[Sarah B]

I also have a blue nose Pitt bull we are also going through some crazy irritations, allergies, ear infections, scratching constantly. I have been for the past four months solid trying new things researching nightly constantly trying to help my best friend! I have found my pittty is ellergic to fluoride in the water, so I boil his water daily refrigerate it I do not bath him in tap water! He is also allergic to wheats, grains, by-products the works! I’m telling u my poor baby boy he can’t even eat or dink out of plastic! OK so I have figured out to help sooth the itchy irritating skin I am using ready for this?? Sudocream diaper rash cream for babies! Works instant! Ingredients: purified water, liquid paraffin wax, paraffin wax, lanolin, beeswax, benzyl benzoate, sodiumbenzoate, and so on! Then treats: raw carrots , apples NOT the seeds!!! Clean his ears as often as u wash ur own. Do not use q-tip use a cotton swab and a gentle formula douce ear cleaner. I use Wahl pet ear cleaner it’s specially formulated with baking soda and mild cleanser compounds to clean away wax build up and debris. If the skin is so bad I like to put pure coconut oil on his skin it helps with the dry skin and also if your dog licks it off well even better 😉 ….dog food: I mix his daily portion with one cup WHITE RICE and two cups his perferd dog food. Ol Roy NO NO NO!! IAMS! NOPE! I won’t lie I’m still working on that! But he did have an almost full recovery on natural nutrition grain free but then I tried ol Roy n with in half a bowl were back to square one N with in half a day. It’s extremelyexhusting but if he is healthier happier it’s all worth it! Hope this helps u? Good luck IL be checking in to see if u reply with good news. I truly hope I am of some helpful ideas.

[aimee]

Hi C4D,

In regards to Dave’s restricted diet the as fed percentage of .17% phos is equivalent to 1478mg/1000 kcals which is above AAFCO min Phos level. They report Phos dry matter as .81% which calculates out to 1753 mg/1000kcals. If you use their guaranteed max phos level of .22% the level is 1913mg/1000kcals. All of these levels are above AAFCO and would not be suitable for a renal patient needing restriction.

To be in line with other renal diets the company’s food would have to be at the low end of their min/max GA but their average as fed and dry matter levels are not that low. It isn’t a diet I’d use for a dog needing restriction.

A

[debbie k]

I have an approx. 5 1/2 yr old Lab which I rescued and have suffered right along side of him since day one with allergies, it kills me to see my baby so miserable! I have tried every food known for “sensitive stomach” “allergies” ” gluten free” etc I have taken him to the vet and begged them to do an allergy test multiple times only to have my vet tell me it’s a waste of money and not accurate he was on 2 benadryl a day and it didn’t help. Anyway I will spare you EVERYTHING we tried and get to the point… I had wonderful people open a store called pawtopia across the road from where I lived in Oklahoma and I decided to drop in to check them out one day, I got to talking to the husband and wife that ran it and told them of all my problems with rocky and they said have you tried kangaroo? I looked at them like they were nuts and said no, they talked me into trying “Zignature kangaroo formula” food and some whole 100% pumpkin (2 tbs a week) and within a week my rocky was improving, no more hair falling out when I pet him, no more digging at his butt (eww gross I know) no more bright red snout, no more gas, no more itching, red watery eyes!!! My baby was starting to feel great and it showed more and more everyday. I’m still to this day not sure what all he’s allergic to but I have determined he cannot do chicken, turkey, gluten, salmon etc but I found something that he can have and decided to leave well enough alone. I hope this helps someone somewhere out there because I know I was going out of my mind trying to find something for my lab son whom I love dearly and hated seeing him so miserable, I tried every expensive dog food you can name and even tried making everything homemade and nothing has worked like the zignature kangaroo formula along with pumpkin for little treats. Good luck and hope this helps someone!

[james c]

Hi,
Choosing the best, affordable cheap dog food can be a real challenge. How do you know where to begin? Well first, for the most thrifty options you will likely consider dry cheap dog food.

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

[C4D]

Hi Kevin K,

Are you feeding a balanced commercial raw diet? If not, unless you are very knowledgable on feeding a balanced raw diet and are following a recipe that has been put together by a vet nutritionist, or at the very least, by a qualified professional, you need to rethink feeding raw. Too much liver, which is very rich and nutrient dense, can cause loose stools. Too much bone, which is very high in calcium, and lack of correct fiber can cause a very small dry stool.

Raw food can be fed to a healthy animal, as long as there has been the proper adjustment period and that the diet is correctly formulated and nutritionally balanced. I do feed raw in my rotation of foods, but I use commercial raw food that’s complete and balanced. When feeding fresh cooked food, I use a commercial premix added to the meat. I have no problems with stools or any health issues with my dogs.

You might want to either put him back on a traditional diet to see if that corrects the issues and transition to the correct raw diet gradually. If the sypmtoms persist or worsen, you do need to see a vet soon.

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

[C4D]

Hi Dr. Mike,

Pedigree’s “Targeted Nutrition” and “Complete Nutrition” would be good examples of what you’re talking about. It shows a lot of pictures of fresh meat and vegetables on the front of the packages. The steak and vegetables formula shows a fresh grilled steak and vegetables on the front, when the ingredients are poultry by-product meal, meat and bone meal along with corn as the first ingredient. The dried (not fresh) peas come in the middle of the vitamin pack and the dried (not fresh) carrots come in after the vitamin pack, before the artificial colors and BHA.

