Raw diet

[Tropicalbri's]

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[Nevaehacres Song]

Sometimes I get lost in this technology. Thank you for your post.

 

[strykerdobe]

View attachment 68799

Finding a good Holistic vet is a good idea. Most if not all regular vets will always go right to antibiotics!
Yes the over use of antibiotics is not good idea.


Poor quality dry foods can produce alkaline urine.
Immune system issues can cause UTI's

Adding supplements to help support kidneys and urinary tract. There are a lot out there! Which are good? Research them.

This seems to be a good one.
Organic Pet supplement, Pet Cancer Supplement, Puppy Supplement - Cranimals | Cranimals

Garlic 1 clove for 20# of body weight. Make sure it U.S. Grown.

Adding Organic Braggs Apple Cidar Vinager to water or food can help.

Crystals or stones can cause UTI's so get a urinalysis done.

A normal ph of urine should be around 6.5-7.0 but if below or higher can cause UTI.
You can get test strips at a pharmacy.

Adding a good probiotic (especially when using antibiotics), adding some cranberry and blueberries to diet is a good prevention. They will help prevent bacteria to the lining of the urinary tract.

Make sure they drink more water.

Give D-Mannose will also help keep bacteria from attaching to the lining of the urinary tract.

Herbs for Urinary Tract Health For Animals

 

[strykerdobe]

Yes we also feed coarse ground bone

Some dogs are gobblers and will not chew. So swallowing bones whole might cause a problem.

 

[Nevaehacres Song]

She has been diagnosed with crystals. Vet put her on a special food, which after research, was not the answer. Her kibble was rated 5...the best rating. But, still kibble. I will contact a holistic vet. There is one in the neighboring city. Meanwhile, we are now on raw. I give her 25,000 units of cranberry powder daily, prebiotic, omega 3, vitamin E and coconut oil...distilled water...trying to give her as much of the right things as I can. Never had a dog with this problem before. I will look at D-Mannose, and apple cider vinegar as well, thanks for the advice. Vet does not know what to tell me. She gets apples, sweet potatoes, carrots and kelp (3 tablespoons X day)mixture....along with the raw diet. Hoping this diet will help her a lot. She has had 1 heat cycle....that did not fix it as we had hoped.

 

[Nevaehacres Song]

Great article, thanks. Will certainly visit a new vet.

 

[strykerdobe]

Another good video

And other info!

A Recent Study Shows Cranberry Extract May Prevent UTIs

 

[strykerdobe]

She has been diagnosed with crystals. Vet put her on a special food, which after research, was not the answer. Her kibble was rated 5...the best rating. But, still kibble. I will contact a holistic vet. There is one in the neighboring city. Meanwhile, we are now on raw. I give her 25,000 units of cranberry powder daily, prebiotic, omega 3, vitamin E and coconut oil...distilled water...trying to give her as much of the right things as I can. Never had a dog with this problem before. I will look at D-Mannose, and apple cider vinegar as well, thanks for the advice. Vet does not know what to tell me. She gets apples, sweet potatoes, carrots and kelp (3 tablespoons X day)mixture....along with the raw diet. Hoping this diet will help her a lot. She has had 1 heat cycle....that did not fix it as we had hoped.

They ever tell you what the PH of the urine was? Did they actually do a culture on the bacteria in the urine?
If they don't use the right antibiotics that will cause more issues.

Yes that Vet food is CRAP! They are at least 50% or more in carbs. Lots of Corn, Soy and Corn Gluten! Carbs turn into sugar. Sugar feeds bacteria. Even some 5 star foods foods are hi in Carbs.

Sounds like your doing the right things. Feeding the raw it shouldn't take long to change the PH. Also feeding raw will increase moisture intake.

I think on the D-Mannose the dose is 500-1500mg a day.

Vitamin C helps to acidify the urine to neutralize alkaline urine and inhibit bacterial growth. 10mg per pound of body weight 2x's a day. Vitamin C that helps to detoxify the body also helps boost the immune system.

Just make sure starting off with any supplements a low dose for 2-3 days. Just to make sure it will not cause diarrhea. Then increase for another 2-3days and so on until you reach the amount.

All supplements like vitamins are not created equal.

Also look up www.naturesfarmacy.com they have been around a long time. Since 1984.
Dogzymes Cran-Tri-C

And the biggest tipoff is when your Vet doesn't know what to tell you! Time for a second opinion.

