[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, 8 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, 8 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, 9 months ago by Elizabeth A.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 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, 9 months ago by CircaRigel.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by CircaRigel.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 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.

[Triet S]

Hello,
Could I mix this supplement with dry food ?

[Karin S]

I’m searching for premium (5star,) dry and wet foods meeting a TCM cool/cold food therapy diet. Any suggestions?

[Triet S]

Hi Pituv,
I am very appreciate your help. I have taken her to the vet aldready. She said I fed her too much. She want me to feed her 3 times a day, all is dry dog food, follow the direction on the label of the TOTW and nothing else. But, I am very confuse because my puppy dont like to eat a lot of dry food. So, I have to change to feed raw food in morning and afternoon (mixing meat,liver,organic,vegetable,….about 150gram each time). Evening is 1cup of TOTW. After a month, she still has a curve back.
Could you tell me what should I do now ? Is my raw food diet good ?
Thanks !

[Hannah D]

I’m at my wit’s end. I’ve tried countless brands and have yet to find the ideal food for my dog. My 9 year old chihuahua has hiatal hernia and does better with lower fat. The past year or so she’s had a musty smell within days of being bathed, so there’s probably a yeast issue. I’ve had her on various grain-free Honest Kitchen recipes. She’s currently on Marvel because I wanted to avoid potatoes of any kind, but she’s gained weight on it.

K9 Naturals was recommended. I had her on the venison food, but she wasn’t nuts about it. Stella & Chewy’s freeze dried didn’t seem to satiate her and neither did Ziwipeak.

Ideally, I’d like a grain-free, starch-free, yeast-free food. I don’t want to feed her beef and I usually avoid chicken when possible. But I’m open to all suggestions, wet, dry, raw, etc. I have absolutely no experience with raw food except for the dehydrated or freeze dried kind.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Lynn P]

Thank you. I looked into that food it’s supper expensive. I will go that route if I have to, but maybe a more reasonable price food possible a dry food. I mix dry food with a freeze dry food to keep the cost down

[Lynn P]

I have my dog on hills c/d dry dog food. Due to a urinary issue. It’s to lower her PH in her system. But I think the dog food I had her on may have been the cause in the first place, and hills is not such a great dog food. So I want to know if anyone could suggest another dog food that is better in nutrition and maybe a supplement to keep her from getting urinary tract infection. She is a golden retriever and only a year old. I have had her tested for stones and all else. So now I want to help her with food I think it will work if I get the right stuff. The vet has there purpose, but they always want to use medicine and I think a lot of or animal problems are self induced. Thanks Lynn

[Wabi S]

Yes, I’m referring to this food.

https://frommfamily.com/products/gold/dog/dry/large-breed-puppy-gold/technical-analysis/

[Wabi S]

Hello,

First post, but I’ve been reading here a few days.

I have a 12 week old purebred Saint Bernard puppy. She’s currently on Eagle Pack but I’d like to switch her to something else, I’m thinking either Orijen if I can afford it on a regular basis (I heard their prices went up and their bag size is going down) or Fromm Gold Holistic Large Breed Puppy. $50 or under is ideal, but I can probably budget a little more if the food is worth it. Any suggestions? Also, how long should I be feeding puppy food?

An as aside, if it helps anyone, I contacted Taste of the Wild and they got back to me today. Here’s what they said about their food:

“Below are the calcium and phosphorous levels for all of our dry formulas. The levels below are based on an as fed basis of a typical analysis of the formula.

High Prairie Canine with Roasted Venison & Roasted Bison

Calcium: 2.1%

Phosphorus: 1.4%

Pacific Stream Canine with Smoked Salmon

Calcium: 1.9%

Phosphorus: 1.1%

Wetlands Canine with Roasted Wild Fowl

Calcium: 2.1%

Phosphorus: 1.4%

Sierra Mountain Canine with Roasted Lamb

Calcium: 1.6%

Phosphorus: 1.0%

Southwest Canine with Wild Boar

Calcium: 1.9%

Phosphorus: 1.1%

Pine Forest Canine with Venison & Legumes

Calcium: 1.4%

Phosphorus: 0.9%

Appalachian Valley Small Breed Canine with Venison & Garbanzo Beans

Calcium: 1.8%

Phosphorus: 1.2%

High Prairie Puppy with Roasted Venison & Roasted Bison

Calcium: 1.4%

Phosphorus: 1.0%

Pacific Stream Puppy with Smoked Salmon

Calcium: 1.3%

Phosphorus: 1.0%”

Hope this helps someone.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Wabi S.

