3 months into Raw Diet ...

We are now 3 months into Raw diet and I am still trying to add new stuffs into TOto's diet. I am still wondering whether I have done everything right but TOto looks happy and very healthy to me! I am especially happy about his "Anal gland problem"! And on certain days while watching TOto poop, I actually see TOto 'anal gland' fluid dripping out! SO perverted, hahahaha!

Hopefully TOto gets the variety he needs and stay fit and healthy!

He does look good and healthy right?

I just gotten all my new supplies from Shengsong and I added Pork Spleen and Pork Tongue this time round! I was hesitant because PORK TONGUE looks damn disgusting but Pork tongue meat is quite FIRM and looks almost YUMMY TO MYSELF! Hahahahahaha ...

The total cost for all these cost me $24.00, which the whole duck itself cost $13.50. And I managed to get 30 packets which is 15 days supply for TOto meal. So it comes down to $1.60 per day. Rather manageable for us I guess.

Check out how I sort out TOto's meal ...

This is "How I portion TOto's Raw Food Diet - DUCKmixed".

It's really getting easier and easier to buy and portion out TOto's food! But sometimes TOto still has slimy poop, I suspected those are the days when the LIVER's portion are greater. And during stormy or raining days, TOto automatically will have softer poop! He is not afraid anymore but then, WHY? Whiskey from FB forum says its static from Thunder? But Sg is so humid? Hmmmmm ...

Anyway a trip to the supermarket, TOto get DUCK mixed this week ...

I gotten Chicken Breast Strip, Pig Heart, Chicken Feet, Duck Liver, Duck Gizzard and a Whole duck that I HAVE TO CHOP up MYSELF.

Ewwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeee ~

Duck's Gizzard always look so much better than Chicken's gizzard!

Raw Diet - Added PORK!

Supposedly TOto's 3rd protein!

I bought 500gram of lean pork for TOto to try it out and added it into his usual mixture. On average TOto has about 1-2 eggs per week. And he LOVES raw egg and always slurp everything up.

(Pork, Chicken drumlett, Chicken gizzard, Chicken Liver, Supplements and a monthly heartworm pill)

Some observation after almost 2months  ...

• So far he hasn't has any leaky anal gland issues, till now.
• He also stop having any stomach rumblings issues.
• He eats everything with vigor without us having to pester him to eat. (But sometimes he did miss a meal or 2 but then it hasn't deter him from having a BIG dinner later.)
• His mouth doesn't smell as bad like when he ate kibbles!
• His fur seems to be growing out whiter, and strong. He actually shed lesser when we combs him out.
• Everyone praises TOto, saying that he didn't have the usual 'Dog Smell'! But he never has that problem, we think! Hmmmmm ....
• Although he weighs the same but his chest has FILL OUT quite abit, and he looks less lanky.

 

Some pictures of our happy furryboy!

till NEXT ...

Some obvious changes with Raw Diet ...

Look at the new fur growing out of his muzzle, it looks like the discolouration are clearing up!

But then again, has it got to do with the water in Singapore as compared to the water in Texas? 

Well, hmmmmm ...

But it is so obvious that the new fur growing out are all WHITE!

TOto enjoying his bowl of Duck Meat!

Daddeee thinks that the discolouration on his back is getting better too!

There are more white fur growing out and maybe after a session of handstripping, the remaining discoloured fur will be totally removed?

This is a picture when TOto just came back to Singapore ...

Look at the back, his back has this slight beigey-cream tint to it, and we figured that it is in his Gene. But come to think of it, it might be the kibbles?

A recent picture of him looking so much whiter ...

Look at how WHITE he is!

Or is it just the 'WATER' issue?

Into a Raw diet for almost 1.5 month ...

I realised that if I gave TOto a full part, he will just try to CRUNCH the meat/bone down in a few crunch and then tries to swallow everything; sometimes accidentally choking himself or 'almost' choking himself. A few times I managed to pull it out, hold it for him and then he tries to crunch it slower but if he is doing it by himself he will just crunch crunch crunch and SWALLOW!

