Will I ever get feeding a good diet right?

[Sus]

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None of my friends or relatives seem to have the same problems I do with feeding a correct dog diet yet here I am again.
After receiving excellent advice from this site about everything regarding Biddys health and especially about raw feeding and after reading Honeys natural feeding I decided to go that way
Have been in touch with Honeys and they have worked out a diet plan and food which I am going to start at the end of the month to give me time to use up food that I already have
To prepare Biddy a little I went to my local butcher and bought small amount of braising steak and a chicken breast which he kindly minced for me
I started by adding a tiny amount of raw meat to her food which she tolerated, adding slightly more daily which she still ate with no problem (I did reduce the amount of her normal food and the more raw food I added I compensated with raw carrot and peas) maybe I got the amounts wrong!!!
Everything was going fine and then she started having slimy diarrhoea (is only about 2 weeks since she had some kind of stomach bug with diarrhoea) so I stopped adding raw meat to her food and she is now back on Tails wet and dry food and her poo is back to normal
To make things worse I ordered 2 x 250mgs bags of Skippers fish skin flatties which several members on here use successfully and she ignores them
Do I have to allow more time for Biddys stomach to adapt to a raw diet? (maybe ignore minor tummy upsets to begin with)
Should I offer Skippers chews ever day with no alternative until she tries them?
Previous chews I used were full of tasty stuff for dogs but full of additives I think
Sorry for long post but do not thing I will ever feel confident in owning a dog and doing my best for her. Will always need help until I am sure that she is healthy, happy and secure.

 

[JoanneF]

I'm so sorry it's not been an easier transition.

Sorry to be dense, I've had a quick look through some of your posts but remind me please, why did you want to change her food in the first place?

 

[excuseme]

I would allow more time for the tummy and digestive system to adjust. She may have been on a commercial diet all of her life, her body may take a while to recognize the change and start working properly.
You could offer her a desert spoonful twice a day of "Natural live" Yoghurt, a Goats yoghurt or Keifer with "Live" cultures may be the best.

 

[JudyN]

What percentage of raw food had you built up to before she started having the slimy poos?

Honestly, given all that she and you have been through, if Tails Wet & Dry seems to work for her, I'm tempted to say you should stick to that and not to worry about it not being the best - you could both do with some stability in her diet. Then when she's had a period of being settled, the search can start for something that will benefit her teeth which she likes and which doesn't upset her stomach, which I know is another of your concerns.

 

[Sus]

Thank you for your replies
JoanneF, I have been to the vet with so many issues which I hope now are resolved but she still has a problem with anal glands, runny eyes which vet says is due to pollen and dry scurfy skin and coat (no itching) which has resolved with special food and yumove dry and itchy skin oil additive to food. Was under the impression that raw food could cure all these conditions without the need for any additives
excuseme, thanks for your advice, she is 9 yrs old and I have had her for a year. She was grossly overweight when I first had her (like a big barrel on 4 sticks it was horrible) and it was hard to deprive her of food to enable weight loss, I think she was more used to a human diet. Think I do need more time for her to adjust
JudyN, I am so thinking along the lines you are. I want to do so much for Biddy but I am stressing too much now because I think I am not doing enough for her. She has not had the best start in life but I have really tried to make sure that she has the best nutrition

 

[JoanneF]

Please try to stop stressing. You are doing everything you can to untangle the heap of issues she had before she came to you. You really are doing great, fixing a muddle of problems is always a trial and error thing and you are doing everything you can.

Raw is great. But, it isn't for everyone and every dog. If I were you, this is what I'd do now.

1. Her poo. She has decent poos on Tails - it isn't as great as they want you to think, because it is just a mix of different kibbles and they can't deliver on really specific requirements. But that doesn't make it a bad food (just bad marketing) so if it suits her, I'd go back to it without any hesitation.

2. Her coat. By all means keep adding some salmon oil (not too much, that could cause loose poos) and /or the Yumove supplement - check they don't fight with each other.

3. Her weight. Cut 5% of her food. Or more if you need to. If you can, increase her exercise a bit too.

4. Her teeth. Dentastix are a treat (and not a very healthy one) so if she were mine I'd still offer a fish flattie and let her take it, or lift it and offer again next day. It's not a major part of her diet so if she doesn't eat it, it's no big deal. Or, swap to something like dried ligament, paddywhack or sinew. I'd avoid trachea as I've always found them to be a bit fatty so that doesn't sit well with the weight loss.

Finally, look back at what you have done. Really. You might feel disheartened sometimes but you have made fabulous progress. She has come on leaps and bounds. It's a year, almost to the day, since she came to you. Don't forget to celebrate the successes.

 

[JudyN]

Raw can solve a lot of issues for some dogs, but there will always be those for whom it doesn't work - and though it can help a lot of dogs with skin and other issues, it makes little or no difference for others. As always, both the benefits and risks can be overstated.

Plus, like breast vs formula feeding, if trying for 'the best' leads to a stressed-out mum and a dog/baby who is not thriving, then relaxing and just doing what works is better all round. Do what works for you, and for her. It's time to start enjoying her, not worrying about whether you could do more for her.

 

[Sus]

Thanks Joanne F and Judy N for your replies,
I'm going to take your advice and forget about the raw feeding for now and just give her the tails food. I was feeding her Harringtons at first but she seemed to prefer the tails (I only use the ones that come in small 100 or 150 gm containers so that I do not have to store opened in the fridge for more than a day
Have been giving her 150gms of wet with about 20gms of the kibble because of the added linseed and oils. This I gave divided into 2 portions a day
I think I will cut out the kibble for now and just feed her wet food with the added fish oil I can also feed her salmon twice a week instead of once so that should take care of her skin and coat
excuse me I will try the live yoghurt that you have suggested (I was giving her probiotics but ran out and did not get more as I felt I was trying too many things at once)
I have been stressing when there is no need, I think I probably left it too late in life to acquire my first dog especially one with so many problems so will just let everything settle down and maybe think about raw feeding at a later date
Thanks all for your advice

 

[arealhuman]

Absolutely, 100%, completely and totally this:

Please try to stop stressing. You are doing everything you can to untangle the heap of issues she had before she came to you. You really are doing great, fixing a muddle of problems is always a trial and error thing and you are doing everything you can.

You said it yourself - she was grossly overweight when you had her, and now look what you've achieved! It's remarkable and you should congratulate yourself in achieving so much for your little friend. It sounds as though she wasn't on the best of diets before coming to you, just remember that Tails is going to be better than what she's had previously, so if it works for both of you I don't see any harm in carrying on.

You're braver than me in trying the things you have, such as raw, as we still have some minor issues which I'll post about separately.

Keep posting with updates and questions - never worry about asking, that's the whole point of this place!