[aimee]

haleycookie,

I read through Champion’s response and in my opinion it is very reminiscent of and just as unbiased as the response of the tobacco industry when the first link was made between smoking and cancer. : )

In my opinion, very cleverly written to model after the response of the tobacco industry, “our science found no concerns” but as I read it I find that what they are reporting is very vague and appears to be poorly done.

For example what is “long-term feeding trials with enhanced DCM protocols” In regards to length was it 2 days, 2 weeks, a month, 2 months?? Considering it isn’t yet know how long is may take for dietary DCM to become apparent how are they confident that their trial would have been long enough to find any abnormalities.

What are “enhanced DCM protocols”. The only takeaway I got from their response is that perhaps they measured taurine. Considering most cases have normal taurine levels it seems silly to me to sound an “all clear” based on that test.

Champion likes to point out that dietary DCM appears to be uncommon. The true incidence isn’t known. But I think it is fair to say that not every dog/cat consuming a problematic diet becomes ill. In the Melamine crisis huge numbers of dogs and cats that were exposed didn’t become ill. Same with the association between renal disease and chicken jerky or between grapes/raisins and renal disease. So for illustration sake let’s say that for problem “X ” 1 in a thousand becomes ill. Is testing several dogs relevant? I would say it is not. And Champion hasn’t said what number of dogs participated in their trials. Hmmm

Let’s look at this statement…
“In the recipes Champion makes, we emphasize fresh and raw meat with total animal-derived ingredients ranging from 60 to 85 percent of the finished product. Legumes are not a significant feature in Champion’s recipes, and never have been.”

Take the finished product Acana Free Run Poultry chosen at random GA is 29% protein 17% fat and 12 % moisture and I’ll toss in 3 % ash. 100-29-17-12-3= 39% min plant based nutrient.

Looking at the ingredient list and removing the animal based ingredients , and discarding the ingredients after salt leaves us with whole green peas, whole red lentils, whole pinto beans, , chickpeas, whole green lentils, whole yellow peas, lentil fiber,

Those ingredients, except for the fiber, are in addition to being sources of carbohydrate are also sources of protein From USDA nutrient database an average of 1 part protein for every 3 parts carb. So of that 29 % protein 10 grams may be from the legumes.

Total plant content 39 % + 10% and you get 49% plant based ingredients which I consider a “significant feature”
Total animal based 19% + 17% fat for a total of 36%

In that example I made assumptions as I am using the GA which is just min values therefore the results are not completely accurate but it is very different from the claim of 60-85% animal derived content in the finished product.
Personally, the only thing I can figure that may be 85% animal content finished product would be some of the treats.

Several years ago I asked Champion if they did AAFCO feeding trials. They answered affirmatively. On further inquiry as I recall I asked how long they were for and they replied a few weeks. Hmm more questions and they report they test for palatability, digestibility and stool quality. Most would assume by an AAFCO feeding trial they were talking about a trial for nutritional adequacy but that is not the response I got.

I see this response from Champion as nothing more than a marketing piece . I urge caution whenever looking at any statements made by any food manufacturer in regards to their product.

Perhaps if Champion really wanted to contribute to the knowledge base they should hire veterinary cardiologists and hold free echo screening for DCM for dogs who have eaten their food as their primary source of nutrition. With all the frequent buyer programs it shouldn’t be too hard for retailers to track Champion’s customers.

[crazy4cats]

Fromm is also being implicated with causing DCM (both with and without grain) in Dr. Stern’s peer-reviews study and a group of veterinarians that are keeping track of the foods that are being fed when dogs are diagnosed. Zignature and Acana have the most cases so far. Fromm a pretty close third.

Check out: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TaurineDCM/

I feed my two Lab/Golden mix dogs Purina ProPlan Large Breed Weight Management with great results. It has 374 calories per cup, but is fairly low in fat and a little higher in fiber. They have several formulas that might work for you. The ProPlan salmon formula is a little higher in calories, but the Purina One Salmon may be a little lower.

Make sure you measure out the food carefully and cut back on treats. Royal Canin has large breed formulas that are lower in calories as well. Good idea to keep his weight down now. It is a lot easier on the joints and could possibly lead to a longer life if there are no other health conditions. Best wishes!

[Patricia A]

I know exactly how your feeling Stephanie. I was going nuts too between the recalls and now this DCM AND the thousands of brands and then reviews. Whether to give canned etc. Just going nuts with it all. I have three Chihuahuas’. One will be 17 in June. She has Mitral Valve disease . She still has quality of life. However she inspects her food for a few minutes in case I snuck in one of her heart pills. So at this point she gets all home cooked and I’ve found trick with her pills. Morning is wrapped in little piece of bread with a tiny bit of melted cheese . It works for NOW at least. Then comes boiled chicken, sweet potatoes mushed into a little canned fromm pate. At this point I am so glad she’s eating again and not trying all night with all kinds of foods, cans etc.
Then I have my other two. One eats everything, anything. My other is a little picky. I can just HOPE I’m doing the best for them. I have been giving a little Stella chewys kibble along with a little Stella’s freeze dried or freeze dried primal as topper. I just add a little warm water so it’s much easier then cans. Not that costly since they are small dogs. I like to mix the protein AND the brand so it’s variety and also I feel safer if one brand lacks “something”. If we have chicken I just boil a little for them and skip the freeze dried and just add the kibble. Same with steak, fish etc. For treats I give Bixbi Rawwble. They are just tiny, round freeze dried. I throw them a few at night. So far so good with health and stomach. Fingers crossed. I’m finally relaxed and not always searching for something better.

[haleycookie]

The Chobani yogurts have added sugar in them. Along with natural sugars from the fruit. I wouldnt give a dog fruit more than once a week to begin with, let along something with extra added sugar. I would still rather a dog get appropriate treats that are meat based or sugar free.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by haleycookie.

[haleycookie]

Bravecto doesn’t work that way. It treats for three months out. It wouldn’t make any sense if it just treated for 24 hrs lol. And I would imagine heart worm is in the system longer than 24 hrs, seeing as how giving a heart worm preventative to an already infected dog can be deadly I doubt it has no long term preventative nature to it as this article states. But I was more referring to bravecto. As it has more medication in it and is in the system much longer.

[crazy4cats]

If you think it is the fiber in the Cheerios that is helping, you could try adding a little plain canned pumpkin. But, you want to be careful not to add too many unbalanced things to your dog’s diet. Only 10 to 15% of calories should be unbalanced toppers and treats. You could be feeding a little too much too. That will sometimes cause loose stools.

Also, I believe Orijen is a very rich grain free diet. I’m surprised you would feed it to a dog with a tendency to have pancreatitis. In addition, have you seen the FDA warning about grain free boutique foods?

It’s Not Just Grain-Free: An Update on Diet-Associated Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Best wishes!

[anonymous]

Dangers of Bully Sticks: Popular Treat Can Carry Bacteria and Add Calories

Excerpt below
Even if you can get past the issue of feeding your dog an uncooked, dried penis of a bull or steer as a treat, there are more potential problems with bully sticks. One is that they may be contaminated with bacteria. We tested 26 bully sticks for bacteria and found that one was contaminated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics; one was contaminated with Clostridium difficile; and seven were contaminated with Escherichia coli (including one antibiotic-resistant sample). This certainly doesn’t prove that all bully sticks are contaminated but does emphasize the importance of washing your hands after touching these treats, as you should with any raw meat or raw meat diets. People at high risk (very young, elderly, pregnant, or immunocompromised individuals) should avoid all contact with raw animal-based treats and raw meat diets.

[anonymous]

“Natural” means sh*t and is a marketing ploy.

Just give the dog a raw carrot to chew on once a day (not the baby carrots they are bleached and are a choking hazard due to their size)

Bully sticks are bull penises, they are loaded with bacteria and bleached and processed with toxic chemicals.

Ask your vet.

