Bravo Homestyle Complete

[KimB3384]

It's totally normal to feel that way. I've been feeding raw for about two years now and I still worry all the time. It would be so much easier if they could just tell us everything's cool. But you're totally doing the right thing and nothing will go wrong. And if something does go wrong (which it won't) you've got a ton of help here. Rosie, Lola, and KoKo are lucky to have you

 

[southpaw1746]

Thanks again. I purchased some Natures Variety raw patties which has way less ingredients than the other but not cheap

How much monthly will it cost you to give your Frenchie NV raw patties?

 

[kpromero]

How much monthly will it cost you to give your Frenchie NV raw patties?

This would be around $90 just for her with NV raw

 

[kpromero]

Ordered from Lone Star just now and will see how it goes with them. Thanks again to everyone for your help and really appreciate it

 

[KimB3384]

Ordered from Lone Star just now and will see how it goes with them. Thanks again to everyone for your help and really appreciate it

:dancing:

 

[kpromero]

:dancing:

Kim, thank you the most. :victory::victory::victory::thanks:

 

[southpaw1746]

Ordered from Lone Star just now and will see how it goes with them. Thanks again to everyone for your help and really appreciate it

Did you go with the chicken or venison meal plan? Or are you trying both?

 

[KimB3384]

Kim, thank you the most. :victory::victory::victory::thanks:

Absolutely! Any time. That's what we're here for, amirite??? I cannot wait to hear about the Lone Star stuff. Even with shipping, it would be about half the cost of the bison for me, so my fingers are crossed that your expectations are exceeded. BTW, I'm following them on FB now and cannot believe how awesome they are. Every day, I look at their photos and think, "I need to quit my job and move there to work for them!"

 

[kpromero]

Did you go with the chicken or venison meal plan? Or are you trying both?

I ordered just the chicken but I think I will get the mixed one next

 

[kpromero]

Absolutely! Any time. That's what we're here for, amirite??? I cannot wait to hear about the Lone Star stuff. Even with shipping, it would be about half the cost of the bison for me, so my fingers are crossed that your expectations are exceeded. BTW, I'm following them on FB now and cannot believe how awesome they are. Every day, I look at their photos and think, "I need to quit my job and move there to work for them!"

Yes they are wonderful and their raw is actually fed to all rescues there. I think if all goes well I will get the mixed plan of half chicken and half venison next. Are you following lone star and also dog ranch rescue? Same place

 

[kpromero]

Ohh should I get a probiotic and which one? Fish oil also and what kind? Where to buy

 

[KimB3384]

I am a big proponent of both pre- and probiotics. But that's me. I do believe, though, that if you're going to give a probiotic you also need to give a prebiotic. I read somewhere that if you only give a probiotic it's like sending a bunch of soldiers into battle but not giving them any ammunition to use in the fight. The prebiotic is the food for the probiotic to live off of.

I use OptaGest as my prebiotic and then VetriScience Laboratories Probiotic Everyday chews. I've seen a total difference in Beezy since adding both to her diet, so I'm a believer. The Lone Star food has tripe in it, so you'll be getting some digestive enzymes there. I use what I do because of our yeast and digestive issues. If you don't have any problems with your crew, you might not need the additonal supplements.

On days when she's not getting salmon as a meal, I do add a squirt of Bonnie and Clyde salmon oil to her breakfast. I used to use the Grizzly brand, but the B&C is clearer and smells way less fishy. For our evening meals, I add a pinch of coconut chips and stir it all up. They're not necessary, but she likes them and they add fiber to her diet so her stool firms up. Sometimes we have issues. It's not pretty.

I also just bought these and started using them yesterday. They're supposed to be an excellent source of glucosamine and provide other benefits as well.

Is it overkill? Maybe. Maybe even probably. But this is coming from a person who takes about a dozen supplements everyday and drinks kefir and tart cherry juice. I want Beezy to live forever. FOREVER! Yeah, I might be a little nutty.

 

[kpromero]

I just saw another website called barfworld.com
Looks like they sell a variety pack with 4 different proteins for $123.00.
-Juicy Chicken Recipe
-Juicy Beef Recipe
-Juicy Lamb Recipe
-Juicy Combo Recipe

Quantity represents a 24 lb. case containing four 6-lb. bags of food. Each bag contains twelve 8-oz. fresh, frozen BARF Diet patties.

