[lolo2379]

Thanks everyone for your help. I’m not sure the “type” of infection, I thought it was just a regular ear infection. My pit bull girls both have allergies and have gotten yeast infections between their toes once or twice. I think we are going to switch to something without potato. We were doing salmon and potato and may go to lamb and rice. I prefer not to go with chicken. Thinking about Wellness or Fromm.

Thanks again!
Lori

[Susan]

Hi Lori, I also rescued a dog that suffers from skin allergies & ear problems, (Canine Atopy).. I started an elimination diet & found he can’t eat Potatos, Sweet Potatos & wheat, I also stopped his chicken & I’m feeding him Wellness Simple Lamb & Oatmeal limited ingredients as he cant have potatoes but Wellness Simple has 3 different grainfree kibbles Wellness also has their Complete Health range & their Grainfree Core…I prefer to feed a kibble with grounded rice as most of the grainfree kibble have potatos or lentals & are high in carbs causing dogs to itch more…
A few ladies from the do park have dogs with skin & ear problems, their vets put their dogs on vet diets & they didnt help with the itch so now they are feeding their dogs “Holistic Select” Anchovy, Sardines & Salmon meal also made by Wellpet & their dogs are itch free & no more itchy ears & looking real shinney & healthy, also we bath our dogs in Malaseb medicated shampoo it kills any bacteria on their skin but doesnt strip their good oils also bath weekly, the Malaseb seems to relieve any itch & helps with their itchy stinky ears..sardines in spring water are good as treats.
here’s 2 links one is the Wellness range & the other link is the Holistic Select range
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog&ft=1#Complete
http://www.holisticselect.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog#category5

[InkedMarie]

Allergies depend on what they’re allergic to. I used Wellness Core reduced fat with great success and have heard good things about Annamaet Lean.

[sheltielove]

I am a college student looking for a good food on a budget. The dog I recently adopted is on Blue Buffalo Freedom Grain Free Small Bites mixed with a grain free wet food. He doesn’t have any grain allergies so I am interested in switching him over to a good food that is more college student budget friendly!

When reading some reviews, I saw some negative feedback on the brands Diamond and Nutro. I know that Nutro is AAFCO certified, so I was wondering what problem there was with this brand? My parent’s shelties have been on Nutro Max their whole lives and have wonderful coats, etc. I just want to make sure I am the most informed as possible before making a switch!

[cola410]

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

[djdogirl]

I have 5 schnauzers. I currently feed them Canidae. 2 of them were spayed earlier this year and gained weight, mainly around the chest area. All my dogs are fixed and these 2 were not fat until being fixed. The others did not gain like this.They all eat the same everyday. I am looking for a good weight control food that is also hypoallergenic, as 3 of them have allergies. Any suggestions on what you have used. Cost is of no importance as I will try anything until I can get them regulated on something that works.

[Akari_32]

Taking as much carbs as possible out of his diet has helped a lot. I do feel thats the biggest issue. He’s had less than a weeks worth of the Pure Balance stews over the last two weeks, and already he smells yeasty and disgusting, and has been chewing his feet a lot lately. But allergies are so bad right now that even Haley was shedding so bad I started thinking it was a health issue and took her to the vet– just for him to say it was allergies! Thankfully he didn’t charge me for the visit, just for the Sentinel I picked up since her Tifexis is out (thank god! I hate giving that stuff..). You could run your hand down her back over and over still come off with literally a hand full of hair every time! It’s amazing to me how she even has any hair left at this point! So I’m sure he’s got some sort of environmental allergies, as well– probably to everything that blooms. Everyone, human and animal, is having a hard time right now.

Not only do I hate seeing him itchy and red, I HATE the sloppy, licky noise. I even yell at the cat when he starts getting too slobbery sounding when grooming himself LOL Can’t stand that sound @.@

Aw, thanks! I try lol

[Bobby dog]

The proof is in the photos! He looks great. You never know, you mentioned in the past you initially thought he had allergies to grass and although it looks like allot of issues were his diet maybe a little is the outdoors too. I know from experience it is horrible to see your dog scratching and licking himself constantly; knowing they are physically uncomfortable and not feeling well is awful! Anyway, good job taking care of him!!!

[Akari_32]

Right?? LOL

Bentley’s fur is growing back pretty well. Almost at full length again on his but and thighs. You can see his legs are still red, but he seems to not be losing any more fur, so whatever. I think its the Pure Balance I had to buy him. They didn’t have any of the 95%, so I got him the puppy stew kind, and its making him itchy. That and everyones allergies in general are just really horrible right now. I haven’t been able to breath for like a month, and a lot of people are catching colds, as well. So thats not helping him, either. But his new diet should help! Wish there was an affordable raw diet for the cat. I would love to try it. He really loves his beef heart lol

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Akari_32.

[Susan]

Hi Lynn, Ive been posting & posting about WellPet (Wellness) kibbles telling people how good they are especially if your dog has health problems & is on a prescription vet diet & you dont like the ingredients in the Vet diets…. I have a dog with Pancreatits & IBD & the Wellness Simple the Duck & Oatmeal & the Lamb & Oatmeal have been the only kibbles that have worked for Patch beside his vet diet. Wellness Simple is a limited ingredient kibble…
Wellpet also make Holistic Select & Eagle Pack, I dont know if they are GMO free, I know the Holistic Select Anchovy Sardines & Salmon meal is excellent if your dog has itchy skin allergies….

[Michael L]

Hi Again,

So I think it was a little too early to call that success.

Based on this link /reports/editors-choice/
I decided to try Annamaet Grain Free Manitok however after two days my dog just stopped eating it. I mean he won’t even sniff it. At first I thought it was still his allergies but once I gave him some of his old food (Orijen puppy large) he finished that in 2 seconds.

I found this link:
/best-dog-foods/hypoallergenic-dog-foods/
That talks about Suggested Hypoallergenic Dog Foods
And more specifically I decided to try ACANA Duck & Bartlett Pear Singles Formula Dry

This food has limited ingredients and I figured it would be a good place to start as it’s based on duck and not chicken like the orijen one.

My dog loves it, I mean he chases me when I go get it, which he has never done before (very picky eater).

