[Bullwrinkle]

Frani V.,

Hello, all. I finally registered but have sought all your great for a long time. As for Frani V’s question on Atopica, I can only tell you my personal experience and what I know of others I’ve spoken with and what I learned from my vet, that also applies to APOQUEL (I will note the similarities, and try to locate the link which I do have).

Atopica was suggested by by vet #1 to my English Bulldog. She had severe allergies, food and environmental, among other medical issues. My precious special needs baby girl. She was a spayed at 6 mos, so this was some time after. It was suggested that we start out 7x/week administering Atopica. The idea was to get it built up in her system then back off to 2 or 3x/week max as is recommended. She was ~47 lbs, she was prescribed the 100mg Atopica. Checking in every 2 weeks, since I was paying $170 a pop, I was told to keep it up for a few months. Forget that. I started to skip one day a week, then 2 days a week. Of course she had flares so idiot vet said back to everyday. I was still dealing with her other maladies during this time, plus 5 aging cats with their issues ranging from failing kidneys, asthma, hypertrophic cardiomyothapy, a tortoise with a collapsing pyramid shell, the usual, so time escaped me too quickly. I ended up finding a good vet because of a botched knee surgery from idiot’s referral. Blessing in disguise.

My baby started having seizures. It was sounds or over excited that set it off. I realized she had been on Atopica at 100mg every single day for a solid year. Seizures tend to be more prevalent in smaller dogs but they do happen and were documented. It has happened to all kinds of dogs. But, it has worked for many others as well although, I was not privy to those dogs histories. This was some, maybe 7 yrs ago now, at least. I pulled her off everything except for any allergy pills and only when she needed them. She had 4 seizures, when I stopped all meds and supplements, no more seizures. After a few weeks, I added her fish oil and joint supplement back one at a time and a month apart. No seizure. Atopica was the seizure producer. I lit up the idiot about it, told her she really needs to more careful or at least more informed. Told I would do the same as I was leaving her practice.

The good vet, as he described Atopica to me, and is similar to what I’ve found and read about Apoquel. It shuts off immune receptors. And when you have an immune compromised dog, or cat, to begin with the last thing you want to do is shut off receptors because you don’t know what else is being shut off or being compromised. Immunosuppressive have their place, don’t get me wrong, and I relied on the occasional 5mg prednisone in lieu of giving my girl a fistful of benadryl that would only work for a few hours when she was really bad. But only after I’d tried everything else. Pred was a last resort. So do I believe in their use? Yes. But ever so carefully and not on a regular basis like Atopica and Apoquel.

I can’t get the link to hyperlink but this has some interesting info. http://vitalanimal.com/apoquel-dog-1/

Sorry this was such a long post, but I get anxious when I see questions about Atopica. I had to let my baby go, it’ll be 2 yrs in Dec. She was only 8yrs 4mos. She taught me so much, she endured too much, her kidneys took it in the end. I became quite educated but even our own dogs are so different from each other. I still feel I didn’t learn fast enough for her. Please, please do your research thoroughly on Atopica and Apoquel. Apoquel is still relatively new. You know your pet best!

[Christy L]

We recently transitioned our lab from a homemade stew like recipe that included boneless skinless chicken thighs, chicken livers, green beans, peas, carrots and apples and to dry kibble. The kibble brand is Pinnacle grain free turkey & potato. Since the transition our dog is peeing four times as often, and the volume and frequency of his stool has also increased four times. Thoughts on why? He’s urinated inside the house recently, and he’s NEVER done that. #helpmeunderstand #concernedlabowner

[pitlove]

Hi Erin-

Fromm is a great food and company. I like their Gold Large Breed Puppy formula. The Fromm website only lists the “as fed” and “dry matter” data in their techinical analysis for the HeartLand Large Breed Gold, which according to the article on DFA for the calcium calculator will not give an accurate read out on the ratio of Ca:P and Ca:kcals. I’d see if you can email Fromm and ask for the “average” or MAX levels of calcium and phos and then use those numbers.

Grain free vs grain inclusive is a non factor for growth. The important things are regulating calcium intake with an appropriate diet and making sure you are using a food with low energy density. Keeping your puppy lean throughout growth and life will help her better her chances at proper growth and development. It is also going to be important to work with your vet in determining if she is growing at a proper rate given her upringing at the kennel she came from.

[Molly S]

Also Cat Food.

I had a bag of Purina, from one PetSmart. It was Pro Plan for dogs. Was totally infested with meal moths and a web across the top of the bag. This was 10 years ago.

I started going to a PetSmart in a nicer part of town. It was newer and cleaner. Everything was fine until 2 months ago I purchased a bag of Purina One dry food for cats. I stored it with 2 other bags of Purina food. It was infested and it infested the 2 other bags I had it stored with.

Purina blames this problem on improper storage and accepts no fault. I think it’s cheap grains that draw these bugs/worms/maggots in, and cheap materials for the bags allow them easy access. You can google this problem online, with Purina products, and there are 100’s and 100’s of issues.

I quit going to PetSmart and I will not buy any Purina products.

I’m ordering from Chewy and buying Evolve. It’s a good food at a decent price. They have no bug or recall issues. And their bags are a great quality.

[Jenn H]

Elaine C it’s true AAFCO is a baseline. At least it’s a starting point. That’s why you have to read the labels and ask the company what the min & max guaranteed analysis is on a dry matter basis and make sure it’s the right amounts for your dog.

