[Lane M]

I have a 15 month Great Dane Mastiff mix puppy. She is about 135lbs and has a sensitive tummy. Can anyone suggest a dry food?

[JeffreyT]

Congratulations!

We have maltese and rotate between the freeze dried and dehydrated 5 star foods. Good rule of thumb is to add 1-2 tablespoons of water to each patty or brick. These foods are easy to break into smaller pieces, nutrient dense, species appropriate and healthier than canned.
The following are in our rotation.
Primal
Stella and Chewy (and their treats)
Dogs for the Earth (one of their favorites)
Orijen (and treats)
Stewarts Bison
Dr. Harveys
Honest Kitchen (we purchase their sample packets and use in their rotation)
Nutrisca
Northwest Naturals
Chewy.com has a lot of these foods

We also feed Tru Dog, Vital Essentials and Only Natural Niblets but I would avoid feeding to a tiny puppy.

I don’t like regular kibble because it’s so overly processed… plus mine don’t like it. The only dry type food they get is air dried from Real Meat Food Co, Only Natural Max Air Dried or Ziwi Peak. Meats are grass fed, free range, gmo/anti bitotic/hormone free. I keep this under 25% of their diet due to lack of moisture. They love air dried.
http://shop.realmeatpet.com/Introduction-Dog-Cat-Food-Trial-3-Pack-FD3PACK.htm

We also do some home cooking and use Dr. Harveys finely ground premix.

I highly recommend reading Scared Poopless which is specifically for small dogs…excellent info on how to avoid cancer and other diseases.

Also, Dr. Karen Becker’s newsletter is very informative. She offers great nutrition info and I use many of the supplements she suggests. I would definitely think about adding probiotics and enzymes to meals for optimum digestion and immune support, and to avoid stomach upset as you transition and rotate new foods.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/

Good luck.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by JeffreyT.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by JeffreyT.

[Katie B]

My dog just went into CHF. She is on Dr. Gary’s Best Breed “All Breed” dry dog food. I just talked with the rep and this is the info I got.

Dr. Gary’s Best Breed Recipe / Sodium %
All Breed .38%
Large Breed Salmon & Veggie .28%
Large Breed Chicken & Veggie .28%

/dog-food-reviews/best-breed-dog-food/

[Nicole R]

Hi…my dog is 6 years old..a Jack Russell..we just had his teeth cleaned (so that is not the issue)…he has horrible FISHY breath..and I think it is his wellness dry dog food. He has been on wellness for about 4 years…and does fine..however his breath is fishy…someone told us that it could be because the Omega 3’s they use are sourced from fish…they do not say they are from fish on the label…however…they must be. The flavor food he eats is Chicken and Oatmeal. This is the food:

https://www.chewy.com/dog/wellness-complete-health-adult/dp/34360?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=f&utm_content=Wellness&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KEQiAq920BRC8-efn57XrotYBEiQAlVlMQ8MlETUZjD_0Us8U0rGTso7fsNNiO9G-IVPVTDDdaIkaAhCj8P8HAQ

so if anyone knows of a food that does not have fish or Omega’s from fish oil please let me know..OH I do not want BLUE BUFFALO…
thanks

Nicole

[Kimberly R]

My dog has developed an allergy to peas. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good dry dog food that does not contain pea flour/pea fiber/pea protein? This ingredient is now being sourced from China.

[Kimberly R]

Do not discount the possible link to Peas as a source to a dog’s allergies. Peas, pea flour, pea protein, pea fiber is now in almost all dry dog foods to get the protein numbers up. My dog started to develop allergies, or what appeared to be allergies, 6 months ago, while on a very good grain-free dog food. It started with an itchy tail head, then itchy back, then some hives on the face to full blown facial, neck and spine swelling, with difficulty swallowing. After 6 weeks of allergy testing and food “trials”, every food, including treats, that contained a form of “pea” created the same allergy symptoms within a half hour.

A recent finding by truthaboutpetfood.com shows that pea flour/pea fiber/pea protein is an ingredient from China. It is very likely that the allergy is actually a response to a toxin or poison. This scenario is all too familiar. The problem is that now that this cheap protein is available, it is difficult to find a dry dog food without it.

