I'm considering going with the raw/BARF diet (minus bones) for one of my dogs.
She's riddled with various health issues (skin allergies, frequent ear infections, anal glad problems, etc.) and is constantly miserable. We've tried so many things (changing her dog food multiple times, various supplements, Benadryl, allergy shots, prednisone, creams, sprays, prescription shampoos, natural remedies, etc.). If you name it, we've most likely tried it!
The only thing that really seems to help is the prednisone. However, I hate having her on such a powerful drug and it isn't meant for long-term use. She's also a total headcase on it and when she's on it we can't stand her; she spends her days licking the floor and driving us nuts in various other ways. Not her fault, of course, but it still gets to you after awhile.
We recently tried to wean her off the prednisone (since the bad allergy season is over) and have her on Benadryl. It's not helping much at all. She has another ear infection. Her skin is still super itchy... while I was gone for one hour today, she itched her neck raw and chewed on her legs.
We started her on a new supplement called The Missing Link (we went with the canine plus formula, which includes a joint supplement). But I was doing some reading and am considering putting her on a raw food diet. I'm starting to think her food might be a source of her skin issues (we've tried various types, including hypoallergenic, without success). We spend a lot of money on our dogs' food (Innova EVO), trying to avoid nasty things like yeast and dyes and by-products and allergens, but what's the point when she'd probably do just as "well" on some cheap crappy food at this point?
Okay, this got long, sorry! Just wanted to give you some background and see why I'm considering going raw.
Have any of you done this? Got any tips? Success stories? What do you typically feed? I know someone who owns a meat shop, so I'm hoping to get quality meat (regular and organ meat) for a decent price, and will supplement with vegetables and eggs (in addition to the Missing Link supplement).
Thanks for any input!
She's riddled with various health issues (skin allergies, frequent ear infections, anal glad problems, etc.) and is constantly miserable. We've tried so many things (changing her dog food multiple times, various supplements, Benadryl, allergy shots, prednisone, creams, sprays, prescription shampoos, natural remedies, etc.). If you name it, we've most likely tried it!
The only thing that really seems to help is the prednisone. However, I hate having her on such a powerful drug and it isn't meant for long-term use. She's also a total headcase on it and when she's on it we can't stand her; she spends her days licking the floor and driving us nuts in various other ways. Not her fault, of course, but it still gets to you after awhile.
We recently tried to wean her off the prednisone (since the bad allergy season is over) and have her on Benadryl. It's not helping much at all. She has another ear infection. Her skin is still super itchy... while I was gone for one hour today, she itched her neck raw and chewed on her legs.
We started her on a new supplement called The Missing Link (we went with the canine plus formula, which includes a joint supplement). But I was doing some reading and am considering putting her on a raw food diet. I'm starting to think her food might be a source of her skin issues (we've tried various types, including hypoallergenic, without success). We spend a lot of money on our dogs' food (Innova EVO), trying to avoid nasty things like yeast and dyes and by-products and allergens, but what's the point when she'd probably do just as "well" on some cheap crappy food at this point?
Okay, this got long, sorry! Just wanted to give you some background and see why I'm considering going raw.
Have any of you done this? Got any tips? Success stories? What do you typically feed? I know someone who owns a meat shop, so I'm hoping to get quality meat (regular and organ meat) for a decent price, and will supplement with vegetables and eggs (in addition to the Missing Link supplement).
Thanks for any input!
Last edited: