[Lisa H]

We just adopted a 7 week old mini dachshund puppy. She is our second mini dachshund. We lost our 13 year old mini doxie this past December to pancreatitis. We were heartbroken and finally decided we were ready to love another. So we are a little nervous and maybe a little overprotective right now. The breeder sent her home with a bag of Purina Dry Puppy Chow and a can of Retriever brand canned puppy food. We knew we wanted to switch her to a higher quality dry puppy food. The sales clerk at PetSmart recommended Royal Canin Dry Puppy food for Dachshunds. I see on here it is only rated 3 stars. She is still so tiny and only eating a very little amount at a time. We are transitioning her from the Purina to the Royal Canin by mixing a little of the new with the old, a little more each feeding. She is not drinking water yet out of a bowl so we are soaking her dry food in water to soften it and to get water in her. I just want to feed her the best we can. Should I switch to a 5 star rated food and should we stick with the a breed specific food? She is the runt of the litter and a still a little wobbly on her feet. The breeder said to keep food available to her at all times right now which we are doing. We try to get her to eat every time she wakes up from a nap and she does most of the time eat a little each time. Any recommendations or advice would be appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Have you tried a fish oil supplement once a day? Might help with the dry skin. Is she drinking enough water? Maybe add a little to her kibble.
As far as the dog urine goes, that’s how it is, urine burns the grass.
It usually grows back, kind of. You can’t have a perfect yard if your dog voids on it 🙂
And I don’t trust those supplements that are supposed to save your lawn, chemical junk, imo

Check Wysong for food, my dog with food sensitivities does best on Nutrisca salmon and chickpea with a little lean meat or cooked chicken added.

[Lila S]

We’re going through some food issues with our rat terrier. He’s 1 year old and 11 lbs. I’ve tried a few different dry foods, most recently Natural Balance Ultra and Merrick Grain Free. He’s done okay on them, though he’d always have some inconsistency with his poops, which I attributed to a variety of treats for training or other treats (no more Greenies for him).

Recently he had some pretty bad GI troubles, and right now he’s on an antibiotic, a probiotic/stool firmer, and the Science Diet Low Fat GI Restore food. He’s doing fine, but I’m going to be transitioning him back to the Merrick Grain Free soon, but I’m not sure if that’s what I want to stick with.

Problem is that he’s picky and sometimes he just won’t eat his kibble. If I add some wet food he’ll eat, but often leave the kibble. Mixing Stella & Chewy’s in with water has worked the best. But I’m worried about the S&C’s fat content, because his GI problems were mostly attributed to too much fat. And apparently he does have a pretty sensitive system, so changing things up too much will keep causing problems.

On top of all this, in a month or so we’re taking in another dog from a family member who is moving and can’t take her: a 6 year old min pin, also about 11 lbs. She’s currently eating Iams, and I’d like to transition her to something better, and also ideally feed both dogs the same thing. I definitely don’t want her diet to be too high in fat because she’s getting less active.

Any recommendations for a good small breed (or small kibble-size) food that would be suitable for both of them with their different ages and energy levels? Also topper options to keep them interested without being disruptive to their systems?

[Bobby dog]

Hey everybody!!!
Just popping in real quick, good to hear from everybody!!!

pitlove:
You’re welcome!

I am sooooo jealous of you, what’s it like not to have a finicky cat? I heard there were such creatures, but I began thinking it was just urban legend!!

The cats I have had throughout the years ate whatever I got at the grocery store or discount grocery outlet and it was mostly dry food. A few developed health problems that I feel a bad diet helped exacerbate. If I ever get another kitten or cat they will be started out right with wet food. Hopefully no dry, but I do understand the convenience factor. I have had allot of family emergencies over the past few years so I don’t know if I could rule out dry completely.

I will stop back later with my grocery store food list and others I have either tried or currently feed. I have to proof read the list to make sure I have it updated.

Jakes mom:
Yes, the outdoors are calling!!! Unfortunately, this year my garden will be scaled way back due to a family member with health issues. I am not sure what time I will have to devote to the garden and I don’t want to plant a bunch of stuff only to have it over grow with weeds. Bobby has been at my side most of the time for yard work. He does get bored easily and slips away to hang out on the porch. I am sure I will catch him peeing in the garden at some point or finding a bunny nest! lol

My hyper-t kitty had the best wellness check-up he’s ever had a few months ago. My Vet was thrilled with his weight and the condition of his coat! He does eat the best out of all of them though, he’s the only one that will eat most anything.

weezerweeks:
I’ll check out my list and see if any brands I feed or have tried come in larger cans. I get that whole budget thing.

C4C:
Didn’t know WEF made cat food. I’ll have to check out the pet store I go to that sells it. I will always try a new food, you never know what they will eat.

[Sue H]

I have found a “budget friendly” dog food for my 3 dogs that has worked out very well. I don’t have problems with diarrhea or fussy eating and the label makes me feel pretty sure that it is a good choice. Walmart puts out “Pure Balance” dry dog food in several different recipes. To the very best of my knowledge, there have been no complaints or recalls.
Please let me know if I have been in error in recommending this label to people in my neighborhood and to my friends.

[Katie G]

My little family is getting a sweet little Goldendoodle puppy in a couple weeks. He will be between 40-50 lbs full grown, not sure how big he is now at almost 6.5 weeks (still with breeder and mama). I have heard Doodle mixes have sensitive tummy’s? Anyway, I have been looking at grain free dry and wet dog foods, pouring over reviews on dogadviors.com and other websites. I think the breeder has the pups on Kirkland brand puppy food but I plan to switch our pup as soon as he comes home, just because I have heard doodles do better with grain free? There are great reviews for Nulo, Merrick, Canidae, Pawtree etc. But any recommendations for Goldendoodles specifically?

[Rajeev S]

Hi yellow lab,generally higher calorie content food is preferred but tumor cells are much likely to use fat for energy. It is recommended that food should be 25-40 % fat on a dry matter basis. For them carbohydrates food should be less than that 25% of the food.
I suggest high level of protein and fats combined with lower levels of carbohydrates are most beneficial. Going grain free is the best option for the diet. Make sure you read the ingredient label and it will be good while the two ingredients are some type of meat. choose different brand that is very important.
BARF diet is best for the yellow lab. It contains biologically appropriated raw foods and also 75% meat and 25% fruit/veggies.

[Ellen D]

Hello –

I have a 3 month old labradoodle puppy. He was 20 lbs a week ago, so I’d think he’s between 20 and 25 now. He’ll be about 65 pounds full grown most likely.

I’m currently feeding him Nature’s Variety Instinct Large Puppy kibble, which I’ve now realized is even too high in calcium for him. He gets some Stella & Chewy meal mixer in with breakfast and I always give him either a scrambled egg, cottage cheese, pumpkin, or some plain meat chunks with dinner – lunch is plain kibble, as that’s at the day care most days. He gets a raw chicken wing or thigh as a treat a couple times a week right now.

I’m going to plead ignorance and admit that I thought I was doing a great thing by getting him “fancy” kibble and only realized a week into having him that there’s much, much more to dog food than dry kibble.

So my dilemma:

–I need to provide him with some form of kibble or dry-fed food for various reasons – the day care can’t mix his food, I do travel from time to time on business so he may need to be boarded 3-4 days per month, and I’m afraid if I stop kibble altogether he might refuse it while I’m away and be a very hungry boy when I return. However, this doesn’t have to continue to be a significant portion of his food. I am happy to keep it just to stuff Kongs/food toys so he stays used to it, but I need to have some on hand. I’ve narrowed this down to – Annamaet Salcha, Avoderm Turkey, or Fromm Beef Frittata.

–I am very interested in a raw diet for him, but I can’t decide what to do here. I’d like to have some freeze-dried product on hand (narrowed down to NRG Maxim and THK Love) for convenience. But ultimately, once he’s down to 2 meals per day from 3, I’d like to go as full raw as I can do – whether it be commercial or homemade or a combo. I have found what I am confident is a very good and versatile homemade recipe (from Ottowa Valley Dog Whisperer – are we allowed to post links here?). My one and only issue with this recipe is I need to sit down and do some maths and figure out what to add in terms of calcium – if I need to alter the recommendation in the recipe based on having a largish breed puppy.

–I am also interested in supplementing with raw meaty bones, as my dog really enjoys his chicken wings and chews them very nicely. Is it okay to just use rmbs as a supplement/treat kind of deal? Could/should I give him one daily or just a few times a week or is it better to just replace a whole meal with them? I would vary the meat/bone source often.

