[Dog_Obsessed]

I went to the human-only orientation of Lily’s reward-based dog training class on Monday, and they heavily stressed how good clicker training was. Our “homework” was to have the dog have a positive association with the clicker. About half an hour ago I was practicing clicker training, which I had done a few other times this week. Before she had mostly seemed fine with the clicker, sometimes she would get a little startled if I did it too close to her, but nothing too bad. But this time, I accidentally did the clicker a half second late, and it was pretty close to her. She backed up, scared, and then ran over to the couch and jumped on it. I called her to come back, but she didn’t. Then I went over and realized she was shaking pretty hard, and she seemed really, really scared. I petted her for a minute and then went to get her blanket, and then petted her some more. She recovered after a few minutes, and started taking treats from me, and then started taking kibble. She still seems a bit shaken up now.

At the class they suggested muffling the sound of the clicker if the dog was scared, which I didn’t initially do because Lily has never really struck me as a sensitive dog before. She sometimes barks if she hears sound outside, but she only usually gets as scared as she did tonight at the vets office. I am reluctant to try the clicker again, if the only thing it’s going to do is make her scared of the clicker, training, and me. I had previously been using the word “yes”, but it was harder to be consistent with that. Does any have any suggestions on how to re-introduce her to the clicker? Thanks!

• This topic was modified 11 years ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Akari_32]

I’ve been happy with Zukes and Pet Botanics treats. My cat loves the Zukes G-Zees cat treats. Does shake, high five and sit up for them. The dogs all love the Zukes Mini Naturals and Hip Action treats, and the Pet Botanics Training Reward treats, and pester for more when they are put away, more so than most human foods they are given.

[Dog_Obsessed]

If he does okay with rice then you could also use brown rice flour. I’ve also heard oats used as binders in homemade dog treats, but that changes the consistency which some dogs don’t like.

[Kayla]

I am currently looking at those links already! 🙂 I am thinking about homemade, might be cheaper in the long run!! I just have to see and hope if my Dog will like them! He tends to be picky on food and treats.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Rotation is definitely good! Look around the 4 and 5 star reviews on this site for food ideas, for treats there are some other topics in the forums that have good ideas. You can also make your own treats, here are two topics about that:

For treats in general: /forums/topic/has-anyone-made-homemade-dog-treats/

For frozen treats: /forums/topic/recipe-for-a-frozen-dog-treat-like-frosty-paws/

A topic about things to look for in commercial treats: /forums/topic/your-most-recommended-dog-treats/

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I just made dog treats with a recipe composed of various recipes I had seen online, here it is:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

2. Combine the following ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir:

3/4 of a cup Garbanzo Bean flour
1/2 a can wet dog food (I used Nulo Turkey and Sweet Potato)
1/4 of a cup plain canned pumpkin
2 teaspoons plain peanut butter
A bit of water if needed

3. Slightly grease the baking sheet(I used Safflower oil, might not be necessary.)

4. Scoop out little balls of dough onto a baking sheet.

5. Bake for ~25 minutes, until slightly brown and a fork comes out clean when stuck in.

6. Let the treats cool for a few minutes.

7. Feed to your dog!

Makes about 20 treats.

I will store these in the fridge for a few days and the freezer for longer. Lily seems to love them!

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[tecknik]

What some don’t realize is that your dog’s allergies may not be food related. That turned out to be the case for my dog. Here I was trying all different food concoctions, then the useless Dinovite and it turns out my dog has many environmental allergies including Wool, willow, dust mites, mold mites and about 20 other things.
I’ve always had her on a raw diet (Abady) which is helpful and keeps her coat nice and shiny. (less poop as well due to minimal carbs, too) I also add unrefined coconut oil for more nutrients as well as a good dog vitamin.
As for dog treats, I buy $3.99lb london broils or stew beef then grill it medium rare, then cut into bite size pieces. I will buy in bulk and freeze the remaining. It’s a little work but not that much and if you look at the ounces of a bag of good dog treats, you will find that you are paying over $10 a pound! (usually $4 to $5 for a 6oz bag of treats) It’s the best type of treat to give your dog and you know exactly what is in it.
For my dog’s treatment, we first had the allergy testing done. Yes, it is expensive and thank God I have insurance so I get reimbursed. ($500 because dog has to have anesthesia)
Second step was to remove as many of her allergens as possible from the environment. That meant giving up my two brand new wool carpets. :/ Now I clean an extra day a week as well to ensure there is no dust.
Third step was medication to cure her symptoms. She had ear infections, yeast infections and sores from all the scratching. The doctor prescribed a slew of medicines including prednisone which really stopped her scratching. Unfortunately, this can not be used long term because it can be harmful to the liver and other organs.
Fourth step (and this is where we are now) Allergy shots. It started every other day and now we are at once a week. The scratching is down to a minimal and hopefully over time her immune system will work against her allergies and she will be a happy dog for good.

