[April W]

I have been preparing a homemade selection of foods for my shih tzu who is 2 years old as a supplement to his dry food. I boil together chicken legs/thighs and add fresh kale, carrots, sweet potato and apple and shred the pieces into bite size portions for him. His name is Baxter and I call this Baxters Batch. I asked my vet about this combination and he gave me his approval. He also highly recommended I use Purina Pro Plan which I refused. I have been using Blue Wilderness High Protein for small breeds until now. After reading the editors choices I will be switching brands.

[Susan]

Hi Karen,
Are you still seeing a vet that is a vet specialist? diarrhea 6-8 times a day isn’t good, it’s better then 12 times a day but her poo’s need firming up, this is why she is losing weight, did the clinical nutritionist say to eat the cheese? cheese causes diarrhea with my IBD Staffy, you need to work out does Abby need a diet high in Soluble fiber or higher in In-Solubale fiber, my boy has IBD, Skin Allergies & Food Sensititives his vet wanted to treat his IBD first & to make sure we firm up his poos, he doesnt do well with all the Vet diets for Intestinal health or the Hyrdolyzed vet diets especially if the vet diets are higher in In-Soluble fiber & I’m pretty sure the Hills Z/d is higher in In-Solube fiber & lower in Soluble fiber??, I just looked in my desk & I can’t find the In-soluble & Soluble percentages for the Hills Z/d, I/d Digestive Care & the I/d Retsore formula’s, aaarrrhh, I’ve just moved….
I know Hills have changed their Z/d dry formula a few times, Patch was getting diarrhea from the old Z/d dry formula, the new Z/d dry formula gave him bad acid reflux & sloppy poo’s so I stopped feeding it, we have tried every single vet diet in the end a Premium dry kibble firmed up his poo’s ask your vet can you try the Hills D/D Potato & Duck formula instead, Potato firms poos up normally, in Australia we get the Hills D/D Potato & Venison formula, it’s 370 Kcals per cup so she should start to gain some weight if her poo’s start to firm up, you can email Hills & tick the box for a vet Nutritionist to ring you back & if you get a nice lady she will help you & give you the Soluble & Insoluble fiber percentages to a few vet diet formula’s this way you’ll know if your girl starts to do well on a certain vet diet if it’s higher or lower in Soluble fiber or try the Royal Canine Select Protein Potato & Rabbit dry formula or the Royal Canine Select wet can formula’s..
You know in your heart if you feel Abby is not getting anywhere with the clinical nutritionist find another one or find a good vet that specializes in Intestinal health problems that’s what I had to do with my boy I went thru 4 vets before I found the 2 vets that work at the same practice that finally helped Patch they both prefer home cooking but in the begining wet canned & home cooked went thru Patch, now 5 yrs later he does good on home cooked meals also are you sure the Probiotic is helping?? instead of the cheese try adding 1 spoon of boiled pumkin to her next meals for 2 days & see if the boiled pumkin helps firm her poo’s, Pumkin is a soluble fiber same as sweet potato, it can be frozen in those ice cube trays & take out as you need 1 spoon of cooked boiled pumkin …
Good Luck I really hope the angels find you a good Nutrititionist to help Abby firm up her poo’s & Abby gets back to normal very soon….
Go onto Facebook & join Monica Segal group called “K-9 Kitchen’ Monica is a Nutritionist you might met someone else that has a dog with similar problem or there’s Lew Olson group called “K-9 Nutrition” Lews friend in the group (I”ve forgotten her name) knows alot about Intestinal problems & might be able to help with foods to start feeding that are very healthy & start firming Abby’s poo’s…

[Nacho K]

Hi guys,
I have had my golden retriever puppy for 2 weeks now, and after reading all the comments in this forum, i decided to feed him with Wellness puppy food. I just realized I have been feeding him with the normal puppy food and not the large breed one. And also, he lost almost a pound in last week. From 16lbs to 15.2lbs. He is 10 weeks old. I am going to buy him the wellness for large breed puppy today. Do you know if the reason was the type of puppy food? Do you recommend any other type of Food?
After spending hours of reading the forums, here is my list but I can’t decide which one:
1. Wellness Dry Large Breed Puppy Food (~$62/30lbs)
2. Purina Pro Plan FOCUS Puppy Lamb and Rice (~$44/$34lbs)
3. Nutri Source Large Breed Puppy (~$55/30lbs)
4. Holistic Complete Large/Giant Breed ($45/15lbs)
5. FROMM Large Breed Puppy (~$60/30lbs)
6. Orijen Large Breed Puppy ($89/25lbs)

I would eliminate #6 just because it’s expensive. Any comment on the rest? Or any additional option I need to consider? Are these all AAFCO approved!?

Thanks

[tracey s]

Please help me, I’m not as smart as you guys, I’ve searched the homemade and don’t feel I can understand how to do the supplements and everything to not harm my dog. I’ve also searched dry dog food that had at least a little meat in it and can only find 20% protein which is still too high, the other foods are full of junk, please help me find something to feed him.

[anonymous]

A lot of supplements are scams. $$ for purified water and such. What is it that you don’t understand?

PS: I do add a fish oil caplule to my dogs food once a day, that’s it. Because it’s supposed to help with dry skin. However fish oil for some dogs can result in diarrhea and loose stools.
Less is more……

Supplements are not regulated by the FDA, there could be ground up dirt in them, lol

PBS did a special a while back that explained the dangers. Buyer beware.
I’ll come back and provide the link
Here it is https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/supplements-and-safety/

• This reply was modified 7 years, 12 months ago by anonymous.

[Fanette R]

Thanks Susan and Taylor for your help.

It’s so tricky having to take care of IBD and pacreatitis at the same time!
I was also wondering about the “min 12%” actually, but thought it won’t be too much higher.
I also was skeptical about the Fiber in “First Mate Pacific Ocean” ’cause it might not be good for Furby’s issue.

I’ve checked the food “Kirkland Salmen & Sweet Potato Formula” but I saw that it’s a 14% fat formula, isn’t that too much?

Yeah ordering those food might be tricky too.. I don’t think I’ll even be able to order Wellness, I’ve tried to check if I could order dry food for Furby through Amazon, from the US but it doesn’t seem to be possible.. France is very bad for dog food…
Lately we have had Acana, Orijen and Taste of the Wild coming into our pet stores, but that’s basically it.. And from what I read none of those brands would go with an IBD dog who suffers from pancreatitis…

I might be able to order Natural Balance online through providers. There is no providers in France but in Europe there is once so I could contact them.
I just hope Furby would do ok with sweet potato as it’s the first ingredient.

Anyway, I’ll keep looking, it’s just frustrating ’cause I can’t order much good dry food as there isn’t much of them around my area..

The only one I’ve found that I could order easily is the “GO! Sensitivity + Shine Salmon”
On the french website they say “12% fat” but on the english one they say “12.4” so I dunno.. This brand also have a LID section but there is lentils is all of those recipes.
Go! Sensitivity + Shine Salmon https://www.petcurean.com/product/go-sensitivity-shine-salmon-dog-food-recipe-eu/

And Merry Christmas to you all! 🙂

• This reply was modified 7 years, 12 months ago by Fanette R.

[Colleen R]

Hi!
New poster here looking for some opinions/ My 11 yr old dog (55 lbs) pit/pointer mix was recently diagnosed with PLN.

