[Pitlove]

does your vet think that it could be environmental? i thought for a long time that my dog was allergic to chicken because of him constantly licking his feet. came to find out he A) had a yeast infection under his nails and B) my vet felt it was most likely environmental. possibly grass and pollen. ive been trying to get better about wiping his feet off when he comes in from outside and we did a anti-fungal shampoo soak and meds for the yeast infection. he licks still but its not NEARLY as much as before and he eats whatever protein source he wants including chicken.

i would suggest switching the food and the treats and finding a food that is completely devoid of the same ingredients that are in the BB Wilderness and the treats. If you notice a change then it i’d say its the food, if not talk to your vet about the possiblity of an environmental allergy. those are far more common than food allergies.

also I would check into the recent problems Blue has been having and decide for yourself if you still want to support them as a company. you can find the info on google about the outcome of their lawsuit.

[Karen K]

She eats Blue Buffalo Wilderness for small dogs and their cookie treats, and some beef jerky treats, so she is grain-free. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. These ear infections just keep coming back…..the vet puts her on Mometamax ointment, which takes care of it in the short-term, but it comes back within a month of stopping the ointment. Poor thing is constantly itching her ears and licking her feet, which are quite red most of the time. Has anyone ever tried coconut oil on their feet for the irritation? I really wish I could get to the source of the problem. My vet thinks food is not an issue, and I completely disagree with him, but don’t know what else to do.

[InkedMarie]

Karen,
What are you feeding your dog? What treats & supplements does she get?

[Naturella]

I can’t help but wonder if maybe they get a lot of food during the day (dry and canned mixed, AND treats)? I know that some dogs become less motivated to switch back to kibble if they get a lot of food, or the kind of food they are used to (wet vs. just dry). And while I am a huge proponent of feeding moist food all the time, while implementing some of the great advice above, maybe you can think of whether you could find interesting ways to feed just kibble by putting it in a treat-dispensing toy such as a Kong (Wobbler), a Barnacle, or some sort of interactive toy/puzzle for dogs. For my dog, I do this once or twice a week, and sometimes, I just scatter his portion of kibble all over the floor and let him go all over the place to eat it. Lucky for me, he is very food motivated, and would eat just dry from his bowl at feeding time if I served that (I’ve tried). So you can try to introduce some interest by putting kibble in some toys and seeing if it works.

Also, if/when you do training, you can use kibble as treats and feed them their portion, or some of it, during training time. That works for me too.

But do try to stick with wet kibble (even with just water or chicken broth), it is much better for the dogs for the reasons other stated above. 🙂

[idunnowhat2callmyself]

Okay, I’m just going to throw this out here because I’ve found this to be a remarkably useful website, and if there’s anyplace I might productively ask my question, it’d be here. I apologize in advance for the length of it.

My family’s got four dogs currently: One small, one medium, one medium-large, and one large. It’s a nice range. I try to order higher-quality kibble brands to offset the lower-quality ones sometimes brought home by other people. A month or two ago, I had a two-hour phone conversation with my aunt, who’s got one small dog on a raw diet (with wet canned stuff in the mornings.) I’d hoped to simply be able to follow her precise regimen, adjusted for our pack…and got a half-page worth of notes during that convo in Microsoft Word. I should’ve figured it wouldn’t be simple, and I suppose I could start ordering some whole rabbits or tripe or turkey necks and supplements or any of the other various things I jotted down from the site she mentioned…but the whole thing still seems so overly, excessively complicated and worrisome. She said that she hadn’t even told her vet about the switch, but had been at it for about a year now.

A few benefits stood out: Cleaner teeth naturally, because no matter how much toothpaste or how many correct-ingredient-inclusive wipes I use, nothing removes the ‘icky’ stuff (which is worst on the oldest dog.) My aunt also noted that cleaning up after them is much easier thanks to the raw–and since that job typically falls to me, I’d really appreciate that. AND potential weight loss/healthy-weight management, as well…I almost always opt for the low-fat variety of everything to be on the safe side. Fortunately the hefty Brittany did recently move down to a smaller dosage of heartworm med, and can suddenly fit behind the sofa again–so I guess it finally paid off.

