[Cameron B]

Thanks @Fiona S for calling that out. I am just starting to learn about alternatives to dry food.
I have been feeding my 40lbs Aussie Tylee’s for about 3 weeks now, and she loves it, but I didn’t even think to look at the fat content.

And the costs are high…at 3 cups a day it costs me $120/month for Tylee’s
96 ounces = 12 cups. 3 cups a day only provides me with a week supply so at $30/week adds up.

So I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do…may try out Darwin’s but that costs a little more than I was wanting to pay.

[Marie P]

This was set up for a 11 month old Boston Terrier at 16 pounds )
YOU will need to ADJUST the feeding amount for your Dog’s Weight

VERY Easy
WE have had Good luck with this Recipe:
This recipe uses egg as a binder; bake it like a meat loaf, with bread crumbs. As presented here, with these ingredients, it is about 30 percent protein, 25 percent fat, and 38 percent carbohydrates.
If you need Wheat FREE bread crumbs – here is a link: to Gillian’s Foods
http://www.gilliansfoodsglutenfree.com/products/index.php?cPath=29&osCsid=15aad74dac45e25945dd8f62963644c1

FEED Daily: for the Boston Terrier:

2 ( 1 inch size slices of the meat loaf ) 2 x per day ( for you size dog ) ( 15-18 pound dog )

( at night you may want to do 1 1/2 slices ) – JUST see if he is hungry

SNACK-
( FEED 1/4 cup of a quality Dry ( LOW grain or NO grain Kibble per day ) – as a snack

WE like the Fromm’s Brand of Dog food – also Blue Buffalo is good:

Recipe:

CHOOSE 1 meat:

2 lbs fairly lean *****( YOU will do Ground Chicken or Ground Turkey ) ( skip the beef )/ for this month-

3 cups of bread crumbs – plain – See Wheat free link above if you need it –

1/8 of a cup 2 % low-fat milk

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons of CRUSHED eggShell — – Smash it ( it’s for Calcium)

1/2 cup cooked vegetables ( green beans/peas/ others) ( grated and mush) *** ( TRY GREEN BEANS but cut them up orSmash them )

( do not put the NuVET into the Recipe ) –

(YOU can not balance this Recipe without a Quality Supplement)

*** 1 NuVET wafer vitamin ** each day – see below: ( PER DAY PER DOG ) ( NuVET is a must to balance out home cooking )

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/8 teaspoon LOW SALT tamari soy sauce

order your NuVET here- I do get a small % and give BACK to Pet Rescue

go here: http://www.nuvet.com/81098 ( you are looking for the NuVET Plus Wafer ) – if you go on auto ship you save 15% on every bottle
use my Name if they ask you – Pet Nurse Marie

BAKE
* press the mixture into a casserole dish so it’s 1 to 2 inches thick and bake at 350°F for 30 to 35minutes, or until set and lightly browned.

[Rachel K]

Hello I was wondering on people’s opinion of this RC variety of food.

I’m from Australia and I’ve noticed that the “Endurance 4800” sold here appears to be different to the ones I’ve seen sold overseas. I don’t feed RC (the dry food I feed is a grain free brand called Ivory Coat; lamb/kangaroo 36% min protein 18% min fat; highest protein kibble I’ve seen in Australia) but this variety intrigues me because its one of the higher protein kibbles’ available in aus and definitely the highest fat.

This is what the composition is listed as on the Australian website:

COMPOSITION: dehydrated poultry protein, animal fats, rice, vegetable protein isolate*, hydrolysed animal proteins, beet pulp, vegetable fibres, fish oil, minerals, soya oil, psyllium husks and seeds (1%), marigold extract (source of lutein), hydrolysed yeast (source of manno-oligo-saccharides (0.2%)), hydrolysed crustaceans (source of glucosamine), hydrolysed cartilage (source of chondroitin). ADDITIVES (per kg): Nutritional additives: Vitamin A: 22300 IU, Vitamin D3: 1000 IU, Vitamin E: 700mg, E1 (Iron): 48 mg, E2 (Iodine): 4.8 mg, E4 (Copper): 15 mg, E5 (Manganese): 62 mg, E6 (Zinc): 187 mg, E8 (Selenium): 0.09 mg – Technological additives: Clinoptilolite of sedimentary origin: 10g – Preservatives – Antioxidants. ANALYTICAL CONSTITUENTS: Protein: 32%, Fat content: 30%, Crude ash: 8.1% *L.I.P.: Protein selected for its very high assimilation.

Thoughts are appreciated 🙂

I hope this post is allowed

[Fiona S]

I have recently tried Tylee’s Turkey Frozen Dog Food. I like it and I like the company but there are a few things to consider about it.
1. It arrived quickly and VERY well packed, product was as frizen as if ut just came out a deep freezer.
2. My dog likes it and actually ate all the fruits and veggies from it which he never does.
3. It does say it meets AAFCO standards for all stages of life
BUT
4. Calculating on a dry matter analysis the fat content is about 38% which is double the fat of most other commercial dog foods. I would be extremely cautious about feeding this exclusively due to the potential for pancreatits.
5. It may be just as well that the fat content is too high to feed exclusively as it is EXPENSIVE! The 96oz bag equates to 12 cups of thawed food, that is almost $3 a cup and my dog (80lbs) would need almost 5 cups a day.

I absolutely appreciate what Chewy are trying to do to improve healthier options to kibble. I like that you can easily contact a fairly well informed human at the company. I called and mentioned my concern about tue fat content and asked if they could consider a low fat option.

I love that they do a turkey and a pork option as my dog cannot eat chicken or beef.

My dog is raw fed but he seems to get bored and this was one way to get him to eat a few antioxidants. I defrost a cup or so in the microwave at 50% for 2 minutes .. the bag has a ziploc seal, it is very convenient to store and use.

I am happy to add one cup a day to his raw diet .

Overall I would applaud chewy for bringing this out, I am hoping they will do a reduced fat version. Oh and they just launched a Tylee’s jerky treat. It’s reasonably priced with nothing other than the meat .. and it comes in turkey and pork which is great for all the chicken and beef sensitive dogs out there. Have ordered it and am waiting for it to arrive. Hope this info helps 🙂

[elaine c]

smart girl… I wish more dogs were that smart. Dry dog food is convenient for you and terrible for dogs… check out Answers Pet Food. You will never look back.

[Susan]

Hi Matt,
Sounds like your dog has Seasonal Environment Allergies & Food Intolerances. My boy has both, his vet said if they have food sensitivities they normally will have some type of environment allergies as well… as soon as I read your post about his hives on his legs, tail & abdomen I knew environment allergies probably from grass, tree or plants pollens, that’s what Patch gets as soon as Spring starts, my vet said, keep a dairy & as the years pass you’ll start to see a pattern & I did every spring Patch has itchy hives all over his body & face/head, red paws when he walks on wet morning grass, a yeasty smelly mess, but thru the cooler Winter months he’s pretty good, no itchy skin or red paws as long as he doesn’t walk on wet grass or eat any foods he’s sensitive too, Winter we get a break,…
Baths are the best thing you can do, bath as soon as he’s real bad with his hives & itchy skin, give him a bath, I do weekly baths now but I was bathing every 2nd 3rd day at one stage, I use a medicated shampoo “Malaseb” medicated shampoo it’s mild & can be used daily & kills any bacteria, yeast on the skin & keeps their skin nice, moist & soft, when you bath your washing off any allergens, pollens & dirt that’s on their skin, I also use creams on his paws, head around chin & around tail & bum area when he’s bum surfing on my rug, “Sudocrem” is excellent it stops his itchy bum within mins of applying it, Sudocrem is a healing cream for Nappy Rash, Eczema, Dermatitis, Pressure Sore etc, sold in the baby section at any Supermarket or Chemist, the Sudocrem acts as a barrier & protects their skin especially their paws & where their skin is red/pink on stomach area & back of legs, I’d love to show a before & after photo’s after a lady applied the Sudocrem to her dogs red stomach, it’s posted on the Dog issues allergies F/B group link below. I also use Hydrocortisone 1% cream at night I check Patches whole body before bed & if something is still red like in between his toes, I get a cotton tip & thinly apply some Hydrocortisone 1% cream, when he wakes up in the morning all his paws are nice & pink all clear again, you can put on socks & bandage around the paws to stop any licking as licking makes things worse, best to bath the paws in Malaseb & dry them off then apply the Sudocrem,