The vet said she will need to be on a prescription diet the rest of her life and medication. The food is expensive. I put her on Hills K/d and she hates the dry so I bought her the wet food which she eats just fine, but reading some articles about prescription diets I’m wondering if this is a scam. I would be spending $1600/year on her food if I keep giving her canned. Does anyone have experience with this disease? I’m open to feeding her a raw diet too. I just find it outrageous to spend that much on her prescription food and wondering if it’s all a scam and I could get the same results from a raw diet….I do need to talk to my vet about this and I may even get a second opinion. Any feedback is much appreciated!

[Fanette R]

Ok, so I’ve spent all day researching some foods that could be good for Furby’s IBD and with low fat.

I have now those 3 products in mind :
– Wellness Simple Natural Grain Free Limited Ingredient Salmo and Potato Recipe
(12% fat) https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/natural-dog-food/product-catalog/simple-limited-ingredient-salmon-potato-recipe
– Firstmate Ocean Fish Mean Original Formula (10% fat) https://firstmate.com/product/pacific-ocean-fish-meal-original-formula/
– Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish (10% fat) https://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog-formulas/dry/limited-ingredient-diets/sweet-potato-and-fish

They all have great ingredients and reviews for dogs with stomach issues and diarrhea.
I know that a dry food can be considered as low fat when the fat is 12% or under, but do you think it’s better that I go for 10% fat instead of 12% ?
I was actually thinking of going for 12% fat, at least at first, so Wellness, just because Furby has lost weight when he first got diagnosed for IBD and I’m scared that with only 10% fat we won’t be able to gain back his weight (fortunately he already got back most of it). What do you think ? Of course I’ll ask my vet about it, but wanted to know your thoughts on this too 🙂

Thanks so much everyone for your help!! It makes me feel better and less alone with this disease!

[Fanette R]

Yes I totally agree, loose stools/diarrhea indicate that the current diet does not agree my dog. Since I rescued Furby (almost 8 years now) he has been on dry food, and from time to time, more as treats, wet food. Because we had some struggles those past few months because of his IBD, my vet told me to keep him in that wet food for now as he seemed to do well will it. But it worked when I mixed it with dry food, not by itself. So yeah I need to go back to dry food.
Yes IBD is a lot about tests and errors, everyone needs to be aware of that.
But you’re right, I should feed him a bland diet for a few days and let my them know of course.

To go back into this prescription/no prescription diet, I’ve spent hours and hours, days and days, researching informations about IBD (and I mean researches official informations and vet studies). And in all the studies I wrote about IBD, the vets were saying that there were two options with IBD : “hydrolyzed food” (that you can find in some prescription diet) and “novel protein diet, with usually potato or even better sweet potato”, and they mention that you can find very good novel protein diet through commercial brands. None of them have said that a dog needs to go on a prescription diet. I read this very interesting studied about IBD in dogs by a very good vet from the University of California, who study IBD, that said the exact same thing.

Furby has had a sensitive stomach since I got him. I never put him on a prescription diet because most hypoallergenic formula had rice on them, or chicken and furby doesn’t do well with those two. So he was better with a very good hypoallergenic commercial brand.

All I’m saying that for me there is no “prescription diet is better” or “commercial brands are better”. It depends on the dog, that is all.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 12 months ago by Fanette R.

[Cynthia L]

My english setter seems to start scratching during the winter months. Is there any food that can help with dry skin or a potential allergy? Thank you.

[Fanette R]

Thanks you so much for all those info Susan, it really helps.
We have felt very lost and alone since Furby got diagnosed, everything is getting so confusing. I’ll for sure check ou the IBD groups you’re talking about!

Ok so I’m definitely not gonna put him on the Royal Canin diet. I was very concerned already, when my vet said “well, those kibbles are actually high in fat so, because furby suffered from pancreatitis in the past, we should do a blood test right now and one in 3 weeks to see if it is ok for him”… This is again something that would cost me a lot of money and that would be painful for Furby…

Ok so I’ve just spent an hour looking through a few brands.
I was actually considering “Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain” ’cause I heard good things for dogs with IBD. I just have two concerns, maybe you can help me out with this.
1. I see there is lentils il the ingredients, but you said I should stay away from lentils for Furby, right?
2. I’m seeing that the protein for those kibbles are “lamb”. Furby was on frain free, lamb hypoallergenic protein for 3 years, we just took him out of it a few months ago, as he got diagnoste for IBD. I must say I’m not sure that this protein affected him and caused him IBD because he got IBD 3 years after starting those kibbles, but I’m still wondering if I shouldn’t go maybe for another protein?

Beside Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain, I’ve found this :
– California Natural : Herring & Sweet Potaoe recipe : http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/1201
– Natural Balance Limited Ingredients :
Sweet Potatoe & Bison : https://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog-formulas/dry/limited-ingredient-diets/sweet-potato-and-bison
Sweet Potatoe & Fish : https://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog-formulas/dry/limited-ingredient-diets/sweet-potato-and-fish
Sweet Potatoe & Venison : https://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog-formulas/dry/limited-ingredient-diets/sweet-potato-and-venison
– The Honest Kitchen : Limited Ingredient Turkey & Parsnip : https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/marvel

What do you think of those? Is there one that could feet better a dog with IBD?
Also, Is that ok if, in the natural balance recipes, sweet potatoe is the first ingredient? I always heard that meat should be the first ingredient.

Hopefully you can help me out a little bit more 🙂
And no I haven’t tried boiled potato with Furby’s wet food, I’ll try that and see if it helps! Thanks!

[Susan]

Hi Fanette,
I also have a rescue dog Patch he is 9yrs old now, he was diagnosed with with IBD 5yrs ago he was diagnosed thru Biopsies, Patch also has had Pancreatitis when he was eating Royal Canine, Hypoallergenic HP vet diet, the fat was way too high at 19% sometimes these vet just say “here feed this vet diet or feed that vet diet”, and our poor dogs are guinea pigs & the vet see if the vet diet works, great if the vet diet works or vet diet food doesnt help then our poor dog gets worse, no vet diets have ever helped Patches IBD if anything he got worse, “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb dry kibble was the first dry kibble that helped firm Patches poos up & made his itchy skin better, I have to rotate Patches foods now, when he first starts a new foods he seems to go good then after 1-2 months he goes down hill again so I change what I’m feeding him, I have found when you feed Sweet Potato & Potato to dogs with IBD they seem to do better & do firm poos…
Do NOT feed any kibbles or wet canned foods that have Lentils, Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) as these ingredients can irratate the bowel & cause bad WIND/GAS pain… have you tried adding boiled white potato to the wet canned horse food?? this is what I do as Patch can’t eat wet canned foods either especially if it has boiled rice in it the boiled rice irratates his bowel, I boil 1 potato in small pieces & put in a container & keep in the fridge I add about 2 spoons of the mashed potato with 1/2 a canned wet tin food for breakfast, I also buy canned Australian Tuna in Spring Water add boiled Potato for lunch…
Look for kibbles that have limited ingredients & have Sweet potato or Potato there’s “Natural Balance” Sweet Potato & Fish & Sweet Potato & Duck the fat is 10% here’s the Natural Balance site read thru all the formula’s as some fomula’s have pea protein.. https://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog-formulas/special-category-limited-ingredient-diets
Have you jpined any Canine IBD Groups? there’s IBDOGS” on Yahoo & theres a few Canine IBD groups on face book the people in these groups are going thru the same as you & your dog… Just make sure when you do try something new only give 1 new thing at 1 time over a 1-2 week period so if it doesn’t agree with Furby you will know what is causing the problem, just becare as you have reduced Furbys medications & gotten so far you can fed him a kibble that will cause an IBD flare & he’ll be back on high doses of steriods again, Good Luck & keep us informed with what’s happening with Furby please try the boiled Potato with his horse meat, it will firm up his poo’s..

