My little guy (10 weeks) is currently eating RC Maxi for large breed puppies. I have been planning to make the switch to RAW once I had learned a little bit more about it (not it's benefits, but how to do it properly). I have ordered some books on feeding RAW which should arrive any day now.
The problem is that the pup has horribly dry skin and can't stop itching. It is clear he is in misery. I took the dog to the vet about his dry skin only to be told "the dog has dry skin." (HAHA...priceless). I have him on supplements (olive oil, salmon oil, NaturVet Ultimate) and he's getting the odd soak with an oatmeal conditioner. Nothing is helping fast enough and I can't bare to see him suffer anymore.
Sooo... I realise that I need to make the switch to RAW now (yesterday in fact), even though I might not be quite up to speed. Would anyone be able to send me a recipe that I could start him on tomorrow, either through the message board or privately. I need to get him off the kibble ASAP!!
I can't help you with the raw diet, but I'm just wondering if the vet covered all the bases and checked for yeast, fungus, ringworm, mange, etc. There are SO many things that can cause skin problems! Allergies are another possibility, too. Some posters have found a raw diet helped allergies, if they were food related.
Good luck! Lots of raw feeders on the board, I'm sure one will pop by soon to help you out.
His dry skin could be environmental, or allergy's. I wouldn't soak him in anything. Change feed's gradually, try an egg in his food once in a while. Change his environment, where he sleep's or what he sleeps on. If he's indoors all the time, let him out some how. Don't over do it with suppliments and oil's. A can of salmon could be added to his food in small amounts, half a can per feeding maybe twice a week. Try to keep it simple so you can see what helps and what doesn't.
My dog had rash's and scratched, had ear infections and raw lips. I was adding goodies to his feed trying to do my best for him but I was causing the problem. I feed him one thing and one thing only now and he has not had an outbreak of the rash since.
It may take four or five weeks to see a difference if your changing feed. Keeping it simple helps a lot.
Thanks for the input. The soaks in oatmeal conditioner are on the vet's advice. Yes he was checked for mange, etc. The vet suggested that his dry skin could be caused by his adult coat coming in. My entire family are avid GSD lovers so I have had them all my life. I have never seen a dog react this way to an adult coat (although that doesn't mean it's not possible). I am rotating his supplements so he's not actually getting all of them everyday. Aside from the supplements, he eats only the RC.
I was planning to switch to RAW anyway, I just want to do it sooner than later in case it is a food allergy. I can't stand to see him suffer and am willing to do anything at this point to help him out.
His adult coat is not coming in at 10 weeks, his coat will change several times before he is done growing. This has nothing to do with his coat changing period. Did the vet sell you this oatmeal conditioner?? My guess is yes.
One of the foods I had to leave out on my dog was fish product's. Its only my opinion but I have never seen anything work as well as a raw egg for dry skin or dull coat. I'm sure others have other opinions but again I try to keep things simple.
If its only dry skin ok, but if its rash's and hot spots then it sounds more like allergy's. Allergy's are hard to pin down sometimes.
i think the best solution for your puppy is to take him to a holistic practicing vet they will give you much better advice on skin care and feeding, raw diet will not solve the problem alone
Hi London, sorry to hear your little guy is having problems. Switching to raw shouldn't be a problem, just do it. However what specific to put in his diet for dry itchy skin I'm sorry but I can't help with that.
You mention that you have sent for some books to help will the one I found the most helpful was Billinghurst's and there are also some good groups out there as well there are at least a couple yahoo groups. The one I'm a member of and find very useful is Britbarfuk. If you log onto there I'm sure there will be loads of people that can point you in the right direction.
BTW I have assumed you are in the UK because of your user name (London).
Good luck with little guy I hope the problem gose away soon.
Most of the time, when your dog has skin or even ear problems, it
has to do with what they are ingesting.
I had a dog that had terrible skin problems, and I switched her kibble
food to Canidae All Life Stages, and I had excellent results.
I have 8 dogs, so believe me I've tried all different brands out
there, the price an quaility are what I am satified about.
Also, I feed my dogs a raw diet on occassion, and I try to keep it
very simple, you shouldn't have to run around to a dog health food
store and pay big money for ingredients you probably have in your
house already, or you can get at the local supermarket.
