[Susan]

Hi Donna, read the ingredients to the Hills I/d formula then start looking for better quality brands with similar ingredients & fat %, one problem Hills have already converted their wet tin foods fat% & protein% to dry matter (Kibble) normal wet tin foods & raw haven’t been converted to dry matter (kibble) yet…. Which I/d formula is she eating?? there’s a few Hills I/d formulas, there’s I/d Low Fat Restore, fat is around 8%max, converted, then there’s their normal Hills I/d wet tin formulas where fat is around 14%-15%max, converted, so when you look for a wet tin food it can’t be over 3-4%max-fat, if you see a wet tin with 5%-fat when you converted 5%min fat it’s around 20-25% fat if it were a kibble & can cause pancreatitis if your dog is prone to Pancreatitis…. you might be best using the Hills wet tin food as a base & cook lean white meats like turkey, chicken & pork grounded mince or tin tuna in spring water & add some boiled pumkin, carrot make a batch & freeze small meal sizes & add 1/2 Hills wet tin & 1/2 cooked mix together, it will work out cheaper cooking, if just a hassle…

[Debbie G]

After reading the forums comments about avoiding potatoes in dog food, I went to the pet store to buy a new brand for Lucky, my 12 yr old 83 lb lab. All the Editor’s choice 5 star dry foods had potatoes as an ingredient. I talked to the manager and he said Zignature doesn’t have any potatoes or grains in their food. I’d never heard of this brand, but is there anyone who has their dog on this food? I ended up getting the Duck formula. Mainly because my 1 year old puppy ate a hole in the large bag while I was comparing labels and I felt like I had to buy it!

• This topic was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by Debbie G.

[Crystal T]

Hello! I’m new here. Our dog is 11 months old and his name is Winston. Winston prefers dry dog food. He is also overweight.
I need help finding or devising a recipe for dog food. I found the perfect premade food for him but unfortunately it is crazy expensive. Here are the ingredients. Can you help me figure out a recipe from it or suggest one? It must be 1. organic 2. end up a dry food or mostly dry and 3. help with him being overweight.

Ingredients (in order of quantity):
-USDA grade, Ethoxyquin-free, Deboned Turkey & Chicken
-high quality (low Ash) Turkey & Chicken Meals
-Chicken Liver
-Potatoes
-Dried Ground Potatoes
-Pea Fiber
-Whitefish Meal
-Tomato Pomace
-Natural Chicken Flavor
-Chicken Liver
-Salmon Oil
-Flaxseed
-Carrots
-Sweet Potatoes
-Kale
-Broccoli
-Spinach
-Parsley
-Apples
-Blueberries
-Vitamins
-Minerals
-Choline Chloride
-Chicory Root Extract
-Yucca Schidigera Extract
-Glucosamine Hydrochloride
-Chondroitin Sulfate
-Lactobacillus plantarum
-Enterococcus faecium
-Lactobacillus casei
-Lactobacillus acidophilus
-Mixed Tocopherols
-Rosemary Extract

Calories Analysis (on an as fed basis)
350 cal/cup ME
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min) 33%
Crude Fat (min) 9%
Crude Fat (max) 10%
Crude Fiber (max) 8.5%
Moisture (max) 10%
Calcium (max) 1.9%
Phosphorus (max) 1.3%
Vitamin E (min) 500 IU/kg
Omega 6 Fatty Acids* (min) 2.2%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids* (min) 0.50%
Glucosamin Hydrochloride* (min) 250 mg/kg
Chondroitin Sulfate* (min) 200 mg/kg
Beta-carotene (min) 5 mg/kg
Total Micro-organisms* (min) 80,000,000 CFU/lb

[Kira M]

Tonk is my first pit and he was given to us when my friend passed away recently. He is 8 years old he is a white pit. Sweetest boy ever, he thinks he’s a puppy and likes to take over my bed at night. The problem I am having is he is chewing on his back by his tail real bad, to the point it bleeds. Is there something I can do for him to help. I thought he might of been allergic to my laundry soap, I changed that to dreft. I have tried different foods, different shampoos, but nothing seems to be helping.

[anonymous]

Another previous post:

What you describe sounds like environmental allergies, food would have little impact, if any, on this condition.
I would continue to work with your veterinarian, however, for best results, I would go to a specialist, a veterinary dermatologist.
Have you tried the search engine here? This subject comes up frequently.
Example: /forums/topic/irritated-skin-food-allergy/
/forums/topic/dog-chewing-nails-till-they-bleed/
“Food allergies are rare. Food sensitivities tend to result in GI disturbances such as vomiting and diarrhea. Environmental allergies tend to show up as pruritus, ear infections and such”.
“You could try a limited ingredient grain free food. My dog does well on Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea. Wipe down her feet with water and gently dry when she comes in from outdoors”.
“Bathe her using a gentle shampoo, I use Malaseb (see chewy dot com).
I tried all kinds of things times 1 year (including going back and forth to the veterinarian), but, did not get results till I took her to a dermatologist for testing. Allergen specific immunotherapy worked in her case”.
Unfortunately, steroids and such are often necessary (for brief periods) to stop the suffering and prevent infection.
Allergen specific immunotherapy is the most natural treatment.
Also, I have heard that some dogs do well on apoquel, you may want to consider staying with that, talk to your vet.

