[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, 8 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!

[term]

I have a small breed dog, which seems to have developed a skin condition on its back and somach after it turned three years old. After taking it to a couple of vets, they both concluded that it’s a rash most likely being caused by food, so one of the vets suggested I try to feed it with Royal Canin Selected Protein prescription wet food, along with Apoquel medicine. The dog was fine for almost three months with no outbreaks on its skin, but after the allergy meds and canned food ended, the rash returned, and the wet food seems to cause the dog to have teary eyes (which would happen with just about every other wet food I’ve tried in the past, before it developed the rash). I’ve had good results with regular Wellness dry food up until the point the dog developed the skin rash on its back.

Would it be a good idea to try Wellness Simple grain free line of food for the dog? I’d rather switch it to dry food, because up until the skin issue came up, it was doing the best health-wise when eating dry food. Royal Canin has dry food version of Selected Protein, but it has large kibbles, which my dog can’t eat, and it won’t eat them if I soften them up with water. Breaking them into small pieces is a very tedious task, especially if the dog is eating 2-3 times a day. The food is also a bit on the expensive side.

[pitlove]

Hi Leelina-

“i went seeking online and now I follow Dr. Becker” “In all my research I have learned that EVERY MEAL DOES NOT NEED TO BE BALANCED! Just work on balancing over the week.

It is interesting that you follow Karen Becker, but have adapted the balance over time theory, which is exactly what she warns against doing.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2015/11/08/best-to-worst-pet-food-types.aspx

“Even sale meat is ok for animals, as you know animals have different enzymes in their mouths as well as guts to combat the bacteria and parasites that we as humans cannot without cooking it first.

Mechanical breakdown of food in the mouth is what begins the digestive process in canines unlike humans.
Could you provide a credible source for your statement that animals have different enzymes in their gut and mouth that allow them to destroy pathogenic bacteria & parasites? Information from PubMed or Google Scholar will be just fine.

And lets not forget the risk involved for the humans in the home when feeding a pet raw grocery store meat.

“Dogs that get sick and /or die from bacteria already have had compromised immune systems so please don’t be turned away by nay sayers.”

Again, I’m going to have to ask for a credible source of information on this considering my boyfriends Rottweiler was very healthy before he passed away of E.Coli poisoning.

https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/42/5/686/317224/Human-Health-Implications-of-Salmonella

“Fecal shedding of Salmonella organisms was evaluated in 20 dogs in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to determine whether dogs would shed the organism after consumption of homemade raw food diets [25]. Salmonella organisms were isolated from 30% of the 10 dogs that were fed homemade raw food diets, but they were isolated from none of the 10 dogs that were fed commercial dry food.”

and in another study

“In a similar study conducted in 2004, research beagles were fed commercial raw food diets identified as being contaminated with Salmonella organisms. Five of the 7 dogs that shed Salmonella organisms after consuming a raw food diet meal shed a Salmonella serotype that matched the serotype isolated from the diet that was fed [26]. This study used commercial frozen raw food diets that were naturally contaminated, and clinically healthy dogs became colonized after ingestion of a single meal.”

Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide to some of these questionable statments!

[pitlove]

Hi Leelina-

“i went seeking online and now I follow Dr. Becker” “In all my research I have learned that EVERY MEAL DOES NOT NEED TO BE BALANCED! Just work on balancing over the week.

It is interesting that you follow Karen Becker, but have adapted the balance over time theory, which is exactly what she warns against doing.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2015/11/08/best-to-worst-pet-food-types.aspx

“Even sale meat is ok for animals, as you know animals have different enzymes in their mouths as well as guts to combat the bacteria and parasites that we as humans cannot without cooking it first.

Mechanical breakdown of food in the mouth is what begins the digestive process in canines unlike humans.
Could you provide a credible source for your statement that animals have different enzymes in their gut and mouth that allow them to destroy pathogenic bacteria & parasites? Information from PubMed or Google Scholar will be just fine.

And lets not forget the risk involved for the humans in the home when feeding a pet raw grocery store meat.

“Dogs that get sick and /or die from bacteria already have had compromised immune systems so please don’t be turned away by nay sayers.”

