danisgoat
Moderator
Dogs only need meat??
- Thread starter SheltieGuy
- Start date
SheltieGuy
Forums Enthusiast
A vid of me with intestines all wrapped around me .. maybe snickers and i can each start at opposite ends. (like the disney movie )I'll need to see the video of that- especially when you get to the organs
Here I come to take the fun out the thread, just kidding ... but seriously.
Dogs can handle a diet much higher in protein. They are not humans, they are animals. But we sometimes forget one major thing. The dogs we have today are not the dogs/wolves that roamed the earth attacking and eating their meaty prey. That have been "designed" by nature, need and necessity to be the breed we have now. Therefore, we must take into consideration that we (as the human "breed") have disrupted the cycle of eating and digestion for our animals. Our Shelties were dogs that worked for their Master all day and then they came in to share the homes of their Masters at night. They are not as close to their wolf ancestors as we would like to think.
Every dog is different and has it's own special needs. Within our breed, and through others, males vs females, young vs old, loved vs neglected, all of these variables must be factored into your dogs nutritional needs. I have a holistic/western practicing Vet that takes all of this into consideration. Ask your vet questions, know your dog, be aware of its overall health and then with your Vet make the choice.
On a side note, I add in carrots, green beans, broccoli, pumpkin, sweet potato, pears, apples, bananas, and other fruits and veggies into Kai'a's diet daily (but not al at once and not all of them in 1 day
yikes, that would not be good) I also did it with my other dogs. And I use carrots and Apple bits (cut up into small bites) for treating. In their meals I chop up the veggies and fruits into smaller pieces and add it into her kibble, and the only time, I have even seen pieces of vegetation in their poop is when they have been sick or are getting sick.
And I swear, the fiber from the green beans, pumpkin, broc, etc, have always helped with constipation (and runny poop poops as it is called in our house) which means that they ARE digesting the items and their bodies are breaking down their nutrients and using them. And that is the black and white in the middle of the gray issue for me on this matter.
Trust your gut, talk to your vet and always know how your dog is feeling (I think we all would say that we understand our pets perfectly well) and you will know what the right choice is for both of you.
Dogs can handle a diet much higher in protein. They are not humans, they are animals. But we sometimes forget one major thing. The dogs we have today are not the dogs/wolves that roamed the earth attacking and eating their meaty prey. That have been "designed" by nature, need and necessity to be the breed we have now. Therefore, we must take into consideration that we (as the human "breed") have disrupted the cycle of eating and digestion for our animals. Our Shelties were dogs that worked for their Master all day and then they came in to share the homes of their Masters at night. They are not as close to their wolf ancestors as we would like to think.
Every dog is different and has it's own special needs. Within our breed, and through others, males vs females, young vs old, loved vs neglected, all of these variables must be factored into your dogs nutritional needs. I have a holistic/western practicing Vet that takes all of this into consideration. Ask your vet questions, know your dog, be aware of its overall health and then with your Vet make the choice.
On a side note, I add in carrots, green beans, broccoli, pumpkin, sweet potato, pears, apples, bananas, and other fruits and veggies into Kai'a's diet daily (but not al at once and not all of them in 1 day
yikes, that would not be good) I also did it with my other dogs. And I use carrots and Apple bits (cut up into small bites) for treating. In their meals I chop up the veggies and fruits into smaller pieces and add it into her kibble, and the only time, I have even seen pieces of vegetation in their poop is when they have been sick or are getting sick. And I swear, the fiber from the green beans, pumpkin, broc, etc, have always helped with constipation (and runny poop poops as it is called in our house) which means that they ARE digesting the items and their bodies are breaking down their nutrients and using them. And that is the black and white in the middle of the gray issue for me on this matter.
Trust your gut, talk to your vet and always know how your dog is feeling (I think we all would say that we understand our pets perfectly well) and you will know what the right choice is for both of you.
