Important info for dog lovers

[Chief]

Our two chihuahuas had the same problem...the vet gave me some kind of powdered crap to help alleviate it. It did nothing, and you had to fight the dogs tooth and nail to get 'em to take the powder.
It eventually just went away...no explanation for it starting, or ending, either.
Fortunately, the dogs hate corn...and I don't have any chicken by-products laying around. They say the worst thing you can give a dog is chocolate. They absolutely cannot handle it..and it takes surprisingly little to cause death. It ain't all that great for us either..but old habits die hard for this chocoholic.... :rolleyes:

[mili]

I avoid any dog food that says corn on it. the best thing to do is to get premium dog food sans corn then go to the store and buy chicken necks or back and cook it with a little salt into a broth with lots or water and at the end mix as much dog food and oil supplement into it as you can to soak the juice up and mix the whole stuff together to prevent the dog from picking the necks out into a pulp. They love it. I used to make a huge pot then froze it in chunks in plastic bags for a whole week. Avoid lamb, remember Mad Cow came from feeding lamb to cows, lets not try to see if dogs can catch it too.

mili

[Chapster99]

...They say the worst thing you can give a dog is chocolate. They absolutely cannot handle it..and it takes surprisingly little to cause death.

Absolutely true. Actually, there are 3 items that are toxic to dogs...

1) Chocolate
2) Onions
3) Grapes

[Candice]

We've been feeding our dogs a raw foods diet for over 10 years now ever since we had a Chow that was allergic to 330 of the 350 allergies they tested for. After having
followed all possible courses to remedy the situation we tried it naturally and within
2 weeks saw dramatic improvements. After our Chow Buddha passed on from uncorrectable bloat, we continued feeding our Akita the natural diet and when we got our second Akita,at 10 weeks of age, we started him on the diet as well even though neither of these two ever had any allergies or skin conditions.

People constantly comment on how great our dogs look and are often VERY surprised when they find out what it is we feed them.

In the last ten years since we started feeding them naturally, much more information
about these types of diets has become available. I would be happy to post some links
or PM some info for anyone interested.

Shortly before I started our Chow (& then the older Akita) on this diet I attended
a holistic medicine for animals seminar and was literally SHOCKED at what they put
in commercial dog food! Ever hear of the synthetic preservative Ethoxyquin? Pretty
nasty stuff, unless you prefer eating tire rubber I've been told. That's just one of many but when you think of it, what exactly would one have to put into a food in order to have a shelf life of say 2-6 years?

Just a brief run down of the foods we feed them for a balanced diet:

RAW MEATS: Beef, turkey, chicken & lamb [poultry is treated by adding food grade
H2O2 (NOT your everyday hydrogen peroxide and usually only available at helath food sotres) or grapefruit seed extract to control salmonella bacteria]
******Before anyone asks this DOES NOT MAKE THEM AGGRESSIVE! I have two full grown Akitas (definitely with minds of their own) and have NEVER once had an issue with them being any more aggressive than commercially fed dogs that I know!

VEGGIES: Asparagus, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, kale &
chard, peas, pumpkin, zucchini squash, sweet potatoes [Most veggies ore fed raw but
some do require blanching/cooking]

WHOLE GRAINS: NO WHITE RICE !!! Amaranth, barley, brown rice, buckwheat, bulgur,
couscous, millet, oats, quinoa, rye, spelt, teff, triticale & wheat - as long as there
is no allergy to it. [Grains are cooked for longer periods of time them for humans and
I usually make a huge pot combining 4-6 of the different grain varieties]

OTHER SUPPLEMENTS: Aloe vera, garlic, bee pollen, royal jelly to name a few!

All foods are rotated and I feed my dogs twice a day a combination of a raw meat,
veggies & grains. Amounts vary depending on the size & weight of the animal.

THIS DIET DEFINITELY NOT FOR EVERYONE, HUMANS (PREPARING) OR ANIMALS (EATING)! BUT IT DOES WORK QUITE WELL FOR US! It is imperative that you do your own homework based on your own pet's needs and consult with your veterinarian about GRADUALLY getting into better nutrition for your pets.

Granted, this is a bit more time consuming than opening a bag of dry or a can of wet
food but my dogs deserve it for all of the unconditional love and devotion they
shower me in! As a matter of fact some of our fiends and family have said that our
dogs eat better than they do themselves!

From the Land of Fruits & Nuts,
Candice

DISCLAIMER: I am not a Veterinarian, nor do I claim any responsibility for any information used by others from within or referred to in the above statements. It is meant as informational material only.

[Chief]

I can just see the reaction I'd get the first time I served my little taco hounds amaranth, bulgur, couscous, quinoa, spelt, teff, and triticale - YEEEEE-HAAAAA - they'd bite the shit out of me :D

INCREDIBLE information, Candice...if you're not a vet, you should be....I've never heard of these foods, let alone prepare them for a dog. With a diet like that, those hounds of yours will be chasing cats when they're 30.. :)

[Candice]

Actually Chief, it's our two cats that do the chasing 'round here! Akitas have been known to be "baby sitters" and they love those feline family members just like they were their own, keeping an ever watchful eye on them and keeping them out of harms way. :)

Considering that in our neighborhood they call my home "the petting zoo", maybe I should start charging admission so that if I do venture into veterinary medicine (which I have seriously contemplated for a few years now), I will at least have some "financial aid" to get me started.

BTW, my oldest Akita will soon be 13 years old in June and from the looks of it she just might reach 30 since she shows no signs of slowing down any time soon, while the younger male (he'll be 7 years old in April) at 115 lbs. still thinks he's a puppy and can sit & sleep in my lap! :p