[zcRiley]

Zignature Zssentials limited ingredient dry dog food. They have duck, lamb or venison. No fish in them. You can read the list of ingredients on Chewy.com.

[Robin F]

Thank you Anonymously! We did have senior exam done just days ago. She does get walked 3-4 times daily. Morning 6am, noon time when my husband comes home for lunch, 6pm when he gets home from work and then just a short walk to urinate at 10/11. We have two dogs, so feeding multiple times in the day is almost impossible.
I did purchase the very lean beef I mentioned. They both seem to be only eating the wet food and leaving most of the dry. I think for a few nights I will not add anything. I’m afraid she will not be nourished properly.
I appreciate your advice. Thank you so much!

[Alisa G]

My 85-pound black lab is highly allergic to storage mites so we have taken dry food out of her diet. Combined with Apoquel, her itching is completely gone! However, buying high-quality grain-free canned food is not something I can sustain financially much longer. I’m wondering if the freeze-dried raw foods also contain storage mites? She also needs to lose some weight and my vet has provided me with a target caloric intake, with a good amount of protein so she doesn’t lose muscle. I’m pulling my hair out, having researched way too much on this site and others. SUGGESTIONS!?

[Sandra W]

Hi all – I wanted to chime in on the fats/protein issue. My dog has a very sensitive stomach and gets sick on food that is too fatty. Sick as in up-chucking. I have to be really careful with all dog foods, even dry foods. My doggy baby is a GSD and is about 18 m-o. I read a lot of this thread from the more recent posts (this year & last) and did a lot of research. I contact several pet food companies and asked for samples and usually just got auto-email coupons for a few dollars off. I’m going to get on the Verus bandwagon with Susan. Their VP responded to my contact! Yes, they’re a small company but I like that they care enough about dogs to ask questions and communicate. I’m feeding the Verus large breed puppy food & will for a few more months. Around the end of the year I will start switching over to an adult Verus formula. I know if I have questions or issues, I can contact the people at Verus and get answers. That’s important to me.

[Shawna]

Hi onapap1,

Unfortunately there is no over the counter dog food that is like Prescription ZD (assuming it’s ZD not XD). There’s two main reasons for this — 1. the starch used is just starch not the whole food “corn starch” – very specific. 2. The protein “hydrolyzed chicken” used in the food has been “hydrolyzed” or broken down into amino acids. Chicken is often an allergy culprit but hydrolyzing process is what makes it non-allergenic.

It would be EXTREMELY rare (although likely not unheard of) to have a dog that is allergic to “meat” as it is specific proteins that cause allergies and proteins are in almost all foods. Therefore almost any food can cause an allergy or allergy type symptom. Lots of folks here on DFA have dogs that react to the protein in specific grains (wheat or corn as an example) but also to the protein in potatoes, peas and legumes.

The best thing to do, if you don’t want to feed prescription, is to do an elimination diet — or feed a food with only one protein and one starch. These over the counter limited ingredient diets are not hydrolyzed so your pup could still react if the specific protein (be it from the meat or the starch) is a trigger for him. If so, then try another limited ingredient diet with a different protein and starch. Some examples of limited ingredient over the counter diets are some like Natural Balance (which have many options to chose from) https://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog-formulas/dry/limited-ingredient-diets or Nature’s Variety also has a limited ingredient line (they have a few options) http://www.instinctpetfood.com/instinct-limited-ingredient-diets-kibble-for-dogs

Others can probably give you additional options for limited ingredient diets if you want to try that route.

Edit to include — below is a list of all the foods in the Natural Balance Vegetarian diet that include protein that could be a problem. “brown rice, oatmeal, cracked pearled barley, peas, potato “protein”, potatoes, tomatoes, flaxseed and possibly kelp. It takes time for the histamine etc to clear the body after experiencing an allergic reaction. It’s not uncommon to see symptoms months after the problem protein was removed but you should see steady improvements. Also consider that multiple foods can cause problems — I have one that reacts to beef, goat and barley as an example.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by Shawna.

[Angel76736]

Try blue buffalo, they have their freedom and basics line. Both are grain free. They have ones for large breed as well. Petsmart usually carries a large selection of blue buffalo food. I personally use blue buffalo basics large breed dry food. It has worked great. It leveled out both of my dogs digestive issues. I had gone through several different types of food and once I got on them on blue buffalo everything leveled out nicely. Hope this helps you with your pup.

