[Sheri K]

In November we lost one of my babies (at the age of 16.5 years old) to liver and brain cancer… he stopped eating and ended up letting them cancer just take over. Not quite 4 weeks later his liter mate (lab/chow mix) who had just started showing signs of kidney disease had 7 seizures. He had stopped eating his treats and wouldn’t chew so I stopped into the vets office and asked him to take a look. At the end of November Kody had a quarter sized lump protruding at the base of his tongue. It has been diagnosed as melanoma. My vet said there wasn’t anything he could do so I started researching ways to help Kody. I ran across cannibis and other holistic medications that could help him with his end of life journey. I have since brought him into hospice care with a holistic vet where he is taking cannibis as well as several other all natural medications. He has been doing good and only had one bad time which was when he bit his tongue chewing dry dog food and it got infected. We have taken him off the dry food and switched him to Blue Homestyle recipe and I mash up the chunks and mix beef gravy over the top so he will eat it.

Yesterday he got up and ate his breakfast without issue, which is a 1/2 can of dog food. When I got home I gave him his second feeding and he kept smelling it and walked away refusing to eat. He wouldn’t eat his 2nd helping later that night either. We know the melanoma has moved into his lungs and he did cough a lot last night. When I gave him his cannibis, another oral pain reliever and an immune system booster this morning he didn’t fight me. I again made his food (a different kind) and put it down for him and he refused to eat again. The medicine that helps control the growth rate of his tumor is in his food so him not eating is very bad. So now it has been 24 hours since his last meal. I know he is at the end of his journey. The tumor is now stage IV and is over an inch wide and almost that tall on the right side of his tongue. He has plenty of airway and honestly he is a little devil. He isn’t suffering because the natural medicines seem to relieve the pain he would be in without any side effects. I refuse to keep him here if he is uncomfortable and his hospice doctor and I agreed when it was time I would help him transition but I know it’s not time.

I do not want him to starve himself to death. Do you have any suggestions on foods I should feed him to entice him? He is still interested in food because he kept smelling and staring at me while I ate… I tried feeding him by hand and he wouldn’t take it. I just need something to spark an interest in him again…. even if I have to go buy a steak.

Any suggestions?

[Meghan K]

Hi. My Golden is currently on medicine for his allergies. I know the best is to go grain free as far as food but I need help deciding what is the best brand to try. He also is very overweight and needs to probably be on a rather healthier type of dry food preferably. I doubt I can find a 2 for 1 (helping allergies and weight) but any recommendations for a good brand on either issue would be so appreciated! Thank you in advance!

[crazy4cats]

Have you ever ordered from PetFlow? I have a few times with good results.

https://www.petflow.com/product/fromm/fromm-four-star-nutritionals-chicken-la-veg-formula-dry-dog-food

I prefer Chewy, but I’m guessing that is the online distributor that is no longer selling it that you are referring to. But, PetFlow would be my second choice. It’s tough finding foods with out any type of legumes these days. Good luck!

[Ryan K]

I recently started my dog on a prescription diet (Hills ZD) for itching/chewing from allergies. He actually loves the food BUT I am noticing that he’s pooping an almost insane amount and the poop is pretty “soft and mushy” looking. He’s been on this food for a month and I am still noticing this. His anal glands have also been bothering him a lot since starting this. He’s constantly scooting despite getting them expressed. I feel like the food just isn’t really impressing me enough to want to keep paying such a pricey amount for it. My question is this…is there a better dry food that I could get him on that will help his glands release naturally while firming his stool up and that will also alleviate his itching? I had him on California Naturals Kangaroo but it’s really become quite hard to find and it didn’t seem to help that much with his symptoms. Any thoughts?

• This topic was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by Ryan K.

[Marilu R]

Are there ever considerations in the future to do analysis on vegan dog food brands amongst each other? The market for that type of dog food is getting bigger so it would be nice as a consumer to see reviews and options. My dog is allergic to meat proteins so I give him V-dog which is an excellent vegan dog food but I am always open to hearing what other brands of dry vegan dog food are on the market and how they compare to each other.

[Susan]

Hi Marie,
Some dry food agree with some dogs while the same foods can make other dogs poo double the amount, get bad wind pain & have bad farts, when you say your dog is on the “Natural Balance is that the NB limited ingredient Chicken formula? the Earthborn Primitive formula is probably too high in Fat, Protein & Kcals per cup for your boy & he can’t handle it, compare & have a look at Natural Balance Fat, Protein% & how high the Kcals per cup are that he was doing well on, then look at the Earthborn Holistic Primitive & it is way higher….
Earthborn Holistic make another cheaper brand called “Pro Pac Ultimates” look at Pro Pac Grain Free range which I’ve tried & Patch did nice firm poos & he was pooing the same amount when he ate the Pro Pac Meadow Prime Lamb formula, the fat & protein % is lower then Earthborn grain free kibbles…..
If you want a quaility diet for your dog then start adding some cooked ingredients, wet can, freeze dried or raw to his diet, I feed my boy what I eat, I make extra & freeze in sections or I buy lean 5 star beef or lean pork mince, I add 1 whisked egg, some chopped up fresh parsley about 1 teaspoon, I grow my own parsley, I add some chopped broccoili, I peel & grate 1 carrot, I don’t add 1 carrot no more cause my dog has food sensitivities & carrot makes his ears itch & he shakes his head 20mins after eating carrot but its excellent to add finally grated carrot it spreads the mince & makes it go further, add a few chopped kale leaves & mix thru the 2 pound (1kg) of lean mince & I make into 1/2 cup size rissole balls & I bake in the oven on a foiled linned baking tray then 1/2 way when the rissoles are cooking take them out drain any fat & water & turn then all over the rissole balls dont take long to bake about 20-30mins depends how big the rissole balls are, I also boil some sweet potato & then I cool & I freeze the sweet potato pieces & the rissole balls in sections cause the sweet potato will stick together, when I need the rissoles & sweet potato pieces I take out the day before & put in the fridge..
Start following “Rodney Habib” on his Rodney Habib facebook page or his “Planet Paws” f/b page he often puts up healthy simple recipes or foods to add with your kibble, also follow “Judy Morgan on her f/b page look at her video’s she has simple easy resipes to cook I change the recipes a bit, her recipes are easy & ends up working out cheaper if you cook big meals & freeze about 1 months worth, look for meats etc when they get reduced also Chicken is very cheap so you could buy chicken pieces cook then add veggies in a crock pot & it does all the cooking for you, you just remove all the chicken bones & put in containers cool & freeze.. also tin Sardines & Salmon in Spring water or Oil is very healthy, just add 2 spoons to one of his meals per day, Sardines & Salmon have lots of Vitamins minerals & Omega fatty acid
No matter what kibble you buy they’re all over processed dry kibble, Google “Toxins In Pet Foods” I cant write the companies name on DFA but they completed a study in March & August 2017 tested 1,084 pet food products from 80 brands. Products were screened for over 130 toxins including heavy metals, BPA, pesticides and other contaminants with links to cancer and other health conditions in both humans and animals. Orijen & Earthborn had some formula’s that did very poorly in the study, have a look at “Canidae” & their other brand called “Under the Sun” Canidae grow all their own vegetables & fruit, Canidae source ingredients form local farmers & their kibbles are made in smaller batches, so they’re fresher, Canidae did very well when tested for toxins last year.. https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products…
My boy has IBD & he does really well on Canidae’s All Life Stages formula’s & Canidae’s Pure Wild Boar, Pure Land Bison formula’s the Kcals are a bit high they’re over 400 kcals per cup so I rotate & feed another kibble on the same day he eats 5 small meals a day, so he’ll get the other brand kibble for breakfast then he gets cooked or wet canned meal for lunch then I give him the Canidae for dinner he’s eating the Canidae all Life Stages Platinum at the moment cause the fat is low at 10.50% max & he’s been eating the Nutro Essentials Lamb & Rice weight management cause the fat is low at 9-11% max fat, I add as much fresh healthy foods to his diet as possilbe & try to feed less dry proccessed kibble…. after you look at the Toxins in pet foods you’ll see the better brands & probably think what?? but these brands are buying better quaility ingredients, you’re right just cause it”s expensive doesn’t mean it’s good these better pet food companies fall under the rader cause they have heaps of customers & they start buying cheaper ingredients that arent as good, they take a risk all so they can make more money…
Find a few different brands of kibble that your dog does really well on & then start rotate between the different brands, this way if 1 brand has something wrong with it your dog isn’t eating this brand 24/7 cause your rotating brands & he’s having another 2 different brands of kibble in his diet & start adding fresh ingredients & use the kibble as a base.. also when you see a brand of kibble you know he does well on if its on special then you change kibble when the kibble isnilly finished & rotate with another different brand, I buy the smaller bags of kibble….