Here's a link to what I feed my dogs, halfway down on the page is a link to
the Barf Diet, I found it very useful........
Go ahead and add food like the egg (recommended cooked, but we use raw farm fresh) canned oily fish (sardines, mackerel) and regular (fatty) ground beef or pork to your puppy diet for part of the fat component. Add 1/2 your regular food to the raw supplement at first then you can switch to full RAW you can also add oil and yogurt is helpful to keep digestion healthy. I have never seen puppy with itchy skin problems but in older dogs I have noticed sometimes with dogs who are stressed. Well documented a dog with a bone is a happy dog so try some therapy he can really sink his teeth into. ((large rib bone or marrow bones are safe for puppies) Some dogs seem obsessive with scratching and he may be creating the problem. Lastly I recently talked to a customer who claimed she had a white shepherd previously who was diagnosed with an allergy to its own fur???
don't add and make it worse, subtract and start over. now's the perfect time since you want to switch to raw. whatever is bothering him is more than likely coming from something he is already eating. i sent you a pm.
We recently had our girl suddenly got really itchy, dull coated and almost went bald overnight. It wasnt her food - it was an outside influence - we gave her kids antihistimine liquid for a couple of days along with vitamin E and changed her bedding to paper - just to be on the safe side.
Itching went within 24hrs - now a week along and she is fine.
I just wanted to thank everyone who posted or sent me a PM. The pup made the rapid switch to 100% raw easy and he loves it!! I actually really enjoy prepping the meat and feeding him more now too. We're on day 3 and my fingers are crossed. We go back to the vet (a new one) on Tuesday for another look. Thanks again!!
Here's a pic of the little guy. Sorry he's not one to sit still!
London he is a doll!! Has his itching stopped at all? Sometimes it happens quick and other times it takes awhile to detox. Being he is just a baby and hasn't been on dog food a long time I would think it would stop quick.
Yes Two Moons, it was your previous comment that shook some sense into me to find a different vet. I stopped the oatmeal soaks too. As for the pup, he's still itching, but finally sleeping through the night (not waking up to scratch). So I think we're on the right track.
I still can't get over how much he wants to eat now. Dinner on kibble was always a pain in the butt as he never really showed much interest. I guess he was trying to tell me something :-) And his stools are 10x better already. My boyfriend has a golden retriever on kibble: a little goes in, a lot comes out. The pup: a lot goes in, a little comes out. That alone is a huge plus for me!
Lodon - solely by seeing the dog's poo, you've discovered what so many others need to see: Eating raw the dogs digest most of the food vs Eating kibble, you're spending money on fillers that dogs just poop out - the dog food companies thrive on feeding subpar food with lots of fillers.
My suggestions:
- Learn as much as possible about raw feeding. Feel free to PM me if you have questions;
- Use ONLY soy-free salmon oil. Avoid plant-based oils (flax and olive), which are inappropriate and are suspect for allergies;
- Locate a homeopathic practitioner. They're amazing.
If you choose Olive oil make sure it is Extra virgin Olive oil not a blend or just olive oil they contain lots of sub standard fillers.....
Olive oil has been proven to have some of the greatest antioxidant properties of any other in the Mediterrean...other than Seaweed....you cant get any better......
Keep us posted on the results. My little guy, now 7 months, had dry flaky skin at 3 - 4 months. I took him to the vet first. They found no problems. I also was feeding RC Maxi. I switched to raw with some Innova Large Breed puppy kibble. It only took a week or so for his coat to improve. The meat I feed is supermarket ground beef and bison, around 80/20 (20% fat). My pup just needed more fat in his diet. His working attitude and muscle tone have improved too.
I used to have a GSD that was allergic to certain foods, notably eggs. She got terrible rashes and ear infections. I did an elimination diet. I'm sure one is listed on a website but the one I used was simple. I started with cooked chicken. Then after a few days I added one more ingredient and fed that for a few more days. Every 3 - 4 days I added ONE ingredient. Eggs were about the 5th thing I tried and the poor girl reacted almost immediately. If the allergic reaction is severe, you may need a vet's help to deal with it. My dog needed cortisone (I know, nasty stuff.) But that doesn't sound like it will be an issue with your pup.
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