[Norman S]

Hello,

I have a 9 month old Chocolate Lab and we have been feeding her Royal Canin Labrador Retriever Adult dry dog food for a few months and have noticed that all her poops are extremely wet and soft. I’m not too sure if she is allergic to something in the food or if she needs grain free but the vet has been NO HELP so I turn to you guys! I need a dog food for a lab that will firm up her stool, I was thinking Hypoallergenic Dog Foods but I am not sure.. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

[Dena B]

Hi, I have to say I read these reviews and those on Consumer Affairs too late. My husband and I lost our 10 year (VERY) healthy Dachshund 3 weeks ago. It was shortly after buying a new bag of Kirkland Salmon dog food. She had organ failure and eventually died from Congestive heart failure due to the strain her heart and organs were on. We also have a 60lb Ridgeback Hound Mix (Nash) he has been ill as well. We did everything to try to help our babies thinking it was something around the house they were getting in contact with. From cleaning and resurfacing our grass due to the fertilizer we put on the grass. We had our carpets and tile professional cleaned by an Holistic non chemical using company. We switched to sensitive laundry detergent and washed everything they came in contact with. We would take them off the food and they would get better but upon returning to it they would get violently ill again. With Dottie being 10 we thought it was age related. Well, she passed and I’m filed with guilt thinking I could have prevented it. I only found these comments and others upon researching dog food for Nash since he has been on a diet. Since changing his food he has made a 180 degree recovery. I will be contacting Costco and going to their store today. Justice needs to prevail. We must stand up and make this stop. P.S. I’m in Arizona.

[wendi s]

Hi. What is the best dry dog food for a dog with allergies? We are currently feeding our pug Acana Pacifica but he is gaining weight on it. He has bad knees so the extra weight is really bad for him not to mention other things it causes. He is only getting a 1/4 cup twice a day. I don’t want to cut back because it is such a small amount as it is. He is very active. When it isn’t too hot out< I walk him 2 miles a day. In the summer it is a mile a day.

[Maria K]

I would stay away from Nutro Ultra. Nutrisca is always a great option. Merrick is a tough brand because not everything they produce is of a good quality. I would avoid their Limited Ingredient lines. Some of their 96% grain free canned formulas are okay. The Lil’ Plates are generally good and so is the Chicken & Sweet Potato dry food someone mentioned earlier.

[Bonnie G]

Regarding Merrick Ltd Ingredient food – I have fed my 8 1/2 yr old boxer/lab Merrick since he came to us at 6 months of age. He had a very touchy digestive system when we got him & had to try several foods before we got one that agreed with his stomach. He eats Merrick dry chicken & sweet potato supplemented with Merrick 96% Grain Free canned. The vet just this week advised me to put him on a senior version. Hope this helps and good luck with your pup!

[PATTY J]

Your comment is awaiting moderation.

Our Bailey’s had to be put down and I am seriously thinking that it is due to the nexgard… We started it on all our babies about month and a half ago on all out dogs and our dobies had skin issues after a few days but then at about 3 or 4 weeks our pitbull had what looked Like coughing and hacking (the vet thought maybe it was kennel cough) and food getting stuck in her throat I had to dig it out …it looked like the flap in her throat wasn’t working I think she had an allergic reaction and it seemed like she had a stroke also her side if her face was really droopy and she could not walk or and eat right I had to feed her canned food because dry food would not go down then she acted like she had another stroke and couldn’t walk and was not eating or drinking we had to make the devastating decision to put her to sleep I am now thinking it was because of this drug

[Lori R]

We have a foster named Twinky and she is a mix of dachshund and chihuhua and about 6 years old. She has an extremely sensitive stomach and she has a bloody diarrhea which is on/off at times. She is also a nervous little girl. We currently have her on a grain-free (gluten free) canned fish dog food. We also put plain yogurt in with her food. We also have been working with a nutritionist and she does not want her on a rice diet. Otherwise she is a very healthy little girl. Could you possibly recommend a soft dog food that we could try her on? She also gets constipation with dry food.

Thank you so much.

[anonymously]

This article is slightly off topic, however prescription dog foods are discussed.

“More Nonsense from Holistic Vets about Commercial Therapeutic Diets”

Posted on July 20, 2016 by skeptvet
“One of the subjects that holistic vets and other advocates of alternative practices get really passionate about is the evils of commercial and conventional diets. They promote a laundry list of myths about pet food, many of which I’ve addressed before:”

above is an excerpt from: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/

[DogFoodie]

I just looked quickly at a few I was thinking of that might work for you. Please double check the ingredients to make sure it doesn’t contain any of your triggers.

Another to take a look at would be Dr. E’s Limited Ingredient Grain and Potato Free dry dog foods in buffalo. Also take a look at Great Life Grain Free buffalo.

Canine Caviar Limited Ingredient Diet Open Meadow Holistic Entrée Dry Dog Food would be a good choice if he can tolerate millet.

Personally, I’ve used First Mate products for my boy with sensitivities and think highly of them. At quick glance, their Ocean Fish Meal Original Formula Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free might work.

[Kenneth A]

Hound Dog Mom: Thank you for all of the advice regarding food choices for large breeds. I purchased my English Style Lab from a Vet, Breeder and competitor of show quality dogs. My wife and I just wanted a family companion, couch potato to replace our Lab we lost at 9.5 years to cancer. The breeder fed all of her dogs Pro Plan and we have kept Earl on Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy. He is currently 6 months old and shows no negative symptoms. However, I am not happy to learn this site (which I joined because I want to be informed) rates Pro Plan at 2.5 stars.

