Hot Spots Discussions

Hi all: I have a two year old Belgian Malinois who suddenly began chewing the fur down to his skin on his front legs. There are patches that are scabbed and down to the skin. One on each arm. I have not taken him to the vet, and keep the open wounds clean, however, this is very odd behavior for a loved, healthy, active Mal. He has several acres of land, stays in the house with me whenever he wants, and he trains for agility trials twice weekly. I wonder what's eating him, so to say. Who here has encountered such a problem with their Mal(s)?

Update: After applying Bag Balm daily to the hot spots, Johann is leaving them alone and improving/on the mend.

Maybe it’s due to a lack of proper nutrition if all you feed is raw ribeye steak. I got this from a post you made in response to someone else. Excuse me if I’m wrong and this is not all you’re feeding

You think canines need fruits/vegetables/grains/starches? What nutrients are not found in beef muscle meat and lipids and connective tissue? Only vitamin C is missing. Is that necessary for dogs?

Edit: Dogs make their own Vitamin C from a diet of raw meat. So, your stance is fallacious.

I just did a quick google search and looked at multiple sites and they all said dogs need more than just meat.

Says processed dog food companies, as well as vets and constituents with skin in the corporate game. Meat heals. Johann's hot spots are likely from stress due to the SoCal Wildfires.

Other than Raw bone-in ribeyes and T-bones, are you feeding other meats/organs ect to balance the diet?

I have no connection to processed dog food companies or any "constituents with skin in the corporate game". Nor am I a vet.

But I have been a raw feeder since mid-2011 and there is no way that a dog can get complete nutrition from a diet of just raw ribeye and T-bone steaks.

However it is your dog, your money that you spend on expensive steaks, therefore you can feed your dog on what you want.

You came here requesting advice regarding hot spots on your dog's legs, which you have since cured by yourself. Not to tell everyone that the only food a dog needs is raw ribeye and T-bone steak.

ha!! You are in SoCal? Small world. I’m in San Diego

Not really. I do feed him raw bone-in Lamb loin and shoulder on occasion... That being said: Please expound on your choice of words "balance the diet". Nutritional or Varietal?

I am not asserting anyone who argues against my nutritional approach works for a dog food corporation or is in any capacity affiliated with the veterinarians or the pharmacology corporations... What I am asserting is, the information people claim to be truth comes from those sources.

Define complete nutrition. Specifically what vital nutrient would a dog be deficient in on a diet of raw red meat with raw bone marrow?

For goodness sake, let's say Johann's hot spots did arise at 2.6 years of age due to malnutrition. What should I add to his diet?

Yes, Wrightwood. I miss San Diego... Solana Beach native. But I moved up here for my job.

Even wild carnivores do not just eat muscle meat and bones. They eat the entire animal - meat, bones, offal, skin, and everything in the guts of the animal that it has eaten.

As I said. Your dog, your money that you spend on expensive steaks, raw bone-in lamb loin and shoulder, therefore you can feed your dog on what you want. It is not up to me or anyone else on Breedia to teach you what complete nutrition is. People here can give you advice but whether you would listen or not is a moot point.

Therefore I am backing out of this one-sided conversation.

Prey model raw is based on feeding (whole animals) and does not use veggies but it should include different types of meat, bones, organs roughage ect. To balance the diet.
https://www.rawfeedingadviceandsupport.com/prey-model-raw-pmr

The Barf Diet is based on Muscle meat, raw meaty bones, Organ meat, Vegetables and fruits Supplements..
https://www.bellaandduke.com/guide/barf-dog-diet/#:

BARF Diet VS Prey Model Diet
https://medium.com/@calirawco/barf-diet-vs-prey-model-diet-c94342574651

When animals are killed as prey, the organ contents of the body cavity contains a large amount of vegetable matter and accompanying digestive enzymes. In the wild, this is usually the first part of the animal to be consumed. However, it may not be the nutritional content the stomach contents that dogs crave, but the partially digested fibre and the natural source of pre/probiotics.
My hounds love their veggies - especially carrot, sweet potato, and almost the entire brassica family. Nothing goes to waste - the hard stems make excellent dental chews, either raw, or frozen in hot weather.