[Akari_32]

It’s here!!! I have about 60 pounds of food to go through yet before I can try the dogs on this (provided the expiration date is that far off. I should check that…. lol), but I’m super excited 😀 The bag isn’t as big as I thought it would be, though LOL I was imagining like one of those beastly bags of like Ol’ Roy or something. Nope! It’s not any bigger than a 30 pound bag of food (but it sure does weigh more!!) lol

The dogs are both eating lamb right now, so they’ll be getting a good rotation going lol Well, technically Haley is still on chicken (Wellness CORE), but she’s got just enough left that I can add in the Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Lamb and Rice under it, and then she’ll be on lamb. They’re basically just going back and forth between chicken and lamb right now, though I did nab 15 pounds of salmon Pet Botanics last weekend. I do have plans to try them on either the bison Pure Balance, or the bison (or maybe fish??) Nutrisource next. I guess it just depends on how much money I have in the dog food fund when their food gets low. I just spent it all ($30) on 30 pounds of Pet Botanics dog food, 50 pounds of cat liter, and a few cans of cat food and a bag of cat treats (let me just say, the Blue Buffalo cat treats: kitty crack! LOL). Not bad, though! Woulda cost me close to $150 other wise, so I’d say I did good lol Wasn’t expecting to spend my dog food fund so soon (just replaced it after all that cat food I bought!), but the dogs gotta eat and I got a SUPER awesome deal on that Pet Botanics, and I hate having less than two months worth of food put away.

[deborah d]

I no longer trust them to feed any more unless I have manufactured myself from my own free range cattle. Unfortunately it ususally ends up being the processing plants and equipment at fault, i.e., machines which are not properly or regularly cleaned, foreign objects in the processing equipment, etc. I am learning that one cannot be too careful. I have feed ORIJEN for years; it is a high quality dog food and manufactured on site. I also feed PRIMAL RAW. the ONLY treats my dogs are allowed are dried sweet potato and prior to this – bullies – I use Primal because it is fit for human consumption as is Orijen…this is a scary time and one cannot be too careful. I am still seeing dark green stools today so I know whatever this is still trying to move through their systems. Today I add Probiotic. The store which sold me this bully is the best store in this part of the state regarding quality but this proves anything can happen. Diligence and more diligence. I don’t think your problem is the Orijen but did you mix it with the other food to introduce slowly? Are you feeding Six fish or meat? I have seen some rumblings about Arcana this week….on Susan Thixton’s site.

[Shasta220]

Sue, so cool you’re doing dog treats! I’m starting up as well, trying to sell them at farmers market. There’s one other guy who sells them too, but his treats have wheat (only one uses rice instead) and dairy. Mine will all be wheat free and I’m even going for GF in a couple. Plus I’m leaning more toward healthy things that might sound good to a person (e.g. Pumpkin Flax, Savory Potato & Chicken), but the other guy just sticks to flavors like cheese, bacon, etc. Keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll get at least some buyers 😀

[crazy4cats]

My dogs get a bully stick once a week. We always secure them in vice grips to ensure they don’t just swallow them. One of my dogs is very bad about gulping. They last a little bit longer than most chew treats we give them. They love them!

[Susan]

I forgot to mention Grain Free Kibble BUT alot of the Grain free kibbles have Potatoes, the Holistic select just has Grounded White & Brown rice..or the other option is an elimination diet, the dog cant eat anything except 1 food,no treats , thats what Im doing at the moment but Ive speeded it up a bit as the vet wanted just boiled chicken for 1 month, I waited 1 week then added another food pumkin then the next week I added sweet Potatoes & he started his itching & his ears started to stink, so Ive stopped the sweet potatoes, now Ive added half a boiled egg for this week..

[Shasta220]

I know there are a lot of people who love bully sticks. I don’t use them simply because my dog turns his nose at them (I think he knows where they come from, LOL!!!).

I don’t think a raw bone would do much harm unless it was a big load-bearing one (shoulder, leg, etc). Possibly try giving him some chicken backs/necks, and even freezing them to make them last a bit longer.

I also like to stuff toys (good rubber that won’t tear, of course) with treats and peanut butter, then freeze. This keeps my heavy chewer busy for a long time 🙂

[Shasta220]

Just came up with a new one! Still working out the bugs since the treats are very soft, and I want as much moisture out as possible (so they last longer)

I call it “Savory Sweet Potato”. Ingredients: sweet potatoes, flour (oat, but I will buy some garbanzo to make them GF), chicken heart, carrot, parsley, coconut oil, garlic.

I know, I didn’t mark anything as organic – that’s because this was just a test batch, and I used whatever was available in the kitchen, so I’m unsure what was/wasn’t organic. When I make them “for real”, I’m hoping to make at least 80% organic 🙂

They do smell divine though, that’s for sure! My dad almost ate them when they came out of the oven! (He didn’t….as he made the mistake to eat a PB dog cookie last week!)

[Dori]

Hi Nectarmom. It’s nice knowing your still around. I hadn’t seen too many of your posts lately. My girls are doing better than I could possibly have imagined. A number of months back I did the complete transition to raw. All bad breath, gas, tear staining, goopy runny eyes has been history for quite some time. Their teeth are all incredibly white, I wasn’t expecting that they could get whiter since I’ve always brushed their teeth. Their hair (fur) is shinny soft and they all smell kinda sweet. It’s not their shampoo because I use soapless shampoos with no dyes or perfumes because of Katie and my allergies. The three of them have always been chow hounds but this is really ridiculous. They lick their bowls clean and leave them like they came out of the dishwasher. Lola who was getting a little chunky has lost some weight. Well, actually they all have on the raw. Lola was up to 6 lbs. maybe a little more, she’s now at 5 lbs. where she should be. Katie was a little over 7 lbs. she’s now at 6 lbs. where she should be, and Hannah was up to 8.5 lbs. and now weighs 7.3 lbs. Vet is delighted with all their weights and wanted to know what I’d done differently. So all is good here. Oh, they the water that they drink is from the tap at home, we have a whole house filtration system. I never thought it was the water. I always suspected it was the food for it to be happening to all three of them even though some were posting on the other site that it was clogged tear duct, hair in eyes, etc. For all three in both eyes, couldn’t be. I gave up the discussions, dropped the site, listen to the posters and moved to raw. I do add unrefined coconut oil, sardine oil (3 times a week, or sardines packed in water), organic fruits and veggies. No commercially made treats. How are your dogs doing? Still tear stained?

