[LexiDog]

Plato’s Farmer’s Market treats are fairly large with good ingredients. My dog likes the Chicken & Vegetables one.

[Shasta220]

FreeholdHound, glad they’re tripe treats….. Would one have to trip over trip treats? XD sorry, couldn’t resist that one! LOL!

There are countless brands that you can find at boutique stores, and the ones above suggested are good. Just avoid any problem grains, sugar, and other unneeded additives (if an ingredient raises a slight red flag, just say no).

Honestly though, I’d think it would be best to just do a web search for “wheat free dog treat recipes” (or grain free). You can cut then out to those big-bone sizes. Home made jerky is also great….just pop some meat slices in a dehydrator or oven until jerky-like.

[JamesKelly]

I had a miniature poodle who loved Xxxxx treats. She got blood in her stools, vet found very high liver enzymes (couldn’t figure out why). Suspicious me, I then took her off of Xxxxx treats. While she was disappointed, her appetite did improve. About about a year later wasn’t looking too lively, took to vet for standard testing. She died when her liver fell apart & she bled out at the vet’s office.

Don’t care to get sued so I leave it to you all to figure out who is Xxxxx.

No idea which ingredients destroyed her liver or where Xxxxx is made.

I do know that most of us European-type humans have eaten grain for the last 5000 or so years. Don’t believe Dogs participated in the agricultural revolution. I only get dog food or treats with no grain, made in USA and ingredients I can pronounce. No guarantees, but if you buy grain Dog may not digest it well. Even many humans can’t handle the gluten in grain varieties developed over the last four or so centuries. Wolves/Dogs eat meat, and some vegetables.

If you buy Chinese food for your own use, you get what you deserve. Your pet does not deserve anything from China.

[Suburban Gal]

I’ve always used a myriad of different treats for training. I’ve found that my dogs like a variety and are always excited to see what I pull out of my treat pouch next.

That said, some of the treats I use and have used for training in the past include but aren’t limited to the following:

-Bil-Jac Little-Jacs
-Bil-Jac Original Recipe Dog Treats
-NATURE’S RECIPE Dog Training Treats
-Hill’s® Science Diet Ideal Balance Soft & Chewy Training Treats
-Crazy Dog Train-Me! Mini Training Reward
-Pet Botanics Mini Training Reward
-Butcher’s Selects Premium Treats
-My Little Wolf Dog Treats
-Omega Paw’s Thins
-Lassie Natural Way Flavor Bites

I try to buy treats with good ingredients that are made in the United States. However, I also try to buy treats I’ll know my dog will eat. If I use something for training purposes and my dog won’t eat it, we have a problem.

Whatever you’re using for training purposes be sure your dog likes it. It’s more important your dog likes it than who makes it, where it’s made and what ingredients are in it.

If I have mostly good treats for training and one or two sub-par treats like Pup-Peroni who cares. My dog is mostly getting good treats and it’s not like they’re really getting them outside of training, which is usually an hour once a week for about 5 to 8 weeks.

[USA]

Hi scottny,

Why does it have to be a cookie type treat? I make jerky treats for my dogs using free-range chickens and wild caught fish. They are 100% meat or fish which is much more appropriate for a dog than a cookie type treat. They will give the stomach acid something to work on to help with the regurgitation issues. Dogs absolutely love all meat jerky treats. Chicken is the most universally liked dog treat I have ever seen!

A simple recipe is use any fish fillet or chicken breast or piece of meat that has no external fat. Slice thinly, turn oven on lowest setting. Place on cookie sheet and if possible leave the oven door slightly ajar to let the moisture out and bake until treat is able to be broken in half by bending.

[pugmomsandy]

I use Wagatha’s organic dog biscuits. They are wheat free, just not grain-free. I have used Instinct biscuits before and they weren’t small. They’re grain free freeze dried Raw Boost treats might work too.

[scottNY]

My 70 lb, 16 month old pit mix has always had regurgitation issues, particularly in the morning. He was checked out by my vet and it seems like an irregular esophagus, nothing too serious.

One of the things I have found that helps is getting him to munch on something to absorb some of the overnight stomach acid build up prior to giving him water in the morning. Unfortunately, he loves the large Milk Bones, but of course, I don’t.

I have tried the Old Mother Hubbard Classic Bac’N’Cheez Biscuits Baked Dog Treats, which are a great size, but they are not that healthy and aren’t grain-free. Of course, my dog doesn’t like them as much as Milk Bone, either. I am trying to find something large, at least relatively healthy [he only gets one a day] and definitely grain-free that I can use. It seems almost everything that is healthy and grain-free is small.

I always get good advice here and much of my dog’s dietary/nutritional routine comes from DFA. Any ideas?

P.S. If anyone is wondering why I don’t just give him a few different healthy, grain-free cookies, the answer is my dog has always been a picky eater and I consider it a success if I can get him to eat one thing in the morning. Multiple cookies are a chore.

P.P.S. If anyone is searching the word “regurgitation” and finds this post, I would be glad to share the things I have done to minimize the problem. One idea I got from this forum was to add Iceland Pure Sardine Anchovy oil to his diet. I went from at least 1-3 regurgitations a day to 1-3 per week, maybe fewer. Coincidence or not, I don’t know, but amazon.com ships me my supply monthly and we aren’t stopping it – ever!

• This topic was modified 11 years, 11 months ago by scottNY.

