[Mom2Cavs]

Believe it or not, I think peas might actually be the culprit with Laverne’s issues. I am feeding TOTW Pacific Stream. It doesn’t have peas, or flaxseed. I initially thought maybe flaxseed was the problem, but I’m giving them Missing Link (more for Lucy’s benefit) now and Laverne is fine with it. It has flaxseed as one of the first ingredients. Every other food she has reacted to, even NV LIDs, have peas in them! I don’t know for sure, of course. But, here’s the rub with it, though……I give canned foods and many of those have peas as an ingredient!! Sometimes, though, her stools are still better than others. Maybe they’re the best when she gets pea free canned food, too. I’ll have to pay closer attention from now on. I’ll let everyone know. Hmm….

[gmcbogger38]

Sorry. I started off with ACANA (not potato free) from Nutro and that is when I started seeing issues. Thinking it was yeast, I then switched them to a grain free and potato free food. I have tried several high quality brands, and even raw, but nothing is helping. So, I wondered if the ACANA with potato could have triggered allergies and if that would even be possible? I then wondered if switching them back to a grain inclusive food would help, since they did fine before with grains. I mean my ultimate question is this: is it possible that some dogs do better on grain inclusive foods? It just seems like everyone says grains are bad.

[mercman]

I have a 12 week old GSD female puppy. I was feeding her Nutro Natural Choice Large puppy breed chicken/whole brown rice/oatmeal food. She was doing a lot of scratching I was concerned about possible food allergies and went to my local feed store. They recommended Infinia Zenfood Grainfree Salmon and Sweet potato even though it is not specifically a large breed puppy kibble. This recommendation was based on a 1.2% calcium level and on being a Grainfree kibble. Is this the right choice. Incidentally the itching may have been due to over-bathing.

My male GSD (5YOA) is eating Costco’s Kirkland Salmon and sweet potato, BTW. I did see this listed in HoundDog Mom’s acceptable large breed puppy food list. Would this be an appropriate choice for my puppy too?

[CattleCait]

Both of my dogs are showing signs of having allergies. They were previously on Diamond Naturals, I learned later that it wasn’t a very good food so I tried Pioneer GF Chicken. They wouldn’t eat it, so I returned that and have been making them home-cooked meals of chicken and veggies because we raise chickens, but they’re still having allergy symptoms.

I guess what I’m asking is – how long will it take for the “yuck” to be out of their system? It’s only been a week or so off of Diamond Naturals, so I’m assuming the grain could still be affecting them? How long should I wait?

If removing the grain doesn’t work, then I’m going assume that it’s the chicken and I’ll try the Pioneer GF Pork or Whitefish, but I don’t want to eliminate more than one ingredient at a time in case the chicken is in fact alright and they’re still reacting to the Diamond.

[Akari_32]

She’s prob’ly about 60 pounds, Patty. I can weigh her if you’d like.

The apple cider vinegar didn’t appear to have any goopies in the bottom, so I’m glad I didn’t get it. Think maybe I could get it at WalMart?

How much roughly does kefir cost, and how big are the bottles?

Is there anything I can give Bentley to help with his grass allergies? The poor guy can’t live on itch cream, baby wipes and medicated shampoo for the rest of his life lol

[Akari_32]

I bought some vitamins (got paid $3 for $60 worth a vitamins, whoop whoop! Making money and buyin’ good stuff! :D) and I was wondering if any of these (besides the fish oil, obviously) would be beneficial for the dogs. Here they are:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/359C7140-088D-4093-A747-4E3BEB5377C9-157-000000AC6B1E1E90_zpscefb10e1.jpg

Mainly Haley I’m more concerned about things like vitamins with. She’s old and doesn’t keep weight on, but is otherwise healthy and active. I just have to feed her as much as 130 pound Dweezle gets. Her ideal weight would be about 65 pounds, and I guess her to weigh 60-ish. I can get an exact weight if you want me to. She’s not that bad, but she is a little thin. She’ll be 11 in January. She’s got a slight limp in after vigorous activity or after up after being down for an extended period (goes bewteen all four legs). I’ve had her on ProSence vitamins and so far they seen to be helping her get her weight back up and she seems a little more peppy.

Dweezle is good weight and healthy, just old, pretty old for his size actually. He’s 10 in march. Not at all active, just a big furry lump :p Family history of hip problems, but he so far seems to have avoided that, thankfully. His sister has hip dysplasia, and they had to do something like cutting the tendons in both legs…? I dunno.

Bentley is our young little maniac. Just turned 1 in August. Super active, drives us all nuts. Grass allergies cause him to chew his feet and hind legs, but otherwise healthy. He’s been on ProSence fish oil for several months and getting the hair on his backs legs back. Being so small, grass gets him all over, poor dude lol

[theBCnut]

The short answer is no, not necessarily. Allergies and intolerances to food are very specific. As an example, one of my dogs is intolerant of chicken muscle meat, but not chicken liver. I didn’t bother to test it too much so I don’t know if he could handle white meat but not dark or dark but not white, and I don’t know if he reacts to chicken bones, because I can’t get every last speck of meat off a raw bone, and I really didn’t care that much. I avoid chicken with him but he does get a food with chicken liver in it, and it happens to be the food that he does best on. However, there are dogs that are allergic/intolerant to chicken, duck, turkey, etc so they say the are allergic to all poultry, but if they never ate a titmouse or a kingfisher, they can’t be allergic to them. They can only have allergies/intolerances to things they have been exposed to. BTW, they can have exposure in utero too, I imagine.

