Tonight's oatmeal bath was a soak instead of the usual rub down. I have to say I think it worked very well. And for those who think their dog will always respond to verbal cues, try asking for a sit or a down in a tub of oatmeal water. I'm pretty sure she thought I was nuts. I had to bring out the treats and do an in water training session so she understood what I wanted. The good news is that while her skin isn't looking so great she seems to be less itchy. So the oatmeal baths may be time consuming but I think it's working.On the food front I will be headed to a local butcher tomorrow to pick up some organ meat and the grocery store for some sardines. All I have from the deer is muscle meat and there is a certain method to feeding raw which means making sure there is a balance to what you are feeding. It isn't just throwing some raw ingredients at your dogs and hoping for the best. For those interested in a great how to book on the subject check out Raw Dog Food by Carina Beth MacDonald. I know there are more books on the subject out there but this is the one I have found that takes the stress out of feeding raw. And if that isn't enough information for you there is a great e-mail list called Raw-Lite which is also extremely helpful.
In the vet visit front I have decided to hold off for now. After talking to a few different people it turns out that allergy and itching issues are hard to pin down for ANY vet, holistic or otherwise. What I am looking for, a definitive diagnosis and treatment that will make it all just go away, is like asking for my unicorn to be blue instead of pink. Yeah right. Neither request is very probable. So I'm going to try to relax and go with what tips I have been given and see how it plays out. My biggest worry is just in keeping her comfortable while waiting for the new diet to kick in. (and I hope it works for her because there are sometimes cases of raw not being right for all dogs)
I also think I came up with a better way of storing the meals that is more "earth friendly" so to speak. I'll keep you posted after I give it a try.
First I gave her an oatmeal bath to address the outer direction. I finally learned the trick. I kept hearing about using some fancy oatmeal and it turns out the fancy part is to crush it first. I used my daughters blender. (And now I may need to buy her a new one. I kept shaking it and by the end of the session it was making a very unhealthy noise.) Next time I may try the soaking her in the tub with the oatmeal added in the water. (which is how people use it) This time I used the oatmeal as a paste and massaged it into her coat. She found this to be a very tasty bath.
Then I mixed and measured out the thawed deer meat into meals to refreeze. (after feeding both of the dogs some for dinner) I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. It will be just like the primal patties only they are already in the right size for Jack and Jenny. This will make it easy for everyone in the family to feed if I'm not home at mealtime. Next time I may need to use a different calcium source according to the list I just joined. I also need to add some organ meat. I used to add liver but that was the only food Jenny flagged for in her allergy test. Fortunatly I have total control over my recipe so I can change it each time as needed. Jack is going to do 1 raw meal a day and 1 kibble meal at least to begin with. The last time I jumped him to full raw he had some horrible diarrhea. Not fun in a dog that size.
I got just over 2 weeks worth ready to go. I went with freezer bags because they don't take up to much space. It makes me feel un-eco-friendly though so I will either try washing them to reuse or invest in flat tupperware type storage containers. Maybe I'll check to see what I can scrounge up at the local Goodwill store as a way to recycle some.
She was very excited when I started measuring. Eventually she got tired and relaxed a little. She was very happy to lick the bowl when I finished.