I don’t like or trust Purina the dog food company either as a general rule. I personally wouldn’t feed it, but I know plenty of dogs that do very well on Pro Plan and not as well on the better quality foods. It’s just what works for them right now for whatever reason.

The foods do have a lot of corn and grains, but that’s not necessarily awful. Again, my dogs don’t do well on foods that use a lot of plant-based protein, others seem to have better luck.

As far as I know Purina uses Grade 1 & 2 ingredients which is human grade. And they don’t use feather, hooves, etc as their by-products.

There is certainly much worse choices. If there’s any good about being so big is that they are being watched and they have the money to afford to do feed trials and have excellent facilities.

[Jeff M]

I currently feed my dog taste of the wild prairie and have been trying to do some research to switch to a better quality, higher protein dry food. I was almost set on going with Merrick until I read that they are now owned by Nestle/Purina. I currently pay about $48 for a 30lb bag of TOTW and could spend around $60-65 for a 25 lb bag if it’s a considerable upgrade in quality. Anyone have suggestions? Thanks

[Alissa D]

We had the full range of allergy tests done through Heska and have been working with different vets trying to find the right combo of allergy medication, steroids, and immunothetapy. She’s allergic to 37 other common things besides her food allergies. Apoquel is finally available in my area so hopefully that works better than what she’s on now.

I’ll cook for her as soon as I’m home but I’m away at college and my mom just won’t make food for her. She’s super picky and won’t eat for days at a time if she doesn’t like it. She’ll be throwing up stomach acid before she decides to eat. There are more canned foods she can eat but she won’t eat any of them. That’s why I’m looking for dry food. Hopefully the one I found works. I ordered some and had it sent to my mom’s house.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Alissa D. Reason: Spelling error

[Alissa D]

Hi!
My little yorkie is allergic to most of the common dry food ingredients. A few years ago I found two kinds she could eat but I can’t find them anymore. I’m looking for a new one, preferably one that comes in small bags since she’s allergic to storage mites as well. She’s allergic to beef, chicken, lamb, venison, milk, barley, flax, peas, and soy. She might also be allergic to fish, I can’t figure out the vet’s note on the paperwork they gave me and they didn’t remember what it meant from when they wrote it a few years ago. I’m looking for a dry food based on turkey, pork, rabbit, duck, or something else weird. The vet’s only suggestion was a kangaroo based wet food that she won’t eat. I’ve been searching but I can’t find anything. I also can’t make my own dog food right now since I’m away for college and my mom is taking care of her and doesn’t really have time for that.
Does anyone know of anything that might work?

[zcRiley]

Lotus canned formulas in beef shank or pork shoulder. However, you need to feed a lot of wet to match the nutritional value in dry food. And your dog needs fiber. I don’t think your vet drinks soup 24/7, right?

[Chandra R]

Haven’t figured it out at all. She was put on an antibiotic and ever since it has screwed up her stomach. The holistic vet she goes to does not recommend dry food bc she said the protein turns to sugar once they dry it out. Plus dry food is very hard on a dogs system–she said its like humans only eating crackers. Our dog was getting major yeast infections on dry so ever since we switched she hasn’t had one. We feed her 2-3 times a day with wet food and rice. Just trying to find a good grain free wet food. Thanks for the reply:)

[Pamela C]

Horizon Legacy with Salmon All Life Stages Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

Victor Yukon River Salmon & Sweet Potato

[HoundMusic]

Can anyone point me in the direction of a good puppy food (or all life stages formula) for a four month old Beagle pup? Looking specifically for something that has moderate levels of calcium and lower levels of phosphorous.

Currently feeding one that is 1.58% calcium & 1.2% phos, and that is TOO HIGH for this pup. Intervertebral disc disease runs RAMPANT in this bloodline, and high phos/protein foods during growth, and afterwards, can be disastrous for this condition. I started him on this current brand a little over a week ago, and immediately noticed a very slight bunny hopping and rear leg “hitching” many of these hounds will develop with high protein feeds that cause super rapid growth spurts (which he just had).

I’ve had good luck growing such pups with raw when doing a higher meat:bone ratio – however, while two days of it did stop the hitching, I was noticing bouts of shivering that only stopped when switched back to dry food. I have absolutely no idea what was going on there – been feeding raw going on 15 yrs (on & off), and never saw anything like it, but I think raw is out of the question, at least for the time being.

Any suggestions welcome. I’ve had him on four different foods in 5-6 weeks and am ready to pull out my hair :/

[Debi W]

Yes, we had the endoscope done on our Baxter. His IBD is narrowed down to PLE (protein losing enteropathy). Finding the IBD was purely by accident. He broke out in a horrendous rash on his body, in his mouth, and a paw was terribly swollen. After all was said and done there seemed to be no correlation to the rash and the IBD. But he was put on strong antibiotics which eliminated the rash. He was started out on budesonide. After the protein count came up he is still on the same dose and metronidiazole (flagyl) was added. If the next labs come out with no protein loss the hope is to cut back on dosage of both. The flagyl makes him nauseated tho, even though I give it to him with food. He also lacks an appetite, so I hand feed him, or more like force feed. Currently he is on Natural Balance Duck and Potato. I offer him dry and canned, which he does really detest. He likes the Basics Duck and Potato canned, so I am going to switch the canned over to that. The doc recommended Royal Canin PV, but we have had one dog who died from the RC Ultamino, we feel this IBD with Baxter was brought on by RC HP and another got extremely ill on the RC Renal, so our specialist was very upset we wouldn’t put Baxter on RC. He does not tolerate sweet potatoes and we want to keep him on the cooling proteins (duck, whitefish) as the warming proteins seem to affect him negatively. Any suggestions from your experiences is greatly appreciated.

