Juno Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 So I've been trying to find things to keep Juno busy, and I've been so busy ignoring the Raw Diet food threads, that I completely missed the importance of it. Raw meat bones! They would totally help with teething and she would love it. But then I thought, why not just try the raw diet and see how it goes? Sadie could surely benefit from it since she's getting to be 8, and her metabolism is going down. She is itching a lot and her teeth are gross, despite stealing Juno's chews. She is also hurting a lot because she's gaining weight and she's beginning to get arthritis. So from what I've heard, Raw can fix pretty much everything. After tons of research and getting a look at tons of dogs on raw, I'm looking into purchasing a freezer. I also called around and discovered that there is a venison processing store near my house that cuts on sundays and thursdays, and he offered to give us free scraps of bone and organs. All I will have to purchase is muscle meat if I don't get enough with the scraps, and then I will be set! Juno will probably only need 1-2lbs a day, and sadie will only need 1, so it will be cheaper than having Juno on Merrick and Sadie on TOTW. The biggest issue right now is trying to convince my family that raw meat is safe for them.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elyse Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 (edited) For the arthritis (I feel your pain, Suka was 'diagnosed' with arthritis when he was 6 years old..so a year and a bit ago.), I find that if they are on a regular exercise plan (Suka walks 50 minutes a day, and that is enough for him) and if they are put on a 'diet' so they loose weight (Suka eats 1 1/4 cups of TOTW a day), it helps a LOT with their arthritis. The regular exercise on SOFT SURFACES (Grass + soil instead of concrete, asphalt etc) helps with forming muscles around the joint, supporting it, and the weight loss decreases the occurrence of 'flare-ups' because there is less weight the joint has to support. Alternatively, my vet says swimming is the best exercise an arthritic dog can have...because the exercise is very low/no impact but it still provides a great workout! Suka is also on joint supplements (Vermont Naturals: Hip + Joint XL) and they seem to do wonders! They are kinda expensive (about $30 for 30 chews...2 chews a day. So that works out to $60 a month.) but its better than getting $200+ worth of pain meds from the vet every month! And the supplements also help with overall joint health, and they actually help the joints instead of just hiding the pain like pain meds do. I have an 'arthritis kit' set up where I have a month's supply of Derramax tablets (fast acting powerful anti-inflammatory from the vet), and its come in handy whenever he has flare-ups. Suka's fed raw meat once in awhile, but I find that because his teeth are so bad (he's got bad gingivitis, had it when I adopted him), the raw bones make his gums bleed a lot and it kinda defeats the purpose of oral hygiene. (He won't let me brush his teeth) The blood from his teeth/gums goes on his toys, on the carpet, on his mat...so its a real pain. I wish you luck with the switch. With everything going on healthwise for Suka, I can't afford to put him on a full-raw diet. This year it was $2000+ with his vaccines, the surgery on his eye, and follow up x-rays for his arthritis. (Old dogs are expensive!!) Edited October 29, 2012 by SolitaryHowl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys_mum Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Good for you! Go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juno Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Oh I totally wish Sadie would swim. She doesn't even go outside in the rain, so that's kind of one of those things that will never work with her. I have tried giving her human grade glucosamine, which works the same as the pet grade, but I make sure there are not other additives besides condroiton. She likes exercise for the most part, but it's difficult for me to also exercise for long periods of time, so I'm considering purchasing a bike and biking both of them separately. Both dogs let me brush their teeth, but it's such a pain... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elyse Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Oh I totally wish Sadie would swim. She doesn't even go outside in the rain, so that's kind of one of those things that will never work with her. I have tried giving her human grade glucosamine, which works the same as the pet grade, but I make sure there are not other additives besides condroiton. She likes exercise for the most part, but it's difficult for me to also exercise for long periods of time, so I'm considering purchasing a bike and biking both of them separately. Both dogs let me brush their teeth, but it's such a pain... Keep in mind MSM and/or glucosamine takes 4-6 weeks to build up in the system...and that's when you'll probably start noticing the difference. Omega 3 + 6 from fish/fish oil is also helpful, but I find the glucosamine/MSM tablets are more effective with pre-existing arthritis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjwrx Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 i'm going to switch Panda to full raw soon as well, he's currently on Kibble(am) raw (pm). He gets about 250grams per raw meal. Raw marrows once or twice a week. He definitely does better on raw, and he loves it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juno Posted November 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Well, I picked up some raw bones from the store, and gave her some. She did okay with the first, but the second time, she threw up. I think it was the fat content, but it still worries me on whether or not she can handle it. She does pretty well on Merrick and really enjoys it, but raw would be cheaper. Decisions, decisions... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leyka&Diva Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 Well, I picked up some raw bones from the store, and gave her some. She did okay with the first, but the second time, she threw up. I think it was the fat content, but it still worries me on whether or not she can handle it. She does pretty well on Merrick and really enjoys it, but raw would be cheaper. Decisions, decisions... what animal were the raw bones from? we usually use beef or lamb bones as pork is way too fatty its ok to be given occassionally though xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmscott Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 Just remember that a lot of leg bones (weight bearing bones) are teeth breakers. Chicken is a good starting point, although you eventually want to get a lot of red meat into the diet. And expect a smelly dog for a few days while that kibble leaves their system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juno Posted November 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 Well, I've tried raw for about a week now, and I think I'll stick to high protein kibble with a little bit of raw every now and then. I'm going to give Juno and Sadie raw chicken legs, pork neck bones, and chicken and duck feet at least 3-4 times a week to help clean their teeth, but for now, as she's growing, I'm going to keep her on a food that more balanced in calcium and phosphorous. I like grain free Merrick, but she seems to do pretty good on EVO too. I like EVO because it's close to raw, but more convenient and cheaper than raw. I'm just glad I tried it for a few days before getting a freezer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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