Before I get to the main reason for this post I thought I would first give you an update on Leroy’s ear infection situation.
We continue to treat Leroy’s right ear. The ear is 75% better and I am happy with that progress. It’s been tough because he’s getting very good at knowing when it’s time to medicate his ear. Besides a few runaway attempts, he is handling everything like the champ that he is.
However, earlier this week he was shaking his head a lot and he had an obvious head tilt to the left side.
He now has an infection in his left ear, and it’s a pretty good one. Of course we started treatment in that ear right away and it’s getting better. The head tilt is gone for now.
For those who are following Leroy’s ear issue and are curious what treatment we are using, we are battling the infection with a Synotic/Baytril combo medication twice a day and a TRIZ-EDTA/Baytril combo ear wash every two days.
I have to say, we’ve seen better results with this combo than any other treatment that we have tried over the last year but the fact that it is still fighting us has made me want to start his food trial sooner than later.
Which brings me to the whole point of this post.
Finding a food has been very exhausting.
Currently we feed Acana Pacifica. A grain-free fish based kibble. Besides for a few months last year, Leroy and Sherman have been on this food for the past few years and I really like the food.
However, we have been advised to switch proteins and stay away from fish, chicken, beef and lamb, and any other protein Leroy has ever been on until we can get his ears under control.
Which still leaves us with plenty of proteins to choose from, bison, duck, and kangaroo. We have to skip the venison because Leroy was on that for a few months last year.
Finding a new protein isn’t a problem.
Staying away from the fish is the problem.
I have come to find that there are very few dog foods that don’t contain fish in some sort of fashion. Even most veterinarian prescribed allergy diets have fish or salmon oil in them.
I have verified with the dermatologist that she wants us to stay away from anything with fish in it, even fish oil.
I searched and searched and finally I found 3 foods that don’t contain any fish, what so ever.
California Naturals makes a Kangaroo and Lentil diet. Acana has a new limited ingredient diet Duck and Bartlett Pear and Natures Variety Instinct has a Limited Ingredient Duck.
That’s it. 3 foods with no fish and believe me, those diets also come with a pretty hefty price tag.
Of course Leroy is worth it and I’ll pay the money if it means it will help his ears.
Am I 100% convinced that his ear issues are directly related to fish?
No.
But at this point I don’t have time to play around with it.
So in my search for a food for him I really started to think about a raw diet. I’ve thought about switching to a raw diet before but to be honest it’s kind of scary for me for a few reasons.
1. I am in no way a nutritionist and I wouldn’t even know where to start with making sure that the boys were getting the nutrition that they need, however now that I have learned that you can buy prepared raw diets for your dog I am more comfortable with the thought.
2. Raw sounds expensive to me. I haven’t quite broken it down yet but I honestly don’t know if I can afford to feed them both a raw diet. However, with the amount that I could potentially spend on treating his ears it may even out in the long run.
3. My vet does not recommend a raw diet, we’ve talked about it before and I respect where she stands on it, however, she also respects the fact that if I choose to go this route I will do it educated.
I’ve asked around and I’ve gotten some really great feedback from people that I respect and value opinions from who feed raw diets and they all highly recommend it.
At this point I am not 100% ready to commit to a raw diet for several reasons, but I am defintley open to the idea and learning as much as I can about it for the future.
Which is why I would like your feedback.
Do you feed a raw diet? Do you do it all yourself or do you buy prepared raw diets. If you prepare it on your own, explain. If you buy it prepared, which one and why? Do you feed all raw or do you mix raw and dry kibble? I want details!
If you don’t feed a raw diet, is there a reason? Is it to much work? Lack of knowledge on raw diets? Your vet doesn’t recommend raw? You are perfectly comfortable feeding a dry kibble and see no benefit of feeding raw? Tell me!
Crystal says:
I feed a raw diet. I make my own balanced diet for them, with the basic understanding that the proper raw diet for a dog is 80% muscle meat (including meat, heart, etc), 10% edible bone (softer, fully edible bones, not stuff like cow bones), 5% liver, and 5% other organs (kidneys, spleen, etc). If you check my archives, I have done a number of posts in the past about what the dogs eat.
My vet doesn’t approve of a raw diet. However, she is awesome enough to never have said that to me. She knows that I feed it, and my dogs are rather obviously healthy when they come in to her. Really, I am only guessing she doesn’t approve because she has never once said anything about it.
I highly recommend, if you are seriously interested in raw, that you check out the Raw Feeding Yahoo group. There are tens of thousands of members, and they are great at answering questions about feeding raw. Even as an experienced raw feeder, the group is great for asking questions or trying to figure out funky situations, etc. They can get a bit pushy about how bad they find kibble to be, but are overall a great group of people and a very valuable resource.
Jen says:
Thanks Crystal! I will check out your posts and thank you for letting me know about the Raw Feeding Group!
Sandy says:
Happy Friday I was reading your blog as I love following you just for the photos you post! I have heard some not alot about feeding raw and it seems to be to be more popular in Europe than in the states (just my opinion. I would not and have not considered it for the same reasons you noted above. Being unfamiliar, availability, time & expense. However if it turned out to be the “only” solution for my newf I would give it a try. I think you have to do what is best for you and your situation and not feel pressured to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable in any way nor take on the quilit that if you don’t feed raw you are not doing everything that you can do for Leroy. There is no guarantee that it will work or that he won’t develop something new with this. I say do what you feel in your gut and what you can afford. I love my pets dearly but I also have a family and bills to pay there is only so much funds I can devote to my pets. That is just the reality of it.
Good luck!
Sandy
Jen says:
Happy Friday Sandy! Thank you for the kind words!
Everything you said is exactly the way I am thinking. I have my doubts that Leroy is allergic to fish but at this time I need to make a change and go with what the vet is recommending. I’m just beginning to explore the thought of feeding raw which is why I wanted to get as much feedback as I could. I have heard many stories of people who went from dry kibble to raw because of allergies and it has worked out great for their dogs.
My main goal right now is too switch Leroy’s food and see how it goes, and then hopefully start exploring the raw diet in a away that works for us.
Melf says:
Wow. I am so sorry Jen. I had no idea so many dog foods have fish oil now. I have fed my dogs raw food on occasion and they loved it, but like you, I worried about managing the nutrients I might be missing in their diet. The other reason I haven’t gone raw? Jasper likes to drag his food to the living room rug. I can only feed them outside and it’s been too cold to have them do that right now.
I hope you get some answers for poor Mr. Sherman.
