[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi oceandog –

When you fed raw did you use a novel protein source? Honestly, if he was experiencing these issues on a grain-free raw diet with a novel protein source, I would be inclined to think it’s more likely to be a compulsive behavior or something in the environment. Since raw is not an issue for you, rather than messing around with kibble I’d put him right on a raw diet. I’d personally go with a grind from hare-today.com or mypetcarnivore.com (the grinds contain muscle meat, organ meat, bone and nothing else) – pick one with a protein he’s never eaten before (they’ve got some pretty novel proteins like goat, duck, quail, rabbit, etc.). I’d feed him the grind with a vitamin e supplement, fish oil, kelp/alfalfa blend and a high quality multi-strain probiotic with nothing else for 2-3 months (no treats either!). After 2-3 months, assuming the issues have cleared, gradually start introducing new protein sources and other food items such as vegetables, fruits and eggs. Introduce each item one at a time and closely monitor his reaction. Keep a journal or something noting which foods cause reactions and which don’t. After you figure out which foods trigger his reaction you can start looking into pre-made raw foods (if you wish or you can keep making your own) that don’t contain any of his allergy triggers. If something like this doesn’t work, then I highly doubt his issues are food related.

[pugmomsandy]

Three duck products here:

http://www.freshisbestinc.com/products/pet-treats-chews

Also Stella and Chewy’s Carnivore Kisses

http://www.stellaandchewys.com/dog-kisses.php

and Bravo has duck feet. Instinct has a grain free duck bisucit with some other added ingredients.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi eugeneginder –

This site sells made in the USA duck jerky treats that are only duck:

http://www.preenpets.com/products/Dog-Duck-Treats?gclid=CLem8cyowLQCFcyf4AodSj8AxQ

Sojo’s has a duck & cherry biscuit that looks pretty allergy friendly as well. The ingredients are: garbanzo bean flour, dried duck, cherries, canola oil and eggs.

http://www.sojos.com/products/dog-treats/sojos-grain-free-treats/duck-cherry

[eugeneginder]

-we need duck treats that are nothing but duck. no chicken no turkey. duck and potato is okay. dog sam has allergies.

[BryanV21]

Coconut oil is very good for dogs, due to it’s anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. Our stores not only sells it as an oil, but has chips of it to be given as treats as well. As long as the sugar content is okay, and there aren’t any other “iffy” ingredients, then I don’t see why you can’t give it to your dog.

[Breeze]

Does anyone do anything special for dental health for their dog? I saw a Dr. Oz show about dog’s dental health. Brushing my dog’s teeth is not possible. She just will not stand for it. I give her T/CL canine chews, plus water additive (Nylabone), and my Vet’s office suggested Hills Prescription Diet T/D. I give her this food only as treats. Plus she has Nylabone bones she chews on. The vet said usually dental health is a problem in small dogs. I have a Elk Hound Mix, so a medium dog. Any suggestions? And Greenies, is so over priced. So don’t tell me to do that. I tried it once but it is just not economically smart.

[Ramona72]

Not a bad idea, Jackie B… Do you give your dog treats? Or any people food? I’m thinking maybe I’m giving her too many different things to assimilate?

[Ramona72]

It’s so frustrating, isn’t it? You just keep trying all sorts of things, and none of them works! Glad to read that the grain-free food did the trick for your poodle. Sadie is still on grain-free — every kibble I’ve given her is grain-free. I’m wondering now if it’s her treats. I rotate Sojos lamb, Blue Buffalo duck/potato, & Natural Instinct rabbit. When her stools get mushy, I almost go into PTSD! That’s the first symptom I saw with my other dog who had IBD, but it wasn’t diagnosed… She does get real (cooked) chicken, turkey, ground beef, and ground bison, too. The stains are really bad now, but we are beginning our cedar season down here which is brutal for anything that breathes. That explains some of the staining, but not what has been going on before the cedar hit. I just can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong.

