[Akari_32]

The way I understand it, all of Diamonds canned food are made and canned by Simmons. I personally just assume not support Diamond, but I do buy other canned foods made by Simmons, like Pure Balance.

I personally shoot for higher callorie foods because I have an older dog that I can’t get to eat much more than about 2 cups a day. If I can get her eat as little as possible, but still have her maintain her body weight, we’re both happy. I have some dry EVO in the freezer, and she actually only eats about a cup of that a day when I take it out. Due to the fat content and her age (11), I only use it for about a week or two at a time because it makes her pudgy pretty quickly LOL For most dogs, callories isn’t an issue, especially on a rotational diet.

[Naturella]

You’re welcome! And not at all, they become more like a biscuit (crunchy and usually devoured in as long as your dog will take to eat a biscuit that size).

[Bashli C]

Hello sue102dal, it sounds like your hating here? I see that even melissaandrew can see this as well, you must now be in bed with blueridge. My understanding is that that he is licensed even for human consumption and feeds his own dog the products that he sells to others.

As I stated my Cane corso he very happy with the food, devours it all every time. Just Hype blueride if you will and stop putting down others , blueridge is not perfect either.

[DogFoodie]

I’ve used Himalayan Chews before. They are very hard and do make me a bit nervous. I’ve had some that I’ve had for a while, but must be hesitating to use them for some reason. And, I’ve also microwaved the last bit. It’s funny, because they puff up huge like a marshmallow in the microwave, but stay fairly soft and chew. Once microwaved, they’re devoured in seconds.

[aimee]

Dori,
I think that is a very good point… especially if the the boss is paying the employees for their time.

Akari 32,
If you are going to bring up particular issues be well prepared. For example, if I was at the meeting with you and you asked about a hydrolyzed diet causing harm due to freed glutamate these are things as your co worker I may ask you: What do you see as the significant difference between glutamate being freed before ingestion vs soon after since glutamate is freed through digestion? I may also ask you to explain that effects of dose and route of administration. When given independently in high doses as a gavage or when injected glutamate can indeed cause harm but those same effects were not be duplicated when fed as part of a diet. As this exposure is at physiologic levels and dietary how would that research be relevant in this situation? From an evolutionary point why if free glutamate is so harmful is it abundant in breast milk?

I’m just thinking out loud here… make sure you understand your concerns, and you are well prepared.

[Nancy C]

BC NUT – I have re read your original email that says, “I give mine ribs…” In that you say, “They can’t consume the whole beef rib in a timely manner, but all the other ribs are completely consumed.” That is not getting through to my thick brain. So they cannot devour the whole rib but all the others are totally consumed?” Did you perhaps leave a word out? I really want to understand what you are saying here. You always say worthwhile things!
Sorry about my thick-ness.

[Lisa M]

Does anyone have recommendations for a toy poodle who can only have venison as the sole protein in his food (no chicken meal, eggs, or proteins from other animal sources) due to allergies? We’ve been through Natural Balance (didn’t help with allergies and he didn’t like the taste of any of it), Wellness (VERY fishy and made his allergies acutely worsen), Evangers (which was discontinued). Right now we use Evo 95% wet food, which has had recalls, and California Natural dry venison (which has had recalls, and seems to be being possibly discontinued? or at least it is very hard to find). I have a source for venison ground hamburger meat with ground bone, but I also have been unable to find vitamin supplements to add to it. I’d ground up some of the dry CA Natural and called it “sprinkles”, and he would eat it that way sometimes. He’s seen 2 vets, consulted with a vet internist, and has seen a veterinary dermatologist, so yes, it is documented that it is both food allergies and skin allergies. He did not go for any of the freeze dried stuff. Thanks so much.

[Akari_32]

When I put the steps in moms room, I put them to the night stand. They are the same height, but the night stand provides Ginger and Bentley that extra room to get up on to the bed, rather than a shear drop from the bed to the stairs. Moms bed is 31 inches tall, which we couldn’t find any stairs to reach, so we decided the night stand was a good height. It is for Bentley, but just a bit too tall for old Ginger. I’ll be finding a rug and a bit of 4×4 to make an extra step on the night stand, and make the surface non-slip (again, not a problem for Bentley, but a problem for Gingers short little legs and old bones).

I actually bought the Toy Breed for my almost 12-year-old, 60 lb retriever mix, Haley, because it’s high in calories, and she doesn’t like to eat much. Got a bunch if 2 and 4 lb bags free with coupons, along with the Wellness Senior cans :p Having only $10 a week budgeted for now three dogs (12, 60 and 130 lb), a cat, and various fish and reptiles, I’m oportunistic with my pet food coupon deals (but not so much so that I’ll buy food of questionable quality– I still have standards, which works out for me with the great Wellness deals I get). I typically buy puppy foods because of Haley, but the protein and calories on this line were where I wanted them for the most part, and is figured variety is the spice of life LOL

Also, the small kibble size seems to be working well for Ginger because of her teeth. They are just so gross, and I imagine they hurt to some degree. I don’t think this dog has ever seen a bone of any kind in her life. I do plan on seeing how she does on other foods I’ve got stashed away that have larger kibble sizes though. I’ve got one 6lb bag of Pro Plan small breed puppy (only cost my 3 bucks!) and about 15 lbs of Nutro Natural Choice puppy that all have larger kibbles (and of course my bunches of Wellness Toy Breed lol). I’ve got some EVO in the freezer, but those are like as big as her eye, so I think that’s out of the question…

[LunasMommy]

@ Elizabeth T.,

I also have a Great Dane puppy that’s just turned 6 months old and I have her on Earthborn Holistic Meadow Feast. She seems to be doing well on that. I know when I got her from the breeder he had her on something similar to Purina and I switched her to Wellness Core Puppy. I’ve tried that one, Avoderm Revolving Menu: Trout and Peas and now have her on Earthborn. She seems to have done well with all three of those, I’m just trying to find one that’s reasonably priced and that I can find locally. All three are grain free and meet the criteria for being low (or within range) for the calcium levels. Hope that helps you out.