Jen says:
Me neither, until I started to really look at it! I’ve always looked for the fish oil and wanted it! It bums me out that they want us to stay away from it right now.
So Jasper prefers to eat in the living room rather than the kitchen? lol:)
Jodi says:
I’m glad you are seeing some progress with Leroy’s ears. switching to raw is not an easy or inexpensive one, BUT we did it with our dogs because of Delilah’s pinched nerve and my dogs have done very well on it.
I buy my raw food (Oma’s Pride http://www.omaspride.com/) right at the distributorship. They have a nutrionist (I will send you her e-mail address and she will be very happy to help you, she also has Newfs) who tells me everything I need to do in order to feed them properly.
The whole raw thing is a process, but there are some dehydrated raw diets where you just add water, if you are pressed for time or a bit squeamish about it.
It is also expensive, I currently spend about $100 every three weeks to feed my dogs. When we first switched and I was trying to keep the price down, I fed kibble (Taste of the Wild) for one meal and raw for the other. Of course the less expensive raw foods are chicken and turkey. Beef has gone up and your other proteins such as buffalo, kangaroo, ostrich are even more expensive.
My dogs get chicken necks in the morning and ground turkey with veggies and bone at night. If I find beef on sale I’ll pick some up just to give them a variety.
The raw food should not be fed iced cold, so normally I get up in the morning and put the necks in their bowls with a little bit of water and let it sit for about an hour. If it’s too cold they will throw it up.
For evening meals I take the food out when I come home and let it sit in their bowl. If it’s still too cold I’ll run my hands under hot water and mix the food around to get the temp up.
There is more prep time, if you want to be cost effective you should buy in bulk. I buy 40 pound box of necks, but then those need to be separated out into smaller portions for easier storage. The same goes for the blocks of ground meat. They come in 10 pound blocks and I let them get soft enough for cutting and then breaking them up into 5 different packages.
I’m not trying to deter you here, but give you some information. You can call me and we can talk about it and I will answer any questions you have. And you can also e-mail my contact Sandy (shreuter@aol.com) another good source is Jodi Chick, she’s a dog nutritionist.
Whew! Sorry about that, is it more than you wanted?
Jen says:
Thank you Jodi! They are a lot of things that concern me and being squeamish is defintley one of them. I’m not a big fan of meat in the first place. I mean I eat it,(love steak) but I have to thoroughly examine it before it goes in mouth. Anything that doesn’t look meat-like does not go in my mouth, no veins, no red things-ICK! so dealing with organ meat and bones and necks and trachea’s is not appealing to me.
A friend told me about making sure the temperature of the food wasn’t too cold, I never thought about that but it made sense once it was explained to me.
I really appreciate all the information, the more informed I am the better choices I can make for what is right for us!
I’ve got your number:)
Gizmo (@GizmoGeodog) says:
About 10 years ago I fed a raw diet on the advice of a holistic nutritionist. At the time it was feasible as I had the refrigerated space to store cased of turkey necks, etc. I’ve moved around the country since then and have done a lot of traveling and these days it’s just not workable for me. it does require time and effort. Not that our dogs aren’t worth it, but sometimes we compromise. I’ve found a grain free kibble that Gizmo does well on. We’ve been feeding it for over two years now, switching up the main protein every couple of bags. It’s a top-rated food so I’m comfortable with my choice. I believe that these days diet selection comes with a lot of peer pressure and each of us has to determine what works best for them and then be confident in our decision.
Jen says:
I’m glad that you found a kibble that works for Gizmo!
I understand your reasoning for switching back, the most important thing is finding what works well for you and Gizmo, which is exactly why I am trying to understand the whole process first. Maybe we can’t feed raw like someone else can for several reasons but maybe we will be able to find something that works well for us. At least that is my hopes:)
Alfie - Alfie's Blog says:
I’ve been on a raw diet since I was a puppy and my humans always get compliments on my shiny coat and slim appearance. The humans did lots and lots of research and decided a ready mixed (I.e. complete) raw diet would be bsat for them due to limited freezer space and convenience.
. Every month we get two big boxes with a mix of different foods – it looks like minced meat, but with ground veggies and bones in it too.
We live in the UK and the company we use is called Honey’s. I love it, and it’s covenient for the humans but yes it’s a little pricey.
My human did look into how to feed me from scratch as well though, and even wrote lots of articles about it too which you can find here: http://linda-bliss.hubpages.com/hub/Raw-food-What-and-how-much-to-feed-your-dog
But at the end of the day I think she decided it was easier to buy it all ready made and I’m not complaining! *waggy tail*
Jen says:
Thanks for the link Linda! I will defintley check it out. I’m glad that the raw prepared diets are working so well for Alfie!
Jen K says:
We fed Moses Origin it about a year after getting him and then switched to raw. Alma has always been on raw since we adopted her.
Feeding 2 Newfs raw is not cheap, but we’ve found it to be worth it for their overall health. And, if course, they love it. So I’m a big raw advocate.
We buy from a local bulk distributor directly who grinds the protein, organs and bone, and veggies altogether and freezes it, and we buy 5 lb blocks which feed all animals for 1 day (2 dogs and 2 cats). The dogs also get supplemented with bones and chicken backs on the weekends.
Our distributor (Courtlyn Custom, they’re called) is great for diet sensitivities because they have a huge selection: chicken, turkey, beef, tripe, pork, bison, fish, lamb, and often rabbit and duck as supply allows. It also allows great control without too much extra work – thaw and serve. And I mix it up and order nearly a little bit of everything.
Buying in bulk direct is definitely the only way for us to do this financially responsibly, since buying the premium raw brands like Urban Carnivore would set us back over $350 a month. This way it’s about $210/month and really not much more than feeding them all Origen.
Not to mention, all the ingredients are local and we’re supporting a local small business.
Jen says:
I thought I remembered that you fed Alma and Moses raw.
A friend pointed me in the right direction of a few local distributors. I had no idea where to even start looking and I had no idea that there were several places around us that offered this.
I think I might be starting to understand some of this there is so many different ways that people do it. I have to find something that would work for us. Thanks so much for your input Jen, it is always appreciated!
Jen K says:
I hope your pups are healthy again soon! And good luck in your research. We have vets on our roster both for and against it, but our results, though anecdotal, speak for themselves (for us).
Jen says:
Thanks Jen!!
Kimberly, The Fur Mom says:
We have chicken allergies with our dogs and I’ve been researching the raw diet for our dogs, but I don’t think I can do it, because we don’t live near a butcher, I don’t think the “organic” meat at our grocery story is truly organic in the sense that I understand the term, and I don’t think we could maintain a balanced diet.