I didn’t know that about Angel Eyes, but I instinctively did not want to use it. To keep Sadie’s eyes from being stinky, I dilute a small amount of hydrogen peroxide in some water and apply it with a Q-Tip or a baby toothbrush. She seems very grateful when I do this. Doesn’t do a lot for the stains, though…

BTW, thanks to everyone who has posted their thoughts about this topic. Every little bit of information is helpful.

[Ramona72]

I’ve got chemical sensitivities of my own, so I’m pretty careful about keeping stuff that might be allergy-triggers out of the house. I do live in a condo, so I have no control over what nastiness might be used on the common lawn areas. I allow my dog to have some people-food, but only if it is meat, vegetable or fruit. I buy organic produce, but more and more, “organic” doesn’t meant what it used to.

I’ve been feeding grain-free kibble, but have allowed sweet potatoes to be included in the formula. One of the treats I give my dog has white potatoes in it, but she only gets that treat every three days as I rotate them.

Maybe I should be looking at the items farther down in the list of ingredients, as legitposter wrote. I never thought of peas as being a problem, but who knows? It’s such a guessing game — buy a bag, feed it a week, see no difference, buy another bag. It looks like a pet food store in here! So many products are made in Diamond factories, and I am leary of them. Perhaps that is unwarranted?

[Safe4pups]

Hello Sophia~ Personally, I would never use rawhide nor bully sticks – they both have obstruction history and the dried penis is an organ that dogs have no need for, is usually imported and can include chemicals.
I have a dog with the same issues – I keep her on Denamarin, Bactaquin and feed her a high grade, grain free food. For treats she gets Get Naked Gut or Low Cal Health Chews, Zukes Apple Crisp bones and Zoe Lifestyle Dog Treats.
~Tracey

[mariettatammy]

MY 4 month old puppy has same symptoms Fanconi Syndrome. Without my knowledge of Made In China Chicken Jerky, I gave him treats from Pett Shoppe bought at Walgreens and all symptoms go hand in hand as Wagon Train Treats, Made in China. Heres the eye opener: Both products are on the same shelf at Walgreens. Are all Chicken Jerky Treats Made in China making our dogs sick here in America…Anyone else living this nightmare?

[aimee]

Hi Sedlypets,

I’ve owned a number of labs… I’m beginning to think they all have metabolism issues : ) I always try to feed a lower fat food (10-12% as it allows me to feed more volume) and higher protein around 30% plus if possible. I’ve fed Wellness Core reduced fat, Royal Canin weight care, Evo weight management (higher cal/ cup so have to really watch volume) and Purina weight management.

Keeping track of calories is essential. If multiple family members are each giving the dog “just a taste” or “just a few treats” it adds up.

Sometimes it really is best to go with a vet product geared specifically for weight loss. Nutrients in commercial food are tied to energy. When feeding small amounts of energy for weight loss it is possible to short change nutrients. Most dogs I feel can be safely dieted on an OTC food but for some you may need to switch.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Sedlypets –

There can be medical conditions responsible for weight gain. I know you got her tested for thyroid issues and that came back negative,but what about Cushing’s? Or is she on any medication that could be causing this?

If you can rule out all heath issues, this means she’s eating too many calories – plain and simple. You say you’re walking her a few miles every other day, this is great but I’d strongly urge you to try and get her exercising daily. I’d switch to a high protein, moderate fat, low carbohydrate (preferably grain-free food). Find out how many calories per cup are in the food she’s eating now, multiply that by how many cups she’s eating per day and what you get will be how many calories she’s eating per day – with whichever food you try feed less calories than this amount. Homemade could be a good option but you’ll need to do a little research – check out dogaware.com and get a book such as Dr. Karen Becker’s “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats.” Also make sure to cut out ALL treats! If she’s burning more calories than she’s eating she will lose weight (granted she has no health issues).

[Shawna]

Hi Rainisdog ~~ no, high fiber is not as good.. Actually higher fiber does make the pup feel better but it also causes nutrient loss. Fiber prevents certain minerals from being absorbed. Like Sandy, I’ve had the best luck (with my foster dogs) feeding above average protein, moderate fat and low carbs. I even add high protein canned food as a topper to up the protein even more. My Papillon lost 15 pounds on a diet like this.

