Love your site. Would suggest added a topic in the pets for dogs at least for raw, 'barf', bones natural diets.
Researched this for a long time, tried home cooked and slowly but finally, fully converted our two 7yr old schnauzers...Absolutely amazed at the effects!
Realized that my biggest obstacle was human psychology about 'raw' and 'bones'. Must say the first few tens of times prepping the raw foodstuffs took getting used to and the watching of swallowing of bones well made me hold my breath many times initially! But, once over the prepping, and getting the raw bones to the right size for our kids..... It has been absolutely wonderful for all of us!
1 dog year is said to be 7 human year ratio, so now our in the '50's mid to older age adult dogs look and feel like they are teenagers again!
Wish I had tried sooner... Both had already lost several teeth over the years.... So now stemming that problem and hope to share our good experiences with others!
Cheers
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We just got a Great Pyrenees puppy. He isn't fond of dog food, and neither am I. I figure, when you are insulting food, you call it dog food. Dog food is inferior to people food, why give it to my expensive dog? Cheap dog food is 40cents a pound. I can get quality grains that I feed my family for this price, so I am getting started feeding him some real food. I have been making him oatmeal each morning. I add a little sea salt, a t. of blackstrap molasses, 1/2 t. Garlic powder and this morning I added a teaspoon of spirulina. He shares it with the cats and likes it better than dog food. I am also going to give him eggs every day. I will supplement his diet with dog food just because I may not always have enough leftovers for him, but he should be able to get plenty of meat and grains and veggies from what we have leftover. I grew up with a pure bred dachund in my house. She was fed people food all the time. She hated dog food. When she was an elderly dog my mom fixed her scrambled eggs every day! She lived to be 17. Obviously, people food didn't hurt her.
Best Nutrition for Dogs
I just wanted to jump in and encourage you to do some research on nutrition for dogs. Dogs ARE NOT vegetarians. Their whole anatomy is designed to eat meat. They are CARNIVORES. Look at their teeth, they were designed to rip meat. They also have a short digestive tract that is designed to digest meat. IT IS TOO SHORT to digest vegetables or fruits properly. And grain is DEFINITELY NOT GOOD FOR DOGS!! In fact, it is VERY BAD for them. This could very well be why they are having health issues. I feed my dogs a raw meaty bones diet and they are EXTREMELY healthy. My oldest dog is almost 9, and everyone thinks she is 4. Their teeth are perfectly clean, no need for cleanings EVER at the vet. Their coats are very glossy. Their eyes are very clear and sparkly. I do feed them some vegetables, but I put it in my blender first so they can digest it a lot more easily. You can easily do a google search online to verify what I have said. Good luck to you and wish you and your dogs the very best :-)
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After going through all the trouble of making our own organic dog food for years I finally gave in and researched on line. I found Blue Mountain for our 7wk old Border Collie and have fed her that for the past 1/2 yrs. Her eyes are bright, teeth are white, she shines from head to paw and sorry to say too alert ( more than a normal BC). The vet complimented us on how good she looks and wanted to know what we had been doing. She will eat all (organic) fruits and veggies except raw zucchini for some reason but she loves orange juice of all things.
If you say you are feeding your dog human food, are you claiming animal products are human food? Humans are herbavores, they should eat only a fruit and vegetable based diet. Dogs are omnivores and should eat food from animals and fruits and vegetables. If you are eating food from animals and you feed your dog your food, then you would feeding them the proper diet and feeding yourself the wrong diet.
All kibble dog food is not a natural dogs food, where would they find it in nature? There are a few acceptable kibble dog foods, but very expensive and not nearly as good as raw meat and vegetables/fruit added for your dogs health. Most all kibble contain grains, fillers and by products, all very bad for you dogs health.
Barf Diet
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I put my ShihTzu & LhasaTzu on the BARF diet about 9 months ago. Best 3 Benefits of BARF:
My LhasaTzu was always afraid of loud noises like fireworks or gun shots.... She has way MELLOWED OUT
She NO LONGER has FLEAS (she is light colored fleas love light colored dogs)
Both dogs' teeth have less tarter & good breath.