So we’re looking for alternatives and hoping to find something that’ll work for all three dogs while not breaking the bank.
I am intrigued by the raw food diet, because everyone I know who has made the switch couldn’t be happier with the outcome in their dog’s health and energy.
Jen says:
I hear you on the “organic” part. Which is another thing to consider.
I’ve been watching the diets that you use for your dogs and I really liked the recent recipe you posted, I think, last month.
I’m intrigues by the raw too because the success that so many people have had with it. I just have to determine if it is right for us.
linda says:
Way back in 1987 I had a sweet golden retriever named Molly that I bought for our kids when their dad walked away from us all. She was the best. After a few years, I noticed a tumor growing under her eye and I panicked. Nooooo, she is here to stay, we can’t have tumors! I did a bit of research on tumors, and goldens and diets, and I did make the switch to raw. Way back then it was a bit outrageous too! But the point is after 30 days on a raw diet, the tumor disappeared! I was sold. Molly lived to a ripe old age, and we have had many dogs share our lives since then and they all eat raw. It is a bit of work to get it all established, but I have a butcher ( about 3 hours away from us ) that I work with, I have a game processing plant about an hour away and I bought a huge chest freezer. Meat and raw bones make up most of their diets, I add organ meat for about 10%, and that’s it. I need to keep it simple or I’d go nuts. The variety changes as to what is available. I also shop the “managers special” section for meat in the grocery store. When the packages are about to expire, I snap them up for a fraction of what they were priced at a few days earlier. We have six big dogs here, so I need to be cost conscious. I try to keep it at $1.00 per pound and I have been pretty good at doing that. If you look at what a good quality kibble costs, it’s probably more than that. Plus our dogs do not get sick, so I save tons in vet bills. They have shiny white teeth, no bad breath, nice coats and great energy.
Sadly, I’ve not found a very who approves of our raw feeding, but then again they do have stacks of science diet and Iams for sale in their offices.
please email if you want to chat further Jen.
linda linda@bluemoonranch.net
Jen says:
Hi Linda! Thanks for joining the discussion and for sharing your experience with the raw diet! That is wonderful news about Molly. So do you ground up your food or give it whole. And $1.00 per pound does not seem bad at all, am I right to assume that each dog gets 2 pounds twice a day? or is that way off?
linda says:
Just saw this reply. Sorry for not answering sooner. We give all the meat as whole as possible. So good for all their muscles to rip and tear. Raw fed dogs do well begin fed once a day after they are a year old. But our sweet Matilda will have none of that yet. She’d throw a fit if she didn’t get that extra dinner time meal! So gets gets half hers in the a.m. the rest in the p.m. All the other dogs are fed once a day. As far as how much, I’ve learned over the years about how much to put in each bowl. When it’s really cold and the Pyrs (outside working dogs)have been very active, they get quite a bit more than the house dogs do. I feel their ribs and weigh them to be sure they are all doing well. I’ll weigh one of the bowls and let you know how much they really eat in one day.
Jen says:
LOL. Matilda sounds like her dad!
Thanks for the reply Linda, that makes sense. I wasn’t taking into the fact that each dog weighs different and requires a different amount. I guess it would just be a learning curve like you said.
Suzy says:
We have been feeding our Golden normal food for awhile. She hated just about every dog food and quite frankly sometimes when I smelled them I couldn’t blame her.
she runs to her dog food bowl now and it is gone in seconds. I love how my husband has a discussion with her every morning on what to eat. We don’t worry about what to feed her she gets eggs raw minced meat sardines cottage cheese, carrots and a lot of left overs and a raw bone every once in awhile. My vet used to say we shouldn’t do the raw bone but he was always amazed at my 10 year old’s teeth.I know that vets say we shouldn’t go the raw diet but dog food doesn’t make sense. It is all processed. What makes me really angry is they all say that we aren’t smart enough to figure out what dogs need, but no pediatrician ever told me I needed a nutrition book to figure out what to feed my children. I figure as long as she get a variety she will be just fine. We have been doing it awhile and everyone is happy well probably not the pet store I used to frequent.
Jen says:
Hi Suzy, thanks for joining in on the discussion and sharing your experience! It sounds like your Golden really is doing well with the raw diet and that is great to hear! After reading everyone else’s comments so far I guess it makes sense now about it being pretty easy to make sure they are getting the nutrition they need as long as there is a variety of options which is what I didn’t realize at first with the raw diet.
Amanda @ Photo 51 says:
I feed my own prey modeled raw diet. I can feed raw cheaper than I feed kibble. I would guess that about 50% of the meat I feed is free – all my friends & family know to NEVER throw away meat, and when I see great deals I load up. I also post on Craigslist and get meat fairly regularly from people who bu.
1/2 or 1/4 cows or who hunt and forget about some of it in their freezer. Sometimes I simply can’t believe the steaks people end up just giving away because they let it get freezer burned.
When I started I used the pre made to help me transition, now I have a very easy time of slapping things together. When my boy was a baby I bought a bag of every kind of pre made I could find to introduce it to him – no picky eaters allowed in my house – but now they just go with whatever I throw at them.
I won’t give my business to a vet who harps on me about feeding raw because I feel it clouds their judgement when they treat my dog, they like to blame everything on the diet, etc.
I highly recommend My Pet Carnivore (serves the midwest by delivery route and the rest of the country by shippment) I don’t like giving ground diets a lot – my dogs would be terribly disappointed by it, anyway – but I think it’s a great place to start.
Jen says:
Hi Amanda! As always I appreciate and value your feedback on subjects like this!
You know I actually had someone the other day who said that they could get me a bison! Which is great but I would need a freezer first!
You are right about the vet and the raw clouding their judgement. I have seen vets blame the diet if a dog presents ill with certain symptoms. It’s the first thing they go to.
Thanks for the recommendation of My Pet Carnivore!
Amanda @ Photo 51 says:
The one most important rule with raw feeding, in my opinion, is to remember “Balanced OVER TIME”. Every meal does NOT need to be perfect – not even close! Just keep a general average going and actually put your hands ON your dog when you feed, pay attention to his condition before you make the meal. (My dog’s diet changes drastically depending on his activity level and conditioning. As an athlete, it should!)
Jen says:
Which is one of the things that I didn’t understand at first about the raw diet. I thought it was feeding the same thing over and over. Which brings me to another concern. Switching up the food every day doesn’t cause an upset stomach like it would if you switched up a dry kibble?
Married with Dawgs says:
One of my 3 dogs is on 100% raw and the other two get a mixture of raw along with kibble & just about every other type of food.