Here’s the link to the whole line:

http://www.pedigree.com/really-good-food/dry/

[Stephanie B]

I am interested in an analysis of the new Weruva dry foods…specifically Caloric Harmony but a comparison to the Caloric Melody would also be helpful. I love their human style canned food and am considering switching to their dry as well.

[crazy4cats]

How about Chef Michael’s Grilled Sirloin dry dog food?

[Em R]

Hi all!

My much loved 3 year old mini schnauzer had a bad seizure about 2 months ago. Blood tests etc came back normal, but he has since had two more seizures within the past 2 weeks.

Of course we will look to get him on the medication recommended for epilepsy, but we also want to improve his diet dramatically, as it seems very coincidental that his seizures started within a week or two of putting him on Royal Canin dry food.

Transitioning to a raw diet seems very overwhelming, and I don’t want to accidentally deprive him of any ingredients or overfeed him either (he is maybe a kilo or two overweight). I see petstock have the vets all natural complete mix which is to be mixed with cooked/raw meat… Does anyone know what this is like? I was thinking this with maybe one or two raw bones per week.

Sorry about the long post!

[Mike Sagman]

Beneful is an example of an attractive dog food package that could be potentially misleading to consumers. The product only gets 1-star at DFA.

https://www.beneful.com/products/dry-dog-food/

[Steven H]

Anyone having any issues with this food lately, chicken and lamb. My Aussies digestive track went for a spin these past couple weeks. When this problem first started I had returned a bag for another, thinking bad batch. Tried a lamb instead of chicken when the returned bag gave me the same issues. I have both dry and wet, my guys are turning there noses up at it now.
A few vet visits later with them going on Science Diet i/d for a while got me thinking about this food. Ended up picking up a bag of Blue Buff Healthy Weight (use to give them) and they ate it out of my hand, the other they would not…..
Going to call them tomorrow and let them know what happened to me, just giving everyone else a heads up….

[anonymously]

You might want to stay away from dry food, kibble expands in the stomach. Or, you could soak the kibble in the fridg in water overnight, feed one or two or three small meals per day. I would not free feed.

[Thomas Carroll]

I am looking for a recommendation on a specific dry dog food that will help prevent bloat for my 10 year old, 90lb labrador. I’ve read that the following can increase the chances of bloat:

-A food with fat or oil (vegetable or animal) listed in the first four ingredients.
-Grains
-Citric Acid

[Paula C]

I recently adopted a 10 1/2 year old senior shih-tzu and after 3 weeks she stopped eating. She lost 2 of her 14#.
She became severely dehydrated, requiring hospitalization. Her liver panel numbers were more than doubled — except ALT (not to be over 240) came in at 4300. Medication for her liver helped slightly but not too well for her appetite. She’s had 5 additional blood panels run and her 4300 went down to 3700, then 2400, then 2000, then 800, and now at 329. We are headed in the right direction — WITH the EXCEPTION of her eating. I have tried premium dog foods, dry and wet — home cook a recipe the vet gave me — none of these have any appeal for her. I finally gave her Cesar tubs which she will occasionally eat. I found Shep tubs (turkey) at Aldi’s and she LOVES it — I found Shep dry food rating online which was extremely poor — but I can’t find any nutritional information online for the wet dog food. Can you help me? I’ve had her for 2 months and my vet bills are out of sight. This little sweetheart needs any helpful information you can provide. I should also mention that between her 3rd to 5 week, she would go into “trances” and was totally out of touch. She would stand stock still and stare at the wall for 10-15 minutes at a time, not responding to me at all. Thankfully, that has subsided.

[Susan]

Hi, Holistic Select Senior digest easy the protein-26% fat-10% fiber-3.5% & has 3 proteins… as dogs get older sometimes high fat & high protein diets can cause problems like pancreatitis, acid reflux so keep that in mind…..Holistic Select Guaranteed money back
http://holisticselect.com.au/senior-dry-dog-food-chicken-meal-and-rice#ingredients

[John H]

Looking for dry food that others have had good results with for senior dogs. No major health issues, etc. just looking to be able to offer my senior Vizslas–age 10 and 11, a different food that may tickle their taste buds. Thanks.
John Heycock

[Sarah H]

My 4 month old shih-tzu puppy has been eating Wellness Puppy (wet and dry) but I think she is getting tired of it. Instead of switching to another canned food, I was thinking of trying Fresh Pet. It seems to have good reviews. I see they make a Fresh Pet Select Puppy food that is sold in supermarkets (have to check to make sure they actually have it in mine) but that Petsmart where we usually buy our food only has one called Vital which says it is an adult dog food (although the instructions say you can give to puppies too). Any feedback on these?

[Bobby dog]

Hi haleycookie:
Here’s a few articles about DMB and a DMB calculator to help you out. On Dr. Wynn’s site look under “Nutrition Basics” and select “Dry Matter Conversions.”