[Acroyali]

Just a few of my own thoughts:

When I was in the transitional stages, one of my cats choked…on kibble. He was excessively hungry, and I was removing the 24 hour a day buffet in order to get them acclimated to meal times. He was OK, but any living thing can choke on anything. Bones can be scary, and if someone isn’t comfortable feeding bones I never would suggest it dissuades them from feeding a healthier diet than they’re already feeding. Hare Today offers boneless grinds (meat only) as well as boneless chunks of meat. I believe chicken and turkey both come this way, check the product description to be sure.

I’ve used boneless chunks as “reminders” to chew. I never give an excessively hungry dog anything bone-in; bones come after the main meal, which is mostly muscle meats and organs. It works for us, hopefully it can and will work for others.

I have and do brush teeth on a few of my dogs as a precaution. The issue I have is getting more brushed than the stuff we see at first glance. Getting the gumline on the inside part of the back molars with a toothbrush is next to impossible. Your dogs’ teeth may look wonderful when you lift their lip up. But if they yawn or pant and you get a glimpse of gross stuff on the INSIDE of the teeth, chewing is their best bet to get their teeth cleaned up.

I used to be a huge fan of recreational bones until a recent tooth fracture on one of my larger dogs. Now I know why some owners call them “wreck” bones 😉

I have never had the unfortunate experiences described here by some from puncturing or choking to death, and hope I never do. I know of one person who had a boxer choke on an ox tail and the dog died on the way to the vet. I’m SUPER weird about choosing large things for my dogs to chew on for this reason; even if they don’t totally consume the whole thing at once. There’s no doubt in my mind that dogs have suffered and even died from consuming raw bones, but there’s also no doubt in my mind that dogs have suffered and even died from consuming tainted, moldy, spoiled “safe” dry food (covered in salmonella, BTW), or have suffered greatly from eating a poor choice of food *for them* and have had the symptoms suppressed with drugs.

JMO.

[Jenn H]

Don’t listen to whoever it was who told you to skip the lg breed puppy food.
Puppies have different nutritional requirements than adults. And sm & lg breeds have different needs from each other.
If you choose an adult food it must say “for all life stages”.

Hound Dog Mom’s list is a very good starting point.
I sttill always contact a company directly before committing to a food and ask: if their diets are designed by a board certified nutritionist and what is the max calcium & phosphorus on a dry matter basis.

Right now I am raising a puppy that is going to be much larger than my other GSDs. The last dog I had that was so big I adopted at 3 so I didn’t have to worry about the growth stage.
I weigh this guy every week. He gained 2 lbs/wk from birth until he was just over 1 yr. Now he gains about 1 lb. He’s 15 months. Pretty soon I will probably weigh him every 2 wks.
The reason for this is because it is most important that you control the rate at which they grow. It’s not about growing him as fast as possible. It’s about keeping him from growing too fast.

[marie d]

Hi, im trying to get some advice for taking my boy off kibble and putting him onto raw please. Im so nervous to get it wrong and cause him any harm so would really your help. A little background on him, he is a 9 1/2 year labrador that has been on kibble his whole life. I stupidly thought that as we were getting him the expensive kibble we were feeding him the best. He has been on royal canin gastro for the past 2 years due to him having gastro issues sll his life. The vet came to the conclusion he has an intolerance to fat so needs to be on the low fat diet which has worked for him as we havent had any gastro issues for 2 yr now whilst on this food. Whst he has though is cancer now twice in the past 18 months, both mast cell tumours which led us to start looking into whats in his food. We really want to get him off kibblebas strongly feel that this has contributed to him getting cancer. Ive red so much conflicting info on how to change from dry to raw and am so confused as to what will be best for him. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long post 🙁

[crazy4cats]

Hi joanne l- I think it is mostly the Evanger’s cannery that is the biggest concern. Many are so worried about shady things that have happened at their cannery that they do not want to support them by buying their dry food either. Other foods made by Mid-American Pet Foods are not the concern. (at this time, anyway, LOL!)

Here is a link: http://truthaboutpetfood.com/fda-closes-warning-letter-to-evangers-pet-food/

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by crazy4cats.

[Susan W]

Check out VeRUS canned food & dry food. Here is their chcken & brown rice:
Protein (min) 8%
Fat (min) 5%
Fiber (max) 2%
Moisture (max) 78%
Ash (max) 1.55%

1279 kcals/kg = 470 kcals/can

And their Life Virtue Dry:
Protein (min) 24% Fat (min) 15% Fiber (max) 3.5% Moisture (max) 10% Omega 3 fatty acids (min) 2.0%* Omega 6 fatty acids (min) 4.2%* Probiotic Activity (min) 3 mil CFU/gram*

If you contact them, they’ll email you back & send dry food samples (maybe canned, too, I don’t know). I use this food because it’s never been recalled AND because a real person emailed me to discuss my dog’s issues.

[joanne l]

earthborn contains too many peas. Peas = loose stools. By the way I heard a lot of people complaining about earthborn lately…Look on dog food advisors page on earthborn and you will see what I mean. I care about all animals and I am just trying to help if I can.
Try a good food with some grains and see how it goes. maybe try precise or holistic select etc. Try too avoid high fiber percentages unless your dog does better on a high fiber diet. I am feeding Holistic select lamb and he does very well on it, now some people might say “its too much grains” however, I also give him some fresh meat with his dry. That boosts my protein up and it is fresh, easier to digest. Too many grain free foods have high protein too many fiber vegetables and to me I don’t like that. High protein is better when it is in its natural form oppose to any kibble. And grains like oatmeal and rice is good for stools and stomach can’t go wrong with that.

