Looking for those who feed NATURE'S VARIETY RAW DIET...

[sadiesamie]

and if there are any other YT members feeding raw with the same issues we are dealing with. Are there any raw feeders with high BUN and protein loss in the kidneys pretty much is what I am wondering. I am still going to talk with a nutritionist regardless.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by sadiesamie

But I am still trying to find someone that has the same issues with the kidney/ protein loss/even history of crystals and see if they are feeding raw. I've read Lots of info on feeding raw, but not on feeding raw with any health issues. I read about one kidney issue and one cancer issue. The raw diet helped the pets in a big way. Everyone knows we can't replace a kidney but in this situation it improved the dog a lot.

Believe it or not I rely on YT for A LOT. The vet can tell me one thing and immediately I am curious to know what YT members are doing.

My husband may want to do the phone consult with Susan Davis but I want to do both. :-)

I wish I could think of someone for you - and, gosh, no one comes to mind who has the same problems - and then the same approach. I wish there was someone. I applaud your efforts in gathering so many opinions before your decision - bc you'll probably end up with such an educated decision, and the best outcome for your baby.

As far as relying on YT - oh my - you're preaching to the choir, sister! I have learned MORE here about dogs, yorkies, vaccines, treats, fur, grooming - whatever - so I'm with you on that one.

I know Susan uses raw in both her liver and kidney patients - and that she uses raw and non-raw together (which I believe is how she customizes protein/fiber levels etcetera) - but I don't know the specifics bc Marcel had other issues (intestinal). She's wonderful though - I can tell you that!

Okay - Marcel just ran off with a piece of paper to eat it - so I'll be back - .

[sadiesamie]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

I wish I could think of someone for you - and, gosh, no one comes to mind who has the same problems - and then the same approach. I wish there was someone. I applaud your efforts in gathering so many opinions before your decision - bc you'll probably end up with such an educated decision, and the best outcome for your baby.

As far as relying on YT - oh my - you're preaching to the choir, sister! I have learned MORE here about dogs, yorkies, vaccines, treats, fur, grooming - whatever - so I'm with you on that one.

I know Susan uses raw in both her liver and kidney patients - and that she uses raw and non-raw together (which I believe is how she customizes protein/fiber levels etcetera) - but I don't know the specifics bc Marcel had other issues (intestinal). She's wonderful though - I can tell you that!

Okay - Marcel just ran off with a piece of paper to eat it - so I'll be back - .

:-) Marcel you little rascal! LOL!!! I really want to talk to Susan and I told my husband that i want to do both. See the holistic vet and talk to Susan. :-) thanks for writing. I have to go cook dinner and get a few more things done tonight :-)

[laurenr]

I am reading this thread with great interest, because Mango was started on the NV Raw about 10 days ago. She had been throwing up a lot after her spay, and after reading Anne's many posts on nutrition (thanks so much), I decided to make the switch. She absolutely loves it, but is still having intermittent throwing up episodes. Has anyone else seen this after starting the NV? She was fed the lamb first, because I was told by the Pet food supplier this was the most bland. On the weekend I bought the Venison, again after doing my research here on YT.(what would I do without this place!?)
I have had the Vet give her a quick check on Saturday, and he could find no obvious reason for the vomiting. He will recheck her in a few days.
Thanks for starting this thread SadieSamie; I remember your concerns from before.
Lauren

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by laurenr

She had been throwing up a lot after her spay...

She absolutely loves it, but is still having intermittent throwing up episodes.

I have had the Vet give her a quick check on Saturday, and he could find no obvious reason for the vomiting.

Hi Lauren - you know what this made me remember? Well, after Marcel's neuter - he felt like a million bucks - but would all of a sudden, just *vomit*, out of no where. On and off, intermittently - no warning, no nauseousness. However, the other things I DID notice following the neuter was that his "swallowing" changed - i.e., he was swallowing harder, in general - to the point that I noticed it. Other times, I noticed that he'd point his nose toward the ceiling, almost like something was irritating his throat - and this posture made it feel better. I am 100% sure that he was not nauseous at all - I think what happened is that the intubation during the surgery irritated his throat and his gag reflex nerves - to the point that his reflex was being stimulated at times - causing him to vomit after the neuter, without nauseousness.