[Paige C]

Hello everyone!
I adopted my first dog, Beast, in October. He is a 1 year old Cattle Dog mix.
We noticed pretty much right away that he is always scratching his mouth/ears after eating his breakfast. He doesn’t have any hives or hair loss or anything like that. Just always itching his mouth (it looks like he is trying to get something out of his teeth but theres never anything there) and itching his ears after eating. He also seems to have lots of eye boogies.
We completely eliminated poultry and potatoes(white and sweet) from his diet but he seems to still be doing it. Right now he is eating Taste of the Wild Southwest Canyon so I’m wondering if it’s a sensitivity to peas.
At the same time I’m not sure if it even is an allergy. We’ve discussed it with his Vet who has been understanding of us switching his food, and suggested Benadryl for possible environmental allergies, but that seemed to make it worse so we stopped.
His previous owners were feeding him chicken and rice, so I’m thinking I may put him on a chicken/rice based kibble if possible. Or a lamb/rice since we haven’t given him lamb yet. What do you guys think? Everything I’ve heard for allergies have been red/swollen skin, hair loss, diarrhea, vomiting, etc. and he doesn’t seem to have that. Could it just be mild allergies or am I just being a crazy dog mom?

[Annie J]

Pancreatitis can be a pretty severe disease and can ultimately end a dog’s life, so now is not the time to experiment. A dog with panc needs to be restricted to a low-fat diet, at least until the pancreatitis has resolved. If Patchy doesn’t like canned food then try the dry versions of the low-fat diets (Hill’s I/D low-fat, GI low fat Royal Canin, Purina EN, etc). Pancreatitis can be the primary problem from dietary indiscretion (“garbage gut”, table scraps, bacon, etc) or secondary to another disease so if it’s not from her eating weird things then resolve the panc first then have her reassessed. Definitely avoid raw food, at least until her panc is taken care of- there are a plethora of pathogens in raw diets so don’t give her body anything else to fight off at this point in time. If you want to do raw in the future just make sure it is “AAFCO” approved on the label and sear the raw meat for a few secs before giving it (studies show it reduces the infectious bugs considerably). This certainly wouldn’t take care of toxo or parasites, just enteric bacteria. My friend’s dog got incredibly sick while eating raw food and when she was hospitalized they had to keep her in isolation (addtl $$$$$) until her antibiotic treatment was long enough for her to stop shedding salmonella. Cod liver oil in the future is a good source of omega-3s but is fatty so definitely not for a dog trying to overcome pancreatitis. Digestive enzymes are really only needed if they have a different pancreas-related disease (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency) so if Patchy can make her own enzymes no need to feed her another animal’s. Sounds like your vet provided good advice and since they assessed Patchy’s overall condition I’m sure they’d be happy to give you guidance about how you want to manage her condition 🙂 hang in there Patchy! lay off the fatty foods

[HoundMusic]

A lot of these things have a genetic component, the puppy mills and backyard breeders that continue to breed dogs even when they are aware of hereditary disorders, doesn’t help

To an extent, yes, but environment plays a more drastic role, IMHO.

For instance, I lost a gorgeous show CH male Beagle at 10yrs from a line of extremely healthy, long lived hounds who averaged 16 years. Not long after I bought him @ 5yrs, he had a focal seizure. Nothing I had seen before purchasing this dog indicated anything of the sort was in the bloodline, and when I questioned his former handler and owners of littermates, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., no light could be shed on the problem. The seizure he had with me was apparently his first and only. A dog that seizes at such a late age either has been in contact w/ environmental contaminants, has been poisoned, has an underlying health issue such as a tumor or Cushings, or is being exposed to something in the food either directly or indirectly causing the issue.

Lo and behold, this dog’s littermate sister also had the occasional “hypoglycemic fit”. She was also the only other dog of about a dozen or so relatives that also ate raw. P.S., I have had, on two other occasions, have dogs with violent seizures immediately after starting the raw diet, when ideopathic epilepsy was unheard of in the bloodline.

Genetics loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger.

To answer the OP’s question:

My youngest dog was a 4yr old GSD euthanized due to complications from degenerative myelopathy. At the time of death, however, she had been on Eukanuba dry/canned foods, and died about 2-3 months before their massive melamine recall. A friend of mine with 3 retired police S&R dogs who also fed Euk dry was experiencing the same symptoms as I was with all my dogs. So yes, I believe in this instance, diet contributed to her early death.

My oldest, incidentally, was a 15yr old black GSD mix who also died of degenerative myelopathy, after battling it for three years. He was switched back to raw after I first noticed symptoms, and made some major improvements in overall health and mobility afterwards. He was NEVER paralyzed. He was treated homeopathically with green tea and ginkgo biloba, and did better than most dogs on conventional meds who’d had the disease half the time. He did “go down” 48hrs before we made the decision to euthanize, but he walked, with assistance, the six blocks to our vet. I will be damned to Hell if diet did not prolong and increase the quality of his life.

And yet, 100% raw + Beagles = inevitable catastrophe. And it fed my Beagle bitch’s mammary tumor like I’d thrown gasoline on a fire.

[m r]

Our 5 pound, 10 year old Papillon had 3 bladder stones removed last month. The analysis showed that they were Calcium Phosphate Carbonate. I was only able to find limited research matching the specificity of her condition, and have lots of questions. I would love guidance from someone who has experience with this specific type of stone? What have you done that’s worked? Our Vet told us there’s a 50/50 chance of recurrence, and even after surgery, there is still blood in her urine.

