We took sluggo to the vet today for his shots. At 14 weeks he weighs 27 lbs The vet tech told us that he is a little under weight . But it's hard for me to really trust their opinions on weight and diets because they try to sell us science diet.
Can someone please help with this? How much does or did your dog weigh at this age?
It is very hard to go by age and weight as all of these dogs grow at different rates. At my mastiffs (Chowder) 3 month appointment the vet said he could put on a few lbs. She said she wanted him lean for bone/ joint/ligament and overall health, but she would feel better if he had a little more muscle/ fat cover. She determined this not based on his weight but on his appearance. Not only could you feel his ribs, you could see many/most of them. In addition, bony prominences were visible on each side of his tail (upper part of pelvis??? need to brush up on dog anatomy). As I'm reading this, it sounds like he was skin and bones. He was not, but I knew he needed to gain some. I over fed my first mastiff and had multiple orthopedic problems related to genetics and weight; the second was lost to bloat (you can read my other posts). Sooo, I was afraid to feed Chowder more. He was eating about 7 cups of Solid Gold Wolf cub a day (I think this is a great food but it is just not what I needed at that time); I could not get ahead. He was gaining weight but was getting taller and very active. He has a very high metabolic rate.....have not known to many mastiffs that do. Well, If you have seen my other posts @ 4 months of age he ate a 12 inch squishy toy and had to have intestinal surgery. I sure wish he would have had some extra weight on; when I brought him home I could have been turned into the animal police. I switched to a food with about 500+ cals/cup vs. the 375; we now have a little layer of fat over ribs and pelvis.......Yeah. I guess I could have said this: If you can see his ribs and he has a very prominent abdominal tuck, probably needs some extra weight on. If your vets office recommended weight gain, the pup probably needs to. Vets are very careful with animal weight as obesity is so detrimental. It is my experience that vets rarely recommend a giant breed needs to be at a heavier weight; when they do it is probably good advice (even though they recommend science diet).
Well to me he could use a bit more weight. He is on Eagle pack holistic giant puppy food. He doesn't seem to love it but he eats it. He's only been on it for about 2 weeks, maybe he needs a couple more weeks until he really gets used to the food.
I am looking for some advice on my situation with our boy Oakland. He is 18 months and about 170 lbs. He is in great shape and has only had one issue that has been with us since he was 8 weeks old. He cannot seem to maintain good poop. We had him on several different kibble when he was very young to try and find the right one for him, we finally got him on Timberwolf Bison and he was good (not perfect, still soft and sometime runny poop) up until a month ago. He started to have very loose poop, we found out Timberwolf has changed manufacturers and not only did the price go up, but the food smells different and has changed. Oakland did not take well to the change. We kept him on it for a week to see if he would get used to it, but his poop just got worse.
We took him off and fed him pumpkin and rice for three days to let his stomach rest (he is allergic to chicken or we would have put some in there as well). As soon as he was on that for a day his poop was perfect. But when we went to slowly re-introduce the kibble it went bad right away.
We decided to try raw, we went to a specialist store here in Vancouver Canada and they started him on a beef, veggie, green tripe mix (1200-1500 grams a day) and gave us crushed bison bone to add in with the Prozyme digestive supplement he has been on for a long time and has helped.
He has been on this for two days now, Oakland loves the food, but has become sluggish (which I know can happen when you make the change) and his poop has been pretty much 100% liquid for two days. He does not poop as often but I am worried about dehydration and how long this might last until we see some improvement.
We are willing to add the costs of raw food if it is what is right for him, but I do not want him to suffer or be in discomfort.
Any advice is greatly appreciated, our options left are to try him on a food called NRG that was recommended by another mastiff owner and works well for them as well as trying to get him back on kibble, we are looking at Eagle Pack Holistic (the one with only fish and oatmeal).
Question: How do you know he's allergic to chicken? Did you have him tested for that by a Vet?
It just seems to me that today they are adding so many different ingredients (some of the ingredients are a mystery that it's very difficult to isolate what ingredient the dog is actually allergic to. So that's why I'm asking that specific question.