However I’m not sure about the dosage and/or if it’s suitable for large breed puppies. My golden retriever is 9 months old and weighs about 83lb.
The label says that there’s 1.3% calcium which I think should be okay (as per my understanding as long as it’s less than 3.5% it’s all good). Can someone confirm that?
http://www.acana.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ACA-SINGLES-WEB-PDF-2014-DUCK.pdf?20c636

Can someone confirm that?

Thanks in advance.

[William W]

Pro Pac. It is very popular with the ranchers in Eastern Oregon. In the latter part of 2009, I discovered my Border Collie/McNab had wheat allergies. The vet put her on Science Diet, and the allergies cleared up as my wallet cleared out. The local farm and feed carried nothing but Pro Pac. I cut the ingredients label off of the Science Diet, and found a near perfect match with one of the Pro Pac brands. My dog didn’t like it. So I found another Pro Pac brand she would eat. For 5 years she has had no allergy issues. Her coat was glossy, and her eyes were bright. We moved recently. There are no Pro Pac retailers nearby. But there is a PetCo just down the street. So I bought a small bag of Whole Earth Farms Grain Free. She tolerated it. When I went to buy another bag, I made the mistake of buying Nature’s Recipe Grain Free. The bags looked the same, and I couldn’t remember the name while looking at 500 different brands of dog food. Now her coat is dull. At least the parts she hasn’t chewed and licked down to bare skin. I returned the Nature’s Recipe for a refund, and bought a bag of Whole Earth Farms. Anyway, Pro Pac is reformulating their Superpremium line and calling it Ultimates. It is still close to $1.00 a pound. If she does not improve dramatically by the end of this bag, I will be making the long drive to find a Pro Pac retailer. I just hope their new stuff is as good as the old. I still remember New Coke…

[Lee N]

Hi Everyone!

Dogs Naturally Magazine is a great place to fine info on vaccine for pets! Here a article I came across:

In a study performed by Vanguard, it was found that a combination vaccine (which typically contains parvovirus, distemper and one to five other antigens), given to six week old puppies had only a 52% chance of protecting them against parvo. This means that the puppy has all of the risk of the vaccine but only half the potential benefit. At nine weeks of age, 88% of the puppies in the study showed a response to the vaccine. At 12 weeks, 100% of the puppies were protected. Some vaccines will provide protection earlier or later.
Only one dose of the modified-live canine ‘core’ vaccine, when administered at 16 weeks or older, will provide long lasting (many years to a lifetime) immunity in a very high percentage of animals.
Vaccinating puppies under 12 weeks of age, and cer- tainly under nine weeks of age, for parvovirus is a high risk, low reward approach. Not only is the parvovirus component of the combination vaccine not all that likely to be effective at that age, it can actually work to block the effectiveness of the distemper component. It also makes the vaccine more dangerous, because the more antigens contained in the vaccine, the greater the risk of autoimmune disease (including allergies, joint disease and cancer). Moreover, most vets haven’t seen a case
of distemper in years which begs the question: what is the big push to start vaccinating puppies at six to eight weeks of age when the parvovirus component is unlikely to work and it is very unlikely the puppy will come into contact with distemper?

[Susan]

Hi Kathy, I forget itchy skin, yes Potatos are a high carb & can cause itch, see how she goes with the potato, as alot of the kibbles have potato now & the Wellness Simple has their Potato & Salmon, Turkey & Potato & they’re suppost to be for skin/stomach problems, but Potato makes my boy itch with his skin allergies, thats why I got the Duck & Oatmeal, & Lamb & Oatmeal kibble as it has no Pototes but all dogs are different… maybe try sweet potato first…you’ll see, as soon as Patch eats something that doesn’t agree with him he starts his scratching & gets his hive lumps all over his head & body…
like 4FootedFoodie said there’s alot of good dog diet books, also Lew Olson has a book called “Raw & Natural Nutrition for dogs” it has cooked meals for certain illnesses, its an excellent book & easy recipes & what vitamins to add, like grounded up egg shell for their calcuim…its only $12.80 on Amazon…in the end home cooked ends up being cheaper & healthier & ur dog will be happier…

[Kathy J]

Re: 9 year old lab/keeshond mix. This years summer scratching was worse than ever and turned into hot spots. Benadryl not much help. Then vomiting started. We discovered tapeworms, made our visit to vet and treated her for that, being careful not to med near feeding time so she wouldn’t lose the dose if she vomited. Weren’t able to finish antibiotics for hot spots because of the frequent vomiting, but wounds are healing nicely. Switched to home cooked rice and chicken a week ago and no more vomiting, no more scratching, healing and well. Tried to gradually add dry food back in the other night – maybe 20 kibbles in with chicken & rice and she threw up a little and showed signs of itching for the first time in days. Stuck on chicken and rice, but not sure that that is nutritionally sound for long term and not sure how to get her back on a regular diet – can they develop food allergy later in life and what should I do to figure out what brand to try? Could really use some advice. Thanks.

[Kimberly T]

Hello!
I currently have a two year old toy schnauzer suffering from the usual allergy symptoms, chewing or licking of paws, pink itchy skin, etc. I started noticing these symptoms at a very early age, so for one of her regular check ups I brought the issues up to my vet. She stated that allergies don’t tend to start showing up until after they are atleast two years old, and that she was probably just doing “puppy” stuff and I was overreacting. After growing up with schnauzers in my life from an early age, I am pretty aware of “most” of there common health concerns. Our last family baby had diabetes, pancreatitis, and finally went completely blind. My parents always fed low grade food (kibbles n bits, pedigree, royal canine) and now knowing this can lead to so many health issues I have kept my little girl (Sophie) on nothing but 4 and 5 star food. Noticing the allergy symptoms I started to rotate foods to see if anything would help or change, and nothing seemed to help. Within the colder months the chewing decreased, but nothing was cured. Now recently she came back from the groomers in massive pain! Skin and ear problems. I went back to the vet and finally after some tests they said she had bacterial and yeast infections due to what they can only guess is seasonal allergies! After the antibiotics and healing process I am desperate for her to never have to endure such pain from something I feel I could of prevented! Any help on food, vitamins, etc. Would be GREATLY appreciated!
Thank you!!