She goes on a wee wee pad – so can urinate freely, which she does, . . . frequently! The blood in her urine appears pinkish/red. She was on Carprofen immediately following surgery – but bloody urine persisted, so Vet switched her to a different anti-inflammatory – Meloxidyl. This seemed to work because we weren’t noticing blood in her urine 10 days after we started Meloxidyl, so we were told to stop. But shortly after stopping Meloxidyl, we noticed the blood in her urine resumed. The Vet took some additional X-Rays and did a Sonogram, and told us that she still has some clotting and debris from either the surgery or from ongoing cystitis (bladder inflammation); and that while she still may be creating some sediment, thankfully stones have not developed over the last 3+/- weeks since surgery. How long does it take for the sediment to form? Is it possible for sediment to form merely weeks after surgery?

Our Vet prescribed Hill’s C/D (stating she needs a diet lower in protein, phosphorus, and calcium). She was on a diet of Natural Balance – variety of flavors since we got her (only weeks old). We’ve been feeding her the Hill’s C/D food for one week now (she wouldn’t eat the canned, so we feed dry soaked in water . . . soupy consistency). Vet did a unrinalysis yesterday, which showed pH of 8.5. How long should it take for the food to alter her pH? He suggested we use a dipstick (which he said we can purchase online and touch it to the urine on the wee wee pad) to test her urine daily. But, if we determine that her pH is not where is should be, what else are we supposed to feed her to help manage the pH to around 6.5/7 (where the Vet would like it to be)?

Urine culture results are not yet back, but last time they didn’t show anything out of the ordinary.

In addition to suggesting Hill’s C/D prescription diet, and monitoring the urine pH at home daily, the Vet also recommends diagnostic testing at his office including urinalysis ( every 3 months), urine culture( every 3 months), radiographs/x-rays (every 6 months). We still aren’t clear what to do if pH doesn’t go down? i.e. how do we get it to decrease? I read somewhere that we’re supposed to be feeding a diet rich in animal-based protein to help increase acidic pH vs. alkaline, but based on the type of stones she had (CALCIUM PHOSPHATE CARBONATE UROLITHS), we’re supposed to feed her a diet low in animal protein. So what to do?

Also, how do we get her to drink more water? We already soak the dry kibble in hot water an hour +/- before serving. We also refresh her water throughout the day and night. I don’t want to add sodium to her diet, because I read somewhere that dogs with her type of stones are also supposed to stay away from salt.

Thank you in advance for any guidance you can provide!

[Susan]

Hi Susie, yes Patch was also licking & licking his front paws after eating, I forgot about that, when I first got him he had skin problems, food sensitivities & environment allergies & was put on vet diet Royal Canin HP, the fat was really high at 19% & only 18% protein, then he got real bad acid reflux but I didn’t know back then what was wrong with him, his first vet was an idiot, Patch started wrecking his toys, shaking, chewing & ripping them, then a new vet said sounds like he’s in pain & Patch ended up with Pancreatitis from the vet diet R/C was too high in fat, 1 yr later we thought he had stomach ulcers he was still having acid reflux, chewing, ripping toys & whining while lying on his stomach & hungry 24/7, so I had an Endoscope & Biopsies done, when I picked Patch up from vets, vet said stomach looked really good & there’s no ulcers, I said but we still have the 2 biopsies, when will the results be back, I bet it’s Helicobacter-Pylori, I’ve had the Helicobacter-Pylori bacteria a few times & you feel so hungry 24/7 when the acid gnaws at your stomach, so you keep wanting to eat to take away the burning pain but 20mins after eating your in pain again with bad acid burning & gnawing in your stomach….& I was soaking Patches vet diet for IBD in water cause he’s a gulper with food & was gulping his kibble in 5-10 seconds, vet said just add water to his kibble, again I didn’t know until I read an article a few years ago around the same time those new stop gulping food bowls started coming out, the article said, why adding water with kibble can be a bad thing, especially if the kibble hasn’t soften yet, the dog gulps up the water & gulps air trying to get to his dry kibbles….years ago they were saying add water to your dogs kibble it was suppose to slow dogs eating down that gulped their food….then I was softening all his kibbles & draining all the water out as much as I could & making it like wet tin food with his dry vet diet.. I just knew something wasn’t right after Patch ate the kibble with water, he was burping, farting whinging after eating, he got worse….Those go slow food bowls didn’t work either for Patch he couldn’t get the small kibbles out cause of his big fat snout, then he was gulping air again trying to lick up the little kibbles, so now I just add a few kibbles at a time to his normal stainless steel bowl & tell him to chew, then when he’s has chewed all the kibbles I add more kibbles to his bowl & his bowl is on a stand level with his stomach…
It’s taken me 3-4 yrs to finally find foods that work, stop him itching, licking, whinging & have no acid reflux, that Helicobacter is very hard to kill, high fiber diets are no good, you need low carb, low fiber diets & no sugar diets, the fat can be around 15%max & no fish/salmon oil in food but all dogs are different it all depends on your dog…..