[pitlove]

I worked at an independently owned pet store for 2 and a half years and at least at my store, we would always get comments about how much lower our prices were than Petco and Petsmart. Also they will usually price match for you, unless its a sale item or online price. Independent stores can not usually compete with online pricing, but they try their best.

I’m not sure about Authority or Simply Nourish, but I know with Purina I can call them and they will tell me exactly how much fiber is in the formula I’m asking about. The Pro Plan formula I use reports 3% MAX fiber, but when I called and asked how much the actual true value was it was much lower (dry matter fiber was 1.6%). It is possible that she may need a little more fiber in her diet yes. However, if you chose to go with a food that reports the MAX fiber high like 6% I would not also add pumpkin as it could cause too loose of stool.

Also I would highly encourage you to contact Purina Pro Plan directly. Their customer service is beyond wonderful and I think they will help put your mind at ease.

[Kimberly S]

Hi all,
I have a 4 yr old German Shepherd, and she’s allergic to Chicken,. She needs to loose 10 pounds. As anyone who has GSD’s knows it’s so important to maintain a healthy weight. I don’t care the cost of the food. I just need a high quality, grain-free, diet food, WITH OUT chicken and that seems to be an impossible find. I would prefer to stay with a dry, but don’t mind mixing. I don’t want her on a strictly wet diet due to my own preference.
Please, please I really need help here. She really isn’t a picky eater but starving her isn’t the answer either. And before anyone asks, I’ve had a full blood work up done on her because I thought the weight gain might have been due to an underlying issue and it is not.
I thank you in advance for any advice you can provide.

[Kimberly S]

I have a German Shepherd that I been struggling to get her weight down. She desperately needs to loose 10 pounds. I need a grain-free non chicken food. My Angel has an allergy to chicken and something else I am not sure since she was a pup. She has a very sensitive stomach so I need a grain free food. As you know keeping her slim is very important due to her hips. So, any advice on a great diet food that’s grain free that does NOT have chicken in it and is dry would be great.
Thank you
Kim

[Susan]

Hi Julia,
you’re going around in circles & not getting no where, I did the same….
now you have added more infomation this has made things more clearer, go back to your vet, a vet you liked & will listen to you & knows a bit about IBD, ask your vet can you start a 21 day course of the “Metronidazole” (Flagyl) twice a day given every 12 hours with a meal, sounds like your pup has Bacteria overgrowth of the small bowel (S.I.B.O) the Metronidazole will kill the bacteria in his small bowel.. also ask vet can you try either the Hills I/d Digestive Care vet diet kibble or try the Royal Canine Hypoallergenic HP formula or the R/C Gastro Intestinal Low Fat dry kibble this is for bacteria overgrowth & it’s LOW in FIBER not the R/C formula that’s high in fiber, in American you have a few R/C Intestinal formula’s, in Australia we only have the R/C Gastro Intestinal Low Fat wet & dry formula & this is really good for stopping the bacteria overgrowth, I’ve just bought Patch a can of the R/C Gastro Intestinal Low Fat Wet tin food, ingredients are not great but if it helps thats all that matters but cause you have a pup he might need more fat in his diet but your just feeding this vet diet for about 2 months then you’ll introduce something else…I really think your dog may have bacteria owergrowth & this is what happens they start to do well on a new kibble then go back down hill after 2-3 weeks Patch did the same, I really would only feed a kibble or wet tin food that has just 1 protein & 1 carb for a good 3 months when he’s doing well firm poos, you need to work out does he need a higher fiber diet or a lower fiber diet as well how I did this is I bought some pumkin peeled it boiled small pieces about 1 sppon in size, I frooze the cooked pumkin, it thaws very quickly when you take out of freezer, you add 1 sppon of teh pumkin to his meals & you’ll see the orange colour in his poos then start adding 2 spoon/pieces of the pumkin & does his poos firm up & go sloppy? Patch can only have about 1 big spoon of pumkin then his poos start to go very soft..
I would also start him on a “Dog” Probiotic, Purina Forti Floria is suppose to be very good when they tested a few dog probiotics out of 10 probiotic that they tested only 3 dog probiotics came back with active live bacteria in them & the Purina Forti Floria was number one…When you give a dog probiotic & the dog is taken antibiotics you give the Probiotic either 3 hours before or 3 hours after he has eaten & taken his antibiotic & its best to give a probiotic on an empty stomach, so first thing of a morning when stomach acid are low or I gave probiotic to Patch to drink, I did this around lunch time cause everything in his stomach would have been digested by then & it was 4 hours since he had his antibiotic & food…
When the probiotic is a powder I put the recommended dose in a bowl & add about 15ml water then I swirled the water & probiotic around to dissolve then I let Patch drink it, he loved it he thought he was getting something special, Im learning after 4-5 yrs if he loves something thats a medication/supplment then it must be helping his stomach & makes him feel better….. It can take 1 day for a dog to react up to 6 weeks for a dog to have a food sensitivities, so when you’re doing a food elimination trial it takes time that’s why the vet diets are good to use once your dog is doing really well after 2 months on the vet diet this is when you start adding 1 new ingredient add for 6weeks & see are his poos going soft stop adding the new ingredient if he had diarrhea but over the years I have retry ingredients I thought Patch was sensitive too & this time he wasnt sensitive to them…
Google S.I.B.O also has your boy been tested for Giardia?? I say your vet was giving you the wrong vet diets & she isnt giving you the vet diets that are higher in soluble fiber & lower in in-soluble fiber the Royal Canine Gastro Intestinal Low fat is low in fiber, its a low residue kibble…Talk to your vet about low fiber diets… google & look on the Hills & Royal Canine vet diet web page & see all the info or like I posted before email them & ask to speak with a vet nutrionist that knows about IBD & to ring you back on give you phone number..

[Adriana R]

How long can dry dog food (kibble) last after the expiration date?
I know it might be a little different from brand to brand and maybe even type but what’s the general “rule”

[Susan]

Hi,
Change food to another brand there’s heaps of Chicken & rice, Lamb & Rice brands that have similiar ingredients to what is is in the Pure Balance, then you’ll see is the Pure Balance the problem & higher in Sodium?? also have you tried a LID grain free kibble but different brand ??
Just slowly introduce new kibble over 10 days if poos go sloppy go back adding more old kibble….
Have a look at “Pro Pac Ultimates” made by Earthborn Holistics it has similair ingredients to the Pure Balance grain formula’s, have look at the “Pro Pac Ulitmates” grain free formula’s good for dogs with sensitive stomach/bowel with limited ingredients. Totally change from a grain formula to a LID grain free formula & see is there a difference , is he still drinking & weeing??
Chewy has the Pro Pac Ulitimates 28lb bag-Chicken Meal & Brown rice for $27.99 I’d try the “Pro Pac Ultimates Heartland” Chicken Meal & Potato grain free or their “Meadow Prime” Lamb & Potato grain free formula for $32.99-28lbs…
It will be cheaper then seeing the vet again & you’ll know it is or it’s not the Pure Balance dry kibble he’s eating….
You should always rotate between a few different “brands” so if something is wrong with 1 brand your dog isnt eating it 24/7 causing health problems…

[Steven K]

i have a 14 month GSD his name is TiTan i am feeding real chicken beef livers and his dry food is American Journey sweet potatoes your thoughts please god bless

[charisse]

Dr. Karen Becker mentions the best dry food to be “human grade dog food”.
https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2015/11/08/best-to-worst-pet-food-types.aspx

Dr.Karen Becker has a great blog that I subscribe to.

…But human grade dog food may be going through some changes now see this article:

Concerning Change for Human Grade Pet Food

[Susan S]

Hi, I have a 2 1/2 year old Great Pyr/Golden Retriever/Beagle Mix (95 lb) and an 8 year old Black Lab/Great Dane mix (100 lb). They both have problems with chicken and some skin allergies so I trying to find a dry dog food for both of them. I am using Nutrish Just 6 Lamb and Rice, but they still seem to poop to much on that too. I am trying not to buy two different kinds of food, but I’m not sure what to do. Buy senior food for him and adult for her, but cannot have chicken or other poultry in it. Any suggestions. Thanks

[Thomas M]

Hi Mike; I am new to the site. I just bought a 10 week old Chesapeake Bay Retriever from an AKC accredited breeder. Looking at all these puppy food choices, and the absence of many big names, I am trying to come up with a reasonably priced quality dry food. The breeder owner is a nurse and former veterinary tech, she told me that she uses Costco’s Kirkland dry dog food. Now, she has two large adult females and they probably have healthy appetites, so I can understand there is a cost factor, but she has had Chesapeakes for over ten years and they have had no hip dysplasia or other problems.

