Discussion On Dog's Dietary Needs

The Love of Pets
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Please please please- if you have (or get) another dog, being Golden or other breed, look into feeding raw/raw balanced/lightly cooked.

I do rescue (for mainly Retrievers) Goldens and Labs and you are SO right about the percentage of cancer found in the breed, but until you really dive in to do research, you won’t know, that most times that type of cancer comes from the kibble/food they are eating and the way it’s been processed.

I am not someone who is pushing a certain brand or pushing anyone away from any certain brand either.

I am in International Rescue and have absolutely researched it with vets as well as on my own.

But keep in mind, some Vets will disagree.

My dogs health has absolutely done a full turn around since I’ve had her and started feeding her a raw balanced diet.

Edited to comply with posting guidelines.

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We’re totally with you @cecelewis - our four family labs all eat a raw BARF diet and are super healthy, lean and fit. We’ve had labs, retrievers and springers since I was 2 years old so a lot of them (I’m 51!)

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Meet Stanley, Ted, Blue & Ben

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@cecelewis and @Cuttlefish I found out about how commercially processed dog food actually hurts the kidney’s and livers of dogs. Not only the bad ingredients but also the way the food is heated. My dog had kidney disease and the vet had her on a special dogfood. She wasn’t responding and he told me to be prepared for her to die. I was desperate so I was looking up alternatives and found an herbalist who has a special detox drops, recipes to make raw organic dogfood, and greens powder and omega 3 oil. She was so sick I had to syringe feed her and give her fluids at home. Eventually she got better and back to her happy elderly self. She loved the food, didn’t need fluids anymore, and the vet absolutely could not believe all her lab workups were back to normal.

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They are absolutely gorgeous!!! I too have had Labs, Golden Retrievers and (as a kid) Irish Setters. But only in my adult life and while doing so much research in rescue- have I learned the importance of Raw for their diet.

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I hear this loud and clear. I’ve thought about switching to a raw/barf diet over the years but it always seemed so time consuming and expensive. But it seems like it might be time to invest the time and money for the health of my pupper. There is SO much information out there, would you mind sharing a website or two that is comprehensive and thorough without being complicated. Every time I started looking into it I went down the internet rabbit hole and felt completely overwhelmed. Any information that you could share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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Always happy to share.

First and foremost that you’ll need to search (in your area) as I know that different areas sell to their local feed/pet food stores/boutique stores, or, what have you.

And it isn’t as confusing now that I did all of my own research.

I spent a lot of time (and money) to get my girl on the right path with her Holistic Vet. I won’t go into details, but her little body was a mess to start. So I started by cooking her food for several months.

When I switched to raw, I thought “omg! What am I doing!? I don’t even eat meat! Am I going to have to figure out ratios and do organ meats and body parts?” But no! You don’t. Not at all.

If you do a search (again, in your specific geographical area) for “Balanced Raw” dog food, or, “Balanced Raw” Pet food, I think you should be able to come up with a few options.

I’m not sure what area you are in and I don’t exactly know what my limitations are (here) yet, so I won’t post any brand names.

But for example, depending on your dogs weight, (and what YOUR VET recommends) you would simply feed the recommended amount twice a day.

I add very few supplements as most are contained within, being that all bones and organ meats are crushed inside the meal itself.

(So you don’t need added calcium for example).

My dog NEVER leaves anything in her bowl and is extremely excited at mealtimes.

I also make sure that I get her more than one protein, so that she can process more than one and I don’t feed each one day after day. So, I do, for example: Turkey, Beef, Duck and Rabbit. So maybe one day I’ll do rabbit and the next I’ll do Turkey and so on. And it can even switch meal to meal.

I have also taken kibble out of my cats diet and they are way healthier since I have removed it. No more diarrhea. (Sorry guys, but it’s true.) Kibble is horrible on cats digestion.

I hope this helps a little bit.

But, If you have any questions, by all means, I’m happy to help. I remember starting off and I had nobody to lean on as all of my friends are non-meat eaters and it seemed to me at the time, that they also didn’t have their dogs on raw.

Happy 4th!