Again, I’m going to have to ask for a credible source of information on this considering my boyfriends Rottweiler was very healthy before he passed away of E.Coli poisoning.

https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/42/5/686/317224/Human-Health-Implications-of-Salmonella

“Fecal shedding of Salmonella organisms was evaluated in 20 dogs in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to determine whether dogs would shed the organism after consumption of homemade raw food diets [25]. Salmonella organisms were isolated from 30% of the 10 dogs that were fed homemade raw food diets, but they were isolated from none of the 10 dogs that were fed commercial dry food.”

and in another study

“In a similar study conducted in 2004, research beagles were fed commercial raw food diets identified as being contaminated with Salmonella organisms. Five of the 7 dogs that shed Salmonella organisms after consuming a raw food diet meal shed a Salmonella serotype that matched the serotype isolated from the diet that was fed [26]. This study used commercial frozen raw food diets that were naturally contaminated, and clinically healthy dogs became colonized after ingestion of a single meal.”

Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide to some of these questionable statments!

[Jose B]

I have a 21 months old Golden Retriever, always been fed Orijen Puppy large and Regional after ( had to move to Regional Red due to availability). About a month ago, Loki developed bad breath, started using Fresh Breath, which worked wonderfully with a previous Golden but did not get any results.
I took Loki to the vet yesterday and was told that probably the problem would go away by cleaning his teeth, but I do not see any big infection that would cause the bad breath.
I wonder if by trying different Orijen formula or a different brand of dry food would help.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance
Regards

[anonymous]

Homeopathic vets don’t believe in science based medicine. You can’t have it both ways.
I would find a board certified veterinary dermatologist. Just call the nearest Veterinary School of Medicine and they will refer you.
My dog is a small breed poodle mix that started with the pruritus and ear infections at about 2 years old. Did the steroids, antibiotics. Went back and forth to the regular vet for about a year (tried 3 of them) listened to the homeopathic vets (useless). Most supplements are a scam.
So, I made an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist, she had the testing and I had the results and a treatment plan the same day.
I saw results right away. The initial testing is expensive but the maintenance isn’t that bad (I gave up cable). We see the dermatologist once a year.
She has been stable now for several years. It is very natural, the solution is now available sublingual, so you don’t have to give shots.
She no longer has food sensitivity issues, but does best on a Nutrisca salmon and chickpea kibble as a base, a bit of cooked chicken or something and a splash of water twice a day.
A raw carrot here and there.
I have owned several dogs over the years, some had mild/seasonal allergies, but this is the only one that needed the expertise of a specialist. I avoid vaccinations with this dog, talk to your vet about a rabies waiver.
They still have occasional flare ups, but nothing severe. Prn Benadryl once in a while (it doesn’t do that much anyway).
Btw: raw made her vomit and caused a bowel obstruction requiring a trip to the emergency vet.

[Marie P]

YOU can try Zignature Brand dog food, Salmon flavor; Also, you may want to try making your own dog food as a special treat. I have many friends that feed dry quality kibble such as AVODERM, Zignature or Fromm’s Brands on the weekdays and then home cook on the weekend. Here is a recipe that is chicken free, http://bulldogvitamins.blogspot.com/2017/04/salmon-dinner-for-dogs-woof-food.html

[Susan]

Hi Emmygirl,
It’s good you have found a food that works, stick with it for now…Royal Canin vet diets also has their Potato + Venison-PV, Potato + Rabbit-PR, Potato +Salmon-PS & Potato + Kangaroo wet & dry formulas, I don’t know why but my boy seems to do better on Royal Canin vet diets then the Hills vet diets, but we don’t get any of the Hills d/d novel proteins wet & dry formulas they don’t pass our strict quarantine laws to come into Australia & why we get the all the Royal Canine vet formulas is cause the Royal Canine is made in France & passes our strict quarantine laws……
Be VERY careful feeding a raw diet, raw freeze dried or raw air dried diets, Donate the Canine Caviar if kibble bag is open a kibble only stays fresh for 2 weeks google it, the oils go rancid as soon as the oxygen/air hits the kibbles…changing diets can make your dog have another flare & put him back to square one again, your dog needs time to heal his bowel/stomach & be on the Hills d/d for a good 6 months, my vet wanted Patch on a vet diet for 1yr so everything healed….
The only freeze dried raw I give Patch is the K-9Natural or Sunday Pets Green Lipped Mussel treats as a treat after his bath but I just found out as soon as you open these freeze dry foods some have to used within 10 days, they have written it on their packaging now, I didn’t know until the lady in the pet shop told me the other day, maybe that’s why Patch became ill again about 1 month ago it could from the Green Lipped Mussel treats, I was giving him once a week every Thursday….
When your dog is doing REALLY well & off meds have a look at “Zignature” formulas the Kangaroo has the lowest fat & protein % out of all the Zignature formulas, read what the Hills d/d fat, protein% & fiber% is & when your looking for another kibble/wet tin make sure it has Limited Ingredients same as the Hills d/d has & is around the same amount of fat, protein & fiber as the d/d, you can go up a bit for the protein cause you wont find too many normal formulas that low in protein & when the protein & fat is real low that means the carbs are real high….