A small Pet Store Chain just opened a branch store a couple of miles away from where we live. The sell many of the foods that are rated 4+ Stars on this site so I will be changing Earl’s Food Soon.

Since Earl is not experiencing any problems with his current food what should I look for in determining the best food to switch him to? I know I will need to blend the new food with the old for a few days. He currently does not scratch, has no ear infections and has relatively small stools. So, I want to change to a higher rated food but I don’t want to create any issues for Earl.

Please express advice and opinions. I am leaning toward Fromm Dry Foods!

Thanks,

Ken

[Jennifer R]

Does anyone know of a dry dog food that has absolutely no form of legumes or poultry but that has a rating of 4 or 5? I’m probably looking right at it, but I can’t for the life of me find one.

I have a senior Akita who has liver and gallbladder issues and food intolerances. He’s refusing homecooked food and canned food (refusing as in not eating for days). He will eat kibble right now, but I’m having a hard time finding a quality kibble without legumes and poultry. He’s also sensitive to corn, soy, and goat, but he really can’t tolerate any form of legumes or poultry.

His vet recommends Royal Canin, which has chicken fat and causes gas. I was ready to try Natural Balance LID or California Natural but then I saw the ratings. At this point I realize grain free foods are out because they replace grains with legumes, but isn’t there a quality meat-based kibble that uses grain not legumes? Are all kibble with grains plant-based?

Any ideas would help! It’d be great if the kibble were also low fat while still being high in protein, but I’ll settle for meat-based, above 4 stars with no legumes or poultry of any form.

Thanks!

[crazy4cats]

Costco has two varieties of Kirkland dry food, one with grain and one without. The line without grain is called Nature’s Domain and it runs about $35 for 35 pounds. The Kirkland with grain is around $30 for 40 pounds. Both types are made by Diamond. They also carry a Nature’s Domain Turkey Stew canned food which is usually about $20 for 24 cans manufactured by Performance Pets.

I regularly feed my dogs the canned food. It is a GREAT deal!!! I’ve been hearing that jet.com is selling some of the Kirkland pet products on their site now as well if you do not have a Costco nearby or a membership.

Here is a link: http://www.kirklandsignaturepetsupplies.com/

Taste of the Wild is also manufactured by Diamond and can be found at several feed stores and smaller boutique type pet supply stores.

Hope this helps!

Edit: Another option is Tractor Supply Store sells 4Health. They have a budget friendly turkey and potato recipe that may work for you.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by crazy4cats.

[pitlove]

Hi Jacob-

It is not possible for a dry kibble to only consist of meat and nothing else. The food can not stay together without a starch.

[Jacob T]

Does anyone know of a dry food whose only ingredients are meat(s)?

• This topic was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by Mike Sagman. Reason: Corrected spelling of "Limited" in the title

[Kyle E]

I have a 12 year old Labrador that is beginning to have joint and hip problems, so I’ve been thinking about getting her some medicine from the vet. However, a salesman at my local pet store told me that Merricks has more glucosamine and chondroitin in their food than the actual joint pills do. Does anyone know about this? Would it be just as good to spend more on Merricks and not buying the joint pills? Or, do the joint pills offer some other benefits? In which case it might be better to spend a little less on the food and get the joint pills?

[Melinda L]

I need help in finding a lower price dog food. I have 5 dogs “ALL RESCUES” 1 has severe chicken allergies. Right now I am feeding all of them, Blue Buffalo Turkey and potato grain free limited ingredients. My allergy dog is doing great on this but it is breaking the bank.

[pugmomsandy]

Foods do not contain a therapeutic dose of joint supporting supplements so that shouldn’t be a deciding factor for choosing a wet (or dry) food. I would check into separate powder, liquid, capsule or chewable joint/senior supplements. And if you haven’t already, check to see if she has any dental or gum issues and have a check up with blood work.

http://www.dogaware.com/health/arthritis.html

[Kyle E]

My good Labrador friend is getting old and beginning to have problems with her joints and energy level. She’s also not eating very much of her food anymore, even though I buy her the expensive Taste of the Wild dry food. I want to switch to wet canned food to see if that improves her appetite. Does anyone have information on a quality, healthy, and tasty canned food that is formulated for all the problems senior dogs have, especially aching joints?

[RobbW]

I should also mention that my dogs are overweight. So, along with trying to alleviate the lawn burning problem, I also want to try to get their weights down. My Golden is about 85lbs (would like to get him down to 70-75lbs), and my Beagle is about 40lbs (would like to get her down 25-30lbs).

