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View Full Version : Question about sprouted grains in NV patties and medallians



jennie_c_d
02-08-2006, 10:46 PM
I don't know how ya'll feel about grains here, but I think they're absolutely unneccessary and perhaps harmful in the canine diet. Emma (the leggy white doxie;) has seizures, and severe allergies, along with a slew of other issues. I took grains away and her seizures have almost stopped, her skin and coat have gotten much better, her weight is up (Good thing, she's still too skinny), everything has improved. Teenie came in after this change, and she also eats no grains. Everything about her has improved, as well, but you can't really say what's helped her, b/c it's the lifestyle as a whole.

Do you think that the sprouted grains are digested differently? Do you think they're beneficial? I am considering going to premade raw for Teenie, and seeing how Emma does. Teenie broke a tooth on a Nylabone, so now I'm flipped out about letting her chew. Emma... has issues. I'm thinking premade has no added junk that grocery store meat (all that's available here) has and she might be ok with that.....

Opinions? Advice? Random thoughts?

Linus
02-09-2006, 12:10 AM
I don't know much about the grains issue. I know that switching to a raw diet has helped many puppers on here. Several people feed the raw medallions or kibble by Nature's Variety, and a couple of people do the raw meat thing. I switched Bailey about a month ago, and he is doing fabulously!!

jennie_c_d
02-09-2006, 12:59 AM
Well, Teenie was eating mostly raw til she broke her tooth (there was also a serious choking incident on a small peice of boneless meat) and now I'm a little gun shy. I'd like to try the premade stuff, if I can get ahold of it, but I hate to do anything that's going to be to their detriment. Especially with Emma. They do get raw beef hearts for treats, but I cook most of their food (a real pain with all of the supplements, etc, lots more prep work than raw), and they are doing *great* on what I'm feeding (a variety). I've considered purchasing a meat grinder for Teenie, so I can only add what I want and she won't have to chew up the bones. That may be the way I go. She's just old, and I don't know her history.... her teeth are bad. She's had a dental, but they're weak, and we know it. I'm sure soft bones will be fine, and I'm going to try to get back into it.... But you know how easy it is to worry about these little babies:)

Courtney
02-09-2006, 01:12 AM
wellll the problem with premade if you ask me, is that you DON'T know what's in it. Grains, veggies, all sorts of stuff dogs can and do eat, but don't really need. What exactly do you think is in grocery store meat? With that, it's just meat. Nothin' else. (if you really are concerned about hormones etc you can find organic or grass fed meat fairly easily depending on where you live.)

I understand your hesitation with bones, but a Nylabone is much much different than a real edible bone. Just feed consumable bones and not recreational ones...that means staying away from big unedible marrow bones with very little meat on them. That's a good idea in general. Feed only things where the bones are COVERED in meat and feed things big enough that the dogs have to work on it. That means no wings, necks, or backs. And no small chunks of boneless meat which as you have found, can be a choking hazard. This is known as "prey model" and I do feed this way and love it. More info is available on the yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/rawfeeding or you can check out the book "Work Wonders" by Dr. Tom Lonsdale...you can get it on amazon.com.

I'd say a grinder is a better bet than premade, but prey model is best of all. Especially for a dog with tooth issues....ground or premade raw is better than kibble but it is not going to give the full teeth cleaning benefits of meaty bones. Chicken bones really are very soft!

Good luck!!!!

Lisa
02-09-2006, 06:58 AM
I love the NV medallions. But I am not sure about the sprouted grains if you have a dog that is that sensitive. NV does have an organic chicken version of their product as well (not to say it doesn't have sprouted grains, just it is all organic).

For me the convenience is amazing, and I not equipted with either freezer space or feeding space to feed the way Courtney does. With the pray model you are getting cleaner teeth (and yes there is a risk to tooth breakage), and the dogs are getting the mental stimulation. With the medallions you are getting quick feeding time (about 3 seconds), a variety of fruits and vegetables and a very easy simple way to feed with the guess work taken away about the right ratio of bones, organ and meat to feed. If you do decide to make the switch, please do your research, Courtney offered a couple of great resources and then find out what works best for you and your kids.

jennie_c_d
02-09-2006, 03:36 PM
I've done all the searching, etc, LOL. There's just NOTHING here. Literally. It took me a YEAR to find a supply of beef hearts. I actually handed Teenie a whole quail, and she tore off a peice and choked on it. By the time I got her crate apart, she was not breathing. Still wagging that tail, though. Doggy heimlich to the rescue. Maybe I'll try Teenie on the premade and see how I like it, then buy a grinder.... or switch her back to regular raw.

The grocery store meat.... I don't know WHY it's different, but Emma always gets sick if I give her raw meaty bones from the grocery store. She hunts on a regular basis and eats birds, rabbits, fish, worms, moles, etc. That doesn't bother her at all.... I have no idea why.

Prey model really doesn't take that much space. I can fit two or three weeks' worth of food on one shelf of my freezer:) I've done all the research. I know about the pros and cons of raw, kibble, and cooked... I'm just sort of queasy about the whole thing (which is a stretch in the first place... I'm a VEGETARIAN, DANG IT!) since Teenie choked and broke her tooth.

Lisa
02-09-2006, 03:43 PM
Excellent! I am glad you did your homework. I hope you find a solution that works well for your family.

I wonder about the grocery store food? Maybe there is a hormone she is reacting to?

Thank goodness you knew how to DO the doggie heimlich - I would freak out if one of mine started choking.

jennie_c_d
02-09-2006, 05:38 PM
I'm thinking it could easily be some sort of additive that's killed or somehow lessened in the cooking process. I have no idea. It makes her horribly sick, though (then, so does cooked cabbage, and raw pears from the tree in our yard, and chicken in any form, and.......). I've tried several times, very slowly adding raw meat to her meals. Doesn't work. Bones are disastrous. One landed her in the vet's office on a Sunday. She was totally paralyzed in the back end from being so constipated, and her meal had very little bone in it. She just can't handle it. I'm thinking ground bone might process better for her.... But the animals she catches are whole, and she often swallows LARGE peices (like a whole freaking bird and scares her mother to death) and does just fine. It's gotta be some additive or something. She does fine with raw from wild game that was hunted by humans, as well....

Teenie, however, is a garbage gut. Nothing I've given her has bothered her. Cheap treats might, but she spits them out:) I'll take her through the line at pet stores, or to drive throughs, and she gets a treat, and promptly spits it on the floor. She's such a pig, though. Those treats must be *really* nasty!

Courtney
02-09-2006, 05:41 PM
That's really weird! it sounds like you really know your dogs well, which is so great. I think a grinder might be a good option for you. Let us know how it goes. What grocery store meats have you tried? Is there any way at all she might have an allergy to the protein - chicken or something?

jennie_c_d
02-09-2006, 05:47 PM
She *is* allergic to chicken. I've tried turkey, beef, and pork, all of which she tolerates fine cooked. She's had "wild" fish, rabbit, deer, birds, moles, mice, and all sorts of grubs and bugs, and been fine with that.

Given, this dog has issues upon issues. She is a genetic trainwreck from the pits of BYB hell. Her mother was surrendered to the shelter a week before she whelped, and I have a strong suspicion that Emma is her own Grandpa;)

Courtney
02-09-2006, 05:48 PM
Poor thing....well I think you rock for cooking for her and trying to figure out what is best! It must have been a really long process. :bigrayz: :bigrayz:

jennie_c_d
02-09-2006, 11:31 PM
Two years and still learning, LOL. She's taught me a LOT about behavior and medical conditions.