[FreeholdHound]

This is a copy (couldn’t get the link) of report that was posted on a Greyhound FB page earlier.

ATLANTA —

Grieving animal lovers across the country are coming forward blaming a popular pet drug for killing their dogs. Channel 2 Action News has uncovered several cases in Metro Atlanta.

“It’s like a piece of your heart is being torn out,” said dog owner Beth Timms from Gainesville.

Her dog, Gizmo, died after taking Trifexis. The once-a-month pill made by Elanco is a combination pill for heartworm, parasites and flea prevention. Elanco is the animal health division of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly.

Gizmo was a healthy 12-year-old mixed-breed. Shortly after taking Trifexis for the first time, she suffered lethargy, vertigo, seizures and a 106-degree temperature.

“We had to let her go. We had to have her put to sleep,” Timms said. “I killed my dog.”

Timms emailed consumer investigator Jim Strickland after finding a Facebook page titled “Trifexis Kills Dogs.”

Owners from all over the country have posted on the page, blaming the drug for their dogs’ deaths.

The Facebook page led Strickland to a home in Sandy Springs, where a dog bowl still sits empty in the corner. The dog who once used it was a puppy named Bishop.

“He died. For no reason, no warning,” said Bishop’s owner Jenny Schmitt.

Bishop was a 16-week-old Vizsla, which is a Hungarian hunting dog. He was one of seven in a litter born in June from an American Kennel Club Grand Champion.

Three of Bishop’s litter mates are thriving in Florida. A fourth is a healthy puppy living Buckhead. None of them has ever had Trifexis.

Bishop and the other two litter mates, named Tucker and Jade, each received their one and only dose of Trifexis in September. Bishop and Jade died within three weeks. Tucker died in six days. Veterinarians ruled they all died of heart inflammation.

“I think Eli Lillly and Elanco need to ask the broader question, ‘Does this drug even need to be on the market?'” Schmitt said.

Elanco is headquartered outside of Indianapolis. Strickland went there to speak with one of Elanco’s top veterinarians. Dr. Stephen Connell insisted Trfiexis is safe. He said he gives it to his own dogs.

Connell said Elanco has dispensed 50 million doses since Trifexis hit the market less than three years ago.

“We don’t like the fact that it has killed any dogs. But with any pharmaceutical product, we understand that the very rare sensitivities, allergic events — those types of things are going to happen,” Connell said.

Elanco’s spokesman later said Connell didn’t mean to say the company doesn’t like that Trifexis killed any dogs, but rather the company doesn’t like hearing reports of any deaths.

Strickland got the numbers on reports about Trifexis made to the Food and Drug Administration. The latest figures are as of April 2013.

Pet owners have filed 2200 reports of the drug causing their dogs to vomit. There are 600 cases of lethargy, and 31 reports of dog deaths. That’s about one per month since the drug hit the market.

The warning on the Trifexis box states mild side effects. Connell admitted to Strickland that the company has gotten reports of dogs suffering seizures, but Elanco has found no link to any dog deaths.

A University of Georgia Veterinary School pathology report on Bishop’s death stated a bacterial infection likely caused the dog’s heart failure. It ruled his symptoms were not typical of drug toxicity.

Trifexis contains two drugs, spinosad and milbemycin.

“The spinosad is from the United States. The milbemycin is sourced from China” said Connell.

He added their Chinese supplier has had multiple inspections and is a non-issue.

He also addressed the deaths of the puppies.

“It is our opinion that there are other factors involved in this case,” Connel said.

Bishop’s owner doesn’t believe that.

“The three puppies that all died within the same week, all had Trifexis, all around the same time,” Schmitt said. “It’s a heck of a coincidence.”

[Parr]

Pattyvaughn,

Thank you so much for letting me know the protein was based on the dry matter rather than the guaranteed analysis. I went back to the websites but not all of them show the dry matter information. I hate to ask, but can you tell me the formula to determine that result? You did such a good job on the calcium calculation! : ) Seriously, I love the detail you share! You are extremely helpful to everyone! Especially since I am new to this site this last week, I’ve had several questions. You have been very patient and helped me sort through all this information. Thank you so much! It is so much to take in, But I am trying.

