[Kirk R]

I am looking to find a good probiotic and digestive enzymes supplement for dogs. I have a 7 year old English Bulldog who is absolutely my best friend. I believe he has food allergies that are causing chronic ear infections so I have been switching his food to hopefully solve the food allergy mystery. I have been fed him Taste of the wild, Zignature, Fromm Gold Coast – all limited ingredient and no wheat or chicken and I now have him on Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Hydrolyzed Protein Moderate Calorie Dry Dog Food $100/24lbs – bit expensive . Switching foods sometimes cause diarrhea so I have been mixing pumpkin in his food as a probiotic/prebiotic (I forget which it is) in hopes of building up his immune system in his digestive track. That is what has led me to search for Probiotics and digestive enzymes. Any suggestions to help my buddy out sure would be appreciated. Thank you

[kathleen f]

Hi Jennifer,

I have a beagle cross which I rescued 7 years ago. He is now eight years old. When I first got him he scratched himself and bit his legs until they were bleeding. After many visits to the vet they finally did allergy tests and found he was allergic to beef, chicken, duck and just about everything growing. I tried fish, lamb and turkey based grain free foods. They helped a bit but he was still scratching a lot.The vet prescribed atopica capsules which worked well for ages but then started to make him a bit sick and lethargic. so stopped them.A friend suggested yumega oil. I bought a bottle over a year ago and put a measured amount over his dry food every night. He has stopped scratching and biting his legs and his coat is looking great. I also give him a monthly bath using ruggle-it shampoo which works a lot better than the malaseb from the vet. I hope this is of some help

[Mary Z]

I would like to try Merrick dry dog food for large dogs and a coupon always helps. I have an active 2.5 year old lab mix.

[harish s]

Hi to all

This is my very first post on this forum.. There is so much information here is unbelievable.

I am getting my 45 days old french mastiff by weekend. I Have always had dogs but never a french mastiff.

I am little concern about the food to give him .. been reading a lot about this, which has confused me even more.

we in india unfortunately don”t have large variety to dry food .we have brands like royal cannin , pedegree n fewmore.

What is the kind of food should i give me boy.

any suggestion welcomed.

[FIREMAN29]

Hello, I’m new to this forum but desperately need some help. I have a 5 1/2 month old almost 60 lb amstaff male who has constant on and off diarrhea. I apologize for the lengthiness but theres a bit of a back story to give context. We got him as a rescue by proxy. His mother was rescued by a firefighter friend of mine when she wondered into the firehouse one day. Little did he know that this 9 month old sweetie was preggers. Nonetheless, he took her in, had the litter in his home and posted the puppies up for adoption. My wife and I wanting to get a rescue naturally jumped at the chance to take a pitty home with us. He was 6 weeks old and 6.5 lbs and they had already been weaned and eating Purina Beyond Superfood Blend Salmon flavor. Once that was done, we did the 10 day transition to Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy food and he loved it. One day around 10 weeks old he just stopped eating his food and refused to eat it. We contacted our vet and she suggested switching foods, we took the opportunity to switch him to a grain-free and healthier brand (Blue Buffalo Wilderness) once again using the previously mentioned transition method. The transition went fine and he loved the food. Then around 12 weeks he started having diarrhea every second or third day with the days in-between having normal stools. (Mind you, he also was having terrible allergic reactions to his vaccinations and was constantly on prednisone, benedryl, flagyl, and a probiotic). So we figured his digestive issues stemmed from his vaccine issues. His last vaccination was in the second week of February so its been two months. In that time he’s been teething, causing untold destruction, and still having those digestive issues along with a reduction in how much he’s been eating. We’ve done the chicken and rice to help his stomach several times as well so that he’ll eat.

Most recently, the vet gave us a canned food designed for digestive management to use for a week that would help his stomach out. She suggested that the Blue Buffalo may be too rich for his stomach and that we may need to find another brand. I spoke at length with my local pet store manager (Pet Supplies Plus) about this matter and he gave me several suggestions that would possibly help me. So I brought home a small bag of Wellness Complete Health Puppy Food and the pet stores brand called Redford Naturals for all life stages. Once he had constant solid stools with he canned food we began the transition to the Redford brand using the canned food as well. He seemed to be doing very well with the new food and eating it like he used to when he was a small puppy; till today when he started having diarrhea again for his second morning poop.

This is incredibly frustrating, and I have no idea where to go from here. We can’t afford to get him wet/canned food as he would go through it way to fast. And we want the best health for him so that he can have a long healthy life with us. If there is anyone who can help with this we would appreciate it immensely! Thank you.

[Naturella]

Hey, guys, quick question… I have been making a list of foods I could feed Bruno that are poultry and egg-free (for the most part, I have included some options with egg as I am not 100% if that’s an allergen to him yet), and wanted to know about poultry fat – I had emailed Wild Calling about the liver in their canned foods and mentioned how I wished that they didn’t have poultry fat in like every dry formula, and the response I got was that poultry fat is not actually supposed to trigger an allergic reaction.

Does anyone know if this is true?