[Melissaandcrew]

BRT- Dogs usually lick their butts and scoot when there is a problem-such as anal glands or worms. Paw/nail bed fixation tends to be allergies. Imagine an itch that you can’t scratch-kind of sucks, lol. I would make sure that he is worm free and his anal glands are not a problem. Tapeworm can not be seen on a fecal, so check around his butt very very carefully for anything that looks like hard dried up rice-those are the worm segments. You can try rinsing his feet to see if that helps-the other option, if the vet has already looked at him and said no issue-is to try a squirt of an anti chewing spray. If its merely behaviorally, he should stop after a few licks of bitter apple or something of that nature.

[milly w]

Vegetarian Dog Food

To most Americans, leading a vegetarian lifestyle is the right way to healthy living. As a result, they feel obliged to extend this sort of lifestyle to their pets. Such beliefs have brought about a wide-scale marketing campaign for vegetarian dog foods.

Depending on your definition of vegetarian, certain ingredients and food types may be incorporated or removed from a vegetarian diet. As a minimum requirement, most meat sources – pork, beef, fish, etc. – are usually removed from the diet. Animal products such as milk and eggs are also usually not incorporated into the diet.

Why do people switch their pet diets to Vegetarian Dog Food?

Most vegetarians believe that vegetarian diets are healthy when compared to the traditional diets, which include animal-source foods. Vegetarians extend this assumption to their pets, which of course is not always true. For example, dogs do not suffer from disorders such as high cholesterol. Therefore, cutting your dog’s meat intake with the intention of reducing its cholesterol intake does not serve any real health benefit to the dog.

Other folks believe that meat contains contaminated bacteria that may harm their dog. This may be a real and legitimate cause to worry; however, meat products that have been properly canned or dried pose a far lower risk of disease transmission when compared to raw vegetables or fruits.

Some people cut their pet’s meat or animal-source intake with the premise that it causes food allergies. Pets rarely develop food allergies. When it comes to pets, the risk of developing allergies due to protein intake from meat or protein intake from plants is the same. Cutting meat intake rarely helps solve this problem.

The most likely Effects of switching your Dog’s Diet to Vegetarian

The nutritional demands for dogs are very different when compared to those of humans. A perfect vegetarian diet for a human may; therefore, not be suitable for a dog. A vegetarian pet food that meets all the requirements – of the dog species – is very difficult, but possible to develop. However, it becomes even more difficult when you decide to use ingredients that fit a purely vegetarian diet: a vegan diet.

A protein and calcium need of a dog, for example, is much higher when compared to that of a human. Such nutrients are usually derived from animal ingredients.

Of course, it is possible to derive such nutrients – Calcium and protein – from synthetic substitutes; however, the process is much more expensive and far less reliable. The process may prove very effective theoretically, but fail miserably in the “real world”.
Finally, even if the dog eats the vegetarian diet that you serve it, it may not consume it in the proportions that its body requires. Pets enjoy a cookie or a fruit on an occasional basis; however, they may not enjoy consuming vegetarian products for their survival. Therefore, even if you come up with a vegetarian diet that meets all the requirements, your dog may not take in as much as its body needs. Thus, it will suffer nutritional deficiency eventually.

In a concluding remark, vegetarian diets are healthy – to a certain extent. However, they may deprive your dog of certain essential requirements. If you must serve your companion with vegetarian dog food, ensure that it takes it in sufficient quantities, and that it has all the essential nutritional requirements.

[Shane O]

Yes, if you have a dog with grain allergies this is a good choice. Otherwise the Kirkland Premium is better and costs less.

[DogFoodie]

Oh wow, Michael. Have you gotten him off of this food already? If not, I would right away. It sounds like he’s having some true allergic reactions.

Personally, I believe that one of the problems with Orijen is that their recipes are so complex, it would be hard to know what exactly were the problem ingredients. Right now, you’re still on the verge of needing to feed a food with controlled Calcium and his being fully grown and it not being the concern it was during his growth phase.

Either way, I think I’d work on starting to figure out what his allergies are. I’d probably start with a limited ingredient food, like Nature’s Variety Rabbit (which she has an appropriate Calcium level for a LBP) and is a protein that he wouldn’t have been eating with the Orijen.

And then, it’s entirely possible his allergies are environmental. Lawn applications, fertilizer, pesticides, floor cleaning products, new flooring, detergent, etc.

Just in case you need it for reference, here’s HDM’s most recent list of 4 & 5 star foods with appropriate Calcium levels for LBP’s: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/preview

[Michael L]

I have a 9 month old golden retriever. I’ve been feeding him Orijen Puppy Large for the last few months but I suspect that he’s getting allergies from that.
We’ve been noticing him licking his paws a lot and scratching his nose, also there were some cases of vomiting and swollen eyes.
After fasting and some benadryl it looks like the issue goes away.
We also took him to the vet, blood work looks good and x-rays didn’t show anything ( Basically we payed over $600 for them to tell us he might have something in his stomach and he needs to poop).

Anyhow, I’ve been looking at other brands that I wanted to compare and try out. Any recommendations for Golden Retrievers? Anyone had similar issues like mine? What would you recommend?

Also, I’ve been looking at the top dog food brands (for instance real meat) and it’s a little pricey for me to pay $100 for 5lb bag.

Thanks in advance.

[InkedMarie]

Since frenchies are known for allergies, a raw diet would be perfect!

[Pat G]

Fromm has an excellent wet food, low fat and good for the little guys. I feed one of my dogs Honest Kitchen Zeal, because his had a nasty bout of pancretitis. I feed the other two Honest Kitchen Thrive because of sever food allergies. If you go on the Fromm website I am sure you can get the information about their canned food for special needs, it is chicken based and I have heard really good things about it.

[Dawn R]

Hi Terri,
I’ve got two pugs (brindle and fawn) that are 5 and 6 years old and have suffered from both food allergies/sensitivities and seasonal items for years. I’m had them on raw diets for the past 3 to 4 years and fed kibble prior to that. I’ve tried just about every medicated shampoo, supplements, probiotics/enzymes and testing that is out there including taking them to a vet dermatologist. In the early years the boys had been on antibiotics and steroids until I decided to pursue a more holistic program with them. The most informative testing that I did that helped get me started down the right path was with a company called Glacier Peak Hollistics. They have a Healthy Dog Sensitivity Assessment that costs $80.00 which is a hair and saliva test. You submit hair back to them as well as swabs and it gives you a really extensive report back. You get results back fairly quick and then can make decisions on food proteins you should eliminate from their diet, or allergies to ingredients. I’ve done the more traditional IgE and IGg testing on them and paid close to $250.00 for testing and the results didn’t come close to the holistic testing.

