Sarah E. Meyer
Yes, I really do have some advice regarding the dog with the skin condition. Most dogs do very poorly on a vegan diet, primarily because they don't have the length that primates do in their intestines that allows for digestion of vegetable matter. They are pretty much a straight pipe front to back. So, raw definately, but meat, eggs, bones, sinews and SOME veggie matter, but chopped really fine or put through a blender. Likely, he has a problem with yeast and his body is being digested by itself. I would recommend checking out Elixirs.com and put in his symptoms. They will tell you the best remedies to use for him. Hope this helps

Penne Davidson Ard Thanks, Sarah! I'll pass along that link to Ian. As he mentioned, Genki has been eating mostly raw meat (probably free range or wild game of some sort) with a bit of kibble to supplement as of late, along with small amounts of avocado and coconut. Although this started before adding supplements to Genki's raw meat diet, I can imagine the kibble (& bits) is exacerbating the condition, if it is indeed yeast-related.

Ian was considering the idea of a fast, but I can imagine that Genki's natural instincts would kick in, and he'd go a'hunting for food on his own unless he was penned. Have you ever tried this approach to clear up internal issues? Appreciate the excellent advice!

Penne Davidson Ard P.S. What keyword(s) did you use at Elixirs.com to find a remedy for yeast in canines? I came across an interesting article on the subject while googling to learn more: http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/s ... course.htm Linda recommends a product from First Choice Naturals, which seems holistically-inclined. Thanks! ~pda

Sarah E. Meyer Up at the top, in the symptom or key word box, put in body odor, itchy, oozing whatever his symptoms are. That will take you to the materia medica which is what gives the correct remedy. It will take some observation to determine what sets him off. Is he more itchy in the am or pm, is he more smelly when he's active or when he's still. Is he flatulent, etc. That will narrow the choices until you come up with the perfect remedy. Most of the remedies are good for people or animals, but some are made specifically for pets. Skin issues with pets are usually due to improper nutrition. We use ChickenSoup for the dog lover that is available from feed stores and pet shops. It is a kibble, but I supplement with meat bits and egg. One thing to be mindful of with kibble are the words "meat meal" and "human grade". You don't want anything with meat meal on the label. You don't even want to know what is in that, and we're not talking pork chops here. It's unconscionable what manufacturers put in "meat meal". Human grade means that everything has to be inspected and approved for human consumption.

Sarah E. Meyer Most kibble foods are so over processed that they actually are the culprit in most cases. The process by which they are manufactured eliminates the enzymes that actually break down the food in the digestive tract, so the dog only digests a part of his food - not much nutrition, lots of stool. Two really important sulphur amino acids are lost - cystein and methionine - vital for skin. Also denaturing the protein sources, meat or veggie renders the protein unusable - one reason that the protein numbers are so high on kibble packages when a dog really only needs about 10% usable protein in his diet. It isn't so much what KIND of protein, as much as what's done to the protein ie: denaturing,extrusion, high processing heat. Check out mercolahealthypets.com. Really good info

Penne Davidson Ard Merci beaucoup, mon amie :o)

Sarah E. Meyer Ever so welcome!