Thanks for your comments Abbie's mom. My pup doesn't have runny poop. I was just letting people know what Pat said about it. He did however have some difficulty this morning pooping. He had this last bit of poop he just could not muster to get out. I felt so bad for him. He kept trying. I had to help him out at the end and tried pulling it out. The poop looked normal. I rinsed his little tushie with some warm water to soothe that area. When I took my puppy for his first basic check up, I asked his vet about raw diets. She suggested that I wait until he was older and told me to feed him Merrick wet food. I told her that he wasn't picky and ate his dry food quite fine. She told me I should stick to all wet and prescribed him Forti Flora for digestion aid. My dog has not had digestion problems but she said that it with strengthen it. Of course I have been doing my own research and have stopped giving him Forti Flora and Missing Link that she prescribed and transitioned him to a raw diet. It is true that most vets do not study nutrition and often are financially aided by the commercial dog food companies so they push those brands. I certainly am not going to discount my vet about everything but I am learning new things everyday. I also plan to try different vet since I have only used one and have nothing to compare it to since this is my first pet of any sort.

More Questions!
 

So we're doing ok with the raw diet, SoCo seems to be a little fussier in the last 2 weeks. He often needs to leave his meat out for a long time before he'll eat it if it's chicken or turkey but beef and pork (just meat, no bones) he usually attacks with gusto.

My concern is this: I made him some liver treats (just dried out liver) that were SUPPOSED to be "good for ages in a baggie" that went moldy after a few days. As we're trying to train him I've been using the treats we bought before we switched to raw which have grains (I know, BAD) quite sparingly. But other than the homemade liver treats, what else can I use? A quick look at the grocery store shows that EVERY treat/fake bone has grains!

Also, can I give peanut butter? I'd LOVE to fill a small kong toy we have with PB and liver treats (if I make them again) but I was worried about peanut butter.

Last question - I know beef bones are wreck bones, but are pork bones (like a pork chop) too big to give? Little Sir seems to prefer beef/pork to chicken/turkey (though he eats it all) and I'd like to get some more bones in.

yeah i guess because our dogs are wagging their tails and look healthy that, the kibble is just fine. But WE know better. ;)

....bummer :( . I'm not much help here, as I've not tried dehydrating my own liver treats (yet); but, maybe refrigerate them? I use treats sparingly; but, I do keep Liv-a-Littles salmon treats on hand. Ingredients: freeze dried whole salmon. Call: 800-426-4256 (Toll Free) for stores near you. I get mine from my local natural pet store.
...When in doubt - don't. :) A few licks is not going to hurt him; but, a kong full..? <gack!> JMOPork chops are sawn, so may have sharp edges. Plus, may be too dense...? I do let mine have some softer pork bones. What about small ribs, or rabbit or quail?

my girls vet is very into holistic pet medicine and in my opinion she is the best vet ever! she told me to put tumi on a raw diet when she was 5 months old. she never ever pushed me to buy any of the food that they sell. But i buy things from her because she has huge selection of NV raws, solid gold foods, Innova and Evo. she is one of the few vets that actually carrys GOOD food!

wow, you are very lucky, HOLD ON TO HER! lol. I wish vets in my area would catch on. I havent found one yet that DOESNT recommend Purina or Science Diet still. :thumbdown

The liver treats going bad wasn't a huge deal, the liver was very inexpensive, I just annoyed that I still had the blister from cutting them up! lol On the raw myth site there's another "recipe" that I'm going to try that DOES say to refridgerate them. Also, we'll be heading down to Petsmart this weekend and I'm going to try and pick up some peanut butter and/or yogurt drops that the same site suggests. I'd given them to the other dogs in the past and they were VERY popular.

That's how I've been working this so far - if I'm not sure and I don't get an answer by the time a decision has to be made, I don't. Good to know about the pork chops, I get the idea that they are bad - but what is "sawn"? I'll look for some smaller ribs, maybe a game hen. He just seems to prefer pork and beef (can we say cannon butt?). Maybe since it's Xmas time I'll be able to find some rabbit.

Thank you as always for your help Ada :)

RAW and Tear Stain???
 

So, not sure if it is bcoz of being on NV raw diet....I notice Chloe's tear stain problem is worst than before? Does any NV raw feeder have the same problem as I do? I just order Envy Eye (or Eye Envy :p )...hopefully it will help.......but I wonder why she is having serious tear stain problem??:confused:

Hmm..usually the tear stains get better with a raw diet. I don't know :confused: The only thing I can think of is that bacteria is building up faster. Tear stains are normally from constant tearing of the eyes which keep the hair moist and allow bacteria and fungi to grow...causing a red stain. So maybe it has to do with that. I've heard a little apple cider vinegar can help with tear stains too. I'd also just keep the eyes cleaned 1-2 times a day

Could be the type of meat you're feeding. If you're feeding chicken or beef, maybe try lamb and/or venison.

So Codie was doing GREAT on beef, pork, lamb and veal. Then I went and added turkey to his raw diet and within a few days his allergies came back FULL FORCE and worse than ever!! :eek: It seems that turkey in it's raw and natural form is even more potent than turkey kibble ... yikes!! So I stopped the turkey ... I'm not even going to try chicken.

Maybe in a few weeks I will give duck a try but only after his allergies are completely under control again.

uummm...from which site - RAW myth, or the Halo (for treats)? I don't mean to leave a wrong impression that just because I use ONE product from a site, that I approve of every/anything else on there. 'course, not that you need my 'approval' :p ; just want to clear up any misunderstanding. I do not agree with Halo's general view of 'healthy' eating for pets, as they still add grains and veggies!! JMO For quicker, more informed/experienced responses, you might try joining this group. I'm just one person with only five years of prey model feeding two dogs. Well, the bone itself is sawn to make the chops. You could, of course (and, I do), offer the meat of the chop. Mine love country style pork ribs; but, the bone is far too dense for Ms Abigail, and I trim off much of the fat for both.You're most welcome. I'm just so glad to see other prey model feeders, here!

......Sounds like a plan.

It's the www.rawfed.com/myths site that I was referring to. I'm not sure what the halo one is. I pretty much stopped at the above site (for recent research - I did a TON about 6-7 years ago but that was a few computers and hard drives ago... lol) because it had the info I was looking for.

So you mean they take like a hacksaw to the pork bones? Hmm. Would the bone on a pork chop make at least a good rec bone? (I really do mean recreational, he's never getting a wreck bone like beef) Do you let them chew on the country style ribs? Those aren't really popular here in Montreal, but they are in Plattsburgh, NY where our trailer is. My Dad actually picks those up quite often (for himself) when my 'rents vacation at the trailer, but they aren't cheap. Since I'm heading down this weekend I'll if they have any on sale.

As for the other group, I'll check it out, but I don't love the layout of Yahoo Groups, prefer message boards, easier to find what you're looking for, but I'll take a look. Also, I like most everyone here and I LOVE this thread, very handy for noobs like me ;) I figure I could PM you and Lara but I think it's better for everyone to see the answers - and I'm sure you get enough PM's as it is! lol

I feel so bad. Codie was doing EXCELLENT and his allergies were almost completely gone and then I went and gave him turkey. My poor baby. Now he's worse than ever. I hope it doesn't take too long to get the turkey out of his system. :(

BAD MOMMY! :(

The holistic vet I spoke to said he thinks I should wait a WHOLE YEAR before trying chicken or turkey to give Codie's body a chance to really recover and get all of the processed crap out of his sytem. Maybe in a year or so I will give turkey a try again (especially since Codie REALLY REALLY LOVES turkey necks). But for now it's a big no-no.