Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Guinness is on a completely raw diet, as will Cuervo when she moves in. Right now, Guinney eats something called Instinct raw, which he loves... but it's far too expensive to be economical for a large dog too. So, I'm going to be switching the pack to Sojos grain-free diet, and supplement with meat purchased from a butcher or my dad's hunting excursions. They also get raw bones, fresh fruit, veggies and the occasional human food "treat".
I haven't used the Preference, Tracy, but since I use a commercial raw, I don't really need the extras. Without adding them at meal time, I have more freedom to give them during the day, which Isabelle loves. It does look like a great product, though if someone is feeding noncommercial meat. It seems like it's probably a bit less expensive.
Cynthia
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Thanks for all of the information in this topic! Our dog, Chance, passed away from cancer October 1, 2010. He had food/allergy/thyroid issues his entire life, and while we thought we were buying the best food possible for him at the time, I had never heard of feeding raw until finding Tripawds late in his diagnosis...I wish so much that I had known more when I had my Chancey-boy. Now, we are considering adopting a puppy (Shepherd/lab mix). I want this pup to have the very best start possible so I have been reading up on feeding raw and foods such as Healthy Kitchen and Stella and Chewy's.
Any answers to the following questions are greatly appreciated as I have never done this before and there is so much information, I'm not sure where to start.
1. Anyone have experience staring a puppy on raw? What is the best way to go about it? This pup is only 8 weeks old with little tiny puppy teeth.
2. Healthy Kitchen looks easier to find in our area (versus Stella and Chewy's), so I was looking at Embark (seems less intimidating than trying to figure out what to buy at the store and/or cook at home right now). It looks like most mix raw meat with the Embark for higher protein/lower carbs - what type of meat? How do I determine how much a puppy would need? Do I determine amounts off of her current weight or what her adult weight will be?
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Chance, our 9.5 year old Rottie/Shepherd mix was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in his left front shoulder. In July of 2010, we planned to proceed with the amputation, but lung mets were discovered. Chance reached the Rainbow Bridge October 1, 2010, just a few weeks after his 10th birthday.
http://www.figh.....ipawds.com
Hi there!
I believe you're talking about Honest Kitchen right?(not Healthy Kitchen).... After HK is hydrated the consistency is alot like canned food...so no problem there regarding puppy teeth. I don't feed raw bones whole to my dogs...only ground up in their Primal raw grinds that I add to Honest Kitchen. I used to feed bones but had too many episodes of puking up bone pieces!
You do not have to add additional meat to Honest Kitchen(unless you use the Preference one - that you have to add meat to it) - you can feed as is - but I like to add more to it to drop the carb content of the foods even more. I use alot of variety of meats that I add - buffalo, chicken, turkey, beef.
Honest Kitchen gives recommended amounts to feed pups/dogs on their website. Have you looked at their site? It is:
http://www.theh.....chen.com Lots of helpful information and they are great company to deal with in answering any questions you may have.
Tracy, Maggie's Mom
Maggie was amputated for soft tissue sarcoma 10-20-09
Maggie lost her battle with kidney disease on 8-24-13
Good Morning all -
Riley has been eating the EVO weight management dry (and rotating the different flavors in the canned) for a few years now as she was constantly scratching and chewing and we traced it back to an allergy to grains. A couple times a week she gets a soft boiled egg (microwave 30 seconds not gourmet style). Supposedly it helps with shedding - but with the amount of hair I vacuum up each week - I am not so sure !!
We also have her on something called Joint Complete (liquid form) of Glucosamine / Chondroitin / MSM / Vit. C - made for humans by tropical oasis. It has no taste and I mix it into her food every night. We can see a noticable difference in her activity level since she has been taking this (over a year now). She also gets wild alaskan salmon oil once a day and a couple of doggy vitamins.
Since the amputation, she also gets 1/2 cup am/pm of chicken livers, hearts and gizzards plus broth - a few days after surgery we took her in as her gums were pale and the vet said she was borderline anemic. I got some dessicated liver pills too but she isn't too keen on them.
We started her on the K-9 immunity mid January along with milk thistle and acidophilis - still trying to figure out how to disguise the kelp so that she will eat it - but no such luck so far.
Lastly, and most importantly (to her anyways) she gets chicken strips and duck strips for treats....and then a fresh bone every night to chomp on....it gets taken away and tossed in the trash once she starts grinding on it...
Is she spoiled or what!!!!!
