Ziggy's Third Week of Recovery

There have been a few bumps in the road.  Ziggy decided that he doesn't always like to eat bones.  But when he doesn't eat them, he suffers from diarrhea.  So I've started adding a little powdered bone meal to each slice of raw chicken (folded inside of a thin slice) so he's getting the bone that he needs in his diet.  It takes some extra time in meal preparation but it's not so bad... at least I'm not cooking boatloads of chicken and veggies and all the mashing and mixing and freezer storing.

Raw feeding rules state that you should not feed just chicken so I am also feeding the frozen raw venison and frozen raw lamb (which is a ground mix of meat, organs and bone).  He really likes it and it makes lunchtime feeding easier for me.  For dinner he gets actual raw meat with bones from the supermarket (organic/free-range) which includes both chicken and red meat.  I'm considering pork but cannot find organic and I'm concerned about parasites in pork so I'm holding back on that for now.

I noticed this week that when cleaning his ear, instead of yellow gunky stuff coming out, it's dry and flaky.  It seems that his body is maybe finally pushing all the remaining toxins out and I'm hoping the ear is going to finally clear up.  Will post more on this later.

He smells really clean and wonderful instead of yeasty.  I love that and so I give him lots of kisses because he smells so good!  His energy level has increased.  He likes to play more often and also he seems to be more tolerant of hot weather.  He will actually stand out in the sun in the middle of the day smelling the bushes instead of panting and trying to run for cover in panic mode.

He is behaving more like a real dog and not a sick child.  I'm very pleased with results so far and will continue on the raw diet.

Ziggy's First Week Recovery

I am so amazed at how fast Ziggy is recovering after only one week on the raw diet. I started doing a 50/50 combination of cooked/raw but after more research, I found that when switching to the raw diet, there is no need to transition. So around mid-week I just simply stopped feeding him the cooked food and went strictly raw.

I've noticed a few interesting changes in him. First... he smells wonderful. He used to smell yeasty most of the time but now he smells like a clean, healthy dog. It's a very pleasant smell. He's also drinking more water, his poop is more solid and he is behaving more like a normal dog than a sick child.

He seems to look forward to meals and he enjoys the tearing of meat off the bones and crunching up the bones. I wish I had known years ago what a true raw diet would do for him.   He has suffered so much and I've spent so much money on vets and medications.  He is really just beginning to live a happy healthy life.   By changing his diet, I'm hoping that I can extend his life substantially.

I have stopped the homeopathic remedy for now because I want to see what the raw diet will do for him.  If he continues to have minor allergy issues, then I will start him back on the remedy and see what happens.

I have purchased a detox solution for him and hoping that it will help push the remaining toxins out of his body so he can make a full recovery.  I just received it in the mail today and will be starting it this weekend along with a probiotic to get the good bacteria into his system.

Here is a video of Ziggy's first raw chicken:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3iqsiKyCFA

New Attempt at the Raw Diet

I was doing research on essential oils for dogs and ran across this interesting website with an article that reiterates the importance of having a dog with allergies on a raw diet.  Here is the link that talks about yeast infections in dogs:  http://www.thewholedog.org/ArtYeast.html.  This article also states that it's best not to feed vegetables because dogs really do not need them.  But if you want to feed veggies, certain ones should be avoided (the ones I feed Ziggy).  So I am changing over to a very very small amount of dark leafy greens with the majority of his meals being fresh/frozen raw meat.


I just started the new diet this Memorial Day weekend and I'm already seeing some improvement in his skin.  I packaged up various meats in the freezer and will be mixing different ones based on his dietary needs.  I found some really good videos on how to prepare raw foods (listed below) that I have decided are good resources for my research for Ziggy.


Raw model prey diet - Rottweiler puppies 6 weeks old 
Short brief description of a raw meal prepaired for 2 Rottweiler puppies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHSwB1rZdng
A list of what we feed is on our page here:
http://vdrrottweilerbreeders.com/prey_raw_diet_rottweiler.html


Raw Feeding Basics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDtliKYQ0IM&feature=fvwrel

My Raw Dog Kyia (for fun and amusement)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiqvM5QLjFc

Shih Tzu eating RAW diet (educational and fun to watch)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vahd4Gwa8dA&feature=related

So far Ziggy is doing very well on his new diet and loves it.  I'm doing a 50/50 mix of cooked and raw because he has been eating my home-cooked diet for years and I want to make sure he is transitioned properly as to avoid upsetting his digestive system.

Here is a picture of his lunch today:
Cooked chicken and veggies, raw lamb meat and raw chicken livers.

Another really good website I found exposes the myths about feeding raw:

http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html

Here is Ziggy's first raw chicken leg... enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3iqsiKyCFA

Relocation to Florida

I have accepted a new job so Ziggy and I have relocated to Tampa, Florida.  Most of my stuff went on a moving truck but I also rented a small u-haul trailer and towed my immediate things so I have all the kitchen, bath and bedroom things all setup and ready until the moving truck arrives.  I noticed that Ziggy's skin condition started clearing up within 24 hours of arriving in the Florida environment.  I have stopped his homeopathic remedies at least temporarily so I can see what his skin is going to do and then maybe restart it again later if necessary.  I will keep him on the thyroid medicine.

Thyroid Meds and Wild Oil of Oregano

Dr Gabriel had a thyroid panel done and decided to put Ziggy on thyroid medication.  At 6 weeks we have to blood test and possibly adjust the dosage but so far I have seen a lot of improvement.  The skin is doing better, not completely healed but a lot better.  I'm still giving the homeopathic meds from Dr Gabriel and Dr Loops (Graph).  I have also started using Wild Oregano Oil by dabbing it on his skin with a cotton ball and letting him lick it off my finger.  It's a really good antibacterial and antifungal so I think it can help.  Lots of great information on it here:  http://www.wildoiloforegano.com/