Most Popular Q&As

I have an itchy Shih Tzu who also has a sensitive stomach. Gracie has always itched but when I transitioned her to Force about three months ago and she started itching much worse. Her stomach is no longer upset and she has firm stools but I am wondering if she might be allergic to flaxseed. Any thoughts on this? I notice that The Honest Kitchen is getting ready to launch Thrive which is marketed as flax free. Has there become a know occurrence of dogs being allergic to flax? Thanks, Leslie

Hi Ed, Probably a stupid question but I'll ask anyway. My dog eats his bowl in record time... like if I had not fed him for days....He doesn't show any signs of aggression i.e. : he doesn't growl, I can take the food away no problem. I'm just amazed on how fast he can eat the whole bowl. Dog height: 28", weight: 97lbs. He's big but not fat. This behavior just started. He's fed according to the level of activity during the day. The books, the vet, etc... say that I should wait until h...

I read on your website about Alfalfa and Kelp powder and that it (each) is very nutritious, one teaspoonful/day is enough for the dog. Alfalfa is available in India and many people use it as cattle feed. Although you mentioned this only as a food supplement, I am surprised to hear one teaspoon Alfalfa powder per and one teaspoonful of kelp powder per day is enough for a dog. Or, am I missing something? Thanks, Basheer

Hi, I have a question I would like to ask you about the raw diet. I see you feed your German Shepherd raw chicken, I was feeding mine raw beef and she is doing fine on it, but figure I should try something different. My question is, I give her a thigh with the bone removed and dip it in boiling water for 2 min to kill any bacteria, cut it up and she love it. Then I let her bite the raw bone. She chewed twice and swallowed, when I looked at the end I was holding it was splinted or poi...

Hi, My dog is not overweight, he has a nice trim waist and no belly fat. I walk him at least 1 mile a day and usually more. He chases his ball etc. Thanks to your staff who I find to be most helpful my dog did not get vaccinated this yr. Instead I had a titer ran on him and he did not need shots. I would never known to do this if it weren't for you people. I told my vet about how often I express his glands and she said small dogs have problems with this and it is ok for me to do it for him...

Cindy, I am reading Raw Meaty Bones from cover to cover. Can you tell me some other good books that you follow on raw diets. We are going to start processing our own beef for the dogs. We are ranchers and are going to butcher a grass fed steer for the purpose of feeding the dogs. Do you recommend grinding the organ meat along with everything else. I thought that would be the way to do it. What is your opinion? Laura

Hi Cindy, I received the books you recommended on feeding raw last Thursday. I started my GSD on Friday with the chicken backs and necks. I happy to say he's loving it! My question to you is about his poop. He is only going once or twice a day in very small amounts. Is this normal? I'm not sure if he's constipated. He has always had very loose and large stinky stools, so this is an extreme change. Also, I took him to the vet to check on his sore elbow and shoulder, he embarrassed me. He...

Hi Cindy, Sure could use some help with some foods. I have German Pinschers and have tried the raw diets, the blood work is a real mess on the Pinschers. But I'm looking for a really good food I can feed them. I live in a po-dunk little town, that if you don't feed Ole Roy your in trouble. So I sure could use your help. I do not know about any of the foods you sell at Leerburg, so I'm vey interested in what you have to say. Thanks, Linda

Hi Cindy, I wanted to thank you for all the help on starting with the new raw diet. Caddies itching has reduced by 60% (still some chewing and scratching but not like before) and this is just the first 3 weeks. She has gone from being lethargic to full of energy and personality. When I brought her home (she was a rescue) all she did was sleep and mope around, now it's like someone changed dogs on me and gave me this loving happy active dog. Oh how I love her even more now. I have a ques...

Hello, Cindy. I would like to get my dogs off dry kibble, but do not want to go all raw just yet. I have been reading over the information on your website and would like to try Honest Kitchen. However, I am having a hard time deciding which formula to pick. I have a two year old German Shepherd that had pano when he was younger. The vet said to feed a food that contains glucosamine and chondroitin. I have been feeding him Royal Canin. He is a pretty active dog and gets approximately 3 hours ...

Cindy - I first started feeding a raw diet to my black lab based on what I read from your website. I recently started feeding a raw diet again, and have a question based on what I've seen so far. I just started and am on the 5th day. What I have been doing is feeding the remaining dry dog food in the morning, and then cut up deer meat in the afternoon. The dogs stools are REALLY foul smelling and come out in a big blob of gelatinous looking material. Today, I looked closer, and t...

3 year old GSD with an extremely sensitive stomach ... We feed him Royal Canin GSD. Often, his stools are somewhat pudding like. No diarrhea, No giardia (he did have it bad when he was young). We are doing chicken and rice right now with some flagil (as recommended by our vet who we trust greatly). Are there any supplements that you can recommend which can help rebuild and maintain his system? There's so many... What's your best recommendation? Thanks so much. Frank

Hi Cindy, I have three German Shepard which I feed raw diet to and veggies and supplements. Recently I was feeling that my female who is 12 years old is having difficulty with the raw food. She recently had surgery for mammary cancer and is on an Chinese herbal supplementation for it and doing remarkably well. Her eating habits were always on the low side (sometimes eating once every 2 days) and seemed to pick up when being fed tripe, but now she is more picky. If I feed her cooked meats -...

Hi Cindy, I switched to the raw diet and things are going well. However, my wife has some concerns regarding the dog licking the kids and household items after feeding. She is concerned with cross contamination of household items and the kids. I have a one year old and a three year old. Can salmonella and E-Coli be passed through stool as well. I pick up the dog's stool but sometimes I miss a few. She is most worried about the chicken quarters. This may be addressed in the DVD I have comin...

Hi Ed, I have a question for you we have a German shepherd male dog which is 12 months old and just will not eat we have tried all sorts of things (fresh meat, home made stew, BBQ chicken, Sardines, eggs, 100% natural canned food, dry food, etc) and just can not get him to eat correctly he is in very good heath as we have had him to the vets. please can you give us some Ideas!!! Thanks, Colleen

Hi there! I scanned through most of the Q&A and didn't find this one. Maybe I over looked it and if you could just send me the link I'd appreciate it. Anyway, I have a pup that is now almost 6 months old. She's an American Bulldog/Pointer mix. She was the last of 12 and a runt. We crate her during our absences and overnight. When we first brought her home she'd eat nice and slow, chewing her food. After we upgraded the size of her bowl to accommodate the increase in food she starte...

How do I make the switch from kibble to raw food?

What Should I Expect At First When Feeding A Raw Diet?

I read somewhere on the internet that feeding a raw diet reduces vet bills? How does that work?

How Do I Know Each Meal Is Balanced?