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  #1  
Old January 18th, 2010, 01:48 AM
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cassiek cassiek is offline
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Question Supplementing kelp/alfalfa to raw diet...

Hey Guys,

So we've been on raw about three months and I have been considering supplementing my dog's diet with kelp and alfalfa. It is my understanding that the two provide every vitamin/mineral required. Does anyone here supplement with it? And how much do you need? Where is the cheapest source for it? Part of me thinks its a good idea, another part of me thinks that their diet, if formulated properly, is providing adequate vitamins and minerals. Also, I don't want to over supplement anything eitheir.

Any thoughts?

Thanks guys.

Oh, also an update... the dogs are doing FANTASTIC on raw! Sassy has put on some weight, her coat is beautiful and she acts like a dog of 2 not 9. Brynn's coat is so shiny. And my little guy's allergies seem to be improving, especially with this elk we have been trying! Yay!!!
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Old January 18th, 2010, 08:37 AM
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bendyfoot bendyfoot is offline
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Yay for raw = healthier pets!

LOL I just started a similar thread on the main food page, there's some replies there you might want to read...I'm still undecided, but continue to research.

One thing that I have been able to find from a reliable source is that a 33 lb dog on a 1000Cal/day diet would need approximately 220 micrograms (mcg) per day of iodine (from kelp).

I've been trying to determine the iodine content of a raw diet, and to be honest it's almost impossible; it depends on the source of meat, and the iodine content of the food the meat source was eating I don't know that there's a good way to tell for sure, the range of iodine content is HUGE (like from the 10's to the 1000's of mcgs/kg)

I'm communicating with a few other long-time raw feeders that I know well and trust for their brainey-ness and research-obsessions...so far they are giving the thumb's up to the kelp, in small doses, and have seen very positive results.
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Old January 19th, 2010, 06:47 PM
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cassiek cassiek is offline
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Hi bendy,
Great I will check that other thread out... part of me really thinks I don't need to bother with it, but the other part of me is still in "kibble" mode thinking I better make sure that the diet is complete, I don't want to under or over supplement anything!
Let me know if you find any good information and I will do the same!
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Old January 29th, 2010, 09:21 AM
snorklepuss snorklepuss is offline
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cassy and bendy we too have switched to raw about 5 months ago and we too worry about the possablility of supplements. Carrots cooked or raw, apples, veggies now kelp and alphalpha different meats arrgg. I've posted on a couple of other sites about this same problem of worring about supplements. My dogs have NEVER looked better and seemed healthier, but it always creeps in the thought of missing something. I've spoken to a state side friend I'll quote what he does

Sounds like there is some good advice on that forum, mixed in with the usual not so good. People feed raw in all different ratios and amazingly, most dogs do very well.

I feed mine raw meaty bones for breakfast with salmon oil and a dollop of yogurt. Dinner is muscle meat with a bit of organ meat and then an egg or cottage cheese or canned fish. I haven't fed any veggies in about six years and don't see any difference in their condition.

I had a litter of 11 last March and they thrived.


and more:

I have White labradors and they seem to be losing there under coat thought it was just a stress thing from weining her puppies but now I've found it in another white lab.

Did you just change them to raw or have you been feeding this way for awhile? I would expect a dam to blow coat after puppies - that's hormones. Also shedding is caused by the amount of daylight we have so at least here, days are lengthening and the winter coat should start coming out before the summer coat comes in. I've also seen and heard of dogs that go through a coat blow when they change from kibble to raw.

2) Our diet is bones in the morning, then they get a 2 lb block of 6% organ 45% meat 40% fat and remaing tripe in a frozen block. We have not seen a reason for supplements until now.


Sounds good.

3) your puppies follow kibble diet after 6 weeks or this particular diet.

No, I wean directly to raw. Same as adults, just a higher percentage of bone.

Its about -22 f here so it is somewhat worrysome. The egg cottage cheese and yogurt is something you just experimented with or???

Eggs are the perfect protein plus have a high fat content and good vitamins - just a good thing to add. Cottage cheese is just for some variety.

hope this helps but even more opens more conversation up.

cory
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Old January 31st, 2010, 09:15 AM
snorklepuss snorklepuss is offline
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anybody have thoughts about this

my dog eats a huge variety of fresh foods and veges, mainly veges and fruit, and the top of ehr list of fav foods is, BROCCOLI, she loves the stuff and after 9yrs of eating it is not dead so it didnt hurt her. she had a bad accident years ago that prevents her from eating bones, broccoli stumps are the only thing i can give her that cleans her teeth as well, and she loves the, i eat the head she eats the big stalks.

just like all food in moderation im sure its not a problem, but if the dog ate nothing but broccoli then you would have an issue.

look ppl have many theories about dogs and food, some wont feed grapes, or carrot, i feeldthe lot, its down to the individual and as long as your fell has no advers effects then i say its fine, and the best way to tell is watch his poo, if its normal hes fine and dandy.

and try a broccoli stump for a bone snack, charlie my girl says he wont regret it at all.....

and lots of fruit, my girl eats, mangos, peaches, apples, pears, strawberries, gooseberries, bananas, water melons, other melons, grapes (only seedless), oh and the list is endlessnot to mention she eats most vegies also, we also grow some produce and she often jsut helps herself in the yard. and dogs will often eat what an owner eats anyway, i once know a dingo called ringo who ate nothing but curry whcih his human ate, and he lived till he was 14yo, so use your judgement.

trust your judgement, if he is having a reaction its not good, but he sounds fine so do what you think best.



Why would you purposefully feed grapes, a known toxin, regardless of the amount given, to your dogs? How are you monitoring for adverse effects? Watching his poo? Grapes cause kidney disease and monitoring poo won't help you.

http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/toxi...ape_raisin.htm
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  #6  
Old January 31st, 2010, 02:09 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Are you saying you feed grapes to your dog and want to know if it's okay? It's not. They are known to cause kidney damage, and because the mechanism of action isn't understood yet, better safe than sorry IMO. More info: http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread....pes#post527743
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Old January 31st, 2010, 09:33 PM
snorklepuss snorklepuss is offline
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truthfully I feed my dogs very little veggies or fruit. I posted it to open some conversation and maybe to help the person who actually feeds the canine's.


I'm just looking for input from other raw people because I always worry about missing some vitamin or mineral.
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Old February 24th, 2010, 04:58 PM
Gentle Giant Gentle Giant is offline
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Long Term Health Benefits

Raw feeding is inherently simple once you understand EVERYTHING. Until that point, it's seems complicated and stressful at times. What I ended up doing was going straight to the experts - zookeepers who feed wolves. I looked at the average lifespan of these raw fed wolves and what they were being fed. Wolves are the same as dogs genetically (99.8%) so I figured what worked for them would work for my dogs. Basically they are fed ground beef with organs and raw meaty bones to chew on. They get treats of chicks, rats and mice. Zoos DO add vitamin and mineral supplements to their diets. Average lifespan for a raw fed wolf in captivity is 15 to 20 years. Average size of a wolf is 60 to 100 lbs. I do supplement with kelp and alfalfa, but one warning about kelp is that the recommended amount of 300 mcg of iodine for a 50 lb dog may be causing hyperthyroidism in dogs and that this amount may be too high. The RDA amount for a human adult is 150 mcg of iodine. Why so much more for a dog??? A sad note is that pet food companies have made their way into the zoo business and are now promoting kibble for wolves.
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