Let me start by saying...it's Sadie's ( 1 year old pup )...fault! She is the fussiest eater I've ever had to deal with. She just snubs her nose up at her bowl and walks away..she's gone 2 days without eating and still it was like pulling teeth to get her to eat on the 3rd day. I took her to the Vet a month ago and she checked out just fine. He said she's just a grazer. Now to the present...I started feeding her raw!..I've read so much about it over the years but could never bring myself to do it until I came home that day from the Vet's. He suggested it. He gave me a free bag of Nature's Variety Instinct Frozen Raw Medallions...( Beef ). I gave her one frozen and she dropped it like a hot cake..lol...then as it started to defrost she began licking it...it took her about an hour to eat it because she wasn't really sure about it. Now she has it gone in about 5 minutes...frozen....lol.
The other 2 girls I started giving them raw beef ( ground burger, round steaks etc,)...then I started giving them raw veggies cut up, frozen veggies, a little bit of flaxseed, yogurt, cottage cheese, whatever I can think . I ran out of the nature's variety beef and am now trying the chicken medallions ...Sadie isn't too sure of the chicken ones...Abby & Roxie love the chicken ones...
They have not had "dog food" for a month now and I have to tell you it's amazing with one of the girls. Roxie is 9 years old and right from a pup she's always had flaky skin and being black it would show up all over her back...no matter if I gave her fish oil, changed her dog food a hundred times she still had it. Not now...in 1 month her dandruff is GONE...her fur is so soft and shiny, and another thing I noticed is her black fur doesn't have that reddish tinge to it anymore. She's as black as can be. She's doing beautifully on raw food. Abby has more mobility ( she's 10 )...she's starting to play more. As for Sadie...she's still the same playful pup and she was in really good shape before I started feeding her raw so there's been no big difference with her other than her fur is like silk. And they poop less too. LoL
Anyways I wanted to share with you all about this in case anyone else was thinking about doing this.
I'm just so pleased with Roxie's results.
Cheryl Abby Roxie & Sadie
That is great news. especialy the fussy eater. Never tried frozen except fruit, in summer for a cool treat.
Roberta
Great to hear good improvements on your puppers, especially on Sadie. Nice to hear too the raw diet is just perfect..
Wow Cheryl - that is awesome !!!! Just wondering...do you give supplements too? I have thought on and off about trying it....but have never gotten to it. You really had some marvelous results ! :thumb:
That is really awesome Cheryl! Glad it has worked so well for the pups! There is so much controversy about feeding raw I have been afraid to try it (I actually did try it several years ago for a bit) and I had been feeding her the freeze dried raw medallions lately as a treat which are so nice and convenient but the oncologist I took her to told us no raw food. :( My vet says the same, but I have heard other people say they see benefits. Great it worked for your girls, proof in the pudding!
yes Barb I do give them a supplement...but I have been before I started them on this diet. I give them NuVet Plus Supplement. It has the correct calcium to phosphorous ratio. I get it auto shipped ..I learned about it when I got Sadie last year and I do like it and the girls like it also. And it's made in the US...not China...it's also all natural...no synthetics...but it is quite pricey..when I go broke I'll have to find something else...lol.....But with Nature's Variety Raw food it has all the necessary vitamins and minerals they need......I don't feed my dogs the raw bones ..Natures V has ground bone in it so they're getting their calcium...I can hear them crunching on little bits of bone in the food...I also cut the medallions up when they're partially frozen because I know Abby would just swallow it whole...and I can see all the ingredients in them...and the bone....
Cheryl
Hate to tell you all this if you feed kibble,raw,home-cooked,canned,does not matter what you feed put it down for 20 minutes if they eat fine if they do not eat fine put it up if dry just put it in a bowl with a lid if raw,canned something with meat in it and it needs to be refrigerated just put it in the refrigerator. I feed twice a day am & pm this is what i do dogs will not starve them selfs some hard core dogs will not eat for 5 days trust me they will eat when they get hungry. Of course if they are laying around acting sick that is a different story dogs will hold out for something better.Law of the land if they think they can hold out for better food they will if you keep adding to the food you are falling into their trap.They have you wrapped around their little paws.
AMEN, Auntie Bernadee!!! :thumb:
And may I remind all of us that A) dogs are carnivores, and B) they will gladly eat road kill squirrel that's been in the alley for two weeks!
I just spent $234 at the vet's to look at Aima Dorbelle, who's been coughing for about four months now. She was given antibiotic and told if she doesn't improve to bring her back for an x-ray. The Herd is lucky I can afford to pay the WATER bill!!!
Auntie Keren :sunny:
Gee hope Dorbelle will get better soon not good when dogs cough Rays & Hugs to you both.