[Barbara C]

I have a 9 year old mixed breed, small dog that is overweight. We take him for a walk twice a day. He is getting slower and I am afraid that he will not be able to exercise when summer gets here because of his weight. I started making his food from ground meat, carrots and cottage cheese. I don’t know if this has helped since he looks bigger than ever. Also, I am not sure if he is getting enough vitamins with homemade food. I give him l/4 cup in a.m. and 3/4 cup at night. A total of 1 cup per day.
I don’t know if I should keep feeding him the homemade diet or switch to a low fat dry food. I used Halo’s diet food and he seemed to like it, but again didn’t loose any weight.
HELP! What should I do?

[deanne w]

Hi, i have just come across this site. We purchased a very thin gsd 2 year old that we assumed they hadnt fed her. But after us feeding her she had constant very very runny water diarrhea with blood in it, constantly vomitting and rapid weight loss. After vet examinations and a biopsy she had ibd. Extremely sad. Looked everywhere for advice. I see many people are trying there ibd dogs on say potatoe, duck and a 3rd item. My advice is try to do 1 food at a time.
We had no idea what food she was allergic too so we put her on vet dry food bag called anallergenic in the meantime. We did try hypo-allergenic first but immediately had the runs and blood flowed from her for hours.

I now have had her on raw 4 paws dog food, i tried the turkey first (nothing else! no pills from vets or anything) Well my gs is happy healthy full of life and has gained 10kg.I am trying the roo next. What a difference. Then ill try the potatoe duck. Eventually my dog will have several different options to eat.

I know any supermarket food inflames her bowels immediately, chicken, any meat in there is bad.
Raw 4 Paws is a premium quality, natural, complete and healthy raw diet for dogs.
Raw 4 Paws is grain, yeast and dairy free – to minimize allergy tendencies. All ingredients sourced for the production of this amazing product is fit for human consumption, and contains no added preservatives, artifical colours or flavours, chemicals or fillers.
100% Australian – made, sourced and owned.
We love Raw 4 Paws, and are certain you will too.
Just google this and give it a go–im certainly glad i did.

[Laura B]

I have a 2 year old English Mastiff that suddenly developed “spots” all over his back, head and face, some scaled (just on back) and some not, dry nose (use nose butter). No itching, no crying, doesn’t seem phased by it. I originally gave him benedryl thinking he may have been bit by something. That didn’t phase the “spots.” I took him to the vet, they said allergies. He’s on prednisone and an antibiotic for an ear infection. I’m assuming it’s his food, but we feed him Fromm and have for the majority of his life. We also have 4 other dogs and we are the nasty free feeding kind (please do not judge, when we did timed feeding 3 out of the 4 gorged themselves and free feeding they don’t). My question is the vet said let him get off his pills and if the spots continue, change foods. We’ve done the grain-free and he had the runs, so swapped him. Now, he doesn’t want his food, only milkbones and peanut butter milkbones. I am in search of a recommendation on how I know if this allergy is his food or just outside allergies (pollen). He does also eat raw chicken and pork (usually chicken) on occasion.