[aquariangt]

I actually prefer the consistency of sojos to the honest kitchen. Not that the dogs care much, and my cat won’t eat anything dehydrated. My problem is its a bit low in protein for my liking, so I use thk and grandma Lucy’s for toppers more often, but use sojos from time to time.

However, their freeze dried training treats and good dog biscuits are awesome! Staples in my house

[Naturella]

Dog_Obsessed, please you and Lily (and the rest of your family and friends) be safe! Treats are a fun project for days in the house when you have nothing to do, but I am sure they can wait if things get bad.

[Z B]

Thanks for the input everyone ! Much appreciated!

USA dog treats – thanks for sharing the feedback from Steve. I had been doing the ABC day once or twice a week, that’s why I had the heart and liver on hand, and I thought Steve recommended that for the ABC day raw meals you could use all heart as the muscle meat ? But since I’m trying to feed raw more than once a week I’ll definitely reduce the Amount of heart and search out other muscle meats. If liver isn’t necessary with the premix I’ll prob forgo that, the dogs aren’t crazy about liver and it kinda grosses me out, too.

Also ordered his books and used some of his recipes for a few batches of Raw meals, but it was a little too much work keeping up with all the necessary ingredients and mixing it all up, etc, since I work full time. So I’ll see how the premix works out. So,far the dogs like it but I’ve been walking them before sunup and after sundown so I haven’t gotten a good inspection of how their poops are reacting.

The cats constipation emergency required a thousand dollar overnite stay at the pet ER, so I’m hesitant to put her back on the raw. I’ve found some good Canned foods that’s she’s doing well on, so will stick to that for now, but thanks for the suggestion to add fiber.

[zhiba]

Ever since my dog’s allergies became a big factor in his life, we’ve switched to freeze dried and limited ingredient treats (as well as food).

We get treats from Orijen Singles, Stella and Chewy’s Carnivore Crunch, Sojos Simply, Etta Says, Whole Life, PureBites, and Vital Essentials.

Recently I discovered the VE cat food on Chewy. It makes for excellent training treats! They are smaller nibblets than the dog food, with a few additions that I like. Comparison –

Turkey Nibblets (dog)
Ground turkey with bone, turkey heart, turkey liver, herring oil (natural source of vitamin D), mixed tocopherols (natural antioxidant), d-alpha tocopherol (natural vitamin E)

Turkey Nibblets (cat)
Ground turkey with bone; turkey heart; turkey liver; boneless skinless turkey breast; raw organic goat’s milk; raw organic apple cider vinegar; herring oil; mixed tocopherol; d-alpha tocopherol

[crazy4cats]

I like to buy Wet Noses dog treats when they have them at Costco. Right now they have pumpkin treats.

[InkedMarie]

I judge my dogs treats as much as I their food. Treats I like are anything from The Honest Kitchen and Sojo’s and grainfree ones from Buddy Biscuits. I don’t feed much for treats so others are probably more helpful than me. Definitely not Milk Bones!

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Kayla, I use Riley’s dog treats. They are organic and human grade. They have a store locator on their site. http://rileysorganics.com/ I buy them at Walmart. They come in small and large size biscuits. They are reasonably priced. 😀

[Kayla]

I am currently using Pure Balance treats. But, I am looking at another treats but when it comes to ingredients on what is a no no and what is safe… I have no idea!
Can someone give me an insight on this?

I found Dream bone treats and here are the ingredients.

• This topic was modified 11 years ago by Kayla.
• This topic was modified 11 years ago by Kayla.

[Bobby dog]

Esther B:
In addition to the HK treats take a look at freeze dried treats. My dog loves Stella & Chewy’s carnivore crunch treats. There are other companies that make freeze dried treats as well. Look at some of the freeze dried foods that are well reviewed on this site and visit their websites to see if they make treats if interested. I have also used freeze dried foods such as Primal for treats also.

I feed apple cider vinegar regularly to my dog with no issues, I have not fed anything containing green tea before (at least that I know of or could remember).

It is also easy to make your own jerky treats. I make chicken jerky and also dried sweet potato slices for my dog.

[BijouMama05]