[Lamar V]

Our 7 year old Portuguese water dog has recurring urinary tract infections. She is on Proin. Some anecdotal opinions suggest we should change her diet and have changed her dry dog food from Natural Balance to California Natural. Looked at Fromm’s but it has cheese in it and she is dairy allergic. Our vet thinks the dog food change is nonsense. Still, would like to hear what informed dog owners think.

[Tara M]

I am new to this and looking for help. I have 2 pugs.
1 male 10 years old approx 30 pounds and 1 female 4 years old approx 32 pounds. She is ver short/ lower to the ground with short legs then my male and is more over weight.
They both like Ceasers and Might Dog food but I have been hearing these are not good. They both have severe itch problems. I took them to the vet and she has to give them a shot for itch and a shot for this bacteria on skin. I have to bathe them with a dandruff shampoo to help. They get a foul smell in their ears and I am always cleaning this yucky wet wax out.
Is this because of their food? Any suggestions. They are not big on dry food . They like wet food.

[Ellen C]

Which grain free dry food is best for a 9 year old lab?

[Susan]

Hi, what does your dog eat?? make sure she eats a well balanced diet, fresh whole foods, if your on face Book follow “Rodney Habib”, he’s a Pet Nutrition Blogger & has a post at the moment.. Research shows, that dogs on a diet of dry commercial pet food if you added leafy green vegetables at least 3 times a week were 90 percent less likely to develop cancer than dogs that weren’t….And dogs that were fed yellow/orange vegetable at least three times a week were 70 percent less likely to develop cancer… also exercise, make sure she gets exercise & isn’t over weight & no stress….
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/want-your-dog-to-live-to-30-add-this-to-their-bowl-.html

[Patrice]

I really think “natural flavor” (or “natural chicken flavor”, “natural beef flavor”, etc.) should be listed in red as a controversial ingredient. I know I won’t buy food for myself that has “natural flavors” in the list because MSG is a natural flavor (it is a salt, not a pertro-chemical, so it is not “artificial”–but it is still an excito-toxin/nervous system agitator.)

From http://slimdoggy.com/what-is-natural-flavor-and-is-it-good-for-my-dog/

“For an idea of what a natural flavor is, the FDA website says:
With respect to flavors, pet foods often contain “digests,” which are materials treated with heat, enzymes and/or acids to form concentrated natural flavors. Only a small amount of a “chicken digest” is needed to produce a “Chicken Flavored Cat Food,” even though no actual chicken is added to the food. Stocks or broths are also occasionally added. Whey is often used to add a milk flavor. Often labels will bear a claim of “no artificial flavors.” Actually, artificial flavors are rarely used in pet foods.
According to current labeling rules, dog food companies are allowed to consider these natural flavors proprietary, and are not required to disclose exactly what is used to make the flavoring nor how it is actually made (i.e., via a chemical process).”
——–
Merrick recently changed the ingredient list for “Merrick Classic Real Chicken + Green Peas Recipe with Ancient Grains Adult Dry Dog Food” to read “natural flavor” instead of “natural chicken flavor”, so I called to ask why/what was in their “natural flavor”.

They said it was just flavor “derived from chicken or beef livers, or whatever the main meat ingredient of the particular food is.”

Derived how?

“Well, it comes from the livers.”

How? <I was put on hold>

“Well, it’s just boiled down livers.”

So why don’t you just say ‘chicken or beef or whatever concentrate’?

<put on hold>
“Well, it’s derived from the livers. Like when you make a gravy.”

So, it’s just ‘boiled’ livers?

“Probably.”

So why don’t you just say ‘liver concentrate’?

“Well, it’s like when you make gravy.”

When I make gravy I add seasonings for more flavor. MSG is considered a ‘natural flavor’ — do you add MSG?

“It’s derived from the livers.”

And it’s derived only by boiling?

“Well, it’s from the livers.”

And it is only liver–that’s the only ingredient?

“Well it’s the liver of whatever the main meat is.”

I told Merrick customer service that I wanted to voice my disbelief that “natural flavor” was a simple concentrate, and that I believe it is a smoke-screen for additives and chemical processes they would not want to list separately because people would know how unhealthful it is.

“OK, I’ll pass that along. Have a nice day.”

[Z B]

There are a few 4 star rated kibbled that are widely available and budget friendly. off top of my head are pure balance grain free and Rachel Ray zero grain (both available at Walmart ) and 4health sold at Tractor Supply. You can look up the reviews on them here.
Have no idea if they are better than what you are feeding or how effective they (or any other food ) would be for your dogs’ issues, just suggesting some affordable 4 star options that I know of.
You can add some eggs, water packed-no salt added sardines, raw chicken hearts or gullets, baked sweet potato, and cooked puréed greens like kale or spinach to whatever you are feeding to increase nutrition. Small amounts of turmeric daily is a really good antiflammatory.

