[Susan]

Hi, Brady, we learn as we go along & your doing your best, have a look at “Wellness” & “Holistic Select” range, the Wellness has their Small breed formulas & Toy breed formulas wet & dry…. Holistic Select also has the small breed formulas wet & dry well…
Wellness- http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/dog-wellness.aspx
Holistic Select- http://www.holisticselect.com/

[crazy4cats]

Yeah, I just mix it in my dogs food. But, I always add a little water and usually some canned or other type of topper that makes it easier to mix in their food. Start with about half of the recommended amount or less. It has a pretty strong smell that your pup might not like at first. I have two lab mixes and they will eat pretty much anything! I could see making it into a gel if you only feed dry food in order for it to mix in and stick to the kibble better.

Best of luck. I really hope it works for you.

[Brady G]

Hello, DFA.
Long time creeper, first time poster.
My husband and I have 3 Pomeranians. Two of them just turned 1 and the other is about 5 months old.

Recently I decided to buy some “expensive” dog food and I chose Blue buffalo red meat for small breeds. They loved it and all was going well until our smallest (Boo) started having dry poop in his bottom EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. It didn’t register with us that it was the food until our other Pomeranian had poop sticking out of his bottom as well (Bear).

Anywho, I was curious if you could give me other dog foods that you think would give them the ability to poop without it getting stuck because all they do all day is drag their a$$es and I can’t handle it anymore.

We free feed because we aren’t home often and each dog likes to eat at separate times but I am attributing the hard poop to the amount of protein in the food.. they were on kibbles and bits (I know, gross, don’t shoot) just because I was being cheap but would like to stick with the healthiest option now..

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Susan]

Hi Nancy, you need to try a food with the same fat, protein & fiber % & similar ingredients to the vet diet, minus the crappy ingredients also has the food she doing well on have Beet pulp?? what vet food were you feeding her that she does great on?? Was the Merrick a wet tin food??
Food sensitivities take anywhere from 1 day to 6 weeks to show any symptoms, I rescued my boy & this happened with him, 4 yrs later finally over the years I worked out what he can eat & can’t eat, also you need to strengthen her gut, order some Purina Forti Flora probiotic & start her on 1/2 the recommend dose for 1 week then slowly go to proper dose by 2 weeks….you need to start an elimination diet, so you start with a vet diet that agrees with her for 2 months, no treats, no other foods to make sure she is still doing firm poos, maybe try the vet formula in a kibble, kibble works out cheaper then the vet diet wet tin foods but the ingredients very, wet diets have better ingredient to their kibbles, I had Patch on the Hills I/d Digestive kibble for 1 week everything was great 2nd week he was doing sloppy yellow poos that stunk, so I took back the Hills vet diet & got a refund, she needs to be on the vet diet for around 4 months to make sure everything is going great, then you add 1 new cooked ingredient, say boil chicken for 1 month no reaction then add boiled sweet potatoes for 1 month & still the chicken, every month add 1 new ingredient while still feeding the vet diet minus some of the vet diet replaced with ur cooked food, it takes time but in the end you will know what foods she is sensitive to….
Keep a diary, what foods wet & kibble you have tried, so you can look back if needed..
“Holistic Select” formulas kibbles they are for digestive health, & have single proteins formulas with rice & beet pulp like vet diets, Patch is eating the Holistic Select Adult/puppy, Salmon, Anchovy & Sardines Grain Free kibble it just has potatoes & peas, there’s no lentils, no chick peas at the moment poos are great & only 2 poos a day but back in the beginning he ate the Holistic Select Adult Duck meal & Rice formula kibble it has beet pulp & rice like the vet diets have, the Holistic Select wet tin foods are too high in fat around 6% when converted to dry matter (Kibble) 6%-fat is about 30% fat if it was a kibble, vet diets fat % is lower in wet tin formulas then some of the normal brand wet diet formulas sold in pet shops, if your feeding a wet tin vet diet then you need to try wet tin foods, not kibbles or try the vet diet in a kibble & see does she have the same problems??
Have you tried the vet diet in the kibble formula??
It’s stressful & it takes time, like I said 4yrs, I’ve had Patch & I needed to find a brand food (kibble) he did well on & keep him on that food for 6 months then so slowly add 1 new food to his diet…also vet diets have higher or lower soluble & insoluble fibers, where pet shop foods are all made the same for dogs with a normal bowel with no health problems also most vet diets aren’t grain free, so you need to look at foods like “Canidae” Life Stages “Platinum” it has brown & white rice & turkey, similar to the ingredients to the Hills I/d formulas also Canidae make a wet tin food called life stages Platinum, the fat is low, the protein is low like the vet diet tin food, so is the fiber. another thing normally rescue dogs are feed supermarket crappy diets, then when feed a good quality higher fat & high protein foods they have diarrhea cause they are not use to eating so much fat & protein, that’s why they do well on the vet diets cause they have the gluten corn meal & crappy ingredients as well.. look at the kibbles with rice not the grain free formulas for now..
Holistic select site http://holisticselect.com.au/recipes.aspx?pet=dog
Canidae site http://www.canidae.com.au/dog-food/ scroll down for the Life Stages formulas
It takes time & slow & steady when adding new foods, add 1 thing at a time over 1 week so you know what caused the problem if you have a problem like diarrhea or sloppy poos..

[evelyn c]

I have a small dog that according to the vet seems to be having some food allergies…to merrick dry dog food..not sure though..she has a bold spot on her thigh and is biting her paws…tested for ringworm but it came out negative…need help…need food advice

[anonymous]

From what you describe, it sounds environmental. 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.

[Mary B]

We have a GSD that is a picky eater and won’t eat dry food by itself. She is a rescue and during her first year, eating or I should say “not getting to eat” was a problem. She is eating a Merrick dog food now that she loves, but it is causing her to gain weight, even though we feed her a reduced portion size. The Vet is on us, telling us she will break down in her senior years if she doesn’t get 10-20 lbs. off, but she is getting less than the daily recommendation as it is now. She doesn’t like people food, won’t eat dog treats, so she truely is getting only what her daily feed is. We are at a loss as to what to feed her. Any ideas are welcome!
Thanks!