I’m trying to do the right and best thing for my puppy, and I’m 100% open to suggestions and criticism about my plans. I welcome any and all advice, as I’m new to this and my head is just spinning. Added to this is that my wife travels 5 days a week, I work full time outside the home, and we have a 4 year old (human) daughter as well as 2 cats and about 200 fish haha! So I’m a single parent 5 days a week. I’m really at the mercy of convenience. However, I can manage an evening cooking session once a week or a couple times a month and can freeze portion sized amounts. It’s just a matter of figuring out that pesky calcium balance. The recipe calls for powdered eggshell or bone meal. OR I can add whole prey meat to the recipe – I assume I would grind this – and omit the eggshell.

If I were to make the homemade diet, I feel like I would probably feed that for 2 meals per day and continue with kibble for 1 meal. And then when pup’s down to 2 meals, perhaps full homemade with kibble in the kong or as hand fed treats so he stays accustomed to it.

Last question – there doesn’t seem to be a lot of question/issue with feeding raw meaty bones or prey model diets to large breed puppies. Does the nature of a raw diet negate the need to watch the calcium levels so closely?

[JeffreyT]

Here is Dr. Karen Becker’s overview of environmental allergies…she has other good ones listed on the right side of screen. She highly recommends bathing for environmental allergies. We did her betadine foot soak and it helped stop the paw licking/chewing.

If you don’t already…use only natural, unscented laundry detergent, avoid fabric softener, scented products like room deodorizers, candles, body care, etc., use pure and non-toxic household cleaning and body care products for your family and dogs, avoid all chemicals including flea/tick treatment. For dog shampoo I stick with unscented health food store baby shampoo, and use Mercolas flea and tick spray. BioKleen household cleaners are very pure and effective. I stay away from Meyers…very toxic stuff, even though it’s sold in health food stores.
Carpet and Persian type rugs can hold a lot of allergens…consider steam cleaning but do not let them use the cleaning solution..use only the steam. Best thing is no carpet at all if it is environmental allergies.
I’ve found my dog does better with commercial raw freeze dried and frozen raw than kibble or canned. When I’m in a rush, I use Ziwi Peak or Real Meat Food Company…both air dried using grass fed meat. I think home cooking is also a good option if you can swing it.
Also, a good air purifier helps.
Keep at it and you will find the solution.

[Dori]

I just went back onto their site and looked over the foods again. I agree with you that the only one that I could see feeding is the puppy formula. But, as I mentioned, I’m uncomfortable not knowing about antibiotics and hormones. For my husband and myself I try to buy organic as often as I can and always make sure that there are no hormones or antibiotics as best I can. Another issue that I have with their other formulas is that I don’t like that they have more than one protein. If a food says it’s beef, I’d like not to see chicken. Same with their other formulas. I think the puppy is the only one that is one protein source. One of my dogs is highly intolerant of all things fowl.

As far as the AAFCO statement, I really don’t pay much attention to it. That they have slapped that statement on so many foods that are so not AAFCO equivalent is appalling. So how can you believe any of it. There’s no one guarding the hen house. I’m a commercial raw feeder and all the companies that I feed are only ones that use human grade ingredients. Now, of course, I don’t know that to be a fact because I’m not an eye witness in their manufacturing facilities but I’m doing my best to take care of the girls as best I can. I’ve attempted to do my due diligence. If I remember correctly AAFCO figures were done for kibble, possibly canned too. I’ve read somewhere that they are suppose to be coming out this year with their new figures a bit more in line with the EU guidelines. They’re still not talking commercial raw foods into account so it’s not going to affect me or my dogs one way or the other. I would possibly be more concerned about the AAFCO statements on dog foods if I fed highly processed dry foods or if I only fed my dogs one food and never rotated. That could lead to a problem which is why we are always trying to get people to understand that they should research and implement rotational feeding. The FDA is their own little story unto itself in my eyes. The way they recommend or abolish products has no merit in my eyes whatsoever.

[losul]

Basically I think if they are putting an AAFCO label of nutritional completeness on their foods, i doubt they should be doing so. On the other hand, for me, AAFCO guidelines hold much less relevance for well rounded quality whole, foods, and really become much more relevant the more heavily processed foods. kibbles, etc. I don’t like to many excessive and uneccessary added vitamins/minerals to raw diet.

I’ve not seen guaranteed analysis of their products. The analysis they show is a bit confusing, especially the way they have broken certain items down.

I think I can assume that fat means total fat, carbs mean total carbs, it wasn’t at first plain to me from their analysis. But the total calories still don’t quite reconcile?

Going by what i can here’s the best I come up with on the puppy blend. I hope this comes out looking like a spreadsheet, never has for me before on the review side anyway 🙁

Analysis % %Dry Matter Approximate % calories from?:
——————————————————————————————————-protein 14.02 46.6
fat 7.58 25.2 about 51% ?
carbs 6.57 21.8
water 69.92
ash/other 1.91 6.3
——————————————————————————————————-
100 99.9

Going by those figures, the fat doesn’t look out of line, particularly since the product has added coconut oil and salmon oil, already. I might give consideration feeding the puppy blend (to my adult) on a supplemental basis. I’d be interested in how the veggies, particulary the kale, are processed to make more digestible., and if the mung and adzuki beans are cooked in addition to, or simply just sprouted.

Edit: yeah it didn’t come out looking like a spreadsheet, at all. I’ll have to try doing something about that later.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 11 months ago by losul.

[Eliseo M]

Hello everyone. My English bulldog puppy, Tyson, is now 8.5 Weeks old. We got him on 29 March. They gave us Royal Canin. I read up on Royal Canin and also found this site which led me to purchase Blue Buffalo Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe for puppies. This is kept in stock on base (I am stationed at USAG Yongsan, South Korea).

Over the last 2 weeks his stool has been more pudding diarrhea than solid. Thankfully it hasn’t been uncontrolled (he almost always poops on a pad). It also isn’t “brown water”. He has had no vomiting. He drinks a normal amount of water. He is still active and playful and is putting on weight.

We played with his amount of food and now he gets more solid stools (still has a pudding diarrhea towards the end of the day). However, we noticed he began tearing a lot, to the point he is getting small stains. He also recently began scratching at his ears.

Today we had his 3rd round of vaccinations. The vet looked at his ears, face and eyes. She also looked at his paw pads (between toes). She said he may have a small allergy to the food.

We bought Royal Cannin Hypoallergenic food at the vet office. There is nothing on base and our options at the time were limited.

How do we best go about figuring out this food allergy?

How long should I feed him the hypoallergenic food?

Also, once I am ready to switch back to a puppy food I was thinking of going with Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free Dry Dog Food for Puppies. My thinking is this is a 5 star food and is also grain free which he may be having an issue with.

Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance 🙂

[Jeffrey G. P]

Can someone tell me what they think the best dog food is for a Jack? He is 3 yrs old (tomorrow) and started him on Blue Buffalo, but Vet thought it was to rich for his tummy as he always had loose stools. Vet put him on Hills Prescription ID, has been on it a year and stools are much better. Time for a change.. I give him dry and wet together. Any suggestions? Thanks…

[Anonymous]

Any kibble with chicken (salmonella), or any jerky/treats (China) are suspect, no matter what the brand, imo.

Nutrisca salmon and chickpea dry food is the food that my small breed that has allergies and a sensitive stomach likes. Her specialist/dermatologist agrees it is the right food for her, limited ingredients.

I like Wysong, but she had some GI upset with it, however, my senior small breed does best on Wysong senior.

[Jane C]

Dog food recommended and sold in vet clinics contains corn and is not a high quality food. If you are wondering why it is sold in most every clinic it is because the clinic is rewarded by the manufacturer (kick backs). I have been dealing with a similar problem with an 8 yr. old J.R. She has a serious flea allergy, so that is the first thing to address. Even one flea sets her scratching and chewing. I will only use a topical flea treatment when absolutely necessary, otherwise flea comb daily. She is a rough coat so about March I clip her down a bit to help the flea problem. We live in the South and fleas can be awful. My best results have been to feed The Honest Kitchen food that I add my own raw meat. This ensures a balanced diet. On your size dog this could be pricy but it will be worth it in the long run. If you are using steroids please stop as they do so much harm. Start on the low end of the recommended amount and adjust. Then if you begin to see the results start adding back some dry food. I recommend Nature’s Logic as no ingredients sourced from China, all NATURAL ingredients and great company. Ck. out their website. I have 2 other dogs that are doing great on it. Hope this helps. soldiermom1

[Dawn R]