[Andrew M]

Hello Hound Dog Mom ~
Our now 6 month old German GSD weighs in at 51 ponds plus! We have been feeding him Wellness Core Puppy Dry… He devours his twice daily feeding of approximately 2 cups per feeding. My questions… You suggest mixing wet food. What is your opinion about staying with the same family of food, Wellness, and adding the wet, as a topper, either on a regular daily basis at each feeding or periodically on different days at different feedings? Thanks in advance for your comments and response… Others are also encouraged to comment if you would like to contribute.

[cola410]

My dogs used to eat Evo, but after the recall I switched them just to be cautious. After all the drama with the recalls and the company changing hands, how do I trust them again? SHOULD I trust them again? My dilemma is this – my boy Duke had a mast cell tumor removed, so in an abundance of caution I want to switch his food to one with higher protein. Evo Red Meat would be perfect for his allergies – chicken, turkey, fish (except salmon), sweet potato, kelp, rice, and barley. But I have to wonder about the quality with it being made by one of the big brands. Help!

[Mom2Cavs]

Bobby Dog, have you tried Fromm Gamebird for cats? My cat, Princess, devours that stuff where she won’t touch Surf & Turf or the Beef Livatini. For her canned foods, I use Earthborn (chicken only), Wellness (chunks only), Tiki Cat, Weruva, and she loves, loves Fresh Pet Vital roasted meals. Oh, yeah, she also loves Fromm canned food, which btw I use the cat and dog versions of the Gold and 4Star (they both contain taurine).
She is kind of picky but not overly so, imo. I have also fed her Dr. Tim’s dry, which she likes and Annamaet dry, but she only likes the grain inclusive of it and I prefer to feed her grain free so I don’t buy it all that much.

[USA]

Hi Hendrick C

I’m sorry you and your pup are going through this! Seizures have many different causes and the first thing I would do is get a complete blood panel and a physical exam for your Shih-tzu ASAP.

Regarding flea and tick meds I would NOT use ANY of the edible or spot-ons (topical). Frontline, Advantage, Revolution, Sentinel, Nexguard, ALL contain NEUROTOXINS. They work by affecting the nervous systems of the offending insect and causing paralysis and death. They have definitely caused seizures in dogs. The theory is that Mammals (dogs and humans) are much less affected by these chemicals than insects are. But humans and dogs are affected they just don’t immediately drop dead as the insects do.

I would switch to a “greener” and more “holistic” approach to insect control. There are essential oils with a much lower chance of toxicity than the neurotoxins that work at repelling and eliminating fleas and ticks. There are boric acid and diatomaceous earth options for indoor flea and tick control and beneficial nematode options for outdoor flea and tick control.

I wish you and your pup the best!!!

[BRT]

Hi Dori! I knew you’d reply. 🙂 So, he was on Zignature Trout and Salmon and just a couple of days ago I started switching him over to Wellness Simple Salmon and Potato. They get a Wellness bar each night at bedtime (Yogurt, Apples, and Banana).

I come home for lunch everyday to take them out. Everything I do revolved around them. I do want to add that he doesn’t start this behavior until the evening/nighttime. When I come home for lunch I check his feet and bottom and they are dry, not even a little damp.

I don’t know if it’s me, if it’s my rescue boy, or what. I do know that my maltese tries to be the boss of everyone, including me. I’m working on being more alpha. I’m also working on spending more quality time with him. As I’m writing this they are both quietly dozing on the sofa, but I did something different this morning and crated my rescue boy, which gave the other one a break.

Let me know if you need more info.

[DogFoodie]

LOL Haleybop! That article doesn’t say anything about TOTW. I wonder if she’s confusing TOTW with EVO. All you can do is share your links and maybe she’ll eventually read them and then, at least at some point, be better informed.

[Haleybop]

I am having a discussion on facebook regarding who owns TOTW. I have always known it to be manufactured by Diamond who is owned by Schell and Kampeter, Inc. A dog food retailer is telling me that as of April 2014, “Mars bought Nutura. Natura was owned by P&G. Natura owned TOTW, Innova, Evo,Calif Naturals and Healthwise.” I told her I didn’t think TOTW belonged in that group. She goes on to say “Diamond never owned TOTW. They manufactured it for Natura. P&G owned Natura until they sold it to Mars in April of 2014. Mars is an owner AND a manufacturer.” She also tells me that Mars is the worst of the worst (I agree) but that TOTW is a great food. I’m very confused. Does Mars own and manufacture TOTW now? If so, that’s a deal breaker for me.

Also, did anyone see that TOTW posted on their FB page that the High Prairie formulas now contain beef? Thoughts? They kind of admit it’s for pricing…

[Akari_32]

Oh wow! I’ll have to bother some companies for samples lol

I wish I could buy a bunch of random small bags of food. My guys are just too old to that to lol I do have Haley eating all Nutro one day and then half Nutro and half Evo the next day, because the Nutro isn’t high enough calorie to keep her weight up (this dog has the weirded metabolism for being 11 years old). 1/4 EVO seems to do the trick lol

That’s great of you that you are helping the family with a better diet for the dog. Did you show them all the chemicals and disgustingness in Kibbles n Bits compared to the new foods, and those chemicals do?

[Case]

If this was the case, why would Acana, Evo, Orijen, Timberwolf, Victor, etc, etc print the info on their bags?

[Bobby dog]

Hi Tindaisy:
I love some classic Tom and Jerry! Those must be pretty persuasive cats to turn you into a cat lover and wishing for more strays. I’ll say it again, lucky kitties. You and C4c have something in common, the love of cats by a few strays stopping by your homes.