Example:
https://www.azrescue.org/rescue-article-info-center/19 excerpt below
There are a lot of pet treats out on the market and it seems like every week a new brand is getting recalled. I don’t even touch any chicken jerky manufactured in China due to the widespread contamination problems.
More recently I’ve been choosing deer antlers and bully sticks, thinking that they’re safer since they’re all natural. But according to a study published in the Canadian Veterinary Journal, there are two potential problems with bully sticks (also called pizzle sticks).
The first concern is an excessive amount of calories. The scientists calculated nine to 22 calories per inch, meaning that a 6-inch bully stick could represent nine percent of the daily recommended calorie count for a 50-pound dog or a whopping 30 percent of the requirements for a smaller 10-pound dog. This I’m less worried about as I usually adjust my pets’ dinner if they get a large treat during the day.
The second finding is much more serious. In testing 26 bully sticks, the researchers found one contaminated with Clostridium difficile, one with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and seven with E. coli. The scientists admitted that the sample size was small, but recommended that people should at least wash their hands after touching bully sticks.
I hope that they repeat the study on a larger scale, differentiating by finishing process. Some bully stick companies sun-bake their product, while others irradiate or bake the sticks indoors. I’m sure that these differences can affect bacteria levels.
It would also be good if they gave recommendations on how to get rid of the bacteria. I know that some people bake bully sticks in the oven before giving them to their pets, but it’s not a proven method.
I think that this study goes to show how careful we have to be in researching our pets’ food. I already know a lot about picking a good kibble, but this study has inspired me to do a better job at finding out the origin and manufacturing process for the treats I feed my crew. And it underscores the many benefits of making your own treats at home!

[crazy4cats]

Yes, Joanne, I hope the investigation into the sudden increase of cases of DCM in dogs would come up with some more concrete answers soon also. However, it seems like it is complicated. Too bad some of the companies whose names keep coming up as having been fed to the dogs being diagnosed would step up and help support the research. They instead are turning their backs and continue to formulate dog food without employing people with the expertise to do so. Also using new untested ingredients without doing any type of feed trials.

So many people roll their eyes at the “big 3” donating money to the researchers. How would the research get done if they didn’t. I’m sure they would accept money from some of the other pet food companies as well. I’m guessing that Champion, Fromm, Global Pets, and Diamond have enough profits to contribute. They charge enough for their food! Where are their profits going? Not on veterinarian nutritionists, testing, research or feeding trials!

Not sure if the FDA ever came to a conclusion on what was causing dogs to die from jerky treats. I won’t ever feed those again either. Just like I will only feed foods that meet all the WSAVA criteria from now on.

You’re right about dogs being able to synthesize their own taurine if the proper precursors are available in their diet. There are several articles to be found on the internet with this information. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I am not an expert at analyzing dog food ingredient panels! You just can’t get the whole story from them.

Btw, Dr. Stern’s peer-reviewed study at UCDavis was privately funded. There was no money taken from any pet food companies.

My dogs are doing great on Purina ProPlan. Sounds like yours are/is as well, joanne. Best wishes!

[debra m]

I see this is an older post but maybe someone will read it and it will help. My Maltese Bichon started getting Oxalate stones when he was 7 years old. He ended up having 3 operations roughly every year and 3 months to remove the stones. Through that time he had specialized dog foods like Royal Canin S/O , etc.. but nothing worked. A little over 3 years ago I came across an article on Oxalate stones in humans and how these people swore by Magnesium as getting rid of their stones. I studied the amounts for dogs weights and such, it’s a very small, miniscule amount, and it’s been 3 years of him being stone free. He’s 14 years old now and acts like 5. Before adding the magnesium I had started him on a people food diet. He still eats small Milk Bones for treats and loves Beggin Strips so he’s not being deprived of some dog treats, even though the milk Bones have calcium in them the Magnesium seems to negate that. I wish I knew how to write blogs so I could shout the benefits of Magnesium to the world on this but am not computer savvy. On a side note, I also have a female Shih-Tzu who had her stomach x-rayed for a different issue and stones were found. I immediately started giving her Magnesium and she may have just urinated them out but she has never had stones since and that was over 2 years ago. Please anyone reading this , try Magnesium, it has been a life saver

[Susan]

Hi Matt,
Good thing you’ve done taken on a rescue dog, just remember a dogs behaviour is human taught…. 🙁
He has run free & has been the boss for 8yrs, now there’s all these new rules, he’ll get use to it, the lady let him be the boss & do what he wanted, Patch was sorta the same when I rescued him but he had IBD & would eat everything, your dog needs to be re trained & you “can’ teach an older dog new tricks, but some breeds are very stubborn…
My Patch was 4 when I rescued him within 2 weeks he pretty much picked up on all the house rules I used food for training but I didn’t know he had IBD in the beginning so lots of diarrhea…
My vet asked the Animal Behaviourist vet to pop in & see us when we learnt he has IBD, we lived in communal unit/villas & Patch would go down stars to go toilet & on his way he sniff out the neighbour cats poo, on our morning walks he would eat everything, he was a walking vacuum cleaner, we lived in town near beach, after Friday & Saturday nights there would be pizza, chinese, vomit, everything on the streets from the night before, I had to wait till streets were cleaned & hosed down before going on our morning walks…
The Animal Behaviourist taught me “Leave It” she said put food/treat on floor in between your toes/feet show him but don’t let him get it & say “Leave it” then when he leaves the food under your foot alone reward him with a better treat from “your” hand… here’s link

Teach Your Dog to Leave It: It Could Save His Life

Always praise him when he does do something good…Tell him “YOUR A GOOOOOD BOY” & pat him reward all good behaviour..
The rescue vet told me to go to Puppy School even though he was 4 yrs old, Puppy School is good it teaches the human what to do & NOT do, or do research online there’s a few good f/b groups that are run by Animal behaviourist, if I find the group I’ll post it, cause your dog loves food he’ll be very easy to train, carry some kibble/treats in your pocket so when he goes to eat something on floor say “Leave It” “Leave It” sit then he gets reward for leaving food on floor, he can ONLY have food/treats kibble you give him…

When visitors come Patch is VERY friendly & gets over excited & when people talk in high pitch squeaky voice this makes Patch more excited & he starts to jump up to kiss their face & head butts their head & nose, he loved our gas lady one day she bend down the same time he was jumping up to kiss her & he head butted her nose, it started bleeding, cause he gets sooooo excited I put away his STRONG rubber toys in kitchen cupboard & as soon as someone comes to front door he cries & whinges at the front door then as soon ashe sees me he runs into kitchen & sits in front of the kitchen cupboard for 1 of his rubber toys, I think he has a rubber fetish he loves the strong smelling rubber toys, I just order another rubber toy you can put kibble in the rubber slots & wet food in middle so while visitors are over he’s busy in the back loungeroom chewing on his rubber toy & he’s leaving my visitors alone, no sloppy kisses & no more head butts..

While everyone is eating dinner you could also put his dinner dry kibble meal in one of those interactive game toys & he’s eating as well on his own mat in a corner away from the dinner table
Chewy has treat toys under $20….
https://www.chewy.com/b/treat-toys-dispensers-2336?rh=c%3A288%2Cc%3A315%2Cc%3A319
the dog works to get their food out & he’s slowly eating, don’t get a puzzle toy that looks too easy, Patch learnt if he pushes the whole game with his big nose the kibble falls out of the turning ball while the ball is in the maize but it still keeps him busy trying to get his food, he just works out how to get his kibble quicker….
https://www.chewy.com/b/treat-toys-dispensers-2336?rh=c%3A288%2Cc%3A315%2Cc%3A319
I think the new rubber egg shape toy I’ve just order is a good treat toy it looks like it will hold the kibble pieces. http://www.allforpawspet.com/Product?idvariant=1293
I can put his kibble in side rubber slots & add some boiled sweet potato in middle….

It’s good to give your dog healthy fresh foods, tin salmon, sardines, mussels, meaty bones, egg, Vegetables – sweet potato, broccoli, cooked carrot, frozen beans are good to help lose weight & keep a dog feeling full longer etc. Fruit- apple pieces NO seeds, blueberries, watermelon, & remember to reduce his kibble amount & feed partly boiled vegetables & feed 3 meals a day instead of 2 larger meals a day, he’ll feel fuller longer & might break his circle looking for food, or feed his 2 meals a day & make up a treat toy with veggies, fruit, some yogurt & freeze, then give around lunch time or for his breakfast or his dinner give healthy treat toy when its a boring time for him he can lick & lick the toy that’s full of healthy low calories ingredients… stick to feeding him the same times every day so he gets into a routine…
also find a few other brands he likes & eats so you can rotate between kibbles & freeze dried foods so he isn’t getting bored eating the same dry kibble 24/7 then he’s looking for something else to eat also rotating kibbles/freeze dried foods is good just in case the brand he’s eating is high in toxins, heavy metals, lead & contaminates….
Pet Shops all have money back guarantee for palatability..