We use Honest Kitchen (dehydrated, almost raw food) for all 3. Miss Allergies Maggie also gets Primal Duck. pureformance and addiction are 2 freeze dried foods that she’ll get for variety and that offer more exotic proteins. I like Primal because it’s a single protein raw with lots of exotic protein options and has an 80/20 split of meat vs produce. I do believe dogs should get fruits & vegetables and am not an advocate of a 100% raw meat & bones diet. I also own a pet store so my costs are wholesale but it’s still super expensive. The retail cost of Maggie’s food is almost $200/month – for a 55lb dog.
My suggestion would be to start with a commercially prepared raw diet to begin with. Going raw is incredibly daunting for most folks, especially when people start talking about extra freezers & buying huge amounts of bulk. By easing into it with the majority of the work done for you, you can evaluate the health benefits and make the decision on whether this is a long term dietary solution for you or not. But in the long run, preparing home made raw would be the only remotely economical solution for a Newf. Both Honest Kitchen & Sojo’s make a food base (fruits, veggies & all the nutrients) that you can add your own meat too. This is a great solution for most raw feeders.
Good luck!
Jen says:
Thank you for sharing your experience! I am learning so much and love it!
I have looked into the Honest Kitchen.
So you’re happy with feeding 2 of your dogs the Honest Kitchen and kibble and that works well for them? and then Maggie gets the Honest Kitchen and Primal Duck-freeze dried? So is she basically getting like a gruel? Sorry if that’s a silly question I’m just trying to figure it all out and I’m not familiar with the freeze dried form.
Jessica says:
Raw was our only choice with Silas’s diet. I’ve posted a lot about it on my blog from time to time, if you want to poke around.
You don’t want to feed prepared raw to large dogs long term. Trust me. It was over $200 a month to feed Silas Primal’s frozen raw, and he weighs 30lbs. It was, like Married with Dawgs says, the easiest way to start EVER.
As for raw food–it can be very economical, or not. A dog needs to eat somewhere between 2-3% of their weight per day. I don’t know what Leroy weighs–lets do easy math and say 100lbs. That would be two pounds of food a day. About half of that needs to be meat with bones and half without, so you can do that math at your grocery store. There are also bulk buying coops and such that can really drop your prices if you can devote that much freezer space to it.
The best resources I’ve found are dogaware.com and Lew Olson’s book Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs.
Jen says:
Hi Jessica! Thanks for joining in on the discussion!
I will defintley poke around on your blog!
I have to admit that the prepared raw sounds very good to start off with but I don’t think I could afford that for very long with these guys. From what a lot of people had said I do think I would need to find someone who would work with me on this. A friend did point to a co-op and I was amazed that such thing actually exists around me! I had no idea!
Two French Bulldogs says:
My Lily was told to stay away from those proteins too. Natural Balance Limited grain free Duck & Potatoe seem to work for her allergies and ear infections
Snuggles
Benny & Lily
Jen says:
So glad that the Natural Balance Duck and Potato has worked for Lily and her allergies! I actually had that in my hands the other day and was going to buy it for Leroy but noticed it had Salmon oil in it!
Kenzo says:
Hi Jen, we just switched to raw for a little over a week ago! The start was daunting but we are quickly getting the hang of it, K&V love it … I think you are right about the higher costs if you don’t have a good local butcher like us, but I did some math, and thinking about the money I could save on dentals and other treatments related to eating kibble, it is actually not so expensive anymore.
btw we fed Orijen (same company as Acana).
If it is OK with you I’ll add you to the raw feeding group in Facebook. They have a lot of resources, and it is a great group to discuss raw, they helped me a lot prepare and find answers to my questions.
Jen says:
Hi Kenzo! Thanks so much for the feedback and for adding me to the FB group! And I’m glad you’re getting the hang of raw and I’ll be looking forward to following your progress with it!
Sam says:
I feed kibble. I wouldn’t feed a raw diet, as all the nasties that can live on raw food make dogs just as ill as you or I would be from them. I’d like to feed a homemade diet, but I just don’t have the time. When I do have the time, I will consult a canine nutritionist – such as my friend Cat Lane. In fact, I think I’d look into getting a nutrition education and/or qualification myself first…
Jen says:
That sounds like a good plan Sam. Contamination is a concern for me also which is why educating myself beforehand is very important.
Thanks for joining the discussion!
Misaki says:
My daddy wants to switch me to the raw food diet, but ideally we want to get a chest freezer which we don’t have at present.
We’ve been told it costs about the same as dry kibble and someone at class who has started selling the meat. But it is all about getting the balance right.
There are lots of raw food groups on fb with advice and help, worth checking out.
Jen says:
I have been checking out the groups all weekend Misaki it is a great way to learn more!
Taryn says:
I am very lucky to have an all-natural pet food store a few blocks away. The owner is dedicated to researching all of the products she buys, keeps up with recalls, etc. So I definitely trust the products she sells….
That being said, I feed a primarily raw diet of pre-packaged food. I generally buy Aunt Jeni’s homemade that has full nutrients. I also supplement with raw (but previously deep-frozen) salmon, raw tripe, and the occasional elk/bison/venison chubs, and raw marrow bones. I also feed Great Life kibble mixed with organic canned on days I either forget to thaw something or we are traveling.
Pros/Cons:
Pros: My guys have gorgeous coats, clean teeth(my vet is anti-raw but always notices the beautiful teeth), never had an ear infection ever but they do have pricked ears and as such are much less prone. No itchy skin either.
Cons: Because I buy pre-made, it is ridiculously expensive. I buy it because then I don’t have to worry about nutrition balances, the bones are all ground up already, and I’m lazy
More money than sense in other words!
I have always been told to never mix raw with kibble. The reason dogs have no trouble with the bacteria in raw is their much stronger stomach acid and their extremely fast digestion. However kibble digests at a much slower rate than raw and when you mix the two, it allows the raw to linger too long in their gut.
I didn’t read the other comments yet so I hope I didn’t repeat too much
Jen says:
That is wonderful that you found someone close to you that is so committed and someone that you can trust.
The mixing kibble and raw is something I never knew, and it makes sense, but something I really never would of thought about on my own. I also never realized that there is 2 different forms of raw, prey model way and BARF, is that correct?
Thanks so much for your feedback!
Taryn says:
Oh, and one other thought…Cleanliness is very important. Washing the bowls and your hands/utensils/counters, etc. very thoroughly to keep the human part of the family healthy. I’ve been feeding raw for about 5 years now and have never had a problem with bacteria. Knock on wood
Jen says:
This is a concern with me with the kids. Of course we practice good hygiene and cleanliness but they are kids and they are apart of the dogs feeding routine. It’s something for me to heavily consider.
