[Susan]

Hi Carla, sounds like Acid Reflux, after eating grass & some food this has pushed the acid back down into the stomach & she has settled, sometimes the poos will look green in color from the excess acid being made…. I have found giving white bread dry toast is good if they wake up thru the night, it normally happens around 3am, if this happens again have some cold liquid Mylanta in the fridge, I don’t know if you have Mylanta in America, give about 5mls, 1 teaspoon, the cold Mylanta soothes the throat & stomach & pushes the acid back down, it’s best to let the dog bring it up & vomit it get rid of it…..
It’s very hard for vets to diagnose cause there’s no real test for this unless your dogs ends up with stomach ulcer then a Endoscope & Biopsies are done, the vet gets a better idea, I found changing diets, till you find a diet that works & rotating between 2 diets works as well I have found, also if you can feed 1 cook lean meal, boiled sweet potatoes are really good with a lean meat also pumkin is good to add to a dogs meal…..

[Susan]

Hi Tammy, Sweetie is nilly the same age my boy, he’s turning 9 in November they both will be turning 63yrs old….I’m going thru something similar at the moment with my boy who has IBD, skin allergies & food intolerances…The Hills & Royal Canine vet diets for Kidney Care & dissolving crystals are too high in fat for my boy & have ingredients that Patch can’t eat, he gets yeasty smelly skin, paws & ears when he eats, chicken, corn starch, wheat, corn gluten meal, barley & carrots…
Are you feeding the wet tin c/d or the dry c/d kibble? I’ve noticed the Wet tin vet diets have better ingredients & may not have the ingredients Sweetie is sensitive too, go on face book there’s 2 groups “Canine Kidney Disease” & Canine Kidney Disease Support group” a few people are feeding “Dave’s” pet food, Restricted diet protein low Phosphorus farmland blend in sauce wet tin, Honest Kitchen Keen, some are feeding raw or cooked diets &
a few people have been recommending Dr Harvey, he’s a Nutritionist that must do special diets for dogs with a few health problems, I haven’t had time to check out his site yet, join the f/b groups & read thru the post, you’ll probably get more info from people going thru the same health problems with their dogs…a lot are feeding the Hills K/D or C/d Multicare wet tin food..
I’m still waiting on test results from sterile urine that was taken the other day, I feel so sorry for my boy, he never seems to get a break, he starts doing really well then we have another health problem…. Good-Luck working out the best diet….. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1422252261408967/

[Susan]

Hi Linda,
I’m waiting on my boy test results at the moment, I went & looked up the Royal Canine & Hills vet diets for kidneys & they both have awful ingredients….I think the Hills C/d Multicare dry & C/d Multicare wet stew had the best ingredients chicken meal being 2nd ingredient in the dry kibble…..the C/d Multicare Chicken & vegetable stew looks OK..

Go & join Face Book group Canine Kidney support group there’s 2 groups, I’m still waiting to join the support group the other kidney group is a public group, A few people are recommending Dave’s low protein low phosphorus wet tin food, it has good ingredients & the dogs like it, a lot of the dogs aren’t eating these vet diets…..
I live Australia & I’m looking at feeding a premium pet food called “Meals For Mutts” MfM have just brought out a Hypoallergenic CN Vital Health formula that’s low protein low phosphorus with really good ingredients turkey meat first ingredient then broccoli, zucchini, bok choi, peas, grounded brown rice, quinoa, beans, spinach, sweet potatoes, parsley, natural fats & oils derived from turkey, omega 3,6 9 coconut oil… there has to be an American pet food company like Dave’s & has also brought out a premium dog & cat wet & dry with healthier ingredients for Kidney disease, they must know these dog aren’t wanting to eat the vet diets….

[Laura E]

3 Boston terriers ages 9, 12, 13. Looking for a healthy dry food for these smaller, senior dogs. I’ve tried a few but not happy with them. Nutro Ultra seems to make them poop more and messy. Any suggestions appreciated.

[Susan]

Hi Ann,
yes start adding 1 spoon of the Pumkin with each meal, Pumkin makes my boy go to the toilet but sometimes boiled pumkin can firm a dog poos, it all depends on the dog…
The Hills I/D vet diet may be constipating her as it has beet Pulp & ingredients to firm up poo’s…One of my posts above I have posted premium wet tin foods at the bottom of my post that are low in fat & not a vet diet…When they eat wet food they get moisture/water heaps more then when eating a dry kibble….
Start a routine with walks same time everyday, it’s best to walk after she eats a meal, dogs normally poos after they eat, so you can see her poos & see are they too hard or too soft…. also running is good it moves the bowel, does she like to chase a ball?
If the pumkin doesn’t work & she still hasn’t done a poo, I’d stop the Hills I/d wet & feed something else that’s low in fat that she has eaten before & you know she does go to toilet….but I wouldn’t fed a dry kibble yet it may constipate her more….

[Susan]

Hi Ann C,
yes sounds like the pet shop owner knows her foods, “Canidae’ is EXCELLENT, have a look at the Canidae Pure Meadow Senior grain free, I’ve contacted Canidae about this new formula, Pure Meadow Senior the max fat % is 10.80%max fat, that’s pretty good & low in fat & the Canidae Life Stages Platinum is also good has grains, very low in protein at 20%. I found the Platinum formula kibble breaks down real easy, all crumbs are all down the bottom of kibble bag or container too much crumbs…
all Canidae formula’s are very easy to digest, very good for dogs with skin, stomach, bowel Pancreatitis……
I have fed all the formulas you have mentioned above except the weight management formula vet advised against feeding Patch any weight management formula’s the fat may be low but the fiber is very high…..stay around 5% & under for fiber…. 4% is best…
Holistic Select Chicken & Rice senior has a few ingredients & has Beet Pulp, Beet Pulp is also in vet diets & gives my boy acid reflux….Beet Pulp is a fermentable fiber it suppose to help promote healthy Gi tract but it can do the opposite as it does with my boy, makes his breath smell bad like food is fermenting in his stomach & gives him bad acid reflux so I avoid any wet or dry foods with Beet Pulp….
Here’s the Canidae link… http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

I’m glad your getting help with lower fat diets, here’s some wet tin foods that are from F/B “Canine Diabetes Support & Information” group in the “Files” the fat has been converted to dry matter (Kibble)…
Weruva – Cirque de La Mer- fat-9.8%
Weruva – Bed & Breakfast-fat-12.4%
Weruva – Grandma Chix Soup-fat-12.5%
Natures Recipe – G/F Chicken Recipe in broth fat-11.11%
Natures Recipe – Chicken, Wild Salmon Recipe in broth fat-11.11%
Pure Essentials G/F – Salmon Recipe in broth fat-11.76%
Simply Nourish G/F – Chicken & Beef Stew fat-11.76% Sold only at Pet Smart
Simply Nourish G/F – Chicken & Venison fat-11.76%

[Susan]

Hi Ann
I understand your frustration, but I would stop feeding the raw food or whatever has caused her poo to become greasy, the greasy look is NO good, I have a dog with IBD & you don’t want yellow sloppy poo, blood thru poo & greasy poo’s is a sign of too much fat in diet & can trigger Pancreatitis….
When you read the fat % on raw or wet tin it hasn’t been converted to dry matter fat (Kibble) yet, here’s an eg: 5% min fat in raw or wet tin is about 20min-25%max fat, now that’s very high for a dog who is prone to Pancreatitis, always stick with 3%max & under for fat in raw or wet tin food…..Hills wet tin vet diet’s have already been converted their fat to dry matter in their vet diet wet tin foods, Royal Canine & Purina Pro Plan vet diet haven’t converted the fat to DM yet but if you send any pet food company an email ask can you please convert the fat for ???? formula to dry matter % ..
always tell Pet Shop staff, my dog has Pancreatitis, then ask do you know much about Pancreatitis? & normally they will say oh my dog has Pancreatitis & I feed him ??? or they say they don’t know much about Pancreatitis..

Join this face book group, “Canine Pancreatitis Support” group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1435920120029740/
The lady that runs this group feeds a raw diet she can help you with what raw diets are best & there’s other people in the group that feed home made raw, cooked or wet/dry premium foods that are not vet diets..
also join this face book group, “Canine Diabetes Support & Information” group https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanineDiabetesSupportandInformation/
on the left you’ll see “Files” click on the Files & click on 3rd link “2017.3.26 CDSI Diabetes food options” scroll down a bit & you’ll see dry formula’s & wet tin foods you can buy in the pet shops & the lady has converted the fat% to DMB…..
Keep your girl on bland low fat diet for 1-2 weeks & feed more smaller meals to rest the Pancreas, she will go poo the rice has probably bound her up a bit, I don’t feed boiled rice it ferments in the stomach, your better off adding boiled potato or sweet potatoes, if she can’t poo then boil some sweet potato or boil pumkin & add about 1 spoon to her meals you can freeze the boil pumkin squares & take out as you need them… if you have the time to cook & freeze meals, cooked meals are best for Pancreatitis, look up “Balance It” it has recipes & Balance It powder to balance the meals https://secure.balanceit.com/
I was feeding cooked meal for 2 meals & dry kibble for the other 2 meals, my boy eats 4-5 small meals a day he cant digest big amounts of food, too much work & stress on his Pancreas….

[DONNA K]

I have a 5 month lab. She doesnt chew her dry food. She inhales it. How is the best way to soften her dry food

[Bobby dog]

Hello Patterson C:
Asking questions on a forum intended for just that purpose? No apologies necessary IMO, ask away! 😉

Nice to read he is more comfortable now since he had a bath and a dose of Benadryl.

You sound like a caring dog owner that is reaching out to others for information. That’s how most of us found DFA. The next step is to sort through it all as you wrote above, “It helps so that I can mention some ideas to my vet.”

I bathe my dog with Malaseb shampoo, along with other brands with key ingredients, for his skin issues. Most times it is not used in conjunction with anything else, but it is a very important part of maintenance for him. If I fall behind I am reminded by him…he begins his frequent scratching and licking. During the winter/spring I bathe him about two times a month. During the summer/fall I bathe once sometimes twice a week; rinsing him off daily goes a long way most times.

I also give him Benadryl during his allergy season.

One thought, in your original post you wrote your dog “thrived” on Purina. I would switch back to what he did well eating as a starting point.

Here’s a site run by two boarded Vet Dermatogists. I like their library (under resources tab) and blog. They will also answer questions on their FB page:
http://www.healthyskin4dogs.com/

Here’s the U.S. directory for ACVD Diplomats:
https://www.acvd.org/tools/locator/locator.asp?ids=16_Find_Dermatologist

Good luck, maybe it is as simple as switching back to the food he thrived on!

Hello Randy D,
I agree it’s a good place to start. Although, I would feed the food that he did best on Purina.

