[Mom2Cavs]

I have 3 senior dogs and one that is a year old. They all eat the same food. I recommend Fromm, Wellness, Annamaet, Victor, Naturej’s Variety, Nutrisource.

[DogFoodie]

Have you compared the fiber levels of the foods you’ve been feeding? I quickly looked and saw the Merrick had 3.5% fiber (Buffalo & Sweet Potato). It could be that he actually needs less fiber. A regular poster here has had great luck with Victor (I think she used Hi-Pro) for her Doberman with frequent boots of diarrhea. Look and see if you have a retailer near you at Victordogfood.com, under the locate a dealer tab. Maybe more moisture would help also. I think I’d steer clear of grains, which can be inflammatory. Just some quick thoughts as I run out the door.

[crazy4cats]

Hmmm…, Anthony, after seeing your Avatar, I wonder where she gets her energy from? Lol! Do you think that your pup is close to full grown yet? I’m just wondering if you or others think that she still needs to be on a food with a limited amount of calcium still or that most of her growing is done and your selection of foods can increase? I believe that either Pet Smart or Petco carries Nature’s Variety. They are also a highly rated dog food. Their food is a little high for my budget. But, I would feed it if I didn’t have a zoo and college kids to pay for! You can open a lot more options if you would consider ordering food online as well. I was skeptical at first, but now do it regularly. I feed my lab mix dogs Victor grain free joint health kibble with a variety of toppers with success. But, it is sold mostly at feed stores and smaller pet boutique type stores. Good luck!

[Naturella]

Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy is what I’d recommend for now. I fed this to my small terrier mix, he did well on it, and it is rated 4.5 stars. You can also check out the “Coupons” thread that has great advice on scouting deals on dog food.
If you would shop online, websites like: http://www.chewy.com , http://www.petflow.com , http://www.wag.com , http://www.sportdogfood.com have great deals on foods. Brands I would look into are Earthborn Holistic, Victor (small kibble size too), NutriSource (affordable in most areas, but not in the Atlanta, GA area apparently), and other brands.
If you shop at Walmart, Pure Balance would be my go-to.
Also, often, stores like PetCo and PetSmart have great deals with their pet rewards points/perks, whatever they are called, and PetCo has this calendar thing, with a TON of coupons for money off of foods, treats, etc.
Rotating the flavors within a brand and switching brands (over time) is also good for your dog AND it allows you to take advantage of all kinds of deals than sticking with one food only.

But yes, I’d also keep him on puppy/all-life-stages/growth foods for now.

Let us know if you have any more questions!

[pugmomsandy]

The rescue pays for everything including food if you request it. Since I taxi the pugs around town alot, they’ve also given me gas money. There is also a rescue store sort of local to me (70 miles away) where rescue folks can get food for dirt cheap. I volunteered to drive out there this past weekend to pick up a load to pass out to other fosters. You would need to email me direct for info on that. Somehow I’m really good with the dog names, it’s human people’s names I can’t remember! If I have 10 dogs here, I can remember them all. The bath photo was from several years ago and I can still remember 3 out 5 fosters’ names without looking them up – Harley David, Victor Newman and Lulu. I keep photo albums of all the fosters.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Karen T-
I would definitely error on the side of caution and feed a food that has the proper calcium levels for a large breed puppy. Check out this link:

/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

NutriSource has a large breed puppy food that I have heard several recommend, there is also Pro Pac Large Breed puppy and Victor Select Lamb and/or Chicken and Rice recipes that would be appropriate. Wellness Core Puppy is grain free and a little more expensive, but would also be a good choice.

I have two lab mix dogs. They can really be a handful, but the most loving, friendly dogs that we’ve ever had! Good luck. 🙂

[gmcbogger38]

I moved about a couple of months ago not far from where I was living (an hr north in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains). My dogs eat Victor Ultra Pro and have eaten the Victor brand for a long time with no issues. One of my dogs is having bad eye drainage/boogers. The drainage is usually greenish yellow, but sometimes it’s dark reddish and he has some slight tear staining coming from one eye. What I’m trying to figure out is if this is more environmental or if there is a possibility of him just recently developing an allergy to the food. I was thinking about changing his good to see if that helps. Any suggestions?

[Karma]

Victor Grain Free Yukon River. My dog is also allergic to chicken and Victor is a great food and is in our rotation.

[Dori]

Please read review on Blue Buffalo and google complaints about Blue Buffalo. Maybe your do is trying to tell you something. As to any suggestions for a dry food I’m sorry that I can’t be of any help there. I feel commercial raw foods to my three toy dogs as well as organic fruits and veggies. I know that quite a few posters seem to like Victor’s Grain Free, Nature’s Logic, Annaemaet (?), Brothers Complete, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Acana, Orijen. Those are just a few that I have read dry food feeders compliment. I’m sure there are others but I don’t know. What you can also do is switch to a dry food (for economic reasons I would suppose) and use a canned or freeze dried food as a topper. Your dog would get better nutrients than merely feeding a dry food. There are many other things that you could add to a dry food to make it more palatable and nutritious.

I hope this bumps up your question and kibble feeders will see and respond. 🙂

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi Andi,

Some very good budget friendly dry food brands are Dr. Tim’s and Victor. Chewy.com has Dr. Tims. You can get Victor on Amazon. Both brands have large bags 40-44 lbs for $50-65. Plus, they will last you longer because they are high quality and you will feed less of them. To stretch out the canned food, try adding other tasty things to his kibble like eggs, canned fish (sardines or salmon), plain yogurt or kefir, or healthy bits of your leftovers (veggies or meat if not seasoned to heavily.

I hope this helps. I know how expensive it is to feed big dogs. I have a 150lb Great Dane.