These treats are NOT made nor sourced in China and are NOT jerky treats. I would NEVER feed my pet Chinese treats. Rosemary is a known bile exciter, which means it activates/encourages the production of larger amounts of bile than normal. Excess bile will cause severe vomiting (yellow & foamy), excessive diarrhea (which can turn bloody quite quickly), low glucose issues (due to the loss of fluids and inability to eat or drink caused by vomiting, diarrhea, & upset stomach/loss of appetite). All of this can (if allowed to continue) cause liver and kidney function issues and abnormalities. I have been in contact with several vets, animal dieticians, the FDA, the AAFCO and been involved in more than two years of studies, including several double blind studies. When rosemary is given on its own or as one of only two ingredients (rosemary and boiled, organic turkey) my dog, as well as many others have had SEVERE reactions to it. The numerous dog foods that have made ingredient changes that have caused pets (who had been eating this same food for years with no problems) suddenly begin to get sick with excessive bile related symptoms (yellow, foamy vomiting, extreme diarrhea that turns bloody, seizures form low blood glucose, and eventually, if left on the same food long enough, abnormal liver and kidney functions). Once this food is removed from their diet and a food that does not contain rosemary is fed, the symptoms clear up immediately. This has also been proven when the vet tells the owner to remove the food from the pet and feed a rice & boiled chicken diet until the symptoms clear up. Once the symptoms are gone and the old diet is started again, all the bad symptoms begin again. And the cycle continues until the pet dies, is put down, or is changed to a non-rosemary containing food. From all of the research and studies performed on this issue it appears that those most affected are smaller dogs and cats, puppies and kittens, pets with GI/Colon/GERD issues, older animals, or those with underlying health issues that makes them weaker or susceptible to the effects of excessive bile production. In addition to all of this, rosemary is also known to be a neuroleptic and has been known for this for more than 150 years (medical data involving humans can be found in many peer reviewed journals). The FDA allows rosemary in pet foods because it is Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) in humans (with the exception of those prone to seizures) and by default this means it is considered GRAS in pets, as well. However, no studies have been performed on pets (by the FDA) to determine the safety of rosemary in pet foods for ALL pets. This is one reason that rosemary (extract, leaf, oil, etc.) has to be listed independently on food labels (human and pet) and exactly as designated by the FDA, so those that have had reactions to it can avoid it. Otherwise it might be included in a pet food (or human one) as part of a generic ingredient listing such as herbs, seasonings, flavors, etc.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I have never heard of Rosemary extract causing stomach upset in general, I think some dogs are sensitive to it, but I wouldn’t blame it for your dogs stomach problems. Personally, I try to avoid any jerky treats because there have been HUGE problems with dogs getting sick from jerky treats made in China. Even if treats say the are USA made, the company could still source ingredients from China. I wouldn’t feed the jerky treats anymore, or any treats that upset her stomach, but I don’t think Rosemary is necessarily to blame.

[Esther B]

At 9 weeks old I started giving my 15lb pup very small bits of the full moon chicken strips, no problem. At 10 weeks and 19lb I started using Durango jerky nubs to start training her, she loves them, but all hell broke loose. She vomited, and has has persistently had the runs. My back yard looks like I gave a cow not a puppy. I unfortunately didn’t put the connection together until reading this forum. Rosemary is used in the jerky nubs! So tho she seems to love them I will not be giving her anything with rosemary ever again. I’m also fearful of giving her the chicken strips too as I’m not sure about the green tea and vinegar. Has anyone had problems with the chicken strips or foods with vinegar and green tea in them? Does anyone have any good treats for training that they are comfortable giving their dogs?

[Dog_Obsessed]

I wouldn’t recommend the Purina food or the Milk Bone treats. Both are quite low-quality. Look around the site for some 4-5 star foods, pick one available close to you, and start there. You can add some “extras” such as eggs, sardines, or 4-5 star canned food to make the food more palatable. Make sure you transition to any new food slowly and that unbalanced toppers don’t make up more than 20% of the diet. I’m sure other users will have suggestions on more toppers you could add. Good luck!

Edit: I forgot, a good thing is to feed variety. Change kibble or canned food from time to time, and mix up the toppers. Again, make sure you never transition faster than your dogs can handle, usually about a week is good but some dogs require more time to avoid stomach upset.

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

If you are talking about the DreamBone chew treats, I would definitely not recommend them. Here is the ingredients list for the chicken treats:

Corn, Chicken, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Fructose, Pork Gelatin, Barley Malt Syrup, Maltodextrin, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Carrots, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Ferrous Sulfate, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Sulfate, Artificial Flavor, Niacinamide, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate (preservative), Sodium Pyrophosphate, Sodium Propionate (preservative), Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Vitamin E, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Manganese Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, FD&C Red 40.

You don’t want to feed treats with Corn, or Fructose, or artificial sweeteners, or coloring. The Pure Balance treats (the freeze-dried ones anyway) are great though. Head over to the “most recommended dog treats” thread (stickied at the top of the page) to get some more treat ideas.

[Kayla]

Has anyone used this brand of treats before? Any opinions on it? I usually get Pure Balance treats since my Dog is doing really well on it and also really loves the Pure Balance food. However, I am looking to get him new treats for Christmas.

[Justin I]

H&P Dog Treats by Henry and Penny are fun and delicious breakfast themed treats. They are grain free, healthy treats made with the finest ingredients available right here in the USA. Check them out and compare the ingredients for yourself!

They offer free shipping when you get the Breakfast Buffet trio, and you can customize your order to your liking!

[crazy4cats]

Akari- I got that one today too!

