[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi sheeklouch –

Orijen is a wonderful food (it’s actually the best dry food out there – imo), however (unfortunately) none of their formulas are appropriate for large breed puppies – they are all much too high in calcium. For this reason, I’ve never fed Orijen to any of my pups but I have fed it to my adult with great success.

Gertie my now two year old female ate The Honest Kitchen (Zeal, Love, Thrive) and Tripett until she was 8 months old. Mabel, my newest addition, who just turned 7 months old has been on a controlled calcium homemade raw diet since she came to me at 8 weeks (my other two dogs eat raw now as well).

I think that most dogs do well on high protein foods (Gertie and Mabel both ate >40% protein on average) – if your dog is having loose stools with high protein foods I’d suggest trying a spoonful of plain canned pumpkin, a multi-strain probiotic and digestive enzymes at each meal.

Assuming you want to stick with a dry food, here is a list of recommended foods. Sometimes it’s trial and error and you may need to try a few foods before you find on that works for your dog. Some dogs are just more sensitive than others.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFY183Q0NVRXlidWc/edit

[Mom2Cavs]

I’m gonna suggest some foods that my Cavaliers like, but your dogs still may not. So…it’ll have to be a trial and error process, I’m afraid. Some pet food stores will have samples of certain foods, so you might ask your local pet store about that. Also, some foods have a money back guarantee and will allow you to take opened bags back to the store (I always save my receipts, just in case) for exchange or refund. Now….my small dogs like Merrick very much! Merrick has grain free and a small breed formula that does have a small amount of whole grains. I have used both with great success. It’s what mine are eating now. Fromm is another food that picky eaters might like. They also have grain inclusive and grain free formulas. Nature’s Variety is another food that I would recommend to try with picky eaters. They have grain inclusive and grain free versions. Merrick and Nature’s Variety are available at Petco, while Fromm is sometime harder to find and only available at independent pet stores. Of course, there’s also Blue Buffalo and Wellness, and also Innova that are popular foods. Earthborn Holistic is one I’ve heard people like, as well. I hope this helped some. 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi sharyorkie –

I’m not sure what your budget is – but raw, homemade, fresh cooked (like Fresh Pet), dehydrated (like The Honest Kitchen), freeze-dried raw, air-dried (like Ziwi Peak) and canned foods all seem to appeal to picky dogs more than kibble. They are all more expensive to feed than kibble, but also healthier and more species-appropriate.

If you need to stick with kibble, I’d recommend trying something like Tripett (canned green tripe) – you can add just a spoonful or so to some warm water, mash it up to make some gravy and then completely coat the kibble. I’ve never heard of a dog that didn’t love green tripe. I’d try this trick with any of the 4 or 5 star kibbles.

[sharyorkie]

Hi I have never posted before.But I am on here all the time reading the dry food reviews.I Am now totally confused? I currently feed Pro-Plan small bites chicken and rice I now know it is not the best.My Yorkies are VERY PICKY and I usually have to add canned food to get them to eat.ANY suggestions on a good dry food for small Yorkies that are very picky!! I have tried Nutro, Taste of the Wild and Acana and they will not eat any of these.If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate them
Thank You

[hamiltonmom]

We adopted our 5 year old black lab from an animal rescue two years ago. Hamilton was four years old and had spent two years in shelters before he wound up in a shelter in our area. Hamilton appears to be an allergic dog, he has very dry skin and is constantly licking his paws. On our vet’s advice we have him on Omega 3 capsules and an antihistamie. Hamilton is also a very fussy eater, liking a food one day and turning his nose at it the next. He currently is eating Merrick Classic with a scoop of Natural Balance Stew mixed in. He seems to be doing well on this food combination, with his weight holding steady at 71 pounds

[Honeybeesmom1]

Hi, I’m an hour away from Petco & Petsmart. My son went shopping and asked what dog food to get at Petco. I said Wellness Core fish.
I get the bag and the kibble feel huge! I have small older dogs – and I just can’t see them struggling to eat that. I emailed Wellness asking about the size…and they start off saying they use no artificial colors or stabilizers – batches look different in color and size from time to time.- and they want me to call them with where I bought the bag size and so on.
I just want to know the SIZE of kibble. LOL

I know they have small breed size in turkey ( wellness)…but they just finished turkey in Eartborn and now eating Merrick in Buffalo flavor.
I just hate to open the bag- if I know I may not use it.
Do I just return it for small breed or just add water and broth to moisten it. Is it a good idea to add liquid to it? I don’t see them eating this food dry. Thanks

[pennypea]

I have a cockapoo ( cocker spaniel- poodle) and I was wondering what type of food we should use because he doesn’t seem to like the food we are using now (Purina one beyond dry). It is hard to find a good type of food for my dog because of his sensitive skin. Advise would be appreciated.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi again!

