 6.5 cubic feet I think. And I ordered 50 lbs of raw from reel raw last night including 5 whole quail. Max is going to be a happy boy.
RescueDaneMomMemberHi Katie,
You may also want to check out reelrawdog.com. I recently discovered this company through InkedMarie (I think, correct me if I’m wrong). They have good deals on free shipping based on where you’re located and how much you buy. I would have to buy 50lbs for free shipping because I live in FL. They also have good prices on bulk ground products. They are already in the correct ratio of 80:10:10. Then you just add some veggies and supplements and you’re all set. That could get you started while you figure out the rest.
RescueDaneMomMemberHi Linda,
I know of Nature’s Kitchen. It is made by Maverick Pet Foods in Hollywood, FL. Their website is yum4dogs.com. I don’t use the NK but I have used the Genesis Raw which is made by the same company. I really like their food. The company has really good principles. If you want to feed a good, commercial cooked diet then you have found one. I hope it works for your dog.
ps- I filled out a request for Dr. Mike to review the Genesis Raw. You might want to do the same for Nature’s Kitchen if you are interested in DFA reviewing it.
RescueDaneMomMemberI started feeding raw as a topper then went 50/50 then switched to full raw. Some dogs can handle kibble mixed with raw and some can’t. If yours can’t, then you can do kibble for one meal and raw for another meal.
With smaller dogs, I would guess that it will probably be easier for you to feed grinds. You can purchase a cheap grinder on Amazon. I just did this recently and got a good grinder for under $90. It grinds chicken bones with no problem. Turkey bones are too hard for small grinders so you can’t grind those or beef bones. The only bones I’ve tried thus far have been chicken. You may also be able to get already ground meat/mixes from your co-op.
You may want to look into purchasing Steve Brown’s book called “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet.” There are raw recipes with and without bone and he specifies what you need to do if feeding a puppy.
Hope this helps.
RescueDaneMomMemberI am using See Spot Live Longer and Urban Wolf right now. I like both and will continue to use both. My Dane gets bored quickly with food flavors so I have to rotate a lot. The Honest Kitchen Preference has too much sweet potato in it for him, he gets yeasty from it. He didn’t like the Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance at all, guessing it’s the chickpeas.
Edit: Sandy, the Carnivore Raw looks like a good option for me. I like that they make a version you can add when grinding bone. It looks like it will go a long way too. 1 jar makes 40lbs worth of raw with bone. Thanks for sharing about Carnivore Raw. I will definitely be looking into it more.
- This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by RescueDaneMom.
RescueDaneMomMemberThere are some recipes at the beginning of this thread by Hound Dog Mom. I use 2 books for my homemade raw: 1- unlocking the canine ancestral diet by Steve Brown and 2- real food for healthy dogs and cats by Beth Taylor and Karen Becker. If you are looking for quick and easy, Steve Brown makes a premix for boneless meats called See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix. You mix about a tablespoon or two (can’t remember which) with one pound of boneless lean meat. I imagine it would be much more cost effective for you than Primal.
RescueDaneMomMemberHey Zach,
First, it’s going to depend on the size of the dog you are feeding. I have a 150lb Great Dane that eats 3 lbs per day which is about 90 lbs per month.
I used to feed 50% commercial raw and 50% The Honest Kitchen and my food bill was upwards of $300 per month.
I just started making homemade raw. I’m using Steve Brown’s recipes from Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet. The chicken recipe uses half chicken necks and half boneless, skinless thighs with heart and liver. The chicken recipe cost me less than $2/lb to make, closer to $1.50. The beef recipe cost a bit more because beef is expensive. I think it averaged out to be around $3-3.50/lb. This is significantly cheaper than commercial raw which I was paying anywhere from $4.50 to $6.00/lb for. When you need to feed 3lbs per day the savings add up.
Since I just started I don’t have a monthly food bill yet but I’m guessing it will be around $200. It should be a cost savings of $100/month for me.
I hope this helps.
RescueDaneMomMemberChewy.com and petflow.com are 2 great online retailers to purchase food from.
RescueDaneMomMemberSomething so cheap always warrants a close inspection. It’s too good to be true. Also, I know some people in Central Florida go all the way down south (Stuart) for cheap raw food from Pete’s Meats. It seemed ok at first until I bought $140 of supposedly organic ground beef that turned out to be rancid. I tried emailing, texting, and calling the guy and he never got back to me. I ended up losing the $140 as I just cut my losses. I don’t deal with him anymore and I warn other people away from his poor quality raw product. Always investigate “good deals” thoroughly and buy small at first so you don’t lose out a ton of money if it doesn’t work out.
RescueDaneMomMemberThere are 2 other threads for this food:
/forums/topic/thoughts-on-raw-performance-dog-food-by-tefco/
/forums/topic/tefco-performace-dog-raw-food/
They don’t contain that much information. It would be really helpful if we could get Hound Dog Mom’s opinion on it but from what I saw of the analysis, I would not feed it.
