[leslie s]

I have a 5 year old Shepard that has food allergies to peas and barley/ Any ideas on what kind of dry dog food can i give to her? Thank you for your help.

[anonymous]

Don’t believe all that propaganda junk. It’s from the homeopathic vets and raw feeders (biased)

If you want science based veterinary medicine go here: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/
Nothing is being sold there and veterinarians tend to participate. I have found the site to be very helpful. If you ask a question it may take a bit for it to show up, they don’t allow haters to rant so I suspect they check comments before posting.

Zignature is an excellent dog food, my 2 dogs are thriving on it. If you go to Zignature’s website and ask a question, they will respond.

Also, from the review section regarding that rumor about the sodium that isn’t true
https://disqus.com/home/discussion/dogfoodadvisor/zignature_dog_food_dry/#comment-3387123965

[anonymous]

See recent comment on this topic by the moderator.
https://disqus.com/home/discussion/dogfoodadvisor/acana_regionals_usa_dry/#comment-3352454949

[anonymous]

Excerpt from a recent discussion on this topic: https://disqus.com/home/discussion/dogfoodadvisor/acana_regionals_usa_dry/#comment-3352454949
Mike Sagman Mod Caroline C • 2 months ago
Exercise caution when relying on these kinds of reports.
When testing any (human or pet) food, the results can differ significantly from day to day based on the specific farm or batch used as a source for any one individual ingredient.
As with any laboratory study, it is absolutely critical to collect a statistically significant (large) number of test samples from multiple batches to avoid a misleading variable known as sampling error. Read about that here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wi…
In addition, guidelines used for interpreting the results can also be change or manipulated. This can cause certain products to move from one rating category to another — and even from “best” to “worst” lists. Read about that here:
https://wagbrag.com/clean-l…
By the way, Champion Petfoods, the maker of Acana and Orijen, has recently (2017) been recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) for its food safety program at the company’s new Kentucky DogStar facility. You can read about that here:
http://www.bgdailynews.com/…
You can also learn about the GFSI program here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wi…
Hope this helps.

[amy r]

Keep in mind that a Newfoundland primary diet is normally fish based they need the oils to have healthy coats and skin. Make sure you not only use a fish oil everyday but add in fish as well to the kibble I use salmon or sardines only In water also several times a week I add in 1200mg of fish oil daily. We had crappy skin with litte sores for awhile tried several different foods finally ended up on fromm gold lb and the above plus I use raw veggies as snacks no dog cookies at all and her skin is great and her coat is soft and shiney. Becareful not to over bath her newfs are waterdogs who have a natural oil in their coat which will dry out if over bathed with shampoos

[Brianna C]

-Pitlove,
Sorry I didn’t clarify and sorry for my slow response! I didn’t get a notification that you responded. I recently switched him from BB to Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult food. Do you have any insight on this brand or any other food recommendations. I am looking to stick to dry foods for adult giant breeds.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by Brianna C.

[Susan]

Hi Dave,
do your researched pick a few brands you like, then start introducing 1 of those brands see how our dog does in a 2-4 week period, then start rotating between a few of the brands you like but make sure they have a different meat protein, don’t ever just feed a kibble that is fish based, dogs need to eat different meat sources, fish is the highest meat to have toxins. Pet food companies would be buying the cheapest fish off cuts, they wouldn’t be buying premium quality salmon, tuna, sardines etc, these fish kibble formula’s wouldn’t be the best & higher in toxins, your better off buying human grade tin salmon & sardines in spring water & add some as a topper to your dogs kibble, I stay away from any fish kibbles now & chickpeas & lentils, chickpeas lentils can cause gas, wind pain, intestinal problems & are hard to digest they also up the protein %, we need to start asking these pet food companies to write how much is the meat protein % & the plant protein % on their pet foods, I bet there’s alot of kibbles out there that are very high in plant proteins…
Do you follow “Rodney Habib” on his face book page? he’s been exposing pet food companies & telling the public about all their little tricks these Pet food companies use to see their pet foods, how they up the protein %, false advertising on their kibble bags, he has really good videos on all this…..Rodney is a raw feeder now after his 14 yr old Golden Retriver Sammy was diagnosed with cancer 2014, he makes his own raw for his dogs & Sammy is cancer free now, he has a video that shows just adding 1-2 spoons of fresh whole healthy food as a topper to your dogs kibble meal can prevent them from getting cancer, even after you have cooked dinner if you have some left overs keep in fridge & give to your dog instead feeding 1 of her/his kibble meal or add as a topper….this is what our parents did & the dogs were living longer back them then the dogs are living now, dogs are dying much younger now & most are feed dry processed kibble…

[Susan]

Hi Anne,
there were other good quality 5 star brands that didn’t have corn or corn meal, these test were to expose pet food companies that are using meats/ingredients that are high in toxins & contaminates…
“I and Love and You” “Smallbatch” “Sojo” “Canidae” “Wellness” “Stella & Chewy” “Nutro” “Solid Gold” “Primal Pets” “Nutrisource” “Petcurean” “Artemis” these brands all got 5 stars & they do not use corn & are low in Carbs. http://www.cleanlabelproject.org/category/product-list/dog-cat-food/dog-food/dry-dog-food/

Don’t feed a kibble that’s real high in meat protein% & no fish based kibbles, fresh meat that you would eat add to your dogs diet instead of feeding a kibble that’s real high in protein, pet food companies are not going to use quality human grade meats in kibbles so add your own…..

[Leanne M]

My dog was on Novox Long term and started to have liver and kidney levels highly increased. We moved him over to Galliprant after researching the medication, while taking him to an internist. While on Galliprant he had two other blood test results over a three-week period. During this time his kidney and liver levels came down to almost completely normal. We were prescribed tramadol instead for a short period of time. This did not alleviate his inflammation and pain. He went back on the Galliprant and he is not only frolicking and out of pain but he is also not chewing his hindquarters anymore. For years we thought The chewing was an allergy and we’re giving him Benadryl as well as spent a year and a half researching food and trying different formulas. He has not been on Benadryl for weeks and the chewing is under control with Galliprant. It must’ve been due to pain in his hips that even the Novox was not controlling. This has been going on only for five weeks and we will have his liver enzymes tested again in a month. I hope this information helps. I felt much safer with this medication considering we had his liver enzymes tested at three different times while beginning this medication. It is a newly released prescription but it has been approved and there was testing done. it works on pain in a different manner.
The vet is not sure if he got into something or if the Novox created this issue. Many vets are still leery of this medication because it is so new. All I can go by is how wonderful my dog feels and acts and the blood test.
Galliprant at 100 mg is impossible to get at this time. We put him on 60s and give him one and a half for a total of 90 mg. This dosage is working just as well as the hundred milligrams for him. The vet had us try to 60 mg but he is 114 pounds and by the afternoon he was in pain and I then had to supplement with tramadol. That did not work nearly as well. This is a very expensive medication but I do believe that it is saving my dogs life. He is only 7 1/2 years old and has had pain in his hips for about three years.
I hope this helps some wonderful pets out there.
The company does offer a rebate.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by Leanne M.