[Michael R]

Oye and a very good evening. Hope all is well. 21 lb. Lhasa Apso, typically active, walked twice per day 15 mins each, is le freaking on dry versus wet food, has a little acid reflex. Per vet, we are giving 5mg of an anti acid pill which is working out well. On the food, he ignores the Royal Canin low fat, gastro, dry foot. Today, we served him RC wet. Ate it no problem. Question is, how much do a serve the pooch per day? I ran some numbers, finding out 597kcal or 2.83 cups per day, almost 1 2/3 cans/per day. This means we’d be spending 4 USD per day on food. Is this true. I could very well be clueless and I will spend, do whatever for the well being of the poochie magoochie, however, I don’t remember ever serving my small pooches this many cups per day? Help! Any advice?

[Claudia H]

My Selene is a blue nose pit (16 months old in April 2016). We tried changing diet, went to the vet, she got antibiotic, etc. but nothing really work until after reading different blogs, we decided to do this and it worked:
Dry food: salmon (NOW brand). Then we switched to other ingredients but no chicken.
I sometimes top the dry with half a cup of Evangers rabbit. Somebody told me rabbit is a cooling meat.
We did use fish oil as a supplement prescribed by the vet but we don’t use it all the time.
I sometimes put a spoonful of plain yogurt on top of dry food.
Once a week, Selene gets a bath with Dermal Soothe with Vetoquinol (i purchased thru Amazon).
Her skin is so healthy!!!

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Claudia H.

[zcRiley]

Stop everything asap and go back to that puppy food. Don’t add water, can cause bloat. Puppy food can be given slightly pass the 1st year, it won’t kill her. If she stops eating that then it’s time for a full exam and blood work. Check for worms. Dogs may not like a certain ingredient in a kibble, especially if it upsets their stomachs. You can start rotating foods after you do an allergy panel to learn more about her food intolerances. Order food from Chewy.com, great selection of higher quality dry and wet formulas. Free fast shipping of $49 and over. I feed Zignature Zssentials now after my pups became allergic to Orijen Adult kibble.

[Donna G B]

have a fur senior that has so many allergies. Main: Egg, Beef, Potatoes (both white and sweet) shellfish and tomatoes. He’s 13 years old and I give him shots. I didn’t go into boarder line, like rice and a few others. Trees, weeds, bugs etc. He smelled like yeast most of the time and had spots of little red bumps that itched horrible. I started bathing him in a shampoo especially for killing yeast on the skin and you know, haven’t had one red spot or itching. He is also on a antihistamine but he was before and had the red spots anyway. Sometimes itching so bad that he got bigger sores and had to have medication. So, he was put on z/d dry and canned. I HATE SCIENCE DIET but I give it to him because I was to scared to try anything else. Well, I’m not anymore:
How about his z/d dry and for canned: Wellness 95% meat: Chicken, Lamb, Turkey, Salmon etc. Home cooked mixed vegetables and cooked oatmeal? I don’t know how to give him the right amounts but he is also on “Snip It’s” and I put him on Vetri Science Canine Plus Senior” do any of you think this would work? Not one thing he is allergic to. I hope you answer me. Thank You \: Donna from Iowa.

P.S. He has been tested and that is the shots I have been giving him. He’s been to Ames, IA at the ISU clinic and to our family dogtor. He has other issues as well, but if I can bring his food and other things up to good nutrition it can only help him in all aspects. I know it won’t make him live longer BUT it will be better for him while he is alive. Hugh?

[anonymously]

What do you mean by “shots”? Allergen Specific Immunotherapy? That’s the only thing that helped my dog, plus frequent baths with Malaseb, Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea dry food as a base works best (imo)
Please use the search engine here and see my posts for “allergies”.
Example: /forums/topic/allergies-test/

/forums/search/allergies/

If your dog has not been seen and skin tested by a board certified dermatologist I would suggest doing so, asap. The food may have absolutely nothing to do with his symptoms.

[pugmomsandy]

Terry S,

Only Editor’s Choice needs a paid membership. The regular forums and food reviews are open to anyone. I just posted a test comment on Zignature Dry. Try logging in with your email on the reviews side instead of through FB. Do you have a Disqus login already? The review side uses Disqus and the forums uses WordPress.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[stones]

I logged in here (to the forum) with me email address, but when I go to the food ratings and select Zignature Dry and go to the bottom of the review, type in my comments in the “join the discussion box”, press enter, but it does not post. How do you get your comments to post? Under the discussion box, it says login with Disque, facebook, twitter or google. that’s where I selected facebook, but then it brings me to disque and gives me the above messages.
do you have to be a paid member to comment under the dog food review pages?

[Michael S]

Hi,
I’m knew to this website and I’m sure this subject has been touched upon before but I can’t spend hours looking through old posts to find an answer to my question:

Does anyone know of a good dry dog food for hip and joint problems?

We bought some at the vet (Science Diet of course) and I did not like the amount of corn in the mix. I know that all the amino acids etc are great for the dog and that’s all well and good but ‘corn’ come on that’s not going to fly with me for long and the price is very high ($85 for 30#).

So, does anyone have a good brand that is acceptable for this type of problem…I don’t see any recommendations here on the website for this type of prescription dog food. I would appreciate any help. Many Thanks
m3schmied

[stones]

How do you leave a comment under the Zignature dry dog food?. I entered my comment (which I posted below)and then I click the login with facebook and it brings me to the Disque signup page. When I try to signup with Disque, it keeps giving me the message “there was an error submitting the form” If you’re having difficulty, try repeating the action on https://disqus.com. I get the same message when I try to sign up under https://disqus.com.