[Susan]

Hi Christine S,
Hills I/d Restore Low Fat dry & wet tin food has digestive enzymes, a lot of dogs with Pancreatitis are put on the Hills I/d formula’s or Royal Canine Intestinal Low Fat wet or dry but you have to read ingredient list in the wet & dry matching formula’s as they differ…. Patch was eating the Hills I/d Vegetables & Chicken stew wet….
Sound’s like she is having pain, yarning panting are all signs of pain after eating from Pancreatitis… Patch is the same when I feed home cooked some days he seemed OK but then he wasn’t OK & had his pancreas pain after eating his lean pork & sweet potatoes so I stopped feeding the cooked meals & went back feeding a kibble that is easy to digest & the Hills I/d wet tins, I feed 5 meals a day, so his pancreas doesn’t have as much work & he doesn’t have a full stomach & have to much to digest a heap of food all at once, smaller meals seems to work best for him… I never mix dry with wet food he had BAD pain…

[Krista B]

Hello,

Does anyone know the recommended amount of sodium (on a dry matter bais) and the safe upper limit of sodium? Im in the process of contacting several vets regarding this information but I’m wondering if anyone happens to know this. I’ve read and been told by one vet that the recommended range is between 0.3-0.5% dry matter basis. But I’ve also had a vet tell me as high as 1.21% was ok. I’m currently feeding Natural Balance limited ingredient diets and the chicken formula has a sodium level of 1.21%. This seems rather high to me I’m wondering what anyone else thinks of this? I’m looking into a few other brands at the moment. What’s hard is that a prefer a limited ingredient diet because my dog seems to do best on those. My preference is also less than 400 calories per cup and moderate protein and fat. This makes it rather hard to find a suitable dog food. I’m willing to make exceptions if necessary. Right now I’m looking into merrick limited ingredient diets and canidae limited ingredient small breed formulas. I’m also considering sticking to natural balance and using their lower sodium formulas. But what makes me hesitant is that they wouldn’t necessarily be shy about upping the other formulas sodium levels. Does anyone have any suggestions of good brands or know anything about sodium levels? Thanks so much!

[anonymous]

“He didn’t have any problems with it but he wasn’t super interested in the food unless we doctored it up with toppings etc”.

I always add at least a tablespoon of cooked protein and a splash of water or plain chicken broth (no onion) to kibble. Minimal snacks, 2 meals per day.
I consider kibble the base (1/2 to 2/3 of the meal).
Kibble, even the so called best ones, look so dry and boring otherwise.
Right or wrong, my dogs are thriving on this regimen.

I have been pleased with the quality of Zignature Whitefish (check Chewy dot com for prices)
For something more reasonable I would consider Purina Pro Plan Focus Salmon.
I agree with pitluv, not to make too many changes right now.
Good luck with your pup 🙂

Ps: I avoid potato and sweet potato, in my experience some dogs with sensitive stomachs don’t do well, a lot of kibbles use too much potato (cheap filler) imo

This is not veterinary advice; consult your veterinarian.

[Susan]

Hi Melissa,
sounds like you have a puppy with a very sensitive stomach/bowel, he may suffer with skin allergies as he get’s older, there’s a few Goldendoodles with sensitive stomach & skin on a Face Book group I belong too….
Food sensitivities/intolerances can take anywhere from 1 day to 6 weeks to react to a certain ingredient & have Intestinal stress… sounds like there’s an ingredient in the Fromm he’s sensitive too..
My boy has skin allergies & food intolerances & can’t eat high fat meals, tapioca, beet pulp, liver, barley & high fiber kibbles & too many proteins & ingredients he gets stomach up sets, acid reflux, sloppy poos/diarrhea & he wakes up 2am, 4am or 5am crying at the front door to be let out to have diarrhea, sometimes you can hear loud grumbling noises coming from his bowel (Wind)….
You’ll have to start working out what agrees with him & what doesn’t, keep a diary & write down foods, kibbles etc that don’t agree with him & try & work out if there’s an common ingredient, I ended up doing a elimination food diet..

I’ve had great success with “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb, it is a single protein formula with just lamb meal & has limited ingredients, grain free & is a all life stages formula, has the matching wet tin food…… https://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/

When a dog knows a food/kibble causes pain, upset stomach, wind, nausea they’re hesitate to eat it or don’t eat it at all, listen to your dog when he doesn’t want to eat something, he’s telling you, mum this makes me sick, offer to feed something else, he might prefer a wet tin food, cooked, raw or rotate between 2 brands of kibbles that’s what I do, so he doesn’t get sick of eating the same kibble formula, Patch gets Canidae Pure for breakfast & TOTW for lunch & dinner…but you have pup I don’t know how it works rotating Puppy formula’s if it’s Ok….ask & email the kibble company, they would know….
TOTW have vet nutritionist that email back & give advise…

Canidae is another food I feed the Canidae Pure Wild Boar, all the Pure formula’s have limited ingredients.
Canidae have a 3 large breed puppy formula’s, 2 in their “Life Stages” formula’s dry & wet tin, Canidae have a new Large breed puppy Turkey & Brown Rice that has only 1 protein Turkey Meal that’s not too high in protein or fat & can be feed all stages of life Puppy, Adult & Senior large breed…
http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products/canidae-all-life-stages-large-breed-turkey-meal-brown-rice-dry-formula
or Canidae Life Stages Large breed Puppy Duck Meal & Lentils wet & dry
or Canidae’s “Under The Sun” Large Breed Puppy Chicken dry

Maybe try a kibble that has limited ingredient & only 1 protein & see how he goes, no more then 8 ingredients so there’s less ingredients to cause any problems .. Read the ingredients, fiber, fat & protein % in the Nutrisource Puppy formula & the Fromm Heartland Puppy & see is there heaps of ingredients? how many different proteins? is the Fat, Fiber & Protein on the higher end?
Best to buy from a Pet Shop this way you can take it back for a refund & try another food if he doesn’t really want to eat it…..

[Susan]

Hi, pea flour & pea starch isn’t as bad as pea protein, Hills Vet Nutritionist explained to me it’s the protein in foods that the dog is sensitive or allergic too….
I would avoid eating peas if your 100% sure he can’t eat peas……
Have you tried a vet diet & done a proper food elimination diet? either using a vet diet or a raw diet?
this is the only true why to find out what foods your dog has intolerances too…. also another way is thru the winter months your dog will do better then as soon as spring & summer come your dog gets worse then it’s seasonal environment allergies what my boy suffers with as long as I feed him foods he’s OK with we have a good winter until spring & summer come around ….. it’s so hard to work out what is causing what….best to feed a raw limited ingredient diet then start the CADI injections…It’s too hard to do food elimination diet while feeding a dry kibble too many allergens to deal with in a kibble…

Join this face Book Group, “Dog issues, allergies and other information support group” there’s a new injection that has just come out made by the same makers of Apoquel called “Cytopoint” CADI injections, the way CADI injection works is it blocks the receptors completely & stops the itch where Apoquel blocks the reaction from the allergen receptors, so many dogs in America are enjoying an itch free Summer since having the CADI injections, it last 4-6 weeks, apparently the more CADI injection your dog has the injection seem to last longer & longer till he needs the CADI injection, find a vet or Dermatologist in your area & ask what they think of this new drug… my vet said results looks excellent….

More info in this group from parents & their happy dogs, CADI isn’t in Australia yet but hopefully we’ll get it this spring/summer, we had an awful Summer so good luck, make sure you give baths to wash off the pollens, dirt. grass etc the days your dog isn’t doing well..
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240043826044760/

[Claudia D]

Get the Facts! Raw Pet Food Diets can be Dangerous to You and Your Pet

In a two-year study spanning from October 2010 through July 2012, the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) screened over 1,000 samples of pet food for bacteria that can cause foodborne illnesses.1 (The illnesses are called “foodborne” because the bacteria are carried, or “borne,” in or on contaminated food.) The study showed that, compared to other types of pet food tested, raw pet food was more likely to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria.
The Pet Food Study

Raw pet food was not included in the first year of the study. In the second year, CVM expanded the study to include 196 samples of commercially available raw dog and cat food. The center bought a variety of raw pet food online from different manufacturers and had the products shipped directly to six participating laboratories.2 The raw pet food products were usually frozen in tube-like packages and made from ground meat or sausage.
The participating laboratories analyzed the raw pet food for harmful bacteria, including Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. In past projects, CVM had monitored dog and cat food for the presence of Salmonella. But before this study, the center “had not investigated the occurrence of Listeria in pet food,” said Renate Reimschuessel, a veterinarian at CVM’s Office of Research and one of the study’s principal investigators. Dr. Reimschuessel further noted that “quite a large percentage of the raw foods for pets we tested were positive for the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.” (Pathogens are disease-causing germs, like some bacteria. Not all bacteria are harmful pathogens, though. Some bacteria are helpful to people and animals, such as those that live in the intestines and contribute to a healthy gut.)

Of the 196 raw pet food samples analyzed, 15 were positive for Salmonella and 32 were positive for L. monocytogenes (see Table 1).

Table 1: Number and type of pet food samples that tested positive for Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes (Years 1 & 2)
Type of Pet Food Sample No. samples tested No. positive for Salmonella No. positive for L. monocytogenes
Raw pet food 196 15 32
Dry exotic pet food* 190 0 0
Jerky-type treats† 190 0 0
Semi-moist dog food‡ 120 0 0
Semi-moist cat food‡ 120 0 0
Dry dog food§ 120 0 0
Dry cat food§ 120 1 0
* Non-cat and non-dog food, such as dry pellets for hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, amphibians, and birds.
† Included chicken jerky product, pig ears, and bully stick-type products.
‡ Typically packaged in pouches for retail sale, such as (1) pouched dog and cat food; and
(2) food treats shaped like bacon, fish, pork chops, and burgers.
§ Included pellet- or kibble-type food typically packaged in bags for retail sale.
Note: CVM did not collect or test canned and wet pet food samples in this study.

Based on the study’s results, CVM is concerned about the public health risk of raw pet food diets. As Dr. Reimschuessel explained, the study “identified a potential health risk for the pets eating the raw food, and for the owners handling the product.” Owners who feed their pet a raw diet may have a higher risk of getting infected with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.
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Because raw pet food is more likely than other types of pet food to contain Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, the single best thing you can do to prevent infection is to not feed your pet a raw diet

Pet Food Recalls

Both cooked and raw pet food products are recalled for various reasons, including the presence of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. For a list of recalled pet food and the reason for the recall, please see CVM’s Recalls & Withdrawals Web page.
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Resources for You

Get the Facts about Salmonella!
Get the Facts about Listeria!
Avoid the Dangers of Raw Pet Food
Pet Food
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1 Nemser S, Reimschuessel, R. Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) disclaimer icon Microbiology Cooperative Agreement Program (MCAP), FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) Special Project: Pet food testing for selected microbial organisms. Final Report 2010-2012. The study was conducted by FDA CVM’s Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet-LIRN), in collaboration with FERN MCAP laboratories. The journal citation is Nemser S, Doran T, et al. Investigation of Listeria, Salmonella, and Toxigenic Escherichia coli in Various Pet Foods. Foodborne Pathog Dis 2014;11:706-709.
2 Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Michigan Department of Agriculture; Minnesota Department of Agriculture; North Carolina Department of Agriculture; Ohio Department of Agriculture; and Washington Department of Agriculture.

