I took the opposite route and went from for to against, for the exact same reasons after carefully weighing information and coming to my own conclusions based on what I could see.
Odin, for example was born with familial hypothyroidism and mild follicular alopecia.
Both manifested so abnormally early that I had to literally fight my vet for the T panel to even be done.
He was shocked that I'd been right.
The dog "looked great" at that age [1 YO]
However, several months of 6 star rated kibble made "great" look pitiful.
Everyone remarks how utterly lush his coat is compared to the other Dobes they've met and how robust he is.
The baby is following in his paw-steps with the difference that her meat supplementation is always cooked.
She looks glorious, in spite of being covered with "shop dust".
We have no skin conditions, food allergies, itching or other issues and I never wash my dogs.
I wipe them off with a microfiber cloth for 'special occasions' and that's about it.
Regardless, you are and will always remain my dear FRiend.
Best wishes for your furbies, *always*. :)
They are beautiful babies for sure, Salamander! I’ve been so thrilled with our 14 year old’s recovery from IBD and the cessation of her chronic ear issues — and our Chow mix’s thick lush coat (poor baby was in awful shape when we pulled him out of the apt. where he’d been abandoned: flea eggs, greasy coat and the consistency of a straw broom. Awful.) He was always panicky when it was meal time when we were feeding kibble, but he’s satisfied now and doesn’t gulp his food down in a frenzy. Blessings to you and yours, Salamander. I consider you my dear FRiend and treasure the convos we’ve had. I pray your sorrow has lessened somewhat since your precious Halla’s passing (hope I’m spelling her name correctly), that you have peace and rest in the knowledge you will see her again, and that all of your furbabies are healthy and happy with no sign of problems!
I am a hobby breeder myself. I’m curious your reasoning for breeding a dog that has familial hypothyroidism? We test for it in German Shorthaired Pointers prior to breeding. My rule of thumb on deciding whether to exclude a dog from breeding is kind of a three strikes you’re out or one big strike (which for me would be a major medical issue like hypothyroidism) and you’re out. But I’m always curious what makes a breeder decide to use or exclude a dog. It’s always a learning process for me.
I’ve been feeding Orijen 6 Fish, which I’ve been very happy with. But it’s so dang expensive. Wish I could find something that I like as well that isn’t as expensive.