So I am not nominating the Kirkland Dry, but wonder what you think. You did give a good rating to the Kirkland wet. Any thoughts? I looked at the Orijen, but on Amazon it is over $90 for a 25 pound supply of their puppy brand, that is just way out of my budget range?

Thanks for this website, I am learning a lot, but also surprised to see so many well known brands not on the site, even the high end brands.

[charisse]

Best dry dog food: “Human Grade Dog food”.

Best Human Grade Dog food according the munch zone:
Canidae…https://www.munch.zone/human-grade-dog-food/

So I nominate Canidae #1 and Honest Kitchen for #2 best Human Grade Dry dog food

….and what is Human Grade Dog Food:

The Only true Pet FOOD, Human Grade

[Susan]

Hi Karen,
Abby is one very lucky girl having a mum like you, I remember the first 2 yrs I had Patch I was doing the same buying Kangaroo mince & lean Turkey mince 99% fat free adding 1 whisked egg & making 1/2 cup size Kangaroo rissole balls & Turkey ball rissole then baking in oven on a foiled lined baking tray & the fat & water all come out & the meat seems to keep its flavour better then boiling the mince, then i’d boil sweet potato, potato, pumkin & freeze all the pieces in section as they thaw very quickly when you take them out of freezer only take about 20mins to thaw then I’d mash thru the Turkey or Kangaroo balls, I was in the kitchen 1/2 a day some days trying new recipes for Patch to see if it would firm up his poo’s……
How come you’re using beef mince & not turkey mince? Turkey mince is more leaner & easier to digest…I’ve been scrambling Patch an egg for lunch he seems to do really well on scrambled egg & loves it, Patch goes into Hospital tomorrow morning he went down hill real quickly after Xmas, I want biopsies done of the Eosphagus & Stomach to see if he has cancer??? something is wrong…
There’s also vet diet “Purina Pro Plan HA” it is the same formula as the Hills Z/d dry old formula before Hills changed the Z/d formula last November 2017, you could always give the Purina Pro Plan HA a try the fat is lower then teh Hills Z/d or the Royal Canine has a few Hydrolyzed formula’s later on if Abby gets sick of eating the Z/d & there’s an Canadian vet foods called “Rayne” if you want to have a look….Ranye has a low fat Kangaroo dry & wet formula’s & a Rabbit dry & wet formula’s & Crocodilla which is Alligator but it has Chickpeas as first ingredient, it’s Chickpeas alligator then field peas, the peas may cause bad wind pain…..

[Karen G]

Hello Everyone, It has been almost 2 weeks since I have posted about Abby and I thought I would give an update. According to the clinical nutritionist at the Veterinary College here in Ontario, Abby is doing quite well. She and her supervisor were not really concerned with any of the slight abnormalities in Abby’s bloodwork, with the exception of a low B!2, something we all knew would be an issue for Abby as she lost her ileum (the section of the small bowel that absorbs B!2). Therefore we have restarted B12 injections every 2 weeks.
Abby’s appetite has picked up now that we are almost exclusively feeding her small meals of Hills z/d kibble (both canine and feline mixed ~75%/25%). we “flavour” the meals with ~ 5-8gm of a slurry of boiled lean ground beef (I boil 1 lb of ground beef in ~300-400 mL of water, after it is cooked and cooled in the fridge I remove as much fat as I can and then pulverize the whole pot of water and beef into a rather thick beefy broth. I freeze it in small containers and then measure it out per meal) We heat the slurry in the microwave for 5 seconds so it is warmed and thinned and then we coat the measured dry kibble with it before setting it down for her to eat. She loves it. I suppose it sounds like a lot of work but really boiling a pound of ground beef, separating the fat, blending it then freezing it is really pretty easy.
We have decreased the daily Fortiflora doses as I was concerned that it could be contributing to Abby’s diarrhea. The envelope that contains the daily dose is the same amount for a Great Dane as it is for Abby who is only about 6.35kg (14lbs) and I thought she might be getting too much. However there was really no difference in her number of poops after I stopped the Fortiflora so now I give her a bit on her morning feed every 2nd day or so just to give her a little healthy bacteria top up and that seems to be fine. Her weight loss has levelled off and we have seen a slight increase in the last 2 weeks.
I spoke to our clinical nutrition resident about soluble vs insoluble fibre (Thank you Susan) and since we had such bad luck with soluble fibre (metmucil) her suggestion was to just try what we can from natural sources (veg, fruit etc) but to always maintain a rule of 90% daily nutritional content from her kibble, and no more than 10% nutritional content from other things (ground beef and/or fruit veg etc). Now that she is getting the ground beef we no longer give Abby any canned z/d. We also discussed other hydrolysed dog foods and alternative protein source dog foods (again, thank you both pitlove & Susan) and the CN is going to modify Abby’s original diet report with alternate options, all under the supervision of the assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the OVC. We are pretty lucky to live so close to such a high level of care for our pup.
Abby continues to poop 4-6x a day, thickest in the morning, most watery at night. Our CN reminded us that because Abby has lost so much of her small bowel she will always have diarrhea and our goals should be to see a decrease in frequency, to maybe only 3x a day and hopefully one day poops that are consistently only a score of 5 on the Purina fecal scoring system chart. Currently Abby’s poops are usually a score of 6-7 with an occasional 5. http://www.epi4dogs.com/poopchart.htm
Just this past week we passed the 3month anniversary of Abby’s torsion and surgery. This date was a real milestone for me as everything I read online re:veterinary studies of dogs that had bowel resections and a loss of a large section of small bowel, would show that a dog that survived the first 3 months generally lasted until they were no longer being followed by the authors (i.e. a couple of years). Because Abby lost 70% of her small bowel, she is on the borderline of good vs bad outcomes. So three cheers for our wee Abby…she has survived the acute recovery period and now we are transitioning to chronic mode.
I have to admit this has all become quite an obsession for me this last 3 months but I am feeling pretty good right now. Abby is a happy active little dog, her quality of life is very good. Other good news is that the CN at the OVC also reviewed Abby’s BCS and gave her a 4/9 instead of a 3/9 as our family vet’s practice partner did. (I shouldn’t have even asked for it that day, she was a vet that didn’t know Abby and a BCS can be quite subjective) The CN told us that family vets often underestimate Body Conditioning Scores because they are so used to seeing dogs that are overweight. So a 4/9 is pretty perfect and I’ll take it!
The next steps are the modified diet plan, and Abby will be discussed at internal medicine rounds this week at the OVC re: would she benefit from another round of metronidazole and/or would she benefit from a low daily dose of an antidiarrheal. I know those seem like simple actions that any vet might do, but the opportunity to discuss it with a number of professors and vets at a university teaching hospital may have far reaching results…who knows, Abby may be the subject of a journal article some day.
Once again, thank you pitlove, Susan, & Tyrionthebiscuit for reading and offering your supportive comments and knowledge. It has been very helpful for me. I realize this is a rather long winded post but I am hopeful that if ever anyone else has to go through a similar experience with their dog, they will find this post and know that there are people out there willing to share their knowledge and experiences to help that family have a positive outcome. As our CN said, a lot of this is trial and error because many dogs don’t survive post surgery or their owners can’t afford the surgery so there isn’t a huge amount of information out there. I will continue to post updates about Abby’s progress, thanks all….Cheers for now

[charisse]

Best dry dog food: “Human Grade Dog food”.

Best Human Grade Dog food according the munch zone:
Canidae…https://www.munch.zone/human-grade-dog-food/

So I nominate Canidae #1 and Honest Kitchen for #2 best Human Grade Dry dog food

….and what is Human Grade Dog Food:

The Only true Pet FOOD, Human Grade

[Melissa K]

I have two senior dogs (12 and 16) that I started on Merrick about three months ago after trying a few other brands in search of a high quality dry food that was appropriate for seniors. Their poops have gotten significantly larger (at first I thought a big dog was jumping the fence to poop in our yard lol). Anyway, I was afraid it wasn’t a good thing, and this thread has confirmed it. I haven’t noticed any other issues, but I’d love to get them on a high quality senior dog food that they can actually absorb. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Susan]

Anon
if Clean label is baloney then why is Wellpet being sued? there’s a lawsuit againt Wellpet & another pet food company after being tested for toxins & teh result coming back very high back in August..
Everything is a load of bull to you, if its healthy natural & holistic its a load of bull…..