[Nina Z]

My dog recently had another bout of vomiting/diarrhea (both at the same time this time) so I decided to take the plunge and have her tested for allergies. Her results came back and her food choices are super limited, as she tested borderline to potatoes, beets, and peas (among the more common beef, wheat, etc). Thankfully, the only protein she was definitely allergic to was pork.

My question is, should I follow the food recommendations given to me or can I fudge a little with the peas/potatoes/beets? The options given to me were AvoDerm, Pinnacle, and California Naturals, along with prescription diets. I would probably go with the Pinnacle if I had to, but I really don’t want to go with any of them. The other choice I have is Honest Kitchen Thrive, but I was really hoping to get a kibble for cost/convenience.

Any suggestions? Any other foods that don’t include peas/potatoes/beets that other people are feeding? I could also live with a mix of the HK and Pinnacle, using the kibble as treats or something I suppose.

[Liesa K]

My dog has grandma seizures I am able to keep them down to (1) every nine months with no cluster seizures, have the vet run a (5) panel thryoid and check sugar levels, did you have any pesticides put on your lawn, or flowers, could your dog have eaten any dangerous plants in your yard. Unfortunately once a dog has a seizure they are prone to seizures, you need to find the underlying causes. My dogs thyroid is being attacked by his system we suspect yeast is the offensive underlying problem, the thryoid when it isn’t able to work properly drops his sugar levels, which causes the seizures I have a blood glucose testing kit for him, he is not diabetic. I am positive this was the cause from giving the chicken jerky treats as I had another dog who ended up with cushing confirmed by blood tests but he never lost his hair, he was also yeasty he passed before he was 7 years old.
I use Azmira Herbal products line and this is why I am able to keep the seizures down to (1) every nine months. Over exercise causes him to have seizures and the heat which causes yeast over growth. still trying to get a handle on the yeast, he is (5) years old and a tibetan Mastiff (pure blood). If you get the thryoid test have it checked by Dr. Jean Dodd she has incredible expertise in the thyroid epidemic, please be careful with seizure medications as this can cause more seizures and is very hard on the liver, my dog was never put on seizure medicine, also as soon as he has a seizure I start putting organic honey which is very thick not runny like most brands and this brings him outta of the seizure quicker and helps to not have the cluster seizures. Good Luck.

[Naturella]

Cindy_g, I would say you can finish off your bag of Blue (if you haven’t yet), but slowly be weaning your dog off to Merrick, then try something else too!

Lynn J, you can look into Victor Grain Free, and maybe Nature’s Variety Instinct, they do have chicken meal in some, but not all recipes, and are pretty good, 5 stars as well.

Becky G, why don’t you try topping with canned when you transition between foods? Most dogs like canned and would eat just about anything mixed in with it. Then you can (if you want) slowly reduce the amount of canned, until he eats the kibble alone. Canned is even better to keep in the diet though, so up to you. Also, you could add pumpkin, yoghurt, cottage cheese, kefir, or something else instead of canned if you’re up for that – my dog loves all those toppings too, and even though he licks them off first and licks and spits out the kibble at first, once the “topper” is gone, he eats whatever is in his bowl and licks it clean. Another technique that may work is, get (if you can) a sample size of a different food. Victor, Earthborn Holistic, Nutrisca, Taste of the Wild, Canidae Pure, Nature’s Variety Instinct are some that I have seen samples of. Then use those kibbles as treats and do training often – see if you can trick him to like any of them. It may take a while, but it works – I have gotten my dog used to new food this way before too. Good luck!

[Shasta220]

I wouldn’t be too concerned about the protein/fat, since obesity isn’t a concern for Bru. I have no clue about the added taurine and stuff…. Probably be better to stick with dog food and maybe using the cat Kibbles as training treats on occasion? I’m just about to give my dog a can of catfood. Maddy ate some for a few days, but when it sits in the fridge (air tight container, yes), she gets picky and won’t eat. Dogs don’t mind at all though, hah. I figured it’ll make a great treat for ’em.

[Naturella]

OMG, USA Dog Treats, thanks so much for the informative post! Our clippers are guillotine – so yeah, I think that’s why Bruno didn’t quite like them.

But I really want to get a Dremel and try that soon, so I will keep you posted! Payday on Wednesday! Woohoo! 🙂

[Shasta220]

Very nice info, USA dog treats! I also find that for wiggly dogs, it is usually fine to just clip the middle two nails on all four feet and then the dewclaws (if needed, my boy has a rear dewclaw on one side that is huge and in a half-circle, we are slowly “moving” the quick back. The other one? It got torn off when he was a pup, and now it only needs to be clipped once every 7-9mo).

Most of the time, the two outside nails don’t need more than a tiny sliver removed, if that. So if you can at least get 8-10 nails out of your dog in a day, then that’s great.

I find going for regular walks/jogs is plenty to keep the rear nails filed (whew! Loki hates having those ones messed with)

[GizmoMom]

USA Dog Treats, Thank you for taking time to write a very long informative post. It is very helpful.

[USA]

Currently I make dog treats and I am a canine massage therapist and I make essential oil based flea products for dogs and cats. I used to be a groomer. My expectations for using a dremel where high. It does not cause as many nail bleeds as a nail clipper but if you press hard and keep going the nail can still bleed. However, it vibrates the nail and this can be a problem. So here is my mini guide to nail clipping.

