Quote: leih merigian

I've done the same many times, but why is the soupy rice thing good when they're not grain eaters to begin with?

leih

Well, of course it's not long-term. Dogs are scavengers and can tolerate many foods on an occasional or short-term basis. The resounding "no grains" that you will read here and many other places is a response to grain-heavy dog foods. Dogs are not designed to process grains as a regular protein source. Also, grain protein is a common allergen (as well as gluten triggering other responses like intolerance, sensitivity).

You probably know from humans with gluten problems who turn to rice pastas and breads, etc., that rice doesn't present that problem.

But the main point is that rice has binding properties. Even the water it's cooked in has those properties. There are other foods that work as well as rice as binding agents for humans, but that are not appropriate for dogs.

White rice appears to be better than brown for this, and I imagine that it's because it's easier to digest than brown rice. In normal circumstances, and especially for humans, the whole grain is a much better food, but when you're trying to give the dog the easiest to digest food that also has great binding properties, white rice, very overcooked, is the best one I've come across so far.

JMO!

ok back from the vet. she has some hereditary mange that starts with a d. its a shame too bc now she can never have babies in order to not pass it along. and bc im her third owner i have no way to find out who the breeder was to let them know about it. the vet said her diarreah is bc of the salmonella in the chicken. she also said she is against raw diet period. that doesnt sound right but now im second guessing myself a little on it.

What a bummer of a trip to the vet... So sorry to hear about it. I suspected that your "mange that starts with a d" might be demodedic mange but didn't realize there was a hereditary aspect to it. Here is a page I found about demodedic mange: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_demodectic_mange.html I found the page to be quite informative.

It's too bad the vet is anti-raw feeding, but if you hang out for very long around here, you will find that many members have run into vets who do not approve of the diet and who have worked hard to find vets that do approve. I personally use the don't ask, don't tell philosophy with my vet since I like my vet and don't want to look for another one.

I doubt your dog's diarreah has much if anything to do with salmonella- I think it's got more to do with the very high fat content in the chicken wings you started your dog on.

Thats the culprit. I never even considered it to be mange bc my other two dogs dont have it. I thought it was a food allergy making her itch. I wont be giving chicken wings from now on.

BTW thanks for the link it really explained it better for me

 Quote: Erin Croley

ok back from the vet...the vet said her diarreah is bc of the salmonella in the chicken. she also said she is against raw diet period. that doesnt sound right but now im second guessing myself a little on it.

Erin,

We all have to make these feeding decisions for ourselves, and when you're in the earliest stages of making this decision, vets can really knock you for a loop<g>.

When my GSD was young, I spent her first two years trying to resolve chronic diarrhea. At that time, I knew nothing about raw feeding, and she was on kibble. The poor girl was put on one drug after another, to no avail.

I was fortunate that a mentor at the time suggested raw food, and I looked into it and took the plunge. That was 9 years ago, and we've never looked back.

Of course, her chronic diarrhea cleared up quickly. These days, if she gets loose stools, I can generally figure out why and adjust things to fix it.

From what I understand, it is pretty rare for a dog to get salmonella.

What is important is to make an informed decision. So, read those books you've ordered, read from the gazillion of raw threads on this site, and keep asking questions.

I know I'll never go back, and my next pup will be on raw from day one (as are both of my cats).

leih

Thanks for the encouragement, I think I am going to stick with it. She just looks so happy when she's eating. She never ate with so much enthusiasm before.

What tests were done to enable the vet to diagnose salmonella?

she didnt do anything with that, she just assumed i guess. she said "it was probably the salmonella causing the diarreah". she told me that after she mentioned she is against raw feeding

 Quote: erin croley

she didnt do anything with that, she just assumed i guess. she said "it was probably the salmonella causing the diarreah". she told me that after she mentioned she is against raw feeding

This kind of ignorance blows me away -- not to mention the scare tactics. I betcha she sells a kibble that she recommends instead.

Dogs can indeed be sickened by salmonella. We've all read about kibble recalls due to salmonella outbreaks. It's pretty rare, although of course if a kibble is tainted, it stays in the dog's system longer than raw food does and it is fed over and over and over, re-exposing the dog at every meal.

But it can be clinically diagnosed. The bacteria can be isolated in a stool sample.

"I feed raw" is not the diagnostic tool.