B-dog- I’ll let you know how the Eagle Pack kibble goes. I think it ended up being about $30 for 30lbs, after the discount. A Pet Flow email “sucked” me in! I think it will make a good simple kibble to add our ABC toppers to. I picked up frozen beef heart treats last week at the feed store. Yum!

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by crazy4cats.

[Dori]

Hi Jake. I keep my dogs on HW (Sentinel Spectrum) year round because I live in Atlanta, Georgia. Weather is unpredictable in what is supposedly the cooler (winter) months. Last week we had a couple of days below freezing, bird baths frozen, all the winter stuff. Last few days has been in the upper 60’s and a couple of days in the low 70’s. To keep my girls safe I keep them on HW meds all year every 30 days. We’ve been in Georgia for the passed 13 years. Before that we lived in the Northeast (NJ, NY, Conn. and Cape Cod). Because the winters were completely predictable and freezing all winter long I did last HW October and nothing again until May. I think you would have to judge what your weather is. If you really have consistent old time winter weather then I guess you could keep him off for the winter months which I would do just to keep some of these chemicals out of his system and give his system a bit of a break. HW test is just the one time of year. Take some really really choice treats with you to the vet that he absolutely would do anything for. Before they come in to take blood work and while they are chit chatting with you you could just get his attention with the pieces of chicken, liver, whatever you want (no actual store bought treats or kibble….that’s not special enough) and just give him little tiny pieces as the entire process goes on. Eventually he should think of it as a good experience as opposed to the nightmarish type experience he had in the Spring. It’s worth the one time experience to keep him off HW for a few months. Just my opinion.

Let me also add that I take my dogs to the vet for a yearly physical and yearly blood work anyway. I’ve done that with every dog (there have been many…I’m 66 years old). If something is going on with them I want to know sooner rather than later. Trying to catch anything serious that may not be outwardly visible and keep track of all their levels and if anything has changed since the year before so they are accustomed to having the bloodwork draw anyway. Through the years I have found that things were going on that I would never have been aware of if not for the blood work. I was then able to start working with nutrition and supplements more geared to the issue.

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Dori.

[Rich]

COSTCO/KIRTLAND killing pets: Well I’ll share with you what NOT TO BUY. Stay away from Costco, they CLAIM to have products from the USA but I don’t believe it, maybe the mailing address for the profiteers is in the USA but their ‘treats’ are pure JUNK !! We bought their chicken jerky’s that were ‘USA” advertised, when we opened the package we almost got chemical burns in our noses !!!! Took it back and they treated my wife like there was something wrong with HER ! Found this about Costco foods KILLING PETS. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/kirkland_pet_food.html

BTW, I now taste everything new I feed my dog, we almost lost Bear, our Sheppard Mix due to bad food and I won’t allow it again. TASTE THOSE DOG TREATS, some have so many chemicals in them it will literally burn your tongue BUT YOUR DOG WILL STILL EAT THEM.

This is why I joined this site, there needs to be REAL consumer protection with animal foods.

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Rich.

[Naturella]

Dori, I sent you the letter! Sorry, I was finishing up Paper 2! Now on to the poster presentation for it, and tomorrow and the rest of the week are Paper 3 (due Friday) and presentation for Paper 3, which will be done Monday! Then polishing up Paper 1, and then a final! And doooooneee! 🙂

@Dog_Obsessed, wish you also lived in GA! We do have another GA person on the forum, weezerweeks. But she lives far from us…

And nice, those are the types of stores I like myself! Do they have a sales rack? My favorite local store has an amazing sales rack with great prices on soon-to-expire dry and canned foods and treats and what not, it’s awesome! 🙂

[Terry P]

Pure Balance Apple and cranberries dog treats gluten free no soy wheat of food coloring all natural

[Mom2Cavs]

Petbrosia does have 2 base formulas. They cannot add or remove ingredients from them. The only way they “customize” is to increase or decrease the amount of said ingredients. For instance, Laverne, had the Salmon grain free with 25 % protein and Rupert and Hazel had the Salmon grain free with 30% protein. Some of the other percentages were different between them, too. Laverne is 2 years older than Rupert and Hazel. The ingredients for all three bags of food were exactly the same and in the same order. Hope that helps. Imho, it isn’t really that customizable. I think the formulation is okay but with too many lentils and beans for my taste. My dogs seemed to like the sample bags fine, however, I only used some of the food as treats. I would also like to see some limited ingredient base formulas.

[Susan]

Hi Ellen, Sheperds are known to suffer from Colitis/IBD, My boy can eat boiled rice, it irratates his bowel causing very very sloppy poos, but he can eat the rice in kibbles….. Have you tried adding a little bit of boiled Pumkin only about 1 spoon to a meal..Patch does good on small amounts of boiled pumkin & boiled chicken breast, but if I add boiled rice, I’m up at 2am-5am with his bowel grumbling, rumbling & gurgling, the noises, I can hear him from another room…just from boiled rice…..