[Susan]

Hi Michelle P,
the only thing that will give you answers is a Endoscope + Biopsies…..X-rays will be a waste of money, X-rays do not show what’s happening in the stomach…
Sounds like what happens with my boy, I was back at the vets Tuesday doing full blood test that were a waste of money, they showed nothing, blood test came back all good….
It very hard to work out what’s happening when its the Intestinal tract, the only why to know what’s wrong is thru biopsies, so either do an Endoscope + Biopsies which is the easiest way or cut open & do Biopsies, I said NO again on Tuesday cause you still treat with the same medications & just have a name for what type of IBD it is….I asked to put my boy back on the Triple Therapy medications, Metronidazole, Clarithromycin & Omeprazole (Losec) for 14 -21 days to kill the Helicobacter again, your boy may have the Helicobacter-Pylori why didn’t the vet put him on Omeprazole (Losec) instead of the Nexium?? they’re the same type of drug an acid blocker, PPI, it takes 12-24hrs for a Pump Protein Inhibitor (PPI) Nexium, Losec, Somac, start to work if the diarrhea doesn’t stop ask vet can he put him on Omeprazole instead of the Nexium, Omeprazole firmed Patches poos up & Zantac didn’t help Patch…when he’s gulping give some liquid Mylanta I keep a small bottle in the fridge it keep it cold it soothes the esophagus & stomach & stops the gulping straight away & they can sleep…Omeprazole is a blocker & sends a msg to the brain to stop making the excess hydrochloric acid in the stomach where Zantac is just like taking liquid Mylanta it just covers the acid reflux but it doesn’t stop it, once you stabilize him he will get better, feed a low fat, low carb, low fiber diet, it’s best to cook meals, boiled sweet potato is good when they don’t want to eat, sooths the stomach same as boiled pumkin, not much about 2 spoons mixed thru the chicken or turkey…
Maybe look for a low fat wet tin food make sure you email the pet food company to get the fat % as it isn’t converted to dry matter (Kibble) yet, so 4%min fat is around 16 to 20%max fat when converted to dry matter (Kibble), I was feeding the Hills I/D Chicken & Vegetables stew but they have changed the ingredients & it has Beet Pulp now, beet Pulp seems to make my boy acid reflux worse, do not mix kibble & wet tin food, feed one or the other or make sure you feed at least 6 hrs apart….Sometimes a dog needs to stay on a low dose of Metronidazole just take once a day, once the dog has finished the 21-28 day course, try & stay with the same vet so pick the vet you thought was better & helped more, find out the vets working hours, Patches vet only works Tuesday & Thursday..

Join this Face Book group- “Canine Diabetes Support & Information Group” & look in the “Files” 2nd post- 2017- C.D.S.I foods, scroll down for the wet tin foods they have all been converted to dry matter fat & they don’t have Beet Pulp a fermentable fiber, that most vet diets have for bowel problems….
*Weruva can/tin –
Cirque de la Mer -fat 9.8%
Bed & Breakfast -fat-12.4%
Grandma Chix Soup-fat-12.5%

*Natures Recipe
G/F Chicken recipe in broth-fat-11.11%
G/F Chicken Wild Salmon recipe in broth-fat-11.11%

* Simply Nourish
G/F Chicken & Beef Stew-fat-11.76%
G/F Chicken & Venison-fat-11.76%

*Pure Essentials
G/F Salmon Recipe in broth-fat-11.76%

[Kristen L]

Just an idea – Everything I read tells you that yeast is caused by sugar and starch turns into sugar. And what foods are high in starch? Potatoes! Try taking her off starchy foods. They have to put some starch/carbs in dry food to keep it together, but potatoes are high starch. Sweet potatoes are better than white, but still high. Take her off potatoes for starters, and Google the glycemic index for dogs foods. The chart will list from high to low. Peas are low as is tapioca. Raw, of course, is best. You can eliminate all sugar that way. Also, if you haven’t tried it already (I’ve read that vets prescribe it), order some T8 keto solution on Amazon. It worked amazing for my boy and his chronic yeast infections. It dries it all up and goes all the way down inside. His ears have been good for months. NO POTATOES.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by Kristen L.

[Susan]

Hi
When you have nothing to do go on this site “Clean Label Project” kibbles & wet tin foods with the most toxins & contaminates mainly have fish as the main protein, you’ll be surprised when you see the worse dog & cat brands….
http://www.cleanlabelproject.org/product-ratings/pet-food/

The best food to feed a cat is a Raw diet, kibble isn’t good to feed cats, cats have a short digestive tract, cats don’t do real well eating high carb, grains, chick peas lentils etc long term, some cats end up with kidney problems teeth problems from eating dry kibble….
Look for a premade raw diet, I get the Raw sachets from Aldi’s in fridge section, it works out the same price feeding a raw diet as feeding the expensive dry kibble diet..
I live Australia so our Aldi’s would have different raw formula’s then the American Aldi’s, I also buy chicken wings, freeze the chicken wings all separate….feed a chicken for breakfast every second day for her teeth.. buy those gloves for food prep if you don’t like handling any raw food & buy the Antiseptic hand cleaner to have on kitchen bench.
Bad teeth are another problem cats suffer from eating dry & wet process cat foods, look at a cat teeth that are feed wet tin & dry kibbles over the age of 3 yrs old, their teeth are yellow & full of tartar now look at a raw feed cat teeth still nice, white & no tartar…

Join these f/b groups
* Cat Crap
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CatCrap/
* Cat Chat
https://www.facebook.com/groups/618876468214507/
* Rodney Habib
https://www.facebook.com/rodneyhabib

Ziwi Pets is a really good air dried raw food wet & dry
my cat goes nuts when she smells the Ziwi Pets Mackerel & Lamb
send Ziwi Pets an email asking any questions you may have & ask for cat samples…
https://www.ziwipets.com/

[Susan]

Hi sorry to hear about your girl, my boy has IBD & gets Pancreatitis pain he had it yesterday & today again, real whingy I’m lucky he grinds his teeth when he has his acid reflux & licks mouth like he’s suckling, so I know he’s unwell liquid Mylanta is good too keep a small bottle in fridge & give 5mls & being kept in the fridge soothes the stomach more….
When they yarn & pant, they have pain my vet said, even paw licking can be pain & they set off endorphins from the licking & Patch does a big burp sometimes, I burp him like a baby sometimes when he has his pancreas pain, I rub his back & stomach area (right side rib cage) it makes him feel better, my vet wanted Patch on Prednisone small dose 5mg, actually 3 vets wanted him on Steroids I kept saying NO the Prednisone will give him more acid reflux in the end I have him 2.5mg with breakfast & 2.5mg with dinner & only gave for 3-4 days & stopped the Prednisone did take away his Pancreas pain BUT he felts real sick vomited a few times & got diarrhea, whe I told his vet she said yes some dogs cant take steroids now she said just start him on the Metronidazole low dose 200mg at night Metronidazole has a steroid anti inflammatory type drug & antibiotic, it does help but takes longer about 4-5 days the Prednisone worked within 1 day & Patch takes Losec (Omeprazole) 8.30am every day now, it doesn’t have to be given before they eat like other acid reducers, its a blocker, I thought the same with the Losec when Patch started taking it vet didn’t want him on a Pump Proton Inhibitor (PPI) long term & said just give it to him when needed for 3-4 days then stop but I found he was doing better when taking the Losec, I started just giving 1/2 the 20mg tablet, I buy his Losec from chemist $7.99, his vet writes me 6 repeat scripts, it’s cheaper then buying from vets-$100 & the chemist orders in the Losec that can be cut in 1/2 “Omeprazole Sandoz” I thought the same when Patch first started to take the Losec, that the Losec was causing sloppy poo’s but it was an ingredient in the R/C Low Fat Intestinal vet diet wet tin food, either the Corn gluten meal, whole corn or the wheat then I realized it was the boiled rice, he cant eat boiled rice, it irritates his bowel, he eats the Hills I/d Chicken & Vegetable stew, it has the least rice & no beet pulp, I take out the rice & carrots give to my cat she loves it but the fat is 14.9% sometimes Patch gets acid reflux, but not his pancreas pain, so I tried the Royal Canine HP wet tin but it has oil all on the bottom of can & fish oils cause Patch to have acid reflux & his pain so I was using a can opener that takes off the top of the can & sliding out the whole meat loaf & patting it with a paper towel to absorb all the oil & cutting the loaf in 3rds & putting the rest on a plate & cover with cling wrap put in fridge, I found he preferred the Hills I/d Chicken Vegetable stew, are you on facebook?? join this group “Canine Diabetes Support and Information? group https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanineDiabetesSupportandInformation/files/
on your left is the “Files” click on files & 2nd link- “2017.3.26 – CDSI Diabetes dog food options” click on this & all low fat foods will come up, just scroll down for the wet tin foods the lady has converted the wet tin foods to DM (Dry Matter) DM is the fat% if it were a kibble…or email the wet tin company & ask about the formula’s your interested in, can they email back fat% after being converted to dry matter, the lady has done it with the wet tin foods on the link, I ended up cooking lean pork mince or 99% fat free Turkey mince & Kangaroo mince all human grade minces, Patch did real well on the lean beef
I added 1 whisked egg some finally chopped parsley, peeled & grated 1 carrot & a few chopped up broccoli heads mix all together & make 1 cup size rissole balls or 1/2 cup size balls & bake in oven on baking tray lined with foil just take them out after 15mins & turn over the rissoles & remove any water & fat, I also boil sweet potatoes & add 1/2 a cup to 1 cup rissole ball, all mashed & cut up so it’s easy to eat, the sweet potato & rissoles can be frozen take out the day before put in fridge to thaw….
I also feed Canidae kibble have a look at the Canidae Pure Meadow Senior the fat is 10.8% max, or Canidae Life Stages Platinum fat is 8.5% min you”ll need to email Canidae for max fat % there’s also a wet tin Platinum fat say 4% but it hasn’t been converted to Dry Matter so it will be around 16 to 20% fat so its a must to email the pet food companies,
I feed 5 meals a day 7am 9am 5am is kibble & 12pm & 8pm is wet food.. I live Australia & our Royal Canine comes from France not America our ingredient list is a bit better, I would start looking for other wet tin foods to feed, have you read the ingredient list in the Purina EN? Purina uses by product meats….. I like the Hills I/d Chicken & Vegetable Stew but we can only get the small 156g cans now so I was going to make my rissoles sweet potato & add the I/d Stew…. ask vet can you try low dose of Prednisone for her pain, 5mg my vet said steroids taken in morning is best same with the Losec best to take of a morning…

It’s awful watching them in pain, Patch is a real talker & whinger, he tells me when something is wrong, he lifts his front paw up, at first I thought he wanted me to shake his paw, (he’s a rescue) but he kept pulling his paw away when I went to shake his paw, then lifting up his paw again, I realised he wants me to rub his stomach & pancreas area….
Have you joined the “Canine Pancreatitis support group” on F/B I hope this very long post something will help your girl…. she will probably also feel sick some days, the Losec will helped with the nausea, I would be making her comfortable, the Losec starts working in 12 -24hrs so when you do stop the Losec its still in their system for 12-24hrs, even if you give the Losec every 2nd day & see how she goes but in the end I give it every morning now… Patch is nilly 9yrs old weights 17-18kg =40lbs… I just remember if you want to stay with Vet Diets look at the Royal Canine PR Potato & Rabbit but I think the fat is too high in the wet tins, one of the Potato formula’s is lower I think its the PV-Venison but R/C has stopped making the PV you’ll have to contact Royal Canine..

