[Mom2Cavs]

ebk…I’m interested in this, too, as I use Wellness 95% cans. I do know that unless a company has their own cannery (Merrick does, I believe) then they must outsource their manufacturing. I won’t use Evanger’s made products due to their untrustworthiness.

[ebk]

Hound Dog Mom,

Do you have any info on Wellness Pets canned dog food? I use their grain free Beef and Lamb. I sent a message to them a few weeks ago asking about sourcing and if they still outsource their production and, if so, to whom. I read somewhere that they said they no longer outsource to Diamon. The dogs seem to enjoy it and it smells good. BTW, you and InkedMarie were spot on re Evangers. I opened one of the cans and YUCK!

Thanks,

ebk

[Mom2Cavs]

There are plenty to choose from! Some I recommend are Fromm grain frees, Wellness Core Small Breed, Merrick grain free, Solid Gold Wee Bits, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Avoderm Revolving Menu, Now! Small Breed, Earthborn Coastal Catch, Pinnacle grain free, Orijen, Acana (kibble are a little bigger but most small dogs do ok), Zignature (what I’m feeding atm), Nutrisource grain free, Holistic Select grain free. These are just some I recommend. There are still others and I’m sure someone else will let you know soon. Hope this helps! Btw, you could choose a few and try them. When you find some that work a rotation between them would be good. 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

Have you tried Tripett? It’s canned green tripe. Most dogs go nuts for it – you can mash it up in a little warm water and use it to make a gravy and coat the kibble.

Some brands with small kibbles that I can think of off the top of my head would be Nature’s Logic, Horizon Amicus, Wysong Epigen, Fromm, Addiction, EVO Small Bites, Merrick and Victor.

Something else I’d suggest is Abady. It’s a granular food that’s super calorie dense (800+ per cup) and very palatable. It’s not GF, but it only contains a small amount of rice and >94% of the protein is from meat.

You could also try looking up recipes for satin balls.

[theBCnut]

Thanks little pea, that’s sweet of you to say.

[little pea]

Thanks Freeholdhound.

After days of sorting through many things. Nature’s logic was on my list of choices.
So much confusion out there.

We came to play, we came to work, we came to be the best and in trying, we shared our love for pets.

[little pea]

PattyV

The leaky gut. I read about this a few days prior and was shocked. Especially because the girl’s highest allergy was to yeast. And I knew stolen loaves of bread from the counter were having some effect.
In addition in Feb/March we had one of the worst bouts of overall scratching, paw chewing and ear infection. The weather was wet and she had been recently professionally groomed. And dog loves to just stand or lay down in the rain. Primary suspect yeast infection . So began a steroid, pills, and medicated ear wash… the ears taking over 2 weeks to clear.
She looked and acted perfect in April/May.
Late May blowing coat and itching, itching and coat continues to fall well into June. Itching starts up, I don’t recall heavy paw chewing. I flew in a professional newf groomer prior to a late June show and we had long talks on coat care, drying, etc etc… and etc And a steroid shot.
I do not think we have leaky gut, but my gut says yeast is on a high watch list.
I did talk to a Holistic vet clinic and they even suggested a special Derm vet…which does scratch test as opposed to blood. I thinks it is too far to go.
The dog’s skin at this time is in perfect condition and has been since April. Yet we continue with the face, ear, and frequent scratch to those areas and a frontal paw chew. After switching to Ziwi peak venison in June red eyes and the clear discharge have pretty much been eliminated. No red eyes.

The newbie in me is digging for answers, but I feel some simple solutions are more practical.
A raw diet…with supplements. Just need to figure it all out.
Thank-you.
You seem to be, a pretty sharp cookie.

[FreeholdHound]

Little Pea- check out Natures Logic. Maybe the duck, rabbit, or venison may be okay. My hound has similar “avoid” ingredients : chicken, turkey, venison, salmon, white fish, corn, milk, soy, oatmeal & sweet potato. He’s been doing really well on Natures Logic.

[kobe]

to hound dog mom

i need your advice—i have a 5 month old gorgeous bernese puppy in new york city–
unfortunately,he came to me 2 months ago with giardia intestinal infection from the breeder-therefore he required hills I AND D kibble along with boiled chicken and rice from a restaurant

i have been now converting him slowly to natures variety large puppy kibble–BUT i am fearful that this is not a good preparation-i value your advice
if you have a minute please call me on my cell 9177166149 to briefly discuss

thanks so much

[theBCnut]

We’ve all been there!!!

ETA: You may have a “leaky gut” situation going on. It leads to increase in food intolerances and yeast overgrowth. A regular vet might not even know what I’m talking about, but a holistic vet will get her straightened out and back on the road to good health in no time.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by theBCnut.