On July 19, 2017, a class action lawsuit was filed against Wellpet LLC and Berwind Corporation, parent company of Wellpet which makes Wellness dog food. According to the suit, plaintiffs are suing for negligent misrepresentation, violations of California Consumer Legal Remedies Act, violations of the California False Advertising Law, violations of the California Unfair Competition Law, Breach of Express Warranty, Breach of Implied Warranty, and negligence per se.
The lawsuit is based on testing performed on Wellness CORE Adult Dry Ocean Whitefish, Herring Meal and Salmon Meal and Wellness Complete Health Adult Dry Whitefish and Sweet Potato, finding them to be contaminated with significant levels of arsenic and lead which are both known dangerous toxins for humans and animals. According to the lawsuit, inorganic arsenic can contribute to cancers, heart disease, diabetes, declines in intellectual function, and can decrease a body’s ability to respond to viruses. The organic form of arsenic – the form found in arsenic-containing compounds – has been shown in recent studies to easily convert to inorganic arsenic.
FDA has set allowable limits of arsenic at 10 parts per billion (ppb) in apple juice and the EPA has set levels of 10 ppb in drinking water. FDA is considering limiting the action level for infant rice cereal to 100 ppb. In testing, the Wellness CORE Adult Dry Ocean Whitefish, Herring Meal and Salmon Meal contained 1,500 ppb of arsenic and the Wellness Complete Health Adult Dry Whitefish and Sweet Potato contained 1,200 ppb. These levels are more than TEN TIMES the amount considered safe in infant cereal.
The FDA has set limits for lead in bottled water at 5 ppb. These two dry pet food formulations contained 221 ppb and 220 ppb of lead, respectively. Lead is a carcinogen and developmental poison known to cause health problems including cancer, developmental and reproductive disorders, and injury to the nervous system and other organs. Lead builds up in the body over time which means chronic exposure leads to higher levels in the body.
Sadly, pet food consumers have been lied to by pet food companies and veterinarians for many years, making them believe the only way a pet will thrive is to feed them the same “balanced, complete” diet, day in and day out. If that “diet” has imbalances and impurities, they will have chronic exposure to toxins like arsenic and lead.
Wellness advertises itself as a healthy product, promising “Uncompromising Nutrition” and “Unrivaled Quality Standard”, offering complete health and “nothing in excess”. Obviously, the arsenic and lead are in excess at dangerously high levels, making this false advertising and misrepresenting the food as being healthy.
From the Wellness website:
Our Standards. Our Promise.
At Wellness, your pet’s health is at the core of all we do. That’s why we have developed an extensive quality assurance program, guaranteeing that all of our products are safe, pure and balanced.
I think not.

[Susan]

Adriana,
dont be fooled if it’s cheap it’s not good, Purina Chow got those 5 star cause it didnt have all the toxins & contaminates some of these high end more expensive foods cut corners & fly under the radar they have a good name & people think their ingredients are good cause its ” blare blare” brand but they’re NOT, people think cause they’re paying more money the dog food has to be really good, if you seen a cheaper food on the Clean label toxin site & your dogs do well on it & its cheaper then feed it. Don’t be fooled cause its grain free its better cause its not its just more expensive…. if you can cook & make a batch of cooked meals then cook & freeze them, cooked meals are healthier for your dogs then dry processed kibble, if your dog does well on cooked chicken & rice then why not feed a lower fat chicken & rice kibble?? especially if she is vomiting the fat may be too high in the food she is eating & causing her acid reflux like my boy gets, alot of dogs as they age suffer in silence with bad acid reflux & their owners dont even know, Canidae has their All Life Stages Platinum for all ages & seniors formula, you could feed all your dogs the Platinum dry formula & rotate & feed another brand as well for their other meals thats what I do for Patch, breakfast Patch picks which kibble he wants to eat then for lunch he gets a scramble egg, then dinner he gets either the same kibble he had for breakfast or he gets another brand kibble it all depends if he has been well thru the day, a few dogs with Pancreatitis & stomach problems do really good on Canidae ALS Platinium formula, some Puppy formula’s are higher in fat & protein, maybe you girl cant handle the higher fat & higher Kcals ?? the higher the Kcals the harder the kibble is to digest cause its more dense…if your trying to keep weight on a dog (this is something my boy with IBD has had a a problem with his weight) I feed 5 smaller meals a day 7am, 9am, 12pm, 5pm & 8pm, you work out how many cups of dry food she should be eating a day & add another 1/4 to 1/2 a cup extra of the dry kibble then you divide up her meals over 4-5 meals a day….
Have a look at Hills Science Diet Youth Vitality 7+ small breed & toy breeds wet & dry formula, it has all the supplements she needs for an aging dog & its easy to digest & she should gain weight the fat is 15% & the Kcals are 363Kcals per cup feed her more then the recommended amount & make sure she is eating her food by herself & the other dogs can’t take any of her meal or look at Hills Science Diet adult 7+ small breed & toy breed formula its for small breeds with special needs, stick around 350-370Kcals per cup this will be easier for her to digest & is not as dense as a kibble thats over 380Kcals per cup, you never see a vet diet over 370 Kcals for cup when it for Intestinal digestive problems the vet diets are around 350-360kcals per cup she probably need to be put on the Hills I/d Low Fat Restore wet stew canned food & teh dry kibble look at the Hills Science Diet Sensitive Stomach its often on special its very easy to digest, how you know if its easy to digest get a glass of warm water & put about 2 kibbles in teh glass of warm water the kibble should float to the top & the kibble should go soft within 15-40mins, the Hills Sensitive Stomach goes soft & swells up within 20mins, I was minding a rescue dog a few months ago for a few days & the rescue group put him on the Hills SD Sensitive stomach Egg & Rice & he was doing really well & Patch kept wanting his Hills Kibble & the dog kept wanting Patches kibble, so I ended up buying Patch a small bag of the Sensitive Stomach Egg & Rice it was on special its always on special either online or at teh Pet shop & its money back guaranteed so you cant lose if after your girl doesnt get better orgain weight take it back & get a refund I email Hills & they end up giving me vochours + I got my refund at the pet shop this was for another hills vet diet formula, while Patch was eating the Hills Sensitive skin he gained weight & now after eating teh Nutro essential he finally weighs 18.6kg he was weight yesterday at the vets I’ve never had him at 18.6kgs in the whole 5yrs Ive had him 18kg is the highest in weight I have gotten too but he was active & went on daily walks etc also he has been sleeping alot lately & seems very unwell & is going into vet hospital Tuesday & have an Endoscope & biopsies on his throat & stomach, I’m praying he doesnt have esophageal or stomach cancer but something is defentley wrong with him, he’s not the happy go lucky Patchy everyone knows, instead he’s following me around all day whinging & crying today he has been a bit better, he just turned 9yrs old Novemeber & looks really good, his teeth are white, there’s no blue in his pupil of his eyes, not much grey fur, some dogs are grey all over but not him he runs & acts like a puppy people who first met him think he is a young teenager dog, I thought cause we have just moved he’s a bit depressed then I went into hospital & when I came out Patch was so unwell my daughter said there’s something wrong with Patch he’s not listening he just stands there with his head hung low he looks like he’s drug up…This is what happens when we have pets they break our heart & get sick & I wish they could talk & tell us where hurts & what is wrong. Patch normally shows me where’s sore or hurts but this time he’s not showing me soo its internally something inside is very sore…
Good luck with your dogs & finding a few foods that agrees with them. I’ll post the info about the lawsuit that has been filed against Wellpet who make Wellness foods, this lawsuit is cause of the finding in the CLP toxin test/study so if these toxic test/study were Baloney like anon says it would not make it court, Anon does NOT know anything when it comes to dogs foods & diet especially when they are ill with stomach/bowel problems.