Mfulton,

I think you may be talking about the list of “pea-free” food that was on another thread, “Dog Food Ingredients”, under the question, “Anyone’s dog allergic to Peas?”. I happened to be reading that one too so I’ve copied it here for you. I hope this is what you were looking for.

pugmomsandy wrote:

Grandma Lucy’s and The Honest Kitchen have some pea free foods. Also Great Life grain free/Pioneer Naturals. Here’s some pea free foods I had written down last year. I’m not sure if they’re still pea free:
Timberwolf
TOTW Pacific Stream (canola)
EVO red meats
EVO turkey & chicken
Pinnacle Peak (quinoa)
Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance
Natures Logic – millet, no potato
Great Life
Canine Caviar
I and Love and You by OnlyNaturalPet.com

[pegripley]

Shawna, I’ve read a number of posts and you seem amazing. I lost my Scottish Terrier, Charlie, to Cancer a year ago this September, he was only 8 years old. We had NO idea he even had it.. Within a few days I couldn’t stand it anymore for myself and my mini-Schnauzer so we got another puppy. She is also a mini-schnauzer. I took her to get spayed in December 2012 and we found out she has Kidney Disease. Since then her #’s have continued to increase and she’s now 16 months old and her BUN is off of the chart, the vets machines can’t read it. It’s over 130, her Creatinine is 4.0 (high end is 1.8) and a few other things are now showing also like decreased red blood cell count = 3.2 and normal range is 5.5-8.5.
I have been feeding her boiled chicken thighs and baked sweet potatoes. I am currently giving her a phosphorus binder and also Renadyl. The Renadyl is supposed to flush the toxins out through her stool rather than making her kidneys process it and work harder.
The odd thing is. Bella has never shown any real symptoms other than the #’s. I had no problem potty training her, she is crate trained and has no accidents. she doesn’t urinate anymore than our other Schnauzer does. We also had an ultrasound done and her kidney’s are slightly smaller than normal but nothing major small and no other abnormalities faound. Now she does love her water but it’s not like she sits next to the bowl and drinks it dry. She usually drinks a lot in the morning or when she first comes out of her crate and then will get little sips the rest of the day. My vet and I are both astonished and very grateful that she isn’t showing any symptoms.
Anyway, now that you know my story I am really trying to find something to prolong her life and also make sure it’s a good quality of life at the same time. It breaks my heart to think her life is going to be cut short.. You seem like you have a good handle on this. Can you please give me any advice..
I took her yesterday for her check up and have done nothing by cry since yesterday. I’m usually a positive person but this is just breaking my heart.
Peg

[plavoie]

Hello, I have a 9 month old Bernese mtn dog and have just realized that his hot spots are probably more of a yeast issue. I had brought him to the vet about the sore red pimples and what appeared to be a hot spot. The vet put him on Keflex and prednisone. He also gave him drops for a possible ear infection since Ozzie kept shaking his head and scratching at his ear. The sores cleared up for a short time but are coming back and he is still shaking his head. I was feeding him From grain free game recipe and had just started a new rotation of Merrick grain free duck and sweet potato. And the sores on his belly look so much worse! I dont know what to do. I feel like if i go to the vet , he will just put him back on steroids 🙁 That will just fix the problem for now. I though duck was a good choice for allergies? Is duck or sweet potato the problem re yeast? He had problem with diarrhea in the past and was fed boiled chicken and no problem with chicken. any ideas? So lost and feeling so bad for my dog. We supplement every morning with probiotics and coconut oil. Although , I think we have only been giving him about 1 tsp and he weighs close to 100 lbs. I will increase that.

[theBCnut]

No, the NB isn’t still working for her dog. She is feeding Purina Dog Chow now and quite happy with it.

[mfulton7]

I’m curious if the NB is still working for your pup? I’m pretty sure my pup is allergic to peas. So I am now searching for the pea free foods also. Any other advice is welcome also 🙂

[theBCnut]

Allergies get worse with every exposure until you start seeing hives, facial swelling, breathing difficulty, and anaphylaxsis. A lot of vets will lump them all into the same category, but they are slightly different. They still need to be prevented the same, by figuring out what causes the issue and avoiding it. Chicken, beef, grain, potato, eggs are most common, but any ingredient that has protein in it can be the problem.

I figured out that my dog is intolerant to chicken and many grains pretty quickly, but just found out a couple weeks ago that he also can’t handle tomato.

[mfulton7]

Okay so this isn’t allergies its more than likely a food intolerance. I did notice that the earthborn holistic amd zignature are both pea based. I wonder if that is the trigger. If not maybe fish? Would you happen to know what the most common dog food intolerances are?
I do have a probiotic for her/them but I will definitely check into getting the enzyme as well. Thanks!

[theBCnut]

My dog with intolerances had them from the day I got him at 8 weeks old, so I have to assume he had them before that. True allergies usually develop later, but I don’t think that is necessarily the case with intolerances. Take the ingredient list with you to the store and try to find a food that is very different, different proteins and different carbs. Also, get him on digestive enzymes, they help with the gas, and a good multistrain probiotic, they help heal the gut, which is where a lot of these issues start and get worse and worse. If you want a recommendation for those, Swanson’s has a couple of probiotics that are good, Dr Stephen Langer’s and Soil Based Organisms. Their Premium Digestive Enzyme is good too. Mercola has excellent of both, but they cost a bit more.

Keep ingredient lists of any food he has with notes about how he does on them. You can compare ingredient lists and start to figure out what it is he reacts to, so you will know what to avoid in the future.

