[Michele L]

Help! I just subscribed today to Editor’s Choice, because we are at our wits end selecting dry dog food for this sporty/sleek bird loving canine Lulu the ‘Llewellin English Setter’. Almost 3 yo, 39 lbs. She will try new brands for a little while which encourages us, then gets bored and turns away. I was hoping Editor’s Choice would narrow the selection but did not. I need something that feeds (well balanced) her furnace and that smells and tastes good. She will walk away at first smell if it does not appeal to her. Any ideas from the bird dog hunting community? She is a family dog (in the house and truck) but bird hunts w hubby. She would rather follow his every move than eat. Any pearls of wisdom or experience are appreciated!
Signed -Lulu’s Mom

[CockalierMom]

Hi Atlas,
With your boy’s gut already irritated and inflamed from something in the Instinct, the rice irritated it more. Neither one of my girls can tolerate rice in kibble or when it is double cooked in water and time. As Susan mentioned before, once his gut gets healed he may or may not be able to tolerate rice. When it comes to food issues, it really is a matter of experimenting to see what they can tolerate.

My girls actually do good with the LID Natural Balance foods because of the low fiber, but I knew you did not want the expense so the Nature’s Domain looks like a good option. (If I had a Costco close to me, it is a food I would try). My girl with just the grain intolerance actually eats half Wellness Simple Turkey and half NB Duck and Potato–the fiber in Wellness is a little too high so I cut it with NB.

As far as the Sentinel, I used it all the time 10 years ago with my previous girls and then it was discontinued. When they brought it back 4 years ago, I decided to try it again instead of Heartguard, but after the first dose, their fur became very dull and dry (they are both black cockers). Our vet mentioned how bad their coats looked and wanted to know what I had changed and it turned out to be due to the Sentinel. I found this out when I took them off of it for the winter, and the shine returned to their coats. I did try giving another dose a few months later, and the same thing happened so it obviously did not agree with either one. I know there are a lot of people who use it without any problems at all. My best advise is if you want to try it just watch for reactions like you have done with the Revolution. After what I have been through with these girls with food problems, I limit as much exposure to heartworm and flea products as possible–I do not use any more than what is necessary. I keep my yard sprayed with Wondercide so they are not exposed to a lot of fleas, ticks, and mosquitos. You just need to use your judgement as to what is necessary in your environment. When you are dealing with a food issue, it is easier when you do not have other sources that may be contributing factors.

Keep us updated if you get a chance.

[Jaclyn B]

Hi DogFoodAdvisor,

Clean Label Project is a national non-profit with the mission to bring truth and transparency to consumer product labeling. We do this by using data and science to reveal true product quality and purity and empower consumer to make their own choices. Through the resulting shifting economics, we aim to serve as the catalyst to change the definition of food and consumer product safety in America.

Given the humanization of pet food over the past several years coupled with the scandals and recalls, we were especially interested in what was truly behind all these “Feed them like Family”, “Natural”, “Human-grade”, etc. claims. For us, it was about seeing past the comfort and security that pet food brands marketing departments sell, and get right to the data and science about the true ingredient quality. This impartiality only comes through testing. When we began this pet food study, we assumed that these companies were regularly screening for environmental toxins alongside more conventional foodborne contaminants (like salmonella). Our results clearly indicate otherwise. We believe consumers have a right to know what’s in the products they buy.

When we initially started this project, we utilized Nielson reports to pull the products that made up 90% of the overall retail sales of pet foods. From there, we visited specialty pet food stores and spoke with consumers and team members to ask what people were buying. Our approach to the sampling was simple and why Clean Label Project is unique is clear- we simulate the consumer shopping experience. We went to grocery stores, pet food stores, and online retailers and purchased products just like any consumer would. We tested over 1000 of America’s best-selling dry and wet dog foods, cat foods, and treats for over 130 environmental and industrial contaminants and toxins like heavy metals, pesticide residues, antibiotic residues, plasticizers, melamine, acrylamide, and mycotoxins. We amassed over 130,000 data points, benchmarked them, and put the findings on our website in the form of a 5-star rating system. The products that we personally purchased and tested are literally the exact same products that are in pantries across America. For us, we don’t trust label claims, we trust analytical chemistry because gas chromatography and Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry doesn’t lie.

We agree that sampling error is a risk in any scientific study, and you have correctly pointed out that random sampling of sufficient size is essential to minimizing the risk of sampling error leading to a false positive or false negative result (so-called “Type I” and “Type II” errors). However, there are two important distinctions here that we would like to stress as to why we chose the sampling strategy that we did.

First, at the product level – while you make a valid point that sampling repeatedly from different batches for an individual product would result in a more accurate representation of the “true” contaminant level of a single product this, in our opinion, misses important quality and supplier assurance implications of our results. If these companies, as many of them have repeatedly assured us, are conducting rigorous supplier assurance and quality assurance programs, single “fluke” high values should be exceedingly rare. While sample variability does occur, a robust quality program should severely limit the variability (and the levels of these contaminants). This is particularly important given that there is no maximum tolerance level for these contaminants in the pet food space. As a side note, the argument that “the product is only loaded with known carcinogens occasionally” doesn’t reassure us very much. Consider the analogy of food borne pathogens like salmonella, e.coli, or listeria – certainly there is variability as to how much of these bacteria are present in raw ingredients, but rigorous quality assurance programs or kill steps bring the variability in finished products to almost zero. This is why the presence of these bacteria cause headlines when they occur in finished foods – we have systems in place that should prevent them. This is not the case for the contaminants we measure in the pet food space—but it should be. All brands, regardless of their score, should be vigilant regarding these contaminants and should take proactive steps to improve the status of the industry.

Second, at the brand level: It is important to note that decisions about a brand (for example, the brand report cards released September 18, 2017) are not based off single product ratings, instead they are based on the average performance of multiple products within a brand. When data is aggregated across a group, the “true” value being estimated is that of the brand, not the product. As such, when we give the “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” to a brand, this is based on the weight of evidence from multiple products. This means that our brand ratings, and the conclusions we draw about the performance of brands, are arguably the least likely to be impacted by sampling error.

For us at Clean Label Project, we refer to ourselves as the environmental and industrial contaminant and toxin people. That’s who we are, the mission we hold, and the conversation we are looking to have with consumers. To us, so often we hear about food safety issues happening at burrito restaurants and cruise ships (e.coli, listeria, salmonella, etc.), but what people don’t talk about is the long term adverse health effects associated with chronic exposure to industrial and environmental toxins and contaminants with links to diseases like cancer- for ALL living things. To us, first, it’s do no harm, start with high quality – not harmful ingredients – and then dive into how to formulate the most nutritious foods. This should not be a novel concept.

To us at Clean Label Project, there is no such thing as healthy poison. You can read more information about our position here. http://www.cleanlabelproject.org/white-paper/

[Susan]

Finally Clean label project has released their 2nd study on dog & cat foods & have also added a few more brands…..
These brands below got 1- 2 stars for being high in Toxic Metals & Acrylamides & BPA/BPS. but it’s only certain formula’s that got 1 star not all their formula’s got 1 star, some brands did have a few of their formula’s with 1 star, this might explain why some pets were really sick this year, look & see did the brand/formula you were feeding your dog get 1-2 star?…
click on link below
read then scroll back up, look to your left & click on “Dry Dog Food” to find out which formula’s got 5 stars & less.
http://www.cleanlabelproject.org/pet-food-study-2-0/

Brands that got 5 Stars- I & Love & You, Nutro, Canidae, Canidae’s cheaper brand “Under The Sun”, Purina, Trudog, Simply Nourish, Eagle Pack…

Brands with 1 & 2 stars are on pages 11 to 16, you can also click on “Brand Report Cards” link down the bottom …..
I was VERY surprised “Fromm” had 4 formula’s with 1 star & the rest of Fromm formula’s only got 2 & 3 stars, People are always posting how good their dogs are doing on Fromm but I wonder how good their dogs will be doing after just eating Fromm for 2-4 years?…. This is why it’s best to rotate between a few different brands so your dog isn’t eating the same food 24/7…

*Brand formula’s that got 1 Star.
TOTW, Merrick, Acana, Orijen, bbf, Timberwolf, Earthborn Holistic, Fromm, Greenies, Holistic Select, American Journey, Kirkland, High Tek, Natures Variety, Blue. Only Natural Pet, Natures lodic, Special Kitty, Lotus, Wet Nose, Primal, Old Mother Hubbard, Castor & Pollux, Open farm, Milk Bone, Halo, Natural Balance, Nutri-Source, Solid Gold, Diamond, Petcurean, Racheal Ray-Nutrish, Meow Mix, Trudog, Pup-Peroni, Nature’s Planet-Organics, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Dog for Dog, Milos Kitchen, Dogswell Nutrisca.
http://www.cleanlabelproject.org/brand-report-cards/

[Susan]

Hi Susana,
Stop feeding the Acana, Acana is probably too rich for a dog with intestinal stress, it has organ meats, Acana is excellent for a healthy dog that doesn’t have intestinal problems.

Sounds like your boy has a few food intolerances & there’s an ingredients in the Hills I/d formula & Acana formula he’s sensitive too, this happened with my Patch when I rescued & adopted him 5yrs ago, he had rumbling, grumbling LOUD bowel noises, I’d hear him in another room, these loud noises are gases rumbling thru the bowel & can be painful, Patch would do the same eat & eat grass, then his vet said only let him eat about 2 mintues worth of grass then stop him eating grass, the long pieces of grass can tangle together & cause a blockage or the grass can cause diarrhea…
I have found a dry bit of white toasted bread is best to give when these noises are happening, dry toast seems to settle the stomach also liquid Mylanta, 1 teaspoon 5mls seems to settle the stomach & bowel aswell & stops the loud rumbling bowel noises..
Once you work out what foods he is sensitive too these rumbling bowel noises will stop…
Patch also had streaks of blood thru his poos some days, this was cause he was eating an ingredient that he was sensitive too & I didnt know it was irratating his bowel then 1 night he had diarrhea that turned into blood water, I rushed him to the vet 8am his vet said looks like he has IBD cause I had been there a few times before with stomach/bowel problems. Patch was put on a Hydrolzed vet diet Royal Canine HP & Metronidazole for 21 days the bowel needs to heal & rest but he cont digest the Royal Canine HP vet diet ended up causing other problems….
Patch hasn’t had no more problems as long as Patch doesn’t eat Chickpeas, Lentils, Barley, Oats, Beet Pulp for his bowel & Chicken Tapioca & Carrots cause itchy smelly yeasty paws ears & skin problems… Food Sensitivities/Intolerances can cause gas/wind, farts, sloppy poo, diarrhea, smelly yeasty ears, paws, skin, itchy skin, bum rubbing on ground, just depends on the dog….

Both of the vet you saw have given the Metronidazole which was good to heal his bowel but the vets should of prescribed him a limited ingredient kibble that was chicken & grain free either the Hills D/D Potato & Venison or the Potato & Duck limited ingredient formulas or the Royal Canine Select proteins, Potato & Rabbit etc…

Go to “Tractor Supply Co & look for the “4Health” Sensitive Stomach it has Egg & Potato very easy to digest limited ingredients & will help his blowel rest & heal…

Don’t feed any more kibbles that are higher then 27%-protein or high in Kcals per cup no higher then 380 Kcals per cup & don’t have too many ingredients cause there will be more chance that he’s sensitive to an ingredient the more ingredients there is & he’ll react…

then when he’s doing really well try the “4Health Sensitive Skin” it has limited ingredients & has Hydrolyzed Salmon & Pea flour very easy to digest ingredients, the Acana might have been too high in protein & very rich high in Kcals per cup, when a kibble is high in Kcals over 400 the kibble is more dense & harder to digest & when a dog has a sensitive stomach bowel it’s too hard to break down….
His smelly breath sounds like his stomach bowel is not working properly the Metronidazole will fix ths problem, my vet writes out a few repeat scripts of teh Metronidazole & I just take teh scripts to a chemist & get out, my boy still takes Metronidazole on & off if he starts getting his smelly fermenting breath, acid reflux or if I see he’s starting to do sloppy poos for more then 2 days I re start him on the Metronidazole 1 x 200mg tablet every 12 hours with food for 10-14 days then the next 10 days just give him 1x 200mg tablet with his dinner that’s for a 40lb +18kg dog but since he’s been eating the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb he’s been doing really well, I do rotate & feed other brands but this has taken me nilly 4 yrs to get Patch gut healthy again & if Im feeding him another brand kibble & he starts getting stomach/bowel symptoms I put him back on her TOTW Roasted Lamb kibble & he goes good again….finally after 2 yrs of trying all the vet diets I had joined a few face book groups for Canines with IBD, EPI & dogs were doing really well on ” 4Health” formula’s & “Taste Of The Wild’ Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb formula, TOTW Lamb has limited ingredients only has 1 meat protein Lamb, Sweet potato. potato, peas, egg, very easy to digest….

Always read the ingredient list before buying a new kibble, read what ingredients are in the Acana & the I/d formula & try & aviod these proteins & ingredients for now.. Continue with the Metronidazole stop the Acana take it back for a refund, only feed a very bland diet like the 4Health Sensitive Stomach or Sensitive Skin formula’s for now… or try the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb these formula’s do not have Chickpeas or lentils as these ingredient are harder to digest when te dogs stomach & bowel isnt working properly…
Good-luck keep me up dated with what is happening, hopefully he’ll be doing firm poos in a few days..

