[Byrocwvoin wvoin]

Welcome to the world of Old School RuneScape (OSRS), a game where nostalgia and innovation blend to create a rich gaming experience. If you’re a fresh recruit to this evergreen MMORPG, you’ll quickly discover that the freedom to explore, craft, fight, and interact is at the core of its appeal. This strategy guide aims to equip you with foundational knowledge, effective pathways, and key tips to navigate your early adventure in Gielinor on OSRS gold.

Getting Started: Account and Client Setup
First things first—create a Jagex account. This account allows you to manage multiple characters across all platforms (PC, Mac, iOS, and Android). If you played RuneScape in its earlier days and remember your old login, you can still use it, although you’ll start fresh at level three.

Download the Client
Once your account is set up, download the OSRS client. For beginners, the RuneLite client is highly recommended. It offers valuable plugins like Quest Helper, which simplifies the learning curve and enhances your gameplay experience on cheap OSRS gold.

Tutorial Island: Your First Steps
Your journey begins on Tutorial Island, where you will learn essential controls, game mechanics, and combat basics. Master the controls—tile-based, point-and-click movement—and familiarize yourself with the various combat styles: Melee, Ranged, and Magic. Knowing these will help you adapt to different challenges ahead.

Pathways to Early Game Success
In OSRS, there is no strict progression path—freedom is key! Nevertheless, there are effective strategies to level up and earn your first profit.

Combat Training
Combat is vital in OSRS and can be efficiently trained through various methods:

Free-to-Play Training Spots:

Cows: Found near Lumbridge, they offer valuable hides and meat.
Frogs in Lumbridge Swamp: Require level 13 combat skills and yield decent experience.
Flesh Crawlers in the Stronghold of Security: Aggressive, low-effort training.
Quests for Combat Experience:

The Waterfall Quest is a must-do as it boosts your Attack and Strength levels to 30 without any prior requirements. Seek out other low-level quests that provide combat experience.
Money-Making Methods
To thrive, early cash flow is beneficial:

Herb Runs: Completing herb runs can be a lucrative venture, requiring minimal high-level skills initially.
Thieving: Stealing from stalls or specific NPCs can net significant early-game currency.
Skills Overview
OSRS features a plethora of skills, and understanding their benefits is essential:

Attack: Improves your accuracy and ability to wield better weapons.
Strength: Increases your damage output but doesn’t affect accuracy.
Defense: Reduces damage taken from enemies.
Range & Magic: Unlocks better weapons and spells, key for combat versatility.
Prayer: Essential for activation of powerful prayer abilities during battle scenarios.
Early Questing: Unlocking Essential Skills
Engaging in quests is crucial for unlocking skills and content:

Aim to complete quests like Rune Mysteries (for RuneCrafting) and Druidic Ritual (for Herblore).
Consider following an optimal quest order guide to streamline your experience progression and maximize early gains.
Exploring the Mid Game
After establishing yourself, you will transition to the mid-game. This phase involves questing for untradeable rewards, engaging in stronger boss fights, and delving into new skills.

Goals and Focus Areas:
Gear Up: Aim for gear upgrades through quests and combat.
Pursue Slayer: This skill unlocks higher-level monsters that often yield valuable rewards.
Embrace the Endgame
Once you reach the higher combat levels, you’ll be ready for endgame content like raids and elite achievements.

Key Endgame Activities:
Raids: A team-based activity that tests your individual skills and teamwork.
High-Level Bossing: Tackle challenging bosses that require advanced game mechanics mastery.
Conclusion: A Journey of Choices
OSRS is a vast and ever-evolving game experience, with countless choices to provide freedom in how you develop your character. From questing and combat to skill mastery and money-making endeavors, your journey is your own to shape.

As you embark on this adventure, consider taking advantage of community resources such as YouTube guides and the OSRS wiki. Remember to set personal goals, whether that’s achieving level 99 in a specific skill or defeating a challenging boss. Every achievement, big or small, adds to your unique story in the world of Gielinor.

If you have questions as you venture forth, don’t hesitate to seek help in the community or follow up with experienced players. Enjoy your time in Old School RuneScape, and may your journey be filled with discovery and fun!
RSGoldFast provides a simple and affordable way to buy OSRS Gold and RS3 Gold

[Rebecca Tan]

OMG! I’m so thankful someone sent me this cos I thought I was the only one who had a TERRIBLE experience with her!!!

I also tried to find reviews on her but could not find and want to share my experience so that people stop giving her business. She is a terrible horrible person.

My dog has IBD and was diagnosed with Canine Kidney Disease (CKD) Stage 1 in 2022. Hence, I wanted to get a balanced homecooked recipe which would cater to her illnesses and yet still give her all the nutrients that she needed. My friends were the ones who recommended Cat Lane so I decided to give her a try.

Same as Samantha’s experience, at first, she was very nice and prompt. That changed quickly. On her website, she states that she doesn’t require you to be online at the same time as her (cos different countries, different timezones) but slowly, she blamed me for the slow progression of the formulation of the recipe being my fault as I wasn’t online at the same time with her. OK FINE. So we arranged for a day and time when we could be online together. 1st meeting, I waited and waited for her but she was absent. When I asked her why, she claimed ill health. OK FINE. We arrange for a 2nd meeting. 2nd meeting comes and goes, I waited and waited again for her but she was once again absent. This has already made me irate cos I am losing sleep just to wait up for her and I still have to go to work. This time, she claimed one of her pets passed away. OK FINE. We arrange for a 3rd meeting. 3rd meeting comes and goes again and guess who didn’t turn up? Absolutely fustrated now, I turn to her FB groups and questioned some of the group members if she always takes such a long time to reply them. WOW. Guess who showed up within minutes on FB to delete my comment and ban me from her FB groups? This time she claimed her cat passed away and that I was being horrible for questioning her absence and states that because of my “horrible” behaviour, she will end our business relationship and not give me my recipe, my recipe WHICH I PAID FOR. She also claimed that the money which I paid for is for her time.

This is what is written on her website: “You receive:

Five hours of my time devoted to whatever is required, usually recipes and adjustment; often, but not always, herbal support as well
A minimum of one therapeutic recipe, tailored to your dog’s nutrient requirements, as determined by the National Research Council’s Nutrient Requirements of Dogs (2006) but also geared to the specific needs of the condition(s) you are seeking help with. If your dog is able to tolerate a variety of foods, I endeavour to provide two – three recipes; this is usually possible but may not work for food intolerance and allergy, at least not in the early stages of dietary support.
A full, personalized herbal protocol to support your dog’s general wellbeing and address health challenges as indicated
General Dietary Guidelines containing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and pointers on everything from cooking techniques, substitutions, individual foods and their nutrient profiles, managing the dietary transition, converting commonly used measurements, food storage and safety and much more
Follow up support up to a maximum of five hours, with affordable extensions if needed.”

Nowhere did I even receive FIVE HOURS OF HER TIME. Her emails to me are mostly 1-2 sentences and there are only about 20 or less emails. If you are telling me these emails equate to FIVE HOURS OF HER TIME, then I have no words to say. It takes me barely less than 2 minutes to write 2 sentences in an email.
Nowhere did I receive a recipe WHICH I PAID FOR.
Nowhere did I receive a herbal protocol WHICH I PAID FOR.

Also same as Samantha’s experience, Cat Lane comes across very offended in her email replies as if she has a God complex and everything she says is right, and we are all wrong. She was asking me to test out certain food items with my dog to see if my dog was allergic to them and they all unfortunately caused my dog to have allergies. I could sense through her emails, she was getting frustrated that my dog was allergic to so many food items. AS IF IT’S OUR FAULT?!?!?!

Even if her cat really died, which I doubt it, cos she has been using the “my pet passed away” excuse so many times, I’m sure she can fire off a quick email to let me know she couldn’t make it to the meeting right? But NO. She couldn’t. Yet she could IMMEDIATELY ban and delete my comment on FB on the very same day. That does not make any sense to me. How is this professional behaviour?!?!? If you cannot be professional about it, you have no business to call yourself a professional and run your own business. Also, it pisses me off to no end that she continues promoting her business and getting new customers when she does not even have time to handle her current customers. HOW IS THAT PROFESSIONAL?!?!?!?! If she’s really ill and struggling with her health, then she has no business getting new customers that she cannot handle.

I’m doing my very best to warn everybody about her. DO NOT LET THIS VILE PERSON CHEAT YOU OF YOUR MONEY.

[Melisa W]

¡Hola! Soy relativamente nuevo en el mundo de las apuestas deportivas y esta plataforma fue una introducción fantástica. Más información en https://apuestaes.tv/casas-apuestas/ . El sitio web es fácil de usar, lo que facilita a los novatos como yo realizar apuestas. La variedad de deportes que se ofrecen es impresionante, desde fútbol hasta baloncesto pasando por opciones más especializadas como el tenis de mesa. Aún más emocionante es la función de apuestas en tiempo real, que me permite sentirme partícipe de los eventos.

[aimee]

Hi M & C,

I’m not aware of any reports of increased liver enzymes from Rescue Remedy, and unless a contamination issue, I do not see anything concerning.

The observation that the shaking events are fairly predictably occurring very soon after eating is interesting.

Trembling can be seen as a response to pain or fear but to me that evokes a finer tremor than I’d associate with shaking. Taking note of your dog’s general body language prior and during an event may help give you some clues. Is the reluctance to eat in the am a new thing?

On the days he gets the CBD what is the time frame it is administered in relation to his meal? In your readings did you find any information on the pharmacokinetics of CBD ?

[Neal B]

Hey great site but pointing out that you have a 5 star rating on evolve dry food (/dog-food-reviews/evolve-grain-free-dog-food/) despite the fact its made by sunshine mills which cannot be trusted (/dog-food-recall/fda-warning-sunshine-mills/). I wouldnt feed evolve or anything sunshine mills to my dog let alone rate it 5 stars. 

[aimee]

Hi Mutts and Cats,

Meat ( striate muscle) other than protein, is very devoid of nutrients. I think it is good that you are looking at overall content because I suspect the mix you are making with half calories coming from necks and meat is not meeting nutritional needs. Are you comparing your final mix to NRC recommendation on a metabolic weight basis or some other parameter?

IgE tests for food allergy are like flipping a coin. Dogs can react to items they test “negative” for and not react to items they test “positive” for. Overall, I think the test has little value and I think the money spent on them could be put to better use.

[aimee]

Hi Patricia.

By writing “I agree that kibble should always have synthetic vitamins/minerals since Pet food manufacturers know their food is devoid of nutrition … so they add synthetic premixes. And pet owners know kibble isn’t as good as real food, so they add supplements.” in the post following my post, it makes it appear that you are agreeing with me.

I just want to clarify that I absolutely do not agree with the above statement. As I said, I believe such statements to be marketing spin.

It may interest you to know that in talking with multiple companies of freeze-dried products, I’ve found that some, including some of the companies you mentioned, have reported that after freeze drying the food, they heat and hold it at temps high enough to kill pathogens. Some companies shared they used conventional heat and others apparently by microwave. Yet they still market the food as “raw” which to me is odd since the times and temps they subject the food to are those used to cook food.

I do agree that the more you read the more confusing it can become. It is interesting to me to read publications put out by the pet industry. For example, food rotation is primarily recommended to guard against “out of stocks ” Shop keepers want to condition their customers to feel comfortable switching products so that if they are out of product A, they can sell you product B and keep the sale in house vs you going elsewhere for product A. Which brands they carry has to do with profit margin, availability and exclusivity. If /when a product enters new markets, making it easy for you to get it at other venues, shops will drop the line. Shops want you to have to return to them for purchase. Ditto for why some push frozen raw as “best”(it isn’t easily available online or in most larger stores). If someone else has exclusivity rights to a brand, a line within the brand or for brands that are widely available, shop owners may try to come up with reasons that sound plausible as to why they do not carry that product in an effort to try to switch you to a brand they can get. Shops offer sales contests, brands sponsor same. Get X number of people to switch to brand C (higher profit margin) and win a prize.
So yeah, it is confusing!

[Patricia A]

Thank’s for further understanding .I agree that kibble should always have synthetic vitamins/minerals since Pet food manufacturers know their food is devoid of nutrition … so they add synthetic premixes. And pet owners know kibble isn’t as good as real food, so they add supplements.
I have to stretch my freeze dried with three dogs. Stella and Chewys is a good kibble as far kibble is goes. I even alternate that between the chicken and whitefish. Just a tiny part of their diet . It does have peas, however they add taurine. Synthetic vitamins of course again necessary in all since it is not a whole food.
Their primary nutrition comes from their divided boiled egg for breakfast. I feel safe with Primal being a good way to get their protein along with their vitamin and minerals naturally. Brand has a good track record . Happy to say I reintroduced Sophie to the Turkey/Salmon protein and good stools as of yesterday and today. So now I can add all three in rotation along with Venison which is a lean protein for dogs .
I give Bixbi rawbble chicken/salmon freeze dried treat . Going to try Vital Essentials turkey inn rotation and see how they do.
“REAL” food is also given when appropriate of course .Think I have it covered. All blood work is good and all three energetic .
You can really go crazy with so much conflicting info. The more I read the more confusing. . Vet checkups and yearly blood work always perfect and they are all energetic. They go crazy when I put their dinner down also. So time for me to stop obsessing and stick with what works.

[aimee]

Personally, I think regulatory really dropped the ball for consumers. I’m not aware of any follow-up testing after declaring their initial tests inconclusive. I suspect perhaps they ran out of funds to devote to the issue.

It is rather disheartening that the case is progressing so slowly. Apparently, a third-party expert has done a site visit and the case is still active. Earth Animal, to the best of my knowledge has not issued any formal updates after this visit took place.

Personally, I’d encourage anyone interested in the issue to soak both a No Hide and labeled rawhide in non- iodized salt water until well hydrated, let it partially dry and then apply a tanning process to each product and decide for themselves.

[WondrousPups]

Hi Susan,
I know you didn’t ask, but I couldn’t help. You are a very devoted person for Patches wellness. If everyone is as half as devoted you are, there would be less suffering pets in the world for sure. I’m sorry for the on-going IBS troubles Patch has to go through 🙁 I’ve had my good share of sleepless nights with my pups over the years, but it pales in comparison the everyday struggles you have to bear with Patch.

I’m glad to hear you are using slippery elm to help his gut wall integrity. I hear good things about it for IBS. If I may contribute, and you may have already doing this, if so, tell me – but I wanted to mention about another herb just in case because I don’t want to deprive you from options for Patch.

With that said, have you heard of the efficacy of peppermint oil for severe IBS symptoms? There are studies to prove it helps with bloating, gas and abdominal pains, and it is safe for children, too. It does not cure IBS, but it alleviates serious digestive symptoms. Strong peppermint tea would do the trick a lot of the times, but I’m doubtful Patch would volunteer to drink it, so you would probably need to get enteric-coated capsules of peppermint oil for sever bouts of upsets like Patch’s, but I don’t think it’s hard to find it nowadays. Don’t take my word for it – Here are studies behind it:

“Enteric-coated, pH-dependent peppermint oil capsules for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome in children”, Kline, Robert M., et al. Journal of Pediatrics

“Effect of acute peppermint oil administration on gastric sensorimotor function and nutrient tolerance in health”, Papathanasopoulous, A., et al. Neurogastroenterrology & Motility

“The effect of enteric-coated, delayed-release peppermint oil on irritable bowel syndrome”, Merat, Shahin, et al., Digestive Diseases and Sciences

I think there are more, but I think you can get the ideas, and I hope this help you decide if peppermint oil make sense for Patch or not in addition to slippery elm.

One other thing: If you are feeding kibbles with probiotics, avoid ones that include “Enterococus Faecium”. This strain causes more potential to cause damages than good for animals (including humans) with weakened immune systems and IBS. Off the top of my head, Whole Earth Farms/Merrick, Diamond, Victor, I & Love & You include this strain in their formulas.

[sienna11711]

Hi!! I am definitely a food is medicine kind of person. I was pretty sad when the raw and homemade diet didn’t work for her, because it definitely made her more calm overall but the stool and weight loss was a no go. I’m hoping that one day we can do a homemade diet especially since she’s a senior now.

We have used various tinctures from Pet Health and Nutrition Co.- they make awesome blends for many different issues, but unfortunately with my dog they would help a lot (almost like a sweetspot) for like, one month tops, and then she would go back to how she was previously. We were doing a hypothyroid blend as well as the adrenal blend. I still have the adrenal blend, so maybe I can try starting it up again.

She was also previously on a supplement called Thyro Complex (Progressive Labs) which has thyroid/pituitary/adrenal/spleen glandulars as well as iodine and kelp. When she was first “diagnosed” with hypothyroidism and prescribed levothyroxine, the vet also prescribed this. Within 2 days her coat drastically improved, even the color (she’s a brindle) opened up, she looked like an orange tiger! Her coat was amazingly soft. But unfortunately she then started dribbling urine nonstop all day, became excessively thirsty, and lost like 5 pounds in one week. Our new vet said it was likely that since her thyroid is not the true issue here, the thyroid glandular was over supporting her thyroid and plunging her into possible hyperthyroid territory. I did used to pour out half the capsule for a while, but gave up on it once we ruled out true hypothyroidism. Perhaps I should re order for the time being just to give extra support.

I’m very interested in turmeric, would you recommend giving it as a powder? she totally has some inflammation going on so turmeric would probably be a good option.

I’m not sure if you’ve ever tried aromatherapy, but Caroline Ingraham ihas an amazingggg essential oil program for animals with behavioral and health issues. I myself never was into oils although I do enjoy the scents, but it’s basically a method of letting animals select their own “cure” by presenting them a bunch of different oils. Animals in the wild will often self medicate by consuming certain plants when distressed so it works with that phenomenon. She’s done this with horses, dogs, cats, and even leopards. Usually during a successful session the animal will totally relax and even sleep. It’s amazing how the animals actually choose what they need. I ordered a bunch from her just to try out and my dog was obsessively trying to lick and eat Violet Leaf Oil- commonly used for stress and anxiety. She actually just keeps going at it over and over so it made it pretty clear my dog’s condition is really taxing to her. Other oils she would sniff for a bit and then turn away and others she just ignored completely.

[sienna11711]

When I first adopted her she got an actual UTI with straining to urinate, constantly wanting to go out, etc. They gave her antibiotics and the symptoms went away, but when they rechecked her urine, they said there’s still so much bacteria. So they put her on them again, and still bacteria as well as crystals, but she had no symptoms so we decided to just monitor and not keep funneling with antibiotics. She also had a kidney ultrasound and was fine. When she started peeing herself in her sleep, I assumed it was UTI and so I would take her to vet and they’d find, once again, tons of bacteria in urine and prescribe, and it would make the peeing in her sleep go away temporarily, but she never had any other UTI symptoms. As for the last few months, her urine has been consistently normal and bacteria free with no UTI symptoms but she still pees in her sleep once or twice a week. I think it’s a stress thing combined with her excessive drinking due to hunger. I try to monitor as much as I can but we live in south florida so I really don’t like to limit how much she drinks.

And yes, after 9 months on levothyroxine with no change in her T4 or symptoms, I told the vet I was no longer giving it to her because I know it’s not a thyroid issue specifically. Nothing changed when I stopped giving it to her, so I knew it wasn’t making anything better.

We tried a canine nutritionist formulated home cooked diet extremely low in fat (turkey) and same thing- orange slimy stool and even worse hungry. And yes, with boiled chicken we’ve always done white only and same thing- orange slimy. I gave her a piece of pineapple last night and she threw it up undigested in the middle of the night. Weak stomach?

I did order a much lower fat food and I’ve been soaking her food in digestive enzymes (epi dog forum suggested it) so we’ll see. I just can’t understand the hunger, she literally follows me all day long and it’s even worse when it’s remotely close to feeding time.

Unfortunately the vet said it must be behavioral and suggested I make an appointment with a behaviorist.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by sienna11711.

[sienna11711]

Hi all, any bit of advice or insight?

9 year old spayed female boxer, 56 pounds, eating 3 cups of Victor Professional Formula daily.

For the last 9 months we have been dealing with:

Behavior-wise
-restless
-sleeps a lot less during the day, wakes up earlier to eat
-clingy, doesn’t stop following me
-frantic and fearful when outside
-extreme reactivity to dogs that gets WORSE with more food (I know this sounds crazy)
-flinches when being pet
-will nip at strangers who get too close to her body (not always, still likes people a lot and always wants to say hi)
-will nip if you try to pick her up or move her
-doesn’t play or cuddle
-pees a lot on walks

Digestion/health-wise
-ravenous, always looking for food
-eats other dog’s poop on walks
-previously regurgitated kibble everyday, hours later
-previously struggled with chronic UTIs (low immunity)
-frantic in the AM about eating
-drinks excessively after checking empty food bowl
-shedding excessively
-anal glands leaking and peeing herself while she sleeps
-fat such as fish oil makes her nauseous / may vomit
-cannot digest real food period (ie. rice and boiled chicken, cooked veggies, cooked ground turkey, or raw meat)
-with the above food her stool is orange and slimy
-stool has changed over time since adoption at age 7 from pooping way too much but now it is normal, firm, brown

Labwork
-consistently low T4 despite using levothyroxine, took her off in Jan 2020
-T4 goes up into normal range when she is on anxiety medicine
-extremely high/out of range TLI
-high cPL
-has, at times, had very high PSL randomly
-no diabetes, no cushings, NOTHING glaring us in the face

-We have tried every digestive supplement you can think of and many different foods including grain free, with grains, dehydrated cooked, dehydrated raw, actual raw, and actual cooked
-We have worked with an animal behaviorist who does not think this is purely behavioral
-She lost 8 pounds eating up to 2 pounds of raw a day
-She is much less reactive on cooked food and raw, but will rapidly lose weight and be even hungrier
-We have also tried Hills Science Diet wet food for IBD, orange slimy stool
-She can only really “digest” kibble

Chronic low grade pancreatitis was brought up to me on another forum but her stool is totally normal, so not too sure.
I do think that whatever “this” is affects her thyroid function but the thyroid itself is not the root cause- vet agrees
I just recently began putting enzymes in her food and incubating 20 min with warm water– will see if any improvement

[Kayla M]

If anyone else’s dogs go blind/pupils dilate after
enrofloxacin (Baytril) or Levofloxacin,

Or Heartguard,

Please post here.

[STEFANIE]

Hi Eszter, and everyone else:

First of, hope everyone is doing fine and staying at home. We are facing difficult times, but Im sure we will all get by in a couple of weeks (or months, depending on the evolution of a number of facts that right now are very unpredictable). Here in Brazil, and in my city Rio de Janeiro, the government has imposed rigorous restrictions, which part of society has been collaborative, and another part is just simply not aware of how serious this is. All in all, we have started our quarantine in a very early stage, and we are all hoping this will bring us a positive outcome in the medium-long turn.

As for your dog Eszter, I am very glad he has overcome all of these surgeries and is out of risk. In our case, my Border Collie (Maui) had a really really hard time with the post-surgical phase – we really did not know he would survive at all. He had aprox. 75% of his small intestines removed (basically all of his jejunum and ileum – only his duodenum was kept). In Brazil there were no registered cases of survival for dogs/cats that had this amount of small intestines removed, so he is really the first recorded case here – which is a victory, but was REALLY hard since we had NO IDEA of how to handle the first couple of months.

Since his ileum was removed, we did in fact suffer with his fesses. In the first two months, he went to the bathroom on average 20x a day, in practically liquid form. He lost A LOT of weight since the first surgery (he had 3 in total), and after his 1 month hospitalization, he only weighted 9kgs! (he started with 17kgs). He was practically skin and bones.

Now, it has been almost 2 years since he was released from the clinic, and since then we had a LONG JOURNEY. But this is a story of success, and now Maui is VERY strong. He weights 21kgs, all of his vitamins are great, and he goes to the bathroom 2 or 3 x a day! His stool is still very mushy.. the first one of the day, we can collect, the other 2, is king of a puree.. which makes is hard, however, since he got his ileum removed, there is almost no expectation that his stool will someday get back to being 100% “collectable”. He does ingest and absorb most of the good vitamins, what is the best part and it very clear since he is healthy, strong and his exams are all good.

It is hard to say exactly what will be best for your puppy… since every case is singular, but in our experience some things were essential for this positive outcome:

1) cooked Home food instead of kibble: We cook it weekly . Daily portion is about 1.2kgs (separated in 3x of 400g each). In summary each portion contains 1/3 meat without fat (in Brazil we use a meat called “Patinho” and “coxão mole” and “lagarto” – all red meat. We tried giving him chicken, but it led to 3 or 4 infections or gastroenteritis, so we never tried again. Fish was also ok, but I though he did not gain weight); 1/3 carbohydrates basically sweet potato, cassava, and a little of parboiled rice, and 1/3 vegetables: carrot, chayote, zucchini, beets, spinach or kale, string bean…

2) Pancreatin: With every meal, we give him a capsule of Pancreatin. Humam type (https://www.amazon.com/NOW-Pancreatin-10X200-250-Capsules/dp/B000776KK0)

3) Food supplements: With every meal, we give him a serving (In Brazil, we use the brand called Food Dog : https://www.petlove.com.br/suplemento-vitaminico-botupharma-pet-food-dog-adulto-manutencao/p/destaque?sku=1949715&utm_campaign=GS_&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsrKigKmx6AIVghGRCh3VlQutEAQYAiABEgLdP_D_BwE)

4) Probiotics: it really depends on your dog which type is best, and the amounts…

5) B12 vitamin replacement: in the beggining every week, and now he takes the shot every 1 or 2 months;

6) Metronizadol (in Brazil, called “Flagyl”): Initially I think he took 400mg per day. Now he takes 250mg every 3 days – which is still a lot, but it keeps him from getting intestinal infections.

I think this is it. If you wish to send me an e-mail, please feel free. I had great help from Karen and Abby (they are part of this forum too). We exchanged many many emails, info and experiences since both of our dogs had similar problems – this was a HUGE relief for me and I am very VERY thankful for all the help I had from them.

Wish all of you the best,
Stefanie and Maui
email: [email protected]
instagram account: @brotherscolliebr

[Misty K]

One of my dogs is a rescue from the street. She wouldn’t eat kibble. So I made her boiled chicken and rice which she devoured. But I knew I couldnt do this forever because it just wasnt complete nutrition. I did it until she became comfortable with her new home.
I noticed at fridge in the pet food section at the store and inside was Fresh Pet food that came in small and big rolls, also offered soft kibble sized formula and shredded chicken formula. She loves it to this day. I throw some kibble in with it for teeth maintenance. Its fresh and she loves it. I dont know what its rated. The ingredients are all ‘Real’. So for me and my Luca its rated #1.

[Todd H]

I have never…repeat NEVER written a review on any product. However, I felt compelled to do so after reading so many negative and/or controversial reviews regarding Nutri Thrive both on this site as well as Reddit.

I have 3 girls, 9,7 and 5. The 9 year old is a 45 lb. mix shepherd and some various other breeds. My 7 year old is what I believe to be a 55 lb. Jindo. My 5 year old is mostly Jack Russell. Our life revolves around our 3 girls. There is nothing we wouldn’t do for them. We feed the Mix and the Jack raw and the Jindo Fresh Pet and a small amount of freeze dried raw as she is a bit more sensitive regarding her tummy.

I bought 3 jars of Nutri Thrive about 5-6 weeks just as a supplement to potentially enhance and ensure overall health and longevity. Our Jack does have occasional bouts of chewing and licking raw spots. Our Jindo has always has had a bit of morning sickness her entire life although it has declined a bit over the last few years. Once to twice weekly she would throw up in the morning. No issues whatsoever with the 9 year old mix.

After 5-6 weeks use, the Jack (almost immediately) ceased chewing and licking. Her raw spots are completely filled in and her coat is the best it has ever been by far. As for the Jindo, I have yet to see her get sick. If she has, we haven’t seen it. As for the 9 year old, I can’t say for sure, because she’s always been a healthy, vibrant girl, but I swear I think she has more energy and playfulness about her.