So I tried to cut out the meat and then smash the bone, I think he ate better this way!!!

He actually ate slower, sometimes even being picky with the meat, most times picking out the heart and livers that he hate!

Duck meat, Chicken meat, Egg, Chicken liver, yohurt, Seameal

Well more work for me but I think, he gets to savour the meat slowly and then LASTLY chew the bone ...

NOW he refuses to have a part if its too big, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 'PAMPERED!'

So far he is done with his DUCK, reverting back to chicken for 1 week and maybe trying out PORK soon?

Our Westie TOto Raw Diet - Progressing to DUCK meat!

I bought a WHOLE duck and gotten the grocery to chop it up into 10pieces for me, TOto can only eat 200gram a day and split into 2 meals, so it's IMPOSSIBLE to give him a PREY model like what most forum/websites suggest. A duck wing already weighs almost 200 gram and I still has to chop it into 2 parts for his 2 meals!

Oh, PREY MODEL encourages to slowly changes into 1 feed BUT TOto is so used to having his meal after his 2 daily walks, that is like ALMOST impossible too! We tried to feed him BEFORE he goes out for his evening walk, he forgets that he just had dinner and right after washup; he just sat at the kitchen counter and WAIT! SO, changing his meal schedule to once a day, IMPOSSIBLE!

Anyway I try my best for him ...

DUCK is so disgustingly fat, I CANNOT let TOto eat this much of FATS!
So I had to DIY removed the skin, and these makeup 1/3 of the whole duck weight! 

GROSS ...

TOto enjoying his Duck Meal ...

I added a egg too, sounds so weird when he tries to SLURP up the egg, hahahaha.

PORK next?

Our Westie TOto's dinner and a crunchy Chicken Feet

TOto cannot wait to RUN over to his dinner ...

Hear the CRUNCH of the chicken feet!

Our Westie TOto - Almost 2 weeks into Feeding Raw ...

Doing all the readings online, I found out that there are 2 school of thoughts here; BARF and PREY model. These 2 School of Thoughts are like "CULT" and it's rather creepy and scary, it's like; BELIEVE US DO IT or LEAVE! But I believe in the merging of 2 school of thoughts, but then it's either MY WAY or NO WAY. So whatever, TOto is mine and I feed him based on what I think is the best and afford to do for him. Ultimately its to keep him healthy, safe and BY MY SIDE always!

But so far TOto almost always has good hard poop after being on Raw, so his 'anal gland' issue hopefully is eliminated. And Daddeee observed that TOto shed lesser fur especially after a comb through, his breath is good and his 'stained' beard is clearing up. His fur is still dry and brittle, I guess somethings take times. But TOto seems to be getting more lethargic after a meal as compared to dry kibbles. I wondered is it because of the water intake making him feel so much fuller, and since he is still new to RAW maybe his digestion are working harder to produce more acid thus making TOto extremely tired?

Another very OBVIOUS observation, he is getting very 'FIT' and stouty! He have gained backed all the lost mass, he lost when in Sembawang AVA. Even grandma is calling him 'Fat'! But he is not fat, just more sturdy, manly and muscular!

Tried Chicken Drumstick, and lazy him tried to break the drumstick into 2 and swallow everything! I was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO and bare hand pulled open his STRONG JAW and PULLED out the drumstick! I had to hold it down for him to chew it the PROPER WAY!

LAZY PIG, and he loves the CHICKEN SKIN!

Tried the same thing with the wing, ONE CRUNCH and he wants to swallow everything!

Some days he get almost "BARF" ...

I cut up the chicken meat; add in Oats, apple and yoghurt.

Every morning he get extra supplement; Fish oil and Garlic oil.

On the10th day, I let him try some chicken organs; heart, lungs and liver.

I think I added half an whole egg and also another supplement; Solidgold Seameal.

And some days he gets GIZZARDS and lotsa of them; because Gizzards are cheap and gizzards are considered muscle meat.