I’ve given the pooches everything from the raw-coated kibbles to Stella & Chewy patties to Fresh Pet to Honest Kitchen “green slop” (we’ve had that huge box for over a year now), to dozens of kibble brands that all seem essentially identical–and so on and so forth. When I try to look up which kibble or commercial raw food to try (assuming that cans would disappear far too quickly to be worthwhile), I am instantly overwhelmed and confused–I see loads and loads of brand names and packaging and shapes, but all of the food and flavors appear to be the same. I have no idea how to even tell which to buy. The sizes and portions and pricing baffle me–how am I to tell what will feed multiple dogs of various sizes and breeds for more than a couple days? We usually get a new big kibble bag about twice a month. I simply cannot tell what the raw equivalent would be…and even for dry food, I’m now kinda stumped. Every time I’m asked to order another bag, I freeze. How to choose?!?! My list’s grown so long, and we’ve tried so many…now I usually go with whichever has the best price per pound at the time, and a decent rating/reviews. I wish I could just find the perfect brand to consistently turn to, and continuously rotate through their flavors and treats. (Deciding which treat to pick up becomes a whole other can of worms, and I’m just like, “Gods, why, why, why must this be so bamboozling?! Why the hundreds of redundant choices? The dogs don’t even care, they just want our stuff!”)

Only one of the four dogs eats neatly (my Saluki, who has a snood. 😉 The other three are slobs, knocking the bowls around and splashing before they even touch the floor. The little Beagle frequently flat-out refuses to eat from a bowl, insisting that the food be spilled onto the floor for him. Also, my mom’s a clean freak–and I’m a bit of one myself at times. For these reasons, I knew that any attempt to transition would be tough and drawn-out, if not impossible. I knew I’d have to discover the cleanest, neatest, easiest, least odiferous method.

Now, before I got older and started performing more research into these areas, my parents…well all right, let me just put it this way. The two Beagles we had at the time I was born ate cheap supermarket kibble and human leftovers, lived in the backyard, never once to my knowledge had their teeth brushed (the one had green teeth and rancid breath) or nails trimmed or even saw the vet…yet both lived happily & health-problem-free for 16-18+ years (we can’t be exactly certain because they were adopted from a shelter.) Thus it can be very difficult for me to convince these guys, no matter how many times I reiterate what the healthy-food brochures say, to go out of their way for “special frou-frou dog food” or anything they’re unused to.

WHEW. Ever so sorry to unload all that frustration here. Any advice, recommendations, or assistance that anybody ever feels like dropping would, of course, be most appreciated.

[L T]

Check your local (not chain) pet stores, they may stock this or get it in for you routinely. Champion has a free bag program after 10 bags your 11th is free. Doesn’t have to be the same kind, but the free will be the smallest size you have on the card. My local one in Virginia deals directly with Champion and manufacturers of other high quality food, in other words they don’t sell food you can find in the chains. Also, as I said before the feeding guide for Declan at 87lbs is 3 1/2 c daily. I feed him roughly 2 1/4 c daily and he has maintained that weight for over 1 1/2 yrs. He goes to doggy day care (play time) 3x week and is considered pretty active. My local pet store rep and I talked about the amount and he recommended factoring in other food/treats and underfeeding the kibble. Declan does not seem hungry, but as a typical Lab he will never turn down the opportunity for a morsel. Good luck. I have tried the 6 fish and it worked out fine (you definitely know it’s fish in the bag), but since Declan doesn’t have any allergies I went back to Regional Red (Orijen) or Ranchlands (Acana). Keep us posted!

[Dori]

Sorry James S. Just saw your earlier post. I’m glad at least the diagnosis was for the more treatable one. What treatment has your vet suggested? Yes, Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen is a frozen food and one of the one’s I feed my dogs in rotation.

As to a list of commercial raw frozen foods, these are the ones that I use in rotation. I rotate brands and proteins within brands with the exception of fowl. One of my girls is intolerant of all fowl.

Answer’s Detailed Raw Frozen (Not always easy to track down but any store that carries any of the products can usually order it in for you from their distributor)

Primal Raw Frozen Formulas (My favorite of all frozen raw foods)
Vital Essentials Frozen Raw
Nature’s Logic Raw Frozen
OC Frozen Raw
Darwin’s Raw Frozen (only available on their site on auto-delivery plan)
Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen
(Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen will be the easiest to find as pretty much everyone carries it including the large stores like Petco and Petsmart.)