[anonymous]

Natural Balance Fat Dogs Chicken & Salmon Formula Low Calorie Dry Dog Food
https://www.chewy.com/natural-balance-fat-dogs-chicken/dp/46804
250 calories per cup, good reviews noted

Just something to watch out for, loose stools, might take a couple of weeks to show up.
It’s a little bit high in fiber, some dogs are sensitive and react to this and other dogs don’t and do fine with it.
PS: Yes, I also recommend using the kibble as a base, add at least a splash of water and a bite of something tasty mixed in 🙂

• This reply was modified 7 years, 12 months ago by anonymous.

[Fanette R]

Hello,

Thanks for the answer!
I wasn’t saying Royal Canin was a bad brand, I was just sceptical about the composition for this specific dry food, “anallergenic”, especially because my dog also had pancreatitis and that there is a lot of fat in this dry food.
But yes, for sure I’m working on it with my vet very closely, I realized it might not have been clear on my message, sorry about that! I’m very close to my vet actually, I was just looking for advices with food, but never against my vet’s opinion 🙂

Thank you for the link you sent me, I’ll check that out! This is very true that you can read everything and anything on the internet, that’s also why I wanted to ask here and see what answers I’ll get 🙂

[Fanette R]

Hello,

I’m from France, I’m very glad to know English because I couldn’t have find much info in french about dogs with IBD, and about nutrition in general!
I really need your advices about what kind of food I should feed my dog with..

Furby was diagnosted with IBD in August, and the past year he also had 2 pancreatitis (he hasn’t got any since april though).
I adopted him almost 8 years ago now, he was about 3 years old. Always had a sensitive stomach, so he has been on hypoallergenic, grain free dry food for a few years now (protein: lamb).

Everything was going great but last year has been a nightmare, for him and for my partner and I. He had to go through different kind of surgeries (hernia, and few months after a tumor removed), and I think the medecine he got for those made his stomach sick. He never had any diarrhea or anything, and from one day to the other, the vets told me he had IBD. Right after that , he did have some diahrrea and blood, the vets put him into strong medicines (cortisone and immunosuppressives.. he is still on that, which means he has been on that since august which I’m not really ok with because it affects him, he has been getting more disease since then. My partner and I are slowing taking those out of his system, plus he doesn’t have much diarrhez anymore, and no blood at all).

Anyway, we haven’t been able to find him the right food. I feel like once we’ve found what works with him, his health would be better.. Right now he’s having horse’s meat, which seems to work, but it’s wet food so it gives him diarrhea.. The vets want me to try anallergenic from Royal Canin Veterinary, but the composition seems so wrong to me, what do you think? you can have a look here :
https://www.viovet.co.uk/Royal_Canin_Canine_Veterinary_Clinical_Diets_Anallergenic_Dog_Food/c6829/
Plus, he has suffered from pancreatitis and those kibbles have a lot of fat in them, so I’m not sure this would be good for him.

Is there anything you can suggest?
I’ve thought of kangaroo, ’cause I know that with sensitive stomachs, you should go for protein that the dog isn’t used to. But the only one I’ve found are “kangaroo and peas” and I’m scared that peas would made him have more gaz
Or maybe rabbit? Venison?

As you can tell.. I need help 🙂
My partner and I feel very lost and alone, no one really understands around us so it has been a difficult year..
Thanks in advance!
Fanette

[Dave & Linda M]

Gee whiz, good to read this forum; we are new to dogadvisor and after reading up, we switched from a Purina One SmartBlend (which our 40 lb 3 yr old but wonderful mutt) didnt seem to like…to a Merrick Turkey/sweet potato dry food, supplemented with Evangers beef & bacon. Holy moly – big poops is right. A case of vomiting (one). Sounds familiar. Switched to cooked ground turkey with generous pumpkin added, and that seems to have stabilized things. Smaller (much!) poops, But now what? More than half a big bag of Merricks left. Try to introduce it again slowly …or try…what?

[Sheila K]

I just joined and found the editor’s choice list very long – and couldn’t find any lamb there (or did I miss this somewhere?) I have two dogs, one with lupus so she must have grain-free and she licks her lips all the time (esp. at night). I’m thinking it’s something in the dog food and her stomach (fed her Nutri-source grain free chicken and peas along with two scoops of a whole cooked ground chicken from our local pet deli)l. Does anyone else out there have a dog with discoid lupus and if so, what foods are best. I was told (by the pet deli person) that lamb is the most gentle on the dog’s stomach (don’t know if this is true). I also cook and feed my dogs chicken too, cause I think all-dry isn’t enough (no proof on this here). Thanks for any reponses.

[Randy S]

My Golden has newly discovered valve disease and the cardiologist has put her on a moderate sodium diet. All the better dog foods all contain pretty high sodium. The lowest I’ve found so far is Weruva Chicken and Lentils at .225% as fed / .27% dry matter. While some salt is necessary for the dog to like it and eat it, I’m looking for the lowest 5ish star food that anyone can suggest! Any and all [real] suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Brad B]

Hi, new to the forum. I have a 3.5 year old bull mastiff x boxer mix. She’s around 80 lbs. I currently feed her taste of the wild but was looking to maybe switch to something like one of the Fromm’s. I’d like to keep the cost around $50 for a big bag (35-40+ lbs). Any recommendations? Our pitbull does well on the Fromm large breed, but he is only around 50 lbs.

Also, hoping we may get lucky and this could mitigate the mastiff from eating my other dogs poo sometimes…

[Bob S]

I have cavachon puppy w dark eye stains, thick goop piles up that I have to pull off. Recently had “old” pork/beef and ground it up, adding 2 TBS to dry dog food and noticed 95% improvement (can’t hardly see tear lines on face anymore). So suspect “meat” seems to be beneficial. Only 4 days so far, but surprised at improvement. (Dog food is mix of Royal Canine & Rachel Ray)

[Sheila A]

My Bedlington Terrier has just been diagnosed with a decrease in liver function. she will be having a liver biopsy next week.

However, as much as I read the internet I have not found a good solution on what to feed her. For example how much protein and how much fat or a ration????

Until recently I had been feeding her Orjen dry kibble and Wellness Shredded chicken pouches.

And to add to that she is an extremely picky eater.

Any suggestions and/or recommendations would be appreciated.

Sheila

[andrea g]

Has anyone heard of Ketona dry dog food or have any experience with it? It is supposedly a high protein, low-carb, dry dog food. As much reading as I have been doing lately about kibble, I’m curious about this.

[Samantha S]

We were feeding Acana Lamb and Okanagan Apple. Originally, it was an excellent quality food, but over time I saw a significant decline in condition and temperament. Specifically, my dogs were fence fighting constantly, my girls either stopped cycle or were unable to get pregnant, loss of muscle tone and dull dry coats. Finally, I looked at the food label: Acana added a load of phytoestrogens: whole green peas, red lentils, pinto beans, chickpeas, green lentils, whole yellow peas, lentil fiber, and more.

I switched food some one phytoestrogen-free, and we are back to our beautiful, sweet, large litter size kennel that we once were.

[Lewis F]

Heidi,
My dog (not a worker) has been on Orijen or Acana dry foods. Both are rated high and have many different types from which you can choose

Lew

[Heidi H]

Hello All,
I have a Siberian Husky that is semi-working and, therefore, needs a higher caloric intake. Of course, he is a finicky eater, and to make matters worse he has a chicken allergy/sensitivity along with a sensitivity to most grains. I’m currently feeding him Taste of the Wild Southwest Canyon. I just have a problem with Diamond’s recall history, and the pup (well he’s 6 years old now) is seeming to get tired of it and not eating as much as he should.

