LP and Raw Diets
 

Remy had his annual check up yesterday, and we had some interesting commentary from our vet that I thought I would share

Rem had been assessed with LP in his one leg between grade 3/4 last summer. The vet at that point suggested we monitor things and consider surgery. He had had an injury at 6 months that may have precipitated the LP.

At that point we switched him to a Raw diet, not necessarily for that reason, but in part to see if it would positively impact his joints

Yesterday the vet felt the luxation in the knee was significantly improved, to the point where the knee cap would stay in place, and go back on its own if manipulated out. Much different than last summer.

My conclusion is that the Raw diet, combined with his exercise program has provided non-surgical, positive results to the LP condition. She indicated that she would definitely not recommend surgery for him if he was not experiencing any problems - which he is not - no leg lifting, and no favoring it.

All in all we were thrilled to hear this news!!

Wonderful news---
 

My dogs get a supplement daily meal of BARF and I have to give that at least partial credit for remarkably healthy dogs.

That is great news on your baby. Where exactly do you get RAW. This is something I am considering looking in to and I know nothing about it.

Wow -- what GREAT news!! :thumbup:

I'm really interested in the raw feeding but can't get myself to do it yet, for cost reasons and also just me not knowing a whole lot about it. I don't think I could afford to feed my 16lb Yorkie only raw, but I was wondering if it's possible to feed him as a 'treat' maybe 1-2x a week? Or would that mess up his system?

There's a pet store in Annapolis that has a whole freezer full of all the raw (Primal, Stella & Chewie's,etc) and I *almost* bought a bag of the medallions. But I'm just so clueless!

I'm so happy for Remy! :)

That is great news! I didnt' see any indication of Remy having any issues at Quiet Waters. I've wondered about feeding raw but both hubby and our vet are too keen on it.

Thanks :D

I initially did not think the expense was too bad; I was able to get a bag of NV medallions (these are the 1 oz sizes) for $14.00. Rem eats 4 per day (4 oz), so at 48 per bag that is 12 days of food at about $1.15 per day.

BUT today I just went to the store and the same bag is now $22! Apparently NV has had a big $$$ increase. So, his food costs $1.80 + per day (in addition to the carrots and green beans he gets).

If you buy a larger portion size - the patties are 8 oz and are 12 per package, that is $38.00. For me this brings the average cost down to $1.60 per day...and Remy gets 2 days out of 1 patty

Based on NV's online calculator Jackson would probably eat around 8 oz per day (16 lb very active dog) and that would get pretty costly

Jack's son Jason feeds their Malti-poo a combination of NV Raw and kibble. He gets 2 medallions per day and the rest is kibble. They said his digestive system has been fine....so it may work ok for Jackson!!

Thanks! I agree it has a lot of benefits for them :)

Local pet retailers that carry higher-end foods seem to carry raw. With Natures Variety you can go on their website and search by your zip code for retailers in your area. That is only one commercial raw option tho, Primal is another...

Thanks, we are very happy about it. He has not had any visible symptoms in quite a while now (knocking on wood....)

I did not ask the vet before switching him, and to be honest Jack was not keen on it either. He was concerned about contamination, etc. He's since been won over tho..especially when he say how FAST Rem would consume it!

Pre-made raw can be so expensive and the cost was one of the major things preventing me from switching to raw. After about a year of wanting to try raw and reading about prey-model, we switched! It really can so be sooo cheap if you shop around and have the space to buy in bulk. We spend maybe $40 a month between our two which is way less compared to what we were paying for grain-free kibble!

My kids get the Primal Lamb medallions. We are so happy with how healthy they are! Bella was also dx with a LP at an early age. NO problems here now!!(knock on wood):D

We actually started eating the NV raw medallions this week and so far so good. Hopefully it works out because Tucker is such a picky eater but he actually likes these.

:thumbup: Thanks Susanne. I am going to look into this more as an option for us as well.

I am very interested in this. I was just told my Bayleigh has bad knees, low grade stage 2. I would love to do things I know that will help her. But, I am confused, what is NV medallions?

"NV Medallions" refers to Nature's Variety - a commercial raw manufacturer and their "medallion" product - which is the 1 ounce serving size
Nature's Variety

If you are investigating Raw diets, this is only one of the commercial options; Primal is another example.

I feed a PMR diet too and it is amazing! I've never heard that it would help with LP but am very glad to hear your good results!

Brit - yes you could feed a treat once in awhile but you might find that he starts refusing his kibble. And I would encourage you to think about it feeding PMR. Feeding my 3 PMR is less expensive than a good quality kibble. I frequently get FREE meat. I tell friends/relatives not to throw away freezer burnt meat but to give it to me for my pups. Mine get all kinds of food that way and even get venison and steak that way -FREE- and I would never spend that much on their meat. For the most part, I spend .99 a lb or less. (I get chicken quarters for .59/lb) You really can feed a PMR on a budget.

I've thought about this, but have not done the research to understand what the various proportions / mixtures need to be (?)