[mfulton7]

I have been feeding my pups Earthborn Hollistic Coastal Catch for about 4 weeks or so now. I have the Doberman pup (14wks), shihpoo pup (9 mth), and Chihuahua (2 yr). Since the dogs have been on it the dobie and shihpoo have really bad room clearing gas and the dobie has loose stools every other day or so. Another food they’ve been on was the Zignature Trout and the dobie had loose stools with that also. Should I try another food or another flavor of the Earthborn Hollistic? Weve also been noticing the dobie seems itchy a lot. Bites at her paws, scratches her backside Im thinking she scratched so much she caused scabbing on the backs of her front legs. I was thinking most dogs don’t develop allergies until theyre older? I know that the fawn dobies are more prone to skin issues so maybe that is causing it?

[Mom2Cavs]

Yes, my Cavalier that has allergies has anal gland issues as one of her symptoms. She can’t have poultry, at least chicken, but just to be safe I’m staying away from all poultry. I am using grain free, poultry free dry and canned foods. I also make sure any supplements or treats don’t contain offending ingredients. Since I’ve done this her symptoms are gone.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by Mom2Cavs.

[theBCnut]

He is allergic/intolerant to at least one of the ingredients in DinOvite. Please don’t give it to him anymore. Keep the ingredient list and if you ever start seeing symptoms like this again, start comparing ingredients and maybe you will be able to figure out what you should keep him away from. Since he was already very itchy, you might want to compare DinOvite to your current dog food and see if you might have been doubling up on something that he is reacting to. Then consider changing foods to something that has completely different protein and carb sources.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by theBCnut.

[Bentley]

My daughters GS pup weighs 93 pounds, full of energy, shiny coat, firm poops…but a couple weeks ago when I was babysitting him I notice a nasty smell, checked his hinney and it was blood tinged black discharge. A trip to the vet where they expressed his glands and put medicine in them, then again 3 days later….and again today there was dark blood in one sac. They say this is unusual for large dogs. I can’t figure it out, he has been on Nutrisource puppy which has chicken in it, thinking he is allergic to chicken I am slowly switching him to Annamet option now and giving him pumkin and digestive enzymes with probitics. His brother who is the same age does not have this problem. Does anyone have some tips or insite on how to help this poor guy out on my end? These GS’s are farm dogs so they eat everything! Thanks!

[VegetarianDog]

I have two vegetarian dogs, both relatively healthy. One has food allergies to animal protein and now that she’s solidly in her teens she has a bit of arthritis and some hearing loss. The other is blind from glaucoma she had before I adopted her and has had reflux for at least a couple years longer than we’ve had her (I was a humane society employee and my shelter had fostered her through heartworm treatments for a couple months with another employee when she first arrived there, then adopted her out to a home that we had to confiscate her from a year and a half or so later. Then I fell in love with her while working on rehabilitating her and wound up adopting her, so we know what she was like the first time she came through the shelter, but still have no idea about the first several years of her life). Aside from those specific issues, they’re in excellent health. When we first adopted our allergic girl, we tried all the atypical meat and carb sourced foods out there (duck and potato, venison and pea, etc). She reacted to everything, even plain fish. Her allergies are bad enough that when my brother was letting her lick out his empty individual serving yogurt cup, the teeny tiny amount of gelatin the yogurt he had contained was enough to cause her to have a flare up. Because of that, we switched to a vegetarian diet as soon as we found one that worked for her. She still craves meat 9 years later, but she just can’t have it even with twice daily antihistamines. An accidental mouthful of cat food is enough to cause a $300 vet trip for anibiitics, special shampoo, powerful antihistamjnes, and steroids and land her in an ecollar for a month because when she has a flare up, she’ll scratch and chew every inch of herself bald and keep right on chewing and scratching, crying as she’s doing it because she’s already gone through the skin. For us, vegetarian food is not a choice, it’s a necessity. Our other dog is vegetarian as well because the allergic dog will eat meat-poop if she can (thank god for top entry kitty litterboxes since cats are obligate carnivores) and flare up from that and even though we try to clean up as soon as poop happens, missing even one piece a month isn’t a risk we can take.

It would be amazing if there were more spaces where people with vegetarian or vegan dogs could go to exchange information about which of the vegetarian options are healthiest. You either won’t change their minds about the ethics or it’s a medical requirement for their dog, so isn’t it better to quit judging people and help them make the best possible choice within the parameters they’re working with?

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by VegetarianDog. Reason: Edited for clarity

[Akari_32]

Thankfully I ruled out all food allergies with Bentley (thought it was chicken, then grain, and now we are certain it’s grass or something else growing in the yard), so I’m open to just about anything food wise. He likes red meats best, but eats anything other than fish no problem (and he’ll eat the fish, he just ain’t happy about it LOL). He esspetially seems to love the chewy bits of lamb in the Purina One… Yuck! The other dogs don’t care what it is, if it’s even slightly etable, they’ll eat it (this also includes the occational dead animal in the yard, and plants the little brats unpot if I don’t keep an eye on them -_-). My nonpicky dogs make choosing a food easy :3

[BRT]

Thanks for the tips. Looking to switch to Regal Venison. Will pick up some kefir this weekend. How much should I give them? They are both around 18 lbs.