[Stewart]

One of my dogs does the Preference and loves it but he loves everything. He has IBD, allergies, and is sensitive to bone found in all the frozen raw commercial diets. This brand really works for us. He tried almost all the flavors(before we allergy tested) and he does best with the Preference w/ raw meat or Zeal.

I think THK is a great food for dogs that are sensitive or picky. But I dont feel like the complete diets are that much better compared to a good kibble….I mean if I had a dog that had no issues,was completely healthy, wasnt picky and I couldn’t afford a balanced homemade I dont think I would give him a commercial dehydrated food w/steamed meats over a good kibble. They are both cooked (yes you save a bit of nutrients).To me the cost doesn’t seem worth it. Saying that I do love the pre-mix with raw meat because it works for my sensitive guy.

Maybe make your own food like before but get a good balanced recipe!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Stewart.

[Kelly D]

Hi everyone! First time poster and I’m super excited I found your forum (so hopefully I’m posting in the right place). We have three dogs – two mutts and a pure-bred Newfoundland. For about two years now, the Newfie (he’s 6yrs old) has had problems with his ears. They’re juicy (gross, but best description), inflamed and painful for him. Our doctor has tested them for bacteria but none really so she says it’s some sort of allergy. We have done the elimination diet SOO many ways. I finally got him allergy tested through ImmuneIQ (much more affordable than vet) and they claim he’s allergic to so many things.

Do you all have any other suggestions as to what this could be? We’ve fed him daily yogurts; kept him away from our two cats, their food and litter box; he’s always been on flea and tick medicine. What could it be??

Here are the ImmuneIQ results:

Can you all recommend a food or should we start making our own?
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU so much in advance!

Kelly

[Susan]

Hi Eric, Your lucky that ur boy is keeping on his weight, my boy has Pancreatitis IBD & Skin Allergies, I’m having trouble keeping on his weight, 1 month he’ll start to look all muscle & nice & solid then this month I can see his spine when he’s curled up sleeping & bottom of his ribs when walking, I dont know about ur boy but my Patch can’t eat Jerky meats, thats how he started to get ill with his Pancreatitis, I’ll tell you what Patch eats as treats, a little thin slice of banana mashed up but banana is a high carb fruit, Rice Cake biscuits, I break one rice cake into a quarter then break little bits off the 1/4 biscuit & he thinks that he’s getting alot but really he isn’t, his kibble I use that as a treat, he has tuna in spring water drained & add a little of boiled pumkin & mash all together for breakfast Watermelon in summer & thats about it….We do walk alot Patch goes on about 4 walks a day, up the shops, dog park, beach… I think thats why he’s having trouble keeping on the weight… too much walking, but our walks are only 15min long maybe 20mins, all up its about 1 hour walking a day & no fat in his diet only whats in his kibble, also Patch has trouble with proteins meats he seem to have his pain after he ate his boiled chicken, so I changed to tuna, I use to mix a boiled egg with his tuna & pumkin but he had pain I’d say the egg yolk too high in fat, also just reduce his kibble, take out about 8 kibbles from his bowl, then you can use those kibbles as treats thru the day, walk him & the weight will come off, & try pumkin instead of sweet potato, I cant give Patch Potato he gets a rash on his stomach then has diarrhea….

[Sallynova]

Hi! Just want to tell you that proper nutrition should be your ambition. It’s dog food and it has to have all the minerals and vitamins they need because it’s the only way to be sure they stay healthy. Everyone in our neighborhood uses the same food now – it’s called Dogs For The Earth. It’s dehydrated so there is no processing and it’s Organic – every ingredient is organic and the whole list of ingredients is on their web site. They tell you why each ingredient is in the food – what is does for dogs and they are owned by a scientist who is an animal nutritionist. We had dogs around here with so many allergies and problems and my sisters’ yorkie was the worst picky eater but now she runs into the kitchen whenever she hears the bag! After you read on their web site you’ll understand! http://Www.dogsfortheearth.com I try to tell everyone about this food because it’s pure and natural and dogs love it. But more importantly I’ve seen first hand how that makes such a huge difference.

[Sallynova]

I forgot to mention if your dog suffers from allergies – make sure you do not use a kibble as the process of making kibble can cause allergies to get worse. Use a natural food and organic without any processing. So frozen or dehydrated is best and you’ll see a big difference. We use Dogs For The Earth dehydrated food – it solved all our problems in a week!

[jim b]

I have a Shih Tzu with allergies to chicken, potatoes and peas. The only dry food I have found is Primal Freeze Dried Duck Formula. Just started so not sure if will help. It’s a minor hassle to rehydrate and would prefer to find a dry kibble alternative if anyone has a suggestion.

[Dori]

Hi Aimee. I have read that brief before when I was having so many issues with Katie. As far as the other parts of my reply to Kristin C., I stated that it was in my humble opinion. I didn’t state it as a fact, only my years of experience with Katie. I do believe Kristin’s dogs vet is mistaken when he told her he did not believe the issue was diet related. I do believe it’s diet related. I had similar issue with one of my dogs and I explained how I solved the problem.

I don’t want this to wind up some long drawn out debate. Again I stated it was my opinion, not anyone else’s just mine and my experiences with a dog who suffers from food intolerances and allergies. Just passing Katie’s experience along.

[Dori]

Hi Kristen. My dog Katie (5 year old Maltipoo) used to get underarm rash also, sometimes it would look more like a grayish area also. It went away after a couple of weeks when I put her on raw diet eliminating all grains, soy, corn, white potatoes and most especially chicken, turkey, duck, quail. In other words all fowl was removed from her diet. She and my other two dogs have been on raw food diet for a little over two years. Katie has never gotten the underarm rash again. IMHO your vet is mistaken. It is the diet. I would definitely NOT spend the money on any nutritionist that does not believe in raw feeding. I figured all this out with Katie through years of trial and error. I would take away any and all grains and definitely switch out all poultry for a couple of weeks and see what happens. Never give antibiotics for allergies or an undiagnosed issue. Most traditional vets in my experience are very quick to hand out antibiotics. The only reason I would go along with giving any of my dogs antibiotics is if it was a true diagnosed issue that was an infection that needed antibiotics and that the antibiotic was specific for whatever the infection was. That was a really bad call on the part of your vet.