Brand Comparisons
★☆☆☆☆
I see you wanted to make a list of culprit foods.
Purina Dog Chow. A green bag that says "Healthy Life Nutrition". I bought it because we are out of jobs and money. Halfway through the bag, she has a horrible allergy induced hot spot on her cheek.
Brand Comparisons
Must disagree with your assumption that Humans are Herbavores. We are not. If we were we would have a multichambered stomach to digest only plant matter like cows do. We are Omnivores - our species have been Hunters & Gatherers for most of our existence. Dogs are also Omnivores with a bias towards meat.
However, you are right on about Kibble. Dog food is a post industrial convienience food invented to make money. What did dogs eat before they ate dog food?
Oh, but that Purina Chuck Wagon sure is cute! Haha
Barf Diet
Barf Diet
This Webinar by Dr Bruce Syme is the best informative video on the net. Karen Becker has a good one too, but I find people get more frrm this webinar by Vet's All Natural Bruce Syme. It is long, but very informative. I have found it to be the best educational resource for bone feeding on the web www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHm7ZD71Swg
Barf Diet
BARF diet stands for Bones And Raw Food. There are many websites - please google and you will find info for BARF diets appropriate for your sized dog.
Vegan Diet
Well I must disagree with you. A dog is not designed for veganism, nor is their acids, teeth, jaws, digestive tract, bowels etc.
Our dog lived 13.5 years, just passed last month and lived a long life for a large dog.
We had a really good vet the last 3 years here in Eu, and the owner said that animals should live much longer than they are if people would do 2 things. 1, not get them vaccinated and 2, feed them properly.
Pet vaccinations are unnecessary, other than the first rabies shot. He has tested animals for many years and in doing titer tests found that after their first rabies shots, 99 percent of dogs keep antibodies in the system their entire life. You do not need yearly or bi yearly or any other shots. As for lepto, parvo and all those other shots, they are not needed. In fact the unvaccinated dogs he deals with live longer and have less health problems.
The diet is another he is adamant about. Why do dogs have the digestive system that they do? They have acids that break down things we cant. They can drink ditch water, mud water, eat bad food, eat bone, skin, hair, etc and not get sick, but get nutrition from it. Then, they have these things called canine teeth! You know the long ones! And if you look at the rest of their teeth, they are not at all like yours and mine. They are all serrated. Each and every one of them. You think thats for veggies or tofu?
Now, of course you can feed dogs and other animals vegetables. Our dog loved cooked carrots, raw peppers, cucumbers, potatoes etc. He ate them daily, but...they need a level of animal protein that is required to keep their carnivore body in balance.
Where you got that vegan dogs live longer is not true. There is no literature that shows anything other than a natural diet (for them in nature) is the diet that keeps them living long and healthy.
Belief that all things must be vegan is incorrect.
Not even humans should be vegan. We are omnivores. We need both. We in our history are hunters and gatherers. We have the same digestive system as a bear which is an omnivore as well. We do not have a cow system, nor a dog system.
Preaching one diet over another is dangerous.
Vegan Diet
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Of course they were interested. How often do dogs not notice smells like something cooking?
Many times my dog was interested as well, but either turned down when offered, or ate it.
No one says dogs can't eat or enjoy veggies, beans, lentils, or any other food. But they can not sustain on it. Whether containing all 9 aminos or not. Animals, or rather Carnivores are not designed that way, and you do more harm than good.
Also, science has proved that just because something provides all essential amino acids does not mean it is sufficient as there is a difference in animal and plant protein. There are good free articles on NCBI or National Library of Medicine on this topic.
I am not knocking a vegan diet per se, but it can not comprise of the complete diet. There must be some animal protein in there. There are enough studies out there now that show this to be true.
Vegan Diet
Well I read the article you included, and it uses the word 'may' quite a lot. The fact that there have been only a few studies as the article admits on vegan diet for dogs, is telling.
Also, the longest living dog was attributed to many many factors, not diet alone. Genes play a huge part in any lifespan. Exercise, proper diet, love, genetics, lifestyle (city/farm) etc. To pick one of these and say it's the reason is illogical.