I’m looking for a dry food that is high-calorie, grain-free, and chicken-free. 4.5-5 star rated is preferred. Cost isn’t a factor, but I would prefer it to be easily accessible either in-store or online in the US. If it’s not, make a solid case on why I should buy it. My dogs are my babies and probably eat better than me most times.

Thank you for your time,

Heidi

[Sandra C]

Hi
I have been using Pinto Canyon Grain-Free Recipe With Sweet Potato & Salmon for Dogs for over a year now and am pretty happy with it.
I mix it with some Acana and Sojos, Honest kitchen and other stuff.

Is someone thinking about reviewing this dog food?
Regards
Sandy

[Bonnie M]

My 12 year old beagle basset hound mix is also a very picky eater and when I found this food Honestly Bare she gobbled it up just like you all have commented. As I was reading I noticed this product was made by Purina. My dog eats the Honestly Bare, Slow-cooked Tenders, the Chicken Apple & Sweet Potato formula, but it has “Beef Glycerine” & the “natural hickory smoke flavor” powder which are not good and is probably the reason why she gobbles it up.

I too have tried too many types and brands to even name including raw brands like Stella and Chewy’s, Darwin’s, etc, but she hated the raw and would refuse to eat for almost 2 days at a time. However, I was told to stay the course and when she gets hungry she will eat. I also had her on Acana and Orijen dry Foods but of course she only liked the ones that were too high in either fat or protein for her that gave her diarrhea. So I too have spent a fortune trying different types of dog food. I also tried Ziwi Peak and she liked it but it is too expensive for my budget.

I also put a request in to have this food reviewed. I just became a member about 2 hours ago and I am so excited to gain wisdom and insight about the dog foods on the market and hopefully find a food sooner than later that will be healthy for my dog as she has struggled with pancreatitis in the past years ago although she hasn’t had a problem with that now but she does have thyroid issues and is on medication twice a day for that and has recurring yeast infections in one of her ears which drives me crazy I’m not sure what to do about this so hopefully finding a food will help with all of this. I also will give her cooked chicken or beef or turkey with some of her dry food of which I cut the portion of dry food when I add the cooked meat.

Any suggestions or tips or ideas or recommendations are greatly appreciated and welcomed. Thank You, Bonnie M.

[Alex]

Hi everyone,

I have a 1y/o chihuahua mix (either terrier or Italian greyhound) and I’m always on the hunt for the best quality food I can feed her. As I’m sure you all know, it’s hard to find a really great dog food that offers our fur babies the best nutrients. I’d like to see her live until she’s around 45 (haha), so if anyone has any suggestions on diet plans for small breeds that ensures the best health and provides them with all the essentials I’d love some advice! She’s not a huge eater, only around 9lbs, but she eats well for her size. Currently, I’ve been feeding her Canidae Grain Free Pure Bison, but I’m wondering if there is something that would be better for her breed/size.

Also, if I can post a picture to the forum I’d like some input on what anyone thinks her mix could be, as it’s still a mystery!

Thanks!

[Edward Z]

I have 4 Samoyeds a female (7 yrs) a male (5 yrs.) a male 3 yrs. and female (2 yrs) old. They are presently on Purina Sport 26/16. I would like to switch them over to a 5 star dry food with guarantee minimum protein of 26% and a company NOT OWNED BY A LARGE COMPANY like Purina. Any suggestions?

• This topic was modified 8 years ago by Edward Z.

[CockalierMom]

Merrick and Castor and Pollux are definitely high protein foods. If your mom is having good results with Dr. Harvey’s, you may want to try that first, rather than Honest Kitchen. (My girl does better without flaxseed so that is why I use Honest Kitchen rather than Dr. Harvey’s.) Ask your mom how much meat and oil she adds to the mix and start there. If I remember correctly, the recommended amount of meat to add is double the amount of base mix and that would be a high protein diet.

When I first started feeding base mixes, I got on BalanceIt.com and played around with the free recipes to see approximately how much protein their mid-range recipes called for my 20 lb dog, and it worked out to be around 4 oz. Honest Kitchen recommends equal amounts of dry mix and protein for normal activity level–equal amounts turned out to be about 4 oz of protein. Depending on the protein, calories will vary so I focus on calories a day my girl needs and not the weight of the protein.

One thing I should mention about Honest Kitchen complete mixes is they are ground very fine and if you mix with the recommended amount of water, it is a soupy mix. The base mixes are a chunkier mix and not soupy.

[anonymous]

https://www.pawdiet.com/reviews/royal-canin-veterinary-diet-canine-ultamino-dry-dog-food-dry-dog-food/ (Excerpt below)
This product is manufactured by Mars Petcare Inc..
According to our data, this Royal Canin recipe provides complete & balanced nutrition for the maintenance of adult dogs. In other words, this formula is AAFCO approved.
Unlike other AAFCO approved dog foods which rely in laboratory testing to substantiate nutritional adequacy, this recipe has undergone feeding trials. In the pet food industry, feeding trials are often considered to be the superior testing method.
Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Ultamino provides complete and balanced nutrition for the maintenance of adult dogs.
Ingredient Review
We’ll begin this review of Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Ultamino with a detailed discussion of the ingredients.
The first ingredient is corn starch. Corn starch is derived from the endosperm of the corn kernel. Typically, corn starch is used as a binder in kibble.
The second ingredient is hydrolyzed poultry by-products aggregate. Hydrolyzed poultry by-products aggregate is basically highly processed “feather meal.” The source is subjected to a process called hydrolysis. In this process, the protein source is broken down to the amino acid level. This is done to increase the digestibility of the protein.
The third ingredient is coconut oil. Coconut oil is an excellent source of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) which are easier to digest and believed to promote skin and coat health.
The fourth ingredient is soybean oil. Soybean oil is an omega-6 fatty acid source. Unlike other oils (flax, canola, etc), soybean oil does not provide omega-3 fatty acids; However, the balancing omega-3 fatty acids are most likely supplied by another oil or fat source in the product.
The fifth ingredient is natural flavor. Unlike artificial flavoring, natural flavoring is produced using plants and/or animal parts.
Because ingredients are listed in order of pre-cooked weight, the remaining ingredients in Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Ultamino are not as important as the first five ingredients.
However, collectively they still have a significant impact on the overall quality of the product. Therefore, we’ll continue discussing the remaining ingredients in this Royal Canin recipe.
Next we have potassium phosphate. Potassium phosphate is a common additive used in processed foods to control acidity and moisture.
The next ingredient is powdered cellulose. Powdered cellulose is produced from minuscule pieces of wood pulp and plant fibers. Other than its fiber content, powdered cellulose lacks any nutritional contribution.
Then we have calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is a naturally occurring mineral supplement. Although it’s often used as a dietary calcium supplement, it can also be used as a preservative or color retainer.
The remaining ingredients in this Royal Canin Veterinary Diet recipe are unlikely to affect the overall rating of the product.