Cece

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Thanks for the info. I live in Germany now and there are freezers at our local pet-store with pre-packaged raw foods but they are quite pricey. I thought about doing DIY but since that seems complicated so maybe I’ll try the ready made. There are a lot more unique proteins here than in the US as well. I love the pic you posted above, we have a Golden Retriever and a black cat too!

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Just to let you know, Sheri, and I’m sure Cece would agree - your dog will eat a fair bit less of the raw diet as it contains exactly what they need. No cheap fillers. You might not find it as expensive as you think.

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Admin Notice: These comments have been repositioned to give the subject it’s own topic and to keep the focus of Things can go wrong while sitting - #31 as the author intended.

Thank s everyone

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Hi @FrauSheri - it’s easier if you buy big, cheap cuts of meat raw, batch cook and then freeze it into portions. That way costs are good and admin is far less for the return :raised_hands:t3: We also buy raw veg as frozen and use that per bag from whoever has the best deal. and tripe in the same way and defrost every morning (we do have 5 woofers though so go through it fast!) hope that helps.

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I normally get a human-grade brand called the honest kitchen, it is very high-quality dog food, so it is pricey, but I notice how my dog has fewer digestive issues. He is also a more regular potty user, at least 3 times a day and doesn’t scratch his button on the carpets like he used to :face_with_hand_over_mouth: he also doesn’t get much acid reflux.

I have friends who try the raw diet, and they also said they noticed similar changes. I’m not saying that the brand I use is the best, but it’s helped a lot. I also add raw fruit or boiled chicken sometimes.

I wish I had my previous pet in a better diet, as he also suffered a lot from kidney disease.

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I love this site and have recommended it before. I personally do Franken-style PMR: https://perfectlyrawsome.com/raw-feeding-knowledgebase/prey-model-raw-diet-pmr-adult-dogs/

It has a TON of info, not just on the diet itself but also how to transition, macro/micro nutrient requirements, examples on how to calculate weights, conversations with vets, diets for different life stages, etc. A great resource to start with and to dig into!

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Thank you!

Cece Lewis

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Thats what we do too, for our pups! Once you get into the habit and learn how to do it, its not hard at all. Pups are so much healthier!

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Agreed!

Cece Lewis

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@Lulubelle I am really sorry to hear about your friend’s dog, my deepest sympathies and as with anything it can sometimes work for one person and pet or not the other.

I had a massive success story with raw feeding as my beloved dog was diagnosed with cancer at 4 years old and I was lucky enough to be working in a veterinary practice at the time.

I worked with the vets on conventional treatment, but the prognosis was poor and we were losing the battle. One of the vets suggested a friend (also a vet) who also specialised in different diets and natural treatments.

I followed this route when we were exhausting other options and luckily his cancer subsided. So much so that when I took him to work at the vet’s practice they would check him and say ‘I don’t know what you are doing but keep doing it’

He was on a raw diet and natural supplements for many years after that with no issues at all. I have personally seen vets both suggest it and also advise against it.

I agree with lots of research and support and as with any raw food careful storage and preparation. I’m vegetarian, so it was very new to me at first :rofl:

Back to where I started as with anything in life, it can work for some and not for others and there are vets out there in both camps (I worked with vets in both camps!)

I think that you need to do what feels right for you and your pets.

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@Lulubelle Oh yes whilst he always had dog food which contains meat it was in biscuit form so raw meat was new to me in that respect!

It’s so scary when our furbabies get sick isn’t it and I’m glad that NCSU were so helpful :slight_smile:

Yes, we used those supplements as well, but there were various herbal remedies, with herbs and natural clays etc that the vet made for us. I will have a look if I can find any info and DM you as it was a few years ago now.

Yes, I agree with you that would be fantastic and I think further research into dog feeding would be great. I learnt that kibble was invented in 1860 so in the grand scheme of things there probably is more research that can be done on lots of different doggy diets.

I’m so glad that your girl is doing well, what a relief for you. They are so resilient, aren’t they? Best wishes to you both.

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@Lulubelle Thank you for sharing, bless her! Feel free to share a photo of her and so happy she is well and getting a second chance in life. She came to a great home by the sounds of it :smiling_face:

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Adorable and worth every penny :heart_eyes:

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