melbell Posted July 16, 2005 Author Share Posted July 16, 2005 Just got back from the vets, and it is definatley an alergic reaction to something. He has suggested changing his food first and he is on a short course of steroids. So we are going to change to the raw diet first, see if that makes any difference and if not then it would more than likely be environmental so we might need to visit a doggie dermatologist...which apparently is like a million dollars so i might start saving for that one now! I would be chaning to the raw diet regardless as I think it is the best food for him, i dont expect it to fix all problems but it cant harm him. We also got some Malaseb in which to wash him so hopefully that will help. I have this spray stuff which i spray on his bed before i hose it to make it smell good so i will also be cutting that out as well...just in case...and just using the hose. I steam mop the floors so it wouldnt be that. I guess its just a case of elimination, poor boy its been a rough week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missymoo Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 Thanks all for all the great information! It so simple... Ill look into that Yahoo group poodlefan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caslero Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 (edited) I've been feeding raw for 3.5yrs now and have really cut down the amount of vegies I feed. Like Espinay2 I tend to focus on meat and any vegies I feed are "leftovers" or a clean out of the fridge..... my dogs do get given any soft or old apples, pears etc (in fact my male goes into "stealth mode" and sometimes steals what he wants straight from the fruit bowl !) and they both love munching on raw carrots and pumpkin. If I do give them a vegie mix I use some frozen vegies as a base (just "thaw" under warm water from the tap) and add spinach, pumpkin, a whole raw egg, some garlic and just wizz around in the blender til it is a green slop - luckily both the dogs love it and will "drink" it straight from their bowl. My usual meals for them are based on chicken and lamb (just whatever comes out of the freezer the day before) - they are fed twice a day.... and are something like this: am: chicken wings. pm: chicken wings and lamb breast am: chicken wings. pm: lamb breast, chicken wings and 1/2 tin of sardines am: chicken frame. pm: chicken frame, lamb breast & a whole egg am: chicken necks. pm: chicken frame, necks and beef heart am: beef mince. pm: chicken frame, beef mince + 1/2 tub of natural yoghurt am: tinned mackerel. pm: chicken frame and lamb breast am: lamb breast. pm: lamb breast and pork mince am: chicken wings. pm: chicken wings, lamb breast and chicken giblets The only additives I feed are 3,000mg fish oil per day per dog (1,000mg per 10kg bodyweight) and glucosamine chondroitin for joint care. Don't stress too much about the diet, just remember "balance over time" - I don't weigh the food but just keep my eye on the dogs - if they are looking a bit thin I will increase a fatty food like lamb breast, or if they are looking a bit podgy I will reduce accordingly Here's a link to some interesting info on feeding vegies: http://b-naturals.com/Jul2005.php?PHPSESSI...8bd4ca9d66d51ac Edited July 17, 2005 by caslero Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mana Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 PoodleFan - the yahoo group is limited to breeders, isn't it? If so, do you (or anyone else) know of a good one open to dog-owners? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 Folks it was Espinay, not me who suggested the email group. A search on BARF or raw feeding on Yahoo should reveal plenty. I think there's an Oz BARFers list that's probably your best bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winewood Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 Great to read all the diets, I've fed barf for the 1. bones 2. meat 3. fish. 4.veg 5. offal last 10 years to my old dogs and now my pup. My advise is think When you do your weekly supermarket shopping do you work out how much of each food group you are eating? You dont have to be that precise, on shopping day is the day she gets an egg and yogurt even flavoured strawberry etc and whats left in the fridge veg included (I think thats her favorite day looks discusting) She does'nt help unpack the shopping, she's now learnt to sit near the fridge. Make sure you dont feed all frames or necks or what ever just keep it varied veg doesnt have to be every day sometimes its every third meal. I add a can of salmon or tuna to veg mix proccess together looks like a mouse .She eats everything I've given her the only thing she doesnt like is geen apples I made the mistake of adding this to veg mix and she wont eat it. I keep buying different meat and bones what ever is on sale I also use frozen veg but I am choosey and make sure its broc carrots ect not peas and corn. I make sure she gets garlic occasionaly, vegemite, honey toast she loves pizza crusts. Also I dont have strict feed times like shopping day which varies each week she might get a meal at 2 in the afternoon or not till 9 at night if I've been out. Walks are also at random times otherwise you end up with a dog which dictates your life with meal times and walks. I've read raw meaty bones done a natural therapies course for companion pets and lots of other books my old dogs made it to 12 years old and only went to the vet for problems in the last year of her life, so must have been doing something right . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caslero Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 This list is a good one.... just make sure you go on "Digest" as there is a lot of activity on this list... