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My cat Figaro is an old boy (18/19-years-old) and was diagnosed with the renal failure several months ago. At that time my vet suggested special diet and medication against the possible intestinal ulcers. Figaro was vomiting quite regularly at that time. I went against the vet suggestions and got him on the semi-raw meat diet (the leanest beef mince mixed with canned food). He seemed to improved greatly for several months but recently started vomiting again and has been losing weight. I went to see my vet again and this time I gave in and have put him on the kd renal formula biscuits and wet food. He refuses to eat the wet food but has been eating lots of biscuits but consequently much less of the semi-raw wet food. He also has been losing weight since the change of the diet. I am worried that since he enjoys the biscuits he is less interested in wet food which is probably not that great for a cat with kidney problems.
I also have been rubbing into his neck apple cider vinegar (diluted) every day and adding the Aloe Vera juice to his drinking water (though he is a bit reluctant to drink it). He seems in a better space over the last several days. I am realistic and appreciate that 18/19 years is pretty good re cat's age but I would like to make sure that I have tried everything possible to keep him healthy and comfortable. I would appreciate your suggestions/comments regarding my approach. Best wishes. Piotr
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Last night she started having what I call explosive diarrhea she only vomited a tiny bit no more then 3 times last night, so the big concern is the diarrhea! (DEHYDRATION) She has never had this before & I am so terrified I am going to lose her! Last night I ran to the grocery store & picked up gatorade, water, & kaopectate, she started eating & drinking water today but still has diarrhea but it has slowed down. Does anyone know what I did wrong? The last thing I gave her before she got so sick was liver that wasn't cooked all the way, & steak that was cooked rare with a tiny bit of garlic powder ( I was told that her food is better if not cooked all the way) with organic baby food peas, carrots, blueberries & apples along with some organic sweet potato over a period of 2 days. Please keep in mind she runs over 80 lbs. PLEASE HELP! DID I GIVE HER TO MUCH TOO SOON & NOT COOKED ENOUGH??. FR: terrified Akita lover in cape breton.
For anyone that has a dog with itchy dry skin use cod liver oil human vitamin it works great with my Akita I also give her omega 3 fish oil vitamins- very inexpensive. Thanks, susan
(Glace Bay, Nova Scotia (ns), Canada)
02/09/2012
Hi, I want to thank you all for the excellent advice for dogs with diarrhea, I tried the white rice with boiled chicken & it worked! I just can't believe it, white rice & boiled chicken! Boiled hamburger will also work for bad diarrhea & vomiting but if nothing works take your fur-sib to the vet. Thanks Akita lover from cape breton
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★☆☆☆☆
WARNING!
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I took her to my veteranarian who was perplexed. He thought she was shot with a bb gun. I took her to another veteranarian only to find she suffered from an allergic reaction to dog food. Never use another family's dog food. If your dog enjoys one food I would not suggest a sudden change. My dog is a pedigreed mutt of 5 different terriers. I immediately returned her back to her diet along with taking meds the veteranarian gave her. Use only a good name brand of dog food. Whenever you have someone dog sit for you make sure he or she never changes the food. It may cause a serious problem.
(Atlanta, gA)
04/05/2009
Reply to James Garfield in OH What you said about keeping the same diet is a bunch of hooey. My dogs NEVER eat the same thing twice in a row. Never have any stomach problems. I feed totally raw, organic. My dogs have clean teeth, fresh breath, glossy coats, good skin, clear eyes & ears & tons of energy. All this cooked, processed garbage on the market causes the same diseases in pets & humans, i.e. diabetes, heart conditions. I certainly hope you research & educate yourself on proper nutrition. I feel sorry for your dog being on processed foods & medicene from the vet. I started raw feeding 8 years ago when my Dachshund was chemically poisoned (inhaled) on pretty green grass while traveling. The conventional vets did more damage with a well known perscription diet, lactulose & round after round of antibiotics & surgery. My dog kept going downhill til I researched & changed her diet to raw. Those vets thought I was crazy but could not figure out WHY her skin & ears cleared up & her stomach settled. I think they were sad they were not getting my money anymore. I now only use a homeopatheic/osteopathic vet. My pack is extemely healthy.
Vaccination are another source of potential problems. People, please educate yourself on the host of troubles these can cause. There are tests to see if they are needed, tittering (sp?) Most pets are severly over vaccinated.