[Susan]

Hi my Patch keep waiting in kitchen near the food cupboard to be feed again when he had his acid reflux… he was put on Losec an ant acid reducer & his diet was changed (no grains) & touch wood he’s all good again until I feed a something that causes him to get his acid reflux…Have you tried feeding something else & see does this continue? have a look at the Zeal (fish) the protein is a bit higher, the fat is lower at 8.5% & the fiber is 5.8% isn’t as high as the Love is & feed 4 smaller meals a day & feed the same time everyday….. can you cook? peel & boil sweet potatoes & buy 1kg (2lbs) of lean grounded beef mince, I make beef rissoles baked in the oven, I add 1 whisk egg, finally cut up about 1/2 cup broccoli no stems, peel & grate 1 small carrot, 1 teaspoon finally cut up parsley mix all together & make 1 cup size rissoles, put on a foil lined baking tray & bake in oven then about 15mins when 1/2 cooked take them out rissoles & drain any excess water/fat & turn them all over then bake till cooked, boil some peeled & cut up sweet potatoes cool & freeze the rissoles & sweet potatoes then take out the day before & thaw in fridge & feed the next day, do this for 3 days & see is he still acting hungry….
I was feeding Sunday Pets, a New Zealand dehydrated dry big biscuits, Patch loved them but I think cause they were higher in fat & I was adding water cause they were dehydrated they swelled up when water was added, then it was causing his acid reflux to come back again, something wasn’t agreeing with him but he kept eating & wanting them, the nut……
It’s hard to tell when they get acid reflux, they can’t talk & tell us, some dogs start licking & licking their lips & swallowing, Patch grinds his teeth & makes weird mouth expressions & he gets his toys/balls & bites & bites & shakes them… the only way to know is feed something else that’s lower in fat for a few days & stop the Honest Kitchen & see does he stop doing what he’s doing….

[Melanie B]

Susan,
I was looking into the Wysong dry kibble on amazon. It did not have great reviews due to diarrhea. Did your dog ever get diarrhea? It seems that they have changed their formula or something of that sort. Sigh. It’s so hard to find a good brand of dog food. I spend 3.5 hours in the kitchen cooking for one week’s worth of food yesterday. With my mother’s help!

[theal]

I came to this discussion in my search for a quality grain-free fish-based dry food but it raised even more questions.

Specifically I have a question for GSDsForever.
Can you please explain why you say “Orijen’s 6 Fish formula has a pretty poor overall dry matter digestibility”? I looked at the ingredients list and I don’t see any red flags.

Also, Wellness Core Ocean has a very low Omega-3 content for fish-based food; only 0.8% even though it has Canola Oil and Flaxseed Omega-3 fillers.
Orijen has 2.2% Omega-3 with no additional Omega-3 supplements.
Should this lead to conclusion that Wellness Ocean uses less fish and/or lower quality of fish that was de-oiled?
Low percentage of Omega-3 can also be found in these well-reviewed fish products: Hi-Tek Naturals Grain Free Alaskan Fish, Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch Grain-Free Natural Dry and Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Pacific Catch Recipe.

With a current fish over-harvesting and fish prices going through the roof, food processing companies seem to compromise on fish quality to keep product price lower.
So I wonder if I should go with a quality meat-based feed and to use a fish-oil supplement instead.

[Samantha P]

Hi,

I have a 6 month old Lab/Australian Cattle Dog mix. She consistently turns her nose up at dry dog food and will get bored of a new dog food after 2-3 meals. I initially had her on Royal Canin Maxi Puppy (the large bag was given to me when i first got her), and then she got bored of it after about the 2nd bag of it. I wanted to move her onto a better food anyway so i got her Wellness Core which she liked for a day or two. Now, I’ve just gotten the Blue Buffalo Wilderness (the one with the baby wolf on the front) and she thoroughly enjoyed it the first 2 times she had it and now she seems over it. I want to try the tough love approach with her but I feel bad (go figure aha!). When I just tried feeding her lunch she wasn’t having it so I took the food away and will try again at dinner. I know that if she was given something (like table food) she’d eat it with no issue! Her energy levels are still great, stool is firm and doesn’t seem to have any sores etc in her mouth.

I’ve tried high grade, low sodium chicken stock when she was eating the Wellness Core which would work 75% of the time, but I’d rather not have her reliant on that.

Any other suggestions? I’m pretty open to anything.

Thanks!

[Susan]

Hi Christine, yes you would be stressing out, I know I would be… sometimes a dog just can’t eat a raw diet, a dog needs to be healthy with a healthy gut/bowel & not have a compromised immune system to be feed a raw diet, I have a boy with IBD & I went thru a Naturopath to put Patch on a raw diet, I had to add digestive enzymes, a probiotic & a supplement to the raw also I couldn’t add any bone or organ meats to the diet, I added the supplement that replaced the bone & muscle meat until we slowly introduce everything to his diet…..The raw diet didn’t work out for my boy, he kept regurgitating up digested raw meat & water kept coming back up into mouth 20mins after eating causing bad acid reflux..
Maybe look for good Animal Nutritionist & she can make up a few balanced cooked meals for him that are very easy to digest, here’s the link for “Balance It” click on the “Click on” link, you fill out the quick 40 sec form asking what are your dogs health problems but if your dog has too many health problems more then 2 health problems you have to contact Balance It & one of the vet Nutritionist makes up a special diet for your dog….this way he’s eating a proper balanced cooked diet…
https://secure.balanceit.com/
For now feed the vet diet till you work out what you want to do, is the vet diet dry (kibble) or wet (Tin food)???
Have a look at “Wysong” here’s their link & contact them ask about their Epigen starch free diets in the wet tin foods there’s organic chicken, Rabbit, turkey, duck, salmon & beef these diet would have better ingredients then the vet diets have you may feel better feeding them… http://www.wysong.net/epigen-canned