[Susan]

Hi, so sad I also rescued a bully bread (Staffy) & Patch was vomiting up undigested kibble 8hrs later also, they have a very un healthy gut….who said she needs soft pallet surgery?? this isn’t the case, her food isn’t being digested, so the body rejects the un digested food & vomits, kibble is the hardest food to digest, no matter what the vet diet dry kibbles say on the front of the bag, raw/cooked & wet tin food digest quicker & are easier to digest then a high carb dry kibble….
if you can borrow the money find a good vet who can do or organize a Endoscope + Biopsies of the stomach, you need to do the biopsies to see what’s wrong in her
stomach & why she isn’t making enough Hydrochloric acid, my boy had the Helicobacter-Pylori + IBD…or ask a vet can he give you the triple therapy meds for Helicobacter-Pylori infection, the meds are: Metronidazole, Amoxicillin & Omeprazole, these meds will fix the stomach & kill any bad bacteria in the gut, but the Helicobacter will come back, Ive been fighting Patches for 3 yrs until he was left on Omeprazole ant acid med this finally helped Patch & a low carb diet
….cause she isn’t digestion her kibble it’s best to change both kibbles especially the Vet Diet they’re crap TRUST ME they do not go soft within 50mins the Hills vet diet kibbles & Royal Canin kibbles take 1-2 hours to go soft but not all the way through, so the kibbles just sit in her stomach so she vomits the undigested kibble back up cause her stomach isn’t working properly,
its called “Hypochlorhydria” low stomach acid where the Helicobacter breeds & lives, she needs meds the ones I mentioned above triple therapy to kill the Helicobacter infection & a diet low in carbs preferably gluten free & more meat then carbs so kibble isn’t good to feed.
… a lot of rescue dogs have Helicobacter cause of their poor diet while growing up also she could of left her mum way to early & never got all the proper nutrients from her mums milk that’s needed for a healthy stomach, now you need to make her gut healthy you do this once her triple therapy meds are finished…
If you want to feed a vet diet feed the wet tin foods like Hills vet diet I/d Chicken & Vegetable stew but Hills have stopped making the big cans of I/d Chicken & Vegetables Stew in Australia & now only make a small 156g can instead.. Patch needs 8 cans a day, you cant afford 8 small tins a day, so he gets 2 cans a day & gets his Canidae or Taste Of The Wild lamb kibble… or buy some chicken breast & sweet potatoes & cook & freeze meals
“Canidae” make very easy to digest kibbles like Canidae Life Stages, Chicken Meal & Rice, “Canidae Pure Meadow” it’s a senior kibble but it won’t matter she’ll get extra Omega 3 & DHA fatty acids & glucosamine in her diet for her bones & it has higher protein & less carbs what is needed for easy digestion & it’s Chicken, Chicken meal & Turkey Meal & Sweet Potato same ingredients as she is eating at the moment BUT will be easier to digest cause the protein is higher…
Start testing her kibbles, get a glass of very warm water, not boiling water just very warm water, add about 2-3 kibbles to the glass of water, does the kibbles float? a good kibble should float & how long does it take for the kibbles to go soft all the way thru?? a good easy to digest kibble should only take about 15-40mins to go soft all the way thru… another very easy to digest kibble is “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb, its a single protein limited ingredient kibble & grain free as well, after Patch tried all the crappy vet diets that didn’t digest easy like they say they do, finally 3 yrs later I tried TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb & finally Patch started to get better, gain weight & he did the triple therapy meds 3 times as its very hard to kill this Helicobacter-Pylori, he still takes the Metronidazole a low dose 200mg with food on & off when I see he’s going down hill & getting his acid reflux bad again, he takes the Omeprazole (Losec) 8.30am every day now, it’s a ant acid medication cause they don’t make enough stomach acid, the helicobacter breeds & takes over their stomach & lives in the stomach walls & keeps breeding they get bad acid reflux, vomit, eat grass, feel sick, loss weight & cant digest their food properly, she probably gets bad acid reflux as well this is why she is thin & under weight, she needs a IBD Specialist vet….her vet doesn’t seen to be working out why she is thin & why she isn’t digesting her food & vomiting ?? she’s young her gut should be healthy so something has happened in her past her mum may have past on the Helicobacter infection, Ive had it & its awful you feel so hungry all the time & your stomach gets a norring feeling, you need a vet that will listen & knows about IBD..
yes don’t desex her yet she she’s too sick, my poor boy was desexed, vaccinated, wormed, flea, all on the same day that’s what happens here in Australia when a rescue dog is rescued from a pound before going to their career, its straight from the pound to the vets then career…Patch was too sick to be adopted & I fell in love with him & adopted him…..
Your girl needs 4-5 meals a day not 2 big meals, Patch gets 5 meals a day 7am, 9am 5pm he gets 1/2 cup kibble one of the kibbles I mentioned above & at 12pm & 8pm he gets the Hills I/d Chicken & Vegetable Stew wet tin food…he was getting a cooked meals but last March he started to vomit up the cooked lean pork mince & sweet potato again so he got put back on the Metronidazole & was already taking the Omeprazole ant acid meds & I asked vet can I try the Hills I’d Chicken & Vegetable stew can it has digestive enzymes in it..
Watch her does she lick lips/mouth & swallow, burp? my boy grinds his teeth when he gets his acid reflux, when I first got Patch he was licking & licking his paws continually of a night when he was at his worst, his vet said the licking paws sets off his endorphins then
he would burp….

[Susan]

Hi Matt,
Sounds like your dog has Seasonal Environment Allergies & Food Intolerances. My boy has both, his vet said if they have food sensitivities they normally will have some type of environment allergies as well… as soon as I read your post about his hives on his legs, tail & abdomen I knew environment allergies probably from grass, tree or plants pollens, that’s what Patch gets as soon as Spring starts, my vet said, keep a dairy & as the years pass you’ll start to see a pattern & I did every spring Patch has itchy hives all over his body & face/head, red paws when he walks on wet morning grass, a yeasty smelly mess, but thru the cooler Winter months he’s pretty good, no itchy skin or red paws as long as he doesn’t walk on wet grass or eat any foods he’s sensitive too, Winter we get a break,…
Baths are the best thing you can do, bath as soon as he’s real bad with his hives & itchy skin, give him a bath, I do weekly baths now but I was bathing every 2nd 3rd day at one stage, I use a medicated shampoo “Malaseb” medicated shampoo it’s mild & can be used daily & kills any bacteria, yeast on the skin & keeps their skin nice, moist & soft, when you bath your washing off any allergens, pollens & dirt that’s on their skin, I also use creams on his paws, head around chin & around tail & bum area when he’s bum surfing on my rug, “Sudocrem” is excellent it stops his itchy bum within mins of applying it, Sudocrem is a healing cream for Nappy Rash, Eczema, Dermatitis, Pressure Sore etc, sold in the baby section at any Supermarket or Chemist, the Sudocrem acts as a barrier & protects their skin especially their paws & where their skin is red/pink on stomach area & back of legs, I’d love to show a before & after photo’s after a lady applied the Sudocrem to her dogs red stomach, it’s posted on the Dog issues allergies F/B group link below. I also use Hydrocortisone 1% cream at night I check Patches whole body before bed & if something is still red like in between his toes, I get a cotton tip & thinly apply some Hydrocortisone 1% cream, when he wakes up in the morning all his paws are nice & pink all clear again, you can put on socks & bandage around the paws to stop any licking as licking makes things worse, best to bath the paws in Malaseb & dry them off then apply the Sudocrem,

The only way to know what foods your boy is sensitive too & can eat, is to do a “Food Elimination Diet”… you can use a vet diet like “Royal Canine” Hypoallergenic wet tin food, then once your dog is doing well & not reacting start adding 1 new ingredient to the R/C HP wet food, every 6 weeks add 1 new ingredient, no treats or any extra things are to be feed while your doing an elimination food diet, it can take a dog 1 day up to 6 weeks to react to an ingredient & show symptoms, that’s why sometimes you’ll start a new food & think your dog is doing really well then 3-4 weeks later he’ll start reacting to an ingredient in the new kibble…
Probably half the foods you think he’s sensitive too he isn’t..
I tested & added ingredients that are in the kibbles I wanted to feed… I worked out my boy reacts to chicken, he gets red paws, itchy yeasty smelly skin & itchy bum after I added raw & cooked chicken to his diet, carrots made his ears real itchy & he’d shake his head 20mins after eating the chicken & carrots he reacted, oats & barley made Patches poos very sloppy, I always thought potatoes & peas were causing Patches yeast problems cause potatoes are a high sugar starch but later I learnt a dog will only get yeasty smelly skin, paws & ears if they’re sensitive to a certain ingredient (CARF) or have environment allergies.. Read this link “Myths & Fact about yeast Dermatitis” scroll down to “Carbohydrates & Sugar in your dogs diet. http://www.healthyskin4dogs.com/blog/2015/9/8/facts-myths-about-yeast-dermatitis-in-dogs, Dr Karen Helton Rhodes DVM DACVD often pops into this Face Book group called “Dog issues, allergies and other information support group” join you’ll learn a lot..
Once you have done the Elimination diet, you’ll know what foods are causing what but its best to do a elimination diet in the cooler months Winter when pollens aren’t as bad as the Spring/Summer months..
Can you cook or feed a raw diet? you’ll have better control with your dogs diet, even if you do what I’m doing, I feed a few meals “Canidae” Pure Wild Boar kibble & the other meals are wet tin food Royal Canine HP wet tin or cooked pork rissoles with sweet potatoes. Patch eats 4-5 meals a day, he has IBD as well, if you join the Face Book group I recommended above https://www.facebook.com/groups/240043826044760/
you’ll read some people post their dogs are allergic to mites & the mites are in the dog kibble, or your dog may be allergies to dust mites in your house…. dog allergies starts to get very confusing & as they get older they get worse, but once you get into a routine with weekly or twice a week baths, apply creams, using Huggie baby wipes Coconut oil wipes or Cucumber & Aloe wipes when the dog comes back inside wipe him down days you don’t feel like bathing him & work out his food intolerances.. it gets better..
Here’s a link for Canidae Pure formula’s, the omega 3 is balanced in Canidae kibbles, some brands of kibble are too high in omega 6 & too low in omega 3 causing skin problems in dogs.. http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
Zignature is another food people say has helped their allergic dog….Make sure your dogs diet is high in Omega 3 it will help with their allergies, ad few sardines to 1 of your dogs meal a day.. buy tin sardines or salmon in spring water also green lipped mussels are good to give as a treat.

[Ann O]

I am trying to figure out best food for my dogs. A toy poodle who is 10 and a terrier who is 5. I have been buying from a online place. My food has started getting bad reviews. Any suggestions will be appreciated. I feed them dry food and boiled chicken breast. My dogs are both rescue dogs. Also what is best rawhide and treats for them.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 7 months ago by Ann O.