Maybe someone would post this under the zignature dry dog food for me.

Ziignature Zssentials is listed for “all life stages” but those of you who have puppies, especially large breed puppies might want to do some more research before feeding this food to your dog. Per Aignature, the 100% dry matter basis for calcium is 2.19% and the phosphorous is 1.29%.

Feeding high calcium diets with excess calcium is often blamed for contributing to bone problems in young, rapidly growing dogs. There does appear to be a link between the incidence of hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD), osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and hip dysplasia, and overfeeding of calcium

I’m supprised this food is listed under the link for best dry puppy foods. People, please do your own research.

[stones]

I’m having the same problem. When trying to leave a comment under the Zignature dry dog food, I click the login with facebook and it brings me to the Disque signup page. When I try to signup with Disque, it keeps giving me the message “there was an error submitting the form” If you’re having difficulty, try repeating the action on https://disqus.com. I get the same message when I try to sign up under https://disqus.com.

Maybe someone would post this under the zignature dry dog food for me.

Ziignature Zssentials is listed for “all life stages” but those of you who have puppies, especially large breed puppies might want to do some more research before feeding this food to your dog. Per Aignature, the 100% dry matter basis for calcium is 2.19% and the phosphorous is 1.29%.

Feeding high calcium diets with excess calcium is often blamed for contributing to bone problems in young, rapidly growing dogs. There does appear to be a link between the incidence of hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD), osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and hip dysplasia, and overfeeding of calcium

I’m supprised this food is listed under the link for best dry puppy foods. People, please do your own research.

[Michael C]

I have used Taste of the Wild several times over the years (I rotate my dogs’ foods from brand to brand almost evry time I buy dog food) and currently have a bag of TOTW. I think the Editor’s Choices might change from time to time (monthly?), but one reason TOTW might not be on their Editor’s chouce list (just my speculation) is that TOTW is made by Diamond Pet Food products and Diamond has had a number of recalls over the years (some voluntary). But I have used a lot of foods manufactured at Diamond Pet Foods facilities over the years, Diamond Naturals, TOTW and Premium Edge among others, and have never had any problems. I like the TOTW varieties that have over 30 percent protein, and I think Dog Food Advisor rates those as 5 star foods. … I just checked and TOTW is on the Best dry Grain Free Dog Foods list

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Michael C.

[Cristi C]

I have a cat with this problem, not a dog–but cats and dogs are more alike than different. Here is her story. She began vomiting rather frequently, then began gulping so hard that we had to keep from touching her, because any purring would make her gulp even worse. Then the focal seizures began: her face, then her whole head, then her upper legs. Then she started losing her fur. The poor thing was half-naked before I figured out that I had changed her litter to a litter made of corn. I changed it to clay litter, then removed all corn from her diet–a difficult proposition, because corn or corn products seem to be in nearly everything. She began growing her fur back, but the rest didn’t improve. We got rid of all grains, and she improved a little more but not much. We discovered that some of the expensive, high-end “healthy” canned food we had been driven to find for her made her worse and some didn’t. That was when we finally figured out, by process of elimination, that not only had she become allergic to corn and then all grains, she was reacting to carageenan, which is in nearly all wet products as well as many dairy products. Carageenan is extracted from seaweed and used in nearly everything these days to impart “creaminess” and a smooth, gelled texture. It’s also a known intestinal irritant for some people. Fortunately, pet food manufacturers show it in their list on ingredients. After we had removed all carageenan from her diet, she finally began to heal. It has been a long, slow process of healing: it didn’t happen overnight. Every now and then she vomits, gulps, and has little seizures, but they are not nearly as violent as they once were, and she has longer periods of wellness in-between. She is almost normal now. There is one last chemical that we can remove from her diet if necessary: potassium chloride. It, too, shows up in most pet foods (because it’s cheap) and is an intestinal irritant. We’ll see if that becomes necessary. Right now there is only one dry food in existence that she can eat and one brand of wet food (but only 4 of the varieties offered by that brand). And she is allowed no dairy.
The intestines are incredibly important to health–for all species. The intestines are there to absorb nutrients and water. They also have a role in making nutrients, as well as a role in the immune system. Without healthy intestines, people–and animals–can become very sick indeed, including signs of malnutrition and allergies. Seizures, of course, can be the result of missing nutrients, as can eating bizarre things. Gulping, swallowing, and vomiting are all signs of a distressed gastrointestinal system.
Carageenan may well have been the irritant that started all this, gradually sensitizing her to more products as the years went by. We feel terrible about this–but even our phenomenally good vet had no idea: she had never heard of carageenan being a problem.
I’m sorry I haven’t said anything until now. I tried numerous times and had no idea that answering the emails I was getting from this site would just take my posts into an Internet black-hole.
I hope it helps.

[gina m]

It’s been more than a year ago that i posted on here regarding my terrier mix Dolly’s gulping. I don’t know what we did but she stopped having her panic/gulping/eating grass frenzy. We still don’t know what was the issue but i wanted to post what we did.