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis/
http://www.susanwynn.com/Literature.php
http://fnae.org/dmb.html?inputboxm=75&inputboxi=10&button.x=87&button.y=13

[Jenn H]

That’s great news! Maybe his belly can only handle digesting small amounts at a time.
I would leave the water though. Understandable that you would think that could be a cause/worsen diarrhea. Actually they need it more than normal when they have the runs. They can be dehydrated. Pups and smaller dogs especially. Also water flushes out the system.
In fact I would go so far as to adding a little warm water to kibble. Rarely do I feed that dry. Any dry food will absorb fluid in the body. If the dog doesn’t drink enough that’s not good.

[theBCnut]

The canned food is not converted to dry matter. Your cat may have to eat a greater volume of food when it eats raw or canned because of the water content, but it’s actually getting more protein.

[jeanne e]

My 4 yr old 60# rescue has just been dianosed with a Lipoma. Does any1 know if Grain free, Taste Of The Wild Dry Dog Food would be good to avoid the lipoma from getting bigger? Or any suggestions? Thanks.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by jeanne e. Reason: idea's needed

[crazy4cats]

Hi Haley-
I put warm water in two of my cats’ food dishes before I plop their canned food on it. They also lap it right up along with their food. Their dishes are always dry before I give them a little kibble for dessert. The water is great for their urinary health. I think your cats will be fine. 🐱

[Courtney H]

I found Tender & True at Whole Foods Market about a year ago, we have a 9 year old Lab/mix and a 2 year old Jack Russell Terrier. I used to have to take Sam (the lab) to the vet about once every 3 months during the spring/summer for a cortisone shot because he always had dry itchy skin, no matter what kind of shampoo I was using. As I started paying more attention to my own health, I didn’t like Sam getting cortisone injections so my vet recommended switching to a grain-free food. I tried a few random brands and then found the Tender & True grain free organic recipe around this time last year. He really loved it! He started jumping up and down where we keep the food when it was time to eat, it was so funny to see. Both my pups have been on the food over the last year and Sam didn’t have to get any shots last summer and he has a lot more energy than he used to, he even started begging me to play ball again. He just seems like his old self again. It’s great! Every once in a while I give him a can of their canned food as a treat, he loves that too. Our little JRT Rocky is still pretty much a pup, he’s always pretty active and loves to run when they’re out in the yard. He’s always stealing Sam’s toys and playing the “try to get me” game. They both love the food. He’s a beautiful dog with probably one of the best coats of fur on a JRT that I’ve seen. I tell all of my friends about Tender & True, my sister switched her two cats Tender & True awhile back and she says she’ll never switch their food again as they have always been picky eaters, she feeds them the grain free ocean whitefish recipe and says they seem to shed less and their coat is just a lot smoother since she’s switched. We both love this brand and will continue purchasing Tender & True.

[linda m]

The balanced diet at the top, does this mean I don’t need to give my maltese vitamins etc. My dog has IBS and I’m new at making her own food. I knew about the cooking the bones, because I saw a video on it. My chicken is cooking and then I will cook down the bones with cider vinegar. Should I put some boiled eggs in her food for the shells? I read I was supposed to put fruit in her food. My dog was a puppy mill dog I rescued 3 years ago and she just recently got IBS , her vet started her on royal canin dry food. she ate it at first and now wont eat it at all, he also started her on steroids, which scares me. She has allergies, she chews and bites her paws. I have so many sprays . ointments for this. She lived in a cage most of her life and I don’t know if its a habit from being in a cage. I have 2 more maltese and they eat blue buffalo. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[David B]

My largish (don’t ask how she got that way – I was new to beagles) beagle mix LOVES to eat ! (no surprise there huh ?) She has lost 8 pounds (52 down to 44) in less than a year, just by feeding her slightly less than her target weight in calories (2 cups/day) of Earthborn Holistic Natural Primitive (grain free) dry food. One good walk every morning. And she is no more hungry between meals than ‘normal’ for beagles; e.g., anyone in the kitchen is her buddy-to-be. But no treats except the very occasional carrot or small piece of meat. I was surprised and gratified with the results. Good luck to you.

[haleycookie]

I need some advice. I have three cats and I feed NV instinct dry 1/4 cup per cat in the morning. I have about two weeks amount left and will start using what I feed at night in the morning and night so I don’t have to feed dry anymore. What I do at night is take a can of either wellness core, instinct, weruva, or lotus and I mix a third of a can per cat with a 3/4 a cup of instinct commercial raw and a sprinkle of fresh pet chicken and oceanfish refrigerated food. I just wanted to know if it’s ok to mix it with water. When I have the raw in a measuring cup I put hot water from the tap to help it thaw faster and warm up Cus my kitties are picky. Does this take away from the nutrients? I know heating raw up kinda defeats the purpose of feeding raw. Is the hot water ok to use?

[Olga M]

I will draw you back to my original post, “Here is a story on Care2.com
Have you heard about the veggie-eating dog who lived to the ripe age of 27? That’s 189 dog years!

The dog, Bramble, a blue merle Collie, lived in the UK and held the Guinness World Record for being the oldest living dog at the time. What’s most amazing about this story is that the dog actually lived on a vegan diet of rice, lentils and organic vegetables. She ate once a day and exercised a lot.