[Danielle B]

Hello, I am new to this forum and am hoping to find answers. We recently brought home our new puppy. The breeder was feeding Blue Buffalo fish and oatmeal “adult breed” with royal can in puppy mousse. After coming home we stuck with the exact same regimen and changed nothing. Our puppy developed horrible diarrhea for about 3 weeks. After putting him on a prescription diet, vet recommended along with a digestive supplement, cooking for him and adding pumpkin, it seems that his gut has normalized. It is now time to slowly get him off of the prescription diet however I am still overwhelmed by the choices here. I am looking for a dry kibble in the medium price range. I went into this thinking Blue Buffalo was a decent brand but after reading this website it doesn’t seem to be the best choice. Any suggestions on where to start my bulldog. Being a breed prone to health issues, skin irritations, joint issues, etc,, I would like to get a jump on feeding him properly now before things get out of control. I am looking for any and all suggestions on food, suggested supplements, additives, routines, etc… I also am not clear as to why the breeder feeds his puppies adult food instead of puppy food, any thoughts on this. Also, are english bulldogs considered large breed or medium breed on this website? Thank you for any and all help.

[Meagan T]

Our almost 9 year old yellow lab has IBD. Our vet switched him to prescription Hills z/d when he was diagnosed because it’s a hydrolyzed protein and he has done great on it. He’s been off of all antibiotics for 5 months and off his prednisone for 3 months and he’s still doing fantastic. We’ve been talking with our vet about switching him to a different dry dog food because it’s very expensive to continue Hill’s z/d for a dog his size. Zignature Kangaroo Formula has been discussed as an option because it’s a novel protein (we know he’s had chicken, lamb, fish, and beef before, probably some duck in treats). He’s never had any specific allergy testing done. Any suggestions on a dry dog food? We’d love to lower the cost of his food but we definitely don’t want to have him flare again. He’s also on Fortiflora, Metamucil, and vitamin B12 for the IBD.

[Susan]

Melaine B,
Try not feed kibble, kibble is higher in carbs, if you want you could feed about 1/4 to 1/2 kibble & other meals food the cooked meal….have a look at Wysong Epigen Wet & Dry, Wysong is Starch free & lower in carbs, the wet tin food has 15%Carbs, it will help with less cooking… I was cooking a big batch enough to last for 8-9days & freezing small meals but it still became a headache… http://www.wysong.net/

[Susan W]

Hi LJ – I am so sorry for your loss. What a fantastic dog! You were obviously a great doggy parent to have a dog that sensitive.
Melanie, I am sorry for your dog’s diagnosis, as well. To be honest, the only thing I know about Hemangiosarcoma is that it is a cancer. I will look it up here shortly. As for a food to recommend, I suggest you contact the people at VeRUS Pet Foods. I used to make my dogs’ food, too, because I had a problem with a commercial 4-star dog food & felt I couldn’t trust anyone else to make a good food. When feeding 85 lb Golden & 15 lb mutt became too much w/work, I started looking for a commercial food I could trust. VeRUS was on a list from BarkPost of companies who had never had a recall. I contact them – and several companies from that list – and only VeRUS was caring enough to contact me, ask questions, and send free samples. I’ve been feeding VeRUS for over 2 years now & my dogs are doing great. The food – I only feed dry – always smells fresh, even at the bottom of the bag. The cost is reasonable when compared to other holistic dog foods and they have several canned and dry food formulas. They have a contact form so you really don’t do anything but invest a few minutes of time to get to try out a good food.
Good luck with your doggy-baby.

[marilyn s]

After more xrays, her stones have reduced in size , but there is stll one medium sized one. I would like to avoid surgery, so she is now on a stronger antibiotic, Baytril. Her culture tests came out OK and her PH is good. I hope this works. I am still giving her Crananidin by Nutramax. She is still on the Hill’s perscription diet dry food (she would not eat the wet one). urinary care c/d.

[Nesil N]

Thank you so much Stephanie for the recommendation as well as the book.. Right now he is in a blend food diet for a week.. then we will introduce the dry food..

[Cheryl J]

Thank you for all of the info. My vet has recommended The Hills W/D dry food. She says he needs the high fiber to fill him up since he is always hungry. I have just started him on this gradually changing him over from what he has been on. I will look at Dr. Judy’s site too. Thank you again!

[Andrea O]

I have read in several places where it states that raw diets allow the dog to grow at the rate they’re naturally suppose to. Commercial dry dog foods have too many proteins, carbs and make the dogs grow too quickly which in turn causes serious structure issues in the dog like hip dysplasia for example. It’s a good thing he has slowed down. It’s just like the chickens they feed in feed lots, they over do the carbs, proteins, steroids etc to get them unnaturally big fast. Dry dog food works in same way with puppies. Check out Dr Karen Becker on facebook. She’s amazing and goes into great detail in her short videos about this. She also has a video out called Pet fooled, highly recommend.

[Tessa R]

I have a 5 month old APBT. He recently began eating his feces (gross.) I was advised by a vet tech, not a vet, to put him in a vitamin supplement. They stated that majority of puppies that do this are lacking certain vitamins in their diet. I researched the best foods, and amazingly I already feed him 4.5 star rated food. He eats Taste of the Wild puppy, with a mix of 4health puppy formula, both dry food. I’m not sure what could possibly be missing from his diet, but need something to help with the problem. We clean it up ASAP, but we have half an acre (open to range,) 1 senior dog, and the new puppy so sometimes it’s harder to keep up with. Just wondering what suggestions I can get. Thank you to anyone willing to help!!