If you have a Tractor Supply Store local their brand 4Health is a very budget friendly food with decent ingredients; 46 cents/5.5 oz or 99 cents/13.2 oz, co-packed by Simmons. Only one of my cats will eat 4Health, wish they all would, what are you going to do. I have ordered from Chewy.com a few times, excellent prices and service. Many posters on DFA recommend them as well. Here are some other sites to check out; sign up for e-mail/newsletters from these sites so you can receive info on sales and free shipping offers:
http://www.amazon.com/pet-supplies-dog-cat-food-bed-toy/b?ie=UTF8&node=2619533011
http://www.petco.com/
http://www.petflow.com/
http://www.petfooddirect.com/
http://www.petsmart.com/
http://www.wag.com/

I have my Vet to thank for the journey to learn more about pet nutrition. About a year ago she sent out her monthly newsletter discussing common health issues that could have been avoided by proper nutrition and feeding species appropriate foods. She invited anyone who was interested to stop by for a list of pet food she compiled for cats and dogs. I thought to myself what I was feeding had to be fine since they were name brands that are advertised often, but I’ll stop by and see what she has to say. After I read the information she compiled I was off to the races to research more about pet nutrition. I talked further about nutrition with my Vet, read some books, magazine articles, and visited many sites. The criteria I follow regarding pet nutrition constantly changes and grows the more I learn. I like catinfo.org and DFA because of the simplicity they use to present information to their readers.

Catinfo.org is probably the most popular cat site for the regulars on this thread, but there are several others that are very helpful with current information on feline nutrition and care as well. Here’s another site: http://www.littlebigcat.com/
Both of these sites are run by Vets and I am sure others will chime in with their favorite websites as well. Here’s some links to check out regarding cat nutrition:
http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/why-dry-food-is-bad-for-cats-and-dogs/

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

On this thread we all share are trials and tribulations about getting our cats to transition to quality foods and other stuff too. Most of mine will eat a premium brand canned food a few times a week and I have a couple that will eat some commercial raw once a week, but most of mine are addicted to kitty crack. Most of my cats are 15+ and I am not going to push a drastic diet change on them at their age. They are now eating mostly canned food with a little GF kibble on the side. I can always hope for more, but I am happy to have transitioned them this far with no issues.

Fish is a concern for all of us farmed or wild caught. Although the quality of fish that is included in pet food might be questionable the same could be said about the quality of meat. So I focus on minimizing exposure to fish and try my best to get quality food in them when they will eat it. My cats’ revolt if they do not get fish a few times a week so I mix in sardines packed in water with their canned food. Sardines typically do not have as much mercury or contaminates that other fish may have. If it were up to me I would not feed fish at all.
From Dr. Pierson:
“I do not feed fish to cats for the following reasons:
• high allergy potential (manifested as skin allergies or inflammatory bowel disease, and possibly asthma)
• toxin/mercury contamination
• PBDEs (fire retardant chemicals) – PBDEs are potent thyroid disruptors
• often high in phosphorus and magnesium
• highly addictive – the cat will not eat anything else”

Thanks for sharing tips on transitioning food. The crazy thing is I thought I would have the most problem with changing their kibble. They always ate canned food with no problem so I thought that would be the easiest. The opposite occurred with mine. I rotate between several kibbles with no transition. It was the Friskies they were addicted to. lol I can’t tell you the money I have spent on quality food only to have them sniff and walk away. I have one cat that pretty much will eat anything and if all else fails Bobby dog is more than willing to clean the cats’ plates. All is good though, they are happy and healthy fur babies.

Akari started this thread and another one about coupons and sales we all share with each other if you are interested. Here’s a link to the coupon thread:
/forums/topic/coupons/page/11/

Stop back and let us know how your guys are doing!

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
Nice update!! Glad he is physically more comfortable and the hair is still growing back.

Those are the two Pro Plans I feed, nice to know, thanks for posting the info.

The main parts I disagree with about feeding an “average” food versus “fancy” food are the artificial/chemical ingredients. I believe it is best to avoid a food that contains added colors, chemicals, artificial preservatives and flavorings etc which is what you find in most average foods, not all. IMHO those chemicals are detrimental to a pets’ health in any amount. I feed the Pro Plan’s you received info on and the Purina One Ground Classics; they don’t have the artificial preservatives/colors, starches, glutens, and various grains that I like to avoid for Bobby in those recipes.

Check out this link Tabatha posted on the forum today for a pet food analysis calculator:
/forums/topic/pet-food-label-help/

You have done some nice sleuthing. I would guess you might have provided too much info for some of the companies. Nobody wants to be held responsible for any information provided when a possible medical condition is involved. Maybe just ask specific questions about the food without going into detail about Bentley’s condition if you contact other companies.

If I wanted to up the calories or protein content I would probably add a little fresh meat to some or all of his meals. I would also probably add EVO to a rotation, but I understand your concern and you would know best. I am not sure about the large/small breed food differences. Never really looked into it, but I have fed Bobby a few large and small breed canned foods before, he’s a medium sized dog.

[Akari_32]

Hey guys. Just updating. No baths in a few weeks, but his hair is growing back really well (new growth is about an inch long), and his skin is no longer red all over. Still red at his paws and up his hind legs some, and around his nose, but his body is back to pinkish-white, and he is chewing and scratching much less (and doesn’t smell nasty all the time). I’ve been giving him 3/4 of a can of By Nature 95% one day, and the next day he gets the rest of the can, and 1/4 cup of THK, mixed with however much water it needs to thin it back out to the consistency of just canned food.