He was fed chicken based kibble and did not do well, then we were advised to put him on rice, chicken and pumpkin with his first bout of diarhea and he got very sick (vomitted a number of times and had worse diarhea). As soon as the chicken was removed he was fine. The vet said that he does not react well to chicken so stay away from it as well as lamb.
since you have a pup with allergies (health problem) due to food, why don't you start a new thread under "Help or Raw Foods"....you have a better chance of someone who is more knowledgable in feeding raw seeing your post.
I feed EP Holistic Large/Giant Breed Adult (which is Chicken based). So it wouldn't be good for your boy.
When you need to feed rice to soothe his tummy have you thought of adding real (not non-fat) cottage cheese to it for protein? I do that for upset stomach for my girl.
I feed my dogs Purina ProPlan Lamb and Rice. They really seem to do well on it. they have decreased the size of the bag some. Also they changed to shredded blend, so instead of just kibble, they have shredded pieces. My dog's love it. Also, I didn't know if you knew but if you have multiple dogs you can join the Purina Pro Club and save the weight circles off the bag and once you get enough they send you (10) 7 dollar checks. then you can get $7 off each bag of dog food you buy. However, I think everyone has their own opinion about dog food. I remember asking a handful of people whats the best, and each told me something different.. But I have found that my dogs do great on Purina ProPlan.
We used to feed Bailey Canidae but since they changed their formula we switched over to EPH giant breed. He was very gassy on Canidae w/ runny stools. Now on EPH for a few months, he's less gassy but still has chronic loose stools. Very frustrating.
Robin-haha we just did the opposite. We switched him from ep holistic to canidae. Eagle pack was a great food, he just seemed to go up to it, sniff it and walk away. He seemed a bit skinny, and we gave him a canidae sample and he loved it.
Im not saying he wont get gas though. It's only been 1 day. If he has any probs I will switch him right back to ep. He just seems to like the taste of canidae a bit more.
They both seem like great foods to me. We will just see how he reacts to it.
Well, we recently transitioned Bailey from EPH to Innova's EVO and what a difference! Minimal gas and finally - solid stools!! Occasionally he still gnaws a little on his paws but I wonder sometimes if it's just boredom?? Only issue left w/ him is his ears. Does anyone else have chronic ear infections and how are you treating them? I think it's just yeast but what the heck is causing it?! I thought diet-related but his ears are still bothering him although not as much since introducing the EVO. Maybe we just need a little more time since it hasn't been quite a month. Grainless seems to be the way to go if you can't or don't want to feed raw.
For yeasty ears, try giving about 2 tbsp of all natural unsweetened yogurt twice a day. I use Brown Cow or Mountain High brands, plain. Make sure to use unsweetened as sugars promote yeast.
I have also seen good results with Caprylic Acid - this is a supplement that combats yeast/fungus. It was recommended by a vet as a part of a supplement program for treating valley fever, but the added benefit is it seems to clean up yeasty ears.
Adding fresh, uncooked veggies to the diet can also help to balance ph levels in the body, creating a less attractive environment for yeast.
Robin- Sluggo seems like he's doing better on Canidae. He actually eats more and is growing good. Thats good you tried the Evo and it's working. You should stick with it until you have a reason to change. That seems to be a good food.
Nick
Mydog8it: thanks much for the suggestions! It was such an obvious observation but I overlooked that aspect. While isolating his diet over the past two months, we've restricted it to the point that his meals have become imbalanced. Will definitely resume the fresh veggies and try the unsweetened yogurt!
Sluggo: good news for you and the Canidae. Yes, we are definitely going to stick w/ the Evo for the long-term. If it works, don't fix it, right?!
Hi - Just joined. I have a 10 week old English Mastiff. She's currently about 22 lbs and very active and healthy. I've been feeding her Innova Large Breed Puppy. Protein is 24% and fat is 12% which seems to be in line with what most people suggest for mastiff puppies.
<< I'm going to have to edit my avatar pic. It's stretched and makes her look fat!