[Susan]

Hi Sandra,
Hills have their D/D Venison & Potato & D/D Duck & Potato wet & dry, Hills does not use soy protein in their formula’s like the Royal Canine does……My boy also has IBD he didn’t do too well on the vet diets, he does really well on “Taste Of the Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb, it only has 1 meat protein Lamb meal, Sweet potatos, potato, peas, egg etc he also did real well on “Canidae” Pure Wild” Boar & Pure Land… here’s Canidae’s formula’s the Pure range is grain free & limited ingredients.
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

If your dog can eat a cooked diet I would be cooking & making his food & freezing meals…. follow “Judy Morgan” on her Face Book page she has a few really easy to make recipes, on video, her pup loaf is real easy to make. https://www.facebook.com/JudyMorganDVM/

I make lean pork rissole 1/2 cup size made into balls, I add 1 whished egg, chopped broccoli, 1 teaspoon chopped parsley & kale, put on a foiled linned baking tray & bake in the oven, turn rissoles over about 10-15mins later & drain any water & fat then bake till ready only takes about 25mins. I started just adding 1 whisk egg with 1kg (2lbs) lean pork mince then I started to add 1 new ingredient everytime I had to make another batch of the rissoles, I also boil sweet potato & freeze small 1/4 cup size pieces & mash the sweet potato + 1 pork rissole, I feed 5 small meals a day the kibble 7am, 9am 5pm & the cooked meal 12pm & 8pm, Patch can’t just eat wet tin or cooked food his poo’s are slop so having the kibble inbetween his cooked meal makes his poo’s firm..
Probably best to contact a Nutritionist your dog has a few health problems, Judy Morgan does specially made diets for dogs she might recommend one of her recipes on one of her video’s, also go on the “Balance It” site they have recipes & their Balance it powder to balance dogs diet they make special recipes diets for dogs with a few health problems, also google “Just Food For Dogs” they make special balanced diets another good person to follow is Monica Segal join her f/b group called “K-9 Kitchen”

[a c]

Thank you, Susan. I can use more wet can food. I already used Natural Receipe wet foods as topper per your earlier recommendation. 😀

Both kibbles I used are low fat. Horizon Amicus Senior and Weight management. Protein 33% Fat 11.67% minimum and 13.33% maximum Fiber 4.25% calorie 400. Purina One Smartblend Healthy Weight. Protein 31% Fat 11% minimum 13.6% maximum Fiber 6.25% calorie 320. All in dry matter.

The lower of protein and fat means higher carbohydrates which means fillers. Many of the best low fat dry dog foods recommended by this site have carbohydrates between 50-61% with the exception of Premium Edge Healthy Wright with 38% carbs 49% protein and 13% fat in dry matter.

I guess I can also broil some chicken or turkey breast.

[Susan]

Hi Meghann,
Stop feeding the Wellness Core, cause he has had Giardia his bowel would still be inflammed & needs to heal & rest & he needs a very easy to digest kibble, did the vet recommended feeding him “Hills I/d Digestive Care” dry kibble? it has everything he needs B-12 to heal his bowel & is very easy to digest, my boy had to stay on a Intestinal low fiber vet diet for 9-12months as soon as the 9 months was up & Patch had done firm poos every day, I started to introduce a new kibble that wasn’t too high in protein & not too high in fiber or fat around 25%-protein, 15%-fat & under 4% for fiber, & under 370 Kcals per cup, he needs to stay on the Metronidazole (Flagyl) for 21-28 days, the first 14 days he has to take Metronidazole twice a day every 12 hours with a meal then reduce to just one tablet a day at night with a meal for 10-14 days…..

Take back the Wellness Core it’s too rich, very dense kibble, high protein & probably high in fiber, no good for dogs when their stomach & bowel isn’t working properly & is inflammed, get refund & buy either “Taste Of The Wild”, Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb or look at “4Health” Duck Meal & Potato, Pork Meal & Potato or the Turkey Meal & Potato read ingredient list & get the kibble with the least ingredients, I think the Pork formula has the least ingredients like the TOTW Lamb formula & has only 332Kcals per cup, look for kibbles with Sweet Potato & Potato, if you can get the TOTW Roasted Lamb formula try this formula first, within 2 days poos will be firm again… 4Health is sold at Tractor Supply

I don’t know if it’s the lower fiber, low Kcals per cup, or the probiotics they use or cause they use purified water ?? maybe all these things put together is what makes TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb really work & help dogs with EPI, IBD, IBS, Diarrhea, after you change his food & he’s finished the course of the Metronidazole & he’s been doing really well for a while then all of a sudden you see him doing sloppy poos for 2 days straight put him back on the Metronidazole for 10-14 days give Metro twice a day every 12 hours with a meal then reduce to 1 Metronidazole at night with his dinner for another 10 days, my vet writes me a few repeat scripts & I can get out at the Chemist when I need it….but since feeding the TOTW I haven’t needed to give the Metroniazole only when I have rotated a kibble that didn’t agree with him & put his stomach/bowel bacteria out of wack again or he starts getting his bad acid reflux (Helicobacter-Pylori) he gets put back on the Metronidazole…
Then once your boy is doing really well for 9-12mths start rotating & change brand & look for a different protein source with a few different ingredients & slowly introduce the new kibble with his regular kibble over 1 month peroid, this way he’ll have 2 different brands that agree with him with a different protein source, I rotate between Lamb, Pork & Turkey, rotating between a few different brands is good to do just incase the brand your feeding has toxins or is not balanced properly your changing his kibble & he’s not eating the same brand formula 24/7 year after year… but you only start Rotating his kibbles when you get his bowel healthy again, I rotate between 3 different brands, I always feed TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb formula Patch always has very firm poos on his TOTW Lamb & I rotate with a Australian brand MfM Turkey & I just started to try Hills pork meal formula cause I was given a Hills Voucher…
Rotating will strengthen his gut/bowel, just make sure when you pick a new kible you stay around the same fat, protein & fiber % & Kcals per cup as the brand of kibble he does really well on…
Wellness Core could be too rich & the protein % is probably way too high for him at this stage, “Wellness Core”, Ocean fish & “Wellness Complete Health” White Fish were both on the “Clean Label Project” bad list for kibble with high contaminates & toxins.. Which wellness Core formula are you feeding?
http://www.cleanlabelproject.org/product-ratings/pet-food/

My boy is a rescue & has IBD & Environment Allergies & every Spring Summer Patch gets bad itchy skin so the beginning of Spring his vet said try & feed him a fish kibble that’s salmon higher in Omega 3, so spring 2015 came & I rotated with a fish kibble I feed an Australian made MfM Salmon kibble Patch was fine no diarrhea no waking me up 1am 4am with diarrhea etc, the next year in Spring I feed a new fish kibble Earthborn Holistic Ocean Fussion then around 2 months later he got his diarrhea back same with the next fish brand Wellness Complete Health Whitefish & sweet potato, then I tried Holistic Select Salmon & Potato poos were excellent he was doing good then 2-3 month later he became very ill his vet kept shaking her head & couldn’t work out what was wrong, he was fine eating the Australian made Salmon MfM kibble & he had no diarrhea, we couldn’t work out why my boy was doing really well, no diarrhea no vomiting then he ate the different American fish brands & he was really unwell, then I saw Clean Label Project in May/June & the brands I was feeding him were on the worse contaminates & toxins list, “Earthborn Holistic” Ocean Fusion Whitefish-7th, “Holistic Select” Salmon -10th & “Wellness” Whitefish I don’t know where teh WellnessComplete HealthWhitefish came but Wellpet who makes Wellness has a lawsuit against them now cause of the finding from the Clean Label Project testings..
It’s best to stay away from any kibbles that have fish in them especially when they have a sensitive stomach/bowel. I rather add fresh human tin salmon as a topper & give the K-9 Natural freeze dried Mussels as treats now to up his Omega 3 in his diet for his skin…

Your boy will get better but it just takes time, even if you have to put him on a vet diet, the Hills I/D Digestive Care dry for 6 months it can be given to puppies, then rotate & feed a limited ingredient kibble, my vet said it takes a good 9-12 months for their bowel to heal & recover, Probiotics are best given inbetween meal when their Hydrochloric acids are low in the stomach & the live cutures in the probiotics make it past the stomach into the small bowel & make sure you change his water twice a day, as soon as Patch drinks out of his water bowl I change it, I see bits of food down the bottom of his water bowl..
keeps us up dated with what worked..

[Susan]

Hi Shari,
I would be stopping the Carafate (Sulcrate) it lines the stomach so you can only give it when the stomach is completely empty so if there’s any food in his stomach the Carafate lines the food instead of his stomach & can make things worse, why has the vet got him on 3 a day? the food may not be completely digested, if he already has very low stomach acid the Carafate could be making things worse… Has he had any more gulping attacks since starting the Sulcrate or is he the same?

If you have the money have an Endoscope & Biopsies done to see what is happening in the stomach, the Biopsies will give your vet some answers, your vet must think his mouth licking & swollowing has something to do with the stomach for him to prescribe these types of drugs..
Ask your vet about “Gabapentin”?? it is used for seizures, pancreatitis, IBD, stomach problems, nerve pain, Gabapentin capsules covers a few health problems maybe see if he settles after taking the Gabapentin…

Even though you have change his food to a low fat food, how high is the fiber & carbs?? Is he on a vet dry diet kibble?? the carbs will be high & so will the fiber if its a vet diet, alot of vets prescribe the Hills W/D for dogs with Pancreatitis why I’ll never know the Insoluble fiber is 28%… Dry kibble is no good when dogs have Pancreatitis, the dry kibble could be causing acid reflux in the first place, have you tried feeding a lean meat like chicken or turkey low fiber, low carb, cooked meal, chicken breast & sweet potato & just give him the Losec 20mg every morning for 1-2 weeks & see how he goes?…. that’s what my Boxer was put on a home cooked diet by the new vet but it was too late by then, her old vet had her on the Hills vet diet it made her worse but vets never blame it’s the vet diet that’s causing the gulping swllowing drolling…..

Maybe best to have the Endoscope + Biospies done so the vet can see the stomach &
see is there’s any stomach ulcers or anything else, the biospsies will give some answers to whats happening…could be Helicobacter-Pylori, they eat & eat like they are starving, droll, swollow gulp as well..

[Susan]

Hi Croeber,
I think it is really important to rotate between diiferent brands & feed a diffferent meat protein source & different ingredients, a rotational diet allows a beter chance of providing a more complete & balanced diet, while most dog food sold has been balanced to meet nutritional guidelines there’s always a chance that one brand might be a little deficient in a nutrient compared to another brand, by rotating a variety of foods your pet is less likely to suffer any deficiencies & rotating helps strengthen the dogs immune system & may reduce the risk off allergies or sypmtoms developing later on as teh y age this is very important for young animals…
You know your girl does well on Merrick so now look for another brand with a different protein source & different ingrdients but stay around the same protein % & fat % it doesnt have to be exactly the same fat & protein 1-3% higher or lower… some people rotate with the same brand that’s not a good idea, say that brand has toxins or high contaminates in their fish formula then the other formulas may also have the fish meal or whatever is in that brands meats etc so best to look for another brand it doesn’t have to be real expessive to be really good, look at “Clean Label Project” pet food testings some of the very expensive brands had the highest toxins & Purina got 4-5 stars ause of the lean meats tehy buy, Turkey & Chicken are suppose to be very clean meats….

I can’t be too fussy with what I feed my boy, I have to feed him what agrees with him, he was a rescue I rescued at age 4, he suffers with IBD, Skin Allergies & food intolerances, vets & his nutritionist said he probably was feed the same cheap Aldis dog food & when he was reacting with diarrhea & vomiting the owner didn’t bother changing his food or the owner changed & feed another poor quality brand that had the ingredients he was sensitive too & was reacting too, he is a prime example of a dog feed a very poor diet & was never introduced to a lot of different foods…probably why he ended up at the pound cause of his IBD, when I got him he was pooing blood & weeing blood, vet said the weeing blood would have been from being used for breeding..
I’m feed “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb grain free with Lamb meal, sweet potato, potato, peas, egg, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, formula, TOTW Roasted Lamb is Patches go to kibble that he does the best on so far…
I’ve just finished introducing Hills Science Diet, Sensitive Skin formula it’s a grain formula with rice, corn, pork meal & egg formula, I’m trying this in my rotation cause it has Pork Meal & Hills gave me a free voucher-$140, my IBD boy does really well on his cooked Pork rissoles & Sweet potato, so when I saw Hills had a Pork meal formula I had to try it & see how he does on it & he’s doing really wll he gets bad acid reflux so its very hard finding foods that agrees with his stomach & he doesn’t grind his teeth & doesn’t swollow & swollow & lick his lips, I was rotating & feed “Canidae” Pure Wild Boar & I tried the Pure Meadow Senior, “Canidae has some really good grain free & grain kibbles….
I have to give treats instead of adding foods to his kibble, he gets 1-2 freeze dried, “K-9 Natural” Green Lipped Mussels, the mussel shell is high in Glucosamine & Chondroitin for his joints & bones.
“Love Em” Mini Cookies Chicken Liver & Cranberry with DHA for immune support biscuits an Australian Brand, I’ve just started these, he was getting peeled apple pieces, he gets his Yakult probiotic drink, he gets about 1/4 of the Yakult probiotic drink in between feeds when his stomach acids are low so they dont kill the live bacteria in te probiotic & I drink the rest of te Yakult drink, he gets his yogurt ice cream only about 1 teaspoon after his dinner & if I’m running late or on the computer he tells me about his ice cream yogurt he whinges & barks at me till I get it out of the freezer. I can’t remember what else he gets at teh moment, I’ve had him 5 yrs this November & he has tried heaps & different brand kibbles & foods the Australian kibble brands are really good but some are way to high in protein & fat for him, no vet diets have worked for Patch, TOTW has been the best dry kibble so far that covers all his health problems, I’ve strengthen his gut (immune system) heaps since I got him 5 yrs ago he was always very sick before, but now he has a beautiful shinny coat, he is very healthy runs, jumps acts like a puppy doesnt seem to have any arthritis yet, (fingers X) he’ll be 9 years old on the 20th Novemeber & it’s the same day I rescued him 5 years ago his “Got You Day” he was being Put To Sleep on his birthday..