 

[kpromero]

i am getting excited about this, haha. Here is another site and not sure if you all have seen.
Raw Dog Food - New England | Dogs Gone Raw

 

[KimB3384]

Uh ohz. Have we created a monster already??? It's really addicting, isn't it? We can't do the barf one because of the fruits and veggies, but I'm bookmarking the dogs gone raw site just in case.

Everything still going well? I don't know about you, but it makes me so happy to see my dog get excited and lick her bowl clean for every meal. I feel like I'm doing my job, you know?

 

[kpromero]

Yes everything is going well. No change in poop consistency from all 3 but today i am out of patties from the bag of NV that i bought. Ordered from Lone Star on Wednesday but did not get a shipping notice yet, so i guess back to Bravo Homestyle till then. The BARF looks like a nice deal for 4 different flavors in one order. The Dogs Gone Raw looks nice also and seems to be a good price also unless they messed up something on their site. i believe i saw something like $2.75 a lb. which does not seem right or i looked at it wrong.

Ohh, and yes they go crazy at feeding time waiting for it, HAHAHA. i leave it for about 5 minutes on the counter to let it warm slightly and they just stay sitting there looking up at bowls.

 

[kpromero]

Rosie and our 2 Chi's are in love with their new raw feeding. One of the Chi's is very picky and devours her food now. I had to bring Rosie to the vet yesterday due to red spots all over her belly and bumps on her sides. She had them slightly before feeding her raw but this time it was the worst i have ever seen and had to take her in. So hard to pinpoint the cause whether it is something outside or maybe the raw chicken we are feeding and so discouraging. he gave her a steroid shot and antibiotics to take for 7 days. I have also heard that vinegar and water works well so i am applying that to the areas once a day. We talked about taking some kind of allergy test where they shave the fur and i believe inject a few things to see what she would actually be allergic to but i believe its not cheap to do but he said its the most accurate test that could be done.

Have any of you tried the vinegar method and he also told me that a 1/2 teaspoon of local honey every now with her food could help her allergies.

One a good note i guess, it was time for her yearly shots and decided to titer test instead of rabies shot, so waiting on report to see what happens with that. Cost for that alone was $180 and he told me that you still have to test once a year and rabies shot is much cheaper to do but still did titer test and may continue to.

 

[kpromero]

 

[Cbrugs]

Could be environmental allergy or food allergy. Jax broke out in a rash and got bumps when I tried out turkey. I would try a different protein other than chicken as chicken can be a common allergen.

I had the intradermal allergy test done on Jax but it didn't test for food. But found out he is allergic to several types of grass, trees, shrubs, weeds. He has been on Apoquel for a couple of years and needs it daily. To figure out any food issues, it has been trial and error. I sometimes do an apple cider vinegar rinse on Jax.

 

[Jakeyjake]

Rosie and our 2 Chi's are in love with their new raw feeding. One of the Chi's is very picky and devours her food now. I had to bring Rosie to the vet yesterday due to red spots all over her belly and bumps on her sides. She had them slightly before feeding her raw but this time it was the worst i have ever seen and had to take her in. So hard to pinpoint the cause whether it is something outside or maybe the raw chicken we are feeding and so discouraging. he gave her a steroid shot and antibiotics to take for 7 days. I have also heard that vinegar and water works well so i am applying that to the areas once a day. We talked about taking some kind of allergy test where they shave the fur and i believe inject a few things to see what she would actually be allergic to but i believe its not cheap to do but he said its the most accurate test that could be done.

Have any of you tried the vinegar method and he also told me that a 1/2 teaspoon of local honey every now with her food could help her allergies.

One a good note i guess, it was time for her yearly shots and decided to titer test instead of rabies shot, so waiting on report to see what happens with that. Cost for that alone was $180 and he told me that you still have to test once a year and rabies shot is much cheaper to do but still did titer test and may continue to.

I allergy tested both of mine for environmental allergies. We gave Jake allergy shots for approximately 1 1/2 years with very little improvement. He is on Apoquel now and doing much better. I switched Stella to Apoquel from Cyclosporine also and she is doing great. It's hard to determine the cause of allergies and keeping them comfortable is also difficult sometimes. Have you tried any antihistamines like Claritin, Zyrtec or Hydroxyzine? The steroid shot will only be helpful in the short term so you will need to find another treatment as you don't want to give her steroids long term.
We also titer test, but we have to get the rabies vaccine by law in CA. I don't agree that you need to titer test every year either. Check out Dr. Jean Dodds blog on titer testing.