I will continue using the product unless something changes. As for the one’s having negative side effects, so sorry to hear.

Best to all. A home without a dog isn’t home.

[jenny B]

Hi nationalguard88,

Every year the threat of disease-ridden ticks and fleas becomes more ominous. My dog, Tiny, loves to roam our surroundings, but he’s brought unwelcome pests into our home. So I searched for preventative measures to rid Tiny of his (and our family’s) ongoing pest problem.

Here are some natural flea and tick prevention methods:

#1. Garlic
#2. Citrus Juice
#3. Apple Cider Vinegar
#4. Herbs
#5. Brewer’s Yeast

You can also take a look at the the website for more information about Natural Flea and Tick Prevention for Your Pet: https://naturesrevolution.com/2018/02/07/natural-flea-and-tick-prevention-for-your-pet/

Check this link as well guys, a video for natural flea and tick prevention for our pets. I found it really helpful 🙂

Of course If you want to protect your best friend against fleas and ticks without worrying about chemical formulations or unwanted side effects, you can try to read some articles in this website to see what’s the best flea and tick spray for your fur babies! https://www.thesprucepets.com/best-flea-and-tick-prevention-products-4167611

Hope this would help someone in this forum. 🙂

Thanks,
PetloverJenny

[Nadia K]

For those of you that have done allergy testing, what kind of test did you have run? Was it a blood test at your vet’s office or something different? I am thinking of having my puppy who is currently 10 months tested. When I got her from the breeder at 10 weeks, she was being fed Purina Pro Plan Sport. When she reached about 8 months old she flat out refused to eat her food. All the time she was on the Pro Plan she was itchy. I thought maybe it was the chicken in the kibble she was allergic to. I switched her over to Farmina Ancestral Grain lamb. Yet the itching continues. I also feed her an evening meal of Stella & Chewy freeze dried patties which she absolutely devours. They are a beef/salmon puppy formula. I really would like to figure out why she is so itchy. She has no hot spots or fur loss. Just often scratching.

[Robert B]

In light of the most recent update issued regarding FDA CVM’s Investigation between the relationship between diet and canine heart disease (DVM), I decided to review the 500+ case reports from the 5-year period studied. The published incidence rate including breeds with a genetic propensity for DCM is estimated to be between 0.1-0.2%.

We own a 9-1/2 year old, neutered Australian Shepherd who we have been feeding Orijen dry foods all of his life. When I look at Orijen (we feed Adult, Regional Red & Senior) I see lugumes and pulses, but well down the ingredient list by weight. That said, there a dozen cases of DCM associated with the brand. I do realize that the incidence rate is influenced on how widely a food is selling.

There were 10 case reports of Australian Shepherds (the summary shows n=13 but I could not find them) and DCM out of the 515 canine cases reported (or about 2%). The observed rate out of the dog’s within the cases is > 10x the general population rate for ALL dogs. This struck me as not happening by “chance”.

I reviewed the listed dog foods fed to the Australian Shepherds and then looked into what their current top 10 ingredients for legumes, pulses and tubers:

Case 1) Nature’s Recipe Easy to Digest Fish meal and Potato recipe dry dog food: Potatoes
Case 2) Zignature Kangaroo and Lentil: Peas, Chickpeas, Pear Flower, Red Lentils, Green Lentils
Case 3) Fromm Pork and Pea: Peas, Chickpeas, Pea Flower, Pea Protein, Sweet Potatoes
Case 4) Blue Buffalo wilderness natures evolutionary diet with chicken and lifsource bits: Pea Protein, Peas, Pea Starch, Pea Fiber, Potatoes
Case 5a) Farmina N&D Pumpkin Formula Medium and Maxi: Pea Starch, Dried Pumpkin, Pea Fiber
Case 5b) Kirkland Natures Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato: Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Potatoes, Pea Protein, Potato Fibre
Case 5c) Kirkland Organic Chicken and Pea: Organic Peas, Organic Lentils, Organic Garbanzo Beans, Organic Sweet Potatoes, Organic Potatoes
Cases 6 & 7) Pine Forest Canine Recipe with Venison & Legumes – Taste of the Wild Pet Food: Garbanzo Beans, Peas, Lentils, Pea Protein, Pea Flour, Fava Beans
Case 8) Earthborn grain free (specific variety not declared): Peas, Pea Protein, Pea Starch, Chickpeas
Case 9) Hill’s Ideal Balance Grain Free Chicken and Potato: Potatoes, Yellow Peas, Pea Protein, Potato Starch
Case 10) Acana (all flavors except Chicken or Lamb): Whole Red Lentils, Whole Pinto Beans, Whole Green Peas, Whole Green Lentils, Whole Chickpeas

I see a consistent use of legumes or tubers as ingredients among these foods (including Hills!). I work in R&D and while I agree the root cause may not be fully understood and the rates shown in the pareto chart are biased by how widely used a food is I can see why the Agency sent out the notification. Given the > 90% rate in the reported cases of grain free, legume formulated foods, I have made the decision to move our Australian Shepherd to a new dry food. So I have been trying to identify high quality grain inclusive dry foods to replace Orijen. So far I have identified:

Farmina:
N&D Ancestral Grain Chicken & Pomegranate Senior Mini & Medium
N&D Ancestral Grains Grains Chicken & Pomegranate Senior Medium & Maxi

Fromm:
Adult Gold
Reduced Activity Senior Gold

Nature’s Logic:
Canine Beef Meal Feasts
Canine Chicken Meal Feasts
Canine Lamb Meal Feasts
Canine Turkey Meal Feasts

NutriSource
Performance
Adult
Lamb Meal & Rice
Beef & Rice

We will begin to titrate him off Orijen onto some of these foods. We will first buy small bags to see how he a) likes them and b) his stool quality and general energy/health.

Do any of you have any experience with these foods or have any other suggestions for me to consider?

[Robert B]

In light of the most recent update issued regarding FDA CVM’s Investigation between the relationship between diet and canine heart disease (DVM), I decided to review the 500+ case reports from the 5-year period studied. The published incidence rate including breeds with a genetic propensity for DCM is estimated to be between 0.1-0.2%.

We own a 9-1/2 year old, neutered Australian Shepherd who we have been feeding Orijen dry foods all of his life. When I look at Orijen (we feed Adult, Regional Red & Senior) I see lugumes and pulses, but well down the ingredient list by weight. That said, there a dozen cases of DCM associated with the brand. I do realize that the incidence rate is influenced on how widely a food is selling.

There were 10 case reports of Australian Shepherds (the summary shows n=13 but I could not find them) and DCM out of the 515 canine cases reported (or about 2%). The observed rate out of the dog’s within the cases is > 10x the general population rate for ALL dogs. This struck me as not happening by “chance”.
I reviewed the listed dog foods fed to the Australian Shepherds and then looked into what their current top 10 ingredients for legumes, pulses and tubers:

Case 1) Nature’s Recipe Easy to Digest Fish meal and Potato recipe dry dog food: Potatoes
Case 2) Zignature Kangaroo and Lentil: Peas, Chickpeas, Pear Flower, Red Lentils, Green Lentils
Case 3) Fromm Pork and Pea: Peas, Chickpeas, Pea Flower, Pea Protein, Sweet Potatoes
Case 4) Blue Buffalo wilderness natures evolutionary diet with chicken and lifsource bits: Pea Protein, Peas, Pea Starch, Pea Fiber, Potatoes
Case 5a) Farmina N&D Pumpkin Formula Medium and Maxi: Pea Starch, Dried Pumpkin, Pea Fiber
Case 5b) Kirkland Natures Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato: Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Potatoes, Pea Protein, Potato Fibre
Case 5c) Kirkland Organic Chicken and Pea: Organic Peas, Organic Lentils, Organic Garbanzo Beans, Organic Sweet Potatoes, Organic Potatoes
Cases 6 & 7) Pine Forest Canine Recipe with Venison & Legumes – Taste of the Wild Pet Food: Garbanzo Beans, Peas, Lentils, Pea Protein, Pea Flour, Fava Beans
Case 8) Earthborn grain free (specific variety not declared): Peas, Pea Protein, Pea Starch, Chickpeas
Case 9) Hill’s Ideal Balance Grain Free Chicken and Potato: Potatoes, Yellow Peas, Pea Protein, Potato Starch
Case 10) Acana (all flavors except Chicken or Lamb): Whole Red Lentils, Whole Pinto Beans, Whole Green Peas, Whole Green Lentils, Whole Chickpeas

I see a consistent use of legumes or tubers as ingredients among these foods (including Hills!). I work in R&D and while I agree the root cause may not be fully understood and the rates shown in the pareto chart are biased by how widely used a food is I can see why the Agency sent out the notification. Given the > 90% rate in the reported cases of grain free, legume formulated foods, I have made the decision to move our Australian Shepherd to a new dry food.

So I have been trying to identify high quality grain inclusive dry foods to replace Orijen. So far I have identified:

Farmina:
N&D Ancestral Grain Chicken & Pomegranate Senior Mini & Medium
N&D Ancestral Grains Grains Chicken & Pomegranate Senior Medium & Maxi

Fromm:
Adult Gold
Reduced Activity Senior Gold

Nature’s Logic:
Canine Beef Meal Feasts
Canine Chicken Meal Feasts
Canine Lamb Meal Feasts
Canine Turkey Meal Feasts

NutriSource:
Performance
Adult
Lamb Meal & Rice
Beef & Rice

We will begin to titrate him off Orijen onto some of these foods. We will first buy small bags to see how he a) likes them and b) his stool quality and general energy/health before settling on a new rotation of foods.

