I have been trying to research here as much as I can about feeding raw. I don't think that I have time to do the true raw feeding. Weather or not it's more expensive seems to be debatable. Anyway, I have some questions about Honest Kitchen. On the page where you can buy it, there are several different versions. I'm not sure which I should try if I decide to do it. First we have an 18 week old male rottweiler. Second we have a 3 year old female chocolate lab. In researching, I noticed that it is claimed that Honest Kitchen can/will reduce allergy issues like chewing on feet. Our lab does this. We've tried several different high quality kibbles and none made any difference. We now have her on zirtec (not sure about spelling) and prednisone which has drastically reduced it, but if we could get her off that with the Honest Kitchen I'd feel better because I just don't like the idea of treating things with pills if it's not necessary . Plus I believe pred can cause premature arthritis if I'm not mistaken. So would it be a different version of Honest Kitchen for each dog? Also, I read somewhere on here where someone suggested adding a couple of things, one I think was fish oil. When I tried to find it again I couldn't. So much info. on here. Is the fish oil a pill? Anyone know what the other thing may have been?

I would go with either Embark or Thrive as they are both all life stages foods and work work for both your 3 y/o and your pup.

Fish oil can either be given as a pill (human pills that you get from wally world) or straight from a pump bottle ( I think LB has Grizzly salmon oil)

Once you're feeding THK it's simple to add in some raw here and there. Chicken backs/necks or turkey necks are great add ins - simple for dogs to chew and easily digestible.

Chewing on paws is usually not related to food. It is more an environmental allergy issue. Have you tried washing the paws after going outside - you can even just wipe them off with unscented baby wipes. Also keeping bedding clean, carpets vacuumed and weekly baths will help.

Also, have you had the paws checked for yeast? This is a very common cause of itchy paws, especially if the dog chews and licks them all the time. My golden goes nuts with only a small amount of yeast between his pads. And the more they chew and lick, the more you can have bacteria along with the yeast. But if both yeast and bacteria are not present, there is a good steroid spray you can get from the vet and spray them as directed. It really helped Kasey a lot and then we didn't have to take oral steroids.

I'm sure Connie will chime in here soon too. She is the fish oil expert! I use Vitacost Best Fish oil liquid - it is more concentrated and I can use less than pills. If you use fish oil, you should give Vitamin E with it.

Bump


Also, ditto that food allergies are a tiny percentage of dog allergies. Flea saliva hypersensitivity and atopy are so far ahead of food allergies .....

Where exactly besides the paws is the dog itchy?

About the fish oil: how much do the dogs weigh (this gives doses as well as whether gelcaps are feasible, or only liquid)?

For example, here's the convenient pump Mara mentioned: http://leerburg.com/47.htm

(The "other thing" is Vitamin E. We need the dog's weight.)

"Also, have you had the paws checked for yeast? "

Important question. Simple test.

Didn't know about yeast or the steroid spray. We'll have to look into that. The feet seem to be the only place she itches. She weighs about 90lbs. After trying many different foods with no changes, the vet did say that she thought it was environmental and that's when she suggested the Zirtec and pred.

Connie/Lori - even with environmental allergies, can't the right diet help keep them in check? I know with Missy her environmental allergy symptoms all but disappeared when I switched her from kibble to raw

 Quote: Mara Jessup

Connie/Lori - even with environmental allergies, can't the right diet help keep them in check?

Yes, a good diet is a strong support to the immune system. And allergies are an immune response. You're totally right!

It's a crucial tool, IMO, and your info was all great.

I always always switch to raw first when I adopt an allergic dog (I've adopted several/many) and it's a big factor.


But environmental allergies are almost never going to resolve based on diet change alone unless they are extremely mild.

I think we're both trying to tell the O.P. that a food change alone is not likely to eliminate the need to treat this, but that it's a good tool anyway.


Kory, you will want liquid fish oil because of the amount I would give a dog of that size. I would give 9 grams (working up to that amount). That's about two slightly scant measuring teaspoons. And I'd give 400 IU of natural (d-alpha, not dl-alpha) Vitamin E, preferably with mixed tocopherols.

I would want samples of cells taken from between the toes checked (cytology) as Lori recommended.

Bottom line is that I would want a derm vet.


I too would want a solid plan for weaning (not suddenly withdrawing) the dog from the Pred. What was the vet's proposal for this?

Are you doing the paw wash or rinse the Lori mentioned, and careful pat-drying, after all trips outside? (CAREFUL pat-drying, because yeast between the toes thrives on moisture.)


All JMO. I'm not a health professional.

 Quote: Mara Jessup

Once you're feeding THK it's simple to add in some raw here and there. Chicken backs/necks or turkey necks are great add ins - simple for dogs to chew and easily digestible.

Me too.

Chicken backs are my favorite add-in, and in fact my favorite basic RMB.

The package directs you as to how much add-in you can use without throwing off the calcium-phosphorus ratio.

http://leerburg.com/honestkitchen.htm

 Quote: Mara Jessup

Connie/Lori - even with environmental allergies, can't the right diet help keep them in check? I know with Missy her environmental allergy symptoms all but disappeared when I switched her from kibble to raw

Mara, for sure diet is sooo important, and even my derma vet, who does not recommend feeding raw to her clients, can't deny that Kasey is probably not as bad as he would be if we didn't feed raw. But that said, even after I switched Kasey to raw, which i did very early on when he was only about 1 1/2, his allergies did not go away. He still bites and scratches like no body's business if I don't keep him maintained in a lot of other ways. But his coat is beautiful and his skin rarely looks like an allergy dog , and I believe it's due to his diet and fish oil.