[Mary W]

My normally 14-15 lb bichon had a bladder stone removed and put on prescription food to dissolve (didn’t work) and prescription U/D after. He had one oxalate stone, is older but in good health except for hip arthritis. He is now 17.5 lbs (he was 18) and it is not good for his hip or health. 1 -1 1/2 cup/day is recommended. I have cut him back to only ONE-HALF cup/day and he has not lost much if any weight after 3-4 months! He also gets unsalted broth/water and cauliflower for treats;both are low oxalate,low calorie. He lost weight easily in 3 months or so before his stone on Wellness Healthy weight. I’m thinking of switching him back to that food JUST until he loses some weight (2-3 months), then back to his u/d, but I’m concerned about stone formation on regular food. The extra weight has not helped his arthritis. I feel trapped between overweight/bladder stone formation. The 1/4 cup/feeding he gets now is not much food-so I am concerned about cutting back u/d further. He is always hungry and searching for food as it is. Any ideas?

[Cesar M]

Thanks for giving the website for dog treats. i think its really helpful for us.

Thank you

[Shawna]

Hi Gina,

My toy breeds (I have eight) and foster dogs (Boston Terriers and Papillons) all get raw or some raw. Between my own and my foster dogs, I’ve had more than 30 dogs on raw and never had a problem with even one of them to date. I actually have had two foster dogs that could not digest kibble well at all but did fantastic on raw.

For the record, I do have one dog that I will not feed raw edible bones to as she is a gulper and has choked on chew treats before. If she tries to swallow a chew treat that is too large she is likely to try to swallow a bone that is too large. I mainly feed ground, commercial raw but wanted to mention that..

• This reply was modified 12 years ago by Shawna.

[Dori]

Marie, there have been a number of what is known as a “silent recall” through the years and, unfortunately, you have to be googling and constantly researching and get on every dog food recall list on line that you possibly can in hopes that sometimes those in the know get wind of them. That’s what I do, anyway. I don’t rely on any one site for recalls. As you know The Truth About Pets is a really great one. I check that site out every single day as well as others. Anytime I find out about any company or brand that has done that I cross them off my list of foods. I don’t adhere to the thinking that anyone can have a problem so let’s give them another chance. Nope! Any company that has recalls worse, a silent recall, are not getting a chance to injure my girls. I’ve stopped feeding kibble and commercial treats for those reasons. I have been feeding commercial raw and now some home made with supplements and their digestive systems are now strong enough that if a commercial raw food company has minor issues I know they’ll be fine. I don’t really trust any kibble company. I’d always be nervous. The only company that’s not raw that I trust is The Honest Kitchen and I rarely feed that anymore because it contains alfalfa and Katie has recently become intolerant or down right allergic to it.

[Shasta220]

Because sometimes it’s both, and other times it’s just one or the other. I’ll have options available that will be more “reliable” ingredient-wise, with no “and/or”, and I’m looking around for garbanzo flour to do grain free! Doubt I’ll use it to replace /all/ grain flour, but at least in a couple. My “competitor” is nowhere near that. All treats have dairy, and only one /doesn’t/ have wheat #1. instead, he uses rice.

The reason being for the eggs is because we own chickens and ducks. Sometimes we have more of one egg in the house, and the flour is a texture issue. It never quite turns out the same, so I have to change the mix just a little bit.

Dogs around here don’t seem to be allergic to much more than the basic wheat/corn/soy (if they are, then their owners are completely unaware). Every dog I’ve met has a treat like milk bone, Purina, Ol Roy, etc. So I’m not too worried about losing potential customers over grain and eggs.

Thank you for the concern. If it raises an issue, then I’ll either scratch the recipe, or fix it so I can keep it always constant 🙂

[Dori]

How about something simple and to the point:
Cassy and Loki’s Healthy Dog Treats

if appropriate with some they could be:
Cassy and Loki’s Grain Free Dog Treats

or, if appropriate:
Cassy and Loki’s Healthy Organic Dog Treats

Depends on which if any will be grain free or organic ingredients or in the instance of the Apple and Oats could be just Cassy and Loki’s Healthy Dog Treats

[Naturella]

Shasta, congrats on still working on the treat business and taking it out to the markets soon!

Some names that would probably catch my attention at a farmers’ market would be:

~ Happy Healthy Yums/Happy Healthy Noms/Happy Healthy Yum Bits (or Happy Healthy Dog Treats/Happy Healthy Dogs/Happy Healthy Pooches)

~ Come! Sit! Treat!

~ Longevity Enhancers (or Longevity Enhancing Dog Treats)

~ Little Helpers, or Little Helpers for the Dog’s Health and Happiness (I know, too many words, but oh well)

~ Healthy Bits of Yumminess

~ It’s A Dog’s Life (or It’s Your Dog’s Life) – this may come out as too serious, IDK.

~ Delicious Organic Goodness (spells “DOG”, lol), or Delicious Organic Goodness BitS (for “DOGS”, with a little imagination).