He does need a bath right now (some one *cough* mom *cough* cleaned up pee in the hallway around his cage and then thought it was a good idea to put the pee towel in the cage because she didn’t want to walk it to the laundry room…), and I’ll use his medicated shampoo, and then wash him with his new shampoo and conditioner (supposed to be really good for their skin and coat, and has keratin in it– I’ll get the name of it in a bit).

I’m looking at some other foods to add in to his diet. I’ve emailed several companies and asked for the as fed carb values of their foods. My answers so far:

Purina Pro Plan:
“We appreciate your interest in our products. Please know that this information is not something we have readily available and takes time on the part of our nutritionist to determine. We cannot provide it for each and every one of our products.

However, if you can narrow your choice to a particular flavor or two, we’ll be happy to fulfill your request. Please understand it may take some time to process this information. We appreciate your patience.”

What the crap is that?? You don’t keep this info on hand?? Yeah, ok. Anyways, I went through the review side, and picked out all the four star formulas. More than they asked for, but whatever. My thought on the Pro Plan is that maybe an “average” food rather than a “fancy” food would do him some good. Some dogs don’t do well on high quality foods– we all know this. One of those if its ain’t broke sort of deals. Just an idea for a back up food. It’ll take some time to get an answer from them, I’ll assume.

Hill’s:
“Thank you for visiting HillsPet.com and sending us your message.

Due to your special pet’s medical condition we would suggest that you speak to your veterinarian for a food recommendation. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. offers a full line of therapeutic products which are formulated for the management of certain health issues that can develop in pets. The product that will work best for your pet depends upon his or her individual circumstances and is something that your veterinarian will have to help you to determine.

We appreciate your interest in Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. If we can help in any other way, contact our Consumer Affairs Department toll-free at 1-800-445-5777 8AM-5PM CST, Monday-Friday or revisit HillsPet.com.

Sincerely,

Consumer Affairs
Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc.”

I was hoping to get some values on Ideal Balance. Another “average” food sort of idea. But looking at the values on the can today at the store (they have dry matter basis on the Hill’s website), I’m ditching this food. Way too low protein and just 4.5 and 5%. And toooooooons of carbs. Each can has a protein source, and then three or four carbs sources. No thanks!

Nutro:
” Dear Danielle,
>
> Thank you for taking the time to contact us. Our canned food for dogs average about 5% carbs. Canned food is low in carbs because they are primarily water or broth (around 78%). We do not make anything that will have lower values than 5%.

……

Hi Danielle-
None of our dry foods will have a carbohydrate level as low as 15%. They average 30-45%. Canned food, by nature, will have the lowest carbs, as they are primarily made of water/broth. The Ultra™ and the Natural Choice® Chunks & Gravy formulas have the lowest amounts (approx. 4%). Hope this information helps!”

All of the Nutro Natural Choice and Ultra cans are right in our price range, at $21 to $28 a 12 can case. The Large Breed recipes seem to be the best looking as far as how much to feed, and protein values. And if the carb values they gave are correct, they are right where I want to stay. Very nice looking line. I don’t tend to follow the whole dog’s size and age marketing thing, but he’s only 8 pounds. Would a large breed (puppy and adult food) be fine for him? He’s two years old, and should be about 8 pounds (he’s probably 7-ish).

And theres always EVO. Good price point, but high fat. Not a food I’d have him on all the time. Maybe I’ll use it to keep his weight up. I’m having trouble keeping his weight up with out him eating us out of house and home. I’m trying to do the best by him and by moms budget. $20 a case where he’s eating the whole can every meal is not helping the budget issue. The By Nature is great, but its not high calorie enough, and I don’t think high fat enough, either. He’s an active little guy, and needs something that can keep him beefed up.

Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts or input or anything, throw it out there!

[USA]

Hi MastiffMomma

I know you are worried about calories but I feel that calories can always be adjusted by the AMOUNT of food you feed. For me it’s all about the carbs for a dog with Diabetes. Diabetes can be a devastating disease in people and dogs so my top priority would be to cut carbohydrates to below 15%. Commercial dog food companies have taken a different approach. Because starch is cheaper than protein they will try to use low glycemic starches and fibers to slow down the absorption of the carbs and avoid a spike in blood sugar (glucose). That would be fine if dogs needed a lot of carbs to survive. Since they don’t it makes much more sense to cut the ingredient that ALL diabetics have a problem with, SUGAR in any shape or form!

There are only 3 basic nutrient groups, Protein, Fat and Carbohydrate so a food that is low in carbs will be high in protein and fat. This is okay for MOST dogs. Some dogs will have a problem with high fats and some dogs will have a problem with high protein.

I would always unless there is a medical issue with fat or protein try a ultra-low carbohydrate food first. Without a doubt carbohydrates are the enemy to a dog with diabetes and cutting carbs can increase both the quality of life and the length of life for a diabetic dog.

Dry food kibbles need starch to hold them together so the lowest you can go in carbs is about 15% and most kibbles are MUCH higher. I estimate that the dry food he is eating now is 50% carbs. Dry foods can also tax the kidneys because they are so concentrated and low in moisture. Kidneys are one of the first things to be affected by diabetes so dry foods are not my first choice. I have listed a couple of dry foods because whatever food you choose to feed has to fit your lifestyle as well as your mom’s.

/dog-food-reviews/evo-dog-food-dry/
http://www.midamericapetfood.com/victordogfood/pdf/Brochure-GF-Ultra%20Pro.pdf

Canned foods do not need starches to hold them together so they can go all the way down to 1% carbohydrates on a caloric basis. They can also be of a higher quality due to less processing and and a more natural moisture content. The canned foods I have listed below are all below 10% carbs but their fat content is high.