Our dogs used to not be so heavy when we were feeding them THK. But like I said, it because an inconvenience constantly having to mix up the food, especially for our house/pet-sitter when we’d go on vacation. That’s why I did a lot of research and settled on what I considered to be a high-quality dry kibble. But, obviously, my dogs ballooning up over the past year is probably indicative of the dry kibble not being all that great for them.

I don’t know. Maybe I should just go back to exclusively THK again. If I had my druthers (and unlimited funds), I’d do frozen raw food nuggets. But those are prohibitively expensive with our two dogs. We used to feed our first (and only dog at the time) Steve’s Real Food and Northwest Naturals, and she did awesome on those. She was lean and had no health problems on the frozen raw food. But it was only one 40lb dog. Our current two dogs (at a combined ideal weight of nearly 100lbs) would put us in the poor house trying to feed them frozen raw!

[C4D]

Hi RobbW,

I have several dogs of my own and foster dogs, and they are mostly large dogs, so there is a lot of urine going in my grass! What you read about giving the dogs more water (think adding fresher, higher moisture food to their diet) and watering the lawn more often is the way to go. Urine is essentially fertilizer in liquid form and is a free, all natural one at that. But too much and too strong will burn the lawn in a heartbeat. I’ve done that in the past when the spreader fell over. 🙁

In spite of having a lot of dogs in a relatively small area, I have very few, if any “burn spots” and I don’t feed any “grass saver” type additives. I also don’t fertilize the dog area of the yard. I do feed all of the dogs canned food when I feed kibble and add a good amount of warm water to the mix, so it’s pretty wet to begin with. I also have fresh water on hand throughout the day. I feed a fresh dinner to most of the dogs, all of my own. All this moisture means a more diluted urine. The results are healthier dogs that aren’t slightly chronically dehydrated and a lawn that doesn’t have many, if any, burn spots. I will spray the lawn area down on a fairly regular basis, maybe every few days, or run the sprinkler if it’s been very hot and dry. I do have a REALLY GREEN lawn in the dog area. LOL! 😉

Here’s a university link that you might find interesting:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/553.html

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by C4D.

[RobbW]

Hey, all! First time posting here. We have two canine family members: an 8yo male Golden Retriever and an 8yo female Beagle. We are having a hard time with urine burn in our lawn, and I’m trying to decide if I changing our dogs’ food would help at all.

We currently feed both dogs Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Recipe Grain-free Dry Dog Food, which gets a 4.5 star rating on DFA and is relatively affordable, comparatively speaking. We’ve had them on this food for almost a year now. Previously, we were feeding them Honest Kitchen Revel dehydrated, which they loved. However, our family likes to travel a lot, and it was always an inconvenience for our house/pet-sitter to mix and feed THK while we were on vacation. So, we’d usually have her feed a dry kibble while we were gone. But sudden changes like that always gave them horrible diarrhea. So, we decided to switch over to a high-quality kibble permanently.

Unfortunately, this spring/summer, our lawn has suffered quite a bit of damage from urine burn. Researching, I found this is due to the nitrogen in the urine. Several multi-step solutions have been recommended, one of which is switching to a higher-quality protein dog food (the other steps being frequently watering our lawn and encouraging our dogs to increase their water intake). I thought the Blue Buffalo was a high-quality protein kibble, but maybe it’s not high-quality enough? Also, there’s a couple questionable ingredients that are possibly implicated in lawn burn, one of which being DL-Methionine.

So, my thought is to switch to an even higher-quality protein kibble, such as Wellness Core. And possibly also to start topping it with some THK grain-free dehydrated food?

And thoughts, opinions, recommendations, advice on my plans for switching foods to combat this lawn burn problem? Any other solutions I should look into?

My biggest concerns about switching food is 1). Just the long process of slowly switching foods, 2). Wellness Core is quite a bit more expensive than the Blue Buffalo they’re on now (by almost $20 per bag on Chewy), 3). Is Wellness Core going to be *THAT* significantly higher-quality protein to make much difference?

Thanks for any help!

[Mary L]

It would be interesting to have a “Pre-mix” rating category along with wet food, dry food and raw…
I just received the following from “Urban Wolf” who makes base mix : “None ingredients are gmo, some are organic. And we do not add any artificial vitamins , all vitamins are naturally sourced”

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by Mary L.

[E V]

I wanted to encourage everyone to pay close attention to dry dog food being purchased from petsmart. i bought two bags that were infested with cocoons, worms, and flying insects. I noticed this when loading it into my car in the stores parking lot. The cocoons were in the crevices of the bags.i am assuming it was one bug in it’s various life stages. I returned the bags and attempted to replace them and found the other bags on the shelf had the same issue. After getting a refund I went to the store the next day to return a carpet cleaner I had rented and saw the same infested bags on the sale shelf being sold for half price. They had been wiped down on the outside but one can only imagine what was going on on the inside. The bags had small holes all over them. I was told that “All pet foods have issues i the summer with infestations” this was said by the store manager. This was the grain free Fish and Sweet potato food which has been working well for my allergic dogs. needless to say, i won’t be shopping at Petsmart again. Cleaning off and selling infested food is the issue i have with the store. it’s atrocious.