If you’re just using the canned as a mix in I wouldn’t be too concerned about the calcium. A trick to stretch the canned out is take just a couple spoonfuls, mash it up, mix in some warm water to make a liquid and stir in the kibble and coat it all in the liquid. If you can find it Tripett is great for a topper and can get even the most finicky dogs to eat – a little goes a long way. Also, since it’s just canned green tripe the calcium levels are very low. It’s not a bad thing if you have to add canned food to get him to eat, canned food is (generally) much healthier and more species-appropriate than dry food.

[nrite71]

My soon to be 2yr old rescued pitmix seems to have a slightly different problem. Her glands seem to express themselves too often and at crazy times. We tell her she has stinky butt and she walks to the bathroom and waits patiently to be wiped and spritzed. I have taken her numerous times to the vet, only to be told “there is nothing there”…nothing there because it’s on my couch or carpet! I have taken to making her crazy HIGH fiber dog cookies at home..but we are not always consistent with how many she gets and how often throughout the day. Sometimes my kids give her a ton and other days not so many. She currently eats Wellness Complete Dry. I want to change her food to maybe something with more veggie fiber but the idea of switching her is not appealing. She has the most sensitive GI track and if she gets the runs…well that doesn’t help with her anal sacs. If we could keep her consistently draining them when she went out side for potty breaks that would be great. Unfortunately she can just be laying around and you get a whiff of it and want to die! Can anyone suggest a dry dog food that is good all around and might be higher in veggie fiber. So far she doesn’t have allergies but her eyes do get yucky if her ears start getting messy. She is a sweet girl and we love her ..and her stinky butt…but we would love for everyone’s sake if we could get rid of the stench. I am going to look into the miracle homeopathic stuff mentioned in an earlier post… maybe it will help her.

[January]

My 6 year old doberman wont eat dry food unless I put some canned food on it and he has real dry skin and a bald spot on his back that comes and goes. I have had him a little over a year now and have switched from pedigree to taste of the wild (pacific salmon) and now Victor professional formula. Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

[soho]

Hi Krist

A lot of dogs seem to be on only one type of insulin and it is usually a medium acting insulin which has a slope like a long in distance, short in height hill. This type of insulin makes it pretty impossible to control diabetes well. A dog must eat at the same times each day and the same amount of food at each meal.

In humans the best control of blood sugars is achieved using a very long acting insulin like lantus combined with a short acting insulin like humulin R. The short acting insulin is taken about 30 to 45 minutes before meals and the long acting insulin is taken once or twice daily to cover the glucose that is constantly being produced by the liver.

This type of insulin regimen requires more daily injections but it allows for several things that are not possible with a more simple insulin regimen:

1)Meals can be eaten at any time of day or night.
2)Meals don’t always have to be the same size and contain the exact same amount of carbs.
3)If your dog is sick or not eating you don’t have to freak out because you are worried that your dog will have low blood sugar because they didn’t eat.
4) You can adjust one of the insulins without also increasing or decreasing the size and content of meals.
5) Your dog will have much better control of his/her diabetes.

With the more intense insulin regimen meals and liver metabolism are handled separately allowing for a more effective control of blood glucose.

FOODS

I believe that carbs are the enemy of anything (human, dog or otherwise) that has diabetes. I don’t agree with the Glycemic Research Institute that dry foods such as Nutrisca and Orijen are optimal for a dog with diabetes. Nutrisca has an estimated 36% carbs on a dry matter basis. Orijen has 25% carbs as estimated using the NFE (nitrogen free extract) method (this is extremely reliable). I think either % of carbs is waaay too much for a diabetic dog. If there were several foods with let’s say a carb content below 15% then I would look for the one with the lowest glycemic load. But if one food has 35% carbs and another food has 15% carbs it wouldn’t matter to me what the glycemic load of the first food was, I would choose the food with only 15% carbs!!!!

In dry foods (kibbles) the lowest carb content I have found is EVO which ranges from 12 to 18% carbs depending on the variety and Epigen (Thank you Hound Dog Mom) which has only 11% carbs in either of the 2 formulas.

In wet foods maybe you could just add some fresh meat which is in the same family (red, poultry or fish) that you are feeding at any particular meal. You are guaranteed a much higher quality topper if you add your own rather than a canned food.

Good Luck!!!

[crazy4cats]

Hi-
I have found a great website regarding cat nutrition as I have also been looking for quality cat food at a reasonable price. The author does not recommend any dry food at all, but has a couple of charts of canned food that include fat, protein, carb, and phosphorus levels. It was eye opening to me. The site is: http://www.catinfo.org. Hopefully it will be helpful to you also. Deanna

[soho]

Hi Mike,

I would love to see more disclosure about the ingredients in a companies foods. All companies use the prettiest marketing terms to describe the quality of their ingredients “only the best” “highest quality” “human grade this or that” etc.

