# Raw for a picky and allergic pup?



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Have you considered home cooked? You would be able to mix and match the ingredients to suit her, and she might prefer the comsistency. It is not much effort - cook up a batch and freeze in portions. More info and ideas here: DogAware.com: Homemade Diets for Dogs


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## Sara&Audi (Oct 21, 2012)

fjm said:


> Have you considered home cooked? You would be able to mix and match the ingredients to suit her, and she might prefer the comsistency. It is not much effort - cook up a batch and freeze in portions. More info and ideas here: DogAware.com: Homemade Diets for Dogs


I tried it and she hated it. I would love to cook for her except I never know if she'll actually eat it.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

Have you tried searing raw food? Some dogs like their food partially cooked, it changes the texture. Also, how are you feeding her? What do you do when she doesn't eat? She might be playing you, trying to get something better. Not saying she is but it's always a possibility with poodles.


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## Sookster (Apr 11, 2011)

I'm inclined to ask if you've had medical tests (blood panels, etc) done to make sure there isn't a medical reason for her not eating? It's not normal for a dog to not eat. 

My second question is what the previous poster asked: how are you feeding her? Dogs will learn that if they hold out, you may give them something better. 

Also remember that with any diet change, especially to raw, the dogs may be hesitant. At first, I had to mix a teeny tiny almost unnoticeable amount of ground raw meat with Sookie's kibble to even get her to consider it, but now, 3 months later, she's on full raw and LOVES it, way more than she ever liked kibble. You have to give them some time to come around to it. 

I second the "searing" idea. That will help the aroma of the food come out and that can stimulate the appetite. Also, "warm" food can be more appetizing than cold.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I was also wondering if there were an underlying reason why she was reluctant to eat - even someting as simpe as a sore mouth or digestive problem?


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## Sara&Audi (Oct 21, 2012)

mom24doggies said:


> Have you tried searing raw food? Some dogs like their food partially cooked, it changes the texture. Also, how are you feeding her? What do you do when she doesn't eat? She might be playing you, trying to get something better. Not saying she is but it's always a possibility with poodles.


She is very smart and tricks me all the time with food. I am very, very strict with her in regards to food, but my mom cooks her chicken or forces me to give her a can of food if she doesn't eat by dinner time.


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## Sara&Audi (Oct 21, 2012)

Sookster said:


> I'm inclined to ask if you've had medical tests (blood panels, etc) done to make sure there isn't a medical reason for her not eating? It's not normal for a dog to not eat.
> 
> My second question is what the previous poster asked: how are you feeding her? Dogs will learn that if they hold out, you may give them something better.
> 
> ...


I haven't had any medical tests because the reason for her not eating is the taste. If you give her a can of food, it will be gone in a blink, but not dry food.
My mom keeps pitying her and giving into her tricks. Right now her allergies are out of control.. I don't know if it is her recent trip to the groomers as she is constantly itching since then. Her paw licking seems to be nonstop, and her tear stains are always soaking wet. Ever since I started her on this raw diet, her health has been going a bit downhill, unfortunately and she seemed to do best on Orijen dog food with some canned mixed in.

I would have loved to have her on a real raw diet, along with some cooked meals. I really don't trust dog food companies and it is so hard these days to find a good food that hasn't been recalled or lying about their practices.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think the clue may be in her allergies - they may be the outward sign of even greater inward misery! I have an intolerance to all members of the allium family - onions, garlic, leeks... I lost count of the number of times my family tried to sneak them into my food, either thinking it was all my imagination, or that it would be all right if they were well cooked, or liquidised, or whatever. The effects are so unpleasant I can now taste even a trace, and stop eating. If I were very hungry, I might be forced to continue, and suffer the consequences...

If you cannot try an exclusion diet, is there a reason for not feeding her the canned food she enjoys? I think that with a dog with such severe allergies I would try being guided by what she actually likes to eat - it could be that she enjoys a new kibble for a while because she has not yet learned that that particular smell and taste leads to a tummy ache - and she goes off it once the connection is made, rather than because she is holding out for something better. Once you have found a group of foods that she enjoys you can work on creating a balanced diet around them.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

Sara&Audi said:


> She is very smart and tricks me all the time with food. I am very, very strict with her in regards to food, but my mom cooks her chicken or forces me to give her a can of food if she doesn't eat by dinner time.


 This, possibly along with her allergies, is your problem. Actually I think this is affecting her more than her allergies. She knows that if she holds out long enough, you will give her what she likes to eat....cooked chicken and canned food. Not sure how you are going to fix it if your mom is making you do it, but I would be willing to bet that if you stopped giving her what she wants, she would start eating what's good for her.

ETA: if the canned food she likes and will eat doesn't bother her, why not just stick to it?


