When Erin isn't happy

[elk]

ah...perhaps little mousies then?? with tiny little bones..

cats are so finicky!! no matter...they are getting great food.

although kibble doesn't do much for teeth..it's like using Grape Nuts to brush yr teeth...

[rij73]

Poor little baby... Hope she feels better. I can't agree enough with Elk, though! Try a great food even if you have to mail order it. Commercial foods are full of unnecessary fillers that can wreak havoc on a pet's immune system. You would be surprised at how much a good food can keep your pet out of the doc's office. Good luck!

[smilingcat]

Dear BMC,

Wish your baby a speedy recovery. It is always so hard to leave them behind when they get sick. Will you be able to check in with your vet everyday?

I agree with many of you about the so called premium food. They are not. We feed wellness after I lost my big boy Murph's (my avatar) last Dec. to the tainted food. Since then we've been looking at making our own kitty food. ground whole organic chicken.

Question? I worry about salmonella, so I was thinking of dunking the whole chicken in boiling water for like 2-3minutes to kill off any surface bacteria. Then grind it up bone and all. Freeze in serving size quantity. No liver, no heart, no gizzard is what I read. And do you add anything else to their food?

Smilingcat

[ibcycling]

I so agree with you Elk on the vets and their recommendations. Similar to human doctors they don't get a lot of training on nutrition. It's a small part of their studies and Science Diet puts enough money into vet schools to make sure they're supported as being a great food. Thanks to the recent food scare more people are paying attention to what they feed and doing their own research instead of blindly taking their veterinarian's advice.

I was so thrilled when I started researching vets here after we moved. There is a clinic here that focuses on nutrition and wellness instead of just prescribing drugs. When I took my Dane in for elbow pain we discussed his diet, exercise, supplements, and options and he never mentioned Rimidyl. He's also checking for underlying problems though we're pretty sure it's a genetic thing. I'm very happy to have found them and have more options than the "regular" vet.

Hopefully we'll end up at the same ride and can chat about dogs and nutrition someday Elk. I'd really enjoy that!

Lora

[elk]

Smiling Cat
If you can find a clean source for chicken I wouldn't worry too much about salmonella....When you buy ground meat, you can be getting the parts of 100 different animals, but if you grind your own, you know the source and handle it carefully, you should be fine....and YES, you need to add things. ( my friends and I who feed raw were wondering about the tainted gluten the chickens got fed....)

When a cat kills a bird or a mouse and really eats it, it will eat the whole thing..including the stomache which contains...green matter etc.

But I know a lot more about feeding dogs. I can get you some links you can trust where you can find the answers.

http://www.blakkatz.com/natural.html

http://www.fatpet.com/elvessa/natural.html ( have had long conversations with this woman...and she's got alot of knowledge and experience.)

The only good thing to come out of that tragedy is that people are re thinking what they are feeding...and the next generations of pets will be healthier.

So sorry about Murphy... and

gotta go walk the beasties....I'll be back..

[elk]

I so agree with you Elk on the vets and their recommendations. Similar to human doctors they don't get a lot of training on nutrition. It's a small part of their studies and Science Diet puts enough money into vet schools to make sure they're supported as being a great food. Thanks to the recent food scare more people are paying attention to what they feed and doing their own research instead of blindly taking their veterinarian's advice.

I was so thrilled when I started researching vets here after we moved. There is a clinic here that focuses on nutrition and wellness instead of just prescribing drugs. When I took my Dane in for elbow pain we discussed his diet, exercise, supplements, and options and he never mentioned Rimidyl. He's also checking for underlying problems though we're pretty sure it's a genetic thing. I'm very happy to have found them and have more options than the "regular" vet.

Hopefully we'll end up at the same ride and can chat about dogs and nutrition someday Elk. I'd really enjoy that!

Lora

NIcely put, IBC! I'm so glad you found a vet who will look at your dog's pain from more than one view point. I hope you will be successful!
Where do you live? Are you here in Oregon?

[elk]

Here is a book that is highly recommended by people I trust. Seems the author has a website too..

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0312358016?...6RWZC19Z194P2&

[Tuckervill]

I sure admire you folks who have the gumption to grind up whole organic chickens for your cats enjoyment!

I have indoor/outdoor cats who see the vet only once a year for their annual stuff. My two sons each have 3 cats a piece, all indoors, all huge and fat and who make regular trips to the vet for various ailments, usually involving regurgitation. I guess it's the occasional squirrel heads my cats score that keep them so healthy? lol. (I don't know why the only eat the heads, but that's all that's ever missing.)

Karen