Author Topic: Switched food again... Also a supplement question..  (Read 9511 times)

Offline sc.trojans

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Re: Switched food again... Also a supplement question..
« Reply #15 on: January 20, 2006, 08:03:26 pm »

I personally believe that every single large breed dog should be on glucosamine from 4 months of age on for life.  Big dogs need all the joint and cartiledge help they can get and since glucosamine is far better at "maintaining" cartiledge rather than rebuilding it, it must be used preventatively for best results.  My vet and orthopedic surgeon both agree that big dogs should be on this.

If there are joint issues then I also strongly recommend hyaluronic acid - I specifically use Synthovial 7 since it is in liquid form and more readily assimilated by the body.  Hyaluronic acid is an all natural lubricant found in the body, and when lacking, is responsible for joint issues/arthritis, vision loss, and skin wrinkling.  If you are unfamiliar with it, definitely do a search on it and learn more.

As for supplements - the worst advice you can get is someone telling you an absolute - raw fed dogs don't need any or raw fed dogs must have them all.  There is no such thing that can make such statements accurate.  The fact is, supplementatio n may be very needed or not at all - it depends on the individual dog, its genetic history, your geographic location and where your food comes from and any specific deficiencies your dog may have.  I can say that unless you live somewhere where you can feed fresh kill - skin, fur and all, or a few unique places in this world, none of which are in the U.S., that do not have depleted soils, then some supplementatio n to some degree will be necessary for a complete diet.  I am concerned with how many people I encounter who are buying into the notion that they can feed a "prey model" diet, but get the food from their grocery store which is corn fed meat and vegetables grown in serious depleted soils and yet they want to believe their dog is getting all of these vitamins and minerals that if they actually tested, they would find are not even present.  It is a fact of life in the U.S. and a lot of areas of Canada that our soils are so depleted, that necessary trace minerals are rarely present in any of our meat sources, even when vitamins are.  As a result, the most credible animal nutritionists including Kymythy Schultz and Pitcairn agree that dogs must be provided with kelp,  fish oils, and vitamin E and in many cases alfalfa or they will be minerally and EFA deficient.  Before anyone ventures into a natural diet, I strongly recommend they do sufficient research first as there are many views out there - start with Kymythy's book - Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats....it is a great starter book.

SC Trojans
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Offline Imani's Mom

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Re: Switched food again... Also a supplement question..
« Reply #16 on: January 20, 2006, 08:56:02 pm »
I haven't seen it mentioned here anywhere, but have you considered Chicken Soup For the Dog Lover's Soul, or Back to Basics?

Weedsport, NY

Lyn

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Re: Switched food again... Also a supplement question..
« Reply #17 on: January 20, 2006, 09:11:09 pm »
Oh hey I just noticed this post was bumped back up. So I might as well give an update of sorts.

I'm still feeding Bubba the Solid Gold Hundenflocken. He's doing ok with it. Some days his poops are normal and others it's cow pie days.  I don't get it.  :-\ This is an ongoing thing too.. been happening since we got him at 9 weeks old and he's almost a year old now.

As for the 'clicking' sound that was coming from his ankles/hocks and hips. That's pretty much disappeared on it's own. I rarely hear anything now. Hubby was layed off work for a few weeks but he's back to working now. So I'll be able to pick up the supplements as soon as we catch up on our late bills.  >:(

sc.trojans, Thank you for the info. I am going to look up hyaluronic acid right now.

Offline DixieSugarBear

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Re: Switched food again... Also a supplement question..
« Reply #18 on: January 20, 2006, 09:17:21 pm »
We have the same thing with Sugar Bear I will think I have it fixed and before your know it cow pies again.  He has been on the Solid Gold Hundenflocken for two weeks, so I am going to stay on it for at lease 6-8 weeks and see what happens.

Lisa

Oh hey I just noticed this post was bumped back up. So I might as well give an update of sorts.

I'm still feeding Bubba the Solid Gold Hundenflocken. He's doing ok with it. Some days his poops are normal and others it's cow pie days.  I don't get it.  :-\ This is an ongoing thing too.. been happening since we got him at 9 weeks old and he's almost a year old now.

Lisa, owned by the following:
Sugar Bear - Great Pyrenees 4.5 yr.
Dixie Darlin - Great Pyrenees 4 yr.
Penny Lane - Great Pyrenees 2.5 yr.
Beauman - Great Pyrenees 14 months
Izzy - Great Pyrenees 14 month
Rosie - Great Pyrenees (at the bridge)

Lyn

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Re: Switched food again... Also a supplement question..
« Reply #19 on: January 20, 2006, 09:18:43 pm »
I found this stuff.. k9-MX, it contains Glucosamine HCI as well as hyaluronic acid.. and a bunch of other stuff I'm not sure Bubba would need.. namely herbal pain relievers.

What do you think? Here's the link... http://www.maisonradical.ca/Nouveau_Dossier/Lakota/k9-mx.htm


Offline pitas

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Re: Switched food again... Also a supplement question..
« Reply #20 on: January 20, 2006, 09:36:05 pm »
We also use Solid Gold Hundenflocken for our guys.  They have been on it for over a year.  Klondike our big guy has weird allergies sometimes and he has not had a problem with this food.  The other good thing is that they all love it!  We also use the Missing Link stuff that we sprinkle on top of their food.  Klondike blew an ACL in his knee and had surgery a year ago, the Missing Link has Glucosamine in it and I think it really  helps his joints. 

Good Luck!

Anita & the 3 Newfies from NJ
« Last Edit: January 20, 2006, 09:38:39 pm by pitas »

Offline sc.trojans

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Re: Switched food again... Also a supplement question..
« Reply #21 on: January 21, 2006, 12:20:35 am »

Hey, if you are seeing chronic, yet intermittant loose or mucousy stool, then I strongly encourage you to start evaluating IBS - this is classic IBS symptoms and commonly caused by processed food and vaccines.  As far as kibble goes (bare with me as I do not feed it), the Hundflocken food is high quality - reputable for not containing by-products or chemical preservatives, but the incredibly high heat processing and rendering processes still can have an impact on the GI tract, causing inflammation and scarring and so if you fed lower quality food before, plus several vaccines (all containing several chemical adjuvants), and then perhaps throw on some more chemicals if you use flea/tick or heartworm meds, and you can have serious inflammation.  Colitis (inflammation in the colon) is just one form of IBS and very common, usually cropping up quickly in puppies after frequent vaccinations.

The pattern you are seeing is showing you that things are not optimal or healthy in the GI tract - and the expelling mechanism (diarrhea) is showing up routinely as the system attempts to address it.

There are true cures - not symtom suppressors - but they require big changes, usually including feeding whole fresh foods (cooked or raw), providing mucosal lining agents to heal the tract (such as A.M.P by Molocure) and eliminating all chemical assaults on the system (which usually manifest first in the GI tract before moving elsewhere later and turning into chronic disease).....

Hope you all consider this and truly evaluate this for your own pup....Good luck!
SC Trojans
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Offline DixieSugarBear

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Re: Switched food again... Also a supplement question..
« Reply #22 on: January 21, 2006, 11:22:33 am »
Thank you that is something to think about and go over with our vet.

Lisa
Lisa, owned by the following:
Sugar Bear - Great Pyrenees 4.5 yr.
Dixie Darlin - Great Pyrenees 4 yr.
Penny Lane - Great Pyrenees 2.5 yr.
Beauman - Great Pyrenees 14 months
Izzy - Great Pyrenees 14 month
Rosie - Great Pyrenees (at the bridge)