[Case]

We recently added an English Bulldog to the family. When we got him, he was on some cheap brand of food that I’d never even heard of, and he looked great. So I figured he’d only improve when he’d been on better food for a while. After a couple of weeks on Victor High Pro Plus he developed some hot spots. They cleared up after a trip to the vet and some antibiotics. After a week, he’s got another hotspot in the same area. I haven’t had a dog with hotspots before, and I haven’t done any research yet. Just wondering what kind of input I’d get here.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Fade!

I am a rotator also. I believe rotating foods supports a healthy variety of friendly bacteria in the gut, which is where the majority of our immune system resides. Changing foods periodically also avoids prolonged exposure to less desirable ingredients and results in a wider variety of amino acids, the building blocks of protein.

When I change foods, I prefer to change animal proteins and binders. This round might be duck and peas and next might be venison and tapioca. Switching foods, but staying within a specific brand often results in a change in a single protein only. Look for several brands you like. Are you aware of the unique Calcium needs your LBP has and feeding accordingly?

Be grateful your pup is a self-regulating eater! I have two who would probably eat anything they were offered and end up obese as a result. Let her body condition be your guide as to how much to eat. Here’s a scale you can use to score her: http://www.stateofpethealth.com/state-of-pet-health/overweight-obesity/dog/body-condition. If she’s too thin and failing to thrive, but eating properly, that’s a different story.

There are so many brands I really like. I have a dog with food intolerance issues who does great on Nature’s Variety Instinct LID, so I give NVI a big thumbs up. I think very highly of Dr. Tim’s, Go!, Now Fresh, Wellness, Brother’s Complete, Horizon Legacy, Earthborn Holistic and Victor.

[Walt R]

Thanks all for your suggestions. I have been doing the antifungal shampoo every 2 days for the past week and I have not notice much difference. I also got a spray for the paws but that too has not helped. I did supplement his food with probiotic powder but again, no change. In fact, I want to say it’s worse.

I am thoroughly convinced his issue is INSIDE… that it’s in his saliva, in his mouth. He licks himself and then it gets on the bed linens and then they smell too.

The most convincing reason why I think it’s his mouth/insides… when he takes a deep breath and breathes out…. the fritos smell is huge. almost as bad as bad gas.

I’m very sensitive to this which is why it’s a problem.

Anyhow… I agree, that I need to start with food.

Unfortunately it’s challenging to spend $50 on a bag of dog food. Time is limited too with how much I work.

I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but for now, I want to remain with dry food.

There are 100’s of makes/formula’s out there. Something has to work.

As mentioned previously, when we got him we tried many of the regular brand foods and everything made his coat smell and he had bad gas. We stumbled upon the Purina Pro Plan Select Salmon formula and life was good for nearly 2 years. We had small bouts of this frito breath smell, but it would go away. This time… it’s not.

Can anyone recommend other dry dog foods to try?

I have read… no potatoes, sweet potatoes, grains, peas, sugars, yeasts, etc… but it seems no matter what I look at, one of these ingredentis in in the food. Sometimes it’s 7 or 8 ingredients down the list…

Which prompts the next question… if the potatos or peas are 7 ingredients down… do I need to be concerned?

I do not have a distributor near me for Victors. I was recommend Blue Wilderness but it has the Peas and Potatoes. I was also recommended Zignature Trout/Salmon but it too has peas further down the list.

Any other thoughts?

I don’t mind buy a 6lb bag here and there and start trying to find the right ones again. But it’s challenging with there being so many to choose from.

Thanks again for all your help. I will continue on with the shampoos, probiotics, etc…

[DogFoodie]

Hi Samantha,

Sweet little Pennie has had some challenges. I bet she’s been lonely. I’m sorry that the elderly gentleman had to release her, but am glad she has found a living home with you. I hope he’s doing OK without her.

When it comes to fish, I feel your pain. It’s everywhere. I’ve tried several different types of fishes and fish oils, but my dog reacted to all of them. It is very difficult to find a fish free food. I’ll be reading an ingredient panel and think it looks good and then down at the bottom of the list I’ll see menhaden meal or salmon oil. It’s frustrating, I know. My dog has some other intolerances that make more challenging.

If I’m not mistaken, the only Victor that’s an option is Lamb & Brown Rice. That’s quite a step down from Orijen Six Fish. I have used, with great success, Nature’s Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Diets. I know there are more options than those I’ll list, but those that I’ve found have to exclude other ingredients beyond fish…, so a couple more recommendations are Addiction Viva La Venison, Acana Duck & Bartlett Pear (the original, not the Singles), The Honest Kitchen Thrive, and Canidae Pure Sky (I HATE that it’s a Diamond product, but it works for my dog so I use it sparingly) and Wysong Fundamentals.

I’ll see what others I can come up with.

[Akari_32]

I would suggest you take up couponing. It’s easy, as long as you can do a little math and spare some time to search for deals. I get a lot of high quality food for $1 a pound and less. It’s a great way to take advantage of sales. Check out the thread i started on that. Everyone shares good coupons they find, and we all share our shopping sprees.

/forums/topic/coupons/

If you don’t have the time for that, Pure Balance is a pretty good food, as is Purina Beyond (a bit more expensive, but it’s higher calorie, so you feed considerably less), Rachael Ray Zero Grain or Simply Nourish (available only at PetSmart). There’s also Nutrisource, Dr Tims and Victors if you can find them, and Wellness isn’t too bad with the coupons they usually have right on their website if you don’t mind buying several small bags.