The owner of the dog, Anne Heritage, was a vegan herself. She just fed Bramble a big bowl of vegan dinner every evening. She explains that Bramble “is an inspiration and [he] just goes to show that if you eat the right things and keep on exercising you can extend your life”. This story shows that dogs CAN thrive on such a diet.

My own story is, our buddies who are a 140 lb Mastiff and a 70 lb Lab mix. I make for them balanced vegetarian meals and add a little kibble. Previously, I had a Shepherd who lived to age 17. I think kibble is as healthy as packaged dry food is for humans. So, I know dogs can live a healthy life eating vegetarian food. However, you have to put time into making meals for your four legged children, just as you do for yourself.

This forum is a back-and-forth, as everyone has an opinion they are defending. I’ll leave with a word from Isaac Bashevis Singer, “People often say that humans have always eaten animals, as if this is a justification for continuing the practice. According to this logic, we should not try to prevent people from murdering other people, since this has also been done since the earliest of times.”

I made the choice to be vegan because I will not eat, wear (including leather, wool, angora, etc.) or use anything that has felt the pain and suffering of being in captivity and the terror of being abused and put to death. We don’t live in a survival mode, in the wild with our dogs. So as for me and my family, I choose to not eat or feed on a tortured, antibiotic and hormone laden corpse.

[Sheila H]

Hi-My dog is allergic to many kinds of fish, like cod, haddock, salmon and she even reacted to salmon oil in one food I tried. I recently found Annamaet dry food. It contains menhaden fish oil for omega-3 and so far so good. I believe elsewhere on this site they discuss menhaden oil. Good luck.

[Mary H]

I have 3 GSDs adults, i’ve tried several options, i’m now convinced the dry food Blue with life source bits in the 28lb bags is the best bang for my buck – considering NO grain and holistic. Its usually cheaper on Chewy.com than in retail – and they give 20% off for starting auto ship then 5% off each time after, so i have it auto shipped every two weeks.

[Bruce W]

Hi im bruce williams from newzealand I have a 4 and half year old pedigre boxer who gets skin problems I’ve tryed number of foods in the ukanuba range but still have a few problems I was wondering about trying nutrience fish grain free but I would like your feedback on it if you can I would be very grateful of your input

[Freddy w]

Hi Curtis
I’m going thru the sane thing with my German shepherds
There 4 months old
One thing that I found that helps is a product called DiaGel
It comes in a syringe without the needle
It’s not cheap
But it gets there system back in order
For a tine anyway.
I’ve tried every dog good under the sun to try to help
I’m having pretty good luck with taste of the wild venison dry dog food
My dogs dogs are worm free
You may want to try panacur for 3 days

Hope all is well
Keep us updated please

Freddy

[Curtis B]

I have a 9 month old chocolate lab and she has had soft stool(never diarrhea) since I brought her home. In the morning it starts firm and ends soft; soft the rest of the day. Full of energy and no other signs or symptoms of medical issues. She’s been been to the vet for 2 checkups and checked for worms and that came back clean. I’ve tried several dry foods and she has been on Orijen large puppy kibble for the past 4 months. She has also been getting organic pumpkin and a probiotic with every meal for the past 4 months. At the request of a trainer, I ordered a kit from Glacier Peak Holistics and sent in her samples…they suggested an enzyme supplement which she has also been taking for 4 months. The vet gave her a prescription for Flagyl which I’ve been giving to her daily. To date, no change. I am thinking about changing her food again and wonder if anyone has found a successful formula for a puppy with similar condition?
Thanks – Curtis

[Cindy L]

Tommy T:

I wanted to address this mainly because of the date. What you are looking at is NOT an expiration date. It’s a Julian date and reflects the production date. The numbers are this:
01 is the batch that was produced that day. 2015 is the year it was produced. 350 is the day of the year that the product was produced. So what you received was produced in our first batch on Dec. 16, 2015.

What you were told about LickOchops is absolutely correct. In fact, we just did a video addressing this because the product gets very “jelly” in cold weather and is very watery in warm or hot weather, so your concern/question is common. This is why we sell this in a bottle (easy for liquid) and in a tube (easy for the “gel” in cool weather). We don’t add any emulsifiers or artificial, unneeded ingredients to keep this from happening. The ingredients are each there for a specific nutritional reason.

We do tell folks not to worry about Dinovite expiring because, being a small company, we make small batches of products and sell them very quickly. And we encourage all customers to purchase what is needed for 90 days/3 months. So, your products won’t expire, they will get used.

We also tell folks that Dinovite for Dogs has a shelf life of about a year if kept in a cool, dry place. It’s a whole food supplement, so think about it like food. You buy it fresh and eat it. Don’t leave it laying around in heat or humidity. We don’t add any artificial preservatives, colors, flavorings, etc.

All of our products are made at our single facility in Crittenden, KY from ingredients from the USA. Our facility is inspected by the FDA and our products are tested regularly by the state of KY. We’ve been doing the same thing, the same way since 2001.

I’d be happy to address your concerns personally if you would like to contact me at [email protected] with ATTN: Cindy in the subject line. We value our customers and truly care about your pets.