I believe that every living thing must be raised according to its place in our ecosystem. Every living thing should be raised as it would in nature or the wild. Not at the whim of fad diets related to humans, or the emotional connection people have with animals, therefore refuse to partake in their consumption.
I see the connection, and I respect your individual choice no to eat this or that food. I believe humans in general are on a downfall as it is. Obesity is over 40 percent in Canada and the US, 60 percent plus are pre or diabetic, and overweight/out of shape. We have failed to take our health and make it our priority. A vegan diet may work for some, but not for others.
But...if you truly love animals as I do, why would you not feed them as they would in nature. You can love, cuddle, talk to, walk, go for car rides, provide toys and mental stimulation, give that animal everything and more to make his/her life happy and long. But do not short change him on his diet.
Pumpkin
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My husband and I give our dogs oatmeal, very good for humans, also dogs. We also add ground turkey or chicken, sometimes carrots, but the number one item is a can of pumpkin. No. one best over anything for pets. We have a cockapoo; she is very old and we thought for sure this past week she was ready to go-- she just couldn't get up to go out and do her duties. My husband and I would carry her out so she could go to the bathroom.... after awhile and this special diet and the strong will to live, she is back up and running. Thank you Earth Clinic for this site and showing our votes of confidence. Thank you GOD for our loving pets.
Best Nutrition for Dogs
I'd like to find some help for purchasing the right dog-food for my little Deer Chihuahua. She is a "rescue" from a "meth" family but seems to have survived very well. I have had her several months now and get the best I can for her foods, and lots of exercise as we take 4-5 walks a day for at least 15 minutes.
I had been giving her tiny pieces of Greenies a friend recommended for her teeth, then today, since I'm such a healthnut about what I eat, I read the fine-print ingredients of her treats. Now I am seeing the gluten free dog food, but didn't like the label either. There were things like Calcium carbonate on there and heard really bad review about that for people's diets ;( so I'm not about to give it to her.
Anyone find a truly healthy dry, dog food that doesn't have anything bad in it? If not, maybe something home-made that would be good for her. She's not sick, and her coat is shiny, and she has lots of energy, so this is preventative measures I'm taking right now.
Brand Comparisons
I have been reading this site because I have two Great Pyrenese and I am treating them for their hot spots, fleas and after effects of vet treatment of mange. I just tried the ACV today and will update later.
The reason for my comment is that several people are on here arguing for diffferent brands of dog food and slamming purina. I have been feeding my dogs purina for years and have had no problems. I did go to http://www.dogfoodscoop.com/dog-food-recalls.html and am reporting back to all of you who want people to change dog foods that every single one you have suggested has or is being recalled for ecoli or salmonella or just poor ingredients/ practices in production. NOWHERE on this site is there one thing about PURINA. I do pay a little more for purina than some foods, but I am not going to feed my dogs human food because, and I don't mean to shock anyone but, they are not human.
Thank you for the advise for the uses of ACV.
I have a 10 yr. old shitzu. Just at the vet and he wants to pull alot of her teeth because they are rotten {her gums are all inflammed].I am worried about the risks of the surgery! Never having a dog before, I now am learning! I would like to make her food and start some natural remedies for her teeth? Can anyone help me with advice please.
Raw Food Diet
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Please please feed your dogs raw. Both my dogs now seven and nine have been fed raw since very young pups. There is much advice online out there, and good books to read. It is so much less expensive than ccommercial so called food. Would a wild dog naturally eat cereals? Would a wild dog naturally eat processed cooked food? No, so why do humans think processed carbohydrates are good food for dogs? Feed as close to nature as you can and you will have happy healthy dogs. Raw meat, raw chicken carcasses with the bones, raw green tripe, offal, meaty bones, whole rabbits, and whatever you can get. Let them eat grass when they want. Supplement with a good brand of seaweed. If you love your dogs then you will feed them this way. Do please get as much good advice as you can. I now find that even the vets who always told me I was wrong, are now recommending raw!!!