[Susan]

Hi I don’t know about a vet check my boy has IBD & Acid Reflux when he had a vet check vet said he’s fine all bloods came back good, it wasn’t until I said I want an Endoscope & Biopsies done on his stomach that we got results & same when vet looked in his stomach everything look great until I got the results from the biopsies…
Do you cook for yourself?? then just peel an extra potato or sweet potato add some extra veggies & with the protein I bake rissoles buy a lean ground human mince & add 1 whisked egg & some cut up parsley & make small balls & bake on baking tray, have a look at “Balance It” https://secure.balanceit.com/ Balance It will balance his meal very easy…

He may not like dry kibble or like my boy the kibble might make him feel sick & bloated after eating it or it may have been to high in fat, high in protein & gives him acid reflux, if we ate a dry high fat biscuit I know I would get acid reflux & feel like crap so I’d do the same & as soon as I smelt the dry kibble I’d feel sick…

He’s 9yrs old as we age we don’t make as much hydrochloric acid in our stomachs no more so the food especially a dry kibble would just sit in the stomach & take a while to digest.. google Hypochlorhydria, its lack of sufficient stomach acid..

I’d try & feed a cooked or wet tin food but the money you pay for 1 wet tin you can buy
some nice fresh mince & make small meals & freeze them, I bet his eyes will lite up when he here’s the micro wave warming his meal for dinner up, my cat & dog come running when they hear the micro wave going..

[Kevin C]

What is the best choice for a small dog (yorkie) dry food. I have been feeding solid gold wee bits and I want to know if there is something healthier.

[Chris S]

I have a 9 yr. old Cavalier. I can’t seem to find any dog food that he likes. I’ve tried most of the 5 star dry foods & he walks away from all of them. I’ve tried some hand packed can foods. He seem to take a liking to a couple of those, but that didn’t last long. I really prefer not to make any food myself as I wouldn’t know what to put into it.

I was hoping someone here had dealt with the same problem & was wondering if they found a solution.

Thanks!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Liz-
I learned about rotating foods and adding variety on this site as well. Many of us think it’s a healthy way to go if your pups do not have any medical conditions that would be aggravated by it.

Toppers are simply foods that you add to their kibble meals. They can also be described as meal mixers by some companies. You can start off slow by just trying out one, such as canned food to see how they do. Just remember that you need to feed less kibble to make up for the extra calories. Most canned and kibble have the calories listed on the containers they come in. Also, most canned food is complete and balanced so you won’t have to worry about feeding unbalanced meals as long as the can does not say for supplemental feeding only. My dogs get canned food in their morning meals. For their afternoon meals, they get either an egg, tripe, sardines or commercial raw mixed in their kibble. I have to keep in mind that these are not complete and balanced add-ins so I need to keep them under 15% of their total diet. I have big dogs so it isn’t as difficult.

There is a $2.95 download on dogwise.com called “See Spot Live Longer the ABC Way” that gives info and a helpful chart with ideas on what to add to kibble meals to get some less processed foods in their diets.

I rotate between three or four brands of kibble. I sometimes stick with one for a few flavors before switching and sometimes not. It really depends on sales at our feed store and Petco. I’d start out slow as not to cause any digestive upset. Otherwise you may get frustrated and give it all up. I don’t think it is totally necessary to feed this way, but we feel good about it and I think the dogs enjoy variety. Just be careful, now if we try to feed them plain old dry food because we are on a day trip, we get the stink eye at meal time. Lol!

Hope this helps!

[Liz H]

I have a pitbull and chihuahua and I feed them grain free dry dog food. I’ve seen people talk about toppers, rotations, and raw food. I know a little about all of that but I was wondering if anyone had an easy way to incorporate more variation in my dogs’ diets like that. Ideas/creativity welcome.

[Susan]

Hi Andrew, animals are very smart & know when to rest their stomach/pancreas, so they stop eating, as long as she is drinking water she will be OK but I don’t know about giving medications without food??, I wouldn’t give no meds unless she has eaten then push the pill down her throat, empty stomach & meds will make her feel more ill….Have you tried some BBQ chicken buy 1/4 chicken from shop, get the breast section, not the leg section don’t give any chicken skin, just the white chicken breast….
My boy has IBD & gets bad pain in stomach & Pancreas, he stops eating & rests his stomach & pancreas for 1-2 days, vet said its OK but I do not give any medications & he gets put on electrolytes in his water to get him thru the 2 days without any food…..
My boy was also on the Royal Canine S/O wet & dry food, wet tin for dinner & dry kibble for breakfast when I first rescued him but he was only on the R/C S/O for 6 weeks to dissolve his crystals, then after ultra scan was done all the crystals were dissolved & vet said now put him back on his regular diet & stop the R/C S/O he doesn’t need to R/C S/O no more.. the fat is high in the R/C S/O…
I’d be contacting animal nutritionist to give you a few balanced recipes for your girls health problems, vets are not great when it comes to diets & what to feed your dog, most vets just recommend to feed the crappy vet diets that have awful ingredients in them especially the Intestinal vet diets, when ill dogs need a diet that’s easy to break down, the Intestinal vet diets are the worst for their ingredients with whole corn, maize gluten meal, & chicken by-product meat, I didn’t know this in the beginning, when my boy was diagnosed with IBD & he got worse, now I home cook for my boy just 1-2 of his meals, he has 4 small meals a day…..
Go & buy some lean turkey mince, we have 99% fat free in Australia, whisk 1 egg & mix in with the grounded turkey mince & make little bite size balls (rissoles) & get a baking tray line with foil & bake the turkey balls in the oven, also boil some sweet potato cut into small pieces, cool the sweet potato pieces when cooked & cool the turkey balls & freeze them, just make sure you line in between the sweet potato pieces with cling wrap in the container so the sweet potato pieces & turkey balls don’t stick. Mash a 1-2 pieces of sweet potato & a few turkey balls together & she’ll eat, make sure after thawing balls from freezer to warm in micro wave..
also look for a low fat wet tin food the fat has to be 3% max. I wouldn’t be feeding your girl any dry kibble…

[Melanie G]

Need advice and just joined the forum. My 2 yr old is very active and I’ve noticed a lot of itching. To the point where after numerous oatmeal baths etc, I took her to the vet who of course prescibed steroids and Benadryl. Any suggestions on trying a new food? She’s been fed science diet since she was a pup.