Blessings,
Cindy Lukacevic
Owner
Dinovite Inc.
http://www.dinovite.com
859-428-1000
[email protected] ATTN: Cindy

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

[Sherrie Z]

Hi my Liam is a red nose pit and shar pei mix at the age of 5 the allergies from the sharpei side exploded. Yes I’ve always provided my animals with premium dog food now after my research with yeast infections and the ears I’ve gone completely grain-free food called 4health, Fromm, and Blue Buffalo are very good products.

To battle the yeast infection in his ears- An yes it works wonders an on contact immediate results-
Generally, cleaning your dog’s ears once a week is needed, for those with chronic ear infections or a propensity to develop ‘yeasty-type’ smells and infections, 2 drops of witch hazel to 1 tablespoon of baby oil, Apply this solution to a cotton ball and GENTLY clean out the ear. Witch hazel is also referred to as ‘nature’s Neosporin’ and this solution encourages healing on minor skin breaks. It’s a drying agent which your furbaby needs. An Here is the cream to follow that cleaning-Monistate cream- Yep antifungal cream! Added bonus- anti itch, an infection control, swelling reduced with minutes.

Trust me- or do a little research- Or ask Liam 🙂

[Katie S]

I’m wondering about the Superstore Loblaw dry dog food Nutrition First – Presidents Choice. The ingredients sound great and it has a 4 on the scale…does anyone know anything about this one as well. My dogs seem to be doing very well on it.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Katie S.

[Robert C]

Are you having any success with the weight loss for your lab on the two foods recommended by InkedMarie? I’ve been trying the Natural Balance Fat Dogs dry food which is on the Whole Dog Journal approved list. Not sure it is working yet as we just started a couple of weeks ago. Thanks.

[Aimee]

I recently got a 4-year old pure bred Brussels Griffon (11 lbs) from a breeder. The dog is in PERFECT shape for his breed! Lean and trim with plenty of energy, clear eyes and good breath, does his business regularly and eats heartily.

I work long hours Monday-Friday (typically 11-12 hour days) and I’ve been taking him to a dog sitter every day I work so he can have plenty of attention and exercise. This dog sitter also walks dogs as a business, so my dog gets to join him on a lot of those walks a few days a week, so he gets pretty great exercise. I’d say on average, he probably walks 10-16 miles a week between the sitter and myself.

I feed my dog around 1/2 a cup of very good quality (Acana) dry food in the morning and he gets a few tablespoons at night. I send him to the sitter with usually a few tablespoons of some veggie, like steamed broccoli or raw baby carrots that is his treat mid-day. He also gets usually 4 of those fresh breath chewsticks and training treats a week along with usually 1-2 bully sticks a week. Once a week I’ll give him a little peanut butter or cottage cheese too.

The sitter has his own dog that he’ll feed fruit to every day (usually melons, like honeydew) and will give my dog a few pieces usually. I don’t really like this because I want to have control over everything my dog eats… but I also know that my dog is getting a lot of exercise and it probably won’t hurt him.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think a little fruit and veggies during the day is ok? Like I said, his poops are consistent and not runny and he doesn’t seem to be gaining any weight from it.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Kyle H-
A better food is in the eye of the beholder! Lol! My favorite kibble in that price range is Whole Earth Farms and Victor. If you sign up for Editor’s Choice, there is a list of recommended 4 and 5 star dry and wet budget friendly foods. Check it out!
I have fed both Taste of the Wild and Blue previously as well without issue. I now think Blue is over priced and rated.
Good luck with your pup!

[Debbie J]

My baby Penny recently had bladder stone surgery. The made me change her diet to Cd and then Royal Canian SO. Penny hatted it. Started researching. First mistake, increase water
Second mistake dry food

Now I make Penny a very healthy non grain food with fresh veggies. I grind my own hormone and antibiotic free chicken thighs and get her nice beef. Going and cook. Add wild rice, which is a grass seed. Zucchini, sweet potato, green beans, squash, pumpkin are all great to add. I keep the bulk in the freezer to keep fresh. Penny gets a cup of meat and veggies with a cup of water added. If she wants the yummy meat, she must drink water.

I will find a more holestic vet in my area.

No grains, extra water and check ph of urine.

[Deborah R]

Thank you! I printed off the info from MN. That is where they sent her stones for analysis but I don’t have the results yet. Expect them to be stuvite. I will check out the other links as well. Vet seemed ok with the cranberry (Solid Gold) supplement I told them she is on. Just told me not to give her Vit. C. She has had recurring UTI’s. This was her second. MN site recommends low protein. Yes, she is currently eating the Hills CD dry. I add a cup of water to it and let it soak 20 minutes or so. I add green beans as well. And yes I would like to add some other foods too. I am still trying to decide what to do. Thanks for your responses. Yes, I have increased her water intake at least when we are home. I work 4 days a week and she doesn’t get as much till I get home. I mean she has water out all the time of course but she doesn’t drink it. I have to take her food bowl and put a few teaspoons of chicken broth and 1 cup of water, 1 tsp of pumpkin, and about 4 kibble crunchies and then she will drink it. It’s in her food bowl so she thinks it’s food. LOL. So I try to make sure she gets at least 4 cups a day. She does drink water in the summer when we’ve been out walking. But winter, she’s really bad. Before the stones we weren’t monitoring her intake though. Now we have to.