RescueDaneMomMemberI will definitely let you know, Linda. I imagine that Publix could probably special order for you, I just don’t know how their pricing would be. If you buy in bulk they’d probably give you a better buy. I have gotten chicken hearts, gizzards, and liver as well as beef heart and beef liver from Publix. I found beef kidney at Winn Dixie this past weekend. Ethnic supermarkets are also a great place for harder to find items.
Both books I recommended have ample information about supplementing so you are not lacking anything in the diet. Also, be sure to check out the Raw Food forum, especially the Suggested Menus thread. Hound Dog Mom is the queen of homemade raw food and balances her recipes from scratch. She even did a nutritional analysis on some of them. I’ve learned most of what I know about feeding raw from her posts and those two books. You have come to the right place to learn how to feed raw!
RescueDaneMomMemberHi Kate,
In theory, the Grandma Lucy’s pre-mix (once meat is added) should be a complete and balanced meal for your dog. You shouldn’t need to worry about other supplements though adding krill oil or fish oil can be beneficial. You can also add kefir, yogurt, or raw goats milk for probiotics.
Primal’s recommendation of feeding 2-3% of body weight is for raw food which is less calorically dense because of the amount of water in raw food. I don’t think the 2% rule carries over to dehydrated food like GL’s. I would feed the amount of food that keeps your dog in the right weight range. Feeding guidelines are just that…guidelines. Some dogs need more or less than what is suggested. It’s going to be trial and error to see what the right amount for your dog is.
I know finding a food your dog will eat has probably been very frustrating but I would keep at it. It’s best to rotate whatever food you are feeding, in this case the pre-mix. I would suggest rotating between different pre-mixes to make sure all of your bases are covered with vitamins/minerals. Some other pre-mixes you could look into include: The Honest Kitchen Preference, Urban Wolf, See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix, and Sojos (though I’m not a fan of that one). Also, I would limit the amount of tuna you feed as it can have high mercury levels. Canned sardines in water with no added salt would be a good fish to use and it is naturally high in omega 3s. Canned salmon is also good.
I hope this helps.
RescueDaneMomMemberHi Linda,
I have a 8 year old Great Dane and live in Apopka, FL. I currently feed homemade raw. It is by far cheaper than buying commercial raw like Primal, Stella & Chewys, Bravo, etc. I still buy and feed it for some extra variety but using it as the basis of the diet will send your food bill skyrocketing.
There is a co-op for central florida raw feeders on yahoo groups. Here is the link (I hope it works), if not just search for it: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/CentralFLRawFoodCo-op/info
I personally have never ordered from the co-op because they only have beef and their pickup time and location doesn’t work for me.I am currently getting my meat from a meat market that supplies to the public as well as restaurants in Fort Pierce (I just moved from their 5 months ago and still go back on the weekends). I am currently looking into a supplier in Sanford called Hopkins Meat Packing.
I am following recipes by Steve Brown using his book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet.” I also have “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Dr. Karen Becker. Those are by far the best two in my opinion. Also, if your dog gulps his food or you are skittish about feeding whole bones (which I am), you might want to invest in a meat grinder. I bought one on Amazon for less than $90.
This is one of my favorite topics so please ask away. I’m sure more people will chime in too but I was so happy to see someone else in the Central Florida area! 🙂
-Caroline
RescueDaneMomMemberCase,
I experience an evolution of my dog food feeding habits as well. I started off feeding premium kibbles. Then I started adding canned and dehydrates as toppers as well as some freeze-dried here and there. Then I tried commercial raw and used it as a topper too. The more I educated myself, I decided to ditch kibble completely. I fed 50% dehydrated and 50% commercial raw for about 6 months. My food bill was about $200/month for my Great Dane. He got tired of the dehydrated and I couldn’t afford 100% commercial raw so I decided to do 50% kibble. He was pooping twice as much and not a regular schedule, plus it stunk to high heaven compared to when he was eating the dehydrated/raw. Now I am working toward 100% homemade raw. I bought myself a grinder a few weeks ago. I made a little over 20 pounds of raw this weekend and he’s eating his dehydrated food again since he hasn’t had it for awhile.
Long story short is that what is best depends on your dog. Mine does SO much better on dehydrated and raw then he does on kibble. He was always overweight on kibble before I switched. Now he is nice and lean. I prefer the Pureformance line of GL’s over the artisan. I would suggest trying that one first. It should be easier for your dog to transition to because it has chickpeas in it which I imagine are similar on a digestion basis to the lentils in Orijen. My dog would eat the Artisan but didn’t really care for it. He refused to eat the Pureformance. He eats The Honest Kitchen.
I hope this helps.
RescueDaneMomMemberThanks Betsy! I really do! It’s a lot of work but I feel so much better about what I’m feeding him. It just takes some planning and time on my part which I’m willing to do. Max just turned 8 on May 22 so I want to make sure he gets the most time possible.
RescueDaneMomMemberI totally agree Patty. I should be stocked up for a little while. I made 15 pounds of chicken and 8 pounds of beef.