Steve Brown was asked if you had to pick 1 food to add to your dogs diet to make it healthier what would you add & Steve said, “Mussels” you can buy them in the freezer section or buy freeze dried mussels, Mussels are very healthy they have Manganese, Iodine, Fats, Vitamin D he said alot of raw diets are short of Manganese, Iodine fats & Vitamin D so add about 1-2 mussels a day + 1 tablespoon salmon & a pinch of Kelp to your dogs diet….

Follow “Rodney Habib” on his face Book page, you’ll learn heaps about adding really good healthy fresh whole foods to your dogs diet…
Sounds like your doing a pretty good job already….

[Bobby dog]

Hi Therese M:
Sounds like your girl is doing much better!

I have found the best and most accurate way to find out who manufactures pet food is to go straight to the source, the company itself. Many do use co-packers and even if they do have a kibble factory most times they don’t own their own cannery. Some companies won’t disclose this info, I choose not to feed them if that’s the case. Another issue is companies can and do change who they use so info found on the Internet might not be the most current. The companies that use co-packers tend not to communicate these things with their customers.

Evangers is only a cannery. They do have their own kibble, but they use a co-packer for it.

Hi Susan:
Yes, Diamond only manufactures dry foods for their house brands (TOTW, Chic Soup, Diamond, Premium Edge, Professional+) and other various companies; they are not a cannery. Although Diamond and Costco Kirkland both use a co-packer for their canned foods it is still their products, they’re just made at a facility they don’t happen to own.

As C4C has posted previously Costco Kirkland brand canned foods are manufactured by Performance Pet foods and their kibble is manufactured by Diamond.

/dog-food-reviews/diamond-naturals-dog-food/#comment-3487352339

Last info I had Simmons cans 4Health recipes; not sure who packages their tubs.

Last info I had on Diamond canned recipes are American Nutrition for Chic Soup, Performance Pet Products for TOTW, and I am not sure who cans their Naturals line.

[Susan]

Hi Lauren,
I woke up this morning thinking about your boy, has he eaten yet?? have you tried feeding him something you have cooked?
When you stopped the Prednisone did you do it slowely & reduce over 1 month period??
has stopped eating since you stopped the predisone?? was that when he “was” eating the Royal Canine HP then he has stopped?
also is the vet 100% sure he has IMPT?
Why I’m asking is your vet 100% certain he has IMPT is I suffer with C.R.E.S.T it’s an autoimmune disease/multisystem connective tissue disorder, but when I was 27 yrs old Dr’s first diagnosed me with Lupus…these auto immune diseases are hard to diagnosed, Dr’s only know I have CREST now cause I ended up moving & getting a really good Proffessor as my Dr & as the years have passed my symptoms for Lupus changed….

There’s “4Health” Sensitive Stomach it has NO meat or there’s 4Health Sensitive Skin & it has Hydrolzed Salmon, it comes in wet & dry, I don’t know if the meat is Hydrolyzed in the Sensitive Stomach Wet can food, I don’t have the time to google I have to be somewhere, 4Health is sold at Tractor Supply, I’ve read on a few sites dogs seem to do really well on 4Health formula’s when they have diarrhea & stomach problems, why did you stop feeding Taste Of The Wild??
I really think he needs a really good probiotic to strengthen his immune, I drink 1 “Yakult”probiotic drink every morning inbetween breakfast & lunch, when I stopped drinking my Yakult probiotic drink I started to feel sick all day, probiotics are best taken without any foods when the stomach acids are low…. I wonder if your boy is feeling sick after eating his Royal Canine? or wont he eating any foods?
He’s probably having a few different symptoms & this is when vets don’t know what’s going on??
Has he been tested for Lupus??

[Susan]

Hi Rita,
yes just recently Patch has had a 3 swollowing episodes after eating his breakfast in the last 3-4 months but I noticed it only happens around 8am when he hasn’t drank any water after eating his breakfast & gone for his morning walk, he just comes home & goes straight to bed & has a sleep then wakes up 20-30mins later & comes to me swollowing & gulping & wants to go outside & eat grass also I haven’t giving him his Losec yet, I give him his Losec around 8.30-9am, he has been taking 20mg Losec 20mg every day now for about 18mths now, I’d say Patches swollowing gulping is from the kibble swelling in his stomach & there’s no water & te dry kibble comes back up into throat into his mouth or his Losec dose needs to be increased & 1/2 a 20mg Losec tablet needs to be given at night 12 hours after his morning dose was given, I’ll have to talk with his Vet but first I’m making sure its not cause he doesn’t drink water after eating his breakfast & morning walk …. but I think it’s from not drinking any water after eating breakfast cause this is the only times it seems to happen around 8am, I make sure after he eats breakfast & when we comes home from his
7.15am walk, he has a little drink of his water, I take over a bowl of water if he’s gone straight to his bed when we come home, I’m noticing he is becoming lazy or his lower back might be hurting him we have just found a weird bone growth out of the top of his back leg into his spine, we thought it’s not bothering him but after watching him closely thise last 2 months thru Winter I think this bone growth might be bothering him, Staffys are so hard to read, they don’t show when they have pain…

I would give the Prilosec & Metronidazole twice a day for how long vet has prescribe it. How long has your vet prescribe the Metronidazole & Prilosec for?? 21 days is best, so the Metronidazole can kill the bad bacteria living in the stomach walls, then when the Metronidazole course is finished continue giving the Prilosec but only give 1 x 20mg Prilosec a day in the morning, it’s best to give Losec of a morning, works better my Gastro Dr said & so did Patches IBD vet, Prilosec doesn’t have to be taking before food like other ant acid meds need to be taken… At the moment you’d be giving the Metronidazole with food & giving them together…
This is awful to watch but go on Google & google “My Dog having Seizure” they don’t gulp or swollow & if 1 dog licks mouth in video its cause he’s feeling sick from the seizure, he’s not gulping & swollowing like my boy does….
When the acid comes up their throat into their mouth, they don’t know what to do so they try & swollow & swollow the acid, they need either a dry biscuit or some liquid Mylanta to soothe the acid reflux back into the stomach or grass to vomit up all the acid… I really think once your dog takes his Prilosec daily he’ll be better & more comfortable..& watch everything he does & when does he have his swollowing & gulping attack is it after eating is it when he hasnt eaten all night etc…

[Dana F]

Holistic Blend Grain-Free Marine 5 Fish All Life Stages Dry Dog Food. This is an excellent dry dog food made in Canada. My Collie, like so many other dogs, did not do well on the U.S. version of Origen after having been on the Canadian version.
I tried many brands of kibble before coming across Holistic Blend and found that my dog preferred the 5 Fish version. He is thriving on it. His coat is soft and is coming in thick once again. His allergies are improving, his weight is steady, his stools are compact and consistent and best of all, he loves this kibble.
I am more than pleased with Holistic Blend so far which is why I am recommending this food as a brand for Editor’s Choice!

[Susan]

Hi Shannon.
next time try a low fat dry biscuit like Jatz or some dry toast white bread toast is best that’s what I use to do before Patch was put on an ant acid medication Omeprazole (Prilosec) also liquid “Mylanta” 5mls 1 teaspoon works great lines the esophagus & stomach… aren’t Milk bones high in fat? just have to be careful with fat it doesn’t make things worse….
Acid reflux can be from high carb diet, high fat diet, diet with fermentable fibers, barley, oats, oatmeal, legumes, beans, lentils, carrots, apple, peas… Best to avoid these type of foods & see how she goes.

[Mary G]

Thanks!!! For all the suggestions!!! I have tried just not feeding him the mobility diet and just stick to TATW dry kibble and still refuses to eat. I am at my wits end. He refuses everything unless I grind the dry food and mix it with yogurt. He is only eating like 2/3 cup and then refuses to eat anything else but asks to be fed and when he sees what it is, he walks away.

I think we will try to go back to Royal Canin Mature Consult again I wanted to improve the diet but again, he refuses to eat anything that is grain-free. We wioll switch to that again and just hope for the best. I just want him to eat.

[Richard P]

Hello Kathryn,

Everyone seems to have their own idea about what is the best dog food, but what is best for one dog may not be the best for your dog. Obviously, feeding the “best” food you can find and having your bloodhound throw it up is not the best food for your dog.

It appears that every food you have tried is not tolerated by your bloodhound except your vet’s recommended Purina EN Gastroenteric Wet. So listen to your vet. Purina EN also comes in a dry kibble so you could ask your vet if it would be alright to add some of that to the canned food.

Also, (and with my vet’s approval I might add) I will cook (crockpot or grill for flavor variety) a family pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts and chop them up to add 1/2 cup to my Great Dane’s kibble. I store portions in freezer bags and defrost each bag as needed. Chicken breast is probably the easiest meat on your dog’s GI tract. Ask your vet if that would be OK to try with your bloodhound.

As info, I also cook boneless skinless chicken thighs which are tastier than the breasts but have a little more fat content. Additionally I rotate other meats–lean ground chuck, lean pork roast. If something gives him a bout of diarrhea I discontinue that or at least try a smaller portion added to his kibble. All this is with my vet’s approval. Great Danes have sensitive stomachs but these fattier meats might not be appropriate for your bloodhound.

Lastly, if you are concerned about the ingredients in the Purina EN, keep in mind that the first ingredient, brewers rice, has a very beneficial effect on canine GI/diarrhea issues. Years ago I had a Great Dane with a severe diarrhea problem. Instead of giving him medications for it, I cooked large batches of white (not brown) rice in chicken broth and mixed it 50/50 with his kibble. Within a week his diarrhea was gone.

I hope some of this information was helpful to you. Good luck with your bloodhound and rub his belly for me.

Sincerely,

Richard Pflueger

[Susan]

Hi Heather,
Daisy needs a diet high in Omega 3, have you tried a salmon/fish diet yet? you write you give her Omega 3 but what brand are you using, is it a New Zealand brand? in America they tested a heap different brands of un opened fish oils supplements off the shop shelves & 70% of them were no good, a waste of money, then they tested the fish oil supplements from New Zealand & their fish oil capsule were of better quality, the whether is cooler in NZ, so there’s no damage while being made.. Oxidation occurs when unsaturated fats such as omega -3 fatty acids EPA & DHA are exposed to heat, light or oxygen…how you’ll know if capsules are rancid/oxidized the smell is awful, smells real fishy smell & the gel capsules may have discoloration… store any fish oil in fridge…
same as oils in a kibble as soon as you open bag of kibble & the oxygen hits the kibble the oils start to oxidize, they say you have 2 weeks life on a kibble, so make sure its put in an air tight container & stored in a very cool place in the house, alot of people put their dog food in the garage or hot shed…
Cause you don’t know if the fish oil capsules are good or bad, best to buy tin sardines in spring water or olive oil, take sardines out of the tin & put in a glass air tight small container, store in fridge & give Daisy 2-3 sardines a day either as a treat or as a topper on her dry food….
I would start looking for a Salmon dry formula but not Orijen or Acana, Orijen & Acana tested high for toxins & contaminates….
Have a look at “Canidae” Pure Sea formula, alot of dogs with skin problems do really well on the Canidae Pure Sea formula, ingredients are good, its high in omega 3, feed for 2-3 months then rotate & feed the Canidae Pure Sky it has turkey meal & duck meal, turkey & chicken are cleaner meats, or rotate with the Canidae Pure Elements also the wet tin foods are really good to use as a topper, read thru the ingredient list see which formula you prefer but make sure you rotate with the Pure Sea especially when Spring & Summer is coming start back on the Canidae Pure Sea, https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

or try a vet diet try Hills new “Derma Defense” wet & dry, it’s a vet diet for Environment allergies, skin problems, with high levels of Omega 3 & 6 fatty acid, the Omega 3 is high at 1.80% the Omega 6-3.96%, the Omega 3 should be around 1/2 of what the Omega 6% is, alot of pet foods aren’t balanced properly & are very low in Omega 3 & very high in Omega 6, they’re not balanced properly & cause skin problems….
Hills Derm Defense helps strengthen skin barrier, formulated to help soothe & nourish skin & coat, helps skin recover naturally, supporting a healthy immune system, works with proprietary complex of bioactives & phytonutrients, antioxidants, including vitamin E, high levels of Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids….
I know I lot of people don’t like the ingredients in vet diets, but they’re formulated for certain health problems, you could give the Derm Defense a try for just 3 months & see does her fur start to grow back, you’ve got nothing to lose also Hills is guaranteed to work or money back, contact Hills speak with one of their Vet Nutritionist & see what formula they recommend… I rotate & feed the Hills D/D Venison & Potato Skin health & Stomach, my boy has IBD & Skin Allergies or try the Canidae Pure Sea & Pure Sky formula’s first & see how Daisy goes…. Canidae will be cheaper then the vet diet… Canidae gets 5 stars on American consumer affairs site, Canidae grow all their own vegetables, Canidae is a family run business…. what your feeding at the moment isn’t helping, so you have nothing to lose..
also shampoo what are you bathing Daisy in to moisturize & nourish her skin?
Start bathing Daisy weekly with Malaseb medicated shampoo to wash off any allergens on her skin…

[Susan]

Hi Therese,
Glad you have finally found something Lucy likes, so she is a gravy lover like most dogs, this must be the type of food her original owner feed her gravy type stews, now when you give her her anitibiotics make sure she is taking them on a full stomach, this is why she’d be feeling nauseous, antibiotic’s must be taken with a meal & if she wasnt really eating much it would be hard to give her her meds…..

