So, I don't feed Gemma raw beef because the last time I did, she had major bowel distress for two weeks. She also just didn't seem to do well on her Ranchlands (beef) Acana kibble. She gets Grasslands (lamb) Acana in the morning and a fresh raw meal at night. My problem with the raw meal is that I can't give her beef, and now it seems I also can't give her pork.

She's been eating pork for almost a week now and she has started shedding terribly, her eyes have started watering again, and she's back to itching all the time. This is the ONLY other thing that has been introduced to her diet, so it must be the pork. When this all started before, I had recently started including fresh pork for some of her raw dinners so I am believing that this could be what was causing her itch issues the whole time. Whether the raw beef and kibble made her itchy or not, she did not do well on either so I don't want to give her beef.

Now I'm running out of raw options to feed her. The only other normally available meat here is chicken. Is it okay to give her just chicken for her raw dinner? The grocery stores have beef, pork, and chicken. I actually haven't even seen lamb before. There doesn't seem to be local "butchers" like I am familiar with in the US. There's just one big place that processes and cuts all the meat and distributes it among the grocery stores here. The grocery stores don't even have a butcher or a meat department, so they don't cut or grind any of the meats they sell. So, our meat options are pretty limited to what the grocery stores sell on their shelves.

Grocery stores do have some fish. Are there any types of fish that would be appropriate to feed her? I read not to feed wild caught salmon because there is bacteria in them that can make a dog sick. Is this true?

I hope there's something I can swap in for chicken every now and then because chicken every single night is boring and I know that white meat isn't as good for her as red meat. I just want to make sure she gets proper nutrition. I don't want to feed her 100% Acana because it makes her poop a lot. She only poops 1-2 times per day when I feed her 50% Acana and 50% raw.

I guess the main question here is if there's nothing else to feed her besides chicken, would it be okay to just have her on chicken for the raw portion of her diet?

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I think as long as she is eating kibble, she is getting all of her needed nutrients. So the raw is just a bonus and can be whatever you want. There is no need to balance raw if she's getting kibble too.

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I've read that too. That as long as raw isn't more than 50% of the diet, that there's no need to balance. I could be wrong of course! We do chicken only with odie right now, but she doesn't eat raw everyday (except ziwipeak).


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Caitlin I have no advice but just wanted to say I hope you find the perfect balance soon!

Hugs to Gemma I hope your itchies and shedding end soon!

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Poor baby girl.
You can feed white fish, and also oily fish like sardines and sprats. I freeze all fish for two weeks before feeding, and avoid salmon. Fish is one of those things they either love or hate though. Even Bambi who is a canine hoover isn't keen on fish. Harley loves it though, and he is quite fussy, so maybe Gemma will too.

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Thanks, everyone! I'll probably just be feeding chicken then. I'm a little worried about the bacteria in fish and such, and also the pollutants in so many types of fish. As long as chicken is okay since she's only getting it for dinners, I'm sure she'll be happy enough with it. She really freaks out for anything that's fresh raw. She does even seem to like fish because she has tasted some haddock before and loved it.

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Listen I don't mean to sound harsh or anything but can I ask why on earth you are still trying to feed raw when she's eating a 5 star kibble and does ok on that? and I ask because she has obvious demonstrated sensitivities.

Chi's are sensitive little dogs, there's been more than one person on this forum who's dog got sick from raw.
If she's thriving on kibble I cannot say I would rock that boat!

Just my opinion having owned many dogs in my years!

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Actually I was going to ask the same thing. I realize raw is very good and all, but maybe it just isn't for Gemma because she keeps having issues. Why experiment? Also maybe Acana is also not for her if she is pooping a lot from it.

I am leary of chicken because I worry about salmonella, but I am not sure if that applies to dogs. Also, why does the raw have to be meat? How about vegetables? Will she eat raw carrot etc?

Maybe just stop trying the raw for a while and give her just kibble. I have been giving Kalisee just kibble with a few drops of fresh olive oil in it and I leave the bowl there..eventually, every single day, she goes and gobbles it all up. The kibble I give her doesn't make her go alot at all. I know its may not be the absolute very best, but it is working for now and we can afford it. (Belcando)

I give her raw on occasion for variety, but I do not change things often and I have never had a allergy or poop problem...just one time when I gave her watermellon and that did not agree with her at all.

Maybe Gemma would not mind the same thing every night. We, as humans, may get bored of the same and the same but some dogs do well with that. I used to think the same thing till I realized that Kalisee has been eating the same thing for months and doesnt mind..although she does get a few other little tidbits too at times. Not all doggies are the same though.

I hope you solve your little girls food issues and hope that the itchies go away!