I may come up with more later too, but that’s it for now. 🙂

[Shasta220]

Aimee, I do see what you mean about reinforcing the wrong behavior. I am not quite seeing it as rewarding the wrong, because I immediately am asking for his attention when we go into the room, and he comes right back out within a few seconds. The trainer knew a severely aggressive dog (WAY worse than Loki, she said….hard for me to imagine!). Every time there was something “scary” and the dog got tense, the trainer would walk in the opposite direction – away from it. Eventually they moved the dog into a class similar to Loki’s and gradually got her closer and closer. Now she is amazing around new dogs.

Sue, I don’t believe he was born with a stubby tail, actually. I have almost no doubt that it was cropped. It has 2-4 kinks in it, as if it was in an accident or possibly tied off with a rope when he was a pup. He adores people, but is very very frightened of older men with beards…I wonder if that says anything about him.
I’ve tried agility with him. He has zero desire for it. He hates the jumps, ignores the weave poles, and refuses the dogwalk/teeter. I do my other dog, Shasta, in it though. He’s great at it.
Aww thanks, his “good looking” is one of the main things that made me fall in love….that and his happy-go-lucky-“take-me-home” personality at the shelter =D

Aquariangt, I’m not sure how well lavender would work. It doesn’t work very well on me, personally; but I have seen some lavender calming treats in PetCo before. I will definitely need to look into making those! I wonder how much dried lavender would cost… Brilliant idea though 😉

[aquariangt]

I just had a thought-

Does anyone know if Lavender has any effect on dogs? It’s calming for people, I wonder if that could help. If so-I know you make your own dog treats Shasta, you could potentially work in some culinary lavender (not ones made for fragrance, though you could try a lotion of sorts) into some treats for Loki

[Jen P]

I have a chi mix who is in the midst of a full blown fungal/ yeast invasion, poor little guy. My vet, who I normally adore, has been useless in this case. Anti fungal pills, antibiotics, and $30 bottles of anti fungal shampoo. He just kept getting worse. Finally I did my own research. Sugar feeds yeast – so no more sugars or carbs….no dog foods with rice or potatoes, no treats with corn syrup as the second ingredient, as most of the commercial ones have…and no shampoos with oatmeal – yeast loves oatmeal! The first change had to be the dog food, so no more Freshpet Select. Thank goodness freshpet just came out with their Vital line, which has no grains or potatoes. Temporarily, I am giving yogurt daily, to try to get his good bacteria back in charge, and trying to feed other immune system boosting goodies – liver, garlic, etc, all in limited amounts, of course. I am also doing every other day vinegar rinses on him. Little by little, he is getting better….but it has been a loooong road.

[Haywood U]

Thanks. With all the recalls and other things going wrong with things we give our pets (treats and toys), I just get worried. I read some of those things where the dogs stop eating because the food is causing problems, but eventually the dog is going to get hungry and eat. Then I look and see the other dog is eating the same food and no issues…but each dog is different. Of course the kicker was seeing her have no problems eating the same exact food from the other dog’s bowl.

I do sort of rotate food out – we buy several different brands and mix the food.

Previous dogs were always fed the “bad” food – Alpo, Ol Roy, KnB. All lived to 12-15 years and never had any vet tell me they were anything other than healthy. Somehow we managed to miss all the food recalls.

The new dog was quickly transitioned from Hill’s (rescue shelter said that is what they used, but she never seemed interested, always ran to the other dog’s food), to Puppy Chow, to finally forcing me to renew my Costco membership to get Kirkland.

So now it’s basically a 40lb bag of Kirkland and a 20lb bag of other stuff and mix it up in a 2:1 ratio (good to “bad”). Used to be out of financial necessity, but now it’s basically just for the variety. I guess we could just as easily mix up the Kirkland Chicken with the Kirkland Lamb and get the same results, but it’s also nice to know that if we ever run out, or are out of town, we can just run to the closest Walmart and grab a bag of food.

I’d like to stick with the twice a day feeding – seems to work the best for the older dog, and no need to upset the routine. I know I wouldn’t want to have to eat my entire daily food in one sitting and have it all sitting my system trying to digest.

[Shasta220]

Couldn’t say it any better. If she’s maintaining weight, she’s doing fine. I still have mixed feelings about rotational diets. I’ve found them to make ultra picky cats, but so far it works well for my dogs (although they would probably eat a brick if given the chance…)

Try the above suggestions. It also could be that she’s just in a not-hungry mood. My Shasta did that when he was a pup – he would actually go 2-3 days without touching his food, but he still wanted treats or whatever was in Cassy’s dish (the exact same kibble). He finally gave in and ate his own, and hasn’t had the problem since.

[Sheltie_Pom]

Thanks everyone. The vet gave me a 5.5 oz can of Science Diet and on the bill it shows that it was $2.20 for that tiny thing and then Ty (My Pom) didn’t even like it so I tossed it out to the other dogs that will eat almost anything.

I have been feeding him Pure Balance Chicken, Vegetables and Brown Rice Puppy and mixing it with his Purina Pro Plan canned that the breeder gave me. He is starting to eat hard kibble again and I think he prefers that so I am going to see if I can slowly move him back over to hard kibble. The breeder was stuck on Pro Plan, but I think it’s a bit over rated and expensive for the quality so I was thinking something along the lines of Purina One Smart Blend or Diamond Naturals.

I don’t know we’ll see. I have 2 $5 dollar off coupons for the Pro Plan so I may use it for my Sheltie and Shiloh my Sheltie pup in particular.

EDIT: I do like the Purina Pro Plan Sport Training Treats. Ty really likes those, but they are a bit expensive.