[Marie P]

How about trying home cooking? Here is a great meatloaf recipe .. YOU can choose a Dry dog kibble and use the meatloaf as a TOPPER.. Basically you place a cup or two of dry quality dog food in the dish and 1/2 a piece of meat loaf on top .. drizzle with a little warm water. THE meat loaf for dogs will stay good for 5 days or Freeze it into individual freezer baggies.. SEE here DOG MEAT LOAF or Meatball Recipe http://bulldogvitamins.blogspot.com/2014/12/recipe-for-doggie-meatballs-home.html

[Kay W]

Where to go for Authority report?? My GSD has major skin yeast infection. She is treated with three medicated shampoos, takes Bravecto every three months, Ciprofloxacin daily, Ketoconazole daily, antibiotic with flare ups along with Prednisone. Pred is tapered off as flare up decreases.

Due to rendering, I refuse to feed my dogs meat since I cannot be sure where the meat comes from. I have been feeding them all Solid Gold Fish & Krill dry food. But according to DogsNaturally we should avoid fish meal & Omega-3 additives.

It seems very complicated to feed ones’s dogs now a days!! I have nine rescues & no time to cook for them.

Any suggestions??

[pitlove]

Hi gmc-

No I have not looked into the new PetKind tripe dry food, so I could not tell you. Well not for large breed puppies at least.

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks. I understand the requirements needed, I just was wondering if the poster who made the comment about Tripett being the perfect ratio, knew off the top of their head about the dry food.

[CircaRigel]

No. The dry food is very different from the canned version with regard to the ingredient profile, and even the canned is meant as a supplement, not as the dog’s full diet. Regardless of what the dry ingredients are, you MUST make sure that the mean calcium/Phosphorus ratio is approximately 1:1, and that it contains a maximum of 1.5% calcium. Most manufacturers list the minimum amounts, so you may have to contact Petkind directly to get the mean and/or maximum levels each variety contains.

[gmcbogger38]

Since Tripett is perfect for large breed puppies, do you think the dry food PetKind now makes would also be alright?

[Danielle R]

I use Kirklands Signature Puppy Dry food for my 11 month old boxer, and feel it’s a high quality food. However, she has so much “yard waste” and I am looking for a quality food that possibly has less fillers, or whatever causes this excessive waste. My last boxer of 10 years had only half as much. Any suggestions? I had heard that Nutro helps with this, but yet it’s rated less than the Kirklands. Thank you!

[Patricia T]

I really need some advice on dog food with this guy! My neutered Labrador puppy is eight months old and was sent home by the breeder at eight weeks old with Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food. He was a slow eater and we decided to switch to a higher-rated food. Since then, we have tried these:

Royal Canin Labrador Retriever Puppy Dry Dog Food
Wellness CORE Grain-Free Puppy Formula Dry Dog Food
Fromm Heartland Gold Grain-Free Large Breed Puppy

He loved all of them (ate fast and finished bowl) but they all produced an abundance of runny stool, and he was going at least four times a day while fed twice. We’ve gone back to the Eukanuba, but it’s obvious that he hates it – he only nibbles at the bowl.

The Hill’s® Prescription Diet® i/d® Canine Dry from the vet is great, and they offered to let us keep him on it, but it isn’t a puppy food. Does anyone have any suggestions for another puppy food that maybe isn’t as rich as the ones we tried before?

Thank you for any suggestions!

[DogFoodie]

Hi Oceans11,

I feed my dogs a base of kibble and vary the toppers. The extras I mentioned are the toppers. Sorry I didn’t make that clear! 🙂 I buy small bags of dry food that will be used up within two or three weeks. I rotate foods with each new bag. Neither of my dogs requires a transition. My Cavalier would love to eat raw at every meal, but my Golden turns his nose up at it and walks away. I feed them similarly for my sanity. I can’t feed them the same dry food because my Golden has lots of food sensitivities. They both love raw tripe though. I use tripe as a topper or occasionally a full meal. It stinks to high heaven. I order mine from My Pet Carnivore. I’m on their local home-delivery route. You could also order from Hare Today. I prefer frozen raw over canned.

ALS foods are all life stages. They meet the AAFCO profile for growth. Growth foods are called “puppy” foods by some manufacturers, but some might also refer to growth foods as ALS foods. The other profile is adult maintenance. I prefer not to use maintenance foods. Some foods labelled puppy just might be higher in calories, so it’s a good idea to pay attention to calories (usually listed as kcals per cup) all of the time. Feeding guidelines on bags and cans of food tend to be high. Determine for sure how many calories your pup needs daily and measure it out. Be sure to include calories from all sources… kibble, canned, treats, etc. With a small dog, you might need to weigh food using a digital kitchen scale to ensure accuracy. There’s less room for error when you’re talking about a small number of calories to begin with. Keep an eye on their body condition and use that as your guide for portion control.