Momma dog will need to be on a good puppy food, and she will need to eat more than usual. I also urge you to get her spayed after her puppies are weened, and also ensure the pups are placed in homes where they will be spayed and neutered as well. They will live longer, healthier lives when spayed and neutered 🙂

As for the cats, it’s best to get them on canned food, but not all cats will eat it. Go for as high protein and low carb as possible. A pretty good “rule” to go by: if they make good dog food, they make good cat food. Here is another thread of mine, dealing with cat foods:

/forums/topic/cat-food-recommendations/

[LabsRawesome]

I feed all 3 of my dogs Victor. I buy it at a local store for just under $40 for 30lbs. Check their store locator for stores in your area. http://www.victordogfood.com/

[DogFoodie]

Aww, Walt! What a heartwarming story. You’re a great pet parent! 🙂

The first food that comes to my mind when someone is looking for about $1.00 per pound is Victor, but only if you’re able to buy it locally. Take a look at the late a dealer tab here: victordogfood.com.

[nilockhart]

Susan, I would love to have the recipe for the Oatmeal Apple cookies you feed/fed Patch. We have an 11 1/2 year old English Bulldog (Memphis) with IBS for about the last year and kidney failure (diagnosed from an ultra sound and monthly blood work which has been holding pretty steady for awhile). He has also suffered with horrible skin allergies for about the last 8 years, and we’ve had several allergy tests done on him which aren’t worth the money you pay. Memphis has tried Royal Canin potato/venison for about a year, then Purina E/N (both at the suggestion of our vet) for quite some time, with Purina Gentle Snackers for treats. He did great for a while, but then he started with constant diarrhea and vomiting, and for the last 6-8 months “gagging” like he’s choking on spit, and even vomiting large amounts of thick spit, so our vet suggested 10 mg Pepcid every morning. I’ve been cooking a mixture of rice, boneless, skinless chicken breast and little mixed veggies for him for quite some time (again, at the suggestion of our vet), but he’s still having serious problems, with terrible bouts of diarrhea off and on (mainly on). We recently weened him to ground turkey breast (99% fat free) instead of the chicken because our groomer thought it could be the chicken, still no improvement. Memphis is still not doing well. He takes Metronidazole off and on when he has blood in his feces, but that has to be the worst medicine ever invented. He is lethargic and barely eats the entire 10 days he’s on it. Then, he’s only good for another 2 or so weeks again before we have another horrible bout of diarrhea. He also takes 5-7 units of Pro-Pectalin (probiotic) 2x a day when he’s sick, which does wonders for him, but we’re supposed to stop when his diarrhea stops (usually 2 days). I’m strongly considering (a) a new vet, (b) leaving him on about 5 cc’s of probiotics every day, (c) switching his food to Canine Caviar or Victor’s Ultra Pro, and (d) wondering whether he has an allergy to rice or corn. We realize he’s on the older end for an English Bulldog, but if it wasn’t for the stupid diarrhea, he is fairly healthy, even for only having one functioning kidney! We just want the diarrhea to stop; our poor little guy has to be miserable!!! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Nancy M]

Over my entire lifetime having dogs, I’ve never had so many issues popping up one after another…..this is crazy! This latest one is disgusting, I know, but very disturbing!

I’ve had dogs (usually puppies) that have done this before and sometimes pretty determined to do it, but never a sudden onset like this! I’ve had this puppy for a month, never has done this at all, but all of a sudden, I’ve caught him doing it or about to, several times over the past day or two! I keep my yard picked up everyday, and now I have to make sure I get it after every time he goes.

Just so happens, I’ve just recently changed his food (still in the end of transition) to the TOTW PACIFIC stream fish formula, from Victor HI-Pro Plus, and not only do I have NUMEROUS stools, he’s starting to devour them. Trying to cut down on the number of stools, I’ve cut back on the amount of food given, trying to cut him back to 3 meals a day instead of 4 (he was use to free feeding at the breeders, but I can’t do that because I have another dog here), thinking maybe he’s eating too much. Now he seems hungrier through the day and now this poop eating is throwing me for a loop!

What in the world could be causing this? If I take him to the vet, what in the heck is he going to do? Not a thing, I would imagine. I suppose I could start putting “Forbid” on his food, but dont want to keep doing that forever. It has to be something missing or not being digested with this TOTW food……maybe? Maybe I just need to put him back on the Victor?

Geeezzzz……..I’ve had a lot of puppy issues over my life, but this one is just very puzzling, basically because it’s so sudden! And I know, a lot of dogs will do this from time to time, or even regularly, but to me it’s a bad nasty habit that I don’t want embedded in this puppy.

Please give me your input ASAP!
Thanks,
Nancy

[Sadie’s Mom]

@ Nut – I guess I could do that. She always ends up on steroids in the winters because her back flares up. My parents probably couldn’t afford them year round. My dad got a new job a took a significant pay cut, so nice things are somewhat unattainable. Would the regular glucosamine chondritin supplements work? And if so what strength?

@ Dog Obsessed – All four were actually on Victor Grain Free Yukon River formula, but it ended up being too expensive. My parents went back to Beneful, but I’ve just about talked them into buying Evolve from the local HEB. It’s a 4 star food with no corn, wheat, or soy, which seem to trigger one of the dogs allergies. The dogs won’t eat Merrick for some reason. I haven’t looked at the Pure Balance though. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Nancy M]

Ok, looks like I’ve got a new issue or problem; maybe. I started switching a 3+ month old puppy over to TOTW’s Pacific Stream puppy formula, about 8 days ago. He was previously on Victor’s Hi-Pro Plus formula. A couple reasons for that, mainly availability of Victor, but he was doing alright on the Victor and was on it when I got him at 10 weeks old.

