Update
 

Dogs are still going strong... cats are off the raw.

A few weeks ago Mr. Bear stopped eating... after a few days we noticed he was yellowing... Jaundice probably isn't a good thing in cats.

Nearly $4k and 3 days in the hospital later, Mr. Bear is being treated for a nasty bladder infection and hepatic lipidosis - fatty liver disease. He also had an inflamed bile duct/gall bladder, but all seems better now. He's on a feeding tube and a plethora of drugs... one of which I cannot administer for the life of me. He's actually been eating on his own for several days now and is pretty much non-yellow... acting like an asshole, which is a good sign.

Not sure if the raw food had anything to do with it or not, but through more research I found out that cats are WAY more sensitive than dogs... raw food must be given very quickly after the kill because cats are very sensitive to various bacterias... even meat that's been dead/left out for a couple of hours can make a kitty sick. Dogs on the other hand can eat rancid meat and a pile of cat shit (ask me how I know) and not be bothered one bit.

Most. Expensive. Cat. Ever.

Yeah, this isn't the first time either... He's gotten stitches and had some other ailments throughout his 9 years...

Right??!?

Maybe you are a better pet owner than I. No way I would spend that much on a cat. Or a dog for that matter.

This is still working for Sadie. The fact that she is still alive and acting like a dog half her age is treatment to raw.

My cat will eat nothing but one brand of cat food. And squirrels.

I've been down the blatter infection road with cats... they are on a high dollar purina urinary track food and will stay on that. It's served us well for like 3-4 years now.

Apparently money means more to you, than it does to me...

Both cats were on that before switching to raw... Mr. Bear had stones 6-7 years ago... I find that it's only a couple of bucks more than the regular food for the big bag.

No, quality of life means more to me. I had many a pet that went through some major things, only to be reliant on humans for drugs.

I won't do that again.

That, and we are the only society on the planet that puts such a value on an animal's life. Many other places, your treasured pet would be dinner.

Don't talk to me about ”priorities.”

4k for a cat, yeah fuck that noise

I'd drop $4k on any of my dogs in a heartbeat if I had that kinda cash.

Yeah, we didn't have stones. Heck the vet (not using her anymore) said the change of food wouldn't help, she has other problems, etc. I said well it won't hurt... and guess what... no other problems. F her!

Hit a nerve, did I?


I agree with quality of life, if it was cancer we made the decision to put him down... It wasnt, it was something easily treatable with minimal discomfort. He's already back to normal for the most part.

OSP was your vet bill part of a ER vet or a regular hours vet?

Initial testing at the regular vet was almost $500... The rest was from the vet hospital they referred us to... That includes six prescriptions.

Do any of you have medical insurance on your pets? I think it costs us about $20 a month for the dogs through my wife's insurance.

After we paid almost $2k to have carpenter ants removed from Taco's stomach, we talked about it... but fuck it, our animals are healthy now, right?

It's generally like $10/mo per animal from what I gather... Mr. Bear is almost 10... so I would have spent less than $1,200 for his... fuck me... we're getting that shit.

It's a voluntary benefit available through quite a number of ins. companies (generally along with some other coverage).

I have a basic TruPanion policy for Lilly.
I figure it'll be worth it if she ever needs a major procedure.

Well I have joined the Raw Movement. My dog (Boston terrier) has been gassy, super allergy prone and constantly having diarrhea and anal glad issues. I had him on Natural Balance Duck and Potato kibble and he did ok but not great. I joined a BARF list serv and found a woman that delivers ground raw diet to Nashville at great prices. (My duck/bone mix is ~$1.80/lb which is the same price as the kibble I was feeding him)

Www.blueridgebeef.com

I have had him on the duck and bone mix (ground bone) for 2 weeks and he is doing great. He did flair up with allergies the first couple of meals but that has gone away. Very little gas now (awesome!) and his poop is small nuggets that just crumble when you touch them. No more anal gland issues and he drinks much less water. I'm super happy so far.

This dog is my world right now and I was/am nervous to make this change but I want the best for him and hearing my vet say that he should just live with his allergies and take benedryl was not acceptable to me. He was always red, itchy, gunky ears and eye stains.

I just started adding organ meat to his diet last night. Alternating between chicken liver and beef liver in the evenings as well as chicken gizzard/hearts. He is in heaven. I also put an order in for green tripe as I have heard that is a wonder way to naturally add greens to their diet. I also give him a squirt of salmon oil in the mornings for his dry skin and a whole raw egg a couple times a week along with a beef marrow bone as a weekly treat.

How are everyone's dogs doing? Are you all still on raw? I know short term he is doing great. I just want to make sure long term this is the best decision. My vet didn't seem too excited about it when I mentioned raw about a year ago. I'm hoping mack's next visit shows he is in better/great health. I plan to have full blood work drawn.

I have never felt so close to my dog as I do now. Feeding like this is a true bonding experience and it makes me so happy to see him happy.

Yup. Still raw here. 2 of the healthiest dogs (per my vet) that you'll find. It's still a PITA to do, but it's a labor of love. It's part of our routine. When we go away on vacation. We'll go by BARK and get raw patties for the dog sitter to use.

Still on raw here as well. 3 dogs, 4 years....never had a sick dog aside from an occasional sneeze in my face when I'm petting them. Nothing fancy for me, mostly chicken leg quarters, leftovers, cottage cheese and eggs. Some organ meat too, not a lot though.

Still raw. Sadie is doing amazing. Not fetching and jumping... But, really defying death is amazing.

I'm have the occasional flair up with Mack of hives on his belly (he has them terrible right now) and I'm realizing it may be him sneaking into the cat kibble. I plan to move their food as it doesn't do me any good to get him on raw only to have him snacking on kibble. I wish I could go raw with the cats but they are super picky an I often have to go out of town and leave them with their feeder full.

These allergies are such a pain.

Well just picked up some ground green tripe, chicken/bone, turkey/bone, venison/bone, beef/bone, and beef/organ. Spoiled rotten I tell ya. And newly microchipped.