I was wondering if anyone feeds north atlantic salmon and rice formula by eukanuba. One of my females has hot spots. she is 2 years old. when we first got her she was on purina after a few months we switched her to nutro. again after about 6 months started to get hot spots. looking to try somthing new!!!! should I try euk? Thanks Trish
__________________ -TRISH
"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face" ~Ben Williams
I have Layla on Nutro Large breed adult. She likes it and there is nothing wrong with her stools or anything like that. But I have read a lot on Eagle Pack. I don't know what to do. Since she is fine with Nutro, should i just leave her on the food?
We feed our 2 Mastiffs something called Red Flannel, Prime Formula. We get it at a local feed store, has anyone heard of this? We have fed it to them pretty much since they were 6 months. In your opinion, do you think the Eagle Pack Holistic would be better? Here is the info on the food we use:
Crude Protein, min. 26% Crude Fat, min. 18% Crude Fiber, max. 3% Moisture, max. 10% Calcium, min. 1% Phosphorus, min. 80% Zinc 125mg Vitamin A, min. 10IU/KG Vitamin E, 80IU/KG Omega 6 Fatty Acids, min. 3% Omega 3 Fatty Acids, min 300mg Glucosomine, min. 300mg
We have seen pics of other English Mastiffs around 1 1/2 years old, and we think our dogs are a little on the small side so we want to make sure we are doing right by their food! We want them to be as they can be. Thanks!
Hi all I have Chaos (aka little monster) He is 15 weeks old, about 45 lbs and very leggy at the moment having just gone through a stretch... We feed him Nutro Natural large breed puppy controlled growth (stipulated by my breeder) He gets about 4 c a day. He loves it and seems very healthy. (He self supplements with pea gravel making for some interesting poo's).
I think he is on the thin side. Definitely visible ribs and waist, but the vet says he should also "tuck" in the abdomen. He said we should feed no more than 2 cups a day, which is a huge difference. What are your thoughts on how thin is healthy?
We feed our girls what they would eat in the wild,Raw uncooked meat and chicken. We don't feed any kind of dog food. We never have any health issues,and our dogs are in great health. None of the problems that alot of dog owner complain about such as alergies. And there are so many benefits to feeding them this way.... smaller stools,whiter teeth,more vitality,better head mussels and so on and so on. WE LOVE IT! If anyone wants to check out our dogs you can see them on http://www.youtube.com/bockbow .
What about salmonella with raw chicken and eggs? It's pretty endemic in the poultry population. I guess this could be generalized to what about pathogens in raw foods because beef and pork also have their issues...... Teri
The link is about Salmonella and digestive systems. But, in short, carnivores are less likely to get it because their digestive systems are much shorter.
I also feed a raw diet and have a HUGE favorites list LOL.
__________________ Jenn
I believe only fools claim to know it all, for learning never ends.
WDJ's Selection Criteria for DRY Food • NOTE For 2009: Nutro's Ultra and Wysong dry foods have been removed. Addiction Foods which was not listed for 2008 is now back on the list for 2009. Wellness Foods and Eagle Pack Foods are now under Wellpet.
• New addition for 2008 was transparency. For the first time, we required each company who, in the past, had a product on our "approved dry dog food" list to divulge, for publication, information about their manufacturing sites. Nine companies either refused to tell us or there was no response to our inquiry. Those 9 have been REMOVED from our current approved list of dry foods.
Dry Food REMOVED from Approved List
• Azmira Holistic Animal Care (Tucson, AZ) - Refused to discuss maker of food • The Blue Buffalo Company (Wilton, CT) - No response to our inquiry • Cloud Star Corporation (San Luis Obispo, CA) - Refused to disclose manufacturing location. • Newman's Own Organics(Aptos, CA) - Refused to disclose manufacturing location • Owen & Mandeville Pet Products (Oxford, CT) - No response to either phone or e-mails • Royal Canin USA, Inc. (St. Charles, MO) - No response to our inquiry • Timberwolf Organics, Inc. (Winderwere, FL) - No response to our inquiry • (Evolve) Triumph Pet Industries, Inc. (Warwick, NY) - No response to our inquiry
• We look for foods that contain a lot of high-quality animal proteins. We'd love manufacturers to disclose the percentage of meat, poultry, or fish in theirfood, but they rarely do, so we look for foods that appear to have lots of animalprotein. Ingredients are listed by weight, so ideally a food will have one or twoanimal proteins in the first few ingredients.