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## Sara&Audi (Oct 21, 2012)

fjm said:


> I think the clue may be in her allergies - they may be the outward sign of even greater inward misery! I have an intolerance to all members of the allium family - onions, garlic, leeks... I lost count of the number of times my family tried to sneak them into my food, either thinking it was all my imagination, or that it would be all right if they were well cooked, or liquidised, or whatever. The effects are so unpleasant I can now taste even a trace, and stop eating. If I were very hungry, I might be forced to continue, and suffer the consequences...
> 
> If you cannot try an exclusion diet, is there a reason for not feeding her the canned food she enjoys? I think that with a dog with such severe allergies I would try being guided by what she actually likes to eat - it could be that she enjoys a new kibble for a while because she has not yet learned that that particular smell and taste leads to a tummy ache - and she goes off it once the connection is made, rather than because she is holding out for something better. Once you have found a group of foods that she enjoys you can work on creating a balanced diet around them.


Sorry about your allergies! All allergies are horrible 

It would be way, way too expensive since I feed higher quality canned food so it would be at least $3 a day to feed her( $90!!!!! a month). She is 14 lbs so I am willing to pay up to $40 a month for her. 

She likes new kibble for a few days then hates it suddenly, but I assumed it was only for taste. Her taste changes so frequently that I am starting to get fed up. She will love chicken one day, and then the next she will hesitate to eat it. I swear I'm prematurely graying from the stress!! lol


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## Sara&Audi (Oct 21, 2012)

mom24doggies said:


> This, possibly along with her allergies, is your problem. Actually I think this is affecting her more than her allergies. She knows that if she holds out long enough, you will give her what she likes to eat....cooked chicken and canned food. Not sure how you are going to fix it if your mom is making you do it, but I would be willing to bet that if you stopped giving her what she wants, she would start eating what's good for her.
> 
> ETA: if the canned food she likes and will eat doesn't bother her, why not just stick to it?


Yep, too bad my mom babies her  I do believe this was a problem in her old home. From the beginning when we adopted her, she would turn her nose on canned food and dry food from the shelter. Maybe it was adjusting to her new home? 

She did gain a bit of weight when she was eating half can, half kibble along with horrible gas. It's way to expensive to feed a can exclusive diet($90 a month)


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## AngelsMommy (Nov 3, 2012)

I agree that the caving in that your Mom is insisting on, is what is the problem. I had to be strong too! I feel for you working out what she will and won't eat. I was told that my Angel was on one food and I found out she hated it! She may have eaten it at her old home, but she didn't like it very much. I found that with her it was all about smell. If she like the smell of something then she would eat it. If not no way! lol 

I went through a bunch of different foods before she settled down to eating raw and loving it! She is now at her right weight. Which is right around 46 lbs. And has more energy than ever. She had no appetite when I got her, and they told me that had always been the case. But she had gotten to eating between 1.5 lbs and 2 lbs of meat a day! With great pleasure! She is not over weight at that amount but I will continue to make sure that she stays at her peak. I think that she is just making up for lost time. 

Of course our several mile a day hikes could add to her cal needs. 

But to start her I first would basically blanch the meat, and then cool it to room temp. It was not cooked except for the outside skin. As she accepted that I would cook it less and less. But I did have to hand feed for a while as well. But once she decided that she liked it the only meat that I had to heat was the organ meats. Which initially I seared. But I thought that since smell was a big thing with her, I soaked it to get rid of the blood and then she was fine with the liver and such. 

I also give her satin balls which she loves. Since it got cold she needed the extra that these add because we are out in the cold so much. Holistic Dog - Satinballs Satin Balls I use the third recipe but replace the wheat germ with flax seed because I don't use gluten items on dogs. I also added coconut oil for some of the peanut butter as I like what it does for animals coats. And Angel loves coconut oil.:angel:



Good luck with the process and whatever you decide.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Sophy used to like kibble for a few days, then go off it. I suspect she liked it when it was very fresh, but not when it began to go stale - a bag lasts a Papillon a long time. Fortunately she loves home cooked and most raw - like Angel, she is not keen on raw liver and kidney, but LOVES raw green tripe!

You say she won't eat a home cooked diet, but holds out for the chicken your mother cooks? Are there other things she enjoys, or begs for? (Eggs, porridge, steak...) I think I would make a list of the things she enjoys, find healthier/cheaper alternatives where necessary and try her with those, and then try to concoct a varied balanced diet, starting by mixing it with quite a lot of the expensive canned food and gradually reducing the proportion of canned.


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## PoodlePowerBC (Feb 25, 2011)

I truly believe that if she has allergies, and from the look of her eyes it seems likely, you need to do an elimination diet. I just went through this with Russell due to ear problems. It is a pain, but it cleared up his ears. He is very allergic to eggs ... go figure. And he has a sensitivity to chicken. He's ok if I give it to him a couple of times a week, but I was feeding it every day for the last 2 years. (Russell is PMR fed) 
If you do decide to feed a home cooked diet you need to make sure they get everything they need, eg calcium, organ meat, etc. There are a ton of great web sites out there to help.


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