[anonymous]

I don’t believe this negative stuff about Zignature. My two small breeds are doing very well on the whitefish (lowest in sodium) kibble, and the catfish.
If you go to the Zignature website they answer your questions and disclose sodium levels on all their products.
I had a dog with calcium oxalate bladder stones, struvite crystals and urinary tract infections. It was serious, emergency surgery and all.
From what I could tell, the main culprits were genetic predisposition and inadequate water intake, not the food.
A lot of pet owners serve kibble dry. Put down a bowl of water and assume their dogs are drinking enough….this is often not the case.
Also, expecting these dogs to hold their urine for 10 hours a day is conducive to stagnant conditions in the bladder, perfect environment for crystals and bladder stones to form.
Keep the bladder flushed, offer bathroom breaks at the minimum, every 4 hours (every 2 hours is ideal). Exercise, long walks, keep the weight down. Feed twice a day, measured amounts.
Sorry, if I went off on a rant 🙂
I am just sharing what worked for my dog with this problem.

[Richard P]

My Great Dane was just diagnosed with DCM. Loss of appetite and weight loss are huge issues. What is the best tasting dry and canned dog food without regard to nutrition?

[Dave R]

Okay, after reading the testing for heavy metals for dog food i.e purity, I’m even more concerned. Honest Kitchen, except for their fish formula rates great but Acana and Orijen all rate 1 star with a few rating 3 which is average. Nulo also rates 1 in wet food and three in dry, which saddens me.

Has any tried that ‘I and Love and You’ brand?? Zig looks great but it has yet to grt tested. The tests also could be bunk.

[Dave R]

So, my three dry options are;

Orijen – Seens great, filler free, high protein

Acana – Looks great ingredient wise, high protein; however, there’s some horrid negative reviews on kidney failure, not sure if theyre recent or due to the new kentucky plant. And they contain catfish meal, are they not bottom dwellers?

Nulo – Not many reviews, USA Made, looks great, no negative reviews

Honest Kitchen – Already Have it. I’ll probably just add this to his dry and wet foods on occasion.
________

Wet foods;

Nulo
Koha
Natures Logic – Possible raw frozen as well
________

So man to choose from it can be overwhelming.

[Dave R]

Lots of people have said their Acana dry has caused Kidney problems once they moved to Kentucky. I am wondering what others think of Acana grasslands formula and its use of catfish meal. Are they not bottom dwellers and suck up PCB’s and all kinds of crap in the silt at the bottom.

Other than that it’s regional, not outsourcing from China an looks great! I have a medium sized poodle mix.

My other choices are dry orijen which also looks great but has a lot of protein, Koha for wet food or natures logic wet food or Nulo which seems like a great dry food, and a honest kitchen topper.

So confusing and hard to choose.

[Tyla M]

Hey Tabitha,

Welcome to my life about 2-3 weeks ago. My puppy just turned 4 months and has been scratching and biting since I got her at 9 weeks. It definitely isn’t fleas so vet gave me fish oil incase it’s dry skin. Hasn’t helped, so I also felt like it was a chicken or dairy issue. I was using Fromm’s large breed puppy food but it has eggs and chicken so I did tons of research to find a food low in calcium with no chicken. My vet also wanted me to try grain free, so that made this process even more difficult. I personally would stay away from corn… I’m trying zignature zssentials… it has no chicken or dairy and calcium isn’t horrible. When I looked it up online it had said minimum 1.0% so I figured the max couldn’t be too high (Don’t want over 1.5%). However, the bag says the min. Is 1.2% so I’m assuming the max. Is 1.5%. I’m waiting to hear back the exact max. Or average because I emailed the company. I couldn’t wait longer though so I am currently weaning her off fromm’s to the Zignature. I also bought Weruva’s Hot Dayum canned food which has no chicken, and I use it as a topper. There is just so much info. Out there though and it’s hard to find a food that hits everything you want, especially for a large breed pup. I’ve spent way too many hours trying to research it all and now I’ll keep my fingers crossed that this food works. Fortunately, my pup, Luna, hasn’t scratched or bit until she was raw or losing hair…not yet anyway. Best of luck!!

[Alisha B]

I have an 8 month old Newfoundland and I’m honestly at a loss when it comes to him. I’ve never had a dog with sensitivities to food. Hes always had slighty lose stools since i got him. He’s been on Eagle Pack large and giant breed puppy food for months. The first couple of months everything seemed fine. I took him to the vet in the being of june for a check up and he was healthy. 2 days after he had a hot spot on his belly it cleared up a couple days later but more would show up. It’s been almost 2 months of sores coming and going on his belly. I clean the area and use a 3 in one spray to help them heal faster.
About 2 and a half months ago I noticed his skin was really dry so I started giving him salmon oil and 2 weeks later his skin was improving and his cost was shiny. When the sores stared, I stopped the oil seeing if that was the culprit but it wasn’t. I tried nupro supplement powder for large breed dogs and he had diarrhea. I give him organic pumpkin puree to try and firm up his stool but it doesn’t seem to work. Is it time to switch his Food? If so what should I give him? Aside from the licking his behavior is normal. He loves to play and run, he enjoys his sleep and eats and drinks like he should.

[Susan]

Hi Ashley,
My boy didn’t do well on the Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Digestion, read the ingredients in the Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy, I bet you there’s a ingredient or a few ingredients that’s she is very sensitive or intolerant too & can not eat, also write down the ingrediets & the protein, fat & fiber % in the Purina Pro Plan Large Breed formula, the ingredients are not the best in the American Purina Pro Plan formula’s…
Keep a diary just in case you need it later to look back on if this keeps happening…

Can you afford to buy the Hills I/d Digestive Care dry kibble formula the matching formula to the I/d wet tin your feeding at the moment? it comes in a dry kibble as well you could buy a cartoon of the I/d wet tins & a medium size bag I/d Digestive Care dry kibble, enough to last 1 month so you can start introducing the new kibble as well that you want her on?
My boy does real well on the Hills I/d Digestive Care wet & dry formula I use this or the “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb kibble when Patch has diarrhea & his poo’s will not firm back up, both formula’s fix his stomach, bowel & get him back on track again, the Hill’s I/d Digestive care has vitamin B’s, electrolytes & antioxidents what’s needed for diarrhea, to make their Intestinal tract healthy again….
Your better off sticking with the food she is eating at the moment & doing well on, then after 2-4 weeks when she is doingreal well, then start introducing a limited ingredient large breed puppy formula with around the same protein% & fat% & fiber % as the vet diet kibble she’s been eating, but if your feeding wet tin food then your not going to really know what percentage she does best on when eating a dry kibble?? just stay around the 25 % in protein nothing over 27-28% in protein & not too many meat proteins, stick with just 1 meat protein in the new kibble, less is best..