Have you tried “Buckley Liberty” freeze dried, Buckley Liberty uses clean meats & has done very well when tested every 3months for high toxins, heavy metals & contaminates it has come 1st over 1 year now…
https://buckleypet.com/collections/all

Good-Luck

[Kate W]

Thank you so much for the info. This can be so overwhelming! Ideally, I would love to have all 3 dogs on the same food once the puppy is on adult food. He turns 1 in 3 weeks! (Time has flown!).
My one Boston is 9, and a rescue. He was found to have a grade 4/6 heart murmur shortly after we got him. Fortunately, the follow up echo showed no change 6 months later. He has gained a little weight, and we cut back his food and he doesn’t get a lot of treats. He is not a walker though, so I am having trouble getting him to lose a pound or 2.
I will definitely look for that facebook group!
Thanks again!
Kate

[liz R]

I have a all white mixed Havanese, Bichon, Bolognese, and for the first 3 years he didn’t have a single tear stain. Last summer that took a dramatic turn and I had no idea why. I tried everything, I spent a fortune on different high quality foods, grain free, all natural, etc. I tried every topical eye cleanse for stains, washed his face twice a day with shampoo, changed his treats, researched online for hours, begged my vet to figure it out.. nothing worked. After several months, I realized I had changed his food flavor from chicken to Lamb, I was still using the same brand but a different flavor. When I realized that I had not thought about that and maybe I should go back to the original flavor he ate for 3 years when he didn’t have these tear stains, I switched back to the original food in the chicken and barley flavor. Within a month along with Eye Envy teas stain remover solution and powder, his eyes completely cleared up. Let me just say now that I don’t think it was the flavor change for my dog, rather the minor change in ingredients for each flavor. Here’s why, after several months of clear eyes again, I was in need of more dog food. Before and after the eye stain problem, I was using Hills Science Diet Advanced Fitness Chicken and Barley which never caused a tear any staining and cleared up the problem once I went back to it. The store happened to be out of the Advanced Fitness Chicken and Barley so I purchased the same Hills Science Diet brand again but in the Small Toy Dog formula in the Chicken and Barley flavor, how much of a difference could that make, right? … Low and behold the stains started to come back within 2-3 weeks. That’s when I realized, it might not have been the flavor change but perhaps an ingredient that was in one formula and not the other. I compared the ingredients one for one…. and there were 4 ingredients in the Hills Toy breed food formula that were not in the Advanced Fitness formula. Pea Fiber is one of the main ingredients, Powdered Cellulose, L-Lysine and L-Carnitine. I have no idea which of these is the culprit but someone mentioned above in another post that Pea heavy foods can be the cause. That might be the answer because the food my dog had issues with was obviously high in pea fiber, it was the second ingredient on the list. Just to be sure, I will avoid food with all four of those ingredients. Try a different food without Peas first, this may do the trick!

[anonymous]

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2011/06/salmonella-and-other-risks-of-raw-pet-diets/ excerpt below

C. Health Risks:
As I have pointed out before, raw diets are more likely than cooked diets to be contaminated with infectious organisms, including Salmonella. Such organisms have been found in raw diets (1, 8-12) and have been found shed in the feces of pets eating these diets (13), they can be passed from pets to humans (13-16), and they have caused illness in both pets and humans (16-18).
Another recent paper in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, written by Dr. Kate KuKanich (19), specifically addresses the subject of Salmonella contamination in pet foods and treats. Her analysis of the literature shows that uncooked foods and treats are far more likely to be contaminated with Salmonella, and that up to 69% of sled dogs and 61% of racing greyhounds fed raw meat shed this organism in their feces even when they have no diarrhea or other clinical symptoms. This is compared to a rate of shedding of less than 5% up to 15% in studies of other healthy dogs. While Salmonella contamination after cooking has been found in dry diets, the risks for uncooked foods and treats are substantially higher, and Dr. KuKanich concludes, as I would,
Ample evidence exists for the risk of Salmonella contamination in raw food diets; thus, it is advised that pet owners avoid feeding raw food diets to pets.

[JACQUELINE]

As an owner of 3 deep chested German Shepherds, Bloat is always a concern. I researched and learned as much was I could about it. While shopping at the pet store I came across a table that had a bunch of literature available and included was a 2 sided page about Bloat that was provided by G.S.R.N.E. = German Shepherd Rescue of N.E. It lists common symptoms and a few simple measures that may help prevent Bloat. # 4 on the list is to soak all dry foods with warm water prior to feeding because these foods expand when they absorb water, OR don’t let your dog drink water for a while after eating. # 5 – don’t let your dog drink large quantities of water at one time. I understood # 4 as being that if the food is dry it could make your dog extra thirsty after eating and cause them to drink more water than needed and that would increase the volume in their stomach (along with the added air intake). For that reason I have always added warm water to their kibble but also because my dogs don’t always crunch up every kibble it would be going down dry and sometimes I would see them trying to swallow it again and again. That doesn’t happen when I add water. I add the water right before I give it to them so it’s wet not mushy. Since their puppyhood (since 2007 when I got the info page) I’ve strictly followed the guidelines on the entire info page provided and feel very confident in their advice. And of course It does say ..”This info is not provided to replace advice or guidance from Vet’s or other pet care pro’s it’s simply an aid to assist with your own research on this very serious problem” It also includes info from a Purdue University study that includes “Raising your dogs food bowl may actually increase your dogs chance of getting Bloat by as much as 110%. ” Although the info I got was from 2007, I still believe in it and I hope this post may help anyone that isn’t yet familiar with Bloat. I had given this advice to someone I know with a Lab mix that would allow her dog to heavily exercise (running around yard) , give him treats and Drink large amounts of water during all the exercise, each day. At 5 yrs old her dog developed Bloat. Luckily she got him to the Vet in time and he survived. I don’t know what caused his Bloat but I couldn’t help but wonder about his drinking so much water while he was running around. That experience changed their lives forever.

[Susan]

Hi Pamela,
I have a dog with IBD & have tried natural & went thru a Holistic Vet & Animal Naturopath with Patch…
Have you joined the “Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disorder IBD” on facebook?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/11164787803/
I use the Slippery Elm Powder made into a slurry, go to health food store buy slippery elm powder not the capsules. Some Health food store have Slippery Elm & Marshmallow Root together
add 1/2 a teaspoon into a cup, boil the jug & slowly add the boiling water & stir quickly till you get a thin paste/slurry you pull up into a syringe 4ml & give 20mins before a meal.. I cover the cup with foil put in fridge & take out when needed again, it turns into a jelly then boil the jug & slowly add boiling water & stir till you have a slurry again & use then I throw out & make a new batch the next day..
Slippery Elm powder sooth the esophagus, stomach & bowel, good for nausea, acid reflux, rumbling grumbling gasses going thru the bowel -loud noises.. also helps firm poos..
Also sweet Potato is excellent I boil sweet potato cut into small pieces & I freeze them, then take out in morning to thaw, I mash 1 piece of sweet potato & I mash on a plate put in microwave for 8 secs to warm & I give to Patch when he’s whinging or has his bad acid reflux or I give as a treat.

Do you follow “Rodney Habib” on face book, he’s really good to follow & put you on the natural tract instead of feeding vet diets, he’s always testing dog food, treats etc..
What I did with Patch vet said to stayed on a vet diet for 9-12months so everything can rest & heal then when Patch was doing really well vet said now start introducing fresh healthy foods & introduce a better diet feed a grain free diet as grains made Patch reacts & have a flare..
also strengthen the gut, a healthy gut strengthens the dogs immune system.