[Susan]

Hi Charisma sounds like his Helicobacter is back & it’s BAD.. Patch gastro specialist told me,
all dogs have the Helicobacter but cause they have a healthy gut it doesn’t take over but dogs with IBD the Helicobacter seems to take over….
this happened with Patch the Helicobacter kept coming back real bad until I left him on the Losec (Omeprazole) ant acid reducer we were going around & around in circle as soon as I killed the Helicobacter & stopped the Triple Therapy, 3-4 weeks later it was back taking over his stomach again, then I did soooo much research & spoke with my Gastrointestinal Specialist Dr & he said give him the triple therapy course meds again BUT this time we changed the Amoxicillin too another stronger antibiotic that is used to kill the Helicobacter, I cant remember name, it started with a C, he also said this time when the course is finished he must stay on the a stronger ant acid reducer Omeprazole (Losec)…..
Your boy needs the triple therapy 21 day course again, maybe he was never given it??? did he ever take Metronidazole (Flagyl) he would of improved while taking it then when it finished he would of went down hill again some dogs stay on a very low dose of the Metronidazole for the rest of their lives….
Ask vet for Metronidazole, Amoxcilin & Losec & after the 21 days when Metro & Amoxicillin is finished he must stay on the Losec 20mg, Losec is best given of a morning…..Losec is called Prilosec in America…. also you can not just stop taken Losec after it has been taken for 3-4 weeks, it needs to be reduced real slowly cause the Hydrochloric acid in the stomach comes back full on, triple amounts of Hydrochloric acids are made & your in a lot of pain until the stomach works out the right amount Hydrochloric acid to make, sorta what’s happening now to his stomach, I always make sure I tell people so they know this, you can miss one dose of Losec cause it last in the body for 24 hours but then you need to take the Losec,….
I cant believe the Vets haven’t pick this up…… after 4-5 days after taken the triple therapy meds he will be a new dog & sleep again he’ll start to feel better again & wont be starving hungry all the time & have stomach pain, the Metro & Amoxicillin must be given every 12 hours with a meal, I think the Losec is taken just the once a day, I cant remember cause Patch was put on Zantac in the beginning taken twice a day but the Zantac didn’t help his acid reflux.. feed 4-5 smaller meals a day & change his diet….can you cook his meals & freeze them? also give some Liquid Mylanta 4-5 mls 1 teaspoon, it will settle his stomach & help kill the Helicobacter, for now if he’s up thru the night, researchers have found when Pepto Bismol is given with the Triple therapy meds it kills the Helicobacter as well, I gave it to Patch for 5 days then he didn’t want the Pepto Bismol no more so I stopped given it to him & went back to the Mylanta only when he needed it thru the night …. I know when something works for Patch he lets me give it to him but when a medication causes any side effects he runs away & doesn’t want that medication…. Mylanta seem to work better & it doesn’t have asprin in it like the Pepto Bismol has..
I’ve had the Helicobacter years ago before I rescued Patch & you are starving hungry 1 hour after you eat, the food takes away the pain but as soon as food is digest it all starts over again & the acid in your stomach is awful, norring feeling in stomach, you feel depressed & miserable….Patches vet tells me Patch was very lucky I rescued him cause she wouldn’t of thought about Helicobacter but cause I’ve had it 3 times in my 20’s I knew all the symptoms….
He needs Losec (Omeprazole) ASAP & the Metronidazole, my vet gives me repeat scripts for the Losec & Metronidazole so I can just go to chemist & get when needed & since Patch has been on the Losec he sleeps thru the night & is doing really well also he needs gluten free diet low fiber, low carbs & no beet pulp diet, the Beet Pulp breeds the Helicobacter more…I would be trying a new diet as well, look at the Canidae Pure Meadow Senior kibble it will keep him feeling fuller longer & is easy to digest & feed some of his other meals with cooked sweet potato & a lean white meat all put thru a blender or finally cut up he’d be gulping his meals…. also can he eat the Royal Canine Hypoallergenic wet formula instead of the LOw Fat Intestinal? the fat is low at 2.5% email Royal Canine America what’s the fat % is when converted to dry matter (Kibble) it say’s 2.5% so converted would be around 7-9%max fat if it were a kibble the American HP wet tin is lower in fat then the Australian made R/C HP wet…. but when the fat & protein is lower the carbs are higher….
I hope ur vet listens & you gives you the Triple therapy meds or even if you can get the Metronidazole & the Losec you will see a big difference in 1 week, I know when Patch feels better he’s naughty & gets all his toys out..

[Susan]

Hi Charisma
What are you feeding him, what medications is he on?? has he been checked for Helicobacter & acid reflux? had Endoscope + Biopsies done?
He sounds like my boy 4yrs ago, when I rescued him he was put on a vet diet for his skin allergies, the vet diet gave him Pancreatitis fat was way too high 19% fat & that was the start of Patches misery, I found with my boy the vet diet dry kibbles made him worse….
My boy was diagnosed thru Endoscope & Biopsies, it said IBD {to look further with exploratory surgery} I wouldn’t do & Helicobacter-Pylori…… the Pancreatitis, food intolerances & skin allergies we already knew, he’s at his best now finally after 3yrs, he’s better in the cooler months, no environment allergies, his immune system isn’t in over drive…..
When Patch was having the rumbling, grumbling bowel, pacing back & forth wanting me to rub his stomach/pancreas area, wanting grass 2am 4am & thru the day, later I learnt it was Colitis from food intolerances/sensitivities… do you know what helps the best when this was happening, liquid Mylanta, not pink Pepto Bismol that has asprin in it, plain & simple liquid Mylanta, 5mls, 1 teaspoon would settle all the gases going thru his stomach & bowel…….
Are you seeing a new specialist, someone with new eyes, with all his results?? I keep diaries every single year & read back, this vet told me to keep a diary …. I saw 4 vets until I found Patches vet he see’s now & she also suffers with IBD, she understands & knows what I’m talking about when I tell her about Patches symptoms……

They break your heart watching them suffer, I didn’t know a poor dog could suffer so much with all these symptoms, now when I read a post, I know what that person & poor dog is going thru….
I have to feed 5 smaller meals a day, I can’t feed 1 whole cup of kibble for 1 meal, he gets bad pain, I can only feed 1/2 cup kibble at one time, that’s hand feed, I feed 2 kibbles at one time in a raised bowl so he chews the kibbles & doesn’t just swallow the whole hard kibble, I only feed kibble at 7am, 9am, 5pm, 1/2 a cup & wet tin vet diet Royal Canin Hypoallergenic at 12pm & 8pm, I have to rotate Patches kibbles, as soon as I see he’s not well & starts his whinging & lifts up his right paw for me to rub his stomach/pancreas area I know something is wrong & rotate kibble & foods, I stop feeding whatever he’s eating & feed something else…..
Hills vet diet kibbles & Royal Canin vet diet kibbles made poor Patch worse…only the kibbles…..

[Susan]

Hi sb020,
My boy is a Staffy same as your girl got the white fur & pink skin he’s 8 & 1/2 years old now & has IBD, Pancreatitis & Skin Allergies & it has taken me 2-3 years to work out his diet for all his illnesses, I found “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb limited ingredient, single protein kibble helped with his IBD & firmed up his poo’s, he seems to do real good on the TOTW kibble, it only has 338Kcals per cup & TOTW uses Purified water & Patch doesn’t get his Pancreas pain, no acid reflux, no vomiting & no nausea, but the fat is 15%max…. then I tried other kibbles I thought he can handle the TOTW 15% fat kibble but I didn’t realise the Kcals were over 400 Kcals per cup, so that means the kibble is more dense & is harder to digest, he gets his bad Pancreas pain & whinges for me to rub the area where his Pancreas is when he eats kibbles over 380Kcals per cup… also when a kibble was higher in carbohydrates & fiber, over 4%-fiber he gets his acid reflux & Pancreas pain & seems unwell, then I read higher fiber diets aren’t good for dogs with Pancreatitis…..
Now I rotate between a few different foods, I feed 4-5 smaller meals a day, Patch can’t digest 1 cup of kibble all at once, it must start to expand & sit in his stomach & something happens & he start having his pain, so I give about 1/2 cup kibble at 7am, 9am 5pm & then his wet tin vet diets at 12pm & 8pm…. I was cooking for Patch lean pork mince rissoles with a whisked egg, some chopped up broccoli, chopped parsley, a leaf of kale & 1 grated carrot all made into a small round rissole ball & baked in the oven then I boiled some sweet potatoes all cut into 1 spoon size & I’d freeze sections so I just took out the day before & put in the fridge to thaw, I added NAS Digestavite Plus powder to balance the meal but the beginning of this year I changed where I buy my lean pork mince from & the fat must have been higher & Patch started vomiting & vomiting up un digested rissole he got his bad pain right side & was put on the Hills I/D Chicken & Vegetable stew, I think they use chicken & pork liver it doesn’t have as many ingredient & there’s no Beet Pulp like all the other Hills I/D wet formula’s has, he starts his scratching & is a bit itchy but he gets better with his Pancreatitis & like my vet says just bath him twice a week & add his cream….
I do not use any of the Vet diet dry kibbles they are all too hard to digest, I do a simple test, get a glass of very warm water & put about 2 kibbles in the cup/glass, a good easy to digest kibble will float to the top of the water & only take about 15 to 30mins to go soft all the way thru, all the vet diet kibble & other some premium kibbles sink to the bottom & can take up to 3 hours to go soft all the way thru Purina, Sensitive Digestion, Hills vet diets & Royal Canin vet diet kibbles are the worst for digesting & these formula’s are for dogs with intestinal stress ….
When I was feeding kibbles that were hard to digest I didn’t know & poor Patch got his pain, nausea & would sometimes vomit back up all the in digested kibble 4 to 8 hours later, it would say easy to digest on the kibble bag…
“Canidae” is another excellent kibble look at their “All Stages Platinum” has both grains & potatoes but very easy to digest & is around 8-9% in fat, fiber is 4%max, Kcals are 342 per cup & Canidea “Pure Meadow” grain free, 10.80% max fat.. http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
You don’t mention are the foods you feeding wet or dry or both?? was the vet diet the wet tin food & which I/D formula is yoiur girl doing good on? I feed the Hills I/D Chicken & Vegetable stew 156g tin & the Royal Canin Hypoallergenic wet tin food cause Patch has food intolerances, I cant feed certain ingredients he starts getting real yeasty & itchy skin, paws & ears, chicken makes his paws red & skin itch but it doesn’t bother his stomach & bowel & cause any Intestinal stress, so I rotate when something has chicken in it & he only gets it a few days then I stop & feed the Royal Canin HP wet tin food, you may find it easier to go thru a Nutritionist to make a special diet & use “Balance it” to balance the meals.
https://secure.balanceit.com/ there’s recipes on this link for Balance it..
Maybe stick with the Hills vet diet for a few meals & feed another brand kibble for the other meals, feed 4 smaller meals a day, like what I’ve been doing with Patch & he’s doing well again…..

If you go on this face book join this group. “Canine Diabetes Support and Information” then look for the “Files” on the left side & click on the 2nd document “CDSI Diabetic food options chart” scroll down to the wet tin foods as some of the kibbles are low in fat BUT are too high in fiber for a dog with Pancreatitis just read the fiber % on any dry kibble you feed & stay around 4% fiber & avoid any weight management/weight loss dry kibbles some are lower in fat but they add more fiber to keep the dog feeling fuller longer….
also when you read the fat on a wet tin food, the fat hasn’t been converted to dry matter (Kibble) the wet tin foods on this chart have all been converted, eg: 11.11% fat DMD there’s a lot of really good wet tin food formula’s if you live in America on this chart….

When you look & read at a wet tin if you read say 4%min fat when you convert 4%min fat that’s around 16-20%max in fat its best to email the food company & ask what is the fat % in ????? when converted to dry matter..

I hope you’ve gotten some good information from my experience with Patch & your girl gets better….