[Jenn H]

I heard from Solid Gold yesterday. They were so prompt and forthcoming in their answers. That’s huge to me.
Before I share where everything is made, I think it’s important to let you know that they test samples from every batch prior to distribution. The tests are done by an independent third party.
I just asked how long they have had this practice in place.
When Diamond has had recalls I discovered Solid Gold has also voluntarily recalled their foods despite testing negative for salmonella. Again I think that’s huge. They are willing to err on the side of caution even though it’s monetarily costly.
I cannot believe how much research I have to do these days go avoid feeding my dogs something that may harm them.
Onto the answers…
Solid Gold Manufacturers:
dry dog food distributed from Diamond in Missouri
-Wolf King
-Wolf Cub
-Hund-N-Flocken
-Wee Bits
-Buck Wild
-Lil Boss
-Star Chased
-Sunday Sunrise
**all other dry dog foods and their dry cat foods are distributed from Crosswind in Kansas**
all canned foods are distributed by Simmons in NJ
treats from Mountain Country in OK
-Cinna-bones
-Cinna-bits
treats from Mountain County in Utah
-all jerky treats
****I think it’s important to mention that most of the recalls were from the South Carolina plant.****
I am awaiting a reply as to when they began implementing their independent testing and where the supplements are manufactured/distributed.

I am as convinced as I can be that Solid Gold is proactive in preventing illness from their foods. I’d feel loads better if they stopped using Diamond all together.

[abraham m]

hey good evening kaitlyn.

i have a chow chow either and i think your fur buddy is a bit bored with his/her food. just a few tips.

1. aside from the dry food that you are giving why not try to have a boiled chicken liver with it at the same time the broth of it and make it atleast thrice a week. It will serve as a treat.

2. try also boiled chicken liver with the same procedure.

3. try to mix some steamed rice on his dry food .

these are just some tips that i am doing and my chow buddy realy loves it.

[Ashley M]

Hi I was wondering if anyone has tried the Naked Dry Kibble from Protein for pets? I wanted some feedback since it seems to be sourced from California and is suppose to be all natural. I asked for more information from them for there ingredients because their website does not show it and it would be a great price food if it is of high quality.

[Sarah H]

Thank you every one for all your advice about the puppy eating the cat food. It is a daily struggle but we are managing. She is still much more interested in the cat food than her own food and sniffs around the empty placemat looking for it after we have put it up on the counter. I have been reading about rotation feeding and I am curious as to people’s opinions. We got our puppy 2 weeks ago and weaned her gradually from the crappy food she had been used to by mixing a little bit more every day. Her poops were a bit soft and yellow at first but now they are firm and brown, so she is used to the new food. She is currently eating Wellness Puppy wet food and Wellness Small Breed Puppy dry food. I mix a little of the dry kibble into the wet food as well as providing a bowl of dry food to munch on. She eats three times a day, with sometimes a late night snack of a few bites of dry food if she is hungry. She likes it but it seems so boring to have the same food day in and day out. I have always fed my cat (formerly two cats) the “rotation” diet without actually knowing that was what it was called. My cat eats several brands and flavors and is very finicky and would stop eating if I gave her the same thing at every meal. Is it OK to mix up the foods for the puppy as well? If so, do I need to mix them gradually again? Thanks in advance.

• This topic was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Sarah H.

[Jeff A]

Hello,

I’m looking for opinions on how to proceed. Sorry for the long post!

History :

For a couple years my Great Danes have been on a diet of Blue Buffalo Wilderness kibble. They get fed twice a day with each meal consisting of two cups of dry kibble and about 1/4 can of Blue Buffalo basics canned food mixed in. I’ve had zero issues with them on this food. Recently, I decided to transition them over to Fromm. I bought a bag of Fromm Gold kibble, and a case of Fromm gold chicken and duck pate soft food.

I’ve been mixing kibble for quite awhile, and they went through a case of the Fromm soft food with no issues.

Then..

1/4 – Ella went in for a dental at the vet. Pretty groggy from anesthesia.
1/5 – Ella getting back to normal. Received new case of Fromm soft food. Ella and Sydnee have food from new case in evening.
1/6 – Ella back to hungry self. For breakfast they have food from second can in the new case for breakfast. All appears normal. 3 pm in the afternoon my wife comes home to a house full of vomit. Ella wants no food, but Sydnee eats dinner. We assume Ella still isn’t feeling right from anesthesia. 6 pm Sydnee vomits all her dinner.

The next six days are spent dealing with pretty sick girls. They were lethargic, occasional vomiting, bloody diarrhea. Both visited the vet twice over that period of time. Fecal test was negative, blood test showed normal, and temperatures were in the normal (101-103) range. They were both put on antibiotics. After doing some reading this sounds a lot like hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. It usually hits small dogs and requires IV fluids, but I think because my girls are so large (140lb each) they didn’t become overly dehydrated.

I’ve been feeding them boiled hamburger and rice for a few days now, but I’m getting to the point where I need to think about transitioning them back to normal food. I’m very worried at this point.

I will not feed them the remaining cans of the Fromm soft food. I’ve also thrown out all the open bags of dry kibble. I have no idea what caused the issue, but two dogs sick in the exact same manner at the exact same time leads me to believe the the new case of food was a trigger. I called Mr Chewy who contacted Fromm and there have been no reports of issues with the food.