Also can look up Holistic Vets
American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association – The Leader, the Voice, the Resource for integrative holistic veterinary medicine

 

[Oh Little Oji]

With Oji decreasing in weight, and looking pretty skinny, at the time he should be fully filling out (3 1/2 years) I am actually having thoughts turning toward entertaining a "raw" diet. I place the word in quotes because I am not willing to go all the way by procuring the individual pieces of animal and all the different bits and doing all the calculations. I am thinking about the pre-made stuff.

Any thoughts? I expect the responses to include that the pre-made stuff is lower in quality and less desirable than going all the way with raw. What about price? How would pre-made compare in price to, say, Taste of the Wild dry food?

 

[MiloTheDobe]

After reading a lot, found out that most dogs on kibble stay dehydrated. Any one else have results with raw for such problems?
Song

Your dog will drink less when eating raw, as raw meat tends be about 75% moisture give or take.

Feeding raw is pretty simple, 80% muscle meat, 10% bone 10% organ (5% must be liver) you want to feed 2.5% of your dogs weight to maintain, 2% to lose weight and 3%+ for active dogs - I know dogs who are eating 5-8%% of their weight.

What about price?

raw feeding can be as as expensive or as cheap as you want. Pre-made tends to be more expensive than DIY raw. However, a lot of people do start with pre-made and then venture into DIY. Depending on where you buy the pre-made, it can be mushy or chunky.

I've been saving all of the feet from the ducks and geese I shot this year in the freezer, can I feed them as snacks occasionally without too much fear of an explosive reaction? The dog is 12 weeks old and eats kibble with some kefir milk right now.

I wanted to save the organs, but didn't want to risk any chipped teeth from any steel shot in them. It's tough to tell in the organs.

You can definitely feed the feet you have saved from the duck and geese, as long as they have been frozen for 3+ weeks, all wild game needs to be frozen for a minimum of three weeks, store bought it OK to feed straight away. If you want to add raw to his kibble, I would say not to feed more than 10% of his diet as raw, as long as they are not a main staple then you are OK to feed them as treats - unless of course you go fully raw

I've fed my dogs game with shot still in them, they're pretty good at avoiding it and removing it themselves, of course, if you are worried or concerned then you don't have to save them. Even if they do swallow it, it won't do them any harm.

I don't add veggies to my dogs diet, I occasionally will blend some berries with their kefir that I give 1-3 times a week. I also give tumeric paste, bone brother and ACV.

 

[Kaiser2016]

With Oji decreasing in weight, and looking pretty skinny, at the time he should be fully filling out (3 1/2 years) I am actually having thoughts turning toward entertaining a "raw" diet. I place the word in quotes because I am not willing to go all the way by procuring the individual pieces of animal and all the different bits and doing all the calculations. I am thinking about the pre-made stuff.

Any thoughts? I expect the responses to include that the pre-made stuff is lower in quality and less desirable than going all the way with raw. What about price? How would pre-made compare in price to, say, Taste of the Wild dry food?

Hey this is a pretty major concession for you since you've got a vegetarian household. I think it's awesome that you're considering it at least to try out and see if it works to Oji's advantage, and ultimately yours with less poop clean up! For me it's always about the poop!

I can't be bothered with getting the individual meat parts so I get frozen raw food that comes in the form of 'burger patties'. You can get them in the form of a cylinder as well (cheaper) where you have to chop it up yourself. With dogs this big, that cylinder would last 2 days, so chopping it up on your own is fine.

How the prices compare. I never fed TOTW, but you should have Acana there to compare as a price point. One bag of Acana for me was 25 lbs for $68. I now get 25 lbs of raw for $48 (actually $38 because I get additional discount for cash deals - I asked around!).

 

[LifeofRubie]

How the prices compare. I never fed TOTW, but you should have Acana there to compare as a price point. One bag of Acana for me was 25 lbs for $68. I now get 25 lbs of raw for $48 (actually $38 because I get additional discount for cash deals - I asked around!).

While I agree with your price points, my last boy ate FOUR POUNDS of raw a day vs his 3 cups of kibble. 25lbs of raw food went pretty fast whereas a bag of food would last weeks. I did buy all the parts and break everything down... so if I could get meats for $1.00-$2.00/lb, I was doing pretty well.