Do any of you have any experience with these foods or have any other suggestions for me to consider?

• This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by Robert B.

[Mac L]

Hi All – I have a Labrador retriever with hypothyroidism. She has been taking Armour Thyroid (a pretty hefty dose of about 500 mg/day) and her thyroid tests are just barely putting her into the “normal” ranges. Her T4 has generally been good, the T3 is the main issue. Apparently T4 is not switching over to T3 well enough with her. Has anyone else experienced this and/or used Armour Thyroid? It is extremely expensive (i.e. $250/month) and I am wondering if there are better alternatives? I believe when we first started treatment, she was on Levothyroxine but desired outcomes were not achieved.

[Patricia A]

Anon,I don’t feed this food. If you read full post I just add at times the same ingredient as these fresh food mail order companies do. I think it’s wonderful that pet owners are getting out of the mindset that dogs should only eat kibble . Don’t think they were born and evolved with a bag of kibble around their neck saying feed me this. If your dog is doing well and healthy on their food then it’s a plus for the dog enjoying real food with the proper nutritional requirements added. It’s not that most of the traditional dog food companies has been always putting 100% safe to feed formulas in their bags of food . Between ingredient splitting for profit , recalls for lethal doses of vitamins and who knows what else goes into their feed quality ingredients I’d say this is an alternative for those who can afford. Our board-certified veterinary nutritionists carefully formulate each recipe to be 100% complete and balanced according to AAFCO standards, and we use all human-grade ingredients and processes to do so.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 6 months ago by Patricia A.

[Anonymous]

Ways to Keep Your Dog Feeling Full
By John Gilpatrick

It’s something nearly every dog owner has gone through. Thirty minutes before your alarm goes off, as you cling to those precious last moments of slumber, there’s an overeager and purposeful series of scratches on the bedroom door. Someone’s hungry.

But is he really? “Speaking in terms of evolution, dogs are opportunistic scavengers,” says Dr. Rebecca Remillard, a veterinary nutrition consultant and diplomate for the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN). “If given the opportunity, they might eat everything in sight including the refrigerator.”

Remillard, through her PetDiets.com business, specializes in creating custom, homemade diets for pets. She says actually managing and accurately judging your dog’s satiety (fullness) is a difficult science because dogs eat for many reasons beyond feeling hungry.

“Just think about humans,” she says. “Food is love. We eat as a form of community. Conversely, we eat because we’re lonely and stressed, too.”

[anonymous]

“My name is Carolyn Kinsler and Kelsey is my dog. I created this website as a place for dog owners to find accurate and unbiased information about Nutritionally Mediated Dilated Cardiomyopathy. I am ONLY including scientifically based information on this site. At the end of each page, I will provide links to the websites and publications I used to write the page. That being said, I am not a veterinarian, a nutritionist or an expert on commercial dog foods, but I am a skilled researcher and a devoted dog person who believes that we need to be full partners with our vets in our dog’s health care”.

Did you read the disclaimer?

The information is the same old, same old. “Cherry picking” information to support an opinion or to prove a point.

None of it compares with one veterinarian that has examined your pet and knows it’s history *sigh*

• This reply was modified 6 years, 6 months ago by anonymous.

[Patricia A]

anon I am open minded and open to change regarding what to feed my dogs They are doing well now on a diet of variety. I’ll go by vets checkups also to assure me of their continuing good health. . WE were brainwashed by pet food companies into thinking that our pets should never eat “people food”. I don’t think dogs evolved with a bag of kibble around their necks to eat for their nutritional requirements for life. However, I’m really not against feeding kibble IF you can find one that not only your dog does his best with but also doesn’t cause them harm. I just believe that MY dogs do best with variety. I also maybe feel sorry for pets who are fed ONLY a diet of kibble for life and never taste a whole food such as a piece of chicken, turkey, egg etc. . Don’t believe it’s that of an inconvenience to at times give a little less kibble and add some appropriate “people foods” for your pet. Can’t hurt to give some of the better quality freeze dried crumbled on top in different brands and proteins. For MY pets I would NEVER just rely on kibble only anymore for their full nutritional requirements never mind the joy I get seeing the excitement of chewing on a REAL piece of FOOD and not kibble.

[BJ C]

I agree that dogs are evolved to prefer meat. However, there are lots of vegetarian, veggie plus and all-natural dog food options out there. If you live in a rural area, often the best place to look for these top tier dog foods is online. I have found a lot of great healthy, all natural dog food options on Urth Market

[Christie B]

Hi Susan,

Thanks for the recipes. I’d prefer to make my own toppers and put my crockpot to use. If I don’t put anything on their kibble and leave it out, they’ll eventually get hungry enough to eat it. Today, I really confused them. I was running late to work so I put a whole large carrot in each bowl as both a “topper” and a daytime “treat” and I just peeked in on them 2 hours later on my petcam and neither bowl has been touched yet.

I bet by the time I get home later tonight, there will be carrot bits all over my carpet.

I used to boil (which I’ve been told time and time again kills the nutrients) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, but my big guy has food intolerance. I find a food that’s 5 star rated, and they hate it and refuse to eat it. I go back to my least favorite Blue Buffalo kibble and they gobble it right up. So I decide not to fight it, because there are worse foods out there. And both dogs devoured it up , no toppers needed. I was amazed. I went through a bag of Chicken. But I wanted something senior or large breed for my 10 year old, and they have a Senior Large Breed but it’s chicken and if I stay too long with one protein, issues arise. So I tried their Large Breed Adult Lamb and their regular Adult lamb. Dogs loved it for a few days, but then didn’t show much interest. Had to add a topper. Now not even through 1/4 of the bag, the itching starts. It’s a big bag. Is it the lamb? Ugh. It’s a never ending cycle of trial and error. I’m watching him for the next few days to see if it’s a fluke.

If it’s not and I have to switch him to another food, maybe fish this time, how terrible would it be to feed my smaller dog the large breed bag of lamb so I don’t waste it all? She’s about 45-50 lbs. (though she should probably be 35-40 at ideal weight).

Any brand have a senior large breed fish kibble? The BB senior and large breed guaranteed analysis % were similar, I just went with the large breed for the extra chondroitin and glucosamine

[anonymous]

Evidence Update: Grain-free and other “BEG” Diets Associated with Heart Disease in Dogs

We would like a listing of dry kibble that is acceptable for our taurine deficient dog. Obviously the listing must be longer than just Royal Canine and Purina

skeptvet says:
December 18, 2018 at 9:05 am
There is no such list. If you have read my articles on the subject, you know that the relationship between diet, taurine, and DCM is complex and evolving, so there is no way to make a simple “good food/bad food” distinction. I would suggest looking at the resources on the subject available the Tufts University Veterinary Nutrition Service or arranging a personal consult with a veterinary nutrition specialist.

[Jennifer R]

My 4 yr old Olde English Bulldogge Rio’s belly began to swell on September 19th….within hours she was bloated and miserable. My husband rushed her for emergency care….Since then….she has been through a world wind of vets, testing, plasma transfusions, ultra sounds, Endoscopy, multiple medications, hospitalizations, intensive care unit stays, multiple vet diets and her biopsys have now been sent to NY for a particular dye test which we are told is the only lab in the US to provide this type of bacterial testing.

We have followed vet instructions meticulously and have trusted a couple who did not know what they were doing. She has lost 38 pounds and one vet indicated “she can stand to lose some weight”. She was a health 72 pounds in September as she is a large framed dog.

Many vets do not listen. They prefer to talk about their knowledge base and disregard our knowledge of the affect, behaviors and lifestyle of the pet we are devoted to and live and breathe with. We have spent nearly $20,000 dollars trusting the experts in an effort to save this precious child.

With that being said, we have no confirmed diagnosis only symptomology such as PLE. She is on a hydro diet which is kibble and wet….Royal Canin products. She now refuses to eat. She refuses her medication. She is starving. Her backbone is pertruding, eyes sunken in, my beautiful best friend is wasting away. I can’t stand to watch this. She is mobile and tries to play some. She drinks plenty of water, still has diarrhea and stomach rumbling. The diarrhea has been since September. It’s horrible. My husband is home with her and provides total care 24/7. I do as I’m able, but I have my patients to care for at my job and work 50 hours a week just to pay for her care.

I don’t know what to do anymore. Her blood work hasn’t improved much. She is starving. I need advice. Please anyone. Help us.

[Spy Car]

Most Golden Retrievers are not in peak physical condition because they’ve been de-tuned via a high-carb diet, which they are particularly vulnerable to along with Labs.

Any sporting dog should be capable of expending sustained energy. Carb-burning is not sustainable. Fat-metabolism provides sustainable energy.

Mushers are actually mixing sporting dogs into their gene pools (and sometimes directly into their teams) because sporting dogs have even more endurance that Northern dogs.

I think t borderlines on cruelty to take strong athletic breeds and feed them on rations that rob them of their vitality and endurance. Anyone who is around dogs can see the devastating consequences of feeding Goldens (and Labs) on high-carb diets. Almost all are grossly over-weight, out of condition, and are often limping. It is a shame.

One would think a short race like Greyhounds might be the one instance where a high-carb diet would not be disadvantageous, but I recall that a study found the opposite: that high-fat fed dogs were faster. There is no advantage to feeding Goldens any amount of carbohydrates. Doing so crashed energy and drastically cuts stamina (as measured by VO2 max scores.