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SheltieGuy
Forums Enthusiast
I agree with pretty much everything you have stated except for the vet part. Being that I dont have a holistic vet.....my regular vet wont really give you a "dont use grains" answer when there are 300 bags of hills and science diet in his lobby he is trying to sell.
I want to take my pup to a holistic vet (if for no other reason ) to pick his/her brain and maybe get some alternative choices. I like the idea of holistic medicine UNTIL there is an emergency and them I go run to the medical vets.
Im not a big fan of medicine... they all have tooo many side effects.. for instance my mom had a kidney transplant....so she had to take a bunch of drugs to prevent rejection but then she had to take 7 other drugs to counteract all the side effects from the anti rejection drugs. After 10 years of taking all these drugs it sucks the healthiness from you.
AS it relates to our pups... I am just trying to learn what the ingredients do to an animal long term to stop anything before it starts.I am developing the opinion with the help from everyone here (especially our secret vets) that high protein is bad and all the 6 star foods on dog analysis are foods WAYY to high in protein (for my home/lap dog). And I dont see having stuff like sum brown rice or oats and apples,,,carrots,,,cranberries ad blueberries in a dog food can be a bad thing, In fact that is what attracted me to FROMM's dog food.
Alpo..pedigree etc.. well they just dont give a **** its all $$$.. But some of these other companies seem to want to make a good quality product. I believe there are still some good people out there that want to make a difference. Sure you have to pay more but if it means less suffering for your lil furkid in the future and you can afford it I say GO FOR IT!!!
The Quahog
Forums Enthusiast
So hear I come to 'put some fun back' into the thread....
Well obviously your veterinarian won't give you a 'don't use grains ' answer if he does not believe that this is true. This does not necessarily make him wrong. Ask him. We may not wear it on our sleeves, but we are happy to discuss nutrition.
I certainly respect alternative/holistic veterinarians - there is one in Texas on the aol Vet to Vet board whom I greatly admire and I consult with , and several of my patients use an alternative veterinarian for treatments like acupuncture.
But, yes, i do bristle at the common message board 'message' that holistic veterinarians are knowledgeable and care, while traditional veterinarians are cold technicians, 'repairing' animals and dismissive of the concept of 'wellness'..
I saw a cartoon once where an injured motorist lay by the side of the road and two EMTs were attending him. One was mixing herbs, the other was getting out acupuncture needles and a bystander was explaining' it's an alternative homeopathic ambulance company.'
Isn't it just a little bit interesting that, as you point out in your post, for critical situations where success really counts, as opposed to fuzzier situations when we don't really know if a treatment works or not, traditional medicine seems to have more appeal, even to its critics. - Dr. Mac
Well obviously your veterinarian won't give you a 'don't use grains ' answer if he does not believe that this is true. This does not necessarily make him wrong. Ask him. We may not wear it on our sleeves, but we are happy to discuss nutrition.
I certainly respect alternative/holistic veterinarians - there is one in Texas on the aol Vet to Vet board whom I greatly admire and I consult with , and several of my patients use an alternative veterinarian for treatments like acupuncture.
But, yes, i do bristle at the common message board 'message' that holistic veterinarians are knowledgeable and care, while traditional veterinarians are cold technicians, 'repairing' animals and dismissive of the concept of 'wellness'..
I saw a cartoon once where an injured motorist lay by the side of the road and two EMTs were attending him. One was mixing herbs, the other was getting out acupuncture needles and a bystander was explaining' it's an alternative homeopathic ambulance company.'
Isn't it just a little bit interesting that, as you point out in your post, for critical situations where success really counts, as opposed to fuzzier situations when we don't really know if a treatment works or not, traditional medicine seems to have more appeal, even to its critics. - Dr. Mac
danisgoat
Moderator
Well said, Dr. Mac.
Toffee's Mom
Forums Sage
Ditto
I also feed raw but do add a little kibble a day. I find it cheaper, it's human grade food and no preservatives are added. I make it ahead, portion and voila, unfreeze and done. I also add yogurt and raw egg on occasion and vegetables and fruit as treat.
