Sharon- I'm sorry to hear you are still dealing with health issues with your dogs.

If these were my dogs, I would switch to a high quality kibble. Given that TWO of your dogs were sick and you've raised other dogs to a ripe old age that were exposed to the same yard(?), dead lizards, etc., it seems to me the raw diet could be the problem.

Bacterial pathogens in raw meat can result in a variety of symptoms including changes in blood counts (anemia, low platelets etc.), kidney or liver failure, rashes, joint aches, weakness and fatigue, and neurological issues as well. If your dogs are for some reason more prone to bacterial pathogens, or one of the elements of your raw diet contains a virulent pathogen that two of your dogs have succumbed to, their symptoms could very well be related to that.

Modern feed lots are not known for cleanliness.

Terra's ear issue could have been completely unrelated to her more serious health issues.

You have ruled out tick-borne illness?

I don't think the lizards are a problem. I guess they could contain bacterial pathogens but I don't think they are toxic. You could confirm this by asking your vet or local wildlife expert.

I should mention I am basing this on my own experience, and hence am biased coming in because a few days afters starting a raw diet, my GSD had an upper GI bleed and was in fairly serious condition for a week. I know many people's dogs do well with raw. One of mine didn't.

Just my thoughts if these were my dogs. Additionally, even if raw isn't the culprit, if their immune systems are down or they are on a bunch of medications, a kibble diet or cooked home made diet might be easier for them to handle as their gut flora may be less robust.

Surely stool samples were tested, along with the blood work?

QUOTE:
"Just got the results of her blood work, all ok."


I don't turn a blind eye to the often-terrible conditions at feed lots and slaughter facilities.

I take several precautions with regard to food-borne pathogens.

But surely a vet who is already suspicious of raw feeding has first ruled out salmonella and other food-borne pathogens.

" .... even if raw isn't the culprit, if their immune systems are down or they are on a bunch of medications, a kibble diet or cooked home made diet might be easier for them to handle as their gut flora may be less robust."

I agree that this is something to consider. I'm not a big fan of kibble, and I'm less of a fan after all the deaths in the industry-wide recalls of 2006.

My own world-view is probably affected by the fact that the only food-pathogen-sickened dogs I have personally known were sickened by kibble.

But yes, I sure have switched to home-cooked with more than one dog with GI problems. And with the O.P. already using calcium supplementation rather than bone, it would be a pretty easy switch. (One of the biggest common problems with home-cooked diets is the owner failing to take into account the loss of calcium when boneless meat is used in place of RMBs.)

My granddog, in fact, has been on a very good home-cooked diet for years. He was badly sickened by salmonella (from kibble) years ago, and the decision was made to completely avoid the more common sources of food-borne pathogens in his case. So he gets no raw meat and no kibble.

He thrives on his varied and well-balanced home-cooked diet (He's 15 now.) http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j275/connies419/IMG_58.jpg

"You have ruled out tick-borne illness?"


Good question.

There are plenty of ways to help get the gut flora healthier if you still want to feed a raw diet. If you don't the home cooked diet is also a better alternative to kibble. JMO.

I don't remember Sharon, are feeding any good quality pre and probiotics? I think both supplementing a good powdered probiotic and adding in some plain kefir would be one way to boost the dogs gut flora.