Dr Bruce Syme

Hi Simon29, Yes, the feeding guide is for daily rations, so your correctly splitting it over 3 feeds. Organic, free range chicken mince is a great meat, however it is very difficult to source. The chicken mince usually available is from intensively farmed chickens that are fed an extremely unnatural diet, never see sunlight and have very low levels of calcium in their bones. Kangaroo is essentially organic and free range. Kangaroo is very lean, so some people may think that puppies need more fat in their diet. Chicken mince more often has the skin included which increases the fat content. If you stay with the chicken, just watch her weight. You can certainly stay with the chicken, many dogs are fed it. Dogs often prefer chicken, most likely because they have already been exposed to it (people feeding wings/necks etc) whereas roo is quite pungent. Roo does provide a better quality protein and is nice and lean. I personally have large dogs to feed, so I mix 2/3 roo and 1/3 chicken mince to bring the cost down, as chicken is very cheap.

Hi skully, A response from Bruce. 2 possibilities – either they are not soaking the mix with the correct amount of water, or for long enough – or, they are also feeding bones, and it is the bones causing the crumbly poo (which is normal). Just increasing the amount fed should have no impact on the faeces. Warm regards, Dr Bruce Syme BVSc(Hons) He would like to have a chat to you about this, as his response is generalised. There could be something out of the ordinary going on. Let me know if you would like to have a chat with him about this.

Hi skully, I have referred this to Bruce, I will get him to post a response. I anticipate it will be in relation to bone consumption, but I will let him give you a more accurate veterinary opinion.

Hi Lavendergirl, apologies, I missed your question. The rolls should be in store in mid July, final tweaking is still occurring.

We certainly can't fix every dog, and your poor boy sounds like his immune system is very hyper sensitive, however we do have a 70% success rate. You can buy what you need from Petbarn (and if your local store is missing something then they can order it in quickly - or PM us and we can help out) Premium Choice (about to be renamed Raw76) Allerblend - found in the fridge (Kangaroo based - a novel protein for him) Omega Blend Skin & Coat Formula. You have to stick with it for a minimum of 6 weeks, very important. If he is fussy and adding a few oily saltwater fish helps him eat then you can do this, but really try to wean him off the fish asap. He wont starve! this diet is great for IBS dogs too. After a few weeks he will seem to relapse, don't stress his liver will just be detoxing. It can last for about a week. After the 6 weeks you can then wean him off the Skin & Coat Formula, then off the Omega Blend. Ideally he should then remain on the Allerblend as his diet.

We don't often post links to VAN info but have a read here http://www.vetsallnatural.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=69 If you can't get success with what your vet has suggested consider the skin program next. Perhaps what he has been eating has been upsetting his tummy too? Hence the hesitation to eat. Allergies are closely related to gut health.

Hi ESCS certainly do a transition period between processed and raw. We used to say just do the switch but as Dr Bruce Syme looked into gut acidity and realized how the gut pH changes when lower levels of protein are fed (BARF and VAN are over 40% dry weight protein.... check the protein level of your dry food). Feed half/half for a week or so to ease the transition of the stomach pH back down to ~2. Your already feeding a decent quantity of raw with the chicken so you could go straight to the patties.

Hi Issy, You can definitely use fish with the Complete Mix. Any choice of protein can be used. I recommend small bait fish - economical, no large bones (chop up whole), a salt water fish and high in omega 3. Excessive amounts of freshwater fish can lead to thiamine deficiency due to the high levels of thiaminase in freshwater fish. Regards, Bruce

Dr Bruce Syme is giving a presentation and will be answering questions regarding natural feeding this Sunday in Nundah. The contact person is Jane Harper, 0409 281 984, if you would like to attend. The talk begins at 11am. Also speaking about canine health will be a chiropractor. Hopefully we will meet a few more DOLer's

Skully, the rash does sound like a contact allergy, however if you did want to turn your adult Complete Mix into sensitive skin you could buy the VAN Skin & Coat Formula and mix it through.