[Susan]

Hi Deborah M,
I really understand how you’re feeling & I know what you’re going thru, I took on this dog & I was just his foster carer, I had to take him to vet get him desexed vaccinated meds for all his sores that were around his neck & legs from being tied up then he has his photo put on the Rescue site & adopted out, his name was Patch & he just turned 4yr old in very bad condition, I’ve never seen a rescue dog this bad before I think he wasnt Put To Sleep cause he became the pound favorite, there’s always a few pound favorites, the people who work or volunteer at the pound do everything to get them a home or into rescue before their kill day so they called me (cause they know I love Staffys) to fix him all up & adopt him out but as the days went by he was weeing blood, so off to see the rescue vet, she said looks like he was being used for breeding, so he gets put on vet diet for 6 weeks to dissolve his crystals then he is diagnosed with IBD & Helicobacter-Pylori, Skin Allergies & Food Sensitivities, In the end I adopted him myself, I felt all the people that came out to meet & greet him weren’t listening to me when I said “but he’s sick, he has a few health problems” they’d all say, “Oh he seems fine he’s really happy, he doesnt look sick”, I couldnt handle not knowing whoever adopts him would they continue with his meds etc or would they just give up on him like his old owners did & surrender him back to a pound & he’ll continue to suffer, he just turned 9yrs old last week & it’s been a very hard 5 yrs & the money I’ve spent trying to fix Patch, I even stopped doing rescue for a few years when he was real bad & sick, I couldn’t leave him at home while I was out helping other dogs all day & worrying about him, he does not do well on ANY vet diets they give him bad acid reflux, make his skin itch & smell yeasty cause he has food sensitivities to some grains, gluten corm/maize & beet pulp, he can NOT have any Beet Pulp he gets bad acid reflux, all these things that are suppose to fix & help his stomach & bowel make Patch worse, then finally I started looking for other diets beside these vet diets & FINALLY after trying a few kibbles, I found “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb dry kibble, people in the IBD & EPI face book groups were saying how well their dogs were doing on TOTW Sierra Mountain or TOTW Pacific Stream both are lower in fiber & TOTW uses Purified water, the Sierra Mountain formula just has 1 single meat protein Lamb, has Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, that firm his poo’s up & his acid reflux stopped & his skin all cleared up, cause he wasn’t eating a diet that had ingredients he was sensitive too but he still get his seasonal environment allergies in Spring/Summer so I have to bathed him weekly in Spring/Summer in “Malaseb” medicated shampoo to wash off any allergens on his paws & skin, the Malaseb shampoo realives & stops his itchy skin…. I’ve never found a kibble that helped most of his health problems all at once, a few years ago I started rotating his kibbles between a few different brands kibbles he does well on, I was feeding the Lamb TOTW thru the winter months then a Salmon fish kibble thru the Spring/Summer months but then I seen 2 studies a company thet test dog foods for 130 metals toxins & contaminates alot of these fish kibbles were very high in toxins, so now I prefer to add a tin salmon to his diet instead, for breakfast he gets his TOTW, lunch time he either gets a small cooked meal with 1 spoon salmon or 1/3 cup of “Canidae Pure Meadow”or an Australian salmon kibble, then dinner time he gets his TOTW Lamb again then he gets another small meal 1/3 a cup 8pm so he doesnt wake up early hours of the morning with acid reflux, whenever I try something new if it says add 1 teaspoon then I only add 1/8th a teaspoon & slowley introduce to his diet, I’ve learnt I ned to slowly add any new supplements or kibbles to his diet or I’m up 12am, 3am 5am & poor Patch has diarrhea….

I found Homeopathy, natural healthy foods works the best for Patch & other sick rescue dogs I’ve helped over the years, you’ll be surprised how feeding a simple bland lean cooked meal like turkey, tin Salmon or chicken breast, lean beef, I feed lean pork mince or lean beef mince I make rissoles with boiled Sweet Potato or boiled potato can make a big difference & is heaps better then these dry kibbles, then I slowly start adding 1 teaspoon of tin Salmon in spring water to the cooked meal, just feed 1 small cooked meal & still feed his normal limited ingredient dry kibble for his other meals or if he’s eating a cooked meal already start buying tin Salmon in spring water then drain water put in air tight container & add teaspoon of salmon to the cooked meals, I also buy “K-9 Natural green lipped mussels freeze dried & Patch started with just 1 mussel as a treat around 11am daily now he gets 2 mussels as a treat daily, Mussels are very healthy & help balance their diet,
here’s a link on Mussels https://drsarahbrewer.com/supplements/green-lipped-mussels-health-benefits
are you following “Rodney Habib”on his face book page, he has really good info also follow “Judy Morgan DVM” https://www.facebook.com/JudyMorganDVM/ click on her Video link look for her “Pancreatitis Diet” & her “IBD IBS Diet” video’s, you can leave out the ingredients you dont want to feed & what I did was just start with 1 lean meat protein mince grounded meat & 1 carb then after I saw Patch was OK I started to add 1 new ingredient egg, then another new ingredient broccoli etc, I make 1/2 cup size rissole balls & bake in oven & boil sweet potatos & freeze in sections & take out the day before, Judy has a 16 yr old dog called Scout, he has a few health problems, she cooks for him & her other sick elderly dogs, Judy shows you how to balance the diet with healthy ingredients, I don’t bother balancing every single meal, I just make sure he’s getting his Omega 3 fatty acids for his skin & stomach, the Dinovite would be very high in Omega’s for the dogs skin my Patch can’t take fish oil or fish oil in kibbles he gets bad acid reflux, so I supplement his omega fatty acids thru foods instead, I add salmon, freeze dried mussels, roasted Almonds a treats I bite & eat 1/2 a almond & Patch gets the other 1/2 of the almond just start off slowly just give 1/2 a almond for 1 week see how he goes, they need 3 almonds a day, read the link I posted above, the health benefits from freeze dried mussels for skin, stomach, joints, brain etc

Have you tried “4Health” Special Care, Sensitive Skin, it has Hydrolyzed Salmon or
“4Health” Special Care, Sensitive Stomach it has just Potato & Egg as only ingredients 4health is sold at Tractor Supply shops only, it’s worth trying a small bag & ask is it money back guaranted if my dog wont eat it?? I always just say Patch wont eat a kibble when he gets his diarrhea & I need to take back the kibble its easier….
You know your dog best so do what you feel will works best for your boy… Good Luck

[CockalierMom]

If you are feeding a canned food that says 7% to 8% in the GA on the can, you are actually feeding closer to 40% to 45% protein which is considered high protein. You need to remove the moisture from the equation and use a dry matter basis to determine actual protein. A low protein food would be 20% and less.

Dr. Harvey’s Veg to Bowl is a little over 2% protein on a dry matter batter basis. You need to add meat and oil to this mix. Yes, you would need to look up the grams or protein in the meat you are feeding plus convert the percentages of the Veg to Bowl to grams. Dogs need at least 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight. If you do not want to do the conversion, Dr. Harvey’s has a recommended amount of meat and oil to add to their mix, and it would be comparable to the 40 to 45 percent you are currently feeding.

Honest Kitchen has base mixes that you add your own meat, or the complete mixes with meat already included. The majority of the complete mixes are going to be less protein than you are currently feeding. They are mostly in the mid range of protein-mid to upper 20’s to low 30’s.

[GSDsForever]

Chris,

I’m just seeing this. But I thought I’d throw in a few more suggestions, as they’re not mentioned above.

My vet recommends green beans as a treat or added ingredient to food — including for weight loss, satiety filling up on low calories (raw or cooked). Many people here buy the giant organic frozen bag Costco sells — such a deal!

If you are able to afford it, Zeal from Honest Kitchen is a food I’d strongly explore using, try. VERY low fat, high protein. Excellent ingredients, quality sourcing & quality control, from a great company. Caveat: Yes, higher calories — but you would just feed less of it, and add in healthy veggies/fruit (low cal, low fat, non-sugary/starchy) for desired bulk/satiety.

