I've been feeding her raw real food for about 5 years.
I had been feeding her "good quality" dog food until she was about 5. Then she developed skin problems and would scratch herself raw. She scratched her ear so much it closed up with infection; she did this twice. The second time the vet told me she would have to have some flexible plastic inserted into the ear structure to reconfigure it from the damage. The vet told me she would have to have cortisone shots and take oral steroids the rest of her life. They said she was "allergic" to something and proposed the trial of allergy testing and desensitizing that they do on humans.
I refused the surgery and the allergy and changed our lifestyle. I quit using all the usual chemicals (burning scented candles, using pinesol and windex, etc). I started feeding her according to the BARF diet (Bones And Raw Food). All her problems cleared up right away and never came back.
Now I use her as my "gold standard" - if I wouldn't feed it to her / expose her to it, it doesn't belong in / near my body either.
She's 11 and acts like a puppy. She's got weak wrists and hips, but I got braces for her from orthodog.com that she wears when walking. I also started feeding her more fat when we started eating fat, especially butter because it's supposed to be good for the joints. I don't know if that's helping - her joints aren't getting any worse, though. We walk about 3 miles a day.
Since going on raw food she is also much less hyper and nervous. She seems to be more relaxed and has better focus. This is important if you have a high-energy breed; Georgia is half pit bull.
She's a real "success story" for holistic living!
Georgia weighs 35#
She eats twice a day
Typical meal:
- half a turkey neck
- 1 egg or small portion of organs
- 2 tablespoons butter
- splash of goat milk
- 1 small bread crust
- 1 cup mashed mixed veg & fruit
This varies a lot depending on what food is getting old or leftover. The only food that's exclusively hers is the turkey necks that I buy in bulk.
Long answer, but if anyone's looking into feeding their dog BARF it may be helpful.