Heavy Grit Nail File – Puppies and any super sensitive dog can benefit from a nail file. First you begin to associate good things with your dog letting you handle their feet. Treats, toys, love, whatever is a high value reward for YOUR dog. Stay below their freak-out threshold. This means that if your dog freaks out the minute you get close to their foot you stay just outside that threshold and reward. You slowly move closer and closer to the foot each time stopping just before they reach their freak-out threshold and you reward. If you go too far just stop for the day and continue tomorrow.

Once you can handle the foot without a reaction you touch the file to the nail and if everything is still good you give a stroke and so on. This requires patience and determination but you will soon be filing your dog’s nails. If you file your dogs nails regularly you will not have to do anything else.

Nail Clipper – Only use pliers type clippers or scissor type clippers. Guillotine style clippers have a cutter on only one side and are much more likely to crush or pinch a nail. Any nail clipper you use MUST be super sharp. As soon as they begin to dull throw them away and get a new one! If your dog’s nails are very long and there is a nice chunk of nail that you can cut without hitting the quick then DO NOT use a grinder. Grinding large amounts of a nail are usually more upsetting to a dog than one quick clip. When clipping a nail don’t softly squeeze the clipper. One firm squeeze and your through. A firm squeeze IS the way to go. If your dog has dark colored nails and you can’t see the quick, cut small slivers and look at the nail from the bottom where you just cut. As you get close to the quick you will begin to see what looks like a black dot in the center of the bottom of the nail. This is the vein canal and you are getting close to the quick and you have gone far enough. In light colored nails the vein canal will show as a pink dot. If the nails are still touching the floor at this point you should cut a sliver a week until you get the nails just above the floor. Each time you cut a nail close to the quick the quick recedes a little and in a week you can cut another sliver. If you wait two weeks or more then the quick is right back where it was and you will not be able to get the nail any shorter than the last time.

Dremel – Good for finishing any nail to remove the sharp edges or to slightly shorten a nail. If there is long hair you can slide your free hand under the hair and pull it back. Long hair can get wrapped around a dremel and upset you and your dog!!!

Walking on concrete helps any dogs nails and with enough walking some dogs never need their nails cut. Dewclaws never touch the ground so they must ALWAYS be checked!

Dang, that might be the longest post I ever wrote!

[Shasta220]

If this food is helping, then certainly stick with it. If not, then possibly try an elimination diet….not always are allergy tests accurate. Try to do a super simple home made diet, or stay with the food (making sure she has no more allergic reactions), then add chicken for a week or two. Then try rice, or potatoes, or any other suspect allergen food. It’s time consuming, but well worth it.

Most of the time, for allergy prone dogs, home made and raw diets do the best anyway. It’d also be better since you could know exactly what goes in her bowl, no more looking at the ingredient list!

About the treats, I am disappointed with natural balance treats since they add molasses (sugar)…. Try some home made treats (keeping em simple….fruits, veggies, meat, and coconut flour or something if necessary. Bake in the oven for about an hour until nice n dried)

[Maureen P]

I am looking for a 5 star (or as close to) quality Grain Free and Potato Free dog food in both kibble and wet dog food for my 12 year old JRT @ 13 lbs, 11 year old CHI @ 6 lbs. and 9 year old Yorkie @ 7 lbs. – They all have terrible itchy and dry skin, licking paws and pink irritated belly skin – Where my pups are concerned no price is to high for their well being. I know I am over the top and love them like my children ( crazy dog lady here!)

They currently eat Artemis Small Breed Adult Dog food. Two of the 3 are on benedryl with every meal – Will not give them the predisone, only helps when they are on it.

I give them the Coco Therapy coconut chips, fruit and veggie crunch treats. At dinner in their food they get cosequin plus MSM, as well as brewers yeast and garlic tablets, Dr. Mercola krill oil. In their Poland Springs water (have never had tap water, as I live in NYC) I put 1 tsp.of Bragg Organic/unfiltered apple cider vinegar.

I bathe them monthlywith Dr. Mercola Peppermint Shampooand also use the same conditioner, both are recommeded by Dr. Mercola for skin problems. I have even tried no conditioner at all and only using 1/2 water and 1/2 Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar with no rinsing. This all started about 18 months ago.

Please. . . . any help or information would be greatly appreciated !!!! Thank you all . . .

[Natasha F]

Our rescue bully, Henry is chubby. We feed him 3/4c 2x daily & a handful of green beans of Solid Gold Wolf King right now, but after realizing that Diamond manufactures it, beyond using a different food, I will likely switch brands. We walk him every day, which he grudgingly does, although he can only go about 4-6 blocks before he is too tired to walk (has had to be carried home before!). He weighs 56-60lbs and the vet says he is 5-8 lbs overweight for his build. We throw his ball for him, which he will sometimes do, but he is a lazy bugger. He also has a bad rear foot & leg as a result. The vet thinks that his foot was broken as a puppy & never seen to. We got him when he was about 2 so we don’t know. As a result, he gets sore & tired, & limps fairly fast.
So, I am looking for a new food that is very good quality but would be good for weight loss. He gets a freeze dried sweet potato chew once a day, 2-3 baby carrots or other veggies for treats…but no biscuits or other treats of that nature. We already feed him less than the recommended amount so I think a different food is a good idea?
He is prone to yeast infections in his folds, toes & ears which I treat w unfiltered cider vinegar, natural ear wash & daily wipe downs.