“Canidae” has a few Large Breed Puppy formula’s with grains like the vet diet she is eating at the moment has, I would be taking back the Purina Pro Plan Large Puppy & getting a refund or exchanging with something else, then you have to slowley introduce the new kibble over 10 day period, I start with under 1/4 of a cup new kibble added to under 1 cup old kibble feed this for 2 days & use old kibble for treats for training the first 4 days, do not buy any other brand treats that have different ingredients cause the more different foods you feed then if she has diarrhea again you will not know which food has caused the diarrhea…. then you feed 1/3 of a cup new kibble added to her old kibble, you take away 1/3 of the old kibble to make 1 cup, feed for the next 2 days, if poo start to go sloppy then you go back to 1/4 a cup or what ever she was eating & doing firm poo’s on…
Here’s “Canidae” life stages, large breed puppy, Turkey meal & Brown Rice puppy formula
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products/canidae-all-life-stages-large-breed-turkey- meal-brown-rice
Another good kibble to start with is “California Nutural” Chicken & Rice or Lamb & Rice Puppy both these formula’s only has 4 ingredients…. the Californiia Natural puppy would have been good to feed when the diarrhea first started…. http://www.californianaturalpets.com/brands/california-natural

[Molly M]

I have a 1 and half year old German Shepherd Labrador hybrid. We got her at 6 months old and she threw up every morning and had diarrhea constantly. When it wasn’t diahrrea, the poops were still yellow. We had assumed she was getting pesticides in her when our apartment complex sprayed the grass, and tried walking her on the road. It worked for a while but then continued to happen. Finally we decided it was food. We put her on a “Bland Diet” of boiled rice and ground turkey to detox her system and began researching new dog foods. We were struggling with how expensive they were being a newly wed couple just starting new jobs. We were contemplating a raw diet because it was the cheapest natural option, but then we found Abound at Kroger and got very excited, because it wasn’t much more than a raw diet, and dry food is much less hassle. She has been on Abound for 2 months now and has not thrown up once, and her poops are finally more solid, and brown in color. We are stoked! We will continue to use Abound! She has gained back her weight after losing 12 pounds, and looks and plays like she’s very healthy again.

[Cindy P]

I tried several dry foods and my dog would not eat well. I found zukes crunchy dry food and he loves it. They are discontinuing so back to the drawing board. Anyone with picky eaters? What worked for you?

[Rea S]

I have been reading now for the last week on what food to switch to. I’m driving myself beyond crazy. My baby is a 10year old lazy boy. He has a heart murmur and arthritis. He has aged so much in the last year. The only exercise he gets is swimming in the pool about 4 days a week. He will swim for several hours.
For the last year he’s been on Chicken Soup Senior. My husband went to get him another bag and came home with the large breed. I knew something was wrong when my Buddy wouldn’t hardly eat it. He’s very food driven. The food actually smelled funny. Smelled stale. I threw that out and got him a bag of Whole Earth Farms Salmon and Whitefish. This doesn’t agree with him. He has bad gas and the kibble is very hard in texture.
(PLEASE HELP ME WITH ANOTHER FOOD)

[Susan]

Hi Mirjana,
your not in Australia by any chance??
this happened with my Patch after I rescued him, the vet said he has Colitis, now he’s been diagnosed with IBD, he does the best on “Taste Of the Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb grain free dry kibble & Canidae Pure dry kibble, I tried the Ziwi Peak venison formula before they changed their ingredeints but it didn’t agree with Patch, the Ziwi Peak new improved formula’s seem better then their old, there’s less ingredients, my cat does real well on Ziwi Peak cat formula’s, why I ask are you in Australia there’s a new organic ethically farmed freeze dried pet food that has just come out, you add water & it swells up, Frontier Pets has a lower fat formula their chicken formula…….
If you live America then join the “Canine Pancreatitis Support Group” look in the “Files” click on the first link, “Low Fat Dog Foods” scroll down a bit & you’ll see low fat wet tin foods the fat% has been converted to dry (Kibble fat) matter on your right…. you might be better feeding a low fat wet tin food now she’s 10yrs old, wet tin or homemade cooked food is easier to digest, just make sure you get a limited ingredient formula, so there’s less chance your dog won’t react to an ingredient…. has the vet given you Metronidazole script that you can get from chemist on hand so if you see her poo’s starting to go sloppy again, you can quickly put her back on antibitiics (Metronidazole), maybe she couldn’t cope with the raw Ziwi Peak….need a strong healthy gut to eat raw food, my boy can’t cope with raw, he needs his food cooked so all the bacteria is killed off…

[CockalierMom]

… so the wet food is much lower…

Dawn, no the wet food is higher in fiber than the kibble. To compare dry kibble to wet can, you need to convert both to dry matter.

[Susan]

Hi,
sardines, salmon, blueberries, broccolli, also make frozen coconut oil treats in ice cube tray, there’s a frozen Golden Paste treat as well, if you follow “Rodney Habib” on his f/b page, he
has some really good post & videos on whole healthy foods same as Dr Peter Dobias DMV…
I tend to give extra healthy foods as treats instead, Green Lipped Mussel are excellent…
I’ll try & find all Rodney’s video’s links, Dr Karen Becker is in a few vidoes making healthy treats high in Omega 3… Under the Sun is a cheaper formula made by “Canidae”
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
What brand of kibble are you feeding & is it grain free? have a look at “Canidae” Pure formula’s the “Pure Wild” & “Pure Land” Canidae was tested by Clean Label Project & got 5 stars so did the Under The Sun Chicken & Lamb formula’s.. http://www.cleanlabelproject.org/ click on “Product Ratings” up the top the click on “Dry Dog food” on the left.
It’s good to rotate between a different kibbles with limited ingredients & single meat protein kibbles…

[Susan]