C4C. I think if it was laundry detergent or something on the lawn or on the property it would not be just an underarm rash, it would be on the paws, belly and other areas, don’t you think? Anyway, it’s just my opinion for whatever it’s worth.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Dori.

[Stewart]

Hello everyone, I’ve been a lurker and finally decided to join. I wanted to get some advice about a homemade cooked veggie pre-mix. My little dog(Graham) does raw muscle meat with The Honest Kitchen pre-mix. He’s been on it for a little over 2 years. I want to make my own because I think I could save some money. Does anyone know of a recipe for a homemade pre-mix?

Background- the reason he is on the pre-mix is because he has severe allergies. When I first got him I knew I was doing raw with him just like my cat. But he kept throwing up or regurgitating his food. No matter the brand of raw, homemade or commercial he couldn’t keep it down. He would thow up in his sleep, it was bad. We did an ultra sound, allergy test, x-ray… we even tried kibble but that only added diarrhea to the mix. It was really bad at one point. I cried thinking I might have to give him away because nothing that I was doing was making him better. I was sad and frustrated all at the same time. Then one day I noticed small bits of bone in his throw up and thought maybe it’s the bone? Sure enough that’s exactly what it was! We also stay away from things found on his allergy panel(potato, rice, lamb) but the bone was the main culprit behind him throwing up raw. He’s 3 and we had a hard first year but everything worked out.

Also can someone point me area for directions on how to get a picture up? I’m missing something.

[Susan]

Hi James, what were the other brand foods you tried, were they similiar to the Royal Canin ingredients or were they different proteins, look at the ingredients of the R/C Boxer & maybe pick a kibble with Chicken meal instead of the chicken by-products, I just looked at the ingredients of the R/C Boxer, have you tried “Eagle Pack Orignal” Chicken meal & Pork meal or the Eagle Pack Power adult that has 30% protein & it has chicken meal & pork meal & oats like the R/C Boxer & is higher then the R/C in protein at 24%, just a thought, also Eagle Pack has different flavors, so you can rotate them later if they like the Chicken & Pork meal…. I had a boxer 3 years ago & she loved home cooked or wet tin over her kibble…Angie also had an under bite, I never noticed anything different when she ate…..Just watch for any lumps, my poor Angie was so healthy, then around 9years old she had what looked like a little wort on the back of her back leg, the first vet said “oh thats nothing” then 1 year pasted & Angie wasnt herself, tired, didnt want to go on her walks as much so I took her to a different vet, the RSPCA vets where I first adopted her from & straight away the vet took her in for surgery & cut out any lumps & did bi-opsies, she had high grade 2 cancer….Mast call tumors…I love Boxers, this time I rescued a 4year old English Staffy & he has nothing but health problems, beautiful friendly boy, but has problems with Pancreas & itchy skin allergies, The vet put Patch on the Royal Canin vet diet Hypoallergenic kibble in the begining for his itchy skin but the fat% was 19% fat then Patch got Pancreatitis cause the fat% was too high in the R/C & Patch was put on Eukanuba Intestinal vet diet with a lower fat% & Patch is doing real great, looks shinny, people say, gee he looks good, but 1 month ago I started Patch on the Wellness Simple, Duck & Oatmeal as the Eukanuba has corn in it, so far all is good no gas, no stomach rumbles, perfect poos, I think he’s better then when he was just on the Eukanuba Intestinal, at the moment I mix the 2 kibbles, so he gets good from both kibbles, its always good to have a few kibbles that they like & agrees with them, just incase you cant get one of the kibbles you’ll have the other kibbles to fall back on.. I want to try the Eagle Pack Reduced fat next as it has similiar ingredients to his Eukanuba intestinal but minus the corn.. he did good on the Eukanuba Intestinal..

[Deborah S]

Noticed Wegmans Brand of Kibble today and wonder is anyone has tried it? Down side seemed to be that there were 2 poultry, chicken and turkey, turkey being grain free and then a lamb. Unfortunately no fish. I tend to stay away from poultry due to possible allergies but ingredients seemed good. DFA gave the chicken 4 stars but the lamb 3.5 (why?).

[Dori]

I’ll definitely let you know how the Epicore goes. I’ve already placed an order on line for. I ordered the human version because I’m going to try it out on myself also. I have an autoimmune illness that I’ve had since 1997. Was in remission once years ago but its been totally back since 2006. Actually the reason that I want to try the Epicore on myself and Katie is because from the site you sent me to and research on line the objective of Epicore is not to rev up the immune system (as you know, that’s what autoimmune illnesses are) but to actually balance it out. It supposedly balances out your immune system whether you are immune deficient or have a revved up immune system. It would be incredible if it actually helps me and Katie. Allergies are nothing more than an autoimmune response. We shall see how it works and I’ll report back.

I’ll know next week about whether they can order Victor’s into the shop.

[losul]

C4C, Bobby dog, Thnx. I agree about getting more back to basics. Hopefully more manufactur’s will lean more that way in the future. It’s mind boggling to me how many dogs are having allergies, intolerances, etc., and how many folks have so much trouble finding foods that are agreeable, out of the hundreds of foods out there. Is shouldn’t be that way, and why do so many dogs seem to have these allergies in the first place, I think it’s unnatural. 10 years and more ago, I thought it was very rare for dogs to have allergies, now it seems to be very commonplace. (or maybe I was just in the dark back then, well I know I was in the dark, lol. ). All of the botanicals in Origen are what have kept me from trying so far. C4C, I hear ya on the funny looks!

Naturella, I hesitate to advise you how much to give your dog and whether or not to give it at all, I almost feel like it would be medical advice. For one thing there’s such a variance in the size of cloves, and another some dogs would be more sensitve than others. The health and and nutrition of your dog could also be a factor. Your dog is very small, and only about 1/3 the weight of mine. I give mine about 1 1/2 large cloves per week, they average about 4 grams each clove. It’s crushed and mixed in with 4 days worth of food. For the next 4 days batch, I leave garlic out of it, the next, garlic again, and so forth. I think I give him less than most sites advocating it advise, I would never give him so much that he has would have garlic breath to much extent, and well, if I would ever notice that he would actually begin to exude the odor from his skin, I feel that would be entirely too much and could be dangerous. If you do decide to use garlic so, just to be precautionary, start out tiny, like just a small slice of a clove, and make sure there isn’t any kind of intolerance or allergic reaction first. I wouldn’t think 1 small/medium sized clove a week, distributed in several meals would be too much for your dog. I know I wasn’t much help, sorry…. BTW, I can almost smell the food a cookin! MMmmmm garlic toast, Luv feta cheese, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar on my tomato slices!