[Cyndi]

I use a grinder/dremel. I bought it at the hardware store. When I had my Doberman, I used to take him to the groomer inside Petsmart to have his nails done. One time when I took him, some f’n b**ch hacked everyone of his nails down to the quick. It hurt him to even walk. I couldn’t even get him to go back into Petsmart after that, he was THAT traumatized. Needless to say, I got that b**ch fired and ever since then I do my dog’s nails myself, with a dremel. It does take some getting used to, and some dremels are quieter than others. My Bailey is really good about it now, but it did take alot of treats to get her used to it.

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

[Naturella]

Hello, wonderful people!

Ok, my next topic of research are pawdicures – do you do them yourselves for your fur babies, or do you let the professionals do it? Do you trust your vets, or commercial groomers such as those at a Petco or Petsmart?

If you do your dog’s nails yourselves, do you use a nail clipper or a nail grinder, or both? What is best (particularly for a small dog, 13lbs)? We have a nail clipper for Bruno but he seems to be afraid of it no matter how slowly we condition him to it, or give him treats. He also gets spooked by the sound of the nail being clipped…

Any input or shared experience will be appreciated!

[Suburban Gal]

I give Gizmo, my 7-year-old papillon, Greenies and he really enjoys them.

I’ve never had a problem with giving a dog Greenies. Greenies were awarded the VOHC® Seal of Acceptance in 2007 and good for a dog’s overall oral health.

I think Greenies are just as safe as any other chew. There’s always going to be a risk of choking or intestinal blockage, but that’s with any chew-type treat. If an owner is really THAT concerned, then I think Greenies and other chew-type treats should be given under direct owner supervision and be taken away from the dog if there appears to be a problem.

[Susan]

Hi again, What I do when I buy a new kibble, Patch cames to the pet shop with me (we can have dogs in Pet Barn as the shop is for them) & I show him the new kibble when we get home, then I start the new kibble as treats & give it to Patch only as a treat for a couple of days, then I mix a very little thru with his old kibble to get his tummy & bowel use to it, I only start adding under 1/4 of a cup for 1 week then if his poos look Ok & he doesnt seem to have any pain the next week I start adding more just under 1/2 a cup with his old kibble I start to know by now if he’ll get his pain from a kibble..In Lew Olson book she has a section about Picky dogs & what not to do..I also show Patch the 2 different kibbles & let him smell them both in the palm of my hands & I ask, “which one do u want to eat” & he’ll pick which hand he wants to eat, its always the newer kibble he picks cause Ive been giving it to him as a treat so he much think its special..

[Naturella]

Hi, all – again! My new question is, how safe is it for a dog to consume cat kibble? For example, I noticed that the Nature’s Variety Instinct cat kibble of the Rabbit variety is 40% protein, and similar ingredients to the dog one. I am pretty sure the proportions would be different, but… how different? I know the cat is an obligatory carnivore, so the cat food SHOULD be even more meat-based than the dog ones. In fact, the NVI Rabbit for cat has the first 4 ingredients of meat origin, then peas, then rabbit. Then more meat in the freeze-dried bits. So yes, mucho meat.

I am just wondering. I do give Bruno said kibble (I got a small sample of it) as treats once in a while, don’t think it should hurt him – right?

The pet boutique I shop at often told me that the main difference is the protein level and the taurine – which is supposed to help with eyes. So, yeah, basically is “good” cat food safe for a dog to eat?

[crazy4cats]

Frank-
I think most of the 4 and 5 star foods are dye free. Also, there is a video that was posted today on allergies on the review side of this site under off topic discussions. It’s pretty informative. It talks a little about ear infections you might want to check it out. It’s posted by USA Dog Treats.

[chris h]

Hi,

My dog is a golden/collie/spaniel mix that we rescued a couple years ago. She had terrible yeast issues when we got her, her skin was black which looked strange on a dog with golden fur. After too many antibiotics and recommendations from various vets, I decided enough was enough. I researched foods and put her on the Natures Variety Instinct limited ingredient turkey meal formula. I then researched probiotics and I ordered the probiotic miracle on amazon. I get the year supply for $39.99. It took six months and lots of research but her skin is now pink and healthy, her fur is silky and she is a happy dog. We really can’t try too many different foods or else she will start itching and having trouble again but she gets carrots and duck treats which she loves. The probiotic miracle has done wonders combined with the right food. Hope this helps.

[aquariangt]

They’re good, and the good dog ones are small so they actually work for training treats too even though they’re crunchy. Not too high in cal count either. The classic line (Duck/Cherry, Chix/Veg, Sweet Potato/+Cant remember? Salmon?) Are a bit bigger, but easy to break and not too crunchy. I like them.