“Fat Dogs” by Natural Balance is a dry food some good vet practices — ones that otherwise promote & sell higher end “health food” commercial brands of dog food — prescribe to clients with overweight dogs and get compliance and excellent results quickly. Extremely low calorie (250 cal/Cup), very low fat (7.5%), pretty good to decent ingredients. Well worth considering, trying — esp. for short term, quick weight loss.

Anything you feed, remember that you will have the best results from monitoring & tightly controlling overall calories in a day, feeding (w/vet advice, supervision) UNDER what is recommended for your dog’s weight, and increased regular EXERCISING your dog with you.

[anonymous]

Your dog is old and sick.
For the best results, I would stop looking for advice on the internet, forums, and the like.
A lot of misinformation out there. Not to mention the homeopathic miracle cures and such, example: dynovite. These things may add to his pain and discomfort.

Instead I would do exactly as the vet that is treating the dog instructs you to do.
Diet, medication, etc. No supplements. Just the prescription food with water added.

The food recommended for your dog is good. Prescription food is formulated for specific conditions. He may need to stay on it the rest of his life.

“Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Ultamino dry is a complete dietetic feed for dogs formulated to reduce ingredient and nutrient intolerances. Royal Canin Ultamino is guaranteed by strict safety and food control processes to avoid risk of potential protein contamination. This food requires a veterinary prescription.”
Science based veterinary medicine here http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2016/07/more-nonsense-from-holistic-vets-about-commercial-therapeutic-diets/

[Dharlee]

My dog was dumped when I got him as a young adult- a little under a year old. He had a stomach full of garbage and so he’s never been able to eat just anything. He does fairly well on Hills Science Diet for Sensitive stomach if it’s dry. He does ok on Blue Buffalo Grain free as well. He has acid reflux and easily throws up anything too rich. He cannot tolerate the Hills ID (I think it’s called) canned food without throwing up.

Fast forward to now and he’s almost 11. I have been reading about dog food and become worried and wanted to try and make things better for him. With that in mind I thought I would try Dynovite. Well, I thought he was doing alright on it. Until last night. He sleeps with me and he got me up almost once an hour to go out. Very unusual for him to go out even once in the night. I went out with him and found he didn’t just have diarrhea, it was like water. He was miserable.

Once before I thought I was doing him a favor and got him some probiotics. After about a week on them he got terrible diarrhea along with a swelled bum as well. He looked rather like a baboon from behind. I have to wonder if it’s the probiotics in the Dynovite that’s causing this now or the richness of the food itself. (I was using their recipe) The only thing I did differently was to cook the beef lightly as they said could be done.

He has developed itchy stinky skin in the last two years and it has been a nightmare both for him and my wallet, but most especially him. The vet thinks he needs a new food she sells and I really HATE it. He loves the taste. It’s Royal Canin Ultamino. It has feather meal! I told her no way but she is insistent. He is also taking 2 apoquil a day! Now this along with a visit every two weeks is breaking my bank! Don’t get me wrong. I love him and will do what I have to do (he has also been through very expensive disk surgery at the local vet college) but it’s coming to the point of do I buy my meds or his.

So I feel like I am at my wits end and do not know where to turn. At this point I just wish I could give him something he loves to eat and that will keep him healthy and happy. I have serious doubts that feather meal is it!

[haleycookie]

Las- unfortunetly vets usually don’t have much of a clue when it comes to nutrition. When it comes to cats they are obligate carnivores. They need to get the majority of their calories from meat. Not plants. So you have the right idea going grain free. Just be sure peas or potatoes aren’t too high. Dogs can be on a grain diet easier than a cat can. Cats need meat to live and anyone that tells you different is wrong. I’ve never really heard of this food but the dry seems to be ok and the pricing is ok as well. Just try and include wet food if possible as cats have a natural low thirst drive and kibble is very low in moisture.

[GSDsForever]

Cathy,

I agree with suggestions to feed a variety of food, ingredients across a lifetime. I also believe fresh foods, homemade feeding with high quality ingredients you can select/control can provide the best diet.

The idea behind these two things is the same as striving for optimal health in a human by eating a variety of healthful foods with various health benefits — nutrients, antioxidants and anti-cancer, immune system boosting foods, etc.

The truth is we really don’t know enough about all the things that produce more long lived, optimally healthy dogs. We don’t know nearly enough — and the research is far more limited in dogs & cats than for humans — about all the things that contribute to increased cancer risks or that prevent cancer, despite the very high percentage of dogs & cats that get cancer and that die from cancer. Personally, I incorporate what I know from human information on diet for cancer preventative, immune system boosting, anti-viral, etc. foods and environmental toxins and from past experience with a veterinary cancer specialist.

As Haley noted, dogs can and do commonly develop allergies to repeat insult/exposure of foods. There is veterinary research to support that.

With my food allergy dog, I currently cautiously add hypoallergenic health-promoting wholesome fresh fruits, veggies, quality oils to my dog’s commercial LID (novel protein) dry + canned diet. I needed to get her stabilized and healthy first.

But I eventually plan to move toward feeding, under veterinary specialist supervision & direction, a rotating mix of balanced homemade meals. If that kind of thing interests you, the vet nutrition specialist (board certified) I would recommend is Susan Wynn; she can consult with your vet long distance.

As far as how quickly to switch, that really depends on the individual dog and breed (some are touchier digestively than others), whether you are switching to a much richer (much higher protein and/or fat) food or one with very different or special ingredients that might cause upset, etc.

[haleycookie]

A healthy dog should be able to easily switch between brands in my opinion. Switching brands can help avoid recalls if you’re particular brand has one so you have different options. Also helps prevent allergies further on as feeding the same protein for prolonged periods of time can cause allergies to that particular protein. I rotational feed my cats (a bit different I know) and it’s mainly because my female cat won’t eat the same food twice usually. Especially canned food. So she gets a different kind of Can everyday. As far as kibble goes I switch around mainly whole earth farms, natures variety raw boost, and performatrin. I don’t really like whole earth farms dry for cats but she likes it. Those are the only three foods she’ll eat with any kind of passion. They never have diarrhea or any other issue. I don’t feed fish really and they all have super soft plush fur. I brush their teeth as well. Kibble doesn’t clean teeth just a little fwi if you didn’t know.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by haleycookie.

[GSDsForever]

“Vet says he’s too young for allergy.”

I have had multiple dogs with allergies, food and otherwise, been advised by specialists and excellent experienced general practice vets, as well as done my own judicious research and I have NEVER heard that from any source. I would question that.

While my current dog has had the most challenging to figure out and overcome allergies I have personally encountered, she is now doing exceptionally well. We (my vet & I) have used a multi-pronged approach for this dog that has both food and environmental allergies.

I agree w/anon — see a different vet, get a second opinion and get an accurate diagnosis based on good, solid veterinary knowledge and experience, a specialist as needed. Ask for a referral to the specialist if necessary. A good generalist vet should be happy to refer.

Pitlove also makes a good point. Fleas aren’t a big challenge where I live, but I do know that flea bite allergies (even from a single flea when you don’t see fleas, flea dirt) are a major cause of allergies/itching for many dogs.