The others on the list are typically found in smaller more local type pet food stores.

I’ve recently won a bag of Steve’s Real Frozen Raw (very excited about that) and I’ll see how that works out with the girls. It just arrived yesterday so I’ll defrost some for their dinner tonight. I’ll let you know about that one after they’ve eaten it for a while.

The only two freeze dried foods that I use, but only infrequently, is Primal Freeze Dried and Vital Essentials Freeze Dried. I use Vital Essentials Freeze Dried Tripe Treats as their treats when I call them to “come” from the yard. I keep a jar with them near the back patio door and it’s the only time they get them.

I forgot to add that once in a while, not often, I feed The Honest Kitchen Zeal formula. It contains no fowl, no potatoes, no alfalfa. Is GMO free. The Honest Kitchen is made with all human grade ingredients and made in a plant that only processes human food. It’s all documented and the FDA allows them to use the information on their packaging. It’s the only company that the FDA has given it’s approval to.

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

[jella]

Dear LT, I finally found the list with ingredients. Thank you for your help. I did receive an email back from Orijen an Acana telling me that all their products including the treats contain alfalfa. Fiber for the dogs. What do you think about the alfalfa being in it? With so many pesticides, etc. in grains I am not sure. I didn’t realize that dogs needed extra fiber or that much. Still undecided about this one because of the alfalfa.

[Pitlove]

glad to hear hes doing better! Im really careful with treats usually. the only ones ive got in the house at the moment are PureBites freezed dried raw treats. there is only 1 ingredient and they are made in the USA. I use the turkey breast for my kitten and beef liver for the dog. you can break them up into smaller pieces for training if you still are giving treats for pottying outside.

[jella]

Thanks everyone it sounds like I am getting some great advice. But I can’t seem to find out where these ingredients lists are for these brands. My vet would like for me to bring a copy of what I choose along with his treats. Big Hoss does need dog food to help his hair grow back in places. He is a short haired lab so he has a few places where he scratched. I heard give coconut oil with a food or cookie for their hair. I guess it is ok for him. They didn’t mention it on his list. Well he is shredding a paper bowl that I fed him his egg in this morning. I sometimes let him do that for entertainment so I guess I better sign off for now and go pick up the pieces. LOL

[jella]

Dear zcRiley, I emailed your company to ask about their treats and dog foods this morning. Haven’t heard anything back yet. Would you tell me where you got the list of ingredients for that KiwiPeak so I can show his vet if I choose this one. I am supposed to take her a copy.

[jella]

Dear LT, I emailed Orijen this morning asking for them to tell me where to go to find all the ingredients in both their dog foods and treats. I haven’t heard back yet but it has just been a day. Is it the freeze dried Orijen Tundra that you said doesn’t contain anything on his allergy list and also no barley so I guess this is grain free then and gluten free right? Did you say a cup of freeze dried twice a day? I was trying to get a copy of all the ingredients so I could email to his vet but couldn’t find ingredients listed for all their products on their website. Also I suspect you know what you can substitute for (milk) ice cream that I used to give him in the summer a lot. I got fooled by his blood test results. The vet said he guessed it was ok for Hoss to have milk unless it gave him messy stools. It didn’t so I assumed ice cream and cheese were ok for him. He can’t have any of his Baconology treats anymore. They contain corn and corn gluten. I guess Pup-Peroni is ok didn’t look like any of his allergies. But not sure what they meant by meat by products. ??

[Pitlove]

somebodysme- are you really surprised that your dog can’t tolerate popcorn? not even sure why you would feed a dog popcorn at all. some dogs and cats will LET you know if the food is the culprit. My kitten as an example throws up instantly after she eats (this has happened only 2 times in her life) when she cant tolerate the food. And from there on out I simply stay after from that food because I don’t want to play russian roulette with her stomach.

From the sound of it the OP did pin-point that it could be the treats. Or it could be feeding TOO many treats, say because of a training class that uses a treat based reward system.