[Susan]

Hi Adriana,
Have a look at “Canidae Pure” line & Canidae Pure Petite line only has 5 ingredients for petite dogs with food sensitivities/allergies, all of the Canidae Pure line is really good for dogs with stomach/bowel & allergies & for your 9yr old have a look at “Canidae Pure Meadow” Senior, it’s excellent for aging dogs, the Protein is 28%min email Canidae for max Protein % you usually add another 1-5% more when it says min but with Canidae it’s only about 1% more, the fat is not high at 10%min-fat, that’s what I like about the Pure Meadow Senior formula, as dogs age their stomach doesn’t work as well as when they were youger dog, the fat is only 10.80%max, I’ve already emailed Canidae & asked them what is the max fat %, the Pure Meadow Senior has all the supplements needed for aging dogs, it’s high in omega fatty acids for skin, coat, brain, heart etc & Glucosamine + Chondroitin for bone & joint health. Canidae grow their own vegetables, fruit & source ingredients from local farmers, their ingredient are fresh & their foods are made in smaller batches, the kibble size is nice & small so very easy to digest….
Here’s the Canidae link https://www.canidae.com.com/dog-food/products

also google “Toxins In Dogs Foods” then look for a company that has
completed a study of 1,084 pet food products from 80 brands. Products were screened for over 130 toxins including heavy metals, BPA, pesticides and other contaminants with links to cancer and other health conditions in both humans and animals….Canidae formula’s & Canidae’s other brand “Under The Sun” did really well when tested for 130 Contaminates & Toxins….You’ll see the 5 star dry dog foods, 3 stars then the 1 star dry dog foods.
I stay away from dry dog food brands once I see 1-2 of their formulas with 1 star rating that means they probably will have more foods that are full of toxins & contaminates..
A few of Wellness formula’s did poorly, Wellpet make Wellness, Holistic Select & Eagle Pack Holistic Select had a few bad formula’s get only 1 star…. Simply Nourish LTD Sweet potato & Lamb formula, Nutrisca Lamb & Chickpea they all got 1 star as well which means they were high in toxins…

[haleycookie]

Putting a cat with frequent uti’s onto an all wet diet 90% of the time fixes the issue. So I would definitely think about doing at least half dry half wet if not all wet for your dog. If there’s not crystals then an expensive prescription food isn’t really necessary. Just consider upping her water intake somehow other than just the water she’s drinking from the bowl. Potty breaks often, etc. just like you’d treat a human uti.

[Foxden]

Hi. Im new to the members area and am hoping for some advice from other Dane owners. We are getting our 1st Dane next month and I know from all the research I’ve done, puppy foods are not recommended for this breed. What is a great 5 star dry food for them. Thanks !

[anonymous]

I recommend Nutrisca salmon for a dry, but add a little water to kibble and add a topper.

I have a senior small breed that has some unexplained weight loss, so I am giving her 3 or 4 small meals per day instead of two
I am adding a bit of Mighty Dog (small cans) to meals, dogs love Mighty Dog, the dog food snobs will tell you it is bad, but I have had good results with it.

[Allyson D]

hi. i shop at aldi stores and they have a premium dog food–both canned and dry–called ‘pure being’. i only use the canned–and it is grain-free, with chelated minerals. you might want to check it out for review.

[Susan]

Hi Deb,
I too live Australia & was having no problems with TOTW Lamb formula it actually seem to be the best kibble for Patches IBD when I started feeding Patch about 2 yrs ago until this last bag of TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb 6kg bag I ordered my pet food thru Pet Circle (Pet Circle is excellent & quick for delivery they dont use Australia Post they use Couriers Please) I opened the TOTW Lamb bag 1 month ago & the smell seems different now also the kibbles were really small 1/2 their normal size, I thought OK the smaller kibble will be easier to digest when he doesn’t chew his kibbles & swollows them, Patch eats 4-5 meals day cause of his IBD after he ate his cooked meal or another brand kibble he wasnt eating grass or looking ill & whinging but after eating the TOTW kibble Patch kept eating grass & seem very unwell cause I had just moved I thought he’s a bit depressed & his IBD is playing up from all the stress of moving then one morning he just refused to eat the TOTW, in the whole 5 yrs I’ve owned Patch he has only refused to eat 2 times the first year I rescued him when he became real ill with Colitis & Pancreatitis, he always eats even when unwell, I contacted Pet Circle & they are really good they refunded my $70 & said to give the remaining 5 & 1/2 kg of the TOTW to rescue/pound or a friend then at the end of our conversation the lady said maybe throw the whole bag of TOTW in the bin & she wrote everything down & was sending it off to TOTW Australia.

You are better off feeding Australian made & owned brands like “Meals For Mutts” “Ivory Coat” Ivory Coat is Australian made but has just been sold to a big Chinese company that’s still making the Ivory Coat here in Australia & taking Ivory Coat to America & all over the world, probably cause its Australian made & the Kangaroo & Lamb formula will reall sell dogs love Kangaroo its a very strong rich meat, the Ivory Coat has proper Kangaroo Meal in it the American made Kangaroo formula’s write “Wild Kangaroo” we dont eat our wild Kangaroos they are full of disease & parasites & they add Lentils to up the Protein % & add less kangaroo, the Ivory Coat will be heaps better Kangaroo pet food when does come to America, but I’d say it will be expensive unless the Chinese start cutting corners & change the ingredients & start adding Chickpeas & Lentils to up the protein% & take away some of the Kangaroo Meal & Lamb Meal, we’ll have to see what happens with Ivory Coat …
MfM is a really good kibble also sold oversea to asian countries, “Canidae” is really good, Candiae is American made & they grow their own veggies & source from local farmers like some of our Australian made pets foods do, look at their “Canidae Pure” formula’s & “Canidae All Life Stages” formula are really good & sell out by the end of the month, you can get a 20 kg bag for $99.95 of the Canidae All Life Stages formula from Pet Circle it’s on Special at the moment, here’s the link
https://www.petcircle.com.au/product/canidae-all-life-stages
also look for “Canidae Pure Meadow” Senior formula for your 9yr old dog, it has all the supplements needed for aging dog, the Pure Meadow is excellent, I’ve put a few eldery dogs on it where I use to live & they went from a itchy, dull coat, sick looking, stiff old dogs to dogs that think they’re puppies again, there was very big improvements with these dogs, they were eating cheap Aldi & Supermarket cheap kibbles, My Pet Warehouse sell the “Canidae Pure Meadow” Senior it’s new it came out last year there’s Pure Wild Boar & Pure Resolve weight management formula’s came out aswell….
Look at “Nutro” new grain free formula’s & their Frontier formula’s they are made in Australia they look pretty good theyre on the Pet Circle link above, I quickly had to order a another food when Patch wouldn’t eat the TOTW & the Nutro Essential was 1/2 price $18 so I got a bag it came the next day & Patch loves it & no eating grass & there’s been no following me & whinging. Im buying a bag of “Meals For Mutts” new CN Vital Health Hypoallergenic Holistic Remedy Diet Turkey & Veggies today too try, Patch was feed TOTW & I’d rotate with other brands, TOTW was his go to food if poos went sloppy etc now I need a new go to food if Patch becomes unwell with his IBD.

Canidae & TOTW & a heap of other best selling Amerian pets foods & treats were tested for Contaminates & 130 Toxins last year, Canidae did really well & so did their other brand called “Under The Sun” But TOTW did poorly with a few of their formula’s, their Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon formula & their High Prairie formula were very high in contaminates & toxins, I’m not allow to post their link or mention the company name on this site but if you google “Toxins in pet Foods” you’ll see the site click on it & look at the American pet foods we get over here in Australia, Holistic Select, TOTW, Wellness, Earthborn Holistic they all were very high in toxins they were on the worst top ten dry dog foods back in March 2017 testings & some of these brands formula’s were in the August testings last pages with 1 star for being very high in toxins again….

Go onto the Australian “Pet Food Review” site he reveiws all our dog foods that are sold here in Australia & he post the name of the company that tests Pet Foods & Baby foods in American, I think it’s really good its about time we know what pet foods & which treats are high in Toxins & Contaminates, he also tells us when there’s a problem with certain pet foods & writes in RED warning us when a pet food is BAD like “Baxters” kibble & treats from Woolworths is killing dogs & Woolworths wont remove it from their shelves they have only removed a few formula’s but they left the Senior & Adult Baxter formula, healthy puppies & adult dogs died within 24-48 hours of being feed a new bag of the Baxter dry dog food, he also posts information on his “Dog Food Review” Facebook page…

[Donna B]

Dear Jim, I just ordered Carni4 & should get it today. I used A 6lb bag before{because of the price}& mixed it w/ACANA duck & pear SINGLES DRY. D akota did very well on the mix. This time I bit the bullet & ordered a 25# bag to mix.However I do know Dr. Becker & have used a couple of her products in the past, this food I found & decided to purchase at White Dog Bone Co as part of my auto ship. Dakota IS NOT a picky eater but suffers from a very sensitive stomach & digestive problems. Between Acana & Carni4, its the best mix I’ve found for his digestive health. He’s 13.