My dog that’s currently having the issues has always had tummy issues and skin allergies. I feel like there’s something going on with him at least once a year. He’s 8 years old.

My other little guy is our 2 year old rescue. Healthy as can be. 🙂

Thanks!

[DogManDan]

wow i have never seen a dog with so many list of allergies to food, the poor pup 🙁 maybe something else is causing the problem? have you asked for a 2nd opinion from another vet? how is she now? i hope you find the best ingredient for her

[RescueDaneMom]

I have a 7.5yr old Dane. Luckily the only thing I have found that he is allergic to is mango and bee/wasp stings. My sister has a dog that we suspected had a chicken allergy but it turned out that it was flea allergies. From the research I did at the time, the best thing to do is put your dog on a limited ingredient diet such as Nature’s Variety Instinct grain-free, limited ingredient diet. It comes in turkey, lamb, duck, and rabbit. Because the TOTW formula you are currently feeding is lamb based, I would choose one of the other protein sources to try. I believe if it is truly food allergies you should start seeing some improvement in as little as a week but it can take 4-6 weeks for all the symptoms to completely clear up. Once all of the symptoms are gone, you can add one ingredient at a time and watch your dog’s reaction to see what she is allergic to. That’s my two cents. Hopefully someone else with more experience with allergy dogs will chime in. Good luck!

-Caroline

[AliScooter]

I have a 14 year old Jack Russel girl. Over the past few years she goes through bouts of sensitive stomach issues. She is currently eating Precise Lamb meal & rice sensicare. (I have another dog with food allergies, so I feed them both with this). My gir (Ali) can go for weeks with no stomach problems, then have a flare up for seemingly no reason. One vet told me that frequent small meals may help this so the stomach doesn’t build up too much acid. If I remember, I try to give her a small snack before bed so she doesn’t have an empty stomach over night… It seems to help some. I also wonder about the glucosamine that is in a lot of dog foods now a days. I know that I took a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement for awhile and developed terrible acid reflux. When I researched it, I found that reflux is a possible side effect. The reflux went away after I stopped taking the gluc/chon supplement. Anyway, it is something all the pooches with stomach problems now a days.

[InkedMarie]

For me, it’s not who likes what. I’ve had lots of dogs, usually three at a time. I’ve never had a dog not like a food except one dog, years ago, who wouldn’t eat a NV medallion. They eat any kibble, canned, raw and dehydrated in their bowl. All meds /supplements go in the food as well and all gets eaten. I personally think some people cause their dogs to be picky but that’s another topic.

Anyway, I have one dog with allergies, another with no teeth and the last can eat anything.

[cheryl461]

Have you had the thyroid checked? My dachshund was on generic Alegra daily with no relief. Her regular vet said she was “probably” allergic to the Burmuda grass. Her skin got so bad she got a staph infection! Then her orthopedic vet did a thyroid test and it was low. Once started on very inexpensive thyroid meds and she finally losing weight (huge issue for dachshunds!) and her skin is pink instead of dark and itchy-free!

[theBCnut]

When it comes to contact allergies, they usually make the dog itchy where they come in contact with it like itchy paws for a grass allergy. Unfortunately, itchy paws can also be any floor cleaners, fertilizers, herbicides, etc. It’s really hard to figure out the cause sometimes.

[Naturella]

Patty, thanks for the advice! I decided to stop furminating him anyway, because I want him to have his undercoat nice and thick since winter is coming, and he is small and skinny. It does help a lot with shedding and it says it is not supposed to hurt his skin, but we’ll see, maybe he won’t be itchy now that we won’t furminate him. I will also grab some coconut oil from Costco and give him that and see if it helps with his skin. I will monitor him for allergies though, and get his Trifexis dose adjusted when I take him to the vet next.

[peg]

I just read all the reports on the Full Moon Freeze-Dried Chicken Treats, but I use the ones that are not freeze-dried and they do not have Rosemary in them and if you call the 888-970-full telephone number, you do get an answer. My American White Eskimo loves them and gets one a day. I started using them because she is allergic to wheat/grain. Have used them for several months with no problem.

[theBCnut]

Skip the furminator, they can really irritate the skin on all dogs, but especially on thin coated breeds. You need to adjust the dose on the trifexis or he won’t be protected from heartworms. You can add about 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil to his food for the itchy skin. If he continues to be itchy all over then I would suspect allergies.

