Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I have heard you can feed dogs raw beef but not raw chicken. Does anyone know? I have also heard that s dogs with cancer should not have raw meet because of their immune system?
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
I'm so glad you posted that question here Nancy, thanks! I really wanted to elaborate on it.
There are many advocates for raw feeding and you'll see in the Tripawds Nutrition blog that many members have shared their raw feeding experiences there, such as:
Raw Feeding Facts and Tips for Tripawds
Perso and Snoopy’s Drastic Change When Switching to a Raw Diet
One Dog Owner’s Journey to Feeding Raw
However, most veterinarians do not believe it is safe or healthy for dogs, due to the risk of catching a food-borne illness from contaminated meat. The AVMA's policy against raw feeding to pets is an example of the vet community's strong opposition to the diet. There are a few oncologists who are OK with raw feeding but most still advise clients to discontinue it while the dog is on chemo, due to the patient's weakened immune system that makes the more susceptible to food-borne illness.
Raw food advocates will say otherwise, and vouch for it as a great diet for their own pets.
We did feed Jerry raw meat, and he did very well on it. But once he got cancer, he did not have IV chemo so he never had the weakened immune system problem. We continued with raw. However knowing what I know now, I feel we were taking a big chance with his health, because cancer alone is still an assault on the immune system. I think we got lucky that he never caught food poisoning.
When Wyatt Ray came along, we tried raw feeding him but his stomach couldn't handle it. He eats mostly conventional food now with veggies and fruit thrown in, and he loves it.
If I had to deal with cancer again, I'm not entirely sure I would feed a raw food diet, as the quality of premade pet food that is now widely available is much better than it was when Jerry was around. Also, I would probably choose home cooking pet food over raw, just because there's less ick factor involved. That's just my two cents.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you! Brownie has always had a sensitive stomach so I do cook his meat but vegetables are raw. Now and then I will give him a couple bites of raw hamburger which he loves. I use very litttle kibble just as a filler. Origen senior grain free salmon. It's high in protein and low in carbs. I mainly use the kibble for vitamins but since he is on so many supplements I may start leaving it out. What kind of fruit? I use to do banana but now I don't know because of the sugar? Any advise on fruits?
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
I ordered the Ying and Yang book and will let you know what my Pac thinks.
By the way when Brownie was first diagnosed with cancer I asked the vet tech if he should be on a special diet. I was shocked by her reply. She said "He can have anything he wants. He can have ding dongs" I was hurt and angry. I took that as saying brownie's case is hopeless so needless to say I gave her a piece of my mind. Then she apologized and suggest I try science diet. I laughed.
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
I've never fed raw and have not even researched it. I do know lots of people who I respect as dog people who do feed raw and swear by it. To be honest- that fact that many vets are against it really doesn't sway me. I don't think most vets, especially the older ones, have enough, if any training in nutrition. I love my vet, who I have seen for almost 20 years with 4 dogs, but she doesn't spend much time on diet (other than monitoring weight).
When my quad Pug Tani was seen by a holistic/Eastern med vet I was advised not to feed her raw. Not only did she have cancer but several other health challenges and the vet thought it would be too much for her immune system. I did ask because I wanted to do whatever was best for her.
As far as fruits- quad Pug Obie loves most all fruits and will eat just about anything except oranges. Tripawd Elly will not eat any type of fruit and only a few veggies. They both get lots of green beans (to help keep weight down) and occasionally some other cooked fresh veggies. My problem with the Pugs is that they tend not to chew things, Obie swallows whatever he can. Therefore they don't get many raw veggies because they tend to come out the back end pretty much undigested.
I feed Honest Kitchen dehydrated mixes so they both get some fruits and veggies that way, but the pieces are very small and seem to get digested.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
So I made liver treats that all 3 of my children just love. I took liver and sliced it in strips and dehyrated over night. I have never handled liver before. Very Gross! YUK! I will wear gloves next time.
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
I've been using Meg's Liver Cake recipe for months now. Elly LOVES it but we only use it when we play Nose Work. I don't use garlic in mine.
Here is the post with the recipe and of course Meg:
So here is the liver cake recipe. I’ve translated it into American. We use grams rather than cups, and Centigrade not Fahrenheit. Just don’t blame me if it turns into a liver meringue… (not sure what people use in Canada/Australia/elsewhere, but hopefully…)
Re the garlic: I know there are different views on this. Meg’s holistic vet is very pro, and she loves it, so we use it, but if you’re not so inclined, you can leave it out, no problem.
MegaWheels Rockin’ Rollin’ Liver Cake
Ingredients
500 g (1.1 lbs) liver (I buy organic when possible, because liver absorbs toxins, and no liver is terribly expensive)
2 eggs
180 g (3/4 cup) self raising flour (you can also use oatmeal, which gives a chewier texture)
1/2 garlic clove (optional)
Whack it all in the blender, until it looks something like a liver smoothie then slop into a lightly oiled baking tray. It should be like a thick gloop. If it’s too thin, add some more flour. If it’s too thick, add a splash of milk. This is not an exact science.
Smooth it off with a spatula, and stick it in the oven for about an hour on 150ºC (300ºF). It may need another fifteen minutes or so. You want it firm but not like a giant biscuit. Lol.
It’s easiest to cut while still warm, so slice into small squares.
You can freeze it and it basically lasts forever, except it won’t because your dog will wolf it so fast, you’ll be cooking up another batch in no time.
Enjoy!
Beware: it does give the house a 'unique' odor after baking 
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Thanks for sharing that one Karen! It's a tasty recipe for sure (well, at least to dogs it is!).
This reminds me of when we worked on an organic family farm. When a cow went off to the processor, we asked them to save the liver and heart for us since Jerry loved organ meat so much. Dumb city people we were back then, we had no idea how BIG the entire cow heart and liver would be! Jerry was in seventh heaven!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for the recipe Karen. I will try it this weekend!
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
One of the reasons I like it is that you don't have to touch the liver until after it is cooked!
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Now that's a concept!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Karen! This is Brownie. My mom made the liver cake and it was SO GOOD! Max and Sassy liked it too! I didn't want to share, but my mom made me.
Thanks for posting the recipe!
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
So I'm was feeding Brownie grain free kibble and adding meat, but no matter what I did I could not get him to loose weight. So I switched to raw. I no longer feed him kibble. I give him cooked chicken with sardines and supplements in the morning and raw meat with supplements in the evening. I can hide his vegetables in organic raw hamburger and he eats every bite. One night for dinner he got a raw T Bone steak, bone and all and he was in heaven. That was on his bucket list. We have been doing this for two weeks and it looks like he is trimming down and has more energy and no upset stomach at all.
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
How much liver can you feed a dog in one meal?
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
Can't answer about t the liver, but can say your post had me grinning....t-bone, meat, bone and all! 😂🤣 Nothing beats spoiling a tripawd!! And from Brownie's perspective, this amputation stuff of the best thing ever!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
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