Hi Dewper,
if you live America then there’s a cream similiar to the Sudocrem sold at supermarket but I can’t remember the name, a lady posted it on the “Dog, issues, allergies and other information support” f/b group, it has the same ingredients, (I think) as the Sudocrem has.
I live Australia & the Sudocrem is sold supermarkets & chemist in the baby section with the coconut oil & aloe & cucumber baby wipes are, I’ve read people who live America buy Sudocrem from Amazon or read ingredient list & look for a baby cream sold at supermarket with similiar ingredients…..
When your boy wasnt licking his paws real bad was he eating the same food he’s eating now or a different food? it’s so hard to work out allergies cause dogs normally will have both food & envrionment alergies, I was thinking is he may be a compulsive licker?? my Patch was when I first rescued him, paw licking sets off their endorphins, especially when they lick & lick themselves to sleep…my Patch all of a sudden dissappears & I find him in my room or the spare room licking his paw, then there’s the big wet patch on the bed aaaaaarrrrhhhhh it’s always just one of his paws he’s licking not both paws, he has white paws, I have a quick look at his paw & paw will be red up & sometimes in between his toes, so if he’s due for his weekly bath in a couple of days I bath him earlier & I bath him in the Malaseb shampoo also sold on Amazon & you leave the shampoo on his paws 5-10 mins if you can, the Malaseb is excellent for Allergies, itchy skin & yeasty skin….after his bath his paws look heaps better & aren’t itchy no more, so something in the Malaseb reduces the reddness & itch, then that night I apply the Hydrocortisone cream in between the tows & everywhere that’s red by morning all reddness is all gone, when I get a bit lazy I dont keep up with his daily routine applying creams his red paws happens….
It’s Winter in Australia & this is the worst Winter Patch has had so far, he normally does real well thru the colder Winter months as long as I’m not feeding him any ingredients he’s sensitive too, but this Winter has been heaps warmer & plants are flowering so I’d say the pollen count is higher…. another thing check what the Omega 3 % is in the kibble your feeding him some kibbles arent balanced properly & are higher in Omega 6 & real low in Omega 3, the omega 3% should be around 1/2 of what the omega 6% is…..as soon as you open your bag of kibble all the oils start to go rancid from the air/oxygen, so your omega 3% becomes less, they say a kibble only last about 2 weeks once you’ve opened it google ” How long does a kibble stay fresh once it’s opened”
The best thing to do is add a few small sardines to his diet a day, start buying the tin Sardines in spring water or olive oil, Aldi’s sell cheap good sardines & salmon in spring water, just add a few sardines or spoons of the salmon to 1 of his meals or give as a treat, I make salmon cakes just boil some potato or sweet potatoes & cool then mix with the drained tin of salmon or start giving him a fish capsule if he has sensitive stomach/bowel then get the Krill Oil capsules they’re suppose to be better for senstive stomach, my boy can’t have fish/salmon oil it gives him acid reflux, he does better when he eats foods high in Omega 3, almonds are excellent I give about 3 Almonds some days but make sure he chews them or they will come back out whole, I don’t know but a lady said her dog got into the bag of almonds & it wasnt nice, I bite 1/2 an almond & give the other 1/2 of the almond to patch & say chew, even have a look at the K-9 Natural Green Lipped Mussels freeze dried treats Chewy sell them & other brands as well, I give my cat & Patch a couple mussels a day as treats… You just need to keep in a daily routine, 1 lady from f/b group I mentioned above said she has a water tray near the front door & her dog walks thru it to wash off any allergens on his paws but I’d rather put him in a empty bath, wet his paws & wash & leave soaking in the Malaseb shampoo this works really well then rinse & dry. another thing in the beginning after I applied cream if you know he’s going to lay down to sleep & lick, then I put on a baby socks or a cut up elastic bandage with the bandage tape around the top, this stops the paw licking & gets him out of the compulsive licking.. this is what I had to do with Patch in the beginning..
When your boy is licking his paw do you look at the paw to see if it’s red, swollon etc ?

[anonymous]

Zignature, wet or dry, presoak the dry food and add water.
However, at age 16, the ailments you describe are most likely age related.
Food can only do so much, some seniors need a bathroom break about every 2 hours for optimal results. Minimum, every 4 hours.
Feed 3 or 4 or 5 small meals per day with water added, rather than 2 meals per day. Always have fresh water available. Don’t expect the dog to hold his urine all day, that’s how bladder stones develop.
Talk to your vet about prescription meds for the arthritis pain, care and comfort.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Dewper-

I add meal mixers to all of my dogs’ meals. In the morning, they always get canned food mixed in. For their afternoon meals, I usually add some fresh ingredients such as an egg, tripe, commercial raw, lean meat and veggie leftovers, or sardines.

Here is a link to a site that has some good recommendations as well:
http://www.dogaware.com/diet/freshfoods.html

Here is another one to a down load that has great ideas as well as a chart on how much to add: https://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DN330EBK

I think it’s a great idea to add a little something to their dry boring kibble! A word of warning, however, is that he/she will start to expect it and you will get the stink eye if you don’t add anything! 🙂

[a c]

My 14 weeks puppy has been on Orijen puppy kibbles since I got him when he was 6 weeks old. I have been slowly adding Horizon Amicus puppy kibbles for the past week. I am now using 3/4 Orijen puppy and 1/4 Horizon Amicus puppy kibbles pre soaked in the water overnight. No problems. 4 stools a day. Toosie roll like.

Horizon Amicus puppy dry food is actually one of the puppy dry food recommend by the website. I like to get him off Orijen puppy food if possible because all the things that I read about Orijen lately. It’s also very rich. I have tried to add Freshspot as toper, but it didn’t go so well.

I noticed even with homemade food. You have to add it slowly. I gave them some cooked ground turkey with broccoli. They have soft stool for a few days. I now use it as a toper.

As for my 10 years old, she has pancreatitis history. Our vet put her on Purina One Smartblend Healthy management kibbles. I have been adding a little Natural Receipe wet food and I also pre soaked the kibbles. The ingredients on Purina One is terrible, but what choice do I have? I must keep fat level low so she won’t have another pancreatitis.

[Dewper]

For anyone who mixes in whole foods with dry food, what foods do you mix in? I would like to begin adding some natural foods into my two dogs’ meals, so any suggestions of beneficial, safe foods for dogs would be great!

[P S]

I have been feeding Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream dry dog food for almost eight years. I have been seeing and am very concerned about complaints regarding very sick dogs from the food. In particular, these complaints on Consumer Affairs. ANYONE here have any problems and has there been a recall? Has DogFoodAdvisor reconsidered their almost 5 star rating for Taste of the Wild?

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/taste-of-the-wild.html

[Maureen A M]

July 29, 2017

Tylee’s Human-Grade Dog Food. I buy it from the manufacturer (Chewy. com) and it comes smothered in dry ice and all the squares of styrofoam (line feral cat houses with this stuff. I actually tasted a piece of mango in the food, it is fresh. Will be interested in what the Editor has to say about this.

[Nikki P]

We have been feeding our German Shepherds Valens dog food for over 2 years. Our vets cannot believe how beautiful their coats are, they shine and have no dry skin. We feed them the Pasture and the Fisher brand which they love both types. We have never had an issue with this dog food. It is pricey ($101.00 taxes in Can.) for a bag. With the kibble you can see pieces of freeze dried meat/fish mixed in. Their site has a feeding chart for active and inactive dogs in case you are worried about feeding them too much or not enough. We highly recommend this dog food and give it 5 stars.

