Getting stressed about balance

[Kat]

My vet doesnt know I switched to raw yet, they are very against raw. When Ruby was a puppy I suggested the idea to my vet and she right away started a debate and shut me down.

But I will ask if they do a "package deal" with Blood and Urine

[MollyWoppy]

My vet doesnt know I switched to raw yet, they are very against raw. When Ruby was a puppy I suggested the idea to my vet and she right away started a debate and shut me down.

Yeah, it took me this long to pluck up the courage myself. I got a right telling off lecturing me on all the perils some time ago, and haven't had the guts to say anything since. Until this time, but now I'm determined to prove him wrong in a responsible way that he can't dispute. I'm not going to argue, just prove it with Mol's health over the years. (cross fingers).

Mollie got: CBC/Chemistry/UA/T4/HW-ANTECH Canine last week. $145.87 (read off the receipt)
I don't know what T4 is, but it included the heartworm test as well.

[Kat]

The area I live in, vets are ridiculously expensive. A vet check up is $60 alone. My friend who lives 45 minutes away only pays $35 for a vet checkup. Hopefully they do have some kind of package price though.

Last year I never had to pay for heartworm. After Ruby had that crazy allergic reaction to the vaccine, my vet got pretty scared because she was the one who talked me into getting it, and she saw how pissed I was so they gave me free fecal and heartworm. So Im not looking forward to the bill this year lol

[xellil]

My vet called the T4 the more advanced thyroid test.

i am paying alot more here in Texas than i did in indy.

BUT, my new vet just got the cold laser machine yesterday and told me a session would be $40. I told him i got it for $20 in Indy and $30 right up the road in Denton, so he dropped the price to $30. Heck, I figure i should get it for $10 a session since she gets it weekly and I'm going to be giving them a ton of money for it. Many dogs get a few sessions and then stop.

I reallly think he had no clue as to what to charge. I should have told him i got it for $20 in Denton :)

I've had so much better luck with vets than alot of people here, talking about raw food. The only vet that really got in my face about it was the ER vet in Indy (who I saw more than my regular vet) and that was because he wanted to sell me a bunch of Science Diet.

[DaneMama]

This is her weekly menu, sometimes I dont do it exact to what I write, it depends what I have in the freezer: (if I dont have any bone-in chicken, I will substitue the bone-out pork with pork ribs)

MONDAY
Breakfast: Bone-out Pork
Dinner: Bone-in Chicken with Liver

TUESDAY
Breakfast: Canned fish
Dinner: Lamb

WEDNESDAY
Breakfast: Bone-out Pork
Dinner: Bone-in Chicken with Liver

THURSDAY
Breakfast: Lamb
Dinner: Bone-out Pork

FRIDAY
Breakfast: Turkey
Dinner: Bone-in Chicken with Liver

SATURDAY
Breakfast: Bone-out Pork
Dinner: Lamb

SUNDAY
Breakfast: Canned fish
Dinner: Bone-in Chicken with Liver

This looks like a great rotation. I like that you have at least 2 red meat sources (lamb and pork) as the more red meat the better.

I would suggest adding whole eggs in as they're a great addition and are packed with nutrition. I'd also add in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement like salmon oil if you get most of your meat from wholesale sources/factory farmed sources. I would also like to see the addition to a heart meat in, regardless of source but beef heart being one of the top sources. If beef heart is the only source of beef in the diet thats still fantastic. Beef heart is usually really affordable.

Kidney is a great organ to feed, BUT not necessary if you're giving liver. Variety is key of course, but if you can only feed liver all your nutritional bases are covered.

Overall looking great and I see NO reason to stress out!

[magicre]

nat...ruby has some issues with really rich foods....what would you think of starting her on quail eggs...just because they are smaller and might be a better intro.

and, kat? if your vets are that anti raw.....are there other vets? because if they are virulently anti raw, what else are they anti about that could possibly be harmful, rather than beneficial.

we get a senior blood panel on our dogs because it is more compleat....and we get a UA.....

[DaneMama]

Quail eggs are just fine...she can also start out with giving JUST the white of the egg and work up to giving the rest in time. A lot of people worry about biotin deficiencies with raw egg yokes, but there's abundant biotin in the rest of the diet to make up for the raw egg white.

I get senior panels on my dogs as well...and its really important to do UA's with blood work as well.

[Kat]

With the eggs: Should I be giving the egg white with the egg shell crushed? My grocery store sells organic eggs from the same company I buy my chicken and pork.

I will be adding heart as soon as i can, I emailed an organic butcher last night to ask about heart and organs, no reply yet though.

I use organic extra virgin coconut oil, isnt that rich in omegas? I do have salmon oil, but stopped used it when I read about how magicre thought maybe that was what was causing bubbas baldness. And I heard you need to supplement salmon oil with vitamin e.

I want to get as much variety into Rubys diet as possible. I still have a lot of organic grass fed beef in my freezer that I will hopefully get to use in the future. Even if I can only add like half an ounce of beef as a "vitamin booster" to another meal. Lol, not sure if it would make a difference, but I just dont want to waste the beautiful beef.

[magicre]

you're not going to waste the beautiful beef. allergies in dogs are so rare...at least real ones.

she just has one of those stomachs.....

as to the egg, i would try the egg with a bony meal....or half the egg or just the white, or whatever natalie said.....

i figure my dogs get enough bone and calcium that they don't need the shell, which they don't care for anyway.....but i used to take the egg and grind the whole thing so they ate egg, white, shell --- just ground.

now i don't bother watching them roll the egg around the kitchen.....neither one eats the shell. i just give them egg. great for the fur. and man, does bubba now have fur.

if you give ruby a fingernail sized piece of beef.....every other day in one of her meals...which is not 1/2 ounce...i doubt if it would even register on a scale, that's how small i'm talking about....i think she will adapt....

this is how i did it with beef.....once we finally got there :)