Dolly is 8 years old and we adopted her along with her brother a year and a half ago. She came with the gulping issue and super allergic to seasonal pollen and allergic to any bug bites (ticks, flea, mosquito, etc). Her teeth were ground down and causing irritation so some of her teeth had to be removed. She had a few lumps on her body which one was cancerous so we’re glad we were proactive and removed it.

After all these issues: we stopped giving her any chicken, beef, pork (mass produced meat) but stuck with venison & rabbit wet food – Royal Canin from the vet, and anchovy dry food from Forza. Additional supplements of enzyme and probiotic. Cosequin for her joints. Famotidine for heart burns (though i’m thinking of stop giving this to her to see if she still needs this daily). Zyrtec in the morning and Benadryl at night for her allergy. We give her Sentinel and Bravecto for fleas and ticks and heart worm. And we shampoo her once a week.

After continuing this for a year, her gulping has stopped since last summer. A small gulping happened few weeks ago but I realized we gave her a lot of cheese the day before (she loves cheese) so no more cheese for her. I think dairy might be causing it as well, as I remember giving her yogurt thinking that it will help with the gulping but may have been causing it.

Hope this helps someone or gave them a clue for a cure.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Dog Pack Mom:
Out of my dog’s rotation I think there are only two with no fish or fish oil. Rawz chicken recipe and Nutrisource Prairie Select.

rawznaturalpetfood.com/dry-dog-food/chicken-dog-food/

http://www.nutrisourcepetfoods.com/nutrisource/products/grain-free-prairie-select/

[Susan]

Hi Carlene, I feel for your poor dog, your story reminded me of my Patch that I rescued 3 years ago, I also have tried all the ant acid meds until I read about not making enough Hydrochloric acid, its called Hypochlorhydria low stomach acid, this year I stopped any meds on Patch the end of 2015 all I used was liquid Mylanta & the Metronidazole for 7 days in October 2015, the ant acids seemed to make Patch worse not better & his mouth started to smell like food was fermenting in his stomach & not digesting, after he took Losec the Moltium you have Reglan in America made his breath smell like food was fermenting vet didn’t want him on the Moltium…
2016 all I gave Patch was grass, grass growing out the back yard, i’d wash grass under cool water dry in a tea towel & feed Patch 1 blade of grass at a time about 5-6 pieces, then he’d either spew up un-digested kibble or he’d feel better & want to play,no more Mylanta nothing, then a lady told me LOW FIBER diet, I was lowering the fat% always feeding kibbles from 8% fat to 13% it made no difference then I saw on a EPI F/B group their dogs were doing really well on the “Taste Of The Wild” Pacific Stream, the fat is 15% & the fiber is 3%, I live Australia & we still have the old formula with no peas & no garbanzo beans, its just Salmon, Ocean Fish Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Canola Oil, Salmon, Smoked Salmon Meal, probiotics… finally Patches acid reflux, grinding his teeth, all stopped, no waking up grinding his teeth, another thing I have found I have to do is change his kibble every month if he eats the same kibble or cooked diet for more then 5 weeks, he gets food sensitivities & all his symptoms come back, so now I’m feeding the “Taste of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb in 1 month I’m trying Canidae Pure Lamb limited ingredients then going back to the TOTW Pacific stream smoke Salmon & going to rotate his kibbles, Becareful with the Prilosec its a Pump Proton Inhibitor you can not just stop taking it after taken a PPI’s for 1 month, my vet said NO to the Losec & I was to only use it for 3-4days then stop also I use Metronidazole for 7-10days that’s what I did in October & January 2016 & after I stop the Metronidazole Patch does real well as soon as I see him have his acid reflux grinding his teeth for more then 3-4 days I’m giving the Metronidazole again, have you tried any Calming supplements??
Since the grass works the best now with Patch I’m going to buy some Chlorophyll liquid, look at what is in the kibble she is eating now write down everything protein% fat% fiber% ingredients, & look for another kibble that’s the same BUT a different protein & start rotating in 3 weeks, I also feed 4 small meals a day, 7am I give 3/4 cup TOTW Roasted Lamb, 12pm under 1/2 cup TOTW Roasted Lamb, 5pm the TOTW Smoked Salmon & 8pm 1/2 cup cooked chicken & sweet potatoes or a low fat wet tin food, 2% fat but I have just started that this week…. I don’t know why Patch has finally gotten better & gained weight I don’t know what I did but something has fixed his IBD, all I’ve done is changed his food every month & feed something different for breakfast & dinner & the grass & the Metronidazole when the acid reflux doesn’t go away, Patches vet wanted Patch on a low dose of the Metronidazole 200mg a day for 6months she said the Metronidazole works for her IBD dogs with stomach problems, I just gave for 21 days then stopped, I hate giving any tablets they seem to make Patch worse, I hope everything you’ve been thru you find the answers for your poor girl…..I really believe stress plays a big part..

[InkedMarie]

I can understand about the cost of grinds from Hare Today but there is no time investment with their grinds, that theBCNut mentioned. You just scoop it in the dog bowls.

I have a dog who had recurrent yeast ear infections & excessive paw licking. I tried many dry foods but the only thing that worked was raw. My holistic vet thinks it’s the produce in some of them (I also tried a pre made with produce which did not work).