[little pea]

Thanks ebk—going to make a call now. Please do not misunderstand the girl is pretty healthy. We just have a consistent scratching mainly to the face, ears, and neck. Some paw chewing depending on ???? can’t pin it down, but after three steroid shots over the course of a year and half I decided I was spending as much and went forward with the allergy test. Equally her brother has even more severe allergies. I did the full panel and we have environmental as well.
As I occasionally show, optimal health and coat are a must! Showing a compromised dog is unspeakable. Thanks again

[little pea]

Thanks PattyV sometimes a little push to go just a few steps further is all that is needed.

I should have posted …HELP! newbie lost in the dog food world..

[ebk]

Western medicine typically focuses on the symptoms vs the root cause of the problem. They also tend to deal with organs and systems within the body separately, which is just nonsense. The body going into hyper mode overreacting to many foods, to me smells like there is another problem that needs to be addressed. See if the holistic vet thinks a liver function test would be in order. That’s where I would start.

[theBCnut]

A holistic vet should have no problem helping you with a recipe that meets all your dogs needs, and coming up with a good recipe is more than half the battle.

[little pea]

I am entertaining that idea, but the more I read the more daunting the task it seems. The majority of her allergies are borderline. Beef, Yeast, Lamb, Cow’s milk, Rice and soy being positive or close enough. There is a good holistic vet I may consult. It’s overwhelming and I just had no idea, so I am very pleased to have found all the wonderful help here.

[theBCnut]

Hi ebk

We have a small farm and if they want something from me, they better be willing to do something for me in return. All money they get is tied to chores, but I do have to take into consideration what their strengths and weaknesses are. My son could never put drops in the eye of the dog that hurt herself, but my daughter can. My daughter would die if asked to do more than 5 or 10 minutes of work outside, but my son will go until the job is done. Don’t worry, your daughter will come out the other side some day and realize that you really aren’t the worst thing that ever happened to her. I bet your twins have been a bundle of fun! We have twins all over in my family, so we have a family history of twin stories, and they are always the best.

[Hound Dog Mom]

If you have the time making homemade raw would be much cheaper and it would be easier to tailor the diet to your dog’s specific food issues.

[little pea]

Thanks… I saw some of the notes where people had posted unfavorable things, but too late I had ordered it. I looked into Nature’s variety and a second choice. Will go back and check it again. I liked Primal raw but at close to $400. minimum a month it was not realistic. I appreciate the heads up and will be following the forums as in addition I am truly in need of coat growth. Since yeast came back as her highest allergy and the testing center could not break out any different strains I am afraid of all that use brewer’s yeast etc. Inflight was recommended.
Thanks again I will be checking the Great Life closely and may forgo the switch.

[ebk]

Sorry, Little Pea. I am not familiar with the hardcore allergy foods. Sounds like you have a lot of ingredient issues to deal with. I am sure someone can give you some knowledgeable advice. You might also look at making it at home. I am sure there are directions and recipes out there to be had. Also, severe allergies are a symptom of some environmental or internal issue. For example, if the liver is not doing it’s job, you are more likely to have allergy problems. You might want to try and find a holistic vet who can connect all of the dots and get to the root of the problem. Good luck and perhaps you will get more detailed feedback from other members.

Good for you, Pattyvaughn, for getting the kids involved and doing it in a responsible way. My brood consists of the following: 14 yo daughter (who can’t be seen with her parents right now, because we couldn’t possibly understand what she’s going through, as if we never went through adolescence. My daughter and son are 11 yo twins, and of course, my two 6 or 7 yo furry children, Angel (Black Lab/Husky mix) and Princess (Malamute) They rarely leave my side and they treat my children like they are their own.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I have used Great Life in the past and my dog did well on it, but I’ve heard some shady things about the company lately and I’m not sure as I’d use it again. I would recommend checking out Nature’s Variety’s limited ingredient diets.

[little pea]

I am new to this website, to all of these discussions, but would love to get some advice as I am searching for a dog food. My Newf came back with allergies to beef, chicken, lamb, cow’s milk, eggs, potatos, sweet potatos, rice, soy, yeast was very high, carrots, shell fish mix and fish excluding salmon. Can anyone suggest an excellent food? Ziwi peak is a bit expensive for such a large girl, and contains green lip mussels. Has anyone heard of Great Life or tried it?

[theBCnut]

ebk

How old are your kids? The reason I ask is because from the time mine were old enough to understand that their hands were dirty I had them help me feed the dogs and then we went and washed our hands because dog food can make our hands dirty. If they found a stray piece of dog food on the floor, they knew that they had to go wash their hands after they gave it to the dogs. Same with dog treats. The oldest will be 18 in a couple days, the youngest is 13. They have never gotten anything from the animals and they have always had their own chores to do, but the lesson about washing stuck. We have a ton of animals.