The only way to know what foods your boy is sensitive too & can eat, is to do a “Food Elimination Diet”… you can use a vet diet like “Royal Canine” Hypoallergenic wet tin food, then once your dog is doing well & not reacting start adding 1 new ingredient to the R/C HP wet food, every 6 weeks add 1 new ingredient, no treats or any extra things are to be feed while your doing an elimination food diet, it can take a dog 1 day up to 6 weeks to react to an ingredient & show symptoms, that’s why sometimes you’ll start a new food & think your dog is doing really well then 3-4 weeks later he’ll start reacting to an ingredient in the new kibble…
Probably half the foods you think he’s sensitive too he isn’t..
I tested & added ingredients that are in the kibbles I wanted to feed… I worked out my boy reacts to chicken, he gets red paws, itchy yeasty smelly skin & itchy bum after I added raw & cooked chicken to his diet, carrots made his ears real itchy & he’d shake his head 20mins after eating the chicken & carrots he reacted, oats & barley made Patches poos very sloppy, I always thought potatoes & peas were causing Patches yeast problems cause potatoes are a high sugar starch but later I learnt a dog will only get yeasty smelly skin, paws & ears if they’re sensitive to a certain ingredient (CARF) or have environment allergies.. Read this link “Myths & Fact about yeast Dermatitis” scroll down to “Carbohydrates & Sugar in your dogs diet. http://www.healthyskin4dogs.com/blog/2015/9/8/facts-myths-about-yeast-dermatitis-in-dogs, Dr Karen Helton Rhodes DVM DACVD often pops into this Face Book group called “Dog issues, allergies and other information support group” join you’ll learn a lot..
Once you have done the Elimination diet, you’ll know what foods are causing what but its best to do a elimination diet in the cooler months Winter when pollens aren’t as bad as the Spring/Summer months..
Can you cook or feed a raw diet? you’ll have better control with your dogs diet, even if you do what I’m doing, I feed a few meals “Canidae” Pure Wild Boar kibble & the other meals are wet tin food Royal Canine HP wet tin or cooked pork rissoles with sweet potatoes. Patch eats 4-5 meals a day, he has IBD as well, if you join the Face Book group I recommended above https://www.facebook.com/groups/240043826044760/
you’ll read some people post their dogs are allergic to mites & the mites are in the dog kibble, or your dog may be allergies to dust mites in your house…. dog allergies starts to get very confusing & as they get older they get worse, but once you get into a routine with weekly or twice a week baths, apply creams, using Huggie baby wipes Coconut oil wipes or Cucumber & Aloe wipes when the dog comes back inside wipe him down days you don’t feel like bathing him & work out his food intolerances.. it gets better..
Here’s a link for Canidae Pure formula’s, the omega 3 is balanced in Canidae kibbles, some brands of kibble are too high in omega 6 & too low in omega 3 causing skin problems in dogs.. http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
Zignature is another food people say has helped their allergic dog….Make sure your dogs diet is high in Omega 3 it will help with their allergies, ad few sardines to 1 of your dogs meal a day.. buy tin sardines or salmon in spring water also green lipped mussels are good to give as a treat.

[zcRiley]

Stay away from Purina, and brands they bought out. Try the Zignature line of dry dog food. #1 for allergies and gastrointestinal issues.

[Rachel K]

I mix animal sources in food; when feeding fresh foods it is crucial to avoid deficiencies.

The aim with mixing it up in regards to avoiding food allergies/intolerances developing when feeding dry is to make sure the dog doesn’t eat exactly the same thing day in day out for the rest of its life so you’d mix/rotate over time so they aren’t eating the same thing 🙂

[william m]

First time posting. I have a one year old female lab/newfie mix. She is a rescue dog that was on a diet of Wild Callings rocky mount medley. For the first few months she ate the food no problem, then she wouldn’t go near it. I tried several other foods, Fromm, Earthborn Hollistics, Merrick Back Country infused and Nature’s Variety raw boost.
She would start off fine with all of them, then all off a sudden stop.
I have tried adding a little canned food to the kibble and that worked for a while, then she started picking out the canned food and leaving the rest.
Now she will only eat canned food.
I had my vet check her out, no problems.
She is on a schedule, food at 7am and 4:30pm.
I leave the food for 30 minutes, then take it away.
I tried leaving the food to see if she will eventually eat it, but she won’t touch it for days.
Should I be concerned or is my dog just a picky food snob.
Thanks.

[Ann O]

I am trying to figure out best food for my dogs. A toy poodle who is 10 and a terrier who is 5. I have been buying from a online place. My food has started getting bad reviews. Any suggestions will be appreciated. I feed them dry food and boiled chicken breast. My dogs are both rescue dogs. Also what is best rawhide and treats for them.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 10 months ago by Ann O.

[Anna B]

My dog has those exact symptoms with a food he can’t tolerate and he also has environmental issues. We’ve had luck with Petcurean’s Go! Sensitivity + Shine Limited Ingredient Diets. He specifically does well on the duck but I know they have salmon, turkey, duck, and venison formulas in their limited ingredient line. It doesn’t have potatoes but does have peas/lentils. If you aren’t certain that peas are a problem, I would recommend giving it a try! The Honest Kitchen Zeal is fish and sweet potatoes, so that might work for him. Finding a dry dog food that only has sweet potatoes as the binder in the kibble is difficult. Have you considered trying a commercial raw food?

[Susan]

Hi Mike are you 100% sure it’s not acid reflux?? that’s what Patch does, its like reverse swallowing, he was doing it after eating certain kibbles, doesn’t do it when he eats wet foods, only sometime with kibbles, not since he’s been eating Canidae or Taste Of The Wild kibbles .. He’d go outside eat some grass & the grass seem to wash the acid down, then he did big burp…
Can you feed a low carb kibble & look at feeding wet foods, just make sure the fat on tin is 3-4%max & under, when you convert a wet tin food to dry matter (Kibble) 5% min fat in a wet tin food when convert is around 20-25% max fat converted to dry matter (Kibble), so 3% min is about 11% fat, I feed wet tin it’s 3.5% fat that’s around 13.7% fat….
Don’t add water to kibble it makes the acid reflux worse I have found, unless all the water is completely drained out, when kibbles is soft then put soft kibbles thru a blender so kibble all fluffs up…Your better of cooking or feeding wet tin foods….
Find a lower carbohydrate kibble look at “Canidae Pure Meadow Senior” it’s grain free the fat is 10.8% max, I emailed Canidae for a neighbor, the carbs are around 37% & protein is 28%-29%, email the kibble companies they will give you accurate % of fat, carbs, protein & fiber %…

Why I always recommend “Canidae” & “Taste of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb is Patch has IBD & gets bad acid reflux & is doing really well since starting the Canidae Pure Wild Formula & when he eats the TOTW formula & I feed cooked & wet tin food, I try to feed less kibble & more fresh whole healthy foods….
http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[Mike E]

it’s weird. he doesn’t scarf. he’s a single kibble at a time dog. and the symptoms don’t persist. they only persist till he gets a little liquid in his food and it seems to wash away anything causing him trouble swallowing, which means he can finish his meal without a cough or wheeze.