And Im with Marie on this one. Why throw away your money? Blue is one of the most overpriced 5 star foods out there for what it actually is. Their treats included. Theres much better choices out there that are 4 or 5 star quality.

[Pitlove]

ya guess they finally admitted that there was meat by-product in some of their foods and that it had not been correctly labeled on the bags. I don’t feed Blue either or get their treats at all anymore. My dog hated Blue Wilderness. Most people on here will not feed anything made by Blue.

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

[Pitlove]

Hi jake’s mom-

I don’t have any older animals (dog is 1 yr old on Monday, kitten is 7mo), but I do give them the Honest Kitchen’s Perfect Form for their digestion and also because I want to get my dog’s stomach healthy enough to transition dry foods without blending.

I was highly considering giving him Dogwell’s Healthy Hip treats with Glucosamine or some type of supplement for it because of my fear of him getting hip dysplasia. He comes from a bad breeder and I know I wasn’t feeding him food with proper calcium levels and he is a large breed dog. I don’t feel like preventitives can hurt, but thats just my opinion. I’m still fairly new to proper animal care. When I was younger we always had cats but neither my mom nor I really knew anything about animal needs health wise. Now that I’ve got animals that I am soley responsible for I’m trying to do the right thing by them.

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

[Susan]

Hi Lila, I noticed your vet put ur boy on Hills Restore Low Fat, the fat in the Restore is only 8.5%-fat when u change diet make sure the fat % the Fiber % is around the same as the vet diet Hills also why not feed wet tin food your dog is telling you something when he doesn’t want to eat his kibble, its crap & probably has a harder time digesting the kibble….maybe use the kibble as treats & stop the treats as a lot of treats are high in fat%
When you buy a limited ingredient wet tin food look at the fat % the fat % needs to be around 2% & under when wet is converted to dry matter (kibble) that’s around 8% fat… here’s a face Book group to join “Dog Allergy International Group” sounds like your boy has food sensitivities, look in the files & there’s heaps of limited ingredient kibble/wet food with their links, so you can look at ingredients & fat% also & salvia & hair testing kits to find out what foods ur boy is sensitive tooo… https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogallergyinternationalgroup/

[Lila S]

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

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

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

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

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

[Susan]

Hi here’s just a few Limited Ingredients foods in the “Dog Allergy International groups” files that may work for dogs with food sensitivities… also when on a limited ingredient diet no other foods are given, nothing, no treats, no peanut butter to give meds nothing just their limited ingredient diet for 3 months, then if dog is doing real well then add a new ingredient & see if there is any reaction with new food..
Petcurean GO Sensitivity limited ingredients Venison.. Michele Dixson from Petcurean is in group & helps dogs with allergies..
Farmina Vet Life Hypoallergenic Fish & Potato
Performatrin Ultra Limited ingredients
Lily’s Kitchen Recovery recipe wet food limited ingredients
Canidae Grain Free Dry & Wet
Rayne Maintenace Diets
Addiction Nutri-RX Allergy HS
Natural Balance limited ingredient Dry& Wet
Zignature limited ingredient formulas
Merrick limited ingredient Dry & Wet
California Natural Hypoallergenic limited ingredients dry & wet
Darwins Raw
Ziwi Peak

[Pitlove]

For both my cat and dog I have been using PureBites freeze dried treats. I love that its just one ingredient (I do beef liver for my dog and turkey breast for my cat), I can get them at work (Petco) and they do say they are made with US meats.

I’ve seen a couple other people mention them here. I have gone through a lot of other treats and truthfully treats have become just that in my house…a treat. It is a rare and not every day thing they both get. But they both love PureBites.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Each category of topics (e.i. Dog Treats, Diet and Health Issues, etc) will contain many different threads, listed in order from most recently posted on to oldest, regarding that general topic. Each individual thread will have a title, which should give some insight about the particular question or discussion. The first post in a thread is the original post, where the poster will generally be asking a question and/or starting a conversation. While things sometimes do get off-topic, we generally try to stay on the topic that the original poster (OP) brought up. Also, you may want to avoid posting the same thing on multiple threads, even if it is relevant on them. I hope this is helpful!

