Thursday, April 24, 2008

=(

I am beginning to think raw is not for Henry. I wanted very much for this to work. Before raw, Henry's seizures were on average every three months. Now they are weekly. It has been two months with no improvement. I'm really sad. Because I was hoping I had found the 'magic ticket', and would be able to someday say, "Thanks to raw, Henry has gone longer than ever without a seizure." I am beginning to realize I just may never get to say that. I have heard raw do tremendous things for other dgs, *especially* dogs with epilepsy, so PLEASE, don't decide not to give it a try based on our failed experience. I do want to say, start your dog on probiotics BEFORE starting raw. Many dogs with epilepsy have problems with antibiotics, and my Henry is one of those.

I have been researching and researching and researching kibble. I found this: http://www.evopet.com/products/default.asp?id=1490 I like how it uses the bone and everything. The garlic worries me. It has rosemary, but fortunately only the essential oil part of it which is the harmless part. I would still like to give beef heart twice a week as a supplement, and hope that goes well, along with turkey neck for cleaning teeth. I'll have to go back to brushing their teeth regularly. I am trying very hard to be upbeat about this, but really just want to have a good long hard cry.

3 comments:

Stanislaw said...

Hello,

We are all so sorry to hear about Mr. Henry's troubles. Not every diet will work for everyone -- and if you search the K9Nutrition group files you'll see that it's not uncommon for certain dogs to fail on raw. Have you considered trying out a cooked diet? Or perhaps 1/2 cooked 1/2 kibble? I believe that I've read that sometimes dogs that can't handle raw take to cooked diets well. But I know that Henry is a special case. Either way... don't lose hope! There are a million and one options out there and with time you'll fine the one that works best. I'm sure Henry doesn't have a doubt in his mind that you'll do what's best for him!

Stanislaw's Mom

Emily said...

Stanislaw's Mom, that's a great idea, I did find this Natural Balance duck and potato kibble, unfortunately, it does not have meat listed as the first ingredient. It is hard to find that exact perfect kible, so I think I may have to find something as close as possible to my standards, and then supplement with somehome cooked food. I am hoping Henry will be able to handle raw beef heart two-three times a week. I only feed it in small amounts, (half fist size chunks) so it would get added to the kibble. It'll take me a while to figure ou the best feeding plan for Henry, but I'll figure it out! =)

Anonymous said...

No need to worry about garlic unless your pets have had a bad experience.

Garlic actually is great for keeping the fleas and ticks at bay. (Just don't overdo it!)

I would just worry about all that 'stuff' upsetting Henry's delicate system...