SlimDoggy says:
SlimDoggy is fairly new to this community and we learn so much from all of you. We’ve always fed ‘good’ food, but our research is showing more and more that good is a relative term. We’re doing a series on our blog now about obesity and calories and have built a huge food database for the app. (http://slimdoggy.com/just-what-are-these-dog-food-ingredients/). After reading all these great comments, I think we’re going to have to consider adding more raw food to SlimDoggy Jack and Maggie’s diet! Thanks for sharing all of your experiences.
Jen says:
Hi SlimDoggy! Thanks for joining in on the discussion over here!
I hear you about good being a relative term these days in regards to feeding. I’m looking forward to checking out your site!
linda says:
One more thing I didn’t mention in my comments above – my dogs are soooooo happy when I feed them! My 9 yr old Great Pyr literally jumped for joy because he saw me coming outside with his food bowl. (I do go out other times, and no he is not THAT happy just to see me) And Matilda – well, I really should make a video of her when she thinks it’s feeding time. Seriously we have a bunch of happy eaters here.
Linda
Jen says:
That is great Linda! So let me ask you this, do you feed all the dogs outside? Just being curious. Wondering if a lot of people who feed raw feed outside because of contamination?
SchipAlong says:
I personally am not a fan of raw diets for various reasons, but I don’t feed kibble either. Have you talked with Leroy’s vet about a homemade cooked diet? It was actually a veterinarian that really pushed me to finally switch off kibble and onto whole cooked food, something I had wanted to do for years but hadn’t because I was worried about nutritional deficiencies. According to the author of Dinner Pawsible it’s actually cheaper than kibble too, although I haven’t personally done the math yet.
An interesting thing I noticed is that if Suki eats dog food made with sweet potato her digestion goes a bit off, but I can cook (steam, bake, or boil) regular sweet potatoes for her and she’s just fine. It makes me wonder if a lot of sensitivities are actually caused by something in the extrusion process of commercial dog foods, rather than the whole food ingredient itself.
Jen says:
I really haven’t talked to Leroy’s vet much about diet except for what we are dealing with right now, switching his food to a different protein, but a home cooked diet is something I am interested in learning about, along with the raw diet.
Good point about the extrusion process, and one to consider. Like I have said, I am not 100% convinced that Leroy has an issue with fish. Maybe a certain fish like salmon, maybe the meal? I’m not sure.
emma says:
A raw diet is a lot of work, but mom would do it if necessary. Her best friend in Germany is a vet with a PhD in dog nutrition and she feels that dry food is just fine if you buy a quality brand, so that is what we do. I had some allergy issues when I switched food a while back so I went back to the old food and am fine. As for the ears, I had pretty much a chronic yeasty ear infection for several years, it would clear up and then start again, we tried all kinds of medicines and ear cleaner but nothing helped until we found an online PBGV forum that had a home recipe for Blue Ear Cleaner. Mom followed the directions along with getting my infection treated and it cleared up…I am 18 months ear infection free and just use the cleaner 1x a month now, even when I swim mom just uses it after and I am clear. I know you work for a vet and lots of this stuff is quackery, but mom and I swear by it and the vet did not love it but is ok with it. You can download the recipe on my post from last year at http://wp.me/p1YBxO-qg if you want to try it out or read more about it.
Jen says:
The Blue Ear Cleaner! I have heard a lot about this, in the past and recently and have only heard good things. It is something that I would like to try as soon as we get Leroy’s ear drum healed! I don’t find it quacky at all! One of things that I try to do since I work at the vets is try and keep an open mind. Veterinarian medicine isn’t perfect and feedback like yours is greatly appreciated!
2 brown dawgs says:
I would think your main issue if you decide to go raw would be finding an acceptable protein source within Leroy’s restrictions. It seems like everyone here who feeds raw feeds one of the types of protein you need to stay away from. I don’t know if you have a ready source for duck, bison or kangaroo. I sure don’t.
I have heard the kibble made of kangaroo is a good option for dogs with allergies. I also wonder what fat you would substitute for the fish oil. If you decide to try it, I hope you will post on it. 
We feed kibble. Raw is not something at all practical for our dogs due to their active lifestyles.
Jen says:
Yep, but from what I have read about the raw diet is that most food sensitivities go away. Not sure how true that is since I really didn’t ask that question directly but it is something to look at.
Funny you should mention a source because a few weeks ago a friend told me they knew someone who has bison and sells them for feed when they are done with whatever they do with them, and they could get me one. I laughed at first, like what in the world am I going to do with a whole bison? I don’t have the freezer space for that:)
Sherry says:
I have raw fed my cats for about a decade, and my first puppy (now almost a year old) is raw fed. My cat is mostly fed pre-made ground raw because he is old and needs some supplements now and it’s easier to mix it in his food. My puppy is mostly fed whole raw food that I buy from grocery stores/butchers, so I use a combo of pre-made and DIY. Pre-made is too expensive for me to justify feeding it to my dog, and it’s better for his teeth to get whole pieces rather than ground raw. My cat gets a few whole-piece meals a week. I would suggest starting with pre-made raw and as your knowledge and comfort level increases, ease into making your own raw food. So based on that, here are my two cents.
For question 1. don’t worry about not being a canine nutritionist. If you can figure out how to feed yourself and/or your human kids a healthy diet, you can do it for your dogs. Sure, it’s harder than feeding kibble, but if you’re committed to learning about it anyone can figure it out (I did). Dog nutrition isn’t as scary and mysterious as pet food companies (and even some vets) would have you believe. It can be fairly straightforward. As someone else already mentioned, the Yahoo Raw Feeeding group is an incredible resource with a lot of archived info and active members ready to help. They know way more than I do so seek them out
For what it’s worth, the style of raw-feeding I try to emulate is “prey model”, but that is not the only style and I don’t presume to insist that it’s the best. Whatever gets your dog healthy, happy, and ear-infection-free is the best (for you).
Question 2. Raw isn’t cheap, but there are things you can do to mitigate the costs. Invest in a chest freezer if space allows, and take advantage of sales, raw feeding supplier group deals, learn which markets have various cuts of meat for cheap… etc (I do a lot of shopping in my local Chinese and Portuguese shops as they have great prices. Would I love to feed only organic, free-range meat to my pets? Of course I would, but cost doesn’t allow that for me. I’m still head and shoulders above feeding cheap kibble so I’m comfortable with that). If you start calculating the cost per meal of raw vs. cheap kibble vs. super-premium kibble you will probably find raw costs much less than premium kibble, especially as you find the best deals.