My puppy Bella is an 8 month old 9 pound schnoodle that has been suffering from severe diarrhea accompanied by occasional blood & mucus as well as vomiting since November 2014. I have spent thousands of dollars at the vet to eliminate other possibilities such as addisons, parvo, liver shunt etc etc. She had giardia when she was very little and treated with metronidizole. Good news is so far all tests are good (liver enzymes very slightly elevated as is potassium), bad news is we still don’t have a definitive diagnosis, however the vet seems pretty sure it is colitis/IBD/HGE. What the vets are not helping me with is putting her on a diet other than the Hills W/D which she doesnt want to eat. I started her on Merrick dry kibble when I first took her home. When she stopped eating that, I mixed in Merrick wet food. This worked for a month before she had terrible diarrhea. In addition she seem to be allergic to something in the merrick food which caused a chronic cough & eye discharge. Then She went on Natures VAriety for a short while, but would ONLY eat the freeze dried raw bits and not the kibble. So because of this I then I put her on Stella & Chewys freeze dried lamb & duck patties. That also worked for about a month and then she had another bout, this time extremely severe. Through each bout (which seems to happen 1-2 times per month) they put her back on metronidizole again, so I never really get the chance to see if a food is working or not. Vet wanted to try the whole novel protein diet and put her on Hills prescription D/D. Tried it for 2 weeks and she would not touch it and lost 1.5 pounds. At that point I gave up and needed to just get food into her system so I put her back on Merrick but this time tried the grain free duck. One week into it and she started back with diarrhea again and is now back on metronidizole. This time the vet wants me to put her on Hills W/D because of the low fat/high fiber. I already use a probiotic (restore) and give her a tablespoon of pumpkin everyday (which incidentally seems to make the diarrea worse). Took her off all bully sticks (still love the brand BEST bully stick, but never again). No treats either. I have read extensively and there seems to be many different opinions on what to give a dog with GI inflammation of sorts. I have read everything from Canine cavier to Addiction and more. Having had signed up for the editors choice, I am hoping for some good solid recommendations. I do not want to give her Merrick or Hills anymore. Cost is not an issue, but I don’t think puppies this tiny are ok with raw food (just my experience since the worst she ever was when I fed her Stella & Chewys, even though I think its a great product for most). She is going in for spay surgery on May 7th (health permitting) and the vet is saying if I am not able to regulate her with diet in the next month that they want to do an intestinal biopsy which I have a real problem with especially if the intestine is ALREADY inflamed. I have an appointment for her with a holistic vet tomorrow and am really hoping to get some suggestions that I can speak to the holistic vet about. I have read all about pre/pro biotics, digestive enzymes, glucose, fructose, hypoallergenic, L-glutamine and plan to ask the holistic vet which of those she thinks I should try, but I find it troubling that I have not gotten any viable food options from my vet to date. Any advice would be greatly appreciated by Baby Bella & her Mom!

• This topic was modified 11 years ago by Dawn R.
• This topic was modified 11 years ago by Dawn R.
• This topic was modified 11 years ago by Dawn R.

[AJ A]

Thanks for all your opinions and experiences, I am glad I received replies.
I won’t ever go back to kibble EVER.
And I don’t run to the Vet all the time. I am organic myself since 15 yrs and haven’t seen a doctor since. Not even once!
I use common sense and needed to see if my case was only happening to my pup. As I can see it is definitely the water in the meat. Thats why they dont need to drink as much water as they do with kibble. Today I controlled a little the water intake and he pees less often, but still bigger spots than before and specially after feeding the chicken. He is doing just fine and has top energy, his coat started shining and it is growing faster than it was 1 month ago.
Before I switched to raw I did a deep education to be prepared, asking raw feeding breeders all over from Australia to Germany, checked everything online and started to understand that raw diet should not contain veggies neither grains like the BARF diet.. Wolves dont get a complete balanced diet everyday, neither do we and certainly they wont be searching for carrots, spinach and grains in their habitat. They receive the fermented enzymes from the digested food of their prey’s tripe, thats the good stuff, thats what they will eat first, thats where lots of balanced nutrients are.
When starting a raw diet with puppies (especially small breed) you best start with chicken, because low fat and easier digested than ground beef. Because I tried both, beef (grass fed 95%lean) and chicken. He regurgitated the whole ground beef everytime he ate it. He never did with the chicken. The wing helps cleaning his teeth and he gets supplements from the core of the bone and calcium.1 egg a week for breakfast. I give bone meal since he does not yet get enough bones in his food yet. Once he is used to the chicken and wings/necks I will start to join some liver and heart and green tripe little by little to not upset his digestion. Than we will do the same with duck, lamb and rabbit including organ and muscle meat as well. Of course a meaty bone everyday or 3 times a week.
Once established his likes than we can start feeding 1 day chicken, next duck and so on. I forgot the fish. Some fresh fish once a week is important as well.
I think probiotics , enzymes and clay are a must have in the kitchen. So is ionic silver and therapeutic grade essential oils like geranium, peppermint, frankincense and lemon. When they get lose stool some clay with enzymes/probiotics and diarrhea is cleared.
I use ionic silver to disinfect drinking water, once in a while internal against parasites and to clear my Shih Tzu’s eyes (14yrs). He suffers dry eyes and since he is on raw diet as well since 2 weeks his dry eye symptoms are already totally gone!! Yeahhhh! Now I hope to see changes in his coat like color and softness. His constant fear should disappear as well and his appetite should get better and better. I really hope to gain some more years of his company. I love him so much and hope we can gain back as much health as he has lost due to those bad kibble diet. He lost some of his hair on his back and I truly hope the high protein intake will fix most of his problems.
I stopped using vaccines on my Shih Tzu since 10yrs, neither I believe in spaying/neuter dogs. My pup received vaccines from her Vet, he won’t ever receive any other vaccines in his life. I dont believe it does any good, not for pets and neither for humans. Build up a healthy immune system and eat organic food and you will be fine!!! Same for dogs. THEY ARE DOGS NOT HUMANS!!! THEY DESERVE TO EAT HOW NATURE DESIGNED THEM TO.

[losul]

Aimee, I tried a search on “protein dehydrating” and “protein dehydrating in dogs” all I came up with was an article or two pertaining to humans and high consumption of protein.

It’s interesting though that I found this article, that said this;

“Other potential factors behind polydipsia and polyuria are low protein diets,”

http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/urinary/c_multi_polydipsia_polyuria

K-Rae, I couldn’t come up with much info on the ingredients in carnivora.ca from their website, not sure, but I get the feeling from reading on it that they are against any carbs in the food? Regardless, I would be trying a different raw diet, and don’t be afraid to to use a good balanced one that does include some moderate carbs, they might do much better on it. It could be that your dogs are still drinking in excess as part of a learned/ingrained behavior from dry food days. I agree with the others though that this polyuria should be reason for concern, and should be investigated further. Seeking vet care/tests would be best, but you could at least do a phone consultation with a vet that knows raw feeding, and then go from there.

AJ, you CANNOT feed your 12 week old puppy nothing but chicken breast and wings, if that’s what you are saying. He will DEFINITELY have malnutrition disorders if you do so, and I would strongly suggest getting him back on a complete and balanced diet.

[Susan C]

No they haven’t. All the the Grain Free dry “4health” foods are totally different.
The first link you sent to me was evaluating the dry “4health Whitefish and Potato”. The ingredients don’t even slightly resemble the Grain Free Duck and Potato ingredients. The Whitefish ingredients are totally different from the two I mentioned. The Duck has lots of vegs and fruits that the Whitefish does not.
AND, The 2nd link you sent to me was about canned food. I am NOT talking about any canned food. The dry Grain Free 4health Chicken and Vegs food also has lots and vegs and fruits AND Probiotics and Glucosamine and Chondroitin. Again, does not even slightly compare to this canned food link.
What is going on there with you guys?? I thought you could help me figure this out, not further upset me. I feel like you attacked ME!!
And, a lot of people, including me, who have been feeding Wellness CORE to their babes for years have had to return bags of the food, several times, because something was wrong with it and our dogs were getting sick. There probably should have been a recall, but it got swept under the carpet, Wellness did replace a lot of food for a LOT of people, but never had a recall. Many people on DFA have said this. So why has Wellness NOT had a voluntary or non voluntary recall?
I will go back and try to find the sites that I saw the “improved Diamond” testimonies. But, don’t have them to give to you this minute. Have you or anyone there looked into Diamonds improvements? Again, I am just learning about this 4health food, which looks to be a GREAT food at a GREAT price. So I have no allegiance to anyone, just trying to do the best thing for my 3 dogs. I was just looking for your help, since I PAID to be able to see the TOP Dog Food Choices by you guys, but obviously am not going to get any!!
I have been a supporter of DFA for years, but you have really upset me with your short, blunt answer that didn’t even address my questions.
Susan C. in Virginia

[DogFoodie]

Susan C,

4Health Grain Free Duck and Potato dry food has already been reviewed; and you can find it here: /dog-food-reviews/4health-grain-free-dog-food-dry/

If you’re referencing 4Health Chicken and Vegetable Stew canned food, it has already been reviewed; and you can find it here:
/dog-food-reviews/4health-dog-food-canned/ If this is the food to which you are referring, it cannot be made by Diamond, as they have no cannery. But if you are in fact referring to their new dry food, it does take some time to update all of the reviews and that DFA product page was just updated on 08/22/2014, so it might be a while.