[anonymously]

Unless your dog has a medical condition and a veterinarian has recommended a low-sodium diet….. Healthy dogs usually do not need a special dog food that is low in sodium. Most brands have a minimum amount of sodium, .3%, for maintenance of body functions that require it.

That being said, I read that Orijen has less sodium than other brands. However, the price might be a deterrent. With the better brands you will find you need to feed less kibble, it is dense and less like sawdust as with the cheap brands.

My dogs do well on Nutrisca dry as a base, with a topper such as a spoonful of scrambled egg (made with water) cooked chopped lean meat or chicken, tuna, a spoonful of homemade chicken broth (nothing added) just boil a chicken for 3+ hours, debone, defat, freeze 2-3 day servings, it makes about a quart.
Check chewy.com for prices. If you get a large bag you can freeze 1/2 of it and store the rest in an airtight container, in the fridg if you have room, or at least in a cool dry room.

I add a splash of water to the food, my senior gets his kibble presoaked with water.

Dogs that are prone to weight gain do well with a one hour walk per day, even at a leisurely pace.
Offer meals twice a day, if he doesn’t eat pick it up store in the fridg and offer at the next meal time. He will eat when he is hungry, if he doesn’t eat times 3 days consult a veterinarian. Make sure he is drinking adequate water. Oh, and he is old enough for adult food.
Also, if his bowel habits don’t stabilize soon, I would take him to the vet.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Georgia-
One of the most important things you can do for your dog is to add as much moisture to her diet as possible. Are you feeding the Hill’s canned or dry Urinary food? If dry, see if your vet oks adding some of the Rx wet food to the dry. Also add water to her meals and make sure she gets plenty of bathroom breaks. Water will keep her urine diluted and flush the crystals away. Often there is an infection involved when a dog is producing urinary crystals. Did you get an antibiotic for the infection?

Also, please be careful feeding supplements to a pet who is on prescription food. They can over acidify your pup’s pH and cause a different type of crystal in the urinary tract that cannot be dissolved like the struvites can. Check with your vet first.

[micah g]

Purevita is this a great dry dog food? I have a Cavalier King Charles and a mix breed large dog, I am looking for a great food, price is really not an issue. My cavalier has a small murmur but she is 12 and un symptomatic and the other dog just joint stiffness. My holistic Pet store owner suggested Purevita or Fromm. I just want the best food for her cardiac support and his joint stiffness. Thank you.

[Cindy S]

I’m on my 3rd golden retriever. Never heard of acid reflux in them but I give her 1tsp of apple cider vinegar (raw, organic-with the “mother”) morning and night in her dry food that has added canned food or chicken or scrambled eggs or sardines plus some greens from the garden, and some kefir or yogurt (probiotics great for digestive system), then add cold water (she isn’t picky) or bone broth to the mix. The vinegar seems to keep her flea free, good for skin, helps her ears, etc.

[Kim L]

My 2 year old black lab started itching year round at a year old. We had him tested for allergies and the results came back that he’s allergic to chicken, turkey, pork and beets.
The test also showed borderline allergies to beef, corn, fish and shellfish mixes, lamb, rabbit, salmon, soy beans and wheat. Venison was ok so he’s been on Californial Natural Limited Ingredients Venison with green lentils for almost 2 months and the itching is the same. He’s biting his paws patches of hair are gone on his ears constant licking it’s awful. I’m thinking of switching to Natural Balance LID Sweet potato and venison. I’m really at my wits end trying to find something to help him. Thanks for any info. He doesn’t get any other food or treats..we use his dry food as a reward/treat. No other food (he’s a young so he does get into stuff usually napkins is a favorite for him to grab and shred..we police him pretty good)

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Kim L.

[Marionne H]

Have you tried the Merrick canned foods? My last dog seemed to think they were the bomb, they were like stews. Different recipes, so she won’t get bored. You might also want to look at Weruva. Expensive, but it has a “brothy” consistency she might like and there are a number of varieties. Once you find a wet food she likes you can mix in the dry.

[Ann-Christin S]

I live in Norway and have a hard time finding good food for my dogs.
What do you think about this food ? :

Hypoallergenic LAMB & RICE Formula for Senior Dogs of All Breeds.

Composition:

lamb meat meal (35%), rice (35%), dried apples, chicken fat (preserved with tocopherols), dried beet pulp, natural flavors, salmon oil (2%), brewer’s yeast, hydrolyzed crustacean shells (a source of glucosamine, 260 mg/kg), cartilage extract (a source of chondroitin, 160 mg/kg), mannanoligosaccharides (150 mg/kg), herbs and fruits (rosemary, cloves, citrus, curcuma, 150 mg/kg), fructooligosaccharides (100 mg/kg), yucca schidigera (100 mg/kg), inulin (90 mg/kg), milk thistle (75 mg/kg).