[Naturella]

Akari_32 (and everyone),

I am in the same boat – I am operating on a SUPER limited college student with no student loans (due to being an international student, I can only legally work only on campus, and only 20 hours/week, and I have them filled with my Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA), which pays $730.00/month) budget, but I want to feed my Rat Terrier-Jack Russell-Chihuahua mix pup only 4-5 star dog food. So far so good – we scout deals on petflow.com, chewy.com, and amazon.com, as well as pet stores, and we have fed him Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy (1 small bag), Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy (1 small bag), Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy 11 lbs bag mixed with Vet’s Choice Holistic Health Extensions Original 4 lbs bag (got it for free at PetLand). When my boyfriend and I got him, he was about 4 months and 6 lbs, on Purina something (yuck), but we got him on Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy, which was recommended to us by the PetSmart associate in case of allergies in puppies, and then we put him on Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy. Toward the end of that first bag, we noticed that his coat had gotten shiny. We kept him on it, and then I discovered this amazing website, and learned about dog food rotation, so we have purchased his next food – Dr. Tim’s Kinesis Grain Free 11 lbs, and Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpea 4 lbs, which we will mix and feed to him. Now he is about 7.5, almost 8 months, and he is about 11 lbs. Other foods I have on my list are Acana Regionals Grain Free (so expensive!), Back to Basics (so expensive, to use mixed with more affordable food), Victor, Taste of the Wild, Orijen (so expensive!), Wellness Core, EVO (so expensive!), Innova Prime Grain Free, Earthborn Holistic Grain Free, Wysong Epigen 60 and Wysong Epigen 90 (so expensive, to use mixed with more affordable food), and Timberwolf (so expensive, to use mixed with more affordable food), as well as any of the Grain Free 4- and 5-star foods on this website. I also feed him all-natural chews and treats, such as bully sticks, ears, tracheas, gullet strips, fish skins, Himalayan Dog Chews, and homemade treats of berries, pumpkin, peanut butter, and yoghurt. These, I think, also contribute to his beautiful coat and good health. He also gets an average of 1 dental treat/week.

So, the bottom line is, I want to monitor this thread for more ideas on good places (online or offline) to buy affordable high-quality dog food 🙂 .

Also, since I got him, I have been putting in hours/week researching this website and others, and educating myself on dog food nutrition. I was wondering if anyone knows of any dog/pet nutrition classes in GA, USA. I would love to be certified in this area and maybe own my pet food store (that would sell good pet food) one day.

Also, another question – we have our pup on Trifexis, for 5-10 lbs dogs, and recently (this past week) he started itching and scratching a lot. His skin looks good, but I don’t know if he is developing an allergy to something, or it is because his Trifexis effect is wearing off faster now that he is about/over 11 lbs, and they only gave him the 5-10 lbs pill last time at the vet. I have also used the FURminator tool (borrowed from a friend, they are soo expensive) on him twice, once a week for about 10 min, and I bathe him (Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap – Almond, and oatmeal puppy conditioner) once every 2 weeks.

Thank you, all!

[Hganurs]

Hound dog mom… Please advise.
We have a 13 week multi generation labradoodle ( this is our 4th one, and our last 2 lived to be 15 years old till this year). We are mixing ( transitioning ) some leftover Life’s abundance puppy kibble given by breeder, and changing over to Kirklands puppy kibble ( we had never had an issue with our 2 that ate kirkland for 15 years). But naturally, we took him to puppy class at Petco and the mgr saw him licking his paw and said ‘ he has food allergies…, here you need to switch him to Merrick … Try the lamb…’ She was very knowledgable about staying away from foods that cause allergies ( corn, chicken , wheat). So we paid $50 for a 30lb bag of kibble !!!! We have not opened it because I’m JUST not convinced that we need to change food. He has a vet appt in a week and his treats for training adont have corn in them either. Side note is we are getting another doodle puppy in April so we need to keep the food the same since they will be eating together.
Thank you

[rogerharris]

I would like to suggest you that please bring a book of home made food for dog by that book you can make food by your own.By doing this you will be sure what’s going on to the food.

http://www.compundiapharmacy.com/

[Dfwgolden]

Neezerfan- He cleared his fecal nothing not even worms. He also shows NO symptoms of either illness other than frequent elimination and loose stools.

He wont touch Earthborn and where I live it’s almost $80 a bag.
The vet stated that the Pumpkin and Yogurt was a great idea, so we are going to try that.

If that doesn’t work I will switch him to Pure Balance Dry and Canned and hope that helps.

[neezerfan]

Has he had a fecal test for Giardia and Coccidia? For some reason this is not always included in the “standard” test. Call your vet to make sure.

[theBCnut]

If his coat is fine and he isn’t itching, he doesn’t have a rancid grease smell, etc. then try a spoonful of pure canned pumpkin, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. If this does the trick, then he just needed a little help adjusting to the food. If it doesn’t help within a couple weeks, try something completely different like Earthborn Holistic Grain Free Great Plains Feast.

[Dfwgolden]

I have a 16 week old purebred Border Collie puppy out of working stock lines.
He’s an amazing pup in every way, intelligent, lively, loving, and very social.

However….

Ricky has since I got him had very loose stools. We have three other dogs two Golden Retrievers and a Chihuahua (Shh, don’t tell him I called him a dog!)
None of our other three ever had loose stools, Ricky also poops a lot!
Not like 4-5 times like some puppies do but like 8-10 times a day.

His potty training has been an extreme difficulty and is not progressing as it should.
We’ve tried changing foods and adding supplements.
He just has show no signs of improvement.