Diamond has had more than a “blunder from time to time,” and is far, far from being “one of the best.” Yes, that’s my opinion, and I’d be willing to go out on a limb and say that’s likely the EC opinion as well.

Can you please share the links to the independent web sites which reflect that Diamond has “greatly improved their processing and testing procedures,” please.

[Susan C]

The Tractor Supply private brand “4health” have a few relatively NEW, GRAIN FREE FOODS. DFA, PLEASE evaluate, rate, and put in the “DFA” site specifically, the two I MENTION, as they appear to be a couple of the best ones:
1. “4health GRAIN FREE CHICKEN & VEGETABLES” manufactured by DIAMOND. and,
2. “4health GRAIN FREE DUCK & POTATO” (sweet potato) manufactured by AINSWORTH.
Not sure WHY they use TWO DIFFERENT FACILITIES TO MANUFACTURE SOME OF THEIR DRY DOG FOODS, BUT THEY DO. I found this out while doing some research on the 4HEALTH BRAND. A Veterinarian with Diamond called me back to answer some of my questions that the Customer Service girl didn’t know, and that’s how I learned that Diamond doesn’t manufacture all of the 4health dry foods, even tho’ they would like to, like the Duck and Potato, by Ainsworth. I believe MANY consumers, LIKE ME, would GREATLY appreciate KNOWING this. Also, DIAMOND HAS APPARENTLY GREATLY IMPROVED THEIR PROCESSING AND TESTING PROCEDURES since 2012. THEY say this and SHOW you on their site, AS WELL AS OTHER INDEPENDENT SITES that CONFIRM this. Important to know!! Diamond may be one of the best now!! I have fed my dogs the expensive Wellness CORE for years, and, have even returned a few of those bags, through the years, because they were making my dogs have tummy issues. I would try other 5 star brands in the interim, but always went back to the CORE, thinking it must have just been a bad batch, or something. So, I guess any company, even the best, can have a blunder from time to time. I don’t work for any of these companies . . . I am just a concerned dog owner, trying to find the best food, at the best price for my very much LOVED rescued babes. I hope the 2 “4health” I mention above may just be it. It’s almost 1/2 the price!! AND, MY DOGS LOVE THE 2 FLAVORS I MENTION ABOVE, AND, BY WHAT I CAN SEE THEY ARE 2 OF THE BEST IN THE “4HEALTH” BRAND. THANKS in advance for checking this out in your thorough way!!
Susan C. in Virginia

[Susan C]

I am very careful and particular about what I have fed, and still feed, my 7 different rescued dogs over the years. I have mostly fed them the grain free “Wellness Reduced Fat CORE” for the last 5 years, and have tried other expensive 5 star foods, but usually go back to the Wellness CORE, because others seem to be to rich for my dogs, or something . . . However, they are all EXPENSIVE!! I have lost all my dogs to old age, which is always heartbreaking, and I now have 3 adorable, truly rescued Lhasa/Shitsu mixes (1st one, 4 years ago, was a 3 year old in a kill shelter in NC, with 1 day left before she was rescued, Bailey, and the recent brother and sister’s (Johnnie & Janie) owner passed away this past December. I am the lucky one that we found each other!! Love them soooo much!!
ANYWAY, I have recently learned from a friend about the very reasonably priced “4health Grain Free” Dry Dog Foods for all types of dogs that is Tractor Supply’s private Brand. I found out that most of the 4health dry foods are made by Diamond, but a few of the flavors are made by Ainsworth. The “Grain Free Duck and Potato” is by Ainsworth, for example. I had never been in, or heard of, a Tractor Supply store before, so this was all totally NEW to me. I know that Diamond has gotten a bad rap for years so I did lots of research before trying a couple of the “Grain Free” dry foods, which my dogs love, by the way. I learned that Diamond has really revamped and greatly improved their facilities, and testing procedures since 2012. Did you know that? Check out their website, and others that confirm this. I now believe they may be one of the best dry dog food processors now, and may even be better than some human food processing centers. Oh, and by the way, through the years, I have gotten a bad bag of the Wellness CORE a couple of times that my dogs wouldn’t eat, so something going wrong can happen anywhere I believe, even Wellness.
I would like to ask the “Dog Food Advisor” to PLEASE let us know what you think of, specifically, the “4health Grain Free Duck and Potato” (has sweet potato’s in it also) by Ainsworth, AND the “4health Grain Free Chicken & Vegetables” by Diamond (has Probiotics, Glucosamine and Chondroitin in it, Yeah). By the ingredients, they look like two of the best ones in my opinion that 4heath offers. I also think the Salmon one, Whitefish one, and the Grain Free Turkey and Potato look good also. It can be very difficult to decide on which food will be the best for our babes, that’s why I appreciate the “Dog Food Advisor” so much!! Most of us want the best food, at the best price, for our babes, which some of the “4health” foods may just be, is what I am hoping!! Thank you in advance if you do check out these 4health foods and list them in the fabulous “Dog Food Advisor” soon. I don’t work for any of these companies listed above, just a concerned dog owner that wants a good quality food, at a more reasonable price!! Thanks again!!
A Dog Lover who wishes all the Junk Dog Foods out there could be banned!!

[theBCnut]

I strongly believe that no dog food is perfect. All of them have minerals that are not balances, highs that are too high, lows that are too low, too much of one amino acid, too little of another, etc. Because of this, I believe that the best you can do is to rotate foods and feed a variety of different types of foods. Can you think of any single meal that it would be OK for you to eat day in and day out for years? I can’t.

I don’t have any problem with my dogs when I feed Merrick, but they get it for about a week and then we move on to something else.

I feed dry, dehydrated, freeze dried, canned, fresh, and raw. My dogs never have stomach issues either, because they are used to eating variety.

[Anonymous]

Plenty information at these websites.
http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

http://www.allergydogcentral.com/

Environmental allergies are more common than food allergies, often food sensitivities are referred to as allergies.
If the symptoms have been going on for more than a year, 4 seasons without significant relief I would consider seeing a specialist and having the skin testing done (if you haven’t done so already).

Have you considered consulting with a homeopathic veterinarian?
http://www.vitalanimal.com
for a list of homeopathic vets in your area http://theavh.org/ Make sure the vet has at least 75% homeopathic cases in their practice, or you might just get the same old same old.

My dog with allergies receives immunotherapy and seems to do best with Nutrisca dry (fish) as a base food. A daily fish oil capsule. Frequent baths with Malaseb.

[Susan]

Hi, I don’t understand WHY your vet put her on a Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) “Omeprazole” first, before trying a H2 Blocker first like Zantac or Pepcid….he’s given Carafate that lines the stomach & must be only given on a empty stomach as it will just line any food in the stomach…be CAREFUL on any PPI’s, my vet explained to me how bad PPIs are if taken long term, you are making NO stomach acid & we need Stomach Acid in our stomachs to balance the pH, please read this link my vet told me I can give Patch Losec BUT for only up to 3 days then STOP, never take more then 4 weeks as you can not just stop taking a PPI, you will have awful pain, you feel like your stomach is going to exploded, cause you start making your stomach acid again & he comes back double amount.. I didn’t know all this & have been on Somac for 10years, I’m starting to reduce my 80mg a day dose, I tried just cutting my dose in half but the bad acid reflux was toooooooooo much & very painful, it was awful… http://refluxdefense.com/heartburn_GERD_articles/stomach-acid.html

A lower fat diet is best for Acid Reflux….. I would be booking to have a Endoscope done & Biopsies done, this way you will know what is happening & why this young pup is having all these symptoms, the vet should of recommended this…. I wish I did this first when I rescued my boy but for 1 & 1/2 years, we did blood tests, Ultra scan, test for Pancreatitis tests all came back good, a waste of money…finally Patch had Endoscope & Biopsies done December & he had what I was telling the vet from day 1, he had the Helicobacter infection, vomiting of a morning, always feeling sick, burping acid reflux, sloppy poos, sometimes diarrhea…..poor boy, he was put on triple therapy antibiotics for 3 weeks Metronidazole, Amoxicillin & Zantac to kill the Helicobacter cause my vet does not like using PPI, Losec is normally used but Ranitidine (Zantac) works just aswell without all the side effects from a PPI… I would be using a liquid ant acid like Mylanta or Pepto they work quick… also wet food is better then dry kibble, a low fat diet like turkey breast mince….. in a wet tin food fat must be 2% & under…if you do decide to have a Endoscope done make sure you have the biopsies done as they can tell you so much, when the vets looked down Patches throat & stomach everything look excellent, no scarring from ulcers nothing…

Patch got stomach pain from the Losec, green sloppy poos & his food just sat in his stomach cause he had no stomach acids to digest his food properly & a weird smell came out of his mouth, so I stopped the Losec, put him on Zanatc or use Mylanta when needed only, I changed his diet to a lower fat, Hypoallergenic, Gluten free diet….that just has rice & no grains no lentils or legumes….
you can give slippery elm or Manuka Honey…Slippery Elm is excellent for the stomach…Manuka honey is excellent for acid reflux, u put a little bit of the Manuka honey on small piece of white breed & take 1/2hr before eating…. if you join this F/B group this whole week we have been talking about Acid Reflux in dogs, the F/B group is called “Dogs with Inflammatory Disorders” you will learn so much & everyone is friendly & NICE…..here’s another Link, explaining how Carbohydrates cause GERDs especially if your dog has a intolerance to a carb say Legumes, lentils, barley,oats etc you can get real bad acid reflux…..