Kibble is one of the worse things you can feed a dog... I know that is harsh. But, it is the truth. Purina is probably one of the worse brands out there. It is full of fillers, poison, and not balanced. Dogs need raw food. Look up Raw Meaty Bone (RMB), BARF, Prey Model, and simply RAW diet for dogs. You will get overloaded with information. Simply put, your dog is telling you that the food you put in front of him/her is not food at all. Dogs will eat good food. If RAW is not going to work for you... then look into better hollistic brands of kibble. Or try cooking for the dog. Left-overs and anything food you would eat yourself is going to be healthier for your dog.
Brand Comparisons
I'm so confused what to feed my 8 year old boxer. He has had skin problems due to allergies his whole life. For a while I was feeding him California's Natural and then had to switch to Candidae due to the only store in my area discontinued their contract. Candidea worked with him not itching/scratching so much but gave him bacterial build up that caused severe diarrhea that would not go away until I put him on a bland diet and bought medication from the vet to bring his digestive bacteria levels to normal. This went on for about a year (having the diarrhia cases about every 3 months) and talked to the vet one more time about what I could do. Her suggestion was to get him on a low-residue food. My dog is allergic to potatoes, beets and eggs. There are not many low residual dog foods on the market that avoid these 3. Any suggestions as to what I could feed my dog? Currently he is on Pro Plan - sensetive stomach and skin and seemed to do okay at first but now after 3 months he has been scratching himself so much he has numerous scaps all over his body (ecspecially by his ears and neck). His ears tend to get very dirty easily and I have to clean them at least once a week as well. I'm startding to lose all hope.
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It is exciting to here that other individuals are taking precautions for their little ones. I have 2 maltese, both under 5 pounds. My little girl had severe allergies for about 2 years. The vets did every test that one could possibly do and even proceeded with compound medications. I decided to take things into my own hands and research what would be best.
Each morning they both receive a quarter of banana, tablespoon of organic yougurt with a pinch of dried greens (purchased at an organic store) and they split one organic egg lightly scrambled in organic coconut oil. Each afternoon they receive a mixture that I prepare once a week and freeze.
The mixture includes the following all organic: one yellow squash, one zuccini, 3 carrots with skin, 1 sweet potato, 3 stalks of broccoli, 1 cup of cooked long grain rice with coconut oil and 2lbs. of grass feed organic sirloin steak freshly ground. I place all of the vegetables in the food processor and add in with the cooked rice and mix in the raw sirloin steak. I put these in small side dishes and freeze.
The kids love it. They have so much more energy and my 6 year old that had severe allergies is now the beautiful show dog. Once a week they get a quarter thick raw femor bone from the butcher and they receive baby carrots for treats. I have had them on this for over a year now. A word of caution to all who may switch their little ones over to a diet like this, remember that the above causes a cleansing process to occur just as humans that switch their diets:)
Barf Diet
I started my two adopted dogs (12lbs each) on BARF right after the dog food scare. Initially I was mixing, cutting, measuring. I found Aunt Jeni's at a local feed store (frozen). My younger adoptee eats all RAW. My senior eats a mix of healthier canned and raw. Harley LOVES raw chicken wings. Eating the chewing has cleaned his teeth and breath. Buddy won't touch raw chicken but loves chunks of organic beef and lamb. Side affect: weight gain. I have yet to "draw the line" on how much food and treats to give. But I believe they are much healthier. Also I feed Harley blue-green algae and he loves it.
Vegan Diet
I disagree. Look at canine teeth and you will know what sort of food they are meant to eat. They tear meat off a carcass and swallow it whole. In nature, you rarely see a dog eating spinach or green beans, although I had a malamute who ate strawberries. Vegan is not normal for dogs, in my opinion. Do your own thing, though, and good luck.
Adulterated Cat Food in Canada
Four years ago just before elections, the Pet food industry approached the government of BC (and perhaps of all Canada) to put a filler, possibly melamine, into pet food . It could be more of non nutritious stuff. Now, just before elections in Canada, it has happened again. I used to buy a cat food by P.... I had been searching high and low for better cat nutrition but living in a small place to no avail. My feed store man remarked that they were "rearranging" their food again.