With Pancreatitis just make sure the fat in a wet tin food is 4% & below when feeding some wet tin foods, some are 5,6,7,8,9% min in fat, eating high fat foods 24/7 can cause Pancreatitis.. even with this Mighty Dog 1 food might be 3%min fat then another formula might be 6%min fat, just make sure you read the can first, if you see 5%min fat min when you convert 5%min fat it will be around 20-25% max fat, depending on the brand when it’s converted to dry matter, so it’s best to stay around the 2-4%fat in wet tin foods, for now just stick with the mighty dog wet tin food, then once she is off all her meds & she is feeling heaps better you can venture out & try better quality foods…

Hills Science Diet has their new Youthful Vitality 7+ Chicken & Vegetable Stew, the can is lime/green back round with a border collie dog running on the side, the Youthful Vitility food has everything a dog needs, even thought Lucy is only 3 she could be in poor condition on the inside, the Youthful Vitility Stew has antioxidants for brain support, L-carnitine helps with stomach & diarrhea, Vitamins C & E help bolster a strong immune system, Omega 3 & 6 for skin & coat & has high quality ingredients, the fat is 15%max, Hills converts all their wet tin foods fat, protein, fiber etc it’s on their Hills site, even if you just buy 3-4 tins a week & she gets 1 tin every second night for dinner or breakfast, if she does not eat this food then wash out the Hills tin & take it back to Pet Shop, Hills is guaranteed money back for palability….it’s a bit embarassing but the workers get to know you & your dog…
also instead of the boiled pumkin, try boiled sweet potato, the orange sweet potato, maybe its called Yams in America, it’s healthy like pumkin & taste like pumkin but it’s sweeter, just add 1spoon mixed thru wet tin food, I boil cut up squares about the size of 1 spoon & freeze then I take out when I need 1-2 spoons to add to a meal, it thaws very quickly & then heat in micro wave so its not cold, that’s another reason dogs & cats won’t eat their food if its cold from the fridge, I warm my cats wet & raw food for just 7-8 second to take off the chill..

[Therese M]

The vet knows the antibiotics are making her nauseous. She gave us a couple anti nausea pills when we were there. She basically said she weighs enough that just waiting out the antibiotics is okay- I guess for heartworms one antibiotic is the best and that’s what she’s on?

We did the rotisserie chicken and she did eat it, I was just worried about all the salt. If we start mixing things she won’t touch it so I dont think we can mix in the prescription stuff. If we mix with dry food she picks out the good stuff, if we mix with wet she won’t touch any of it. The vet said return that if she isn’t eating it so we will. Vet suggested we try Fromms which she wouldnt touch so I took it back. I’ll get mighty dogs- I know I saw that at target. We only have one tray of cesars left so I need to get more of something today anyway. 🙂

[Joyce B]

Hi there, have you tried Pepcid? When one of my dogs was on several prescription drugs for a ruptured disc and wouldn’t eat, Pepcid made the difference. He is small and only required a half a tablet at 12-hour intervals. It’s inexpensive and you can use the generic. This was on the advice of our vet; please check with yours. And as others have said, I wouldn’t keep trying different foods, just give him whatever he will eat for now. There is plenty of time later when he is healthy to experiment. (Dry food is usually the least appetizing of all.) For another of my dogs – and I may get criticized for this – but I added plain cooked pasta to his wet food when he had a tummy ache. He loved it and while it has no nutritional value, it was soothing and added calories. Best of luck and hang in there! He will get better and be forever grateful to you.

[a c]

C C, I am sorry about your Sheltie. I also lost my miniature schnauzer a few months ago to lymphoma. He was on Hill’s Science diet with topper of other kibbles, wet food, or human food all his life. At that time, I thought science diet was the best. It was recommended by multiple vets. I later learned that was not the case. I agree with you that vets just aren’t trained regarding food issues or other ways to treat diseases, just dispense drugs… I know first hand on that. My schnauzer was misdiagnosed by our regular vet. Three visits within the same month and the vet though he has hurt his back and put him on steroids which
probably was one of the reason that he was not responsed to the chemotherapy later on. It was the ER vet who diagnosed him with lymphoma. The vet oncologists just followed the protocols to dispense medications like the assembly line.

Back to the topic. I am in the process switching from Orijen puppy to Horizon Amicus puppy, but has to deal with sloppy stool. Horizon Amicus is make in Canada. It was not tested by the Clean Label. I don’t know if I make the right choice? Do you know anything about Horizon dog food? There are so many information out there and it’s very overwhelming and confusing. I am so new on the dog food issues. I was blinded by the dog food marketing for years.

Btw. I have a new discovery this morning. I have been soaking the kibbles in water. I noticed the soaked kibbles smells really bad. Since I soaked Orijen and Horizen Amicus together, I couldn’t tell which one is it. Both kibbles smells ok when it’s dry. So, I soaked them separately this morning. It was the Orijen. 10 minutes into soaking, the kibbles smells bad but the kibbles are still pretty hard. Horizon Amicus still has the same herb smell as the dry and it’s very soft.

[Susan]

Hi Therese,
sounds like she has stomach or panreatitis problems & the cesars food probably doesn’t upset her stomach any cause any pain or whatever she is having, I would NOT start any treatment for her heartworm yet, it will kill her, vet needs to work out what’s wrong with her stomach first & why she is hesitant to eat, something is wrong, Golden Labradors LOVE their food….
I got a rescue 5yrs ago & he was the same in very bad condition, but he was the opposite & ate everything in site, even cat poo, after vomiting weekly, doing bloody diarrhea, sloppy poo’s, acid reflux, up thru the night with rumbling, grumbling bowel noises, in the end I asked the vet can we do Endoscope + Biopsies, vet put camera down his throat into the stomach & did 2 Biopsies, you need the biopsies cause when the vet looked into Patches stomach everything looked excellent, there was no stomach ulcers like we thought, but what I thought he had, he had, waiting & waiting for biopsy results Patch had the Helicobacter-Pylori & IBD, he was put on triple therapy meds for 21 days, Metronidazole, Amoxiccilin to kill the bad bacteria that lives in the stomach walls & Prilosec for the acid reflux the Helicobacter causes, Patch did real well while taken the triple therapy meds then once the 21 day course finished it all came back again within 1 week of stopping the meds, it was a nightmare in the end now Patch takes 20mg Prilosec every morning & only takes the Metronidazole 200mg for 10-14 days when needed, if he’s doing sloppy poos or diarrhea, starts feeling sick everyday & whinging for me to rub his stomach/pancreas area & is eating & eating grass…

Can you ask the rescue group do they have some money in their budget for her to see a Gastro specialist or a vet that knows about stomach/bowel problems, in Australia the rescue groups post picture of the very sick dog & asks for help on their face book page & raise some money so dog can be treated by vet & do the Endoscope + Biopsies need to shop around cause there’s cheaper vets around that do Endoscope & Biopsies, people will help with donations…..
I wanted to do the same give Patch back to rescue group so he got another foster carer, he broke my heart, I couldn’t give him back cause I thought will the new foster carer care for him like I do or will he just be thrown out the back yard again & suffer & the rescue group puts dog up for adoption & someone else gets stuck with the problem hoping they will pay all the vet bills, Patch was weeing blood the day I got him from teh pound, the rescue group had to paid $1,500 for 2x ultrascan, desexing, vacination, vet diet wet & dry food the dissolve his crystals, medications, at that stage he just had Urinary crystal, the rescue vet said he must of gotten infection from being used to breed, I thought everything was done all fixed, he’s all healthy now & I adopted him but it was just the beginning of my sleepless nights the vet office I ended up staying with felt sorry for Patch & me for adopting a sick 4yr old Staffy + all the vet nurses were Staffy lovers & my bet did alot of discount rates & now my vet writes out repeats for his prescriptions so I can get his meds from a chemist it was costing $120 for 1 month of Prilosec, now all I pay is $8 & the Metronidazole only cost $7 when I need it I keep spare in cupboard….

I would be only feeding low fat wet food, nothing over 3% in fat, the fat & protein & isnt like it is in a dry kibble, wet raw & cooked hasnt been converted to dry matter (Kibble) yet, Do NOT feed any more dry kibble, it must make whatever she has, worse, like my boy the kibble made him worse with his IBD (Stomach) in the beginning till we worked out what was wrong & I found a kibble that works for him.
Read what is the fat % in the Cesars wet food??? also start boiling potato or boil sweet potato whatever firms her poos up best & start adding say 2-3 cesars foil tin & the same amount boiled mash potato do not add any butter or mil to the mashed potato & mix potato all thru with the Cesars food, maybe start off with only 1/2 mashed potato with her food cause she may not trust the potato yet, whatever she has got, has cause her alot of pain & she doesn’t trust food no more… I have to go the Pet Shop it’s closing, I have to pick up something, look what are the ingredients & fat % in these Cesars foods she etas & post, stop trying all type of foods for now, I’ll try & find a similair food to the Cesars same ingredients once you post, that is in a bigger tin size & low in fat, maybe someone else knows of a lower fat wet tin food similair to Cesars food….
Do you shop at “Costco” ?? Costco has their “Kirklands Signature” Nature Domain wet tin & its cheap & looks pretty good, click on “Reviews” look for Kirkland, Signature Nature Domain canned foods & click on link & scroll down a bit & there’s a photo of Turkey & Pea stew looks good & you can mash with boiled Potato this will work out cheaper till vet works out whats wrong, also ask the vet can you try a 21 day course of Metronidazole?? take back the vet diet food she won’t eat for refund & ask can you try 2 tins of the Hills I/d Canine Chicken & Vegetables Stew, Digestive Care wet tin food, do not get the Hills I/d Low Fat, Rice, Vegetables Chicken stew Restore, they look similair, the I/d Low fat Restore wet tin is full of rice & fish oil, the I/d canine Chicken & vegetable Stew Digestive Care has less ingredients & has more chucks of meat no fish oil, fish oil can make them feel sick, see if after being taking the 21 day course of Metronidazole if she starts to get better after 4-5th day, it has to be taken with a meal every 12 hours…
What is her name??

[Therese M]

We got our 3 yo golden mix from a rescue 3 weeks ago. They got her from shelter a week before we got her so no real history. She’s heartworm positive and almost done with her 30 days of antibiotics. She was 5 lbs underweight when we got her and has lost another 1 lb since then. She’ll start heartworm treatment soon and I understand she’ll likely be very ill and lose weight from that so we’re very concerned.

Pretty much from the beginning she refused food. We fed her what they gave her (Muenster dry, pro plan chicken and rice wet). Wouldn’t touch it. Tried each separately, no go. Tried tuna, chicken toppers, nothing. We’ve rotated through at least 10 dry foods and 20 canned foods. We took her back to the rescue and they tried a bunch of stuff on her. Of 7 dry and 6 wet, the only thing she ate for them, and has consistently eaten for us is Cesars trays. I’ve been trying desperately to get her to eat anything better than that but nothing else will work. I’ve tried everything form Fromms to Weruva to Bil Jac picky eater. Nothing works. I’ve mixed in pumpkin (plain and fruitables), raw goats milk, broth, nothing works. Homemade chicken and rice, ground beef, oats, green beans, eggs, cottage cheese. We took her to the vet earlier this week for vomiting and diarrhea. The vet gave us some prescription food, which she refused to eat, and some antinausea pills which stopped the puking but hasn’t helped her appetite. Said otherwise shes great. My husband is starting to wonder if we’re capable of dealing with her, and I’m not far behind him. We throw out $6-8 of food every day bc she just wont touch it. Is there anything left to try? We’re trying to stay on the high quality foods but at this point I could care less what it is if itll get her to eat. For her weight she should be eating 16 trays of Cesars a day- she eats at most 2. She eats less than 1/3 what she should every single day, on the days she eats at all. We will do literally anything at this point, so all suggestions are welcome. We live in Dallas so we have access to pretty much everything, we just need to track it down. Thanks for any help you can provide. If you need any more details please be specific- this is our first dog and we’re doing our best but I’m not up on lingo just yet, or what might be important that I’m leaving out.

[Carol R]

I have noticed that there is a website for the Cat Food Advisor saying that it’s coming soon. Does anyone know when it will be up and running? I have a new kitten that I’m trying to find the best food for. She seems to love the Wellness canned but not the Wellness dry. I’d like to find a good quality food for her that can be purchased locally.

[anonymous]

Excerpt from a recent discussion on this topic: https://disqus.com/home/discussion/dogfoodadvisor/acana_regionals_usa_dry/#comment-3352454949
Mike Sagman Mod Caroline C • 2 months ago
Exercise caution when relying on these kinds of reports.
When testing any (human or pet) food, the results can differ significantly from day to day based on the specific farm or batch used as a source for any one individual ingredient.
As with any laboratory study, it is absolutely critical to collect a statistically significant (large) number of test samples from multiple batches to avoid a misleading variable known as sampling error. Read about that here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wi…
In addition, guidelines used for interpreting the results can also be change or manipulated. This can cause certain products to move from one rating category to another — and even from “best” to “worst” lists. Read about that here:
https://wagbrag.com/clean-l…
By the way, Champion Petfoods, the maker of Acana and Orijen, has recently (2017) been recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) for its food safety program at the company’s new Kentucky DogStar facility. You can read about that here:
http://www.bgdailynews.com/…
You can also learn about the GFSI program here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wi…
Hope this helps.