[don h]

I AM LOOKING FOR A CANNED DOG FOOD WITH A PROTEIN % OF LESS THAN 34 THAT I CAN TOP OFF HER DRY DOG FOOD WHICH HAS A 24% PROTEIN SHE HAD PH OF 8 PLUS 2 WEEKS AGO GOT IT DOWN TO 5 PLUS NOW TO ACIDIC VET SAYS TO LEVEL AT 6 .5 SHE HAS NO CRYSTALS OR UTI PROBLEMS NOW. GOT GREAT ADVICE FROM MANY OF YOU ON THE FORUM

[Jenn H]

My pup, his mother and a littermate all began suffering from similar skin problems at the beginning of spring. Not to the severity of your dog. It appears to be environmental allergies with them.
For my puppy I would use a product I have for my horse. Eqyss Micro-Tek shampoo. “Soothes on contact”. Then I would spray the really bad areas with Eqyss Micro-Tek Equine Spray. (They do make it for dogs. It’s the same stuff, but more costly.) This stuff is amazing. I’ve used it on myself.
For his ears I use epi-otic from the vet. When I ran out I put the equine spray on a cotton ball. Make sure to dry out the ears when you clean them.
He also gets raw honey from a neighbor 2x/day. That has been the ultimate fix. As long as he gets the honey he doesn’t have any problems. After 1 wk without it he begins to get itchy and hot spots. Same with his brother.
Honey must be raw, wildflower honey that is within 50 miles from home.

Food intolerance could certainly be a factor for your dog. I would try an elimination diet if you think that’s a cause.

Tick borne diseases can go into remission and you may never have another flare up again. I have another dog that has had Ehrlichia and now Lyme. I have a bunch of horses with Lyme also. I haven’t known any of them to present with those symptoms you described.
You really need to make sure the dog has a tick borne illness before giving doxy. It’s a pretty hardcore antibiotic. You certainly don’t want to give it needlessly. It can also cause stomach issues. Maybe your dog isn’t breaking down proteins well. If they do have a tick borne illness then the immune system is already taxed. The slightest allergen can become a big problem. My girl takes a probiotic (2 hrs before or after her antibiotic when on it) to help her immune system and minimize the side effects of doxy as much as possible. Fortiflora has been working great for her. She’s on it indefinitely right now, but I continue probiotics at least 2 wks after antibiotic treatment has stopped.

[joet]

WholeHearted Adult Dog Food – Grain Free Turkey & Sweet Potato Canned Cuts in Gravy, 13.2 oz——-
has anyone seen this or tried it–
ingredients are top shelf—made by petco–
ny TeddyBear is pure bread yellow lab–he just turned 10-
he has been fed blue all his life———he is on 2 cans per day and a cup of dry—
as you know–blue is expensive and price is climbing—-$2.50 and up—-
whole hearted –has top ingred—and cost is aprox–$1.79 a can–
teddy eats 14 cans a week x’s 4 weeks—thats a minimum of $152.07–including tax—
whole heart would be a total of$108.88
the can i bought tedddy to try out–teddy loved it—-gave him half a can—then i ate the rest to see just how good it tasted–
it tasted just like turkey pot pie—
heres my question——
at his age–do you guys think i should switch—
joan–wife–says no—-
me==joe t—its not rated here yet-but it should get 4 to 5 stars—-the price will save me money–etc—–
i just cant see spending a dollar more + per can– -on food that is no better than petcos own brand—its illogical to me——thats it guys—what do you think–signed joe t & teddy.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by joet. Reason: had to add a word

[yvonne h]

my chocolate lab mix started having seizures 3 months ago, already he had 4. My vet wants to start medication for the convulsions, but I want to try something different, anybody has suggestions? I am cooking for him,making thick soup with meat,vegetables, eggs,cheese, he loves it.,I stopped buying dry food at Costco.
At night I give him 1 tsp of honey, I read somewhere that is good for his sugar level. all his seizures are around 2am and it kills me to see him on the floor shacking, it usually lasts 2 to 3 minutes, for for me is an eternity.
Holistic treatment involves I believe acupuncture, I dont think I will go that way.
I really need advise.

[Courtney R]

My comments about carbohydrates?
Well, theres this study on (working) sled dogs:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4734973
That showed that despite their level of rigorous activity they actually perform better on high fat, high protein diets.

Or maybe this educational textbook:
https://www.nap.edu/catalog/10668/nutrient-requirements-of-dogs-and-cats
That states that there’s no requirement of digestible carbohydrates in dogs diets.

And there’s my vet, who explicitly told me there’s no need for dogs to eat carbs, it’s just nearly impossible to make dry kibble without them.

And I’m not decided on anything, I’ve just posted questions regarding feeding raw in a raw forum. Why would I post my questions about preparing cooked food for my dogs in a raw forum, when obviously no one in that forum cooks their food??

[Dan W]

Just wondering:

The Editor’s Choice GMO-free list includes Horizon Legacy dry dog food. I’m very interested in their salmon recipe for my friend’s guide dog, but I can’t find a GMO-free label on the packaging, or any GMO-free statements or information on Horizon’s website.

Is this food actually GMO free? I did contact Horizon just a short time ago, but I’m impatient for an answer, if anyone here knows.

Thank you! Great site!

