swinn's Comments

Wow, thanks again for your great information, Swinn! :)  You are right about the pet grub website....I figured it wasn't the best.  It was just the only information I could find on feeding raw at the time, so I followed it.  I will definitely be changing both dog's diets asap (just as soon as I figure out a good food choice).  Thanks for the ideas on the organ meats...I have been feeding chicken livers every so often, but haven't been feeding the others.  I will see if my Whole Foods has those :)  Also, I checked out the food you mentioned along with some others, and I have some ideas on foods for my dogs...this looks good, but it would put me in the same spot of needing a meat grinder and mixing all that up wouldn't it?  I use chicken and beef that's already ground from whole foods at the moment. 

http://shop.thehonestkitchen.com/catalog/partlist.aspx?CategoryID=26

I also saw that they have diets with the meat already in them:

http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/knowledge/comparing-our-foods

What do you think of those?  I saw that some looked a bit high in carbs, but others might be ok?  These are the others that I was considering...

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Primal-Pet-Foods-Raw-Dog-Food/165001.aspx

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Stella-Chewys-Frozen-Raw-Food-for-Dogs/300000.aspx

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Natures-Variety-Instinct-Canned-Dog-Food/131200.aspx

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Sojos-Complete-Grain-Free-Dog-Food-Mix/199028.aspx

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Canidae-Grain-Free-Salmon-Dry-Dog-Food/102093.aspx

Do you have a favorite out of those?  I really want to feed my dogs well, but just don't have the energy or money to do everything that's in Dr. Becker's book.  If I feed these diets, will I still need to add that mineral mix?  Also, will I still be able to put in the digestive enzyme, probiotic, and Ultra Oil?  I think those are important, but I don't want to overdo the supplements if it's going to hurt them.  Thanks again for your help, my babies Andy and Sadie-Mae thank you too! :)

Sadie-Mae:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c18/gogirlusa/Sadie-Mae/DSC_0332.jpg

Andy:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c18/gogirlusa/Carson/IMG_1240-2.jpg

Thank you for your comment and encouragment, Swinn :)  I guess I just got frustrated knowing that I have been feeding my poor dog the wrong way four two years now.  I sure hope I haven't hurt him.  It makes me nervous to try and make my own food now, so I do think I want to try some kind of "dog food" instead of doing it myself.  I really did try though...I added some kelp to his food and also used "only natural pet probiotic blend" and "prozyme plus digestive enzyme powder".  I learned how to feed the dog from this website:

http://www.pet-grub.com/

Thanks for the website, I have checked it out and I will do some more research on dog food.  But most that I see look horrible.  My rescue dog is still on Purina since I just got her on Friday.  I hope I can find a food that will be ok for my dogs.  I just feel like I can't make my own dog food now after reading this book.  Maybe a raw dehydrated food might be an option.  Thanks again!

-Danielle

You're welcome.  Yes, it's Teri Brown. 

I also used Bravo for my dog when I started feeding raw.  Actually, I started with Nature's Variety, but there were too many ingredients for my liking and the price was too high -- I have a 100lb Rottweiler who ate close to 1#/meal.  I switched over to Bravo, which was much more reasonably priced and had few ingredients.  I wanted to start feeding tripe after reading an article in Whole Dog Journal about its benefits.  The article mentioned Hare Today.  I ordered a few of her products, including the tripe and the rest is history.  Haven't gone back to anything else -- it's been over a year.  Her products are beautiful, they ship on time, the price cannot be beat, and the customer service is stellar.  I sound like an advertisement.  :  )

I don't recall seeing an email. I get so much junkmail I may have deleted it by mistake.  

I've been studying natural pet health and nutrition for about 5 yrs now. I probably know as much if not more than most people in the field. I spend hours researching ingredients and effects, studying homeopathy and alternative medicine and practicing green/holistic living. I have 8 pets so I have LOTS of experience with many different "common" problems that most people just don't know how to deal with. I also spend a lot of time online and off teaching people about the advantages of natural diets and healthcare for their pets because I'm a huge animal welfare advocate, I do rescue and belong to every activist organization imaginable. I love teaching the owners because I truly care about the pets... and ALL animals for that matter. 

Let's just say all of this is an "obsession" of mine and kind of my "purpose" in life :) 

I would have come on board sooner if I'd ever paid attention and realized that there was a forum on this site !! 

Thanks, 
Sharon :)  

In your post of 10/16/09 you mention one of your Poms had a collapsed trachea but that it healed.  Please share how you accomplished that?  Thank you!