Question 3. Most vets don’t recommend a raw diet, and most vets sell kibble and canned food, so to me there is less incentive to support raw since they don’t sell it to you! Not a lot of vets are experts in dog nutrition. If you do your own research in time you will be at least as knowledgeable as your vet, maybe more so. While I expect my family doctor to know the basics about nutrition and exercise, I really go to him for my medical needs and I seek my in-depth nutrition information elsewhere as it’s not his area of expertise. I feel the same way about vets and animal nutrition. As long as your vet isn’t fighting you about it, don’t worry about it.
Jen says:
Hi Sherry! Thank for joining in on the discussion and for your great feedback! It sounds like you really have a great feeding program going with your dogs and cats and they are doing great with it!
After reading and learning a bit more, the prey model doesn’t seem like it would work well for us, maybe in the future but for me at least I think it would take awhile to implement this in our house, but I could be wrong.
One of thing that I wonder after reading everyone’s comments is the quality of the raw meat that is being fed. How do you keep track of that when getting the diets from a variety of suppliers? Is it an issue?
As far as vets and nutrition, at least with the vets I know, I defintley agree that they lack knowledge in nutrition and in times like this it really stinks.
Sherry says:
If prey-model doesn’t work for you, don’t do it. It should be reasonably easy for you to feed your dogs, so if it’s all uphill for you to do it prey-model then find a better way for you. There are other methods of raw-feeding but since I have pretty much only fed prey-model I don’t know a lot about them. Do you know any Newfie breeders and what they feed their dogs? That can be another great expert source, since they raise generations of dogs many of them have a lot of nutrition knowledge.
As to quality of meat, I suppose that is or can be an issue… But there are so many diet details to consider one can go crazy. I eventually took a deep breath and quit worrying about it, but it took me a couple of years to get there. “Analysis paralysis” and all that LOL.
Anyway good luck on your journey! Since you’re researching on your own you’re already well on your way to finding what’s best for you and your dogs (lucky doggies!)
Sherry says:
Another thought. While I think raw feeding is the best, that’s only my opinion. If raw is not something you want to get into, have you considered home-made COOKED food? That may be less freaky to your vet, and you get the ingredient control and quality that may help your dog get over his ear infections. But that may be a topic for a whole ‘nother post.
Jen says:
LOL. You may have been reading my mind here. A homemade cooked diet is an option also, it may not be as good as raw but it might be easier to transition to in the very near future as I learn more about raw.
We’ll have to talk about that too:)
Oz the Terrier says:
Gosh, so many are feeding raw or contemplating raw. We have been considering raw for Oz lately; his allergies never seem to fully go away no matter what kibble we feed him. I’ve been doing research but it feels so daunting. I have been one of those people who was afraid of raw, thinking that Oz wouldn’t tolerate it,get sick etc. However, I just recently gave him a beef bone from the butcher to see if he would eat it and how he would feel afterwards. He LOVED it and didn’t get sick. I appreciate all the other comments on this post giving guidance and recommendations on raw diets. Keep us posted on your raw adventures, please.
Gina
Jen says:
Hi Gina!
So sorry to read that Oz has allergy issues. I’m with you with the raw diet which is why decided to reach out and see if I could learn more about it from others.
I am so grateful that so many people joined in on the discussion and I will keep you updated!
Kristine says:
Wow, did you expect this kind of response? Food always seems to get a visceral reaction from people. In my opinion, it is such a personal choice and what is right for me and my dog is probably not right for you and yours. I hope you have found a lot of helpful advice here. No doubt if I was in your situation I’d be pulling my hair out!
Right now I feed kibble and supplement with Honest Kitchen or homemade. I don’t feed raw because it is expensive and because we have a wee freezer. I would love to one day be able to make all of my dog’s meals but let’s face it, I barely make meals for myself. I also would be scared at not getting the proportions right and would have to do a ton of research before making such a big switch. The kibble we feed right now works for us just fine so I see no reason to change it up at the moment.
Good luck in your research! I hope you find something that all your dogs can enjoy and doesn’t decimate your bank balance.
Jen says:
I hoped for this kind of response because I knew that there are a lot of people who have great success with feeding raw and feel very strongly about it.
I have found great advice here along with great resources and I’ll continue to research it. I am very intrigues about the raw diet, but still unsure at this point if we could introduce it here.
Thanks for joining in on the discussion Kristine, it seems like there are quite a few who use Honest Kitchen. A good place to start, maybe?
Daisy says:
I, Daisy, was on a raw diet until Bella came along. She was in great condition and came with some kibble. So SHE decided it would be easier to go that way. I, Daisy, started itching and shaking my ears, so we tried several kibbles. Canidae Salmon was the way to go for us until Roxy who just wouldn’t eat it. So we’ve looked for other stuff. We have now found a very expensive $99 for 20kg food that we all like. BUT we’re small dogs so it lasts for ages. Good luck.
XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy
Kolchak, Felix & Jodi says:
It’s no secret that the Kol’s Notes dogs are raw fed. We ended up embracing it due to Felix’s crazy allergies and the fact that no commercial food really worked for us either. (A rotation diet, avoiding 6 ingredients, that has to be switched out at least every 30 days?? Darn near impossible. Home cooking every day? Not on my top 10 list of fun things to do, though we did it for quite a while while I wrapped my head around the raw dilemma. It was IMHO much more difficult for me to balance the cooked diet, than I have with the raw diet.)
I was just as nervous as you before I started and I came around after my nutrition professor helped me embrace a couple things:
1. Raw is not meant to be fed the exact same thing every single day. If you look at any one day of the diet, it will look unbalanced. Like a human diet, it’s meant to be balanced over time. This means ensuring a wide variety of ingredients are used. Ideal for an allergic dog.
2. In the dog’s she had seen, the only ones who got sick were from homes that hadn’t really embraced raw as a lifestyle (ie. They were still feeding treats with grains, occasionally subbing in kibble etc.) Raw meat is digested at a faster rate than grains, so it usually exits the other end before it makes dogs sick. If there’s grain/kibble in the belly, the meat juice and bacteria gets soaked up and sits in the gut way too long. That’s where the risks come in. Like any raw food, bowls have to be washed with hot soap water, counters/floors should be disinfected (we use oil of oregano) and the raw product has to be treated with respect.