I allowed TOto to try chewing on a Pork Knuckle but it was frowned upon because the Prey Model do not encourage chewing and gnawing in on huge heavy bones or any bones unless its meaty raw bones. But TOto enjoys gnawing on Pork Knuckle very much! And he can spend HOURS on it ...

But the next day he had 'Constipation' from having too much bones, the look on his face when he try to 'KEK SAI' Priceless, hahaha.

Ok jokes aside, no more PORK KNUCKLES!

Plus as per advised, I shouldn't have given TOto mixed meat in the early stages of introducing TOto to raw meat; and I think she is right.

Chicken Feet next for it's Glucosamine and Chondroitin ...

And he LOVES it, TOto is a lazy PIG; chicken feet is easy that's why!

We are going into duck next ...

Update : Orijen Fish + Wellness Simple Food Solutions Lamb Rice

TOto has been fed on Orijen Fish + Wellness Simple Food Solutions Lamb Rice for about 2 weeks now and so far, TOto has consistently given us 'fat fat hard hard poops' daily. And since then TOto hasn't has any 'Anal gland juice leaking issue'!

Ok side tracked abit; Once upon a time, when TOto didn't had consistently hard poop, TOto would often have 'Leaky Anal gland juice' in the middle of the night on our BED! The stench 'Gosh', would wake TOto up and you will see TOto panicking and JUMPed off the bed, trying to leak his anal clean! And luckily, most of the time, me and hubs would often sleep late! So when we see TOto sniffing his butt in the middle of the night, we would know; Anal gland juice leakage!!! Hubs would get the wet tissue and wipe it clean for TOto!

Now after feeding him on this combo, it seems that we no longer have to deal with the 'Midnight wiping butt issue' (xxx finger)!

Plus after his 'Diarrhea' and 'Vomitting' episode we have been adding either a 1/4 tbsp of Nancy's Cultured Low fat Cottage Cheese or Voskos Greek yoghurt to improve his appetite! And I guess the 'Live & Active Probiotic Cultures' from Greek Yoghurt helps alot with his stomach! And I later realised the Cottage Cheese has 'L. acidophilus, B. bifidum and four strains of lactic cultures' too! TOto is definitely eating SO MUCH healthier than Mammeee and daddeee who finds the Cottage cheese and Greek yoghurt yucky and smelly! These are NOT CHEAP too!

What good life you have, TOto!

At current it is a 50-50 mix of both kibbles.

Cross our fingers, this combination continues to work for us!

TOto with his 'Oldest' surviving buddy, TUrtle!

Adios ~

P/S (IMHO) : We do not allow groomers/vet to express his anal gland and we do not promote that. This should be a natural body reaction of dogs.

Food and Poop - Anal Sacs / glands problem! Pt II

2013 AUGUST 08 - We decide to CONVERT TOto to RAW DIET, and as of now for about 3 months, we hasn't had any ANAL GLAND leaking issue (touchwood).

After months of experimenting when we start having this problem, we find out that the BEST solution to ANAL Gland or Sac problem.

• Identify the problem.
• Do not try to help your dog in expressing the anal gland. But hubby sometime did try to help by massaging externally hoping it would help it release the anal gland/sac fluid.
• Remind your dog groomers, 'DO NOT help express anal gland!'
• Get better quality food, low quality food that are not digested well, will only caused soft poop, ultimately leading to the problem.
• Reduce food intake, overeating also caused undigested food so ...
• Toto pooped twice a day, sometimes we just let him Poop once to have harder poop.

This few days we try to cheat TOto by giving him 1/4 cup of kibbles in the morning, and he actually accept it! If not, usually if he realised that he did not have enough food, he will sit at the kitchen floor whining!! (Now he accept it and is eating 1/4 in the morning and 2/4 at night.)

Haha and in the evening, he will give us HARD HARD POOP!

Food and Poop - Anal Sacs / glands problem!

Apr 29 2011 - Updates : Orijen Fish + Wellness Simple Food Solutions Lamb Rice.

Jan 8 2011 - Food and Poop - Anal Sacs / glands problem! Pt II.