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

[Mike Sagman]

Hi Dave,

Sure. A Dog Treats Advisor would be a great idea. It’s been under study for a while. Yet there are many challenges unique to treats. For example, and unlike dog food, there are no AAFCO nutritional profiles (standards) for dog treats. So, we’d have to establish our own. We’d also need some important parameters and guidelines for rating treats fairly.

That is why we launched these treats forums and topics over this last year. We’re using what our readers are asking for along with other articles we’ve collected from around the Internet to help guide us on our plans.

We’re also having an adapted version of our nutrient dashboard (the yellow box with the gauges found inside every dog food review we write. This tool would allow us to highlight controversial ingredients and analyze the dry matter nutrient in each product.

We continue to study how we would roll out this new service. In any case, this would most probably be added later this year.

Thanks again for the suggestion.

Mike Sagman, Editor
The Dog Food Advisor

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Dave, typically the better brands of dog food also make treats. So if you’re using a 4 or 5 star dog food, take a look at their treats, check labels to make sure there isn’t anything in there that you don’t want. Look for labels that says USA made and sourced. A few budget friendly treats that are available at Walmart are Blue Dog Bakery and Riley’s organic. Merrick also sells a large bag of mixed chews for like $10 or $12.

[Candyce M]

I find the best way is to make your own healthy low calorie dog food. You know every ingredient is benefiting your pups well being and the only additives are love. 🙂

Be careful of the amount of treats you are feeding your dog as well as that can heavily contribute to how much he is pooping. 🙂

Good luck!

[Tiffany K]

What are thoughts on proportionate sized frozen raw chicken legs and thighs? Just plain and given frozen?

I have done this with success after doing a lot of research. I feed them in the fenced in back yard so they are not smearing chicken bacteria all over the house (they would head straight to my bed) and monitor everyone (4 dogs). I check their stool, no problems and it really knocks off any tarter and plaque. Most importantly, they love them. It is a HIGH value treat to them.

Am I playing with fire? They are so many conflicting accounts of feeding raw that I can’t find the thread of truth.

Another treat I am using more and more are human grade low sugar peanut butter granola bars. Again, broken in half for the little guys. But I am skeptical about all dog “treats” at this point. I am going to real food every time.

My Shih Tzu has been “tricked” to believe that a carrot is the height of dining, as I have given him lots of fruit and veg since he was a puppy. I am skeptical about all dog “treats” at this point. I am going to give them whole, human grade food every chance I get.

[Dave V]

Oops, I appologize. This is in the wrong place. I meant for it to be in a forum on the possibility of a dog treat advisor. Now I can’t find it. If the moderator can repost it would be appreciated.

I agree with all the others but what I’d really like to see is a review of treats the same as you do for dog food. Your dog food reviews have, quite literally, saved my son Fred’s life. He had elevated liver levels and our vet in Falls Church, Va NEVER once asked what dog food I was feeding him. My sister in law told me about Dog Food Advisor, I checked the food I was giving him and discovered that not only was it only rated one star but one of the ingredients was known for increased liver levels. Switched to a four star food, levels got stabilized and five years later our NEW vet is happy with his health.

If we all knew more about what was in treats and had a rating system for them as well our “children” would be a lot better off. I’d be more than happy do donate to offset the cost.

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

[karen k]

All such good suggestions! I have been making their treats for some time, I may as well do some of the food as well. Even the “good” food only has about 17% protein, and it should be higher for these urinary issues.

I feel blessed to have found this forum, great folks and wisdom. But that is how us dog and kitty owners are!

[karen k]

I am new to all this, but now will be adding water and broth to all feedings. All commercial dog food and treats are very expensive here in Mexico, as it is all imported, so I have not used canned food. I know some folks that feed their dogs meat, as it is less expensive than bagged food. I also think the water we use is very alkaline and may be a factor. It is well water but we have a reverse osmosis system for our and the doggies drinking, so it is purified but still may be very alkaline, as it is all limestone here. Distilled water is about $1 a liter, not good.

[Ellen D]

I have a SUPER picky puppy, and he will eat anything if I pour a couple tablespoons of this stuff on it: Honest Kitchen Pro Bloom

I did search around for a brand of food he would eat without it since he goes to doggy day care a couple days a week, and they won’t add anything to his food. But he really likes the Pro Bloom, it’s good for him, and it’s helping me use up the leftover kibble from the bags he didn’t really like.