I like the way the Whole Dog Journal won’t review a food if it doesn’t disclose who manufactures it. In the beginning some companies balked at this idea and refused to disclose the manufacturers name and the location of the plant. They used terms like proprietary information as an excuse not to disclose. WDJ stood firm and now they all disclose because they all want to be in the WDJ’s dry food list of top foods!!

Many companies use your websites rating to promote their foods. “fill in the blank” received a 5 star rating from the Dog Food Advisor. You could easily ask a manufacturer to disclose more info to be reviewed on DFA. Who actually manufactures their human grade this or that. Where do their meat meals come from, their vitamins, their meats, their fats etc.

This would accomplish several things. Manufacturers would start to disclose more, consumers would get a chance to learn more, companies that use inferior ingredients would start to upgrade their ingredients in order to get your coveted 5 star rating and people would start to avoid the companies who refused to disclose.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi dave and AngieH –

The difficult thing with colitis is that it can have many different causes and it can be acute or chronic. Dietary changes often can help ease the symptoms of colitis. Most dogs with colitis respond well to increased levels of dietary fiber and/or a hypoallergenic diet. Many dogs with colitis also seem to better tolerate foods that are lower in fat. When trying a new food make sure that you don’t feed anything else to your dog during the trial period (no treats!) and give the diet three to six weeks to see if there is improvement (remember, the improvement won’t be immediate and in some cases your dog’s diarrhea can even worsen in the initial stages of the switch as the dog is becoming accustomed to the new food).

For increasing the fiber level, rather then looking specifically for a high-fiber food, I would recommend just adding some canned pumpkin or psyllium to a high quality food. Both are high in fiber and will increase the overall fiber content of the food being fed.

For choosing a hypoallergenic diet you want to pick a food that has a protein source and carbohydrate source (if applicable) that your dog has never been exposed to. Making a homemade food is a great option here.

Two supplements I would definitely start immediately
1. Probiotics – these will help replenish the good bacteria in the dog’s digestive tract and keep pathenogenic bacteria in check.
2. Digestive Enzymes – These will give the dog a boost in digesting their food so the dog’s already stressed digestive system doesn’t have to work as hard at producing its own enzymes.

Some other supplements you may want to try that have proved successful for some dogs suffering from colitis:
1. L-glutamine – An amino acid that helps to repair the mucosal lining of the digestive tract.
2. Slippery Elm – An herb that helps to sooth the digestive tract and relieve inflammation.

I think in the case of colitis, that a high quality home-prepared diet would be best and most easily customizable to the dog’s individual needs. However, here are some commercial foods that are hypo-allergenic and lower in fat that may be worth considering:
1. The Honest Kitchen’s Zeal – Dehydrated, fish-based food, 9% fat on a dry-matter basis.
2. Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance Rabbit – Freeze-dried food, 15% fat on a dry-matter basis.
3. Nature’s Variety Instinct – Limited Ingredient dry foods are all under 20% fat on a dry-matter basis and include a turkey, duck and lamb variety.
4. Addiction’s Dry Foods – salmon-based, venison-based and lamb-based options, all around 13% fat on a dry-matter basis.
5. Addiction Dehydrated Foods – brush-tail, kangaroo, venison, lamb offerings, all around 9% fat on a dry-matter basis.
6. Addiction Canned Foods – brushtail, venison and salmon are only 10% fat on a dry-matter basis.
7. Great Life – Dry foods Buffalo Rx and Duck Rx are both 13% fat on a dry-matter basis.
8. Tiki Dog – canned food with some low fat hypoallergenic options.
9. California Natural Grain-Free – kangaroo, salmon, lamb and venison options, all 13% fat or less on a dry-matter basis.

*Some of the foods I recommended are a little low in protein for my taste, unfortunately when feeding a commercial food most of the foods that are lower in fat and that contain a novel protein also contain less overall meat and thus less protein – this is why I think homemade is the best option. If you are feeding one of the lower protein dehydrated or kibbled foods I’d highly recommend adding one of the recommended canned foods to boost the overall protein content. Also, this is not an exhaustive list – check out the foods Dr. Mike has reviewed on DFA and you’ll likely be able to find more – these are just some brands that first came to mind.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I need the best cat foods, canned and dry for my cats. I have switched over to the Nature’s Logic dry, they like, and I am still feeding two cans of the pate Fancy Feast a day due to finicky cats. I want to upgrade to a better canned that they will eat, that is key!! and does not cost much more than $1 a can. Only one cat like the Bravo raw, but I couldn’t really afford to go completely raw with the dog on raw. Thank you for any info! Beth

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Dr. Mike –

This is a great question and I think it will make for a great discussion as everyone’s criteria are so different.