If they’re truly hungry at mealtime they’ll eat eagerly!

[robert a]

Hello,

Would really appreciate it if y’all would help guide me in finding out what would be the best food for my diabetic husky. He is about 7 years old, and I’m constantly on the defensive when it comes to his skin.

Not knowing any better and being a bit too trusting, he was eating Pedigree. After his diagnosis I’ve moved on to the Wellness brand. The one I buy is marketed as being good for skin and having fish in it(Which I just learned wasn’t included in the Editors Choice). His skin has improved a bit after changing to it, but he can’t stand the taste of it.

I’ve decided to look elsewhere in hopes that there might be a better dry food out there for him. Especially because there are times where he just won’t want to eat it, forcing me to change his insulin dose way too often.

Would really appreciate your help, thank you so much for your time!

[Elizabeth A]

This is my first post so I’m hoping I’m posting in the correct area.

I’m fostering a dog that’s about 26lbs and has severe skin issues. I was feeding him Nutro Ultra which I was feeding my other dogs. He didn’t seem to have too many problems or maybe he did I just didn’t notice at the time because he was dealing with a severe skin infection. I bought the Senior Small Breed food to give him a more tailored food a few days ago and immediately noticed more chewing and itching so I discontinued and today bought some Merrick Limited Ingredient Salmon + Sweet Potato (dry) and canned just to wet his food down a little.

I’m going to try this food and see if he does better on (he is NOT picky and eats almost anything but all the foods he’s had have been salmon based so we stuck with the Salmon). Has anyone tried it and had good results with Merrick Limited Ingredients diets?

I don’t know how much to feed him. He should be about 15-17 lbs, though some has said around 13 lbs. I’m just trying to get him below 20. Here’s the guidelines from the bag in the relevant ranges:
IW Cals Feed (IW=Ideal Weight)
10lbs 342 1 cup
15lbs 464 1-1/3 cups
20lbs 575 1-2/3 cups
30lbs 780 2-1/4 cups

I don’t want to starve him so do I feed him for the 20lb guide until he hits 20lbs and then go down from there? Or do I feed him for the end goal weight? He’s always looking for a snack, but I don’t want him to be too hungry or starving. Can someone help with what I should start to try and feed him?

Thanks

• This topic was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by Elizabeth A.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by Elizabeth A.

[Sherri G]

I’m so glad I scrolled all the way through this thread to see it is still active.

We have a 5 1/2 year old English Bulldog. After MANY, MANY, MANY food changes, the only food that he can tolerate without diarrhea is Hill’s canned z/d. He was diagnosed with PLE (Protein Losing Enteropathy) a year ago but has been stable (as in no diarrhea, & mostly stable lab results) since starting the z/d. Trust me, we tried all diets with guidance from our vet! Through the course of diagnosing him with PLE, Oliver was on Prednisone and Metronidazole for a year and a half — at times being on 10mgs of Pred during diarrhea flares. He has FINALLY been weened off of the Pred (such an evil, nasty drug) and is also off Metronidazole. He is currently on Budesonide to keep his bowels in check.

5 months ago, Oliver (who never had any skin issues at all which is a rarity in the bulldog world) began scratching a few areas around his neck. It started with 2 small areas being itchy and then hair loss began. After many skin scrapings (which literally showed nothing), puncture biopsies were done. The pathologist diagnosed him with Mural Folliculitis, Granulomatous and stated she felt this was “drug related” but didn’t know which drug caused it — something our vet disagrees with. Our vet feels his skin issues are directly related to his poor absorption of nutrients due to his PLE. While we weren’t sure who was correct, we agreed more with our vet– as I have Crohn’s disease and know firsthand the link between the gut/immune system/nutrition and how it can affect hair, skin, etc.

BUT I still held out hope that once coming off of both Pred and Metronidazole, the itchiness would stop. It hasn’t. We’ve been told his fur will probably never grow back and we don’t care about that. We just want Oliver to be comfortable and as healthy as he can be. He isn’t itchy all of the time. It comes and goes– and we use Neo Predef to stop instances of itchiness and 1 Benadryl if it’s particularly bad. (He’s only had 1 Benadryl in the last 10 days.)

I was trying to research his skin condition and there isn’t much info available since vets consider it “rare”. When researching, I did stumble upon Dinovite and I have ordered it but haven’t received it yet. Now, however, I found this thread in the meantime and I’m on the fence about giving it to him. I feel the responses on here are thoroughly mixed. Some were helped by it, some were not.

I am also ordering Missing Link since I’ve now found that after ordering Dinovite. I’m not sure what to do, as we definitely can’t risk Oliver getting diarrhea as a side effect because that wouldn’t be good given his PLE.

