# Need some reassurance



## GrammaD (Jan 1, 2012)

I currently have a 65lb Golden and a 60lb Lab, I pick up my GSD puppy next weekend. His breeder feeds raw. Between that and being convinced that PMR is the way to go, I am slowly making the transition to raw- it's hard because I get nervous about balanced diet etc.

So I have been buying Instinct premade frozen raw (which is more akin to BARF) and doing that 3 days a week, serving Wellness Super 5 Mix Lamb, Barley and Salmon with a variety of canned topping the other 4. But this is rather costly to continue so I need to just bite the bullet if I am going to make the switch.

Cody (Golden) is allergic to chicken so I had been hanging back on starting RMBs since most information I have read suggests chicken as the first RMB protein. 

Today, however, I gave it a go using fairly meaty turkey wing portions. Cody and Abby really seemed to enjoy this a great deal. Abby was a more aggressive chewer and gulper. Is that okay? Do I need to worry if she isn't grinding those bones down as she eats them?

And although I have read all poultry is fine, I just need someone to say to me "yes, the turkey wings are fine" because yes, I am that neurotic!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I just posted on another board, that I seldom feed turkey wings. I don't like how much skin/bone there is compared to meat. And turkey bones are denser than chicken. Now and then I'll give hen turkey bones, but not the Tom's.

If you want to give RMB's that aren't chicken, turkey necks, along with pork neck bones are a staple for my dogs. Though pork necks are dense, my dogs will barf back up what they can't digest(usually will re-eat them)/that goes for most of the bones they aren't digesting. I would give green tripe to aid in digestion...it has so many benefits.


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## Kaz (Nov 21, 2011)

I am confused about some thing... how are dogs allergic to certain meats?

Apart from the OP, I have a neighbor with a shar pei - lab mix and it is allergic to everything... chicken, turkey, ... it can only eat lamb or rabbit (Rabbit it seems is hypoallergenic).

She spends $500 on 2 weeks worth of food for her 2 yr old dog.

Aren't dogs the direct descendants of the mighty wolves. How are carnivores allergic to meat? Just curious... how does it work in dogs?


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Can you get turkey or duck necks? Where are you located at? There might be a raw feeder near you that has some you could buy.


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## GrammaD (Jan 1, 2012)

I was working off of this:
How to Get Started | Prey Model Raw

And my impression was to go with bonier RMBs at first? Is that wrong?

Kaz, I had to do a long elimination diet process with Cody that was a complete pain in the you know what. He also suffers from atopy (environmental allergies) I really do not understand the sensitization process, despite our vet explaining it to me. Food allergies are not the most common allergies, but among food allergies chicken is the most common culprit.

eta I e-mailed my pup's breeder for advice etc and hopefully she can help me connect with local raw feeders- she is 3hrs away or I would see if I could work with her on purchasing- might still if I can't find someone more local.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

where are you located we may have some people near you who feed raw and can help you out with resources. 

Kaz allergies are just weird to put it mildly. Some dogs are allergic to chicken in kibble but fine with it in other forms, some are really bad with it but can handle raw chicken. One girl I know here who had a dog with bad chicken allergies even raw just switched her dog all raw and after a period on all raw he can now do some raw chicken without issue.

As far as the OP goes if he can't do chicken then go ahead and start with turkey or even rabbit... easy bones to start with and pretty safe foods to eat. You want to start with bone but not too much bone because their bodies need to learn how to properly digest them so you don't want to overload on them. Generally a chicken quarter is PERFECT to switch to but since you're guy can't do chicken then I'd say a meaty chicken neck with some extra muscle meat thrown in would be the way to go. Maybe try duck but duck can be kind of fatty which may be a bit hard for a dog just switching. Is it just chicken or other proteins? Starting with meaty cornish game hens wouldn't be a bad idea if he can handle them smaller fine bones.


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## Kaz (Nov 21, 2011)

Do allergies spam over processed foods only or do they span raw food as well?

So dogs can be allergic to raw chicken meat?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Yes dogs can be allergic or sensitive to any protein. My dog has environmental allergies and is sensitive to fish protein. 
It usually develops after 6 months or so, young pups don't normally show allergies.
I feed a raw diet to my dogs, and they've had most all the common grocery bought proteins + bison, rabbit, venison. 
If all fails, kangaroo would be the last on the list as it is pretty pricey.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

Kaz said:


> Do allergies spam over processed foods only or do they span raw food as well?
> 
> So dogs can be allergic to raw chicken meat?


Just like people, dogs can be allergic to random things. My dog is very allergic to chicken, salmon, and lamb. Trout, turkey, and venison are fine.


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## GrammaD (Jan 1, 2012)

It's just chicken. When we reintroduced proteins the vet advised saving chicken for last, his experience was that it is most often the culprit, and when we got to chicken at the end he went nuts and we had to go back to daily Vetalog for a week to get him back on track.