/dog-food-reviews/evo-dog-food-canned/
/dog-food-reviews/wellness-dog-food-core-canned/
/dog-food-reviews/tripett-dog-food/
/dog-food-reviews/by-nature-95-percent-meat/
/dog-food-reviews/castor-pollux-ultramix-grain-free-canned/

Remember that any changes in diet will require a change in the amount of insulin your Mom’s dog will receive. Lowering Carbs will require you to lower the amount of insulin your mom’s dog gets on a daily basis. Changes should be made slowly and gradually and with the help of a VET. Home monitoring of the dog’s blood sugar will greatly help you to manage the dog’s diabetes.

It’s nice that you are looking out for your mom and her dog!!!

[Akari_32]

Wellness CORE does have a reduced fat food. It even rates highly. Really for weight loss though, all you need is to reduce feeding and increase exercise. My 60 lb lab mix is eating just 1 1/4 cups of EVO right now, and even that is a bit much for her (she’s 11, and very lazy).

[arwyru24]

So I have been struggling with flea preventative for my cat Wyatt who has some skin issues as of lately. He did fine on revolution, but the last time he got it he had a little teeny tiny bald patch where I applied it, so my vet said it was suspicious and not to re-use it. So last month I tried activyl but when I applied it he seemed like he was trying to run away from it, I think it stung or burned. Plus the activyl was really greasy which is not a big deal if it is safe and it works but I was concerned about the burning sensation he seemed to be having so back to the vet and now I have Aaron back on revolution since he’s always done fine on it (although he has a sensitive stomach and barfs all the time if I don’t watch what I feed him) and I tried Wyatt on Comfortis. This was a few days ago, we didn’t have any vomiting or gastrointestinal symptoms so thats good but I was a little wary of using it since I don’t know much about it. They are indoor cats but I just so do not want a flea infestation, and the puppy comes over to visit now so its important.

[Akari_32]

Yeah. Haven’t tried it yet, though. He’s got like 10 cans of By Nature right now plenty for the time being. The fat content of the canned EVO bothers me some, but I think he can handle it.

[Bobby dog]

Did you look into the EVO at Petsupermarket I think it was?

[Akari_32]

On my walk with Haley today, we had to stop like four times so she could pee. And she only peed for a few seconds. She’s not one to mark, and she didn’t have a marking posture, so it wasn’t that. It was more like she really did have to pee, and settled in for a good long pee brake, but only got out a little bit (probably about a cup each time).

She also knows I’m not one for potty breaks on walks, and knows that pottying is only allowed in “her” yard, unless she really has to go while we’re out (because walking is for exercise, not for potty breaks!). She’s good about going before we start, but she does occasionally have to stop one time for a pee break, and it’s a full ladder sort of deal when she does. Certainly never four stops.

She is an outside dog, along with my other dog (not by my choice), but she’s always been in good health, is on flea and heart worm prevention (Trifexis– bugs me every time I give it to her. I’ll be getting her off it when this box runs out), and sees the vet every year, or as needed. She just turned 11 this January. The only thing different is that I have them on EVO right now, and they’re about 5lb away from finishing their second 28.6lb bag (so they’ve been on it a while, longer than I would have liked, but I bought them on short sale with upcoming expiration dates so I couldn’t rotate another brand in between bags). This is their first time on EVO, and probably their last, once I get rid of whatever is in the freezer at a later date, since Mars now owns them. They also get a can of wet food split between them a few times a week.

She’s fine otherwise right now, so I won’t be rushing off to the vet just yet. She doesn’t seem to be in pain, or anything, either. We walked a good mile plus, and she kept up with me the whole way. I walk fast, and keep her at a solid trot. Should I be watching for anything specific, given her age or anything? They both love the food, but could the high protein be bothering her? The highest protein food they’ve been on is Wellness CORE, since I can get it very cheap with coupons here. So this is something very new to my old guys. Any insight would be great 🙂

[DogFoodie]

I would try Go! Fit and Free Senior, Orijen Senior or Wellness Core Reduced Fat.

I plan to try the Go! next – it looks fantastic! I’ve used the Orijen and Wellness previously with success.

FWIW, I’ve used EVO Weight Management and didn’t care for it. My usually “unpicky” Cavalier did not like it either.

[Nancy C]

I have been throwing one in the food bowl at breakfast and then sometimes at supper (during high season — summer). I’m in NC. Looking at this bottle it is WF 365 Odorless Garlic 500mg and is PINK on the label. My vet nicely chewed me out late last fall for NOT giving the Sentinel year long. I had ONLY been giving it in the warm months (May-Sept) which is what my breeder told me 25 years ago when I got my first golden. THat golden lived over 15 years! She got heart worm meds during those warm months ONLY. With this second Golden ( 10 yrs old and GREAT HEALTH) I did the same until the vet realized it last fall and told me I was PUTTING HER AT SERIOUS RISK. SHE COULD GET HEART WORMS EVEN IN JANUARY! I am not sure I believe that, however, this is an excellent vet so I started the sentinel. I HATE IT. Now that I do the Sentinel there is no reason to continue the garlic.
I have learned about a product that is NON TOXIC which works also as heartworm prevention. I know someone who I consider “very informed” and connected in high places maybe I should say — has two extraordinary dogs to whom he is devoted and he uses this non toxic stuff. The company does not advertise it for heartworms, nonetheless this individual says that it covers them and many people use it for heartworms. Here is the website: http://www.firstchoicenaturals.com/resourcearticles/parasitesbegonefrommypet.php
This individual knows such information and would NEVER trust a company unless he KNEW. His dogs are big in his life. So go and see.
I will add this: The same vet who got me BACK on the Sentinel Wagon full time also in June initiated a conversation about LEPTO VIRUS, recommending that I get the shots for both my dogs. I have been researching LEPTO VIRUS and so far as I can tell there are too many strains of it for the vaccine to cover AND there are risks in taking the vaccine. The vaccine is expensive and you start with TWO SHOTS. Also you must keep up with it annually. This is a MONEY MAKER FOR THE VETS. Lepto is not new. It was “discovered” back in the late 1800’s and my suspicion is that the vets and researchers AND BIG PHARMA have created this hype about YOU NEED THIS VACCINE!! A neighbor’s dog supposedly died from it in March but her other 2 dogs did not catch it. And I am even wondering if the diagnosis was correct. I read that sometimes it is MISdiagnosed. Bottom line: This is a subject that warrants more research and WAKEFUL OWNERS. I am interested in any other opinions.
Good luck with the Garlic. OH – my dog would just eat it up in the food. The capsule is so small that unless you have a picky eater it will disappear. Otherwise you could wrap it with cheese softened in your hand and the dog will hopefully swallow it.

