Satin Balls Recipe Question...

[~8DachsieAngels~]

I saw this recipe posted on another board.. and i thought i might give it a try on my new rescue girl Cassie ... along with her food... We took her to the vet. this morning... and other than some worms everything checked out ok so far... he cant tell if shes preg. yet or not... he says that he def. sees some things that are indicitive of pregnancy so he put her on some Calcium Vit.'s and told me to keep her on puppy food... (i use Sensible Choice chicken and rice puppy formula in the morning and i feed BARF now at night just started this the last couple days)My question is have any of you used this diet before and would it be safe to give it to a preg. dam in addition to her regular puppyfood to help her put on some much needed weight(vet also says shes too skinny)? Here is the recipe ... i would feed it to her insted of the BARF because it has more calories.

Satin Balls

10 pounds hamburger meat [the cheapest kind]
1 lg. box of Total cereal [or comparable natural brand]
1 lg. box oatmeal
1 jar of wheat germ
1 1/4 cup veg oil
1 1/4 cup of unsulfured molasses
10 raw eggs
10 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together, much like you would a meatloaf


Let me know whatcha think? Thanks
Jen

[Krista]

Well it doesn't sound bad when the idea is weight gain.

I would use olive oil instead of vegetable oil since it has healthier fats than vegetable oil.

You would have to watch her too since it it has a lot of wheat in it, just in case she might be allergic to it.

Anybody know why they add gelatin to it??

hope little cassie girl fattens up.

--Also another good weight gainer is sugar free peanut butter added to their kibbles

[~8DachsieAngels~]

I have been giving her Rodenberrys all natural peanut butter in her kong... she likes that ... and i will def. take it slow if i do this diet thing.. just to be sure shes not allergic to anything in it... but she does need to put on some weight shes only 8lbs and you can see her lil rib bones. I have also been putting cottage cheese on her doggie food so that it might encourage her to eat more... i have been leaving food out for her all day so she can munch this doesnt help with potty trainning her but then again whats more important ya know ... we will work on that later. Right now my main goal is getting her healthy in case she is pregnant in 2 weeks if the vet. is more certian she preggers i will start her on bitch's milk to help boost her caloric intake also. I think the other doxies are jealous of her because they see she has food AlL the time...lol <IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm36.gif" border=0>
Thanks
Jen

[Owen's Mom]

My thoughts....

Satin balls are great for putting weight on... I'd also probably switch to Flax seed or olive oil (flax would be my preference). I would also feed them exclusively, I wouldn't confuse her system with kibble and the satin balls (as they are to be fed raw). And... This is only my opinion, so take it or leave it... I would simply go ahead with the spay, pregnant or not. I know I sound heartless, but you have no idea what kind of lines she or the Sire come from, she sounds to be frail as it is and having the puppies could further jepordise her health, and there are already tons of dachies in rescue that needs homes.

I'd also post your question on the DHBB Health board, there are some really sharp BARF people there (Connie for one) who could give you great info.

Let me know how it goes.
~~Amy~~

[Krista]

I must admit, I agree with Amy, though hesitant to suggest it. If she is in such poor health, having puppies might be more than she can bear, and the spay might be the kindest solution for her problems. My thinking is that whelping is hard enough on healthy gals that small, let alone a skinny abused baby -she is just way too small and way too young from what you have told us.

Of course, this too is my personal opinion, and I do know some vets are reluctant to spay if pregnancy is likely. I can tell you that my friend's dog went into heat before her spay appointment. They were careful, but she mananged to mate with her full blooded brother. The went ahead with the spay even though baby was pregnant, and it was the best thing for her. There were no problems with the spay, it went just like a normal one.

[~8DachsieAngels~]

I have considered that .. i talked to the vet. this morning... he said it was up to me ... i just dont know if i can do it ... it breaks my heart but it also breaks my heart for all the dogs in rescues http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/frown.gif I just want to do what is right. Im not sure at this point what that is but i dont have alot of time to decide the vet. says she should be fine to have the pups. But belive me i do know where you are comming from about dogs in shelters and rescues. Its just a tough choice http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/frown.gif

Jen

[Penny's Aunt]

These Satin Balls are meant to be fed raw, right? Most cases of E-coli have been in hamburger. Dogs are susceptible to E-coli, my vet said. What happens if a dog in the poor condition that your foster dog is eats E-coli-contaiminated meat???

Dogs are not too susceptible to Salmonella, so the raw chicken often used in the BARF diet normally doesn't cause problems.

If the vet can't tell if she is pregnant, maybe isn't very far along, & the danger would be minimal if you had her spayed soon.

[Owen's Mom]

This going to sound terrible but... we're talking about an animal that can lick it's own bootie without getting sick. E-coli could be a problem, but it's very rare and the dog would have to have a VERY supressed immune system.

[TessieMom]

I have to agree with Penny's Aunt. E. coli is not as rare as you might think and can be a problem in the healthiest dog. Forgive me if I am a little sensative about this one, but a little over a year ago, I lost a 6 year old who was in perfect health. It was completely unexpected (she had just had her annual physical 3 weeks earlier). Her name, incidentally, was also Cassie and she was the most energetic, athletic dachsie I have ever been owned by. One day she was her normal self and the next day she was dead. Because I have another dachsie (older, with Cushings Disease, and a heart murmur), the vet did an autopsy. It turned out to be an E. coli infection in her lower GI that had totally destroyed her intestines. She was so healthy and energetic that no one suspected anything. She was fine in the morning and dead that evening. There are only two possible sources that we were able to come up with ... bird dropping or meat from the elderly lady next door (who liked to give my dogs her leftovers ... no matter how much I tried to get her to stop).

Sorry, if I have gone on a bit, but it (E. coli) is a real problem today with humans and dogs and after my experience, I just wouldn't take a chance, no matter how much you want to offer a healthy dog diet! Rena

[~Jen~]

Yes i have a friend that just had a dog diagnosed with that... maybe i can substitute the beef with chicken ... it wont be as fatty .. but im sure if she eats enough of it she will put on weight... Im very sorry to hear about your dog TessieMom...im not sure yet if we are even gonna keep the pups... i have been doing some thinking about it and as much as i would love puppy breath again ... im not sure if this is the right thing or not... i cant make up my mind and i dont have alot of time... my hubbys telling me he will support whatever i choose but he thinks we should let her have them and if we cant find good homes he says we keep em... i dunno about all that now... suppose she has 6 (eek) i do have ALOT of ppl asking about them and wanting one... so im just not sure at this point ... i want to do whats best for Cassie and being that im not sure how far along she is its hard im thinking around 5wks probably ... just a guess thats what the vet. estimated... but he couldnt really tell much yet w/o a xray i have a appt. in 2 wks to go back for that. if i dont decide to spay her and terminate the pregnancy http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/frown.gif Man this part of rescue is the hard part http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/frown.gif Sometimes it just sucks!!

Jen<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm14.gif" border=0>