People and canines have evolved very differently. Two conflate our nutrition needs is an error.

I think it is quite a euphemism to refer to Goldens and Labs who’ve had their natures as high athletic breed taken from them due to a diet that de-conditions them and promotes obesity, muscle and joint issues, and lethargy as “companion animals.”

No. These are dogs who have been de-tuned by bad diets. A Golden raised on a high-protein/high-fat diet is a very different beast.

[Spy Car]

The Royal Canin formula on this website’s review page lists 26% Protein, 11% Fat, and 55% Carbohydrates.

These sort of numbers virtually guarantee a Golden will grow to be obese, have rotten teeth, and will have no stamina. It is simply an atrocious diet.

Dogs thrive on Fat metabolism. They were shaped by evolution to have Fat as the primary energy source, with Protein being secondary. This diet is an extreme low-Fat/high-Carb diet.

It is antithetical to best feeding principles.

[Christina C]

I have an older pug who is in the late stages of life. I’m recently retired so I’m devoting myself to making her as comfortable and happy as I possibly can. She is 13, missing several teeth now, and very bad back legs. She has a very sensitive tummy and frequently suffers from yeast infections. I was hoping someone could recommend some good homemade recipes I could make her to help with her issues. The research I’ve done in the past has recommended maybe using a salmon or turkey as a protein. I’m so confused about the whole starch part. I’ve read I shouldn’t give her any, others say yes it’s ok such as brown rice. Any advice would be much appreciated! If you have any exact recipes , I would love them. It’s seems so hard to find.

[Spy Car]

Nah, SkeptVet is a polemicist who engages in argumentation by misleading his reader through the use of half-truths, trying to use a lack-of-evidence as it is itself “evidence,” and he belittles anyone who has an opposing viewpoint as unscientific thinkers and food-faddists in contravention of the truth.

The article on Coconut Oil is classic “SkeptVet.”

He begins from sentence one saying “Healthcare and nutrition fads are an unfortunate fact of life,” as his way of denigrating everyone interested in providing better nutrition for their domestic animals that the stuff that comes in bags from the commercial producers (who products are always backed by SkeptVet). Not a good start for someone who has pretenses of “objectivity.”

And it only gets worse from there in the first paragraph as he standers everyone who seeks better animal nutrition as being prone to media manipulation and adherence to “quick-well-quick schemes and medical bogeymen.” This is an offensive attitude that borders on slander. By inference, he suggests that commercially processed dog foods have “yielded true revolutionary improvements in health,” without substantiation and against the evidence of obesity, dental disease, and food-induced lethargy in kibble fed dogs that is impossible to escape.

He then tries to link human “fads” to an irrational extension to pets. More insulting polemics, devoid of facts or evidence thus far. Just inflammatory language and insults.

Then he states a proposition that I agree with in the main (but one that he later goes on to contradict himself), which is :

“Often, even when there is some real scientific evidence for the benefits or risks of some healthcare practice in people, there is little or no evidence to support claims about these practices applied to our pets. Extrapolation from people to pets is inevitable, but it is also very risky.”

Dogs are not people. They have different nutritional needs.

Then Skept Vet goes directly to attacking the use of coconut oil in humans as a fad. Why? He just told his readers that extrapolation from people to pets is very risky, so why is he doing it? Clearly as yet another way to throw shade at others. It is wrong, condescending, and unscientific. Zero evidence presented thus far.

He then goes onto talk about coconut oil, putting the non-hydrogenated oil in scare-quotes as “virgin” oil. WTF?

He then goes on to recognize that (in humans) that not all forms of saturated fats are unhealthful (as misinformed nutritionists and the medical-science community believed until recently). And that medium-chain triglycerides (as found in coconut oil) may be protective against cardiovascular disease in humans (after warning of the risks of extrapolation earlier). Has he made a point yet, other than making insults? No.

He warns that “only about 15-20% of the fats in coconut oil are true MCT,” without suggesting what levels are ideal from a nutritional science perspective (and remembering that he is discussing human needs at this point, not dogs).

He then goes on to attempt to pejoratively link exuberant health claims for humans with dramatic claims for benefits it pets. More polemics and virtually no science at this juncture (and we are pretty deep in). Just the ongoing tactic of painting those considering coconut oil as a supplement as being in league with food-faddists and medical bogeymen.

Pretty weak.

When he asks: Does it work?, he starts off–yet again–with humans (despite his warning not to extrapolate at the top of the article). What gives?

He seems pained beyond reason to admit that “studies looking at MCTs in the diet show some potential benefits [in humans].” Since that doesn’t fit his agenda, he then quotes a research summary that starts: “Coconut oil is not a cure-all. Well, no kidding! Skept Vet’s tactic here, which is his standard MO, is to attempt to link dietary items that may be beneficial with extremism. That’s not science, but dishonest debate tactics.

Buried in the quoted summary is that “It is possible to include coconut oil in a healthful [human] diet.”

To remind ourselves, SkeptVet has to date spoken mostly about human nutrition, despite his anti-extrapolation warnings, and he begrudgingly has to admit possible benefits.

He then admits there are very few dog food studies and he is not faithful in how he represents the ones that have been done. For example, he makes a claim that dogs fed “coconut oil lost less weight and had more body fat than dogs on diets with other sources of fat.” What he leaves out of the summary is that the dogs in the study found the food with more coconut in the mix (relative to vegetable oils) much more palatable than the dogs with foods high in vegetable oil, and these dogs were allowed to eat their fill. Not honest science here. No mention by Skept Vet that the study lacked portion control. Big suprise that dogs given unlimited access to food ate more of the delicious food. Good grief.

He mentions, and casts skepticism and insults, on research that shows coconut oil shampoo might be beneficial in treating mange. A topic that is not germane to a discussion of animal nutrition on any level, but seemingly another opportunity for Skept Vet to insult a “research group with a strong bias in favor of such “natural” treatments. This guy clearly has an ax to grind.

Not much science at this point. But a great deal of shade.

Then he gets to his classic line: “There is no clinical research of any kind showing a significant benefit from dietary or topical coconut oil in the prevention or treatment of any significant health problem.” By saying this he means to give readers the impression that there has been voluminous research which has demonstrated a lack of benefit. But that isn’t the case.

All that can be said truthfully is that there have been very few studies of coconut oils and there risks and benefits in dogs. Instead of making the lack of evidence ((one way or another) Skept Vet tires to make the reader believe a lack-of-evidence is itself evidence. This isn’t true and it is the way dishonest people with agenda present information to readers. Skept Vet uses these same tactics constantly.

He asks “is it safe?” Then talks about human studies (what about that extrapolation warning doc?) that show “no significant short-term risks [for humans].” Long-term safety and effect on obesity, CVD undetermined.

Then he turns to anecdotal reports of gastrointestinal symptoms in dogs fed too much coconut oil. One needs to remember that Skept Vet howls when those he brands food-faddists bring up anecdotal reports, but it doesn’t stop him.

The fact that adding additional fats to dogs rations (which is generally a very great positive when fat levels are low) needs to be done slowly, as there are many physiological changes that occur as dogs transition into fat-metabolism (the process they were shaped by evolution to thrive on, and one that is undermined by cereal-based kibble diets). Sudden changes are not good, even if one is improving the rations.

Again, Skept Vet delivers another of his classic lines: “There is no controlled research evidence investigating the safety of coconut oil in dogs and cats.”

Thus far Skept Vet has established nothing.

He concludes that “coconut oil might have health benefits in humans, but there is no conclusive research to support this” (which is semi-irrelevant given dogs are not humans). He then suggests that any benefits to dogs are anecdotal (due to a lack of studies) when the only evidence he gave of potential harms was purely anecdotal (which he fails to recognize).

So after a long and insult-filled article, what do we get? Not much.

Almost zero science to support either harm or benefits to dogs. The only anecdotal risks are easily avoided by transitioning to fat supplement slowly and keeping amounts in moderation.

Typical Skept Vet.

Bill

[Spy Car]

@ Patty R, starting my (now 4.5 year-old) Vizsla as an 8-week old puppy eating a balanced PMR diet from day one is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Like anyone who is conscientious, I had read a great deal of conflicting information, including the scare tactics on such disreputable websites as “SkeptVet.” I made a deal with my wife that we would proceed, but would abandon the raw diet if there were any problems.

Instead, both our highest expectations have been surpassed. Our dog has thrived. His teeth are still pearly white, he’s super lean and very well muscled, and has both great energy and endurance, but is also calm when he’s not working and winds down in the house. His coat is soft, his eyes are clear, the amount of stool is scant, and I’m frequently told he “looks like a supermodel.”

Our vet (very traditional) has breed knowledge (she actually owns my dog’s grand-sire) and she is extremely happy with both his condition and his bloodwork.

I’ve owned may great canine athletes in my long years owning and training dogs. I only wish I’d know about PMR style raw feeding sooner, I have some feelings of guilt that I fed my dogs such crap in my former ignorance of optimal canine nutrition.

There is no comparison between the condition achieved with feeding a dog what their species was shaped by evolution to thrive on vs the unnatural cereal-based products that are supplemented with plant proteins and rendered meats. The differences are not subtle. When I meet a raw fed dog I know it without a word form its owner. I’ve had other raw feeders (complete strangers) come up and say “I see you raw feed.” It is that obvious a difference.

Feeding a balanced raw diet is the best thing one can do for their canine companions.

Bill

[Spy Car]

Grains would not be a part of an ancestral canine diet. Canines were shaped by evolution to consume an animal-based diet with very low amounts of plant-based foods.