Today this is what happens: cats, seven of them, stare at me and they look hungry. The pet food they had so far in plenty stays on their plate untouched. They eat better quality grain free kibbles but four of them do not well on this alone. When I contacted the company which is also the first company to want to irradiate pet food, big talk recorded with "pet lovers" etc. I returned all the unopened cans and have to cut my losses as the ingredients seem to be a sponge soaked in flavouring and some colouring.
I was told that in turn for gov't favours, the pet food industry gives blocks of votes.
This is cruelty and avarice , greed and total disregard for honesty.
I would like pet owners to be aware that the cost of a can is partly inedible crap.
Sadly, Namaste honouring the integrity within you. Om
Just because something is not good for people does not mean it is not good for dogs. Many people swear by vegetarianism, but dogs are created to be meat eaters. How about asking what would be the best nutrition for canines?
Barf Diet
★★★★★
I give raw chicken legs to my dogs. One of my Chinese Crested's does not digest bones, so I cut the meat off, the other one is very picky, she saw that she can get meat with no bones so she stopped eating legs and wants me to cut the meat off for her, but she will eat chicken wings. Big Dog has no problem and just eats drumsticks. I also make rice with beans and cabbage for my dogs. Also they get fresh bell peppers.
Barf Diet
I have a 10 yr.old shitzu.What is the "barf"diet and how much should my dog be fed?
Barf Diet
My 5 y.o. dog fungal problem. He used to smell even a day after a shower. My remedy for him was:
1) Every night, I 'painted' his affected areas, mainly his legs/hands, with cocnut oil.
2) I gave him 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, together with his RAW blended veggies/RAW meat.
He has fully recovered from his fungal problem and can go 2 weeks without a shower and not stink. As his fungal problem was rather severe, it took 4 months for him to fylly recover from this. I adopted him when he was 3 y.o. and was kibble fed. I changed him to BARF diet when I adopted him.
★☆☆☆☆
WARNING!
Regarding PurineONE Smartblend. I bought chicken and rice formula. One of my dogs would not touch it all and the other had diarrhea after eating it. I am going to trash the whole bag (cost $18), but something obviousy is not right with it. Bellalinda
Beef Liver
I feed my dogs raw & have for many years. I add grass-fed organ meats to their diet. I typically add 10-15% organ mixture to ground beef. I usually buy veal heart, beef liver & beef kidneys & freeze them separately. Then I partially defrost & cut up into small cubes/pieces or grind. It's easier to handle & grind when it is partially frozen. Then I use unbleached wax paper bags inside of a plastic deli container & refreeze. When it's time to feed I defrost the organs & ground beef & mix together, 10-15% organs to 85-90% ground beef. I also mix in some veggies. I use greens, carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, beets, squash, cucumber. Or some nights I do some fruit, blueberries, apple, banana. Sometimes I grind some flax seeds or add chia seeds. Adding a good digestive enzyme mix & probiotic is a good idea. Hope this helps.
Brand Comparisons
I have a 5 yr old pug....when he was a puppy and had his routine vacc's, he had an allergic reaction and almost died..so traditional vet pumped him with drugs to stop swelling. When he was 4 1/2 the same thing happend, but alot worse. 4 months after the vaccinosis(drug(vacc overdose)... he started having seizures, licking the air, itching, losing consciousness.. then one day.... his hind legs went and he refused to go on our daily walk.
I freaked out and took him to nyc, the hamptons to our local primary to manhattans best anim hosp to chinese med meets traditional med vet and last.... homeopath! he changed his diet to home cooked duck, barley, oats carrots(a few other ingredients) diet... he's detoxing from the toxicity in his body and we both sleep at night now...he saved and changed our lives
Until i found this homeopath, i didnt sleep for a whole month because my dog was having cluster seizures and spasms every single time he would SIT or sleep...he kept falling into deeper sleeps..back to back seizures....biting and violently barking at strangers(out of nowhere)worst experience of my life about 3 days later on homeopathic remedies and a new diet, i fell asleep because he was able to sleep peacefully....
check out some wellness/holistic vets in your area...
i almost lost my best friend....im not going to lose him now....gluck my email is [email protected]
Brand Comparisons
Interested to know where your dog food is manufactured? We just came across this website while looking for more information on the brand we feed our dogs. From reviewing the site, we discovered that the brand we buy (Blackwood) does not manufacture their own food. In fact, the wet food and dry food is manufactured in 2 different places! This appears to be the case with many small companies.
