T0--Observations before the switch

Brown stuff that came out of his ears

Before I begin the Dietary Elimination Experiment, I wanted to note some initial observations.

DIET:  He was eating Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream variety.  He started to switch to raw, and I did 3 days on and 3 days off.  In terms of raw, he ate: raw beef bone marrow, mackerel, beef liver, kidney and heart, ground turkey, eggs, carrots, tomatoes and green beans.  I eliminated all poultry products as soon as I found out that Shibas have a tendency to be allergic to poultry.  For treats, he got beef bully sticks, raw bone marrow and cheese.

EARS: His ears was extremely cruddy, there was brown stuff in it and it had a very distinctive BAD cornchip, cheesy odor.  His right ear (when facing him), seems to be more affected than his left ear.

FUR: His fur seems a little dry, not very shiny.

SKIN: He was scratching his belly, paws and had mild dermatitis around his bottom.

EYES: Eye goop present in the morning...not unusual.

BODILY EXECREMENTS:  He drinks a lot of water so he pees a lot.  However, his pee is still quite yellow.  As for his poop, he seems constipated (though he poops EVERYDAY, at around the same time (when we go for a walk)) because his poop is quite hard and chalky (this is much better on days he is on raw).  The color ranges from dijon mustard to a muddy brown color.  He does have gas, but it is not as bad as when we first got him.

NOSE:  Sneezes more often than Bea (my Shiba).  Sometimes, he wheezes, particularly on a windy day or when he plays with Bea and her hair gets in his nose (she's shedding).