[mary s]

pitluv, I guess I actually did read the article

From the article:
“Important: Calcium, phosphorus and calorie values may be reported as “dry matter” or “as fed”. Either type will work, so long as all 3 are entered using the same type”

pitluv

“Hi mary-

If you actually read the article attatched to the calcium calculator Dr.Mike says the calculator does not work off of as fed or dry matter”

So pitluv, for me anyway, what started out as a great idea has gotten very confusing. I am happy with Fromm thank goodness. This website has other good information too, so I will continue to review – but whew, this thread/LBP food info has got my head swimming. So, as you were 🙂

[mary s]

pitluv, Holy cow, now I am confused. What does the calculator work off of, if not as fed, or dry matter??? I understand getting the max numbers, but they are given as either “as fed max, or dry matter max”, at least that is my experience in checking with the companies. And, I am sure I remember reading somewhere in this thread that it doesn’t matter which one you use (as fed or dry matter) as long as you are consistent with the Ca and P measurements.

Anyway, Raido, I am having good results with Fromm LBP food, the Heartland Gold. I have an Irish Setter, and at least for the setters, the Orijen must be too rich…..they get loose poop from that food.

Best of luck,

[valerie b]

Acana “Free run Poultry dry food” …just noticed it contains chicken meal.
What is chicken meal?

[crazy4cats]

Hi Jodie S-
Sorry to her about your pup. It sounds stressful. I’m curious, how did she do on the Royal Canin/Duck & Potato food? Did you only feed the canned to her or the dry also?

[Rusty T]

Mine aren’t working dogs, but they are incredibly active. They run like crazy on a fenced seven acre private dog park, go hiking with me, and are constantly wrestling around in the backyard. I look for food with no grain, high in protein, real meats, no artificial colors, etc. We feed them dry kibble in the morning, and kibble mixed with a high quality wet food in the evening. On Fridays the evening meal is replaced with fresh fish. Once a week they are fed raw food for the evening meal.

Both dogs are two years old and both are high energy with soft shiny coats. It’s the same diet I had my lab on, and until he got bone marrow cancer, he never had a single health issue. I figure for what I spend on food, I save on vet bills. I don’t skimp on my family’s food and the dogs are a part of our family.

[Carolyn K]

I have a year and a half old 68 pound Goldendoodle/Bernese Mtn Dog mix and I have to bring him in to get his anal glands expressed every month. He constantly has issues; licking, redness, skidding his butt on floor, etc. I began feeding him pumpkin at each meal and this seemed to help for a few months but it is no longer helping. He has been on CANIDAE® ALL LIFE STAGES DOG FOOD WITH CHICKEN, TURKEY, LAMB & FISH MEALS for about a year and Canidae large breed puppy before that. Info for current dog food ——-> http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products/canidae-all-life-stages-dry-formula/

I am looking into maybe putting some Psyllium into his food instead of the pumpkin but I am unsure of how much. I also want to maybe switch his food to see if that helps. Can someone recommend a good kibble for dogs with this issue?

Thank you all SO much!

[Ryan K]

I have no information at all about the mass this vet felt other then her telling me it doesn’t appear to be related to the anal glands. She said anal glands can abscess and get cancerous but this seems to be along the rectal wall above or around that general area. She didn’t say anything was an emergency or that I should rush to get an x Ray or treatment ASAP. She just said that when I bring him in for his next anal gland expresssing that she will feel it to see if it has gotten larger. She said to watch for irritation and if he shows signs of struggling to defecate or continues to scoot his butt then I should possibly run him in sooner for the biopsy which would involve putting him under and prolapsing the anus to use a needle and aspirate the mass for a sample. I am wondering if this could be a hernia? His diet has been massively changed since his slipped disc issue as well. He’s had a life of strict grain free- high quality dog food but since he has been on tramadol, Prevacox and gabapentin his appetite is pretty much destroyed. He’s been living off peanut butter (I hide his pills in it), canned chicken and tuna fish and some raw hide chews which he only eats the coating off of and leaves the actual rawhide. So, I don’t know if this is dietary related? I ordered some Glandex to see if that helps his anal glands in the meantime. I doubt he will eat them though. He’s seriously so uninterested in dry kibble or even most scraps. Should I just stop giving him tuna, bones and treats and force him to only eat kibble? This is so frustrating. This whole experience has truly shown me that I don’t think I can handle another dog again. It’s so much emotional and financial stress and trauma. I love my dog though so I’m trying my best for him.

[Susan]

Hi, are you 100% sure its not Environment allergies as well??
My boy has both, he has seasonal allergies worse in the summer months, fine in the winter months as long as he doesn’t eat any foods he’s sensitive too, then he starts to smell real yeasty & itches… When they’re sensitive to certain food they start to itch & smell real yeasty…
Summer is about to start in Australia & I always rotate Patches kibbles Winter he eats limited ingredient kibble, Lamb as the protein & Summer a Fish kibble you, need too increase the Omega 3 in his diet & always read the Omega 3 & 6 on kibble packet or look on their internet page or email the kibble company & ask what is the omega 3 & 6 % Please.
There’s a lot of kibbles that are tooo high in omega 6 & too low in omega 3 causing skin problems, omega 3 should be around 1/2 of what the omega 6 says..
I’m starting to introduce “Holistic Select” Salmon, Anchovy & Sardine Adult/Puppy grain free formula, it’s only 32% carbs or look at “Earthborn Holistic” Coastal Catch it’s 29% carbs & the omega 3 & 6 is balanced properly in both these kibbles.
Raw is the best as it has no carbs, I feed Patch 1 meal cooked, lean pork mince made into rissoles & add sweet potato, this way he’s not eating heaps of dry kibble.
Baths, make sure your bathing weekly too wash off any allergens & pollens & yeast on the skin Malaseb relieves their itch making them heaps more comfortable…

Have you seen a Dermatologist ? & tested to see if ur dog isn’t allergic to dust mites or other allergens around the house.??