I’m going to start pre-soaking his food and also try experimenting with small bites food for him alone (I live 4 miles from a tractor supply so I can grab a 5 lb bag of 4health small bites to experiment) … he gets soup broth in his kibble half the time anyways so that’s probably why I don’t see it more often. it’s only a rarity and ONLY on completely dry meal. I was just double checking to see if I was missing anything important. But like you said,

[Mike E]

I have a quick question. My half whippet/terrier mix has always been a slow and picky eater (unlike his boxer/shepherd sister who can inhale 2 cups of food in 30 seconds flat). I’ve been feeding them both Sportmix Wholesomes the last 8 or 9 months and I noticed that three times in the last 2 months (once about a month and a half ago, twice this week) my whippet/terrier starts eating his food and then part way through the meal starts wheezing/rasping at every bite. It’s like right after a bit he really tries to get it down and you can see him swallowing a couple times to get the food down like it’s stuck in the throat. The first time it happened I got super worried, but I figured out really quickly that if I pour a little water or chicken stock in his food that it suddenly clears up. Like instantly. he drinks a little broth and the wet food just goes down like butter. No more hacking/wheezing trying to get it down.

my SUSPICION is that the sportmix wholesomes kibble is just a bit big for him and a whole dry piece gets lodged in there sometimes making a temporary obstruction during his meal. The Sportmix wholesomes isn’t super big for a 27 lb dog, but it’s more like medium size kibble …bigger than the smaller bites of Victor or the like… Am I right that the kibble is probably getting stuck in his throat (this only happens once in a while, 3 times in 2 months being fed twice a day) and it always instantly goes away if the kibble has moisture or broth added to it.

I was thinking of switching him alone over to a small bites formula, or making his food into a soupy mix with water or broth but wanted to make sure there wasn’t something super obvious I was missing.

• This topic was modified 8 years, 10 months ago by Mike E.

[sb020]

Hi Susan,
Riley is doing well on the Hill’s® Prescription Diet® i/d® Canine Chicken & Vegetable Stew, and I am trying to transition her to dry food, which is currently Annamaet Grain Free Lean (fat 7%-9%, max fiber 3.5%, 350 kcal/cup). I had been mixing it into the stew with a gradual increase every two days. When it was 1/2 kibble and 1/2 stew, she had no problem, but when it was 3/4 kibble and 1/4 stew, her nausea occurred. All your information was extremely helpful, especially that test to see if the kibble is easy to digest. Thank you very much!!

• This reply was modified 8 years, 10 months ago by sb020.

[Susan]

Hi Charisma sounds like his Helicobacter is back & it’s BAD.. Patch gastro specialist told me,
all dogs have the Helicobacter but cause they have a healthy gut it doesn’t take over but dogs with IBD the Helicobacter seems to take over….
this happened with Patch the Helicobacter kept coming back real bad until I left him on the Losec (Omeprazole) ant acid reducer we were going around & around in circle as soon as I killed the Helicobacter & stopped the Triple Therapy, 3-4 weeks later it was back taking over his stomach again, then I did soooo much research & spoke with my Gastrointestinal Specialist Dr & he said give him the triple therapy course meds again BUT this time we changed the Amoxicillin too another stronger antibiotic that is used to kill the Helicobacter, I cant remember name, it started with a C, he also said this time when the course is finished he must stay on the a stronger ant acid reducer Omeprazole (Losec)…..
Your boy needs the triple therapy 21 day course again, maybe he was never given it??? did he ever take Metronidazole (Flagyl) he would of improved while taking it then when it finished he would of went down hill again some dogs stay on a very low dose of the Metronidazole for the rest of their lives….
Ask vet for Metronidazole, Amoxcilin & Losec & after the 21 days when Metro & Amoxicillin is finished he must stay on the Losec 20mg, Losec is best given of a morning…..Losec is called Prilosec in America…. also you can not just stop taken Losec after it has been taken for 3-4 weeks, it needs to be reduced real slowly cause the Hydrochloric acid in the stomach comes back full on, triple amounts of Hydrochloric acids are made & your in a lot of pain until the stomach works out the right amount Hydrochloric acid to make, sorta what’s happening now to his stomach, I always make sure I tell people so they know this, you can miss one dose of Losec cause it last in the body for 24 hours but then you need to take the Losec,….
I cant believe the Vets haven’t pick this up…… after 4-5 days after taken the triple therapy meds he will be a new dog & sleep again he’ll start to feel better again & wont be starving hungry all the time & have stomach pain, the Metro & Amoxicillin must be given every 12 hours with a meal, I think the Losec is taken just the once a day, I cant remember cause Patch was put on Zantac in the beginning taken twice a day but the Zantac didn’t help his acid reflux.. feed 4-5 smaller meals a day & change his diet….can you cook his meals & freeze them? also give some Liquid Mylanta 4-5 mls 1 teaspoon, it will settle his stomach & help kill the Helicobacter, for now if he’s up thru the night, researchers have found when Pepto Bismol is given with the Triple therapy meds it kills the Helicobacter as well, I gave it to Patch for 5 days then he didn’t want the Pepto Bismol no more so I stopped given it to him & went back to the Mylanta only when he needed it thru the night …. I know when something works for Patch he lets me give it to him but when a medication causes any side effects he runs away & doesn’t want that medication…. Mylanta seem to work better & it doesn’t have asprin in it like the Pepto Bismol has..
I’ve had the Helicobacter years ago before I rescued Patch & you are starving hungry 1 hour after you eat, the food takes away the pain but as soon as food is digest it all starts over again & the acid in your stomach is awful, norring feeling in stomach, you feel depressed & miserable….Patches vet tells me Patch was very lucky I rescued him cause she wouldn’t of thought about Helicobacter but cause I’ve had it 3 times in my 20’s I knew all the symptoms….
He needs Losec (Omeprazole) ASAP & the Metronidazole, my vet gives me repeat scripts for the Losec & Metronidazole so I can just go to chemist & get when needed & since Patch has been on the Losec he sleeps thru the night & is doing really well also he needs gluten free diet low fiber, low carbs & no beet pulp diet, the Beet Pulp breeds the Helicobacter more…I would be trying a new diet as well, look at the Canidae Pure Meadow Senior kibble it will keep him feeling fuller longer & is easy to digest & feed some of his other meals with cooked sweet potato & a lean white meat all put thru a blender or finally cut up he’d be gulping his meals…. also can he eat the Royal Canine Hypoallergenic wet formula instead of the LOw Fat Intestinal? the fat is low at 2.5% email Royal Canine America what’s the fat % is when converted to dry matter (Kibble) it say’s 2.5% so converted would be around 7-9%max fat if it were a kibble the American HP wet tin is lower in fat then the Australian made R/C HP wet…. but when the fat & protein is lower the carbs are higher….
I hope ur vet listens & you gives you the Triple therapy meds or even if you can get the Metronidazole & the Losec you will see a big difference in 1 week, I know when Patch feels better he’s naughty & gets all his toys out..