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

[Ellen D]

Hello –

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

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

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

So my dilemma:

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

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

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

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

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

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

[DogFoodie]

Starting them on the Blue Buffalo (while I would personally never use Blue Buffalo products) actually helped to give you more information. What you need to do is compare the ingredients in all of the foods they’ve eaten and reacted to see what common ingredient they might have. Through trial and error, and many, many different foods, I’ve determined that my dog reacts to all fish (including fish oil), chickpeas, lentils, flax, probably garlic and likely tomato. Keep in mind that what might be a problem for one dog might not be the problem for the other and dogs that have food intolerances frequently have more than one. Randomly choosing a brand’s food labelled ” hypoallergenic,” will do nothing to help your dog if he’s intolerant of the ingredients in it.

I would look for a truly limited ingredient food with a meat protein and a starch that your dogs haven’t eaten before and see how they do on that for a while. Nature’s Variety Instinct LID is one of the foods I’ve found that my dog does very well on. Keep in mind anything you offer them could be a problem; ie: treats and edible chews.

[LabsRawesome]

Sam, please don’t Alpha roll your dog. That is one of the worst things that you can do to your dog, and is likely to end with you being bitten. This is what I would do. Get a child that your dog knows and likes to help you. Have the child walk past (not toward) your dog and toss high value treats to her (several times) Then have the child walk by your dog with a raincoat (no hood) on and toss treats (several times). Next I would have the child put the hood on and pass by and toss treats (several times). *Don’t let the child confront, or try to touch the dog.* Keep the dog on a leash at all times, during the training session. If you do this it *should* desensitize the dog to children wearing coats with hoods and “strange” things that your dog is not used to seeing. If you do try this and it works well, I would do maybe daily (if you can) or at least weekly training sessions with the child and dog. Also, if possible, get different kids to help with training.

[Gloria K]

Lol I feed Mickey cubes of cheese, the cheddar/bacon is his favorite-mine too. But I also give him string beans, simmered for about six minutes then rolled in a dab of bacon grease in the pan. Store them in a little plastic baggie in the refrigerator and he thinks this is manna from heaven. Same goes for raw carrots or a slice of zucchini. These are great treats so you really don’t have to feed your dog “junk food”

[C4D]

agt, I forgot to mention that my little girl made it all the way through Canine Good Citizen! We’ve had her since she was about 8 months, and had no training except she appeared house broken when we got her. So it’s a happy ending!

Sam, she should be able to work out for you, but your trainer will be the best to judge. Do you always bring really good treats with you? It doesn’t always work because I have a current dog that shuts down completely when extremely stressed, but is not aggressive. He would not respond to treats in a really stressful situation. So, again after working with a trainer I slowly desensitized him by starting below his threshold, always carrying treats and slowly working up. There are still things we need to work on, but we have come a very long way.

When you find your dog in that type of situation, probably the best thing to do is walk her away and focus on something else. Sometimes even throwing a treat to the floor and letting her “find it” can refocus her energy. But again, you might need to work with a trainer who is familiar with reactive dogs. A good thing to do is really focus on her body language. Sometimes it is very subtle and/or very quick. Every dog has different thresholds. I don’t know how familiar you are with stress signals in dogs, but here’s a link:
http://www.liamjperkfoundation.org/stress.html

There are many of these on the internet. You do need to learn to read your dog. Then you will see the triggers more quickly.

[Gloria K]

I have never tried the WELLNESS CORE protein bars because I make all of Mickey’s treats but I do supplement his homemade dog food with WC grain free reduced fat kibble and he absolutely goes crazy over it. I feed him his homemade food then fill his Kong wobbler with about a quarter cup of kibble and watch the fun begin.

[Emily W]

What do you think about Wellness CORE Grain-Free Protein Bars? My boys love them. Also love Stella & Chewy’s Carnivore Crunch Freeze Dried Beef Recipe Dog Treats.

[Michael Saull]

I totally agree with aquarian that in a high excitement distraction environment likea group training or obedience class kibble probably wont work as well. But if it is just a one on one with your dog it seems to work pretty well for me, and I don’t have to worry about waking up 5 times in the middle of the night with a squirting pooch.