[arwyru24]

That is amazing about the fleas. I have to admit that during flea season, I use a preventive on my indoor only cats, and the dog lives at my parents house so he doesn’t come into my home to bring fleas to my cats. I have just been there with the flea infestations, when frontline stopped working a couple years ago and the dog must have brought in fleas and he and our 18 year old house cat were totally infested and it was a nightmare. I was using revolution, and I was glad of it when Wyatt escaped last June and was on the lamb for 3 weeks living in the wilderness. He got out like 2 days before he was due for another dose, so when I finally caught him he was already almost 3 full weeks overdue and there was nary a tick or flea on him. I was impressed. More recently though the last time I applied revolution to Wyatt he got a tiny little patch of missing hair exactly where the revolution was applied so I talked to my vet and I switched to Activyl, which I gave them this last month…it is supposed to be the safest of them all, although it only does fleas not ticks, but hopefully he won’t escape again…anyway, the activyl seemed to give him a burning sensation after I put it on because he seemed like he was trying to run away from it for a few minutes. I don’t know what I am going to do next.

[theBCnut]

Pea protein would be worse, since food reactions are normally to the protein part of the plant. Peas starch is “theoretically” OK, because it should be devoid of protein, but I don’t know what their method is for seperating starch or protein from the plant so I don’t know how pure it would actually be.

[Bobby dog]

jakes mom:
Thanks for the review! As much as I am in Wal-Mart buying canned for Bobby I always forget about FreshPet. I do want to try it for the kitties and I am putting it on my phone now so I don’t forget next time. I am now to the point of trying my best to keep fish at a two to three times a week feeding. They just revolt other wise. lol

The baby bunny is still living under my pumpkin plant. At least I think there is only one. I peeked on him yesterday morning when I was watering the garden. As soon as I saw the one moving I put the grass back in place. I would love to see more than one baby, they are so cute.

Only one of my cats visits the garden on a rare occasion. He only comes down to eat catnip and it’s in the other garden. Bobby hasn’t found the nest and I distract him when he heads for the pumpkin patch. I hope he doesn’t eat much from the garden when he’s out and about. lol

[Bobby dog]

C4c & Anita:
Those amounts that C4c wrote in her post about feeding her cats is almost exactly how I feed my cats and they are mostly outdoor kitties.

My big hyperthyroid kitty gets a little more canned food when he wants it. His weight is good and since he has health issues I figure he needs a little extra nourishment. He eats the best out of all my kitties because he is not finicky. My other kitties are still addicted to fish, dry food, and kitty crack (a.k.a. Purina). lol

Akari:
Pick up some more by Nature since it’s still on sale along with the EVO 95%. IMO that’ll do for a rotation for now and both foods are within your budget.

I quickly looked at PS selections and keeping your budget in mind and ruling out Simmons I believe EVO is your only choice for a balanced 95%; nice choice IMO. I’ll check out the GF selections to see if there is something you might want to consider as a back-up when I have a bit more time.

I don’t blame you for wanting to stick with 95% foods, I am sure this is really helping to heal his skin. I fed (and still do) PB 95% for two months straight, maybe more, without rotating any other canned foods while I was getting Bobby’s yeasty/dermatitis skin healed. That was the only 95% that fit my budget other then when I could find other brands on sale. I think Bentley having two nice brands is pretty good! 🙂

Do you need to stock up on canned food for your guys? Did you see the awesome deal they had on Solid Gold canned food? If there was a PS near me I would be buying out their stock of Solid Gold! 😉
http://www.petsupermarket.com/products/petsupermarket/dog/dog-food/solid-gold-dog-food.aspx

[Akari_32]

He only had 2.5 cans of the PB, so I don’t really know how well he did on it. The roommate said he’s been throwing up the last couple days, which is why I threw one can away, and took the rest back. I’m not home during the day to see this, so I never knew. And like I said in the other thread, it never occurred to me that the smaller dark spots weren’t normal, as stupid as that sounds lol Some cheaper foods I use for the big dogs have varying colors with in the can but as still perfectly fine, so I just didn’t think about. Oh well, no harm done. Just gave him a tummy ache.

Yeah, let my know what you think about what Pet Supermarket has. Try to keep the cases under $30. I’ve looked them over several times and can’t quite decide, other than the EVO. I think he’s active enough for the EVO to be ok on a regular basis.

[Bobby dog]

I love Grandmas, I miss mine!! 🙂

EVO 95% is a good choice. I think you want to try and aim for around 20% carbs until his yeasty skin is under control. Remember to keep fat %’s in mind too.

I am not sure who cans TOTW, I never fed that brand. You can also try to match PB 95% protein and fat %’s with other foods since he did well on it.

I’ll check out the Pet Supermarket list too.

[Akari_32]

The cans I had had big black spots in them. They didn’t smell bad, but it weirded me out. I threw a few cans away that I had already opened, and the rest were taken back. Until Simmons emails me back and wants to explain, then I’ll not be using anything that I know to be canned by them.