[Susan]

Hi Tyla
it’s best to contact the raw or dehydrated pet food companies you’re interested in feeding & ask them which formula is recommended for a large breed growing puppy?? especially while she is growing or keep her on a large breed puppy formula then once she is fully grown start introducing raw & freeze dry to her diet… Here’s a fat, protein, fiber converter, so you know the fat & protein % when it’s converted to dry matter, 15%-fat, 15%-Protein is around 48% when converted, if it were a dry kibble. http://www.k-9kraving.com/resources/calculator.php
Have you joined any Raw Feeding face book groups, K-9Kitchen Monica Segal,
K-9 Nutrition- Lew Olson & Dr Karen Becker is bringing out her new book that will have special diets…

[suztzu]

Has anyone out there feed Weruva Caloric Harmony dry food, I have fed the canned but I am looking at the dry ? Any info would be helpful

[Orlando T]

Recently while searching for a quality puppy food I encountered on the Editors Choice page Merrick Lil’ Plates Grain Free (Dry) as a recommended puppy food. The food appears to be more of a small breed than a a puppy food but I’m no expert. I started feeding this food to my puppy but a week ago before realizing that Merrick’s does not actually list it as a puppy food. Please verify list accuracy and advise.

/best-dog-foods/best-puppy-foods/best-dry-puppy-foods-5-star/

Thank you,

[Susan]

Hi Lindsay,
make sure you read the fat % on a wet tin foods, the fat in raw & wet tin foods hasn’t been converted to dry matter fat(kibble) here’s a calculator conversion link to help you work out the fat% protein & fiber %, higher fat can cause pancreatitis, weight gain etc. roughly 5%min-fat in a wet tin food is around 20%min-25%max fat % when converted to dry matter, so stick with wet tin foods 5% & under for fat…. http://www.k-9kraving.com/resources/calculator.php

I like smaller size kibbles, have a look at “Canidae” pure formula’s, they are grain free have limited ingredients & have single meat proteins, look at the Pure Wild, Pure Land formula’s, they both only have 7 ingredients & smell really good, no bad fishy smell… Canidae kibbles are easy to digest & soften within 20mins when soaked in warm water…
I would soak about 1/2 cup kibble in warm water for 15-20mins before your going to feed him, but make sure the kibble is soft all the way thru, so 20mins soaking should be long enough if it’s a Canidae kibble, Canidae kibbles are high in Kcals per cup, a 50lb-75lb dog that is exercise only need’s 2-3 cups a day, not much exercise 1-1 1/2 cups a day, the Canidae Pure Wild Boar is 454Kcals per cup, the Pure Land is 474Kcals per cup….

My dog doesn’t really like fish either but loves Bison, lamb, kangaroo & pork, he can’t eat Chicken or fish, change meat protein to 1 novel protein, Lamb, Bison, Pork, Kangaroo see how he goes.. Pure Land is on page 2, Pure Wild is on page 3 scroll down read ingredients & see kibble size, you need a small size kibble so when the kibble swells it isn’t real big don’t over soak & leave kibble soaking in the water for too long, no over night soaking the kibble it will swell & become too big & fill with water 20mins just softens the kibble & make sure it’s not hard in the middle, just squeeze a few kibbles to make sure they’re all soft all the way thru, so he doesn’t catch on to what you’re doing these dogs are very smart, lol
I just remember what I did with my boy when his IBD was real bad, I soaked the kibbles till soft then I fully drained out all of the water they were soaking in, I cuffed my hand in the bowl & pushed hand against kibble in bowl & squeezed out the water in the soft kibbles, then I put the soft kibbles thru a blender & this broke the soft kibbles all up, then you can mix thru the wet tin food, does he like treats?? when you first get the bag of kibble put about 1 cup kibble in a air tight container & give a few kibbles to him as treats so he gets to likes them…

Sometimes when food has cause pain or some type of health problem, the dog becomes fussy cause the food has caused some discomfort, gas, wind pain, diarrhea, acid reflux, vomiting etc so now he see’s kibble as bad……or he’s a very smart dog & knows how kibble is made, LOL
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[Susan]

Hi Jude,
once a dog has had Pancreatitis then he’ll need to be feed a lower fat diet, so he doesn’t have another Pancreatitis flare, stay under 15%-fat for raw wet diet, have you tried raw kangaroo?? Cats & dogs love Kangaroo it has a strong beefy taste & it’s very lean in fat & very healthy, you can get this brand in America, its called “Gourmet Game, Marco Meats, Kangaroo mince, here’s the link, scroll down to the bottom & it’s in the middle, Gourmet Game Marco meats is the only company in Australia that makes the human grade kangaroo & export all over the world… http://gourmetgame.com.au/products/kangaroo/

You’re better off making his raw diet, instead of buying a pet food pre-made raw unless it’s a small business that makes human grade raw for dogs, but they normally add grounded bones, my dogs Naturopath said no to the grounded bone for Patch he has IBD & Pancreatitis & she also said NO to the Pre-made raw dog food she said you don’t know what your getting & the fat % is way too high for his health problems….. are you adding anything else to his beef? you can add 1 crushed egg shell a day for calcium, give him a Krill Oil capsule for his Omega 3 fatty acids & in a few weeks try adding some broccoli, carrot, celery & apple, peel & de-seed fruit & vegetables cut up then put thru a blender stop just before it’s a pulp, you add 1-2 spoons of the veggie/fruit mix to 1 cup of beef meat or I froze 1-2 spoons of the veggie mix separate in ice cube tray & cover with cling wrap & thawed when I needed the fruit/veggie mix, I also froze the meat in sections separate, this way you’ll see if he eats his beef with some added pulped veggies/fruit mix.. or just added the grounded egg shell & give 1 krill oil capsule 3 times a week & see how he goes, don’t start adding too much to his diet at once, if something causes diarrhea or vomiting you won’t know what caused what….

Join this face book group “Canine Pancreatitis Support Group” Lisa who runs the group feeds her Pancreatitis dog a raw balanced diet, she may be able to help you add certain foods to balance his diet a bit better, you can buy “Balance It” they have Nutritionist vet as well & free recipes for some health problems but if the dog has too many health problems it doesn’t give any free recipes you have to contact Balance It vet nutritionist. https://secure.balanceit.com/

Even if you buy the pre-made raw dog food it has too many different ingredients & your dog will smell all the different smells & probably wont eat the pre made raw food, I don’t like the smell it didn’t smell like real raw, my cat wouldn’t touch the pre-made raw, I bought the Rabbit first then took it back & tried the Kangaroo she still would not touch it, now I just buy her the Aldis cat fresh raw mince, it’s Kangaroo mince & chicken liver & she loves it & it smells like proper raw meat should smell, I do live Australia & by-product kangaroo is in a few of our cheaper brand pet foods & she also eats her air dried raw “Ziwi Peak” air dried raw & dry kibble + I give the Green Lipped Mussel treats, try the K-9 Natural Green Lipped Mussels, mussels have what he needs for his joints, eyes, brain, skin & coat, Green Lipped Mussel is lean in fat & give about 2 freeze dried mussels as a daily treat, this way he’s trying different foods as a treat..so its special when given as a treat.