2012 - Please note we have since change Toto's kibble to ADULT kibbles, read 'Kibbles and Treats' for more updates.

2013 AUGUST 08 - We decide to CONVERT TOto to RAW DIET, and as of now for about 3 months, we hasn't had any ANAL GLAND leaking issue (touchwood).

For the past 2 months, Toto keep having this anal sacs problem and his anal area smell BAD; combination of poopy + fishy smell! And he keep licking his anal area which made his tongue smelly too! And so we know when your dog chases his tail or licking his ass, it is NOT a good sign or remotely FUNNY, it meant he has a problem! And the next stage would be the dog scooting his butt on the ground DRAGGING it across the floor, and the next thing you know he would have a IMPACT anal gland, and that is a SERIOUS problem!

Wikipedia

In dogs, these glands are occasionally referred to as "scent glands", because they enable the animals to mark their territory and identify other dogs. The glands can spontaneously empty, especially under times of stress, and create a very sudden unpleasant change in the odor of the dog. Dog feces are normally firm, and the anal glands usually empty when the dog defecates, lubricating the anal opening in the process. When the dog's stools are soft they may not exert enough pressure on the glands, which then may fail to empty. This may cause discomfort as the full anal gland pushes on the anus. The glands can be emptied by the dog's keeper, or more typically by a groomer or veterinarian, by squeezing the gland so the contents are released through the small openings on either side of the anus. Discomfort is evidenced by the dog dragging its posterior on the ground, licking or biting at the anus, sitting uncomfortably, having difficulty sitting or standing, or chasing its tail.

We research online and everywhere online mention that there are only 2 way to solve this problem; manually using our hand to help express the anal sac OR change his diet so that his POOP is harder and firmer.

But the problem with helping Toto release the anal sacs will not solve the underlying issue and in the long run, he will just DEPEND on us to help with it and that isn't easy; hahaha and disgusting. Hubby tried it once and regretted, hahahaha ...

The Second way is to find ways to harden his POOP! Alot information online have mentioned to increase his fibre intake. But how?

At that point of time, Toto's apetite has DECLINE and we were worried, so we bought Flaxseed meal to increase his fibre intake and it also help to increase his appetite to 2 cups per day (1 in the morning, 1 in the evening). His poop is still soft and slimy and he POOP alot, like 5-6x a day!

We were so lost!

We almost want to change his brand of kibbles as advised online!!

And finally hubby found the answer, we have been OVERFEEDING Toto!! After his neutering Operation, by right we should have convert him to adult food or if not decrease his food intake to 'ADULT' portion! Actually,Toto did it automatically but being 'ignorant' and 'kiasee'(scare to die) adult, we still buy flaxseed to indulge him to eat MORE!

Overfeeding means undigested food = soft poop = impacted anal gland!

And our ignorance caused TOto to have a smelly, FAT butt!

Hahaha he grew so fast, we were so worried because we were aiming for him to be at 16-17lb @ adult weight! And at 7mths he already is at 17lbs!!! We were so WORRIED hahaha, not forgetting his small potbelly which make him look so clumsy cute! And when in dog park he RAN lesser and so much slower too!

But then after the 'Chewed wall episode', the 'fasting' make everything back in order again. He is now at about 16lbs, and feeding so much lesser so we can give him more treats!

We are feeding Toto with One cup of Hundchen Flocken Puppy (lamb) and hopefully will be converting him to adult soon! We also added like a 1/8 cup Pinnacle Holistic Trout & Sweet Potato Dry Formula into his kibbles, we wanted some fish in him, hahaha! We got that Packet free from Pet Supplies Plus when Toto is a 4mth old puppy, he is so cute, the friendly staff gave him a 'FREE' packet!! Hahahaha ~ After he has done with that we be adding his 'fish' supplies from Orijen 6 fish from dog!

Toto eat twice a day, half cup each + 2 teasp of Flaxseed!

When we overfeed Toto, he is so disinterested in his meal, NOW he cannot wait for feeding time! If I am late in the morning, he will sit by his feeding area to WHINE!