He vomited more frequently right after the neuter - and it decreased over the next 2.5 weeks or so. Really weird. Does it sound like that at all?

[laurenr]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Hi Lauren - you know what this made me remember? Well, after Marcel's neuter - he felt like a million bucks - but would all of a sudden, just *vomit*, out of no where. On and off, intermittently - no warning, no nauseousness. However, the other things I DID notice following the neuter was that his "swallowing" changed - i.e., he was swallowing harder, in general - to the point that I noticed it. Other times, I noticed that he'd point his nose toward the ceiling, almost like something was irritating his throat - and this posture made it feel better. I am 100% sure that he was not nauseous at all - I think what happened is that the intubation during the surgery irritated his throat and his gag reflex nerves - to the point that his reflex was being stimulated at times - causing him to vomit after the neuter, without nauseousness.

He vomited more frequently right after the neuter - and it decreased over the next 2.5 weeks or so. Really weird. Does it sound like that at all?

Oh Anne, you post made me feel SO relieved!! That describes Mango exactly, and I do remember the Vet tech remarking how small Mango's "insides" were when it came to intubation. I am so hoping that this is the underlying reason for the vomiting. It's been such a worry with her, this vomiting. I was starting to think that perhaps it was the Raw diet, or even worse, something systemic. This morning I bought her some more of the potato you suggested a few days ago, and I am going to mix it in with her dinner to see if this helps. I was wondering tough about pumpkin as an alternative. What are the benefits of either. From what I remember the potato absorbs stomach acids.
Thanks again!
Lauren

[pookiebear]

I feed my Pookiebear the beef formula medallions occasionally as a treat. He loves them. I cut them in small bites and let them thaw just a bit. That's all dogs in the wild used to ever eat, so I guess that it's a natural thing. I'm a little over protective of my baby's tummy. I'm afraid that anything too rich might upset him. So far, the way I'm giving them to him he's doing very well.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by laurenr

This morning I bought her some more of the potato you suggested a few days ago, and I am going to mix it in with her dinner to see if this helps. I was wondering tough about pumpkin as an alternative. What are the benefits of either. From what I remember the potato absorbs stomach acids.

The pumpkin would help mostly if she was having diarrhea - though it certainly doesn't hurt as a bit of fiber too. Do you think she's nauseous? Or, is it hard to tell?

Sounds like you might be in the same boat as I was above. Honestly, I'm really not sure the equipment is sometimes small enough for these guys - and I think it can cause some problems. Bc if she's acting 100%, but vomiting - it sounds like exactly what Marcel was up to (and there were no other variables for Marcel).

[laurenr]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

The pumpkin would help mostly if she was having diarrhea - though it certainly doesn't hurt as a bit of fiber too. Do you think she's nauseous? Or, is it hard to tell?

Sounds like you might be in the same boat as I was above. Honestly, I'm really not sure the equipment is sometimes small enough for these guys - and I think it can cause some problems. Bc if she's acting 100%, but vomiting - it sounds like exactly what Marcel was up to (and there were no other variables for Marcel).

Mango is acting like her usual demented little self. When she last vomited, she was in the midst of zoomies with a ball in her mouth, and then it just kinda fell out of her, almost like she was not even aware of it.
With the pumpkin, is it only for diarrhea? Mango is constipated more often than not. I was hoping the fiber content would help with this.
Thanks again, as always,
Lauren

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by laurenr

Mango is acting like her usual demented little self. When she last vomited, she was in the midst of zoomies with a ball in her mouth, and then it just kinda fell out of her, almost like she was not even aware of it.
With the pumpkin, is it only for diarrhea? Mango is constipated more often than not. I was hoping the fiber content would help with this.
Thanks again, as always,
Lauren

Wow. Then this sounds EXactly like happened w/ Marcel. Is the out-of-nowhere vomiting get less and less though since the spay? I hope so. I think the irritation can take a while to truly go away. Do you notice just when she's sitting with you that she "swallows harder", in general?

Yes, pumpkin can help too for constipation - fiber is odd that way - helps either way. She may be constipated lately - what with all that vomiting post-spay, diet change, then with intermittent vomiting, and maybe mild dehydration. Oh! One thing you should know is that their poos do become harder and verrrrry tiny once they're on raw - so if that's what you're seeing, that's normal for raw.