[Susan]

Hi Charisma
What are you feeding him, what medications is he on?? has he been checked for Helicobacter & acid reflux? had Endoscope + Biopsies done?
He sounds like my boy 4yrs ago, when I rescued him he was put on a vet diet for his skin allergies, the vet diet gave him Pancreatitis fat was way too high 19% fat & that was the start of Patches misery, I found with my boy the vet diet dry kibbles made him worse….
My boy was diagnosed thru Endoscope & Biopsies, it said IBD {to look further with exploratory surgery} I wouldn’t do & Helicobacter-Pylori…… the Pancreatitis, food intolerances & skin allergies we already knew, he’s at his best now finally after 3yrs, he’s better in the cooler months, no environment allergies, his immune system isn’t in over drive…..
When Patch was having the rumbling, grumbling bowel, pacing back & forth wanting me to rub his stomach/pancreas area, wanting grass 2am 4am & thru the day, later I learnt it was Colitis from food intolerances/sensitivities… do you know what helps the best when this was happening, liquid Mylanta, not pink Pepto Bismol that has asprin in it, plain & simple liquid Mylanta, 5mls, 1 teaspoon would settle all the gases going thru his stomach & bowel…….
Are you seeing a new specialist, someone with new eyes, with all his results?? I keep diaries every single year & read back, this vet told me to keep a diary …. I saw 4 vets until I found Patches vet he see’s now & she also suffers with IBD, she understands & knows what I’m talking about when I tell her about Patches symptoms……

They break your heart watching them suffer, I didn’t know a poor dog could suffer so much with all these symptoms, now when I read a post, I know what that person & poor dog is going thru….
I have to feed 5 smaller meals a day, I can’t feed 1 whole cup of kibble for 1 meal, he gets bad pain, I can only feed 1/2 cup kibble at one time, that’s hand feed, I feed 2 kibbles at one time in a raised bowl so he chews the kibbles & doesn’t just swallow the whole hard kibble, I only feed kibble at 7am, 9am, 5pm, 1/2 a cup & wet tin vet diet Royal Canin Hypoallergenic at 12pm & 8pm, I have to rotate Patches kibbles, as soon as I see he’s not well & starts his whinging & lifts up his right paw for me to rub his stomach/pancreas area I know something is wrong & rotate kibble & foods, I stop feeding whatever he’s eating & feed something else…..
Hills vet diet kibbles & Royal Canin vet diet kibbles made poor Patch worse…only the kibbles…..

[Susan]

Hi sb020,
My boy is a Staffy same as your girl got the white fur & pink skin he’s 8 & 1/2 years old now & has IBD, Pancreatitis & Skin Allergies & it has taken me 2-3 years to work out his diet for all his illnesses, I found “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb limited ingredient, single protein kibble helped with his IBD & firmed up his poo’s, he seems to do real good on the TOTW kibble, it only has 338Kcals per cup & TOTW uses Purified water & Patch doesn’t get his Pancreas pain, no acid reflux, no vomiting & no nausea, but the fat is 15%max…. then I tried other kibbles I thought he can handle the TOTW 15% fat kibble but I didn’t realise the Kcals were over 400 Kcals per cup, so that means the kibble is more dense & is harder to digest, he gets his bad Pancreas pain & whinges for me to rub the area where his Pancreas is when he eats kibbles over 380Kcals per cup… also when a kibble was higher in carbohydrates & fiber, over 4%-fiber he gets his acid reflux & Pancreas pain & seems unwell, then I read higher fiber diets aren’t good for dogs with Pancreatitis…..
Now I rotate between a few different foods, I feed 4-5 smaller meals a day, Patch can’t digest 1 cup of kibble all at once, it must start to expand & sit in his stomach & something happens & he start having his pain, so I give about 1/2 cup kibble at 7am, 9am 5pm & then his wet tin vet diets at 12pm & 8pm…. I was cooking for Patch lean pork mince rissoles with a whisked egg, some chopped up broccoli, chopped parsley, a leaf of kale & 1 grated carrot all made into a small round rissole ball & baked in the oven then I boiled some sweet potatoes all cut into 1 spoon size & I’d freeze sections so I just took out the day before & put in the fridge to thaw, I added NAS Digestavite Plus powder to balance the meal but the beginning of this year I changed where I buy my lean pork mince from & the fat must have been higher & Patch started vomiting & vomiting up un digested rissole he got his bad pain right side & was put on the Hills I/D Chicken & Vegetable stew, I think they use chicken & pork liver it doesn’t have as many ingredient & there’s no Beet Pulp like all the other Hills I/D wet formula’s has, he starts his scratching & is a bit itchy but he gets better with his Pancreatitis & like my vet says just bath him twice a week & add his cream….
I do not use any of the Vet diet dry kibbles they are all too hard to digest, I do a simple test, get a glass of very warm water & put about 2 kibbles in the cup/glass, a good easy to digest kibble will float to the top of the water & only take about 15 to 30mins to go soft all the way thru, all the vet diet kibble & other some premium kibbles sink to the bottom & can take up to 3 hours to go soft all the way thru Purina, Sensitive Digestion, Hills vet diets & Royal Canin vet diet kibbles are the worst for digesting & these formula’s are for dogs with intestinal stress ….
When I was feeding kibbles that were hard to digest I didn’t know & poor Patch got his pain, nausea & would sometimes vomit back up all the in digested kibble 4 to 8 hours later, it would say easy to digest on the kibble bag…
“Canidae” is another excellent kibble look at their “All Stages Platinum” has both grains & potatoes but very easy to digest & is around 8-9% in fat, fiber is 4%max, Kcals are 342 per cup & Canidea “Pure Meadow” grain free, 10.80% max fat.. http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
You don’t mention are the foods you feeding wet or dry or both?? was the vet diet the wet tin food & which I/D formula is yoiur girl doing good on? I feed the Hills I/D Chicken & Vegetable stew 156g tin & the Royal Canin Hypoallergenic wet tin food cause Patch has food intolerances, I cant feed certain ingredients he starts getting real yeasty & itchy skin, paws & ears, chicken makes his paws red & skin itch but it doesn’t bother his stomach & bowel & cause any Intestinal stress, so I rotate when something has chicken in it & he only gets it a few days then I stop & feed the Royal Canin HP wet tin food, you may find it easier to go thru a Nutritionist to make a special diet & use “Balance it” to balance the meals.
https://secure.balanceit.com/ there’s recipes on this link for Balance it..
Maybe stick with the Hills vet diet for a few meals & feed another brand kibble for the other meals, feed 4 smaller meals a day, like what I’ve been doing with Patch & he’s doing well again…..

If you go on this face book join this group. “Canine Diabetes Support and Information” then look for the “Files” on the left side & click on the 2nd document “CDSI Diabetic food options chart” scroll down to the wet tin foods as some of the kibbles are low in fat BUT are too high in fiber for a dog with Pancreatitis just read the fiber % on any dry kibble you feed & stay around 4% fiber & avoid any weight management/weight loss dry kibbles some are lower in fat but they add more fiber to keep the dog feeling fuller longer….
also when you read the fat on a wet tin food, the fat hasn’t been converted to dry matter (Kibble) the wet tin foods on this chart have all been converted, eg: 11.11% fat DMD there’s a lot of really good wet tin food formula’s if you live in America on this chart….

When you look & read at a wet tin if you read say 4%min fat when you convert 4%min fat that’s around 16-20%max in fat its best to email the food company & ask what is the fat % in ????? when converted to dry matter..

I hope you’ve gotten some good information from my experience with Patch & your girl gets better….

[gsdmama]

My dog gets seasonal allergies, so every spring (Around this time yay! lol). Going to try adding some coconut oil and wild alaskan salmon oil to her regular dry food but honestly I feel like the quickest relief for her is just a trip to the vet. I hate to give my dog drugs but she gets horrible hot spots and a few days on Apoquel clears them right up.