[RebeccaRose]

Hello, my Shih Tzu is 2 years old & always had digestive issues. Please bear with me & this long post as I give you some history on her first:

She weighs 15 pounds. She is fed a total of 3/4th cup of food daily broken up into three meals, so about a 1/4 cup of food per meal. She is current on all vaccinations.

She has had vomiting issues and diarrhea issues but not together. About a year ago she was vomiting bile each morning. The Vet suggested I break her meals up into 3 with the last being at bedtime. And that worked great, after that just a random vomit here & there. I will say though if I forget or am late for one of those feedings for whatever reason, within an hour or two she will vomit. So I try to be very good to stay on schedule with her meals.

She was on Wellness Core for puppies, then when she turned 1 yr old I put her on Wellness Complete Health Small Breed and she did great on that for about a year… then she started refusing to eat it. So I switched her to 4Health Small Bites this past January. After a few weeks of success on the 4Health I also added a small spoonful of the 4Health canned Chicken & Vegetable Stew. She has done well on this since then, with a few random vomiting episodes for example: once I was late getting home for her middle feeding a couple weeks ago. And another time I tried giving her a spoonful of a different flavor of 4Health’s canned. She almost immediately threw that up.

The diarrhea she’s had in the past has been what we think was caused by stress as it was almost always after a groomer visit. But it would not resolve on its own I always had to take her into the Vet. She was given metronidazole and Albon but we finally figured out that a spoonful of pumpkin on grooming day & maybe a day or two afterward worked like a charm. She is a very nervous dog at both the vet & groomer & varies noises at home also.

So this morning she threw up while I was preparing her breakfast. I thought it might just be that bile in the morning thing so I went ahead & fed her & she ate, I took my daughter to school & when I got back she had thrown up breakfast in her crate. After that she threw up several more times. Even after drinking water. She refused anything to eat even her favorite thing in the world pumpkin.

So I took her to the Vet. Temp was normal. They did an xray (2 scans) and everything was normal except on area in the upper intestines the Vet said looking like a little “thickening” but she didn’t think it was an obstruction or anything because usually with an obstruction they will see all these other things in the gut that she was Not seeing. She felt like it might be some fluid in the intestines.

She asked bunches of questions & I told her there was no way she had gotten into any garbage or people food, we watch her too close for that, and outside I always take her out myself & pick up her poop so I am always watching & there was no way she ate anything outside either.

So the Vet gave her a shot of Cerenia and some tablets to take home. Sucralfate that I’m to half & make a slurry & give to her. And Omeprazole that I’m to half & give as well. Then she gave me 2 cans of the Hills Prescription Diet i/d Low Fat, GI Restore.

We didn’t do any blood work & she did not mention pancreatitis, but when I got home & was looking online I read a lot about that being a cause.

My questions are… should I switch her to a low fat diet? Something easy to digest? I have been trying to educate myself today on what it is that makes dogs have sensitive issues in the first place and what elements in dog foods are the hard to digest problems. I am reading a lot of “go low fat” but I looked on 4Health’s website and it says for the Dry that I feed – 12% Crude Fat (Min.) and 4% Crude Fiber (Max) and for the wet food I feed it says 5% Crude Fat & 1.5% Crude Fiber.

So isn’t that considered low fat according to the chart here at dogfoodadvisor on the best low fat dog foods page? And 4Health is a 4 & 5 star food. I’m not even sure she will eat the I/d low fat food since they told me to wait till later today to give it to her. I’m not even sure it’s food related that’s wrong with her today but given her history & the fact that I know she did not eat something she shouldn’t have… there must be something going on.

Any advice would be appreciated. If she is not better by Monday I have to take her back.

[Nate D]

Thought I’d give an update on my dogs.

I’ve had the one with crystals on Science Diet per the vet for 1 week now. ph is down from 8.0 to 6.5 and holding. I am testing daily. I won’t know if crystals still exist or not until I have her retested next week.
I do not have her just on the Science Diet though. I am mixing in a small amount of the dry with it along with water.
I have been giving the Solid Gold Berry Balance supplement that I bought to my other dog with his food and have been adding water to the dry food. His ph is dropping so it is working. I plan to have both dogs on it once my female is off of the Science Diet.
I’ve been mixing a 50/50 of distilled water and filtered water I get which already has a neutral ph of 6.0.

I contacted a nutritionist with Fromm who said their food’s ph is 5.6-5.8, which is lower then most high quality dry foods, but the actual output will vary. A lower protein, lower carb diet is good. As I had mine on their weight management food I was suggested to try their 4 star whitefish and potato food as it has lower protein and the carbs are within the same range as the weight management. The food also has a different protein source.
I mentioned trying the new gold coast weight management food as it is grain free and was told I could try it, but was suggested the whitefish food due to the lower protein. 23% vs. 25%.
I was told a cranberry supplement like I am now using is a good thing.
In reality the food should be grain free with no starch/potatoes, but just eliminating it doesn’t mean it will help. I will give the whitefish food a shot and see what results I get from it.

Water consumption is the main key and if using dry food add water.
I was told even using wet food once a day can help a lot.

Unfortunately what will work for 1 dog may not work for the other so it’s a matter of finding what will. If one thing doesn’t work, try something else, but the best thing one can do for any pet is water, water, water. If one uses tap water which may have tons of minerals in it, testing it is a good idea. Water is very good, but it can also cause issues if the ph levels aren’t where they should be.

Ph test strips and testing regularly is a must.

[MaggiesDad]

Hi, I am one of the owners of Allprovide, and would like to address some of the points made above!
All our foods meet or exceed the AAFCO guidelines for nutrition, and this is stated on the first page of our site. If you look at each page for our products, we give a full nutritional analysis, on an “as fed” basis. We feel this is a more accurate way to understand what you are feeding your dogs.
The Guaranteed Analysis for each product is clearly shown on our boxes. I have noted the comments about this being absent from our site and will ensure this is updated! We do however show a full nutritional breakdown for all products.
We only use human grade, USDA Grade A inspected or Select meats. We never use any intensively farmed animals, and frequently take home the chicken we buy for ourselves! We would never feed our four dogs anything that we wouldn’t eat. Our chicken comes from Koch Foods and Harrison Poultry Inc in case anyone would like to check them out.
We do offer free two day shipping across over 30 States. Our foods are frozen and shipped in polystyrene boxes inside cardboard boxes for extra insulation, and in the summer months we will also use dry ice where appropriate.
We include vegetables in our foods because of the excellent nutrients and minerals they supply, not for the carbohydrates. The veg is ground finely to enable the dogs to access all the goodness, as of course just like humans, they find it difficult to process cellulose without some help breaking it down!
Our products have been developed so that they can be cooked in their 1lb pouches where customers may have concerns about bacteria. The bone pieces are extremely small, and soften during the cooking process, thereby ensuring no hazard. Some people have an issue with the natural pathogens found in raw meat, so even though our food is fully tested to be as safe as possible, we thought this would overcome any concerns someone may have about feeding Allprovide if for example they have to be extra health conscious due to a compromised immune system or having a young family. Personally, here at Allprovide we all believe in the benefits of raw feeding, as opposed to cooked or processed foods, and our dogs won’t eat anything else! (Although our Chihuahua for some reason only known to herself demands that her food is cooked in the morning and raw in the evening!)
Regarding the cost of our product, we are firm believers that quality does not have to be expensive. We source only the best ingredients but keep our overheads to a minimum to keep our costs down. We also do Bulk Buy packs with minimal packaging to pass the savings to our customers who do not want to be deluged with cardboard to recycle! We also set up our factory in Georgia to be close to the source of our ingredients, because Gainsville is the chicken capital of the USA! We never cut corners, and insist that all our ingredients only come from the human food supply chain.
We are very proud of our product and what we do, and anyone is more than welcome to tour our new factory in Norcross, GA
If anyone has any further questions about our products, or ingredients, or simply would like to try some free samples, please feel free to call me, Michael, on 678-585-1606.