[Susan]

Hi Dave,
do your researched pick a few brands you like, then start introducing 1 of those brands see how our dog does in a 2-4 week period, then start rotating between a few of the brands you like but make sure they have a different meat protein, don’t ever just feed a kibble that is fish based, dogs need to eat different meat sources, fish is the highest meat to have toxins. Pet food companies would be buying the cheapest fish off cuts, they wouldn’t be buying premium quality salmon, tuna, sardines etc, these fish kibble formula’s wouldn’t be the best & higher in toxins, your better off buying human grade tin salmon & sardines in spring water & add some as a topper to your dogs kibble, I stay away from any fish kibbles now & chickpeas & lentils, chickpeas lentils can cause gas, wind pain, intestinal problems & are hard to digest they also up the protein %, we need to start asking these pet food companies to write how much is the meat protein % & the plant protein % on their pet foods, I bet there’s alot of kibbles out there that are very high in plant proteins…
Do you follow “Rodney Habib” on his face book page? he’s been exposing pet food companies & telling the public about all their little tricks these Pet food companies use to see their pet foods, how they up the protein %, false advertising on their kibble bags, he has really good videos on all this…..Rodney is a raw feeder now after his 14 yr old Golden Retriver Sammy was diagnosed with cancer 2014, he makes his own raw for his dogs & Sammy is cancer free now, he has a video that shows just adding 1-2 spoons of fresh whole healthy food as a topper to your dogs kibble meal can prevent them from getting cancer, even after you have cooked dinner if you have some left overs keep in fridge & give to your dog instead feeding 1 of her/his kibble meal or add as a topper….this is what our parents did & the dogs were living longer back them then the dogs are living now, dogs are dying much younger now & most are feed dry processed kibble…

[Richard P]

My Great Dane was just diagnosed with DCM. Loss of appetite and weight loss are huge issues. What is the best tasting dry and canned dog food without regard to nutrition?

[Tyla M]

Hey Tabitha,

Welcome to my life about 2-3 weeks ago. My puppy just turned 4 months and has been scratching and biting since I got her at 9 weeks. It definitely isn’t fleas so vet gave me fish oil incase it’s dry skin. Hasn’t helped, so I also felt like it was a chicken or dairy issue. I was using Fromm’s large breed puppy food but it has eggs and chicken so I did tons of research to find a food low in calcium with no chicken. My vet also wanted me to try grain free, so that made this process even more difficult. I personally would stay away from corn… I’m trying zignature zssentials… it has no chicken or dairy and calcium isn’t horrible. When I looked it up online it had said minimum 1.0% so I figured the max couldn’t be too high (Don’t want over 1.5%). However, the bag says the min. Is 1.2% so I’m assuming the max. Is 1.5%. I’m waiting to hear back the exact max. Or average because I emailed the company. I couldn’t wait longer though so I am currently weaning her off fromm’s to the Zignature. I also bought Weruva’s Hot Dayum canned food which has no chicken, and I use it as a topper. There is just so much info. Out there though and it’s hard to find a food that hits everything you want, especially for a large breed pup. I’ve spent way too many hours trying to research it all and now I’ll keep my fingers crossed that this food works. Fortunately, my pup, Luna, hasn’t scratched or bit until she was raw or losing hair…not yet anyway. Best of luck!!

[Susan]

Hi Ashley,
My boy didn’t do well on the Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Digestion, read the ingredients in the Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy, I bet you there’s a ingredient or a few ingredients that’s she is very sensitive or intolerant too & can not eat, also write down the ingrediets & the protein, fat & fiber % in the Purina Pro Plan Large Breed formula, the ingredients are not the best in the American Purina Pro Plan formula’s…
Keep a diary just in case you need it later to look back on if this keeps happening…

Can you afford to buy the Hills I/d Digestive Care dry kibble formula the matching formula to the I/d wet tin your feeding at the moment? it comes in a dry kibble as well you could buy a cartoon of the I/d wet tins & a medium size bag I/d Digestive Care dry kibble, enough to last 1 month so you can start introducing the new kibble as well that you want her on?
My boy does real well on the Hills I/d Digestive Care wet & dry formula I use this or the “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb kibble when Patch has diarrhea & his poo’s will not firm back up, both formula’s fix his stomach, bowel & get him back on track again, the Hill’s I/d Digestive care has vitamin B’s, electrolytes & antioxidents what’s needed for diarrhea, to make their Intestinal tract healthy again….
Your better off sticking with the food she is eating at the moment & doing well on, then after 2-4 weeks when she is doingreal well, then start introducing a limited ingredient large breed puppy formula with around the same protein% & fat% & fiber % as the vet diet kibble she’s been eating, but if your feeding wet tin food then your not going to really know what percentage she does best on when eating a dry kibble?? just stay around the 25 % in protein nothing over 27-28% in protein & not too many meat proteins, stick with just 1 meat protein in the new kibble, less is best..

“Canidae” has a few Large Breed Puppy formula’s with grains like the vet diet she is eating at the moment has, I would be taking back the Purina Pro Plan Large Puppy & getting a refund or exchanging with something else, then you have to slowley introduce the new kibble over 10 day period, I start with under 1/4 of a cup new kibble added to under 1 cup old kibble feed this for 2 days & use old kibble for treats for training the first 4 days, do not buy any other brand treats that have different ingredients cause the more different foods you feed then if she has diarrhea again you will not know which food has caused the diarrhea…. then you feed 1/3 of a cup new kibble added to her old kibble, you take away 1/3 of the old kibble to make 1 cup, feed for the next 2 days, if poo start to go sloppy then you go back to 1/4 a cup or what ever she was eating & doing firm poo’s on…
Here’s “Canidae” life stages, large breed puppy, Turkey meal & Brown Rice puppy formula
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products/canidae-all-life-stages-large-breed-turkey- meal-brown-rice
Another good kibble to start with is “California Nutural” Chicken & Rice or Lamb & Rice Puppy both these formula’s only has 4 ingredients…. the Californiia Natural puppy would have been good to feed when the diarrhea first started…. http://www.californianaturalpets.com/brands/california-natural

[Susan]

Hi Mirjana,
your not in Australia by any chance??
this happened with my Patch after I rescued him, the vet said he has Colitis, now he’s been diagnosed with IBD, he does the best on “Taste Of the Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb grain free dry kibble & Canidae Pure dry kibble, I tried the Ziwi Peak venison formula before they changed their ingredeints but it didn’t agree with Patch, the Ziwi Peak new improved formula’s seem better then their old, there’s less ingredients, my cat does real well on Ziwi Peak cat formula’s, why I ask are you in Australia there’s a new organic ethically farmed freeze dried pet food that has just come out, you add water & it swells up, Frontier Pets has a lower fat formula their chicken formula…….
If you live America then join the “Canine Pancreatitis Support Group” look in the “Files” click on the first link, “Low Fat Dog Foods” scroll down a bit & you’ll see low fat wet tin foods the fat% has been converted to dry (Kibble fat) matter on your right…. you might be better feeding a low fat wet tin food now she’s 10yrs old, wet tin or homemade cooked food is easier to digest, just make sure you get a limited ingredient formula, so there’s less chance your dog won’t react to an ingredient…. has the vet given you Metronidazole script that you can get from chemist on hand so if you see her poo’s starting to go sloppy again, you can quickly put her back on antibitiics (Metronidazole), maybe she couldn’t cope with the raw Ziwi Peak….need a strong healthy gut to eat raw food, my boy can’t cope with raw, he needs his food cooked so all the bacteria is killed off…

[Susan]

Hi Dewper,
if you live America then there’s a cream similiar to the Sudocrem sold at supermarket but I can’t remember the name, a lady posted it on the “Dog, issues, allergies and other information support” f/b group, it has the same ingredients, (I think) as the Sudocrem has.
I live Australia & the Sudocrem is sold supermarkets & chemist in the baby section with the coconut oil & aloe & cucumber baby wipes are, I’ve read people who live America buy Sudocrem from Amazon or read ingredient list & look for a baby cream sold at supermarket with similiar ingredients…..
When your boy wasnt licking his paws real bad was he eating the same food he’s eating now or a different food? it’s so hard to work out allergies cause dogs normally will have both food & envrionment alergies, I was thinking is he may be a compulsive licker?? my Patch was when I first rescued him, paw licking sets off their endorphins, especially when they lick & lick themselves to sleep…my Patch all of a sudden dissappears & I find him in my room or the spare room licking his paw, then there’s the big wet patch on the bed aaaaaarrrrhhhhh it’s always just one of his paws he’s licking not both paws, he has white paws, I have a quick look at his paw & paw will be red up & sometimes in between his toes, so if he’s due for his weekly bath in a couple of days I bath him earlier & I bath him in the Malaseb shampoo also sold on Amazon & you leave the shampoo on his paws 5-10 mins if you can, the Malaseb is excellent for Allergies, itchy skin & yeasty skin….after his bath his paws look heaps better & aren’t itchy no more, so something in the Malaseb reduces the reddness & itch, then that night I apply the Hydrocortisone cream in between the tows & everywhere that’s red by morning all reddness is all gone, when I get a bit lazy I dont keep up with his daily routine applying creams his red paws happens….
It’s Winter in Australia & this is the worst Winter Patch has had so far, he normally does real well thru the colder Winter months as long as I’m not feeding him any ingredients he’s sensitive too, but this Winter has been heaps warmer & plants are flowering so I’d say the pollen count is higher…. another thing check what the Omega 3 % is in the kibble your feeding him some kibbles arent balanced properly & are higher in Omega 6 & real low in Omega 3, the omega 3% should be around 1/2 of what the omega 6% is…..as soon as you open your bag of kibble all the oils start to go rancid from the air/oxygen, so your omega 3% becomes less, they say a kibble only last about 2 weeks once you’ve opened it google ” How long does a kibble stay fresh once it’s opened”
The best thing to do is add a few small sardines to his diet a day, start buying the tin Sardines in spring water or olive oil, Aldi’s sell cheap good sardines & salmon in spring water, just add a few sardines or spoons of the salmon to 1 of his meals or give as a treat, I make salmon cakes just boil some potato or sweet potatoes & cool then mix with the drained tin of salmon or start giving him a fish capsule if he has sensitive stomach/bowel then get the Krill Oil capsules they’re suppose to be better for senstive stomach, my boy can’t have fish/salmon oil it gives him acid reflux, he does better when he eats foods high in Omega 3, almonds are excellent I give about 3 Almonds some days but make sure he chews them or they will come back out whole, I don’t know but a lady said her dog got into the bag of almonds & it wasnt nice, I bite 1/2 an almond & give the other 1/2 of the almond to patch & say chew, even have a look at the K-9 Natural Green Lipped Mussels freeze dried treats Chewy sell them & other brands as well, I give my cat & Patch a couple mussels a day as treats… You just need to keep in a daily routine, 1 lady from f/b group I mentioned above said she has a water tray near the front door & her dog walks thru it to wash off any allergens on his paws but I’d rather put him in a empty bath, wet his paws & wash & leave soaking in the Malaseb shampoo this works really well then rinse & dry. another thing in the beginning after I applied cream if you know he’s going to lay down to sleep & lick, then I put on a baby socks or a cut up elastic bandage with the bandage tape around the top, this stops the paw licking & gets him out of the compulsive licking.. this is what I had to do with Patch in the beginning..
When your boy is licking his paw do you look at the paw to see if it’s red, swollon etc ?

[Susan]

Hi Tyla
it’s best to contact the raw or dehydrated pet food companies you’re interested in feeding & ask them which formula is recommended for a large breed growing puppy?? especially while she is growing or keep her on a large breed puppy formula then once she is fully grown start introducing raw & freeze dry to her diet… Here’s a fat, protein, fiber converter, so you know the fat & protein % when it’s converted to dry matter, 15%-fat, 15%-Protein is around 48% when converted, if it were a dry kibble. http://www.k-9kraving.com/resources/calculator.php
Have you joined any Raw Feeding face book groups, K-9Kitchen Monica Segal,
K-9 Nutrition- Lew Olson & Dr Karen Becker is bringing out her new book that will have special diets…

[Orlando T]

Recently while searching for a quality puppy food I encountered on the Editors Choice page Merrick Lil’ Plates Grain Free (Dry) as a recommended puppy food. The food appears to be more of a small breed than a a puppy food but I’m no expert. I started feeding this food to my puppy but a week ago before realizing that Merrick’s does not actually list it as a puppy food. Please verify list accuracy and advise.

/best-dog-foods/best-puppy-foods/best-dry-puppy-foods-5-star/

Thank you,

[Susan]

Hi Ginger,
Sorry its a long post but it’s hard to explain everything in 1-2 paragraphs hopefully some of this information will help your girls itchy skin…
Your girl sounds like my boy who will be 9 yrs old in November, he suffers with IBD, Pancreatitis, environment skin allergies & food sensitivities causing itchy smelly skin,paws, ears, gas & diarrhea, we thought he had diabetes a few months ago cause he was drinking & drinking water but blood test were all fine thank-god, I couldn’t handle another health problem, I feel so sorry for sick animals. 🙁
I wouldn’t try the Cytopoint injections with your dog yet, has your vet explained how Cytopoint works? My vet looked into the Cytopoint injections, she explained once you’ve given the injection it stays in the dogs system up to 6-8 weeks, so if it makes them ill there’s nothing that can be done to reverse any side effects cause Patch reacts to certain medications & it’s a newer drug we don’t have any real research results yet, after a couple of years vets will know more how dogs react that have certain health problems like our dogs have, when the dog is younger & heathier yes I think CADI is the best thing for itchy dogs better the Apoquel, now Apoquel has been out over a few years vets see all the side effects so in a few years when vets have used Cytopoint, they’ll know & can report any bad side effects if there are any?…

My vet said Apopuel doesn’t help when a dog has itchy skin from secondary Malassezia (Yeast) Dermatitis, Apoquel cannot resolve inflammation or treat yeast, she said Apoquel
has helped a few of her dog patients that have IBD but I was to scared to try Apoquel with Patch cause one of the side effects with Apoquel is nausea & vomiting, my vet did have a few dogs that become very sick while taking the Apoquel, so I changed his diet, bathed him weekly to wash off any allergens on his paws & body to relieve his itchy skin paws & I use creams. As they get older the allergies get worse..