[Tyla M]

New question ….does anyone do homemade food or dehydrated raw or a mix of stuff? I’m starting to think I don’t want to do all dry kibble.

[lindsay h]

Hi guys, I have tried what feels like everything with my dog and I can only get him to eat wet food…while I don’t have a problem feeding him wet I contacted Blue Buffalo (one of the only foods he will touch) and they recommend mixing dry in to make sure he is getting enough nutrients but not a calorie overload…basically i called because their site recommended 1 – 1.5 cans per 10 pounds of body weight which sounded insane because he is 70 pounds and 1 can has 413 kcals. SO long story short are there any dry foods you all could recommend I could sneak in (he typically finds the dry and spits it out) that your picky eater loves …Please no chicken based foods as he has an allergy…..also we have tried 6 fish, nutrisource seafood select and an acacna fish based….no luck. I would so appreciate your help to make sure my baby is getting enough nutrients without having to throw so many cans of food at him a day. THANK YOU!!

[Susan]

Hi teagsmom,
why not feed wet tin food or cooked soft meals, even if its just 1 meal wet food then the other meal a kibble….. kibble is very hard to chew, the only kibble I know is small & very easy to digest & goes soft all the way thru when water is added is the “Canidae” Pure Meadow Senior but it’s Chicken, Chicken Meal Turkey Meal, Sweet potatoes…here’s Canidae’s site look at all their formula’s, there’s also their Pure Wild Boar, Pure Land, Pure Sea, Pure Sky all have no chicken, all Canidaes kibbles are very small & very easy to digest… https.www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
if you do feed a wet tin food, read the fat % & stay under 5%-fat, wet & raw pet foods aren’t converted to dry matter fat & protein, so 5%min fat is around 20%-25% max – fat if it were a kibble…

[Susan]

Hi Ginger,
Sorry its a long post but it’s hard to explain everything in 1-2 paragraphs hopefully some of this information will help your girls itchy skin…
Your girl sounds like my boy who will be 9 yrs old in November, he suffers with IBD, Pancreatitis, environment skin allergies & food sensitivities causing itchy smelly skin,paws, ears, gas & diarrhea, we thought he had diabetes a few months ago cause he was drinking & drinking water but blood test were all fine thank-god, I couldn’t handle another health problem, I feel so sorry for sick animals. 🙁
I wouldn’t try the Cytopoint injections with your dog yet, has your vet explained how Cytopoint works? My vet looked into the Cytopoint injections, she explained once you’ve given the injection it stays in the dogs system up to 6-8 weeks, so if it makes them ill there’s nothing that can be done to reverse any side effects cause Patch reacts to certain medications & it’s a newer drug we don’t have any real research results yet, after a couple of years vets will know more how dogs react that have certain health problems like our dogs have, when the dog is younger & heathier yes I think CADI is the best thing for itchy dogs better the Apoquel, now Apoquel has been out over a few years vets see all the side effects so in a few years when vets have used Cytopoint, they’ll know & can report any bad side effects if there are any?…

My vet said Apopuel doesn’t help when a dog has itchy skin from secondary Malassezia (Yeast) Dermatitis, Apoquel cannot resolve inflammation or treat yeast, she said Apoquel
has helped a few of her dog patients that have IBD but I was to scared to try Apoquel with Patch cause one of the side effects with Apoquel is nausea & vomiting, my vet did have a few dogs that become very sick while taking the Apoquel, so I changed his diet, bathed him weekly to wash off any allergens on his paws & body to relieve his itchy skin paws & I use creams. As they get older the allergies get worse..

They are finding Cytopoint works better then Apoquel for environment allergies & itchy skin, CADI blocks the receptors completely, where Apoquel blocks the reaction from the allergens receptors, there’s a good face book group to join “Dog issues, allergies and other information support group” with really good information about CADI & Apoquel.. a lady called Petra that runs the group can explain things better…

I would be changing her diet first, when my Patch was eating the Hills I/d wet & dry formula’s & other foods that had the ingredients he was sensitive too he got his red paws, smelly yeasty itchy skin & that’s only cause he’s a sensitive to the chicken, oats, barley tapioca, corn gluten meal in the I/d vet diet & other foods he was eating, once I remove these allergens he is OK thru the cooler Winter months then when Summer comes he gets his environment allergies so I bath more, I use hydrocortisone 1% cream to relieve the itch & feed treats that are high in omega 3 fatty acid like K-9 Natural freeze dried Green Lipped Mussels, ask your vet can your try the Royal Canine HP wet tin food the fat is 2.5% you’ll have to email or ring Royal Canine & ask them what is the max fat % when converted to dry mater?? it’s probably around 7-8% fat when converted to dry matter (Kibble fat), Hills have already converted all their wet tin foods on their internet site, I wish other pet food companies did the same cause people don’t no this & read 5%-fat on a wet tin foods or raw foods & think the fat % is low when 5% fat is around 20% fat when converted to dry matter, the Australian R/C HP is 3.5% in the wet tin food, when converted it was 13% fat, it has the omega 3 oils & everything needed for skin problems, or I’d say look at the R/C selected proteins formula’s PR-Rabbit & Potato or PD-Duck & Potato or PV-Venison & Potato but the R/C in the wet tin wet tin foods the fat is too high for Pancreatitis 4-5% when converted to dry matter is around 15-20% fat but the dry R/C select proteins kibbles are lower in fat at 10%max but your feed wet tin..

Have you joined the “Canine Pancreatitis Support ” Face Book group,
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1435920120029740/
join & look in their “Files” there’s 2 links “Low Fat Food” click on the first link & scroll down, all the low fat wet tin foods come up, on your right there’s the converted fat %, it’s been converted to dry matter fat % also read the ingredients in the Hills Wet tin food she is eating at the moment, try & avoid those some of those ingredients if you can, she is probably sensitive to a few ingredients in the I/d wet tin formula’s, that’s why I recommended the Royal Canine vet diet HP wet tin it’s a Hypoallergenic formula, your dog shouldn’t react & itch to any of the ingredients but Patch got acid reflux from the fish oil & his poos were soft but he always does softer poos when he eats wet tin foods, that’s why I feed 5 small meals a day 2 meals are cooked meal or a wet tin food & the other 3 meals are a kibble & his poos stay firm…
“Canidae” makes a really good small easy to digest grain free kibble, that’s low in fat 10.80%max called Canidae,Pure Meadow Senior grain free page 3 & Canidae Life Stages Platinum less active has grains page 4, https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products….
It can take anywhere from 1 day up to 6 weeks for a dog to react to an ingredient & start scratching get yeasty smell paws. ears, skin gas & sloppy poos….Patch only reacts 15-20mins after he eats chicken he starts itching & scratching, gets red paws but with some ingredients in a kibble he takes about 5-14 days to start reacting with smelly yeasty skin paws & ears, carrots cause itchy smell ears.
Look for proteins like Rabbit, Venison, Pork, Duck & kangaroo in wet grain free tin foods, kangaroo is a lean novel protein & your dog probably hasn’t eaten much of the Kangaroo before. Can your girl eat a kibble even if you only feed 1 of her meals kibble then the rest of her meals wet tin food.