I won’t white wash it though: It’s pricey. Really pricey. We bought a deep freeze so I could stock up when the sales hit, which helped a lot, but in 2010, Felix accrued upwards of $7000 in vet bills (all allergy related) & a high end kibble bill of $1000 or so. Vet bills for 2012? $150 for basic check up & titers, no allergy appointments and $1500 for his food. I came out WAY WAY WAY ahead, in my opinion – and my dog is incredibly healthier.
I’m always happy to woof with you if you have questions that don’t get answered or if you’re curious about anything! It is really daunting at first – probably doubly so for you since you work for your vet, but it can reap huge rewards for a lot of dogs with chronic allergies.
Jen says:
Thanks for joining in on the discussion Jodi! I appreciate your expertise in this subject!
I think the more I learn the more it is hard for me to grasp this because it goes against a lot of what I have been taught in the vet world. I just have so many questions about so many areas of it, but…….I am keeping an open mind and really trying to think what is best for Leroy in the long run which is why I am looking into this. So many people who have had dogs with chronic allergies have had such a success with this diet!
I’m sure I will be woofing with you soon!
Finn says:
We don’t do the raw diet. Like you, I am convinced that it will be too expensive and quite frankly, I don’t really have the time. It is much easier for me to scoop the kibble and serve it. I hope Leroy’s ear gets better and I will be curious to see which route you decide.
Jen says:
Thanks Finn. I think it all depends on what works for the invididual, like you said!
Dachshund Nola and her Mom says:
I don’t feed raw, but I do feed home cooked. I don’t feed raw because:
Raw meat grosses me out.
The idea of raw meat on my dogs’ face, paws and mouth and then touching me is gross.
I don’t think it’s a good option for us.
My vet isn’t fond of it.
I think dogs are too far evolved from wolves to feed a 100% meat diet.
MAYBE if I had my own animals I raised and knew how they were fed and cared and how they were handled after slaughtering, I might feed raw.
Jen says:
I knew you did your own food but I couldn’t remember if it was raw or a cooked diet.
Thank you for your honest response, I’m not a fan of certain raw meat either. Things like the trachea and other parts make me wonder if I could do this.
Karen Friesecke says:
I tried raw with Jersey and she liked it but didn’t *love* it. When I put down a raw turkey neck next to her home cooked food, she went to the home cooked food first, so problem solved.
I’m not a fan of raw for a number of reasons. Feeding time is rather unhygienic and for 6 months of the year I would have to feed the dogs inside. While Jersey is a careful bone chewer, a lot of dogs are not and get broken teeth or swallow large chunks of bone whole which means a trip to the vet. I don’t have confidence in our food supply chain when it comes to bacterial contamination and the only raw that very rarely feed is from venison that my family killed and butchered. I know exactly where it came from and I know exactly how it was butchered. When I fed the raw chicken necks, it kind of freaked me out. Right after the dogs eat, they want to play with their toys. So possible salmonella, listeria or campylobacter transfer to the toys then to my hands isn’t cool since I have Lupus and am immunocompromised.
Jen says:
Several things you said here really made me think.
Leroy’s normally a picky eater, he may or may like the idea of raw food. I know he isn’t a fan when I switch things up. I think he would love it or hate!
As far as the bone chewing goes, I feel that Sherman might be one of the ones who swallows big chunks and breaks teeth-I just think this from past experiences.
I can understand the hesistation with you having Lupus and the contamination point, not a risk worth taking in my opinion!
bichonpawz says:
I switched quite awhile ago to home cooking for the girlz. In fact, I think it is a good idea to get input … great idea for a blog post! While I realize that it is much different for a newf than it is for a bichon…I was amazed at how much the girlz look forward to eating now!! I have also noticed small differences…like flatulence…has disappeared. I am interested in reading more about what you decide to do with Leroy and Sherman…but based on what I have already read, it sounds like it would be very expensive to go raw. I, too, have lupus and other immune diseases…and couldn’t do the whole raw thing. Good luck!
Jen says:
Thanks for joining in Jeanne! I didn’t realize you fed the girls a home-cooked diet. Glad to hear that they are doing well with it!
Jana Rade says:
I don’t feed a raw diet, but not because I think it’s a bad idea. It just seems a bad idea for Jasmine–all her vets seems to agree that home-cooked is the best option for her, including the integrative ones.
Otherwise, I’m quite sure I’d at least experiment with feeding raw.
I actually do mix some raw ingredients into the home-cooked (e.g. parsley, cranberries, blueberries, celery …)
If I was to feed raw, I think I’d prepare it myself, at least some of the time. Up here, we have a supplement for home-prepared food, both for cooked and raw (www.completeandbalanced.com). I don’t think it’s available in the States yet. You guys seem to have http://www.balanceIT.com.
Jen says:
Do they think it’s a bad idea because of Jasime’s health issues? Would you say that she needs more control over what goes into her body?
Thanks for the link!
Victoria Kichler says:
Currently applying to vet school, and two years as a vet tech with a special interest in nutrition. I’d love to answer any questions. I previously fed commercial raw, kibbles like acana, and now do a home cooked diet.
Jen says:
Hi Victoria, thanks for joining in on the discussion and best of lcuk in vet school! I welcome any feedback you have on the subject and your experiences with the different diets you have tried!
Victoria Elise Kichler says:
Thank you Jen!
I was really happy feeding commercial raw to my dogs, particularly Nature’s Variety and Primal. Now however, my little one has been diagnosed with congenital liver failure and must be on a very strict low protein diet. So I have to cook for her. I think that’s the important thing to note, raw is great for many dogs, but those with immune deficiencies should not have it despite the safety levels of the product.
Jen says:
Aw, I’m so sorry to read about your little one. You are very right that raw may be great for some and not for others. I always say every dog is different and needs to be treated as such!
RumpyDog! says:
I don’t feed a raw diet, but I DO supplement with Honest Kitchen dehydrated, which is close to raw but not quite. my reasons were not for health but because many of the options they offer use animals that were humanely raised, and that is important to me. I don’t know if they have anything that will meet your special protein requirements though. As an aside, both dogs LOVE the food, and Rumpy has never loved dog food like he does this food.
Jen says:
Hi Rumpy!
Glad to hear that Honest Kitchen has worked well for you and meets your requirements. That is so important! Leroy has never been quite food motivated either and somedays turns his nose up at his food so I really would love to find something that he can’t resist!
Sam says:
We tried raw earlier this year because Monty is always on the thin side – he is so particular about what he eats and often doesn’t eat a food for more than three-four days. Both our boys were disgusted by the raw food. We ended up have to cook Monty’s portion, or let it go to waste. We did find out Sam likes fish – so he gets a few anchovies every week.