• This reply was modified 12 years ago by Sheltie_Pom. Reason: Added more

[Dori]

Hi Lea J. I feel like this is my mantra but I will say it again. I have a 4 1/2 year old Maltipoo, Katie, has had severe food allergies and intolerances as well as environmental allergies since we got her at 9 weeks of age. I’ve tried any and all suggestions out there. Went through a ton of food, most of which to no avail. What finally worked for her is commercial raw foods. I like Primal Pronto the best. I also rotate her foods with Darwins, and Answers raw. I’ve tried Stella and Chewy’s raw and Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw which I didn’t like at all. Anyway, I have three small dogs that I feed 1/4 cup twice a day. I do add and/or feed sardines (canned in water, not oil), coconut oil, probiodics, digestive enzymes, fresh fruits and veggies. Their treats consist of fresh fruits or veggies. I don’t use store bought treats. To many issues with Katies allergies. My 14 1/2 year old Maltese has arthritis in her right hip and also two degenerated discs mid spine. I rotate supplements as well as their foods. I haven’t found any particular joint supplement that has worked miracles. I have just ordered Sprintime’s Joint Health and Fresh Factor. Some people have been reporting that they are having good luck with these. Anyway, I think I’ve digressed here from my mantra which is: Grain, Soy, Poultry (in all forms), White Potato and Rice Free food as well as anything else you think your dog may be allergic or intolerant to. Your allergy list really doesn’t seem to be that bad though I wouldn’t doubt that she has more problems than just the ones you named. Full disclosure, I don’t believe that food allergy testing for dogs can be trusted. My dogs allergist/dermatologist as well as their traditional vets all would not do the testing. They said the tests are inaccurate, misleading and cost a lot of money. When vets tell you they won’t take your money, you know they are being accurate. To this date there are no known food allergy testing on animals that are accurate. As far as kibble goes, I can’t really recommend any because I’m not comfortable in my knowledge of their ingredients anymore. I figured out most of Katie’s food allergies by her reactions to the foods I was feeding and then comparing ingredients with other foods trying to figure out what was bothering her. She has many many issues. She just recently became allergic or intolerant to alfalfa. Allergic or intolerant to me is all the same. All I’m sure of is that either way, she can’t eat it so I don’t care whether some people say that it’s not really an allergy, it’s an intolerance. It’s all trial and error really and constantly researching ingredients. What works for my dogs may not work for others but eliminating the obvious typical allergens is a good place to start. It’s an incredibly long road in helping our allergy prone dogs but the work is well worth it for them. Exhausting on us. Oh, Spring is finally here in Atlanta where we live so for the last two days I’ve been giving her Benadryl twice a day. I hate having to do that but there is nothing I can personally do about environmental outdoor allergies. Trust me, if there was a way I would have found it by now. This is the first time I have ever had a dog with allergies and I’ll just say it keeps me on me on my toes with all things food related for her. Katie’s how I came across this site a couple of years ago and I, she and my other dogs have benefited immensely. Good Luck. If you need any clarification on anything I’ve said or any more questions please ask.

[Lea J]

I have just discovered this forum! Where were you 4 years ago?
Anyway- I have a 45 lbs rescue border collie chow mix, now 8 years old. She is wonderful but has severe itchiness. We have done allergy testing and found she is allergic to eggs, corn, wheat, catfish, rice, milk. Tried allergy shots- no difference. Tried elimination diets- she just lost weight. Tried just about every dog food out there. Even tried making dog food. Went to dermatologist who suggested Natural Balance LID Sweet Potato and Venison. Still itchy but somewhat less. (I have often wondered if this could be environmental) Discovered some arthritis recently, and has been on adequan with good results. Any suggestions for supplements, food, treats, etc for either of these conditions?

[Naturella]

Well, today I had another success… My best friend, who also owns a lab-hound mix (like my roommate) began her journey in better dog nutrition.

I have not talked to her much about that because I thought that her dad was doing most of the doggie care, and the few times I have been over at her parents’ house (where the dog lives), the dog looked like she would rather eat me than her dinner… SO I had not raised the subject until today.

She moved back in with her family in a new house and we were hanging out and she had to go back to walk her dog. I went with her, but before that I had to take her to my fave pet boutique with the free samples. Needless to say, she got an informational pamphlet, a bag full of free samples, and the recommendation to get on this site. I love this store, in case I have not mentioned this before. ANYWAY, in the car (we rode together), I was explaining to her about how what she feeds now (Kibbles ‘n’ Bits) is bad, what is good, and how it will help her dog. She (the dog) is a bit overweight, has fat pockets formed in a few places, and may suffer bad joints in the future.

So the store hooked her up with samples of Victor for joints, nutri source, earthborn, canidae pure, merrick beef, nutrisca salmon, and some other ones.

When we got to her place, I was a bit scared to get out of the car, but I did… Her dog barked at me like crazy (as usual), but I let her sniff me this time and eventually she calmed down. We decided that if I were to give her some of the new food as treats, she may like me even more, so we did. We tried the Merrick, and she liked it. We were friends now! We walked her together, talked more about food and how it affects EVERYTHING – smell, gassiness, joints, mast formations or fat pockets, allergies, everything. So when we got back, we gave her dog some of the Nutrisca Salmon, and boy, she LOVED it! So we mixed it with her dinner serving of the crap… I mean, of Kibbles ‘n Bits, and she ate some, but not too much (she is stressed because this is her first day in my friend’s new house). But, I think my friend has potential. She had bought a bag of Back to Basics for her dog in Fall and I was proud of her! So yeah, making progress… I am so excited!