I am a big fan of the raw diet but am not currently able to feed that with my finances.
He is currently on Diamond Lamb and Rice Large breed puppy.
My other dogs eat Diamond with no problems what so ever, they have a nice shiny coat and have never been in better health.

What do I do about this? I just am all over the board here and don;t understand why he poops SO MUCH and why it is so loose.
He is 100% healthy (had a blood panel done and everything) he is on Revolution for fleas and HW.
He gets feed in the afternoon around 12:00pm and at night around 6:00pm
Then gets a small snack of food before I leave for school around 7:00am of so.

He is very active and shows know underlying issues what so ever. His coat is beautiful! No smelly breath, or itching ect.

I just am baffled.

[griam01]

Thank you all so much for your posts. We have gone through all of the ingredients and are currently trying Natural Balance Legume and Duck, but within the first meal, his ears swelled up and he dug at them continually. I continued for 2 more meals and then switched him back to Merrick Duck and Sweet potato and the ear swelling went down and he stopped digging them, but he still digs under his arms. Back to the drawing board.

[Samoan81]

My guess is the food…like chicken some dogs respond the same way to lamb. Lamb tends to cause skin allergies and yeasty ears…that’s my experience with it.
Protein levels are a bit low …whats the fat%…cal%—its also a Diamond Product..known for recalls. I would switch imo
Most important thing right now is for him not to gorge into food.
Remember fleas have a 28 day cycle…would use capstar to make sure. then a preventative.
Have you read up on satin balls for weight gain?
Have you tried bitter apple on his paws? Does he have chew toys accessible?

[Katie]

I rescued Bauer, a Great Dane that was a neglect case out of my county shelter. He was being starved and left outside on a chain. Needless to say – he is severely underweight – weighing in at only 103 lbs – when he should be around 145-155. My vet seems to think he is about 2, and that he was being starved for so long during his formative puppy growth stage that he will likely never get to be a full mature male size. That doesn’t bother me. I just want him to gain some much-needed weight.

When I first got him, he had every known parasite and worm imaginable, plus coccidia. I have had him for over a month now, we have been through two rounds of panacur, and his body is now worm/parasite free… but he is not gaining any weight. His ribs and spine poke through, and the definition behind his rib cage and above his hip bones is disturbingly sharp. I have seen very little improvement in a month. He’s gained a pound. I have been feeding him the 4Health Lamb and Rice for Adult dogs twice a day. 4Health is what the Great Dane rescue told me to feed him, saying Danes need a lower protein formula dog food. I have also been cooking him chicken or steak and feeding him homemade meals for one meal a day. I have him on Dyne supplement too, he loves the taste of it. But he is still not gaining weight? His stools are still really loose. Not remotely firm. They seem to be really grainy as well, and light in color.

On top of his emaciation – he’s constantly biting his paws, chewing his toenails, and/or licking/chewing his anus or the top of his hips. He has chewed/licked three different hot spots on his back legs/hips area. He does not have fleas. I have him on Trifexis. I am wondering if this could be food related as well? Or maybe he just has allergies? I have a feeling that it could just be boredom/separation anxiety too. He came to me chewing his nails. This isn’t a new issue. But it does seem to be getting more and more intense right now – particularly with his the hot spots.

I am new to Danes. I have always had golden retrievers/flat coats/labs or aussies in the past – so I have dealt with my fair share of obsessive lickers. But Bauer goes beyond licking, he’s chewing out his fur.. I know it’s got to be painful. And I have never experienced a dog that literally eats his toenails. I mean he seriously splinters them apart and chews them off. It’s neurotic behavior.

Any advice is greatly appreciated and welcomed. Thanks!
Katie

[Katie]

I rescued Bauer, a Great Dane that was a neglect case out of my county shelter. He was being starved and left outside on a chain. Needless to say – he is severely underweight – weighing in at only 103 lbs – when he should be around 145-155. My vet seems to think he is about 2, and that he was being starved for so long during his formative puppy growth stage that he will likely never get to be a full mature male size. That doesn’t bother me. I just want him to gain some much-needed weight.

When I first got him, he had every known parasite and worm imaginable, plus coccidia. I have had him for over a month now, we have been through two rounds of panacur, and his body is now worm/parasite free… but he is not gaining any weight. His ribs and spine poke through, and the definition behind his rib cage and above his hip bones is disturbingly sharp. I have seen very little improvement in a month. He’s gained a pound. I have been feeding him the 4Health Lamb and Rice for Adult dogs twice a day. 4Health is what the Great Dane rescue told me to feed him, saying Danes need a lower protein formula dog food. I have also been cooking him chicken or steak and feeding him homemade meals for one meal a day. I have him on Dyne supplement too, he loves the taste of it. But he is still not gaining weight?

On top of his emaciation – he’s constantly biting his paws, chewing his toenails, and/or licking/chewing his anus or the top of his hips. He has chewed/licked three different hot spots on his back legs/hips area. He does not have fleas. I have him on Trifexis. I am wondering if this could be food related as well? Or maybe he just has allergies? I have a feeling that it could just be boredom/separation anxiety too. He came to me chewing his nails. This isn’t a new issue. But it does seem to be getting more and more intense right now – particularly with his the hot spots.