Anyway, as one other member (that I know of) also reported, I am seeing NUMEROUS stools; many more than while on the Victor. The stools are well formed though, but a bit softer than before. I am assuming that either the fiber content is too high, (the Victor was 3.8% max, while the TOTW is stated as 5%), or in the process of “adjusting”, or I’m over feeding. I was giving 1/2 cup, 3xday, and that’s probably too much…..I’ve cut down to 1/3 cup, 3 Xday. I’ve also been trying to get down to 3 meals instead of 4. Pup is also drinking quite a bit more water, again probably a result of the extra fiber, but of course, also makes potty training a bit more challenging.

My older dog (1 year old) is doing well on the adult version of this same food so far; much better than the Victor which gave her terribly itchy skin. I was trying to keep them both on the same brand and formula, but maybe this much fiber is just too much for the pup.

Suggestions and advice please.

Thanks as always!
Nancy

[Nancy M]

Neezerfan,

Thanks for the info about your experience. I haven’t had quite that experience, but very close. This dog’s stools have not been abnormally soft or smelly, but rather quite large and numerous; especially while on the Victor food. And then came the itchies. I was a bit suspicious when I saw all the different proteins/meats in the Victor food as well, but as many people who swear by it, I decided to give it a try. While many dogs probably do great on it, and it sounds like a great quality food, I have never been a fan of this many different meat sources in one food. I have always preferred a more limited ingredient food. Actually, it seems this dog did much better on her original puppy food; the Diamond Natural’s formula. Even though it was chicken based, it had a high protein and fat content, and a nice fiber content, which apparently she needs. As much as I distrust Diamond, we may go back to that and start all over again.

I’d really be interested to know what brand you are using now; the venison/potato. I’ve looked at many, many foods and even including puppy formulas, I can’t seem to find one even close to the Diamond…….not yet.

Thanks again for your input!
Nancy

[Nancy M]

BCnut:

When I first got this dog from my daughter, she weighed 25.5# at the vet. I had taken her in for a fecal. Shortly after that is when I changed her diet to the Victor Hi-pro. About a week into the transition is when I noticed the major itchiness, back rolling and scratching, and that is when she got the allergy shot. She had lost about a pound within that week, which isn’t extreme, but I suspect that she is still losing slightly. He told me to wait a couple weeks to change her to a fish based food, to make sure it was the food, but I was running low on the Victor and decided to purchase a new bag of a new food; the TOTW.Pacific Stream. She had already been having more stools when she was on the Victor. They are about the same on the TOTW. I live in Arkansas, so I believe the food is coming out of Missouri. Like I said, I am NOT a TOTW fan, by any means, but for now I’m going to continue with it until I know whether it’s the food or the allergy shot that’s helping. In a couple weeks I should know. In the meantime, I’m just trying to figure out where to go next. I’ll either have to find a higher protein/fat food, or just keep her on puppy food for awhile longer. Will probably take her back to the vet after the holidays to get her checked out again and discuss it with him though, before I make any more changes.

Thanks much for your response! Everything is helpful!
Nancy

[MARK k]

Crazy4cats . . which Victor dog food do you recommend for a lab. I assume since you have dogs with lab in them, they are fairly active? Ours is active, but he was neutered awhile back, so we watch what he eats.

[crazy4cats]

If you google Victor dog food, they have a dealer locater link. I’m on my iPad right now and don’t know how to copy and paste the link. How embarrassing! I only have one store in my area that carries a limited supply. I have to call a week in advance so they can order it for me if they don’t have it in stock. Otherwise, yes, Amazon, Sport Dog and RocketPetz carries it. The supplements, I have ordered both from Amazon. I have fed Blue Wilderness a few years back with pretty good results, but was a bit too expensive for our family. Besides, after reading ingredients, they all are mostly chicken anyway. I have fed my kitties Wellness, but not the dogs. It’s pretty expensive for two 80 pounders.

You didn’t mention if you have had a fecal test done. Worms and/or parasites can cause loose stools as well. Make sure you rule those out as well.

The Firm Up is dehydrated pumpkin and pectin and the Perfect Form contains some enzymes and slippery elm which are very helpful for unhappy intestines. Also probiotics can be helpful as well. Such as Vetri-Pro BD by Vetri Science is recommended.

Oh boy, good luck. I remember how overwhelming this advise can be. Just try one new thing at a time to see if it is helpful. I often change a couple of things at a time and I never know what caused the improvement or the decline.

[crazy4cats]

I have two lab mix dogs and have had the same issue. I have had the best luck with Victor grain free food so far. I also use various supplements that are very helpful. Such as Firm Up and The Perfect Form. Also, when I add either a couple frozen Nature’s variety Instinct raw nuggets or The Honest Kitchen dehydrated as a topper, it also helps. I think it is because of the added fiber that helps firm up the stools.

Please check out http://www.dogaware.com for some very helpful information on loose stools. It has been an extremely valuable resource for me!

Please feel free to write back with any questions or comments.

[Nancy M]

I need input on a topic that I’ve NEVER had experience with…..an UNDERWEIGHT dog.

I aquired my daughter’s mini Aussie female puppy when she was about 11 months old. She was raised on Diamond Natural’s dry puppy food. Although she has grown into a somewhat thin lanky adult, she looked alright on the Diamond. However, when it came time to switch her to an adult food, I ended up going with the Victor Hi-Pro Plus (puppy and adult formula), only because a Sheltie puppy I just got, was already on it. So I thought I would finally get away from the Diamond products and for the last few weeks, they were both eating the Victor. I was a bit concerned with the variety of meats in this formula though.