Unfortunately, the page is not a complete list and the website administrators haven't updated it since May of 2007, but you might still find it interesting: http://www.thepetfoodlist.com/manufacturers.htm
I stopped feeding my cats dry food because they were addicted and getting fat. It isn't a natural diet for them. I switched to a natural wet cat food that is made without chemicals and by-products called Pet Guard. The thing to fear is ethoxyguin which is a known carcinogen and propylene glycol, a chemical used in anti-freeze and a solvent in brake fluids also used as a preservative and flavor enhancer in pet foods. Into the Pet Guard food for each cat, I mix one Nu-Cat soft multivitamin and 3 drops of flax seed oil. My girl with herpes has had gunk in her eyes and nose and this is clearing. Even my 16 year old with renal failure is thriving.
Homemade Dog Food Recipes
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WARNING!
I just want to report an experience that I've had personally. I have been wanting to advice my son to change the dry dog food he feeds his dog. As I researched, I kept running across the advice to use raw meat. The idea made sense to me, as dogs are carnivores and eat raw in the wild. I had not made up my mind, and was cautious about it and hadn't recommended that to our son. In the meantime, I was visiting with a friend, who's dog was not there. She told us an awful story about her dog who was visiting a neighbor they always visit and he usually gave the dog a commercial dog bone treat. He was out of them and had raw hamburg on the counter just getting ready to cook dinner and quickly grabbed some off the counter and gave it to the dog before the owner could object. The man was elderly. Her dog got so ill she had to take her to the vet. Sure enough, she had e coli and she died. I can imagine a dog in the wild can eat freshly killed meat that has not been processed, but meat from the supermarket that has been processed has all kinds of bacteria and I've decided not to take that risk with our much loved pet.
Vegan Diet
★★★★★
I was experimenting one day to make vegan burgers from lentils, germinated lentils, barley and sprouted barley because the combination provides all 9 essential amino acids. While the mix was on the stove both the cat and dog started begging. They never begged for lentils or barley cooking before I came up with that combination. BTW - tasted good but made into patties it stuck to the pan. So fail on one count but success on a different.
Dietary Tips
Hello, my name is Michael. I live in Seattle, and yes, I believe it is raining today. In my years of experience with my dogs and helping other dog lovers learn how and what will reversed nearly every disease, nearly 100%!
Today I never feed my dogs horrible commercial dog foods. They are the major cause of all dog diseases I discovered. These kinds of foods become highly "acidic" in the intestine, and effect the liver and kidneys. Commercial dog foods are totally lacking in organic mineral, trace elements, enzymes and organic antioxidants. Dog foods are "dead" foods. Dead foods cause illness, like it does with humans.
If you want a dog that will live longer and will never get sick, is just do this: 1. stop feeding harmful dog foods to your best friend. 2. instead feed your animals fresh raw, fruits and veggies, including fresh meats only. You can also semi-cook fresh foods, but above all, please don't deny your dogs the abundant benefits of eating healthier, by feeding our dogs fresh organic foods.
Cascading with real organic minerals and vitamins that the body instantly recognizes and instantly assimilates at nearly 95%! No dog foods even come close to doing this.
Michael - dittovanmp(at)comcast(dot)net
Best Nutrition for Dogs
I am surprised to know that raw meaty bones are good for dogs. I used to cook them first before feeding them to my dog thinking it is the best for him. Thank you for this info. Now I know what to do. One question, can I feed him fish?
Brand Comparisons
Where do you find Blue Mountain? I looked but only see Blue Buffalo.
