Ah, gotcha. That’s interesting. Thanks for sharing. I will look into that as well. I appreciate your post. Learn something new every day.
Every major grocery store in the area has that stuff in the dairy aisle. I never really liked the tastes/consistency and it’s rather expensive though I think Trader Joes might have a less costly product.
Really Lex? I was looking for probios type things but at 2 Giants. Hadn’t ventured over to whole foods at that point. There’s a Trader Joes in Fairfax, right? God I hate driving to all these places. Have I mentioned that? LOL
They are almost always in the dairy product aisle with the yogurt and cheese though sometimes you can find them in the milk cases. But I do know that they can be found at the stores here. The nearest Trader Joes is the one in Fairfax City- next to a Total Wine :winkgrin: - and it’s maybe 10-15 minutes from your little neighborhood.
10 to 15 minutes between 1:35 and 2pm and before and after a good 40, right? LOL
Thanks for the heads up though. I have to head that way for Costco to shop for the steam cleaner so I’ll see what I can find. I searched high and low at the Giants and even tagged the pharmacist so I don’t think they carry it. But I’m sure whole foods or TJs does. Thx. I’m almost out of the powdered probiotic so it is worth looking at.
Home Depot has steam cleaners as does Best Buy. Shop around. Both are within spitting distance of the Costco over by Fair Lakes and there’s a bunch of other stores you would love over there. Giant carries the Lifeway brand and it should be in the dairy aisle with the yogurt as I said.
[QUOTE=BuddyRoo;6713670]
Thank you Diffuse! I will look into that. I’m actually not in MI anymore. I moved to VA shortly after my dog’s surgery…just before Thanksgiving. So I’m in NoVa now.
Have you had any issues with pancreatitis? My guy had issues a few years ago on multiple occasions but I’ve kept him on a pretty strict diet since so nothing lately. Was that a concern when you switched to raw?[/QUOTE]
Oh, you’re in VA! Me too, except I’m in SE VA. Blue Ridge Beef is another pre-made you might want to look into then… I’m not sure if any of their dealers are near you, but some may deliver if they’re somewhat close. http://www.blueridgebeef.com/distributors-raw-pet-food.html
I use BRB for their green tripe and sometimes the beef mix. Very reasonably priced, and it’s all ground so no worries about bones.
No issues with anything, to be honest. I switched Piper and it was a little nerve wracking at first, but after I saw the almost immediate change in her, I decided to chill out and let it go. I took this video about a month after I switched her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAuruGuvIrc
Pretty cool to watch them crunch the bones… or maybe I’m just weird 
I switched my youngest dog a little over a year ago as well… he’s a show dog so his condition is very important (not that my others dogs isn’t but he has to look his best). He never did well on kibble, had on/off loose stools and never kept weight on. Switching him was almost an instant “cure” as well. He gets a bit more bone than my others (bone will firm up the stools, btw).
I think my biggest concern was balancing it right… but like I said, it’s not that hard. I make sure they get 10% organ meat (5% liver, 5% other organ; so for my guys who weigh around 55lbs., that’s about 8oz of each per week) and I do give a fish oil supplement since I don’t feed a ton of grass fed meats.
thanks again, Kady. I’m not ready to take the leap yet. I have two very large dogs and I am truly worried about being able to do it RIGHT and make it affordable beyond the fact that I’m still trying to go the standard medical route right now. But you’re not the first to mention raw and it may be worthwhile to look into. I’m certainly not discounting it but I’m honestly kind of scared that it might cause more problems than it solves. I would like to get into a holding pattern here for a few weeks to see how things shake out and avoid changing multiple variables. But like I said, I’m getting close to going rogue and just doing SOMETHING.
I may tap you for more info if you don’t mind down the road.
Really appreciate your links and info. It’s interesting and something that I had not looked into seriously before.
[QUOTE=BuddyRoo;6713661
How did you finally get the diagnosis? We’ve even had biopsies of the intestine done. There really isn’t anything throwing up red flags here! That’s the crazy thing.[/QUOTE]
There was nothing throwing up red flags with Tanner, either. I can’t tell you how often he was on metronidazole, or how often he was wormed early on. His anorexia and failure to thrive became embarrassing. He was a gorgeous puppy and people couldn’t resist wanting to put their hands on him. Then they would feel all his bones and start to lecture me. Or he would have horrible diarrhea and I would be lectured on raw diets, or grain free or whatever that person happened to feel was appropriate for my dog.
The last time he was at the animal E.R. they did a biopsy of his intestine and it showed absolutely nothing. The endoscopy showed an inflamed intestine, but no cause for it. The IBD diagnoses is kind of a catch all, so that it what they came up with. I think I tried the food I mentioned about 10 months later and was amazed at how well it worked.
The funny thing is that many of us who have tried it and gotten good results with it really don’t want to talk about it in public because God forbid you don’t spend more feeding the dogs than you spend feeding your children. But it works. For the first time in this dog’s life I had to watch his weight.
Sheilah
http://www.homefarmstore.com/HomeFarmStore/HFHome.html
click on pet foods.
The store is owned by a friend of mine in Middleburg and she is all about clean, organic, locally produced foods for both human and pet. Plus, its a great excuse to drive into Middleburg!
[QUOTE=BuddyRoo;6713670]
Thank you Diffuse! I will look into that. I’m actually not in MI anymore. I moved to VA shortly after my dog’s surgery…just before Thanksgiving. So I’m in NoVa now.