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★★★★★
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I now want to help her joint pain from her Pit Bull Attack. She was in it's mouth it shook her- and no internal bleeding one puncture wound that was only her skin layer and she was in shock when I got to her ( I was at work) but I think I will try a ACV bath with a Hydrogen peroxide rinse.
If anyone knows any more body pain I can help her with that would be great.
She is my best friend Hi have had her since i was 19 she is 13 now. She is a grey Korat.
Thanks Everyone who posts here I hope this helps.
(Charleston, SC)
07/09/2008
I have a rescue dog who came to me with torn ACLs in both of her back knees. She could barely walk. I found a product called Traumeel. It is an all natural anti-inflammatory, analgesic that is GREAT for muscle pains, aches, injuries, sprains, bruises, arthritis, muscle inflammation, etc. It has changed my dog's life. She is running around like a puppy until I get the money for her expensive surgeries. I use the liquid form and drop it on her food twice a day. This is perfectly safe for dogs and cats. It is actually a human product but has been successfully been used on animals for years.
(Lake Worth, FL)
07/10/2008
I feed my dogs Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul. It is organic, humans could eat it. The senior type has glucosamen condroiten for joint wellness. My 8 year old big girl runs around like a puppy. They offer feline food as well. The expence is not so great, not nearly as much as a certain type of food that a lot of vets sell. One of my friends had her dog on Nutro Maxx and the dog threw up all the time and had terrible poop problems. I get the canned chicken soup for the pet lovers soul, spoon it on a cookie sheet in table spoon chunks. Bake it for 20 min at 350 it makes cookies for them. I also have an allergy dog, he was on perscription dog food. I took him off and put him back on the Chicken Soup dog food. He has done just fine. Also look for corn, dogs and cats should not hav enay corn in their food. It is just filler.
This food also has had no fatalities. A while ago when we had that awful contaminated pet food scare. This brand was exempt from that. Due to its organic ingrediants.
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(NY, NY)
03/15/2008
(Wpb, Fl)
03/25/2010
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aka "The Great Misconception"
They LIE. Major manufacturers of pet foods show you lovely staged commercials with fresh meat, crisp vegetables, happy bouncy animals, all the while telling you this garbage in a bag is good for your pet and 100% complete and balanced.
Complete and balanced is a myth. Here's what Randy Wysong, DVM has to say about a "complete and balanced diet" in his book "Fresh & Whole:Getting Involved In Your Pet's Diet":
"A 100% complete processed diet requires:
1. 100% complete knowledge of food.
2. 100% complete knowledge of nutrition.
3. 100% complete knowledge of #1 & #2 requires 100% complete knowledge of every science.
4. Since #1,2 & 3 are not possible, the 100% complete processed diet is a myth."
Did you know that ingredients are far more important than the "Guaranteed Analysis?" If it has 28% protein, how much of that is from an animal source and how much is from grain? What is the animal source? If it is not labeled, as chicken, turkey, lamb or beef but simply states "Animal Meal", "Meat and Bone Meal" or "Animal Fat", exactly what animals are we talking about here? Scared yet? Here comes your answer.
Any of the above, if not from a named protein source can come from ANY mammalian tissue. That's right. This includes cats, dogs, road kill, horses, 4D animals (Dead, downed, dying and diseased) and any other critter they want to throw in the vat.
"The National Animal Control Association has estimated that animal shelters kill over 13 million household pets a year. Of this total, 30% are buried, 30% are cremated and the remaining 40%, about 5 million pets, are shipped to rendering factories to be recycled and used in pet food." This information has been confirmed in great detail by Ann Martin in her book, Food Pets Die For.
Are you getting it yet? These large multinational companies have no interest in anything but finding a way to turn nutritionally devoid byproducts of the human food and rendering industries into a profit. Do they care about your pets? NO. They care about your bank account.
Pet food only became well known after World War II. Prior to that pets ate what we ate and suffered few diseases. Since that time we have become brainwashed by clever marketing and even our sage vets into thinking that the stuff in the bag is best. This is not the case. What is best for our pets is what it best for us. Wholesome, fresh minimally processed foods.