First off, in answering it for myself, I’m going to assume we’re looking for dry dog foods – otherwise I, obviously, would give preference to raw foods.

1) The first thing I look at it protein content. I won’t typically consider a food with under 35% protein – however if the food fell between 30% and 34% but had several other exemplary qualities I may make an exception (I would never go under 30% though).

2) I then look at fat content. I typically like dry foods with at least 15% fat (I feed much higher fat levels with raw, but dry foods are generally fairly low in fat).

3) I then look at ingredients. I always want a meat ingredient first – no exceptions. I prefer a fresh meat followed by at least one meat meal – but I would not rule out an otherwise good food if it only contains meat meals. Although there are some exceptions, I typically won’t feed a food that contains by-products. I never feed a food that contains any unnamed animal ingredients – such as animal fat, animal digest or animal by-products. I won’t feed foods with grains and look, instead, for foods that use potato, tapioca, legumes or pseudo-grains (or some combination of these) as a binder. Other ingredients that I look for and would not feed to my animals are: chemical preservative (such as BHA), menadione, artificial colorings, propylene glycol or any sort of sugar (sugar, molasses, honey, etc.). I also prefer to see a short list of added vitamins, minerals and amino acids – this tells me that much of the nutrition is derived from the ingredients in the food itself and there’s less reliance on synthetic supplements.

4) I then look at the company. I won’t rule out a company if it’s had recalls, but I do take into consideration how many recalls the company has had, how far apart they were and how the company handled the recalls. I like a company that is open about where they source their ingredients and that doesn’t source from China. I typically call or email the company’s customer service before feeding a food and if either a) I don’t get a response b) the customer service rep seems knowledgeable c) customer service is rude or d) I get the impression the company is giving me the run around when I ask a question – I will not feed the food.

[Mom2Cavs]

Yes, I subscribe as well. They have lots of good info. and articles to read. Their dry food reviews are done in Feb. I believe, but I can’t remember when they do their canned and raw food reviews. It’s not the only thing I use when deciding canine things, though. I use other sites/publications, too, but I believe it’s well worth it.

[InkedMarie]

As some of you know, we adopted a 9yr old sheltie on Saturday. She has no teeth and has been eating Grandma Lucy’s PureFormance chicken since she got here. She loves it, thankfully! Since day one, I have been giving her Mercola’s probiotics and digestive enzymes. She was on amoxicillin but got the last one yesterday morning.
These are the other supplements my other two get, in addition to the Mercola products:

apple cider vinegar
salmon oil (I use one by Vital Choice)
coconut oil (one of them gets this)
Bug Off Garlic

Her coat is disgustingly dry: the dandruff just flakes off & rains down to the floor. She is scheduled for a bath on Monday February 4th (or whatever that Monday is). What is best to use, internally, for her coat? Both the salmon and coconut oil? If yes, both daily?
Her poops are pretty soft, which I assume is from the dehydrated food. Should I add some pumpkin to her meals? With every meal? I don’t know if I should attempt to add in a dry food or not, with her having no teeth.
I think she has some hip problems. She’ll be ten in June so can use some type of a joint supplement. Any suggestions for one that is powder or liquid? No teeth, don’t want her to attempt to chew something.
She does have an appt at the holistic vets in three weeks. She has a little hair loss on her eyelids, that and the icky coat have me wondering if she has a thyroid issue but she seems to be at a good weight.
Also, when should I start adding more stuff in? I started putting the Mercola stuff in on Sunday morning.
thanks all!

[setrina]

I have a 76 pound White Boxer name Blanca. She has thee worse gas ever. LOL … I feed her the best food but starting to wonder if I should consider switching her to grain free. She currently eats Innova dry food and Merricks wet food mixed. I am trying to figure out the benefits of grain vs. grain free. I know Innova and Merrick both have a grain free option but trying to first see if that is the best route for her to help decrease her gas. She loves the food and looks forward to feeding time every day! 🙂 Anyone have any thoughts of the benefits of grain vs. grain free?

[Anonymous]

a note to Chauncey, the Acana Regionals Grasslands kibble was a good size. Slightly larger than what I would normally feed my Pom but she chewed it up just fine. I would say the pieces were just slightly smaller than a dime. Round disk shaped and maybe an 1/8th of and inch thick. So if you are looking for a bit larger kibble this might work well for you.