[Susan]

Hi Honey Bear,
yes your young & have realized pet food companies like Hills prefer to spend all their money on advertising & colourful packaging instead of making better quality dogs foods for our pets…you have taken the first steps to make your dogs healthier & live longer..
are you on Face Book, follow “Rodney Habib” he has over 1 million followers not like Skeptvet with only 1100 followers…
Dr Karen Becker & Susan Thixton were one of the first to reveal all these pet food companies & DFA he set up this DFA site all cause of his little dog called Penny
Dr Mikes story is under “ABOUT” up the top left..same as Rodney Habib he started exposing all these dog food companies like Hills, Royal Canin, Purina etc & all their false advertising saying that their food does this & that when they don’t, it all started 2 yrs ago when Rodney found out his 14 year old Golden Retriever (Sammy) had cancer he was like most of us, we didn’t know to turn the kibble bag around & read the ingredient list instead reading the bull on the front of the kibble bag…same as vets when I went to my vets the other day there’s a new light up big Hills stand all along the wall, with all their colourful packaging etc… Rodney’s said his brain went into over drive day & night doing so much research trying to find a way to reverse his dog Sammy cancer & cure for his cancer & Raw Diets kept coming up over & over again, natural whole foods, healthy foods us humans eat are the best to feed our pet, not a dry processed kibble, they found by just adding 2 tablespoons of fresh whole foods to your dogs bowl of kibble reduces the chances of your dog getting cancer, Rodney has heaps of video’s to watch, the best video is “Maggie the oldest dog in the World” you have to watch Maggies story, she pasted away last year age 30 years old, after watching her story you’ll understand why she lived so long….
Rodney Habib found “KetoPet this group of researcher takes dying dogs out of pounds around America that have cancer & were dumped there by their owners after these dogs were put on a KetoPet raw diet these dogs cancer was reversed, these dogs became cancer FREE & then needed to find new homes, its an excellent video showing these once sick dogs acting like young puppies same as Rodney Habibs boy Sammy he’s cancer free now all cause he was feed a healthy homemade balanced raw diet Rodney posted he takes 70mins a day to make his dogs raw meals for the day….

Firstly are your dogs on vet prescription diets, if yes what for? or did your vet just recommend to feed the normal Hills pet kibbles you buy at Pet shops or online pet stores?
Some vets are old school & have been Hills brain washed lol if they’re old school they will say no to a raw diet.. I went thru a Naturopath to put Patch on a raw diet, my vet had recommended I see a vet nutritionist for Patches health problems..
I rescued Patch age 4 yrs old he was in a bad way vets all said the same thing he was feed a poor quality diet probably Aldis or supermarket food, it took me a few years to get his gut healthy again….You need to do it slowly change 1 of the dogs meals say breakfast feed the new cooked diet or raw diet & for dinner still feed the Hills kibble or feed the same Hills kibble & start adding the new cooked or raw food to the meals & take away about 1/4 cup of kibble out of their bowl then the following week increase the new food & take out more of the Hills Kibble till you no longer feed the Hills kibble or just feed the kibble sometimes, have a look at Canidae Pure Meadow Senior grain free kibble http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products Canidae is a small family run business.
… My boy was just put straight onto a homemade balanced raw diet the next day made by the Naturopath with no bone & no organ meat to start with cause he has IBD he did really well except he would regurgitate up digested water & raw food back up into his mouth about 20-30mins after eating it, cause his esophagus had been damage thru old owner using a choke chain on him, he did the same on wet tin food & cooked foods but now 4 yrs later he doesn’t regurgitate wet food no more….
Keep us informed with what you start to do even by adding some cooked left overs from dinner & take away some of the Hills Kibble is healthy….

[pugmomsandy]

Drs. Foster and Smith Signature Series

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/dog-supplies/food/dry-food/ps/c/3307/28497/28498?s=ts&r=2011

[Karyn S]

Hello,

Thank you to all who have contributed such a wealth of information to this forum. I will be welcoming a German Shepherd puppy in about a month and have been trying to determine the best dehydrated, freeze-dried or raw diet to start her on. (I do not have the capacity to do an entirely raw diet, but could add raw toppers to a meal.)

I’ve read through all pages and just when I feel I have a direction, something changes it.

I started with HDM’s latest list, which includes some Raw and a couple of THC dehydrated options for large breed puppies. Since the list is a bit older, I reached out to a couple of the companies (Stella and Chewy’s and THC) specific to average/maximum calcium and received conflicting information, which leads me to believe formulas have changed since list was compiled.

I’m also a member of Editor’s choice and there’s only 1 non-dry food option (FreshPet) noted. I have been researching for hours on end and it seems I am nowhere closer to a decision.

Does anyone have recommendations for a dehydrated, freeze-dried and/or raw option(s) that would be safe for a large breed puppy. I’m trying to avoid feed kibble if at all possible.

Thank you!

[Matt A]

Brief backstory: 4 year old beagle who was completely healthy for the first 2.5 years of his life besides a slight chicken intolerance. I found 3 types of non chicken grain free dog foods that he did well on and would rotate every bag without issue. Seemingly within a few months of him being neutered he started developing protein allergies to all of his dog foods and nearly every other dog food I tried.

His symptoms are: yeast infection in his ears, licking/itchy paws, a more vibrant pink belly than normal, intense itchiness around his body with about a dozen hives on his legs, tail, and abdomen, butt scooting, and a heavy metallic smell from his rear end.

So far the only food that he can tolerate without symptoms has been Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish which seems to have had a formula change since I last purchased it. The challenging thing has been finding food without Chicken, Duck, Beef, Pork, Grains, white potatoes, or Lentils (Primarily Peas/Chickpeas). It seems as though when you go grain free you get a bunch of peas and white potatoes. Since I last purchased this food they seemingly have added white potato protein which may trigger my dogs allergies in the near future. I cannot locate a bag of the old formula nor can I locate another salmon+sweet potato formula that isn’t augmented by white potatoes and/or peas. I am getting desperate. Any help or advice is appreciated.

[Anne A]

I had no idea Merrick was sold to Purina. Perhaps that is part of the problem I have with the packaging being breached. I have thrown away all of the dry food I purchased from them in light of my fear of the contamination.

[Jon K]

I still notice Merrick food and Castor + Pollux are part of the editor’s choice with a 5 star rating. Merrick (who also makes Castor + Pollux) was sold to Purina. What are people’s opinion since the ownership change? I have read reviews on other sites they noticed a quality change. Ingredient wise, they still appear to be quality brands, but I am concerned being under Purina’s ownership now. I am seeking a grain free, low calorie dry food, preferably with smaller kibbles. Hard to find with the exception of Merrick + Castor and Pollux. Any suggestions? Thanks.

[Anne A]

Wow…thank you. It sounds like there are more problems than I thought.

So, Dog Food Advisor, is this something about which you could influence? I don’t think the brand should be rated with 5 stars if they have a packaging problem with their dry food.

Thoughts? I am wondering if I should be concerned about the canned food as well because there may be issues throughout the production facility…may be I am just being paranoid but BOTH my girls have been really sick lately.

[Acroyali]

Sorry you’re having difficulties Lori 🙁 Have you been able to do a search for any holistic minded vets in your area? You didn’t specify if his current diet is dry or wet, most dogs with diabetes (and many with stones) do well with a higher moisture diet than a dry food can offer. I’m not a fan of prescription diets , so I can’t help on that much, but if you’re thinking of trying something else a holistic vet who knows about raw and/or cooked feeding for a dog with health problems would be the person to consult, as when dealing with diabetes and possible liver problems, finding a good diet can be tricky (but not impossible).
I’ve been down your path. It’s frustrating as heck to spend thousands and see little to no improvement, but don’t give up. Contrary to what others seem to think, holistic vets and homeopathic vets are two very different types of practice and have absolutely nothing to do with one another; a holistic vet would be a good option.
Lew Olson at B naturals has a great book on feeding real food to dogs, and has chapters with information on what foods are good for what problems (based on the dogs current lab numbers, something you’ll want to keep up with). Hope this is helpful.