Within the first 2 weeks, I noticed a growing shed and itchiness with the Aussie; actually had to take her into the vet for an allergy shot, which has helped. He suggested a food change, which I have done over the last week; back to another Diamond product though which I don’t like, but for now I’m trying it until I find something better. I am currently switching her over to the TOTW Pacific Stream grain-free formula). The puppy is switching to the puppy formula of that as well.

The shedding and itchiness has improved some, but it’s too soon to know if it’s the food change or the allergy med, but my daughter finally agrees with me that she is getting too thin. So I’m getting a bit concerned about this. While this is normally a pretty active breed, she seems pretty content with my subdued life style (I’m a moderately active 63 year old), and she does enjoy the activity involved with the new puppy. So an excessive activity level is not the issue. I am feeding her about 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups/day. I could up that of course, but if I’m NOT feeding the proper food, that will only serve to over-indulge her digestive system, wouldn’t it?

I’ve dealt with “overweight” problems at times, but NEVER an underweight issue. Suggestions, please. ASAP.

Thanks,
Nancy

[Dori]

Hi Susan. I don’t feed my dogs kibble so I may not be of too much help. A lot of long time posters feed and speak very highly of Victor Dog Food. They make one called Yukon which is their salmon formula. Check out Victor’s on DFA and read peoples reviews and go to Victor’s web site to check them out. It’s a grain free food also. I hope this has helped.

[Naturella]

Not a Boston Terrier owner, but a small terrier mix owner nonetheless here! 🙂

I think that what you should do is try several different brands and proteins and find out what your furry friend does well on, and then rotate between brands and protein types.

I feed a rotational diet and I am constantly trying new things with my Jack-Rat mix Bruno. Brands that have small-breed (smaller kibble) sizes include Wellness (small/toy breed formulas), Victor, Annamaet GF, Earthborn Holistic GF has been small enough for my boy, Nutrisca too, Castor & Pollux, Holistic Health Extension, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and many more. I have fed most of the above as well as other brands with great success (except for NVI, my boy got sick on the rabbit formula, BUT I would try this food again).

You could also add canned, dehydrated, or freeze-dried to kibble as a topper to spice things up, or as a regular thing. Wet food is better than dry for dogs anyway, so if you can feed just canned, dehydrated, or freeze-dried, go for it! I usually feed Bruno “soups” of kibble, warm water, and canned, dehydrated, or freeze-dried as a topper, or coconut oil, yoghurt/kefir, raw egg, canned sardines, etc.

Good luck and keep us poster or let us know if you have any more questions.

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Bobby D. Have you ever considered canned dog food? It’s more species appropriate than kibble. And not too expensive, if you only have 1 dog. I use Pure Balance Stews, It receives a 5 star rating, and is $1 per can at Walmart. I also use 4health cans from Tractor Supply 99 cents, and Nature’s Domain canned from Costco $20.99 case of 24 cans. Or you can do a can/kibble mix, which is what I do, because I have 3 dogs. Kibbles that my 3 love, and don’t break the bank are Victor, 4health, Pure Balance, Rachael Ray Zero Grain, Nature’s Domain, Earthborn, Authority Grain Free, Whole Earth Farms by Merrick, Evolve Grain Free. Big Lots has Nutro Ultra Grain free @ $12 for a 12lb bag, and a 22lb bag is $24. I was told the reason the food is being sold at Big Lots is the line has been discontinued by the Manufacturer. 🙂

[Naturella]

Hi, Bob. I second both Akari and Dog_Obsessed. See what you have around as far as dog food stores (or Walmart), and try to steer away from Purina, Beneful, Iams, Hill’s, Ol’ Roy, Alpo, and the like. Rachael Ray is an okay food, and Pure Balance is pretty good for a grocery store food.

Usually to get a dog to eat kibble they may be iffy about, putting some canned and water in it helps. Make sure it is nice and mushy and that all the kibble is coated with some canned. Pure Balance cans and tubs are very affordable at Walmart and decent too.

If you have actual pet stores around, try to look for brands like Earthborn Holistic, Victor, NutriSource, Wellness – these brands tend to be on the affordable side (depending on where you live though, NutriSource in my area is quite pricy), and having fed some of them, they seem pretty yummy to my dog at least.

Don’t be afraid to try different foods and see what Dixie likes, but do make sure to do it slowly in the beginning – like Dog_Obsessed said, transitioning over a week or so while monitoring her stool would be a good amount of time. If her stool is too runny, give more of the old food and reduce the new until she’s stable again, then introduce some more new food and reduce the old food a bit.

Good luck, and let us know what you picked and how she’s doing! 🙂

[Naturella]

I used to mix brands of food with no issue for about 8 months or so, but then I realized that I am reducing variety for my dog rather than increasing it. For example, I had mixed Blue Buffalo Wilderness with Holistic Health Extension (both chicken/turkey based), then I had mixed Dr. Tim’s Kinesis with Nutrisca Chicken and Holistic Health Extension GF (all chicken-based), then I fed some other mix I don’t remember, and then I fed Earthborn Coastal Catch mixed with Victor Yukon Salmon and Holistic Health Extension. The thing is, with my small dog, the mixes were lasting forever, so storing them properly was a mild concern (I would keep the mixes sealed in the bags they came from), but I also wasn’t giving much flavor and variety as Bruno would eat the same mix (which he saw as his one type of food, even if it were 2-3 mixed together – he didn’t taste or know that) for a long time. So I just feed one bag at a time for variety and easier storage of the food.

I do, however, have a friend who also mixes, and she does it kind of for the same reason – she would get a 3-ish star-rated food and mix with a higher-quality kibble. Her dogs have no issues and burn through foods pretty quickly seen as she has 5 of them. She is also pretty good with watching expiration dates and remembering what she’s mixed and storing the leftovers properly. So you COULD technically do it if you need to.

