Well, IMO, anything that is not consumable is too hard for mine. I do let Mozart work on the pork ribs, yes; because he seems to handle them fine. But, I am either in the room with him, or am very close-by.
I agree. For the archives, it's good to discuss publicly. However, please don't hesitate to pm me, anytime. I'm sure lara would say the same. NO! NOT 'bad mommy'!!!! We're all struggling to do the best we can to give the best life possible to these animals who share our lives. Codie does need variety, and how will you know until you try something?

I started feeding my baby raw about 4 months ago and it's been great. We use a commercial brand called Primal. It's got everything already mixed together, which makes sure the calcium and phosphorus ratios are kept in balance. It offers a wide variety of meats and I choose to use the bags with preshaped 1oz blocks. We like lamb, but there is venison, rabbit, buffalo, pheasant and more. I worked with a local pet food supply store and they gave me lots of samples of different types of raw diets to try. Primal is the one she liked best. It's pretty easy for me to find and I think Whole Foods sells it as well as high quality pet food suppliers. I had the vet do a good exam on her after we tried it for a couple of months and the doc says she looks great. I have to say I highly recommend it. If you're looking for for a good place to buy meaty bones, I found that Whole Foods butcher dept will cut marrow bones down to "Yorkie Size" for me. Just be careful not to let the food sit out for a long time and keep the area where your baby eats really clean. I think you'll be pleased once you make the switch. We have no dental issues, but I make sure she has lots of chew toys around. BTW one of the cool side effects is that she doesn't have to defecate as much since she utilizes so much of the nutrients. Good Luck. I'd love to share more about our "raw" experiences if you'd like to hear them.

Thank you. :p His allergies have been a constant struggle for us. I really saw am improvement on the raw (until I gave him turkey). And believe it or not, I see an improvement again since I've cut out the turkey. I know it will take a few more weeks again to get his allergies fully under control but he's definitely less itchy and licking his paws MUCH less.

I've also noticed that Tia's teary eyes are GONE!! She use to get a lot of tears by her eyes and it would smell and stink up the hair by her face. WELL NO MORE!! I didn't even expect raw to help with that (I was more focused on Codie's allergies) but it sure was a pleasant surprise!! :D

I know what you mean! When I first started reading the RAW list, folks were claiming all kinds of unexpected improvements. I'm thinking: "Ya, right. And, I've got some great bottom land I'll give you a good price on!" LOL But then, within months of Mozart switching, dh and I noticed he wasn't limping anymore when he walked. He used to be so bad if the weather was cold and wet, he would actually drag his rear leg. And, he was only eight y/o!! Anyway, when he got through a few months of his first RAW-fed winter and his movement was improved, I had to admit it must be credited to the diet. Now, he still has occasion during the winter months to have some pain and move slowly - he IS thirteen, afterall - but, he's not so bad that he drags his rear leg. And, I was just trying to keep him alive!

Chloe's tear stain is getting worst!!! I bought Evny Eye and hopefully it will help! Does anyone know how to apply the EE powder? Also, do you think it is the type of meat that make her tear stain problem worst?

My guess would be the more common culprits like chicken and beef. What are you feeding? Can you do venison, lamb, or rabbit?

I feed Caji dry Royal Canine and moist vet food.
As for treats my dog trainer told me to use "Zukes mini naturals", they are great and wheat, corn and soy free. Caji loves them they have them in peanut butter, salmon, chicken and liver.
I also had my other Yorkie on the raw food as he had so many allergies to dry dog food, worked really well for him , his favorite was buffalo. He stopped scratching on the raw diet.
I plan on putting Caji on the raw diet when he is a bit older.

Carole

I was doing chicken (wasn't too bad, i remember?), then switch to venison and now beef & venison..and just so bad then i have to clean her like crazy every day!

If it were me, I would do JUST one meat, preferably venison or lamb, for 6 weeks. See what happens after that. It's not that chicken and beef are bad, per se, it's that out of all the meats - they are the most likely to be allergenic (esp. chicken).

I was feeding her chicken (NV), but she got sick of it (almost done with one bag) and refused to eat chicken! so, I switched to venison..now I just worry she might be sick of venison, thats why I am feeding 2 different meats? Is this not a good idea?

Variety is BEST, for sure....but not when you're trying to figure out a possible allergy. Then, the BEST thing you can do is to try to figure it out bc unchecked allergies (food or otherwise) just lead to worse and worse things/symptoms. So, I really would (if it were me) just feed one variety for 6 weeks (or as long as you possibly can), then add one more. Perhaps for now, stick w/ just venison - if she truly does start turning up her nose, either try to stick with it or then add lamb. (but not beef or chicken)

Okay, I am going to do that. Just feed her venison and see how it goes! She is just too spoil!! :p

HER??????? NO!! :D :D :D :D You're just a good mommy!

hehe...thanks!!:p when she was starting to sick of eating chicken, i actually had to "cook" the chicken a little to bring out the good small...oh then guess what? she came begging for it!! :eek:

morgan's eyes tear like crazy too. i hate it. she's on venison and beef right now. i can't remember if it was any better or worse off the beef. she's always had runny eyes.

on the raw diet, morgan has stank @ss breath and runny eyes. seems i don't those benefits of raw with my dog...