Alternative to chicken

[Gomer9855]

Hi there. I'm looking after my friends bulldogs for an undetermined amount of time. I've switched them to raw as my friend always had allergy issues with them. So far so good except that one seems allergic to chicken (hotspots and goopy eyes). I've been feeding raw for 11 years and haven't had a dog allergic to it before. Especially not chicken, which is such a key component. So should I try turkey or some other poultry, or is this likely a poultry itself allergy? What do I do for bone/calcium is she can't have birds?

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi, I don't have experience with feeding a raw diet, but I do have experience with allergies. Many EBs are allergic to chicken, and will show the same symptoms that you describe. Goopy eyes, itchy paws, yeasty ears, excessive licking of paws are all signs of allergies. The only way to determine what is causing the allergies is by trail and error, and elimination. You won't know what he's allergic to until you try different proteins and see which ones aren't tolerated.
Turkey, duck, or other birds may also cause a reaction, or you might try fish or beef instead. You can get calcium from crushed egg shells. Put the egg and shells in the food and crush the shells really fine, they are a good source of calcium.

 

[izstigspunks]

It should be ok to try duck or turkey, they seem alike, but they're different in terms of rawfeeding. There's also rabbit and goat.

Are you adding anything to the chicken meals? If so, eliminate those for now. Treats, as well, even if they're small amounts.

Another option is to check if there are any rawfeeding stores in your area. I buy meat that are difficult to get from grocery stores from them, such as turkey and beef. They usually have ground bone in them, making them a complete meal.

 

[raghu]

All poultry may not be the same. Turkey with bone and boneless beef cubes may work out.
Have you confirmed that it is chicken that is causing the allergy and not the organs like chicken liver/heart/gizzard?
If it is the organs, you may still be in luck as you can substitute with beef heart/liver/kidney.

Bone is required when feeding raw. The calcium in bone balances out the phosphorus in meat.
This is why all meat diet is bad. Dogs on an all meat diet rob calcium from their own system to balance it out.
Very bad as it will lead to arthritis and weak skeletons.

Calcium in eggshells is not useful as nutrition as it is calcium carbonate. Dogs cannot absorb calcium in this form.
My vet told me this. Powdered egg shells are good for firming up poop though.

 

[Gomer9855]

I've limited her to beef muscle/organ and tripe since the hot spots and are they are clearing up. Once they're healed I'll try her on other proteins. The problem is it has to either be cut up small or able for me to hand grind so she can eat it. So that makes it harder to get bone in her. I'm trying to locate a rabbit butcher in my area, but unfortunately i an extremely limited for meat sources where I live. I can get turkey but not sure what it will be like to proceed so she can eat it. Same with lamb. I just can't see grinding lamb bones. Someone suggested bone meal, but I've never used it so not sure how that would go. If this were my rotties it wouldn't be an issue, but she needs food cut up for her, so I'm a bit stumped.

 

[izstigspunks]

If you can get duck wings, I've had success cutting them up into pieces and those can be the bone portion. There's a bone meal powder that you can supplement any boneless meals. I've never tried it, and unsure where to find it, but I'm sure we're able to find a way to mail it to your residence. Let me know if you're interested and I can dig up the info. Rabbit is a great source too, and some suppliers sell them at a reasonable price.

 

[punky]

same here.. don't know much about raw but do know about allergies.. my abbey could not have chicken or chicken by product.. eggs were ok.. i din't try turkey only because i was afraid to.. but chicken for sure is a no no for her.. good luck.. sorry i not much help