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Originally Posted by MyFairLacy  I'm pretty sure that all the prescription diets for kidney problems have a lower protein content than other foods. I know on the Nature's Variety labels it says the raw is 13% protein which is only 1% more protein than was in the prescription food you were feeding. And by feeding raw (or canned) there is more moisture than in the dry so the dogs get more water in their diet which is good for the kidneys. With dry food, they have to drink more water on their own. Lacy doesn't drink much water being on raw food whereas when she was eating kibble she drank about 1cup of water per day. If we walk outside in the heat or she plays real hard she'll drink more water, but normally she doesn't drink much - she gets most of her water from her diet. I recently switched my cats to canned and raw from the kibble I was feeding and they hardly drink any water at all - they also get almost all their water from their diet. I've never delt with kidney issues so I don't know too much about it, but I think the lower protein content and higher moisture of the raw should really help your dog with kidney problems. And so far as allergies, a lot of dogs are allergic to grains, esp. corn, so since the raw doesn't contain grains that should help alot. So far as protein sources, I've heard that the "wilder" the meat, the less chance your dog will be allergic. So your dog would be more likely to be allergic to beef or chicken then the lamb, rabbit, or venison. I hope the food helps your dogs feel better. It may just take a little while for their systems to get used to the switch. Oh, and you probably won't notice a change with itching and scooting immediately. It takes 6-8 weeks from the time you switch foods to see the effects of it. |
Hi! thanks so much for replying. i have a bag of the frozen raw meat (beef0 medallions and i did notice that the protein level and other ingredients was a complete match. i don't know why i am so skeptical about the raw food. my husband is worse than me. he is against it for some reason and i don't have enough info to sell him on the idea as i am just learning more about it myself. i even brought home the brochure and showed it to him and then last night i took out the bag and compared food labels and you are right it is very comparable to the pres diet. i was given this bag of medallions and i was told that i could feed it as a supplement but i wasn't too sure what that meant. like maybe- as a snack... or ? not too sure. they loved it when i gave it to them last week. i really think i do want to introduce them to the raw food but like i said-my husband just said to stick to the kibble... better for their teeth... and so on... now i will say- my other yorkie just had her teeth cleaned last Friday and she had to have 6 teeth removed. go figure... AND she has been on nothing but kibble for 10 yrs.
now today i fed the canidae and both of my girls ate it up. there stools are a blackish color and WAYYYY smaller than before. i also feed them a small amount (like maybe 1 TBl of the canned) just because i give them med's and its real easy to stuff their pills in the canned food.
Samie stopped scooting immediately after i took her off of the pres diet. she ate and then scooted and then after a bowel movement she scooted. she has not scooted since last Friday. so this is day 4 and no scooting. which i'm glad b/c the vet seemed to think with all of that scooting she may have bladder stones.
hey if you don't mind... please elaborate about the benefits of raw food and why you choose to feed raw. i need some way to convince my husband that it is "GOOD" for them. and not to be so grossed out by it. he is worried about bacteria or something... he just is not thrilled about the raw but he also does not know much about it.
is it still okay to feed the raw and tiny amounts of the canned too do you think? they love the canned food. i would mainly only use the canned food for pills and treats maybe 2 x's a day. i also heard that you cannot feed raw and immediately after feed kibble. it stays in the intestines and creates bacteria.