I have nothing against raw diets but just be extra careful when feeding it to a puppy; especially a large breed. It is very important to feed the proper balance of calcium and phosphorus without too much fat. High protein and low carb is okay but the ratio of calcium to energy density is critical. The goal for a large breed pup is about 3.5 grams of calcium per 1000 kcal of diet. Make sure not to exceed 4.5 g/1000 kcal. It can be hard to find this info on the product or website. I feed California Natural to Julian and that isn't a raw diet but I had to call the company to get the figures and then I calculated the numbers myself. I was interested in feeding Prairie which has a raw product sprayed on the outer kibble but that company was unable to get me the info I wanted so I bypassed it.
Pam
chancemom5 said:
I have been reading up on feeding raw and foods such as Healthy Kitchen...
We presume you mean Honest Kitchen, so don't miss all the Tripawds Nutition blog Honest Kitchen posts. For help finding the nutritional information about most dog foods that Dr. Pam suggests, visit DogFoodAdvisor.com
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Anyone have experience feeding a stone former?
I have Samson on 1200mg Allopurinol day and he gets 1 can of Merricks day split into 2 meals. (and no, despite his monkeydog bragging its not Daisy stew) also a handful for science diet dry UD
He gets whole grain pasta, brown rice, cottage cheese, cheese, probiotic yogart and a small bowl of wheaties with skim milk as side treats. I tried both the Science Diet UD and Purina NF canned fomula but he hates them and its SO expensive.
All of you talking about grain free diets scare the begezus out of me. He hasnt had a block up for 8 years and he is 13 now. When he did block up he was on Iams canned and dry.
Daisy earned her wings on Oct 22, 2011 at 14 years old
She is now the official greeter at the rainbow bridge
Everyone is guaranteed a welcome sniff and Dalmatian smile
Thank you everyone! Yes, I did mean HONEST Kitchen! (sorry about the typo!!) 😉
Found a store locally (The Pet People) that offers a wide variety of food choices, including Honest Kitchen, Primal, Grandma Lucy's, etc.
Chance was on California Natural because of his food allergies, so I have that on my list of foods to compare as well. Thanks for the breakdown on the calcium and energy density - I will call and check into that. I have researched some of these foods on the Dogfoodadvisor.com and am feeling better (not so overwhelmed) about the choices.
I truly appreciate your time answering my questions!
Chance, our 9.5 year old Rottie/Shepherd mix was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in his left front shoulder. In July of 2010, we planned to proceed with the amputation, but lung mets were discovered. Chance reached the Rainbow Bridge October 1, 2010, just a few weeks after his 10th birthday.
http://www.figh.....ipawds.com
In addition to http://www.DogF.....dvisor.com A few resources I've found helpful when researching pet foods: http://www.trut.....om/ which offers a variety of information, you just need to sort through it to find what is of interest to you. From there you can subscribe (there is a fee) to their online publication http://www.pets.....com which provides comprehensive reviews of thousands of pet foods/treats. Both of these have current information on recalls, links to FDA warnings, etc & it's the easiest place I've found to locate the ingredient sources. Cat foods are also included in this review.
Much of the information is similar, but on a glance, I noticed a few inconsistencies on the Dog Food Advisor, they mention probiotics r/t Stella & Chewy's kibble, which they don't produce. They only choose one variety, per food type, such as Instinct bison, to review, but that gives no source information for other meats…they have been known to source meats from China. There's information about the benefits of ground flax, but no note about it's poor use absorption by canines. I'm sure there is information to be questioned on both sites.
Anytime data is non scientifically (even then, it occurs) compiled, it is important to critically evaluate and verify the information provided. It's always a beneficial to be able to compare information from several data bases and then make a choice.
Whole Dog Journal also does an annual review of premium & raw dog foods, treats, but is somewhat limited.
I was planning on feeding my monkeydog 12 week old male golden retriever puppy a home cooked diet. I contacted the vet nutrition dept at Tufts, and they strongly recommend NOT feeding a puppy a home cooked diet. Blew my plan out of the water... I have since contacted the nutritionists at North Carolina State for a consultation (after a tip from K's mom about a good nutritionist and they are hundreds of dollars cheaper than Tufts), but until then-- what do I feed my puppy?
Pam said...
The goal for a large breed pup is about 3.5 grams of calcium per 1000 kcal of diet. Make sure not to exceed 4.5 g/1000 kcal. It can be hard to find this info on the product or website. I feed California Natural to Julian... Where do you find this info? SHould I feed him this food? If so, which variety has these ratios?
