Sherri emailed me the other day with an interesting observation about Elvira.

Elvira (our bloat survivor) has always had a gurgling stomach, even after the bloat episode and surgery.  Gas X is our friend.  Another Standard Poodle owner and friend, has always fed raw diet to her poos as she felt it helped to prevent bloat.  Recently they became RV’ers big time and raw was not always available in their travels and their freezer is small!  So she switched to kibble but with the addition of green tripe. We decided to give it a go with Elvira.  We started adding canned green tripe (the brand is Tripett) to the Evangers about 10 days ago.  Gurgling stomach is gone.  We have not pulled out the gas-X in over a week.  In addition, Elvira loves it.  She finishes off her food quickly and completely. We rotate between 4 flavors, about 3 forkfuls per meal.

Great information, Sherri!  Green tripe is a great addition to a well rounded diet to provide for digestion.  If Sherri can feed kibble / canned and only a little tripe to help Elvira’s tummy, I am more than pleased.  I encourage you all to think about doing the same.  Do a search on the net for Green Tripe and research for yourself!

I stumbled upon a great video today explaining why it is important and not risky to feed your dog a raw food diet, add probiotics (I give live yogurt once week) and digestive enzymes (Green Tripe).

What you need to remember is that feeding raw to a dog is like feeding yourself.  You don’t have to make it complicated and balance every meal.  It can be as simple as giving your dog some of the food you plan to cook for dinner.  Think about what a dog would eat in the wild.  Meat… and that is about it.  Do not make it complicated by adding veggies and grain.  I simply thaw out enough meat for my family and the dogs.  Each night I cook for us, I break down all the meat into what the humans are going to have, and toss the extra bits into clean dogs bowels.  Last night, the dogs all ate chicken leg quarters… bone, skin, and all (raw bone does not splinter.  Only after it is cooked is it a danger to your dog).  You can’t get much simpler than that.  Feeding kibble alone is like eating highly processed meal like McDonald’s every day.  You can do it, but should you?

“But Becky, I don’t cook!?!”  There is an option for busy people and those who think meat is ‘icky’.

THE HONEST KITCHEN FREEZE DRIED RAW FOOD DIET –  Please note, some dogs do not like the texture.  Get a small bag to test if your dog will eat the ‘space food’ as we call it.  It is fantastic for travel!!

NATURE’S VARIETY RAW PATTIES  complete meal patties.  Just thaw and feed.  I keep these in the freezer at all times.

There are many other raw food options on the market that are fabulous.  I only suggest these because I have experience with both products.

So, please consider the addition of Green Tripe, if nothing else, to your Poodle’s diet, especially if your dog has a chronic upset tummy.  Consider giving your dog a little live culture yogurt once a week,  it must contain probiotics and not be heavily processed.  Lastly, consider the extra step and add in a raw meal.  I start a dog with only a small amount and watch for any changes in stool.  You might find it isn’t much harder than Kibble!

~Becky