Hello to all! It's been a while since I've been on the forum I know. Let me also say to those who know that I've said in the past that I would NEVER feed raw, "things change", and you just have to go with it sometimes. :lol:
For over a year I had been having problems with itchy kitties, and went to 4 different vets for help. No one could help even though they did a few brief tests, and no one offered much more than to tell me they didn't know what it was, and send me home with some meds.
Long story short, after a lot of research on my own, and paying close attention to what the kitties symptoms were telling me, I figured out this was in fact, a food allergy. I immediately took them off canned food, and anything with chicken in it, and switched them to Nature's Variety Rabbit. The change was immediate, and amazing! But after time, they started to revert, and I figured it must have something to do with the chicken eggs in the feed.
Fast forward to today. Thankfully I have a supplier where I can get fresh ground rabbit meat, any way I'd like it made, within an hours driving distance. They've been on it now for a month, and the change is even better, but we still have some issues. So I'm hoping I can get a little help to finalize my recipe, and make sure I'm doing things right.
Auntie Crazy, if you are reading this, I really owe you a big thanks, because the site listed in your signature was very helpful! I'm using the recipe listed there, but I've had to substitute using rabbit.
One of my questions is this. After reading another post here, one pinned at the top of this forum, I now read that rabbit should not be the sole source of the feed, and that makes me a little nervous, because that's what I'm doing, and I wonder if that's why I'm still having some shedding and itching issues.
I'm using the whole rabbit, including the head and brain. Basically everything but the fur, feet, guts, and ears. I'm adding in the supplements as listed in that recipe, including the extra taurine, and excluding the salmon oil because of the fact that I'm including the head and brain in my mix.
So my questions are this:
1. Knowing the kitties are allergic to anything chicken/turkey related, what can I safely add in with this mix, because the rabbit is so lean? Something that isn't to smelly, because two of the kitties are extremely picky! Could actually adding in the fish oil replace this needed additional protein?
*One note. I was still adding in a bit of natural cod oil when they started on it, and have since stopped doing that. They seem to be shedding more since stopping it.
2. HOW should it be added? With or without bone?
3. How much should be added if the original recipe is calling for 4 1/2 lbs of protein source?
4. I have read in the other post as well, about how much to feed, and am having problems with two of them eating anything more than 3 oz a day. I feed 4x a day. Sometimes they will eat more, but most the time it's 3 oz. If they are not eating more than that, how can I feel confident they are getting the minerals and vitamins they need, and that part of the shedding problem isn't from them not getting enough?
Thank you!
For over a year I had been having problems with itchy kitties, and went to 4 different vets for help. No one could help even though they did a few brief tests, and no one offered much more than to tell me they didn't know what it was, and send me home with some meds.
Long story short, after a lot of research on my own, and paying close attention to what the kitties symptoms were telling me, I figured out this was in fact, a food allergy. I immediately took them off canned food, and anything with chicken in it, and switched them to Nature's Variety Rabbit. The change was immediate, and amazing! But after time, they started to revert, and I figured it must have something to do with the chicken eggs in the feed.
Fast forward to today. Thankfully I have a supplier where I can get fresh ground rabbit meat, any way I'd like it made, within an hours driving distance. They've been on it now for a month, and the change is even better, but we still have some issues. So I'm hoping I can get a little help to finalize my recipe, and make sure I'm doing things right.
Auntie Crazy, if you are reading this, I really owe you a big thanks, because the site listed in your signature was very helpful! I'm using the recipe listed there, but I've had to substitute using rabbit.
One of my questions is this. After reading another post here, one pinned at the top of this forum, I now read that rabbit should not be the sole source of the feed, and that makes me a little nervous, because that's what I'm doing, and I wonder if that's why I'm still having some shedding and itching issues.
I'm using the whole rabbit, including the head and brain. Basically everything but the fur, feet, guts, and ears. I'm adding in the supplements as listed in that recipe, including the extra taurine, and excluding the salmon oil because of the fact that I'm including the head and brain in my mix.
So my questions are this:
1. Knowing the kitties are allergic to anything chicken/turkey related, what can I safely add in with this mix, because the rabbit is so lean? Something that isn't to smelly, because two of the kitties are extremely picky! Could actually adding in the fish oil replace this needed additional protein?
*One note. I was still adding in a bit of natural cod oil when they started on it, and have since stopped doing that. They seem to be shedding more since stopping it.
2. HOW should it be added? With or without bone?
3. How much should be added if the original recipe is calling for 4 1/2 lbs of protein source?
4. I have read in the other post as well, about how much to feed, and am having problems with two of them eating anything more than 3 oz a day. I feed 4x a day. Sometimes they will eat more, but most the time it's 3 oz. If they are not eating more than that, how can I feel confident they are getting the minerals and vitamins they need, and that part of the shedding problem isn't from them not getting enough?
Thank you!