As a long-time follower of pet food forums and reviews, I’ve absorbed a wealth of knowledge from fellow pet parents. Now, at 48, married to a retired carpenter, and mom to two beloved Labs, Hank (10.5 years, yellow) and Dewey (just over 7 years, black), I feel it’s time to share my own journey and pose a question to this community. Hank has always been prone to itching and required regular baths. Around age two, he began suffering from recurrent interdigital cysts on his front paws, often needing multiple treatments a year with Cepha. By nine, he developed persistent anal gland issues on top of his existing skin problems.
A year ago, in frustration over Hank’s non-healing foot condition, I sought help from a local holistic veterinarian. We thoroughly reviewed his diet and vaccination history. She noted that the Innova food I had always used had been acquired by a new company. As we didn’t support P&G, we transitioned to Wellness Senior and Merrick canned food. Laser treatments finally cleared Hank’s foot issue.
However, shortly after, Dewey began regurgitating his food and bile. After several months of this, we decided to switch back to Innova, as Dewey had tolerated it well in the past. To our surprise, within days, Hank started intensely itching, licking his hindquarters, and his ears became inflamed. We hadn’t realized how much his skin had improved until he started reacting again. This left us with two dogs who couldn’t share a single food.
Our next move was to try Evo, specifically the red meat variety. Despite it being a P&G product, both dogs did well. Dewey stopped regurgitating, Hank ceased his incessant itching, and his feet remained clear. Around this time, I began experimenting with raw frozen patties, including NV lamb and duck. While the dogs seemed to enjoy them, I disliked the smell. Further research, largely within this forum, led me to incorporate high-quality grass-fed heart, tongue, and other organ meats alongside their kibble and Merrick wet food.
Over the past year, we’ve gradually shifted away from kibble towards Primal raw frozen options (duck, lamb, venison, and rabbit), raw ground tripe, local pastured beef, and prebiotics and probiotics, tailored to each dog’s preferences. I still include Evo red meat once a day on most weekdays, as my husband prefers this simpler feeding method. The absence of foot issues for over a year has been a true miracle, and both dogs appear to be thriving. I am convinced this dietary approach is the best for them and for our family.
We did encounter one significant setback last winter. I decided to try a prey model raw diet and offered the boys their first raw chicken leg. The next day, Hank developed severe gastritis, which left him quite ill for several weeks and resulted in a substantial vet bill. I suspect the high fat content in the chicken skin may have been the culprit, and I’ve been hesitant to reintroduce it since. Dewey, thankfully, was unaffected.
So, that’s my introduction! My current concern is this: we recently switched from Primal to Darwin’s due to cost. Darwin’s product appears excellent, and the dogs seem to like it. After feeding the beef blend, Hank experienced gooey, mucousy stools yesterday, though not full-blown diarrhea. Dewey’s stools remain normal. We haven’t encountered this with any other food, and his stools were fine the day before introducing Darwin’s beef. Has anyone else experienced similar issues with Darwin’s raw food, particularly Hank’s reaction to the beef or chicken variety? I’m keen to hear your experiences.