Feeding dogs kibble was largely a post-WWII phenomenon.

Carbs in a diet drastically reduce a dog’s stamina and aerobic capacity, do a number on teeth, encourage obesity, dry the coat, and contribute to general ill health and lethargy.

Have you ever seen a dog raised on a balanced PMR diet? There is no comparison in the condition. The only thing that’s ridiculous is believing one can feed a dog processed cereals and rendered meat “products” and think one won’t have serious health issues down the line.

Bill

[Spy Car]

When pet food producer “add taurine” it is in the form of a synthetic powder manufactured in China.

As an alternative, one can feed taurine-rich foods like beef heart.

In the current commercial dog food mess, people turned away from foods containing grains because carbohydrates in a canine diet and plant-based proteins are not optimal. To market to those consumers many manufacturers simply replaced carbohydrates and plant-proteins from grains with non-grain plants.

Some of those alternative ingredients may interfere with taurine absorption/conversion, but that doesn’t suddenly make “grains” a desirable dog food ingredient.

Canines did not evolve to thrive on eating cereal-based diets. There is no mystery why these issues keep cropping up. You have healthy dogs when they are fed a species appropriate diet. Otherwise, not so much.

Bill

[sharon l]

Fact: carnivores did not evolve to eat grains, starches, and sugars … especially man made chemicals, and adulterated, versions of grains, starches, and sugars. Commercial dog food is nothing but carbs, sugars, chemicals and by products (beet pulp and tomato pomace). Human bodies can’t survive on that diet and neither can dogs. It doesn’t cause yeast, but is not healthy in anyway shape or form. Regardless of what someone wants to believe, or what dogma you adhere to, … illness is illness and unhealthy adulterated food is still unhealthy adulterated food. Give me the good old days when they made dog food with horse meat and beaks and feet … at least it was protein sources that could sustain a dog’s body … now it’s all junk food and it’s killing our dogs.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by sharon l.

[Spy Car]

It is utter nonsense that a dog food can the “too high in fat and protein.” The truth is that fats and proteins are what canines were shaped by evolution to consume as an optimal diet and–in contrast–carbohydrates are non-essential, not “natural,” and are detrimental to health.

Carbohydrates are in dog foods for only two reasons:

1) Because the cereal-making machinery that was converted to produce dog food requires a substantial amount starch in the manufacturing process.

2) Feeding carbs (and plant-based proteins) reduces costs to producers and increases profits.

But there are no essential nutrients in carbohydrates. None.

Dogs who are fed fat as a primary energy source have much higher stamina than dogs fed a high carb kibble diet.

Some folks who admit not having expertise in these matters sure seem to like putting out false information.

Bill

[Anonymous]

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[Spy Car]

Feed him a Prey Model Raw diet. He will love it and be much healthier as a result.

A dog who refuses to eat so-called “dog food” is a smart dog. Dogs were not shaped by evolution to eat a cereal-based diet.

Bill

[E M]

Help please
My 14 year old pincher mix was always not a big foodie.
We’ve been free feeding him (i know i know…bad choice…i got him as a child so i didn’t really have a say in anything) till i’ve noticed about a month ago that he’s eating less and less. One day he had vomited and then refused to eat at all for a day and a half but i noticed he was still up for snacks so i got different kibble and he just devoured it….for a few days and then went back to barely eating. I tried another food brand (at this point I’ve started giving him 6:30 am and pm meals) and the same thing happened- devours at first but then barely eats..
i’ve changed his food again and he’s at the point now where he’s barely eating again
Should i just keep switching brands? Should i try to alternate between foods somehow? Would wet food keep him intrested for longer?

[aimee]

Hi Spycar,

I thought we should look at some of the statements you made

You wrote: “Dogs were not shaped by evolution to consume carbohydrates. That’s a fact.”

Actually no… it is not a fact. this is why dogs are classified as omnivores. Now I know you’ll disagree with that fact. So let’s consult an entity which you trust .. the NRC. you wrote “…National Research Council of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. The NRC is the world’s recognized leading authority on canine nutrition.” pg 6 Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats NRC ” Cats originate from a family comprised only of strict carnivores (Felidae), whereas dogs are omnivorous.”

Dogs are absolutely set up to consume carbohydrate. They have sweet receptors in their tongues. Hypercarnivores lack sweet receptors. There is no evolutionary pressure as hyper carnivores are not selecting and eating plant material. On the other hand sweet receptors are very functional and advantage to plant eaters. Sweet plant are generally safe to eat.

Next you wrote “Dogs have no capacity to produce salivary amylase (the enzyme necessary to digest starches/sugars/carbohydrates) all omnivores possess.”

Three parts to this statement “Dogs have no capacity to produce salivary amylase” But yet if you follow the literature salivary amylase is reported in the dog. And like humans the degree found is variable. So either the papers reporting it are wrong or the papers that report it doesn’t exist are wrong or maybe they are both right and depends on who you sample and how you sample. Really though it would be of little benefit as dogs don’t keep food in their mouths a long time before swallowing so it is rather immaterial if they have it or not

Part 2 “(the enzyme necessary to digest starches/sugars/carbohydrates).. Amylase is only important for starch digestion. Simple sugars are handled differently.

Part 3 “all omnivores possess. Where did you get this information from? Certainly not the scientific literature. Some omnivores have salivary amylase and some do not. Monkeys are omnivores. Old world monkeys have salivary amylase, New World Monkeys do not.

You wrote “Dogs, in a trait that is unevenly distributed in the population, have acquired a capacity to produce amylase in their pancreas.” Goodness you make it sound like dog’s can barely squeak out a bit of amylase. They can easily make gobs of amylase. My past dog lost ~ 90 % of her pancreas and yet had no problems with digesting a high starch diet.

You wrote “But producing pancreatic amylase is not the optimal or normal condition for dogs and –as mentioned–the capacity is highly variable.” Where do you get this “not optimal or normal” from? Please cite peer reviewed sources.

You wrote ” To take a marginal capacity (that is a dog’s ability to produce enough pancreatic amylase) a push it to the maximum by feeding dogs highly unnatural carbohydrate-rich cereal-based diets puts tremendous strain on that organ. It is an assault on the pancreas. It sets up a dog to be sick. Often the precipitating event that leads to pancreatitis is the consumption (by a sickened dog) of a high-fat meal that it is unaccustomed to eating. This happens because the pancreas becomes conditioned to spilling the “wrong” digestive enzymes to metabolize fat and in the confusion, those “wrong” enzymes instead attack the tissues of the pancreas causing damage…..etc

That simply is a fantasmical story conjured up by people with an agenda. Cite some peer reviewed papers that support this.. The pancreas has tremendous capacity for enzyme production and makes no sense to say that making lipase is a walk in the park but making amylase is “stressful” What would the mechanism be?

Enzymes become confused?? Really?? Enzymes are very specific in what they can do.

The rest of your “pancreas” story is more of the same..

Let’s revisit your recognized authority on canine nutrition the NRC .. again you wrote “The NRC is the world’s recognized leading authority on canine nutrition.” If carbohydrates are as awful for dog as you claim they are certainly that information would be published by the “world’s recognized leading authority on canine nutrition”. Yet it is no where to be found
in the 30 + odd pages on the digestibility and use of carbohydrates in the 2006 edition of Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. There is no safe upper limit imposed by NRC on the incorporation of carbohydrate in canine diets ..but there is for fat

Maybe a clue can be found in looking at their recommended levels for fat. Does the NRC recommend high fat levels for dogs? Actually no they do not. The NRC recommended amount of fat for an adult dog at maintenance ( as opposed to reproduction or growth) is 13.8 grams/1000kcals. Assuming 8.5 kcals/gram that is 117 kcals from fat for every 1000 kcals fed or 11.7% fat calories, far below what you recommend.

Recommended amount of protein is 25 grams/1000 kcals, 3.5 X 25 =87.5grams/1000kcals or 8.7% protein calories. 11.7% recommended fat calories +8.7% protein calories =20.4% That leave a lot of room for a lot of carbohydrate : )

Dogs are very flexible.

As you recognize the NRC as “the world’s recognized leading authority on canine nutrition.” and I don’t disagree with you there, I’d advise you to pick up a copy of “Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats” and read it!

[Spy Car]

@aimee, labeling the obvious as “propaganda” and horse manure is….

Dogs were not shaped by evolution to consume carbohydrates. That’s a fact.

Dogs have no capacity to produce salivary amylase (the enzyme necessary to digest starches/sugars/carbohydrates) all omnivores possess. When omnivores chew plant matter those salivary enzymes start working to digest the food.

This doesn’t/can’t happen with dogs, as they lack the capacity.

Dogs, in a trait that is unevenly distributed in the population, have acquired a capacity to produce amylase in their pancreas. This aided them, as opposed to their wolf species-mates (who have less capacity) in surviving as opportunistic carnivores in a relationship with humans.

But producing pancreatic amylase is not the optimal or normal condition for dogs and –as mentioned–the capacity is highly variable.

To take a marginal capacity (that is a dog’s ability to produce enough pancreatic amylase) a push it to the maximum by feeding dogs highly unnatural carbohydrate-rich cereal-based diets puts tremendous strain on that organ. It is an assault on the pancreas. It sets up a dog to be sick.

Often the precipitating event that leads to pancreatitis is the consumption (by a sickened dog) of a high-fat meal that it is unaccustomed to eating. This happens because the pancreas becomes conditioned to spilling the “wrong” digestive enzymes to metabolize fat and in the confusion, those “wrong” enzymes instead attack the tissues of the pancreas causing damage.