Also you shouldn’t let other people give your dog their sugar and salt loaded treats which can make them focus on getting THAT treat therefore making them picky.

[Dori]

I highly doubt it’s anything you would feed your dogs Marie. I know I wouldn’t.

http://www.naturaldogfoodcompany.com/adults-c-2/

Whoops! Just took another look to check out the treats that the OP was asking about and realized that the prices indicate it’s a European Company.

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

[Beth F]

I use their senior turkey/light for my 17 yr old miniature jack russell and its done him the world of good. Just browsing their website and came across their treats, wondering if anyone has had these before? They seem to be quite simple looking – I need something that has a lot of taste as he is quite picky with treats. Thanks in advance 🙂

[Dog_Obsessed]

Huh…I’ve never heard anyone recommend not to feed dogs pork kibble. My vet recommended it as a novel protein for my dog’s elimination diet, and so I have been using Acana Singles Pork and Butternut Squash. It is hard to tell if it is working or not, especially since we found out she also has environmental allergies, but she didn’t do badly on it.

As for Pork treats/chews, I have occasionally heard of contamination issues, or dogs having issues with the fat, but I think they are generally fine if from a reputable company, and of course, supervised to make sure the dog doesn’t choke or consume too much in one sitting.

[Eve D]

This possum meat dog roll was enthusiastically recommended to me by several dog owners and pet store staff. I was hesitant to give it to my dog as I am trying to avoid feeding him junk food. But the ingredients list looked ok and I couldn’t ignore all the recommendations. I mix it with Orijen kibble or use it as treats. There’s no denying my dog LOVES this stuff. But is it healthy for him?
Ingredients listed are:
Contains possum meat, lamb and/or beef, semolina, sucrose, garlic, preservatives, added vitamins & minerals | Pack Size 2kg

[Karen J]

My dog Trixie is on a grain free diet and a few supplements and doing pretty well. But I seem to be running out of good treats for training. I was boiling chicken breasts and cutting them up and she threw it all up tonight from 9 hours ago.

The Good Lovin Brand she was liking and then got bored. I just gave her a Stella & Chewy nugget, she had gotten bored with them but I think she ate, I have to go look. Maybe I have to rotate. This is such an informative group I thought you might have some ideas.

She love the Tri-Pom organic chicken jerky from Maine but it’s not such a great training tool. They’re kind of time consuming for her to chew. Plus it’s expensive.

The dehydrated treats seem to give her diarrhea.

Any suggestions? She’s smart and stubborn so I have to work on stay and come and loose leash walking and all 13lbs get reactive on the leash…so I take a pouch with me and the clicker to try to work on these issues on our walks. But without treats it doesn’t work so well.

Thank you, Karen

[Dori]

Please remember that dogs are not born picky. All so called “picky” eaters are made that way by their owners. I will also include human children in my statement. I’m glad you are going to follow Marie’s suggestion.

One more thing. No treats in-between meal treats. You’ll fill your dog up on treats and won’t be hungry for meals. Just until your dog knows that when food is put down (twice a day) it needs to be consumed within 15 – 20 minutes or it’s going to disappear.

[Jennifer H]

I would just cut back on the amounts your feeding, and look for the kcals per cup on the back of the bag, and match it to feeding for her ideal weight. For example, lets say she weighs 50lbs, and you want her to weigh 40. Figure out how many kcals a 40lb dog needs per day, and then match that to how many kcal per cup of the food (I think DFA has a calculator floating around here for that) to see what you should be feeding, as each variety of food varies in its kcal amount. Also factor in any treats she may be getting and any table scraps, as they count towards her total caloric intake.

Some dogs need to be fed less than the amounts suggested just because they are so prone to weight gain unfortunately. Just as some dogs need to be fed more if they have difficulty keeping weight on.

[homzie]

I am definately learning a lesson here! I am just so glad that my dog quit eating…honestly! Or she might have had some irreversible damage! I am also reading that there was a recall back in 2010 about very high amounts of Vitamin D in their food.