[Melissa C]

Go to fromm’s website and you can get a buy one get one free coupon for their dry food.

[a c]

Susan,

Thank you for your reply. He is a 12 weeks old miniature schnauzer. He has no problem with Orijen puppy kibble. His stool is like toosie roll, solid but soft. 5 times a day. He is also getting Freshpet select chicken and turkey roll and little vegetable as topper. I just want to rotate him with some other quality puppy food.

Both Holistic Select g/f puppy kibble and Eagle Pack kibble have Carbs at 47-48% in dry matter. Wellness Core puppy has Protein at 40% in dry matter. I am looking for kibbles that’s not too much on one component.

Besides Freshpet select roll, I have not introduced any raw or can diet for him. I know most of the raw diet have pretty high fat. I have learned my lesson from my senior dog with pancreatitis history.

[Susan]

Hi ac,
can he handle the high protein at 36% min, if poos are sloppy then maybe reduce the fat % again, email Horizon ask for the max fat%, there’s also “Wellness Core” puppy & Wellness Core Small Breed for when he’s older, both Wellness formula’s have a bit less fat at 18% min normally it’s an extra 1-2 % extra for fat & protein, it depends on the brand, you’ll have to email Wellness to get the max fat %, Wellness also has their Wellness Complete grain free small breed formula’s the fat & protein is under 30% for dogs that can’t handle higher fat & protein,
Wellpet make Wellness, Holistic Select & Eagle Pack, Holistic Select has a small breed formula but I think it has healthy grains, it’s good to rotate kibbles, Wellness are pretty good they email back & answer all questions, another thing if you feed wet tin or raw food the fat % is higher then it says on the tin or raw packet, it needs to be converted to dry matter (Kibble), so when you see say 5%min fat on a wet tin or raw packet is around 20-26%max fat after being converted to dry matter, a lot of people don’t know this until their dog ends up with Pancreatitis or diarrhea…. I always feed wet tin foods that are around 2-4% fat…
What small breed do you have??
Here’s the Wellness link https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/natural-dog-food
Wellness have toppers, their TruFood freeze dried raw you add water, I think the fat has already been converted to dry matter fat%, you’d have to ask Wellness, it’s best to rotate between a few different brands with different proteins so your dog gets use to eating everything, rotating also strengthens their immune system….

[pugmomsandy]

Precise Lamb and Rice

http://precisepet.com/dog-formulas/precise/dry/lamb-meal-and-rice-sensicare/

Pulsar Chicken

http://horizonpetfood.com/index.php/pulsar/

[Patti M]

To all the parents having babies suffering from gulping. tongue smacking, vomitting, acid, upset esophagus, stomach & intestinal issues. Health food stores, definitely (GNC) sells
1. “George’s Pure Aloe Juice. It naturally neutralizes acids & heals all in its path.
2. “MANUKA HONEY” Is now
being used by veterinarians, giving
internally & using topically to kill all bad bacteria naturally, no resistance.
3. Virgin Coconut oil added to Small meals spaced, giving GF Performance, Limited Venison can, & pure pumpkin or sweet potato in between meals as a treat. Eventually you can Gradually add GF Performance Limitted dry also back into
their diet.
Good Luck to all, hoping these tips will be helpful.
God Bless.

[Allison L]

This food is amazing ..its a clean food with ingredients all sourced from Iceland and Italy ..what is has done for my 2 German Shepherds was a god send ..they were getting constant cysts and dry skin and their coat was dull and coarse ..they were on Taste of The Wild all their lives .
I will never change their diet from Legend Skin Formula ever ..

[Susan]

Hi Courtney,
I didn’t know that Canidae still use other pet food facilities to make & pack their kibbles, I wonder if the Canidae ingredients & kibbles that are made at the Diamond facility are getting tested like the Diamond pet foods are tested? watch this video http://www.tasteofthewild.com.au/quality-composition/food-safety/
it shows a Diamond plant, I don’t know which one it is, you’d have to email & ask Diamond where are their new facilities, there wouldn’t be too many pet food companies with state of the art facilities like Diamond has, Hills, Purina & Royal Canine probably have these big facilities but I don’t know if they have the latest technology, I like how the Diamond ingredients are tested before being cooked & after the batches are made they’re tested as well before leaving the facility & the water they use to make their pet foods is purified, so Diamond are making sure they won’t have any more problems with their pet foods, I prefer Canidae being made at a Diamond plant but I wonder which plant the Australian Canidae & Under The Sun formula’s are coming from? I’ll have to email Canidae & ask..
Canidae must be getting too many orders now & they can’t keep up with the demand.. I know in Australia people & pet shop owners started whinging cause Canidae kibbles were selling out very quickly, then you have to wait for another shipment to come, Canidae come the beginning of the new month, I contacted Canidae America & asked them what’s happening, Canidae said it’s the people in Australia that import Canidae they aren’t ordering enough for the demand in Australia, then Pet Shop owners started to stock the TOTW formula’s as well so people can change between the 2 brands if one has run out.. this is when Australian pet food manufactures heard about the demand for Canidae Pure formula’s & started to make Australian made high quality grain free dry kibble but the fat & protein is way too high for my boy & the lower fat & lower protein Australian made formula’s he didn’t do well on with his IBD..
My boy does best on Canidae formulas that are lower in fat-15% & protein-25% & I feed “Taste Of the Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb formula, TOTW seems to be the best for his IBD…

Don’t put all your eggs in 1 basket, find another brand that has around the same Kcals per cup as the Canidae has but has a different protein that she’s eating at the moment…Has she ever eaten a Kangaroo formula? Kangaroo is very healthy, lean & a clean meat, I saw a brand called “Wild Calling” Kangaroo formula.. Wild Calling seems to have the most Kangaroo in their Kangaroo formula, they use Kangaroo Meal, the other Kangaroo formula’s just had Kangaroo, no Kangaroo meal….