Have you had any issues with pancreatitis? My guy had issues a few years ago on multiple occasions but I’ve kept him on a pretty strict diet since so nothing lately. Was that a concern when you switched to raw?[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=BuddyRoo;6713718]thanks again, Kady. I’m not ready to take the leap yet. I have two very large dogs and I am truly worried about being able to do it RIGHT and make it affordable beyond the fact that I’m still trying to go the standard medical route right now. But you’re not the first to mention raw and it may be worthwhile to look into. I’m certainly not discounting it but I’m honestly kind of scared that it might cause more problems than it solves. I would like to get into a holding pattern here for a few weeks to see how things shake out and avoid changing multiple variables. But like I said, I’m getting close to going rogue and just doing SOMETHING.
I may tap you for more info if you don’t mind down the road.
Really appreciate your links and info. It’s interesting and something that I had not looked into seriously before.[/QUOTE]
No problem, I can understand that. Feel free to PM me or email me (kady12905@gmail.com, I don’t always get on here daily) if you have any questions 
Sheilah, I hear you. I’ve been rather mortified, though he has started putting weight back on. But when I walk him and he unleashes liquid poo, I CAN’T put it in a doggy poop bag and carry it away and I’ve gotten some looks.
I too have gotten a lot of suggestions, some of which just seem out of my league, but I’m willing to try things…I just want to do so methodically. Not randomly or all at once. I’m going to call big shot doc tomorrow if I don’t hear back tonight. He is a lovely man and has taken a real interest in my pooch over the last two years so I know he has the best of intentions. But this may be a case where we just have to treat as if we had a diagnosis rather than getting a diagnosis.
I’m still on the fence with the ACTH. It’s very hard for me to rationalize spending that 300 bucks when I’m kvetching at hubby for renting a car to go home for Xmas or cutting back on Xmas gifts. KWIM?
DOgs. Love 'em. Hate this!
oh Diffuse, I just watched the videos of your dogs eating and I nearly lost it. The sounds are something else.
They are great looking dogs, but as a someone that has a hard time with raw, de-boned, trimmed chicken breasts, I am not sure I could ever do a raw diet.
[QUOTE=BuddyRoo;6713729]
But when I walk him and he unleashes liquid poo, I CAN’T put it in a doggy poop bag and carry it away and I’ve gotten some looks. [/QUOTE]
Believe it or not, it’s a skill I’ve picked up - no pun intended - and the key is to look for the when the dog is doing a “high squat” where they sort of stand on their toes with their rump elevated away from the ground. When dogs poop, they either keep their rear up from the ground like that and let it come out or they put it down to the ground and push it out. When Sammy had his first soupy-poopy problem, I just swooped right in with a Ziploc bag behind his rear and was able to get all of it with no great effort because he was not putting his rear end towards the ground.
LOL! Bringing a bucket of water with me would have been the only way to “pick up” Tanner’s poo. That or the garden hose.
Have you become obsessed with the color and consistency yet? One of my friends told me that we should start a club for owners of IBD dogs, and distribute a newsletter that does nothing but track the bowel movements of our dogs. No detail too small to make note of.
Good luck with your pupper.
Sheilah
[QUOTE=MunchingonHay;6713725]
http://www.homefarmstore.com/HomeFarmStore/HFHome.html
click on pet foods.
The store is owned by a friend of mine in Middleburg and she is all about clean, organic, locally produced foods for both human and pet. Plus, its a great excuse to drive into Middleburg![/QUOTE]
I don’t need an excuse to drive there…my horse lives in MIddleburg! Thans for the link!
[QUOTE=LexInVA;6713744]
Believe it or not, it’s a skill I’ve picked up - no pun intended - and the key is to look for the when the dog is doing a “high squat” where they sort of stand on their toes with their rump elevated away from the ground. When dogs poop, they either keep their rear up from the ground like that and let it come out or they put it down to the ground and push it out. When Sammy had his first soupy-poopy problem, I just swooped right in with a Ziploc bag behind his rear and was able to get all of it with no great effort because he was not putting his rear end towards the ground.[/QUOTE]
K, you can come on walks with me. I’ll hold Roger and Sammy while you catch a lab’s worth of liquid poo. Deal? I’ll even buy you coffee after. LOL
[QUOTE=IdahoRider;6713749]
LOL! Bringing a bucket of water with me would have been the only way to “pick up” Tanner’s poo. That or the garden hose.
Have you become obsessed with the color and consistency yet? One of my friends told me that we should start a club for owners of IBD dogs, and distribute a newsletter that does nothing but track the bowel movements of our dogs. No detail too small to make note of.
Good luck with your pupper.
Sheilah[/QUOTE]
Sigh. Yes.
I hired a dog walker last Thursday so I could take my visiting brother to the Mall and other sights around DC. She left a note saying that both dogs pooped but I texted her and asked if it was soft serve, liquid, normal, what???
And yeah, changes color w/ food too. I’m getting a little nuts, eh?
[QUOTE=BuddyRoo;6713758]
K, you can come on walks with me. I’ll hold Roger and Sammy while you catch a lab’s worth of liquid poo. Deal? I’ll even buy you coffee after. LOL[/QUOTE]
Throw in a warm Apple Fritter from Starbucks and we’ll call it a deal. 
[QUOTE=MunchingonHay;6713738]
oh Diffuse, I just watched the videos of your dogs eating and I nearly lost it. The sounds are something else.
They are great looking dogs, but as a someone that has a hard time with raw, de-boned, trimmed chicken breasts, I am not sure I could ever do a raw diet.[/QUOTE]
:lol: you’ll love this then: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsVtwez5Jdc
My youngest (not in any of the videos) is a bit neater with his food
I HATE raw meat, honestly. I refuse to touch it… I wear gloves when I’m prepping their food LOL. But I’ve become pretty darn good at cutting up various animal parts! It’s a “sacrifice” I make to give them the food that works the best for them.
