BAT and Food Advice (Raw Food)

[TLC]

Here is the quick low down...

Roxy most likely has MVD - so I have been feeding both she and TJ and low protein home made diet. For the last year or so, I gradually got it to the point where they both liked it. Roxy inhales her food and even though TJ would eat it slower, he still ate it. (He is the brat about food). Anyway, for the last 2 months or so, I have been having to add more toppers to TJ food for him to eat it. Then just last week I contacted a nutritionist from Cornell who balanced the diet I was feeding them. Again, Roxy inhales her food, but TJ is being really difficult about it. I don't know if it's the added supplements or what his deal is, but he doesn't like anymore....

These are his past 4 BAT post numbers:
Post: 43
Post: 21.5
Post: 1.3
Post: 17.4

I do not mind preparing this Homemade Diet, as it is perfect for Roxy and she likes it. I really do not want to pay another fee for another diet for TJ, when I know from 'other' homemade diets I have given him in the past, he gets to be bratty as well.

I am seriously considering put TJ back on the Raw Food diet. He was on it for about 6 months and LOVED it. He had NO bratty fits when eating the Raw...

I am on the fence right now...I just know that I can't continue with Roxy's food for him, b/c there is nothing else I can possibly add as a topper to get him to eat it.

PLEASE - Give me some advice?

Should I go back to Raw with him

[kalina82]

morgan has mild mvd and she still eats raw. as long as they are not showing signs of mvd then you can feed them whatever you want. i got this information from the internalist where i work. i forget her BAT numbers. they weren't normal, but they weren't terrible either.

[TLC]

Originally Posted by kalina82

morgan has mild mvd and she still eats raw. as long as they are not showing signs of mvd then you can feed them whatever you want. i got this information from the internalist where i work. i forget her BAT numbers. they weren't normal, but they weren't terrible either.

Thank you! So she is doing well on the Raw? Gosh it has been so long....What brand are you feeding her? Are you adding any supplements?

THANX

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by TLC

Thank you! So she is doing well on the Raw? Gosh it has been so long....What brand are you feeding her? Are you adding any supplements?

THANX

she's eating nature's variety venison (sometimes lamb if there is no venison available). sometimes i squirt some fish oil/vit e in there and i have flying basset daily maintenance and flying basset aloe vera that i sometimes sprinkle over her food a few times a week. she still loves it and is showing absolutely no signs of anything being wrong. at first when i found out, i put her on low protein food for like a week, then after talking to a holistic vet and a holistic pet store owner i decided to put her back on raw. it just makes sense that raw food is easier to digest then all that processed stuff. there is actually less protein in the raw then in the higher protein kibbles. she's happy so i'm not worried.

[TLC]

Originally Posted by kalina82

she's eating nature's variety venison (sometimes lamb if there is no venison available). sometimes i squirt some fish oil/vit e in there and i have flying basset daily maintenance and flying basset aloe vera that i sometimes sprinkle over her food a few times a week. she still loves it and is showing absolutely no signs of anything being wrong. at first when i found out, i put her on low protein food for like a week, then after talking to a holistic vet and a holistic pet store owner i decided to put her back on raw. it just makes sense that raw food is easier to digest then all that processed stuff. there is actually less protein in the raw then in the higher protein kibbles. she's happy so i'm not worried.

THANK YOU soo much...I have always believed that Raw is BEST and I was so upset when I had to take them off of it. And now with TJ's numbers really being low, he's only high one was 43 and I think that was a 'thrown' off one. He is starting to be bratty with the homecooking and I am having to put lots of things on top to entice him to eat, I know he doesn't like his food anymore...He LOVED raw and I am gonna put him back

I will keep Roxy on the homemade diet though - She does inhale it no problems...I would love to put her on Raw again, but her post number has remained in the 60 to 85 range (her first was 100.9) - so I fear that the raw would be too hard on her liver...

But I will be happy for TJ

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by TLC

THANK YOU soo much...I have always believed that Raw is BEST and I was so upset when I had to take them off of it. And now with TJ's numbers really being low, he's only high one was 43 and I think that was a 'thrown' off one. He is starting to be bratty with the homecooking and I am having to put lots of things on top to entice him to eat, I know he doesn't like his food anymore...He LOVED raw and I am gonna put him back

I will keep Roxy on the homemade diet though - She does inhale it no problems...I would love to put her on Raw again, but her post number has remained in the 60 to 85 range (her first was 100.9) - so I fear that the raw would be too hard on her liver...

