Lemonia (5) is a Border Terrier/Maltese/Dalmatian/Weimaraner/Rhodesian Ridgeback cross that started on a raw food diet 10 months old.
Lemon is a street dog from Santorini, Greece. The first 4 months of her life, she scavenged and not very well. She was skin and bones when we found her and basically starving to death. She had puncture wounds from the bigger dogs and she was infested with fleas. She was on Acana brand food for about 5 months and then she was switched to raw and has been ever since. Her current diet is mostly bison, goat, rabbit, elk, wild salmon, sardines, etc. Our favourite brand of food is Carnivora. Sometimes she get PREY and sometimes they get BARF. She get a variety of oils including hemp, coconut, and olive oil. Her dietis supplemented with green lipped mussel, Adored Beast Phyto Synergy, Adored Beasst Enzyme/Pre/Probiotic mix, bone broth (usually venison), fresh eggs from our quails and chickens. I don’t use all the supplements every day – I may or may not use them all or I may give a bit here, a bit there and sometimes I give her a reprieve from them. I like mixing things up and not keeping everything on a schedule or regimen.
Both Lemon and Jasper ( see other post) have exceptional health now. They have been on raw for 4 years and we don’t have joint or skin issues. There are no gastrointestinal issues. Our dogs are vibrant and energetic. Their immune systems are fantastic. There was a strain of kennel cough that came up from Mexico to Vancouver and it was a massive outbreak in all of the Lower Mainland. We run a doggy daycare and some of our client’s dogs caught it. The ones that were kibble fed were typically worse for wear and the ones that were raw fed, if they caught it, were milder and shorter in their illness. Jasper and Lemon were exposed to every dog that came into the daycare and they did not get sick at all. Our vet of choice is a holistic vet in the area and basically, we see her for teeth cleaning and Titer tests.
Lemonia’s page: http://longlivingpets.com/lemonia
My Comment:
I want you to take note of the kennel cough part of this story. I have seen this many times, dogs on a raw food diet have a strong immune system that easily fights of this virus with no signs of being affected. Some do for a few days but have no need for medication.