Hi skully, yep once they reach maturity their kilojoule requirements decrease unless, of course, they were in training for the Iditarod sled race! Keep an eye on your girls waistline and adjust accordingly when she reaches adulthood.

Glad to hear she is eating, maybe she likes the extra herbs in the Allerblend!

If you would like to do some research PM me your address and we can send you a book to read.

Hi Lavendergirl, The issue he has with chicken is the way in which it is farmed. High stress environment, un natural diet, low calcium levels are some of the issues. Free range, organic chicken is a great diet. Turkey, I imagine would be raised in a more natural environment but is probably fed a similar highly processed diet.

True, I only get 70% success rate in allergies with VAN program, and there is more to it than diet alone, but diet is the single most important factor in precipitating good health, or lack of - hence my emphasis. Note - wolves can live over 20 yrs in the wild. If I could name just 1 thing that would improve more dogs lives world wide than any treatment or medication, it would be a healthy raw diet. That is based on 20 yrs as a vet, not just a dog lover. Regards, Bruce

Hi Skully, Im going to get Dr Bruce to answer this for you. It sounds like an external irritation to me, but he is the vet and, obviously, far more qualified to assess. Will PM you this afternoon with his answer, or his mobile number if he needs to ask you some more questions. Tonight, just give a roo only dinner until we can establish that it is an external irritant, and we can get those bumps away.

Hi Lindainfa, sorry for the late reply. Yes, 55g of mix before added water. If you soak a few days worth then you will be feeding 110g of soaked mix. Offal, if it is human consumption (HC) grade is fantastic for dogs- Offal is the collective term used for organ meats, like liver, kidney, heart, lung etc. Offal is very rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, and ideally, should make up about 20% of a dog or cats meat intake. As a general rule, offal meats should be purchased from your local butcher, and be HC grade, as the organs are often home to various parasites, and HC grade organ meats have had additional inspection processes applied to ensure they are free of parasites. Dr Bruce Syme BVSc (Hons).

Reminder as requested :)

Hi Lavendergirl, with the Complete Mix you can add whatever protein source you would like, and the Premium Choice is the premixed refrigerated meat. At this stage we do only have kangaroo as the protein source, but Bruce has been talking about having available one made with green tripe as the protein source. Hopefully in the future.

We had this question asked via a pm, and for dogs allergic or sensitive to soy or corn the premixed Allerblend contains neither. Hi Trina, if you would like to keep feeding the cup of Artemis you can, but there really isn't any need to. By adding the yoghurt I'm assuming your thinking along the lines of a probiotic, and the sardines, omega 3. You can keep adding those to the diet, they are beneficial. If it gets too messy we do have the Skin and Coat Formula which you can add, or the Sensitive Skin Complete Mix has Protexin as a probiotic and extra omega 3. The chicken frames are a great idea for dental health and environmental enrichment :)

Certainly, just go to our website and send a request www.vetsallnatural.com.au. Look in the bottom right hand corner of the home page. We send them out free of charge. The Puppy Packs come with samples, puppy treats and information in a green envirobag. Great to hear about your VAN results.

No, just the soaked Complete Mix in the fridge for 5 - 7 days. With the meat just use your judgement. The Joint Formula is good for stiff joints, the Skin & Coat Formula is great for digestive and skin health. There is also straight Shark Cartilage available as well. BARF is meat and veges, VAN is meat, veges and grains. The grains are both nutritionally beneficial, and add roughage to the diet.

Protein- yes, any protein source you like, we'd like it to be raw though :) Freezing- I do it myself, makes feeding raw less effort on a daily basis. It will look like more blood when it defrosts, don't be alarmed though, freezing can burst cell walls. Health Booster- yes, that is in the Complete Mix. Switching- yes, if your on raw already there will be no problem but seeing that you have extra BARF patties you could do half/ half for a few days.

PM sent

I will PM you the details of Bruce's liver and renal failure diet for you. It's what he uses in his practice. Not to replace your own vet's advice, but might give you some ideas to discuss with them.