Mixing raw and kibble
I'm looming for any suggestions on the best way to mix both raw and kibble for Layla. I'm not comfortable feeding completely raw but I would like to try a good mixture. Also some good homemade recipes would be amazing. Layla is 9 months old. She currently eats Taste of the wild high prairie puppy food but since we changed her to this it has been a constant battle with yeast overgrowth. We have tried other kibble but Layla refuses to eat anything else. So I thought if I could mix in raw maybe that would help. She also gets, ACV, virgin coconut oil, yogurt and nuvet. Also she gets weekly baths (unless it's nasty weather) using zymox shampoo and conditioner and I aways try to pat her feet dry should they get wet.
Comments
She is a gorgeous looking girl. Really LOVED the picture you've posted with her sticking out her tongue.
You may find some more useful information on dog nutrition in these two discussions:
http://www.bulliesofnc.com/BTforum/discussion/2525/picky-eater#latest
http://www.bulliesofnc.com/BTforum/discussion/2524/sensitive-stomach#latest
This is one of my own latest findings:
If you decide to combine raw and kibble, don't feed it together, but rather kibble in the morning and the raw parts in the afternoon/ evening.
When feeding partly or completely raw, don’t forget to make sure that Layla is still getting enough calcium for her bones and if necessary supplement.
I’d also stick to the supplements you are already using, they are all great.
Until now I have not been able to find a kibble that I was able to adjust Djamila's brown nails with. But her care and grooming in addition to her nutrition so far have not allowed for any problems to arise from the brown nails. We've had some paw licking in the meantime, but that turned out to very likely be the pesticides on our lawn. Since we keep her off that lawn, she is fine and the itch disappeared.
If Layla is also only having brown nails, I would not worry too much, as long as nothing like upset stomach, diarrhea or itchy skin is adding to it.
IF you are fighting itchy skin and yeasty odors, that’s a different story. Try to keep the carb/ starch contents as low as possible in Layla’s diet then.
Also check her treats for sugar and starch content (yeast also feeds off sugars).
Limit fruits (apples, bananas …). Most fruits also contain a lot of sugars.
Veggies in the food instead of grains, legumes and tubers, are a good choice, because most veggies don’t contain a lot of starch.
Philsergeant has been very successful with feeding a Pure Vita grain free variety without potato and in general advises to avoid potato, if excessive yeast growth is present.
If you are not sure which kibble to choose, you can do some research here:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/dry/5-star/
But I always recommend to also not only look into one source and rather look for reviews online and browse the manufacturer’s website for the nutritional analysis information.
This is what comes to my mind right now. Others will probably have more input for you. Sadly there’s no ONE right way, because no dog is exactly like the other. So, don’t wonder, if you get contradicting answers. Just gather your information. Eventually things will fall into place for Layla and you.
Hope my input does help a little to make that happen.
BUT it's still good to keep an eye on it.
The reason to watch yeast, even if it is NOT causing itches or other obvious problems is that the levels of fungi in and on the dog’s body also “tell a story” about the state of it's immune system and the gut flora.
For us the last years have been quite a journey of trials and hopes, disappointments and learning with NO final conclusion yet (and maybe there will never be one).
Yeast being present without causing problems to my knowledge until today is not necessarily a sign that something is badly wrong.
That means things are acceptable, if brown areas present on the nails, but:
- no excessive itching and licking
- no brown and smeary buildup in skin folds
- no unpleasant odors on the body or feet (frito feet).
Still, even the brown nails are already a sign that the dog’s gut flora and immune system are in a very delicate state.
Which makes it very advisable to constantly support both with some or all of the following (you already do, just mentioning it for the sake of completeness):
- Probiotics for the gut flora (available in dairy products, such as yogurt, as supplements and usually also part of good dog foods)
- Fish oil (Omega3 and 6) > very good for the skin
- Sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals to strengthen the immune system (as available in NuVet or NuPro or other supplements for dogs)
I have tried a lot to manage the yeast levels in Djamila’s body:
- Switching kibbles
- Feeding half kibble, half raw
- Feeding completely raw
- Feeding ACV and rubbing it on the nails
- Feeding virgin coconut oil and rubbing it on the nails, toes and between the toes
- Tried both products NuVet as well as NuPro (not together
As I know that fighting yeast can be a real longterm endeavor, I have kept up my trials for at least several months, except the ones I have experienced negative results with.
None of them eventually eliminated the yeast on her nails. But I saw fluctuations within all of the different measures. So at least I still know that some things ARE indeed causing changes and in a way are working.
