all life stage foods... split from raw for puppies

Nope, I'm questioning her ability to tell the difference between Candida and Malassezia, she treats them like they're one and the same.

What is Malassezia?

I'm questioning the usefulness of enzymes in the diet. Many raw feeders believe they're feeding "beneficial enzymes" that exist naturally in the food. Ok, so lets pretend there ARE digestive enzymes in the foods. Put a clean steak, free of bacteria, in a baggie and let it sit on a warm windowsill. How long will it take to digest?? How long will it take to digest in your dogs stomach? Even if there are enzymes in the meat, they do not and cannot contribute significantly to digestion. They are nothing more than another protein that is digested along with the rest.  

Misskiwi67, I am confused here.  The digestive aids that the Great Dane Lady recommends are ones that she suggests using with Eagle Pack which is not a raw diet.  I understood that the purpose of those digestive aids was to help the dog digest the non-meat/bone elements of the food.

ONLY dogs that have digestive issues need additional enzymes.

 
I understand what you're saying here, but even if they don't always HELP, they don't do any harm, right? I'm not defending the Great Dane Lady, I don't like that site much, but I mix Prozyme into Cherokee's food, and there's a definite difference in the size of the output since I have. She's never had digestive issues, I bought the Prozyme for my sister's dog, I just used it for a bit with Cherokee, and noticed a difference in stools, so kept using it. But I'm just making sure that even if maybe it's a waste of money, it's not harmful.

ORIGINAL: chelsea_b

But I'm just making sure that even if maybe it's a waste of money, it's not harmful.

I have read (can't remember where right now) that the body can become lazy in producing its own enzymes if it doesn't have to do the work - making the dog dependent on the supplement. I will occasionally supplement with probiotics, but I save the enzymes for times of stress or illness.

ORIGINAL: janet_rose
What is Malassezia?

Malassezia is a natural inhabitant of canine skin. It is found in very low numbers, and overgrowth causes intense pruritis (itchiness) and inflammation.

From the great dane ladies website:

Tincture of Blackleaf - a natural way to kill off yeast (candida albicans) and reduced it back to normal levels.

When the toxins leak into the body a whole cascade of events starts to take place, one of which is the alteration of the pH of the gut, bladder and reproduction organs. These changes in the body are the "symptoms" you recognize when you have yeast overgrowth. It is referred to as 4 stages of severity of overgrowth depending on these symptoms. The list is far to many to list here, so I will name a few that seem to be the worst in animals: Rashes - Itching -Body Odor - Smelly Ears - Reoccurring Ear & Bladder infections -Red Skin - Sores - Scabs - Shedding - Arthritis - Genital Discharge - Hotspots - Blackened skin.

She encourages people to treat an external problem (malassezia) with an internal remedy against an internal yeast organism (candida).

Since the last time I read her article, she has done a better job of referring to both organisms as different pathogens, but yet her treatment for both is the same.

Does anyone else find it odd that she recommends the same four supplements for EVERY PROBLEM??

ORIGINAL: janet_rose
Misskiwi67, I am confused here.  The digestive aids that the Great Dane Lady recommends are ones that she suggests using with Eagle Pack which is not a raw diet.  I understood that the purpose of those digestive aids was to help the dog digest the non-meat/bone elements of the food.

From the great dane ladies website:

Enzymes are heat sensitive and lost in processing/cooking of all commercial foods or making home cooked diets. As owners we must put dietary enzymes back into the diet, in order to maintain proper wellness and not deplete the body of this important resource.

She wants you to use enzymes destroyed by cooking, enzymes previously found in food. Even if they were there, they don't contribute to digestion, so whats the need for them? Enzymes are nothing more than proteins, and most have very specific pH ranges in which they function. The moment those enzymes hit the gastric juices, they are denatured, or destroyed functionally. The only enzymes that contribute to digestion are either made by the body itself, or are protected from stomach acid until they reach the small intestine. Enzymes in food are NOT beneficial, and therefore do not need to be replaced.

Is it possible that the enzymes she helps are a good supplement? Sure, people seem to be happy with them. Is the reasoning behind their use correct? No, its not.