I am happy to say that Blue Buffalo has responded very quickly after I contacted them. I think they are just thinking that my dog eats whatever she wants and scraps, rawhides, etc…but they will not find that in this case. Our dog eats only grain/wheat free foods and treats and eats healthy….until now! I am curious to see what they will do. I will not be buying their foods ever again and the part that upsets me is the money wasted. The food is NOT cheap…it is double what I was paying.

[Susan]

Hi Sam, join this group on F/B https://www.facebook.com/groups/11164787803 it’s called “Dogs With Inflammatory Bowel Disorder”
I’m finding a few rescued dogs suffer from IBD due to a poor diet & malnutrition from a pup, when I rescued my boy he was doing the same every 12-15 days, we were back & forth vets he was put on antibiotic (Metronidazole) for 2 weeks & a vet diet then everything went good in the end… I found I had to stick with same diet & not give any treats nothing except his vet diet Eukanuba Intestinal low residue kibble that’s low in fat-10% & low in fiber-1.70% to let his bowel rest & heal…as soon as I’d try & change his diet he went good for 4-6 days then back to real sloppy poos & vomiting, he’d have the rumbling, gurgling bowel noises early hours of the morning then his diarrhea….I finally found out Patch had Food Intolerances & Food Allergies..that was causing his IBD, I have him on a single protein hypoallergenic, gluten free, sugar free & dairy free kibble now…with 10% fat & 4% fiber & a good Dog probiotic….

Find an limited ingredient kibble, less ingredients is the best something like “California Natural” Lamb & Rice has only 4 ingredients http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products
there a few diets you can look at… then just feed the new diet & nothing else for a good 4 months, do the Giardia test also if her foster mum swears she was never sick, what was she feeding her, maybe you’re feeding kibbles that are too high in protein & fat, some dogs cant handle high protein diets…

[Terry G]

One trick that often works well is to warm the food before serving it; it helps engage their sensitive sense of smell. I’ve seen it work best by putting the can of food in a pan on your stove and warming it like you would any food. You can add some of their favorite things, such as green beans or cheese, while it is warming if you want to. My dog loves carrots! Test it with your fingers before setting their bowls down to make sure it is not too hot. An alternative warming method is to put filtered water in your tea pot, heat the water (not to a boil) and pour that over the can or kibble in their bowl. Just stir the water for a bit and, again, check with your finger to make sure it is not too hot. Finally, you can microwave the canned food.

Warm food is very comforting to dogs because, in addition to the fact that fresh kills in the wild would be body temperature not room temperature, the dog’s own body temperature is warmer than ours; typically 101 to 102 degrees.

Just be patient. Some dogs take longer to adjust to changes. If you know you are feeding them healthier food, then don’t worry if they act finicky and don’t feed them extra treats so that they are not hungry. Remember the bit of wisdom that no dog ever starved next to a full food dish!

[aquariangt]

I’ve never looked at BB Jerky treats-as I don’t consider them to be a reputable brand at all.

Are they a chew treat or a training treat? For a jerky “chew” I use The Honest Kitchen Beams or a tendon chew-jerky like (Best Bully Sticks has plenty to choose from) for a jerky treat to break up for training, I use Ziwipeak, Real Meat, or Boulder Dog Food company.

Again, if you let us know what you’re using them for, there may be many more options, I use a variety of chews and the treats I’ve used for training seem endless. Remember a few things-hold your treat company to the same standards as food as far as sourcing, ingredient transparency, etc… and keep treats to under 20% of their weekly caloric intake. I do so much training and they get chews a few times a week, that I have to keep close tabs on this, one of mine especially can get chunky real fast

[Henry C]

Hi All,

I’ve been giving my dog Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dog Jerky Treats for a year or so. My dog like this treat a lot but the price seems high for the quantity you get. I paid about $10 a bag for 3.25 oz which doesn’t last long. I’m trying to find an alternative to Blue Buffalo with another reputable brand. Thanks

[Gloria K]

Joyce if you go to my PINTEREST Account at
http://www.pinterest.com/gloriak2393
and scroll down to the board DOG FOOD AND TREATS you’ll find several great recipes for treats of all kinds. If you’re on Pinterest I hope you’ll follow me

[Dog_Obsessed]

Hi Joyce,
There is already a topic about homemade dog treats that can be found here: /forums/topic/has-anyone-made-homemade-dog-treats/