Analytical constituents: protein 25 %, fat 12 %, moisture 10 %, crude ash 7 %, fibre 4,2 %, calcium 1,5 %, phosphorus 1,2 %, metabolizable energy 3 550 kcal/kg,

Nutritional additives: vitamin A 20 000 IU, vitamin D3 1 500 IU, vitamin E (alfatocopherol) 500 mg, E6 zinc 80 mg, E1 iron 70 mg, E5 manganese 35 mg, E2 iodine 0,65 mg, E4 copper 15 mg, E8 selenium 0,25 mg, Biotin 0,6 mg, Choline-Chloride 600 mg, Folic Acid 0,5 mg, Calcium Pantothenate 10 mg, vitamin B1 1 mg, vitamin B12 0,04 mg, vitamin B2 4 mg, vitamin B6 1 mg,

[Garry D]

Our golden boy Connor went to the vet this week for coughing/gagging and hard swallowing symptoms. They did an abdominal ultrasound and found nothing scary. They also performed a fluoroscopy (esophagram) and found that he had some esophageal dysmotility with dry kibble. They feel that the acid reflux is what caused the dysmotility. So he’s on Prilosec for the reflux, canned food so that his esophagus has time to heal and FortiFlora probiotic to help with diarrhea and stomach issues. We were given cans of Science Diet i/d to help with digestion. Science Diet i/d is quite expensive and I’m wondering if anyone here can recommend a good canned food that isn’t so expensive? Also, are there other home remedies or supplements that we can try to help with the acid reflux? The Prilosec seems to work but I think it’s also the reason he has diarrhea. Thanks in advance.

[Bonnie Y]

Suzanne… We inherited my parents Cavalier King Charles female spaniel after my parents passed away who had the same concerns your puppy has. She always drank alot of water. They had fed her Hills Science Diet dry puppy food mixed with all types of leftover chicken, beef, & vegetables, etc. leftover from from their care facility meals where they had lived. Just prior to my last parent passing, she started having pee accidents mixed with blood unexpectedly, although had seemed energetic & healthy. At the time. Their vet confirmed “crystals” in her bladder, some as large as a “caper” which then followed with open bladder surgery to remove the 9 crystals at a cost of just over $1,000. OUCH !!! No infection was found. Since she has been in our care fulltime now, she is now on a dry kibble Rx food recommended by the vet – “Hills Science Rx Diet C/D” which is for urinary care which is very pricey at $55+/bag. We have since changed vets, who has also recommended & written an Rx for “Royal Canin Vet Diet Urinary SO” dry or canned, which is also expensive. We may try that in the future. You should research both Rx brand formulas for urinary concerns, as we were told this condition tends to be genetic and the Rx diet, we are told, is “key” in hopefully preventing a reoccurrence. Good luck… Hopefully you can avoid the cost of surgery that we experienced a few years ago. She still drinks a lot of water, but at almost age 9, she is continuing to be healthy & energetic.

[Kristen L]

Because of the recent recalls (I have 10 unused tubs) and the fact that I’m now reading all kinds of people saying how bad it is, I’m trying to switch my dog from Baneful prepared meals/chopped blends in the tub. My problem is she is a SUPER picky eater. For months she barely ate anything as I tried all sorts of wet food to find something she likes. There are even some benefuls that she refuses to eat. She will also eat Ceasars, which again I know isn’t not great for her, but only if it the home blends. She will only eat food that is watery it seems. I do mix her wet food with dry food, but that is the only way she eats dry. I am asking if anyone can recommend a wet food that will taste or be similar to these foods. I tried Rachel Rays Nutrish because it looked so similar, but she sniffed it and wouldn’t go near it. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Justin A]

I have an Irish Wolfhound pup as well (he’ll be 13 months on the 11th) and have been looking for a dry food that would give him firmer stool as well. My guy generally has “soft serve” like stool as you describe.

When I got him he had been on Purina Pro Plan Dry Dog Food, Focus, Puppy Large Breed Chicken & Rice Formula with the breeder and for a bit with me. This is probably when his stool was the firmest.

I wanted to get a better food for him and went with Whole Earth Farms Puppy Recipe Dry Dog Food. I tried that for about 4 30lb bags worth but his stool stayed soft the entire time.

I then tried Fromm Gold Holistic Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food, roughly through 3 bags (33lbs I think) but didn’t see a change.

I am now on my 4th bag of Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula Dry Dog Food (30lbs) and I really haven’t seen an improvement.

I am almost now thinking it may be something else, like the various treats I give him or maybe the soft stool isn’t an issue (other than clean up!).

[judy o]

WE recently rescued a puppy – approx 4 months old. She definely has some German Short haired pointer in her and something else (she is weighs all of 12 lbs) I used this site to find decent dry puppy food – Merrick back country raw infused puppy recipe. i give her about 2/3 cup in morning – barely eats it unless i put some treats in. Diner time she gobbles down 1 cup. She is very active. Should i find a food she likes better or is it normal for small puppies not to eat in the morning?

• This topic was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by judy o.

[Stephanie B]

From my research, if it has to be Grain Free I think you may have a hard time finding a food that low in calories. I’m in a similar predicament, my 8 yr old chocolate lab is 84 lbs and the vet recommends 78 lbs as her ideal weight. Dr. Tim’s does make a 5 star food that is only 286 kcal/cup but it does contain grain (it’s called Metabolite). In my opinion, for grain free it’s better to go with a good quality/higher protein food which is slightly higher in calories (say 350-380) and feed a little less. Or cut down the dry kibble and mix in wet food which is much less calorie dense (ie. a whole can of wet food generally has the same number of calories as only one cup of dry kibble.) This is what I’m doing for my Heidie and she’s down 2lbs in the last month or so. I like the Wellness Core reduced fat mentioned above mixed with any variety of 5 star canned products (one of my favorites is the Weruva human style ones.)