[sue h]

I need recommendations please. I have a 6 year old, 10 pound mix that has many allergies. She is on 2 RX’s twice a day (one is very expensive), been with a holistic vet for four years. Not much has improved. The two big allergies are chicken and gluten. I have tried a few different dry foods and give her fresh food along with her meals and still no improvement. Sometimes I feel that maybe we are at a point where this is as good as it gets. I hope not……..she is so miserable at times with all the itching. Help please!!
Just a note: a list of foods that have no chicken and gluten would be really nice.

[Jim W]

Carni4. For those of you familiar with Dr. Karen Becker, this is the only dry food I have ever seen her endorse as she is a militant anti kibble vet. It is VERY pricey however.

[Susan]

Hi Cheryl,
I have a stressful Staffy I rescued 5 yrs ago, he was dignosed with Colitis & anixietys then 1 yr later he had an Endoscope & Biopsies done, cause I wanted to know what is causing his problems, the only way the vet can really know what is happening in your dog stomach & bowel is the biopsies, biopsies results tell a vet so much information plus they look around the dogs stomach etc, Patch has gotten heaps better these last 2-3 yrs he’s in a strict routine, feed same time every day & feed 4 smaller meals instead of 2 large meals a day, I try & not change too much in his life, (BUT we have just moved)
Patch no longer shakes & trembles when there’s a thunder storm, we had bad thunder storm last night & what I do now is Patch the cat & I all get into bed, I turn on my TV a bit loader then usual & when it thunders I look to the ceiling or out the window I point & say go away naughty thunder, go away also the thunder doesn’t seem to bother my cat & I tell Patch look Indy isnt scared, he looks at the cat & see’s her nice & calm, what happens after he has his stress attack (Anxiety) this is when his IBD starts to play up, I’ve been in Hospital the last few days & Patch had to stay at my daughters place & his routine was put out he was whinging & crying waiting for me at her front door, I told my daughter just get him into his routine as much as you can, I came home yesterday afternoon from hospital & today Patch is eating grass & not his happy self, so he must of really stress while staying at my daughters place & since I moved here 1 month ago Patch has been getting up thru the night, tippy toeing thru the house it’s a wierd thing he has done since I got him 5 yrs ago, he tippy toes some night he gets up he walks so slow on his toes so he doesnt wake anyone up, I’d say he has some discomfort & can’t sleep & changes beds, he reminds me of Goldielocks & the 3 bears, as soon as Patch seen me packing boxes to move he became unwell & anxious all over again the tippy toe thru the house re started his Poos are fine nice & firm he has started having his stomach pain again his acid reflux is going good, it depends what I feed him with his acid reflux playing up he’s on 20mg Losec every morning for his acid reflux which has really helped him, wet canned foods all seem to give him acid reflux so I cook & freeze small meals, its ends up being cheaper then buying the vet diet wet canned foods, sweet potato & pumkin is very good for stomach & bowel, I boil sweet potato & some pumkin first I peel & cut in small pieces boil then cool then I freeze them, Sweet Potato & Pumkin stay OK when frozen & you take a piece out & it thaws pretty quickly, I also make rissole balls lean turkey mince or lean beef mince add 1 whisked egg & some chopped parsley mix all together & make 1/2 size rissole balls & bake on a foil lined baking tray in oven turn over 1/2 way & drain any fat water that comes from the rissoles at the moment he’s eating “Nutro Essentails” Lamb & Rice Weight management kibble cause the fat is 9%min & he does good on Lamb, Nutro Australia has reformulated their formula’s the Nutro is on Special & 1/2 price cause its new so I thought I’ll give it a go, the Nutro has sought of constipated Patch, cause he eats 4 meals a day Im feeding 2 of the larger meals the Nutro Kibble & the other 2 meals are smaller & I’m feeding him his cooked meals Rissoles with the Pumkin & Sweet potato all mashed together & this has fixed things up in the poo department, he’s doing 1 poo morning & another poo in the afternoon, I never thought Patch would ever get constiped, normally he has the opposite problem Diarrhea, before I moved I was feeding him a kibbles with the fat 15% & under, but since moving he has started doing his mouth suckling noises & I do not know why he makes this sound & what is wong with him?? in the past he has done real WELL on “Canidae” All Life Stages Platinum, Canidae Pure Wild Boar & the Pure Meadow Senior formula is pretty good aswell, the max fat is 10.80% in the Pure Meadow Senior dry formula & it has everything an aging dog needs, I emailed Canidae & they give you max % on fat protein etc….all ingredients are source from local farmers & Canidae grow their own veggies, here’s Canidae’s site scroll down a bit look to your eight & you’ll see the pages the Platinum is on page 5, there’s also their “Canidae Pure Petite” Small Breed formula it has low fat low protein & only 5 ingredients..
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
Patches vet has put Patch on “Gabapentin” 100mg last year for his IBD & Anxieties, I open the Gabapentin capsule & tip out 1/2 the Gabapentin powder as it seems to drug Patch up a bit so I make it 50mg instead of 100mg capsule, the vet said Gabapentenin is good for Anxieties, IBD, IBS & other health contions & this drug does not irratate the stomah or bowel like other medications can do, she said this is why is very good for dogs with IBD you could ask your vet about the Gabapentin 50mg & do what I do open capsule & tip some powder out into a empty capsules you buy empty capsules at te chemist, it makes Patch sleep thru the whole night & he doesnt move & doesnt get up & change beds through the night but the next day he seems very washed out & I dont like seeing him lik that so I dont give hime what the vet recommended 2 times a day poor dog would be too drug up need to get my scales out & weight the capsule & give him only 20-30mgs only when he really needs some pain relief & your girl is very small so she’d need a lower dose then Patch weights 18kgs around 40lbs….

I’ve looked at the new Hills I/d Stress wet & dry formula’s when it first came out & I do not know how these ingredients would reduce stress in a dog???, it would make the dog do firm poos but that doesnt mean you have reduced the stress in the dog? Has the I/d Stress made your girl any better Stress wise since she has started eating the I/d Stress?? is she eating the wet or dry kibble I/d Stress formula?? When I looked at these are the ingredients below in the I/d Stress formula the “Beet Pulp” helps firm poo’s up, the Ginger for Nausea, the Vitamin B12, the B-2 in the Riboflavin & B-7 in the Biotin is good for skin & nails… B vitamins, and specifically biotin, help keep your skin, hair, eyes, liver, and nervous system healthy, so its probably the B vitamins reducing the Stress ….
You can give your dog vitamin B yourself, there’s the B-12 liquid you inject weekly or you get the Vitamin B capsules, if you go onto Face Book, put “EPI Dogs” in the search bar & there’s only 1 EPI group it should come up, if not I’ll give you the link, the ladies are all very helpful & know which brand to get, which brand is the cheapest & where to get it from….
I/d Stress ingredients
Brewers Rice, Corn Starch, Corn Gluten Meal, Whole Grain Wheat, Chicken By-Product Meal, Flaxseed, Cracked Pearled Barley, Whole Grain Oats, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Liver Flavor, Pork Flavor, Lactic Acid, Ginger, Soybean Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Citrate, Pork Fat, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), L-Lysine, Calcium Carbonate, Dried Hydrolyzed Casein, Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), L-Carnitine, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Natural Flavors, Beta-Carotene.

I think with a dog who is very stressed out she needs a quiet environment, a strict routine, walked & I use to go to the dog Patch & sit on a seat & let Patch watch teh dogs all playing from afar we also would sit at te beach as he was scarred of the waves in the beging now I cant let him off his lead he’s a nut & loves teh ocean & just runs & runs along the sand & I cant catch him so we stop goingto the beach I ended up having anxieties I’d try the Vitamin B ask your vet & try one of the Canidae formulas, another brand I see people saying their dog who has stomach/bowel problems doing really well is the “Purina One” formulas.. I think you buy from supermarket… also there’s teh “Rescue Remedy”drops you put 1 drop on her tongue morning & night & 20mins before she is going to do something that will stress her out a lady that use to come & bath Patch said her 10yr old dog has really bad anxieties & the Rescue Remedy drops really works for her dog, she just feeds her dog supermarket dry kibble & raw meat…also have you tried teh “Freshpet” rolls & dry food? Ive also red people saying their dogs is doing well on the Freshpet roll..

[Mort S]

Our two Boxers are 2 1/2 yrs old . Indoor dogs , but get plenty of exercise . Some digestive problems so looking for a dry grain free high quality food . Suggestions please .

[Jamie S]

Have fed Merrick for two years. All my dogs began having bad GI upset on Merrick. After finding out about Purina buying Merrick, I quickly stopped feeding it. I have been making homemade food and my dogs are well. This isn’t feasible longterm, and I am in search of the best dry kibble for my low energy dogs. Any suggestions? Can’t decide between Wellness, Candidae or Acana. These seem to consistently make the list of five star rated foods.