I rotate as well so my Pap was getting a variety of foods — Orijen, Brothers, Acana, Nature’s Variety Instinct etc. Even now, at 14 pounds she only gets 1/4 cup per meal with a teaspoon of canned. Any more than that and she gains weight. I only give treats when I leave the house and then only give a treat about the size of a dime or less.

Mimi, my once obese Pap, was 6 when she came to us and started her diet.

[sophia]

she had extremely bad gas one day (like every minute) so I got her into the vet. We had just gotten a new kitten so we thought maybe she got into her food. The vet sent us home with medicine and said to put her on chicken and rice for a few days. She had loose orangish stool for a day or two, and then none at all, so we decided to go back to the vet. The vet was concerned about possible bile in the stool, as she didn’t see any blood, so we did a blood test to check on her liver. Since we were doing the blood test, and it had been about 6 months since her last one I decided just to do the fullest test to be sure, the only thing that came back was slightly elevated pancreas enzyme.

I got her a bully stick though, and she absolutely loves it! It doesn’t seem to be bothering her stomach, and she’s had the same one for about 3 days, and only eaten like 20% of it, so the little fat content it does have doesn’t worry me to much. I guess I meant chew treats though, as the bully stick is even a tiny bit hard for her, so I don’t think she would do well with a bone. thank you for the ideas though!

[pugmomsandy]

I always put the pugs (mine and fosters, 16-30 lbs) at around 350 calories!! And that’s with walking and playing around and chasing, not just laying around being pugs! That’s usually around 2/3 cup of kibble with room for treat calories. And I use food as treats so they’re still getting balanced nutrition and I can count the calories. Or they can get 1/3 cup of kibble and the other meal as freeze dried nuggets or canned foods. It varies.

[pugmomsandy]

I would just focus on the lower carb part and stick with above-average protein and average/above average fat. Low fat is not absolutely necessary for weight loss. What size are the jerky treats? Maybe you can cut down on those too or you need to reduce the food by the amount of jerky she gets. You can also just reduce the amount your serving of Orijen and you can feed Orijen to the puppy. My 23-24 lb pugs get 2/3 cup of kibble a day. Maybe she’s just eating too much. And at 7 yrs, that’s not old!!

[rainisdog]

Hey!
I have a 7yr old chihuahua daschund mix who is about 15 pounds. I am currently feeding her Orijen Fish 1/3 cup twice a day with about 5 chicken jerky treats a week. I can tell the extra weight on her is slowing her down and she looks uncomfortable. For awhile she was doing great going on walks but lately she doesn’t want to go far. While I am going to continue walking with her, I want to give her the best food or combinations of foods possible to help her loose weight. I don’t think raw is an option but I have been looking into dehydrated/ dried foods, I am just unsure of what to look for. I think high fiber and protein with low fat and carbs? If that is correct (and using this website as a guide) what % are high/low? Should I focus more on high protein or fiber or low fat? I would really appreciate any help or suggestions!

[shibasenji]

My Shiba has certain protein sensitivities (beef is a big no no, and we generally stay away from processed chicken). Frankly, there are a lot of commercial dog treats out there that don’t offer much bang for the buck, in my opinion. We’ve taken to a more rigorous dehydration schedule in recent months, so we’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of chicken hearts and gizzards for training treats. And free pouches of kibble sample from the local holistic pet store.

A big bag of Zuke’s training treats (salmon and peanut butter are our favorites) last us a long time, and are clean. There are a couple fish skin treats that we like. Salmon Ears are economical, and each box lasts us a long time. Recently fell in love with The Honest Kitchen’s Beams, their new Icelandic catfish skin chew treat.

[Shawna]

If you cut back on the amount of food fed at each meal does she still have the vomitting? My 7 pound Shih Tzu mix would be OBESE on 1/2 cup of food per day. However I know a dogs metabolism, and therefore amounts needed, can be very different. One half cup may be the right amount for your girl.. If it is not the amount being fed I’d have her checked for thyroid or other issues that cause weight gain.