My butcher, who I know very well, knows Remy and has said several people get raw meat in bulk from him for their pups...

Do you actually grind everything up? Or just let them eat the meat / bones straightaway? I live in a condo and the latter just seems extremely messy??????

No, there's no need to grind the food. That's why dogs have teeth. :)

Prey model is actually not that messy. You just train them to eat on a towel.

The proportions are 80% meat, 10% bone, 10% organ with 5% being liver. If you do a search for prey model you will find a ton of information or here's a few links if you want to do some reading on it ....

Practical Answers to Practical Questions About Raw

THE MANY MYTHS ABOUT RAW FEEDING

Raw Feeding FAQ

The raw feeders yahoo group is a great place to learn also. There are over 16,000 raw feeders on the list from all over the world.

rawfeeding : Raw Feeding for dogs and cats!

Another site I like that has a lot of good history, anatomy of the dog and why it's made to eat raw, and lots of good links on the link page ....

Raw Fed Dogs

What great news, I'm so happy Remy doesn't require surgery!!!!

Snickers had LP surgery last Nov and is doing great! I owe part of his extremely successful recovery to his Primal raw. I am a huge believer of feeding raw and feel that all of Snickers GORGEOUSNESS:) is from raw. His luscious coat, his amazing teeth, his sweet smell (absolutely zero "doggy" smell) & his energy!!!!

Brit...have you thought of a possible rotation? I feed Snick Primal in the Am and Acana in the PM. He loves all his food! Saves with cost:).

Yay for RAW!!
Snick & Viv

I love the great news remy! We started 3 weeks ago on raw to get Madison to lose weight ( evo was putting weight on her). I knew that good coats and teeth were to be expected but if Madison's level 3 LP improves also, that will be such a blessing!

My dogs Love Primal chicken and NV venison. Choosen for lower fat content while we take a bit of weight off Madison. They eat their food instantly. Lexie has always been super picky.
I bought 1 bag of 48 medallions of each kind and am feeding my dogs 2 medallions a day each. I spent $32 for the 2 bags nearly a month's worth of food. I don't think thats expensive. I'm feeding 2.
Also, if they are healthier and I pay less at the vet, its worth it in the long run. all in all I'm very happy to make the switch.

Your picture of Remy is absolutely adorable. Would love to hear more about this exercise program you have Remy on. Thanks for sharing. So happy that you have seen improvement in your LP issue.

just started raw
 

have a 4 1/2 month old and he just started raw this week and loves it. I am feeding him kibble for the other meal, also keep some out in a dish for him to eat on during the day. So far for him it's like a treat. I have him eating carrots and beans and plain yogourt which he likes also. I 've been changing it around. I don't want to feed him all those treats everyone gives their dogs. I also have some vension in the freezer I am going to try on him a little later, right now just chicken wings and beef bones with a little meat on them that I got from the butcher.

what and how do you feed BARF; where do you get it from?
i am interested in this.
i feed aunt jeni's raw food; but since my dog has IBD i can't even feed her that raw; i cooked it slightly and she's fine. i am afraid she will get sick if i feed it raw.
is raw or BARF good for healthy dogs only; what about dogs with digestive issues or inflammatory bowel disease?

thanks

I've been trying to get my 3 pups to eat NV raw for a week now and it is not going that well, but we are going to keep trying. The first day they gobbled it up and no problems. The next day they stiffed it and walked away from it the next morning but ate it that night. I've had to throw it away after 30 minutes more then once now because the bag said it goes bad. When they don't eat it I will end up giving them their usual chicken and rice and veggies. I tried the NV chicken on the third day and they ate it but 2 of them threw it up about 5 minutes after eating it and Charm had diarrhea that night. I defrost it in the fridge in an airtight container like the instruction say because raw meat does scare me. I still leave about a 1/2 a cup of their RC kibble out and they don't want that much either and will pick on it once in a while. I want to switch them to raw because they have been eating chicken and rice and veggies for about 6 to 7 weeks now, and I don't think this is the most healthy diet for them to eat all the time. My vet had me feed them the chicken and rice when they were really sick with vomiting and diarrhea from giardia. They caught it from eating cat poop from a stray that was hanging out in my yard. Chloe and Claire are about 5 to 5.5 lbs now, but Charm is only about now 2.8 pounds after a good meal and I worry if she doesn't eat. I don't want to strave them but I want them on a healthy diet any advice on how to switch them over is welcome. I have both the chicken and beef NV.:confused:

check out aunt jeni's raw food; it' s more fresh than NV; and it has veggies; it's great
Recipe Listings
i suggest the rabbit and turkey formula

I feed mine Stella and Chewy's. It comes in a frozen patty form or in freeze-dried medallions. I feed the freeze-dried ones. You can either keep it in it's original state and shred it over their kibble (this is what I do) or you can add 1/4 cup of water and make it soft/wet. Mine particularly like the Duck Duck Goose dinner. :) Good luck!