Understand that whole meat (chicken, beef, lamb, etc.) contains a lot of water weight. If a food list starts out with chicken (rather than chicken meal), and there is no other animal protein listed until 7th or 8th on the list, the food does not actually contain a lot of animal protein. But if it starts out with chicken, and chicken meal (or another named animal meal, such as lamb meal) is number two or three on the list, chances are the product contains an admirable amount of animal protein. Animal proteins tend to be more palatable and bioavailable than plant proteins and offer a wider array of essential and nonessential amino acids.
• We reject any food containing meat by-products or poultry by-products. It's just about impossible to ascertain the quality of by-products used by a food manufacturer. We've spoken to representatives who swore they used only the finest sources of by-products, but when asked, they all say that! The fact is, there is a much wider range of quality in the by-products available for pet food manufacturing than there is for whole meats. Whole meats are expensive, and because they are expensive, dog food makers insist on their quality to an extent that is unreasonable when buying bargain-basement by-products. So we advise that you just avoid foods that contain by-products.
• We reject foods containing fat or protein not identified by species. "Animal fat" is a euphemism for a low-quality, low-priced mix of fats of uncertain origin. "Meat meal" could be practically anything.
• We look for whole grains and vegetables. That said, some grains and vegetables have valuable constituents that accomplish specific tasks in a dog food formula. We don't get too excited about one vegetable fragment and one grain byproduct on the ingredients panel. Our tolerance diminishes in direct proportion to the number of fragments and by-products contained in a food and the prominence on a label; the more there are, and/or the higher they appear on the ingredients list, the lower-quality the food.
• We eliminate all foods with artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives listed on their ingredients panels. A healthy product full of top-quality ingredients shouldn't need non-nutritive additives to make it look or taste better. And plenty of good natural preservatives (such as rosemary, and vitamins A and C) can be used instead.
• We eliminate all foods with added sweeteners. Dogs, like people, enjoy sweet foods. Like people, they can develop a taste for these nutritionally empty calories.
• We look for products containing organic ingredients. That's a no-brainer.
Addiction Foods ~ New Zealand • Viva La Venison made by Pied Piper Pet & Wildlife, Hamlin, TX • Salmon Bleu made by Taplow Ventures, Vancouver, British Columbia
Artemis Pet Foods ~ North Hollywood, CA • Fresh Mix made by Diamond Pet Products, Lathrop, CA • Osopure made by Diamond Pet Products, Lathrop, CA • Natural 6 Mix made by Eagle Pack Pet Products, Mishawaka, IN • Power Formula made by Eagle Pack Pet Products, Mishawaka, IN
Back to Basics ~ Syracuse, New York • Back to Basics Honesty made by CJ Foods, Pawnee City, NE
Bench and Field Pet Foods ~ Mishawaka, IN • Bench & Field Holistic made by Eagle Pack Pet Products, Mishawaka, IN
Breeder's Choice Pet Food ~ Irwindale, CA NOTE: All Breeder's Choice formulas are made at their plant in Irwindale, CA • Pinnacle Holistic • Active Care • Advanced Pet Diets Select Choice • AvoDerm Natural • AvoDerm Natural Original Oven-Baked • Health Food for Dogs
