Raw vs regular

[Dukendaisy]

Hi all

I'm hoping to get some opinions on the raw food diet. I have 2 8 month old siblings, Duke and Daisy. Thank God they are perfectly healthy and happy puppies except for little Daisy who right from day one has been scratching herself silly. She spends the first 20 minutes after waking up scratching her back and chest. Our Vet said she is a bit young for allergy testing and our Groomer says she has some dandruff and they use anti itch shampoo. I only bathe her when absolutely necessary which is probably every 2 weeks or so.

I give them both salmon oil every day but it has not helped. So yesterday our local pet food store owner who has a degree in pet nutrition suggested feeding raw. We fed it this morning and thankfully Daisy seemed to enjoy it and Duke not so much. Of course I'm praying he warms up to it because this only works if everyone including our cat, Harley is eating it too.

I guess my questions are those of you who feed raw what benefits have you seen from it and does anyone else have an itchy puppy and what remedies do you have that we can try? I will be talking about allergy testing with our vet very soon

Sorry for rambling, I seem to be unable to post anything that is short and sweet. Lol

[GizmosDogShop]

What exactly do you feed them on this diet?

The fish oil helped Gizmo so besides that I am out :/ Hopefully someone has more insight.

[Dukendaisy]

Well remember that we are in Canada so the brands may be different. The raw food I chose is called Carnivora and this one was Turkey and we chose it because it is good for cats and dogs. Basically it is ground up raw turkey and comes in frozen patties and you of course feed by weight and energy level of your babies.

[IDPiper]

I feed a raw diet and also have an itchy little dog. Since switching her to raw I have noticed a dramatic decrease in her itching but no resolution of it. I have changed her grooming supplies to Chris Christensen Day to Day products but have only used them once beings I just got them this week. The reason I switched is because I noticed that after she comes home from the groomer she isn't scratching as much as she usually does but would start back up when I would bathe her. I also add virgin coconut oil to every meal and have rubbed it into her skin also. More than likely her itching is environmental opposed to nutritional.

As for feeding raw, I love it and so does my picky little girl. She is thriving on her raw diet. One thing I have really noticed a change in is her teeth. She had HORRIBLE teeth when I bought her and even the vet said so. I can't wait to take her back to the vet because after starting her on raw I have noticed that the plaque buildup on her teeth is starting to break up and she no longer has awful breath.

Good luck to you and would love an update on how it's going!

[Lovetodream88]

Most dogs have environmental allergies more then food allergies. My vet suggests with environmental allergies that the dog gets bathed at least once a week and if possible wiped down after they have been outside. I personally am not a fan of raw because of all the bacteria especially what gets on there mouth and beard hairs and then touches and contaminates everything in the house they touch. I also read puppies systems are not ready for raw food and it can make them sick. I would suggest trying a grain free dog food.

[IDPiper]

I always wash my little girls face when she is done eating. Just like handling and cooking raw for yourself, you should take the same precautions with your dog. Her bowl is washed after every meal just like her face. Just do lots of research if you choose to stay with raw so that you understand everything about it.

[Wylie's Mom]

I've been feeding raw for 5 or 6 years now and I love it. I mainly use Primal or Natures Variety. At 8 months old, you're fine starting it. Many people feed their puppies pre-made raw or PMR raw, so it's definitely done with puppies. When I started mine on raw, Marcel was only 10mths old, and he did 100% perfect on starting it.

As far as allergies, food allergies only account for about 10-15% of allergies, so they're quite rare. It *can* help though, to have an enviro allergy dog on either raw or a higher protein (ie grain free) diet since many grains/carbs can irritate dogs. As far as Duke not quite sure yet, you might want to try a different protein...my 3 just LOVE the duck for some reason.

Did your vet do a skin scraping of your pup, btw? To see if there was any bacterial overgrowth? Allergies at your pup's age would be very rare, but they can happen. I'd suggest you use a medicated shampoo like this one , at least once per week and see what happens. Keep using the fish oil.

Another thing you may want to try are over the counter anti histamines - either Benadryl, Claritin, or Zyrtec. Benadryl is kind of a pain bc you have to give every 4hrs whereas w/ the other two, they are 24hr meds. If OTC meds don't work, then you think about moving to Atopica or Temaril-P, steroids, or allergy testing.

But most importantly, it'd be good to know for sure what's going on with your little one - the cause.

Here is another thread from the Library about allergies: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/die...tart-here.html

[Lovetodream88]

There is a some raw food discussion that is pretty interesting in this thread you might want to check it out http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...-dog-food.html

[Teegy]

Originally Posted by Dukendaisy

Well remember that we are in Canada so the brands may be different. The raw food I chose is called Carnivora and this one was Turkey and we chose it because it is good for cats and dogs. Basically it is ground up raw turkey and comes in frozen patties and you of course feed by weight and energy level of your babies.

Have a look at Mountain Raw food, they are in your neck of the woods.
Just make sure when feeding raw that you have 80% meat, 10% bone and 10% organ 5% of that being liver and rotate the protein. I switch up mine between rabbit beef turkey duck lamb and pork

Mountain Dog Food - Contact Us

a product recommended from a super awesome raw feeder supply place I get mine from in Ontario is Sunday Sundae for itchy allergy dogs

SUNDAY SUNDAE | CARMSPACK.com It's around $50 for a very large tub

[Teegy]

My Tufty has been on a raw diet since puppydom and I know many breeders feeding raw from the moment the dogs are weaned from mum, it's about balance.
There is a company called Bold Raw in Ontario who make great preground product and also Raw Paw out of Quebec.
Tollden Farms is also an Ontario based company.

I rotate between preground and whole prey, it's so much easier in the morning to feed the premixed and in the evening they get a slap of whatever that they can sit and chew on. I also get green tripe for them and organ meats, which I weigh out and freeze then give to them after their evening meals

[gemy]

Just a note for the OP, I thought cats had a different need food wise than dogs, I can't remember the name of the mineral they need that dogs don't so check out to make sure this food is truly good for you cat as well as your dog.

Razzle has been on raw/homecooked since he was about 5 months old. He does very well on it.

[Teegy]

Yahoo Groups

great information on here if you wanted to join

[Teegy]

Originally Posted by gemy

Just a note for the OP, I thought cats had a different need food wise than dogs, I can't remember the name of the mineral they need that dogs don't so check out to make sure this food is truly good for you cat as well as your dog.

Razzle has been on raw/homecooked since he was about 5 months old. He does very well on it.

Gemy they do, they rely on a lot more organ meat as they need a much higher Taurine intake than dogs

[gemy]

Originally Posted by Teegy

Gemy they do, they rely on a lot more organ meat as they need a much higher Taurine intake than dogs

Thanks Teegy that was the name I was looking for!

[IDPiper]

Originally Posted by Teegy

Yahoo Groups

great information on here if you wanted to join

Thank you for the link!!