[Susan]

Hi Luke,
I understand, the ingredients in the Hills W/D aren’t the best…. Have you joined a Face Book group for Diabetic dog?? groups are the best to join, you get support when you really need it & other people have gone down the same road & have done all the research & would know what are the better premium grain free kibbles, grain kibble & wet tin foods etc that will suit a Diabetic dog….
What I’ve just started to do for my IBD dog is use a vet diet wet tin food for 2 of his meals & a grain free premium kibble for his other meals, he eats 5 small meals a day…..or the only other thing you can do is see a Dog Nutritionist & get help making a special home made diet formulated for your dog health needs…
Here’s the F/B group called ” Canine Diabetes Support and Information” group, join group then click on the “Files” it’s up top of group just under picture & the first link is “Diabetic Dog Food Options” click on link & all these premium wet & dry foods all come up & have the link to the dog food site, someone has done all the hard work to help other Diabetic dogs. https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanineDiabetesSupportandInformation/

[Acroyali]

Millicent, I’ve had a similar experience as yours though probably not as dramatically obvious. I have a cat with feline hyperesthesia syndrome and dry food triggers violent outbursts; he self-attacked himself to the point of bleeding and removing dry food from his diet completely has dropped the episodes. Occasionally he’ll flare up; a chiropractic adjustment or acupuncture does the trick. I have no idea why he has this or what causes(d) it, but I’m just glad I’ve found a link to help keep the episodes down and keep him from being a bloody and miserable mess. Best to you and your pup.

[Millicent m]

I know this post is a few years old but I wanted to add my experience. As we all search for answers, maybe a pattern will emerge! I have an 12 year old wheaten who has had seizures for the past 18 months. We have been giving her phenobarb with moderate success. She never goes longer than a month without seizures but generally only has one every 3-4 weeks. Mostly, but as the budget allows, she now eats a commercial frozen raw brand with occasional dry as a substitute/supplement or for convenience when we travel. A month ago, I replaced her raw food with a new dry food. After two days on the new food, she had a three days full of seizures every 10-12 hours. Disclaimer-this was two days past her 4 week mark of being seizure free so ONE seizure at this time wasn’t unexpected. I quit that food immediately. But neither the vet nor I really believed it could affect her seizures so much. Fast forward three weeks of continuing on the raw frozen again and no more seizures. I hadn’t thawed out enough for this past Saturday’s complete meal so I supplemented with a SMALL portion of the dry food (yes, the previously mentioned new dry food). Six hours later, she had two seizures within 15 min of each other, then a third two hours later. At this point, I took her to the ER, fearing the speed at which this was escalating. Within four hours, she’d had two more, one of which was violent enough to scare the vet tech. After 5 seizure free hours, they gave her some food -one of the Hills prescription canned-. She had a seizure within an hour. After a few more hours, they fed her. She had a seizure within an hour. After a few more hours, they fed her……She had a seizure within an hour. And yes, this trend wasn’t noticed until the third round, even though I noted it after the First feeding. But that’s another story. So……..I am firmly convinced that yes, food can be a GIANT seizure trigger. Like another reply said, probably not a whole cause (but really, who knows?), but most definitely something that can put them over that seizure threshold. I’m trying to determine why said foods are doing that. The two foods don’t share any main ingredients. The dry food is supposedly a high quality food. However, I’m discovering that pea proteins are fast taking over the “high quality”, grain free world of dog food. And even though meat is the main ingredient, we can’t discount how much of the protein content is coming from sources other than the meat. Dogtor J has a theory on food and seizures I’m interested in. Hindsight being 20/20, I’d also like to add that a couple of months prior to her very first seizure, we’d been trying new dog foods because a)she was suddenly hungrier than she had been….after years of eating the same amount and being satisfied and b) her skin issues were no longer being held at bay. Perhaps our dog food’s formula had changed? It was a chicken/chickpea formula I settled on to aid with her skin flareups. Or maybe that formula didn’t change, but instead her body just couldn’t process it anymore. Or maybe the hunger obsession is indicative of a brain lesion/tumor, although that doesn’t explain the seizures that immediately followed certain meals. My gut tells me her seizures are related to her gut…..not necessarily as easy as eating better food (we haven’t found a magic answer there yet) but even due to some disorder or malfunction that’s keeping her body from processing correctly……but I believe her ongoing interest(read obsession) in food (she’s been known to eat her own poop during some of her hunger phases) is related to the seizure puzzle. For what it’s worth, we’ve returned home and had a few meals of her raw food with no additional seizures.