I am in Dayton, OH. I don't know what happened. I used to have a picture of my dog and my location under my handle, but it appears to have disappeared. So if there are any raw feeders near me (even Cincinnati or Columbus) please contact me. I really want to do this but I want to do it *right*. TIA


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Little confused here.
I have heard of the tail wagging the dog but not the puppy wagging the dog(s).
Were your current dogs NOT on raw? Are you changing to raw for the sake of the puppy? 
Why must you change your current dogs?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

GrammaD said:


> It's just chicken. When we reintroduced proteins the vet advised saving chicken for last, his experience was that it is most often the culprit, and when we got to chicken at the end he went nuts and we had to go back to daily Vetalog for a week to get him back on track.
> 
> I am in Dayton, OH. I don't know what happened. I used to have a picture of my dog and my location under my handle, but it appears to have disappeared. So if there are any raw feeders near me (even Cincinnati or Columbus) please contact me. I really want to do this but I want to do it *right*. TIA


 A Place for Paws - Columbiana, Ohio - Home is in your area, I've ordered green tripe from there. They have some good information on their site, check them out!


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## GrammaD (Jan 1, 2012)

PaddyD said:


> Little confused here.
> I have heard of the tail wagging the dog but not the puppy wagging the dog(s).
> Were your current dogs NOT on raw? Are you changing to raw for the sake of the puppy?
> Why must you change your current dogs?


I don't _have_ to change them, over, I want to. 

Puppy isn't even here yet and won't be for another week. 

I have been doing a mix of kibble and raw for a month or so now and just want to get off kibble completely. Both the dogs seem to prefer their raw days anyway. 

The pup's breeder has sent me a complete raw diet info pack now which should help.



> A Place for Paws - Columbiana, Ohio - Home is in your area, I've ordered green tripe from there. They have some good information on their site, check them out!


Thank you!


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## TimberGSD2 (Nov 8, 2011)

I have a dog that has had food allergies in the past. I could only feed her bison, venison and fish. I went to raw 2 momths ago and started with chicken (had problems with chicken kibble) and she has done fantastic. In fact she is off all medications for her issues. It makes me wonder what kind of "chicken" is in commercial foods.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

GrammaD said:


> It's just chicken. When we reintroduced proteins the vet advised saving chicken for last, his experience was that it is most often the culprit, and when we got to chicken at the end he went nuts and we had to go back to daily Vetalog for a week to get him back on track.


Quick question - when you say you "we reintroduced proteins", how did you do that and what did you use?


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## GrammaD (Jan 1, 2012)

Lauri & The Gang said:


> Quick question - when you say you "we reintroduced proteins", how did you do that and what did you use?


He had been on NB Bison. Then the vet had us try different protein kibbles, one at a time, 2 weeks with each as long as there was no problem before moving on to the next. Started with fish, then lamb, then turkey, then beef, and finally chicken. We used NB/California Natural/Nature's Variety kibbles. 

He's been eating Wellness Lamb and Salmon or Innova Red Meat since then without trouble. I use a variety of canned Wellness as a topper (avoiding those with chicken) as well. 

I pushed my luck when I first started buying the Instinct Raw and gave him one of their "medallions" of chicken and he had a bad day so I am nervous about trying chicken parts while feeding raw.

Background on Cody. He is a rescue. Approximately 8yo. A severe neglect case. He had been tied up and abandoned by his previous owners and weighed 39lbs when AC took him. He had severe ear infections which had resulted in hearing loss and hematomas in his ears from shaking some of which had burst and he has rather bad "cauliflower ears" as a result. He also had hair loss from fleas/flea dermatitis, was infested with worms including tapes, and was anemic from his parasite load. Thankfully he was heartworm negative. There are also some neuro issues.

I foster for the rescue and after he was returned by a potential adopter due to a severely infected post-op site on his foot ( He had multiple growths removed and biopsied) which the adopters vet had suggested amputation to resolve.... well.... I asked to adopt him myself. I had fallen in love with him while he was being fostered. Couldn't stand to "bounce" him again and knew I could give him his final home. He kept the foot and it is healed now. 

So he has many challenges and I don't want to risk making him miserable with food.

I am sure you will all be glad to know his original owners were fined $6o for what they did to him. 


Sorry to write a novel but I figure the more info the better for those helping me here. 

One more thing. He has the best temperament. He may be a physical wreck but in every other way he is what a Golden should be and all too often isn't these days. I fell in head over heels love with him :wub:


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Congrats on the new puppy! It is so hard to wait!

I discussed going raw with my pup's breeder and she was really happy to hear that I am considering it. She said she would rather him eat other meats than chicken, which she felt was not as good quality a protein. 

I am leaning toward Darwin's, because I don't think I can combine all the ingredients that would provide a balanced diet for him, especially in the growing puppy stage. 
Natural, Raw Dog Food, Grain-free Dog Food - from Darwin?s Pet 

I am very interested in what yor breeder's packet says on what to feed the dog. If you ahve time to share some of that, it would be much appreciated.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I actually do feed turkey wings on occasion (the smaller ones, not the huge ones), but they are very very bony and will cause constipation if you don't feed them with some more MM or even OM. 

I would try turkey necks and thighs and rabbit for starters. Some dogs can't eat pork. Mine love it. I have two dogs that won't touch rabbit. You might also look into lamb, mutton or goat. 

No food is hypoallergenic. It is just not fed as often so less likely to be the cause of allergies. If rabbit became the main protein source fed or found in dog foods we would probably start seeing more rabbit problems.


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