What we do now is start with kibble (right now Monty is eating Purina Pro Plan – so we are feeding that, last week it was a high end brand), than add cooked chicken, rice and scrambled egg on top. It seems to work – I realize it isn’t raw, but we can’t take a chance with Monty losing any weight. He is borderline too thin.
Sam
Jen says:
Hi Sam! Thanks for joining in on the discssion and sharing the type of diet you feed. Glad that you have found something that keeps Monty interested in eating and hope that continues!
Bebe says:
I do the raw diet…BUT there is a guy we insure that makes it all up into nice little 1lb block cubes that I just freeze, thaw then feed. It is a must for Broo since his is epileptic and it seems almost all kibbles bring on siezures. He goes about 6 months without one when he is on the raw diet.
Jen says:
Oh wow, I’m sorry to hear about Broo, I didn’t know that. Glad that you have a diet that cuts down on the seizures and that you have someone you can trust with it!
Lisa says:
I’ve followed and enjoyed your blog but never commented before. I also have a Newf…black not brown. Maverick is just over 2 years old and we’ve had a horrible time with him health wise. Anyways, reading about the chronic ear infections made me wonder if you’ve had his thyroid levels tested? Low thyroid can reveal itself in many ways but chronic ear infections is one, I believe. Maverick is on thyroid replacement after discovering he had extremely low thyroid before he turned 2. He only had one bad ear infection and it was not the reason we tested his thyroid but in hindsight it may have been an early sign.
Jen says:
Hi Lisa, thanks for joining in on the discussion and fro being a reader!
I’m sorry to hear about Maverick’s health issues, it’s never easy with these guys when they get ill. Sorry to hear about his hypothyroidism at such an early age.
Thanks for mentioning the thyroid. I usually have bloodwork run on both the Newfs at least once a year, sometimes 2-3 times depending on what is going on with them. I have had Sherman’s thyroid checked and verified more than once and Leroy’s was checked a few months ago-just as a routine check. (one of the perk of working at a vets:) both of their thyroid levels couldn’t be more perfect at this time, right smack in the middle! I always try to keep my eye on their levels because I know it be the cause of so many other health issues and so far so good!
Thanks again for joining in and hugs to Maverick!
suzy charto says:
I can’t keep up but I noticed your comment about worrying if you change food. In my limited experience it is the dogs that just get kibble that get sick if there is any change in their diet. If you only had cream of wheat and suddenly ate a steak you would get sick too. My dog gets everything – if we go out for ice cream she gets one too. So since she is always getting different things she very rarely get the runs. I don’t worry about contamination she eats and her bowl goes in the dishwasher. No worries
Jen says:
Hi Suzy!
I know right? It has been drilled into my brain that changing up a dogs food will result in a dog getting sick, but you are right, that is when they are fed kibble. Working at a vet clinic a lot of things get drilled into my head when you hear it over and over gain and see it happen all the time.
I’m not so much worried about the contamination of the bowls, I can wash those. It’s the contamination that could comes from their mouths.
Kolchak, Felix & Jodi says:
I agree 110% with Suzy. My dogs are CONSTANTLY getting different foods and we almost never have tummy troubles. Even for people on kibble, I recommend rotation diets to try to solve that issue and lots of fresh “add ins”. It’s not only healthier for your dog, it can save you if your pet food makes a formula change or is suddenly unavailable.
Jen says:
Good points Jodi! i have to admit that it does make a little nervous with Leroy because when we have switched up his food in the past it has led to explosive diarrhea, even when we have done it gradual and sometimes even when we add in something like turkey in small amounts.
Sam says:
I just saw that Cat posted this article on her blog, and thought you might find it – and the rest of her blog – of some use to you as you consider raw feeding http://thepossiblecanine.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/last-article-for-the-bark-myths-and-misperceptions-about-home-feeding/
Jen says:
Thank you, thank you and thank you! Great article!
SUGAR: Golden Woofs says:
Woof! Woof! I suffer from allergies (until now). Raw diets was not option to cure my allergies. We were told by our vet it might get worst. It’s been years (years) mom did lots of trial n error. I east Orijen which is the same company that makes Acana (I think?). Interesting for me the fish formula works well. I only get grains from mom’s treats and when I’m sick I get to eat rice. It’s hard and what mom learned every dog got different results so just have to try it. Good Luck! Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar
Jen says:
Hi Sugar! Sorry to read about your allergies and that raw isn’t an option for you as it sounds like it is for many others. Glad that Orijen works well, we started with that but then went to the Acana because it seemed a bit too rich for Sherman.
Karen says:
I am late to the discussion but I wanted to put my two cents in anyway. Pearl has struggled with allergies and chronic stomach issues almost since we got her. We couldn’t get her to gain weight and tried everything, avoiding fish, avoiding poultry, grain free, no dairy, raw, etc. etc. We tried very expensive limited ingredient kibble. As a last resort we put her on a vegan kibble called v-dog. Since then she has gained a much needed 10 lbs, her coat is shiny, she has solid stools, and way less itching. I get a ton of grief from many people for feeding her a vegan diet, but honestly it works and no one can argue with how healthy she looks (so tired of the argument that a dog would rather eat a steak than a carrot, therefore its unnatural to take meat out of their diet… Pearl would rather eat roadkill mixed with trash than anything and of course that doesn’t mean its healthy for her). My vet is ok with it but not thrilled. My advice from experience is that info from others is good but YOU know best how your dog is feeling and what is working. Don’t get sucked in by the raw advocates. It may work fantastic for you, but it may not. Raw diets are not a miracle cure for everything. If it is feasible, try it. If not, don’t feel guilty about it.
Jen says:
Hi Karen!
Thanks for joining the discussion and for your experience. I’m sorry to read about Pearl’s allergies. I can understand how frustrating it must of been to find a food that worked for her, but so glad to hear that vegan diet is working and she is doing much better. I couldn’t agree more that every dog is different and what works for some may not work for others. Raw is an option I’m considering right now and a subject that interests me, if it would work for Leroy at this point, I’m not sure. Right now we are in the process of switching him to a different food in kibble form and we’ll see how that works, I have a few other ideas in mind but I want to see if it really is an issue with the fish. I really just want his ears to get better!
Pingback/Trackback
Ear Infections in Dogs and How to Property Clean a Dog's Ears
Pingback/Trackback
Ear Infections in Dogs and How to Property Clean a Dog’s Ears | Dogford Dog Park Community
Pingback/Trackback
Ear Infections in Dogs and How to Property Clean a Dog’s Ears | The Pet Blog