[Jaclyn C]

Hello,

This is my first time posting so I apologize if I should have started a new thread. I have read many of these forums, but haven’t found anyone with a similiar case.

My Lhasa Apso is 13 years old. She has had 3 surgeries for bladder stones and despite following all instructions/diet from different vets her entire life, she has them for a 4th time.

The first surgery-stones were struvite and she was already on Urinary SO which wasn’t working. Six months later she had stones again even after continuing the Urinary SO and had to have another surgery. This time they were Calcium Oxalate. Vet said they never seen that happen before. The 3rd time it was Oxalate again and now I have no idea what type they will be, but I am concerned because the last surgery was really hard on her. Her liver level has always been elevated so the last time they couldn’t give her good pain meds so she was in so much pain after the surgery. I can’t stand to see her go through that again. She doesn’t have a UTI and has had the current stones for over a year. The vet said that they are extremely small, so just to keep an eye on them since my dog is acting normal with no crystals in her urine or UTI.

The Urinary SO seems to give my dog bad food allergies, but she has been on it all her life. It obviously hasn’t done anything to help her, but only make her overweight and itchy with dry skin. I have tried multiple vets, all telling me different things more like they are experimenting with her. At this point I am beyond fustrated and don’t know what to do. My dog has other health problems such as a bad cough which won’t go away as well as shaky legs with athritis. She seems happy and tries to play, but I feel like switching her food will help her lose weight which might help with the cough and strain on her legs. I have no clue what food to feed her because all the vets say the reduced calorie Urinary SO or another Urinary prescription diet to treat another type of stone. None of the vets seem to know what to do and and sometimes diagree with each other. Does anyone have any recommendations? At this point I feel like changing foods will help her more than hurt her. Thoughts?

Thank you in advance.

[Elaine W]

i had used doggiefood since 2010 but in the last year or so, they discontinued a few foods my cats like (spot’s stew in a can, not the dry, and a few others i can’t remember) so i was forced to order elsewhere to get free shipping. there were times there was a huge delay, but i always ordered in bulk, way ahead of time, because the prices were the best to be found. i didn’t feel like paying extra just for timely service.

my cats have recently developed some kind of reaction to wellness, which is disappointing since they’ve eaten it for years, but they both vomit and then don’t eat for at least 24 hours, so i am going back to Weruva and probably a couple of other things that are more expensive. i like chewy.com the best, plus prices have dropped on a few of the big ticket brands and i think the “who cares” customer service of doggiefood was what finally killed them. i wasn’t out any money because the last time i ordered was between 6-10 months ago.

[pugmomsandy]

Dry food still has between 7-20% moisture so I would calculate dry food into dry matter as well. For instance some dehydrated foods have really low moisture around 7-8%, kibble can range from 9-12% and semi moist food (dry to the touch like Core Air Dried) is around 20%.

[Laura D]

Feel like this is a stupid question, but I need to ask it. Have a dog who had pancreatitis. So the fat content is a concern in any food. She also has food sensitivities/allergies. We knew to chicken, but have learned through the prescription vet food also to pork.

I noticed while with vet that they had a binder with all the info on fat content once they calculated the dry matter, etc. I know it applies to canned and have found info on how to calculate. But is dry food…well, dry and there is no need to calculate any moisture out?

[Sue C]

I saw a few older posts on this, but just signed on as a member. Our cavalier had congestive heart failure a few weeks ago. He is 9, is on 4 meds/day and is doing very well. A salesperson at Petsmart gave me a printout of the Tufts Vet School dog foods. Hills has almost half the sodium as Royal Canin, what we’ve been using. I did switch, but also worry about too high protein content. As a puppy, we fed Spencer Blue and had to take him off it because he developed crystals in his urine. Any experience or advice on this one? Don’t want to create any more issues. Also have a 1 1/2 yr. old Cav puppy and thought to switch her also to low-sodium kibble. Thanks!

[Jaxons Mom]

Hi A K,

I know you have already made a decision but I just wanted to share a quick post with you. I got a lab mix puppy who had lots of tummy issues and switching to raw completely eliminated them, instantly! Also I have also researched many dry food before I chose raw, and I would have to agree that Orijen is definitely a top dry dog food.

Are you by any chance in Canada or are you in the United States? I ask because I know of a great company I’d like to share with you…

[Jenn H]

Wendeyzee sorry I’m just now getting a second to reply about your manufacturing question.
Let me first qualify my reasoning for feeding this brand:
*It is affordable without being full of crap.
*My puppy is satisfied after meals.
*I don’t have to feed him more than 4.5 cups/day. (As opposed to almost 7 cups of other brands.)
*It has 1.5% calcium max.
*He’s not growing too fast.
*His coat is beautiful. Not dull as w/ other foods.
*He loves it.
*They nor their sources use ethoxyquin to preserve their fish.
*I have asked a ton of probing questions and they answered promptly, honestly, with much information.
*2012 they began a “Positive Release Program” where no food is distributed until an independent third party tests a sample from the batch and results are received.
*They have their own people on site overseeing the process, etc.