With this being said, I really am sorry, Carlyn, but I don’t think anything will help this guy’s dogs, unless, like Patty said, someone whose opinion he values (more) tells him the same stuff you have been… So yeah…

[Jasmine W]

I have a greyhound mix who seems to have the same things your dog has but not as bad. Leo had very bad hot spots though. A friend told me chicken allergies are super common in dogs. Seemed ridiculous but apparently since many dog foods contain beaks feet and feathers aka “chicken by products” or “fillers” well dogs who’ve eaten these dog foods even once can develop a chicken allergy. When I had Leo on a grain free chicken free formula he had loose stools and a runny nose still but less itching and no swelling around tick or flea bites. He got so much better that I let him have chicken treats. This seemed ok so I bought the grain free blue buffalo wilderness chicken formula and now he’s sliding back again. He even got some hot spots again and hadn’t had any for years. So we’re going back to no eggs no chicken no duck no turkey, no poultry of any kind. Try that and let me know. Also dairy products even yoghurt can cause a runny nose and “runny rear.”

Leo gets a homemade dog food meal separate from his kibble meal. He gets a pound of ground beef freshly cooked and drained of fat plus a quarter can of “tripette” green tripe and “Solid Gold Seameal.” He’ll take a bit of ground up frozen peas with this meal but if I put too many peas in it he won’t eat. I’m concerned he’s getting too much protein. He won’t eat pumpkin. I’ll try the beet fiber. I know the tripette is making his coat soft because that’s what it did for my friends dog and before eating tripette Leo had a rough coat. Tripette is amazing stuff. I don’t really know what good the Solid Gold Seameal is doing but its filled with vitamins and minerals.

[Dori]

And don’t forget to consider the ingredients in any treats you’re giving your dog. Sometimes we get so concentrated on the food we forget the treats we or others may be giving your dog.

[Haywood U]

Just wondering if anybody has tried these treats.

http://www.biglots.com/p/c/dogs/bayou-bites-natural-dog-cookies

They are made by Delca Corporation. They also sell under the think! dog brand:

http://www.petco.com/product/123697/Think-Dog-Natural-Louisiana-Jerky-Dog-Treats.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

Are there any potential issues with dog treats made from alligator, crawfish, shrimp or crab?

I used to give my dogs the Grandpaw’s P’Nut Butter cookies (found during a random stop at Big Lots) and they loved them. The smaller size is perfect for use during training. I stopped by again to pick up some more and they didn’t have them, only these new Bayou Bites – same size and design, just different ingredients.

[Shasta220]

That’s good when the vet doesn’t get too picky about the topic of food. My vet said the only food he recommends is Hills and one other (maybe RC? I don’t remember). At that time, our dogs were on Dog Lover’s Gold (4 stars) and Nutra Nuggets (3 stars), he said he didn’t recommend anything that didn’t have an AAFCO statement, including those foods. I went home and looked at the bag….pretty sure I saw a statement on there lol! But the vet doesn’t scold you or anything, he sees how healthy the dogs are and can’t complain.

It’s annoying how much they ask about eeeevery food though. They ask how many treats, what type, any people food, cooked or raw, etc etc. Then I said that Loki gets a few raw scraps occasionally, and he just said “scraps lead to an overweight dog…” (He probably noticed that Loki went from 41lb at the shelter to a whopping 43lb after we had him. He still has a thin waste line and could gain 2-5 more lb without a problem…) yeeeeah, I’m reeeeally worried now that giving Loki a chicken leg once a week will make him fat! LOL!

[T S]

We have two male JRTs (5 & 7 yrs) and a female Labrottie (9 yrs). After seeing ads and getting some samples from a local rep, we tried the Blue Buffalo–dogs rejected it outright. We tried the Wild stuff, various flavors, and inevitably at least one of the three turned up their noses at each flavor of the food. Talked to vets, who sell canned Canin and Hills, about allergies, food ingredient quality, flavor variety. Went back to Fromms, tried three different flavors (chicken, beef and pork), and all three dogs are happy with the dry pork & applesauce formula. They’re energetic, different vets are all REALLY happy with all 3 of their overall health, especially weight maintenance vs activities levels, and their coats, teeth and skin are all great. None smells, they all sleep and BM on schedule w/o problems. We looked at MANY of the so-called ‘holistic’ and ‘organic’ foods. Local pet store guy recommended some ‘natural’ and raw foods, but it made no sense to change from what’s working now. Fromm’s is US made, only US ingredients, and no recalls we know of. We don’t feed them ANY human food, and they almost never get snacks or treats–so no threat of allergic reactions. Labrottie came to us from a poor-quality non-US food diet, and she’s a much happier, healthier, energetic dog now.

[Shasta220]

Oops, just now saw your reply to me that was written in January.

Spices are quite controversial, I’d have to say. Honestly, I wouldn’t worry too much about adding them. They don’t add any more/less flavor for the dog, and it’s probably such a tiny amount that it wouldn’t really benefit the dog much.

I do like adding cinnamon though….mainly cuz a sprinkle on top looks so darn nice, LOL! I’m having a hard time with replacing wheat flour myself. So far I’ve only tried oat and rice – it makes super crumbly treats in my opinion… If you ever find a flour combo that “binds” as well as the wheat, be sure to let me know! 😀

[kvee]

Aleksandra, I have seen some information on nutmeg being toxic for pooches. Mostly, I remember this warning during thanksgiving (warning not to feed them pumpkin pie). How are your dogs reacting to it?

I do not make any treats with any flour for my dog — although I tried to use garbanzo (chickpea) flour because it allegedly has high protein and it is very cheap. But I am a horrible baker and couldn’t make the concoction work for me.

What I do for treats is buy different fruits and veggies on season and sale. Soak them on water and vinegar and rinse them, throw them in the blender and then freeze the. Susie loves to munch on these.

I also make bone broth. I simmer a whole organic fresh raw chicken with filtered water and a tablespoons of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother) for 24-48 hours. I freeze the broth into ice cubes and give them to Susie whenever she’s not feeling to hot about eating (it seems to open her appetite) or when it’s hot out. She loves those things too.

