Laila's Doggie Diet

Meet Laila! She is mine and Casey's 50 lb. German Shepard mix of a dog. She runs really fast, her favorite toy is a tennis ball, and she hates to be locked up. She loves going on trips and adventures and gives lots of kisses. We adopted Laila in late February of this year. She was on the euthanize list in a high kill shelter in Riverside until Mission Viejo Animal Shelter saved her and took her to be adopted out. I decided to start looking for a dog as a birthday present to myself and the first shelter I stopped by was Mission Viejo. Laila was on a walk with a volunteer when I got there and I spotted her. The volunteer allowed me to play with her in the play pen and I instantly fell in love. The next day, I brought Casey to meet her and ever since, we became a little family of 3!

After a couple weeks of adopting Laila, I thought she maybe had some type of disease. She struggled to put on weight and her bathroom habits were abnormal. We were blessed that she was potty trained already, but nothing that came out of our sweet baby was looking normal. Her skin was itchy and looked like dandruff was coming off her coat daily. Her blood tests came back normal, her ultra sound was fine but no matter what type of “healthy” kibble I switched her to, nothing was helping her. After a few recommendations, I decided to switch Laila over to a raw food diet.

I usually get one of a few different reactions when I say this. One is, “what does that even mean, like nothing processed?” or another is, “Oh my gosh! That is too much bacteria. Aren’t you worried you are going to hurt her? Be really careful!” or lastly, “Good work! That is supposed to be the natural diet for our dogs”…The truth is that yes, Laila is thriving off this raw food diet and it is the only thing that has changed her potty habits to good healthy habits. I am thankful I found this path for her. I am not writing this post to question your choice of food for your pet, but only to open up your eyes on dog diet. I am in no way a dog diet professional, but I have learned quite a bit since I got Laila.

Many people get worked up about nutrition, diets and food for them self; so talking about dog nutrition can get pretty harry too. While our dog pals are not people, they are still deserving of health, happiness and prosperity. I choose to live by the thought, "dogs are family too" and in my family, we take care of each other and what is best for the individual to thrive and be happy!

I watched Petfooled – a documentary by Kohl Harrington and was intrigued by the facts and information I learned. I pulled an excerpt from https://truthaboutpetfood.com/pet-fooled to share with you what ultimately led me to the choice of investing in my dog’s diet, “Pet Fooled includes an interview of Dr. Dan McChesney of FDA…the FDA representative that openly stated (in a March 2016 meeting with TAPF) the FDA will continue to allow diseased or dead/non-slaughtered animals in [kibble] (even though federal law prohibits it”. The chemicals and gross additives don’t agree with my beliefs of health and happiness. I did some research on what goes into a successful raw diet, and found that the 80-10-10 diet is perfect for my Laila girl. This means 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver and 5% other organ (spleen and kidney). These proportions allow for all the necessary vitamins and minerals to be soaked up in a dogs digestion. I currently buy from Rawsome Revolution. All of their meats are purchased as human grade and sourced from restaurant suppliers and local farms. Their food is made under the supervision of California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). One of the Rawsome Revolution business partners, Alexis, helped me from day one to form an educated decision on this diet and switching over to a vet that knows about dog nutrition. I learned that kibble is extremely processed and virtually extracts every nutrient out by heating and re-heating. Carbs and sugars are added to most dog foods, too. Our dogs are then forming cancer and health issues at an extreme rate. I now see veterinarian, Dr. Leong, in Tustin for Laila’s vet needs. Here is a little bit about her from the Tustin Care Animal Hospital Website: “She is an expert in nutrition for dogs and cats and advocates fresh food diets, both homecooked and raw. She has seen firsthand the power that nutrition has in relieving chronic health problems in our pets”. Needless to say, Laila is doing really well on a raw fed diet. She is a really active and healthy dog now. Her bathroom habits are exceptional (smaller and less often on a raw diet), her fur coat is beautiful and her teeth are extremely white and strong. She is a playful and fun dog. I will say that Laila eats better than some humans, but she gives me and my family so much joy. I hope to keep our love bug around for many of years, so that is my main and personal reason for making the switch. We just love her so much!

I am happy to answer any questions you may have on my journey with Laila and her diet.