Here is what Lew Olson, PhD in Natural Health, has to say about the dog food industry in her August 2005 B-Naturals newsletter: "...several marketers of the new dog products were stating that their products were superior, as they were able to utilize waste products such as grain hulls, sweepings and meat unusable for human consumption. Another argument was that fresh meat was just too expensive to feed dogs, and that it actually made them too 'finicky' While it was noted fresh meat and vegetables were superior, they argued that dogs could be fed more economically with these factory waste products, and still do well. ...The sales of dry processed dog foods picked up considerably after World War II. Mill operators and grain dealers were finding a good source for their by-products in the dog industry. Slaughterhouses were also available to sell non-human grade, diseased meats, unusable parts, and meat by-products to pet food manufacturers. This created a market for products that previously had been discarded. Since many of these meat sources were non-human grade, the practice became common to mix these with the grains and cook them together for many hours or days to kill bacteria and disease. The final mix was then formed into pellets that were easily bagged for convenience of feeding."
MMM. Sounds delicious! Is this what you envision when you see a Beneful commercial? Here is further evidence from the same article that shows the beginning of the conspiracy. "In 1969, according to Dr Kronfeld DS PhD DSc MVSc from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine, the pet food industry utilized veterinarians to proclaim that all meat dog foods were incomplete. He reports the editor of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association also agreed with this, and said dog foods needed to be fortified with nutrients, too much protein was harmful and some carbohydrates are necessary for the dog's health. ... The second selling point was developed by a professional marketing campaign. Dog food companies began labeling their dog foods as complete, with no additional foods or supplements being necessary. In fact, they began warning the public that adding table scraps could actually be dangerous to the dog's health. An active campaign was developed in 1964 through the Pet Food Institute, to inform the public of the dangers of table food scraps, and the importance of feeding processed dog food. This was accomplished through press releases to one thousand newspapers, articles in 16 magazines, including Redbook and Good Housekeeping and airing this information on 91 radio stations." Good PR isn't it?
Did you know that FiFi, laying their in your living room is actually the same species as the wolf? Until 1993, dogs and wolves were classified as separate species. This change was formalized in the 1993 publication: Mammal Species of the World, A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, edited by D.E.Wilson and D.A.M. Reeder, published by the Smithsonian Institution in association with the American Society of Mammalogists. This reference book is the final authority of the scientific community on mammal classification.
Let me exercise your common sense for a moment. If dogs and wolves are the same species and have the exact same nutritional requirements; Why aren't wolves in the zoo fed dog food? If dog food is the "be all, end all of nutrition", why don't zookeepers dole it out to their captive wolves? Why? Because it isn't species appropriate and they know better, that's why! All commercial dry pet foods contain species inappropriate ingredients. These so called safe ingredients are why we are seeing alarming rates of cancer, diabetes, thyroid disorders, liver and kidney disease, allergies and a host of other ailments in our pets. Here comes question number two. Would you feed steak to a horse? If not, why do you think it is ok to feed your captive wolf a bowl of cereal?
Wolves, like Dogs, are what are described as obligate carnivores, which means they will scavenge for food -any kind of food dead or alive or otherwise - in order to survive. However, this also means that given a natural choice or preference they will choose a meat and bone diet for their optimal health to thrive. Have you ever seen a wolf in a corn field? NO?! Then why is ground corn or any other grain for that matter such a large part of most commercial pet foods? Because it is cheap and the grain proteins inflate the "Guaranteed Analysis" making you think that there is actually some meat in that bag.
Why didn't my vet tell me this?" you ask. Because sadly he does not know any better. Guess who provides the textbooks and other learning materials for his limited nutrition classes in vet school? If you are smart and I know you are, then you got it right. The dog food companies, mainly Hills. Your vet will fight you tooth and nail about raw feeding, or even feeding a homemade cooked diet, but listen to your heart. Try it for one month and see the difference for yourself.
If this makes sense to you, I bet you are wondering what to do next. Do you run to the butcher and buy everything he has? No. You start reading books. Research the internet. Like any nutritional program, you can make mistakes and need to be aware of the basics before starting. Is every meal going to be complete and balanced? Absolutely not. You achieve balance over time by varying the ingredients. Is every meal you eat complete and balanced? Of course not. The same applies to our dogs. Be sure that you have mastered the basics before starting. It's not rocket science and is actually easier than you think. There is a great article on my forum that tells you how I got started and gives step by step instructions. Visit my website and take a look. In addition to that here are a few excellent sites to start with.
http://www.dogaware.com
http://rawfed.com
http://www.rawdogranch.com
If you need help, go to http://groups.yahoo.com and join the K9Nutrition email list. There are thousands of members on this list and all are seasoned pro's at helping people to create diets that work for them and their pets. Or you can send me an email. I'll try to help as much as I can.
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P.S. I am slowly going to increase the amount of molasses I give the dogs. I am starting slowly because I don't want them to get the runs!