Burns Pet Nutrition ~ Valparaiso, IN • Chicken and Brown Rice made by CJ Foods, Bern, KS • Ocean Fish and Brown Rice made by CJ Foods, Bern, KS
By Nature ~ Londonderry, NH • By Nature made by Blue Seal's plant in Arcade, NY • By Nature Organics made by Chenango Valley Pet Foods, Sherburne, NY
Canidae Corp ~ San Luis Obispo, CA NOTE: All Canidae formulas are made by Diamond Pet Foods, Lathrop CA, Meta, MO, Gaston, SC • Canidae All Life Stages ~ Lamb/Rice, Chicken/Rice, Beef/Ocean Fish, Grain Free • Canidae Platinum
Castor & Pollux Pet Works ~ Clackamas, OR • Organix Organic made by CJ Foods, Bern, KS • Natural Ultramix made by CJ Foods, Bern, KS
Canine Caviar Pet Foods ~ Costa Mesa, CA • Canine Caviar made by Pied Piper Pet Food, Hamlin, TX
Della Natura Commodities ~ Bayside, NY • Wenaewe made by Erro S.A, Uruguay
Diamond Pet Products ~ Meta, MO NOTE: All of Diamond Pet dry dog foods are made at Lathrop, CA - Meta, MO - Gaston, SC • Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul • Premium Edge • Professional Pet Food • Taste of the Wild
Drs. Foster & Smith ~ Rhinelander, WI • Drs Foster & Smith Adult Dog made by Chenango Valley Pet Foods, Sherburne, NY
**+* Van Patten's Natural Balance ~ Pacoima, CA • Natual Balance Organic made by Chenango Valley Pet Foods, Sherburne, NY NOTE: Natural Balance other dry formulas made by Diamond Pet foods, Meta, MO • Natural Balance Original Ultra • Natural Balance Limited Ingredience Diets
Dogswell, LLC ~ Los Angeles, CA • Vitality made by Tuffy's Pet Foods, Perham, MN • Happy Hips made by Tuffy's Pet Foods, Perham, MN
Evanger's Dog & Cat Food Co. ~ Wheeling, ILL • Pheasant & Brown Rice made by Fromm Family foods, Mequon, WI • Chicken & Brown Rice made by Ohio Pet foods, Lisbon, OH
Fromm Family Foods ~ Mequon, WI NOTE: All Fromm's dry foods made at their own plant in Mequon, WI • Four-Star Entrees • Gold Nutritionals • Classics
KLN Enterprises ~ Perham, MN NOTE: All foods made at their plant Tuffy's Pet Foods/KLN Enterprises in Perham, MN • NutriSource • Natural Planet Organics • PureVita
Life4K9 Pet food Corp ~ Dawsonville, GA NOTE: All foods made by Bio Biscuit, Quebec, Canada • Chicken & Barley • Lamb & Barley
Lincoln Biotech ~ East Bend, NC • Zinpro made by Chenango Valley Pet Foods, Sherburne, NY
Merrick Pet Care ~ Amarillo, TX NOTE: All Merrick dog foods made at their plant in Hereford, TX • Cowboy Cookout • Grammy's Pot Pie • Puppy Plate • Senior Medley • Turducken • Wilderness Blend • Campfire Trout Feast
Natura Pet Products ~ Santa Clara, CA • Innova made at their own plant in Fremont, NE • California Natural made at their own plant in Fremont, NE • HealthWise made at their own plant in Fremont, NE • EVO made at their own plant in Fremont, NE • Karma Organic made at their own plant in San Leandro, CA
Nature's Variety ~ Lincoln, NE • Prairie made by Pied Piper Mills, Hamlin, TX • Instinct Grain-Free made by Pied Piper Mills, Hamlin, TX
Petcurean Pet Nutrition ~ Chilliwack, British Columbia NOTE: All foods made by Elmira Pet Products, Elmira, Ontario, Canada • Go! Natural • Now! Grain-Free • Summit
Perfect Health Diet Products ~ Elmsford, NY • PHD Viand made by Chenango Valley Pet Foods, Sherburne, NY
Pet Chief Express, Inc ~ New Westminster, BC • Salmon & Potato made by Champion Pet Foods, Ltd, Morinville, Alberta, Canada
Peton Distributors ~ Langhorne, PA • Performatrin Ultra made by Chenango Valley Pet Foods, Sherburne, NY
Precise Pet Products ~ Nacogdoches, TX • Precise Plus made by Texas Farm Products, Nacogdoches, TX NOTE: Food made on production lines dedicated to Precise products.
