. . . in the distant, early morning . . .

Milton and his ongoing food battles

Milton has not been an easy dog to feed.  Oh, he loves to eat - eating is no problem.  But all varieties of kibble give him varying levels of stomach problems.  On top of this, he’s had an ongoing battle with Giardia.  He’s also bathroomed more than any dog I know.

He’s not been on a raw diet because he seems to be sensitive to chicken - our staple.  However, Winco has been carrying some excellent different cuts of variety meats.  Milton’s last meal of kibble ran out on Friday morning, and Friday evening - after coming back from boarding, he went right on to raw.

I started with chicken.

Now this may seem a weird choice given that I think he’s sensitive to it.  His symptoms, though, are teary eyes and itchiness.  These are two things he seems to suffer from all the time and I need to work with Dr. Huff on figuring that out.  In the mean-time, chicken is hands-down the easiest raw to switch dogs onto, easiest on their stomach and to digest.  So far, he’s had two raw chicken meals (wings to start) and he’s doing super well.  No more itchy than normal, no more weeping than normal.  He seems to be going to the bathroom less already and seems overall more comfortable.

In a few weeks I’ll start adding some turkey (have an order in already for 10lbs of turkey necks and backs at New Seasons).  Then I’ll add in some red meats, like beef.  After that he’ll just go on the normal variety that Elka get, at least that’s my plan.

I am really a huge proponent of a raw diet, and now with two dogs on it I think I’ll actively cooperate in the local co-op for raw food products.  Can save a ton of money once I figure out how that works.  It’s a healthy diet that can ultimately be less expensive than a kibble diet.  I’m happy to have both dogs on this now.

Now just to see if it fixes Milton’s ongoing stomach issues.

-Lisa, on September 4, 2010 at 11:20 am

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