I hope this help. BTW, lesson learned on the bone broth. I went old-school and did it stove top.. Susie’s father and I had to take turns to watch the pot boil (literally). I am buying a crock pot soon.

[Susan]

Ive read that dogs can digest animals fats, chicken fat etc, & they dont digest oils as well sunflower, canola, vegetable etc. this is saying the opposite that dogs digest vegetable & fish oils better then animal fats, which one is it, are animals fats better or are oils better for digestion when in a kibble, I’ve read when its a animal fat it must say the animal, chicken fat etc but not just say animal fat as u dont know what animal its from & could be diseased etc.. I thought chicken fat etc would be better then canola, sunflower oils etc..
Did anyone read about liver, it can become toxic to the body, my boy cant eat liver treats as he gets diarrhea…

[Naturella]

Bobby dog, this is pretty much almost how my friend and I are! I think we are headed toward the addiction zone, lol… But I have reached my limit. My husband is firm on not getting another dog yet, and Bruno has ENOUGH food and chews, and treats, and toys, SO, all I am allowed to do now is just window shop or sneak in a free sample or 2… or more… LoL… into Bruno’s mixes. But I’m happy with that. I have been giving away coupons to friends left and right, and trying to help people feed better food (if they’d take my advice). So far so good. I am happy and excited for my pup, and others’ pooches/kitties/other animals too. 🙂

P.S. Good job on scoring those great deals! I also have coupons for canned food as well, and most of it is free, so I will be putting some in Bruno’s kibble over time. 🙂

• This reply was modified 12 years ago by Naturella.

[Naturella]

Bobby dog, thanks for the kind words!

Yes, shopping on a budget is a necessity for both my friend and I, but finding fantabulous deals for quality food is a hobby. Luckily, she has 2 dogs – the lab and a Chorkie (chihuahua-yorkie, although he looks more like a bichon…), so she likes to stock up for both of them… She feeds them different stuff, which I find slightly odd, but to each their own, they both eat really good food. The Chorkie is stocked up with Holistic Health Extension Small Breed, Earthborn Holistic Small Breed and Coastal Catch, as well as a bag of Whole Earth Farms – Pork (I think), Halo, Simply Nourish, and Evanger’s. The lab also has a bag of Earthborn’s Ocean Fusion as well, I forgot about that.

To add to that, we both have a bunch of PetCo coupons and wipll be using them throughout the year.

As for me, my little JR-Rat Terrier-maybe Chihuahua in there-mutt is on a mix of Dr. Tim’s Kinesis-Nutrisca Chicken-Holistic Health Extension Grain Free-Now Fresh-Victor Yukon Salmon Grain Free-Nature’s Variety Instinct Chicken + Raw Boost-Nature’s Variety Turkey, Duck, and Chicken (TURDUCKEN! 😀 ) + Raw Boost. Some is from his initial mix of the first 3 foods; the HHE bag I got for free from Petland; the Now Fresh I got on sale for $3 for 0.5lbs; the Nature’s Variety and the Victor are free samples. For treats I use those kibbles, or free samples of Victor Joint Health Grain Free and Victor High-Pro Grain free, mixed together. Lined up I have Earthborn’s Coastal Catch, Primitive Natural, and Great Plains Feast to be mixed with ALL FREE bags of HHE Original, Grain Free, and Lamb and Brown Rice, respectively. For later on, I have Victor Ultra Professional lined up to mix with Back to Basics Open Range, and the foods that I have PetCo coupons for, such as Wellness, Canidae, Blue Buffalo (Bruno has done well on it in the past), Avo Derm, Solid Gold, Nature’s Variety, and Merrick. Those last ones I will buy in the end of the year, so they will be next year’s stash.

As for the pet boutiques, I would not purchase food from Store A, even if it’s good. But Store B I really like.

And thank you for the compliment – Bruno is our first “real” dog (when I was little, I had a min pin for about 2 weeks, but my dad couldn’t stand her, so they gave her away… Gina was “real”, but not “mine” for very long…) and I really try to learn about what is good for him and what’s not… We really love the little guy and definitely take better care for him than for ourselves (which is not entirely good, but… eh…). 🙂

[Naturella]

Absolutely! And good job on learning something new yourself! 🙂

And, not to beat a dead horse, but I also keep learning new things, even when I am convinced I already know the truth.
So my friend (my success story, the one I got to switch from Shep to 3.5-5-star foods) and I recently discovered two pet boutiques, both literally 3 min from my house each, on the same street as my apartment complex! I was in heaven. Let alone the great foods they sell, they also have the awesome natural chews I like, and much more. Anywho, my friend bought 90lbs of food from Store A and maybe 50 from Store B. Well, 2 of the bags of food from Store A were on sale, which is why she bought them. We did not think to look at the expiration dates, and 2 weeks later, lo and behold, she finds out that one expired in January, and the other in February. She was pretty upset that she was sold expired food without knowing it, when Store B’s sale items are on sale with an extra sticker with the expiration date of the food right on top of the bag. She was saying that Store A has now lost her business and what not, and today I happened to be right next to Store A, and went inside to let them know how my friend was feeling because of what they had done. To my surprise, they were fully aware that they were selling expired food, and said that expired dry kibble is still good 6-8 months after the expiration date. Well, I was surprised, so I swung by Store B to ask them as well. After receiving a confirmation there, I reassured my friend that her dog will be fine (she bought the two Great Life 33-lb bags on sale for her yellow lab, along with Victor Ultra Professional 30lbs (And Victor Brown Rice and Beef 40lbs. And Simply Nourish 30lbs. And Evanger’s 5lbs to mix in. We are food nutties.). So she is much relieved, as am I, because now we know that expired food, while maybe not ideal, is still good for a little while longer. 🙂 Go figure, but I’m glad I swung by the store to tell them of the “incident” and learn something, that was also confirmed elsewhere. 🙂