[tracy b]

I have a 5 year old pit mix that has constant tummy trouble. she is on famotidine with each meal (acid reducer) but still has ongoing issues. she is currently on taste of the wild grain free (no poultry) as she also has skin allergies (these seem to be ok at this time). I am looking for the best choice dry food choice for her – wonder if anyone has any suggestions…. otherwise, I may be having to go to homemade (and that is tough with 2 big dogs!!)

[Dori]

Hi John. Just saw your post here and I’d like to reply and help if I can.

Nope, it wasn’t me that suggested that you keep your dogs on the same protein. That’s totally against what I do or would recommend. I may not have explained things correctly. What I had said is that I would suggest that you find a few different (proteins) that your dogs do well on and rotate within the brand if, in fact, there are different proteins in that brand that you can feed. Also find other brands with proteins you dogs do well on and rotate within all the brands all the proteins that your dogs can eat. Rotate proteins and brands. It is never, in my opinion and the way I feed, a good idea to keep a dog long term on any one protein and on any one brand.

I can’t comment on the Acana line or any dry food as I’ve mentioned before. My allergy, intolerant girl can actually eat Nature’s Logic kibble but only the dry and only the sardine formula and only in my way of rotating which is often.

Other foods I thought you might want to consider to add into their diets are Nature’s Variety Instinct Freeze Dried Lamb (doesn’t contain any poultry, fowl, or beef)

Nature’s Variety Limited Instinct Kibble Rabbit or Lamb.

Stella and Chewy’s Freeze Dried. They have a rabbit, a lamb and also a venison formula. None of which contain beef or fowl of any sort.

I think adding freeze dried to their diets in rotation would be a little more cost effective with the kibbles you’ll be feeding because this way, at least, they’ll be getting some of the benefits of raw on occasion. The other is that if freeze dried is too expensive as their entire diet in rotation you might consider rotating through the freeze dried foods that I mentioned and use them just as their treats. You’ll be sure they’re getting healthy treats and they’ll benefit health wise and you don’t have to worry about what’s in the commercial “treats” which usually contain something dogs with food intolerances have issues with. I hope this has helped. Sorry, but I hadn’t realized that you were on the road 9 months of the year. Hopefully when you stationary from time to time if your room has a fridge with small freezer you may be able to just buy small bags of raw frozen to add into their diets. Nature’s Variety Instinct is sold in most, if not all, Petco and Petsmarts and they seem to be everywhere in the country. I love that you travel with your dogs and that they are a priority in our lives. Yes, we are all rather companion animal obsessed (or most of us are) and we like it that way. So, never fear, you’re not in the minority in the world of dogs and your wanting to do the very best you can for them. I’m pretty sure it would be a safe bet that most of us dog obsessed people on this site feed our dogs healthier diets that we do ourselves and our families. I’ve been known to do a McDonald’s drive thru from time to time for myself and my husband yet would rather die than feed my dogs any low quality garbage dog food. They become our children and, as such, we commit ourselves to their health and welfare. As typical parents, we usually put ourselves last. In my opinion that’s a good thing. They can’t choose what they eat, we do it for them so we should try to do the best for them. It’s the least we can do for them when you consider all they give us in return.

[Natalie O]

I just looked up the Victor food and there actually is a hardware store near me that sells it so I will have to look into that! The main stores around me I was planning on buying food were either Pet Supplies Plus or Petsmart, and there is also a Pet Depot in my area as well. Thank you so much everyone for all the input it has really helped! I get him in one week so I’m trying to decide very soon what to buy! I didn’t realize that feeding a rotational diet was the best thing… how often do you rotate? and do you just rotate types of the same brand, or do you rotate brands of food as well? And I also thought dry food was the best type to feed.. I’m learning so much here already!

[Dori]

Hi William. Glad you are going to change her diet to a grain free food. Most dogs do better with a high quality protein, modern to high quality fat, low carb diet. Also do your best to avoid high starch’s like white rice, white potatoes, etc. That will help with seizures. Please try to avoid any foods that have rosemary or rosemary extract in them as rosemary is known to trigger seizures in dogs that are prone to seizures. If you will type in Seizures on the forum search box there are a couple of forums on seizures.

Since she has been on one food all of her life, I would start very very slowly by removing a few of the old kibbles and add some of the new food. Typically you can start (some say) by switching out 1/4 of her old food with 1/4 of her new food. You can add some canned pumpkin (grocery store), not the pumpkin pie type, just plain pumpkin or some probiotics to help her get through the change. Keep an eye on her poops. If they seem to be okay (“normal”), then you can move to 1/2 cup old food 1/2 cup new food. All the while checking her stools. If they start to get loose or diarrhea then go back to the mix when her stools were normal. Keep her on that till she’s regular again and then continue with the transition. Every time her stools are too loose, back up, stop and wait. Typically dogs can transition in about 10 days but some dogs will take much longer. I fear that with a dog that has eaten the same low quality dry dog food all her life it may take a bit longer. Some dogs can take up to a month or even two to fully transition. Good Luck. Do the transition slowly and all will be fine.

The Honest Kitchen makes a product called Perfect Form that a lot of us have used while transitioning foods and have been very pleased. It’s a staple I keep in the pantry for my three girls. Eventually, when all is well with your dog…..no more yeasty ears and such hopefully you’ll be able to feed her 2 or 3 or even 4 different foods that she’ll do well with. A lot of us here at DFA are rotational feeders. The more often you are able to transition to a different protein and brand the easier your dog will be able to transition through the different foods. It all makes for a healthier gut and also any nutritional needs that may not be addressed by one brand will be balanced, over time, with other foods. Also, if a food has a recall or your local store has suddenly run out of what you’ve been feeding her, there’s always another food you can feed her without upsetting gut.

[WhimsicalChaos]

The best dry food we have found is Acana ‘Grasslands’. Depending on your location it may be difficult to find, as it is more of a specialty pet shoppe product. But, all of our pups have loved it, and we have had no problems with Acana. Label wise is a very healthy, organic food. But, having issues of my own with ‘Blue’ canned food, so can’t help you with a can selection.

After using Blue Canned food, I am having to find another food today as the Blue has begun to give my dog serious ‘Gassy’ issues. We tried changing him over to Merrick last week because it seemed he had become bored with the Blue (even though we get him various flavors), but the Merrick Canned food gave him serious diarrhea and more gas. We could actually hear his tummy twisting noises. I felt so guilty…so we went back to Blue. Although he is eating the Blue, his ‘Gassy’ issue seems to have gotten worse. So, going to go find a different organic canned food. If you research, you will find a lot of people having gas issues that are using Blue. So, if you choose to try Blue, you’ll know rather quickly if your pups cannot tolerate it – for sure your nose will tell you.

He also began pacing all night, last night and the night before. My husband and I took him out 6-8 times both night, but he didn’t have to poop, and obviously no diarrhea – he would just urinate. But when being back inside, would continue the pacing. I hear no tummy noises, but there is definitely gas…no doubt about that! I just do not want him having any pains. I have a feeling his stomach has become intolerant to the ‘rich’ foods such as Merrick and Blue. Or possibly has acquired an allergic reaction to one of the main ingredients. So, gonna try yet another type of food.

[Laurel S]

Hello – Happy to have found this forum. We have a 5 year old Aussie Mix who is also seizure prone. No medication, and has had about 6 seizures over 5 years, but very serious grand mal variety. I have had good luck with removing Rosemary from his diet as well. As others have said, better safe than sorry. We have also added a supplement called Cholodine that was recommended by our vet. While he does still have seizures, I’m sure there are other triggers that we have not identified that are at work, but at least they are very infrequent since changing his diet.

As far as food, at the time (several years ago) one of the only dry foods I could find that didn’t include Rosemary was Natural Balance Ltd Ingredient Sweet Potato and Fish. Only available near us (Illinois) from Petco. We were sailing along until Del Monte purchased Natural Balance last summer. Since then I’ve been keeping an eye on them closely. Recently I’ve read about several issues with their foods, not necessarily the dry, but feel it’s only a matter of time.

I too, have been looking to make a change. Heard recently about American Natural Premium made in Mequon, WI. They make several grain free options (I don’t think potatoes are considered a grain). There’s also some question whether this food is actually a part of Fromm (also made in Mequon), but for legal reasons they won’t actually claim that, however ANP was a bit more vague about it so I’m curious for sure. Fromm is a very well respected company with no recalls and family owned and operated since i think 1949. American Natural Premium, I believe, is more of a private label, not advertised, etc., and therefore less expensive.