As far as Wellness Reduced Fat, I think it’s a good food. The only thing that would be better is one higher in protein still with moderate amounts of fat. If you’re feeding higher calorie or carb heavy treats it might be worth trying small pieces of boiled chicken too.

[Toxed2loss]

Hi Betsy,
I have had a puppy in the house for the last 3 Christmases, I do the tree with non breakable ornaments on the bottom. I also work with the dog, reinforcing the “leave it” command with lots of praise and treats for successful experiences. In just a few minutes, I’ve had all my pups looking at me as if to say “see me leaving that alone? Do I get a treat?” I make sure to reinforce it a lot for a few days. By the third day, no problem. I should say, I do have a very stable stand, not one of those flimsy ones with the three legs. 🙂 Though we’ve never had an incident. The other thing is, I don’t put mine up for a month either. Just a couple of weeks. And of course, I don’t leave the dogs loose in the house on their own, since I’m always here. 🙂

[Anonymous]

By far the biggest reason for diabetic treatment difficulty or failure are treats between meals, can’t emphasize that enough. So, if you must do the treats ONCE the dog is regulated, that is after the sugar levels are stable, the recc for freeze dried meat or vegetables might be a good option. When you start the treats monitor the urine sugar and make sure it stays stable. But, don’t do treats until you have the dog regulated, which might be just a few weeks.

[soho]

The ingredients in greenies canine dental chews are:

INGREDIENTS: Gelatin, wheat protein isolate, glycerin, pea protein, water, potato protein, sodium caseinate, natural poultry flavor, lecithin, minerals (dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, magnesium amino acid chelate, calcium carbonate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, potassium iodide), vitamins (dl-alpha tocopherol acetate [source of vitamin E], L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate [source of vitamin C], vitamin B12 supplement, d-calcium pantothenate [vitamin B5], niacin supplement, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B1], folic acid), dried tomato, apple pomace, vegetable oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), ground flaxseed, dried sweet potato, cranberry fiber, dried cultured skim milk, choline chloride, taurine, decaffeinated green tea extract, carotene, chlorophyll (sodium copper chlorophyllin)

This is a treat that I definitely would not feed any dog or cat. I just started making jerky treats for dogs and cats. Here are the ingredients of the chicken variety:

Boneless skinless chicken breast.
Salt or molasses or honey depending on the variety.

That’s it. This is the kind of treat I think is species appropriate for a carnivore such as a dog or cat.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Marie,

My dogs generally get 1-2 grain-free biscuits or freeze-dried raw treats per day. Right now I have Nature’s Variety Instinct biscuits, I also frequently use Darford Zero-G and the grain-free Cloudstar Buddy Biscuits (I’ve ordered the Sojo’s grain-free biscuits before but they’re way too small for my dogs). For freeze-dried I have the Wysong Dream treats right now, I also use the Nature’s Variety Instinct and Stella & Chewy’s freeze-dried raw medallions.

After their evening walk every day they get a “kongsicle” – they each have a large kong that I layer with a 4 or 5 star grain-free kibble and the canned Fruitables Pumpkin or Sweet Potato supplement and freeze it. I use whatever kibbles I can get samples of or buy trial-sized bags of. Right now I’m using Orijen and Petcurean. It keeps them out of my hair while I make dinner lol

For training treats I use ZiwiPeak food (I buy the 8 oz. trial sized packages).

Every night before bed they get a dried trachea, bully stick or pig ear.

The only day they don’t get treats is Sunday (they fast on Sundays).

[InkedMarie]

Since I have a dog with allergy type issues, I’m pretty picky on treats. I use mostly Buddy Biscuits, SoJos duck and cherry and The Honest Kitchen ones.
What does everyone else use?

