Cats and dogs with health problems

Special Recipes: "Cat of the Day" and "Give a Dog a Bone"

We make custom mixed recipes for cats and dogs with specific health problems. We first discovered raw feeding ourselves when our beloved dog Kismet was so badly afflicted by skin problems caused by hormonal problems and allergies that two vets had recommended putting her down.  It turned out that finding the right diet would save her life.  Many of our customers have dogs or cats presenting with different health concerns, and it is our special privilege to find the diet that can aid these pets on their path to wellness.

These Special Recipes are always developed in consultation with our vet, and wherever possible with your vet too.

If your dog or cat has a particular illness or allergy, please speak to us so that we can tailor-make an approach to their food.

Dogs with skin problems / food allergies (except chicken allergy – read further for those!)

We have had many success stories with our diet for dogs with skin problems.  Oscar's Free Range Chicken Dinner is named for our original miracle boy.

Oscar’s mom says it best:  

Skin problems in dogs are usually caused by allergies.  Where a food allergy is suspected, most vets recommend an ‘elimination diet’.  This means sticking to one food type until their skin has cleared and then adding in other protein types gradually. This a great way to begin to isolate the allergy.

For this reason, Oscar's Free Range Chicken Dinner (Registration number: V26514 Act 36/1947) contains only Free-Range Chicken with a small amount of home-made yoghurt (as a probiotic). It is specifically for food allergy problems, and dogs are put on to Oscar's for at least two months to clear their systems and start afresh.

Once the skin is clear, we suggest that you add other flavours of our food one at a time  in order to check for reaction.  We like to help you monitor the situation in consultation with the vet, and will make individual recommendations for your particular dog’s needs.

Please chat to us about your dog’s allergy or skin problem so we can help you figure out the best process for them.

(If your dog is allergic to chicken, please keep scrolling to read about the chicken-free recipes we made for Lisa and Poppy Popkins)

It is wonderful to see Oscar looking so much happier.

Custom mixes - Our service to Pets with Special Needs

Custom mix examples.

We are sharing some examples below of dogs and cats for whom we have made custom mixes in the past. The examples are grouped according to the symptoms that these specific dogs or cats showed or the general type of diet that was made.

It is important to note that these are only examples of individual recipes.  Act 36 of 1947 prescribes the regulations pertaining to pet food.  A “custom mix” is not registered for public use but is made on the advice of a qualified person (ie a vet) for a specific client.  In other words, if your dog or cat is ill we need to make a formula that is specifically for your pet. This must be in consultation with a vet.

Dogs and Cats with Chicken Allergies

Poppy Popkins and Lisa - We first met the beautiful Poppy Popkins when her mom discovered, after full allergy screening, that she had a chicken allergy. This had resulted in itching and bald spots. Working closely with her vet we made three custom mixes especially for her that contained no chicken. After only a month the feedback from her mom was:

Poppy sends us delightful emails that she ‘dictates’ to her mum.

Lisa:  Lisa’s allergy testing showed numerous allergies including to various grains, carrots and chicken.  For a number of dogs like Lisa, we have had to exclude other ingredients too. We will carefully look at any allergy testing results for other dogs like Lisa and Poppy, as well as their history of food reactions. In our experience so far, carrots seems to come up quite often on allergy testing.  Of course, grain is almost always there - happily, none of our foods contain grain).

We have found that most of these dogs can thrive on mixes made using pure Venison or pure Turkey (including the bone) with small amounts of specific fruits, vegetables, and supplements. We try to provide them with as much variety in recipes as they can tolerate.  This is in line with our understanding that the key to balanced nutrition is variety.

Before any of the individual recipes are made, all our kitchen equipment is thoroughly cleaned to make sure there are no minute traces of chicken or other ingredients that these dogs are sensitive to in their food.

As it happened with Oscar’s Recipe, we have found that a number of our customers are requesting chicken-free mixes.  We have submitted our registration papers for one of Lisa’s Chicken and Carrot-free Recipes to the Department of Agriculture.  Once they have granted us a V number, we will be able to make these dinners available to everyone.

Dogs with Arthritis or Joint Problems .

Mojo - At the age of 7, Mojo, a gorgeous Bull Mastiff, was diagnosed with arthritis of the spine – Spondyloarthritis. His vet asked us to custom-make dinners for Mojo.  Dinners that were specially designed to relieve pain and inflammation, improve joint mobility, and aid in muscle and skeletal development.  Instead of having to feed him various supplements in pill form with every meal, we wanted to make sure that this dinner met as many of his needs as possible.

The holistic vet recommended that we used cuts of meat that were chosen for their high chondroitin, glucosamine and cartilage content. He also recommended Omega 3 and various herbal supplements.

Arthritis is caused by bones rubbing directly on bones. Cartilage is the body’s natural cushion, and must be nurtured to reduce pain and inflammation. Glucosamine and chondroitin are used by the body to form cartilage. Our research showed us that certain cuts of meat are extra-high in these nutrients.  This really helped to shape Mojo’s recipe.