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Nutrition/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mana Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 Many thanks Caslero - and sorry PF - I was too lazy to check back who it was - I just went off someone else's thankyou! M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LittlePixie Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 The only additives I feed are 3,000mg fish oil per day per dog (1,000mg per 10kg bodyweight) and glucosamine chondroitin for joint care. I'm curious... out of all the hundreds of additives you could possibly feed, why did you settle on just these two? (Plus the Vit E.... 3) Your dogs always look so shiny... is that why? Okay I do believe I am brave enough to do this. Am going shopping for a chest freezer this week (yes I do need to... there isn't even enough room in my freezer for human food) We sell lamb brisket, kangaroo tails and chicken necks at work (woohoo, staff discount)... have a friend who can get me chicken frames for Holly... turkey necks and chicken wings from Woollies apparently... and there's a butcher down the road I can scope out for other things. And I drive past a fruit/veg market on the way home... have never been there though so will have a squiz this week. Is there any type of offal in particular that is good to get? Or just a variety again? I buy canned fish for the rats anyway (makes me wonder why I'm so paranoid about feeding my dogs this way, considering I've made my own rat diet for years and have raised two generations this way )... Steve do the same things apply to canned people food as to canned cat food?? In that it's no good for them and things leech into the food? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 Different solder is used for pet food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LittlePixie Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 Cool. Thank you Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caslero Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 I'm curious... out of all the hundreds of additives you could possibly feed, why did you settle on just these two? (Plus the Vit E.... 3) Your dogs always look so shiny... is that why? My understanding is that there needs to be a balance between Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids. As poultry (main part of their diet) contains Omega 6, I supplement with the fish oil caps (Omega 3). A lot of the nutritional lists/sites I researched when first starting out seemed to recommend this supplement too. Yes, my Dobes have never been shinier since using this diet and any dandruff probs/dull coat they had has disappeared I do occasionally use Vit E as well but ran out a while ago and haven't had a chance to get any more. The glucosamine/chondroitin with MSM is mainly for my older Dobe who has arthritis/bony growths in his feet and pasterns (bad conformation) and it has really helped with his lameness... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LittlePixie Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 Thanks heaps caslero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mana Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 Hey LilPix - I made the plunge a few weeks ago on a freezer (have yet to fully go raw... kibble is my crutch for now) (no, not crotch, but crutch) - But was able to get a huge chest freezer that is super duper (I think it is 400 and something litres?) on ebay and cause I checked who was selling them locally I was able to cram it in the back of my tiny Laser - it was hanging out but for a short distance was fine. There were at least 8 going off for auction just in the week I was looking, and some looked very new - mine is older but in very good nick. I had to pay $205 which was more than I wanted to (someone else was bidding against me), but it being a couple of streets away certainly made it worthwhile as I didn't have to pay to move it. Sorry for the semi-hijack but my freezer purchase has been a big event for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eridorsmooths Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 Well apart from a small amount of dry food I feed now I am a barf feeder also, hmm, just about to run out of adult food, might just go totally barf and see how we go, mine love their vegies and fruit any way, and I just stocked up on mince from my fabulous butcher who does a great meat mix for me, (thanks xyro for putting me onto him). I guess I always thought Barf would be hard work and with 3 kids life is hectic enough, but this all sounds relatively easy. Will report back and let you know how we go. Jacq Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LittlePixie Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 But was able to get a huge chest freezer that is super duper (I think it is 400 and something litres?) on ebay and cause I checked who was selling them locally I was able to cram it in the back of my tiny Laser - it was hanging out but for a short distance was fine. My problem is that there is absolutely no way it would fit in my car.... and I'm terribly afraid of spending the money to find that it leaks or doesn't work or whatever. I know nothing about freezers!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 KMart has mistral chest freezers going quite cheap...they aren't huge but the price is good and the delivery is free...and you can even put it on layby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbell Posted July 18, 2005 Author Share Posted July 18, 2005 Thanks for the freezer info guys, ive been saving up slowly for a couple of weeks for a juicer and a freezer however the vets bills have put a rather large dent in that. Good idea KitKat about the ones in KMart...layby is my best friend....next to VISA...and the John Howard savings fund aka Tax return How funny that life has done a complete turn since getting a 4 legged friend, normally I would be trying to figure out how to afford that new pair of shoes...now its dog beds, juicers and freezers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LittlePixie Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 (edited) Just gave my dogs their first [completely] raw meal... what did Holly eat first?? ....the carrot. Edited July 18, 2005 by LittlePixie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mana Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 Really? I'm going to go upstairs right now and offer carrot sticks all round as a midmorning treat. Everyone keeps saying how much the dogs love them but I can't quite picture them chomping on a carrot... Will report back... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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