[Susan]

Hi Honey Bear,
yes your young & have realized pet food companies like Hills prefer to spend all their money on advertising & colourful packaging instead of making better quality dogs foods for our pets…you have taken the first steps to make your dogs healthier & live longer..
are you on Face Book, follow “Rodney Habib” he has over 1 million followers not like Skeptvet with only 1100 followers…
Dr Karen Becker & Susan Thixton were one of the first to reveal all these pet food companies & DFA he set up this DFA site all cause of his little dog called Penny
Dr Mikes story is under “ABOUT” up the top left..same as Rodney Habib he started exposing all these dog food companies like Hills, Royal Canin, Purina etc & all their false advertising saying that their food does this & that when they don’t, it all started 2 yrs ago when Rodney found out his 14 year old Golden Retriever (Sammy) had cancer he was like most of us, we didn’t know to turn the kibble bag around & read the ingredient list instead reading the bull on the front of the kibble bag…same as vets when I went to my vets the other day there’s a new light up big Hills stand all along the wall, with all their colourful packaging etc… Rodney’s said his brain went into over drive day & night doing so much research trying to find a way to reverse his dog Sammy cancer & cure for his cancer & Raw Diets kept coming up over & over again, natural whole foods, healthy foods us humans eat are the best to feed our pet, not a dry processed kibble, they found by just adding 2 tablespoons of fresh whole foods to your dogs bowl of kibble reduces the chances of your dog getting cancer, Rodney has heaps of video’s to watch, the best video is “Maggie the oldest dog in the World” you have to watch Maggies story, she pasted away last year age 30 years old, after watching her story you’ll understand why she lived so long….
Rodney Habib found “KetoPet this group of researcher takes dying dogs out of pounds around America that have cancer & were dumped there by their owners after these dogs were put on a KetoPet raw diet these dogs cancer was reversed, these dogs became cancer FREE & then needed to find new homes, its an excellent video showing these once sick dogs acting like young puppies same as Rodney Habibs boy Sammy he’s cancer free now all cause he was feed a healthy homemade balanced raw diet Rodney posted he takes 70mins a day to make his dogs raw meals for the day….

Firstly are your dogs on vet prescription diets, if yes what for? or did your vet just recommend to feed the normal Hills pet kibbles you buy at Pet shops or online pet stores?
Some vets are old school & have been Hills brain washed lol if they’re old school they will say no to a raw diet.. I went thru a Naturopath to put Patch on a raw diet, my vet had recommended I see a vet nutritionist for Patches health problems..
I rescued Patch age 4 yrs old he was in a bad way vets all said the same thing he was feed a poor quality diet probably Aldis or supermarket food, it took me a few years to get his gut healthy again….You need to do it slowly change 1 of the dogs meals say breakfast feed the new cooked diet or raw diet & for dinner still feed the Hills kibble or feed the same Hills kibble & start adding the new cooked or raw food to the meals & take away about 1/4 cup of kibble out of their bowl then the following week increase the new food & take out more of the Hills Kibble till you no longer feed the Hills kibble or just feed the kibble sometimes, have a look at Canidae Pure Meadow Senior grain free kibble http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products Canidae is a small family run business.
… My boy was just put straight onto a homemade balanced raw diet the next day made by the Naturopath with no bone & no organ meat to start with cause he has IBD he did really well except he would regurgitate up digested water & raw food back up into his mouth about 20-30mins after eating it, cause his esophagus had been damage thru old owner using a choke chain on him, he did the same on wet tin food & cooked foods but now 4 yrs later he doesn’t regurgitate wet food no more….
Keep us informed with what you start to do even by adding some cooked left overs from dinner & take away some of the Hills Kibble is healthy….

[Karyn S]

Hello,

Thank you to all who have contributed such a wealth of information to this forum. I will be welcoming a German Shepherd puppy in about a month and have been trying to determine the best dehydrated, freeze-dried or raw diet to start her on. (I do not have the capacity to do an entirely raw diet, but could add raw toppers to a meal.)

I’ve read through all pages and just when I feel I have a direction, something changes it.

I started with HDM’s latest list, which includes some Raw and a couple of THC dehydrated options for large breed puppies. Since the list is a bit older, I reached out to a couple of the companies (Stella and Chewy’s and THC) specific to average/maximum calcium and received conflicting information, which leads me to believe formulas have changed since list was compiled.

I’m also a member of Editor’s choice and there’s only 1 non-dry food option (FreshPet) noted. I have been researching for hours on end and it seems I am nowhere closer to a decision.

Does anyone have recommendations for a dehydrated, freeze-dried and/or raw option(s) that would be safe for a large breed puppy. I’m trying to avoid feed kibble if at all possible.

Thank you!

[Susan]

Hi
Food can cause yeasty smelly ears, skin & paws if the dog has food sensitivities/intolerances to certain ingredients, you need to work out what foods your dog is sensitive too, my boy can not eat chicken, barley, oats, corn, gluten corn & carrots, carrots are the worst, 20mins after eating the carrots he starts scratching his ears, shaking his head, when I didn’t know it was the carrot & kept feeding the carrots in his rissoles he’d started to get yeasty, smelly infected ears, & walked tilting his head, same as chicken he gets red smelly paws & real itchy skin & rubs bum on the floor/carpet others foods that have corn, corn gluten meal caused sloppy poo’s….
I did a food elimination diet, raw is the best to feed, or cooked or use one of the vet diets like Royal Canine, Hypoallergenic wet tin or the Royal Canine wet tin PR-Potato & Rabbit, PV-Potato & Venison, PK-Potato & Salmon, or there’s the dry kibble after eliminating all treats & just feeding raw, vet diet or your own cooked diet that has just 1 single novel protein + 1 carb when the dog ears & skin aren’t smelly & itchy anymore you start adding 1 new ingredient for 6 weeks to see if he reacts to the new ingredient, it can take food sensitivities/intolerances anywhere from 1 day to 6 weeks for the dog to start reacting & showing any symptoms …..
Here’s some limited ingredient single protein kibbles & wet tin formula’s-
* “Zignature” – http://zignature.com/?page_id=333&lang=en
* “Canidae Pure” – http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
* “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb or TOTW Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon both have limited ingredients. http://www.tasteofthewild.com.au/

Join this group on face book, “Dog issues, allergies and other information support group” a lot of really good info & a Dermatologist pops in every now & here’s one of her links about the “Facts & Myths about Yeast Dermatitis in dogs, scroll down to about the 7th paragraph read about food sensitivities/intolerances, http://www.healthyskin4dogs.com/blog/2015/9/8/facts-myths-about-yeast-dermatitis-in-dogs

[Susan]

HoundMusic,

I think it’s ridiculous you feed a sick dog a high fat, low quality mince especially when the dog is vomiting & has diarrhea, say that dog has Pancreatitis??..
When was the last time you went to see a vet specialist for a dog with Intestinal problems IBS, IBD, Pancreatitis?
Your talking about feeding litter Puppies, introducing puppies to food….Read original post I’m talking about dogs with intestinal STRESS, sloppy poo’s with mucus & then diarrhea, not 4-6 week old puppies being weaned onto food, even then I still wouldn’t feed a sick puppy any cooked hamburger mince or boiled rice…. When you have a SICK dog with Intestinal Stress feeding greasy hamburger mince with boiled rice, rice has pointed corners that can irritate the bowel…..who’s not to say the dogs in this post aren’t sensitive to chicken like my boy is?? one of the poster’s dog became a bit better after being put on a vet diet while the other dog got diarrhea after eating the Hills wet tin food, like my boy did after eating one of the Hills Intestinal health vet diets, this sounds like food sensitivities to me, food sensitivities/intolerance can take anywhere from 1 day up to 6 weeks to react & show symptoms….Food sensitivities normally start when the dog is around 6-8 months old….
I’m pretty sure when Rich took his dogs to see vet, the vet didn’t suggest to go home & feed some boiled hamburger mince with boiled some rice, if he did I would be changing vets & seeing a younger vet who’s up to date with more modern methods, it sounds like Rich vet knew what he/she was doing & did all the proper tests needed to rule out parasites, parvo, infection etc & placed the dogs on a antibiotic (Flagyl/Metronidazole) & a vet diet till Rich works out what to feed them both….if the dogs were placed on a Hydrolyzed diet or a single novel protein, single carb vet diet I do not know, probably not cause one dog had liquid diarrhea after eating the vet diet…..

I’ll stick with what my Specialist vet recommended to feed, 1 lean novel protein + 1 gluten free carb (Sweet Potato or Potato) he suggested to cook white boneless fish or lean turkey breast + boiled sweet potato, if I didn’t want to cook he recommended feeding a vet diet “Royal Canine” Hydrolyzed wet tin food, Sensitivity Control, Duck & Tapioca dry, PV-Potato & Venison, PR-Potato & Rabbit or PD-Potato & Duck & then when dog is stable & doing firm poo’s start an elimination diet & add 1 cooked ingredient for 6 weeks with their vet diet food….these vet diets are 100% balanced with the right vitamins, minerals, enzymes & you’ll get to the root of the problem by doing an elimination diet like I have done in the past with my IBD boy, when you look at the ingredients in these vet diets you will not find any hamburger mince, chicken, rice….. Sweet Potato + 1 lean novel protein seems to work best for Intestinal health problems especially when you think the dog has food intolerances….
You have your opinion & I have mine…..

[Lora J]

Congratulations on your new dog! I have large breeds, myselfso I cannot comment on that. But I have found this dog food rating system on this website a valuable tool for finding the best food for our budget. I have found it takes some time to search through the higher rated foods, thrn shop around to price check, but worth it. Buy the highest rated food you can afford. I also supplement my dogs’ dry kibble with raw carrots and broccoli as treats for additional enzymes and antioxidents. I am sure you will get additional helpful comments here. Good luck!

[Acroyali]

Lovelybear we must be out of the same mold. We recently dragged out an old crate for one of our dogs to eat in and she acted like she was being put in jail, and like I threw away the key! This dog hasn’t had the need to be crated (other than in the car) for quite some time, so she’s none too thrilled with our newest and brightest idea. She has no self preservation and I’m constantly worried she might get hurt. It occurred to us that if she DOES injure herself, crate rest will be in order and it might be a good idea to re-acclimate her so she doesn’t stress.

I keep the crate in a high traffic area (our kitchen is bustling) so she’s in the action (so to speak), and we started playing little crate games. I’d take a treat, have her sit and wait, and toss the treat into the crate and release her. We put a few old blankets in there one night, made a big show of burying some really high value treats IN the blankets and shut the door and released. She wanted in that crate so bad! We opened the door and she flew in, nudging the blankets aside and hunting those treats down. We left the door open so she could exit whenever, and she was so into the game that she didn’t even think about leaving the crate until she was 100% sure there wasn’t a crumb left.

Be creative! If you’re into clicker training, a clicker can come in really useful in situations like this and you can choose a word to send her into the crate. (We use “load up”, a friend of mine simply says “In you go”!) Play crate games with her. When I crate train a new dog I don’t leave the door open when I’m not actively training it, it’s like reverse psychology–the crate = games = fun = not always available. Some people have better luck leaving the door open 24 hours a day and letting the dog explore at their own pace. Assess your dog and do what you feel would be best for her. Be creative! 🙂

I’ve fed raw for a lot of years. A few dogs eat out of bowls, a few on plastic washable mats (no bowls). When it’s nice we do feed some dogs outside, but the yard isn’t treated with anything. The bowls and mats go in hot, soapy water and are easy to wash and rinse. They air dry.

It’s great that your dog is a good, slow eater and not a gulper! Crate feeding is great because it IS so easy to clean. If absolutely necessary, it might be possible to take the crate bottom pan out and let it be free-standing in the room, and use it as a place for her to eat until she’s used to the actual crate again. Once she’s happy walking in and out of the crate for a treat, maybe jackpot reward her with a few gizzards or something really high value.