If you want to try something natural that’s getting great reviews from people who have a dog suffering with IBD look at “Adored Beast Gut Soothe”
“Adored Breast Healthy Gut”
https://www.adoredbeast.com/collections/all

Julie Anne Lee – “Adored Beast Love Bugs” – Probiotics & Prebiotics

[Patricia A]

I have been feeding my two Chihuahuas freeze dried for about two years now. Actually I was giving Origen Freeze dried treats for years but didn’t even realize it was freeze dried. Just knew it was a different texture that they really loved. I now have put in rotation Stella Chewy’s chicken meal mixers, turkey patties and venison blend. When I started I was using Fromm kibble as a base. Then I switched to Stella’s raw coated kibble small breed. I’m concerned about the Dcm with the legumes so stopped all kibble now until sorted out. Many questions on Stella’s f/b page regarding their kibble but their statements also say their kibble is not implicated in any DCM cases. Anyway I started out slowly . One protein at a time in tiny amounts. Just add warm water. Amount to feed for weight is on bag. Adjust according to weight gain or lose. I also slowly put in rotation Primal freeze dried. I use Turkey/sardine, rabbit and their duck. No stomach issues if done slowly. Bixbi Rawbbles is a great freeze dried also. I use this as treats or just throw some in with the pucks or patties . My dogs are doing great on this and I feel much better feeding the freeze dried instead of kibble or canned. Much easier to feed also.
Primal food does Hpp process to kill bacteria but not with all flavors/proteins. It’s on their webpage which protein/flavors they use it with. I believe Stella’s uses hPP process on all their food as well as Bixbi.
HOW HPP WORKS

Essentially, this technology “puts the squeeze” on food pathogens without cooking out vital nutrients or changing the fresh characteristics of food. During High-Pressure Processing, pressure is uniformly applied around and throughout the food product. High-Pressure Processing can be conducted at refrigerated or even frozen temperatures, which means the temperature starts low and stays low — High-Pressure Processing does not cause the heat degradation that happens during cooking.
Freeze Dried The process requires food to be placed inside a vacuum chamber that lowers the temperature until it is below freezing and then moisture is drawn out by slowly raising the temperature. The water originally found in the food moves to a gaseous state from a solid to void the food of most moisture.

Moisture Content:

Dehydration removes approximately 90-95 percent of moisture, while freeze-drying removes about 98-99 percent.[3]

Rehydration:

Freeze-dried pet food will rehydrate within 2-3 minutes while dehydrated pet food can often take 5-10 minutes or need to be left soaking for a few hours depending on the size of the food chunks.

Texture, Flavor, and Aroma:

When food is freeze-dried, the process is gentle and the enzymes are locked in without disrupting the texture, taste, or smell of the ingredient. This particular process greatly reduces the weight of the product and makes it convenient for storing and travel.

The look and feel of a freeze-dried product to a dehydrated is noticeable to the naked eye. Dehydrated foods tend to be a little darker, denser, and can sometimes appear leathery. In order to create a faster rehydration time for dehydrated food, they are often powdered or made granular, whereas freeze-dried foods can be kept in chunkier states.

Another key difference is that dehydration can break down vital vitamins and minerals due to the processes being a little more invasive.[2] The freeze-drying process will keep all the valuable nutrients intact ready to be rehydrated when needed.

• This reply was modified 7 years ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 7 years ago by Patricia A.

[dawne]

Hi folks! I’m sorry if this topic has been discussed to death……. I obviously know what raw dog food is. I’m really not comfortable with it and neither is my vet. However, since the shelves at my pet store seems to be fully stocked with mostly dehydrated or freeze dried foods and treats, I can’t help but start to wonder. Is there anyone here who can tell me if either dehydrated or freeze dried dog food is cooked first? And does the process of dehydration actually cook the food to some degree?Who is feeding their dog what and which brand. I was originally concerned about raw food because they always seem to get recalled for salmonella. Well, now it seems salmonella doesn’t discriminate. FYI- I have a small dogs…under 15 lbs. No health issues. Thanks so much!

[Lacey L]

I have a 7 year old golden retriever, Tucker, who is picky and has acid reflux. He’s always been very sensitive to foods ever since he was a puppy. I tried literally 20 different foods, all of which gave him very loose stools, until he finally did well on Kirklands signature and he has been on that ever since. I tried switching proteins within the brand because I read that is healthier for them but he didn’t like it.

I work at a Pet store and decided to try him on Activa because it is a customizable food I could had probiotics and glucosamine to as well as salmon oil for his coat. It was then I discovered he is Very allergic to salmon. So I put him back on Kirkland. Throughout the years his regurgitating food at night happened pretty frequently at times. Then he started the gulping, freaking out, drinking tons of water, pacing and wanting to eat grass. So I started giving him tums until it wasn’t enough and the vet suggested prilosec which helps 70% of the time but the other 30% it doesn’t help at all. He never gets table scraps and rarely gets treats but when I started him on the prilosec I would give him a tiny bit of peanut butter to put the pill in. My fiancé said the peanut butter might do it so I’ve switched to cheese instead and I’ve switched him to Pepcid AC complete. It’s only his second day on that but it seems to be helping.

His latest bout of acid reflux was pretty severe so I put him on small meals of chicken and rice throughout the day which helped but as soon as I put him back on his kibble he got the acid reflux back so he’s back on the chicken and rice.

I work and can’t cook for him forever and he’s a 90 lb dog (not overweight.. He’s actually thin) so I can’t afford raw or canned so I want to find a dry kibble for him to try that would prevent acid reflux. I’ve researched alot and was excited to try the nature’s Select lamb but I gave him a few kibble but he didn’t like it!! So I’m thinking of trying taste of the wild lamb next and if he won’t eat that then try the chicken flavors. I also read soaking in bone broth is good?

Any other food suggestions in case he doesn’t like the totw? Also as I said I work, so would having him grave all day be a bad thing? He is not an over eater at all. When I feed him breakfast alot of times he’ll just snack on it here or there anyways.

[Cody D]

Blood work was “perfect,” fecal showed no signs of parasites. After some prodding by a local dog treats store owner, I’m going to get a scope done tomorrow at a place about 2 hours away. He had nothing good to say about the specialist I went too, though personally I feel like he had a really bad experience with the place itself and it was not the normal. Different dept too. Besides the cost, I liked the specialist. But at least with this new place I can get in a week sooner to try and get some piece of mind… A little nervous about having someone who hasn’t seen anything yet doing new work, but I imagine with the completely clean view they had, and being that the specialist was the director of her dept and highly regarded that it doesn’t matter too much. We will see how the scope goes… I’m keeping the apt for a scope at the specialist office the week later and hope to call after tomorrow to change it to whatever else needs to be done if anything (hopefully they find something!). My wife and I just can’t keep doing this. Up all night, can’t eat, barely functioning. For all of you who have been through this I Don’t know how you all did it.

[Deb D]

Samanthia, please do work with a veterinarian. We adopted an eight year old German shepherd dog nine months ago. She was a mess because of neglect and allergies. Imagine a GSD with no hair and infections in eyes, ears, urethra, anus, and toes. We have never dealt with a dog with allergies and, thankfully, let our vet guide us. We went through countless medicated baths and bottles of medicated ear cleaner, two Cytopoint shots (They were a real game changer for our girl.) and Z/D dog food. (Yep, we have also had to deal with the recall but, thank God, her Vitamin D levels are okay.) She is now on a maintenance schedule of one medicated bath a month and weekly ear cleanings. We think she has both environmental and food allergies so it is an excruciatingly slow process to figure things out BUT she is relatively comfortable so we can all sleep. She is not itch free but almost, and a world improved. And, we now have her at a point where we can experiment with one food and see if it causes increased symptoms.

The hardest part for us is the food. First of all, we would never have fed a food like Z/D. Second, she is not fond of it and we want a highly palatable food for training because she was neglected in that area too. Hill’s Hypo Treats are not gonna make her do back flips. We hope that one day we can find food she loves that loves her and is not grain-free. But meanwhile, we are grateful for Z/D and know that if we have to, we can stick with it. (Hubby and I find it Very difficult to withhold treats because we have always shared our food with our dogs. Her allergies hurt us almost as much as they do her.)

But our vet was the key. She tested swabs from between toes, from the ears, from everywhere so she would know exactly what was needed to treat her. Then she did it again after a few weeks so we made steady progress without overwhelming her (and us) with chemicals. It was beyond expensive but became less so as the diet/drugs/and chemicals did their job. She goes everywhere with us and now we hear, “What a beautiful German Shepherd.” A far cry from a nearly bald dog a year ago.