They are finding Cytopoint works better then Apoquel for environment allergies & itchy skin, CADI blocks the receptors completely, where Apoquel blocks the reaction from the allergens receptors, there’s a good face book group to join “Dog issues, allergies and other information support group” with really good information about CADI & Apoquel.. a lady called Petra that runs the group can explain things better…

I would be changing her diet first, when my Patch was eating the Hills I/d wet & dry formula’s & other foods that had the ingredients he was sensitive too he got his red paws, smelly yeasty itchy skin & that’s only cause he’s a sensitive to the chicken, oats, barley tapioca, corn gluten meal in the I/d vet diet & other foods he was eating, once I remove these allergens he is OK thru the cooler Winter months then when Summer comes he gets his environment allergies so I bath more, I use hydrocortisone 1% cream to relieve the itch & feed treats that are high in omega 3 fatty acid like K-9 Natural freeze dried Green Lipped Mussels, ask your vet can your try the Royal Canine HP wet tin food the fat is 2.5% you’ll have to email or ring Royal Canine & ask them what is the max fat % when converted to dry mater?? it’s probably around 7-8% fat when converted to dry matter (Kibble fat), Hills have already converted all their wet tin foods on their internet site, I wish other pet food companies did the same cause people don’t no this & read 5%-fat on a wet tin foods or raw foods & think the fat % is low when 5% fat is around 20% fat when converted to dry matter, the Australian R/C HP is 3.5% in the wet tin food, when converted it was 13% fat, it has the omega 3 oils & everything needed for skin problems, or I’d say look at the R/C selected proteins formula’s PR-Rabbit & Potato or PD-Duck & Potato or PV-Venison & Potato but the R/C in the wet tin wet tin foods the fat is too high for Pancreatitis 4-5% when converted to dry matter is around 15-20% fat but the dry R/C select proteins kibbles are lower in fat at 10%max but your feed wet tin..

Have you joined the “Canine Pancreatitis Support ” Face Book group,
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1435920120029740/
join & look in their “Files” there’s 2 links “Low Fat Food” click on the first link & scroll down, all the low fat wet tin foods come up, on your right there’s the converted fat %, it’s been converted to dry matter fat % also read the ingredients in the Hills Wet tin food she is eating at the moment, try & avoid those some of those ingredients if you can, she is probably sensitive to a few ingredients in the I/d wet tin formula’s, that’s why I recommended the Royal Canine vet diet HP wet tin it’s a Hypoallergenic formula, your dog shouldn’t react & itch to any of the ingredients but Patch got acid reflux from the fish oil & his poos were soft but he always does softer poos when he eats wet tin foods, that’s why I feed 5 small meals a day 2 meals are cooked meal or a wet tin food & the other 3 meals are a kibble & his poos stay firm…
“Canidae” makes a really good small easy to digest grain free kibble, that’s low in fat 10.80%max called Canidae,Pure Meadow Senior grain free page 3 & Canidae Life Stages Platinum less active has grains page 4, https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products….
It can take anywhere from 1 day up to 6 weeks for a dog to react to an ingredient & start scratching get yeasty smell paws. ears, skin gas & sloppy poos….Patch only reacts 15-20mins after he eats chicken he starts itching & scratching, gets red paws but with some ingredients in a kibble he takes about 5-14 days to start reacting with smelly yeasty skin paws & ears, carrots cause itchy smell ears.
Look for proteins like Rabbit, Venison, Pork, Duck & kangaroo in wet grain free tin foods, kangaroo is a lean novel protein & your dog probably hasn’t eaten much of the Kangaroo before. Can your girl eat a kibble even if you only feed 1 of her meals kibble then the rest of her meals wet tin food.

[Susan]

Hi ac,
can he handle the high protein at 36% min, if poos are sloppy then maybe reduce the fat % again, email Horizon ask for the max fat%, there’s also “Wellness Core” puppy & Wellness Core Small Breed for when he’s older, both Wellness formula’s have a bit less fat at 18% min normally it’s an extra 1-2 % extra for fat & protein, it depends on the brand, you’ll have to email Wellness to get the max fat %, Wellness also has their Wellness Complete grain free small breed formula’s the fat & protein is under 30% for dogs that can’t handle higher fat & protein,
Wellpet make Wellness, Holistic Select & Eagle Pack, Holistic Select has a small breed formula but I think it has healthy grains, it’s good to rotate kibbles, Wellness are pretty good they email back & answer all questions, another thing if you feed wet tin or raw food the fat % is higher then it says on the tin or raw packet, it needs to be converted to dry matter (Kibble), so when you see say 5%min fat on a wet tin or raw packet is around 20-26%max fat after being converted to dry matter, a lot of people don’t know this until their dog ends up with Pancreatitis or diarrhea…. I always feed wet tin foods that are around 2-4% fat…
What small breed do you have??
Here’s the Wellness link https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/natural-dog-food
Wellness have toppers, their TruFood freeze dried raw you add water, I think the fat has already been converted to dry matter fat%, you’d have to ask Wellness, it’s best to rotate between a few different brands with different proteins so your dog gets use to eating everything, rotating also strengthens their immune system….

[Susan]

Hi Courtney,
I didn’t know that Canidae still use other pet food facilities to make & pack their kibbles, I wonder if the Canidae ingredients & kibbles that are made at the Diamond facility are getting tested like the Diamond pet foods are tested? watch this video http://www.tasteofthewild.com.au/quality-composition/food-safety/
it shows a Diamond plant, I don’t know which one it is, you’d have to email & ask Diamond where are their new facilities, there wouldn’t be too many pet food companies with state of the art facilities like Diamond has, Hills, Purina & Royal Canine probably have these big facilities but I don’t know if they have the latest technology, I like how the Diamond ingredients are tested before being cooked & after the batches are made they’re tested as well before leaving the facility & the water they use to make their pet foods is purified, so Diamond are making sure they won’t have any more problems with their pet foods, I prefer Canidae being made at a Diamond plant but I wonder which plant the Australian Canidae & Under The Sun formula’s are coming from? I’ll have to email Canidae & ask..
Canidae must be getting too many orders now & they can’t keep up with the demand.. I know in Australia people & pet shop owners started whinging cause Canidae kibbles were selling out very quickly, then you have to wait for another shipment to come, Canidae come the beginning of the new month, I contacted Canidae America & asked them what’s happening, Canidae said it’s the people in Australia that import Canidae they aren’t ordering enough for the demand in Australia, then Pet Shop owners started to stock the TOTW formula’s as well so people can change between the 2 brands if one has run out.. this is when Australian pet food manufactures heard about the demand for Canidae Pure formula’s & started to make Australian made high quality grain free dry kibble but the fat & protein is way too high for my boy & the lower fat & lower protein Australian made formula’s he didn’t do well on with his IBD..
My boy does best on Canidae formulas that are lower in fat-15% & protein-25% & I feed “Taste Of the Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb formula, TOTW seems to be the best for his IBD…

Don’t put all your eggs in 1 basket, find another brand that has around the same Kcals per cup as the Canidae has but has a different protein that she’s eating at the moment…Has she ever eaten a Kangaroo formula? Kangaroo is very healthy, lean & a clean meat, I saw a brand called “Wild Calling” Kangaroo formula.. Wild Calling seems to have the most Kangaroo in their Kangaroo formula, they use Kangaroo Meal, the other Kangaroo formula’s just had Kangaroo, no Kangaroo meal….

[Susan]

Hi Heather,
it’s best to email the pet food companies & the Vet diet companies when you need any information about their formula’s they will ring or email you back with crude fiber % soluble fiber % insoluble fiber % & dietary fiber % in their formula’s, a good pet food company like TOTW their a Vet Nutritionists will ring or email you back but I didn’t read anywhere that your dog needs more soluble fiber in his diet, it will depend on your dog like your vet has told you, it’s trial & error, if it was my dog, I’d be trying the wet tin vet diet first, all vet diets are money back guaranteed & you just bring back any un opened tins or the rest of the kibble back if poo’s don’t firm up within 2-5 days & the vet changes over to another vet diet till you find one that works, you don’t have to pay to see the vet again the vet nurse normally goes in & speaks with the vet then the vet either comes out to speak with you or the vet nurse recommends another vet diet for you to try… try the Hills Canine I/d Chicken & Vegetable Stew wet tin food first & use the Hills I/d Digestive Care kibble as treats only give 1/4 a cup kibble thru the day & see how his poos go next 2 days if they are OK then increase the I/D kibble.. that’s how I started with new kibbles with my boy years ago when I rescued him.
My boy did the best on the Hills D/D Venison & Potatoes vet diet, it has 1 single intact meat protein with limited ingredients, improves digestion & stool quality, it’s soy protein free, gluten & grain free, the protein % is low-18% the Hills I/d Digestive Care replaces nutrients your dog has lost & has B vitamins & electrolytes your dog needs at the moment…. my boy gets bad overgrowth bacteria in the gut & small bowel, vomiting, nausea & pain… I tried the Hills I/d Digestive care kibble, he seem to be doing really well the first 5-6 days, it did what it says on the front of the kibble bag “it will firm stools within 3 days” BUT after 6 days my boy started to react to the poor ingredients & started doing yellow sloppy poo’s, all the fermentable grains made his bad bacteria breed & take over his stomach & bowel again, I took the Hills I/d bag of kibble back & got a refund, I bought a bag of the “Taste Of the Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb what was recommended to me on a EPI group & IBD dogs face book groups & my boy has been doing firm perfect poos now for over 1 yr, a lot of dogs with EPI, S.I.B.O, IBD, Diarrhea do really well on the TOTW formula, there’s also a wet tin in the Sierra Mountain, I don’t know if it’s the probiotics or the purified water they use but something in the TOTW formula helps dogs that have Intestinal stress, I know a lot of people don’t like Diamond & knock Diamond but every new batch of TOTW gets tested after being packed in the kibble bags & tins before it leaves the plant, my boy has never gotten diarrhea or sick while he’s been on the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb formula…
Please make sure the course of antibiotics your dog is taking is for 14-21 days give the antibiotics every 12 hours with a meal do not stop the course till it’s finished….

Zignature is best for dog with food intolerances/sensitivities to certain ingredients, I’ve never seen Zignature on any of the IBD or EPI groups I belong too being feed for intestinal problems, Zignature is very pea heavy, chick pea heavy these ingredients can cause bad wind & gas in the bowel… go back to your vets office & ask the vet nurse to try at wet tin & dry Vet Diet before you try the Zignature, then once your dog has been on a vet diet for 6-9 months & the bowel has healed then maybe start slowly introducing a single low protein, limited ingredient formula & make sure you give a probiotic after he has finishes the antibiotics or give probiotic 3 hours before or after giving the antibiotics or give Kefir… you need to take baby steps with dogs who have intestinal problems.

[Susan]

Heather
if you need fiber % it’s best to email the pet food companies & the Vet diet companies & they will email you the crude fiber %, the soluble fiber % the insoluble fiber %, the dietary fiber% & in their foods, but I have never read anywhere that your dog needs more soluble fiber in his diet, it will depend on your dog like your vet has told you, it’s trial & error, if it was my dog, I’d be trying the wet tin vet diet first, all vet diets are money back guaranteed & you just bring back any un opened tins or the rest of the kibble back if poo’s don’t firm up within 2-5 days & the vet changes over to another vet diet till you find one that works, you don’t have to pay to see the vet again the vet nurse normally goes in & speaks with the vet then the vet either comes out to speak with you or the vet nurse recommends another vet diet for you to try… try the Hills Canine I/d Chicken & Vegetable Stew wet tin food first & use the Hills I/d Digestive Care kibble as treats only give 1/4 a cup kibble thru the day & see how his poos go next 2 days if they are OK then increase the I/D kibble.. that’s how I started with new kibbles with my boy years ago when I rescued him.
My boy did the best on the Hills D/D Venison & Potatoes vet diet, it has 1 single intact meat protein with limited ingredients, improves digestion & stool quality, it’s soy protein free, gluten & grain free, the protein % is low-18% the Hills I/d Digestive Care replaces nutrients your dog has lost & has B vitamins & electrolytes your dog needs at the moment…. my boy gets bad overgrowth bacteria in the gut & small bowel, vomiting, nausea & pain… I tried the Hills I/d Digestive care kibble, he seem to be doing really well the first 5-6 days, it did what it says on the front of the kibble bag “it will firm stools within 3 days” BUT after 6 days my boy started to react to the poor ingredients & started doing yellow sloppy poo’s, all the fermentable grains made his bad bacteria breed & take over his stomach & bowel again, I took the Hills I/d bag of kibble back & got a refund, I bought a bag of the “Taste Of the Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb what was recommended to me on a EPI group & IBD dogs face book groups & my boy has been doing firm perfect poos now for over 1 yr, a lot of dogs with EPI, S.I.B.O, IBD, Diarrhea do really well on the TOTW formula, there’s also a wet tin in the Sierra Mountain, I don’t know if it’s the probiotics or the purified water they use but something in the TOTW formula helps dogs that have Intestinal stress, I know a lot of people don’t like Diamond & knock Diamond but every new batch of TOTW gets tested after being packed in the kibble bags & tins before it leaves the plant, my boy has never gotten diarrhea or sick while he’s been on the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb formula…
Please make sure the course of antibiotics your dog is taking is for 14-21 days give the antibiotics every 12 hours with a meal do not stop the course till it’s finished….