Yes, there are risks concerning raw feeding, but unfortunately there are risks concerning ANY feeding, for pets or humans. The presence of penobarbitol in some “high end” brands lately have really made many people suspicious of the idea that commercial food is automatically safe and raw food is automatically dangerous.

[term]

I have a small breed dog, which seems to have developed a skin condition on its back and somach after it turned three years old. After taking it to a couple of vets, they both concluded that it’s a rash most likely being caused by food, so one of the vets suggested I try to feed it with Royal Canin Selected Protein prescription wet food, along with Apoquel medicine. The dog was fine for almost three months with no outbreaks on its skin, but after the allergy meds and canned food ended, the rash returned, and the wet food seems to cause the dog to have teary eyes (which would happen with just about every other wet food I’ve tried in the past, before it developed the rash). I’ve had good results with regular Wellness dry food up until the point the dog developed the skin rash on its back.

Would it be a good idea to try Wellness Simple grain free line of food for the dog? I’d rather switch it to dry food, because up until the skin issue came up, it was doing the best health-wise when eating dry food. Royal Canin has dry food version of Selected Protein, but it has large kibbles, which my dog can’t eat, and it won’t eat them if I soften them up with water. Breaking them into small pieces is a very tedious task, especially if the dog is eating 2-3 times a day. The food is also a bit on the expensive side.

[pitlove]

Hi Leelina-

“i went seeking online and now I follow Dr. Becker” “In all my research I have learned that EVERY MEAL DOES NOT NEED TO BE BALANCED! Just work on balancing over the week.

It is interesting that you follow Karen Becker, but have adapted the balance over time theory, which is exactly what she warns against doing.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2015/11/08/best-to-worst-pet-food-types.aspx

“Even sale meat is ok for animals, as you know animals have different enzymes in their mouths as well as guts to combat the bacteria and parasites that we as humans cannot without cooking it first.

Mechanical breakdown of food in the mouth is what begins the digestive process in canines unlike humans.
Could you provide a credible source for your statement that animals have different enzymes in their gut and mouth that allow them to destroy pathogenic bacteria & parasites? Information from PubMed or Google Scholar will be just fine.

And lets not forget the risk involved for the humans in the home when feeding a pet raw grocery store meat.

“Dogs that get sick and /or die from bacteria already have had compromised immune systems so please don’t be turned away by nay sayers.”

Again, I’m going to have to ask for a credible source of information on this considering my boyfriends Rottweiler was very healthy before he passed away of E.Coli poisoning.

https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/42/5/686/317224/Human-Health-Implications-of-Salmonella

“Fecal shedding of Salmonella organisms was evaluated in 20 dogs in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to determine whether dogs would shed the organism after consumption of homemade raw food diets [25]. Salmonella organisms were isolated from 30% of the 10 dogs that were fed homemade raw food diets, but they were isolated from none of the 10 dogs that were fed commercial dry food.”

and in another study

“In a similar study conducted in 2004, research beagles were fed commercial raw food diets identified as being contaminated with Salmonella organisms. Five of the 7 dogs that shed Salmonella organisms after consuming a raw food diet meal shed a Salmonella serotype that matched the serotype isolated from the diet that was fed [26]. This study used commercial frozen raw food diets that were naturally contaminated, and clinically healthy dogs became colonized after ingestion of a single meal.”

Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide to some of these questionable statments!

[pitlove]

Hi Leelina-

“i went seeking online and now I follow Dr. Becker” “In all my research I have learned that EVERY MEAL DOES NOT NEED TO BE BALANCED! Just work on balancing over the week.

It is interesting that you follow Karen Becker, but have adapted the balance over time theory, which is exactly what she warns against doing.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2015/11/08/best-to-worst-pet-food-types.aspx

“Even sale meat is ok for animals, as you know animals have different enzymes in their mouths as well as guts to combat the bacteria and parasites that we as humans cannot without cooking it first.

Mechanical breakdown of food in the mouth is what begins the digestive process in canines unlike humans.
Could you provide a credible source for your statement that animals have different enzymes in their gut and mouth that allow them to destroy pathogenic bacteria & parasites? Information from PubMed or Google Scholar will be just fine.

And lets not forget the risk involved for the humans in the home when feeding a pet raw grocery store meat.

“Dogs that get sick and /or die from bacteria already have had compromised immune systems so please don’t be turned away by nay sayers.”

Again, I’m going to have to ask for a credible source of information on this considering my boyfriends Rottweiler was very healthy before he passed away of E.Coli poisoning.

https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/42/5/686/317224/Human-Health-Implications-of-Salmonella

“Fecal shedding of Salmonella organisms was evaluated in 20 dogs in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to determine whether dogs would shed the organism after consumption of homemade raw food diets [25]. Salmonella organisms were isolated from 30% of the 10 dogs that were fed homemade raw food diets, but they were isolated from none of the 10 dogs that were fed commercial dry food.”

and in another study

“In a similar study conducted in 2004, research beagles were fed commercial raw food diets identified as being contaminated with Salmonella organisms. Five of the 7 dogs that shed Salmonella organisms after consuming a raw food diet meal shed a Salmonella serotype that matched the serotype isolated from the diet that was fed [26]. This study used commercial frozen raw food diets that were naturally contaminated, and clinically healthy dogs became colonized after ingestion of a single meal.”

Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide to some of these questionable statments!

[anonymous]

Homeopathic vets don’t believe in science based medicine. You can’t have it both ways.
I would find a board certified veterinary dermatologist. Just call the nearest Veterinary School of Medicine and they will refer you.
My dog is a small breed poodle mix that started with the pruritus and ear infections at about 2 years old. Did the steroids, antibiotics. Went back and forth to the regular vet for about a year (tried 3 of them) listened to the homeopathic vets (useless). Most supplements are a scam.
So, I made an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist, she had the testing and I had the results and a treatment plan the same day.
I saw results right away. The initial testing is expensive but the maintenance isn’t that bad (I gave up cable). We see the dermatologist once a year.
She has been stable now for several years. It is very natural, the solution is now available sublingual, so you don’t have to give shots.
She no longer has food sensitivity issues, but does best on a Nutrisca salmon and chickpea kibble as a base, a bit of cooked chicken or something and a splash of water twice a day.
A raw carrot here and there.
I have owned several dogs over the years, some had mild/seasonal allergies, but this is the only one that needed the expertise of a specialist. I avoid vaccinations with this dog, talk to your vet about a rabies waiver.
They still have occasional flare ups, but nothing severe. Prn Benadryl once in a while (it doesn’t do that much anyway).
Btw: raw made her vomit and caused a bowel obstruction requiring a trip to the emergency vet.

[Susan]

Hi Luke,
I understand, the ingredients in the Hills W/D aren’t the best…. Have you joined a Face Book group for Diabetic dog?? groups are the best to join, you get support when you really need it & other people have gone down the same road & have done all the research & would know what are the better premium grain free kibbles, grain kibble & wet tin foods etc that will suit a Diabetic dog….
What I’ve just started to do for my IBD dog is use a vet diet wet tin food for 2 of his meals & a grain free premium kibble for his other meals, he eats 5 small meals a day…..or the only other thing you can do is see a Dog Nutritionist & get help making a special home made diet formulated for your dog health needs…
Here’s the F/B group called ” Canine Diabetes Support and Information” group, join group then click on the “Files” it’s up top of group just under picture & the first link is “Diabetic Dog Food Options” click on link & all these premium wet & dry foods all come up & have the link to the dog food site, someone has done all the hard work to help other Diabetic dogs. https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanineDiabetesSupportandInformation/

[Acroyali]

Millicent, I’ve had a similar experience as yours though probably not as dramatically obvious. I have a cat with feline hyperesthesia syndrome and dry food triggers violent outbursts; he self-attacked himself to the point of bleeding and removing dry food from his diet completely has dropped the episodes. Occasionally he’ll flare up; a chiropractic adjustment or acupuncture does the trick. I have no idea why he has this or what causes(d) it, but I’m just glad I’ve found a link to help keep the episodes down and keep him from being a bloody and miserable mess. Best to you and your pup.

[Michael M]

Can anyone recommend a really high fiber dry dog food that has amazing quality ingredients? It appears these persecution diet has the highest but not the best ingredients. Please help! Thanks
Mike

[Acroyali]

I don’t feed kibble, so I can’t make any good recommendations but I’m sure someone with more knowledge on the matter will chime in soon!

I wanted to ask if the vet mentioned perhaps offering her a little bit of canned food daily, as well as changing her dry? Even if you gave her a tablespoon or two and let the other dogs have a small taste as a daily treat, it wouldn’t break the bank or create the need for specified meal times, and the extra moisture probably would be of some benefit for her kidneys.

Best of luck with your pup.

[Karen D]

Hi, I was going through the same thing with my 15 yr. old Cocker, one Vet said food allergies, but restricting her at her old age was not in her best interest. I tried the Honest Kitchen Turkey, still runny poop, I tried the Honest Kitchen poop firmer powder which worked for a short while. I tried Orijen Senior, she didn’t like it. Then she was diagnosed with a heart murmur & while adjusting to that I bought Acana Duck & Pear, she loves it but the runny poop issue returned, back in forth to vet, prescription dog food, dry & canned, she wouldn’t eat most of it. So I started cooking whole turkey breast for her along with veggies, rice, pasta etc added to the Acana….but what really has solved the problem is….1/4 Metronidazole tab twice a day everyday…no runny poop since last Oct. It’s a bitter pill so I put it inside a gelatin capsule & wrap in turkey. Vet is happy with the regimen & when asked if it was Colitis she said “probably”. Now she can eat a variety of things without the tummy noise.

[pitlove]

Hi Corsomomma21-

Too many treats add unneeded calories to the diet and can result in a fat puppy. It is important to train, but not every aspect of training requires a treat. Sometimes praise and pets are the best type of reward. For the times when a treat is really needed as part of her learning an important command such as recalling to you, you can use things that are high value. Cooked or freeze dried organ meats are usually high value. Another good idea is using her food as treats if she turns out to be food driven. You can keep track of how many pieces of dry food you use as treats and subtract that from her meals so you keep the calories down.

Also congrats on the Corso puppy! Between pitbulls and Corsos those are the two breeds I’m most passionate about. I’ve already got my Corso breeder picked out for when we upgrade to a larger house.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by pitlove.

[anonymous]

From a previous post:

Allergies can be broken down into inhalant, contact, or food allergy origins. Flea allergies, grass allergies, and environmental toxin induced allergies are the most common causes of skin conditions in Cairns. Allergies can be chronic or seasonal. They can be minor or severe in occurrence. They tend to become worse with age. Treatment is much better than in bygone days. Environmental controls, antihistamine treatment, and desensitization injections have made huge strides in the last few years”.
“Glucocorticoids should be used only as a last resort due to serious side effects. Diagnosis and treatment of chronic or severe cases by a Board Licensed Veterinary Dermatologist is recommended”.
(excerpt from:) http://cairnterrier.org/index.php/Static/health
This was copied from a site regarding Cairn Terriers, however, the information applies to all dogs (imo)

Example: Have you consulted a veterinary dermatologist? If the allergies are environmental, changing the diet will have very little to do with alleviating the symptoms.
Environmental allergies tend to wax and wane, without getting Intra dermal skin testing done by a specialist (veterinary dermatologist) it’s pretty much impossible to tell what the allergens are, what is working, or not.
And:
What you describe sounds like environmental allergies, food would have little impact, if any, on this condition.
I would continue to work with your veterinarian, however, for best results, I would go to a specialist, a veterinary dermatologist.