[InkedMarie]

ebk: Pretty sad, eh? I’m to the point that there are many quality foods out there from good dog food companies and I refuse to give any money to less than reputable ones.

[ebk]

Thanks as well, Inked Marie! The Evanger’s story goes into the “incredible but true” category.

[ebk]

Holy felony, Batman! Wow and thank you, Hound Dog Mom! They sound like some really nice honest folks. Thanks for sharing before I gave the food to my dogs. I will take that one off my list. Great websites, btw. Also, thanks for your thoughts on Natura. Do you think that have gotten past their issues? Salmonella has been a know risk with pet food for some time. This why I have never let my kids touch it. Perhaps it’s the tip of the iceberg and the FDA will ultimately effect change throughout the industry. Thanks again!

[InkedMarie]

HDM beat me to it, about Evangers!

[Hound Dog Mom]

BTW – I would steer clear of anything made by Evanger’s. They scare me more than Diamond. Go to truthaboutpetfood(dot)com, poisonedpets(dot)com or google and search for Evanger’s.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi ebk –

To tell you the truth – I really like Natura’s beyond the bag website. I don’t have any issues with the fact they’ve been purchased by P&G. The recall also doesn’t deter me. These issues were likely going on before the recall and they are likely going on in with most other companies. The reason the recall was made is due to the FDA’s new zero tolerance policy on salmonella and Natura was likely one of the first brands targeted as they’re a larger company. I’ve used their treats in the past and will continue to do so.

What companies are you interested in manufacturing and ingredient sourcing information for? I can probably get the information for you if you want.

[ebk]

So, here’s where I am on my EVO replacement journey. Interesting that, if you go to their web site, they do a great job of identifying where their ingredients are sourced from. It’s actually quite impressive. However, the fact remains that a number of pet owners have noted observed differences between their old EVO and new EVO foods, in addition to the reactions from their pets. If it comes back, great. If not, many of us have already found alternatives. I’ve tried the Merrick Texas beef variety. Seemed like a very good food, but the kibble was small. So small, that my dogs would only be able to chew a small percentage of the kibbles and then just swallow the rest. I tried the Now Fresh Large Breed Adult dry food. Nice sized kibble, even bigger than EVO’s large kibble, and the dogs seem to enjoy it and what comes out the other end is well formed.

To complicate matters, my Malamute is a very picky eater. Her food tends to sit until she gets around to it or until my Lab eats it. The Malamute actually lost 15 lbs on her last visit to the vet, coming down to 110. The Lab is the alpha of the two and thinks all the food belongs to her. So, I have started to use canned food to add to the dry to stimulate the appetite of the Malamute, in order for her to get a full meal and keep my lab from getting heavier than she already is.

I have purchased a variety of canned foods: Fromm. Evanger’s Against the Grain, Merrick beef, Wellness Beef, Wellness Lamb. They seem to be enthusiastic about all of them so far (haven’t tried the Evanger’s yet). Interesting that you seem to have to dig a little harder to get to the bottom line on the canned foods. Some of them, dry foods as well, are outsourced to other suppliers. The companies don’t reveal who makes it for them. We tend to only find out when there is a recall, e.g., Diamond. I sent a message to Wellness, who used Diamond at one time, asking them if they outsource any of their food production to them. I also asked where their canned food ingredients came from. It’s been 1 1/2 weeks with no response.

So, with very loose controls over the pet food industry, the bottom line is caveat emptor. It is in forums like this that we can share with one another and get to the facts. Hopefully, with enough public pressure, the pet food industry will become more transparent and we won’t have to dig so much. Unfortunately, there are many people (majority?) in the world only do the right thing when they must. For those who do the right thing, only because it is the right thing to do, I salute them.

Sorry for the babbling and TMI. Thanks again for all of your help and advice!

[InkedMarie]

Lovemypets, I don’t care what you’re recommending, you were posting the same thing over & over here and on DFA. That’s spamming.

[love_my_fuzzies]

I have two collies and a cat that are sensitive to just about every food I have tried in the past. Between both my boys suffering from environmental dermatitis and my cat Sasha having frequent UTIs it was a long hard battle to find a product line I was comfortable feeding them. My vet recommended Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension to me and I couldn’t be more satisfied. The Grain free dry kibble does wonder for my large collies and nearly cleared up all the uncomfortable dry skin and the cat food has a very low magnesium content and has cranberries as an active ingredient. Shes been UTI free for 8 months now. I highly recommend this food to any animal lover.