With the treats what I do is I just give his vet diet kibble or make my own treats, oh I’ve been giving him some Watermelon as its been hot but not too much just about 5 little pieces after his walks he loves it….alot of treats from shops are high in fat% & I found can cause problems, (sloppy poos) have you joined the Yahoo group called “IBDogs”….or the Face Book group called “Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disorder” its good to talk to people that are also going thru the same thing…
You could try what BC has said but is there any meats he does better on like chicken or turkey…. buy a breast then cut up thin slices & make jerky but only give him a few little pieces to begin with for about 2-3 days & give his kibble aswell as treats & see if his poos are still going good..then increase them if everything is good….. My boy cant have the Liver jerkey treats he has real bad diarrhea with blood….. I use to make “Oatmeal-Apple Cookies” treats…Patch did good on the Oatmeal & Apple. I have the recipe if you want…they’re very very easy to make & you know what you have put in them…..

[Kayla]

I am a college student so I understand about money haha

I am using Pure Balance, and I got a 30 pound bag for 30 to 32 dollars at Walmart! It is good quality and you can look at the reviews on here! They also have wet food and also treats. My Aussie Dog loves them! They also have different flavors so you can rotate. They also have grain free I believe too. The prices vary but I think the most is 40 dollars for a 30 pound bag. So far, I am on my second 30 pound bag and no issues with my Dog. He is happy, healthy and very active. His coat actually looks better too 🙂

[Susan]

Hi Vicki, you have a beautiful girl, I have a English Staffordshire Terrier, he’s also short & real stocky, he too suffers from the stinky yeasty skin, paws, ears, mostly his paws now…

Everyone will tell you, put her on a grainfree diet. WRONG… Grainfree doesn’t work for yeasty itchy dogs… they have replaced grains with Starchy Potatos, Peas, Topioca, Sweet Potato, (a bit lower in starch) Legumes etc…
I had to do an elimination diet to find out which foods were causing Patches problems, I found Potatos, Sweet potatos, Peas, Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats, Banana all made Patch itch even causing diarrhea (pototes) anything that was high in STARCH & Gluten, so now I try to keep Patch on a Gluten & Starch free diet….

You seem to be doing everything right, Maybe try the Antiseptic rinses with Betadine (Iodine) this really helps Patches red itchy stinky paws, it kills the bacteria..I use Detol Antiseptic lotion instead in a shallow bath, it works out cheaper then the Betadine you need the water to look like ice tea with the Betadine, you end up needing a whole bottle, where with the Detol antiseptic lotion, I only need a couple of caps to a shallow bath..

Now you need to start on the inside with her Diet…..

Kibble is NO GOOD, to make kibble they need binders to bind the kibble together Peas, Potato, Sweet Potatos, Rice, Oats, legumes etc these all are high starchy carbs causing yeast problems in dogs, the best way is no kibble… feed either a cooked diet or a freeze dry diet or both… no kibble….. 1 for breakfast the other 1 for dinner, I boiled chicken breast & add little boiled Pumkin for breakfast…

Have you looked at freeze dried foods like “K-9 Natural” instead of kibble, it has NO GRAINS, NO POTATOS, GLUTEN FREE, NO HIGH STARCHY CARBS…alot of people swear by K9 Natural, once you get ur girl off kibble the nightmare will start to end for both of you….. K9 Natural also makes treats, they do freeze dried & raw ….click on the product you want to have a look at & all the ingredients will come up……the chicken or the venison has the least amount of fat %…..even find another freeze dried brand with the same ingredients that K9 Natural uses if you can not find K9 Natural in pet shops…
here’s their link its worth a try…
http://www.k9naturalusa.com/

Good Luck with Gracie Mae

[Akari_32]

Here’s my Black Friday haul!

From left to right:

2x 35 lb Tidy Cat Litter Pails ($7.99 each)
24x Wellness Divine Dou’s (4x @ $1.59 each, 12x @ $1.34 each, 8x @ $1.30 each– 12 not pictured)
3x Nature’s Variety Instinct Pride ($1.15 each– not on sale, used as filler)
6x Halo Impulse Cat Food ($1.99 each)
1x Hill’s Science Diet Soft and Chewy Dog Training Treats (Free for getting to PetSmart at ungodly hours this morning)
48x Friskies Special Diet ($0.39 cents each)
1x Hill’s Ideal Balance Cat Treats (Free with the Hill’s dog treats)
2x Wellness CORE Puppy Food 4lb ($14.99– not on sale)
2x Nature’s Recipe Whitefish and Potato Dog Food 4.5 lb ($9.99 each)

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/A729F6D9-874C-433A-A016-17B9FAB54F23_zps7y7blsco.jpg

Not Pictured:

1x PetMate Jumbo Litter Box
3x Zukes Dog Treats ($2.74 each)
3x Wellness CORE Cat Food 2lb ($8.99 each)
1x Natural Balance Ultra Cat Food Can ($1.69)
1X Blue Buffalo Naturally Fresh Cat Litter ($4.25)