[marilyn s]

As I wrote above: After the last one, we tried the Royal Canin prescription canned food, and she hated it. She is not much of a meat eater. So the vet recommended Hill’s prescription diet c/d Urinary Care, dry dog food. I switched to that about 3 months ago. But I just noticed the Hill’s prescription diet c/d Urinary Care, dry dog food is not recommmended on this site. And it didn’t seem to prevent her from getting the stones again. The antibiotics seem to work the best and I think keeping her genitals clean will help. I didn’t know that Royal Canin had a dry food for this problem…I will try to see if it has a better rating than the Hill’s prescription diet c/d Urinary Care, dry dog food.

[J S]

My dogs have only thrown up yellow bile when they didn’t have enough food on their stomachs, and they were/are the nervous-ninny types.

The blood in the urine is a red (no pun!) flag that you have a serious infection and need antibiotics. Frequent urination can also be an indicator, but I noticed that the new formulation of Royal Canin dry food has added salt for the very reason to make the dogs pee more, to keep the bladder and kidneys flushing. We have to give our girl extra trips outside and give her more than one chance to squat before coming back inside.

After our last round of antibiotics, she’s on dry RCanin, floating in water/broth, with no-grain wet food and part of a Vit C capsule sprinkled on top, along with a mini scoop of Cranberry Relief. So far no “pee-crawling” for over a month!

[Susan]

Hi, contact the makers of Blue Buffalo again, can you ring them? this way they will put you thru to the proper section, ask a vet where you live can they place an order & have the dry & wet Blue Buffalo sent to their practice, nothing is impossible, especially when the vet will be getting a new patient & a customer….
Can you make a cooked or raw diet this would be heaps better then feeding a dry kibble… here’s a Natural Home Made raw diet or it can be cooked minus any bones but it gives you an idea what your dog should be eating, look for those ingredients in a kibble, I feed 1 meal cooked & the other meals kibble or wet tin food….
http://naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/Shop/2016/03/15/acidifying-diet-urinary-crystals/

[Susan]

Hi TS, go & see a Dermatologist, as they specialize in in dogs skin….
Yeast can be from Food Sensitivities & Environment Allergies, my boy has both 🙁
I would be feeding a raw diet, go back to a natural diet, what a dogs body is meant to be digesting, dogs have a short intestinal tract, made to digest a raw diet, not a dry kibble, you can buy the dearest kibble BUT it’s still a dry high carb/fiber kibble, most grain free diets are high in carbs & fiber, the grain kibbles that have wheat, corn, maize, rice, oats, barley etc, my boy starts to smell yeasty, itch, get red smelly paws, within 2 days when he eats a kibble with oats, barley, corn, wheat & tapioca which is most of Hills, Royal Canine, Iams & Eukanuba kibbles ingredients…. but your dog may not be sensitive to these ingredients & some dogs do really well & don’t itch & smell yeasty..

If you can afford to feed a home made raw diet then that’s the best or look at the premade raw diets or maybe feed just 1 meal raw with blended greens & the other meal a limited ingredient kibble like “Canidae” Pure Sea very high in omega 3 what is needed for the skin or look for those loaf style rolls in the fridge section, read ingredients first, there are some really good rolls around, I live Australia & we have Crocodile & Tapioca, Kangaroo & Pumkin, Lamb & Rosemary, Kangaroo & Potato specially made for dogs with IBS, IBD & Skin/food sensitivities…
Baths: you need a medicated shampoo like “Malaseb” medicated shampoo, the Malaseb kills the bacteria on their skin & it doesn’t dry out the skin, Malaseb can be used daily & helps put the moisture back into their skin & paws…It’s excellent for yeasty stinky dogs I bath weekly in the Summer months sometimes twice a week it relieves their itch as well..

Omega 3: Omega 3 is needed, some kibbles are not balanced properly & are too high in omega 6 & too low in omega 3 causing skin problems, read kibble packet or on their internet site or email & ask the kibble companies what is the omega 3% & 6% in what ever kibble your looking at feeding, the omega 3 should be 1/2 of what the omega 6% is, so if it says 3.96%-omega 6, the omega 3 should be around 1.80% these percentages were taken from the new Hills prescription diet called Hills “Derm Defense” for dogs with Environment Allergies, Hills is money back guaranteed you could give it a go if your not going to feed a balanced raw diet, the Hills Derm Defense wet tin has Ok ingredients or start with an Elimination diet, but sounds like your boy has environment allergies as well

You need to work out does your dog have food sensitivities to certain foods or does he have environment allergies, it has taken me 2-3 yrs to work out what foods my boy can’t eat & he has seasonal allergies, his vet made me keep a diary & she said you will start to see a pattern with Seasonal Environment Allergies & we did every spring right thru to Autumn then Patch & I get a break thru Winter, Patch is fine thru the winter months as long as he’s not eating foods he’s sensitive too then when spring comes he starts to itch, smell, get hive like lumps all over the white fur sections head stomach red paws, I use Hydrocortisone 1% cream on his paws but first I wash them in the Malseb medicated shampoo then a night when he goes to bed I check out his paws, head & see where’s red & put the Hydrocortisone 1% cream in between his toes with a cotton tip, around his bottom lip mouth gets red above his eye where fur is white the fur starts to thinning out & is real pink, I apply the cream I also use “Sudocrem” sometimes, it’s also excellent as well Sudocrem is sold supermarket & chemist excellent for eczema, dermatitis, rashes, pressure sore.
You both have a big journey ahead, there’s no magic drug Oh there’s Apoquel but its fairly new so please try baths shampoos, raw diet & natural things, also Apoquel doesn’t help if you have a yeast….

