My 4 year old female keeps getting cysts. Different types: filled with fluid; hard feeling; red & sore appearance. I've had 3 surgically removed & now scheduled to have another 4 removed next week. Vet keeps saying GSDs just get these. Not so comfortable with that explanation. Anyone know why they're caused? Bad gene pool? Diet? I'm beating myself to death trying to figure this out. BYW, vet is most concerned about the red one - says cancerous ones have redness. Others he's not concerned about - just a nuisance. Thanks much!

What are you feeding?

My GSD, then only 2 years old, had a cyst that got infected and had to be removed. It was miserable for her. About a year later, she started to form the same type of cyst on her front leg. It was a turning point for me...was not going to put her through surgery if I didin't have to. I had been researching raw, and immediately switched. The cyst dried up and fell off within 2 weeks - I swear! We've only had one reoccurance and the same thing happened, it formed and went away quickly.

She's getting boiled chicken, grilled ground turkey & sardines in soy oil. She has a weak stomach & beef always gives her the runs. She also gets raw veggies like spinich & broccoli & cooked sweet potatoes. My vet is very against raw diets. we tried it about 2 years ago & honestly, the raw beef was just so gross & I can't imagine feeding her raw chicken. She wasn't thrilled about the raw stuff either; kinda put her nose up after smelling it. Vet says there's a whole host of other things that occur from a raw diet so I'm really kinda leary. Thanks for the post. Oh, and gorgeous GSD!!
How'd you get that pix on here?

Hi Donna,

 Quote: Donna Steinbuch

She's getting boiled chicken, grilled ground turkey & sardines in soy oil. She has a weak stomach & beef always gives her the runs. She also gets raw veggies like spinich & broccoli & cooked sweet potatoes.

Are you feeding anything in addition to this?

just some kibble & treats . . . why is that bad?

 Quote: donna steinbuch

She's getting boiled chicken, grilled ground turkey & sardines in soy oil. She has a weak stomach & beef always gives her the runs. She also gets raw veggies like spinich & broccoli & cooked sweet potatoes. My vet is very against raw diets. we tried it about 2 years ago & honestly, the raw beef was just so gross & I can't imagine feeding her raw chicken. She wasn't thrilled about the raw stuff either; kinda put her nose up after smelling it. Vet says there's a whole host of other things that occur from a raw diet so I'm really kinda leary.

I have to ask.

Where's the calcium? All I see is sardines. How do you make up for the lack of RMBs?

Please tell me that you understand the calcium-phosphorous ratio and are supplementing the calcium on a per-pound basis.

And if you are not, and this diet was the diet your vet DID approve, then shame on that vet.

Sorry if that sounds harsh, but while home-cooked diets are indeed doable, they are far trickier than raw because of the lack of bones. (Meat with the soft bones it comes with "happens" to be the correct calcium-phosphorous ratio.)

If you need help with calcium info, let me (us) know.

If you can touch the raw chicken and turkey to cook it why can't you just put it in the dog's bowl? If she doesn't think it's food fast her for a day or two and most likely she will think it's good. You can also put some of the ground turkey in her mouth or down her throat to give her the idea she's supposed to eat it. A fast will not hurt her. The salmon oil and E will help her repair cell damage.
Most kibble is not good.
If you don't want your dog to have continuing health problems you are going to have to do something different. Raw is the best thing. Starting is the hardest part.
Cysts are a sign that the body is attempting to detox, if you continue to feed her the crap in a bag she will always have to detox.

 Quote: Debbie Bruce

Cysts are a sign that the body is attempting to detox

Yes.

Again, you can feed a home-cooked diet (with some study and attention to detail), but a diet of muscle meat with no bones is a nutritional disaster to a dog, unless the calcium is supplied appropriately.

Of course, it's not the equivalent of a raw diet, but it's better than kibble (ONLY if it's done properly).

If you are leary of raw(or more specifically - raw meaty bones), consider a mixer like The Honest Kitchen or Urban Wolf. You will find a ton of information on this site if you search "The Honest Kitchen" or "THK".

As for a "weak" stomach - have you had her tested for Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI)? My GSD, coincidentally the one who had the cyst, was diagnosed with this about a year ago. We spent years dealing with poor digestion, but we do wonderfully on raw. She literally was starving on kibble because her body cannot process it properly.

By the way, my vet is against raw too. Or at least he isn't exactly supportive...I don't give a hoot. He wanted me to feed her some crap Science Diet and didn't trust that I know my dog, which I do...very well in fact. I just ignored his advice and then on a return visit, let him go on and on about how great she looked prior to letting him know I was feeding raw.

Just one last point - you cannot continue feeding the way you are...Connie is right (as usual lol). It is unbalanced and you are certainly not helping the cyst problem.

Here is some info on cooked diets...

http://www.dogaware.com (great site to explore!!!)
http://www.b-naturals.com/Apr2006.php

One last thing - you might consider this supplement. It's one of my favorites and really helped my GSD with the digestion issues. Here is the link: http://www.b-naturals.com/product_info.php?products_id=24&PHPSESSID=9cc4ddcb3fc51c319baa5252008e8842

I started her on it after she had the surgery to remove the cyst and noticed a huge difference. I really like their products.

Melissa, "Great minds".... etc.

I PMed the O.P. about Whole Dog Journal and their recent issue devoted to homecooked dog food. (Of course, they recommend raw, but they also help those who are not quite ready and want to try homecooked. It's a very detailed article.)

And YOU have directed her to the author of the whole "feeding dogs" series by WDJ: Mary Strauss. She is the DogAware site.