Zignature is best for dog with food intolerances/sensitivities to certain ingredients, I’ve never seen Zignature on any of the IBD or EPI groups I belong too being feed for intestinal problems, Zignature is very pea heavy, chick pea heavy these ingredients can cause bad wind & gas in the bowel… go back to your vets office & ask the vet nurse to try at wet tin & dry Vet Diet before you try the Zignature, then once your dog has been on a vet diet for 6-9 months & the bowel has healed then maybe start slowly introducing a single low protein, limited ingredient formula & make sure you give a probiotic after he has finishes the antibiotics or give probiotic 3 hours before or after giving the antibiotics or give Kefir… you need to take baby steps with dogs who have intestinal problems.

[Susan]

Hi LISA P,
this post is long, it’s too hard explaining everything in just 1-2 paragraph post, start feeding a diet that has just 1 protein & limited ingredients, less ingredients are best while you work out what foods are causing the bad gas & bloating, sounds like your boy might have IBS or IBD being 7 yrs old it’s probably IBD, you need to see a vet that specializes in IBD, the only true way to diagnosed IBD is biopsies either thru Endoscope or cut him open, I will not let Patches knife happy vet cut my Patch open, 2014 vet did Endoscope thru the throat
& biopsies, if the pyloric sphincter flap from the stomach to the small bowel is open they can go thru into the small bowel & get a biopsies as well, you need the biopsies cause Patches stomach looked excellent then the biopsies results came back he has Helicobacter-Pylori & IBD but I don’t know what type of IBD the results said he need further investigation, even if I knew what type of IBD I asked my vet, would you do anything different in medications? she said no we’ll just have a name of the type of IBD he has…
Patch was getting the rumbling & grumbling bowel noises early hours of a morning when I first rescued him, we found out he has food intolerances to certain foods, this is what your boy probably has too food sensitivities, most vet diets for Intestinal stress have the foods Patch can’t eat, I have found kibbles & cooked meals that have sweet potato, egg, potato & a little bit of peas work the best for Intestinal stress, stay away from fermentable carbohydrates, ingredients that ferment in the stomach & bowel like rice, barley, oats, beet pulp, soybeans, legumes, no ingredients that are hard to digest like Chick Peas, lentils they can cause wind/gas…
The Ziwi Peak he ate was it the wet or air dry Ziwi Peak cause Ziwi Peak have changed their formula’s & have added chickpeas to the wet tin formula’s.

The vet would have prescribed your boy Metronidazole, was he better while taking the Metronidazole?? sometimes dogs are kept on a low dose of Metronidazole it stops the bad bacteria from taking over stomach bowel & has anti inflammatory properties that helps with any inflammation of the stomach & bowel, Patches vet writes out a repeat script of the Metronidazole I can take to a chemist & take out & when I noticed Patch doing smelly farts, whinging & wanting me to rub stomach & Pancreas area & or starts doing sloppy poos for 2 days straight & start him on the Metronidazole for 10-14 days straight away before he has a IBD flare & gets real bad….

Have you looked at cooking his meals or I feed kibble for some of his meals & cooked meals for the other meals, Patch eats 5 smaller meals a day this has helped heaps when his stomach & Pancreas isn’t working properly its easier to digest smaller meals then to digest 2 bigger meals….Patch was the same pain in the Pancreas stomach area blood test say Pancreas was OK even ultra scan said the pancreas looks good, so his vet said it’s his IBD & I put him back on the Metronidazole again & it seems to help him & I feed his TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb kibble & don’t give anything else cause I know the TOTW kibble is very easy to digest…

Have a look at “Canidae” Pure Meadow Senior the fat is low at 10.8% max, I’ve emailed Canidae to find out the max fat %, the protein is 28%, it has limited ingredients, but cause it has chicken Patch gets his red paws then starts getting itchy cause he’s sensitive to chicken but he did really well when on the Canidae just wish they didn’t use the chicken & I feed “Taste Of the Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb kibble it just has 1 protein Lamb & has limited ingredients, sweet potatoes, egg, potato & peas & I was feeding the Hills I/d Chicken & Vegetable Stew but then I realized the new formula has beet pulp & Patch didn’t really want to eat it no more, he had his red, I was taken out the rice & carrots, he can’t eat boiled rice it irritates his bowel causing sloppy poo’s….
I have found when Patch gets a rumbling grumbling bowel I give him 1 teaspoon – 5ml of liquid Mylanta that I keep in the fridge, when the Mylanta is cold it soothes the throat & stomach & it stops the gas rumbling thru the bowel also dry toast only use white bread the toast helps relieve the grumbling bowel & Patch finally goes to sleep, but since I’ve worked out what foods he’s sensitive too he hasn’t had his rumbling bowel…
Your best to do a cooked elimination diet, add 1 new ingredient every 6 weeks & see does he react to that ingredient & get bad wind pain & bloat up, it can take 1 day to 6 weeks to react to an ingredient in a kibble or wet tin cooked food or feed a vet diet like the Hills D/D Venison & Potatoes as long as you know your boy is OK with venison & potato, the D/D has just potato & venison, it has no beet pulp, no peas, no soy protein, it’s grain free, gluten free & high in omega 3 fatty acids what’s needed for the stomach & bowel to heal, Patch does OK when he eats the D/D Venison formula, I rotate between the TOTW Lamb breakfast & the D/D Venison for lunch then TOTW for his 2 dinners, When a dog eats the same diet for years & years then sometimes they start to react to 1 or 2 ingredients this is why I always tell people to rotate between different brand kibbles with different proteins & add cooked fresh ingredients to your dogs diet…Vet diets are good to get the dog stable then you start to work out a new diet for your dog……
Is he doing real well on the Vet diet he’s eating at the moment which formula is it?? Patch hasn’t done well on any of the Hills I/d vet diets, he did Ok on the I/d Digestive Care kibble & the I’d Chicken & vegetable stew wet tin but after 1 week eating the I/d kibble his poos when sloppy & he started getting gas & bad farts then he started to itch, the Hills D/D Venison + potato is the first vet diet he’s doing OK on & it helps with his skin allergies no red paws & also helps with his IBD, it’s also lower in protein-19% the fat is 16% its does cause some acid reflux sometimes so I feed the TOTW for all the other meals for that day & only a small meal of the D/D venison for lunch he really likes it….

Here’s “Balance It” site, https://secure.balanceit.com/ there are recipes on this site & then you add the Balance it powder to balance the meals also have you tried giving a probiotic? Purina Forti Floria is suppose to be a good dog probiotic & when it was tested it had live bacteria & made it on the best 10 dogs probiotic list, I give Patch some of my Yakult probiotic drink, also only change or add 1 thing at a time in a week in his diet so if he gets pain, gas bloating diarrhea you know what caused the problem if you start a few things at once & he reacts you wont know what caused what….

Your boy is only 7 yrs old, he’ll bounce back, start to read the signs & rub his stomach & bowel area & help push out any of the wind he might have my boy is very vocal & tells me straight away when something is wrong, his vet said she has never seen a dog that can understand everything we are saying & talks back…. Hopefully in 1 yr you’ll have his diet all worked out & know what he can & can’t eat & he’ll be doing real well once you work out his diet also be careful with treats, Canidae make healthy biscuit treats limited ingredients, the Canidae Pure Meadow Senior kibble is on page 3 ….just remember when introducing any new formula’s do it very slowly over 12-15 days so he doesn’t get any gas wind pain…
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[Susan]

Hi Natalie,
I think no matter how many different foods you try your going to need a course of Metronidazole (Flagyl)….also I think poor Charlie needs to see a different vet, not the vet he’s been seeing in the past that said he’s healthy, did this vet test Charlie for giardia, he may have a parasite living in the bowel, vet should of tested 2 separate poos to see if he has Giardia or he may have Small Bowel Intestinal Overgrowth (S.B.I.O) sloppy poos will be baby yellow in colour, SIBO needs Metronidazole for 28 days sometimes vet only gives a 14 day course of the Metro & don’t give enough of the Metro & the SIBO comes back again in a few months or Charlie may have food sensitivities but if he has gotten better while eating the same food & you haven’t change his food & he gets diarrhea again then it’s not the food, you can try & try different foods but you need to get to the root of the problem & do tests if after doing test & vet has no answers then ask to test for EPI… also he may need weekly vitamin B-12 injections he may be low in vitamin B-12 this can cause problems with the digestive system…
The Hills I/d Digestive Care has electrolytes & B vitamins to help him get better + give the Metronidazole, the Metronidazole is an antibiotic & has anti inflammatory properties that heal the bowel, some dogs & cats have to take a low dose & stay on the Metronidazole long term I prefer to give the Metronidazole on & off, Patch starts having side effects & starts acting paranoid & scared of his own shadow…..
The foods you have tried have they been a single novel protein, limited ingredient, low protein, low fat, low Kcal per cup kibble or wet tin food?? “Taste Of the Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb is really good for dogs with Intestinal stress or “Natural Balance” limited ingredient Sweet Potato Bison kibble these kibbles don’t have any chickpeas or lentils & are not real high in protein or fat, but a vet diet will be the best to start off with & let his stomach & bowel rest & heal, Patch stayed on Eukanuba Intestinal low residue vet diet for 9-12months while his bowel healed then I started introducing a new kibble that was low fat, low protein with limited ingredients introducing slowly over 15-30 days then if poos went sloppy I’d put him straight back onto the vet diet, my vet writes me out a repeat script of Metronidazole 200mg x 21 tablets that I can get from a chemist this works out cheaper when Patch starts doing sloppy poos, I wait 2 days & if poos don’t get firm again & are still sloppy, if poo is yellow it’s the small bowel if real dark brown/black cow pattie poo’s it’s the large Bowel, he gets put straight on the Metronidazole for 14 days every 12 hours with a meal before he gets worse & has a IBD flare then it’s not as easy to fix his sloppy poo’s they can go for months…. boiled rice irritates Patches bowel & gives him sloppy poo’s, took the vet a while to click that the cooked rice in a vet diet wet tin food was causing Patches poo’s to stay real sloppy…. best to cook a lean meat + boiled potato is better then boiled rice..
or can you ask a vet can he put him straight on the Metronidazole (Flagyl) a 21 day course & get a bag of the Hills I/d Digestive Care dry vet diet & see if diarrhea stops & he does firm poos & stay on the Hills I/d Digestive Care vet diet over 6 months, it might work out a bit cheaper without any test, around $100 that’s what first vet did with my Patch put him on Royal Canine Intestinal low fat vet diet & a course of Metronidazole & Electrolytes the problem was Patch has bad bacteria in the stomach & bowel + food intolerances.
When you say he puts his bum in the air this could be Pancreatitis pain or whatever he has eaten is causing wind/gas pain in the bowel… Keep a diary & write everything down, meds he’s taken, foods he ate & what happened…. I also live in a unit & I have Patch in a routine, we go on 3 daily walks for poo’s same time everyday 7.30am, 10am & 5pm & in between Patch goes down stairs & does his wee’s in the common garden area….it’s hard but you’ll work it out in the end..

[Susan]

Hi Linda,
is Hagen a small breed? I looked up the Hills t/d Dental Health, it’s low in protein 17.2% & fat is 16.7% & is very high in crude fiber at 10.4%, the high fiber might be making him poo more, his normally diet probably isn’t as high in fiber, I stay around 4-5%max for crude fiber, Hagen normal diet is probably higher protein diet with higher Kcals per cup then the Hills vet diet is…..or he may need to be on the Metronidazole a bit longer, 21 day course is normally the best when they have had a bout of diarrhea & a bit older… has Hagens poo’s stayed firm since stopping the Metronidazole?
I’d still be giving him a probiotic, you can give kefir instead, I give Patch the Human “Yakult” probiotic drinks, I have 1 everyday & Patch gets some as well..
Your vet should have put your boy on the Hills I/d Digestive Care dry kibble, the dry I/d Digestive formula is high in electrolytes & vitamin B, has ingredients that are suppose to improve digestion & should make Hagen’s poos smaller & less pooing times, I found the Hills I/d Digestive Care Chicken & Vegetable stew was the better out of all the I/d formula’s, there’s a few different I/d formula’s, the normal I/d Digestive Care wet tin loaf formula made Patches IBD worse, some of these vet diets don’t work for some dogs Gi problems, the Vet diets never seem to help Patches IBD, his skin problems became worse…make sure you write down the vet formula’s Hagen was put on so you remember next time if vet prescribes them again….that’s why I asked is Hagen a small breed with teeth problems for his vet to put him on the Hills T/d formula??

The Hills Metabolic & Mobility dry & wet formula would have been another good vet diet for Hagen to eat being 11 & 1/2 yrs old, the Hills Metabolic & Mobility dry & wet tin food is higher in protein & has better ingredients then the Hills T/d Dental Health formula.

Have you looked at the Canidae Pure Meadow Senior, the protein is around 28% & fat is 10.80%max, Canidae Pure formula’s are excellent for dogs with Gi problems, the Pure Meadow Senior is on page 3….
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

If you Hagen keeps having Intestinal stress on & off then the “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb formula is excellent for Gi problems, it has only 1 protein Lamb & has limited ingredients sweet potatoes, egg & potato, it has the matching wet tin food as well, Patch does excellent size poo’s & poo’s on time everyday when eating the TOTW & Canidae formula’s….

[Christine C]

My dog has a history of getting crystals in her urine and our vet has always just given us antibiotics. She is currently on the the hills C/D urinary dry + canned food and this has helped her urine problem; however, the cost has been a big burden. I was shocked to see the ingredients in it and wouldn’t making homemade obviously be healthier? I would like to start making my own dog food, but I’m not sure if this would be the best option. I do not want to rely on the vet because they obviously would go against it and are money hungry. I have been reading other forums and many dog owners seem to feed their pets cranberry supplements? What are your thoughts on this and getting off of the prescription diet? Also how do I get my dog to drink more water?