I’m curious if anyone has used either Fromm Grain Free dry or American Natural Premium Grain Free varieties for there seizure prone dogs. Appreciate any and all info. Reading this forum it’s helpful to know others are dealing with the same issues and just trying to look out for our doggies best interests 🙂

[InkedMarie]

Nate: two foods to look at are Wellness Core reduced fat and Annamaet Lean.

Derek: dogs generally don’t drink enough water, that is why a wet food is “best”. Adding water to dry with a little canned is an easy way. You can try a little of the lowest sodium chicken breath you can find to the water to entice drinking.

[Barbara C S]

I have 4 Yorkies and also had this problem. My 2 smallest Yorkies kept ear infections all the time and my 2 larger Yorkie’s were constantly throwing up the yellow foam stuff, as well as sometimes food. I always research brands and buy them the very best rated food. The last 3 brands I’ve tried are Fromm Gold Grain Free Duck (can & dry), Merrick Grain Free Duck & Sweet Potatoes ( can & dry) and Zignature Limited Ingredients Trout & Salmon (can & dry). All 3 brands are all #1 highly rated dog food….BUT, there’s something in the Fromm and the Merrick that doesn’t agree with all 4 of them! The Zignature is the only one that agrees with all of them 100%. No more ear infections and no more throwing up!! Another helpful hint is to add coconut oil once a day to their food!!

[Ryan K]

Does anyone know of a great dry food that has helped their dog with anal gland issues? My 5 year old terrier mix has suddenly become prone to his sacs filling up and bothering him and I want to get him on a diet that will help relieve some of those symptoms. I know Acana has a high fiber count but he really hasn’t liked any of their food as well as the price being a little steep. What other grain-free (he has allergies to chicken) dry foods have pretty high fiber count (over 4%)? Please help! 🙂

[crazy4cats]

Hi Nate-
The good news is that Struvite crystals are dissolvable. The other types are not. The bad news is that Hill’s Science diet has been proven to dissolve them. The Hill’s s/d is to be fed only short term to dissolve them and the c/d can be fed long term to prevent them. My cat had Struvite crystals as well and I wish that I had fed the Hill’s when I suspected a problem. It may have saved him from a blockage.

While that is much less likely to happen to a dog, they still may be painful for him because they are sharp little suckers. You want to feed as much moisture as possible to flush them out, so getting the fountain was a great start. I would also try to feed as much canned or raw food as possible. Dry kibble is not the best option.
Another helpful bit advice that I’ve learned is that feeding smaller meals more often per day helps to keep the pH more steady. I now feed him 3 times per day. Also try to keep the dog’s stress level as low as possible. I think that was one of my cat’s biggest issues. We had a lot of changes in our household. Our son moved home, we stopped kenneling the dogs in the house, his litter boxes got moved and to top it off, I switched brands of litter! Does your dog have anxiety or had some changes lately? Did you have a urinalysis because you suspected something or was it routine?
After my episode, I would definitely follow the vet’s advice and use the Hill’s to dissolve the crystals and then go from there. After using it for a month, Casper’s crystals are gone, there is no blood or infection. It has been four months now and I am slowly weaning him off the prescription food. But I still feed mostly canned. His ordeal almost killed him so I’m being very careful!
So in conclusion, 1. Dissolve the crystals with the Rx food 2. Moisture, moisture, and more moisture, 3. Small frequent meals and 4. Reduce stress as much as possible. Then maybe you can start to use those supplements rather than the yucky food. And I do agree it seems yucky, but it did work for my cat who is lucky to be alive! Anyway, you will get other ideas as well. But that is my two cents. Good luck!

[Christine A]

Our pup’s best buddy has been on a three year food challenge to rule out allergy triggers. Only recently has he started trying small amounts of Natural Balance limited ingredient foods; they have a venison option as well as a few fish options, I think.

We have it relatively easy, our pup has severe food allergies only to lamb and wheat. He has been doing very well (read: no hives or explosive diarrhea) on the Salmon and Sweet Potato based grain free formula from Taste of the Wild….until we figured out that he tests off the charts for storage mite allergies which means no more dry food for him….and that Yours Truly is learning the ins and outs of making his food at home. With a little luck, I’ll be able to stop telling people that he’s a “mix of stubborn and anxious held together with itch” when they ask about his breed. It’s an adventure!

Best of luck, fingers crossed that you find something

[dana i]

Hi! I’ve been reading this forum all day today, but am overwhelmed by all the choices. I’d really love to hear people’s actual experiences and thoughts– what is on paper does not always match what makes the dogs happy and healthy.

I have two lab mix dogs– both rescues.
Diesel is a 1 year old Lab/Shephard mix who has allergies. 65# dog
Dudley is a 1 1/2 year old lab/Greyhound mix who has gas issues when he eats ANYTHING other than the current food… (even treats) 83# dog

They were both given horrible diets before they came to me.
I have them on Science Diet Lamb and Rice Large Breed formula.

At the time, it’s the ONLY thing that I found that helped Diesel’s allergy symptoms (they are completely gone on this food but when I try anything else it comes back) and Dudley’s gas is now a very rare thing on this food.

However, reading it seems that people don’t like this one and that there may be better out there… And the fact that when I went to buy it today I found it went up in price AGAIN. uugh. Maybe now is a good time to switch…

I want what is best for them, with budget kinda on the mind at the same time.

Right now, it takes us 11 days to go through a 33 pound bag of Science Diet Lamb and Rice large breed formula dry food and used to cost us around $45 a bag but did just go up to about $50.

I’d really love to get them something better. Maybe something that also makes their poop a little smaller too? (I know–wishful thinking? LOL)

Any suggestions based on the gas/allergies?
I priced raw diet– which I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to do, but it’s way out of our price range from what I am reading.

I CAN and will supplement a little bit of our cooked food on top (If I can avoid the gas and allergy issues– that will take a little experimenting)….

I have a feed store 1 mile from my house that sells some food but he’s kinda expensive on some items. I also live near Petco, Petsmart and have Amazon prime… I live in Texas, suburb of Dallas if that helps.

Any thoughts or tips would be greatly appreciated!

[Meghan M]

Hello all!

I have been to the Dog Food Advisor website many, many times over the last year or so, and recently decided to post a forum so I could get some personal insight regarding my issue. I have a 3 year-old Doberman who has been getting fed Infinia Holistic Salmon and Sweet Potato for quite some time. I also give her fish oil, yogurt, eggs, pumpkin, various fruits and veggies, and recently started adding wet food to the dry food based on many suggestions to vary a dog’s food.

When I first got my dog, she was the runt of the litter. She had horrible skin, recurring UTIs, recurring issues with digestive upset (vomiting, diarrhea, constipation), etc. I tried a lot of different foods to no avail before I realized she likely has an allergy to poultry. I switched her over to the Infinia dog food and she has done great ever since. People always talk about how beautiful and shiny her coat is, how healthy she looks, etc. But I’ve noticed that, for the amount of food she eats per day, her stools are REALLY big and I feel like she goes way too often, which makes me worried that she’s not getting all of the benefits from the food that she should be getting. She also has gas ALL THE TIME. I thought it may have been the yogurt, so I’ve been giving her probiotic chews, but it’s still horrible.

I’ve really been spending time the past few weeks researching, and I feel like the Infinia has too low of protein for her (22%) and does not have enough animal/fish protein. I don’t know if having more animal protein versus plant protein would help her digest the nutrients and poop/have gas less? Anywas, I thought Canidae Pure Sea would be a good first change-up, so I started to transition her EXTREMELY slowly, and she still ended up getting sick. I have her back on her normal food while I figure out what I want to switch her too. Candiae isn’t completely out (I could need to transition her even more slowly than I did, who knows).

So, after all of my research on this website I found 9 other dog foods that seem to be high-quality and offer higher protein contents. I also have to take cost into consideration, because I’m a college student and can’t afford food like Orijen. So, here is my list of foods that I’ve found and like. If anyone could give me advice or suggestions about what food(s) would be best or personal stories, I would really appreciate it. And I’m sorry for the long rant!

1) Sammy Snacks Ancestry Salmon and Sweet Potato
2) Wellness CORE Ocean Formula
3) Horizon Legacy Fish
4) Innova Nature’s Table Cold Water Salmon and Wild Herring
5) Zignature Trout and Salmon Meal
6) Earthborn Holistic Grain Free Coastal Catch
7) Horizon Pulsar Fish Formula

The Sammy Snacks Ancestry is my favorite so far that I’ve researched, but I wondered if ethoxyquin was present. Also, once I get her comfortable with a higher-protein fish food, I will start introducing different protein sources, like beef and possibly bison, as well as adding canned sardines, salmon, and other “raw” foods.

