# Satin Balls for dog with allergies?



## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Hey all, 

My bro's dog is on his 5 month of raw and doing really well. His allergies have stopped, his skin has grown back, and overall, he's like a different dog. 

The downside is that he's now losing weight. He was a little heavy when started on raw and now is too skinny. He gets fed 1.5 - 2.5 lbs a day and one day of 3 lbs. But, he's still losing weight even with the last 2 weeks of being fed 2-3 lbs a day. Raw is now getting too expensive to feed 3 lbs of food a day.  

So, I was wondering if some satin balls would help supplement his caloric need? I can keep him on 2-3 lbs of raw but am worried that there's no difference at all in his weight after 2 weeks. If anything, he's lost more. 

But, he's allergic to oats and wheat...and the ingredients for satin balls include oatmeal and wheat germ. Is there a recipe I could use that doesn't have those? Would it be beneficial to make them anyway, even without the cereal, wheat germ or oatmeal? 

Or if anyone has any other ideas, it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!


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## Summer's Mom (Oct 20, 2010)

This may sound whacky.. what about some body builder whey protein powder? High calories in a condensed simple form...


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

What are satin balls? Just curious.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

When I adopted Remy last year, he had stomach issues and I was also having trouble getting some much needed weight on him. He was at the Vet for several checks and meds both for stomach problems and treatment for parasites. A few members suggested the Satin Balls for him, I asked my Vet about them but she didn't want anything added to his diet until his stomach problems were resolved. 

Has your brother's dog had recent stool sample check? It sounds to me like there could be something else going on with him, a Vet check might be a good idea.


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

"But, he's allergic to oats and wheat...and the ingredients for satin balls include oatmeal and wheat germ"

I would subsitute with cooked rice. 
Sensitivities to wheat and oats could be more than an allergy it could be celiac disease. I would revisit a discussion with a dog nutritionist/vet but in the mean time just use celiac safe carbohydrates. (gluten free options)


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

We've been dealing with a host of issues with Blue in the last year or so, so it's hard to pinpoint what's going on...plus I'm not too fond of his vet but my brother doesn't want to change vets for some reason.

Blue was just at the vet's last week for his check-up and while I had suggested running a blood panel, the vet doesn't want to do it. She didn't really have an answer for WHY she didn't want to do it, just that she didn't think it was necessary. 

Anyway, Blue was super itchy last summer and by the time september hit, he had lost most of his hair on his legs, chest, and belly and around his eyes. He was scratching so much that we think he developed an infection on his skin, as it was red all over and burning hot to the touch. Switched to raw and got some ointment for his skin and after 1-2 months, his skin healed up and his hair grew back.

Now, he has ear infections in both ears and has lost weight. He's on meds for his ear infections - his right ear is so swollen that you can barely see into his ear canal. 

Do these seem like inter-related issues or is it just one unlucky dog? He eats only raw, gets liver treats and peanut butter as his only treats, and occasionally a piece of fruit or veggie. 

Should I go with the satin balls (with cooked rice) or...what?

Oh, and he had an allergy panel run and he was allergic to wheat and fish. Oats didn't show up but he hadn't done well on foods with them and I'm reluctant to throw them into his diet again.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I know you said your brother doesn't want to change Vets, but with what you've said about Blue and the current Vet not wanting to do the Blood panel workup, I'd be going to another Vet if Blue was my dog. 

Poor Blue, he must be very uncomfortable since his ears are so infected. There's definitely something going on it seems to me.
Would your brother consider taking him to the Vet you take Ranger to????


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I wish he would, but my brother gets stubborn over the dumbest things. He thinks things are 'black and white'. Like when Blue was a pup and we finally found a food that Blue did well on (he had diarrhea constantly until he was 6 months old). My brother then didn't change it for 3 years despite me talking about developing food intolerances, etc. etc. 3 years later, Blue is now allergic to fish...which was the main ingredient in the food he'd been eating for the last 3 years. When I talked about switching, brother was all "you just think what you feed ranger is best" and that was it. Same thing with the vet. I used to take ranger to the same vet my brother did - all our childhood pets went there - but I had issues with the vet after a $200 vet visit and nothing else. Now, brother thinks again that I 'just think my vet is better' and refuses to change.

On the plus side, Blue's ears are clearing up. I also had him for 4 days and was experimenting with how much meat to give him and am thinking I found a balance. I'm going to try the satin balls this week and see if that helps, once Blue gets up to a good weight. 

Thanks all!


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

An update:
After a week of feeding Blue four pounds of raw a day (!), he started putting on weight. He also started pooping 3 times a day and had even more energy than he usually does! Unfortunately, he got a virus and was puking/diarrhea for a day. That plus being fed chicken and potatoes for 2 days afterwards until everything cleared up brought him back to square 1...maybe even a little worse. 

I'm dogsitting him now and he's on another week of 4 lbs of food a day. Unfortunately, i think all his excess energy goes into running around the yard and playing with Ranger so he's burning off a lot of calories, too! 

I'm picking up some bulk raw food tomorrow. It's a little fatty but I think that'll work in his favour. I've been stuffing him every minute of the day!

What do owners of other 'hard keepers' do? In addition to 4 lbs a day, Blue also gets a kong stuffed with banana, peanut butter and pumpkin every night. He gets a fresh marrow bone every day plus numerous liver treats. I wish I had a metabolism like his!


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## WasChampionFan (Mar 31, 2012)

There are some great supplements used by sled, hunting and agility teams that are better and more convenient. Annamaet Impact is completely carbohydrate free and has massive amounts of protein and fat, plus vitamins, probiotics and enzymes. It is used at Cornell and other vet schools to feed post op dogs.

You can get it online easily.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Thanks, I will definitely look into that!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Gald to hear Blue is doing much better, thanks for taking such good care of him and giving an update about him.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

I would consult a veterinary nutritionist. Messing with this could mean feeding an unsafe, unbalanced diet. Particularly with a dog that already has digestive issues.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Pointgold said:


> I would consult a veterinary nutritionist. Messing with this could mean feeding an unsafe, unbalanced diet. Particularly with a dog that already has digestive issues.


Hey PG, could you elaborate on what you mean by "messing with this could mean feeding an unsafe...diet"? What is "this"? His diet in general? He's getting four pounds of raw food but his raw ratios (muscle/bone/offal) are the same, just in larger quantities. Or do you mean adding supplements or satin balls to his diet will unbalance it?


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Ranger said:


> Hey PG, could you elaborate on what you mean by "messing with this could mean feeding an unsafe...diet"? What is "this"? His diet in general? He's getting four pounds of raw food but his raw ratios (muscle/bone/offal) are the same, just in larger quantities. Or do you mean adding supplements or satin balls to his diet will unbalance it?


All of the above. And changing the ingredients in Satin balls, or the amounts of one ingredient or another... these are all things that can contribute to a diet being unbalanced = protein to fat ratios, etc - all things to consider.
Which is why I recommend consulting an expert.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Gotcha. Thanks for clarifying. I haven't been supplementing his diet yet, just wanted to get some ideas. It seems like the 4 lbs of food a day is working (so far) but I will try to find a good canine nutritionist here to see what they recommend as well.


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