Canidae Pure Sea excellent for dogs with skin problems look for a fish kibble when it comes to skin problems but rotate when the season change so your dog isn’t just eating 1 protein, Pork, Lamb, Kangaroo, Salmon/fish – http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

Hills Derm Defense or Skin/Food Sensitivities d/d only cause the omega 3 is high in these foods http://www.hillspet.com/en/us/products/pd-canine-dd-salmon-canned

[T S]

I have a 7 month old Irish Soft coat Wheaten. Brought him home July 22 – stunk to high heaven, but oh well – he’s cute. I’ve always thought he has a worse than normal dog odor. I don’t normally mind dog smell, I get that they’re not humans. But Oscar Stinks! I noticed his first yeast infection in Sept (ear). It dawned on me then, that his front paws are all pink/rusty from yeast as well. Vet doesn’t seem too concerned, but I am. He said try to change food – so I did.
IAMS puppy was what we were sent home with. Slowly changed him to Simply Nourish – chicken. Then, I changed him to Acana Grasslands mixed with Simply Nourish LID lamb because so many people told me to stay away from chicken. He has been on this only a short while (Nov 2nd). In the meantime – once a week baths with TeaTree oil shampoo and vinegar rinses. I dry his feet when he comes in the house. Seems to help.
Still has yeasty paws and another yeast infection in his ear. (noticed yesterday) Also, the groomer said his coat isn’t as full as it should be. She does think that he is going through “greasy teen” change right now, but that his coat should be more thick and healthy.
He licks his paws and groin area often. Doesn’t really bite much, just licking.
I feel comfortable with the food he is on now. What is my next step? My husband thinks I have an over-reactive nose and that he smells fine…..
At what point is seeking a diagnosis necessary – I don’t want to wait until it’s “too late”. I am not sure what to consider as far as why he gets these yeasty flare ups, so I am not sure what to ask the vet.
Thanks from a first-time-dog-owner.

Oh…also – can the yeast live long on his brushes? I groom him often – how do I clean his brush/comb?

[marilyn s]

My 8 year old mini poodle just got another bladder stone infection. After the last one, we tried the Royal Canin prescription canned food, and she hated it. She is not much of a meat eater. So the vet recommended Hill’s prescription diet c/d Urinary Care, dry dog food. I switched to that about 3 months ago. But now I noticed frequent needs to urinate and blood in her urine. The vet put her on Clavamox 125mg 2X a day for 2 weeks. That has helped on all her other occurences. We give her plenty of water and walk her frequently. But I think we have to clean her genital area more often. I will try that now.

[Barb M]

I have a student who is feeding her 1 year old Maltese – Eukanuba Small Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food and the dog is not eating it without a lot of additives.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a dry food for a Maltese that I could suggest to her.

Thanks!

Barb

[Reiggin H]

My wife and I recently adopted an 18 month old Maltese/Pekingese (coat like a Maltese) that was previously on Royal Canin. He has some really smell poops, lots of gas, and very bad tear stains. He also bites his legs quite a bit. I’m trying to find an appropriate food that will help with a lot of these issues, in particular the gastointestinal ones. I’ve read that beet pulp in food can contribute to bad tear stains and the Royal Canin has that as an ingredient. I’m leaning towards Wellness Core small breed formula but I don’t know if maybe I need to have a higher protein content or a higher Omega 3/6 content? Thoughts?

[Susan W]

I’ve had FANTASTIC success with 3 things: Powdering my dogs w/FOOD GRADE DE powder, feeding them VeRUS OptiCoat &/or Cold Water Fish formulas, and using DerMagic shampoos on them. Itchiness, dryness, irritated ears are GONE!

[Susan W]

Bertha, powder your dog with FOOD GRADE DE powder. Try that for a few days. If it works, your dog has mites.
That being said, go check the VeRUS website for their CANNED food. They have flavors with duck, lamb, fish, and beef liver. VeRUS has some fantastic dry foods, too. My dogs were uber itchy last year. VeRUS cold water fish formula took care of 65% of their itchiness. The balance was cured by DE powder. Anyway, the VeRUS foods come in small kibble pieces so it is GREAT for small doggies!!

[Sarah B]

Hi All, As other reviewers have mentioned on this website and on petfoodreviews.com.au – I HAVE ALSO FOUND BLACK HAIR IN SUNDAY PETS GRAIN FREE ADULT DOG FOOD. I purchased a 1.5kg bag of the Sunday Pets Tasty Holistic Grain Free Adult from an online pet store in Australia and noticed as I was feeding it to my dogs it had allot of black hair / fur baked into the dog biscuits, with some of the hair in clumps, it was very noticeable and I have never struck this in 10 years of buying good quality holistic dog food. I can say with confidence I have tried 80% of the grain free and holistic/natural dog food on the market available in Australia from dry food, tin food to barf. And I have NEVER seen/heard of such large quantities of hair in a baked biscuit. Nor have I ever struck any visible hair/fur in any dog food. I have heard of people in our show/rescue/breeding community striking the odd hair, but not clumps of it, in almost every biscuit. It does not look like ‘herbs’ at ALL, it is definalty some sort of animal black hair, which makes me seriously question Sunday Pets quality control. If ‘meat’ in their ingredients is Lamb, aka Sheep then why is the hair BLACK? After I struck the hair I purchased a 2nd bag, thinking that maybe I had a bad batch, but once again there was black hair in the biscuits of the 2nd bag. I hope the Sunday Pets review their QUALITY CONTROL as the food ingredients otherwise are very good and I like the idea of the large dry biscuits as its good for dogs teeth and digestion. Also my dogs did love the biscuits. I was feeding it to my dogs just as a morning treat as they have barf in the afternoon. I hope in future Sunday Pets make their Ingrediants label more transparent in particular what ‘meat’ and fix the hair issue in the biscuits, until this time I won’t purchase this product again. Regards Sarah (Australia).