[Anonymous]

thank you for the input! My pom did not get sick from her food. One incident I think was too many rawhides at a friends house and another was frosty paws treats. So I am VERY careful now what I feed her.

I think I’ve chosen to go with the Acana brand. They have a high rating and I like what they have to say about the source of their ingredients. But no one in my area carries the small breed or light and trim choice. I bought a bag of the grasslands variety and will slowly work it into her diet. She seemed to like the Acana last night. She picked out the few pieces that were in her bowl and ate those first!

I’m eager to see if there are improvements in her weight and energy!!

[DogFoodie]

Good Morning Everyone!

I’d like to get your feedback on grain inclusive diets.

Do you feel that there are some grains that are “less worse” than other grains; ie: millet or barley versus corn or wheat, etc.? Do you ever or would you consider grain inclusive foods?

I recently was reviewing Susan Thixton’s favorite foods and was considering trying a couple of them (my poor little guinea pigs!) but I like the looks of the following kibbled foods:

Nature’s Logic (I have tried their canned and like it), but the dry contains millet (2nd ingredient – NOT in red on DFA);

and Mulligan Stew which contains brown rice (2nd ingredient – in red on DFA) and oats (third ingredient – NOT in red on DFA).

I appreciate your input!

Peace & Blessings, Betsy

[Mom2Cavs]

According to the Whole Dog Journal’s 2012 dry dog food list Blue Buffalo is made by a number of different manufacturers. They list CJ Foods, Ainsworth, ProPet, Triple T Foods, Tuffy’s, ANI/Vita-Line. Diamond does not make Blue Buffalo. Hope this helps.

[NectarMom]

Ok I have to comment….CUTE Pugs!!! Love them and excellent post!

[pugmomsandy]

mspaulypompom,

What food(s) did you try that resulted in bad diarrhea? How much were you feeding as compared to what you were previously feeding? Do you go by calories? Or were you feeding the same amount of previous food as you were the new foods? Has your pom been eating a variety of foods or just mostly one kind most of her life? And what has she been eating and how much? Have you used any probiotics or other digestive aids (canned pumpkin, digestive enzymes, yogurt, raw goat milk)?

I have lap dogs. They do absolutely nothing but follow me around! But they eat foods that have at least 30% protein and moderate fat. This includes kibble, canned, raw, freeze dried and dehydrated. They are able to maintain a steady weight but more importantly, they maintain a good body condition score. Keep in mind pugs are short, cobby, thick dogs, but they still have an abdominal tuck, a tapered waist viewed from above and not much fat pad. They will never look like a greyhound but for pugs they are in great shape. Weight is not everything. In fact mine are overweight to obese if you just look at the number (24 lbs). I’ve recently put some photos in the Dog Food Calculator section while discussing weight loss and body condition with another poster in December. Check them out. They’ve actually gained weight and muscle mass on this type of diet. These are my overweight pugs: (click on the photo)

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_2852640x539_zps1c019b19.jpg

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/plutoharness2_zps6d5c006c.jpg

I didn’t know about probiotics and digestive enzymes a couple years ago when I went to a grain free high protein food so one of mine took maybe 2 months to transition. Had soft poop but no diarrhea. But now that I’ve been using probiotics and enzymes (periodically still) they are able to eat anything and have formed stool. Their gut has become healthier over time and they are able to eat a variety of foods as they should. I also feed less volume of a mod/high protein food. On their old food, they would’ve needed 1 cup to 1.25 cups but right now they only get 2/3 cup. Overfeeding a mod/high protein food can be another reason for poor stools (that and a not healthy gut) or transitioning too fast. If they have undesirable stool, cut back the amount of new food until they firm up. No need to transtition a dog in a week or 10 days.

Also you can start your pom on a moderate protein grain free diet instead of going high protein off the bat like EVO. I’ll use Nutrisource Heartland Select and Grain Free Lamb Meal as examples. They are 25% and 28% protein and my fosters eat it and only take a week to transition to it cold turkey. No diarrhea, just some soft stools initially. I also give them ground psyllium in the beginning. And I have no idea what the fosters have been eating their entire life before coming to my house.

As far as more energy goes, I like to think of it as more vitality.

[Anonymous]

I’m also interested in any suggestions here. I have a 3 year old Pom who needs to lose 2-4lbs. I’ve been feeding her Royal Canin weight control but recently started looking into better quality options. Our vet suggested Royal Canin. I’m thinking of switching her to either Acana or Wellness brands. Both have weight control options but not sure if she really needs that. I have 2 specific questions:

1. I’m cautious about switching to a grain free option because some folks have mentioned lose stool. I have had 3 BAD diareha episodes with her that resulted in expensive vet visits. Any suggestions?