SmartPak ~ Plymouth, MA • LiveSmart foods made by Chenango Valley Pet foods, Sherburne, NY
Solid Gold Health Products ~ El Cajon, CA NOTE: All dry foods made by Diamond Pet Products, Lathrop, CA and Meta, MO • MMillennia Beef and Barley • Hund-n-Flocken • Holistic Blendz • Just a Wee Bit • WolfKing Adult • WolfCub Puppy • Barking at the Moon
Taplow Feeds ~ North Vancouver, BC • FirstMate Grain-Free made at their plant in Chilliwack, BC, Canada • FirstMate Classic made at their plant in Chilliwack, BC, Canada
VeRUS Pet Foods, Imc. ~ Abingdon, MD • Life Advantage made by Eagle Pack Pet Foods, Mishawaka, IN. • Advanced OptiCoat made by Eagle Pack Pet Foods, Mishawaka, IN. • My Puppy Advantage made by Texas Farm Products, Nacogdoches, TX • Adult Maintenance made by Texas Farm Products, Nacogdoches, TX • Weight Management made by Texas Farm Products, Nacogdoches, TX
Wellpet ~ Tewksbury, MA • Eagle Pack Holistic Select made by Wellpet's plant in Mishawaka, IN NOTE: Wellness foods made by Hagen Pet Foods, Waverly, NY; CJ Foods, Bern, KS; American Nutrition, Inc, Ogden, UT and Diamond Pet Foods, Gaston, SC • Wellness Core • Wellness Simple Food Solutions • Wellness Super5Mix
Hey Guys, I am feeding Spud on pedigree at the moment, is that a good food, the reason I ask is that Pedigree in England, where I am from, is one of the best. Spud loves the stuff, his stools are good, his health is great. Should I change to a different one, or give him something he loves?
Hello people , i have a 10 weeks old mastiff, i feed him ACANA puppy for large breeds.
My question is ,what elese can i give him,becouse some times he refuses to eat.Should i give him soups,or kooked meals?I think that it's good to give him dry food only to have healty tetths.Can I give him fresh vegetables or not?
Tell us more about your puppy in another post, please (we like pictures by the way)!
You can add tons of things in your dog’s food (yogourt, green beans, cheese, chicken, etc….).However, I prefer to find a food they like than to add things in there all the time.
So do you know of anybody who successfully fed this Acana formula during their Mastiff’s growth? I feed Acana Grain Free to my adults but, I think that the Acana formulas are too high in proteins and fat for a Mastiff puppy. So, my puppies are fed with Fromm instead.
Thank you Annie for your quick response.I think he likes his Acana, but he is very smart,and he knows if he will not eat the Acana he will get other things.Sometimes I
am forced to cut one of his meals ,to be hungry enough to eat what he must eat.
My breeder recommended Happy Dog that has less proteins,but he again didn't liked it.
I will search the section where I can present my little bad boy.
I was feeding both my puppy and my older girl Wellness, and they were both having loose stools and lots of gas. It was an expensive dog food at $60 per bag, and it came very well reccomended. We switched to an upscale version of purina, and they were much better.
I post the following because I hadn't seen it anywhere before:
I just spoke with someone here locally about getting supplied with some Eagle Pack.
She said that they are transitioning to a new manufacturer outside the US and as a result they weren't carrying Eagle Pack any more. She said to expect to see it (via the new manufacturer) in places like Petsmart in the not too distant future.
FWIW.
__________________ "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." -- Aristotle
"Never EVER let your books get in the way of you getting a good education." -- my grandfather to me upon leaving for college
"I'm not an expert, self-proclaimed or otherwise." -- GL Whitworth
In a recent taste testing for my beastie, I pulled in a few samples for TotW; he really liked the Pacific Stream formula.
Upon further research however, it appears that TotW will not claim that their fish is Ethoxyquin free (Ethoxyquin has been shown to cause cancer in lab rats).
Now, to be perfectly clear, I haven't found any evidence that the fish i their foods contain any Ethoxyquin ... however, I haven't found any evidence that it does not. And, again, based on what may be inadequate research, the companies that have Ethoxyquin-free fish tout it (and charge for it).