Fat gets “blamed” for pancreatitis and the stressed and ill effects of a high-carb diet in sickening the pancreas is ignored. Dogs who eat a high-fat diet as a matter of course (and as intended my nature) do not work their pancreases overtime. Nor do they confuse the pancreas with which digestive enzymes to release. As a result, pancreatitis is very rare among those dogs and not-at-all uncommon in dogs fed high-carb kibble diets.

The pancreas has two functions.

One is to release digestive enzymes, and high-carb diets clearly undermine pancreatic health through a demand for excessive levels of pancreatic enzymes and causing a predisposition for pancreatitis.

The other is to regulate blood sugars. Again, an unnatural high-carb causes wild swings in a bogs blood sugar levels. Boom and bust. The pancreas has to work overtime in an attempt to control for a diet that isn’t species appropriate. This also takes a toll on pancreatic health.

Such a diet sets up a dog for pancreatic problems.

In contrast, fat metabolism keeps a dog’s blood sugars extremely even. They produce steady glucose supplies easily and on demand in a slow and steady fashion that places no strain on the pancreas. This promotes good pancreatic health.

So with both pancreatic functions, the “endocrine function” that regulates blood sugars) and the “exocrine function” (that produces digestive enzymes) fat metabolism works with nature to promote pancreatic health and high vitality.

In contrast, a high-carb diet taxes the pancreas by requiring it to produce excessive (and wholly unnatural) amounts of pancreatic amylase due to feeding a modern processed cereal-based food. Then the stress on the pancreas is compounded on the exocrine by the wild ride of trying to control blood sugars.

Those assaults on pancreatic health set up high-carb eating dogs to be sick. Not “propaganda,” but an honest evaluation of dog physiology. The junk-food diet is at the root of the problem. That’s what happens when species inappropriate food is marketed for dogs.

Bill

[Spy Car]

@ aimee, dogs are not people. We have evolved with very different nutritional needs.

Human beings have salivary amylase, for example, the digestive enzyme necessary to convert starches. Dog’s lack salivary amylase.

it is a common problem that pet owners anthropomorphize their dogs and (wrongly) believe they have the same nutritional requirements and same metabolism we do, but that runs against evidence-based science.

Fat is an essential nutrient for dogs, as is protein. Carbohydrates are nonessential. Completely unnecessary in a canine diet. Their needs are not the same as those of humans.

Your accusations of ignoring the veterinary literature are false. Satiety studies involving low-fat rations require loading rations with fiber, which is hellish for dogs. Moving that much waste (and creating that much poop) is very hard on dogs vs the efficiency of metabolizing much smaller quantities of fat and protein.

I think you are confusing healthful salads and greens that are great for people with what’s good for dogs. And that ain’t a high carb diet. Nothing could be a less appropriate choice for good canine health.

Carbs are in modern processed dog food to make food inexpensive. That comes at a cost to dog’s health. A dog fed a balanced raw diet will have a dramatically better condition, less body fat and more muscle. A high protein/high-fat diet that reduces carbs as much as possible is a distant second choice, but miles ahead of an unhealthful fiber and cereal-based “low-fat” diet.

Bill

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by Spy Car.

[Spy Car]

Again, about the worst thing one can do for a dog experiencing abdominal pain is to stuff it with low-calorie high-fiber foods.

When a dog is fed a low-fat diet the difficulty is that the dog will not experience the kind of satiety that have when they are fed the essential fats they were shaped by evolution to thrive on. So such dogs always feel hungry and act hungry. In response, pet food companies add massive amounts of fiber to such formulas, often in the neighborhood of 28% fiber. The poor dogs fed such a ration have to carry and move all this excessive fiber through their systems, producing massive amounts of stool in the process. It is both uncomfortable, irritating to the GI tract, and is extra weight to carry in their bellies.

It is unkind, in the extreme, to have a dog with hip or disk issues (and digestive issue) to place such an extreme tax on its digestive track in my estimation.

And for what purpose? To deny it the fuel it actually needs for optimal energy delivery and good health so it can be (poorly) substituted with not essential calories from carbohydrates.

The less food, by mass, that a dog in such a condition needs to move the better. Think about it.

The higher fat ration provides the nutrients a dog actually needs and reduces the need to add fillers that are hard to process. All that extra poop (and it will be dramatically more) is evidence of what a dog needs to process to manage such an unnatural and unhealthful diet.

Ryan, try to find a formula with over 20% fat. The high-carb/low-fat road really isn’t a good one. I really isn’t species appropriate. The amount of fiber is an assault on the digestive track designed to make the dog feel “full.”

Instead, much smaller amounts of high protein/high-fat foods would serve your dog much (much) better.

Ryan, I realize you are getting diametrically opposed advice. I’d ask yourself what makes sense? What did nature shape dogs to optimally consume? Was it heavily processed cereal loaded with extra fiber to fool a dog into thinking it was getting the fuel it needs? Or actually giving dogs a proper portion of what they thrive on?

Think about it.

If triglycerides are high, the likeliest culprit is hypothyroidism. Has your vet ruled that out?

If this is related to diet it is far (far) more likely that it is related to high-carbs than fat.

Best,

Bill

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by Spy Car.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by Spy Car.

[Spy Car]

Hey Ryan,

The best way to feed is always “by condition” rather than any fixed about. That means reducing calories if the dog is too heavy and increasing if the dog is getting too lean. On the last point, Americans tend to have very skewed ideas about what’s a healthy weight for dogs. It is best for dogs to be lean.

The two best ways to assess “condition” are:

1) To palpate the ribs with an eye towards assessing the degree of fat layer over the ribs. Ideally, that fat layer is very slight. In an obese dog, there will be a thick fat layer. Either way, this is your standard of measure as you adjust diet. It gives you a “bechmark.”

2) The other useful measure is to observe the dog from overhead and see to what degree it has a “tuck” (waist). Obese dogs will have very little (or no) tuck. Again, the tuck becomes a secondary benchmark.

As to diet, feeding low-fat is the worst thing one can do to reduce weight, While it seems counter-intuitive, dogs naturally metabolize fats as their optimal energy source. It was what they were shaped by evolution to thrive on. Carbohydrates on the other hand cut stamina and lead to obesity.

If you can’t do a balance PMR style raw diet the best thing you could do is to slowly transition to a high protein/high fat (low carb) diet and to feed fewer overall calories while you slowly bring down the weight.

The worst move is to increase the carbohydrates (by cutting fats) because those carbs (along with overfeeding and diet-linked de-conditioning) are the culprits in promoting obesity.

Best,

Bill

[Spy Car]

Keeping a Lab that’s experiencing hip pain or hip dysplasia at 140 lbs isn’t sustainable.

That means something needs to be done to gradually reduce the dog’s weight. The best way to accomplish the weight loss is to eliminate the portion of the diet that provides non-essential calories. Namely, carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are nor essential in a canine diet according to the Nation Reseach Council (which is the world’s recognized authority).

There is nothing “drastic” about feeding a dog the sort of diet it was shaped by evolution to consume. An unnatural carb-rich diet is literally crippling this dog.

A balanced PRM-style diet is the best thing one could do for this dog in portions designed to promote slow weight loss.

Bill

[Drew M]

In response to anon101’s thoughts:

First, keep in mind that veterinary research is generally underfunded. We don’t have nice big studies. One of the major flaws often leveled at veterinary nutrition departments is that they get a lot of funding from pet food companies. Why do you think they’re trying to get donations to fund their pet food research? It’s so they can maintain independence and do research that is not at risk of bias, or the perception of bias. We all hate being asked for money, but also keep in mind that the people asking you for money probably don’t even use the same break room or work in the same building as the people researching pet food or diagnosing your pet.

As far as trusting your veterinarian to keep you informed: trust isn’t really correlated to accuracy, unfortunately. Many people “lose trust” in a veterinarian who doesn’t confirm what the client wants to believe, for example. Who we trust is based on very emotional, gut-level thinking.

Veterinarians are a much better source of information than, say, a website written or maintained by a non-veterinarian, and in general I think it’s great that you trust your veterinarian. But we are susceptible to marketing too. If your veterinarian and a veterinary specialist disagree on a topic that the specialists have devoted their lives to studying, it’s probably a good idea to take the specialist’s advice.

With all of that said, the article from Tufts is a very preliminary discussion. It’s too soon to start speculating, changing diets, rotating diets, or anything else; if you’re worried, probably the only change that makes sense is to switch to a mainstream, high-quality commercial diet.

[Murph27]

Daniel K.,

I couldn’t have said it better!!! I’ve been researching a new food and am at the point where I’m thinking about using a service offered by Tufts Vet school that will provide 3 commercial foods and 1 home recipe – based on a consultation with one of their nutritionists.

I went through this about 6 years ago when Evo was sold – don’t remember it being this difficult. I selected Brothers Complete. I was happy with their kibble until one of my dogs had an issue with it – prompting me to begin my research. I have to say that Richard from Brothers has always responded to email, but I’m not comfortable with some of his answers since they don’t answer my questions. Perhaps my questions were not clear. He has even provided his cell phone number, but I have not contacted him because I need to do more research on some of the ingredients I have questions about.

The issue for me is trust. It’s maddening because I’m trying to provide the best (and safest) food possible, but after weeks of research and sleepless nights, I’m beginning to feel hopeless!

Just thought I’d let you know you are not alone!