2. Some folks have said their dog has “more energy” after switching to Acana. Any comments? Even their website says your dog will show signs of more enegy. I guess this is due to higher protein?

[pugmomsandy]

Other than getting a kibble for large breeds, the biggest kibble I’ve come across while finding food for my pugs is Core Reduced Fat and Core Original. It’s sort of triangular last time I used it and would consider it medium sized. I thought it was a little large for the smaller pugs. Although kibble is hard to digest so getting a larger kibble would make digestion more difficult. The smaller surface area and diameter of kibble the easier it is to breakdown. (Although size of kibble is not the only factor in good digestion). I’ve read here that some large breed owners dogs did better with smaller kibble versus large kibble. Specifically someone’s large dog did better digestion-wise on EVO Small Bites (which he accidentally bought) vs the regular size EVO. Same flavor of kibble, just purchased the wrong size. That being said you have the option of adding a probiotic/digestive enzyme to help with digestion if you go with a larger kibble. Most dogs don’t chew so a large kibble might be a choking hazard. If your dog likes to play with food how about putting the small kibble into a treat ball (like an IQ ball or Kong) where he has to work to get it out.

[ChaunceyML]

Yes pugmomsandy, I do mean medium to large kibble. NectarMom, we have recently discovered the food we are feeding him is not very good. we’ve decided to take a more healthy approach to his diet. Thanks to you both for responding! Any suggestions?

[Rambo and Fancy]

HDM, thanks for the advice. I’m in the process of transitioning my 15 w/o chinese cresteds from the Royal Canin they were on when I got them to Blue Buffalo Wilderness. They seem to have no issues with the switch, I did just 1/4 of the new for only one day then switched to 50/50. I guess so long as I stay with a high end grain free we should be OK.

[InkedMarie]

HDM: OT but can you go over to the Off Topic forum, to my new dog thread and tell me if you can see the pictures of Gemma? It’s from FB but I made it public, hopefully they can be seen by everyone. Thanks

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Rambo and Fancy –

Some people rotate between “flavors” of he same brand and others rotate between different brands entirely. I think the dog gets more benefit from rotating between different brands. While there may be minor differences between different “flavors” of the same brand, often the ingredients are pretty similar. Rotating between different brands entirely will expose your dog to a greater variety of ingredients.

[Rambo and Fancy]

When you talk about rotation do you mean among brands or just varieties of the same brand?

[NectarMom]

Is he having issues with his current food health wise? Playing with his food is not a reason to switch unless he isn’t eating it at all but then the switch over could take upto 2 weeks when done properly or you could cause problems with his digestive system now if there is no current problem. Why switch?

What kind of dog and what are you feeding now, more details would help 🙂

[pugmomsandy]

Do you mean you need a medium to large kibble?

[ChaunceyML]

We are looking for a healthy dry food for our pom. He loves to play with his kibble so we need something that has a good size to it. Any suggestions?

[Dr.Alize12]

Astral Weeks ! Hi ! My 4 year old lab ate a golf ball when she was 8 months ripping thru her intestines. They took out her jejunum.(the part that absorbs all the nutrients?!) So, the vet said Purina gastroenteric for a year, 2 Pancreatic enzymes, 2 fortiflora, 1 anti diarrheal WITH EACH meal. I didnt think any of that was a good idea cuz her diarrhea was bad. I stopped giving her all pills for a month or two and fed her boiled chicken breast and a little brown rice. I bought a grain free dog food at a animal feed store and began incorporating that with the chicken -then probably close to a year went to only dry grain free food – i drizzeled a teaspoon of honey in the bowl or sprinkled cheese on top. or Flax seed oil. and 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup of food 2x a day to start. Plain Pumpkin (organic) Plain yogurt (chobani) LOW SUGAR. If diahrrea happens still then give 2 probiotics (pour from capsule) into a teaspoon of of peanut buttter. Will you let me know how this works for you ?

[aimee]

Thanks Matt,

Glad I could help. I prefer to see soy as a protein source in a veg. diet as it has a decent AA profile. I think (???) Nature’s Recipe has been through feeding trials and they have a canned version which is a little higher in protein than most dry veg. diets if you carry that brand.

One of the concerns with vegetarian diets is getting enough sulfur containing AA into the dog. If the diet is marginal in those AA and the dog’s energy intake to maintain a good body score is on the low end, the dog may not be consuming enough food to meet it’s AA needs. ( Newfoundlands have much lower energy requirements than other breeds which is why I think they were the ones to suffer from the effects of the aforementioned Lamb and Rice diet.)

Kind Regards

[marmaduke]

We have been following the Going RAWR dog food diet for awhile now and our 2 Golden Retreivers will NOT stop eating their (and our 10 year old Lab/Border Collie Mix’s) own and each other’s poop and one of the Golden’s has gas constantly.