ETA: I just looked up River Run it is rated 1.5 stars 🙁
/dog-food-reviews/river-run-dog-food/
So there easily are many affordable brands that would a much better choice, research options that are rated 3 star, or higher here:
/dog-food-reviews/dry/

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Z B.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Z B.

[Julie W]

I have a new 6 month old miniature Labradoodle. The breeder introduced me to Life’s Abundance, All Stage dry food. What do you think of this Company and what do you recommend for a “wet” food to add to the dry. Our puppy won’t eat the amount recommended. He isn’t that interested in his food. Many thanks, Julie

[Brooke R]

I have a white pit she scratches her belly non stop. The vet said she has sensitive skin and allergies. I recently got her a new shampoo from EarthsBest and I’m going to give her a bath with it today to see if that will help, I also give her Benadryl.

I read it could be her food or maybe a yeast infection?! I feed her Nature select cold water press, says its grain free….Does anyopne have any suggestions or know what it may be? She is consistently scratching her belly.

[cheryl w]

I lost my dachshund after her second dose of Bravecto. She was hospitalized months after her first dose with kidney and liver failure, but after a long fight, we got her home. I administered a second dose of Bravecto at the end of February 2016. (not having made a connection with the product and her illness) Within a few days Thula started showing signs of being ill. She stopped eating and had severe diarrhea, which had blood in the stools. She was rushed to the vet. She suffered for 5 days from kidney and liver failure, severe anemia and despite attempts to save her, she died in early March. My daughter in law had read some of the adverse effects of this product after her dachshund suffered from dry itchy patches on her skin and said that many reports were showing the same adverse reactions as Thula had. It was only after her death that I found out about Bravecto.
My eldest dachshund was also treated for dry itchy patches and a rash on her tummy after her first dose. After researching the product, I examined her carefully only to find out that she had developed the same skin condition that she had experienced after her first dose. She is now fully recovered.
My ridgeback is currently in hospital. She has been seen by three different vets, all giving different diagnosis. She stopped eating suddenly and only after large doses of cortisone, would she take very small portions of soft food. MRI and CT scan, scopes and medication were administered. The scope has revealed ulcers and inflammation in her stomach, we are waiting for the biopsy taken for further information.
READ THE FACEBOOK PAGE DOES BRAVECTO KILL DOGS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

[harp31]

Thank you for the response. You are probably right about using the Rx food short term to help with healing, the ingredient list is hard for me to get past though. I was actually looking at Pure Vita today at a pet supply store (but they only had 20 lb bags and I need to start w/ 5 lbs or so in case they don’t like it) and they also recommended Dr. Gary’s Best Breed Grain Free Dry food. I may try the Pure Vita Turkey. I really appreciate the suggestions.

[harp31]

Hi, I can relate to your loose stool issues.
I have 2 Bostons, one is 11 lbs and one is 28 lbs. Both are 3 yrs old and female. I have been trying to find a low fat limited ingredient food for them. The larger one has had bouts of diarrhea (some was bloody) and some vomiting on and off for the past month. My vet had her on metronidazole for 2-3 weeks but she started to break out in hives from it so we had to discontinue the med. They had been eating Annamaet Option 24% dry food for the past year or more with some boiled chicken or ground turkey as a mix in to entice them to eat it. For some reason they don’t want to eat it anymore and are having loose stools, etc. They have been on a bland diet on and off for the last month (boiled chicken and rice or pasta) with no loose stools or vomiting but obviously are not getting the nutrition they need. Every time I start to re-introduce the dry food, the loose stools start up again. I am working with my vet to try to find a suitable food for them. They were eating Acana Ranchlands Regional previous to the Annamaet kibble. They had the same issues after eating that food for over a year also (not wanting to eat it, loose stools, etc). Anyone else experience this with their dogs? It’s so frustrating to find a food they like that they can tolerate. My vet mentioned Royal Canin Gastro. and Hill’s Prescription ID (which they sell in the office) but I am not a fan of those 2 choices. I’m also skeptical of TOTW because of Diamond manufacturing and California Natural due to previous recalls. The DFA has several low fat suggestions here, I just hate buying a whole 5 lb bag of something if they won’t eat it. I guess I will go into town and see what I can find at Petsmart or Soldan’s that is a decent food. May be that I have to find some nutritional add-ins and cook for them, they are picky.
I also had my dog’s anal glands expressed at the vet about a month ago and she does sit and spin on her butt at times, maybe she needs them done again.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by harp31.