[Cheryl G]

My dog (chihuahua 6 years) has been diagnosed with stress induced colitis. My vet has her on Hills Prescription Diet I/D with stress. It’s very expensive for long term. She has also had complete blood work up done as well as ultrasounds and has no allergies or tumors, but does have an aversion to high fat diets.
Any suggestions for dry dog food would be helpful.
Thank you.

• This topic was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by Cheryl G.

[Sheila N]

Hi all – This website was super useful to me when I first got my chi/terrier rescue pup, Lola, nine years ago. I ended up trying a few high quality foods and Lola adapted to the raw diet well (we feed Nature’s variety raw – she gets one small patty in the morning and one at night. She would also get a small handful of dry food – wellness senior healthy weight – around lunch time. Up until now, she has been very healthy with no problems. Unfortunately, in the last few weeks, she began limping and holding up her back legs while sitting, and will yelp if we try to touch them. We took her to the vet yesterday who said she has arthritis and needs to lose weight to get pressure off of her joints. She’s 22 lbs at the moment. So we’re going to cut out the midday meal completely, but I was thinking that perhaps I should replace the evening raw patty with a small amount of dry food instead. The vet recommended Hill’s metabolic weight loss (Rx only) but I would love any other suggestions. Wellness core reduced fat seems to be popular – anything else people have used and like? Thanks so much!

[Susan]

Hi Liz,
I have found when a dog becomes picky it can be stomach problems, the dog is smart & has learnt what foods upset his stomach, have you taken him to vet? even if you do take him to see a vet the vet can’t tell you anything by just looking at him the vet needs to see inside stomach/bowel he needs an Endoscope & Biopsies done or blood tests done for his Pancreas & liver, I did Endoscope & Biopsies in the end with my boy, he has IBD, nausea & certain foods (Wet canned high fat & Kibble) gives him bad acid reflux, when I first rescued him 5 years ago I didnt have a clue why he was grinding his teeth, lip smacking, whinging at 11pm, he’d look at the food in his bowl (kibble) & look back up at me with this look “whats this crap” & then he’d walked away, cause he was a rescue I didnt know what he was feed I know he wouldn’t touch kibble the first week I got him then he was weeing blood he was put on a Vet diet wet can & dry kibble & he seem to like the Royal Canin vet Kibble & wet canned food but that was only to be feed for 6 weeks then once his crystals were dissolved vet said feed him what he was eating before (I didnt know) so I started feeding him what I ate & wet canned food then he was pooing blood (IBD)

Kibble is harder to digest & higher in carboydrates, the higher the protein & fat in kibble can be making things worse, normally the fancy foods are high fat/protein so he wont eat them now, have you tried wet canned food? but make sure the fat is under 4% in fat in wet canned foods as they havn’t been converted to dry matter (kibble) fat, 5%min-fat written on the can of wet food when converted to DM is around 20%min to 26% max fat same with raw pre-made & the pet rolls etc
Have you tried those Pet Rolls alot of people say good things about “Freshpet rolls sold at Costco, Pet Smart & Walmart also have you tried home cooking what your cooking for dinner make some extra for him like boiled potato, veggies & add some type of meat, I buy the human extra lean beef mince or the Lean Turkey mince & whisk an egg & add some chopped parsley & make 1/2 cup size rissole balls & bake in the oven on foil linned oven tray & all the fat & water comes out drain turn them over & bake till ready then I cool & freeze the rissoles then you get a fork & mash them up with some sweet potato, veggies etc?? cooked food will be healthier then a dry kibble, also start feeding 4 smaller meals a day this helps gain weight & if he does have stomach problems there’s not as much to digest when he eats 4-5 smaller meals, when you feed 2 larger meals of dry kibble there’s heaps more to digest, the bowl of kibble you put on the floor doubles in size, now this would cause anyone stomach pain when you think about it, you eat this small dry kibble then this kibble all start to swell up in your stomach & you’d start to feel uncomfortable, I know I would, I feed Patch 7am-1/2 a cup kibble, 9am-1/2 a cup same kibble, 12pm-scrambled egg with gluten free pasta or can tuna in spring water drained water add boiled mashed potato, 5pm 1/2 cup kibble or I do Tuna/Salmon & boiled potato & 8pm-cooked meal or 1/3 cup kibble at the moment he likes eating “Nutro Essential” Lamb & Rice, 2 weeks ago he stopped eating his “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Lamb this was his go to kibble when he was un well & had diarrhea/acid reflux, the TOTW fixed up his IBD but he doesnt want anything to do with, after seeing all the Toxins in pet foods (Google “Toxins In Pet Food”) the company will come up then have a look at the 2 & 1 star dry dog foods, Kirkland & TOTW have a few bad 1 star dry foods, so I’m listening to Patch & not feeding his TOTW for now…I also buy a grain free Super market good quaility kibble, I buy the smaller bags look for specials online pet store kibbles that have ingredients he can eat then I rotate his kibbles I ask him “which one do you want” I put 1 brand kibble inbetween right fingers & another brand kibble in between left hand fingers & ask him to smell them he smells both kibbles then I let him take the kibble he wants to eat thats been working out really well, you’d get sick of eating the same meal everyday so I never feed the same kibble more then 1-2 week or he starts reacting he has IBD food sensitivies & he has problems keeping on his weight & FINALLY I have him at 18kg he would always stay around 16-17kg vet said he looks good but I dont like seeing his bottom rib, I like Staffys that are little solid nuggets, all muscle, not muscle & bones like he use to be…

[Susan]

Hi Misti,
when you see vet tomorrow ask him/her is she up to date & know alot about skin problems?? it’s just some vets are better with certain health problems, I’m lucky I’ve finally found a vet after seeing about 4-5 vets & she has a rescue dog with food Sensitivities & Skin allergies, now my vet writes me out prescription & I take to the pharmacy & get heaps cheaper as you probably know vet medication is triple the price why I do not know?? I was paying $4 a tablet for Patches acid reflux now I get 30 tablets for $7.99 a month thru my pharmacist a big difference…or there’s online pet pharmacys if your girl is put on any medication for skin they’re expensive see if vet will write you a script so you can buy online or go pharmacist if your vet wants to put your dog on Apoquel or Cytopoint is heaps better, Cytopoint is a newer drug made by the same company & its given every 4-8 weeks Cytopoint has less side effect then Apoquel so ask your vet about applying Hydrocortisone 1% cream to start with & using teh Malaseb medicated shampoo & change her diet, the Hydrocortisone cream is also called Cortic-DS 1% Patches over the counter cream from pharmacist I’m using at the moment says “Hydrozole” for Sensitive inflamed fungal skin conditions contains Hydrocortisone (1%w/w) and Clotrimazole (1%w/w) cost $11 its a cheaper cortisone cream without a script thats sold over the counter at Pharmacist or Walmart but ask can you try Hydrocortisone 1% then ask how much it cost thru him/her the vet then if its over $15 just say oh I can get from at chemist/pharmacist for around $8-12$ it can come under differerent name at Walmart but read smaller print & you’ll see Hydrocortisone 1% as soon as I apply the Hydrocortisone cream Patch gets relief with the itchiness & the redness inbetween toes & up his paw starts to goes away & how I use to stop him licking his paws is I’d apply the Hydrocortisone cream then I’d get the white elastic bandages cut about 20cm off & put around his paws not to tight & not to lose so it can fall off then I get the white bandage tape & tape the bandage his 2 front paws were always worse then his 2 back paws & then I’d get those baby sock & put a soak on front paws only at night so the bandages wouldnt fall off the socks came off but he’d still have his bandages on his 2 front paws & his vet said if he did like off te Hydrocortisone cream it wouldnt hurt him instead of giving a steriod tablets your using teh cream instead & the cream is going straight to the problem area, when she is going outside try & keep her paws covered so the snow cant wet her paws or as soon as she comes back inside wipe down & dry her paws then when paws are dry apply the Hydrocortisone cream & her paws will start to get better as long as she isnt licking them she has to stop licking the paws as they make them worse then order some “Sudocrem” or look at the Ingredient in teh Sudocrem look in the baby section at your supermarket for a baby rash cream that has similair ingredients as the “Sudocrem” has Zinc, Anti fungal & antibiotic in it & during the day when she is going in & out side apply the zinc/antibiotic cream & it will protect & repell the water off her paws from & help heal them as well……later on you will get the hang of all this there’s no magic tablet or diet when they get red itchy paws you just have to use creams protect & wipe & keep her paws dry, I bet the wet snow isnt helping her???? you can try the water proof booties but if the dog wasnt brought up with booties from a pup they normally dont except shoe, Patch walked like he was walking on the moon & wouldnt walk in them so I took the booties back to pet shop & used the bandages until I got his paws better again & like I said every night while he’s sleeping on my bed I check his paws, around his mouth chin, above his left eye anywhere his fur is white & his skin is pink goes red & itchy worse in Spring/Summer months & when it rains or if he eats Chicken, Barley, Oats, Tapioca, Corn, theres probably more ingredients he cant eat aswell…
Buy a cheap 2018 diary a diary where it has a whole page for each day cause some days you might have to write down a lot, write down what she is eating & what cream your using what medicated shampoos your using, the “Malaseb” is really good its an antibacterial anti fungal shampoo & kills any yeast, bacteria on paws & skin it can be used daily if needed & you dont need to apply much a small bottle last a while..