[Crista S]

I want the best for my 6yr old Yorkie the Price doesn’t matter to me. I am a juicing no preservatives nerd myself so I want the best for him as well. My heart just sinks when i hear that the dog food I have been giving him “beneful” has been recalled. I can’t imagine my life without him, even though I know one day it will come I want to help him be as healthy as I am now.

[neezerfan]

Check out this page. Pure Balance brand and Rachael Ray’s Nutrish are available at Walmart and are lower priced. Nutrisource is lower priced too
/best-dog-foods/best-puppy-foods/best-dry-puppy-foods-4-star/

[james y]

I just used some puppy wormer from the grocery store. We fasted her for 24 hours and then treated her. Its been a week and shes already putting on some weight. She gets another does this weekend.

Im not really concerned about what the best food is. I just wanted something as good as the frozen food in dry form. One thing i can say about the biljac is theres alot less poo in the yard now and her coat is amazing!

We are on day three of the blue wilderness puppy food. She seems fine, but gassy like when she was on puppy chow. I guess its just something in puppy food

[james y]

Hello newb here looking for a little info.

First a little background
My 9 month old pitbull, maple has recently been having problems. She undoubtedly had worms and was scratching alot and losing hair. At first i was feeding her purina dog chow and she was doing fine. Then the wife brought home pedigree and thats when the hair loss started. So i instantly thought the dog had mange and began treating her for it. I also read that a raw diet would boost the immune system so i did that too. I fed her venison mostly, with raw eggs and gave her vitamins everyday. She cleared up and we started back with the unused portion of pedigree. Well she broke out in hives!

Ok so the dog is allergic to dog food…just my luck. A vet friend told me to try bil-jac frozen food so i did for a couple weeks. She was doing great on it! we got rid of the worms and shes putting on wieght and her coat is awesome! Although the frozen food isnt very convenient so i just googled best grain free dog food and found this site. I came across a name i recognized “blue buffalo” and this very site said it wss a five star food. So i purchased 20 pounds of the grain free wilderness red meat puppy food. It was pretty pricey, as a matter of fact i figure i could buy hamburger for $3 a pound but its so much easier than having to refrigerate or prepare raw food.

2 days into feeding and she seems to be doing just fine. I dont monitor poo, so i cant say anything about it.

Anyhow now im seeing all this bad stuff on the web about blue dog food….and something about a lawsuit with purina?? Is there any truth to these claims about the food hurting dogs or is it maybe a bunch of hired posters or something? If the stuff wasnt $60 a bag i would just throw it out and go back to the biljac.

[Aspen A]

Lovx3, I am with Steve’s Real Food, a raw pet food company. The Atwater figures are not particularly helpful, and you will always want to compare dog foods using a dry matter comparison. The reason for this is that as different products contain different moisture levels, it can skew the results. Usually pet food companies will use the at water comparison because they want their numbers to look better, so you need to ask them for the dry matter comparison. It sounds like Naturella is doing a great job, and I can give a second opinion in favor of much of what she/he said. I would also recommend that you consider going to a raw diet, as it is much more in line with how your dog is genetically designed to process food. Adding water and mixing with canned is a great start, and definitely better on your dog’s intestines and ability to digest kibble than just giving straight dry, but raw is best!

[Aspen A]

Hi, Carol, I am with Steve’s Real Food (a raw pet food company, so you have full disclosure). I just looked up the Miracle Dog food, but I am not seeing enough specifics about which grains and minerals are in it to speak to whether they are the best fit for your pet. If you are worried about the nutrition balance you may want to go to a frozen raw food, there are some great ones out there (Steve’s included) that do the math and nutrition for you, including the fat content, etc. Pork and beef are going to be higher in fat, if you are wanting low fat sticking to chicken and turkey is going to be best. What is wrong with your dog’s pancrease? Is it pancreatitis? Natural Dog Health Remedies.com (no affiliation) recommends Milk Thistle, Yarrow Root, Echinacea, dandelion, and probiotics, if that helps. I would not recommend switching them to dry food. It is so much harder on the stomach, and harder to digest, it makes them more thirsty, etc. If you are looking to improve their diet I would definitely recommend going to a more raw diet rather than a dry diet, that is just a step back, in my opinion.

[Susan]

Oh, I forgot to mention the fat% in wet food seems lower but when converted to dry matter (Kibble) its high for example 4% fat in wet tin food is around 22% fat when converted, if it was a kibble, that’s why I have to cook, if you live America you have lower fat% in wet food, then I have in Australia.. your best to get 2% fat & under for wet tin food, the Wellness Complete Health Senior has the lowest at 3% fat in the wet, or the “Wellness Petite Entrees Mini Filets” only the ones in gravy are 2% fat..

Have you have a Endoscope & Biopsies done for the Helicobacter? I found with the Helicobacter all the ant acid don’t work…. Zantac worked the best for Patch also, Zantac doesn’t affect the bowel, where Losec affects the bowel & gave Patch bad wind pain & sloppy greenie/black poos…..another thing I’ve just read on Dr Karen Becker site about fiber & prebiotics don’t use kibbles with Prebiotics Beet Pulp, FOS, a lot of vet diets use Beet Pulp & FOS & MOS… for a healthy dog with a healthy Gut, prebiotics are good but for a dog with GI problems Prebiotics can make things worse, another reason Patch was taken off kibble…The link has been put up on the Face Book group…

There’s a group on Face Book called “Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disorder” a few dogs on that site have bad acid reflux & stomach problems, the group was called, “Dogs with Stomach & Bowel problems” but the name was changed about 3 months ago..

[Susan]

Hi Christine, the Gulping is Acid Reflux, my boy started getting this when on the Royal Canine HP that’s when all Patches problems started, 2013, fast forward 2 years, Patch had Endoscope & Biopsies done December 2014 & he has Helicobacter, IBD, they get real bad acid reflux, burping, heartburn, he was put on triple therapy Metronidazole, Amoxicillin & Zantac cause he cant take Losec but they are normally use Losec, he was on this 3 weeks, as soon as the triple therapy stopped within 1 week Patch was gulping & swallowing again, at night early hours of morning is worse, I’ve been giving 3ml Mylanta this really heaps…Patch was put on another triple therapy Metronidazole, Clarithromycin & Zantac, the Clarithromycin made him so ill, I had to stop all meds, that was last week, I have also stopped any kibbles, no more kibble, I have been buying turkey breast mince 99% fat free about 1 kilo =(2.2 pounds) I add 1 egg & mix thru mince & then I make about 4 long meatloaf & with the left over turkey breast mince I make real little turkey balls as treats, I put on baking tray & bake, I boil a heap of butternut pumkin & freeze 20g squares, I section the turkey when cooked & freeze, to 1 cup of cooked turkey after I’ve mashed all up, I add about 1 heap spoon boiled pumkin….pumkin soothes the GI tract…… Patch is on this diet for 6 weeks to let everything rest after the strong antibiotics made him ill….

You need a real low fat diet as fat makes acid reflux worse, high protein kibbles normally have high fat, also limited ingredient diets are best, if you can, feed a wet diet, as kibble is too over processed & makes things worse with acid reflux & gulping.. Your dog is small, you could cook & freeze like I’m doing, boil a heap of potatoes & freeze sections for the day & buy some fresh white fish & freeze after cooked. I use to use tin tuna & spring water then I tried tin salmon but the fat was too high in the salmon…so far turkey breast has been the best…

“Wellness Simple” limited ingredient has Grainfree Salmon & Potatoes or Turkey & Potatoes in wet & dry, the fat is min-12% here’s their link to have a look, just scroll right down to the bottom for the Simple range, I use to feed the Duck & Oatmeal & the Lamb & Oatmeal as Patch cant eat potatoes & these flavours had the lowest fat, min-11% & min-12% fat but that’s min fat-11%, so u add another 1 & 1/2 more for max fat%…
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog&ft=1#Complete

[Christine U]

Hi everyone,
I seriously need advice.
I’ve been to regular vets and holistic vets.
I have a 4 year old Parsons Terrier/Shitz Tsu mix with bad GI issues. He’s had so many tests and it seems to be food related. We’ve tried so many foods and right now he’s on Royal Canin White Fish and Potato both wet and dry. He still has the occasional ‘gulping’ type issue but no diarrhea or vomiting.
Recently I found Grandma Z’s grain free fish and potato and he loves that and the ingredients seem to be a bit better than Royal Canin.
Here’s my issue. First…I’m ALWAYS open to finding the best food I can for him but we are getting ready to RV full time. My concern is finding his food on the road. Every vet has to order it and it can take 1-2 weeks. I plan to carry a lot with us, but I know there are so many new grain free foods out there. Maybe there’s one I haven’t heard of.
Any tips, advice, recommendations?
Thanks so much!
Christine