Lastly, TotW has protein / fat levels that may be higher than some would like (at least their High Prairie formula is at 32/18 --- the Pacific Stream formula is only 25/15). Haven't seen any detail on the calcium / phosphorus content on the TotW formulas, though.
...but all that to say, when the TotW samples hit his bowl, they were gone lickety-split!
__________________ "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." -- Aristotle
"Never EVER let your books get in the way of you getting a good education." -- my grandfather to me upon leaving for college
"I'm not an expert, self-proclaimed or otherwise." -- GL Whitworth
On a recommendation, I switched the boys to Eukanuba 30/20 -they initially loved it. They have been on it for about 2 months. I also will poach some chicken to add, or ground turkey, hamburger, etc...... I gave them cooked chicken livers last week too. I sometimes add alittle chicken or beef broth to "moisten' things up - both boys have had extremely runny stools - any thoughts? Could it be the dry? The chicken livers? They aren't ill, no parasites, seems to be diet related. I have heard of adding pumpkin - but how much and/or how often and does that really work. Advice would be appreciated -----thanks!! Terry
I just recently switched mine to Loyall brand dog food. It came reccomended from a friend who raises Great Danes. My dogs seem to do well on it and so have hers. Its endorsed by the AKC. Does anyone else use it?
I will be making the leap to feeding a raw diet for the dogs. I have read a lot and spoke to my breeder and she has been a great help. I would like to know more from anyone who feeds or has fed raw. What must haves should I have stored away in cabinets? I've decided to just switch cold turkey and go for it. I just want to be well prepared. Is there anything I should ask the butcher? I plan to switch over in about a week or two. Any tips are appreciated
Switching over cold turkey is the best way to go, as raw and kibble digest at different rates and require different levels of acidity and one inevitably sits in the stomach while the other is digested. Most people start out on a few weeks of chicken, then add in the red meat, then add in the organ variety. You need at least 2 secreting organs making up 10% of the diet. I use liver and kidney because they are readily available. I personally try to make sure at least 50% of my dogs diet is red meat, because I feel that typically wild canids aren't out there catching birds, though they will scavenge them. But thats a personal choice. I don't add veggies, I feel as though all of my dogs nutrition comes from meat, organ, and bones. Pork is probably the cheapest red meat to feed, but I still go out of my way to feed beef. Ask your butcher what he/she does with the meat that they cannot sell. If they throw it away, ask if there is some way that you can work out a deal to take it off their hands weekly or every few days. Don't just settle for the butcher... The best places to get awesome raw scores are ethnic markets. You can get all sorts of neat stuff for really cheap. I also post on craigslist regularly asking for anybody with freezer burnt meat, or anybody who wants to shoot a deer but doesn't want the meat, and I offer to pay processing fees. Of course, always check out the meat specials at your local supermarket! One day hubby was in there and he took note of the chicken company, went home and called them. Turns out they will sell in bulk to the public. Through them I pay $.24/lb for backs and necks, and $.40-something/lb for leg quarters. We make a monthly order from them, as it's an hour drive, but totally worth it. I think thats all the tips I have... I honestly have a lot of fun with my dogs raw. I have a hard time getting Bam-Bam to eat kidney, so I put some in the blender with liver hoping that the liver would mask the kidney taste and he'd eat it. Well he refused it, so I picked up a leg quarter that had been covered in this "sauce" and handed it to him. He took it in his mouth, spit it out, squinted his eyes, sucked his jowls up and smacked his tongue in what I can only guess is the mastiff version of a "sour face." It was the funniest thing I ever saw. And in case there are any questions as to the benefits... Bam-Bam was 153 lbs at 12 months. At 14 mos, he was still 153lbs, and he had his 1 year check up and had horrible diarrhea and vomiting from the vaccines (and I had taken a very minimalistic approach). This diarrhea and vomiting thing was an ongoing battle the entire time I had him, and the vets just kept pumping him full of junk. I had been considering raw for a while, but wasn't sure about it, however I was finally sick of him being sick all the time. Within 3 raw meals his diarrhea and vomiting were GONE. He's now 17 mos old and just shy of 200lbs. Raw does amazing things.