[Susan]

Hi Steve,
the only way to know how these animals died & how the pet food is being made is buy free range organic ethically farmed meat & veggies & make your own pet meals….
If you lived in Australia we have a new ethically farmed pet food called “Frontier Pets”, the pigs, chickens & beef all run free & are feed a healthy diet, they live a pretty good life…Here’s “Frontier Pet Food” web page https://frontierpets.com.au/pages/our-purpose
There must be a few companies like our Frontier pets but in America… send Frontier Pets a email the lady will email you back & answer all your questions, ask does she know of another pet food company like her Frontier Pets but in America or Canada, she has just started & would of done a heap of research, so she may have come across another ethically farmed pet food company in America….

There’s “Ziwi Peak” an New Zealand pet food company who make high quality pet foods your dogs will love their air dried pet food & their wet tin foods, https://www.ziwipets.com/
there’s also “K-9 Natural” another NZ made pet food you add water I buy their Green Lipped Mussels. https://www.k9natural.co.nz/
Ziwi Peak & K-9 Naturals are both sold in America.
There’s “Honest Kitchen” you can use their base formula’s & add your own organic meat or buy the HK formula’s where you just add water….
There’s “Just Food For Dogs” they make pet food for dogs with certain health problems they may make an small breed all life stages formula, send them an email.. https://www.justfoodfordogs.com/vet-support-diets

Do you realise when you read the fat% & protein% on wet raw foods it hasn’t been converted to dry matter basis (kibble) yet, here’s a calculator, save this link so you can convert & know how high the fat % is in wet tin, raw food your feeding…. 5% min-fat when converted to dry matter is around 20-25%max-fat. http://www.k-9kraving.com/resources/calculator.php

Once you have found a few pet foods introduce them & make sure you rotate between 2-3 different brands so your dogs are getting a variety of different pet foods so if one of these pet foods isn’t balanced properly or has toxins etc your dogs aren’t eating the same pet food 24/7 here’s “Clean Label Project” site, this is the first year CLP has tested pet foods for toxin’s, CLP tested the most popular pet foods for lead, arsenic, pesticides, mercury, cadmium, BPA you can see which wet pet foods made the good list & the worst list…..click on “Product Ratings” up the top..
I and Love and You, Dog for Dog, Wellness, SmallBatch Pets & Stella & Chewy got 5 stars in the wet tin foods section…the fish formula’s seem to be worse & turkey & chicken formula’s rate the best. http://www.cleanlabelproject.org/product-ratings/pet-food/

[Caroline C]

Looks like Chewy.com has finally decided to drop ACANA and Orijen foods. Thank goodness. My dog is in kidney failure due to ACANA’s Wild Atlantic dry kibble. Their fish based dog foods should all be recalled. I contacted Chewy.com in early June imploring them to do testing on their own of a specific lot, 3002505-62212. This is an email I received this morning from Chewy.com. The spin on it indicates that Champion Pet Foods is actually the one pulling the food from Chewy.com. Either way, it is a good thing for pets. ACANA and Orijen is poisoning our pets.
————————————————————————————————————————-

I’m sorry to let you know that Champion Pet Foods, makers of Orijen and ACANA, will no longer be available at Chewy and will only be available while supplies last. Champion has decided to limit their distribution and will no longer service Chewy customers.
I am very disappointed by Champion’s decision to end their retail partnership with us because it greatly impacts you, our customer. Their business decision to limit distribution was clearly not in the best interest of customers like you, who have come to rely on Chewy to feed your furry family.
When I founded our company my mission was simple, deliver the highest quality products at the best prices and provide an unmatched customer experience. We have always put our customers and their pets at the center of everything we do. That’s why we have the most knowledgeable customer service representatives in the industry dedicated to providing best-in-class customer service and adding personal touches to online shopping with handwritten cards and hand-painted portraits of your pets.
It’s particularly upsetting that despite all of my company’s efforts and personal relationships throughout the years, Champion has decided that they will no longer service our customers.
I urge all customers who are affected by this to personally contact Champion directly to let them know you rely on the convenience of delivery and value the personalized service you receive from Chewy. Unfortunately, for many of you this decision will result in your inability to get these products in a convenient way. Please encourage Champion not to put their corporate interests above the interests of their customers and their pets.
Call
877-939-0006
Email
[email protected]
Post
https://www.facebook.com/ChampionPetfoods/
I know how important it is to choose the right food for your pet and our Customer Service Team is available 24/7/365 to answer any of your questions or to help you select from over 500 brands of top-rated natural, high-protein and grain-free foods.
Sincerely,
Ryan Cohen
Founder & CEO

[Susan]

Hi Christie,
I understand your frustration, this is why I always stick with the same vet that I like the best, this way the vet gets to know your dog & forms a bond, stick with the vet that listened to you & goes out of their way to help with diets & orders in other vet diet brands if needed…..
Normally the dog is put on antibiotics 14 days & put on a vet diet either the Royal Canine S/O Urinary or the Hills C/d Multicare dry & wet for just 6 weeks, feed no other foods or treats in this time, the crystals normally dissolve & go away by the 6 week period & then the vet does another Ultra scan to confirm that the crystals have all dissolved, that’s what happened with my boy… The Hills C/D Multicare wet & dry formula has the best ingredients when you look at all the vet diets…..after the crystals have dissolved there’s the Hills W/d wet tin Vet Diet, it’s low in fat & low protein, excellent for keeping off the weight & promotes healthy Urinary tract health.. but it does have grains, just keep it in mind….Hills have been improving most of their vet diets & regular pet foods, probably cause sales dropped so they hoped on the better ingredient wagon….

I would join the “Canine Kidney Disease Support” Facebook group & ask people what did they feed their dogs after the crystals were dissolved, to prevent them re occurring, you can make appointment with a nutritionist, she can make a special diet for your mums dog that she can cook….
There’s Dave’s Restricted Low Protein & Low Phosphorus grain free wet tin diet food, I don’t know if this formula will dissolved the crystals or it’s for dogs that need a lower protein phosphorus diet to prevent crystals coming back & ok to feed after the crystals have all dissolved, you’ll have to email Dave’s Pet Food & ask, that’s what I do, I email whoever makes the pet food & ask 100 questions… you can also email Hills & Royal Canine & a Vet Nutritionist will ring you back & give advise, you could ask what foods can be added to the vet diet to encourage your mums dog eat the vet diet….
Just make sure when your mums dog is weeing, wee is coming out, you don’t want a blockage… http://davespetfood.com/product/%ef%bb%bfrestricted-diet-protein-phosphorus-chicken-dinner-dogs-13-oz-can/

[Susan]

Hi Christie,
I understand your frustration, this is why I always stick with the same vet that I like the best, this way the vet gets to know your dog & forms a bond, stick with the vet that listened to you & goes out of their way to help with diets & orders in other vet diet brands if needed…..
Normally the dog is put on antibiotics 14 days & put on a vet diet either the Royal Canine S/O Urinary or the Hills C/d Multicare dry & wet for just 6 weeks, feed no other foods or treats in this time, the crystals normally dissolve & go away by the 6 week period & then the vet does another Ultra scan to confirm that the crystals have all dissolved, that’s what happened with my boy… The Hills C/D Multicare wet & dry formula has the best ingredients when you look at all the vet diets…..after the crystals have dissolved there’s the Hills W/d wet tin Vet Diet, it’s low in fat & low protein, excellent for keeping off the weight & promotes healthy Urinary tract health.. but it does have grains, just keep it in mind….Hills have been improving most of their vet diets & regular pet foods, probably cause sales dropped so they hoped on the better ingredient wagon….

I would join the “Canine Kidney Disease Support” Facebook group & ask people what did they feed their dogs after the crystals were dissolved, to prevent them re occurring, you can make appointment with a nutritionist, she can make a special diet for your mums dog….
There’s Dave’s Restricted Low Protein & Low Phosphorus grain free wet tin diet food, I don’t know if this formula will dissolved the crystals or it’s for dogs that need a lower protein phosphorus diet to prevent crystals coming back & ok to feed after the crystals have all dissolved, you’ll have to email Dave’s Pet Food & ask, that’s what I do, I email whoever makes the pet food & ask 100 questions… you can also email Hills & Royal Canine & a Vet Nutritionist will ring you back & give advise, you could ask what foods can be added to the vet diet to encourage your mums dog eat the vet diet….
Just make sure when your mums dog is weeing, wee is coming out, you don’t want a blockage… http://davespetfood.com/product/%ef%bb%bfrestricted-diet-protein-phosphorus-chicken-dinner-dogs-13-oz-can/

[Susan]

Hi Michael,
These home made raw diets are the rage in Australia, the smaller pet shops have their own home made raw diets, where the bigger Pet food companies sell the commercial raw diets like Barf & Big Dog.. I’d stay away from the bigger raw companies the meat is lower grade…. is the Farmer Dog diet a cooked or raw diet?? wet tin & raw diets have not been converted to dry matter (Kibble) ….. Email the pet food companies & ask what is the fat % & protein % after being converted to dry matter, the protein is going to be around 40% & more being 12%-raw…. Just be careful with higher fat as dogs get older especially if your dog is prone to Pancreatitis….My boy is 8yrs old with IBD/Pancreatitis & I stay around 15% & under for fat when eating a kibble & it’s hard finding a pre made raw diet around 3-4% raw fat = 12-15%dry, unless I make it myself, it depends on the brand, Kangaroo & turkey formula’s are around 3-4%-fat raw, converted to dry matter (Kibble) that’s around 11-16%-fat…. your dog may be OK with fat around 5%-raw = 20-25% converted to dry matter, look what the fat % is in the dry kibble he eats, it’s probably around 12-15% in fat, so now you need a raw diet where the fat says 3-4% & then slowly increase to a higher fat %, first see if he’s OK eating the new raw diet, I started feeding my boy freshly home made raw for breakfast & I was still feeding him his kibble for dinner, the kibble keeps them feeling fuller longer & when they start eating a raw diet they get hungry quicker, your boy may lose a little weight when he starts the raw diet, but that’s a good thing, then you just increase the raw if he losses too much weight, your going to have a healthier dog being feed raw…..
It’s best to join a few raw feeding face book groups like “K9 Nutrition” – Lew Olson’s group & “K9 Kitchen” – Monica Segal’s group they have fresh home made raw & cooked diets & you’ll learn how balance & make your own home made diets with fresh human grade ingredients also follow Rodney Habib…

[Susan]

Hi Jude,
You may need to see vet & get an X Ray, so the vet can see what’s happening, there’s an monthly injection the vet can give to bring relief….I don’t know the name..
Also apply a heat pack for 20mins, this will bring relief to your dog….

Why don’t you buy the human grade Glucosamine & Chondroitin capsules? they are cheaper & work the best for joint inflammation, anything sold as a dog supplement like Sasha Blend etc the price is doubled……

Just be careful when giving any of these joint supplements as they can cause Acid Reflux & upset the stomach….they MUST be taken with a meal…Krill Oil capsules are the best for people & animals that suffer from stomach problems…

Have a look at “Canidae” Pure Meadow Senior dry, it’s excellent for aging dogs, my neighbours dog eats the Canidae Pure Meadow Senior dry Kibble & acts like he’s a young dog again, his owner also feeds tin Sardines in Spring water, he gives him a few sardines as treat daily…. https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
I give the freeze dried Green Lipped Mussels daily, he gets about 2-3 mussels a day…

[Susan]

Hi Nataya,
I don’t think you’ll get many raw feeders on DFA, a lot feed kibble, there might be the odd poster that may help……are you going to make your own raw diet or buy the pre-made raw diets? homemade is the best this way you know what they are eating where the meat is coming from….
Start doing research & follow people like “Rodney Habib, Dr Karen Becker & Steve Brown, Dr Karen Becker is bringing out another new book with simple easy to make raw meals, her old books have all sold out & people on Amazon are asking ridiculous prices for her old books…. look at Steve Brown book called “Unlocking The Canine Ancestral Diet” your local library can order in books, I borrow books from the library or they order in books I’m interested in then after I have read them & like them I buy the book…
Here’s Rodney Habib’s link, once you follow Rodney you’ll get in the loop…
https://www.facebook.com/rodneyhabib

Join some raw feeding groups on face book, just make sure these diets are balanced properly, vets are normally against raw feeding only because a lot of people don’t balance the diet properly & the vets see all the health problems that can occur from a dog or a cat not eating a proper balanced raw diet, I live Australia & a lot of Australian’s feed raw & dry kibble + raw meaty bones at lease twice a week…. a lot of our Australian made kibbles advise to add raw meat, raw meaty bones with their kibbles….
I went thru an Animal Nutritionist Jacqueline Rudan the maker of Natural Animal Solutions(NAS) products, this is her Maintenance Diet I followed minus any bone or organ meats cause my Staffy Patch has IBD, food intolerances & skin allergies…
http://naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/Shop/2016/03/15/maintenance-dog-diet/
I added her Digestavite plus powder to balance the diet, Patch was very hungry when we first started feeding the raw diet I was feeding 3 smaller raw home made meals a day, Jacqueline said, he has to get use too eating a raw diet after being feed a high carb process kibble, they stay fuller longer when they eat kibble..

Your making the best decision for your dogs health, with the Great Dane pup I would see what the breeder is feeding him & make sure you find an Great Dane breeder that raw feeds her dogs & pups, this breeder will be able to help you with preparing a raw diet
for a large breed pup…. sometimes its better to feed large breed pup a good quality large breed puppy kibble + raw until they’re 1-18mths then put them onto a full raw diet once they have finished growing, you have to be careful with large breed pups that their bones don’t grow too quickly the breeder will explain things a bit better then me….

There’s a lot of raw feeders on Lew Olsons F/B group called “K-9 Nutrition”
or Monica Segal F/B group called “K-9 Kitchen”
Make sure you take before & after photos of your Pit Bulls, you’ll see a big improvement with skin coat & all over health once they’re eating a raw diet…
Good-Luck