[Anne A]

I purchased 3 bags of the Merrick’s Lil’ Plates Grain free dry food from an on line retailer. When I received them I happened to notice that on all 3 bags there were unperceptable breaches in the seals.
The retailer was wonderful and replaced them immediately but when I received the replacements they too were breached. They replaced them a 2nd time and those too were not completely sealed. The breaks in the seals are not even noticeable. I only happened to notice it when I picked one up and felt a slight “blow” on my face when I held it close. This caused me to check the others. It’s like when a baggie is thought to be sealed but air escapes.
I was in a brick and morter retailer and when I saw the product on the shelf I was curious so I “tested” that as well only to find that same issue.
I did ask the online retailer to please go back to their supplier and let them know there is a problem with their packaging and I am assuming that was done. They asked me for “lot numbers” etc. so I know they are pursuing the issue.
My question is, has anyone else had this issue?

[Susan]

Hi
Food can cause yeasty smelly ears, skin & paws if the dog has food sensitivities/intolerances to certain ingredients, you need to work out what foods your dog is sensitive too, my boy can not eat chicken, barley, oats, corn, gluten corn & carrots, carrots are the worst, 20mins after eating the carrots he starts scratching his ears, shaking his head, when I didn’t know it was the carrot & kept feeding the carrots in his rissoles he’d started to get yeasty, smelly infected ears, & walked tilting his head, same as chicken he gets red smelly paws & real itchy skin & rubs bum on the floor/carpet others foods that have corn, corn gluten meal caused sloppy poo’s….
I did a food elimination diet, raw is the best to feed, or cooked or use one of the vet diets like Royal Canine, Hypoallergenic wet tin or the Royal Canine wet tin PR-Potato & Rabbit, PV-Potato & Venison, PK-Potato & Salmon, or there’s the dry kibble after eliminating all treats & just feeding raw, vet diet or your own cooked diet that has just 1 single novel protein + 1 carb when the dog ears & skin aren’t smelly & itchy anymore you start adding 1 new ingredient for 6 weeks to see if he reacts to the new ingredient, it can take food sensitivities/intolerances anywhere from 1 day to 6 weeks for the dog to start reacting & showing any symptoms …..
Here’s some limited ingredient single protein kibbles & wet tin formula’s-
* “Zignature” – http://zignature.com/?page_id=333&lang=en
* “Canidae Pure” – http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
* “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb or TOTW Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon both have limited ingredients. http://www.tasteofthewild.com.au/

Join this group on face book, “Dog issues, allergies and other information support group” a lot of really good info & a Dermatologist pops in every now & here’s one of her links about the “Facts & Myths about Yeast Dermatitis in dogs, scroll down to about the 7th paragraph read about food sensitivities/intolerances, http://www.healthyskin4dogs.com/blog/2015/9/8/facts-myths-about-yeast-dermatitis-in-dogs

[pam j]

When ,I bought Knickers a Coton, the breeder told me to continue feeding her Royal Canin..
When I took her to the vets it was full of Royal Canin food. By this time I had spent endless time researching dry dog food and decided on Orijen. Then the vet said ‘this food has too much protein’ so now I am perplexed, can I get some feedback from you wonderful dog owners?? I don’t want a food that comes from China, or it’s ingredients come from all over the place and would prefer grain free. She certainly doesn’t woof it down and I always have to coax her to the bowl. Any info would be much appreciated. I want a dry kibble.
Many Thanks Maties!!

Pam

[Susan]

HoundMusic,

I think it’s ridiculous you feed a sick dog a high fat, low quality mince especially when the dog is vomiting & has diarrhea, say that dog has Pancreatitis??..
When was the last time you went to see a vet specialist for a dog with Intestinal problems IBS, IBD, Pancreatitis?
Your talking about feeding litter Puppies, introducing puppies to food….Read original post I’m talking about dogs with intestinal STRESS, sloppy poo’s with mucus & then diarrhea, not 4-6 week old puppies being weaned onto food, even then I still wouldn’t feed a sick puppy any cooked hamburger mince or boiled rice…. When you have a SICK dog with Intestinal Stress feeding greasy hamburger mince with boiled rice, rice has pointed corners that can irritate the bowel…..who’s not to say the dogs in this post aren’t sensitive to chicken like my boy is?? one of the poster’s dog became a bit better after being put on a vet diet while the other dog got diarrhea after eating the Hills wet tin food, like my boy did after eating one of the Hills Intestinal health vet diets, this sounds like food sensitivities to me, food sensitivities/intolerance can take anywhere from 1 day up to 6 weeks to react & show symptoms….Food sensitivities normally start when the dog is around 6-8 months old….
I’m pretty sure when Rich took his dogs to see vet, the vet didn’t suggest to go home & feed some boiled hamburger mince with boiled some rice, if he did I would be changing vets & seeing a younger vet who’s up to date with more modern methods, it sounds like Rich vet knew what he/she was doing & did all the proper tests needed to rule out parasites, parvo, infection etc & placed the dogs on a antibiotic (Flagyl/Metronidazole) & a vet diet till Rich works out what to feed them both….if the dogs were placed on a Hydrolyzed diet or a single novel protein, single carb vet diet I do not know, probably not cause one dog had liquid diarrhea after eating the vet diet…..

I’ll stick with what my Specialist vet recommended to feed, 1 lean novel protein + 1 gluten free carb (Sweet Potato or Potato) he suggested to cook white boneless fish or lean turkey breast + boiled sweet potato, if I didn’t want to cook he recommended feeding a vet diet “Royal Canine” Hydrolyzed wet tin food, Sensitivity Control, Duck & Tapioca dry, PV-Potato & Venison, PR-Potato & Rabbit or PD-Potato & Duck & then when dog is stable & doing firm poo’s start an elimination diet & add 1 cooked ingredient for 6 weeks with their vet diet food….these vet diets are 100% balanced with the right vitamins, minerals, enzymes & you’ll get to the root of the problem by doing an elimination diet like I have done in the past with my IBD boy, when you look at the ingredients in these vet diets you will not find any hamburger mince, chicken, rice….. Sweet Potato + 1 lean novel protein seems to work best for Intestinal health problems especially when you think the dog has food intolerances….
You have your opinion & I have mine…..

[pugmomsandy]

As far as raw coated kibble goes, there are a few on the market already such as Nature’s Variety which has been available for several years. What used to be Pioneer Naturals/Great Life which has been sold recently also had a line of raw coated kibble. Maybe Great Life sold to Sport Dog because Sport Dog Grain Free Elite is very similar to Great Life/Pioneer Naturals. But that is conjecture.

I personally like freeze dried raw coatings for raw benefits but it is just a coating and probably not a substantial part of the overall kibble. A cost breakdown would need to be done to see if raw coated kibble versus kibble with raw mixers would be a savings if feeding just dry foods.

As for the baked part of the question, there are some choices already such as Wellness TruFood, Carna4, Lotus, Oven-baked Tradition and Flint River Ranch which has been bought by (I’m trying to remember the name). It is said that a baked kibble is a less processed product than an extruded product. And some facilities that produce baked kibble (plain baked kibble not with raw coating) are also human food manufacturers as well.

For kibble feeders, it adds another option to plain extruded kibble. For me as a raw feeder, I would get it for convenience, treat balls or boarding a dog. For someone who looks at ingredient sourcing, this company would be a good choice and has many options. I guess it depends on how much money I’m willing to spend at that certain time when I’m browsing in the dog food section or give in to impulse buying.

[Yvette S]

Hello! I just signed up for the Editor’s Choice membership and I am a huge fan of the website and the research it represents.

I am working on a spreadsheet to compare nutritional information for 5-star dry dog food brands. However, I have found only 3 brands to report essential amino acid content: Orijen and Acana (both made by Champion pet foods) and EVO (now part of Mars, Inc.).

Can you help me identify other dry dog food brands that report complete nutritional profiles? Amino acids, Omega-3, Omega-6, essential vitamins and minerals.