[Jennifer M]

Could someone do a review of the wet dog food sold at Aldi? I could only find the dry on the featured list. They have 2 kinds of containera: cans and cups. My mom bought some and I think it’s what is making my little dog (Chihuahua/Shih Tzu mix) have the poops! I constantly tell her to look at the ingredients before buying and spending a little extra is worth it if it means my dog isn’t eating something that won’t agree with him!

[Laura M]

I need a HIGH quality dry dog food with absolutely NO beef product in it. My Lab is severely allergic to beef and we are struggling to find a good food with no beef. Currently on Taste of the Wild High Prairie, but after a summer of misery for him, I found it does contain some beef product. I would LOVE some suggestions please.

[Christie L]

I would like to nominate Weruva, both the dry and the canned. It’s wonderful food. I took a lot of time deciding what to feed my 2 dachshunds and 1 chihuahua mix after feeding them Acana Regionals for years. The new Acana, made in the US, is just not even close to the same food as the Acana from Canada. My dogs refused to eat it. Weruva has been wonderful and they are thriving on it.

[zcRiley]

Zignature Trout & Salmon Meal Limited Ingredient Formula Dry Dog Food

[Deborah C]

I’m looking for a fish ingredient dog food, dry and canned for my Corgi-Spaniel Mix that does NOT have any Chicken, as Chicken makes her ITCH like crazy. Any recommendations for a “budget friendly” brand to investigate??

[anonymously]

Did the vet that examined her say she was in good health? If so, I would stay with the same brand. What did the veterinarian recommend? You can leave him a message for him to call you when he has a minute and see what dog food he suggests.
My small breeds like Nutrisca dry foods. Check Chewy.com for reviews. I have never tried Blue Wilderness. The Nutrisca is a small kibble so I find the little ones do well on it.
Hope this helps:
https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/choosing-the-right-diet-for-your-pet/

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/ see blogs on nutrition

[zcRiley]

For those who don’t home cook or do raw, I accidentally came across this site while researching new “brands” of grain free dry dog foods. It’s about ingredients and what they REALLY are or mean (as if we weren’t paranoid enough LOL). Great for analyzing a brand’s quality vs. its cost if you’re not an expert yet. Yes, even high quality kibble use words as smoke ‘n mirrors. Enjoy reading!

http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_pet_food_ingredients_8.html

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Why nutrition matters for your pets
3. Pet food ingredients listed by best to worst (part 1 of 2)
4. Pet food ingredients listed by best to worst (part 2 of 2)
5. Pet food ingredients listed by frequency of use in products (part 1 of 2)
6. Pet food ingredients listed by frequency of use in products (part 2 of 2)
7. Pet food ingredients listed alphabetically (part 1 of 2)
8. Pet food ingredients listed alphabetically (part 2 of 2)
9. Worst pet food ingredients

[frani v]

after skin conditions, mainly scratching and inflammation we changed to raw food diet, but about 6 months later he broke out in a skin condition, we suspected that it was maybe a break in the cold chain but had no evidence. We changed him to a Scientific formula dry pellet food and after about one year his skin condition returned; we then made homecooked food

1.5 kg chicken breast
2 kg broccoli
2 kg carrots
2 kg butternut
This would last about 10days but after 7 months his skin broke out severly and it was inflamed ; the skin became flaky; cracked; like a cracked heel and skin broke open like a wound, we had a skin break out every 2months and our vet used cortisone injections….we have weaned him off cortisone and hes back on a fish/potato based scientific dry pellet food; hes on strong antibiotics; the skin biopsy revealed pyroderma; we have a specially prepared mixture of shampoo to kill yeast and bacterial infections; we changed his antibiotic after one month with no results; we now use a stronger one; we STOPPED giving him all human food; we have introduced ATOPICA which is a new drug that acts like cortisone with much less side effects – the skin condition is under his one armpit – hes an indoor dog who has cotton bedding washed with very little chemicals and no fabric softners.. ..I would appreciate all comments. thanks

[don h]

what would be the daily amount of vitamin c and cranberry supplements to give a 9lbs 8 month old puppy to lower urine ph and which dog food . She is on Merrick dry puppy kibbles now.

[Susan]

Hi Susie, what is the Fat % in the can food she’s eating?? fat in wet tin food is different to the fat % in a dry kibble… if it says 5% fat wet tin food that’s around 20-23% fat in a kibble… sounds like your Sadie is having acid reflux, when she is gulping give her some liquid Mylanta about 1 teaspoon, the Mylanta will settle the acid.. & feed wet tin foods under 4% fat… I prefer to cook a lean pork mince with sweet potato, broccoli, carrot etc.

[stones]

Dog food manufacturers:
Ainsworth:
Blue Buffalo (some varieties dry)
Rachael Ray

American Nutrition:
Mulligan Stew can
Natural Balance can
Wellness can

Berwind Corp WellPet:
Holistic Select
Wellness

CJ Foods:
Blue Buffalo (some varieties dry)
Castor Pollux dry* (recently purchased by Merrick Pet Food—it is not known when or if they will move manufacturing to the Merrick facilities)
Drs Foster & Smith
Nature’s Variety dry
Rotations
Timberwolf
Nulo

Diamond Pet Food (numerous plants):
4Health
Apex
Canidae* (recently purchased their own manufacturing plant—it is not known when they will or if they will move all manufacturing to their own plant)
Chicken Soup
Country Value
Diamond
Diamond Naturals
Kirkland
Natural Balance dry
Nature’s Domain
Premium Edge
Professional
Solid Gold
Taste of the Wild
Wellness (one variety)