[Devynthecatewithsocks]

We rescued a 2-3 year old Husky/Malamute from the shelter in December. He is a sweet boy with some aggression issues, but we believe he was abused. He has the most sensitive stomach ever. He once got to ONE chicken nugget and I have never seen so much puke in my life….it was so gross. Any people food he will throw up or get massive diarrhea and gas, which is not fun for the rest of us. We actually had to take him to the vet and almost went through surgery because he hadn’t eaten in a week because his food was causing him issues. The wrong food or treats sets him back for weeks. He is now on Taste of the Wild salmon recipe which h he is doing ok on but he still gets stomach aches every once in a while.We dont want to completely change his diet and choose another food (which got us into that situation when he wouldn’t eat). We talked to our trainer and she said to try puppy formula for treats and such. However, we found Taste of the Wild had a puppy formula and it is salmon too! We instantly bought it for him since we know puppy formula’s are easier on the stomach. I just want to clarify that he can eat this. I’ve seen many posts saying its too high in calories and fattening.

• This topic was modified 7 years ago by Devynthecatewithsocks.

[Chris F]

So I’m a new dog owner and I’m the kind of person that likes to do a deep dive on things I get really into. Well, I’m really into my dog and I’d LOVE to be able to make some healthy treats (probably not going all out on making his food just yet) for him and while there’s ample info out there of nutritious ways to feed your dog treats, I’d love if I could find some more detailed info.

For example, it’s pretty clear that chicken, eggs and fish oil (provided you boost their vitamin E intake) are all great things for a dog to eat. I’m aware there are some arguments against anything, but in general. Well, I think the jerky approach is great and so I was like hmmm.. what if I take some chicken, slice it thin and then dry it out in the oven? Well, what if before I do that, I baste it in egg yolk, mix in maybe some egg shell powder and some fish oil. Boom, it’s a really healthy dog treat right? Well, I’m totally glossing over amounts, if this stuff loses its benefits by being cooked, etc.

I’m definitely a newbie to this world as you can tell but it’s INCREDIBLY hard to find detailed information because there are a million blogs and forums and posts about healthy dog food suggestions written by anyone and everyone.

Thanks in advance! If this has been answered before, my apologies.

[Christie B]

So for years now my dog has had issues with excessive drooling. I’ve never been able to pinpoint what causes it. Medical tests all come back normal. But the drooling never last for more that an hour or two so by the time the vet sees him he can only offer suggestions.

The last time he noticed what he called signs of allergies: inflammation around his nose and mouth, head shaking and ear debris, watery eyes, paw and leg licking. He said that dogs can drool excessively when they have an upset stomach. Or if they come in contact with something in the environment that they’re allergic to.

So he basically told me to give him 5 benedryl twice a day to prevent symptoms.

Which I kind of thought was nuts because the drooling wasn’t happening all the time. So he told me to do it for 5 days, then give him a dose whenever symptoms presented.
Benedryl does work, unfortunately it takes a while to kick in.

But what triggers the episodes? How long does it take from exposure to symptoms?

It didn’t occur to me or my vet, but someone in a dog wellness FB group suggested keeping a journal of when these drooling attacks occur. That way I can write down when he last ate, what he ate, did he go outside prior, did he do anything unusual before the drooling started while it is still fresh in my mind.

He had a drooling episode today. The last one was a week ago while I was away. That day neither of my dogs ate much of anything (which happens sometimes when I go away). Thinking about possible food issues, all this past week I had given both dogs cooked ground beef. No incident. I ran out last night. This morning, I probably made the mistake of putting in a few crumbles of sausage that I had leftover. To make matters worse, when I ate eggs, sausage and cheese for breakfast about 60-90 minutes later, I gave the dogs the small remainder that I hadn’t finished.

Within 20 or so minutes the drooling began.

I’m kicking myself because I’ve been really good with the no table scraps treats.

The vet had said that because it doesn’t happen every day and only 1 or 2 a week (sometimes even less) that it’s probably something he’s eating. That the environmental sensitivities can be a totally separate issue and that dogs can develop really sensitive stomachs as they get older. He suggested either a sensitive stomach dry food or limited ingredient food to make digestion easier. He also suggested staying away from bird proteins as bully breeds are known to be sensitive to fowl proteins.

Any suggestions?

[Sanne]

I don’t give hard chews like antlers because my dogs do not care or realize that they cannot be bitten into smaller pieces. They will try anyway which will lead to broken teeth. Softer chews like lamb trachea and dehydrated fish skins work well for my smaller dog.

My dogs LOVE fruit for treats. Raspberries, strawberries and blueberries are some of their favorites. Baby carrots and broccoli are well liked too. If I do use store bought treats, I tend to stick to “training treats”. These are typically very small so also very low on calories. Dogs do not care how big their reward is so I use small treats in order to not feed a bunch of useless calories.

[anonymous]

For science based information regarding health, vaccinations and such go here: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/

Find a vet that you like and trust, go for routine checkups. Start brushing the dog’s teeth, small breeds have lousy teeth. See youtube for how to videos.

Stay away from those treats you mentioned and boutique type foods.

Try giving him 1/3 of a raw carrot to chew once a day (not the baby carrots they are bleached plus they are a choking hazard).
And be careful gathering information on the internet, lots of misinformation to be found.

Fromm is a good food and they have treats, stay away from grain free, I like the classic or small breed gold for a kibble. https://www.gofromm.com/fromm-family-small-breed-adult-gold-food-for-dogs

At 5 months the pup is probably still teething, they chew everything in site till they are about 2 years old.
PUPPY PROOF YOUR HOME!

[InkedMarie]

I don’t feed those kind of treats because they tend to make my dogs have upset tummies. For a Pomeranian, look for small high quality treats. If you’re in the US, I like Buddy Biscuits Itty Birdies. You can give the pup blueberries, carrots (I use the baby ones).

[Ayat S]

I am a owner of a 5 months pomeranian that is supposed to arrive tomorrow and I have been trying to gather is much info as possible. I have never had a dog so it is all a little overwhelming.
I went to the pet shop yesterday to buy some essentials, and noticed they have lots of dried meat that I did not know dogs can supposedly eat. I saw pig snout, pig ear, antlers (for some reason!) and lots of other dried animal parts. I was wondering if these are ok to feed to my dog, or ok in general for any dog.
Also, what would be best for treats, store bought or just general at home stuff such as fruit and the like?

[Bernice L]

My dog has chronic pancreatitis and bilious vomiting syndrome; after over $5000 in vet bills, including a gastro specialist and all kinds of prescription foods and meds I finally bit the bullet and decided to try raw food that I purchase from my local butcher (they make their own containing chicken, beef liver, ground bone, brown rice & veggies); after two weeks nearly all his symptoms have disappeared and after 4 months he is healthier than ever (he is 5 1/2) — AND the best part, my food bill went from over $200/month to approx. $80 per month. Not one of the vets/specialists ever suggested trying raw and I know it is controversial, but it works for my Freddy — however, I must add that he now ONLY gets treats like apples, blueberries, dried sweet potato, no more junky treats or fatty treats at all. Good luck!

[Mocha B]

I have a hard time believing these dog treats caused either of your dogs to go into kidney failure. There are about 5 whole food ingredients in these treats.

Please be honest with yourself about what really caused your dogs to have these issues. My dog is 12 and has been eating these for quite some time. She is healthy and in good shape.

[Bernice L]

Your dog’s’ symptoms are identical to what my Freddy went through for a number of years, culminating last year in over $5000 worth of vet bills, long-term hospital stays and near-death at one point. Finally was referred to a gastro specialist and he was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis and bilious vomiting syndrome. After working with some meds and food changes it has now been 3 months with virtually no symptoms. I switched Freddy to raw food (from our local butcher who makes a blend of chicken, beef liver, veggies, brown rice and ground bone for calcium) and within days noticed a huge difference. Despite all the controversy about raw food for him this was the answer. He is still on Metonia as part of the issue with his diagnosis is his difficulty digesting food properly, any food. He also is on Pepcid and 1 tsp of Metamucil a day (although I buy a natural fibre the pharmacist said was better, and cheaper). It sounds like a lot, but not only is Freddy healthier, no bouts of drooling, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea since November, but the food is 1/3 of the cost of his prescription food he had been on, he poops only once or twice a day, nice solid poops, his coat is fabulously soft, he has way less gas (he’s a Frenchton so I thought farting a lot was normal… not!). The Metonia is not expensive, $17/month, dog food now around $80, compared to $255, Pepcid & Fibre combined $10, a far cry from the expenses from before. In addition, it is important to keep their stomachs full so his meals are broken up into 4 a day and ABSOLUTLEY NO KIBBLE, NO BONES, and only low fat treats — I buy dried sweet potatoes and fruit, fresh fruit like blueberries and apples (NO skin as there is a lot of fat in apple skins, who knew?). It may sound strange to say “low fat” when he is on raw food, but it works. The specialist I worked with did not recommend the raw food, that was my desperation, but he did not discourage it either. You can google him, Dr. Gelens in Kelowna BC Canada. Good luck with your dog, I hope this helps.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Midama-
Congratulations on your new pup. Definitely make sure that you choose a puppy food formulated especially for a large breed puppy. They need certain calcium percentages. It’s very important for their joints. Keep the puppy as lean as possible and limit the exercise. I would get rid of the Taste of the Wild and feed either Purina, Royal Canin, Hill’s, Eukanuba, or Iams. They all meet the WSAVA guidelines for choosing a good dog food.