I had also read that on a raw diet for example the dog could start smelling even more than before (that's temporary), because that’s the point when the yeast literally starts “starving to death”, causing that odor. I don’t know, if it’s true. I have NOT experienced this odor change or in general bad odors on her, even with Djamila on a raw diet.
I am still doing my research because of our current problem with the hard stools. I am finding so much information that I will prepare one or more essays for my blog about my findings in terms of yeast and nutrition in the future. I think this topic is very interesting to many owners, but sadly a really complex matter.
One interesting thing I have found out yesterday is that sweet potato contains only half as much starch as white potato and approximately the same amounts as peas do. Chick peas on the other hand contain A LOT of starch, basically just as much as white potato.
It’s interesting and important to really take a look at ingredients.
Yet the problem with kibble is: Even if one of the ingredients we want to avoid is absent, there may be others. And even if we find one with everything absent that we want to avoid, there may be other problems occurring, such as our dog not wanting the food, other ingredients causing different problems (like the hard stools in our case now) …
This is one major problem with processed foods: We have to take and feed it as it is and the chances to find one that meets EXACTLY all the things we expect in it for our dog are very low. So with kibble we usually have to compromise.
For different health reasons some people can’t even feed any kibble to their dogs, exactly because of this set of problems.
Back to the yeast:
In my experience licking is not caused so much by the build-up on the nails. That’s just a very obvious sign of the yeast growth.
But the growth on the skin is what will cause the real problems and itches.
Therefore it’s important to keep skin folds clean and dry. Daily use of mild anti-fungal disinfectants are also ok, if formulated for the dog’s skin and if yeast is present.
Popular skin folds for yeast growth are (other areas can be affected):
- Between the toes (these areas should look clean and dry and ideally free of speckles)
- Nail bed (the part of skin surrounding the claw)
- Groin area
- Sometimes armpits
More like a “cosmetic” but still a very good remedy is virgin coconut oil in my experience. “Cosmetic” because it does not have a huge systemic effect on balancing the dog’s yeast levels even when fed. But if applied once or twice daily in a very thin layer on the nails and between the toes, it keeps yeast buildup on the paws in check.
It’s also good to soften calluses. I am using it on a daily basis.
As for the rusty color:
I don’t notice it in your photo, so I think it can’t be that much. It’s actually hard to determine what causes the rusty color, because there seem to be different possible causes.
One is discoloration from minerals in the dog's saliva (occurring with a lot of licking). But I have also already noticed rusty discoloration in areas on Djamila’s fur (back of her neck) where she impossibly could have licked herself.
In the photo you see her paws. It’s hard to get a good photo, because on photos her paws tend to look a little pink and “stressed”.
She never had a lot of fur on her paws. So her skin is shining through and in photos it always looks more pink than in reality. I have no idea why. The state you see right now is pretty good. We’re going back and forth with the nail discoloration. But you can see, she has no marks from biting or excessively licking her paws, the brown discoloration is moderate, the nail beds are clean and so are the folds between her toes.
These are the things I keep an eye on.
Bottom line:
I can only encourage you to keep up everything you do in terms of body care. In order to support the ph of your dog's skin and avoid irritations, always use products formulated for dogs (just for the sake of completeness again
With well formulated products today it’s no problem to bathe a dog a little more often than formerly recommended. But it can still be too much. For example, if you have to rinse your dog often (Djamila for example is playing in the pool every day) don’t use shampoo for the daily rinsing, just a good conditioner to avoid dry and flaky skin (which can also cause itch), such as this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Specialties-Remoisturizer-Conditioner-32-Ounce/dp/B009SA6CNW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1461774749&sr=8-2&keywords=nature+dog+conditioner
And keep the fish oil for the skin.
Also I would recommend to keep using the ACV, Coconut oil and disinfecting, even if you do not notice any major changes. They DO work!
ACV and Coconut oil work internally as well as externally.
In terms of nutrition, you will have to search, research and try.
Djamila has never had any major issues. Even the pesticide allergy and the licking along with it was handled good by her body and no antibiotics were necessary to clear things up after we found the cause.
Clear nails are great, but our dogs are not cars and we can’t tune them.
And we also always have to keep in mind that there may be factors playing a role that we just can’t adjust, such as genetics for example.
It’s just as great when your dog just feels well because of all the things you do and feed!
Speaking of food again: Beans as a snack
Many Bull Terriers love green beans. I’ve also used them frozen in the past. Somehow I just forgot about them. They are low in starch and low calorie, contain some fiber (good for digestion). If they were used to complete a raw diet there would be some things to consider, especially to make sure the dog is still getting all the proteins, vitamins and minerals it needs.
But overall a good idea as a treat.