Elmira Pet Products Ltd:
Happy Paws
Happy Tails
K9 Premium
Nutram
Sigma 7
Petcurean dry

Evangers:
By Nature can
Canidae can
Evangers can

KLN Enterprises (Tuffy’s Pet Foods):
Dogswell
Natural Planet Organics
NutriSource
Pet Time
Pure Vita

Mars Petcare (numerous plants):
Cesar
Nutro
Ol Roy dry
Pedigree
Royal Canin

Nestle:
Chef Michael
Purina
Pet Promise

Procter & Gamble (numerous plants):
California Naturals
Eukanuba
Evo
Iams
Innova
Karma

Simmons:
Blue Buffalo can
Canidae can
Castor Pollux Can
Life’s Abundance Can
Nature’s Logic Can
Ol’ Roy Can
Dogswell can
Evolve can
Petcurean can
Nature’s Variety can

[pitlove]

Hi Joseph-

You may disagree with Aimee and with the article she linked, but the information she presented to you is 100% correct. We now know that Malassezia Yeast is indeed NOT fed by carbs as once believed. The only role diet plays in the control of yeast is when a food allergy is involved.

When a food allergy is present, the immune system is weakened and allows the once controlled population of yeast naturally found on the skin, to overpopulate and thus causes a yeast infection. The key to controlling yeast is to remove the allergen trigger from the diet and therefore strengthen the immune system allowing it to do its job; controlling the yeast.

I was once like you and firmly believed that the only way I could control my dogs cronic yeast infections was by limiting or removing carbs from the diet. Once I started reviewing clinical research and discussing the subject with my vet, I realized how wrong I was and why nothing I tried was working. My dog eats a grain inclusive dry kibble with about 40% carbs and is yeast free, with the exception of the summer months when his environmental allergies flare up.

Edit: Also if you believe your dog has a food allergy you will want to do an elimination trial, also called a food trial to diagnois and confirm it. Discuss how this is done with your vet.

[Byron M]

Any suggestions / recommendations for large breed weight management Dry brands?

[InkedMarie]

This is an updated list of grain & white potato free foods. I included dry food only, no wet, raw, dehydrated or freeze dried. I included no part of white potato. Some foods on the prior list have been discontinued and a couple I can’t find ingredient lists for. I used the foods websites, not a pet food sellers website.

ACANA-Meadowland Regional
Wild Atlantic Regional
Appalachian Ranch Regional
Heritage
Heritage Freshwater Fish
Lamb & apple singles
Pork & squash singles
duck & pear singles
Wild Mackerel singles
Grasslands

AMICUS-small & mini breed adult
small & mini breed senior & weight management
small & mini breed puppy

ANNAMAET-Salcha Poulet

ARTEMIS-Osopure salmon
Osopure bison

AVODERM-senior health
joint health grain free chicken
Revolving Menu-all

BACKWOOD-buffalo & field pea
chicken & field pea
salmon & field pea

BROTHERS COMPLETE-all

BY NATURE-grainfree turkey & sweet potato
grain free ocean whitefish & green peas

CALIFORNIA NATURAL-all grain frees

CANIDAE-PURE Land
Pure Wild

CANINE CAVIAR-grainfree puppy
Leaping Spirit
Open Sky
Wild Ocean

CHICKEN SOUP-grainfree beef
grain free lamb

DAVES-both grain frees

DOG FOR DOG (formerly Freehand) both grainfree’s

DOGSWELL-Live Free salmon
Live Free chicken
Live Free turkey
Live Free lamb

EARTHBORN-Great Plains Feast
Meadow Feast
Large Breed
weight control

EVANGERS-grainfree whitefish & sweet potato
grain free chicken
grain free Meat Lovers Medley

EVO-all

FROMM-4 Star lamb & lentil
4 star pork & peas

GO! Sensitivity & Shine LID Duck
Sensitivity & Sine LID salmon
Sensitivity & Shine LID venison
Sensitivity & Shine grain free turkey

GRANDMA MAE’S COUNTRY NATURALS-grainfree only

GREAT LIFE-Dr E’s LID buffalo
Dr E’s LID duck
buffalo
salmon
chicken

HALO-Vigor turkey, chicken & salmon

HEALTH EXTENSION-grainfree buffalo & whitefish
grain free venison & chickpea
grain free duck & chickpea
grainfre salmon, herring & peas

HI TEK NATURALS-lamb, sweet potato & herring
chicken & sweet potato
Alaskan fish

HOLISTIC BLEND-Marine 5

HOLISTIC SELECT-grainfree adult health

HORIZON-Pulsar: fish
chicken
turkey
Legacy: salmon
adult
puppy

I AND LOVE AND YOU-salmon & trout
Nude: Simply Sea
Poultry Palooza
Red meat medley
Naked Essentials-lamb & bison
chicken & duck

KASIKS-Wild Pacific Ocean
Free Range lamb
Free Run Chicken

LOTUS-oven baked grain free turkey

MERRICK-grainfree rabbit & chickpea
grain free venison & chickpea

MUENSTER-grainfree all life stages

NATURAL BALANCE-Wild Pursuit: Trout/Salmon/Tuna
chicken/turkey/quail
lamb/chicken/guinea fowl
LID: legume & duck
legume & Wagyu Beef