On topic of treats, we just got in some of THKs, and while my dogs love them, they kinda said they were quick eats so they still worked for training, and during agility last night, the pecks took Dani so long to eat that it was a bit of a hindrance, and she made a huge mess of them. Cool idea, but not sure i’ll use them much

[jakes mom]

Here in Ohio we only do HW meds june-nov unless it’s been an unusually warm year. Seems to vary from vet to vet whether dog gets tested every year.
Bobby dog, Jake had his second piece of chicken back and it was about like the first time. I gave it to him and he just kind of looked at it, then me, back at the chicken, gave it a lick. He played with it for a couple of minutes, kept glancing at me. I told him he was on his own, I wasn’t going to hold it again! After playing with it he settled down and chewed it up!
I wish I knew what he was thinking. He likes it obviously, since he ate it, but he doesn’t go crazy, all bouncy and excited, like he does with other treats. Bobby sounds like a cutie, that’s quite a combo! I love it when the ears don’t match the body! Or ears so long it looks like they’ll trip over them! lol
Jake found a bunny nest on our walk in the woods today! He was sniffing under a log and lifted his head, had a tiny bunny in his mouth! Really tiny,eyes still closed. Lungs worked, tho! Was squealing like crazy! I put my hand out and told Jake to drop it and he gave it to me. Seemed ok, wiggling all around , no blood. Jake has a pretty soft mouth. So I put it back into the nest and we’ll stay away from that area for a while! I’ve read that bunny moms don’t care if there’s human scent at the nest, they’ll still care for the babies. So I hope that’s the case anyway! It was so tiny, I could have fit 2 in the palm of my hand! Just adorable!

[Elisa C. R]

Hi everyone!

There may be a mention of Sojos somewhere, but thought I would just start a subject line. I, for the most part, make my own dog treats, but came across the Sojos that are wheat and corn free. Has anyone had any experience with these treats? Your opinion?

THANK YOU!! : )

[Mom2Cavs]

I use to use their treats every day, but have since stopped all soft treats. I liked them a lot for my dogs and they liked them, too. If I wanted a soft treat, they would be some that I would buy again, along with Wellness Pure Rewards. I’ve seen their food online but have never seen it in the stores. I’ve never tried it. I’m not sure but if memory serves me correctly it’s similar to Ziwipeak.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 11 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Susan]

You said that ur dogs itch none stop, you must start with an elimination diet, I started one about 1 month ago as my boy has Pancreatitis & enviornment allergies we dont know if he has food allergies that’s why I’d say the vet suggested an elimination diet, The vet said the first month just feed boil chicken but I knew my boy could eat boil chicken so I added cooked pumkin, then when I saw he wasnt scratching or rubbing his tummy on my beautiful white rug the next week I added sweet potato within 2 days Patch was rubbing on my carpet so I stopped the sweet potato & know he cant have sweet potato or a kibble with sweet potato…. then I added pasta another NO it made him itch then I read dogs with skin problems like yeast & bacteria shouldnt eat carbohydrates, potatos, sweet potatos etc, then I added half a boiled egg & he’s been good, Im thinking of adding broccoli next.. Im reading Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs by Lew Olson PhD she has help me understand alot of things & this group its a easy book to read & very easy recipes, she explains what foods aren’t good & what foods are good for certain illness, like Skin problems & what causes ur dog to itch, Pancreatitis Diabetes, Gastro problems, feeding senior dogs, getting a pup onto raw etc, she has cooked recipes & what supplements to add.. in the elimination diet you cannot give any treats nothing, just that one food for 2 weeks then 2 foods so on.. you must cook all vegetables so they are fully cooked, she even suggest to pulped vegetables as dogs digestive system weren’t meant to eat vegies, here’s one of her recipes for Skin allergies a Low Glycemic regular fats Diet..this is for a 50 pound dog to be divide into two or more smaller meals per day.
8 ounces 1 cup regular fat ground beef
2 ounces 1/4 cup beef liver or kidney
2 eggs scrambled or boiled
4 ounces 1/2 cup steamed or boiled broccoli
4 ounces 1/2 cup cooked yellow crookneck squash
4 ounces 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
Serve meat cooked or raw combined with cooked vegetables eggs & yogurt if serving meat cooked wait until meat & eggs have cooled before stirring in the yogurt…..
What I do is I cook once a fornight & freeze everything except the egg then put in fridge the night before to thaw for next day…

[Naturella]

Hello, all!

So, I figured I would ask – what do you all give to your dogs (if anything) for the ailments in the topic? When we got Bruno they told us that Trifexis was the most complete pill, for all them worms (treats and prevents), and kills adult fleas. Well, he was on that till March, when the vet decided that he had plateaued on weight and will probably never leave the 11-20lb segment. So they told me I can no longer buy the individual Trifexis, but only 6-month supplies at a time. So I went online (for financial reasons) and was about to get him some Trifexis, but I saw another drug, Sentinel, which claimed to also treat and prevent all the worm types and kill flea eggs (not adult fleas). It was also cheaper by like $100!!! So we got a 6-month supply of that. Bruno had his first April pill with no problems.

Well… My question is… Is it good enough? Is it really comparable/better than Trifexis? Do I need a complete pill or can I do the twice-a-year shot for Heartworm that my friend does for her dogs and not worry about fleas and such? What about topical anti-flea solutions? Do they work, are they good for the dog? My cousin was saying that he thinks it is much better to put chemistry (topical anti-flea stuff) on the dog than inside (pills that make his skin toxic to fleas), but he’s never had a dog. And what about Heartgard? My roommate uses it, but I think it’s just for Heartworm…

Basically – is there a “best” combination, and what is it, or what is it that works for y’all?

[Ryan C]

Hi everyone,

I’m new to the forum, I came across it when trying to find out if the puppy food we recently purchased was all that the bag said it was. We bought Purina beneful puppy food with soft morsels, and I’m sure you can imagine my horror when I found out that not only was the packaging less than honest about its nutritional content, but that it was downright bad for our dog!