[Laura M]

I recently received a wellness stress scan for my 5yr old lab who has always had slight food issues (dry red skin, dime size bumps that dry out and flake, ear infections). Allergies have gotten worse and is allergic to too much to list but here are a few: bison, lamb, chicken, chicken eggs, turkey, green peas, chickpea, kidney bean, herring/anchovy, shellfish, barley, buckwheat, corn, millet, oat, quinoa, white and brown rice, rye, wheat, gluten, white and sweet potatoes, pumpkin and seeds. Any suggestions of food brands to try would be appreciated

[Bertha L]

Was at the vets today. I too have a small 15-lb dog who is scratching the fur right off his body. I’m trying desperately to help him. I have been told not to give him chicken, turkey, or pork. He is a picky eater to start with and likes wet food, so finding the right food is going to be hard. I need to change his kibbles (dry food) also as it contains “chicken meal”. He will not eat kibble with white fish as the first ingrediant. No fleas could be found, so we are assuming a food allergy.
Any words of wisdom from this forum?

BethGL

[Minsway]

Thank you! Yes, I have save food, throw up and stool.
I will look for some of the forums you are speaking of and post .

Yes, Blue Buffalo will pay for the vet bills. Yet you are allowing Blue Buffalo Dry Dog Food Company to pay for your silence. If they pay for your bills, you have no claim and you have no voice.

Im on a mission to “Save A Life Campaign ”
To help those not to experience what my two girls went thought after eating Blue Buffalo Dry Dog Food. They died a horrible death!

[Susan]

Hi CP, what are you feeding her, what is colour of vomit, is there food in her vomit, is the vomit yellow? how many meals a day are you feeding?
High fat diets can cause acid reflux, my boy can’t eat any kibbles or wet tin foods with fish oil or salmon oil, he needs to take an ant acid medication every morning now..also food sensitivities can cause vomiting as well..
See a vet that specializes in stomach problems, sometimes change of diet to a lower fat limited ingredient diet, feed 3-4 smaller meals a day will fix this problem.. also feeding home cooked meals are better then feeding a dry kibble..

[Susan]

Hi, yes Dogs & Cats are dying younger & getting cancer more now then back in the 60’s 70’s & 80’s, our pets were being feed more home cooked meals & less kibble, they weren’t being vaccinated as much, we didn’t have all these toxic flea products, come on, read the instructions to a Flea Spot treatment, it says “Wear Gloves when applying” so imagine what the flea spot on does to our poor pets skin 🙁

Our pets did live longer years ago…Now more & more dogs & cats are dying from cancer &
other diseases….

Have a look at Maggie the oldest dog in the world, she died this year at the age of 30, yes 30yrs old, Maggie lived on a dairy farm here in Victoria Australia, she drank 1 fresh glass of milk straight from the cow 6am every morning till the day she died, she was not feed any dry kibbles, she was feed table scraps, raw & sometimes ate the placentas when the baby calves were born & also ate a dead calves that were born dead…Maggie ran 20-30km a day, about 15km of a morning rounding up the cows & 15km of an afternoon bringing the cows back home, Maggie was only vaccinated when she was a pup & that was that no more vaccinations…

It was all these big kibble companies that put the fear into people, telling them “Do not
feed cooked foods to your dogs, back in the 90’s these big kibble companies started saying home cooked meals & table scraps can kill our pets, they have done studies & proven dogs feed a few veggies & fresh meat added to their kibble 3 times a week reduces their risk of getting cancer..

Rodney Habib & Dr Karen Becker have an up hill struggle trying to educate the world that dry foods (kibble) aren’t as great as they say they are…Image if us humans just ate dry biscuits 24/7 our whole lives, I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t live as long as the person who ate freshly made meats & veggies…
Also we do not need to over vaccinate our dogs & cats we don’t get vaccinated every 1-3 years so why are vets vaccinating our pets?? there’s no need, Dr Ronald Schultz studied every major vaccine in over a thousand dogs and every study he delivered the same conclusion, every time vaccines for diseases like distemper, and canine parvovirus, once administered to adults animals provide lifetime immunity.
There’s is no need to vaccinate every year, if your worried then do tilters instead, it’s a simple blood test done in the vets clinic…
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/titers-avoiding-over-vaccination-in-dogs/
your pets will be fine…

Here’s Maggies Story, the interview with Maggies dad, just put your name & email then click sign up, then sit back, it’s a beautiful video Rodney has put together after Maggie passed away this year. there’s also a follow up video underneath Maggies video, Rodney
talking about what contributed to Maggie living so long, 30yrs old.

Home – new

[Carol M]

I’m sorry to hear you’re going through this too, Kelly. This is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

My dog is still doing well & I’m so thankful for that. Her lung lobe torsion occurred after she had the surgery (thoracic duct ligation). They said some fluid build up is normal after surgery but the torsion wasn’t the cause of the chylothorax. She had to have a 2nd surgery to fix the torsion. We tried the low fat diet & Rutin for several weeks before surgery & it wasn’t working; chyle was still building up & she had to be tapped repeatedly. The surgery didn’t work & she had a pleural port put in; we drain the fluid at home.

She is on Royal Canin low fat gastro and I mix the canned & dry food together. She also takes 1000mg of Rutin 3 times a day. Did they suggest Rutin? That’s about the only thing that’s been suggested for chylothorax. That and a low fat diet.

If I had it to do over again I would not have had the surgery. It cost a fortune & didn’t work. It may work for some dogs. I didn’t know about the pleural port and hers was the first one the vet did, but I would try that before doing major surgery if at all possible. The chest taps cause scarring and pocketing in the chest, which can make getting fluid out harder or even impossible. She has pocketing on one side but fluid can still come out.

Most vets have never dealt with this at all and haven’t heard of the pleural port. It’s a much less invasive procedure; the port is under the skin with a tube that goes thru the chest cavity. You use a special needle and after cleaning the area, insert the needle into the center of the port (think it’s silicone) and pull out fluid til it stops. We do it twice a week and get about 800ml – 1000ml out each time. She’s about 30 lbs. so that’s a lot but it’s been that way for 3 years.