So, does anyone have any opinions on Dinovite vs. Missing Link?
Thanks in advance!

[Paul M]

Hi I have just joined the site, my 1year old Labrador/poodle cross (labradoodle) has been fussy since we got her at 8 weeks of age. We continued feeding her the same dry diet she was on at the breeding kennels, but after a month or so she went right off, so we tried dry kibble, we tried pouch foods from different makers, tinned food, Caesar meals, we even went over to raw prepared dog food from a local butcher, Bessie’s tries it for a day to two maybe a a week max, then she turns her nose up at it.
We have never fed her from the table, or after every meal from our plate, the odd scrap, but after we have left the table and from the kitchen into her own bowl and placed where he food is always put.
We walk her minimum of twice a day, she always has a good run with other dogs in the park, plays and runs happily, chases the balls and drinks well after, then has a sleep. But. . . She just doesn’t seem interested in her food.
We are worried she isn’t eating enough.
Any thoughts, comments or advise would be most grateful.

[Lynn P]

I am new to the site and I am having a hard time picking a dry dog food. I have looked at the Editors Choice list and I just can’t find one that is really all that good. I am currently feeding core wellness and Stella freeze dryed. Stella freeze dryed I an happy with, but not so happy with the core wellness. My little dog seems to itch a bit on it and she never has before. Could someone give some suggestions. Editor what do you feed your dogs?

[Ken H]

I have not seen any change in either the Merrick dry or wet foods. My dogs have always loved Merrick since I started feeding it to them last year and they still do.

I will not be concerned about Purina’s ownership unless Merrick loses its 5 star rating on this site.

[Joanne C]

Inflammatory Bowel Disease – what dog food

Dog Food Advisor›Forums›Diet and Health›Inflammatory Bowel Disease – what dog food

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June 28, 2016 at 11:28 am #87640 Report Abuse Edit | Reply

Joanne C

Member

My 3 year old male Pomeranian was recently diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and I have him on a vet prescribed food called “Royal Canine GI Low Fat” dry dog food. Prior to this he was on a high quality Fromm grain free & chicken free diet, which is now the complete opposite of this. I was wondering if you had any other suggestions for a higher quality GI Low Fat food that would be okay with his IBD. Additionally, I see you have a rating/review for the royal canine high energy dog food and was wondering what your thoughts were on the Royal Canine GI Low fat food he’s currently on.

[Joanne C]

My 3 year old male Pomeranian was recently diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and I have him on a vet prescribed food called “Royal Canine GI Low Fat” dry dog food. Prior to this he was on a high quality Fromm grain free & chicken free diet, which is now the complete opposite of this. I was wondering if you had any other suggestions for a higher quality GI Low Fat food that would be okay with his IBD. Additionally, I see you have a rating/review for the royal canine high energy dog food and was wondering what your thoughts were on the Royal Canine GI Low fat food he’s currently on.

[Barb F]

I have an older beagle with blastomycosis. He has stopped eating dry food and canned foods (Pedigree, natural brands, etc.). What he currently loves is all forms of Stella & Chewy freeze dried raw foods, but they are hard to find and expensive (about $100/month). Can anyone suggest a food with a similar taste, smell that we might try? We have been using Stella for 4 months thinking he would be long for this world, but since he’s hanging in there, I’d like a food that he loves which is cheaper.

[CircaRigel]

Triet S,
Raw dehydrated is usually actually freeze-dried, which maintains all of the nutrients of raw, but in a convenient, dry form that keeps a lot better. Raw frozen is exactly that. It contains all of the natural moisture of the original composition, and is kept frozen to keep it from spoiling. One of the disadvantages here is that it’s generally recommended to thaw it before feeding, and you don’t want to do that in the microwave, as that will cook it a little and alter some of the proteins. I usually thaw a couple of days worth of Galen’s Darwin’s Natural Selections in the refrigerator at least 24 hours prior to feeding. His freeze dried treats require no refrigeration or freezing to maintain their quality, so the’re easier to carry as treats. As for freeze dried that is meant as a staple food, like Primal freeze dried nuggets, it is recommended to add water to rehydrate it for a specified time prior to feeding.

[CircaRigel]

It’s been a while, and I thought I’d provide an update on Galen, now 19 months old, technically an adolescent for a giant breed (Shiloh Shepherd), but no longer a puppy. However, I did go through a number of adjustments to his diet as he grew up, and thought I’d discuss them. I’ll first discuss kibbles, since that is generally the area where improper calcium and phosphorus content causes problems. Brands discussed include Eukanuba, Holistic Select (and other WellPet brands), Canidae, Taste of the Wild, Fromms, Tripett, and my absolute favorite and the most impressive, nutritionally… Darwin’s Natural Selections. I will also briefly touch on treats. Every choice I’ve made for Galen has come about via extensive research, wanting only the very best for Galen’s growth and health, for he is training as my service dog. My first responsibility is to him, even before looking after myself, for it is his responsibility to always be looking after me. Besides… I consider him family on equal par to my most beloved family members. I have linked the Dog Food Advisor pages for Galen’s finalized diet at the bottom of this post.