Mojo’s custom mix was made in three different varieties – Chicken, Beef, and Pork to ensure that he was fed variety.  In order to keep feeding time hassle-free we added all the supplements needed including Omega 3.  We chose to add a mix called “Rebound” from Honeyvale Herbs – it has a great mix of herbs known to promote healthy joints and those known to relieve pain. All that was needed was to defrost and feed!

Mojo loved his dinners so much his dad had to put a lock on the fridge!

Cats and Dogs with Kidney Problems

Cyan: Cyan and her brother and sister are all FELV+ and their mom came to us requesting a custom mix to support her kitties. Renal disease is a common problem with this diagnosis. Working closely with her vet we made up a dinner for her to support this.

In the words of her mom:

This is why we do what we do!

Our usual Cat of the Day cat food recipes are 98% meat and bone (including organ meat) with some yoghurt and supplements making up the balance. The correct calcium/phosphorous ratio is between 1:1 and 1.5:1 for a normal healthy cat or dog.

Veterinary specialists recommend that cats and dogs with early and middle stage kidney problems need a special recipe that has moderate amounts of good quality protein, high fat, low or no carbohydrate and sodium, and very low phosphorous. Of course, the naturally high moisture content of raw food also has enormous benefits in both preventing and treating renal problems.

The custom mix we made up for Cyan was 93% pure meat, and made up of cuts which were carefully chosen for their lower phosphorous level as recommended by her vet. It includes egg, homemade yoghurt, and supplements. Happily, none of our foods contain any grains, salt or preservatives (grains and salt have both been recognised as contributors to kidney disease).

This is one of Cyan’s favourite hang-outs.

Meisie:. Cute little Meisie is an active Staffie who loves her walks but was limited because of her kidney problems. Meisie’s mom asked us to help with a custom mix. After working with her vet, a custom mix was made up specially for her and her mum has told us it has given her renewed vigour and a more active life.

Meisie’s mix was based on these principles. Dogs with kidney problems also need high quality protein and low phosphorus with little or no sodium. Their meals should be high in fat, so the custom mix we made for Meisie used a higher proportion of fattier meat cuts than some of our other doggie recipes, such as chicken thigh and leg, and avoided the use of white chicken meat (which can be inflammatory). The meat in this custom mix was all Free-Range Chicken. There was also a higher proportion of low-phosphorous vegetable matter in this recipe than in our others. High acidity foods can cause damage to animals with stressed kidneys, so we also kept an eye on the PH values in these recipes

Dogs with Cancer/ Diabetes/ Epilepsy

Kaesha: We first made this custom mix for our own beloved dog Kaesha – our miracle girl. We were devastated when she was diagnosed with Mast Cell Cancer and we were told that the prognosis was that she would not survive more than 2 to 3 years.

Our holistic vet shared loads of research with us. Many researchers have studied the role of food in supporting remission from cancer, and the helpfulness and harmfulness of particular nutrients. The ketogenic diet is highly recommended by the experts in the field.  This diet requires very good quality protein, high fat, and no sugars at all. Kaesha loved the various ketogenic recipes we made for her. She also received holistic veterinary treatment of course. She had nine years of remission from mast cell cancer, and lived happily to a ripe old age. 

Kaesha's special ‘look’ for when she felt it was dinner time.

Nala and Caris: We made similar ketogenic custom mix for Nala whose vet diagnosed her with T-cell lymphoma.  According to her vet,  she made remarkable progress with treatment and the diet change, and we are so glad to hear that she is happy and healthy now, five years later!  Caris who had lymphoma was given  a similar custom mix.  Her owner tells us that she benefitted hugely from this.

Nala and her brother Nero – two of our favourite visitors.

Yebo: Ketogenic recipes are also recommended by vets for dogs with other illnesses - specifically dogs with epilepsy and diabetes. Yebo is a happy Basenji dog who suffered from uncontrolled epileptic seizures. His vet referred him to us with a special request for a ketogenic custom mix. His owner says:

Here’s a pic of one very happy well fed Basenji called Yebo!

Of course, all these dogs received the best that veterinary care had to offer, with vets who recognised the role of nutrition in promoting health.

Dogs with Pancreatic Problems, Heart Disease , Cushing’s Disease and Hyperlipidaemia

Xena and Willow: We first made a low-fat custom mix for Xena who was diagnosed with Pancreatitis, and later, a very similar mix for Willow – both Bearded Collies. Lovely Willow was diagnosed with Cushing’s Disease and Hyperlipidaemia which is an excess of fats or lipids in the blood. Willow’s vet sent her to us to make up a custom mix for her that was low-fat.

Willow was on this mix for many years.  A while ago, her mom told us:

While dogs definitely require fat in their diets to give them energy, those with pancreatic illnesses and many heart diseases require a much lower fat diet. In these custom mixes we excluded any high-fat cuts of meat, including de-skinning portions where needed. We also used a lower percentage of offal in these custom mixes than our other ones (many of the organ meats are too fatty) and we excluded the usual yoghurt and eggs. The recipes are still well-balanced and include all the necessary nutrients.

Please note - this is not a weight loss program, but a custom diet designed for these specific dogs with their illnesses. If your dog or cat has obesity issues, please speak to us as we have plenty of suggestions on how to address these.

Willow living her best life!

A happy Xena ready for the beach.