I don’t know anything about other foods; she’s been on the Royal Canin since she was diagnosed. The Hills Prescription food is available too but about the same price. I don’t think I’d even consider anything that your dog is allergic to though.

Her protein levels are a little low but not terribly; and she’s at the same weight she was before all this. She eats well & is active & happy. I was worried about the protein loss as it’s said to lead to wasting but that hasn’t happened.

I would ask your vet about the port – info at norfolkvetproducts.com. Maybe even print the info out & bring it with you. And I’d ask about the success rate they’ve had with the surgery; what they think caused the torsion (was it first or was the chylothorax first and caused the torsion) and if your dog isn’t already on Rutin, ask about that too.

And — it may yet resolve on its own — it sounds like it hasn’t been that long. They tried my dog for several weeks on Rutin & low fat diet to see if it would go away before talking about surgery. Don’t let them rush you into a decision – it’s not good but it’s not necessarily an emergency either.

I wish you lots of good luck and please keep us posted! Carol

[Kelly K]

I am so happy to have found this post but so sad to need it. My dog, Tucker, is such a trooper. About 2 weeks ago my boy started with a cough, just the odd cough here and there. In a couple of days I decided to take him to the vet, just before we left he coughed up blood and that was the first sign it was serious. Our vet took blood work and did x-rays and our vet was stymied by the results but didn’t think he had much of a chance but to be euthanized. He seemed perfectly healthy! She said we could try taking him to a veterinary hospital in the city staffed by specialists and surgeons and we drove there that night. Like Lyndzy’s and Carol’s dogs, he was diagnosed with Lung Lobe Torsion. If it was a primary condition and he made it through the night, he was given good odds with the surgery. There was no other option, that or euthanasia and so we went ahead with hope and love in our hearts (…and don’t forget the wallets). He pulled through the surgery really well, was getting the best care and it looked like he was going to come home early, when after 2 days the fluid draining from his chest tube turned from a clear pink to a strawberry milkshake colour and increased from 20-30 mls to over 100. It was chyle. I understand that the situation can resolve on its own sometimes and we are hoping. They took the chest tube out after a few days and sent him home anyway – his recovery is amazing considering he just had a lung removed! But at the first visit back an ultrasound showed the chyle is still building up.

He goes back tomorrow to get the staples removed and assess the situation. I am hoping against hope that it is resolved on its own but I am afraid they will recommend the surgery for it but the results don’t seem to be great, he is still recovering and I’m not sure that my wallet can handle anymore. It is eating me up inside. Everything else is going so well but there is a distinct lack of good information out there.

I was so sad to read about Lisa’s dog – but it gives me hope that yours is doing ok after 3 years, Carol. Lindsay, is your dog doing ok?

Right now he is on the Royal Canin Low-fat gastro wet diet. However this alone is going to bankrupt me at $50/6 days from my vet. I have to find a good, low-fat dry kibble to mix with it at the very least or figure out a healthy low-fat recipe that I can cook. My real problem with this is that he is also allergic to chicken which is a fundamental ingredient in most foods. Prior to this he was on the Holistic Select Salmon, Anchovy and Sardine diet. Very healthy but higher in fat.

My vet said if it says “hydrollised” chicken protein that it is digestible even with an allergy but at this point I don’t want to take the risk. The other brand she suggested is vegetarian with soy as the main protein – I have a lot of misgivings about that due to the protein loss that can accompany chylothorax. He is a very skinny Royal Standard Poodle – 31″ at the shoulder and honestly can’t afford much weight loss. If anyone has any healthy non-chicken low-fat diet recipes they would like to share, I would certainly appreciate it.

I will take the advice on here to heart when I go see the vet tomorrow – as well as any other suggestions, feedback, etc., that you all have. My heart is breaking for my big guy.

[Donna G]

I am looking through the Editors Choice list and not finding many dry foods for my yorkies, which I consider small breed dogs. Any help would be appreciated. They are 6 and 14 yrs old. Weight is 8 1/2 lb and 10 lbs. Looking for a dry food they will really like and is good for them.

thanks, Donna

[Toby B]

I have a few questions regarding switching and/or combining different dog foods. I feed 1/2 dry kibble 1/2 canned food combo to my dog. (he has no food allergies)

1) Regarding the canned food, can I switch up different protein for my dog throughout the week? For example, one day I give a can of lamb, the next day I give chicken. Do I need to titrate and slowly transition into another protein group like I do with changing different brands of dry kibble?

2) I use Merrick canned foods, they have a lot of variety of flavors/selections, is it ok to try a new flavor each day if it’s within the same line (backcountry line)?

[Susan]

Hi Steve, do you know the fat % in wet tin food isn’t like the fat % in a dry kibble, If it says 5%min fat in a wet tin food when converted to dry matter (dry kibble) 5% fat wet is about 22%-26% fat, it depends on the company, some wet tin foods have more fat then others….With Wellness wet tin foods you have to send Wellness an email & ask for the fat % in wet tin foods as dry matter fat %, have a look at Wellness TruFood, Wellness Stews, Core Chuncky Centers, look for wet tin foods around 2% fat also it will say min email company & ask for max fat % in the formulas you like & want to try & the dry matter converted fat %.
My boy gets Pancreatitis & he does the same just stares at me while I’m sleeping & paws at me to rub his stomach & pancreas area…
May I ask when you did cook a low fat meal what did you cook? cause my boy can not eat boiled rice, he gets diarrhea, he can have rice in a kibbles cause it has been grounded down & there’s no boiled cooked rice to irritate his bowel, try boiling potato & sweet potatoes, pumkin, I boil some pumkin & sweet potato then freeze boil sweet potato & pumkin in sections… Cooking is the best, you know what he’s eating & it works out cheaper, I cook once a fortnight, I buy 1kg lean Pork mince or 1kg lean beef mince & make rissoles that I bake in the oven, so any excess fat comes out. I make 1 cup size rissoles, whisk 1 egg, then I cut up some broccoli, parsley, kale, grate 1 small carrot & mix all together & I use scales & make 130gms = 1 cup rissoles, freeze then take 1 rissole out & 1 piece of boiled sweet potatoe or 1 piece of pumkin, sometimes I add both sweet potato & a little piece of pumkin, take out the afternoon before & thaw in fridge for the next day. I feed 1 cut up cooked rissole & sweet potato about 1/3 of a cup sweet potato for breakfast & I’ve just started feeding for lunch & dinner “Canidae” Life Stages Platinum kibble, the Platinum formula is real easy to digest the kibbles are real small so if they don’t chew all the kibbles they are so easy to digest. Patch eats 4 small meals a day.
Patch was real ill about 1 month ago my grandson gave him a Fruit stick, he was put on Hills I/d vet diet he seem to be doing OK but after 1-2 weeks he had his pain again right side, so I took back the Hills vet diet got my $75 back & went & bought some Canidae Life Stages Platinum kibble & Patch is doing real well & sleeping thru the night Canidae Life Stages Platinum also makes wet tin food the fat is 4.5%min you’d have to email Caniidae & ask what it the fat % when converted to dry matter max %, it will be around 20% max fat, so I’ve never bought Platinum wet tin…