One online forummer even 'Fast' her dogs for 24hrs once a month so that her dog has SUPER hard poop! Well whatever you do, I guess this isn't a one solution problem, because there are 1001 solutions online, choose one that is based on you dog's need, and we are lucky that we found that solution!

Please NOTE everything written here is based on personal experience!

Our Westie Toto's MUST HAVE Pt. 1

Disclaimer : I am not writing these to give out advices, just sharing some tips that we used on our own dog!

1) Petlifz Oral Gel : This is a gel form apply on the teeth direct, helps to remove plague and it has successfully lighten some of the stain on his teeth. It is so good I want to get the HUMAN's version!

2) Opticlear Eye wash : His eyes were infected a month ago, and keep having these yellowish discharge and YQ patiently washes with this Eyewash and warm wet cloth for a week till Toto recover. And now if we see Toto pawing his eye, we try to wash it out.

3) Epi-Optic ear wash : Saviour for his SMELLY ear. When his ear smell, his whole head SMELL! Why do we go pay $$$ when we can easily do it ourselves! It is easy but usually YQ will do all that, I always scare that I will hurt Toto!

4) Pet Dental : Yeah we brush him! Oh sometime Toto's mouth stink with this rotten fishy smell, we realised it is the smell of BLOOD. And usually it happen during teeth period. We were frantically searching online regarding this, and almost wants to bring him to a Vet dentist. But now we know better to let him OVER CHEW, usually if we see him chewing frantically, we will remove his chew toy and let him play with a ICE to help numb the pain, and also remove the bloody fishy smell. Simple solution but well who knows huh ...

5) Bragg Organic Apple cider Vinegar : We use this to prevent fleas and ticks' infestation and also to neutralised Toto smelly peepee! He has been drinking this since the day we bring him into our home. And, usually we add it to the first bowl of Toto daily water! It has ALOT more 'benefits', read it up; from ehow.com and earthclinic.com. Please do your own research and read up more, if you want to feed your dog.

6) Organic Flaxseed meal : Initially we have wanted to get "Seameal Powder with Flaxseed Meal" but it is EXPENSIVE, and flaxseed meal is one of the main ingredient in that supplement for dog! PLUS Flaxseed meal is usually one of the ingredient in dog food kibbles, so we think there is nothing wrong to ADD more to his kibbles to increase his fibre intake so that Toto POOP better and help with his anal gland problem! We add 1 or 2 tsp to his kibbles daily. Getting a HUMAN grade flaxseed is so much cheaper, WTH!?

8) Organic Greek Yogurt : Why Greek? Non added sugar, all natural. We hope that this can improve his digestion system, so he can POOP better!! Healthy Hard POOP is very important because it will help express out his anal gland sac naturally. AND that really SMELL bad,  it SMELL like dead fish in the butt ....

From wiki: Dog feces are normally firm, and the anal glands usually empty when the dog defecates, lubricating the anal opening in the process. When the dog's stools are soft they may not exert enough pressure on the glands, which then may fail to empty. This may cause discomfort as the full anal gland pushes on the anus. The glands can be emptied by the dog's keeper, or more typically by a groomer or veterinarian, by squeezing the gland so the contents are released through the small openings on either side of the anus. Discomfort is evidenced by the dog dragging its posterior on the ground, licking or biting at the anus, sitting uncomfortably, having difficulty sitting or standing, or chasing its tail.

8) Mar stripping knife, pumice stone and a comb - The three MOST USED grooming tools for Toto! Oh and also with my BIG FAT THUMB! I wonder when YQ is bringing him to a Professional, I just trimmed Toto's ear too! One 2 hr session of handstripping will cost us USD75.00!! But we won't know how PROFESSIONAL is the groomer until we take the risk! We are so paranoid that we will bring him IN a Westie and Out he come as a Schnauzer!

There are MORE EQUIPMENT that we own but I will post them up again :), or maybe I can also post up some useless stuffs that we brought by no chance to use!