[Susan]

Hi, Fromm has too many ingredients, stick with kibbles that have no more then 5-ingredients & have 1 single protein, I have a dog with IBD & the only kibble that settled Patches IBD was “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb & Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon both formula’s have limited ingredients & only have 1 protein, TOTW uses Purified water, Patch loves the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb he went off the Smoked Salmon plus it’s not a good idea to feed a fish kibble for too long, so now I rotate between TOTW Roasted Lamb & “Canidae Pure” Wild Boar…. Canidae Pure is grain free has limited ingredients comes in wet & dry & the kibble size is nice & small so easy to digest..
Keep us up dated what worked for your fur babies… then once they’re doing really well start to rotate with another brand with a different protein, rotating helps strengthen the stomach/bowel & they aren’t eating the same food 24/7….
http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[Rich H]

We have 2 King Charles cavalier spaniels that are about 6 months old. About 2-3 weeks ago they started having soft stools with mucus. We took them both right to the vet. They did physical, fecal and parvo tests. All came back negative so they gave us medicine to help with their stomachs and gave us hill science diet wet food. One of them started to get better though he still has soft stools but the other started having liquid diharrea and stop eating. We took her to the vet again and they said she was dehydrated and put her on iv with med. they did blood test and another fecal but again negative. she came home next day and was better. But both still have soft stools. We are going to try changing their food to see if that helps. We were giving them acana free range poultry.

We are looking at the following and want to get some thoughts or other recommendations:

i was looking for a good limited ingredient or sensitive stomach dry food that is made in the usa only and doesn’t include chicken. Was looking at duck, rabbit or salmon. I don’t have them in any particular order as it was just the order I found them. They are all 4 star or up.

https://www.chewy.com/taste-wild-pacific-stream-puppy/dp/34840

https://www.chewy.com/wellness-simple-limited-ingredient/dp/36859

https://www.chewy.com/canidae-grain-free-pure-elements/dp/55148

https://www.chewy.com/castor-pollux-natural-ultramix-grain/dp/118171

https://www.chewy.com/nutrisca-grain-free-salmon-chickpea/dp/35033

https://www.chewy.com/natures-variety-instinct-grain-free/dp/33462

[Donna B]

How about Solid Gold Wildheart Quail Pumpkin & Chichpea Grain Free Dry dogfood?

[Lora J]

Congratulations on your new dog! I have large breeds, myselfso I cannot comment on that. But I have found this dog food rating system on this website a valuable tool for finding the best food for our budget. I have found it takes some time to search through the higher rated foods, thrn shop around to price check, but worth it. Buy the highest rated food you can afford. I also supplement my dogs’ dry kibble with raw carrots and broccoli as treats for additional enzymes and antioxidents. I am sure you will get additional helpful comments here. Good luck!

[Joni L]

I have been using Kahoots Brand dog food for 6 years. Our experience has been only positive, my dogs are healthy and lean. We mostly buy the chicken or lamb flavors, as the salmon makes the house smell fishy, and fishy dog breath. Customer service is outstanding. I would highly recommend their store and their Kahoots Brand dry dog food.

[Acroyali]

Lovelybear we must be out of the same mold. We recently dragged out an old crate for one of our dogs to eat in and she acted like she was being put in jail, and like I threw away the key! This dog hasn’t had the need to be crated (other than in the car) for quite some time, so she’s none too thrilled with our newest and brightest idea. She has no self preservation and I’m constantly worried she might get hurt. It occurred to us that if she DOES injure herself, crate rest will be in order and it might be a good idea to re-acclimate her so she doesn’t stress.

I keep the crate in a high traffic area (our kitchen is bustling) so she’s in the action (so to speak), and we started playing little crate games. I’d take a treat, have her sit and wait, and toss the treat into the crate and release her. We put a few old blankets in there one night, made a big show of burying some really high value treats IN the blankets and shut the door and released. She wanted in that crate so bad! We opened the door and she flew in, nudging the blankets aside and hunting those treats down. We left the door open so she could exit whenever, and she was so into the game that she didn’t even think about leaving the crate until she was 100% sure there wasn’t a crumb left.

Be creative! If you’re into clicker training, a clicker can come in really useful in situations like this and you can choose a word to send her into the crate. (We use “load up”, a friend of mine simply says “In you go”!) Play crate games with her. When I crate train a new dog I don’t leave the door open when I’m not actively training it, it’s like reverse psychology–the crate = games = fun = not always available. Some people have better luck leaving the door open 24 hours a day and letting the dog explore at their own pace. Assess your dog and do what you feel would be best for her. Be creative! 🙂

I’ve fed raw for a lot of years. A few dogs eat out of bowls, a few on plastic washable mats (no bowls). When it’s nice we do feed some dogs outside, but the yard isn’t treated with anything. The bowls and mats go in hot, soapy water and are easy to wash and rinse. They air dry.

It’s great that your dog is a good, slow eater and not a gulper! Crate feeding is great because it IS so easy to clean. If absolutely necessary, it might be possible to take the crate bottom pan out and let it be free-standing in the room, and use it as a place for her to eat until she’s used to the actual crate again. Once she’s happy walking in and out of the crate for a treat, maybe jackpot reward her with a few gizzards or something really high value.

Yes, there are risks concerning raw feeding, but unfortunately there are risks concerning ANY feeding, for pets or humans. The presence of penobarbitol in some “high end” brands lately have really made many people suspicious of the idea that commercial food is automatically safe and raw food is automatically dangerous.

[Kim S]

I have used Blue Buffalo, Science Diet and Rachel Ray food for many years. I switched to Costco Kirkland brand. I had seen good reviews of Costco dry dog food and decided to purchase the blue and green bags. In only three weeks time I have lost one of my healthy dogs. I did not consider that his health problems could be related to his new food. I can’t say that the food caused his problems. However, in a very short period his symptoms mounted and my vet was testing and searching for answers and was getting none. Nothing definitive came before he passed. His symptoms included gas, bloating, upper abdomen tightness, high white blood cell count, slight fever, anemia, heavy breathing, weakness starting with a slow walk and ending with not being able to raise himself to stand, loose stool. His last week he gave up eating but continued to drink without problems. He was put on antibiotics and perked up for two days. Tests did not lean toward cancer but did indicate some kind of possible immunity problem. More tests were going to be done but he passed before that happened.
I’m writing to ask pet owners to be vigilant and seek answers from a vet as soon as changes are noticed. Make the vet aware of the dog food you are using. Some kind of data needs to be collected on Costco Kirkland dog food as well as other brands until answers are found. I’m heartbroken at losing my good buddy and don’t want others to face what happened to my dog.

[Lazaro B]

Once in a while he will hack up some foamy stuff. Other then that, he is his usual active self going up and down the stairs like he was the road runner. When he was a puppy, he tried to trip me several times going down the stairs. I think he was trying to kill me. LOLOL. I know about the meds that are available. The vet told me about them a few months ago when I brought him in for his wellness exam and vaccines. He eats Fromm Weight Management dry dog food that has fish in it. It has omega 3 and 6 in it.

[Sharon L F]

I had always been told that senior dogs 8 and over need to eat lower protein food. My greyhound is now 8 and I feed acana dry food with has a higher protein than senior foods. Am I damaging her? She has always been on 5 star foods and is healthy now. sharon

[J]

My dog has had reoccurring episodes of pancreatitis. The vet has put her on the Royal Canin Gastro Low Fat dry food. It seems to be helping, but she still has diarrhea and loose stool every once in a while. She has stopped throwing up, and is getting some of her energy back.

This food is hard to come by in Canada. It can only be obtained from a vet clinic, and it is upwards of $8.00/lb. Unfortunately, I can’t purchase it in the states and bring it across the border… even though with the exchange rate the food would only be about $3.00/lb.
My dog is a malamute cross and based on her weight she has to eat 6 cups of this food a day. A 6.6lb bag only lasts 5-6 days and this is costing about $55 bucks a bag. It is a little cheaper when I am able to get the larger bags but this is inconsistent, and the vet clinic does not always get consistent deliveries.