His breeder stressed that I should never him feed puppy food (they had him on Purina Pro Plan Adult Lamb and rice) but dogfoodadvisor does not recommend this particular food, and I want to upgrade to a 5 star premium food--
Anyone know of a 5 star premium (not raw) food that has Pam's recommended ratios?
Thanks,
Catherine
Scout: January 31, 2002 to November 7, 2011
Scout's diagnosis was "poorly differentiated sarcoma"; amputation 1/11/2011. Scout enjoyed 9 fantastic years on 4 legs and 9 glorious months on 3 legs. If love alone could have saved you…
Good questions!
I'm always so surprised when I hear about breeders feeding their dogs less-than-quality food like Purina, that seems to be common. I have to side with Dog Food Advisor, there are better foods available.
Have you tried looking up DFAs recommended 5 star foods online? I'm betting the company has a nutritional analysis on the form. They should also have one on the package of dog food too. So I think you're either going to have to do some homework online or in person at a supply store.
I've also read that feeding a puppy a home cooked diet, as well as puppy food is a bad idea so you've gotten some great advice there. Do tell us who you talk to at NC State, we are always looking for great resources especially when it comes to nutrition.
You're super diligent, this is wonderful!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
daisy2010 said
Anyone have experience feeding a stone former?I have Samson on 1200mg Allopurinol day and he gets 1 can of Merricks day split into 2 meals. (and no, despite his monkeydog bragging its not Daisy stew) also a handful for science diet dry UD
He gets whole grain pasta, brown rice, cottage cheese, cheese, probiotic yogart and a small bowl of wheaties with skim milk as side treats. I tried both the Science Diet UD and Purina NF canned fomula but he hates them and its SO expensive.
All of you talking about grain free diets scare the begezus out of me. He hasnt had a block up for 8 years and he is 13 now. When he did block up he was on Iams canned and dry.
I do. My non-cancer dog (a Lab) takes methioform every day to keep his urinary pH low, and he eats Natural Balance Limited Ingredient kibble, either chicken and sweet potato OR venison and sweet potato. He's been on this program for about 3 yrs, and it has worked. Early in the program, we tried giving him rice and chicken when he got an upset stomach, and it caused urinary problems every time. Now we know to cook up white potatoes and chicken when his stomach is upset. That doesn't seem to cause the same problems.
It sounds like you've had great success with what you're doing so I wouldn't mess with it!
K, an 8 year old chocolate lab, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma of the radius and ulna on 12/23/11. She had stereotactic radiation to kill the bone tumors, and 3 rounds of carboplatin. On 3/16/12, lung mets were found. We tried several different kinds of chemotherapy to slow the lung mets but none worked. Finally, mets appeared at other sites, including her spine. She earned her angel wings on July 15, 2012. K changed my life, and I'll never forget her. Our/my journey is chronicled at romp-roll-rockies.blogspot.com.
Jerry, I started by asking my vet for a referral to a veterinary nutritionist. He gave me a couple of names, but one was retired and the other works for Science Diet. So I turned to to the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (acvn.org). According to their directory, there are only 7 vets in the country who do clinical case consultations. Two at Tufts and two at North Carolina State University. I will certainly give a full briefing after our consult. One of the NCSU vets was Rebecca Remillard-- she is K's nutritionist consultant and her mom gives her a big paws up.
I was surprised that there are so few specialists, as I see a tremendous need for this service.
Scout: January 31, 2002 to November 7, 2011
Scout's diagnosis was "poorly differentiated sarcoma"; amputation 1/11/2011. Scout enjoyed 9 fantastic years on 4 legs and 9 glorious months on 3 legs. If love alone could have saved you…
I was extra careful feeding Julian when he was younger and it can be tough to find the info that you are looking for. Not all high quality foods are okay for large breed pups but in general if the AAFCO statement on the bag says "for all life stages" then you are okay. If the food says "maintenance only" or "does not support growth" then it is inappropriate.
Some companies would not send me exact calcium amounts (Prairie and Instinct) so I did not try those. I do remember that the Innova Large Breed Puppy as well as the Innova Adult Poultry and Innova Adult Red Meat formulas were okay. You have to check out individual flavors because the California Natural Chicken diet and the Lamb diet are okay but the Herring and Sweet Potato diet does not have enough calcium in it. Nutrition is very tricky in a growing pup which is why a raw diet is very hard to balance in pups under 6 months of age. Julian's breeder is currently feeding her Mastiff pups Life's Abundance prior to changing them over to a raw diet and they look great but I do not have all of the calcium info on that food.
Pam
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