[Susan]

Hi Melodie,
you need to see a proper IBD vet, one that specializes in IBD, also have biopsies done to see WHY this is happening with your boy?? I can fully understand what your going thru, I have a IBD Staffy with skin allergies & food sensitivities.. have you joined any Canine or dog IBD groups on Face Book?? you’ll get a lot of help or there’s a UK IBD group as well…
After trying most of the vet diets that fixed the sloppy poos but caused skin problems or bad acid reflux & vomiting & bloating some vet diet kibbles just sat in his stomach & he’d vomit it back up 7 hours later & these are vet diets that don’t digest???..
I finally found “Taste Of The Wild’ Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb kibble for my boy last year thru the EPI f/b group, you need to work out does your dog do better on LESS fiber or a diet with MORE fiber, my boy does better on low fiber diet & a low carb diet, normally dogs with IBD do better with less fiber especially if they are bloating & low carb diets, get a small bag of “Holistic Select” Adult/Puppy, Salmon, Anchovy & Sardine Meal Grain Free kibble its low in carbs 28% fat is 13-14% & just has fish as the protein or try the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb kibble it has the matching wet tin food as well & the TOTW Roasted Lamb kibble is a single protein kibble, it just has Lamb no other proteins, don’t feed any kibbles that have more then 1 protein or too many ingredients, wet tin food is better but watch the fat% as the fat% is different to the dry kibble fat% stay around 4% fat & under for wet tin foods, that’s around 14-16% fat if it was a dry kibble.. but only feed 1 thing at a time wet or dry till you work out if it agrees with your poor boy..
I rotate Patches kibbles now he can’t stay on the same kibble for too long, 1-2 months he starts reacting with pain & starts whinging, & now he cant eat his cooked lean pork rissoles anymore, vet said it’s his IBD & he gets put back on Metronidazole (Flagyl) for 10-21 days, so now I’m trying the Hills vet diet I/d Digestive Care wet tin food, Ijust feed it for 2 of his meals, I feed 5 small meals a day, he can NOT eat more then 1/2 a cup of kibble at 1 time he does the same & bloats & gets PAIN & whinges for me to rub his stomach pancreas area, so he gets either TOTW Lamb, Canidae Pure Wild Boar, or Holistic Select Salmon, kibble 1/2 a cup at 7am then at 9am 1/2 cup same brand kibble again then 12pm 1/2 a small tin of the Hills I/d wet food, we are trying the Hills wet tin Vet Diet & the vet just ordered today the Royal Canine Hypoallergenic wet tin food to see if he does better on the Royal Canine cause with the Hills I/d wet tin Patch gets his red paws from the chicken, corn starch & I have to take out all the carrots cause carrot makes his ears itchy but he doesn’t get his pain on the Hills I/d Digestive Care & at 5pm he gets another 1/2 cup kibble & 8pm the other 1/2 Hills I/d wet tin food heated up in micro wave, feeding 5 smaller meals a day & daily walks as well Patches pain seems heaps better, soaking his kibble in water cause bad acid reflux for Patch, then I read it’s no good soaking kibble & leaving any water in the kibble bowl, so I stopped doing it… have you tried the Vet Diet “Eukanuba Intestinal” Low Residue kibble?? its very very low in low residue fiber & the kibble breaks down real easy like the TOTW, Canidae & Holistic Select kibbles do….
I do my kibble test, get a glass of very warm water now put 2 kibbles in glass of warm water, a good kibble will float to top of water & a good kibble will only take about 15mins – 40mins to soften all the way thru do not feed any kibbles that take longer then 50mins to go soft all the way thru take the bag of kibble back & say ur dog wont eat it, most kibbles have a Palatability money back…I’m always asking for sample emailing kibble companies for sample so I can test the kibbles & see if they go soft within 40mins..
I asked one of Patches vets could he do a Endoscope & biopsies 3 yrs ago with Patch to see what was wrong, they put camera down the throat into stomach, it’s painless I just had it done yesterday & they get biopsies from stomach & sometimes the vet can go into the small bowel & get a biopsies as well if the flap isn’t shut, if you can afford this do it, biopsies tell you so much, you will get some answers what’s happening, why hasn’t your vet tried more vets diets you have just tried Hills & Purina HA which is like the Hills Z/d formula, Royal Canine has a better range of vet diets & has their Hypoallergenic wet tin & dry kibble, Hypoallergenic kibbles break down easy & the stomach doesn’t have to work as hard, You might have to do what I do by the end of the month, I have to start a new kibble formula, TOTW has been the only kibble he does real well on no itchy skin, firm poos & NO stomach pain, maybe give the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb a try, it has the least ingredients or TOTW Pacific Stream, Smoked Salmon kibble or TOTW wet tin food, but I’m pretty sure the America TOTW Pacific Stream has Garbanzo beans (Chick Peas) these can cause gas, wind & bloating, I try & stay away from Lentils, Chickpeas….. Costco has their Kirkland Signature, Salmon & Sweet Potatoes it’s made by TOTW & heaps cheaper then TOTW, you know the Purina HA works so there’s 1 kibble to rotate with when he’s going down hill again & seems unwell, you just need to find 2 more kibbles, I use the kibbles mentioned above, Spring/Summer I feed the Holistic Select Salmon/sardine kibble cause of Patches skin allergies the extra Omega 3 is good for their skin & stomach/bowel… I’m leaving the Purina HA till last it’s the only vet diet Patch hasn’t tried yet, we have just gotten the Purina HA here in Australia…
Keep us up dated, I’ll post the links to the dog IBD f/b groups tomorrow, I have to go to bed it’s late….