We adopted him at about 11 weeks, he’s now 6 months old, and we believe that he is a labrador/jack russell mix. He was always picky about his kibble – we started him on the kirkland dry puppy food, then went to Taste of the Wild, which he sort of ate, and then moved to Purina – which he seems to really enjoy. Problem is, it’s not good for him!

I think the main reason he enjoys it is because it has softer bits in it, though that’s just a guess. So, my question is, what dry puppy food do you think would be the best fit for him? I’d like to find something that’s 4-or-5 stars, but nothing extraordinarily expensive. I was thinking about getting the Wellness Complete puppy recipe – it’s relatively affordable, and he went nuts over the Wellness salmon puppy treats, so I figured he would enjoy the same brand of kibble that’s also made with salmon.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

[Akari_32]

Some other goodies I’ve pulled from my other threads/responses to threads 🙂

~3x 6 pound bags of Blue walnut litter for $8

~15x 3oz and 3x 5.5oz cans of Wellness Grain Free (Purple cans) for $0.70

~34x 5.5oz cans of Wellness Grain Free for $17

~52 5.5oz cans of Friskies Special Diet for $16

~9x 3oz cans of Wellness Grain Free for $0.35

~4x 4lb bags of Wellness CORE dog food for $10

~6x 5lb bags of Pet Botanics, 1 20 pound Tidy Cats tub, 1 3oz can Blue Buffalo cat food, 1 pouch Blue Buffalo cat treats, 4 small (3.5oz??) cans of Purina Pro Plan cat food for $30

Some coupon sites I use. The Target Coupons I use at Publix.

http://printablecouponsanddeals.com/Category/pet-products
http://coupons.target.com/pets-coupons
http://www.couponnetwork.com/
http://www.projectpetslimdown.com/Home/Offers
http://www.coupons.com/coupons/Pet-Care-Coupons-102/
http://www.petco.com/petco_Page_PC_petco-coupons.aspx

[neezerfan]

I’ve had my rescue dog for about 5 weeks now. His vet exam was excellent, bloodwork, fecal, urinalysis, dental all good. Vet said he needs to gain weight. He was 12 lbs 5 weeks ago, should be 13-14. So I used the dog food calculator on this site and have been feeding him enough calories for a highly active 13 lb dog plus giving lots of treats. I weighed him yesterday, 11 lbs! I realize it’s a different scale so could be some discrepancy so I’m going to the vet this week to weigh him there, but I’m trying to get him to gain and he ends up losing? WTH? He is very active, he’s a jumper, pacer and runs a lot with my other dog. My current rotation is Farmina kibble (it’s a winner!), Darwin’s, NV Instinct frozen raw, Whole Earth Farms, Nature’s Logic and By Nature canned. I know Darwin’s can be a little on the lower calorie side so I’m making allowances for that. His poops are a much bigger volume than my other dog’s are. My poor guy is so skinny! His ribs are prominent.
My plan is to order Abady’s granular to add into his food, maybe make some satin balls when I get the time. But here’s my question: do you think he’s more likely to gain if I add in more carbs? What he’s getting now is high protein, do you think that’s just not working for him for the weight gain. If more carbs are the answer, I’d rather give him home prepared additions to his food.
TIA for any advice!

[Naturella]

Carlyn, I see. Yeah, I have given my roommate’s dog a few kibbles of Bruno’s food here and there as a training treat and it took her a minute to eat them, which is so odd, cause it is a much better food (I use Victor GF mixed kibbles and Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit – all from samples – as training treats for Bruno, as well as his actual kibble, which right now is Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch with Victor Yukon Salmon and Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension Original). So eventually she ate it, but yeah, I try to not give too much because I am not sure how she would be. She has eaten SD her whole life, switching between the chicken and lamb as protein (at least there has been SOME rotation), and he gives her some chewy fish-based treats (yay fish!), so she has been exposed to that too, so I think she is ok with having a tiny kibble here and there as a treat, especially because her particular SD formula is 3.5 stars, so not terribly bad (Earthborn Holistic CC is 4.5, Holistic Health Extension Original is 4, and the Victor GFs and the Nature’s Variety Instinct are 5, but are all mixed, so it evens out to like 4.5-ish). And I think the lab pup should be ok with a kibble here and there too.

But, I do agree animals sometimes tend to go for the lower-quality food – it took the roommate’s dog forever to try a kibble of Bru’s better food, and I have caught him eating her SD Lamb&Rice a few times, that idiot… So yeah, it probably is like “yummy fast food” to them, idk… lol

[Shasta220]

I probably won’t give the pup more than maybe a few Kibbles of my food as training rewards (even though they buy a different flavor of PPP and are giving me several bags for treats), as I’ve heard some horrid stories of dogs who went from a 2 star food to a 4-5 star and got terribly sick. I may drop a bug of this site in their ears though…

Too funny about Bru Bru! I wonder if dogs sometimes like the cheaper stuff the way people often like hot dogs and McDonalds… Like my cat even! She’s a picky lil thing, and I’ve barely been able to get her consistently eating Felidae, CS, and NB canned. I had a can of dirt-cheap food (it was in the pantry from several years ago. Before I knew anything about animal nutrition, mom used it to put our 17yr old cat’s meds in) out for something (NOT for the cat!). I turned around, and Maddy was pigging out on it….did I forget to mention her bowl was freshly filled with Felidae? *face palm*

[USA]

Hi Guys and Gals

A few years ago when it became clear that there was a problem with the Chinese Jerky I started to make my own jerky treats. I use only free-range chicken for my chicken jerky and wild caught fish for my fish jerkies. My treats have only one ingredient, meat fish or poultry. I use fresh meats from local supermarkets like Whole Foods so all of my treats are human edible. I gently dehydrate the meats to make jerky. I vary the drying times so I can make a more chewy treat or a crunchy treat.