Right now, from what I’ve seen with out too much digging, EVO 95% is in our price range after my $4 off coupon is applied. That would bring it down to $21 a case. TOTW is too, but I’m pretty sure thats Simmons too, right? And I think they use sweet potatoes and such, as well. I’d like to stick to 95+% recipes to keep those carbs away. By Nature is still on sale on PetFlow. Maybe I’ll just have mom get another case of that. I have some credit with them from a damaged item they didn’t want back… I just hate to have all one brand. I’d like to at least give him two brands, you know?

I’m looking at $30 or less per case. Preferably $25 or less (much preferably lol). Here’s a link to their dog food. The canned foods start on page 22, which is where the link should dump you off at… I don’t really know what I should be looking for, other than grain free. But grain free doesn’t mean low carb :/ If you have any ideas, throw them at me!

http://www.petsupermarket.com/products/petsupermarket/dog/dog-food.aspx?pgidx=22&pgsize=10

[Akari_32]

So I just took all the Pure Balance 95% back to the store. I showed the lady a picture of the huge black spot in the food and she was like “Ewwwwwwww!!!”

So that leaves us with only the By Nature right now. I’m going to email THK and see if they have a carb percentage on their grain free recipes, and I’m also going to be looking into other canned foods.

When looking at sites like PetFlow and Chewy, what searches should I be using? I was putting in low glycemic, since yeast feeds off sugary and starchy and whatever things, but I don’t really know if thats exactly what I should be looking for, since I know on PetFlow that EVO 95% doesn’t come up under that search.

Also, about what percentage of carbs should I be looking at? I know for the cat I aim for less than 3% for anything that makes up the bulk of his diet, but is that even possible in a dog food thats $2 or less for a 13 oz can?

[RescueDaneMom]

Case,

I experience an evolution of my dog food feeding habits as well. I started off feeding premium kibbles. Then I started adding canned and dehydrates as toppers as well as some freeze-dried here and there. Then I tried commercial raw and used it as a topper too. The more I educated myself, I decided to ditch kibble completely. I fed 50% dehydrated and 50% commercial raw for about 6 months. My food bill was about $200/month for my Great Dane. He got tired of the dehydrated and I couldn’t afford 100% commercial raw so I decided to do 50% kibble. He was pooping twice as much and not a regular schedule, plus it stunk to high heaven compared to when he was eating the dehydrated/raw. Now I am working toward 100% homemade raw. I bought myself a grinder a few weeks ago. I made a little over 20 pounds of raw this weekend and he’s eating his dehydrated food again since he hasn’t had it for awhile.

Long story short is that what is best depends on your dog. Mine does SO much better on dehydrated and raw then he does on kibble. He was always overweight on kibble before I switched. Now he is nice and lean. I prefer the Pureformance line of GL’s over the artisan. I would suggest trying that one first. It should be easier for your dog to transition to because it has chickpeas in it which I imagine are similar on a digestion basis to the lentils in Orijen. My dog would eat the Artisan but didn’t really care for it. He refused to eat the Pureformance. He eats The Honest Kitchen.

I hope this helps.

[Case]

So, is freeze dried food considered dry food? Is it better than kibble? What about canned?

If so, it could be the next step in the evolution of my feeding habits.

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
I am very jealous of your Wal-Mart experience. I just spent the afternoon there today, lol. First I stopped at my local pet shops for sales and to use my Wellness & Holistic coupons. My fav pet store gave me 10 lbs of samples, yeahhhh! By the time I made it to Wal-Mart I was pretty well stocked up. I did find they had the Beef stew and the Turkey & Chic 95%, which mine normally does not stock; they always have all the chicken recipes. I went through self checkout and forgot to scan my coupons. I had to go to customer service. There was only one employee taking care of a line of five people. Finally she called for help. So I had my fill of Wal-Mart, but I am going to ask someone again next time I go! 🙂

Then I went to TSC to stock up on horse feed, dog and cat food. They sent through a 10% off everything coupon. They were completly wiped out of 4Health for cats, ugggggggh!

Tomorrow I am heading to Pets Supply Plus to use my $5 off $20 coupon. They sent through an e-mail coupon for 1/2 off Cali Nat’l, Evo, or Innova dry dog or cat food. After these shopping trips, if they don’t eat what I have, they will starve for the next month. lol

I am glad you saw the post! Every now and then I come across something that I find interesting and I think might help (I hope it’s not too annoying! lol). Anyway, I also stumbled across some flea prevention info that might interest you as well. I believe it would be a less costly way to administer the same products you have chosen for your dogs recently for flea meds, but it will also include HW preventative.

[theBCnut]

Farmina, Evo, Nature’s Logic, Timberwolf Platinum, Victor, Wellness Core.

[Mike Sagman]

Tina,

In the interest of free speech, I only rarely remove comments from these Forums. However, your abusive behavior and baseless accusations posted here today regarding my personal integrity have compelled me to not only remove your malicious comment but to also permanently revoke your posting privileges on this website. I have issued a full refund for your membership.

[Bobby dog]

C4c:
I do use the Merrick GF chic in my cat rotation. I don’t have any at this time and I have not had any issues with the cat kibble. I have been keeping up with the threads over the past several months about Merrick and Whole Earth Farms. I was interested in WEF for Bobby because my local pet store started carrying it.

Since I am looking for a replacement for Innova (since P&G sold them), I probably will find a replacement for Merrick as well. It never ends.

Right now I am finishing up Wellness Core Duck and I have a bag of Innova and EVO. Pet Supplies Plus has EVO and Cali Nat’l for 50% off this month, so I will pick up a bag of each of those next time out. That will give me time to decide what to try next, maybe Pure Vita.