 

[GOD'S GRACE]

I've done the math a few times and have found if you're feeding Premium dry it costs about the same to feed raw...if you buy the raw from a Pet Supplier it might cost a few pennies more...plus I think raw is better for the dogs...

 

[Kaiser2016]

While I agree with your price points, my last boy ate FOUR POUNDS of raw a day vs his 3 cups of kibble. 25lbs of raw food went pretty fast whereas a bag of food would last weeks. I did buy all the parts and break everything down... so if I could get meats for $1.00-$2.00/lb, I was doing pretty well.

Good point. Each dog will have different needs based on activity level and weight. Kaiser requires 2 lbs (as a 75 lb dog) and seems happy with that. We also throw in a banana Kong OR bully stick each day. Plus training activities earn him a handful of treats daily.

 

[MiloTheDobe]

Any thoughts? I expect the responses to include that the pre-made stuff is lower in quality and less desirable than going all the way with raw. What about price? How would pre-made compare in price to, say, Taste of the Wild dry food?

Also, just seen that you are vegetarian, I am vegan myself and I found it hard at first, pre-made would probably be easier to feed but I feel it lacks the variety of texture than DIY

 

[Tropicalbri's]

Bogie get 3.25lbs a day and Bacall gets 3.lbs a day.
They are both extremely active so I had to up their amounts when I weighed them and realized they were losing weight.
The cost for me down here to get prepared raw is quite expensive for 2 dogs. Way more than kibble, however they flourish on the raw diet. I had bought a cow last Spring, unfortunately the hurricane removed that and about 200lbs of prepared from my possession with 3wk + power outage and storm surge that upended my freezers. Now I am feeding ground raw for convenience until I find another source to prepare my own again. Time and money are in short supply after the storm until things get back to maintenance levels.

 

[Rits]

TotW is a pretty economical food so I do think your cost is going to increase on raw, definitely if you go pre-packaged.

It can be as complicated as you want to make it. If you have the means to feed tons of variety, you can but you don't have to break the bank. Feed as much variety as you can afford. The quality of food is still better in the end.

I feed whole cuts I buy from the store (I stick to no more than $2/lb, preferably in the $1-1.50 range) and occasionally odds n ends from the local butcher. So our primary food is chicken and pork, of different varieties, with the occasional other meat type as we can afford or see a sale on. Some with bone some without. We get organs from the butcher for cents on the lb. And the non liver organs can be used to substitute the meat, so that lowers the cost per day. If you feed DIY you want to make sure to include liver in your weekly plan. Then I always keep my eyes peeled for big sales on meat to stock up and lower the monthly costs. I'm in a local rawfed group on FB too so people post sales in the area and that helps.

Java eats 1.5-2lbs per day and I'd say Paige eats closer to 1lb. They are both around 45lbs. Java used to consume way more kibble for her weight compared to raw food. I honestly don't weigh their food anymore...just eyeball and adjust if needed, which is rare unless we increase exercise.

Start from feeding 2-3% of their body weight and increase or decrease as needed. Oh and as mentioned earlier, its 80/10/10. 80% meat, 10% Bone, 10% Organs (5% Liver/5%other organs)

 

[AresMyDobie]

With Oji decreasing in weight, and looking pretty skinny, at the time he should be fully filling out (3 1/2 years) I am actually having thoughts turning toward entertaining a "raw" diet. I place the word in quotes because I am not willing to go all the way by procuring the individual pieces of animal and all the different bits and doing all the calculations. I am thinking about the pre-made stuff.

Any thoughts? I expect the responses to include that the pre-made stuff is lower in quality and less desirable than going all the way with raw. What about price? How would pre-made compare in price to, say, Taste of the Wild dry food?

Maybe look into honest kitchen ?

Do you have any recent pics of him ?

There's also darwins natural ( pre made raw)
And a few others I'll have to remember

 

[MiloTheDobe]

The cost will also depend on your location and what you have available to you. If you have access to hunters/freezer clean outs then you can save a fair bit of money.

I live in the UK, I've fed a 88lb dog raw for about £87ish ($110?) a month feeding about 3-3.5% and that was including 13 different proteins, only 2 being white. I was also feeding free range, grass fed and organic meat.

That reminds me, you'd want at least 50% of their raw diet to be red meat

 

[Tropicalbri's]

@Oh Little Oji here are some pictures of Darwin’s prepared raw.