[Stephanie W]

Nesil,
You’re most welcome. I’m glad I could help. Between the hose two brands I like open farm a bit more. They are both good but the synthetic vitamins in weruva are sulfates, proteinates are better and that is what open farm uses.

If you want to do a combination of dry food and home cooked I highly suggest the book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet,” by Steve Brown. ($9 used on Amazon) his book specifically covers that option. The first half is for people that want to do a combo of kibble and cooking and the best way to go about that.
Each recipe is broken down to show what nutrients are in it and to show that they meet NRC guidelines.

[Susan]

Hi,
if you can afford it, contact a Animal Nutritionist & have a few freshly balanced homemade meal made up for him, it will be better then feeding the dry Hills W/d food, the Hills W/d is very very high in fiber, maybe that’s could be why he’s drinking & drinking water or try feeding the wet tin Hill W/d food instead of the W/d dry kibble… What has the vet said??
I just posted this link on another post, google Dr Judy Morgan DMV she has a few dogs with Cushing’s, go to her F/B page & ask does she have a video recipe on You-tube for a dog with Cushing’s… I’ve seen Judy making a recipe & adding a supplement for her 2 girls with Cushing’s….she also used the Honest Kitchen base meal to balance one of her meals, I think that was the meal for her girls with Cushing’s…. also have you joined the Cushing F/B group??

[Sarah P]

My dog has the following allergies and I am having a hard time finding an acceptable affordable dog food. He is allergic to:

Potatoes, rice, milk, barley, oats, pinto beans, wheat, beef, lamb, flaxseed, & yeast.

I was using Acana Pork & Squash Singles until the company changed its formula and added Pinto Beans. Even though it’s not one of the first five ingredients, my dog still reacted to it.

Any advice other than cooking for him would be greatly appreciated.

[Cheryl J]

My almost 7 yr. old Maltipoo has been diagnosed with Cushings. He is on Vetoryl daily and I am just starting him on Hill Science W-D dry dog food. He has probably been on the Vetoryl now for 4 months and has his cortisol checked every 2 to 3 mo. The excess drinking and peeing have not let up. Does anyone know how long it can take before he shows any sign of improvement?

[Brenda D]

Hi Everyone, I am looking for a dry dog food that contains no heart, canola oil, and yeast. I want it to have high quality ingredients and be a good food brand. Does anyone have any dry dog foods they recommend? Thanks.

[Jeannine M]

I just copied and pasted from the article under ‘What to feed your Large breed puppy’

Recommended
Calcium Guidelines
Fortunately, there’s general agreement among the experts. To meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for growth13 in large breed puppies, a dog food must (on a dry matter basis) contain:
1.2 to 1.8% calcium
1.0 to 1.6% phosphorus
Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio 1:1 to 1.8:114
However, for some higher calorie foods, the above guidelines may not apply.

[Sabema]

Hi Cassie,

I’ve had the same good results with my Tucker. At the onset of gulping I give him 1 Benadryl and 1 Pepcid AC – this is the only combination that drastically reduces the duration and intensity of the episode. This combo was also ok’d by our long term vet.

Some years ago, based on info from this board, I switch Tucker to Hills Prescription Z/D food. Our gulping episodes went from 1-2 times per month to 1-2 time every 6-8 months.

[Jeannine M]

I just contacted Victor and this was their reply, although it doesn’t say max %.

Greetings Jeannie,
Thanks for your growing interest in Victor Super Premium Pet Foods.

FORMULA
CALCIUM
PHOS

GF Yukon
1.2%
0.9%
GF chicken
1.6%
1.1%
GF Ultra Pro
1.8%
1.2%
GF Hero
1.6%
1.1%
GF Active dog
1.6%
1.1%
GF Lamb
1.9%
1.2%
Ocean fish
1.2%
0.9%
Lamb meal
1.2%
0.9%
Chicken meal
1.1%
0.8%
Beef Meal
1.5%
0.9%
Senior
1.3%
0.9%
Nutra Pro
1.3%
1.3%
Hi-Pro
1.4%
1.0%
Performance
1.4%
1.0%
Professional
1.4%
1.0%
High Energy
1.4%
1.0%
Multi Pro
1.3%
0.8%

Best Regards,
The Victor Support Team
1-888-428-7544

Untitled-1 copy

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Victor® is manufactured in our own modern Texas based facility.
Several formulas rated 4 and 5 Star by dogfoodadvisor.com and exceed AAFCO Nutritional Guidelines.
All Victor® dry dog food formulas are:
Free from Corn, Wheat, Soy, or Gluten!
Enhanced with Zinpro Performance Minerals, which are the most bio-available complex trace minerals on the market.
Infused with SEL-PLEX organic selenium to improve cellular health by fighting free radicals.
Enriched with multiple Probiotics for building a healthier immune system with improved gut health.