Galen’s breeder weaned her litter on Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy diet. After his adoption, I transitioned him to Fromm’s, which is what his breeder now weans her puppies on, but his stools were often quite soft. There was a brief period when I tried Holistic Select Large breed puppy, but rapidly transitioned away from it when Galen became ill. As it happens, ALL kibble foods made by WellPet (Wellness, Holistic Select, Old Mother Hubbard, Eagle Pack) contain green tea extract. While the very small amounts are probably not harmful to most dogs, particularly since it’s being taken with food, I found a number of studies that were halted because of dogs dying after being given green tea extract on an empty stomach. There is no way I can know for certain, but I suspect Galen is somehow particularly susceptible to toxic effects from it, even in small doses. So I began researching foods, and I liked the nutrition profile for some of the Canidae varieties, and while they were not specifically puppy or large breed diets, I contacted Canidae to make sure I chose a variety with the proper calcium and phosphorus ratios for proper bone growth (Canidae has recently been shifting their manufacturing away from Diamond pet foods, with a new processing plant in California). He did well on this, but didn’t like it much. Since he’s rather thin (but not so much as to be unhealthy, according to his vets at Alameda East, the same hospital where Animal Planet’s “Emergency Vets” was filmed, as it’s closest to where I live), I decided to change things up again when he was about a year old. Since he now was at an age where his calcium metabolism was properly established (generally puppies older than 8 months old can properly metabolize calcium, without the need to limit it so much), it broadened the choices of available foods for him. So, I made a list of grain free foods on Dog Food Advisor with 4+ ratings, focusing especially on 5 star rated foods, and ordered a bunch of sample packs for him to try from K9Cuisine. Of all of the foods he tried, he preferred the 5 star rated varieties of Taste of the Wild best. While I’m not fond of the record of Diamond pet foods, I trust the ratings of Dog Food Advisor (except the high ratings of kibbles by WellPet brands, for the previously mentioned Green Tea toxicity risk). Anyway, to keep things interesting for his palate, I now transition between the three 5 star rated varieties of TOTW for dry food.

Canned foods: From very early on, I had Galen eating Tripett green beef tripe as his wet food. I chose this because green tripe contains the nutrients of what the cow ate as well as the nutritional value and digestive enzymes that are naturally inherent to tripe. I have tried other varieties of canned foods, but Galen usually turns his nose up at them after a few days, when the novelty wears off. There has been a single exception, though, which I also supplement his diet with. That is Darwin’s Natural Selections raw foods. Back when I was letting Galen choose from among the samples I got for him, I also got the $15 introductory sample of the Darwin’s food (10 lbs variety pack), which included free shipping on dry ice. Their foods are raw, made from free-range, organic animal sources and organic vegetables. They come in easy to open plastic packets. Dog Food Advisor not only rates it 5 stars, but enthusiastically recommends the foods. They have never had a recall. I was quite surprised to find that the food was packaged and frozen just a few days before it shipped to me. Now, Once you have had the trial and go to their subscription plan, the cost is far higher, plus shipping on dry ice. It’s too high for me to feed to Galen exclusively or even as half his diet, so I subscribe to it as a supplement to his regular diet, feeding him 2 lbs a week. I get him all varieties, which include chicken, turkey, duck, beef, and bison. Of all of the foods I’ve ever fed a dog, This has been by far of the highest quality I’ve encountered.

Galen is incredibly picky even with treats, generally preferring single-ingredient, meat based treats. These have included Simply Lamb (freeze dried lamb), PureBites freeze dried chicken breast, PureBites freeze dried duck liver, and Primal freeze dried Nuggets (lamb), although the nuggets I use more as an occasional supplement rather than a treat. Galen turns his nose up at most other treats, even jerky treats. That’s fine by me. I rather like seeing only one ingredient listed, which leaves me zero doubts of there being anything in it that is unnecessary to his health (i.e. preservatives).

On a final note, around holidays I like to make a turkey stock from the leftovers and carcass (bones removed, of course, after cooking so that nutrients specific to the bones leach into the stock, like the marrow). That turkey stock is for Galen, as a special treat supplementing his food.

So… Galen’s final adult diet:
Taste of the Wild (wetlands, High Prairie, and Canyon varieties)
Tripett Green Beef Tripe
Darwin’s Natural Selections raw (beef, bison, chicken, turkey, and duck)

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by CircaRigel.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by CircaRigel.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by CircaRigel.

[pitlove]

Yes you can mix Trippett with dry.

I find Orijen to be too expensive. I think there are better foods out there that are much cheaper. I think my two personal favorites at this time are Dr. Tim’s Kinesis and NutriSource Large Breed Puppy.