They are just over a year now and we have had them on the RAWR diet since they were approx. 4 months old.

We feed them ground raw chicken for dogs from our local butcher and a recipe for a vegetable/fruit slop and raw chicken hearts or liver.

The veggie/fruit slop contains: romaine lettuce, celery, beets, carrots, squash, bananas, oranges, apples, pineapple, kelp powder, whole eggs (including the shell) and plain yogurt.

Their daily meals are:

Morning – 1cup raw chicken meat, 1/2cup veggie slop, 2 raw chicken hearts or liver.
Evening – same as above.

ANY suggestions on how to cure the poop eating behaviour or the gas, I would certainly appreciate it!!

I am even considering going back to a dry kibble…tried several “premium” brands (Acana, Fromm) and found them to be gassy on them as well…maybe they were too rich?

Thanks

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi DieselJunki –

Congrats on the new family member! 🙂

Amierican Bulldogs would be considered a large breed, so you should feed them as such. Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit would be a wonderful choice for your new pup – the calcium levels are right where they should be. All three of my dogs now eat a raw diet, but my oldest used to eat kibble and I used Nature’s Variety Instinct in my rotation frequently – he loved the food and did well on it. All of Nature’s Variety Instinct foods are approved for “All Life Stages” meaning that they meet the nutrition requirements of any age dog – puppy right through to senior. Any 4 or 5 star canned food would make a great topper – as long as you’re only using a little canned to mix with the dry you shouldn’t need to worry about calcium levels too much. My only other suggestion would be to pick at least one or two other dry foods to rotate with – rotational feeding is much healthier than feeding the same food continuously and if you get your new pup accustomed to rotational feeding while he is young it will be easier to change foods later on. If you check out the “Diet and Health Issues” forum and go to the sticky “Large and Giant Breed Puppy Nutrition” topic you’ll find a list with other 4 and 5 star grain-free foods that would be a good choice for your pup.

[amydunn19]

krist117 – I don’t have experience with Cushings but I have a diabetic JRT who was diagnosed five years ago. I have friends who have dogs with both conditions and I know once you get the Cushings under control, the diabetes will be easier to get regulated. I am worried that your vet admits his lack of experience with dogs – if it is possible, I would find a vet with dog and diabetes experience. If it is not possible, you will have to do the best you can. IMO you need to test your dog’s blood sugar at home. This dog needs to be monitored to determine how his body uses insulin. Buy a human meter(I use the One Touch Ultra) and buy your strips on Amazon or eBay. I test at fasting(before eating), six hours after that and then 6 hours after that at the evening meal. Take your meter with you to your vet and check against his lab. Human blood and canine blood are different but you will get an idea of how to adjust your number based on the difference between your reading and his reading. Testing is vital and don’t waste your time with urine strips – they are not reliable. As for food, I prefer Nutrisca which is low glycemic and my dogs love it. I top it with Nutrisca wet food or Merrrick wet food. I also use Grandma Lucy’s Pure Performance, another low glycemic option to change it up but worry about variety until you have him regulated. I stay away from potatoes and tapioca. Also, remember the most important thing is to find a food your dog will eat willingly. This is not a battle you want to fight – your dog must eat. You can also top the food with boiled chicken or homemade broth(not canned ) to make any dry more appealing.

[billhill]

I’m currently very pleased with Costco (Kirkland) natures domain, about $35 for 35 lbs, gets a good rating on this site, good product for the money.

Bill

[dave]

We have a client who has with a dog with Colitis. She want to change food but use looking for a food with very low fat. Please list a few foods dry and wet if possible. Thanks

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi lonimck –

Check out Earthborn Primitive Natural – it’s 5 stars, grain-free and contains chicken, turkey and fish just like Acana Wild Prairie. It runs about $48 for a 28 lb. bag

[lonimck]

Hello. I am currently feeding my two dogs (one is an Old English mix of some sort and the other is a Cocker Spaniel) Acana Wild Prairie but I can’t really afford to buy this food anymore. Can anyone make a suggestion of a good quality food that might be comparable to the Acana but that is more economical? Thanks!