But I will be happy for TJ

good luck! i hope TJ does well on the raw again.

[kalina82]

I just dug up Morgans BAT results. Her pre was 45 and her post was 65. her post is higher then TJs right now and she's still doing great on RAW. I'm gonna do another BAT probably at the end of the month to see where's she's at.

[Ellie May]

I would not feed a liver compromised dog raw.
Most importantly is that no dog with a compromised immune system should eat it and one of the moderators on the LS Yahoo group says that dogs with LS are more susceptible to infection. Then NV is filled with organ meat which isn't recommended. Red meat and exotics aren't recommended, so you could do chicken or turkey (only if you think it is okay to give poultry). NV is VERY high in protein. It is about 41% dry matter and is made up of about 95% meat. I know some nutritionists recommend it, but I just would not do it. I think it would be taxing the liver unnecessarily.

I wouldn't feed any dog raw right now though, so there may be another side to this but I just do not see how it can be good for their already messed up livers.

Since you like the raw diet and you aren't sure if TJ is liver compromised, it would be a hard call...

[TLC]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

I would not feed a liver compromised dog raw.
Most importantly is that no dog with a compromised immune system should eat it and one of the moderators on the LS Yahoo group says that dogs with LS are more susceptible to infection. Then NV is filled with organ meat which isn't recommended. Red meat and exotics aren't recommended, so you could do chicken or turkey (only if you think it is okay to give poultry). NV is VERY high in protein. It is about 41% dry matter and is made up of about 95% meat. I know some nutritionists recommend it, but I just would not do it. I think it would be taxing the liver unnecessarily.

I wouldn't feed any dog raw right now though, so there may be another side to this but I just do not see how it can be good for their already messed up livers.

Since you like the raw diet and you aren't sure if TJ is liver compromised, it would be a hard call...

I definitely am too nervous about giving Roxy raw again...She actually is doing well on her new recipe, she does like it very much, still inhaling it.

TJ is the problem, he has become such a brat again...I have to add cheese and chicken and eggs to the top of his food, and when he licks that all off he wants another layer. I have to constantly 'add' something to the top...I have even resorted to crushing a beef liver treat and making into dust to sprinkle on top.

I have been thinking about this since day one, last year when I had to stop feeding Raw, and I have always hoped that they would be well enough to go back...Roxy, probably not, but TJ I do believe is in the clear. I plan to monitor both their BATs yearly now and we will go from there...

So, HAPPY little TJ got his Raw for dinner. I bought a bag of the venison primal raw to start...

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

I would not feed a liver compromised dog raw.
Most importantly is that no dog with a compromised immune system should eat it and one of the moderators on the LS Yahoo group says that dogs with LS are more susceptible to infection. Then NV is filled with organ meat which isn't recommended. Red meat and exotics aren't recommended, so you could do chicken or turkey (only if you think it is okay to give poultry). NV is VERY high in protein. It is about 41% dry matter and is made up of about 95% meat. I know some nutritionists recommend it, but I just would not do it. I think it would be taxing the liver unnecessarily.

I wouldn't feed any dog raw right now though, so there may be another side to this but I just do not see how it can be good for their already messed up livers.

Since you like the raw diet and you aren't sure if TJ is liver compromised, it would be a hard call...

I agree. A dog with a compromised immune system should not eat raw as their bodies cannot handle the bacteria found in it the way a healthy dog can. In a healthy dog any bacteria in the food will just pass through their body. In an immune compromised dog, it can cause infection.

Lady is a diabetic and can't have raw for this reason.

[TLC]

Originally Posted by Ladymom

I agree. A dog with a compromised immune system should not eat raw as their bodies cannot handle the bacteria found in it the way a healthy dog can. In a healthy dog any bacteria in the food will just pass through their body. In an immune compromised dog, it can cause infection.

Lady is a diabetic and can't have raw for this reason.

That does make sense, however, I honestly do not think TJ is compromised. Roxy is, so yes, she will remain on a low protein homemade diet that I got from the nutritionist.