[Nancy M]

I’m back on here again! Now asking if anyone has had much experience with Victor dog food. I’m currently feeding a puppy/adult formula; specifically the Hi-pro Plus. Not to repeat myself, but the Sheltie pup I got about 2 weeks ago was already on it, so because my mini Aussie pup is now a year old and ready to change over from Diamonds Naturals puppy formula, I decided to just put her on this same formula. For a couple weeks, the Aussie has aquired very itchy skin but other than that, went through the switchover just fine. The Sheltie pup remains doing well on it. I’m planning to change the Aussie over to something else as soon as I know for sure the food is causing her allergy/itching problems.

BUT, BUT, BUT………I have also noticed excessive stools, I think. It’s rather ridiculous in my opinion. It’s like, what the heck is staying in there? I clean my yard everyday, and since this morning again, I’ve cleaned up no less than 3 – 4 stools, EACH dog, already and it’s only 4:00 in the afternoon! This doesn’t seem right. Plus, the Aussie has lost about a pound of weight since she got on this food. I’ve started giving HER a little more because of the weight loss and then of course, the puppy is growing, so I’ve added a tiny bit more to his meals trying to get him down from 4 feedings a day to only 3. But it seems this stuff is almost going right through them. Sheltie pup is now almost 13 weeks and HAS continued to put on weight, but it’s minimal (which I would say is a good thing), but I’m concerned about all the stools and my Aussie’s weight loss, on top of the itching/allergy issues.

Can anyone give me some input and experience with this food?
Thanks for your help, as always!
Nancy

[crazy4cats]

I feed Victor grain free to my dogs. It is a 5-star food at a reasonable price. It also has chicken in it too, but the first ingredient is beef meal.

[theBCnut]

Corgies are not known to be very bloat prone, so don’t worry about that. Fromm is a good food, but some of their formulas are a bit low on protein, and if this is a food intolerance problem, they all have a lot of the same ingredients. If the food is an All Life Stages food, then it is a puppy food, as well as every other life stage, so look at the nutritional adequacy statement and relieve that fear too.

If I was you, I would get small bags of a few different foods, like Nature’s Logic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Victor, Earthborn, Canine Caviar, and try them one after another and take notes on how he does on each of them.

One way to slow a fast eater is to get rid of the bowl all together and just throw a handful of kibble on the flood scattered, so he has to pick up one piece at a time. Or feed him out of a Kong Wobbler or another puzzle toy, so he has to work for his food. For some dogs, adding a good amount of water slows them down, and you have the added bonus of knowing that they are going to be well hydrated.

[BeachDogs]

Good to know about the calcium and joint health. Thanks! Both dogs are coming from deboned lamb and deboned chicken formulas, and the Victor has beef meal, chicken meal and pork meal. That is where the glucosamine and chondroitin would come from I’m thinking. It’s not a deal breaker right now anyway. I’m wondering if picking Victor was a good decision. It has a decent protein amount at 33%, though, that’s a tad more than they’ve been getting. The source might not be the best in Victor. I do plan on trying a rotational diet and could switch to something else in a couple of months.

Perhaps I’ll look at NutriSource again and Earthborn. As you might have noticed, I am looking for a good food with a budget-friendly price for now.

Thanks for the reply!

[BeachDogs]

Hey! I am new to this forum, but not DFA. Never really noticed the forum part, unfortunately. A HUGE thanks to Hound Dog Mom for compiling the list and for all the other amazing info members have given.

I have a 72 pound 11-month old Dane/Heeler rescue pup – have had her since she was 6 weeks old. Yep, foster failure right here! Got the ok from the vet to go ahead and put her on an adult formula. Went to a local pet boutique to buy NutriSource and ended up with Victor GF Active Dog and Puppy (ALS). I also have a 5-year old Yorkie. Concerned about the calcium, I called the manufacturer after I noticed it’s not on HDM’s list and the bag does not list calcium or phosphorus at all. They said it has 1.9% calcium and 1.23% phosphorus with a Ca:P ratio of 1.5:1.

My questions:
1. Since my large breed puppy is past 10 months, is this Victor food ok at 1.9% calcium and a 1.5:1 ratio? I am not sure if calcium percentage or Ca:P ratio is more important.
2. Is it ok for a pup this young and a 5-yr old not to have glucosamine and chondroitin? Maybe it’s better not to have those, yet. IDK. I realize I can give a supplement.
3. The kibble size is tiny, but I would like to have both dogs on the same food, so does kibble size matter?

Thanks!

[DogFoodie]

I like PureVita. It’s made by Tuffy’s (KLN), who also makes NutriSource and Natural Planet Organics, and is a reliable manufacturer. That said, PureVita is a little heavy on the pea protein. I’d probably feed it occasionally as part of a rotation. I like the Natural Planet Organic recipes better.

Now as I re-read your post, I think you’re looking to replace all of the Wellness products you’re currently feeding. Is that right?

Do you ever order online. I love Chewy.com. They have great customer service and prices. That said, it is nice to keep business local. Any chance you have a Victor dealer local? Victordogfood.com.