All for a grand total of $58.38! The Wellness dry cat food, Natural Balance can, Blue Buffalo Litter, and 3 cans of Friskies were all donated to the local shelter. I should also note that I got the Duo’s at three different stores lol

The coupons I used:

3x $10 off $25 purchase (three separate orders)
1x $4 off $20 purchase
5x B2G2 Wellness Divine Dou’s
6x $1 off any Halo product
5x $7 off any Wellness dry dog or cat food
2x $5 off Nature’s Recipe dog food
7x $5 off any natural or specialized dog or cat food
4x $1 off any Wellness can (used on the Duo’s)
$2 off any Blue Buffalo Naturally Fresh cat litter

I did so many transactions and shopped at three different stores that I don’t even want to lay everything out for you guys– sorry lol But I left with $100 this morning that my uncle gave me and I didn’t even spend it all!

I took a couple pictures of my stash after I tunred the spare room into the stash-room for all the dry food and random pet stuff :p The bests parts are:

78 lb of dog food
190 lb of cat litter
5 bottles of dog shampoos
3 bags of cat treats
5 bags of dog treats
150 cans of cat food
28 cans of dog food

*edit* sorry, the computer decided it didn’t want to live any more. Thankfully it still lets me edit on my phone lol Here’s the pics!

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/DF3_zps26cc4d6b.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/DF4_zps23ec278d.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/DF5_zpsae3aa912.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/DF6_zps05853349.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/DF_zpsc7a61da8.jpg

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/DF2_zps226c4e0b.jpg

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Akari_32.

[Ben H]

Hi all…new to the forum. This thread is awesome but a little overwhelming to search through 79 pages of replies…LOL. We are going to be welcoming home to Lab pups at 8-9 weeks coming up soon and want to be sure to get them started out well. I am compiling all the new puppy stuff, a trainer to help with the hurdle of bringing two dogs home, and all the other fun stuff. 2 Questions. I have checked out HDM’s list (awesome btw) but was hoping for someone to point me in the right direction. I need something that is good, while being somewhat budget conscious. Our local pet store carries Best Breed and highly recommended it. I’ve attached the link. http://www.bestbreed.com/puppy-diet.html Also, can someone give me a good idea for training dog treats? I went to the store and walked out thoroughly overwhelmed. I’ve raised pups before but it has been awhile. LOL Thanks

[Kayla]

He just lost a few pounds and so far just stayed there~ No sign of sickness, he is still happy and active… His stool is fine and no vomiting. I did give him a little bit more food for dinner since…He is getting bigger and very active. I will weigh him this weekend, and keep watching him. Perhaps, since he is a big dog…he needs more food and 3 cups isn’t enough. Idk. I will try 3 1/2 including dry and some wet food and some treats here and there.

Lately, since he has gotten cooler…He is more active. Every time I take him out, he wants to run… no joke! lol

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Kayla.

[Kayla]

Weird question!!

My Dog is an Aussie and he is around 1 years old…He will be 2 years old in August. I have been feeding him Pure Balance dry food and sometimes a little bit of Pure balance wet food as well has treats. I feed him 3 cups of food and some treats…He is also 50 pounds. However, lately.. My dog looks like he is a little Skinner? Why is this? Do I need to feed him more? or what?

Dexter is not sick, no puking and also his stool is normal and hard. He goes twice a day. Morning and night… sometimes 3 times total but very rarely.

[Akari_32]

Thanks for all the help guys. I was thinking about giving her pumpkin, but she’s so sensitive to food that I don’t want to risk making it worse by introducing something else into her diet. I do have some though, and may try it. We’ll be making pumpkin pies here soon, so I’ll just nab a couple spoon fills out of the can before mom busts out the spices.

She used to be on Royal Canin Dachshund formula. And given what I’ve seen of her previous owner, she probably was on it for most, if not all, of her life. She wouldn’t eat it when I got her, and actually hadn’t eaten dog food in several months because her mouth was so infected that she wouldn’t eat any dry food. I only had a small amount of her old food, and ended throwing most of it away because I tried various ways to get her to eat it (water, broth, some left overs) and she just wouldn’t touch it until I offered canned with it. At that point she was almost completely on Wellness Toy Breed Complete Health Healthy Weight (lower protein and fat), so she had very little transition time. She didn’t do any better on that than she does on CORE Small Breed.

I don’t really think chicken is her problem, given she was on Royal Canin before I got her. However, I do have a bag of Salmon and Potato Wellness Simple and have a bunch of Beef and Lamb Purina One cans. I should have enough of those cans to get her through a bag of dry. It would at least be a starting point, I suppose.