This is the protocol for my dog, some or all of which may be helpful to your dog if you haven’t tried something (or the combined approach):

1)DIET
Novel Protein (10-12 weeks to see results) Limited Ingredient Diet — homemade or from a company with very strict allergen/cross-contamination AND NOT ONE DEMONSTRATED IN VET JOURNALS TO BE CROSS-CONTAMINATED ALREADY (Royal Canin, Natural Balance, Nature’s Variety/Instinct, et. al.)

— and ABSOLUTELY NO treats, supplements, “real”/”people” food, medicines (i.e. heartworm preventatives), or even chew/dental toys (i.e. Nylabone) that contain the established top food ingredient allergens for dogs (beef, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, wheat, soy, corn). I treat w/her actual food or low allergen potential real food (i.e. blueberries, green beans, watermelon)

***Because I feed kangaroo — having needed a more unusual, rare protein source — I feed Zignature Kangaroo LID (GF) dry & canned food.

I also supplement, per vet prescription, Omega 3 EPA & DHA at a high, therapeutic/condition treating dose daily for anti-inflammatory effects, plus skin, coat, brain benefits — and I use Grizzly’s Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil in pump bottle.

2)ENVIRONMENT:

a)Frequent thorough bathing w/very hypoallergenic and gentle shampoo & skin soothing, skin repairing/barrier protective, etc. ingredients

b)frequent washing of dog’s bedding, etc. in hypoallergenic laundry detergent

c)frequent vaccuuming (pollen, dust/particulates, etc.)

d)hypoallergenic wet wipes wipe down of whole dog, especially paws (or dunking/rinsing paws off), after all walks & trips outside (pollen, dust/particulates, etc.)

Finally — consider & don’t overlook your own personal care/cleaning products that may cause allergic responses in your dog.

3)Cytopoint (aka CADI) injections, every 4-8 weeks as needed, seasonally or otherwise

I researched, considered, and rejected two other rx allergy/itch meds, Apoquel and Atopica.

I also researched and considered trials of 4 (recommended #) OTC antihistamines (e.g. benadryl, zyrtec/cetirizine).

I tried the above all in that order, before adding the next step.

We also tried once, but didn’t receive good relief and diagnostic results from a steroid injection — to see if she had seasonal environmental only allergies vs. food/combination.

[kenneth b]

Hi!

Im working in a petshop and got a riddle to solve. A distributor is looking on a new brand of food which we don’t have in Norway yet. He didn’t say the name, but I could take a guess. Clues:
Single protein
Comes in cat and dog
Comes in wet and dry
Comes in veterinary series
High meat %. Along orijen/acana
Got some kind of coating around the nibbles.

Any guesses?
My thought was Merrick, but they dont got a vet series do they?

[organic n]

Hi all, I’ve been researching a lot about what to do with my dog with kidney problems. He had acute kidney failure 2 years ago, and has since been doing well but often has episodes where he is not hungry and throws up. Usually clears itself up within the day, however. He also gets pancreatic problems when exposed to things high in fat (learned that the hard way).

I don’t have his bloodwork levels with me (I was actually going to see if i could get a copy from his vet in the next few days for my own records) but I do remember his BUN being higher than normal but the vet never said anything about it in terms of lowering it, but I feel like my vet doesn’t really see it as a problem despite him having high values.

Anyway, he is a few months shy of being 16 years old, and he is a 6-7lbs dog. We stopped feeding him dry kibble for many many reasons (around a year ago), and now we make his food at home. I don’t do raw meat (I don’t feel like trying out the raw meat thing at his age and conditions is worth it), his meals consist of:

Lean ground turkey cooked with white rice, carrots, peas, and green beans. I use a vitamin supplement (Only Natural Pet® Senior Ultimate Daily Vitamin Powder). After reading however, I will make some changes to his food by swapping out the peas (heard they are high in phosphorous) for some other veggies. And maybe switching out the turkey for ground beef 10% fat. He does get treats too – and if he is willing fruit as well particularly apples.

Also, I would like to start my dog on some more supplements – particularly green food supplements (have heard kelp is high in sodium though and the ones i’ve looked at contain many types of kelp..hmm), switching out the vitamin powder to VetriScience Renal Essentials Kidney Health Support Dog, adding salmon oil, and adding pre/probiotics to my dog’s diet.

Is the salmon oil necessary if I use the VetriScience kidney support tabs?

Can someone who is knowledgeable with kidney disease in dogs advise on the supplements I would like to add to my dog’s diet? I know the best thing is to consult my vet, but perhaps someone on here who has gone something similar can advise.

[Susan]

Anon 101,
what Bailey S is seeing it’s NOT normal, when some dogs first go into a pound/shelter environment some dogs won’t eat for the first few days that’s why I buy the reduced BBQ chickens to take with me for the new comers, some dogs & cats get really depressed, when I bring home the odd pound dog to stay over the night & wait for their early morning pick up by dog movers to drive them interstate to their new homes, these rescue dogs eat & love their food especially if it’s a cooked meal, they are sooo happy to be out of a noisey cold pound, this dog is unwell or something has happened that involves food, miss treated etc or food makes him sick….

Bailey S,
has he been too the toilet & done a poo since you’ve had him? he should of poo out his shelter food, Bailey you said he has vomited, Im just wondering if there’s a blockage just make sure he going poo, I know its hard to poo when he’s not eating much but keep an eye on him normally when they go on walks they do their business.
He would have his pound/shelter notes, I’m wondering how did he do his time while in the pound & is he skinny, under weight & what was wrong with his lungs & has he been tested for heart worm?? he probably was an outside dog being a bigger dog…
He needs to see a vet again, either the vet that put him on the antibiotics, was that the shelter vet or rescue vet that put him on the antibiotics was it for Kennel Cough? once you find what is wrong with his lungs then ask vet can he change his antibiotics or if he’s been on the antibiotics 5 days or more can the antibiotics be stopped if the course is nilly finished he may not need the antibiotics no more especially if he had Kennel Cough & his cough has stopped then once the antibiotics are stopped you might see an improvement if he starts to get his appetite back again like a dog should have, from what you have written I’m wondering if he has an under lying health problem especially vomiting back up wet food or did you mix wet food with dry kibble? some dogs can’t have dry kibble & wet food both together & being X with GSD, GSD are prone to IBD EPI….Check his poos when he goes…

[Susan]

Hi Bailey,
thank-you for rescuing a shelter/pound dog, it could be a few reasons why he’s not eating, the antibiotics he’s taking are making him feel unwell, nausea, also having no food in his stomach then taking a tablet with a little treat isnt enough to absorb the tablet then makes him feel sick, only give antibiotic after youn know he has eaten at least 1/2 cup of food that’s if you can find something he likes to eat…
Is he happy, lively, excited etc or does he seem unwell?
I’d ring shelter or your better off going back to the shelter 7-9am in morning & ask the morning carers was he eating his dry kibble? he would have been feed a dry kibble coming from a shelter, the person feeding the dogs of a morning may remember him, if they say yes he was eating his kibble ask which brand was it & it’s the antibiotics making him unwell, how much longer does he have before antibiotics are finished? ask vet can the antibiotics be stopped & see if he starts to feel better, it will take about 1-2 days for him to feel good again…
He may be very depressed & is missing his old life/owner, he needs to gain trust with you & this takes time, he will come good it just takes some time & patience, best to get him in a routine, daily walks same time everyday, meals same time, get a plate or a chopping board not a “bowl” & put food on plate/chopping board in a certain place all the time that’s his special eating spot somewhere quiet & safe & walk away DO not look at him, NO eye contact just call him “Dinner” then walk away…

What I’ve found sometimes these rescue dogs have been feed a raw diet, not kibble/wet canned food, have you tried a raw meaty turkey leg take off the skin & sharp bone that runs along leg bone, run leg under hot water to take off chill off the meat & put in his special eating spot or outside on his chopping board & walk away & try watching him from afar but don’t let him know you’re watching him also egg have you tried whisking a egg, scramble lightly cook or add some boiled sweet potato & some cut up chicken pieces mixed thru… I buy the reduced cooked BBQ chickens from supermarket…

There’s a reason he’s not be eating, try & work it out why, the best place to start would go back to the shelter & ask staff more questions the people who does the feeding & hosing out cages of a morning, there’s always a few favourite dogs, he may have been one of the favorites & one of the carers took a liking to him & got to know him, how long was he at the shelter?