[tumismom]

My girls are on NV raw..I give them Venison and Lamb. I took them to the vet 2 weeks ago for a check up and they are as healthy as they could be. And my vet said Raw diet is the best thing you can do for the babies and He told me that I was doing everything right. My babies weights are normal..not too skinny or too fat. They have great muscle structure. Their teeth are in excellent shape. I do brush their teeth 2x a week though but def. raw diet helps. He highly recommends NV and Primal raw food. I know that he is not just doing that for commission. He feeds his own dogs NV and Primal. I just want to let you know that My Vet is all for Raw and I trust him and I know if a vet says it's good for the puppy, you can't go wrong!

[CupofDog]

AHHH! Never heat raw food in the microwave! Not only does it destroy nutritional value and enzymes, it can make it more difficult to digest. Thaw raw overnight in the fridge!!

I am an avid, experienced BARF-er and I learned this the hard way!!

[sadiesamie]

Ok- so I had to go to the vet specialist this morning to drop off Sadie's urine for her 30 day re-check for her UPC. And -since we have been having loose stool (not runny or diarrhea) just a much looser stoo, I deciced to ask the vet specialist assistant if it was ok for me to give her some Metrodiozale
(I had some left over from Sadies last diarrhea episode) and she said it would be ok. But that the specialist said he would like to start her on a 2 wk run of amoxicillan. I questioned that and they explained to me that Metrodiozale was a safe dose but over extended use it could cause neurologic problems! and also that the metrodiozale was an antibiotic. so they both work for diarrhea it was just amoxicilian was a better choice so of course I went with the amoxicillian. Still, we decided that I would only give her the 2 wks course of antibiotic IF she had the runs. -

This all came up because I had asked for a refill on the metrondiozale just in case things got really bad withthe diar/runny etc... I only had a few metrodiozale in the house so i asked for a refill.

we ended up coming home with the amox. so i feel better having it on hand in case we need it.

so as i proceed to pay for todays bill... the specialists assistant asked me if I ever spoke to one of the nutritionists from the website that she gave me. I told her Not yet- that we had an appt with dr shawn this friday and that I also wanted to talk to a nutritionist also. She once again- went on and on and on and onnnnnnnnnnnnnn about how UNSAFE it was for me to feed raw. she says ya know with your small dogs the ecoli, semonilla poisoning.... I would NEVER ever feed my dog RAW!! IT COULD KILL YOUR DOGS.

whew that scared me when she said that :-) I told her that I really didn't know what we were going to do. I said ya know there is also the home cooked option too. and she said no- even home cooking- always that chance with bacteria... she said that that prescription diets are so much better for them bc everything they need in a diet is special formulated. I said well if your telling me that the pres diet is where we are going with this, i just don't feel comfortable bc of the ingredients and corn being a problem the last time my girls were on it. that was when she said well with your dogs being soooooooo small food poisoning would kill them- literally.

oh gosh- so that was that... she scared the crap out of me of course. I don't know if it's bc my girls have been on kibble for 10 yrs or if it's that they are getting older (10 & 11) OR..... the kidney issues?? all they keep saying is about the ecoli and bacteria... and now that it could KILL my dogs?!?!?!
I didn't even tell my husband about that conversation today bc I already have him convinced that raw is prob our best choice- BUT I will also let him here it from the holistic vet and the dr susan davis. He loves our specialist and at one point he did say- ya know, if we feed raw and the specialist has a problem with it we pretty much are going to go against what he feels is best and that might not be a good thing to do.

So go ahead- I want to here ya'll take this and tell me exactly what you think- do not hold back. I want to hear what you have to say.
:-) As Wylie's mom would say- JUHHHHH EZZZZE....
It's crazy I tell ya-

I still believe ya'll in case you are wondering. :-) I just wanted you to know what they told me today...

