RAW FOOD - THE REAL THING CONT'D

As I said, I'm not comfortable with raw feeding but I'll try it. My issues? I worry about Salmonella although all the literature says the processing of raw food and proper handling make it safe. My biggest worry? BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) or as it is commonly known, Mad Cow Disease. Since the outbreak in Europe during the late 80s, I have not eaten beef at all and have given it to Annie only recently and rarely to vary her diet.

This is my own personal preference since I don't trust what the 'experts' say about the safety of our food chain. For that matter, I abstain from all forms of meat as much as I possibly can to forgo the effects of antibiotics. I abstain from organic meat for the health of my wallet. Sorry to be so blunt but the reality is 'organic' anything isn't affordable for many of us. That's why I'm considering going back to gardening but that's another garden path to go down at another time.

Annie gets at least one meal a week that contains eggs and cheese then another meal which is vegetables, grains and lentils. For some reason, Annie likes lentils. It gives her a break from chicken, pork, beef and fish.  Pork is an occasional dish and so is fish. I will give Annie salmon - wild caught or canned; very rarely I will give her tuna.

So far, I've been feeding Annie Stella and Chewy's Freeze-dried Raw Chicken Patties along with a variety of vegetables, fruits, grains, healthy powder, apple cider vinegar, oil and Perio-Support. She'd anticipating her meals, eating well and thriving.

The next step is to introduce Primal bones to support dental health. And of course I need to follow-up with the doctor concerning a regular diet that's a mix of raw and cooked meats. For now I intend to maintain Annie on a mix of raw and cooked meat in her diet.  

RAW FOOD - THE REAL THING

During last week's doctor visit, we discussed starting Annie on raw foods. I'm uncomfortable with this idea but I'm willing to give it a try.

Thursday's list of errands included a stop at Hope Veterinary Clinic to find out if our Primal raw bones order came in yet - it didn't. Since we were there, Artie and I decided to purchase a 4lb. bag of Primal Raw Formula food to take home and refrigerate for future use. We also purchased a large bag of Stella and Chewy's Raw Freeze-dried Chicken Patties. Annie's had them before (they are the treat-of-choice-reward given by the doctors during exams) and I decided to add them as a supplement or substitute for regular meat to her daily meals.

As soon as we opened the front door, Annie's nose was in the shopping bag containing the Stella and Chewy's patties. After a day of running errands, I was too tired to cook for any of us so all dinners, human and canine, consisted of left-overs. Believe me, nobody complained. In fact, Annie was more than thrilled because the Stella and Chewy patties were substituted for her regular cooked meat. Mixed in with her Healthy Powder, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, vegetables and Quinoa she happily gobbled up supper then settled down on the couch with a contented sigh.

Maybe raw food alternating with cooked food or supplementing the cooked food will be a good way to go? Only further conversations with Doctor Young, time and Annie's reaction to the new diet will tell.

MEDICAL YELLOW BRICK ROAD

We finally made Annie's follow up trip to the doctor after her bout of gastritis last month. Sometimes I feel like I'm travelling down a medical yellow brick road with many twists and turns and unexpected surprises (both good and bad) it makes my head spin.

Annie has been fine these past few weeks but now it was time to revisit the discussion about her teeth, tab and the lick granuloma. It was the granuloma that really had me worried. Almost completely gone, Annie started licking it just two days ago. The fact that I'd misplaced my bottle of Grannick's Bitter Apple didn't help one bit. 

Our appointment was with Dr. Young and it was the first time we saw her since before Buddy's death. We talked about him for awhile and we donated Buddy's remaining supplies to their cat rescue efforts. Annie was thrilled to see Dr. Young and behaved quite well during her exam except when it came time to have her teeth checked; she just wouldn't let the doctor look in her mouth. After quite a bit of maneuvering, playing and coaxing the doctor did get to see her teeth.   

Her bottom teeth were fine with some tartar on the top teeth near the back. Dr. Young asked the dental specialist to come in for a consult. After more maneuvering, playing and coaxing the specialist completed his exam. Both doctors agreed we could avoid anesthesia and a dental scaling since Annie's teeth weren't that bad. Next, we discussed what to do to promote better oral hygiene and remove the built up tartar.

Annie never really chews bones but we will be trying her on Primal bones. I generally add Perio-Support to her food and Dr. Young suggested we add a bit to a cloth when I clean her teeth and massage her gums by hand. The doctor checked Annie's tab but didn't suggest removing it. The final discussion was about the lick granuloma and how distressed we were that it was back. We talked about diet and what Annie consumed over the past few days. Dr. Young felt the granuloma is tied in with an allergic reaction to some cheese Annie had this week.  I used some cheddar cheese along with egg in two meals. The doctor pointed out companies sometimes use food dyes, additives and preservatives in cheese which could have caused Annie to itch. Also, we gave her some unsalted crackers and the wheat probably contributed to the itchiness. We did notice Annie rubbing her muzzle recently.

The final outcome? Get stricter about what Annie eats and with cleaning her teeth. We are considering switching to a raw diet instead of continuing home cooking or a blend of raw and home cooking. I'm relieved Annie doesn't have to undergo general anesthesia.

When we were getting ready to leave we saw Juliet, the Practice Director. She asked how we were and we told her it's been rough since we lost Buddy and that we will be coming in for grief support group counseling. Juliet said it would be good to come in to talk about what we're going through.

Right now, I'm happy Annie doesn't need to have anything major done to her teeth. Artie and I will make sure we're even more diligent about her dental care now that she's getting older.

Annie sleeping after her trip to the doctor's office.