SheltieGuy
Forums Enthusiast
So hear I come to 'put some fun back' into the thread....
Well obviously your veterinarian won't give you a 'don't use grains ' answer if he does not believe that this is true. This does not necessarily make him wrong. Ask him. We may not wear it on our sleeves, but we are happy to discuss nutrition.
I certainly respect alternative/holistic veterinarians - there is one in Texas on the aol Vet to Vet board whom I greatly admire and I consult with , and several of my patients use an alternative veterinarian for treatments like acupuncture.
But, yes, i do bristle at the common message board 'message' that holistic veterinarians are knowledgeable and care, while traditional veterinarians are cold technicians, 'repairing' animals and dismissive of the concept of 'wellness'..
I saw a cartoon once where an injured motorist lay by the side of the road and two EMTs were attending him. One was mixing herbs, the other was getting out acupuncture needles and a bystander was explaining' it's an alternative homeopathic ambulance company.'
Isn't it just a little bit interesting that, as you point out in your post, for critical situations where success really counts, as opposed to fuzzier situations when we don't really know if a treatment works or not, traditional medicine seems to have more appeal, even to its critics. - Dr. Mac
well said and that was kinda my point .... id just like to hear what a holistic doctor has to say... on everyday things... like food and herbs for joints and stuff like that(get a different perspective)... A holistic vet would NEVER replace my medical vet.I see holistic/homeopathic as more of a preventative type thing.... show me some herbs or vitamins to take for better overall health. NOW if there is an actual problem.....gimmie morphine and Penicillin ..!!!
but you are 100000% correct herbs go out the window when poop hits the fan !!!!
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Ann
Moderator
So hear I come to 'put some fun back' into the thread....
Well obviously your veterinarian won't give you a 'don't use grains ' answer if he does not believe that this is true. This does not necessarily make him wrong. Ask him. We may not wear it on our sleeves, but we are happy to discuss nutrition.
I certainly respect alternative/holistic veterinarians - there is one in Texas on the aol Vet to Vet board whom I greatly admire and I consult with , and several of my patients use an alternative veterinarian for treatments like acupuncture.
But, yes, i do bristle at the common message board 'message' that holistic veterinarians are knowledgeable and care, while traditional veterinarians are cold technicians, 'repairing' animals and dismissive of the concept of 'wellness'..
I saw a cartoon once where an injured motorist lay by the side of the road and two EMTs were attending him. One was mixing herbs, the other was getting out acupuncture needles and a bystander was explaining' it's an alternative homeopathic ambulance company.'
Isn't it just a little bit interesting that, as you point out in your post, for critical situations where success really counts, as opposed to fuzzier situations when we don't really know if a treatment works or not, traditional medicine seems to have more appeal, even to its critics. - Dr. Mac
I consider my vet the perfect practitioner. I love to use homeopathics when possible, and they have been astoundingly effective on some things, such as Pixie's seizures. My vet offers a combination of holistic and traditional treatments, and will explain when it's appropriate for us to try holistic, and when nothing will work like the old-fashioned chemicals, as when Ivy had cancer. I wish every vet would take this approach, although I'm sure it's difficult to balance both. Holistics are not necessarily cheaper and frequently, I've found, can be more expensive, but it's a great alternative to have if you can use it and have a vet that is open to those options.
BarbV
Forums Celebrity
I'm very happy with mine as well!
I came to appreciate her balanced approach when Bacca's ALT levels went through the roof. Liver shunt was the worst possible diagnosis, and there was discussion about ultrasounds, possible surgeries, etc.
Then I told her about our 40% high protein diet and asked her if she thought it might be a contributing factor.
Next steps became clear: Reduce the protein level, and take Milk Thistle capsules twice per day! Yep, milk thistle! Then we'll see....no more talk of expensive procedures, until we try this out.