[Michael D]

The following are several suggestions that would make dogfoodadvisor.com more useful for me. But, before I begin, let me say thank you for all the years of work that has gone into the site. Also, I know most suggestions are rejected or shelved for legitimate reasons.

1) I would like to be able to filter the lists by canned/dry, rating, manufacturer, primary ingredient, and keyword.

2) I noticed that many of the dog foods brands available in my local stores (Houston, Tx) are not listed on dogfoodadvisor.com. Most of the formulations are not listed. It is entirely understandable base on the variety available. Most are so cheap that I am confident they will be on the undesirable list. All I needed was a list of recommended formulations (thank you). However, I would like you to provide detailed instructions (video) so that your members could go to their local grocery and pet stores to collect the necessary information. A proper analysis likely requires experience and a doctorate. But your members should be able to submit a photo of the food package, ingredients list, expiration date, (and possibly the price). They could use this photo evidence to populate a database. Granted, 97% of your members will not be interested in contributing. But, dog lovers are more community-oriented than most. I bet one in fifty of the people who post on your forums would be willing to participate. With photographs and a few checks, it is not apparent to me how malicious actors could corrupt the systems. You could offer a reduced membership to participants if revenue increases as a result.

Thank for reading,
Regards, Mike

[Cynthia K]

Trying to find a chicken free food for large breed puppy. Would like dry, canned and raw recommendations. Using earthborn venture but is labeled maintenance. Usimg rawz canned and vital essential raw duck patties
She also has had 2 ear infections..

[Susan]

Hi Misti,
yes start with a Limited Ingredient food that has 1 novel protein & 1 carb she hasnt really eaten before there’s “California Natural” Lamb & Rice it has just 3 ingredients or there’s “Natural Balance” Sweet Potato & Fish or Sweet Potato & Bison, Sweet Potato & Duck the NB is very similar to the Vet diet Hills D/D Potato & Duck or the D/D Potato & Venison also Royal Canin has their Select Protein formula’s Potato & Rabbit, Potato & Salmon but the Natural Balance is cheaper then the vet diets, or look at “Canidae Pure” formula’s the Pure Sea is really good for skin problems, it’s high in Omega 3 fatty acid what’s needed for the skin problems..
The vet will probably put her on a steriod (Predisone) this is just a bandaid as soon as you stop the steriod it will all come back & he’ll probably put her on a vet diet & a medicated shampoo so maybe first try the LID Premium dog food, do weekly baths in Malaseb shampoo & wash her paws twice a week in the Malaseb & use the Sudocrem morning before she goes outside & at night before bed I also use “Hydrocortisone 1%” cream on Patches paws just before he goes to bed I check out his whole body & see where is red & lightly apply the Hydrocortisone cream & use a cotten tip to apply inbetween his toes where’s red by morning he has no redness paws are nice & pink then I apply teh Sudocrem before he goes out teh door, chicken, barley, oats, tapioca all make Patches paws red 20mins after eating these ingredient….. Keep a diary & start writing everything down & over the years you will start to see a pattern, I have a rescue who has IBD, Seasonal Environment allergies & food sensitivities & he gets the red paws, itchy smelly skin from certain foods, I bath him in Malaseb medicated shampoo weekly, the Malaseb is excellent, relieves the redness stops their itchy paws & skin & puts moisture back into their skin, when you bath them you wash away any allergens on their skin & paws etc also the snow?? when Patch walks on wet grass the morning dew or its been raining more then 2 days he also gets his red sore paws I have a small towel near the front & back door & I wipe down his paws if its raining I also buy teh Baby wipes & use them as well try & get some “Sudocrem” sold on Amazon this is what we use in Australia & the UK, the Sudocrem a healing cream for Dermatitis, Excema, Nappy Rash etc & it repells water & protects the paws & skin from allergens, I cant up load photos I have of a Staffy that had a really bad red stomach & then her owner got the Sudocrem & the dog stomach was all clear the next day, can you afford the Pre made raw? maybe try a premade raw instead of a dry kibble…
also are you on Face Book? join this group, “Dog Allergies, Issues & Other Information Support Group” its a really good group & good info & a Dermatologist frequents the group.
Misti will get better but you need have a strict routine when doing the food trial, with time it gets easier but allergies dont go away they get worse as they age, she probably is like Patch & has both Seasonal Environment allergies (worse in the Spring/Summer months) & Food Sensititivies so best to start now & you’ll work out what she can & cant eat, it the snow/water makes her paws worse she might ned some type of shoe Patch wouldnt wear shoes so I use the Sudocrem it repells, allergens, the water & wet grass, Good Luck

[Blkdoodle]

I have been through many dog foods for my Doodle, found out she was allergic to many of the ingredients most dog food companies put in their foods. After researching and reading an article in Whole Dog Journal, I researched Sport Elite. Thankfully they have a dry kibble with Venison, and NO potato, peas, chicken, etc. They make a dog food for working and sporting dogs. Our Callie loves it and the itching has stopped. Have no idea why it’s not on the list, but look it up on Dog Food Advisor and most rate a 41/2 to 5 stars. Just saying. Good luck.

[Tyrionthebiscuit]

I think Dave’s Pet makes a fairly reasonably priced canned food. Sometimes you can find the Whole Earth Farms pate on sale for very cheap. I find that I can get a little further out of those because it’s a fairly dry pate and if you add a little water to it, it makes a nice soup.

[Misti W]

I wanted to add that the people we rescued her from also told us that she suffered these same issues when the dog was with them as well. She has always been fed a dry dog food.

[Mark G]

Anyone know why Victor Grain Free Active Dog And Puppy is not on the Editor’s choice list for dry puppy food?

[Vonda G]

I am brand new to this site. I have 2 indoor dogs. One Sheltie and one Border. 35 and 40 pounds. They are 6 and 9 yrs old. I presently feed them IAMS can and dry which they are doing great on and maintaining healthy weight. I would like to find a better food after all I’ve read on here but really can’t afford it. Is there any can dog food healthier than IAMS for similar price? Like no more than $1 a can? If I were financially able I would. Im 62 Yrs and out of work as nurse due to injury. My food budget is cut for me too. Just trying to get through until I can get back to work.

[ray q]

I don’t know of a 5* dry dog food with limited ingredient( I am not really sure how limited you want to go) I do recommend Orijen dog food as it is one of highest quality dog food) but it cost more than your regular cheap brand name trash. If you really love your dog child I personally don’t mind spending extra money. I want my pets to live as long as is possible. I highly recommend The Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food or Wysong’s freeze dried products but unless your pet has allergy issues or stomach problems. I would stick with the chicken and beef, don’t try the other exotic foods unless your dog is having allergy problems and of course check with your vet first.

[Anonymous]

If you go to DOG FOOD ADVISOR HOME and look at its menu choices, you will see a selection entitled “5 STAR DRY DOG FOOD” and there is quite a long list. Each click will bring you several selections, some of which will probably be 4* or 4.5*, but there SHOULD be at least ONE at 5* or it shouldn’t be on that list. I, too, wonder, though, if a true 5-Star exists because, if it did, that would make it PERFECT and … well, nothing is; right? I settled for 4.5 stars and my Beagle LOVES it.

[anonymous]

I would never feed just dry kibble, for one thing the dog could develop bladder stones if he is not a water drinker.
At least pour a spoonful of warm water or plain homemade chicken broth (boiled chicken water nothing added) on it.
Dry kibble alone is not good, no matter how much you pay for it.

PS: I agree with your husband, if the dog is doing well on the food, then why change it?
When you take the dog in for the next scheduled visit see what the vet recommends.