NATURAL PLANET-rabbit & salmon
duck & whitefish

NATURAL PLANET ORGANICS-all grain frees

NATURES RECIPE-grainfree chicken, sweet potato & pumpkin

NATURES VARIETY-Instinct: all

NRG-Optimum line

NULO-all

NUTRISCA-all grainfree

NUTRISOURCE-grainfree chicken & pea
grain free seafood select
grain free lamb & pea
grain free small breed chicken
grain free Prairie Select

ORIJEN-all

PET BOTANICS-Healthy Omega chicken
Healthy Omega salmon
Healthy Omega lamb

PET KIND-all

PINNACLE-grainfree trout & sweet potato
grain free duck & sweet potato
grain free chicken & sweet potato

PIONEER NATURALS-all grain free

PRECISE-both grain frees

SOLID GOLD-Mighty Mini
Lil Boss
high protein with duck

SPORT DOG FOOD-Elite Beef
Elite whitefish
Elite chicken
Elite venison

TASTE OF THE WILD-Appalachian Valley
Pine Forest
Southwest Canyon

TUSCAN NATURALS-Ocean

UNDER THE SUN-All grain frees

VICTOR-grainfree active dog & puppy
Yukon River
lamb
chicken
Ultra Pro
Hero

WELLNESS-Core Wild Game
adult chicken
Tru Food: adult salmon & turkey
adult lamb
adult chicken
puppy

WILD CALLING-Rocky Mountain Medley-all
Western Plains Stampede all
Xotic Essentials-all

WYSONG-Epigen 90

ZIGNATURE-LID trout & salmon
LID kangaroo
LID turkey
LID lamb
LID duck
LID whitefish
Essential multi protein

ZOIC-all

4 HEALTH-puppy
small breed adult

[Susan]

Hi Peter, I have the same problem with my dog Patch that has IBD & food/skin allergies, tooo many big poo’s on certain kibbles…..Look at the Protein % as well, too much protein can also make poos bigger & softer, when my IBD boy eats a kibble with 30% & over in protein, he does 4-5 poos a day & when he eats kibbles with fillers like corn, gluten meal, barley, oats, millet, he gets itchy smelly skin & does big sloppy poos.. when I feed a kibble with under 30% protein around 26% protein & grain free with limited ingredients, my boy does only 2 poos a day…Taste Of The Wild, Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb seems to suit him the best out of all the kibbles I have tried & Canidae Pure Land, he does 1-2 small poos a day. Both these kibbles have limited ingredients…

Just keep rotating different brands of kibble until you work out which brands your pup does the best on, then rotate between them, never just feed the same brand for years & years also start adding some fresh whole foods to his kibble as well…

Finally people are telling these pet food industries, we’ve had enough, we love our pets & we want the best for them & don’t want to feed a kibble with maize, corn gluten meal, beet pulp, tallow, by-product meats, preservatives, food colouring etc…..
Back in the 1940-1980 dogs were feed table scraps & those dogs were much more healthier, they were not feed processed kibbles with maize/corn, gluten meal & by-product meats, they ate what we ate…then in the 90’s Hills & a few other pet food companies started saying, Don’t feed foods we eat, it’s not good for your dog, your dog needs a well balanced diet dry KIBBLE & people followed like sheep & still to this day, there’s still some un educated people who say “Oh no, you can’t feed your dogs & cats foods we eat”…..
50 yrs later finally people like Rodney Habib (someone you should follow on F/B) is saying enough is enough to these pet food companies & educating people to feed fresh meats, fresh fruits, fresh veggies again like our parents did…..Back in the 50’s 60’s & 70’s, dogs didn’t get cancer & have all these food & skin allergies, dogs didn’t have as many health problems as they do today, why??
Watch a video Rodney Habib put together called “Maggies Story the Oldest Dog in the World” Maggie was a kelpie X Cattle dog that lived on a dairy farm, Victoria Australia, she wasn’t over vaccinated, she only had her puppy vaccinations, she wasn’t desexed until she was 14yr old cause a dairy worker brought his dog with him & Maggie fell pregnant, she lived till she was 30yrs old & just passed away in her sleep this year…she wasn’t feed kibble, you have to watch the video to see what she ate & drank…

Your on the right track, you’ve know about ingredients in kibbles, now start looking at healthy foods to add to the kibble, they did a study & found dogs that were feed 1 tablespoon of fresh foods added to kibble just 3 times a week reduced their chances of getting cancer, the post is on Rodney Habib F/B page, there’s lots of excellent info on Rodney F/B page https://www.facebook.com/rodneyhabib/?pnref=story

Have you tried Ziwi Peak Air dried raw?, I use the Ziwi Peak as treats when I don’t have any fruit like apple, water melon or raw almonds & I have just started my 5 month kitten on the cat Ziwi Peak & then when she loses her teeth I will be giving her a chicken wing once a week to clean her teeth, look after your pups teeth, small breeds are prone to teeth problems, give a raw chicken wing once/twice a week for breakfast, peel off the skin so there’s less fat…also email kibble companies & ask for samples..Ziwi Peak sends out samples http://www.ziwipeak.com Good-Luck

[InkedMarie]

If the dogs raw diet hs meat/bone/organ/tripe in it, feed that food only. You don’t need a dry food.