[janus69]

We should also consider that if recall is grounds not to buy a brand then we would prob be out of luck all together and unable to buy any. Here is the recall list of brands having been recalled:

ALPO
Americas Choice, Preferred Pet
Authority
Award
Best Choice
Big Bet
Big Red
Bloom
Blue Buffalo (RICE GLUTEN)
Bruiser
Cadillac
Canine Caviar Pet Foods (RICE GLUTEN)
Champion Breed Lg Biscuit
Champion Breed Peanut Butter Biscuits
Co-Op Gold
Companion
Companion’s Best Multi-Flavor Biscuit
Compliments
Costco/Kirkland Signature (RICE GLUTEN)
Demoulas Market Basket
Diamond Pet Food
Diamond Pet Food (RICE GLUTEN)
Doctors Foster & Smith
Doctors Foster & Smith (RICE GLUTEN)
Dollar General
Eukanuba Can Dog Chunks in Gravy
Eukanuba Pouch Dog Bites in Gravy
Food Lion
Giant Companion
Gravy Train
Grreat Choice
Hannaford
Happy Tails
Harmony Farms (RICE GLUTEN)
Harmony Farms Treats (RICE GLUTEN)
Health Diet Gourmet Cuisine
Hill Country Fare
Hy Vee
Hy-Vee
Iams Can Chunky Formula
Iams Can Small Bites Formula
Iams Dog Select Bites
Jerky Treats Beef Flavored Dog Snacks
La Griffe
Laura Lynn
Loving Meals
Master Choice
Meijer’s Main Choice
Mighty Dog
Mixables
Mulligan Stew Pet Food (RICE GLUTEN)
Natural Balance (RICE GLUTEN)
Natural Life
Natural Way
Nu Pet
Nutriplan
Nutro
Nutro – Ultra
Nutro Max
Nutro Natural Choice
Nuture
Ol’ Roy
Ol’ Roy 4-Flavor Lg Biscuits
Ol’ Roy Canada
Ol’ Roy Peanut Butter Biscuits
Ol’ Roy Puppy
Ol’Roy US
Paws
Perfect Pals Large Biscuits
Performatrin Ultra
Pet Essentials
Pet Life
Pet Pride / Good n Meaty
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority Canada
Priority US
Publix
Roche Brothers
Royal Canin (RICE GLUTEN)
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet (RICE GLUTEN)
Save-A-Lot Choice Morsels
Schnuck’s
Schnucks
Shep
Shep Dog
Shop Rite
SmartPak (RICE GLUTEN)
Springfield Prize
Sprout
Stater Brothers
Stater Brothers Large Biscuits
Stop & Shop Companion
Tops Companion
Triumph
Truly
Weis Total Pet
Western Family Canada
Western Family US
White Rose
Winn Dixie
Your Pet

[Shawna]

Many people did have an issue with Greenies and like Aimee said, they were reformulated. I can’t fault them for dogs choking as 2 have mine have choked multiple times and it wasn’t due to Greenies. And one of mine is a long time raw bone eater but if someone in the house drops a piece of food several of the dogs will snatch and swallow.. And a few times the food item has been too big to go down..

I found the below — take from it what you will 🙂

From Veterinarynews.DVM360
“During a Feb. 22 teleconference with media, Joe Roetheli, Greenies founder and chief executive officer, says the company financially compensated or reimbursed veterinary expenses for no more than 20 fatalities allegedly tied to the bone-shaped dog treats.” http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=322331

LATimes
“KANSAS CITY, MO. — The maker of Greenies, one of the nation’s best-selling dog treats, settled a class-action lawsuit by pet owners who claimed the teeth-cleaning product injured or killed their dogs.” http://articles.latimes.com/2007/sep/18/business/fi-dogs18

Setteling a lawsuit could simply mean that they didn’t want the negative publicity a trial would bring but the reformulation makes me believe there WAS a problem.

Comsumer Affairs
“The dental chews were reformulated to be “more highly soluble and thus safer, yet effective as a daily preventive of oral disease,” the company said in a November 2007 statement.”

“A division of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has denied that it is investigating NUTRO Products Inc., whose pet foods are the subject of more than 700 complaints from consumers who say their dogs and cats became ill and, in some cases, died after eating NUTRO products.” http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/05/nutro_greenies.html

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Sophia –

Are you talking about real bones or dental chews?

As far as real bones, most are quite high in fat due to the marrow. I’d stick with turkey necks, chicken necks or duck necks (raw) with the skin removed. You may be able to find some lean beef neck bones, my butcher carries them sometimes.