My gut tells me to transition them from the hamburger and rice back to Blue Buffalo and leave well enough alone. Thoughts?

[aimee]

Hi Peggy,

If the dogs are gaining weight than they need to take in fewer calories or exercise more.

I’ll run a few calculations.

For weight loss for Ladybug I calculate about 700 kcals/day. That means any individual dog may need 350-1050 kcals / day to achieve about 1 % body weight loss a week.

The variety pets food canned has on average 450 kcals/can so you are feeding 225-335 kcals in the am meal from that and the 1/2 cup kibble I’m guessing is adding about 200 kcals I can’t find calorie info on that. Together 425-535 kcals. in the am meal.

At night another 200 kcals from the kibble and again I can’t find caloric info on the tubs but I’m going to guess 70 kcals if 1 tub fed so ~270 kcals if feeding 1 tub with the 1/2 cup kibble.

Total kcals/day 695-805 kcals. Some dogs may lose on that amount but for others that is about double the amount needed for them to lose weight. So it could be that Ladybug is in that group in which case you really need to move to a food formulated for weight loss.

You can either cut calories or increase exercise. Since it is hard for you to increase exercise you’ll need to cut calories. Using the current food though will be even a smaller volume and already your dog is having satiety issues. So in order to feed more volume you need to cut back on the fat content in the foods you are feeding.

For example if you wanted to feed ~600 kcals a day and used lower fat foods you could feed 3/4 cup dry am and pm with 1/4 can am and pm. (12 oz can) Soaking the kibble prior to feeding adds filler…. volume without calories.

Additionally, I recommend that you weigh the foods instead of estimating and measuring volume.

Once on the new diet foods weigh your pets every week and if they are not losing then you need to drop calories by another 20 % and reevaluate again.

Good Luck!

[Jenn H]

Sometimes giving them a “snack” between meals helps. Something like a little pumpkin or green beans. Always wet the dry w/ warm water and let soak for a few min. The kibble gets bigger.
My pup was the same way until I changed his food. He now eats 1/2 as much as the other food, is more satisfied and has saved me a lot of money.
My Lab mix acts like she never had a meal in her life every time someone opens the door their food is in. She literally goes right for the empty bag like she’s attacking a bad guy or something. She’d eat past exploding if possible. Apparently Labs are just that way. (I’ve only had GSDs and they aren’t like this.) They inhale their food and don’t know when to stop eating. It’s a crazy thing about them. I drown her food in warm water and use the slowest slow feeder I can find.
What I have noticed is every 10 yr old Lab I have ever seen is overweight and/or lumpy. She is not!!!!! She’s svelt, lean and muscular!!!
In winter I add whole grain oatmeal after it’s been cooked & cooled. This helps tremendously with keeping her from freezing on cold days. It’s fat free so she doesn’t get fat from it. I think it acts like hay or beet pulp does for horses. Just cold calories.
Very often a high protein, low carb diet works well. A small dog I would feed at least 3 times/day anyway as everything moves through them faster. I know that isn’t always possible for everyone.
You can also try mixing water and a little fat free chicken broth and freezing it. They’ll think they are getting a treat and it may take a while for them to eat it. Fat free frozen FAGE yogurt (it has nothing artificial or added sugar) works well too.

[Jamie08]

Thank you Susan! So far, so good. She did great post-surgery and is now back on “normal” food. I bought some cans of wet Whole Earth Farms food, as I had tried them with her in the past and she did well. I’ve also been giving her a little dry food (Canidae) when I give it to my other dog, as she seems to love it, too… She has gained a pound since surgery (was down to 13lbs after tumor removal) and is full of energy. I hate to think about the tumor coming back in the future but I’m glad she seems to be enjoying her life now!

[Kelly K]

Did anyone get the coupons in the Classic dry dog food bags for $3 off because they’re changing their look & ingredients? I just checked their website and they still claim to source locally and do not use ingredients from China. I don’t see where the recipe has changed yet but I haven’t purchased any since December

[Todd G]

Thanks for the fast response Elaine! Harvey has been on metronidazole before (and possibly amoxicillin, can’t remember for sure), when he had some more severe digestive issues and was having difficulty keeping any food down at all. Those haven’t recurred for a year or so, and he’s eating normally. (He and his iron-stomached one-year-old full brother both eat a mix of two DFA-recommended dry foods, one 4-star and one 5-star.) But the morning water regurgitation seems to have increased a bit lately.

Luckily, he is otherwise healthy and not losing weight, so I don’t think it’s an urgent problem, but it seems like the sort of thing that could run the risk of long-term damage if left untreated, so I have a call in to our vet.