Currently, I feed my dogs Purina kibble with mostly Purina canned. But also mix in either eggs, fresh chicken or sardines a few days a week as well. The unbalanced toppers and treats should be no more than 10 to 15 percent of their total diet. I feed mostly weight management kibble that is 350 calories or less per cup. My dogs are also chubby lab mixes!

My cats get Royal Canin because they are the royalty of the house! 😊❤️

Hope this helps. Good luck!

[Patricia A]

I think the freeze dried version of raw is always more expensive . Frozen raw is probably the way to go with large breed dogs. I find Primal is great and also use Stella’s. Primal has Pronto frozen bags which has small round shape that is scoopable.I have small breeds so I do the freeze dried. I also stick to the 5* proteins/flavors on the reviews here. I believe these are higher protein vs fat to avoid pancreatitis. Bixbi rawbble is excellent also. Much lower in fat in all proteins/flavors. I find them expensive so I give as treats.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Patricia A.

[Patricia A]

Sounds like a good plan to me Amir. I agree with staying away from Orijen/Acana. I know about the lawsuit but it’s really because Acana was mentioned so many times as being fed when their dogs were diagnosed with low taurine or DCM. Lamb and rice frequently.
Mine get home cooked also. Just some boiled chicken, lean steak if they’re and I’m lucky that day. lol
I do like to switch around the freeze dried though. Primal turkey/sardine and duck. They get Bixbi Rawbble as treats only. Really expensive.
Don’t think kibble will ever be the perfect food for dogs . Grain free or not. Just man made for convenience for pet owners. Not natural for our pets to be eating day in and day out for life.
You have about the same feeding regime as me. I wish us luck. Geesh..I didn’t worry so much about what I was feeding my kids when growing as much I do about these two fur babies. lol

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Patricia A.

[Zach D]

My dog is a 3 year old rescue presumably a border collie, Australian cattle dog mix? He has seizures almost once a month or even sometimes between that. They are generally cluster seizures and full body. Sometimes large changes can cause seizures for him or if he would get ahold of different food it can cause them including (I think) treats or getting ahold of people food. He currently takes phenobarbital and potassium bromide I worry about his liver with his phenobarbital levels. He usually looks like he carries a little more weight sometimes never at an unhealthy level but a little thicker. I was wondering if there were maybe any diets he could be placed on that may help him with controlling the seizures more or if any of this information is common checkmarks for any type of cause. He currently eats a purina neurological food with a little kirklands healthy weight mixed in because he neglects the purina otherwise, because the other dog we have gets it. If I forgot to include anything that may give you more insight please ask. (this is my first post so I may have missed something)

[Susan]

Hi Pat,
Sorry for what has happened 🙁
if you can afford it I’d cook meals or feed 1 cooked meal & the other meal feed a freeze dried dog food that has human grade ingredients, I’d stay away from dry kibbles & wet can dog foods…
Take back the 3 bags of TOTW food & get your money back..if pet shop wont refund then contact TOTW..
also here’s link for FDA to report a problem.
https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ReportaProblem/ucm182403.htm

Ask vet to do full blood test see if liver is OK ??

My Patch was doing really well on TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb from 2015-2017 then 2017-Nov he started to go down hill & refused to eat his TOTW Lamb kibble, Patch NEVER refuses food, thats when I knew something was wrong.
I blammed the TOTW Lamb kibble he was eating had made him very ill being a Diamond product he didnt get better after I stopped teh TOTW kibble so in January 2018 he had endoscope & biopsies done & he has LES – his Lower Esophageal Sphincter flap doesnt close properly this was causing bad acid reflux washing back up & was burning his wind pipe & esophagus were both red & inflammmed but I still think TOTW made him ill aswell, his liver results weren’t good, I’d say a few things were happening cause he does have IBD & Skin Allergies but we are what we eat & he was eating the same dry food I wasnt rotating & feeding any other foods like I normally do….

Never feed the same brand of pet food month after month, year after year, this is when health problems can start to happen…
Now I rotate his foods again, I change between 3 different brands now & try & add as much fresh food as possible in his diet.. When I started feeding him “Wellness Core” Large Breed Adult dry & “Wellness Simple” Turkey & Potato he started to get better, he hasnt become ill again..but it took a while for him to get well again

There’s a company that test/studies for toxins, heavy metals & contaminates they test
the best selling Pet Foods in America, these dog foods are tested in an accredited analytical chemistry laboratory for 130 harmful environmental and industrial contaminants and toxins. Results are published as Product Ratings.
I cant post the link as DFA, DFA doesn’t believe in this testing & blocks the link, different batches of Dog/Cat wet, dry & treats get tested every 3-4 months these are all “new different batches” that are being tested everytime, certain brands of pet foods keep coming back time & time again very high in toxins, heavy metals & contaminates &

TOTW High Prairie adult formula & TOTW Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon have been on the 1 star – high toxins, heavy metals & contaminate list for nilly 2yrs now cause they have poison ingredients in them… 🙁

Google, heavy metals, toxins in dry dog foods,
so you can see all the 5 -1 star foods –

Here’s C L P first 13 x 5 star dry dog foods that tested very well, if you cant find the dry food site C L P I’m talking about.
Thats if you want to continue feeding a dog food..

* Buckley Liberty Freeze-Dried Beef Recipe Dry Dog Food
* Buckley Grain Free Liberty With Lamb Dry Dog Food
* Buckley Liberty Freeze-Dried Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food
* Buckley Liberty Grain Free with Chicken Dry Dog Food
* Canisource Grand Cru All Life Stages Turkey Formula Dehydrated Raw Dry Dog Food
* CaniSource Grand Cru All Life Stages Pork and Lamb Formula Dehydrated Raw Dry Dog Food
* CaniSource Grand Cru All Life Stages Red Meat Formula Dehydrated Raw Dry Dog Food
* BIXBI Rawbble Freeze-Dried Dry Dog Food Duck Recipe
* BIXBI Rawbble Freeze-Dried Dry Dog Food Chicken Recipe
* BIXBI Rawbble Freeze-Dried Dry Dog Food Salmon & Chicken Recipe
* BIXBI Rawbble Dry Dog Food Lamb Recipe
* I and Love and You Grain Free Naked Essentials With Lamb + Bison Dry Dog Foo
* I and Love and You Grain Free Naked Essentials With Chicken + Duck Dry Dog Food

[Patricia A]

Congrats on your adoption!! Don’t know about feeding Blue. I’ve read a few negative things about the company. https://www.chagrinfallspetclinic.com/2017/09/14/pet-food-lead-alert-blue-buffalo-blue-wilderness-dog-food-class-action-law-suit/
Maybe someone can chime in about a good base kibble and start the raw with toppers. I use Primal freeze dried , Stella Chewy’s freeze dried and Bixbi freeze dried as treats because Bixbi is so expensive. All expensive in the freeze dried but I have small dogs. I think the frozen would be the way to go with the Primal/stellas’. My dogs are doing great on these. Reviews from advisor are all great also. I used Stella’s baked raw coated as base. However I stopped all kibble until this DCM mess is worked out. No legumes or starches in any of these foods.
Go to advisors reviews on Primal/Stellas for ingredients and to their f/b page to see what others say.
Like I said MY dogs do great with this. No stomach troubles. Just please start VERY slowly.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Martha M:
Thanks for sharing your story, so sorry for Sophie and what your family is going through. I had a Retriever mix when I was a kid, loved that dog. Always up for a trail ride or other adventure.