Sidenote – Store A’s treats and chews are cheaper, so I will shop there for them, but Store B has more foods on sale at better prices too, and FREE SAMPLES! So I am totally in heaven! 🙂

[Charlene F]

I bought the chicken jerky treats and upon opening the bag, the smell was so absolutely disgusting! It smelled of a strong preservative. I broke a piece off for my dog, and she turned away. (She normally loves jerky treats). I returned the package to Walmart……

[thegoodlife]

That is very odd. I purchase this product all the time and I have only good things to say about them. My dogs go crazy for them and my vet stands by them as being one of the healthiest pet treats. Are you sure you aren’t getting brand names confused? :S Aside from looks I think a locally sourced treat beats the big boxed chemicals any day…

[mrickett]

If you are ok with rye flour, “Wet Noses” makes a variety of treats. I buy the organic pumpkin, sweet potato and the apple and carrot. Ingredients for the apple carrot:
Ingredients: organic rye flour, organic apples, organic carrots, organic whole oats, organic canola oil, organic molasses and organic ground thyme
Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein (min) 8.0%, Crude Fat (min) 10.0%, Crude Fiber (max) 1.0%, Moisture (max) 4.8%
You can find these at most pet retail stores or online. They are round and approx. 1 1/2 inches in diameter and easily broken in half.
Also “Newman’s Own Organic Dog Treats.” They come in Turkey and Sweet Potato, Peanut Butter and Chicken. The ingredients for Turkey and Sweet Potato:
Turkey & Sweet Potato: Organic Barley Flour*, Organic Ground Turkey*, Organic Sweet Potatoes*, Organic Carrots*, Organic Apples*, Chicken Fat (Preserved Naturally with Mixed Tocopherols and Lecithin), Rolled Oats, Rosemary Extract.
They come in two sizes. You can find them in retail stores and online.

[Naturella]

Dori (and everyone),

Bruno is doing much better! Last night poor baby must have been starving because he tried to eat my roommate’s dog’s food, and turned over his empty food dish and was chasing it around and licking it in the bathroom… It was pathetic, so I took it away. He slept all through the night and when taken out this morning, he didn’t poop. I fed him some of his kibble softened with warm water, and left home because I had to attend an event. When I just came home, he looks fine, no poop in the house, and when I took him out, he pooped a good amount and it was soft, but normal-soft, not weird-soft. It was formed and everything!

I think we are on the right track, so I will feed him the same for dinner too. He should be like new by tomorrow, if he keeps going this way! 🙂

Thank you all for the advice and concern, we really appreciate it! 🙂

P.S. Dori, in my research and in speaking with some vets, I was told the total opposite – that small dogs mature faster than large dogs, and can be considered adults by 7-8 months. I am confused now… As far as food goes, he was on puppy food until he was about 8 months or so, then went to all-life-stages food and will be on that for a while. How long should I consider him a “puppy”?

P. P. S. Also, before the treat incident (which were also good for him treats, with freeze-dried liver, bananas and carrots, not like a hot fudge sundae, lol), he was doing great on a variety of additives to his kibble to help with his usually extremely hard stools. He would get a canned sardine once a week, one raw egg/week, an RMB/week, coconut oil every other day, and pumpkin, ground flax seed, yoghurt – a couple times/week, and cottage cheese once a week. Also, natural chews, such as ears, bully sticks, piggy snouts, etc. (not all at once, maybe 1-2/week). So when can I reintroduce those, since he was fine with them (we have been doing this for 2+ weeks).

[Dori]

Awwww. He’s still a baby. You have to be careful at this stage. Too many different types of treats at the same time will always upset their tummies. Do forget he’s still a puppy puppy and not completely fully developed with everything working as it should. At first when I have puppies what I use for treats is their own kibble. For one. They don’t know the difference and dogs love to eat anyway. Second is that you know it works, he’s not allergic to it and his system tolerates him. When he gets older if you want to use something else as a treats for training find one that is teeny tiny since you’ll be giving him quite a few and keep his training sessions initially to around 10 minutes at a time. They say that the first 10 minutes in training is when they get the most out of it. You can then let him rest or play for a couple of hours and then train again for another 10 minutes. You can lengthen his training time once he’s older. Just keep in mind that he’s a baby. Small dogs mature way way slower than large dogs. Some small dogs are still considered puppies until they reach the age of four. Some really large dogs at four are almost considered middle age. I’ve had some dogs that I’ve always trained with their own tiny kibble. It’s almost still so surprising how much effort they’ll expend to get a tiny piece of treat. But they love the praise from mommy and daddy. I’m telling you, they really are like little babies and toddlers. That’s a good thing for you to always remember. They are helpless and you have to pretty much always make the right decisions for them. A lot of people through the years have made statements to me that they didn’t realize they were doing something wrong, that their dog really liked it. Just cause he liked it doesn’t mean it was good for the dog or that maybe one would have been good but more…not so good. I love hot fudge Sundays but I’m pretty damn sure more than one is gonna make me really really sick.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Aleksandra-
Poor, poor Bruno-
I’m not sure what caused his upset tummy, maybe all the different type of treats in one night? But, whenever my dogs get bad bellies, I try to withhold food and water for a while. It’s tough to do with multiple pets cause I have to feed the others. But, when I do feed him, I would never give kibble. That is the hardest type of food for them to digest. I usually start with a very small amount of rice and boiled chicken/turkey or canned food and pumpkin. You need to start with something very bland and only a small amount of it. It seems like you fed him too much too soon when he had a bad belly. Also, I would never take him to someone else’s house when he’s feeling sick. I honestly think about what I would do for myself or my kids when we are sick.
A great resource is dogaware dot com. They have a lot of great remedies for diarrhea. Best of luck to you!