I yell at my mom and grandma all the time for giving them too many treats. My grandparents are the worst. They come over and give Ginger and Bentley a good half cup of treats each. What’s worse is they’ll come over with some nasty cheap crap like Beggin Strips or some soft dollar store brand treats and give them a bunch of those!! My favorite is when they SEE me making the dogs dinners and they give them a bunch of a treats anyways. Pisses me off to no end. You don’t even understand. It’s to the point now that I hide the dog treats when I know they’re coming over.

[Susan]

Hi Akari, what diet was she on before you got her & was she having poo problems before you got her?? I’d say her diet is too rich now, probably to good….i’d be lowering her fat% no kibbles with the fat% over 10% thats max 10% also protein, lower her protein around 23% or under…have you tried boiled chicken breast with 1 spoon of boiled pumkin or boiled rice, she eats this only ….no treats nothing else for 2-4 weeks & see how she goes also treats are high in fat, Patch cant eat treats or wet tin food, unless you can find a wet tin food with 1% fat…….. I’m finding alot of rescue dogs suffer with diarrhea, their old diet was probably cheaper foods & lower in protein & fat, then new owners put them on better diets higher in fat & protein & grainfree diets, they are not use to it, a normal healthy dog can eat these diets…. Poor Ginger is probably getting the rumbles then has to go quickly & if she is in a crate she’ll have an accident..I live in a unit with a little court garden Patch was having accidents, I’d go to get dressed in the morning to take him for his walk & go in the loungeroom & he would of poo’d he couldnt hold it, at first I thought he’s being naughty then later I found he has IBD & was put on his Eukanuba Intestinal low residue kibble, low fat 10% no more accidents but Ive tried him on the Wellness Simple no good, Holistic Select no good, (Black Hawk, Meals For Mutts Austraian brands) other brands all no good, we end back up on his Intestinal & boiled chicken breast & pumkin & he does 1 poo 7.30am & another poo 5pm both perfect, give him some rice or potato he has diarreha give him treats he has diarrhea, I had to have him on just his Intestinal for 6months….Now I give him a little bit of mashed banana, watermelon things that dont have any fat or high in fat, If you can contact Gingers old owner & see what she was feed….just try a stricked diet for about 1 month & see how she does….

[Dori]

Hi Akari. I swear by Perfect Form but from what I’m reading if this is an ongoing issue you would have to give Ginger the correct dose of Perfect Form with every meal. She’s small so it wouldn’t be much. Personally I think she’s having a food intolerance issue. I tried researching some of the foods you’re feeding her and most, if not all, contain some type of poultry in the ingredient list. It could be that she does well for a little while but with the addition of a canned as a topper that has more of whatever ingredient she is having an issue with which may or may not be in her kibble, it’s more than her gut can tolerate. If I were you I would attempt to find a food (dry and canned) that does not contain any poultry whatsoever and no white potatoes. White potatoes and tomatoes are high inflammatory foods and are probably also causing issues with her old age arthritic symptoms. That’s the reason Hannah gets no foods with white potatoes, rice and tomato. Also, there are dogs that cannot tolerate white potatoes yet do fine with sweet potatoes. I wish I could be of more help but I really do believe that the diarrhea has to do with her foods. As I said, find a kibble with NO poultry of any sort and a canned with no poultry of any sort. Feed her only those foods for a couple of weeks without rotating anything else into her diet and see how she does. Also, what treats if any is she getting from you or any other person that thinks she’s just too cute and needs a treat?

[Bobby dog]

Talia B:
I don’t know of any treats that would be soft enough not to crumble when inserting a pill into it.

If you are up to making something you could buy some lean ground meat from the grocery store and make small meatballs. I make them for my dog as treats and freeze them. I pull a few out at a time and keep in the fridge for treats. I use about 2 lbs of lean ground meat and add an egg or two, roll them to about an inch in size and cook them at 400 degrees for about 5 or 6 mins. You can also add other ingredients if you have them (and they are appropriate for your dog) like finely chopped dog appropriate vegetables, turmeric, parsley etc.

I have also seen people suggest cooking canned food for treats. I have never tried it, but I imagine it would be easy to make a soft treat out of canned food.

[Talia B]

Hello,

I have a golden with a bunch of allergies and to keep them in check she gets a pill. She is allergic to peanut butter and shouldn’t have cheese bc of chronic yeast ears (We are x plowing different food options also). The treats that we have used are not that nutritious and dry out over time even if sealed correctly or they crumble when your pushing in a treat. So has anyone found the perfect dog treat or does anyone have a recipe. We use to use cream cheese (before we knew it was contributing and would love w similar consistency 🙂

[Naturella]

@cdubau, THK Perfect Form is a supplement, I can find it at my local pet boutique/specialty store, it is given in small amounts and here it sells for $1.59/pack. Lasts my 15-ish lb terrier mix about a week when given as directed twice a day. Really works miracles in the guts.

http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/treats-supplements/supplements/perfect-form

Sells for $1.25 on the website, but I would probably go for the box of 16, just to have handy. Together your dogs will probably go through about 5 teaspoons/day or so, so close to a pack/day. The box of 16 will be enough for 2 weeks, to see how they do.

