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Raw Feed Schnauzer - why does she seem so unhealthy?

This is a dedicated place for all of your questions and answers about Raw Diets. There are also some really cool groups like "Raw Fed" on the topic you can join. This forum is for people who already know they like the raw diet or sincerely want to learn more. Please remember that you are receiving advice from peers and not professionals. If you have specific health-related questions about your dog's diet, please contact your vet!

  


Member Since
02/03/2013		 
 
Barked: Sun Feb 3, '13 11:11am PST 
My 7 month old schnauzer has been raw feed since she was 3 months old.

When she came home to us at 2 months old she had weepy eyes and a slightly dry coat. The raw diet fixed the dry coat in a few weeks and she seemed lovely and healthy with a nice coat, good breath and no smell for months.

Last month she started going downhill.... it started with diarrhoea which resolved itself after a few days, then her coat got greasy and horrible feeling, her coat looks dull, her weepy eyes got worse and are now infected, she developed a raised swollen patch about 3cm x 3cm on her side (which she doesn't itch but doesn't like me touching) the fur fell out of this patch and it remains scaly and the hair isn't growing back, the hair around her paws are stained red and she generally looks unhealthy and awful. The vet passes it all off as allergies.

I am a bit dismayed that a dog on a raw diet that has only had one vaccination is so sensitive with what seems to be a very poor immune system...

The only thing in her life that has changed that I can possibly think of is that she keeps stealing plums from the plum tree, this started around the same time as all her problems... could plums upset her whole system this badly?

Could a product the groomer is using cause all these problems?

Any suggestions are most welcome ....I'm very worried about my little fluffy munchkin!!!
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Maxwell

I'm triple- superior MAD- now!		 
 
Barked: Sun Feb 3, '13 11:46am PST 
Poor baby!

She could also have environmental allergies, not just food ones. Do you know the health history of other dogs in her line? Allergies are a serious problem with some dog breeds and one suspects it is at least partly inherited.

If it all started up when the plums ripened, see what other common environmental allergens are present at the time.

What is she eating? Prey model raw can be low in some nutrients as can any home made diet. Even AAFCO levels may not be perfect for some dogs.

Think back, perhaps you introduced a meat to the diet that didn't quite suit and now it is causing a lot of trouble. Max turned out to have trouble with sardines for instance.
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Crash- Dynamite

Live up to your- Name!		 
 
Barked: Sun Feb 3, '13 9:17pm PST 
What about fertilizer or insecticide on the plum tree? New carpet? (my mom's dog got deathly ill from the chemicals in her newly installed carpet)
Different food supply?
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Member Since
02/02/2013		 
 
Barked: Sun Feb 3, '13 9:26pm PST 
Your dog's symptoms point more to a yeast bloom than an allergy. If your vet did not mention this, it is time to find a new vet.

A yeast bloom is the opposite of an allergy. Basically, your dog is not producing enough antibodies to fight off infection so yeast thrives. An allergy is when your dog produces too much antibodies to fight off infection even when infection is not present. Now, there are cases when the dog iis yeasty but then he is allergic to the yeast which is a conundrum.

Okay, Yeast thrives on sugar. So your first step in taking care of your yeast problem is to eliminate sugar and carbs from the dog's diet. This is the great thing about raw feeding. You have complete control over this. So, keep him off the plums! If you're not on Prey-Model Raw, you might want to go on that diet until your dog's yeast problem is under control. PMR is a super low carb low sugar diet.

You might also want to check your dog's pH levels. Your dog's normal pH is acidic with a range between 6.5 and 7. If your dog is close to 8 or even higher, yeast thrives and your dog is at risk of UTI. You can ask your vet for something to balance his pH. By the way, there's specific things to do to check a dog's pH. You don't just stick litmus paper on his urine and call it a day. Dogster should have instructions on how to do this.

In the meantime, there are dog shampoos that fight yeast. You can give this to your dog to relieve his skin and hair symptoms while you figure out the holistic treatment.

Hope this helps.

Edited by author Sun Feb 3, '13 9:30pm PST

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