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Originally Posted by goldiegirl He gave us an entire list of premium foods and Merrick was just one we chose... |
Your vet is remarkable. Most vets have no clue when it comes to making recommendations on what to feed.
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Originally Posted by goldiegirl The raw diet might be an option but I want to be sure first. Its a big commitment for me as far as time... |
Altho I've long felt raw is best for our canine companions, one of the reasons I held back was concern about the time factor.
Yes, it takes more time than measuring out kibble and dumping the kibble into Fido's bowl, but it's not as big a time suck as I'd feared. Perhaps because I'm now in a routine!
I buy bulk, Oma's Pride. 30 and 40 lbs of chicken, turkey, and duck necks; 40 lbs of tripe (a box of 5 lb bags); and the like. Once every 5 weeks or so I drive to the distributor's house to pick up my order, drive home, and pack it into the freezer. The freezer is now turned over to dog food and the fridge downstairs (that we only used once/year for our big summer party) is now turned on all the time--DH doesn't want thawing dog food in the kitchen fridge.
On a direct cost basis, feeding raw is cheaper for me than feeding kibble.
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Originally Posted by goldiegirl ...I have another thread about a constant ear infection for this girl and they suggest it might be the food so that might be something to expolore for that as well. |
May well be food based.
The reason I finally moved to feeding raw is because our current foster failed to thrive on 3 months of Canidae, followed by 3 months on CA Nat. I was at my wit's end--never in years of fostering have we ever had a foster who didn't turn into a rose, once minor health issues were addressed and dog got put on a better diet.
My vet finally suggested a raw diet.
The change in Sailor is beyond belief. The first to improve was his coat. It was AWFUL on kibble--just awful. Now, his coat is so magnificient I call him my Velveteen Rabbit.
One of the issues plaguing Sailor was a chronic ear infection, particularly in his right ear. Dr. Donna told me that Sailor's ear condition may resolve itself, once his system adjusted to a correct diet for him.
While his ears still are still yeasty, they are looking better. While I haven't yet let myself believe he's out of the woods in terms of his ears, they do look better. They don't smell as badly as they did and they aren't as black with yeast.
Sailor was switched to his raw diet June 26, 2007.
I do not plan to feed kibble to any personal dog again.