[Robin B]

I just spent 4 hours and $800 at an after hours emergency veterinary clinic with my rescue mutt. He was unable to pee, straining with leg up for ages, repeat. Then he started leaking in dribbles. This appeared to come on suddenly. Examination, urinalysis, X-ray, ultrasound: struvite crystals in urethra, stones in bladder. He had a catheter flush & sent home with prescription canned Hill’s S/D. It looks disgusting but he will eat it. We’ll see our vet at our regular clinic next week to check for progress on dissolution of crystals & stones.
He had been eating quality kibble ( no grain, limited ingredients etc.) enhanced with Wellness canned food (beef, turkey, chicken, lamb in rotation. Who doesn’t like a little variety?) Good news: we might be closer to guessing his breed combo (a little schnauzer in there, they tend toward this problem) and he started peeing the morning after his procedure & the prescription diet is temporary. Unlike me, he’s not a big drinker and he seems to have a bladder that will hold forever, likely one source of the problem.
So, I think I have deduced the cause: not enough water & infrequent elimination breaks both easily remedied although he only likes to pee on his walks.
My plan is to resume his regular diet when I get the “all clear” from the vet, add water to his kibble/canned meal combo. Introduce vitamin C & cranberry supplement. Offer homemade broth in addition to water to keep him hydrated. (I’m cheating and already making & giving the broth).
My question: do I wait until he is crystal clear before adding supplements & broth to his prescription food?
Your question: I’m new to the journey but hope I’m on the right track, commercial food with quality locally sourced ingredients, combo wet & dry (quality wet alone is too rich for my budget), water or bone broth added to food, lots of water available & broth if pup won’t drink water, frequent opportunity to pee (I think that was our downfall).
Good luck & advice is welcome.

[Susan]

Hi Iva,
So sorry about Ralf, but he wants to play & is full of life this is a GOOD thing very good but start feeding him his home cooked diet again he’ll get more nutrition from a cooked diet, then the Hills Z/d, my last dog was put on the Hills Z/d she had Mast Cell Tumors 2008 & I didnt know anything about pet foods, I feed cooked & raw diets never had to feed a vet diet before, I thought cause I’m paying $140 for a vet diet this must be really good food & will help my girl she hated the Z/d dry kibble & she would cry in pain at night, her vet said she was just spoilt, unbelievable some of these vets, they have no compassion, she wasnt fed a dry kibble before so of cause her stomach hurt after she ate 2 big cups of dry kibble, probably when teh kibble swelled up in her stomach, I always think of my Angie if I only knew what I know now & we had internet sites like we have now I wouldnt have Put Her To sleep she was cancer free in the end but I couldn’t handle her crying of a night & she just didnt want to be here no more, she lost that spark in her eyes, NOW I know different my next dog I rescued he has IBD & we’ve been to hell & back the first 2 yrs, listen to Ralf if he wants cooked feed cooked or raw whatever he can eat….
I wonder if you contacted “Ketopets they do special diets for sick dogs & dogs with cancer they’re on facebook as well here’s their site http://www.ketopetsanctuary.com/ send them an email see if they have a recipe for Ralf,
Why do you keep the fat low? I did the same with Patch then the last 6months I’ve done the opposite, after looking at the Ketopet diet it’s high in fat, high in protein & very low fiber, you only add healthy green veggies for fiber, I’ve increased the fat protein in his diet, can you increase the fat in his diet & feed healthy whole foods high in omega fatty acid fats like Sardines, Salmon, Almonds, Turkey, Mussels etc, it’s taken 3-4 years & finally these last 6months my boy has gained weight finally he’s nilly 19kgs instead of being very lean 16-17kg, his vet wont believe it when she see’s him, she hasn’t had to see him since May-June….
Do you feed 4 smaller meals a day? I feed 5 smaller meals a day I might stop 1 of his meals now he’s gained weight…..
Ralf will get there, I know you will get the help Ralf needs… You are both in my prays….

[shawn b]

Our 9 month old Rottweiler is finally transitioned off of the Pro Plan her previous owner had her on, and on to Eagle Pack Large Breed Puppy dry food. The only thing is she doesn’t love it. When I add a handful of Whole Earth Farms dry food she seems to love that. Does any one think The Whole Earth Farms Puppy is just as good as the Eagle Pack LBP? These are the 2 foods I am considering because they have pretty good ratings and they are what I can afford. Any advise would be greatly appreciated and thanks so much!

[Susan H]

I didn’t leave the green beans whole. I smashed them up with my fingers and mixed them in with the dry kibble after I had moistened it with some warm water.

I started my new puppy on Stella and Chewy raw frozen. She adores it, and it has not upset her stomach at all like the dry kibble and canned food. So I’m sticking with that.

I had also fed Merrick’s Lil Plates which is small kibble, I think it’s important to feed the correct size for small breeds. But since Purina has bought them out, I decided against it.

Good luck with the Annamet lean. I hope it works for your pup.

[Monica P]

Ginger- I couldn’t agree with you and Missy C. more! I have a 6 year old Newfy/Lab mix who has a sensitive tummy and is beyond picky. When I adopted her our current dog was 15 and we were cooking chicken, rice, and everything else to keep her weight up and healthy. Long story there. However, the new baby got accustomed to having some human food in with her dry kibble. Her stomach couldn’t handle the canned food the older dog was eating either. I have her now on Royal Canin for labs, which she eats. I have NEVER found that food that makes her excited about wanting to eat. Unless it is human foods, and she is picky about that even. At Pet Supplies Plus I found canned food- Whole Earth that she appears to like and will eat mixed with her dry. That lasted about 1.5 weeks. And the GAS! OMG! horrible. Yesterday I was in the store again to pick up some Science Diet to see if she might like that and I happened upon this little bag of Honestly Bare. I read the bag, grabbed it and said.. lets try it. She ate it right out of my hand like it was a treat! Actually LOVED it! My other dog too. NEVER has this happened! So, I also pushed my luck and tried the Science Diet kibble and she at that too. So, for dinner she had her Royal Canin and I topped it with the Honestly Bare and she gobbled it up! This morning, same thing but I added in the Science Diet. I think even though she is large dog, she prefers the smaller kibble science diet is offering. And she is 40 pounds overweight so I need her to be on something to help with that. So! I naturally came here for a review.. nothing listed. Hopefully they will review soon. It is made by a branch of Purina which she and my other dogs ate for years! My first dog lived to be 18 on Purina! Anyhow, I am crossing my fingers this is the fix. No more canned or TRYING to find a happy medium to get her to eat DOG FOOD! I look forward to any other reviews out there and hopefully Advisor will do one too.

[Jeffery L]

I will suggest that a dog keeper should keep a stock of dry foods for your dog. as it stays best for 14 days without any hesitation. Dry foods dogs love the most if given in wet season like Snow winter or either in Monsoon Rainy season.