I try to keep about 2-3 packs at all times for just in case.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Naturella.

[Susan]

Hi Alina, how long has he been on the wet & dry Natures Variety?? You know Rottweilers are prone to IBD, Like Dog Obbessed said put him on boiled Chicken, rice & a little bit of boiled pumkin for 1-2 weeks, rest his stomach/bowel, no treats, no wet tin, nothing else, if he’s still doing very sloppy poos or diarrhea after 2-3 days on the chicken & rice, I’d see a vet…

[arwyru24]

It’s always really bothered me that it would even possibly be worth it to ship chickens halfway across the world and then sent back. It’s crazy and super shady. I also do not buy anything jerky regardless of the brand. Before I was better educated I bought my last dog jerky treats ..blue buffalo brand and also happy hips. He lived to be 15 when he died and I don’t think he suffered any ill effects but it’s hard to say He got epithelial lymphoma at about 14 and the tumor was removed but who can really say what causes some of the cancers. It really hurt his quality of life in his final year. He didn’t tolerate chemo well and developed pancreatitis as a result and it was just a hard last year. I don’t make my own food or feed raw but I try to do all that I can to feed healthy foods and not take undue risks but I am always questioning myself. I have a vet I trust implicitly now but unfortunately didn’t find him until the dog was 13 and cat was 15. He would have saved both of those animals a lot of pain and suffering. The dog had two surgeries to remove crystals the second time he was 12 and was blocked completely. The other vets just had him on c/d dry his whole life. This was the first vet to tell us water is very important and took him off the rx food and had us feed high quality canned with lots of water added in. They don’t push science diet there they give a list of brands they suggest which are all good choices (taste of the wild is the only one I can think of that’s debatable) It’s such a shame that it’s so hard to know who and what to trust to take good care of our pets. I agree with BC nut completely. … this shouldn’t be so hard.

[theBCnut]

I use Vital Essentials freeze dried dog food for treats. Also Pure Bites freeze dried duck liver.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks! There are some freeze-dried treats I give her, they are called Trail Buddy treats and they are made by a company called Cycle Dog. For some reason, the only place they are available around her is REI. There are some other freeze dried treats at the pet store that I might try. In terms of freeze dried food, is dehydrated/freeze-dried the same as raw?

[Karen J]

Okay, so she’s not getting a lot of treats because I’m so busy I haven’t been training her much. She only gets the supplements once a day.

But, what small kibble, grain free options do you think might be worth a try? You sound very much against BB, they are tiny bites and grain free. But she’s not eating them all of a sudden.

Now I’ve heard dogs do self fast. I’ve tried Orijen dry no go and too big and Merrick wet, wouldn’t touch it.

I haven’t found any pee puddles lately, that’s the good news 🙂

[theBCnut]

Are you maybe giving too many treats? She looks like a very small dog. If she is still pooping, she is still eating. Try cutting out the treats for a couple days. And try cutting back on the amount of supplements, in case they are decreasing her appetite. If her eating doesn’t pick up then, changing foods again may be what you need to do. My dogs didn’t like BB when I tried it, but that was years ago. Personally, I’ve heard too many stories of dogs getting bladder stones on it for me to want to feed it to a dog with crystals.

[Karen J]

Trixie, the dog that had crystal in her urine and having a puddle in the house occasionally is now taking d-monnase & vit c using cream cheese as a delivery vehicle – nothing else hides it.

no grain, she was eating Blue Buffalo Basics, grain free, small breed “lamb& potato with Stella & Chewy chicken dinner patties crushed -sprinkled on top.

stopped eating kibble and stella just started a few days ago. Poops though. She gets Good Lovin Lamb & Kiwi blend freeze dried treats, grain free treats, Natural balance dental chews and bully sticks, so she’s not getting that much of it. Occasionally a pure bites chicken breast treat freeze dried.

She’s active and healthy and as far as I can tell pees and poops outside on the patio thru the dog door and when we go on walks.

last few days won’t eat the kibble and stella & chewy mixture at all.

What gives – do I change her food again?

don’t know if she still has the crystals, supposedly no infection or stones prevailed.

[theBCnut]

They do not know what the Chinese chicken breeders did to the chickens or what the processors did to the chicken to make it lethal. I read all 82 pages of the FDA report. They tested the jerky for everything they have a test for and even created new tests to test the jerky, but they never found anything that should have caused those problems. There are still things they suspect, but they have no way to test for. It could be something that the chickens were fed or something that was added afterward. Nobody this side of the ocean knows, and nobody that side of the ocean is saying either. No, there is nothing about jerky treats that makes them harder to process.

I really think the problem is that they come from a country that does not value life, so they don’t care what they do to treats for dogs, and especially American dogs. Frankly, if I lived somewhere where dogs got more expensive treats than what I got paid, I probably wouldn’t care either.