Thanks for your reply Rebecca. I am a little nervous about the switch but I've not had any luck with kibble. I am so sick of loose stool. Diesel also is itching a lot. My breeder said starting with chicken necks would be good.My issue is chocking. I can deal with a lot of things just not chocking. He will be 6 months next week and was wondering if the necks are big enough for him? Headed to walmart in the morning for vit c,vit e. I have Salmon oil so I'm wondering if all of this should be used when I start or should I just do the chicken then later incorporate vitamins and fish oil?
Originally Posted by DieselBoy Thanks for your reply Rebecca. I am a little nervous about the switch but I've not had any luck with kibble. I am so sick of loose stool. Diesel also is itching a lot. My breeder said starting with chicken necks would be good.My issue is chocking. I can deal with a lot of things just not chocking. He will be 6 months next week and was wondering if the necks are big enough for him? Headed to walmart in the morning for vit c,vit e. I have Salmon oil so I'm wondering if all of this should be used when I start or should I just do the chicken then later incorporate vitamins and fish oil?
I'd wait to incorporate the supplements, but thats just me. Bam-Bam had problems with loose stools too, so I feel you there. I just wish I had been wiser and made the switch sooner. This may be TMI, but his first raw poo was complete liquid, but with one solid little stool in it (I think the liquid was kibble from his breakfast, and the stool was the raw). Then he didn't poop until 2 meals later and it was absolutely perfect. It doesn't happen that fast for everybody, but I was so happy it did for us. Reyna is 6 mos old and necks would not work with her. She'd gulp them down. The choking isn't a problem... It's waking up in the middle of the night to the dog gagging because they need to puke up and rechew the bones. When Reyna was 8 weeks old, I was feeding her cornish game hens, and she still enjoys one now and again, so she's my little raw expert eater. Just hold the necks for Diesel and let him chew them in your hand to teach him to chew. I had to hold leg quarters for Bam-Bam when I switched him because he had no idea how to swallow that thing! The other option is using turkey necks instead of chicken necks, as they are bigger. Make sure you use a good quality probiotic as well!
Hi Rebecca, maybe I will just start off with leg quarters. I will just hold them for him. Thanks for the heads up on the puking and rechewing bones. I will hold off on supplements until I see signs of good things. I hope we have quick results like you but I am prepared to stick this out! Hubby found a freezer on craigslist so we will check that out today and start stocking up. Thanks so much for your help.
Val, Good luck making the switch. My guy has raw for just over a year and is doing great. I do want to warn you to be sure and watch his poops. If there is a lot af very dry poops it is time to add organ. I get raw green tripe from a raw food co-op it is the perfect food! You can also purchase from vendors at dog shows. It stinks to high heaven so you'll never understand your dogs sweet breath? Good job for you-enjoy the health and benefits from a natural diet for your dog.
We are relatively new to dog ownership. We started with Iams large breed puppy. after 1 week he started having ALOT of loose bloody diarrhea. I would definitely not recommend that. We have been slowly transitioning to Nutro large breed puppy formula over the last couple of weeks and he seems to be doing great.
Val check out this yahoo group! http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CarnivoreFeed-Supplier/ You can post on there and ask about a co-op in your area. I wish I had one here, but alas, I'm stuck with what I have. And Bridget is right... Tripe smells like cow poop. It's awful. But the dogs go nuts for it, and I feel it does play an important role in my dog's diet. You can order it canned and it doesn't smell as bad, but I usully buy it frozen in a roll. I'm hoping to get some fresh deer tripe this fall though!
Kingleonitus...Look on the back of your bag of Nutro, at the very bottom of the ingredients list. There will be an ingredient called "menadione sodium bi-sulfite" or "methadione" or "synthetic vitamin K" or "menadione sodium bisulfite complex." Once you've found it, google it. You may be interested in what you read.
that it's very difficult to isolate what ingredient the dog is actually allergic to. So that's why I'm asking that specific question.