[Mom2Cavs]

I’m sorry to hear about your Cav. Sadly, I just lost my 12 year old Blenheim girl, Stella, to SM. 🙁 I think that feeding an all can diet, as long as the canned food is labeled “complete and balanced” and not for supplemental feeding only, is perfectly fine. In fact, it’s really a lot better than feeding a total dry diet. It’s a little closer to being a species appropriate diet, at least. I feel most people don’t use canned, and use dry, simply because it can be cost prohibitive to use, especially with multiple dog households. If you can afford it, it really is better than dry. Some people also feed a raw diet. I prefer premade raw. There are lots of good brands to choose from. If raw is not for you, then there are the freeze dried formulas and rehydrate them. This is what I’m using now, although I do feed kibble and canned with them. I’m using Stella & Chewy’s, Primal, and have some Vital Essentials coming. Canned food contains moisture, which is also great for the dog. Again, I’m sorry your pup is experiencing this. Our breed, as a whole, is burdened with these illnesses and it’s so sad. If I were you, I’d pick some 4-5 star grain free canned food and contact the companies to see what the sodium level is in them and go from there. I have 2 other Cavs at home, both females….Hazel (Black & Tan) and Laverne (Ruby). Hazel has a grade 2 murmur, but so far, Laverne is fine. Actually they’re both doing very well, atm. They both share the same birthday, lol, and Hazel will be 6 this August and Laverne will be 8. Good luck to you with your little one!

[mbigdogs]

Hi Everyone
I guess I don’t have to mention that two dogs over 200 pounds can eat a significant amount of food. I want to buy them the best food I can afford and still pay my mortgage 🙂 The bull mastiff is under a year old and the saint bernard is almost 3. They are amazing loving dogs and I want them to stay healthy as long as possible. It is difficult to buy enough cans for dogs this size. I watched the video about which kind to buy. How about a mixture of canned and dry? With all the recalls now I am just getting confused on what I should purchase that is good for both of them. I am also scared about treats since Petco just literally pulled almost the entire dog section off the shelves. I do make some of my own treats for them. It is just difficult to make homemade food for dogs this size and work full time. Can someone suggest some good options for what would be cost effective and yet as healthy as I can get for them? Thank you very much for your help.

• This topic was modified 12 years, 11 months ago by mbigdogs.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi DrYattz –

You really can’t give a healthy dog too much protein. Most of the Solid Gold formulas (aside from Barking at the Moon) are actually low in protein, so I doubt that was the issue. My dogs eat a raw diet with 45%-55% protein at each meal – about twice as much protein as is in most kibbles. As far as worrying about availability I’d recommend you get your dogs used to rotating foods. Switching between brands and protein sources is MUCH healthier than feeding the same food day in and day out. Once you get your dogs used to it you shouldn’t even have to transition between foods. Before I switched to raw when my oldest was on kibble I got a new brand of food with a new protein source every 2-3 weeks and a rotated canned food toppers daily – he had no digestive issues. All three of my dogs now eat raw and get something different at each meal – no issues here either. The Ol Roy Pure Balance looks like a decent budget friendly food, it’s low in protein and fat though so it’s a good thing you’re adding the chicken.

[DrYattz]

We have three hounds: Annabelle (a golden retriever), Nellie (a black lab/beagle), and Sophie (who looks like an albino brittany spaniel). After years of struggling to feed them all well, we began giving them a mix of chicken (boiled, shredded leg meat) and dry food. The dry food remains the issue: Solid Gold (too high protein?) made their stools green and slimey, and IAMS Healthy Naturals appears to be provoking an allergic reaction in Sophie. She spends hours licking and chewing her paws and her butt, and the fur under her tail is now a deep brown color. (The other dogs appear to be doing quite well.)

One issue is our lifestyle: we travel a great deal, generally with the dogs. It has happened several times that we find ourselves running out of dogfood in a remote corner of Georgia or Virginia. The availability of the chicken is never a problem, but certain dry foods can be impossible to find. So, we switched to the Iams because we could get it at WalMart or Kroger fairly easily. Yes, we could be better organized and order large stocks of something less readily available, but the convenience of grabbing a bag of dry food in St. Simons (rather than driving two hours to Savannah) is difficult to give up.

We are looking at Ol Roy Pure Balance Lamb and Brown Rice. But we wonder if, with lots of protein and fat coming from the chicken we give them twice a day, if we shouldn’t consider something else. Any guidance would be appreciated.

[matt1186]

I’m a manager at a pet store and I’m continually trying to improve my knowledge on pet food so I can help people as best as I possibly can. My problem is that I have a lot of customers that feed their dogs vegetarian dry dog foods and every seemingly factual article I find advises against it. I wanted to know if there is anyone on the forum that does and if there is any proven benefits to it.

Thanks,
Matt

[busterbrown]

My 12 year old Boston Terrier is in great health, but has had tummy issues. We have switched him from dry to wet which resolved his nausea, but he eating 2 cans a day and is still too skinny. He has been on 2 cans a day since the middle of Dec. and is not really putting on weight. He is eating w/d low gastrointestinal, which is a low fat food. Can we switch him to a higher fat food? This is our trusted vet’s recommendation, but we would like to see him get back up to his optimal weight of 25 lbs.