what kind of foods would you recommend?

Question

I want to start feeding my dog more natural foods with vitamins (like omega fatty acids 3&6, vitamin C, Vitamin E) it seems that he has some sort of skin problems (he is a bichon frise) and so I read an article talking about Bichon Skin problems.
I figured that maybe he's not recieving enough nutrients from just kibbles and a bits of boiled chicken.

in the article, it talked about organs.. but didn't mention what kind(like turkey brains?, chicken heart?, beef, pork liver?. like what kinds??)
what kinds of natural meats (i'm going to cook them a bit.. maybe boil maybe a little bit of pan-cooking with virgin olive oil with garlic or something) should I give my Bichon?


oh yes, and if you can, is there dog shampoo thats gentle on the skin? I heard that oatmeal is good, but I dont see (at least I dont think so) any oatmeal shampoo for dogs in petsmart.

I don't want to go Commando and start feeding him completely raw. i'm scared he might get some types of parasites or something...(Raw foods sites sounded great. including lots of information on about myths about dogs being omnivores and whatnot.<-- i really thought they were..)
i DID search about oatmeal shampoo in petsmart. and what do you know? i've been looking at the wrong place for my dog (i learned that whitening shampoo is harsh on the skin)
I'm am, however wondering what parts of the meats i should be looking at for my dog.
i am thinking of getting some fish, poultry(most likely chicken), and maybe pork or beef.. i'm thinking of still continuing the kibbles (as of my dog does not like rice. to go along with meat) but only for like chewing and stuff. not too sure yet.
for the garlic, i'm going going to put in a WHOOOLE bunch, just a little tiny pinch for smell and in the article, it said that its a natural preventative for fleas cause it omits a nasty smell or something.

Answer 1

Do some google searches on BARF and dogs...it'll bring up a whole bunch of websites on raw feeding. There is also a yahoo group - fantastic resource!
I currently just feed my dog chicken and fish. She doesn't go so much for pork and I just haven't been able to find a butcher to get some other cuts of meat. I just buy a 5lb bag of chicken leg quarters for her. She also gets chicken liver a couple times a week. She should be getting more of a variety, but we're working towards that. The idea here really is to feed them raw, not cooked. My dog loves it, I hate it..but it is what is best for her.

Good luck!!

Answer 2

I feed my dogs Canidae All Life Stages with Chicken, Turkey, Lamb and Fish. It is all natural, human grade, has NO corn, wheat, soy, grain fractions, fillers or by products, is made in the USA, and is naturally preserved. It is great for problem skin and allergies. My dogs and I have never been happier since we switched. It is also very reasonably priced, for such a high quality food. I would highly recommend it and I don't think you or your dog will be disappointed. Oatmeal Shampoo is really good and they do have it at Petsmart, just ask them, they will show you where it is.

Answer 3

I had a bischon (she died last year:( ) she had a lot of skin allergy problems, I think it is part of the breed.

Anyway, about organ meats, I was told that in dogs the organ they eat feeds tat organ in them. So if you feed them beef liver, it is good for the dog's liver.

I got a book recently that gives recipes for homemade dogfood (but naturally I cannot find it now) but we feed our dogs recipes out of that. Since Daisy passed, our shih tzu wont eat anything but chicken or hot dogs, so we have been boiling chicken and mixing it with rice and a few other things for him.

As for the shampoo, we use an oatmeal shampoo that we got at petsmart (with a bischon, shih tzu and schnauzer there are a lot of skin allergies around here). I cant remember the name, but it is green and I think it says it is for sensitive skin and has a picture of a schnauzer on it. It seems to help quite a bit.

Hope you find something that works for him!:)

Answer 4

I don't know about organs.
I feed Canidae and I'm happy with how my dog responded to it.

Look into California Natural Skin and Coat Supplement. It works wonders. You'll be amazed. www.naturapet.com for more info. While there, look into Innova EVO. It's doing great things for dogs with skin problems.

Also good: Wellness and Artemis

Ark Natural is a whole line of natural, herbal supplements. www.arknaturals.com

Tropiclean and Earthbath are the best shampoos. They both have an oatmeal shampoo.

Answer 5

Organ meats are great for your dog but don't feed them every day..some great ones: chicken or beef liver, hearts, gizzards, tripe..
For meats, chicken, turkey,beef, pork (yes pork is fine as long as it's the lean variety and not fed often...stay away from ham),fish, lamb..
If you are cooking foods boil the meats with a bit of garlic and add some brown rice and veggies such as carrots, peas,spinach,green beans to it to make a stew. I also like to add a bit of olive oil. You can also give your dog cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, apples, pears, berries, watermelon, squash, sweet potato, pumpkin, swiss chard.

You are 100% correct dogs ARE carnivores NOT omnivores.

Oatmeal shampoo or a mild baby shampoo work great to help sooth skin, but don't use too often or it wil ldry the skin and make problems worse.

Answer 6

Go to Amazon.com and look up "Dr. Pitcairn", he's a vet and has excellent recipes in his book, our dogs have been on his diets now 2 months and showed tremendous gains in health. We had them prior on premium commercial pet foods and all of them we find are really no good. Once you see the diets results in his book work on your pet and how your pet will love to really eat again you'll be surprised as we were and realize even the best commercial foods are garbage. Be carefull giving vitamins on your own, most are made in China. Kibbles and Bits is mostly sugar my GF said and garbage, she's been researching pet foods now for months. The home cooking is not bad once you get all the ingredients together, we only had to order one thing online, a bonemeal combo. This book will pay for itself in the long run with fewer vet bills and a happy healthy pet.
Updated: I just looked in the cabinet, my GF uses Chris Christensen dog products for their washing and skin care, you might want to check them out.

Answer 7

If your dog has skin problems, I would definitely recommend giving him an omega 3 fatty acid supplement in a capsule form--he would get more than he would in a formulated diet. Most of them have Vit E, Vit A and flax and fish oils--your vet can recommend some good brands.

I don't recommend giving your dog garlic--it is in the onion family and in high enough doses can be considered toxic and cause anemia.

I also don't recommend giving organs on a regular basis--dogs can get gout too.

I also don't recommend only giving your dog cooked meats--they are omnivores, not carnivores, and need a more balanced diet. Too much protein can predispose them to early kidney disease. A good quality kibble is actually well balanced and provides all the necessary nutrients.

Finally, if your dog has skin problems, the most likely causes are allergies, skin infections, or ectoparasites. Skin infections would require antibiotics. And dogs can be allergic to flea bites, dust mites, molds and pollens in the air, and certain dietary components. I would definitely recommend taking him to see your vet. It sounds like his problem is well beyond a lack of nutrients.

PS--I'm a vet.

Answer 8

Timberwolf Organics. Great food. I use the ocean blue fish because my lab has skin issues too. It seems to really help her. They ship for free too! My petsmart does have an oatmeal shampoo. I would try researching pet soap online, maybe try an all natural brand.

Answer 9

I don't know about organs, we feed our bichon nutro natural choice. We use an aloe shampoo and a wheatgrass condtioner, if he has dry skin try a oatmeal moistureizing spray it works great just brush it in (our chi has dandruff). The only concern I would have about the organs and stuff are the fur stains. P.S. aren't they the best dogs!!!!!!!!!

Answer 10

Well done to you for wanting to keep your dog healthy.

Check out the links below for a Biologically Appropriate Rawfed Diet and happy hunting !