[Scared D]

This is an older thread but Abady’s granular foods are the best ‘dry’ foods you can buy. 9/10 stores that carry these foods, the staff and owners of the store use them.

They are incredibly simple foods and not really processed at all except for mixing.

They just need to be mixed every so often and its best to keep them in a cool location.

Very few stores carry the large boxes, they need to be ordered but in my area if you call on a Monday, the food is delivered by an Abady truck by Wednesday. The food is generally only a week old when you get it.

You will notice in two weeks. Tiny stools, better coat and cleaner teeth. You will also notice how comfortable the dogs are eating the food and after they finish. The mass they eat is much less and the food is granular so it digests much more efficiently. There is no plant fiber in the food. The stools look like coyote of fox scat.

It is also the only company that will work with your vet and actually review blood work if needed. There is a Vet on staff at the company. I highly recommend the Classic version. I haven’t done the calculation but I suspect the calories from carbs is 10-12%, and just white rice.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Scared D.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Scared D.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Scared D.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Scared D.

[Joe W]

Ok, this thread has obviously deteriorated into a childish playground argument (thanks for that janus), let’s stay on topic and stop arguing like crazy biatc#s with PMT.

Anyone not intelligent enough to research opinions on a forum and come to a balanced decision based on opinion and fact (which I may add HAS to be linked and referenced otherwise only a retard would blindly belive it), is not responsible, intelligent or mature enough to be responsibly owning a dog in the first place.

Just look in the ingredients, it’s the best way to tell….. anything that lists cereals or animal derivatives at the top of it’s contents is in my opinion AND supported by a huge ammount of fact (research it yourself as I’m not doing it for you lazy asses) not good for your pet and will only lead to a bad coat and other annoying issues.

The only dry food I trust is from an independent local supplier who is passionate about going against the big brand’s horrible ingredients and makes his dry food from vegetables and only natural antioxidants, it’s ingredients starting ‘CHICKEN MEAL, MAIZE, RICE, OATS, CHICKEN FAT, PRAIRIE MEAL, CHICKEN LIVER, BEETROOT PULP, SALMON OIL….. you get the picture.

If you’re wondering what to treat your dog with that’s not harmful? Then stop shopping in a business and make your own, frozen chicken liver chunks, or just cook a whole chicken (they are mega cheap) and shred up the meat, freeze it and use as treats. Remember that research suggests (yes anus, sorry ‘janus’ damn my typos) that smaller treats are better for training than larger ones, so just a taste will do.

The only manufactured treat I trust and use are natures menu ones, my golden retriever Nico LOVES them so much that his teeth chatter as you train him with them! He can’t get enough, and they are 95% meat so they are most and each small treat easily breaks into 6 or more smaller rewards, he loves the chicken best but other flavours are avaliable.

My experience? I have owned dogs, only ever had pedigree dogs from show dog families so the breeders have been crazy into health and coat care, nutrition ect. and have given me a wealth of knowledge….. this plus conversing regularly with a very good vet when I have a question I can’t find the answer to myself (yes janus, by researching different opinions of other dog owners which I VALUE and RESPECT more than, well more than you), has given me what I think a balanced view on what is best for myself and my dog…… But hey, that’s just my opinion right?…. Oh wait sorry, that was ‘In My Honest Opinion’

If any of my spelling was off there, I apologise, I’m using my phone and this forum isn’t too mobile friendly with it’s format.

Joe
Retired British Army Infantry Sniper….. Hence why any haters or immature children that want to reply with something idiotic will be ignored, I don’t have time to waste on keyboard warriors with arrogant ‘black or white’ ‘my way or I cry like a child’ opinions…… Life is one big grey area, engage your brain, adapt, overcome, and deal with it.

[anonymously]

What foods did your vet recommend? I have two seniors that have been doing well on Nutrisca dry as a base, both recently had senior workups, lab work came back normal.
One of them (peke) will turn 16 next month.

I have recently added Orijen, more for my youngest dog, Orijen has a senior kibble but I haven’t checked it out.

[Scared D]

Virtually all dry food sold in the US is the same quality, with the same level of nutrition.

Marketing is the only thing that distinguishes dry food.

[Sheri S]

I am searching for a high quality and low protien dog food, dry and wet, for my 9 year old standard poodle. She is a rescue and upon our first visit to our vet found that she has only one kidney. He started her on a low protien dog food that they sell but now that I am educated about ingredients I’m disappointed. Any ideas?