I have been trying to find other comparable products, with a low fat content, but I am not finding many alternatives.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I am not really wanting to change her food… but if you have any suggestions, I would like to talk to my vet about them.

Thanks!

[Janice K]

My 8 week old puppy did the same thing. She had many tests by our regular vet, including a barium x-ray, but nothing showed a cause. Was referred to veterinarian specialists. She saw a neurologist, and internal medicine specialist. Finally a surgeon did an exploratory exam under anesthesia. They found she had an anal structure.(fibrous band). They gave us the option to do a balloon dialation to enlarge the anal opening. We elected to try it. It worked. They said she might have to have it done again as she grew larger, but that is not the case. She is 5 years old now and doing great. She does have to take a liquid (lactulose) medicine daily for life. She has taking it since 8 weeks of age. She is so cute. I say Dolly time for your medicine. She comes to me and opens her mouth for the syringe. Her stools are firm and normal with no more yelping. She eats Horizon Amicus small breed grain free dry food with raw freeze dried mixers mixed in. She is a great little girl. I call her my million dollar baby.

[Susan]

I don’t understand how this works, I clicked on the “Dry foods” there is 15 rows of dry dog kibbles, from 5 stars to 1 star….Holistic Select, Adult/Puppy Salmon, Anchovy & Sardines dog gets 3 stars, it’s in row 9, then when you get to row 14 the Holistic Select dog same formula gets 1 star… how can that be??
I did notice when the formulas used chicken & turkey they got 5 stars when the kibble had any type of fish it got 1 star… I seen a few brands that got 1 star that Patch didn’t do well on, when he first started eating them he was OK then by the 3rd week, he went down hill & was doing sloppy yellow poo’s & didn’t really want to eat the kibble no more, Earthborn, Ocean Fusion, Wellness Complete Whitefish & Sweet Potatoes , Wellness Simple Duck & Oats, Canidae Pure Land…..Patches very sensitive stomach/bowel must know when a kibble is CRAP….there was no TOTW formula’s, that’s the only kibble Patch hasn’t ever gone down hill on, no stomach/pancreas pain, no sloppy poos/diarrhea, no acid reflux, I’d love TOTW to be tested, cause why do dogs with IBD, EPI & IBS do really well on it, I’d love to no how many stars TOTW gets?….
This is why I like rotating kibbles, this way they are not on the same formula/brand long enough to get sick…
The ladies that use to post 3 yrs ago knew what they were talking about they always recommended rotating your dog foods…
Like I always say your better off feeding a Raw or Cooked diet, not a dry kibble….
Rodney Habib & others are proving dogs live longer when they eat raw/cook fresh whole food diets….People start adding fresh whole foods to your dogs diet……

[Samantha S]

Hi, new to this group so hope this is the appropriate place to post this forum!! My two dogs (40 Ib hound & 38 Ib shepherd mix) are currently eating grain free chicken and potato Redford naturals. I’m happy with the dry food and occasionally supplement with Evangers cooked chicken wet food to add some moisture. So I occasionally will add in some steamed broccoli, chickpeas, sweet potato, or any other foods I know are safe for them to eat just to add some fresh food! I know that their dry food is meeting nutritional requirements but I would like to start trying to split the meal, so rather than doing a full bowl of just dry kibble, doing half dry and half fresh foods. However, I know I shouldn’t start doing this with random foods as it needs to be appropriate and balanced. Any suggestions on how to use fresh foods I have on hand while still providing a balanced meal? I also sometimes throw in chia seeds and flax meal into my own meals as a nutritional supplement and wasn’t sure if anyone had any experience with those/ if those products could also be beneficial to my dogs? Thanks!

• This topic was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by Samantha S.

[anonymous]

Mar 01, 2013
By Alice M. Jeromin, RPh, DVM, DACVD
DVM360 MAGAZINE
Excerpt from above article below, unable to provide direct link, if you google DMV360 MAGAZINE and then search “dust mites” at the search engine at that site it will take you to the full article.
Where are storage mites commonly found?
These particular mites (Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Acarus siro) are present in dry foods, cereals, grains, straw and cheese—i.e., substances that can get moldy. Like dust mites, storage mites can cause nonseasonal signs, including pruritus, erythema and recurrent otitis in dogs and cats. They’re well-known in humans for causing asthma and allergic rhinitis (“baker’s lung”).
Data have shown that storage mites live in conjunction with house dust mites and can be found in bedding, mattresses, upholstered furniture and fabrics. One study in humans found storage mites to have overtaken dust mites as a leading source of allergy.
A popular misconception is that storage mites are present in bags of food or cereals from the manufacturer. In one study, out of 10 bags of dry dog food, one was found to have storage mites, but the rest developed the mites after being in the owners’ homes.

[anonymous]

FAQs about house dust mite and storage mite allergies
By bringing pets into our homes, we’ve increased their exposure to these common skin irritants.
Mar 01, 2013
By Alice M. Jeromin, RPh, DVM, DACVD
DVM360 MAGAZINE
Excerpt from above article below, unable to provide direct link, if you google DMV360 MAGAZINE and then search “dust mites” at the search engine at that site it will take you to the full article.
Where are storage mites commonly found?
These particular mites (Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Acarus siro) are present in dry foods, cereals, grains, straw and cheese—i.e., substances that can get moldy. Like dust mites, storage mites can cause nonseasonal signs, including pruritus, erythema and recurrent otitis in dogs and cats. They’re well-known in humans for causing asthma and allergic rhinitis (“baker’s lung”).
Data have shown that storage mites live in conjunction with house dust mites and can be found in bedding, mattresses, upholstered furniture and fabrics. One study in humans found storage mites to have overtaken dust mites as a leading source of allergy.
A popular misconception is that storage mites are present in bags of food or cereals from the manufacturer. In one study, out of 10 bags of dry dog food, one was found to have storage mites, but the rest developed the mites after being in the owners’ homes.2

[anonymous]

FAQs about house dust mite and storage mite allergies
By bringing pets into our homes, we’ve increased their exposure to these common skin irritants.
Mar 01, 2013
By Alice M. Jeromin, RPh, DVM, DACVD
DVM360 MAGAZINE
Excerpt from above article below, unable to provide direct link, if you google DMV360 MAGAZINE and then search “dust mites” at the search engine at that site it will take you to the full article.
Where are storage mites commonly found?
These particular mites (Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Acarus siro) are present in dry foods, cereals, grains, straw and cheese—i.e., substances that can get moldy. Like dust mites, storage mites can cause nonseasonal signs, including pruritus, erythema and recurrent otitis in dogs and cats. They’re well-known in humans for causing asthma and allergic rhinitis (“baker’s lung”).
Data have shown that storage mites live in conjunction with house dust mites and can be found in bedding, mattresses, upholstered furniture and fabrics. One study in humans found storage mites to have overtaken dust mites as a leading source of allergy.
A popular misconception is that storage mites are present in bags of food or cereals from the manufacturer. In one study, out of 10 bags of dry dog food, one was found to have storage mites, but the rest developed the mites after being in the owners’ homes.

[Natasha C]

Have you had your dog allergy tested? It could be food allergy but it could also be a storage mite allergy. My dog has storage mite and dust mite allergy. All dry dog food has storage mites so unless you switch to wet, raw or home cooked food he may still have symptoms. Mine had the watery eyes, chronic ear infections and itching. I started cooking his food which helped tremendously. He is on apoquel too which takes care of his dust mite allergy so he stopped the constant paw licking. Also consider using a novel protein. I found after many months that my dog is also allergic to both chicken and beef, but that wasn’t obvious until I addressed his other issues. Allergy testing at least pointed me in the right direction so I could focus on the environmental allergies first and then the food allergies. Good luck!