Aimee, Wow you exuded garlic fragrances for 3 days after just eating 1 meal with some? Are you sure you didn’t take a large doggy bag home with you and indulge several times? 😀

I didn’t mean to imply that all mammals have equal susceptabilities, just that they have the same suceptibilties.

I think the papers desribing garlic use for sickle cell anemia used aged garlic extract (AGE). Many of the compounds and properties were changed by the aging or fermenting process, no? At any rate garlic and it’s many compounds have a whole lot of medicinal possibilities wouldn’t you think?

It’s hard to come by actual research on humans, it’d be very unethical to try to induce hemolytic anemia in humans. There seems to be lots of it on various mammals, cats, rats/mice, dogs, cows, horses, sheep, birds, etc. Some of what I’ve seen is merely anecdotal, such as a professor and some students informally volunteered to eat an abnormal amount of onions ( i think it was 2 medim/large, cooked, daily) for a period of 5 days, they all displayed physical signs of anemia, and upon blood testing indeed showed that to be the case.

Here is a study where the researchers where attempting to test the effects of certain native vegetables that could mitigate garlics unwanted effects on Nigerians. The actual study was done with rats, but as I said….;

“Garlic (Allium sativum) is popularly consumed in Nigeria because of its health benefit in treatment and management of several disease conditions. However, excessive intake of garlic may cause hemolytic anemia. This project sought to investigate the ability of some commonly consumed tropical green leafy vegetables—namely, Amaranthus cruentus, Baselia alba, Solanum macrocarpon, Ocimum gratissimum, and Corchorus olitorius—to prevent garlic-induced hemolytic anemia.”

http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jmf.2004.7.498

———————————————-

Is this the study that brought about AVMA’s determination that garlic should not be fed to dogs?

http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/ajvr.2000.61.1446

Objective—To determine whether dogs given garlic extract developed hemolytic anemia and to establish the hematologic characteristics induced experimentally by intragastric administration of garlic extract.

Animals—8 healthy adult mixed-breed dogs.

Procedure—4 dogs were given 1.25 ml of garlic extract/kg of body weight <b>(5 g of whole garlic/kg) intragastrically once a day for 7 days.</b> The remaining 4 contol dogs received water instead of garlic extract. Complete blood counts were performed, and methemoglobin and erythrocyte-reduced glutathione concentrations, percentage of erythrocytes with Heinz bodies, and percentage of eccentrocytes were determined before and for 30 days after administration of the first dose of garlic extract. Ultrastructural analysis of eccentrocytes was performed.

Results—Compared with initial values, erythrocyte count, Hct, and hemoglobin concentration decreased to a minimum value on days 9 to 11 in dogs given garlic extract. Heinz body formation, an increase in erythrocyte- reduced glutathione concentration, and eccentrocytes were also detected in these dogs. However, no dog developed hemolytic anemia.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—The constituents of garlic have the potential to oxidize erythrocyte membranes and hemoglobin, inducing hemolysis associated with the appearance of eccentrocytes in dogs. Thus, foods containing garlic should not be fed to
dogs. Eccentrocytosis appears to be a major diagnostic feature of garlic-induced hemolysis in dogs. (Am J Vet Res 2000;61:1446–1450)
—————

Some notes about this; At the rate I give Turbo, it would take 2 years to give my dog the equivalent of what the researchers gave these dogs all in 1 week. The second paragraph gives plenty enough to be concerned about, but “However, no dog developed hemolytic anemia”

————————————————————–
I’m amazed you would not be concerned about feeding a dog grape pomace, when as far as I know, the causitive agent of grapes/kidney failure has yet to be determined.

[Dori]

Hi Barbara. Thanks for all the info. The stuff you mention from Diamond V Mills is a yeast. Aren’t dogs or people for that matter that have allergies (me and one of my dogs) suppose to avoid yeast? I’m confused.

[Inge S]

Hi, my dog was just tested for allergies : Flax, Soybean and Barley, corn (pollen) are foods to avoid for him, he is also highly allergic to grass and certain plant and tree pollen….
Unless you get an allergy test done it is hard to pinpoint.
Good luck with everything 🙂

[Susan]

Hi Kelly T, I belong to a yahoo group called “IBDogs”, a lady on the site uses horse meat, I too was a bit shock & thought poor horses but she said its been the only meat that has stopped the diarrhea & allergies with her boy, she uses Gabazo beans aswell, she has a balanced diet but I cant remember what it was..If I’m on the site I’ll ask her.. I remembered that she lived Perth Austraila, so it wont be too hard to find her again as we have to sign name & address at the bottom of our post…..I wanted to try a fish oil or Flaxseed oil with Patches itchy skin but I was worried about the oils giving him diarrhea again, I read when introducing a oil use an eye dropper at first & just add a couple of drops of oil with meal then after 2 days if poo is still good then slowly increase drops till you reach proper amount needed…

[Bobby dog]

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

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

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

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

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

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

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

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

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

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

[Barbara O]

