sooooo, raw diet ?

[ashbee03]

Hey guys !
So, as most of you know, Shylah was on Acana, and had many allergic reactions. Maybe not to the food, maybe its the environment. But we DID switch her food to Now!. She hasn't got an ear infection since (knock on wood) but her pimples and chapped paws are still a go. Not as bad though. And she doesn't have a rash on her tail, belly, and legs anymore. BUT, was wondering what kind of diet I could put her on that is very simple, and would rule out an allergy no problem. So I was thinking raw, as its only like 1 or 2 ingredients. I want her to be healthy though, no commercial foods. She has been on Now for about 3 and a half months now, which means Acana is out and everything happening is either from Now, or the environment.
Any suggestions ?
I asked my vet and ofcourse he wanted her to have science diet for pugs. No thank you.

[Puggered]

I think you might mean an elimination diet, to single out whether her allergies are food based or not?

Really this is best overseen by a animal dietician but I'm sure people here can point you in the right direction to start.

Certainly, firstly I would eliminate all grains from her diet, including treats.

And you are very lucky in your country to have a number of commercial prepared raw diets that are equal to most home made ones, if you don't wish to take one afternoon a month preparing and portioning raw mix for the freezer.

Hopefully Hillary will pop in to this thread with the link to her slop recipe and some suggestions for tweaking it to suit an allergen elimination regime.

[Wonka & Nilla]

Here is Hilary's thread for feeding raw diet: Why and How I Feed Raw - updated July, 2010 (includes Breakfast Slop recipe)
Even if you're not ready to go all the way and prepare a raw diet yourself, that thread has a ton of other useful information as well.

[CityPug]

I want her to be healthy though, no commercial foods. [...] I asked my vet and ofcourse he wanted her to have science diet for pugs. No thank you.

If Acana and Now are making your pooch uncomfortable, then maybe you need to get away from the high protein, fruits, and veggies foods. If a commercial food keeps Shylah from having allergic reactions, I'd say that's the "healthy" option for her. And you won't know until you try it. (Disclaimer: I'm a huge skeptic of websites like Dog Food Advisor.)

[GotPugs]

Go Raw! I like Natures Variety or Raw Advantage. Both are prepared and ready to go.

[ashbee03]

Thanks for all of your info ! I am going to the petstore today. I found one near me that sells it already prepared called healthy paws. It comes in a patty. Lol. I am excited to see the results.

[ashbee03]

Hey ! So Shylah has been doing great on raw diet. One thing though, starting today I noticed her poop being a bit crumbly. She loves it though. And is almost fully on raw. She is 75% raw and 25% kibble still. Tomorrow she'll be 100% raw.

[CSollers]

Minni has been eating Science Diet due to struvite stones for about a year and a half. We are trying to switch to a raw diet now. Luckily, there is a great pet store locally with a huge selection of the raw/organic/ non-big box store varieties of food.

[6 Beautiful Pugs]

Totally normal, crumbly, small, dry and less smelly. I want to build a shrine to raw-fed dog poops!



Take care,
Lisa