[Naturella]

Hey, guys! So, I am dog-sitting the dog that belongs to the family for whom I also babysit. Her name is Snowy, a shitzu-Maltese looking mix, maybe Lhasa Apso mix, don’t know, but it is one of those fluffy ones. She is adorable, incredibly submissive to humans, but likes her personal space when it comes to dogs. She is okay with Bruno as she is around his size (if she were a bit fitter, she would probably weigh as much as him) and has met him before, but I was worried that my roommate’s dog would eat her, lol… They had met once before but both were leashed and Snowy doesn’t like having her butt sniffed, so she growled at Casey and Casey growled back and Casey being around 60lbs I was worried that they wouldn’t get along. But, I brought her in, and they were both free (unleashed), with me and Casey’s alpha (my roommate) around and after the initial sniffing and slight fussing they were fine around each other. Casey is now in her room (my roommate’s room), and Snowy and Bruno are hanging out between my room and my bathroom. Bruno is being a tad of a bully and every time Snowy lays down on her bed that I brought from their house, he goes over there and tries to rub his smell on it, thus pushing her out, lol. She acts like a grumpy old lady (albeit only 4 years old) and fusses and leaves.

Now, I am so excited because I have permission to bathe Snowy tomorrow and I can’t wait to because she’s a tad smelly and also because I can condition her hair with my blend of oils and she will be soft, shiny, and smell good! I will also wash her bed tomorrow so it matches her cleanliness.

I have a question though – I have been in charge of her menu (foods) and feeding so far, but today one of the daughters had put a ton of food in Snowy’s bowl, and like a good piggy, Snowy ate it all! She ate at least a day and a half’s worth of food! I am really thinking about a giving her a fast day tomorrow, with a small breakfast just because I will be feeding Bruno sardines (Saturday is Sardines day!) and I want to split the can between them. I was going to give her just 1/4 cup of kibble and the 1/2 can of sardines and call it a day for her. Do you all think that would be okay? I would do that to Bruno if he overate one day.

Also, Snowy’s owners said that recently she had begun drinking a lot more water. And she does drink a lot! Doesn’t seem to have trouble holing it in (no excessive urination that I can tell), but is drinking a lot of water not a sign of diabetes? Should her owners be concerned if she’s not also excessively urinating? Or, is she just trying to stay well-hydrated even though I have been trying to feed her “soups” (kibble with water and coconut oil) for dinner every workday (M-F) for a couple of weeks now. The owner said the water drinking started before I switched her over to good food though. Before she was on Kibbles ‘N’ Bits, Beneful, Pedigree, and the like. Now she’s been on Dogswell LiveFree, Wysong Nurture with Quail (now), and I plan to put her on Earthborn next and I am so excited! I will try to get 4 Earthborns on sale and alternate them with some Pure Balance and Victor or whatever other deals I can find, lol. I want to get this pup to be healthy!

I also don’t know if they use any preventative as far as heartworm and other parasites go. She does get her rabies shot every 3 years. They don’t use anything against fleas and she used to have them bad in the summer. Oh, and remember how I said I thought her bumps were gone? Yeah, no, they’re still there, I found them again, and they are pretty hard and don’t move around. Each is on each of her sides, at the end of her ribcage. I wonder what they may be…

[Diane L]

Apparently they have made recent changes that might affect dogs with sensitive digestive systems. From TotW website FAQs: http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/faq/#290 There are several comments there that might apply to this situation.

I’ve changed over to Victor for now – we’ll see how that goes.

[Diane L]

Mackenzie M – I took Crazy4Cats advice and tried Victor grain free, the Salmon and Sweet Potato formula (victordogfood.com). It’s similar in price to TotW, and so far it seems to be fine. The kibble pieces are smaller than TotW, more like a cat food size, and I wondered how my bigger dogs would like it, but it seems not to be a problem for them. The biggest problem seems to be finding it – there is only one feed store in my locale that carries it.

[Naturella]

Hello, all!

I know we all have a passion for dog health and love to spread the word to other dog lovers. This thread can be for our success stories, if anyone cares to share.

For me, I have several (3, really). I think you have heard them before, but one is a close friend of mine who used to feed Shep and is now a crazy dog food lady like me, feeding 3.5-5-star foods, rotating all the time, and giving canned or THK as toppers. Another friend used to feed whatever Walmart carries and is cheap, so Beneful, Pedigree and the like. Now she feeds Victor, TOTW (every once in a while), Holistic Health Extension and Pure Balance, with various canned as toppers. The third story is the lady I babysit for and they used to feed their dog Kibbles ‘N’ Bits, Beneful, Iams, etc, and now I am in charge of their dog’s menu and I also shop the dog food for them on a budget, so she ate 3 bags of Dogswell LiveFree and is about to start a Wysong bag. She also had 2 bumps on or really close to her ribs before I started her food change, and I almost can’t believe it, but I can’t feel those bumps anymore! Is that even possible? I don’t know. I plan to get her 3-4 bags of various Earthborn Holistic next and maybe a bag of something else to stick in the middle. I’ll see what deals there may be around Black Friday online and in stores. She’s also been on a daily teaspoon of coconut oil for about a week now, and also I advised the family to use it as a “leave-in conditioner” after bathing her, so she gets it on her skin and coat as well. In a month or so she should have nice, healthy, shiny coat, in addition to loving her food and being more energetic. I want to introduce her also to having a lightly cooked or raw egg once a week and maybe some sardines too. I will take it slow though – I want them to notice the benefits of coconut oil first so that they know I am not doing crazy experiments with their dog, lol.

[Naturella]

Melissa, if shopping online is an option for you, websites such as http://www.petflow.com , http://www.chewy.com , http://www.wag.com often have great sales on food, especially on Petflow you can find stuff for about $1.00/lb, which is a great deal. Just check those sites about once/week or so and type in the word “trial” for Petflow and it will give you deals with “trial” sizes (usually smallest size bags – 4-5lbs, but for $1/lb). They have other great deals too, on food and treats and supplies. 🙂

But I second DogFoodie on her suggestions for budget-friendly foods – I have used Dr. Tim’s, Earthborn Holistic, and some of Victor (and a few friends have used it too) with great success and no issues, plus, they are quite affordable. One other option, if you must, you can also use Pure Balance from Walmart – it is not half bad for the price it is.