Just my 2 cents…Good luck! 🙂

[crazy4cats]

Wellness Core has 360 calories per cup: http://brands.wellnesspetfood.com/core/dogs/dry-formula-reduced-fat.

Annamaet Lean has 350 calories per cup: http://annamaet.com/products/Lean_Formula.

They both are well respected foods. I believe that many of the 4 star grain free foods may not be labeled as “diet” foods, but are even lower in calories. Best of luck to you.

[Teresa B]

Would anyone have suggestions for a low calorie grain free, good quality dry dog food? 4 year old 60lb (she is only 2 ft tall at shoulders) lab is slightly overweight, per my vet. She suggested 300 calories (per cup)or less.

[Eric H]

First of all, if your pet is sick, the way to know what is causing it is to take her to the vet, and not just assume it’s the food. Many things can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and lethargy, that have nothing to do with food. If your pet is sick and you do NOT take her to the vet, then you can’t speak with any authority or certainty that the cause was food, and that’s on top of being a lousy pet parent.

That all having been said, I’ve been feeding numerous dogs Natures Domain for YEARS without any food-related health issues. They get both wet and dry. When my dogs have gotten sick, I have taken them to the vet, and not once was the food I fed them the cause. Usually it’s because they got into something, or dug up something and ate it, or caught a bug from a dog at the dog park, or allergies, or injuries, or whatever else happens to normal, active dogs.

PS. The Turkey and Pea stew smells do darn good I am sometimes tempted to dig in. You can see whole pieces of carrot, pea, and meat in there. And that gravy…

[anonymously]

Try malaseb shampoo, or any gentle shampoo (only) for now, twice a week if you notice it helps. Don’t put anything else on the skin as it may cause irritation and make it worse and don’t make diet changes until you see the vet and he approves.
Her symptoms may have nothing to do with the food.
Food sensitivies (food allergies are rare) usually result in GI disturbances such as vomiting and diarrhea, not pruritus (itching) and rashes.

I have a dog with environmental allergies she responded to treatment from a dermatologist and is stable now, she can eat anything but does best on Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea dry a base.
She receives Allergen Specific Immunotherapy. It’s the only thing that helped.

So work with your vet, he may have prescribe meds to get things under control, if you don’t see improvement within a month or two and the dog appears to be suffering, consider seeing a specialist for skin testing. The vet can do blood testing, but the skin testing is the most accurate for environmental allergies.

Don’t be fooled by mail-in saliva and hair tests, they are not accurate. People complain that their dogs test positive for everything!

Do not give any over the counter medication…or any medication unless it is prescribed by a veterinarian.

Also, you can use the search engine here: “allergies” and “anal glands”

[Keith H]

Please consider the “Zignature” Brand Dog Food (Dry) for your Editor’s Choice. Thanks.

[Kelly K]

I came here to post that one of the changes to Merrick Classic Dry is that they’ve downsized the bag to 25lbs. I get the food delivered from PetFlow, got an email from them today to say it changed. The price per pound from them went from $1.76 to $1.92.

I had no idea of these other issues though. I’ve fed Solid Gold in the past to my previous pups, looks like I’ll be going back to that and start looking for something else for my cats too.

[anonymously]

I have 3 small breed dogs, two are seniors, one has allergies. They all do well on Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea dry as a base, I add a topper (1/3rd of the meal) such as cooked chopped chicken or scrambled egg, meat…canned food when I’m desperate.
All 3 (annual checkups) have had lab work within normal limits recently, so I hesitate to try anything new. Although, Orijen and Fromm look good. I may try them at some point.

PS: Add a splash of water, a lot of dogs don’t drink enough water, for seniors soak the kibble in water overnight before serving. Check Chewy.com for prices.
Also, if you pour a tablespoon of homemade chicken broth (no chemicals) over the kibble (any kibble)….they will eat it, unless they are sick.
Kibble all by itself is boring. You have to add at least a spoonful of something. Just my opinion.

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

[melissa p]

Need some guidance.

Short version of my issues.

Since my dog was about 6 months he has had problems where he would randomly have mushy stool. *side note* he did have surgery on his stomach ay that age though to remove a Frisby he ate. Not sure if that plays any part with issues now. My dog Bandit is now 3 ans I have changed foods multiple times. He has been to the vet for infections whete he was puking and pooping blood once the vet had no idea why but antibiotics cleared it up. Most recently he had a staph infection on his belly from licking from food allergies and has got spots between his toes ocaasionally. My issue is now after this last round of meds the vet said not to change his good until he was done with them. He was on probiotics and kangaroo and lentil Cali. Natural. He was doing well his poop wad firm but almost seemed a little dry but was solid for the full 4 weeks while on probittics. I ran out after his meds and 2 days after he was pooping small amounts of blood but is lethargic.