[Dizzy4Gizzy]

My year old pug has a chicken allergy. Does this mean I should also avoid food that has chicken meal, chicken fat, chicken bone, feather or all the chicken add ins that are commonly found in many non chicken based foods? I have tried other meat based dry food and still find chicken in many just not in top 3-5 ingredients listed. Would this still cause issues?

On a side note, how do I add a picture to my profile?

Thanks in advanced to any help!

[Joelle V]

You may also want to investigate Petcurean go sensitive dry or canned food. For a dog I had with similar allergies, I also made my own food, with rice, a single protein, some veggies, and vitamins and fish oil. It helped, it did not cure the allergies, as grass was also an allergen.

[Cheryl S]

I am feeding Bear, 10 1/2 year-old Black Lab, Rachel Rays’ ZERO GRAIN Beef, Potato and Bison dry food. He is also taking APOQUEL for allergies. I would like to try another dog food to see if I can wean him off the allergy pills. They cost $61 per month and I would rather avoid medication if possible. His allergies cause ear yeast infections and some licking, I would judge the licking at 60 out of 100 before he started Apoquel. These symptoms are usually food related according to my research. Any thoughts ? Thank you 🙂

[David K]

I feed my 3 year old, 40 pound Plott Hound a homemade mixture of boiled chicken, white rice, boiled sweet potatoes and scrambled eggs, with the shells.I give him 1/2 a cup of this mixture along with 1/2 a cup of Pure Balance brand dry food twice a day. He really likes it. My question is : Is he getting ALL his nutritional needs with this diet ? He’s been on this feeding program for about two years now and I was wondering if needed to add a supplement or any other additives or substitutions to make it more healthy ? Maybe switch up the meat and or the veggies for variety ? What do you think ? Am I on the right track or do I need to change things ? Thanks, Dave

[Jo C]

My senior gal has dry skin but she doesn’t itch but her skin is dry and hair is brittle you can say and sheds ALOT!

I have been giving her coconut oil with her food but to me I do not see any difference unless I am not giving her enough coconut oil. I also feed her good quality brand of dog food that she loves. I was maybe looking into other oils to mix with coconut oil, any suggestions?

[Susan]

Hi Linda, how I tell when a kibble smells & taste good is my cat pinches Patches kibble, next time your due to buy food buy “Canidae” one of their grainfree Pure Formulas, my cat is always pinching Patches food when I feed Patch the Canidae formula Pure Wild, Pure Land….also Canidae is money back guaranteed if your dog doesn’t eat it… Canidae has the dry kibble & the matching wet tin foods also have a look at Ziwi Peak wet & air dried food, another one my cat pinches from Patch, Ziwi Peak will send you samples to try… http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[Linda S]

I have a picky little guy too that needs a low calorie food. I have been trying so hard to find a dry food that he doesnt turn his nose up at. I recently bought Halo weight management and not a chance. I can’t afford to keep jumping around from one to the other at that price. I am going to try the ones that u have mentioned. If anyone has been successful would you please let me k le? Thanks so much!!! 🐕

[Christie]

Are their any known issues with feeding sardines (approximately 2) per day. I had been splitting a can between my two dogs to mix in with their evening meal. Both seemed to enjoy it (they are not fans of dry kibble alone and canned sardines are cheaper than quality wet food to use as a topper).

About a month after starting this routine, one of the dogs developed stomach issues. Excessive drooling and licking and he wouldn’t settle down easy at night. I stopped feeding the sardines and did a 10 day Pepcid AC regimen twice a day and haven’t had any issues since.