You are so welcome. Please realize that I’m not that smart…it’s called being older and learning from experience and reading…asking questions like you do…and using common horse sense when ruminating over the answers that people give you. I give a great deal of credence to people who have been around the block a few times and who spend time reading between the lines…Remember…anyone can put stuff in print on the internet…I love books that are the printed word. When Toby developed pancreatitis, between my vet and a book I have on hand, we pulled him through. I wouldn’t be without the book…It at least tells me what to do at home while I’m waiting to get an animal to the vet’s office…and some good tips after I go…I learned that we have to keep them hydrated but at the same time keep the pancreas still and not taxing itself….It was Christmas Day when Toby got sick…so we’ve come a long way and we’ve had no more problems…and it was my fault that he got sick. I had fixed a standing rib roast for Christmas and left the pan on top of the cabinet…the grease cooled and rose to the top…I had put water in the pan…I had a sick rescue Dane and hadn’t washed the pan…Toby got on top of the sink….genets can climb anywhere…and swished his tail in the pan, covering his long, long tail in the grease…these animals are fastidious..so he immediately went to cleaning it… When i finally set down after getting Mandy the dog stabilized and medicated…she had a UTI…he jumped into my lap and i felt the wet, greasy feeling tail….he had consumed all that grease…too, too much for a little 3 to 4 lb animal….The next morning he was lethargic…we saw the vet that day and he was started on meds…then we went back and they had to put 50 ccs of fluid under his skin…it took three of us to hold him down in a tube that was meant to do this…it was then i learned how to give him a teaspoon of water every hour on the hour to keep him hydrated, interspersed with a teaspoon of blended food….several times a day….My husband and I had tried to keep him hydrated with 10 ccs subcu but couldn’t hold him down….strong little cuss…first animal I haven’t been able to hold down…As I said, he can be a little Tasmanian devil….I hydrated the Dane with no problem….

Every day I learn something new…that’s why I love sites like this…It helps me tweak what I do for my own animals and it also helps me know what I’m doing right, that has worked for years and years…when something works, your animal is healthy and happy…don’t change what you’re doing…Our animals are individuals…I can’t eat wheat…developed a problem with it…causes horrible arthritis in me…I also know this hasn’t always been the case…same way with chicken…developed something called polymyalgia…docs sent me to rheumatoid clinic at our teaching hospital here…not rheumatoid arthritis so they gave it this fancy name…found out it was being caused by chicken…I was eating it almost every day…I was the one who found the connection…not the docs, just me…case in point….you know your animals better than anyone else…I told one person I won’t feed Purina…had a bad experience with it…not the quality I want for my animals…but that doesn’t mean that others have the same results…From my animal science degree, the various vet courses I’ve taken, and from working with various animals and exotic vets across the US, I have learned a great deal….All I can do is try to put together what I’ve learned to care for what the animals I’ve been blessed to have…I’m seeing too many animals with allergies…something is going on…and I’m seeing these allergies in animals on kibble, raw diets….etc…It’s so hard for me to believe this is a permanent situation….I would start questioning the surrounding environment…not something an individual may be doing but what the animal is coming in contact with that’s not food related…that’s how my allergies started…I cleaned up my environment, cleaned up my diet, starting building my immune system, and now my allergies are almost non-existent. Hopefully, this will happen to the animals out there that are suffering…

[Kelly T]

Phoebe, our 10 year old Boston Terrier has had diarrhea since last October! She has been to the Vet many times and testing has been done to rule out obvious reasons for the diarrhea, but we haven’t done allergy tests yet. We started trying hypo-allergenic dog foods with no success. The Vet recommended making her food with 1 part horse meat and 3 parts lentils.

Needless to say I was a little shocked at the horse meat but I was desperate to try anything! I live in Quebec and you can actually buy horse meat in the grocery store. Within 2 days her diarrhea was gone. The Vet told me to keep her on this diet for 12 weeks and then start introducing other foods one at a time to pin point the allergy. She could not stay on the horse meat/lentils diet forever as it is not balanced.

Does anyone have a balanced recipe for home made dog food that includes horse meat? I’m really not sure where to go from here as I worry about keeping her on this unbalanced diet for 3 months. It’s been 4 weeks and I can see her coat becoming dull and she now has dandruff from really dry skin.

[Barbara O]

Nature’s Variety is wonderful food. Their dry is great…You might feed it and then add a little of the raw…My friend’s dog is medium size and she feeds one of the large packages of raw duck a month. She crumbles up just one of the patties and mixes it in with the kibble, adding water to make it a little soupy…If the dog has no egg problems, crack a raw egg and mix it into the feed…after all, it’s the perfect protein….How many cups a day does your dog eat? The only reason I like to feed the kibble is because my dog is so big that I want to make certain he gets the vitamins….and oils she needs…If you start building the immune system, many of the allergies will subside…Also..there’s yeast and there’s yeast…

I can see the problem with lamb, chicken, and bison, as they are what is called “hot” foods..and chicken is a food I even have to curtail for myself as it can cause inflammation in the body. I am surprised with beef…Duck is not a hot food…it is more neutral…maybe you could purchase a 5 lb bag of Nature’s Variety Instinct…their dry kibble…grain free…and feed it to him…buy a very small package of the frozen and add only one small patty, this is for a little boost in protein and for flavor….I sometimes give Roger several of the genet’s Primal, thawed and mixed into his kibble….It’s not expensive this way…oh…he still gets an egg each feeding…I think Primal and Nature’s V are about the same in cost…Nature’s Variety has had sample frozen packages…you might try them as they’re cheap….Toby’s 3 lb pkg of Primal is $16.00…and it lasts about a month. He gets 2 of the little rectangles a day, along with his precious shaved, preservative free turkey meat…people lunch meat…He will eat the beef but he loves the turkey…I like the Primal because it has veggies in it along with the supplements they need…And…if you found two foods he really likes, you could mix them together….What does he eat, 2 cups per meal?

[Todd R]

Zignature- It is given 4 stars here I understand for a couple of reasons: Use of pea protein (Which I understand could be considered a filler protein, thus overstating the protein content of the food) and Beet Pulp (This is an on the fence ingredient and because of not having definitive proof as a questionable product, personally I think it should not be considered a negative or questionable ingredient) I do also know that they do not own their own manufacturing facility (which is just a chance that this could cause any problems and may never be a problem at all.) The main reason that I feel it should be an editor’s choice is the fact that it is a Grain-Free, Potato Free, Simple ingredient food. These 3 aspects have been invaluable in my choice of a dog food. I was a previous buyer of California Natural because my dog has multiple allergies and has a pretty sensitive stomach. When they had their MULTIPLE recalls. (Even if you have your own manufacturing facility it does not guarantee anything in the way of contaminated food.) While I appreciated their apparent transparency concerning the recalls, I could not bring myself to go back to that food. (My pet supply store stopped selling it as well and I am extremely loyal to my pet supply store and they are unbelievably knowledgeable on the food brands that they sell.) In any case, When the recalls happened, my pet supply store sent me a personal email as one of their customers who purchased California Natural and at that time they suggested that I come in and discuss my options going forward. It was at that time that I learned about Zignature and it seemed like a no brainer for the issues that my dog has. He has now rotated though all the single protein foods and has done better than he did on the California Natural. Stable health in every way and he is 11 years old. I can not recommend it enough. Personally I think, it should be rated at least 4.5 stars if not 5 for the added benefit it gives to people that have dogs with allergy and sensitivity issues. These are intangibles that mean so much to a dog of this type. There you have it. I hope this food might make your list in the near future. Thanks for reading my post.

