sunkissedpr1ncs
New member
Hi everyone! As some of you may have seen from my other posts, we recently found out that Barkley has Cystinuria and had cystine bladder stones removed about a month ago. The vet wants him on Hills U/D to help prevent more stones but I definitely don't want him on this food. I have half-way switched him for now (feeding half Hills U/D and half his old Fromm since I still had a lot left) until I figure something else out.
I have been doing a lot of research and it seems like diet may not really even really affect preventing the stones from forming again, however, it is recommended to have more moisture in their food so that they get more water intake to help flush out the bladder better. I have also seen a few other people say they started feeding their dogs a raw diet after being diagnosed with this and they have been doing great since! So, I figured a Commercial Raw diet would be best so that I can ensure he is getting a completely balanced diet and so that he can get more moisture in his food.
Can anyone recommend which brand they think is the best option for Commercial Raw? I've seen a few posts on here about Stella & Chewy's and it seems to be a great option, I just didn't know if there may be any better brands out there? I feed him pieces of the Stella & Chewy freeze dried as treats now and he loves them! Do you think the Frozen or Freeze-Dried would be a better option if I go with Stella & Chewy? Which flavor would be the best option to avoid any allergy conflicts? I'm not sure if he is actually allergic to anything but I think he may be more sensitive to Chicken, Salmon and possibly beef, so I know those are all out. I wish they had a Pork flavor, he's been on Fromm Pork and Peas for the last year and was doing great on it!
I know the prices of these foods are pretty high but I'm sure in the long run it is worth it by avoiding more doctor visits and surgeries! I think I have seen somewhere that some feed one raw meal a day and one kibble (I'm sure to keep the price down some)...Does anyone do this or think it would be a good/bad idea? Or should I just suck it up and feed 100% raw?
Sorry for all the questions, I'm so new to this and just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to keep my little guy healthy! Thanks for any advice!!
I have been doing a lot of research and it seems like diet may not really even really affect preventing the stones from forming again, however, it is recommended to have more moisture in their food so that they get more water intake to help flush out the bladder better. I have also seen a few other people say they started feeding their dogs a raw diet after being diagnosed with this and they have been doing great since! So, I figured a Commercial Raw diet would be best so that I can ensure he is getting a completely balanced diet and so that he can get more moisture in his food.
Can anyone recommend which brand they think is the best option for Commercial Raw? I've seen a few posts on here about Stella & Chewy's and it seems to be a great option, I just didn't know if there may be any better brands out there? I feed him pieces of the Stella & Chewy freeze dried as treats now and he loves them! Do you think the Frozen or Freeze-Dried would be a better option if I go with Stella & Chewy? Which flavor would be the best option to avoid any allergy conflicts? I'm not sure if he is actually allergic to anything but I think he may be more sensitive to Chicken, Salmon and possibly beef, so I know those are all out. I wish they had a Pork flavor, he's been on Fromm Pork and Peas for the last year and was doing great on it!
I know the prices of these foods are pretty high but I'm sure in the long run it is worth it by avoiding more doctor visits and surgeries! I think I have seen somewhere that some feed one raw meal a day and one kibble (I'm sure to keep the price down some)...Does anyone do this or think it would be a good/bad idea? Or should I just suck it up and feed 100% raw?
Sorry for all the questions, I'm so new to this and just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to keep my little guy healthy! Thanks for any advice!!