[lovemypets4life]

I am not a spam!!!!! I am promoting a dog food that im very trusted in. ive tried all of there products they r just amazing, and affordable

[theBCnut]

WOW!! That is a lot of questions. Some of them HDM is the best source for answers, but I can tackle a few.

Probiotics are the good micro-organisms in the gut and they are a huge part of the immune system, because they compete with bad micro-organisms and thereby keep their numbers small. They are naturally occurring in tripe.

Prebiotics are food for probiotics, they are fibers that the probiotics love, they aren’t all created equal though, some prebiotics feed the bad stuff just as well as the good.

Enzymes carry nutrients where they need to go in the body and aid in digestion. There are already enzymes in raw meat, but in processing for kibble they are destroyed. Dogs make enzymes, but some do not make enough, because they were made to get them out of their food. And the body adjusts enzyme production to match the diet, so if a dog was getting a high carb, low protein diet for a long time, it may take a while for its body to get used to the different need for enzymes when the diet is changed. Digestive enzymes are the ones that are specific to digestion.

Spirulina is a blue green algae that is chockful of micronutrients, which are all the little things that a body probably needs, but science hasn’t determined how much of what or what for, so dog food companies don’t have to add them back into the food.

Fish oil, fish body oil are sources of omega 3s and need to be fresh so putting it in a bag of kibble may not be a good thing. Krill are little shrimp, otherwise the same applies to fish oil. Krill oil is supposed to be better. It has some of those micronutritents in it and a higher level of quality omega 3s.

As for why some say use them, don’t use them etc. There are what I consider raw food purists, that don’t feed anything except whole carcass raw prey. Period. They believe that since that is how wolves evolved, that is what you should feed dogs. Then there are those that recognize that we don’t live in that world anymore. That the world we do live in has pollution and food animals that were not raised as prefectly as we could want and therefore are lacking some of those things that if we lived in a perfect world they would have. They feed antioxidant rich foods to help rid the body of toxins and other foods to help make up for the perceived lack in the prey animals. And then there is every shade in between.

My fingers hurt, someone else will have to provide more. Or I will later.

[pugmomsandy]

This is from their website:

“Performance Pet Products along with Canine Cattle Company, a respected name in dog treats for years are brands of the 4th largest meat processor in the U.S., American Foods Group. We are a company devoted to quality. Due to numerous pet food recalls lately, quality and safety have been concerns. We take these concerns very seriously-that’s why we have built a plant in Mitchell, South Dakota devoted to the production of human grade dog and cat food from the highest quality
ingredients available”

http://www.performancepet.net/index.asp?lid=1

[ebk]

Who’s the moderator of the forum? This example is pretty blatant.

[theBCnut]

I wish you could flag stuff here!

[ebk]

Yes, reading all of the replies from the two id’s, I can see it very clearly and now understand your response re spamming. Looks like a clear infringement of the forum’s Terms of Use.

[InkedMarie]

ya think? Pretty sure they are on another forum I’m on, touting the same foods

[theBCnut]

I think lovemypets4life has a new identity.

[Anonymous]

I use holistic health extension LITTLE BITES for my maltipoo but I just found out he has a grain allergy so im about to switch him to the grain free food. im sticking with the same brand because its the only brand I trust to feed my animals.

[InkedMarie]

Ebk: if you read what I typed,it said to stop spamming lovemypets. No you!

[theBCnut]

Most companies don’t have larger sizes of kibble anymore. Most dogs don’t chew food anyway so it usually isn’t a problem, not like when a kibble is too large and small dogs can’t eat it.

Earthborn Holistic Great Plains Feast has a large diameter kibble, about the size of a dime. It is real thin and breaks easily, so it isn’t any kind of chewing challenge.

[ebk]

This is not spam. I had asked for help with brands and varieties, since I am actively trying to find a replacement for Evo dry dog food.

Thanks everyone for your comments, suggestions but more importantly for extending yourselves to help me. I really appreciate it.

I will look into some of the brands and varieties that you have suggested. I tried the Merrick, very small Kibble. Dogs liked it and ate it, or should I say, swallowed it. Because of the kibble size, most of it was consumed whole. I also reached out to a number of other companies asking about their kibble sizes. I guess most don’t feel the need for a large kibble. I am currently trying NOW Grain Free Large Breed Adult dry food. Very large kibble and the dogs seem to like it. I haven’t had a chance to see what out on the other end, which is really the acid test.

I will keep poking around on my replacement quest. Thanks for everyone’s help!

