"IMO if a dog has stomach issues cooking the diet is important, to eliminate the surface pathogens which are rampant in todays meat. "



What Betty says is the main reason I have done home-cooked diets in the past ..... not wanting to feed what may be a huge number of pathogens to a dog with any part of the G.I. system "open."

Particularly the surface, as mentioned, and what can be even worse: uncooked ground meats with contaminated surfaces folded in to the center during processing, where pathogens have lots of opportunity to colonize.

Dogs have potent weapons against pathogens, but a compromised G.I. tract, IMO, needs protection.

My recently-deceased granddog, for example, (who died at age nineteen) was on a well-balanced home-cooked diet most of his life after serious GI issues (including blood) when he was four or so.

How's it going, Susan?

Hello. Sorry I havent posted anything lately. Last Tuesday I took her to see the Specialist. They did the Cobalamin and Folate tests.
I finally talked to the Vet yesterday with results. Mojo's Cobalamin was low, as were Folate levels. Per the Vet "Mojo In-Deed" has an Intestinal Disease. Soooooo, in order to know how to treat this, she recommends a scope... We are going in on Wednesday to have the Scope done ($1200). Should have just done that in the beginning..

Also those of you who have talked about raw food, changing diet etc. I would absolutely love to take her off that @#$@#% in bags you buy at the dog store. I wouldnt know where to begin. So maybe when Mojo gets her disease under control, we could start a new better diet. Looking for assistance when that time comes.

I have been feeding Mojo 3 cups of food a day (trying to get her off the Rx food, and mixing in Natural Balance Potato and Duck. She has not gotten sick in 8 days. Also feeding 4 times a day and limited water after exercising.

What do you all feed your dogs??

My dogs eat raw beef, cooked chicken, and cooked pork , raw lamb. For dog food in a bag I feed a different bag every time,(25 lb bags) hoping to avoid toxins. The last one is a more expensive Iams product with chicken and peas. In winter the big dog (80lb) gets 3/4 lb. hamburger or raw lamb and kibble, the little dog 1/4 lb+ the kibble. Verboten (Don't mix raw and kibble!) but it works for us. We raise our own beef/lamb so I can afford to do this.

I feed once a day. An occasional Milk Bone.



I don't feed eggs any longer. I never feed raw ground poultry or raw hamburger of the cheap type bought in bulk.

First Mate , straight up . . .

i do 50/50 mixes of the standard all stages maintenance combined with one of the other flavors . switch up the " other flavor " every two months , which is about how long the two bags last .

i've never felt the dog was lacking any nutrients or energy , but thats a border collie : put gas in the tank , check the oil once in a while and yer good to go . . .

i don't doubt that raw could be better for the dog , but i just don't have the time or energy to learn what i feel i would need to know to feel good about feeding raw .

I now feed a few of the Blue dog foods.

I've changed around a bit because of digestive issues with one of my dogs and this seems to work best for him.

My sensitive stomach boy does best by NOT eating a "super premium" food. Grain free but with some carbs is what he does best on. He can't seem to handle the really rich meat based foods. Other dogs do best on a nearly carb-free food like EVO.

I currently feed Nature's Domain Turkey & Sweet Potato. It's made by Diamond(sold through Costco) and has had a recall but who hasn't anymore? Unfortunately, I think it's just a risk you accept feeding a commercial diet.

Every dog has certain trigger foods that they just can't tolerate. For Tanner it's corn. I can't even give him treats that contain corn without him getting horrible gas.

We stay away from feeding raw for all the same reasons that Ian mentioned. I respect those that do but it's just not for us.

We feed kibble. Each time I need to get another bag I switch brands or at least flavors. The brands we have been sticking to are Taste of the Wild, Wellness, Blue Wilderness, and occasionally Innova. Every so often, we supplement them with cooked leftover chicken, turkey, peas, etc. She does great with all of them. Even our previous dog, who had a more sensitive stomach, did well with our feeding practices.

Good luck!

Hi Susan,

There's lots of good information on the Leerburg site about alternatives to feeding kibble if you want to start investigating. For years I have used this menu plan as a guide:

http://leerburg.com/diet2.htm

My high-energy fast-metabolism 75 lb male GSD gets daily:

Morning: 24 oz raw chicken quarters with backs and necks.
Evening: 1/2 cup raw ground veggies (carrots, green beans, zucchini) mixed with 8 oz raw ground meat (usually beef, occasionally lean pork, maybe lamb or elk if he's lucky and I'm emptying the freezer). 2-3 times a week I replace half the ground meat with chopped beef liver. 1-2 times a week I replace the meat entirely with a 14 oz can of drained and rinsed mackerel or salmon. I also throw in a beaten raw egg with the crushed shell twice a week. Evening meals are supplemented with vits. C and E, salmon oil, ground kelp and alfalfa.

The Airedale mutt, also 75 lbs, tends to get chubby on this much food so I dial it back a bit for him to about 1 lb 8 oz a day total amount, but he gets the same mix of ingredients.

If I'm traveling (or really busy) I feed Honest Kitchen dehydrated mix (Force for a complete meal, Preference if I'm adding the meat myself and just want a balanced base). These are great for transitioning to raw, or if you want a natural alternative to processed kibble but you don't want the hassle of going the complete home-prepared route. Definitely recommend). If I feed kibble it's grain free "I and Love and You Nude Food" (terrible name but highly rated. See http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/i-and-love-and-you-nude-food).

If this sounds complicated...it really isn't once you get organized and in the groove. I've been feeding like this now with minor variations for more than 11 years with different dogs and the results have been worth it, including senior dogs and dogs with chronic health problems. My current vet was a little skeptical at first (I've fired vets in the past who insisted that I should feed whatever kibble they were peddling) but she is now totally on board - she takes the trouble to talk with me about what I feed, and she says she can't argue with the results.

You have to find what works for you and your dog, and you don't have to do it all at once. It sounds like you are already making progress - don't hesitate to ask if we can help.

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