Barf Diet
Hey Wendy! You may find colloidal silver applied to the gums to be helpful. And about raw food and bones. I can tell you the story of my brother in law who had a 15 pound rat terrier who had tartar all over her teeth and the vet recommended a $600 cleaning; he gave his dog the raw beef neck bones and took her back to the vet a month later and the vet said her teeth were fine, no dental needed. So raw bones do work, however my brother in law's dog needed a cleaning - not a tooth extraction. It is hard to know the condition of the teeth - so your vet's advice to pull them may be spot on. Bad teeth that are left in the mouth can lead to organ failure. So while I would normally advise that you give your dog a raw, meaty beef neck bone or beef rib bone, it may be too little/too late and your vet's recommendation for extraction may be the best advice of all.
Barf Diet
Brand Comparisons
I know you have made exceptions for listing the dog food brands in the past due to the poisonings that took place. So I hope I am not wrong in including it here. If I am, please just omit it or cancel the listing.
I am having problems with the new Purina One Smart Blend of Lamb and Rice. My dog refuses to eat it. He took 2 or 3 bites and hasn't eaten for two days since. He has never been a picky eater even when we had to change brands or types of food. He has even been on a diet that included the previous version of lamb and rice from the same manufacturer. He has always eaten whatever we feed him without problem.
I finally broke down tonight and made him some chicken broth and rice and he is eating it just fine. The store bought lamb and rice is still in his bowl. He just goes up and smells it then walks away.
I'm wondering if anyone else is having problems with the brand. (I didn't know where else to look and since I get most of my health related info for me and my dog from Earthclinic I just came here looking for answers.)
I have two finicky little white dogs. They don't seem to like any kind of dog food. They love most raw veggies and fruit. They also like cat food, kibble any brand. I can sometimes trick them into eating dog food by putting it in the cat dish lol. One has no problems the other has worms almost all the time, and in summer she goes crazy with itch, chewing and scratching, back end and tail.
It's so bad she is losing weight. I just tried one quarter teaspoon Benadryl one hour ago and it seems to be working - she is not scratching.
Cross my fingers.
Brand Comparisons
Hi Ted,
I just want to bring to your attention that dogs do not have the digestive enzymes to break down raw vegetables. Any vegetables should be steamed or cooked. Otherwise you are putting too much strain on the pancreas. In the wild, dogs would get vegetables from other animal's stomachs (partially digested). The other reason is that dogs do not have flat back teeth which are needed to grind vegetable matter and dog's jaws only move up and down and not side to side to grind. See link.
Do Dogs Need Fruits and Vegetables
As far as worms go, I would add FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous Earth (DE) to the diet until they are gone. It can be purchased at any feed store. (I know Tractor Supply has it.) Farmers put it in the animal feed to prevent mealworms and other pests. (DO NOT use the DE for swimming pools!! ) Worms are a reason a dog can lose weight. The DE has lots of other uses too (fleas used topically or in crevices for ants around the house) Go very slow adding only about 1/4 tsp to food and working up little by little so that too much worm die off at once doesn't make the dog sick. See chart of how much to give on the second link. Diatomaceous Earth and Worming with DE
As far as a dog food goes, I would find out what is in the cat food that they like. Is it chicken? Fish? Beef? Dogs do need protein. Perhaps they don't like the brand of dog food you had bought. Is it made mostly of grains like corn (which dogs are not meant to eat)? I would find a different brand and definitely read the label for good ingredients. Here is a good link that reviews dog foods. Best Dog Foods Then once you get a good brand, if they won't eat it, maybe add some boiled chicken or chicken broth to the food. Good luck.
Brand Comparisons
I, like Jenn from NY, have a pug who became ill after vac. shots and 1st round of heartworm med. w/ flea control. He became very sick very fast. it was like his immune system was gone. one day a very healthy active 1 yr old. and then bam! Fever, swelling skin lumps twitching, etc. and the fleas attacked him very bad and caused secondary infections, parasites. all w/ in 30days. I was shocked.
I am now on the natural cures and food.
I use raw and cooked, veggies and fruits. everything in moderation. also no chemical at all! . it takes effort but its worth it. I never fed him commercial pet food anyway. My instincts are not to trust corp. dog food manufacturers. I trust my own food source.
Brand Comparisons
★☆☆☆☆
I tried Taste of the Wild, Bison & Fish diets. Both made my 2 dogs sick. When I called the company they did not seem to care.