[DogFoodie]

No worries about not going raw! It’s not for everyone for various reasons. You can always added canned food as toppers.

Here’s a link to a great download (it’ll cost you $2.95): http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/home/sll/page_41_1. It’s written by Steve Brown, one of the authorities on raw feeding, and will show you how incredibly simple it is to add fresh whole foods to your dog’s diet. Simple, fresh foods like fresh cage free eggs, pureed dark leafy greens and sardines are amazing additions to a diet of kibble. So easy!

Fromm is a great choice! Other budget friendly foods that I really like are Dr. Tim’s, Victor, Horizon and Earthborn Holistics.

[crazy4cats]

Julie-
I’m glad you got some good suggestions from Jenny. My previous dog was overweight and I wish I knew then what I know now. With my current dogs, I go mostly by calories, not the feeding recommendations on the bag. I never realized how much difference there could be in calories between different Kibbles. I try to use kibble that is 400 calories or less a cup so I can add different toppers to their meals and still be able to give them a decent amount of kibble to satisfy them. I used the dog food calculator on this site to find a starting point. I subtract calories to account for the “treats” they are fed throughout the day. I have two male labs that are right around 80 lbs. One is a tiny bit thick and the other is very lean at this weight. I feed mostly Victor grain free joint health kibble and add a different protein rich topper to every meal. I wish you luck. I know it is tough to keep our labbies lean. They are eating machines!

[Nancy M]

I recently aquired an unwanted 10 month old mini Aussie. She’s been on Diamond Naturals puppy food since about 10 weeks of age. No major issues with it, except I DONT like feeding anything made by Diamond. Anyway, I also have decided to get a new Sheltie Puppy in a couple weeks, who is on Victor’s Hi-Pro Plus formula (for active dogs and puppies). Since I was getting ready to switch the Aussie to something else anyway, I started to VERY SLOWLY start switching the Aussie over to this food as well.

My question is this…….since she’s been eating this food, still mixed with the old Diamond, she’s also been eating grass more than she did before, which was only occasionally. But now, she’s also eating the grass, then vomiting it up, along with a whitish, somewhat clear and frothy looking liquid. This is not an everyday occurrence, but I’m not quite sure what’s causing it. Maybe it’s the new food, maybe not. I know there’s other reasons dogs will do this, so I’d just like some insight or suggestions to consider. Her appetite is good, stools are fine and she acts normal. I’m just a bit leery of switching her over 100% now.

Thanks!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Linda J-
Welcome to DFA. My labs’ favorite dry food is grain free Victor Joint Health. I feed other kibble now and then also, but usually end up back with this again. I mix something in with every meal, such as canned, dehydrated, raw or fresh foods. Once a week, I try to feed them a kibble free meal with the See Spot Live Longer dinner mix. I stick to mostly the budget friendly list for both kibble and canned.
Also, most pet stores will take back a bag of food if your dogs don’t like it, or it doesn’t agree with them. Who knew that feeding your pets could be so complicated? LOL!
What do your dogs eat now? I’m sure you will get some more opinions. Good luck!

[Bobby dog]

Victoria:
Sign up for e-mails from Swanson’s website so you are notified of sales; they often have B1G1 free sales.

Cottage cheese and yogurt are great toppers. I don’t think there is any mention of feeding dairy products in the PDF. My dog loves kefir and apparently the strains of probiotics in it are enough to benefit him. I will switch to something else if I ever find it no longer works for him. Here’s some info on kefir and yogurt:
http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/05/foods-rich-in-probiotics-beneficial-for.html

One other use for coconut oil is to apply it topically to dry and irritated skin. If the dog is anything like Bobby you’ll have to supervise her to keep her from licking it off. I always applied it right before we went outside so he would forget about it. It was really helpful in healing his skin.

Since Bobby had a yeasty skin relapse, I refreshed my memory about yeast issues in dogs to make sure I had all bases covered. I came across a recommendation for an anti-yeast shampoo in the Whole Dog Journal for Selsun Blue (dandruff shampoo for people). The active ingredient in it is 1% selenium sulfide. I bought the store brand version and it worked well for Bobby. The reason I asked the condition of her skin was because I wouldn’t use it on my dog if he had open sores. My preference would be to use a shampoo that contained an anti-microbial ingredient if that were the case.

Good article to read, look under the Malassezia heading, 6th paragraph for shampoo:
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/10_5/features/Dog_Skin_Problem_15932-1.html

Look under the shampoo heading:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=466&S=0&EVetID=3001644

[crazy4cats]

Hi Jane E-
I feed my pups Victor Grain Free Joint formula to my dogs that also have some type of colitis due to previous bouts of internal parasites. There are peas in the ingredients after the meat and sweet potatoes. I’m not sure if your dogs would be able to tolerate that or not. The kibble, however, contains montmorillonite clay which claims to help with dogs with colitis. My dogs do better with this kibble than any other that I’ve fed. Check out their site:
http://www.victordogfood.com/ I’ve also heard that others with this issue use Canine Caviar and Wellness Simple. Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Tiffany-
I am all about budget friendly! The best valued can food, IMO, is Costco’s Natures Domain Turkey and Pea Stew, Walmart’s Pure Balance, and Tractor Supply’s 4health canned. They are mostly all rated 5 stars. I also use eggs and sardines a few times a week as well. The best prices for sardines are at Winco or Walmart. Walmart also sells a brand of canned called Variety that is a little more expensive, but cheaper than most.
If you have Victor dry food in your area, it is more budget friendly than Wellness. Those are lucky dogs you are taking care of. Thank you!