[Susan]

Hi Heather,
it’s best to email the pet food companies & the Vet diet companies when you need any information about their formula’s they will ring or email you back with crude fiber % soluble fiber % insoluble fiber % & dietary fiber % in their formula’s, a good pet food company like TOTW their a Vet Nutritionists will ring or email you back but I didn’t read anywhere that your dog needs more soluble fiber in his diet, it will depend on your dog like your vet has told you, it’s trial & error, if it was my dog, I’d be trying the wet tin vet diet first, all vet diets are money back guaranteed & you just bring back any un opened tins or the rest of the kibble back if poo’s don’t firm up within 2-5 days & the vet changes over to another vet diet till you find one that works, you don’t have to pay to see the vet again the vet nurse normally goes in & speaks with the vet then the vet either comes out to speak with you or the vet nurse recommends another vet diet for you to try… try the Hills Canine I/d Chicken & Vegetable Stew wet tin food first & use the Hills I/d Digestive Care kibble as treats only give 1/4 a cup kibble thru the day & see how his poos go next 2 days if they are OK then increase the I/D kibble.. that’s how I started with new kibbles with my boy years ago when I rescued him.
My boy did the best on the Hills D/D Venison & Potatoes vet diet, it has 1 single intact meat protein with limited ingredients, improves digestion & stool quality, it’s soy protein free, gluten & grain free, the protein % is low-18% the Hills I/d Digestive Care replaces nutrients your dog has lost & has B vitamins & electrolytes your dog needs at the moment…. my boy gets bad overgrowth bacteria in the gut & small bowel, vomiting, nausea & pain… I tried the Hills I/d Digestive care kibble, he seem to be doing really well the first 5-6 days, it did what it says on the front of the kibble bag “it will firm stools within 3 days” BUT after 6 days my boy started to react to the poor ingredients & started doing yellow sloppy poo’s, all the fermentable grains made his bad bacteria breed & take over his stomach & bowel again, I took the Hills I/d bag of kibble back & got a refund, I bought a bag of the “Taste Of the Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb what was recommended to me on a EPI group & IBD dogs face book groups & my boy has been doing firm perfect poos now for over 1 yr, a lot of dogs with EPI, S.I.B.O, IBD, Diarrhea do really well on the TOTW formula, there’s also a wet tin in the Sierra Mountain, I don’t know if it’s the probiotics or the purified water they use but something in the TOTW formula helps dogs that have Intestinal stress, I know a lot of people don’t like Diamond & knock Diamond but every new batch of TOTW gets tested after being packed in the kibble bags & tins before it leaves the plant, my boy has never gotten diarrhea or sick while he’s been on the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb formula…
Please make sure the course of antibiotics your dog is taking is for 14-21 days give the antibiotics every 12 hours with a meal do not stop the course till it’s finished….

Zignature is best for dog with food intolerances/sensitivities to certain ingredients, I’ve never seen Zignature on any of the IBD or EPI groups I belong too being feed for intestinal problems, Zignature is very pea heavy, chick pea heavy these ingredients can cause bad wind & gas in the bowel… go back to your vets office & ask the vet nurse to try at wet tin & dry Vet Diet before you try the Zignature, then once your dog has been on a vet diet for 6-9 months & the bowel has healed then maybe start slowly introducing a single low protein, limited ingredient formula & make sure you give a probiotic after he has finishes the antibiotics or give probiotic 3 hours before or after giving the antibiotics or give Kefir… you need to take baby steps with dogs who have intestinal problems.

[Susan]

Heather
if you need fiber % it’s best to email the pet food companies & the Vet diet companies & they will email you the crude fiber %, the soluble fiber % the insoluble fiber %, the dietary fiber% & in their foods, but I have never read anywhere that your dog needs more soluble fiber in his diet, it will depend on your dog like your vet has told you, it’s trial & error, if it was my dog, I’d be trying the wet tin vet diet first, all vet diets are money back guaranteed & you just bring back any un opened tins or the rest of the kibble back if poo’s don’t firm up within 2-5 days & the vet changes over to another vet diet till you find one that works, you don’t have to pay to see the vet again the vet nurse normally goes in & speaks with the vet then the vet either comes out to speak with you or the vet nurse recommends another vet diet for you to try… try the Hills Canine I/d Chicken & Vegetable Stew wet tin food first & use the Hills I/d Digestive Care kibble as treats only give 1/4 a cup kibble thru the day & see how his poos go next 2 days if they are OK then increase the I/D kibble.. that’s how I started with new kibbles with my boy years ago when I rescued him.
My boy did the best on the Hills D/D Venison & Potatoes vet diet, it has 1 single intact meat protein with limited ingredients, improves digestion & stool quality, it’s soy protein free, gluten & grain free, the protein % is low-18% the Hills I/d Digestive Care replaces nutrients your dog has lost & has B vitamins & electrolytes your dog needs at the moment…. my boy gets bad overgrowth bacteria in the gut & small bowel, vomiting, nausea & pain… I tried the Hills I/d Digestive care kibble, he seem to be doing really well the first 5-6 days, it did what it says on the front of the kibble bag “it will firm stools within 3 days” BUT after 6 days my boy started to react to the poor ingredients & started doing yellow sloppy poo’s, all the fermentable grains made his bad bacteria breed & take over his stomach & bowel again, I took the Hills I/d bag of kibble back & got a refund, I bought a bag of the “Taste Of the Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb what was recommended to me on a EPI group & IBD dogs face book groups & my boy has been doing firm perfect poos now for over 1 yr, a lot of dogs with EPI, S.I.B.O, IBD, Diarrhea do really well on the TOTW formula, there’s also a wet tin in the Sierra Mountain, I don’t know if it’s the probiotics or the purified water they use but something in the TOTW formula helps dogs that have Intestinal stress, I know a lot of people don’t like Diamond & knock Diamond but every new batch of TOTW gets tested after being packed in the kibble bags & tins before it leaves the plant, my boy has never gotten diarrhea or sick while he’s been on the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb formula…
Please make sure the course of antibiotics your dog is taking is for 14-21 days give the antibiotics every 12 hours with a meal do not stop the course till it’s finished….

Zignature is best for dog with food intolerances/sensitivities to certain ingredients, I’ve never seen Zignature on any of the IBD or EPI groups I belong too being feed for intestinal problems, Zignature is very pea heavy, chick pea heavy these ingredients can cause bad wind & gas in the bowel… go back to your vets office & ask the vet nurse to try at wet tin & dry Vet Diet before you try the Zignature, then once your dog has been on a vet diet for 6-9 months & the bowel has healed then maybe start slowly introducing a single low protein, limited ingredient formula & make sure you give a probiotic after he has finishes the antibiotics or give probiotic 3 hours before or after giving the antibiotics or give Kefir… you need to take baby steps with dogs who have intestinal problems.

[Susan]

Hi Christine,
The wet tin Hills C/d formula has OK ingredients so maybe feed the Hills C/d wet tin formula & cook & freeze the other meals….
Here’s the “Balance It” site https://www.secure.balanceit.com. you add the Balance it powder to balance cook meals..
click on “Get Started Click here” & click on your dogs health problems & homemade recipes will come up..
Have you looked for wet & dry foods that are low in Phosphorus? that’s what I’d be doing & asking people what brands are they feeding…read what the phosphorus % is in the vet & dry formula’s your feeding, if you have the money get a vet nutritionist to make a diet for your girl it shouldn’t be that expensive & join “K-9 Kitchen” on Face Book, its Monica Segal’s site she often post & helps people with their pets health problem…