Since dogs are designed to eat a diet high in meat and low in carbs plus they absolutely love jerky treats I wish you guys would make your dog’s treats with more meat and less carbs. You don’t need to use flour or a lot of starches if you make jerky type treats. You can use whole meats, fruits and vegetables or you can grind up mixtures of meat and veggies or fruits and dehydrate them. You can make them in an oven at the lowest temperature or you can use a dehydrator. Veggies and fruits will add antioxidants and vitamins while meat will supply the needed protein and fat.

Even though I call them treats the jerky I make is designed for a carnivore like a dog and since dogs absolutely love meat based treats it is a win win situation!

[Tammy M]

My Pompoo has lost her hair since eating Blue Buffalo dog food & treats. Has anyone else had this problem?

[theBCnut]

Hi Dori

I feed half kibble since the squeamish people in my house could have to feed sometimes, so I don’t worry about upping the protein. Between the raw I feed and the freeze dried, I think mine get about 15-20% carbs, which is a very good level for mine. IDK how much carb is in the raw you feed or what kind of fiber yours need. That would play a part in whether or not it would actually be important for you to keep up with feeding fruits and veggies for treats. Mine get a fruit and veggie mix added to some of their raw and some of it already has some fruits and veggies added, but I really limit my dogs carbs because Micah starts having issues pretty quickly if he gets too much. Angel gets even less, she is basically on an anticancer raw, which means she gets next to no kibble and gets lots of antioxidants and supergreens.

[Dori]

Hi “thenut”. I’m always concerned about giving freeze dried meats or fish as treats. Doesn’t “up” the protein levels. I’m already feeding the dogs pretty high proteins due to the commercial raw feeding. I originally started with the raw fruits and veggies (tiny amounts per day) because of Katie’s (yes I will say it again) allergies but then I started thinking that raw freeze dried treats would add more to their daily protein levels. What do you think on this subject? As always, you are one of the posters that I trust your judgement and experience. Thanks, Patty.

[InkedMarie]

I have a few treats here: couple boxes of THK Beams, one box of THK Wishes and one little tube of their Quickies. They’re all fish, can see sense a theme? LOL, safe for Boone but it’s been probably a couple months since they’ve had one, I think. Mean dog mom, I guess LOL

If I was going to use fruits and veggies, they wouldn’t get them anymore than they get what I have on hand. Ive just never been a big treat giver.

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

[Dori]

Marie. I don’t buy treats for my dogs. Most, if not all, have the same crap the foods have. That’s why I give fruits and veggies. OH! Big slap on the head! I just remembered Boone can’t have fruits and veggies till you figure out his yeasty ear issue.

[InkedMarie]

I’d stop the biscuits. Rice, maize, tapioca….all can be problems. I’d offer some ideas for treats to buy but I don’t think you’re in the States, are you?

I must be the only dog owner who’s dogs rarely get treats.

[Dori]

Sue, you really have to cut out all ingredients that I and others have posted. Your dog is obviously has food intolerances and actually they sound more like out right allergies. It really really sounds like allergies and not something else.

Again, try just carrot sticks as a treat for two or three days and see if it makes a difference. Also every time you walk your dog, before bringing him in the house, rinse his feet off incase it’s something his allergic to outside. You can keep a small kitty litter box with some fresh water in it. Rinse his paws (all four) and dry his feet with a clean towel. Don’t forget to change the water once or twice a day. That will help eliminate any issue he may be having from outside walks. What you’ll be attempting to do with the carrot sticks and the rinsing of his feet is an illumination test. It will help narrow some things down.

Allergy testing is sketchy at best. Human allergy testing is not totally perfected, canine testing is very inaccurate. You can have it done two or three different times and will arrive at different results. The only reliable way to know what your dog may have issues with is illumination. It’s really the only thing that works. Dogs can have reactions to multiple ingredients so you have to just do illumination.

Also, please do not put sugar in your treats. Very very bad thing to do. Dogs just love to it. They will eat pretty much everything and anything. Sugar is bad for the systems and horrendously bad for their teeth especially when there is no need to include sugar.

Shasta 220. Good catch on Sue including sugar in the treats, I missed that when I was looking over the ingredient list.

[david j]

Honestly I’ve had a huge struggle with my dog and his nutrition. Anything that my dog would eat, all the major brands, would make him sick. I have him on a prescription food form my vet and its 70$ per small bag!! Insane, so i did research and came across this video/product that explained a lot. The major brands like Iams and Pedigree put a lot more ingredients than they say. DONT BUY them. I recommend you watch the video i came across, it helps explain a lot. let me know what you guys think?? http://goo.gl/7AWYSK
And I agree on making your own treats/food, its the safest way to go, especially after watching all harmful crap they put in dog food. Thanks for all the info tho!!