C4C, I will post back after Max has been eating it for a little while. I’m trying to go all homemade. Money has been tight since I moved and started a new job. Max got tired of THK so I reintroduced some kibble but he’s not doing so hot with it. I want him on all raw but commercial is too expensive. He needs 3-3.5 lbs a day. I think I have my sourcing figured out so he should be on full raw soon. It’ll definitely be cheaper than THK and commercial raw.
RescueDaneMomMemberNever heard of it. But some small companies don’t advertise and aren’t well known even if they have great food. Example- Maverick Pet Foods makes a great raw product called Genesis Raw.
RescueDaneMomMemberI forgot one. Horizon Legacy, also a Canadian kibble like Orijen, has 81% protein from animal sources.
RescueDaneMomMemberI know the Timberwolf Platinum is 80/20 just like Orijen as I saw it in my local pet store this past weekend. It is made in Windemere, FL and not widely available online like a lot of other foods. Victor has 3 varieties that have 80% or more protein from meat: GF Ultra Pro, Victor Select Hi-Pro Plus, and Victor Select Performance Formula.
I will be ordering from BC soon. I wish I had looked into them sooner. Free shipping on orders of $40 or more and 1 day shipping if you live in FL (which I do…yes!).
RescueDaneMomMemberHey Bonnie, I agree with aquariangt. There’s a thread in the forums somewhere titled Fromm dog food dangers in which a number of people have reported feeding Fromm making their dogs sick. Yet others feed Fromm with no problems. I fed the Fromm Gold to our rottie for a while but I stopped once I became educated and realized it was almost 50% carbs. He was on the heavy side and didn’t need that many carbs (granted dogs don’t really need any carbs).
A lot of people have said good things about Dr. Tim’s. I haven’t tried it myself. I don’t feed white potato or grains because I have a dog with arthritis. I would definitely try it if I could though. I think it’d be a great one to try. I prefer the other formulas over the grain-inclusive Kinesis because it is lower protein (26%) which means higher carbs. I prefer to feed 30% or more protein. Also, don’t forget that the more calorie-dense foods (higher kcal/kg) the less you will feed of it so it will last you longer making it an even better bang for your buck. Ex: you would feed less of the Momentum (588 kcal/kg) than the Kinesis (415 kcal/kg).
I hope that helps. 🙂
RescueDaneMomMemberThanks for the input Betsy! That is good to know. I wasn’t sure what all the drama was surrounding the brand. I’m definitely going to give it a try.
RescueDaneMomMemberWhat’s funny is when I got the notification of your post b-r-o-t-h-e-r-‘s is spelled out just fine. I only see the *** when I am on the forum.
I am interested in this food too. It looks great and I like that it is local for me (made in FL). They also sell it on wag.com now. I was considering trying a bag.
RescueDaneMomMemberThe new formulations of the Acana Singles are now grain-free and white potato-free.
RescueDaneMomMemberHi Bonnie,
Some other foods that are known to be high quality, yet budget friendly are Victor, Dr. Tim’s, and Earthborn Holistic. You can get grain-inclusive Dr. Tim’s on Chewy.com for $1.85/lb (Momentum) and $1.46/lb (Pursuit). The grain-free kinesis is $1.80/lb. Earthborn has 4 grain-free varieties that are $47.99 for a 28lb bag ($1.71/lb), on Chewy.com also. Victor is a little harder to find. Amazon and sportdogfood.com carry it. It’s around $1.80/lb.
I’m not familiar with American Natural. I’m not a big fan of Fromm and the only Wellness formula I would consider feeding is the Core. Compared to what you are currently feeding (a 5 star grain-free food) you’d be downgrading by feeding any of those because none of them are 5 star foods and they are all very carb heavy. All of the Dr. Tim’s varieties I mentioned are 5 stars, as is the Victor Grain-Free. Earthborn is 4.5 stars but the Primitive Natural variety is 5 stars.
That’s my 2 cents. I hope it’s somewhat helpful for you.
RescueDaneMomMemberI actually asked about this food 5 months ago. See the thread here: /forums/topic/thoughts-on-raw-performance-dog-food-by-tefco/
RescueDaneMomMemberVariety is best. I rotate through all 3. Duck is usually fattier than chicken or turkey.
RescueDaneMomMemberWell I’m sorry to say that you won’t find many people here that will agree with you. Most of the regulars on DFA prefer All Life Stages food, including myself when I fed kibble. Most specific life stage formula foods are all marketing and very few are correctly formulated.
I am officially done commenting on this topic. I’ve said my piece.
RescueDaneMomMember“People who feed All-Life-Stages dog food should be feeding an all natural raw diet or a dehydrated dog food. Anything else is for those what are to ignorant to completely understand a dog’s true needs.”
Well, I feel like this is a very ignorant comment to make. Many people can’t afford dehydrated and/or raw. Just so you know, I feed my dog dehydrated and raw but I don’t condemn people for feeding kibble.
June 3, 2014 at 8:13 pm in reply to: adult maintenance vs all life stages vs puppy #43327 Report AbuseRescueDaneMomMemberAquariangt- LOL! I didn’t catch the first time around. It makes so much sense now.
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