It really sounds like you have a team of Vet’s that are on top of everything and have the most current info!! I have read quite a few stories from owners stating their dogs showed no signs of DCM until it was too late or they stopped at blood work without pursuing an echo because taurine levels were fine only to discover later their dog did have DCM and they had lost valuable time to treat it. If a dog is on a diet that has added taurine they can test normal. It’s scary that pet food companies are adding taurine without any evidence it will remedy anything.

I completely revamped my pet food criteria until this is figured out. It just doesn’t make sense to risk my dog’s health feeding any BEG diet. I still don’t feed jerky treats and if they never figure this out I will just stick with my current criteria.

Positive thoughts that Sophie’s DCM is dietary and she is on her way to better health.

[Susan]

Hi Ruth,

the ingredients look good BUT for the price yes its a rip off, there’s cheaper supplements around that are just as good maybe better to fix a dogs gut/immune system.

I would stick with Probiotics Supplements made by companies who specialize in this field..
Nutra Thrive advertise Holistic Vet Dr. Gary Richter, he might be a really good holistic veterinarian but he would have been paid alot of money to advertise Nutra Thrive, this is probably why it’s so expensive, there’s nothing special with ingredients to cost $187.97 for 30 scoops for 1 month supply…

If you’re looking for a GOOD probiotic “Purina Forti Floria Probiotic powder,
When they did a study & tested 10 popular dog probiotic’s, out of the 10 dog probiotics only 3 probiotics came back with live microorganisms.
Purina came top 3 probiotics.
https://www.proplanveterinarydiets.com/products/fortiflora-dog-probiotics/
or
Can you get “Blackmores Paw” Dog & Cat range in the US?
Look at
“PAW DigestiCare 60™ Probiotic” it has great reviews & suppose to be very good, my vet likes Paw supplements & the owner of the vet practice only stocks healthy foods, supplements & healthy treats that he knows his customer said worked & helped their dogs health problems..

If your dog has skin problems give a dog probiotic you think is good & have a look at “Paw Dermoscent® Essential 6® spot-on for Dogs” you put on skin, back of their necks, my boy can’t take fish/salmon oil capsules, so this Dermoscent Essential would be very good for him, I’ve been told Krill Oil Capsules are better for people/dogs who have sensitive stomachs.
https://www.blackmores.com.au/products/pet-health/skin-and-coat-health/dermoscent-essential-6-spot-on-for-dogs

I’m going to also try “PAW Complete Calm” Chews so Patch has a better sleep now he’s getting older he’s been having restless sleeps some nights, someone wrote in reviews on the online pet store i use, she wrote, she gives her dog a 1 x Calm chew before bed her dog has Dementia & the Paw Calm chew settles her little dog down……

I was at the vets yesterday cause Patch has been getting “Cartrophen Vet injection for 4 weeks & I seen “Paw Senior Vitality” powder
ingredients
Contains key antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients such as DHA, Lutein, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, L-Carnitine and Selenium to help support brain, eye and immune health.
I’m going to try this Paw Senior Vitality Powder next, make it in a bowl with water & Patch can drink it, it says its chicken flavour.

I like supplements that are either Chews or Powders, with Patches Probiotic powder I was adding 10ml water mixing in a small bowl & Patch was drinking his Probiotic from bowl as a treat…
It’s best to take Probiotic when stomach acids are low, so give either first thing of a morning then wait 1 hour before feeding Breakfast or I gave probiotic inbetween meals I gave around 10am inbetween breakfast & lunch meals…

I read all the reviews & Paws has some really good reviews, best to look on the online Pet Stores & read their reviews cause its not the retailer adding peoples reviews, it will be people just like you & me who have tried a product then we give a review & the Online store just posts the reviews the good & teh bad reviews..

I know you mighten have an order dog who’d over 7yrs old but look what you can get for $99, a Senior Pack, it’s not bad everything they need for skin, joints, gut & brain.
https://www.blackmores.com.au/products/pet-health/pawfect-senior-pack

Nutra Thrive reviews look shonky?? I read thru a few & normally when you read reviews there’s always 1-3 bad reviews – “my dog didn’t like it”, “my dog got diarrhea” etc but this Nutra Thrive his all 5 stars reviews??
I wouldnt pay all that money $188.97 that is very very expensive probiotic, Nutra Thrive are praying on pet owners who are vulnerable wanting to fix their dog health problems… Nutra Thrive wont fix dogs skin problems, might fix gut health (maybe) but if dog has a skin problems need to find out why what is causing the problem??

* Food sensitivities? – change diet,
* Environement allergies? – Bath twice a week to wash off allergens.
* Diet is Low in Omega 3? – add 1-2 spoons of tin salmon/sardines in spring water to each meal or add 1 x Krill Oil Capsule helps inflammation
* Strengthen immune/Gut give Probiotic.

[Susan]

Hi Christine,

Who told you we are getting Orijen in Australia??

We use to get Orijen but back in 2007 then Orijen over irradiated cat pet food, then FINALLY after so many deaths late November 2008 Orijen Pet Foods started recalling cat food due to all the death of cats in Australia.
Then our Government banned Orijen ever coming into Australian waters, Orijen never ever apologized to all the poor pet owners…

Was Irradiated Pet Food the cause of Cat deaths in Australia?

Look at

* “Frontier Pets”
Australian made dehydrated raw you just add some warm water its smells beautiful, its free range meats, orangic vegetables & eggs…
https://frontierpets.com.au/

* “Wellness Core Small Breed”
small kibbles made US, sold Pet Barn store’s, cheaper if you go online buy pet barn online store & Click & Collect or the Pet Barn lady can do it & you get cheaper then price at Pet Barn store.

Core Dog Products

* “Canidae Pure”
small kibbles made US sold My Pet Warehouse online or Pet Stock pet shops
https://www.canidae.com/au
none of these pet foods are Irradiated, I think its not done anymore?…..

Follow Pet Food Review- Australia on face Book page
https://www.facebook.com/PetFoodReviewsAustralia/
He has posted poison Duck dog treats that were Irradiated & NEVER put it on the front of treat packet, by law if any treats have been irradiated it must be stamped on front of treat packet so pet owners do not give to their cats, but pet food companies dont do this..

[joanne l]

Hi Susan, I know what you mean. Purina does use tasty spraying because it does smell good. And your right he is not used to these other foods. I want to try chicken again but I am afraid. You maybe right it probably was the Purina chicken that made him sick because I just talked to a neighbor that feeds Purina Lamb and than tried the chicken and his dog got mushy stools. His dog doesn’t even have a sensitive stomach so I think that it could of been the problem with Purina chicken. I am giving him castor and pollack “chicken” treats and he is fine also, this food is USDA certified organic and the treats are too. Maybe my dog needs the highest quality of chicken for him to accept it. I do give him fresh chicken and he is fine. The price of the castor and pollock food is 79.00 for I think a 20lb bag, so you know by the price it is good chicken and good quality ingredients. I know it is expensive but in order to make USDA certified food it cost money, if it were cheap than I won’t trust it. I hope he can eat a dog food with chicken in it, because I think he would like it better. I may try this food, and again I am still nerves about chicken in dog food. Also I did try Fromm’s chicken and he was fine for a week than mushy stools so I don’t know what to think that is why I am afraid to try chicken.

[Christie B]

When I first adopted my dog almost 9 years ago, I started him on Purina ProPlan on the recommendation of my vet. He did fine on it, but that was before I knew anything about Purina and the quality of their food. And I didn’t know what a by-product was.

Then Blue Buffalo became popular and I switched to that. Everything was fine for years. Except he gained a bit more weight than was expected (I probably did feed him too many treats at the time as well). The vet told me that Blue Buffalo was too “rich” and recommended Purina again. Or Science Diet (because that was the line that they stocked in their clinic). So I started to research ‘quality’ foods and came to sites like this and read through the forums and figured I should switch him to grain free.

He’s been on grain free for about 3 years now.

But over the course of that time, he started to show signs of allergies and intolerance (constant licking, red paws, hot spots, head shaking, grass eating, excessive drooling, gas, etc.) Never all at once, but worrisome.

I switched him back to Blue Buffalo (and restricted the amount…far less than the ridiculous 5 cups a day it says I should feed him) and ever since, he’s been fine.

No more issues.

Could it have been something with the grain free food? Every single one that I tried (and I always properly transitioned between them) eventually lead to symptoms.