From: Victor Pet Food [mailto:Contactus@victorpetfood.com]
Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2017 5:13 PM
To: Victor Pet Food <info@victordogfood.com>
Subject: Contact Us – New Contact Us Request

Contact Us

Topic
Product Question

Question or Comments
I am looking for a Large breed puppy food and was wondering if your active dog and puppy or any of your all life stages have the correct ratio of calcium to phosphorous ratio recommended for large breed puppies? I believe the recommendations are-
1.2 to 1.8% calcium
1.0 to 1.6% phosphorus
Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio 1:1 to 1.8:114
However, for some higher calorie foods, the above guidelines may not apply.
Thank you,
Jeannine Moore
Page: http://victorpetfood.com/contact-us/
Unique ID: #1335
Date: January 21, 2017
Time: 5:12 pm

[Susan W]

My Golden had yeasty issues FOREVER and I have a little mutt who has the most sensitive stomach I’ve ever seen. I had trouble finding a dry food that both could eat, then I tried making their food – which helped some, but I just couldn’t keep doing it, so I had to look for a reasonably priced food. I settled on VeRUS dog food for several reasons: 1) they’d never had a recall; 2) when I sent an inquiry to them, a person emailed me back and asked questions before sending me samples (instead of coupons); 3) They have a very informative website; 4) both my dogs like the food and have improved tremendously while eating this food.
However, food is only half the battle. We still had some yeasty issues, especially bad during the summer. If you go to the blog done by DERMagic, you’ll find some fantastic information on causes and remedies for skin problems.
BTW – The people at VeRUS have been nice enough to continue answering questions for me about diet and nutrition for my dogs – and more recently, my mom’s aging dog. They are super people.

[elaine c]

the best dog food I know, in a category by itself, and what I feed my two pits is Answers Pet food. It is raw and fermented. Dry dog food is only going to be so good because it is processed. So all the goodness is cooked out of it… then they put in synthetic vitamins and research has shown that long term this is not good for the dogs.. Check it out on dogfood advisor.com. Good luck.

[Blkdoodle]

Caster Pollux, Natural Ultramix Grain Free Red Meat Recipe with Raw Bites has Glucosamine and Chondroitin, which helps with arthritis. That might be an option. PetSmart carries a limited supply but I also know Natural Foods carries it. It is a 5 star and since I have switched to it, our Golden Doodle loves it and has no trouble eating it dry without a topping of canned food.
It is pricy but I think well worth it.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Blkdoodle.

[David P]

Help! I have a Newfoundland, 170 pounds, 10 years old. Need food suggestion please 🙂

Over the past few months he whimpers a bit while getting up after he’s been lying down for a few hours.
I’ve been on this website for several hours and I’m having a difficult time navigating and searching for an ideal food for him. Fyi – no allergies.
His name is Dewey. I love him with all my heart. I know and I knew when we brought him into our family that his breed does not have a very long life longevity. I want to feed him the best food I can afford and to make his last few years as comfortable and happy as possible for him. I don’t know why am having so much difficulty filtering through the reviews of the dry dog foods to find a 4.5 or 5.0 dry food for him, but I haven’t been able to do so. I’d greatly appreciate any help 🙂 😓

[Steve M]

4Health dry dog food at Tractor Supply.
Any thoughts, as far as being a good budget dog food.
60 lb Weimaraner, 2 yrs old, good health for a rescue, medium energy level.

[Ezra G]

oops; if it wasn’t obvious, 5* dry dog foods with low phosphorus and low salt. Thanks!

[Ezra G]

Hi guys,

My dog has been on Orijen Six Fish and has been pretty happy with it (although starting him on it did coincide with his becoming interested in stealing and eating human food for the first time).

Anyway, he’s a large dog and he’s about to turn 10 years old. His vet recommended switching him over to a dog food with low phosphorus and salt. I know Orijen has a senior formulation, but it has the same amount of phosphorus as the Six Fish and regular Adult food they make (1.1%). I’m also a bit sketched out by reports that Orijen’s switch to a Kentucky plant has caused problems for some people.

Are there any 5* dry dog foods that you all have used or know about that I should be considering?

Thanks!

[Cherisse G]

Diet could be definitely the cause i would try that, before following the vet. Because most puppy food, is made with chicken. Which is the most common sensitivity. And you don’t have to feed puppy food because its for puppy’s, the only thing you should avoid is the ones that say adult food. So a good food to go for, is grain free, high quality meat, no mysterious meat, no colouring, no starch. Most of the time vet tests come up negative or inconclusive. Also, sometimes it is the way the food is processed in dry food that your dog can react to. In which case, try raw, it is more expensive, but it is fantastic. Vets go against it because they get a day training of nutrition provided from the big company brands at the vet. And they have to meet a quota each month as well.. Id say try raw and if you are worried that it is not nutrionally balance (because all vets will tell you different), get nupro gold, it has all the vitamins a dog needs.

[Acroyali]

I’m not in this to bash Blue Buffalo, but I have noticed a lot of people have dogs with digestion problems while on this particular brand. IIRC, they changed formulas not too recently so hopefully they will take complaints into consideration and make some more changes.
If you can get Fromm, or are willing to order, I’d go with Stacy’s recommendation. Another option would be a dehydrated food, some dogs don’t like it but others do and many seem to have less gastric complaints than they do on a diet of pure dry.
If the symptoms continue no matter what, a thyroid test might not be a bad idea. Low thyroid is surprisingly relatively common.