[Sheila H]

Please take a look at the Annamaet Salcha’s. There are 3 different Salcha varieties. My Shiba Inu eats the chicken-turkey-duck variety and is doing very well. She is allergic to beef, lamb, corn, maize, fish, peanuts, wheat and anything else stored long enough to develop mold of any kind. Her strongest reaction to other foods caused constant ear infections. While she has done well on this grain free food, I have had to put her on a weight reduction diet due to a heart valve condition. She is currently eating 1/4 cup of the Annamaet dry food, a smattering of poached chicken on top and 1/4 cup of frozen chopped green beans for a first course for breakfast and dinner, with an additional 1/4 cup frozen chopped green beans for a quick follow up after each meal. Mid day she gets two servings of frozen green beans and a Dasuquin chewable. She is losing weight nicely at a slow pace and finally has no itching, no ear problems. I will increase her diet when our vet approves it. She was 23 pounds when we adopted her almost two years ago and is now 19 lbs. Just a few to go. She is a 10 year old little girl who was rescued from a puppy mill and is very happy in retirement.
One online provider has Annamaet reasonably priced as a subscribe and save choice.
Good luck.

[Denise R]

Our Brittany (who passed away last month) was allergic to all of those ingredients plus peanuts. After years of reading labels, then settling on a food only to have it change formulas… The last dry food we fed her was the PetSmart store brand, Authority. Of course you need to read the labels because they weren’t all safe for our dog but they had dry & canned food that met her needs. She & our other 2 dogs did really well on that brand. (For a while the only brand that we could find was Pedigree.) their fur got shinier & thicker, stools were smaller, etc. PS I am in no way associated with Pet Smart. I just spent over 16 years of doing everything possible to make life more comfortable for my dear sweet girl

[Dick W]

My mother-in-law has a Jack Russell/wiener mix that is allergic to just about everything. We’re looking for a dry food that is grain free (tons of those) AND potato/pea/garbanzo free. She feeds raw food in the morning but would like a dry with a better variety of nutrients.

Dose anyone know of a dry that meets these restrictions?

[jakes mom]

The best idea would be to switch to raw foods, little to no carbs. For dry, I like Wellness Core.

[Jenn H]

When I am trying to decide what brands to feed my large breeds I always contact the company and ask them the MAX calcium & phosphorus is on a dry matter basis.
Companies are required to label the min. That’s not helpful when you have to know the upper limit of certain nutrients.
Even if I have fed that food before. If it’s been a while I contact them again to find out about any changes.
Many foods say they are formulated for large breeds yet have calcium amounts at or beyond the max. You must find out the exact percentage.

[Bag of Opals]

I’m calling her Opal, and will be bringing her home this weekend. She’s a toy breed mix and the cutest little thing. Opal is going to be fed raw during the day and some Ivory Coat (an Australian dry food) at night. I’ve read about rotation feeding and agree this is a good idea. However, there’s already going to be a lot of variety in the food, so should I leave everything as is or still try to find something new to swap in every now and then? This is what I am seeking suggestions on. I’ve lived with pups, but not actually raised one myself.

The raw food is possible thanks to my parents. They make it for their Sheltie and Irish Wolfhound (the latter managed to steal a chicken wing last night!) with some extra to give to me, so I’m not exactly in a position to dictate what ingredients go into the mix. It’s ground up and contains:

-Lamb mince, liver and heart
-Pork tongue
-Sardines
-Chicken wings
-Crushed eggshell
-Peas and carrots

Very nice, but is there still a risk of developing food sensitivities because these proteins are all being fed at once? I’ve considered purchasing something like the Ziwipeak beef and venison canned formulas, but they’re not cheap and I’d like to avoid that expense if it’s not necessary.

As for Ivory Coat, their puppy formula is chicken-based. I plan to rotate among the other formulas in the brand when Opal’s grown up. I know a lot of folks here advocate rotating between brands as well as flavours, but I want to support an Aussie company, plus this seems to be the only dry food here with a protein % in the 30s. That’s not to say we don’t have good imported choices, but they just don’t compare.

Reactions to chicken are probably as common as they are because so many puppy foods use it… The only non-chicken food specifically for puppies that I know of and is available over here is TOTW Pacific Stream. Diamond, gah. Opal should be fine with just Ivory Coat, but I’m a paranoid lady and want the best for her.

[zcRiley]

TOP 4 causes of Maltese facial hair discoloration:

**RED YEAST INFECTION – This is a very common health issue with certain dog breeds, including the Maltese. When the facial hairs are wet it is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.
**BLOCKED TEAR DUCTS – This health issue is present in about 10% of all Maltese dogs. This needs to be corrected with surgery.
**EAR INFECTION – How can an ear infection cause tear stains? Just about everything on a dog’s face is interconnected. To keep ear infections away, it is important to dry the inner ear very carefully after bath time. Do not allow moisture to stay inside. Excessive long hairs should be removed with a tweezers. Your dog’s veterinarian will prescribe antibiotics if your Maltese has an ear infection.
**WATER – Believe it or not, the simple element of water can cause tear staining on a Maltese if that dog is drinking water with a high mineral content. If all other possible reasons have been eliminated, it is suggested to give your dog only filtered or bottled water.

Unless his whole body’s itching, it’s not the food unless it contains artificial coloring that’s rubbing onto his hairs. See what the vet finds first.

[zcRiley]

Its ingredients are: Whole Grain Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Flaxseed, Soybean Mill Run, Brewers Rice, Soybean Meal, Pork Fat, Powdered Cellulose, Chicken Liver Flavor. So your answer is no, do not feed this garbage.

For joint health given daily (with visible results), get Nutramax’s Dasuquin with MSM soft chews. And for dry food, Halo’s Vigor in the pork, venison and salmon formula. They use millet for grain. The kibble is very small and my pups love it. You can also finely grind it in a blender if it’s still too big.

[Kathy D]

My doctor recommended this for my mini Aussie.
What do you think of this dry food?