I am new to Danes. I have always had golden retrievers/flat coats/labs or aussies in the past – so I have dealt with my fair share of obsessive lickers. But Bauer goes beyond licking, he’s chewing out his fur.. I know it’s got to be painful. And I have never experienced a dog that literally eats his toenails. I mean he seriously splinters them apart and chews them off. It’s neurotic behavior.

Any advice is greatly appreciated and welcomed. Thanks!
Katie

[Akari_32]

I found a great $2 off any Prosense pet product, so I decided to try the fish oil for Bentley’s suspected grass allergies (it’s not chicken, it’s not grains, so maybe grass?) and the senior vitamins for Haley’s weight (we can’t possibly shove anymore food down this dogs throat, as she just can’t physically eat much more than 5 cups).

Bentley’s been on the fish oil for a few months, and it does actually seem to help him some. We’ve also been wiping his paws and tummy off after being outdoors with a baby wipe, and trying to give him a weekly bath. And, which I haven’t tried yet, I found hot spot shampoo of the same brand on clearence for $3 (use the coupon and it’s only a buck :D).

Haley, at just 65 pounds of ideal weight, eats 4-5 cups a day. She’s maybe 2-3 pounds underweight, healthy otherwise. The vet had her on vitamins last year durring some medical treatment, but she’s since been off them. Pretty much boils down to her being old at this point, and not being able to metabolize food as efficiently. Shes been on these Prosense Senior vitamins for a few days and I do already see her gaining energy, at least.

Regular feeding, for all three of the dogs, consists of 8-9 cups of dry food mixed with a 13 oz can of wet food, and usually an egg thrown in, as well. This is obviously divided up in appropriate amounts for each dog. The whole feeding routine has been made up specifically for Haley, as straight dry food really upsets her stomach, in an indigestible sort of way. Even if it’s just moistened with some water, it helps her tremendously. Poor girls got tummy troubles lol

I was wondering about these senior vitamins: they seem really high in calcium, which I’ve heard mixed things about for older dogs. I’ll get exact numbers in the morning, as I’m in bed now, but it’s several times higher than the adult formula. I want to say its 4-5% though.

This brand is only available at WalMart (locally, at least) from what I’ve seen. Not that I really have much problem with that. I don’t particularly like WalMart, but I’ll do what I have to.

Also, side note while were here, and I feel it’ll be brought up at some point– you guys know those powder Centrum probiotics for people? Would something like that he beneficial in Haley’s case? Doesn’t have to be that brand or kind, either. Anything along those lines. Just know I’m not made of money 😉

[GizmoMom]

These are some of the foods that don’t have the ingredients you wanted to avoid.
/dog-food-reviews/ziwipeak-canned/
/dog-food-reviews/natures-variety-instinct-dog-food-canned/
/dog-food-reviews/hound-gatos-dog-food/

[Sully’sMom]

So, Pattyvaughn, a followup question:

If I switch to Earthborn Great Plains in an effort to figure out allergies, how do I handle treats, bones, chews, etc? We usually give quite a variety of treats when we’re training, sort of like a trail mix variety so he never knows what he’s getting. I only give top shelf, high quality, made in US treats, but still….there’s quite a mix!

[aimee]

Allergy testing is considered totally unreliable for food allergies, so you may have other options available to you. The only way to diagnose a food allergy is by dietary trials.

Here is information on how to do a dietary trial. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2499

[aimee]

Hi weezerweeks,

I found this site which may be helpful, you can look up explanations for various changes in the blood and urine tests. http://www.2ndchance.info/dxme.htm

It looks like high neutrophils can be from stress/ excitement, inflammation, or infection.

It says increased basophils are not common and can be seen with allergies, parasites.

Regarding the protein in the urine I found this on that site “High specific gravity (very concentrated urine) makes small amounts of protein leakage appear greater than they really are. The opposite is also true; protein of any amount in very dilute urine is a more worrisome finding than the same amount in a concentrated urine sample.”

I found this article on diagnosing thyroid disease, but it is pretty technical.

http://www.idexx.com/pubwebresources/pdf/en_us/smallanimal/snap/t4/sah-thyroid-roundtable.pdf

It sounds like if the T4 is normal it means the dog doesn’t have a thyroid problem but if it is low it means other tests should be done to confirm if there really is a thyroid problem. According to this article if your dog is sick it can lower the thyroid hormone making the dog look like it has a thyroid problem when it doesn’t. “Euthyroid sick syndrome (ESS) refers to a condition in which dogs have a nonthyroidal illness (NTI) that suppresses the concentration of circulating thyroid hormones.”

Hope your dog gets well soon.

[theBCnut]

Can I suggest you get a couple books on making homemade dog food and make your own? That way you can be in complete control of what goes in to it.

[InkedMarie]

If you go to the Dog Food Ingredients forum, there’s a stickie at the top with grain and white potato free foods. Might be a starting point.