[david j]

Honestly I’ve had a huge struggle with my dog and his nutrition. Anything that my dog would eat, all the major brands, would make him sick. I have him on a prescription food form my vet and its 70$ per small bag!! Insane, so i did research and came across this video/product that explained a lot. The major brands like Iams and Pedigree put a lot more ingredients than they say. DONT BUY them. I recommend you watch the video i came across, it helps explain a lot. let me know what you guys think?? http://goo.gl/7AWYSK
And I agree on making your own treats/food, its the safest way to go, especially after watching all harmful crap they put in dog food.

[Dori]

A number of dogs have issues with corn, soy (that’s a big one for allergies), yeast, of course, wheat is a biggie too. Sounds like there are a number of ingredients that could cause allergies. Also some dogs cannot eat eggs. Have you thought of given them fresh organic carrots, string beans, blueberries, etc. for treats. Try that for a while and see how it goes. One of my girls has many many food intolerances and allergies so all treats here are fresh organic fruits and veggies. They love them and no allergy issues for Katie. I always have sort of fruits and veggies in the house so I give them what I’ve got. Sometimes a piece of apple, sometimes banana, whatever is in the house. If I’m eating a piece of fruit I’ll give them some too. My girls are very small..5 lbs, 6 lbs. and 7.3 lbs. so remember go according to size.

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

[Shasta220]

I will agree with the leave it. Giving him a “pop” might be the quickest way, and it seems like they’d learn. It actually just teaches them fear-association. They don’t know it’s bad or wrong, and obviously don’t realize that it could hurt them. They do, however, associate “Hm…after I eat something….I get in trouble….. Eek! I’m in trouble!!!!” And they sense your anxiety/disappointment/upset attitude which goes into more fear.

This gives many owners the impression that their dogs do have consciences and know wrong from right. It is wrong though, dogs don’t have a conscience, they simply know energy signals from their owner, and will associate actions with responses.

I’ll agree with Sue on the leave it.

There are many variations, and most of them will (hopefully) get the same results: a dog that will ignore something on cue.

I taught my Loki (he doesn’t eat everything, but he gets just as dangerous by attacking everything from roosters to weed eaters) the leave it in a few steps.

#1. The stay/still. Make sure Bruno knows how to stay or hold still fairly well.
#2. “Watch me”. This is one of THE most important commands I’ve ever taught Loki. The concept is fairly simple. Start by holding a treat by your face. Say “watch” when he focuses on your face, reward him (I hide a treat in my opposite hand and use that). Eventually try to have the treats completely hidden so you know he’s watching you, not the food. Also try to get him to focus on you for several seconds before the reward. This step can take time and needs practice (a great one to work around distractions, too!)
#3. The leave it. When Bruno is sitting/laying calmly at your request, hold a treat in your fist. He’ll sniff it and know it’s there. Tell him to stay, and place the treat a bit out of reach. If he stays, then reward him (with a different treat. Leave the other on the floor). If he gets up, take the treat and give a correction (just an “ah ah” and a touch on the neck is fine) and put him back where he started.
Once he stays, then ask for a “watch”. When he watches, reward.
Tell him “leave it. Watch me” and move the treat a little closer. If he ignores it, reward.
Eventually, you should be able to have the treat between his paws while he calmly watches you.

I didn’t go /quite/ that slow with my boys, as I sometimes needed that “leave it” in an instant. But if you can make the time to go slowly, then it gives a great foundation.

Your goal is to hopefully get him to the point of /always/ looking at you before taking something on the floor (believe it or not, my crazy anxious Loki will now bring me /anything/ new that he wants, drop it by my feet, and look at me. If I tell him “no” and put it up, he walks off. If I tell him “okay” he continues to eat it/chew it).

Once he does pretty good with the treat, then get adventurous! Try using a favorite toy instead. Try tossing something past him (Loki will leave a treat that goes by his face, but isn’t quite to the point of maintaining eye-contact. He’s gotta turn that head and glance at the treat first…..he’ll get there tho).

Try to incorporate “wait” or “leave it” into your daily routine. It’s a snap to practice, as you can use it on his dinner, his snacks, his training rewards, and even in his playtime! Get creative with it to make “leave it” a fun game, and have Bruno thinking “Oh goody! Something new! I’d better wait for mom’s permission!”

Until you’ve both got a good hold of leave it, prevention is definitely best. Try to keep everything picked up and out of reached, even if that might include confining him to a room or two.

[Akari_32]

Jakes mom, I bought 5 chicken wings tonight, one for him to eat, and maybe one for Bentley to eat, then whatever’s left will be cooked for meat-water (omnomnomnomnom!).

I did look at Pet Supermarket tonight on the way home, and the cheapest one was $20! Yikes! I can whip something up cheaper than that! I just might, too lol I’m gunna check other places and see what I can find.

Stay away from that litter! I hate that stuff! LOL

Bobby dog, it’s ok, I think it’s funny :p His license says Gary but I’m think about teaching to respond to Haru. We all call him Kitty anyways, so I might as well give him a name I’ll call him. He loves those Blue Buffalo treats so much, so I don’t think it’ll be hard. :p

• This reply was modified 11 years, 11 months ago by Akari_32.

[theBCnut]

Kibbles are pretty much all high carb because they need the carbs to hold the kibble together. Think about using a low carb canned food instead. There is a topic on the review side for diabetic dog foods and there is someone(USA Dog Treats) that monitors that thread and is very knowlegable about diabetes.