[laurenr]

Originally Posted by sadiesamie

Ok- so I had to go to the vet specialist this morning to drop off Sadie's urine for her 30 day re-check for her UPC. And -since we have been having loose stool (not runny or diarrhea) just a much looser stoo, I deciced to ask the vet specialist assistant if it was ok for me to give her some Metrodiozale
(I had some left over from Sadies last diarrhea episode) and she said it would be ok. But that the specialist said he would like to start her on a 2 wk run of amoxicillan. I questioned that and they explained to me that Metrodiozale was a safe dose but over extended use it could cause neurologic problems! and also that the metrodiozale was an antibiotic. so they both work for diarrhea it was just amoxicilian was a better choice so of course I went with the amoxicillian. Still, we decided that I would only give her the 2 wks course of antibiotic IF she had the runs. -

This all came up because I had asked for a refill on the metrondiozale just in case things got really bad withthe diar/runny etc... I only had a few metrodiozale in the house so i asked for a refill.

we ended up coming home with the amox. so i feel better having it on hand in case we need it.

so as i proceed to pay for todays bill... the specialists assistant asked me if I ever spoke to one of the nutritionists from the website that she gave me. I told her Not yet- that we had an appt with dr shawn this friday and that I also wanted to talk to a nutritionist also. She once again- went on and on and on and onnnnnnnnnnnnnn about how UNSAFE it was for me to feed raw. she says ya know with your small dogs the ecoli, semonilla poisoning.... I would NEVER ever feed my dog RAW!! IT COULD KILL YOUR DOGS.

whew that scared me when she said that :-) I told her that I really didn't know what we were going to do. I said ya know there is also the home cooked option too. and she said no- even home cooking- always that chance with bacteria... she said that that prescription diets are so much better for them bc everything they need in a diet is special formulated. I said well if your telling me that the pres diet is where we are going with this, i just don't feel comfortable bc of the ingredients and corn being a problem the last time my girls were on it. that was when she said well with your dogs being soooooooo small food poisoning would kill them- literally.

oh gosh- so that was that... she scared the crap out of me of course. I don't know if it's bc my girls have been on kibble for 10 yrs or if it's that they are getting older (10 & 11) OR..... the kidney issues?? all they keep saying is about the ecoli and bacteria... and now that it could KILL my dogs?!?!?!
I didn't even tell my husband about that conversation today bc I already have him convinced that raw is prob our best choice- BUT I will also let him here it from the holistic vet and the dr susan davis. He loves our specialist and at one point he did say- ya know, if we feed raw and the specialist has a problem with it we pretty much are going to go against what he feels is best and that might not be a good thing to do.

So go ahead- I want to here ya'll take this and tell me exactly what you think- do not hold back. I want to hear what you have to say.
:-) As Wylie's mom would say- JUHHHHH EZZZZE....
It's crazy I tell ya-

I still believe ya'll in case you are wondering. :-) I just wanted you to know what they told me today...

I cannot go into detail right now, but I have a situation with some similarities with Mango. The one thing I have found out is that VETS KNOW NOTHING ABOUT NUTRITION. Sorry to shout this, but it is bugging me like crazy right now. I heard the same thing you did today, which I believe to not be true. I am going also, to get advice from a hollistic Vet, hopefully tomorrow. At least THEY seem more clued in on nutrition. I do know that when it comes to feeding,raw or otherwise, I will sooner take advice from someone that knows their stuff, than a "western" vet that is too narrow minded to look beyond his immediate science.
I feel your pain,
Lauren

[CupofDog]

Most vets are anti-raw. There are a lot of political and financial reasons for this. Vets also don't get much nutrition education beyond seminars hosted by major pet food companies. Vets make a huge income by selling these kibbles. Additionally, when making the switch to raw, there is a detox period. Many people rush to the vet and since the vet is not trained in the detox process, advises against raw feeding and pumps more medicine into your dog to "fix" the naturally occuring detoxification symptoms!

Obviously, your vet is scaring you rather then getting you on a path that you feel comfortable with. Your interest in Raw feeding isn't something you should ignore. Try and locate a holistic veterinarian in your area for a consult, you might find a better fit.

Both Nature's Variety and Primal Pet Foods offer a vet locator on their websites.

Hope that helps. In my experience, with older dogs, slowly switching to raw while using an enzyme supplement and PetFlora has revitalized sick and geriatric dogs, adding years to their life and reversing illness.

Follow your heart!!!!

I write all about raw on my website. Check out this link: BARF - Raw Feeding | CupOFdog | Dog Site for Dog People