As Shawna posted today about the 4D animals and the dog food Merrick makes for Wal-Mart, I read the comment she referred to months and months ago it. She couldn’t remember the name of the Wal-Mart food in her original comment so of course I went on a search for the name. I found they had discontinued making it.

The article in the Truthaboutpetfood is from 2008 so the latest info about Merrick is from the FDA which Losul posted. I haven’t looked further on the FDA site to see what the follow-up is from those inspections and recalls that were handled badly. They usually post follow-up info as well.

So that’s probably what I’ll do, find some more cat food those brats will eat. lol 😉

[arwyru24]

Our breeder has been issuing major warnings about issues/side effects with Trifexis. I know it is possible with all such medications but she was adamant that we not use that one. The dog we have gets Vectra 3D and the cats used to get Revolution, however the last time I used it my sensitive skin guy lost the fur that was at the application site. So I asked my vet and he said it sounded suspicious so I am switching them to Activyl. They are indoor only cats so ticks and other nasties aren’t as much of an issue as simply avoiding a flea infestation. I had a choice of Activyl or regular Vectra but I have read that Activyl is the safer of the two, although buying from online sources is really suspect so I only get that stuff through my vet.

[Bobby dog]

Told you I was distracted, I forgot to add that a little while ago I looked at Simply Nourish when Akari asked for opinions on it and EVO. I liked the Simply Nourish recipe. 🙂

[Akari_32]

Haha, it’s ok. I was all excited for cheap dog food lol I’ve got a ton of EVO right now, so I have time to deal shop :p

[Corey K]

Thank you for all of the feedback. Think I still need help so will give more specifics in hopes that there might be some easy answers but I fear not cause things at my house are far too crazy! I live with my husband and adult daughter and between us we have 4 dogs. 3 of them have food issues that cause me questions:

Missy – 12 year old bearded collie – Would eat nothing but frozen Bil Jac her entire life until she got acid reflux issues 6 wks ago and changing her food was extremely tough. She is now eating (begrudgingly) one cup of natures’ recipe easy to digest chicken dry food, one half cup of rice and one half cup of either boiled ground chicken or boiled ground beef per day.

Max – 11 year old bearded collie – no health issues – will eat ANYTHING including what he finds in the back yard when he beats me to it. He is currently, happily eating two cups per day of the natures’ recipe easy to digest chicken dry food.

Frankie – 3 year old dane mix – he is currently eating IAMS large breed proactive years 1-5. Many days he wants nothing to do with it. Also concerned about what I am reading about IAMS testing on animals, but the plus is they do sell it in 50 lb bags at my Costco. I tried mixing in canned with the dry and he wants nothing to do with the wet food. He is having some teeth issues, with mild gingivitis and we are working on that so not sure if that is factoring in.

Last but not least my daughter’s new puppy Rerun – he is 4 mos old. Rerun is half beagle and half siberian husky – now 30 lbs – vet estimates will be around 60. She is currently feeding him Kirkland signature puppy. He does not seem to like it. He eats very little of it and wants no more.

I feel like 60% of my life right now revolves around feeding dogs and it is becoming more difficult to manage than I can handle. Of course with the 4 of them in the house, feeding is an event, not just an all day graze – you eat what you are given or you dont get any – but now that everyone but Max has decided to become picky – it now involves each of us coralled to a designated space with our charge for the better part of an hour to hour and a half while we coax whichever dog we have to eat so that we can go on with life.

I know that most might want to provide the advice that we just have too many dogs, and I’ve talked way long enough without going into why we have this many dogs at this time in our lives lol! I think I’ve read enough to have learned that the better the quality of food the less tasty. Do I need to find a middle of the road senior food that is palliative enough for my older dogs to eat and wont bother their stomachs? (is there such a thing?) If I can coax my dane to eat the IAMS for awhile longer, what happens when he gets to 6 years old – the bag says 1-5 and he’s almost 4 and weighs 100 lbs. What about this puppy – do we start trying other puppy foods to find one he likes? We tried adding canned (have only found adult canned where I shop) and he then eats the canned and spits out the dry. Very sorry for such a long post – and look forward to any suggestions!!

[mah4angel]

I’ve fed my dog the Kahoots canned duck food. Pretty good ingredients list and my family is devoted to their store because of their amazing customer service. The store began down here in Southern California (I believe in San Diego) and is a relatively small chain at the moment. My dog loved the food and it didn’t seem to give him any issues, but I only fed it every three days (if that) to augment some of the cost of his homemade raw diet. They have a pretty awesome special for their canned food, where you get 12 for $12 (I think, I could be wrong- I just remember it was a great deal) so it wouldn’t hurt your wallet to check them out 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Hi Leslie R:
Canned food is high in moisture, maybe stews have a little more moisture than pate’? IDK Check out these brands: Wellness Core, Blue Buffalo Wilderness, By Nature 95%, Hound & Gatos, and EVO & EVO 95%. Some of these canned foods may not be supplemented with vitamins, they are only for supplemental feeding. I am not sure if they are what you are looking for, but they could be a place to start. Some canned foods that are low in carbs may be high in fat. You didn’t write what kind of health he is in, other than his diagnosis, so these may or may not be good for him depending on his current health condition.

Also, I read the other suggestions you received about making homemade food for him. You could always look into feeding both homemade and canned as well.

Here’s a DFA link about calculating carbs in dog food that may be helpful:
/choosing-dog-food/dog-food-carbohydrate-content/
I love JRT’s, good luck finding what he needs!

[Lance & Nikki]

We have a 16 month old Great Dane and a 7 month old St Bernard and we feed them Merrick dry food (the Dane gets the grain free and the Saint is on the classic puppy) and every 3rd day we mix in a can of Merrick for each into their afternoon feeding. I like to spread it out so that they don’t get spoiled on the wet food and that it’s still like a treat for them. But on the evenings when it’s canned food night, they devour their meals.