[InkedMarie]

Please stop your spamming, lovemypets

[lovemypets4life]

holistic health extension has grain free dry AND wet food; I personally use the dry grain free food for my dogs and they both love it

[weimlove]

There is a local pet store that will order it for me, which makes shipping free! I was thinking about going with something like primal, but it is SO expensive!! I am giving raw another chance, but I’m just going to feed blue ridge plus added veggies and calcium and rmbs a few times a week for their teeth. For me, feeding blue ridge is so much easier than buying whole chickens, large peices, etc. I made my first batch yesterday and shadow and sunny (my 3 month old vizsla devoured it!) they were both so bored with kibble, and their poop was so on and off…just after one meal of raw last night they both had excellent poops. Sorry for all the poop talk! Lol. But I’m hoping that this will work out, because it’s pretty convenient and I’m paying the same price per month if I were to feed a high quality kibble

[dbd0002003]

I have a 7 month old Shih Tzu that has been having stomach issues for about 3 weeks off and on. I switched him to Eagle Pack after we got him in late April. It seemed to agree with him, but he
has always had what we considered excessive amounts of poop (sometimes he goes 4 to 6 times a day). So I decided that a grain-free food might help.

I started very slowly switching him to Blue Freedom Grain Free. He started with diarrhea almost right away, so I decided it was the new food. Vet said Pepto, which helped, and I fed him the Hill’s I/D (2 cans total over about 5 days). During the last day and a half of the canned food, I mixed a small amount of the Eagle Pack into the food. Within 36 hours of switching him back to the Eagle Pack, the diarrhea returned. Started this past Friday afternoon. I withheld food at dinner that night and took him to the vet the next morning. He got an injection of antibiotics and a bit of steroids along with something to help the vomiting he had the night before. Also sent him home with something for the diarrhea and the I/D food. I have not had to give him that medicine. He ate the special food yesterday and his poop was back to normal this morning.

I’m sorry for the long explanation, but thought the history night be helpful. I now need to figure out what kind of food might work for him. The vet recommended Innova EVO, Wellness Core, or Taste of the Wild. First thing I saw was the recall on Innova. After reading information and comments on this site, I am considering Fromm Surf & Turf, but would really like some opinions from members of this site. I feel so sorry for the little guy…he really needs some food that will help him thrive. Thanks for any advice.

[somebodysme]

We are in the beginning stages of finding out what my dog is allergic to. Right now she is doing well on her dog food but I’m VERY limited as to what to buy her and would love to see if I can find out if she is allergic to sweet potatoes. Without buying a bag of dog food that contains sweet potatoes or some other food ingredient…would a home cooked sweet potato cause an allergic reaction the same as a kibble food with sweet potato? And other ingredients too such as salmon or beef? Right now she’s on Avoderm Revolving Menu Duck and is doing great on it. I cannot find any other food that is similar and can only order this on line. It’s like everything has sweet potatoes and potatoes in it. Oh and something like brown rice, could I experiment with cooked brown rice? Her reactions to foods are very fast, just a couple days and I can see it, her eyes begin to water and her ears turn red.

[ZeeAndPalmer]

Enjoy your new little doxie! I have two rescued doxies, ages about 6 and 7 years, and every time we go to the vet they comment on how great their weights are. I am careful about the amount of food they get, but it’s the treats that add up! Mine LOVE carrots, fresh or canned UNSALTED green beans, and ooooo blueberries! I went to a dachshund race event a few weeks back and was stunned at the number of grossly overweight, unhealthy dogs I saw there, and these people purportedly knew how to care for dachshunds! Now I understand why my vet loves me so much 🙂
I have fed Wellness Super5Mix Small Breed for most of their lives; the smaller one is now on PUrina JM (joint mobility) food (I am not a Purina fan but the vet visited the company and recommends it highly – she IS less creaky in the hips since we switched) – I am considering a switch/addition to either Taste of the Wild or Innova EVO – it’s been suggested that a slightly higher protein level with different protein and carb sources would be beneficial. Still studying!

[Goldenlover]

Hey all, got a golden and currently feed Costco’s natures domain grain free salmon and sweet potato-a 3.5 star dog food-cost $ 34.00, he eats it, but only when hungry, i actually feel like he doesnt love it ya know, so i went out and bought rachel rays nutrish beef and brown rice and mixed the two…he devoured it, i was so happy till i found out its a 2.5 star food..Uggh….Sure i would love to go out and buy blue…but lets be real…$55-$60 a bag, YA RIGHT! So i need advice. What can i mix in his current costco food to make it a FIVE STAR kinda food. What is this food missing that i should add, and maybe make it taste better. Or do u know of a 5 star food that is affordable?-THANKS IN ADVANCE for your help…..