It could be coincidence, but I wonder if the sardines were the culprit.

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

[Michael M]

Can anyone recommend a really high fiber dry dog food that has amazing quality ingredients? It appears these persecution diet has the highest but not the best ingredients. Please help! Thanks
Mike

[Tracy M]

I am new here so I apologize ahead of time as I feel certain I am posting this question in the wrong place. Please let me know where/how to post it properly. I am wondering about anyone’s experience/knowledge with Nutro Wholesome Essentials (dry) for dogs? While there are quite a few Nutro types of food listed in A to Z, I am not finding this variety of Nutro anywhere on this website. Thanks

[Susan]

Hi can you buy each dog their “own” bowls, all different colours, make them all sit, call each ones name & give him/her their dinner in “their” bowl, the way your feeding them at the moment you don’t know if one dog is eating more then another dog, if one dog isn’t eating much one day & is feeling off…..I have a kitten 11months old & dog the kitten is very impatient when her food is being put into her bowl, so she is feed first up on her scratching post thing, Patch is feed in the lounge room so I can sit down on lounge & put a few kibbles in his bowl at a time, other wise he gulps all food under 1 min, he has IBD mainly stomach…..

For your old boy have a look at “Canidae” Pure Meadow Senior kibble, it’s easy to digest & has only 7 ingredients, excellent for dogs with sensitive stomachs, I would send Canidae a email asking what is their lowest Phosphorus kibble, normally large breed puppy formulas are lower in Phosphorous & ask can is their large breed puppy formula Duck Meal Brown Rice & Lentils formula wet & dry be feed to your girl with Kidney problems, its 0.80% Phosphorous & kibble size is nice & small, all Canidae formulas have small easy to digest kibbles…
I know when I’ve emailed kibble companies asking can my 8 yr old eat their new large breed puppy formula, they have all said yes, puppy formulas normally aren’t over 30% -protein, fat isn’t high & have DHA which is excellent for skin, joints, eyes, brain, heart etc so it will also be good for a senior dog as well….
When I emailed “Taste Of The Wild” last week, 2 vets emailed me back within 24hrs asking further questions about my boy health problems, then they recommend which formula’s NOT to feed, so you could give TOTW a try & have a look at their wet tin foods for your young pup, dry kibble isn’t good for dogs with kidney problems, wet food is better…
If you email Hills or Royal Canine or Purina, ask can a vet nutritionist please contact you…

I don’t know if all your dogs can all eat the same formula??? this is Canidae’s Large Breed Puppy, all Life stages formula & it’s low in phosphorous, email Canidea & ask them, it come it wet tin as well..
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products/canidae-life-stages-large-breed-puppy-duck-meal-brown-rice-lentils-dry-formula

• This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by Susan.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Krista:
I don’t read this as a repeated question. Other forum questions “So is it ok that she just gets dry kibble with no other additions? Is this healthy?”, this forum question “What toppers do you guys use to too dry kibble?”

So, back to this forum question, “What toppers do you guys use to too dry kibble?” For balanced toppers I feed canned and frozen/dehydrated raw. Most canned recipes I feed are lower in fat on a DMB than an average kibble containing a GA of 16% fat. For unbalanced toppers I feed sardines, eggs, lean meats, and I also use the download c4c wrote about for other fresh food options altering amounts suggested a bit in order to keep meals balanced.
https://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DN330EBK

I follow the rule of adding no more than 10% of daily caloric intake of unbalanced foods to meals. I use this site to figure out calories for my unbalanced toppers:
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/

“Treats and additional food items should not exceed 10% of the daily caloric intake. The majority (90% or greater) of the calories should come from a complete and balanced food…” ~ UC Davis Veterinary Medicine. More on this topic:
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/local_resources/pdfs/Treats_guidelines.pdf

Good luck!

[Acroyali]

I don’t feed kibble, so I can’t make any good recommendations but I’m sure someone with more knowledge on the matter will chime in soon!

I wanted to ask if the vet mentioned perhaps offering her a little bit of canned food daily, as well as changing her dry? Even if you gave her a tablespoon or two and let the other dogs have a small taste as a daily treat, it wouldn’t break the bank or create the need for specified meal times, and the extra moisture probably would be of some benefit for her kidneys.

Best of luck with your pup.