If you’re referring to chew type treats, bully sticks are pretty low fat. If your dog likes antlers, they’re very long lasting and since most dogs actually can’t “eat” them you wouldn’t have to worry about fat content. Himalayan chews are low fat and long lasting as well.

[sophia]

My dog had a very mild pancreatitis reaction about two months ago. She just had some gas and loose stool, but tests showed elevated pancreas enzymes. Since I have been so careful with her diet, she is on low fat food, she gets boiled chicken or carrots as little treats, and that’s about it. However, the other day someone gave her a rawhide. She loved it and chewed on it for hours, but after I researched how this might affect her I had to take it away (apparently raw hides are no good for any dog, much less one with her history). What I am wondering is if there are any bones safe for dogs with her history? She’s an older girl, so something a little softer (like the softness of a rawhide) would be great. Thanks!

[janus69]

Exactly HDM, although I am guilt of giving the dog the bone from the roast. He won’t eat pigs ears though for some reason. Love bulwinkles, freeze dried liver treats(non-chinese) and sweet potato treats as well as raw carrot, sweet potato, turnup, brocolli stems, tomatoe…

[Hound Dog Mom]

As long as you’re feeding healthy low-glycemic treats I don’t see why your diabetic dog couldn’t have treats once in awhile. Just make sure not to overfeed – you don’t want her to gain weight. I’d imagine feeding treats between meals would actually help stabilize the blood sugar..

[BryanV21]

Dogs love tripe as well, and you can get freeze-dried tripe to give as treats. Not only should it not cause issues due to grains being in it, but tripe is also good for the digestive system.

[MAGGIESMOM]

I just found out that my pug Maggie has diabetes.. i was told by my vet that she needs a shot of insulin twice a day right after eating.. 12 hours apart… does anyone know if they can eat anything inbetween feedings.. I have other dogs and they get healthy treats.. but I dont include maggie .. it kills me not to..

[rosamocosa]

my dog a minn pinn throws up when her syomach is empty i was told to gine her smaller meals more often i am doing that and it seems to work but she is gaining weight she went from 7 lbs to 10.6 in 8 months i give her wellness reduced fat i try to stay around 1/2 cup per day and i give her 2 small treats early in the morning to keep her stomach still till i feed her around 7a.m. does anyone have that problem is there a better dog food for this problem i asked my vet and he tried to tell me science diet prescription for sensitive stomachs would be better

[pugmomsandy]

I’m using grain free freeze dried foods as treats. They are small like cookies and can break apart easily to split between dogs if I want to. Currently using the ones from Instinct, Nutrisca and the Carnivore Crunch by Stella & Chewy’s. The Carnivore Crunch is small like regular size marshmallows. I also give Dr Becker Bites (liver treats). For teeth cleaning I just give them a marrow bone, or rib bone or other bone to gnaw on.

[shabbychic01]

We have a cavalier king charles spaniel female pup who is 10 months old. We got her at 4 1/2 months of age. Shortly after we got her, she started having terrible diarrhea episodes, at least once a week. We have tried different foods (all four and five stars), and she’s been seen by the vet and put on different meds, to no avail. I’ve researched chronic diarrhea extensively, and it occurred to me that the cause of this has to be SOMETHING that she ingests regularly. I know dogs can have issues with wheat, corn, soy. Her dog foods have always been wheat and corn and soy free. So it occurred to me that I gave her a daily greenie, and a daily biscuit. The first ingredient in both of these is wheat protein, and wheat flour. So I decided to only give her treats and chews with no wheat. We’re on day 3 of this experiment, and so far so good. I’ll keep you posted. I really hope this is the answer!

[jazzybinks]

Personally I have never and will never feed those treats.

Reason 1: They are made by Nutro, who makes multiple less than well dog food products that I would never feed.

Reason 2: They do not digest.

Reason 3: They cause intenstinal blocking

Reason 4: After 12 hours of giving your dog one they can still choke up large pieces still intact, because they do not digest

Reason 5: Greenies has paid for surgeries for some dogs, but still say their treats are safe.

Reason 6: The ingredients. You might as well let your dog eat flavored plastic.