I’ve seen a lot of negative comments on the Blue Buffalo review page. I mean compared to ProPlan, it’s definitely better. But are there any other foods (preferably ones that can be found in Petco or Petsmart) that are good that aren’t grain free?

[Melina F]

The treats we used were the Fruitables apple and sweet potato, my dog started vomiting and it lasted 24 hours. The vet gave her several injections for antibiotics and fluids. I still have the bag, I want it tested but I don’t know where to send it! I’m filing a complaint with the FDA in the morning.

[Melina F]

Please help! My eight-month-old puppy is going through the same thing right now After feeding her Fruitables! How many times had you given your dog treats before they started with symptoms ?

[Hav mom]

I am curious about the Human Grade and Feed Grade food. I requested the same question from the maker of the food I feed my Dog. I wanted to know if they are using “feed grade”
meats as Ms. Thixton called this brand of Pet Food only because it is not processed in a Human Grade Facility, but she did give it 4 stars.. Here is the reply I received and I quote:
“. We do not use any by-products in our foods, which is what you may be referring to. We never use the “4-D” products (dead, dying, disabled, or diseased). Our food is human grade until it enters the manufacturing facility (meaning, human food is not produced there). Our dehydrated raw is the highest quality product we offer, actually.

The meat and poultry in the “I and love and you” dehydrated foods has no added hormones, is antibiotic-free, and is cage-free, free-range, and grass-fed.
“I and love and you” makes super-premium pet food and treats that contain everything pets need to be happy and healthy, and none of what they don’t. Our first ingredient is always real meat and we never use fillers like white potatoes, corn, wheat, or soy. Our pets are members of our family and we take our mission very seriously.

When you feed your pet “I and love and you,” you can trust that you are feeding them the very best ingredients from only the highest-quality sources. ILY consults with highly regarded pet nutritionists who have doctorate degrees in animal nutrition along with years of experience in pet food formulation and research. Additionally our pet nutritionists maintain professional membership with the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition, American Society for Nutrition, and The American Society of Animal Science. All of our dog and cat recipes are carefully formulated to meet the most current AAFCO requirements and recommendations.
I gather from the above, it is not “feed grade” or is it (?) because it is not processed in a
facility that also made human food….Well, some of the facilities that make human food
are not so sanitary either,regardless of inspections. I just find the two words confusing – one human grade and one feed grade because it is not processed in a facility where human food is also made. I thought that feed grade was
from the 4 D group…. What is that group of food called when used for dog food?????? Am I missing something here? Just asking, no argument here. We all love and want the
best we can afford for all our pets so they can be healthy. If any member knows of additional information about this brand please advise, I would be happy to know more.

[Eve F]

I have been feeding Open Farm to two of my dogs, a Havanese and a Maltese. Both do very well on this food! I wet it with water first. The other 4 dogs sometimes get a piece and like it too. If you are using it with your Chihuahua, it wouldn’t be too costly. I feed treats in the form of Rocco & Roxie pure beef treats that I cut into tiny slices for the dogs (-:

Good luck.
Eve

[Dawn H]

Hi,
I have a 9yo dachshund mix (15lb) who had pancreatitis 2 yrs ago for the first time. He now eats wellness core grain free low fat kibble. I wanted a food that didn’t require a prescription and cost a fortune. If that didn’t work I would have gone the prescription food route. He gets charlee bear liver treats and old mother Hubbard mini puppy biscuits (I get the puppy ones because they are smaller). Both are low in fat. He gets no other treats/biscuits. No people food except green beans, rice, raw spinach and the occasional baby carrot. He also gets half of a multivitamin with digestive enzymes at each meal.
He will vomit, usually in the am if he eats too late. I use the charlee bears and old mother Hubbard treats as snacks. Vomiting on an empty stomach is common in small dogs. When I worked at the vet, they always said it was partially from drastic changes in blood sugar. So multiple small meals are best.
They also said not to be on omeprazole (prilosec) or famotidine (pepcid) long term, though I don’t remember why. I will see if I can find out their reasoning. Hope freddy is doing well!

[Dawn H]

Hi all,
I have a 9 year old dachshund mix (looks like a dachshund with longer legs and shorter ears, 15lbs) who had pancreatitis 2 years ago. Switched his food from royal canin dachshund (he ate this his whole life, just the puppy formula when he was a puppy) to hills i/d canned to get his spec cpl test back to normal. His amylase and lipase were never elevated. He never had vomiting despite his test being over 1000. He had stomach pain, inappetence, lethargy and just wasn’t himself. I also gave him boiled chicken and white rice. He’s not keen on the canned i/d. Probably one of the few dogs that doesn’t like canned food. Texture issue, maybe. His current food is wellness core grain free reduced fat kibble. I also add half a multivitamin with digestive enzymes at each meal. No idea if it helps any, but I don’t want to change anything since he’s doing well. He only gets charlee bear liver treats and old mother Hubbard classic crunchy natural puppy treats-mini dog biscuits. Both are low in fat. I use to give him dingo bones rawhide chews but those cause stomach issues now. I’ve tried the easier to digest bones that look like the dingo bones brand but those don’t agree with him either.
He gets no other dog treats because even one snausages mini milk bone biscuit from a neighbor causes stomach issues. No people food except green beans, raw spinach and an occasional baby carrot.
If you’d like an alternative to the RC, try the wellness core low fat. No prescription needed.

[Susan]

Hi Ana,

No wet can isnt safer then kibble…
Look at Dehydrated Raw instead of dry kibble & wet can foods, Dehydrated Raw isnt raw, raw like you think when you read the word raw, Dehydrated raw is more like frozen hard raw but it isnt, but its dry like dry kibble but hasnt been over processed & cooked & cooked like kibble…
My boy who has IBD he does really well on an Australian made “Frontier Pets” Free Range Dehydrated Raw balls, I just add a little warm water he loves it for lunch, start feeding 1 of your dog meal a dehydrated raw food & let them decide which is best…
Offer the kibble in a bowl & in another bowl some dehydrated raw..
I think dehydrated is best if you want to feed something like kibble..
Honest Kitchen would be better then buying the wet can foods in pet shops & super markets, alot of wet can foods aren’t balanced properly, well the cat wet can foods aren’t & they’re made by the big 3 pet food companies..
Here’s the proof.
A study was done in Australia by “Sydney University junk pet-food research investigated”

8 out of the 20 pet foods that were tested 8 did not meet nutritional standards, the University will not release names now cause Hills + Royal Canine donates heaps of money to the University & the researchers got a bit scared they wont get funds…..

When you cook for yourself & your family you know what your eating & have watched it cook, when you go & get take away or eat in resturant you dont know if some dropped the food on the floor or they just went to toilet never washed hands, or had a smoke etc this is the same when we feed our pets kibble & wet can foods but worse…
Wet can & Dry Kibble are the lowest of quality when it comes to pet foods, they’re quick & easy, then you start getting the better pet foods Air Dired, Dehydrated Raw they also make wet can foods that are good aswell..

These brands are good..
The bottom 3 brands have come 1st, 2nd, 3rd, when tested for Toxins, Heavy Metals & Contaminates…
The 2 top Brands weren’t tested probably cause they’re made in New Zealand.

“Ziwi Peak” – wet can & Air Dried Raw,
send Ziwi Peak email ask for some samples, just say you have fussy dogs.

“K-9 Natural” – wet can raw & freeze dried & frozen raw in freezer & treats.
K-9 Natural Green Lipped Mussels are really good + Healthy to give as a treat daily.

“Buckley Liberty” Freeze-Dried Dry Dog Food

“CaniSource Grand Cru” All Life Stages Dehydrated Raw Dry Dog Food

“BIXBI” Rawbble Freeze-Dried Dry Dog Food

[Patricia A]

Same question here Libby. I’m thinking because the lamb is MUCH higher in fat? I just brought the venison not realizing it’s a blend now. I’m looking forward to getting the advisors new 2019 list to see if he changes ratings. I also give a little of Stella’s small breed kibble as a base with their Stella’s. A little worried since peas, chickpeas etc are high up on its ingredient list and the DCM concern regarding these legumes might block Taurine
I have Chihuahuas’ so this breed isn’t listed as the dogs most effected. I also alternate with Primal freeze dried duck and turkey/sardine and Bixibi rawbbles as treats.
I also alternate with Primal freeze dried duck and turkey/sardine and Bixibi rawbbles as treats.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Patricia A.