[Anna W]

Hi guys, I am looking for folks with similar experiences (hoping for solutions of course).

I just wanted to start with saying that I am an experiences and passionate raw feeder currently getting my qualifications in pet nutrition and someone who has been raw feeding dogs and ferrets for a few years. I needed to say this so nobody assumes that I ‘tried’ to feed my dog raw for 20 minutes and she has a digestive upset.
We adopted our now 2.5 year old female chihuahua at the age of 1 and put her on a raw diet straight away. No issues for the first 6 months. Then these really dry powdery stools started to occur, a few weeks later painful defecation kicked in, she was crying in pain while passing stools really bad and eventually stopped going to the toilet until she couldn’t keep it in anymore. We tried every diet tweak we could think of – more veg, less bone, more offal, more muscle, nothing changed. Thousands of dollars and many tests later (blood, ultrasound, poop exams, colonoscopy) we know that she is not digesting bones properly and passing sharp shards of bones created a lot of inflammation and scarring in her colon. We know that very dry, powdery and small pieces of stool frequently get stuck in her intestines and only come out after a series of enemas. I never knew I would say this but this dog cannot digest bones properly. We still don’t really know if it’s a bone digestion issue or food digestion issue and the bones are the only ones causing pain. When she had her colon completely cleaned out from old hard stool for colonoscopy we kept her on a meat only diet for about a week and she was fine, no pain, her stools were normal size (a sausage as opposed to many small bits coming out in many attempts). Then we gave her some rabbit with bone and the crying came back. It is obvious the bones are causing the problem (and I was refusing to even admit it for a long time) but I am trying to find out WHY she is not digesting them properly. Regular vets are of absolutely no help as they don’t believe dogs should eat bones in the first place. Their diagnosis – some dogs just can’t eat bones. I am desperate to find the answer, the vets don’t even want to keep testing – like is it a digestive problem in the stomach? They already settled with their ideas. Has anyone had a similar issue before? I would really appreciate any leads. I cannot even find anything on the internet. Thanks!

[Lyn M]

Sorry just realised the other site I had looked at was an Australian dog food reviewer.

[Lyn M]

Sometime back I researched Ivory Coat and Stay Loyal dry dog food and found good reviews , Aust products and Aust produced , no grains, but I can’t find it now on yr site . Has there been a change in the quality of the food.

[CockalierMom]

Hi Steve,

I cannot offer any suggestions as to a canned food to recommend for diabetes/pancreatitis but can say that the two brands you mentioned are a lot higher in fat than the RC GILF. The GILF shows 1% min and 2.5% max for fat. To compare canned foods, you will need to convert to a dry matter basis since there is a difference in moisture content. On a dry matter basis, the GILF is 4% minimum and 10% maximum fat whereas the lowest fat TOW is a minimum of 16.5% fat on a dry matter basis and they do not state what the maximum is. This is a huge difference and I think it may be too high but check with your vet to be sure.

The other thing I wanted to mentioned is the GILF contains prebiotics and that is probably why he had a good stool on it and runny when you tried homemade. One food that I know is low fat and low carb is THK Zeal, however he would probably have a runny stool with it unless you tried adding THK Perfect Form or some other prebiotic/probiotic supplement.

Hopefully someone else will be along that can offer some food suggestions based on their experience.

[SHERRI O]

Would I be able to get the recipe that you are using for your giant breed dogs? We have our first mastiff ever, and I would like to feed him raw food, like we do for our Maine Coon cats! We have a recipe for the cats, using raw meat, vitamins, minerals, etc that is what our breeder used. We freeze it in plastic bowls, the same way you do, it sounds like. But the mastiff pups breeder just used dry food, and I CANNOT find a real recipe anywhere for the giant breed of mastiffs! St Bernards are pretty close in size, and in the same family, so I imagine the needs would be the same. Thank you so much for any direction in this search!

[nancy m]

Thankyou everyone. Lucy took to the iodine ok but I won’t used it again given the new knowledge that it can dry out the skin/paws. I did start her on the predisone this morning (reluctantly) because she was pretty aggitated last night. Her food starting today is also at 50/50 Proformatrin and Royal Canin

[Pavo]

Tractor Supply has a $10 off if you spend $50 and sign up for their Loyalty Club (give them an email and phone number).

Also found Tractor Supply had a 5 star canned food 4Health Beef and Vegetable Stew
13 oz for a buck and 22 oz for $1.60. There is some other varieties available at TS for the same price and the ratings vary so check it out before you buy:

/dog-food-reviews/4health-dog-food-canned/

In addition I ended up purchasing a 4 star dry food – Sportmix Wholesomes Chicken Meal and Rice rated 4 stars. A 40 pound bag for about $28. It was “on Sale”
/dog-food-reviews/sportmix-wholesomes-dog-food/