Manufacturing:
•dry foods (most) are made at the Diamondd facility in MO (the recalls of the previous yrs were mainly from the SD plant)
*these dry foods are Wolf King, Wolf Cub, Hund-n-Flocken, Wee Bits, Buck Wild,
Lil Boss, Star Chaser, Sunday Sunrise
*all other dry foods are made at Crosswind Foods, KS
*canned are made by Simmons Pet Food, NJ. They bought out Menu foods in 2010. (After the major 2007 recall dibacle.)
*supplements are made by a company in CA that only makes animal supplements.

They also gave me info on treats & cat food if anyone is interested. I didn’t ask for all that as they don’t apply to me, but they shared anyway. If anyone wants that info I will post.

I understand where humans are involved there can & will be human error (and laziness and greed). Solid Gold seems to be doing their best to put out safe products at affordable prices.
For now I will keep this brand in the rotation. I haven’t yet started either of my adult girls yet. Plan on it this week.

[Carlene]

I apologize for yet another lengthy post but it’s so interesting that many of our stories read the same…

I’ve been dealing with the gulpy air licks since my pit bull was around 1.5 years old. He is 6.5 now. He will gulp, air lick, hard swallow, stare at me like “help me!”, he grinds his teeth, he will vomit hand size piles of white foamy bile, sometimes dingy yellowish bile, eat grass, eat more grass, throw that up and then being exhausted, he will sleep for hours. If I’m at work while an episode happened, he will resort to carpet, socks, wicker baskets, whatever he could get in his mouth. In the early days, this happened maybe a couple of times every six months but I wasn’t too concerned. I mean we all occasionally get sick, right? But for the first couple of years, I did casually mention it to my vet at bi-annual appts and even joked about renaming him Stan (the South Park character who pukes all the time). Something else maybe worth mentioning is sometimes I would get home from work after being gone for 10 hours or so and he would puke his kibble. It was still in perfect little round pieces, just like it went in, except it’s wet. So ZERO digestion in 10 hours for whatever that’s worth. His episodes began to increase in both frequency and severity about 3 years ago. No rhyme or reason. No patterns. Nothing I have been able to pinpoint. The episodes are almost a daily occurrence now. I mention to friends “he had a good day today” instead of a bad day because they are so frequent. You can see it in his eyes, his head is down, he’s tired, his eyes are red, he’s drooly, he stretches his neck, and he’s very, very clingy. I honestly don’t even remember what the first treatment protocols were or what order we went in. But here are some of the things we’ve tried:

-Rubbing Trachea/Throat, Singing a song, Going for a walk. Basically distractions – works sometimes.
-Canned organic pumpkin or Plain Greek Yogurt to settle the tummy during an episode – would work sometimes
-Pepcid for acid reflux – seemed to work for a while
-Probiotics
-Elevated Food Bowl
-Pepcid with Carafate Slurries each morning and evening to coat the tummy before meals – maybe worked?
-Metronidazole/Amoxicillin combo for suspected Helicobacter Pylori – tested negative
-Complete Blood Panel
-Barium swallow with Xrays to examine the esophagus and rule out Megaesophagus – all clear
-Daily Prilosec OTC 20mg – works sometimes.
-Dry Kibble Changes – all over the map but all No Corn, Soy or Wheat – settled on Nutrisource Chicken for approx. 2 years –
-Canned food – makes it worse-
-No dry kibble for 6 months – I cooked for him. Chicken, Veggies, Rice. Worked well at first, and got worse toward the end of the 6 month period.
-Animal Communicator – don’t laugh. I was very skeptical too. But this lady I do not know told me that his tummy had been sick for a really long time and that he was tired. She also told me that his body required a warm protein rather than a cool protein. I switched him from Nutrisource Chicken (cold) to Nutrisource Lamb (warm). She also told me to try essential oils. She didn’t say what kind, she said to let him smell the unopened containers and he would be interested in the one his body needed, if he needed one at all. I met with an essential oils expert, did just what she said and let him do the picking. We went vial after vial while he would sniff and turn his head over & over again. Until he sniffed…and he didn’t turn away. He sniffed again. He sniffed all around that vial like I was holding a piece of meat. He nudged my hand. More like a shove than a nudge really. I turned the vial around to see what it was expecting something food related but it wasn’t, it was something called Digize. Digize is:“a dietary supplement that provides valuable aid for digestive concerns and helps support a healthy digestive system. Benefits and Uses: eases heartburn, calms upset stomach, alleviates diarrhea, minimizes bloating, comforts sickness associated with pregnancy, reduces discomfort while travelling, overcomes constipation, improves digestive function, eases acidity in body, and rids body of parasites.” Well I’ll be darned.
-Daily Prilosec/Carafate/Reglan regimen
-And Cerenia. This stuff works beautifully and at $15 per dose, is more expensive than pure gold.