To recap my vet claims he has food allergies and colitis. My issue is he refuses to recommend a good beside D/D hills. But Bandit for some reason does fine on his calif. Natural ans I was mixing I/d (he’s allergic to) only less than a teaspoon and he goes randomly well on that but I take away the i.d and he has mushy poop. But if I give to much he had hot spots. Then this recent he did amazing! With probiotics that I just added.

How is this possible? ?? My vet won’t help just push the food they sell

What’s a good hypoallergenic dog food for ibd/collitis dogs??

Also what do you feed a sick dog that doesn’t tolerate rice, i/d. Hills, beef, chicken, corn.. I bought a can of venison hills d.d just to try because I don’t want to make his bloody stool worse by giving his normal food right away

*sorry for my clusterf*ck long post I’m very scattered and need some help and can’t seem to get it. Bandit has a weird stomach and allergies and can’t seem to get any real help

Thanks

[anonymously]

The best thing that you can do for a dog that has a tendency to have impacted anal glands is to learn how to express them yourself. Check YouTube for how to videos.
Have your vet tech/vet go over how often this needs to be done for your dog (once a week?)
With the right diet, exercise and routine care, you may find the condition will clear up quite a bit and you may not have to express the anal glands as often…if at all after a while.
Make sure she is drinking adequate water, maybe add a splash to her meals.

Find a food that will give her firm stools, rather than mushy (less likely to get clogged in the anal glands).
Also, some dogs have better stools on canned food, others do better on kibble. Buy small amounts of the recommended foods and see what works, sometimes it takes a week or two to see a difference.
Plus, feed only once or twice a day, don’t leave food down.

PS: My 15 year old small breed who needs help to have 2 bowel movements a day does best on Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea dry as a base soaked in water overnight with a tablespoon of a topper canned or chopped up chicken, meat or scrambled egg. Three small meals a day and a bite at bedtime.

[Jenn H]

I have figured out the reason for his sudden lack of weight gain. He should be getting about 2500 calories/day. Feeding the suggested amount he’s only getting 1550.
Any suggestions on high calorie puppy food that doesn’t exceed 1.5% calcium on dry matter basis?

[Alexis Y]

Wow! You guys are amazing in your knowledge! I have just added my first Irish Wolfhound puppy to our family 2 days ago. I originally started reading this forum because I want to ensure she receives the best food I can provide. Her breeders started her on wellness just for puppies canned food at the time of weaning. They suggested Wilderness puppy for dry food, but after reading the previous posts, that won’t be happening. Can anyone give me a good suggestion on what to feed her. Her stool is soft serve like and I’d love to remedy that if possible. She seems happy with the wet food, but, is there a benefit to wet vs dry? I’d prefer to feed dry food as I’ve always had better experience with dry with previous pups(none have been as large as she will be).
I live in a very small town and I’m not sure how experienced our vet is with this breed. Though she has always been great with my other babies, this little girl is a bit less common and a lot bigger(eventually) than my other babes have been.
I want to give this little girl the best beginning to ensure a long, happy healthy life.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[anonymously]

Nutrisca dry as a base works best for my 15 year old small breed. I thought canned food would be better, as he only has a few teeth left….but, no, smelly gunky stuff all over his face and constipation.

Back to Nutrisca kibble soaked in water overnight with a spoonful of topper mixed in, 3 small meals per day. Perfect.
I guess the seniors do need a little bit more fiber. Make sure you brush their teeth once a day so that tartar doesn’t build up and lead to infection.

[anonymously]

Try malaseb shampoo, or any gentle shampoo (only) for now, twice a week if you notice it helps. Don’t put anything else on the skin as it may cause irritation and make it worse and don’t make diet changes until you see the vet and he approves.
Her symptoms may have nothing to do with the food.
Food sensitivies (food allergies are rare) usually result in GI disturbances such as vomiting and diarrhea, not pruritus (itching) and rashes.

I have a dog with environmental allergies she responded to treatment from a dermatologist and is stable now, she can eat anything but does best on Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea dry a base.
She receives Allergen Specific Immunotherapy. It’s the only thing that helped.

So work with your vet, he may have prescribe meds to get things under control, if you don’t see improvement within a month or two and the dog appears to be suffering, consider seeing a specialist for skin testing. The vet can do blood testing, but the skin testing is the most accurate for environmental allergies.

Don’t be fooled by mail-in saliva and hair tests, they are not accurate. People complain that their dogs test positive for everything!

Do not give any over the counter medication…or any medication unless it is prescribed by a veterinarian.

Also, you can use the search engine here: “allergies”

[Joe K]

Hello my 1 yr old pit bull boxer mix broke out in a skin rash/hives today and I’ve given her 2 soaks in cold water with oatmeal and aloe shampoo and given her benadryl a few times. She is on authority puppy food and I put a cap full of plain vinegar in her water. I’ve had her about a month and a half and she was on Kirkland special adult food when I got her. And can’t get any info from previous owners. Im trying to wait until Monday to go to the vet. Any and all help is welcome. Please help.

[Lois Z]

My small dogs get Wellness dry food. We switch between the Toy Breed, Core, and Small Breed. They offer coupons, too. A 4 or 6 lb. bag is well under $20. For a canned food, Whole Earth Farms is 5* and very economical.