[Barbara O]

Have never used anything from Mercola…Our Dane Rescue group using good ole Costco Glucosamine with MSM and chondroitin…or Sams. The first rescues I had took the pills with no problem…Roger, on the other hand spits them out faster than you can say pickle…So…I put them in a whiskey jigger…cover them with water…when they’ve dissolved, I put it in his food. I always wet kibble, never feed it dry…ever try eating crackers without any liquid…that’s how the dog feels…anyhow, he eats it down…before I got smart and did this, I bought the dog liquid….and added it to the feed…As soon as he finishes it, I’ll go back to dissolving it for him…And yes…give the adult dose to the larger dogs…My vet told me to give the danes a generic claritin a day during allergy season…really helps..I use the 24 hour…she said if in 12 hours, their eyes are still bad, to add another one…so the Danes all get allergy pills…because they are rescues they are highly stressed…She said every time we move them, the allergies and any other problems they might have will flare…and allergy pills do help…

[Barbara O]

Ok…the stuff I’m talking about is actually from Diamond V Mills, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They found that the employees that worked with the stuff were always well…This is a form of yeast and is used in horses as a probiotic…wow…Some of the employees had not had colds or flu since working there and had improvement in their allergies, etc…maybe this explains why I’ve gotten so healthy….They actually make a concentrated product for humans now, but I’ll keep taking this cheap stuff since the whole house can take it…

You want to use the Diamond V XPC…based on the yeast saccharmoyces cerevisiae. A 50 lb bag has gone up to $1.50 to $1.75 a pound…still cheap for a product your whole household can use…and if it’s good enough for this Texas Doc, it’s good enough for me…and it works….You can order it from Consumer Supply, Marion, Iowa. You can call them at 319-377-5528. Also…try your local feed store. Tell your feed store you need it for your dogs and other animals to build their immunity…don’t tell them you might use it…they’ll think you’re crazy…Have not taken the flu shot or had a cold…no cold in 20 years…no flu in 9 or 10 years…no flu shot in 7 or 8 years. No anything…Add this as your pro/prebiotic to your animal’s food…

[Barbara O]

Wow…will put on my thinking hat…She feeds Pure Vita….as long as she adds the Primal, her dog will get enough protein…I wish she would feed the one without the rice as we don’t yet know how much arsenic is too much for our animals and arsenic is found in all rices…but the lowest amount is in basmati rice and we don’t use it in dog food…I don’t eat rice, corn, wheat, soy…so I don’t feed my animals these things..all but rice is GMO…and rice is full of arsenic…My brain is not kicking in on the name of the disease her dog has, but the dog is old and happy. She spend a great deal on the meds but like she said…if you can’t afford to take care of your pet, then don’t have one…and I agree…I know that lamb is a hot food…In AZ I don’t feed lamb any time of the year….But…I’ll look this up.

The Pet Vet, who has a radio show here, says Nature’s Logic is so good for dogs with allergies…and I notice the food gets a 5…It’s just become available here….Regarding food allergies: The more simple the food, the better it is for your animal…And…allergies can change…As I’ve built my immune system, my allergies and my asthma have all but disappeared…you can do this with your animals…There is a product called sacchromycetes (sp?) that is organic and found in feed stores…I get a letter from a doc in Texas, and he recommend I order it…remember don’t tell them you’re going to use it for humans…and I ordered a 50 lb bag…still using it…divided it into containers…give a teaspoon a day to each of your critters… will build the immune system…I put it in our morning drink…Am going to start giving it to Roger…If you buy the pills, they are 39.00 for a month’s supply for one person…I’ve had mine for 4 or 5 years…most feed stores carry it…I’ll find the name…given to horses a great deal…None of my animals are ever sick and none have allergies…I’ll find out about the hot or cold…but it’s my understanding the hot or cold refers to the weather and how it makes the animal feel. If I lived in cold climate, I’d definitely feed lamb in the winter…I’ll get back with the list…I know that beef is not a hot food so I feed it here in AZ…neither is salmon…makes sense since it’s a cold water animal.

[Dori]

Hi Barbara O. What kibble is your friend feeding as well as the Primal Raw? What is the name of the disease your friends dog has? Very sad. Also what foods would be considered hot and which cool? Should a dog with multiple food allergies and intolerances be eating cool foods or the hot foods? Thank you.

[Tracy W]

I have a 3-year-old Husky named Cookie who struggles with food and environmental allergies and yeast infections in her ears. I have tried her on all sorts of different foods, and I’ve found she reacts negatively to beef, bison, lamb, and chicken. She did very well on Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals Farmhouse Blend (which is pork and fish based), and she also did well on Holistic Select Duck and Holistic Select Sardine & Anchovy, and Lincoln Biotech’s Zinpro (expensive!!!!!). The problem is, she doesn’t like any of those foods very much. In fact, my mother-in-law and husband feed their dogs beneful, and Cookie LOVES it, although it doesn’t agree with her. She even likes my chinchilla’s food, but doesn’t like her own. :-/

I guess I’m wondering if anyone has any recommendations of foods to try for her that won’t break the bank? I’d consider doing raw if 1) I knew how to source it affordably and 2) I knew she would still be fed raw when I go out of state.

Some of the kibbles that don’t work include:
Wellness Super5
All of the TotW
Nutro LI Venison
California Naturals, with grain
Exclusive
Precise, both chicken and lamb
Verus opticoat
Earthborn Holistic, various recipes including the potato-free ones
Merrick – she did OK on it but there was fur in the duck-based kibble. Fur? Really? They make ducks with fur now? And Merrick told me it was natural. :-/
Whole Earth Farms
Diamond Naturals
NutriSource

I was considering The Honest Kitchen’s Keen, but I’m concerned about the potatoes, and I have nowhere to get it locally. Does anyone have any suggestions?

• This topic was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Tracy W.