[Shasta220]

Honestly, I wouldn’t get too concerned. Just keep an eye on him, and if he acts weird then go ahead and take him in. I never give my dogs sugar, but I honestly don’t think a couple tablespoons would /kill/ a dog, as they make TONS of dog treats w sugar (it really annoys me – why the heck do they make strawberry and peanut butter flavored dog treats, complete w a sugary cream filling that smells good enough for me to eat? Dogs seriously have different tastes than people, ugh.) and I know many dogs who eat them daily and are still alive.

I’ll be perfectly honest though, I really don’t know what sugar does that’s hazardous to their health (other than the horrid breath lol).

[Jackie B]

I have an elderly friend who fosters small dogs. She trains every foster to a treadmill. She uses treats and a leash at first, then eventually most dogs will walk on their own without the leash. She uses a human treadmill she purchased used. It is a great idea for Texas summers. The mid-day heat will blister your pup’s feet and the heat is miserable.

[acramos1]

I need some help in search of safe and healthy dog treats. Who are some of the best manufacturers of all natural dog-treats free of wheat/soy/corn and maybe free of artificial colors/flavors/preservatives as well?

[Dori]

This is from the Heartgard website as to administration. Shawna, I believe you are correct in that the entire pill must be given. From what I’m reading the site says that you should continue to give Heargard for one (1) month not 3 after heart worm season ends.

ADMINISTRATION: Remove only one chewable at a time from the foil-backed blister card. Return the card with the remaining chewables to its box to protect the product from light. Because most dogs find HEARTGARD Plus palatable, the product can be offered to the dog by hand. Alternatively, it may be added intact to a small amount of dog food.The chewable should be administered in a manner that encourages the dog to chew, rather than to swallow without chewing. Chewables may be broken into pieces and fed to dogs that normally swallow treats whole.
Care should be taken that the dog consumes the complete dose, and treated animals should be observed for a few minutes after administration to ensure that part of the dose is not lost or rejected. If it is suspected that any of the dose has been lost, redosing is recommended.
HEARTGARD Plus should be given at monthly intervals during the period of the year when mosquitoes (vectors), potentially carrying infective heartworm larvae, are active. The initial dose must be given within a month (30 days) after the dog’s first exposure to mosquitoes. The final dose must be given within a month (30 days) after the dog’s last exposure to mosquitoes.
When replacing another heartworm preventive product in a heartworm disease preventive program, the first dose of HEARTGARD Plus must be given within a month (30 days) of the last dose of the former medication.
If the interval between doses exceeds a month (30 days), the efficacy of ivermectin can be reduced. Therefore, for optimal performance, the chewable must be given once a month on or about the same day of the month. If treatment is delayed, whether by a few days or many, immediate treatment with HEARTGARD Plus and resumption of the recommended dosing regimen will minimize the opportunity for the development of adult heartworms.

[dogspotindia]

Royal Canin Educ a fun way to provide your pet nutrition to your dog as a part of a treat.Royal Canin Educ is the best training treat. you can try also Jerhigh chicken jerky, Chomp.
http://www.dogspot.in/training-treats/

[Akari_32]

He eats at night. We usually leave in the morning. Getting this dog to go potty is a headache (he had serious ADD and you have to keep him on track, and he likes to waddle around while he poops, so he can cover as large an area as possible), so it’s easier on all of us to feed him in the evening when we’re home for good. He does also gets treats and chews (and his mommy and grandma sneak him things all the time, too), so it’s not like he has no food all day. He really likes to do things at too speed (like eating). I’ve come to accept that it’s a terrier thing. I’m rarely home all day, or most of the day, but I could feed him half and half if I get the chance. Mom works out of town and is only home a few days a week, so she can’t do it unless she happens to be home, either.

[traceearsena]

Hello. After many months of various attempts to help our rescue boxer with his allergy issues, we finally have some control with grain free food/treats and daily allergy drops. However, I have noticed that he has much more loose stools which is now to the the point of huge diarrhea. He’s even had accidents in the house which is not him unless he can’t help it. When he was off the food for awhile and on a prescription food for urinary crystals, his stools seemed better.
Vet had him on a course of antibiotics and imodium a couple weeks back. His stool was negative for anything but she said there has been something going around causing diarrhea. Didn’t do much good. The brand he has been on for most of the last year since we adopted him is Earthborne Holistics-Coastal Catch. Our trainer highly recommended the brand. We have also tried adding the pumpkin but didn’t help much. Our other dog, without allergies, is fine on the same food.
Would like a recommendation for a grain free that has helped others who might have had this issue. With this quality of food, I would expect his stools to be smaller and formed. The lovely side issue with this is he is having anal gland issues (or as we call it-fishies!) Thanks for any suggestions.

[hamptonmeadow]

Please don’t give your dogs any of these popular treats. They are all sourced from China and the big companies are slow to recall as are PETSMart etc.

Buy treats that are made in the USA with USA ingredients and say so on the label or make them yourself. There are lots of recipes for dog treats. Dehydrating meats like liver and venison, elk and buffalo works well too. Pureed first fruits and veggies work well. Watermelon, rind and all is a very good treat and very good for them. Do your research and you find really excellent things for your dogs that give them the nutrition they need as well.

[hamptonmeadow]

-Pig ears, bully sticks are sourced from China. I would never touch them. The same with cat fish skins. hdm suggestion of traecheas and chicken RAW bones etc are as usual good advice.

Never parboil bones, cooked bones splinter. I would not feed marrow bones because some dogs get their mouths stuck in the center. But the marrow is awesome.

Vets are really no nutritionists and don’t know a lot about much beside what they sell.
But, you can listen to the knowledgeable people here. You can also make treats if you don’t use sugar and use seseme seeds, chia seeds and fruits and green leafy veggies and cruiciferous veggies (pureed).