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Balanced Diet and Supplements

AshleyC

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Jul 12, 2022
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I am new to HA and working this out. Had my first call with Dr. Feinman last week (I appreciate all the info that you were able to pack into the call for me!) and have been doing some research of my own. You had suggested purchasing premade raw food, but I am so far not thrilled with the local options that I have. Also it is fairly expensive. I am trying to be sure that I am not missing anything in his diet. I have been working my way through the resources posted on the website and the webinars, still struggling with understanding some of the specifics on nutrition. I stopped discussing this with my vet as they are totally against the raw diet idea, and have not been great help with my poor Dobby in regard to his skin problem.

I have an 11 month old French Bulldog who I have been struggling with skin issues for a few months.
I transitioned him to a raw diet in February after consulting with a local dog nutritionist and a fellow dog owner who also feeds raw. His appetite is much better with the fresh raw diet. I used the BARF Diet by Ian Billinghurst as my starting off point. My main question is how to decide what supplements to give and how to determine how much they need?


I am currently feeding ground beef/goat ribs. I have been avoiding poultry as early on in this process it was thought that he may have a chicken allergy.
I am able to get local raw organ meat as well, so I rotate goat/beef kidney, heart, and liver. Also able to occasionally get goat testicles - which both of my dogs seem to love.
I started supplementing with wild blueberry/kale smoothies, which he really likes!
Snuffle type feeding with Vital Essentials freeze dried rabit/beef in the yard
Occasional supplement with Spanish mackerel
1/2 tsp coconut oil
Pet's Friend Eggshellent Calcium - based on the amt of gr beef I feed that meal.
1-2 tsp raw goat kefir with each meal
Puree kale, spinach, green beans, parsley as primary vegetables, but this changes based on availability. Occasionally add puree organic pumpkin. Also guilty of feeding what is in the fridge if I am running low at times.
Mostly stick to puree banana and apples for fruits outside of the smoothies that I started last week.
occasional free range raw egg.

In addition to his diet I have been working on increasing his time outside in the fresh air with sniff walks to work on balancing his BEAM better.

Any thoughts or suggested would be greatly appreciated!
 

aruna

Cat mom
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Wow, @AshleyC, good for you (and lucky pups) - have you had a chance to read through uplevel your pet's nutrition workbook? It may answer some of your questions. You can find it on this page - scroll down to handout section.
 

Dr. Jeff

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Yes, wow!

Great work Ashley!! Just keep doing what you're doing.

My main question is how to decide what supplements to give and how to determine how much they need?

It sounds like you're already feeding an awe-some fresh variety. That's excellent that you have great local sources for heart and kidney (which have lots of wonderful nutrients and energy).

You're already using the most commonly missing ingredient from a meat-based raw diet (which is calcium).

This may be a good supplement to add:

 

Dr. Sue

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Hi Ashley,

The supplements that I like for balancing a raw or homecooked diet come from Integrative Veterinary Innovations (IVI). They contain some great whole foods and aren't just synthetic vitamins. They are created by Dr. Justin Schmalberg, an integrative boarded veterinary nutritionist.

I recommend IVI blend and Calgae (plant based calcium) for balance. The Calgae will be best for meat-based diets since it doesn't contain extra phosphorous. Bone meal contains phosphorous as well as calcium and may cause imbalance since muscle meat is already higher in phosphorous.

Great job making your food!

Dr. Sue
 

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