I know I’ve forgotten a few things we tried, but we have tried a lot. In December 2015 he had had several pretty rough days in a row. I’d gotten home from work one eve and knew he wasn’t feeling well. I heard something weird, looked down at him standing in the kitchen and I see his teeth chattering, his body is stiff as a board, and he has this hard stare, like no one is in there. It was the weirdest thing that only lasted maybe 30 seconds, but it definitely happened. After it was over, it took him a good while to get his bearings back. He was so wobbly and confused. I texted my vet and she replied with “He’s just had a Focal Seizure.” I wonder if that’s somehow related to his gulpy air lick? Anyhow, because December was so bad for him I finally bit the money bullet and scheduled his Endoscopy, Biopsies, and Exploratory GI Surgery January 11th 2016. First off I want to say that I’ve done a TON of research too. I was convinced he had esophageal erosion, burns from the severe acid reflux, or big angry ulcers all over the lining of his stomach. Or stomach cancer. Yeah, that. So the results of the Endoscopy? The doc gives me a rundown. The esophagus looks perfect. The stomach looks perfect. Nothing in there at all (I did kind of expect a toy or something). The pyloris spincter looks good. The duodenum looks good, and the very beginning of the small intestine looks good. He said there doesn’t seem to be bile backing up into the stomach at all. So. Inconclusive. I couldn’t decide if that was good or bad news. I do know that I REALLY need an answer though.

Since the surgery, I’ve had him on a regimen of Prilosec/Carafate/Reglan but it seems like he was sicker after the surgery than before. Like the scope irritated something, I don’t know. Results of the biopsies came back and they confirmed IBD, which we already knew. Doc says more testing is needed with the next being for something called Myasthenia Gravis, a nerve/muscle disorder. We haven’t done this test yet, but it is our next medical step. Anyway, after doing a bunch more research and with Doc’s blessing of course, last Wednesday February 10th I changed his food again to a limited ingredient novel protein, Zignature Kangaroo. I took away ALL the treats too. Treats are now Kangaroo kibble. I also went to feeding him 3 small meals a day on as consistent of a schedule as I can. If his tummy is empty, he gets gulpy licky. If his tummy is too full, he pukes. So day 1 on the Kangaroo, Wednesday, was a good day. Thursday was a good day. Friday was a good day. Saturday I discontinued the Carafate and Reglan but continuing the Prilosec. So far the good days have continued. Today is day 8 of “a good day”. I hope this lasts and I want to be positive, but I know the odds are not in our favor. Just one more theory, one more trial, grasping at more straws. I’ll definitey be looking more into the magnesium deficiency and Bilious Vomiting Syndrome that were mentioned earlier in the thread. At some point we have got to figure this out. Seems like none of us are giving up so I’d say we have a pretty good chance.

*One word of warning about the Kangaroo. It stinks. It makes his breath stink, his poops are dense and alfalfa’ish smelling, and it digests quicker than other kibbles. And did I mention it stinks? Wish us luck and thank you for all your comments, for reading, and caring…

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Carlene.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Carlene.

[anonymously]

I am glad you are taking him to the vet for a checkup, especially check his teeth, small dogs tend to have lousy teeth. In fact, I would start brushing his teeth once a day with a medium brush and some Petrodex (see chewy.com 6.2 oz tube is the most economical)
YouTube has excellent how to videos

Next, dogs do experience grief and sadness, some more than others. This may be why he has a poor appetite. He has been through a lot and may need several months to adjust to a new home.

See General Guidelines for tips: http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

Don’t free feed. Offer a mix of kibble and canned food or a topper (a spoonful of cooked chopped chicken, scrambled egg) add a splash of water. Feed measured amounts twice a day, have fresh water available, add water to his food if you don’t see him drinking.

Leave the food down for 10-15 minutes, if he doesn’t eat pick up the food and store in the fridg and offer at the next meal time. Something like 7a and 4p. If he doesn’t eat x 72 hours, consult a veterinarian.
He will eat, you have to be patient.
My small breeds do well on Nutrisca (dry and canned)
I find this site informative too http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

[Jennifer P]

I’m new to this site and could use some good advice on feeding a 2.5 year old rescue that I just got a few days ago. I think he’s a poodle, terrier, Maltese mix. Not completely sure, but something close. I’ve been having a terrible time getting him to eat kibble so I’ve been mixing it with some canned food and actually sitting with him on the floor coaxing him to eat. He was picking out the kibble and dropping it on the floor so I started crushing the kibble with a kitchen mallet, then mixing in canned with a little water. He will only eat it if I hand feed it to him. I’ve tried Earthborn grain free primitive natural, GO lamb and rice, Go turkey recipe, Go salmon recipe, NOW grain free turkey,salmon,duck. He just hates the dry kibble. I tried giving him fresh chicken as a snack, which he loves but then I noticed a mucous covering on his poo. He loves canned food and I’d prefer to keep him on a mix of kibble and canned. I don’t know what he ate before I got him as his previous owner is dying (hospice care) and I can’t ask. He was turned over to a rescue group and they don’t know either. I feel like I’m torturing him by continuing to give him food he doesn’t like. I’m taking him to my vet tomorrow, to get a check up and see if he may need to be wormed. I’ve been told to put the food down, and if he gets hungry enough, he’ll eat. I just can’t do that to him, he’s already lost his owner, been bounced around with relatives of the owner, then to a rescue group. He is very energetic, loves to go for walks, and seems healthy. Should I just give up and give him a good quality canned food? I would appreciate any advice.