Example: /forums/topic/irritated-skin-food-allergy/
/forums/topic/dog-chewing-nails-till-they-bleed/
“Food allergies are rare. Food sensitivities tend to result in GI disturbances such as vomiting and diarrhea. Environmental allergies tend to show up as pruritus, ear infections and such”.
“You could try a limited ingredient grain free food. My dog does well on Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea. Wipe down her feet with water and gently dry when she comes in from outdoors”.
“Bathe her using a gentle shampoo, I use Malaseb (see chewy dot com).
I tried all kinds of things times 1 year (including going back and forth to the veterinarian), but, did not get results till I took her to a dermatologist for testing. Allergen specific immunotherapy worked in her case”.
Unfortunately, steroids and such are often necessary (for brief periods) to stop the suffering and prevent infection.
Allergen specific immunotherapy is the most natural treatment.
Also, I have heard that some dogs do well on apoquel, you may want to consider talking to to your vet about that.

[Shawn S]

In the past couple months, my dog has started having problems with his anal glands. Took him to the vet and had them released. Two days later, it starts up again. Vet told me to try giving him Benadryl. While on Benadryl the past couple days, he has been fine. No issues with anal glands. Does that mean it is his diet that is causing it? Right now I feed him eukanuba lamb and rice (stuck with this since a puppy due to sensitive stomach), 1 greenies each day during the week, and he chews on a Nyla bone occasionally. Not sure where to start, I know that greenies are not the best for him and I could do away with them and start brushing his teeth more often. My first thought was to change his food to a better product. As I started think more into it and trying to eliminate the small thing, I Was thinking of first starting by cutting out greenies. Maybe the nylabone too? Doesn’t seem like the small fragments that break off those bones are very healthy. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Feel bad for the guy when he is scooting his butt on the ground.

[Deborah H]

Hi David – just joined the forum, I have a 6yr4mo Bernese Mt Dog, neutered at 5, s/p last breeding, big weight gain & I’m researching best foods for weight loss – Nike’s been doing the same favoring of his rear R leg, whimpering at times getting up – vet put him on food I really would never in my life use, so am spending hours researching; my breeder fiends have told me brands not listed on dog food advisor; I used Acana Canada based, (Orijen bison as pup)- Nike’s lost 5lbs in 3 weeks, walks & play with his 18 month daughter help too. Still am searching for lower calorie, good protein & lower fat balanced GF dry dog food I feel good about; I also use ground shark cartilage – may sound crazy, but It worked with my 30 yrs of raising golden retrievers when they got older.

[anonymous]

“Allergies can be broken down into inhalant, contact, or food allergy origins. Flea allergies, grass allergies, and environmental toxin induced allergies are the most common causes of skin conditions in Cairns. Allergies can be chronic or seasonal. They can be minor or severe in occurrence. They tend to become worse with age. Treatment is much better than in bygone days. Environmental controls, antihistamine treatment, and desensitization injections have made huge strides in the last few years”.
“Glucocorticoids should be used only as a last resort due to serious side effects. Diagnosis and treatment of chronic or severe cases by a Board Licensed Veterinary Dermatologist is recommended”.
(excerpt from:) http://cairnterrier.org/index.php/Static/health
This was copied from a site regarding Cairn Terriers, however, the information applies to all dogs (imo)
Also, you may want to use the search engine here to search “allergies”
Example: Have you consulted a veterinary dermatologist? If the allergies are environmental, changing the diet will have very little to do with alleviating the symptoms.
Environmental allergies tend to wax and wane, without getting Intra dermal skin testing done by a specialist (veterinary dermatologist) it’s pretty much impossible to tell what the allergens are, what is working, or not.

And:
What you describe sounds like environmental allergies, food would have little impact, if any, on this condition.
I would continue to work with your veterinarian, however, for best results, I would go to a specialist, a veterinary dermatologist.
Have you tried the search engine here? This subject comes up frequently.
Example: /forums/topic/irritated-skin-food-allergy/
/forums/topic/dog-chewing-nails-till-they-bleed/
“Food allergies are rare. Food sensitivities tend to result in GI disturbances such as vomiting and diarrhea. Environmental allergies tend to show up as pruritus, ear infections and such”.
“You could try a limited ingredient grain free food. My dog does well on Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea. Wipe down her feet with water and gently dry when she comes in from outdoors”.
“Bathe her using a gentle shampoo, I use Malaseb (see chewy dot com).
I tried all kinds of things times 1 year (including going back and forth to the veterinarian), but, did not get results till I took her to a dermatologist for testing. Allergen specific immunotherapy worked in her case”.
Unfortunately, steroids and such are often necessary (for brief periods) to stop the suffering and prevent infection.
Allergen specific immunotherapy is the most natural treatment.
Also, I have heard that some dogs do well on apoquel, you may want to consider staying with that, talk to your vet.

[Richard K]

Hi everyone. I always feed my dogs the best rated 5 star dog food but i have yet to find one that my dogs will eat without me having to add something else to it like 5 star wet food. My dogs are pretty picky i guess but I have yet to find a 5 star rated dry dog food that my dogs really like. Does anyone know of a 5 star rated dry dog food that dogs really love? Or is that not possible? Any help would be appreciated. I usually just add wet dog food to the dry and i have to make sure the food is actually wet from the wet food or i have to add a little water because my dogs will just eat the wet food off of the dry food and then spit the dry food out. So if anyone knows of a 5 star dog food that dogs really really like please let me know? Or something I can add to it which is also good for them that will make them eat it lol? Sometimes I add tuna to their food but not more than a little bit and only about once a week because of the mercury content in tuna.
Anyway thanks for the help ahead of time.

[Jane E]

I have had Boxers for years and I know only too well those sensitive guts. Right now I have a 9 1/2 y/o and I feed Canine Caviar Limited Ingredient Free Sprit and Nature’s Logic Canine Chicken Meal Feast. I look for dry foods without peas,legumes or beans of any kind. I find that with the newer formulations of even Champion Pet foods (Acana and Orijen) these are being added and are in the first 3-5 ingredients and so many dogs are just incapable of digesting and utilizing legumes. I fed Acana for many years but I do not anymore. I love the company and their transparency and their mission statement.
May I ask how you feed,i.e.: twice a day or are they given food to free feed throughout the day? I’ve had a lot of Boxers which also include over 60 rescues and Boxers live to eat….unless they are ill. They do best with two feedings a day 10-12 hours apart. My hunch is that your guys just may have residual upset stomachs and hence why they are spitting food out

[Susan]

Hi, I’m not much of a meat eater, I can’t stand the smell & all the blood with red raw meat, I eat white meat like fish & chicken only & I make Patch lean pork or beef rissoles, I would never deprive my Patch from eating meat, a dogs digestive tract is short & made to digest a raw diet where our digestive tract is long & heaps bigger & can handle all the grains, carbs etc in our diet…..
I live Australia & most people feed their pets raw kangaroo mince, raw off cuts added with their dogs kibble as well as raw meaty bones for their teeth, chicken bone is the softest bone & easy to digest…or they added the Pre-made Big Dog Raw formulas or the Dr’s B Barf Pre-made raw formulas or some pet shops make their own pre-made raw meals you just thaw & put in her bowl + kibble….
Cause your girl has never eaten a raw diet & is 7yrs old maybe look at the pre-made formulas that have leaner meats & are lower in fat around 3-4% in fat that’s around 11%-16% fat when converted to dry matter (Kibble) same amount of fat she’s eating at the moment 15% fat…Wet tin food when you see 5%min fat on wet tin can 5%min is around 20-25% fat when converted to dry matter & was a kibble ….Some people say not to feed kibble & raw together as they digest at a different rate but everyone I’ve spoken with at the dog park & when Patch was going to his behavior training school seem to all mix kibble with the raw diet & have no digestive problems feeding kibble + raw meat to their dogs….I suppose it depends on the dogs……
I ended up contacting a animal Naturopath when I put Patch on a raw fresh home made diet cause of his IBD & skin allergies, he was 6yrs old, we started with lean human grade kangaroo mince, not pet shop kangaroo mince added 1-2 spoons of blended raw veggies broccoli, carrot, celery & apple + 1/2 teaspoon probiotic +1/4 teaspoon DigestaVite plus powder to balance the meal cause it had no bone or any organ meat in the beginning cause of his IBD, I didn’t want him to get diarrhea, then I noticed about 1 hour after eating his breakfast he was regurgitating water + digested raw up into his mouth after burping causing acid reflux, so we stopped the blended veggies but he still was burping up water, I had to give him some of his regular kibble to wash the acid reflux back down his throat & he seemed heaps better…… cause of Patches IBD bad acid reflux the raw diet didn’t work for my Patch but my kitten/cat 11months old is feed a pre-made cat raw diet + kibble in separate bowl + 1/2 a chicken wing 3 times a week, if I don’t give her any kibble she pinches Patches Taste Of The Wild kibble….
Do you rotate your kibbles? try the TOTW Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb, it has the same fat & Protein% as the TOTW Pacific Stream, Smoked Salmon & their mouth doesn’t smell of fish after eating the Roasted Lamb & Patch seems to prefer the Roasted Lamb….

It will all depend on the boarding kennel if they will feed your dog a raw diet normally most boarding kennels just say bring all ur raw pre made & made up in daily sections etc or just before she goes to boarding kennel put her back on her kibble 1-2 weeks before she’s due to go to the boarding kennels & just pack enough frozen raw meaty bones to be given 2 to 3 times a week, I’m pretty sure the Boarding kennel will thaw & give the raw meaty bone …
My boy was biting the raw bone a few bites then gulping the whole raw meaty bone & swallowing big pieces of bone, when I first rescued him, that’s when someone told me chicken frames are the best to feed, the bone in the chicken frame is very soft & flexible & cleans their teeth, so if she is a gulper & swallows any big pieces of bone in the beginning maybe try the chicken frames from supermarket, they digest easier, I use to feed chicken necks but my vet said to stop feeding the chicken necks as they have very sharp pieces of bone & are full of fat, with no meat. In Australia our supermarkets sell chicken necks, chicken frames & brisket bones also turkey legs are nice & big just remove the inner sharp bone…your dogs teeth will clean right up after eating meaty raw bones, my last cat had heaps of tarter on his teeth & to clean his teeth was going to cost $450 to clean & remove any teeth if needed was an extra $50 per tooth, the vet said start giving him a chicken wing for breakfast & his teeth cleaned up….

[Amy S]

My vet diagnosed our 11yr Wheaten with beginning stages of kidney disease. She said, at this point he doesn’t need meds and said a new dry food with low protein would work fine. She suggested Royal Canine. I think it’s a prescription food. My dog was eating Acana dry and loved it. I looked at Neo but it wasn’t rated very well. Recalls and foods “made” in China concern me. Can anyone recommend a dry food for me? Prefer something I can get without a script but will consider something that does. I just want a good food. Pricing is not really a concern because I’ll be willing to give my pet the best.

[InkedMarie]

I can’t answer your questions but wanted to say that dogs with UTI’s need a lot of moisture: canned food is best; if you can’t feed only canned, add some to the dry food along with some water. Allow ample opportunities to urinate as well.