[anonymous]

Dogswell Happy Hips Chicken & Oats Recipe Dry Dog Food
Made with cage-free chickens that are raised without added growth hormones or added steroids and provide amino acids for muscle development and maintaining muscle tone. Helps Maintain Healthy Hips & Joints with Glucosamine & Chondroitin!
The chicken breasts from cage-free chickens are raised without added growth hormones or added steroids and provide amino acids for muscle development and maintaining muscle tone. Vitamin E is an antioxidant rich essential fat soluble vitamin. Vitamin E keeps the connective tissues strong and prevents skin and muscles from losing elasticity.
Key Benefits
Real chicken as the first ingredient , providing essential amino acids to support muscle development and tone
Antioxidant nutrients such as Vitamins A and E to support a healthy immune system
With Glucosamine and Chondroitin to help support proactive hip and joint healthy
Fiber from real fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, apples and sweet potatoes, help support digestion and intestinal health
No corn, wheat, soy, or artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
(above is an excerpt from the chewy dot com site)

[anonymous]

Unless the dog has a specific medical condition that requires him to be on a soft diet. Such as having a sensitive stomach, being endentulous, and some seniors, etc.
If the veterinarian that has examined the dog recommends a soft diet. Then by all means, soak away! Otherwise, dry food as a base with a topper and a splash of water works best, in my experience.
Healthy dogs don’t need supplements……IMO
You really should consult your vet for specific concerns pertinent to your dog.
PS: What is wrong with your dog that you are so worried?

[Susan]

Hi Jean, what medications is your dog on for acid reflux? since putting Patch on Losec (Omeprazole) a stronger ant-acid medication Patch has improved heaps nilly 100% it all
depends on what he’s eating now….
When he eats his “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb, he does real well,
no swallowing or grinding his teeth, he grinds his teeth I’d say when the hydrochloric
acid comes up into his mouth, then he grinds that yucky taste away then he swallows & swallows..

I’ve notice when I feed him a high carb diet over 40% in a dry kibble especially the vet diets that are for Intestinal health he grinds the most & when I looked most vet diets are 50-60% in carbs……also kibbles with rice, oats, barley, beet pulp makes his acid worse they’re soluble fibers they sit & ferment in the stomach…
Change your dogs diet, change a few things around, feed something else for breakfast & then watch him, is he better or worse..
I cant feed wet tin food he starts grinding his teeth, even the wet tin Vet Diet foods &
some are only 1.7%max in fat so it must be the carbs, fish oils & beet pulp in the vet diets causing the swallowing grinding from the acid reflux coming up…cause when I make his meal lean pork & sweet potatoes he’s fine…. Patch can’t have any fish or salmon oils in a dry kibble or wet tin foods….the Australian made Taste Of The Wild has no Salmon oil we have Canola oil instead, probably cause fish & salmon oils go rancid quicker when the bag is opened & the oxygen hits the kibble…..

[zcRiley]

The red is tears on the face and saliva from licking the feet. The red color can be produced by yeasts and bacteria that live in the damp fur. It’s a red yeast infection. It is food related a lot of the time.

Switch to high quality grain free kibble for allergy prone dogs. Zignature formulas are the best.

Rub peroxide on white fur, vinegar on other colors. Or trim off the stains carefully. Have an Aquis towel handy to blot dry fur as needed throughout the day.

[Naturella]

Hi, Krista!

I feed my dog Bruno “soups” for every meal. He gets his dry kibble and a topper that varies at each meal, whether it is canned food, dehydrated/freeze-dried raw, or some other topper, such as coconut or fish oil, yoghurt/kefir/goat milk, raw egg, or canned sardines, and add warm water, stir it all together, and serve him the soup. He loves it! He has been eating soups for years now, precisely because of the added hydration.

[Krista B]

Yes, thanks. At the moment Ihree small bags open. I do not plan on doing this again because it takes me a month just to use one. I agree after a month it’s probably not as good. (unless it’s been in the fridge or freezer) do you think it’s still ok to feed dry kibble? Or should I always soak it. I noticed my dog just doesn’t drink a lot of water. She only goes to the bowl maybe a couple times per day and just drinks a few sips each time. (I’m guessing she might be only drinking 1/2 cup per day total) And that’s when I’m not event hydrating her food. When I’m hydrating it I actually hardly ever see her go to the bowl. Is this normal for an otherwise healthy dog?

[Catherine G]

I had no problems with Evangers food my dogs all did well on it but I did have no wonder about their ethics and if they are unethical in business are they unethical with their ingredients. Waiting for Whole Dog Journal February edition as it will be rating dry dog food. they want lab reports to confirm the ingredients no more sending in an ingredient list. Keeping everyone honest.

[Mary N]

@Cannoli

Thank you for a very long reply 😀

That is a very smart thing you did, checking the yelp reviews.

However I didn’t ask about mine or yours veterinarian, my question was generally about veterinarians across the country.

But I see what you are saying. There will always be people (not just vets lol) that are looking to dry your wallet and give a bad service in return. So the wisest thing you can do is check how their previous work did before.

@InkMarie That is exactly what I was talking about. Why are certain formulas “magical” ? If their ingredients are nothing special and are found in other foods as well.

@goldenstar I am so sad to hear that 🙁 I am sure you and your vet did your best to save your doggie..

@Susan My vet didn’t recommend me dog food for a medical condition but for general food consumption.. My dog currently thanks to god has no health problems and I hope it will stay that way forever

[George C]

We are feeding Evanger’s grain free dry food and it seems to be a high quality food, is there a reason it is not included?