Thanks so much for for the feedback and for writing your original post. It was a relief to see someone else describing the same symptoms our little buddy is having.

[Susan]

Hi Janet, sounds like acid reflux, my boy also a rescue that I rescued 3 years ago, started doing the licking & swallowing around 11pm at night, he was on Royal Canine vet diet Hypoallergenic for his skin, he came to me in very bad condition, the fat was too high at 19%, so vet changed his kibble too a lower fat kibble 10% this did heap but it was a vet diet with corn etc no good, he still would have these licking & swallowing episodes, lick my sheets, lick & lick his front paw, the vet said when they lick & lick they can be in pain & the licking sets off their Endorphins, he’d eat grass, feel sick, vomit, he’d grind his teeth, in the end I had an Endoscope & Biopsies done & he had the Helicobacter-Pylori & IBD, he’s also a stress head & causes his acid reflux sometimes. We went away for Xmas a 2 hour drive, I had started him on a new kibble a month before just Fish & Rice, no other ingredients & the fat % is 12%, he was doing real well, no acid reflux, I cook as well, then I brought out my suit case a week before we were going away & I started putting things in so I didn’t forget them, I even got him his own bag & put it next to mine & put his toys, an old bowl he doesn’t use no more, then he started following me everywhere in the house, he became my shadow again like when I first rescued him, he wouldn’t let me out of his sight, then he started getting his acid reflux again, he grinds his teeth & swallows, so out came the liquid Mylanta, I keep in the fridge, keeps it cool, so when I give it to him, it soothes his throat, the acid comes up into his throat, sometimes he has had a real sore throat, I give 4 mls in a syringe of the liquid Mylanta & it works the best with him, Zantac works OK but the liquid Mylanta settles the acid straight away, vet did not want him on a Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) Prilosec-Omeprazole, Somac-Pantoprazole etc you can’t not just stop taken a PPI after you’ve taken it for 15 days need to be reduce…..

Can you buy chicken breast or lean Turkey breast mince & just bring to the boil & take off stove as soon as its cooked, with the chicken breast, I cut up into chunks & remove any fat & as soon as it’s about to boil, I remove from stove & empty out all the water, all the white frothy fat comes to the top, I boil the jug & rinse the chicken breast pieces with the boiled water, let it cool or run cold water over chicken pieces, then I make up 1 cup sections in freezer bags & freeze I put 2 bags in the fridge, I also boil, 1 potato, 1 zucchini, some broccoli, sometimes a bit of pumkin, I put in container in fridge, then I put in a blender a 4-5 pieces of boiled potato, some of the broccoli & 1/2 a cooked zucchini….
The fat in the wet tin foods is high if it says 5%-fat when you converted to dry matter (Kibble) 5%fat is around 22%-25% fat if it was a kibble, so you need to look for wet tin foods that are around 1-3 % fat only & limited ingredients no corn, no wheat, no by-products etc…… when you cook, you know what they’re eating, you can control the fat & it works out cheaper then wet tin foods also the kibble made Patches acid reflux worse, so I started to I feed just the cooked chicken & potatoes etc for 1-2 months & let the stomach rest. I do add cooked kangaroo rissole sometimes that I bake or 1/2 tin of salmon in spring water & drain all the spring water, I also add 1/2 teaspoon DigestaVite plus-100 powder it’s vitamins/minerals, prebiotics for the stomach skin etc but at first I only feed Chicken Breast & some sweet potatoes then I slowly started adding 1 new ingredient each week & watched it didn’t give his acid reflux, find a limited ingredient kibble that’s just Fish & Rice no peas, no lentils, nothing that can upset her stomach, or Fish & Potatoes but the grain free kibbles normally have peas tapioca, lentils etc change her diet to a lower fat diet 10-12% fat, I also feed 4 small meals a day, 7am, 12pm, 5pm & 8pm…at 7am & 5pm is the cooked meal & 12pm & 8pm is his 1/2 cup kibble… you will find what works for your girl, if you do have the Endoscope make sure you get the Biopsies as well, when the vet looked down Patches throat into his stomach everything look excellent, I was waiting to pick Patch up & I can still hear 1 of Patches vet saying, everything looked good, see I told you, we need to cut him open & look at his small bowel, I said we still have to wait for the results from the biopsies & I kept saying it’s Helicobacter cause I’ve had the Helicobacter twice when I was younger & it makes you feel awful & you have stomach pain, bad acid reflux, it’s awful…. I feed kibble that have prebiotics, no Probiotics, Probiotics made Patch worse I don’t know why…. vet said prebiotics are better for the stomach & small bowel….

[Janet Q]

Hello, I am new to the group here. Thank you everyone for all this info. I am taking notes now as my rescue dog SASHA from Mississippi has this problem. We got her 7 months ago. She is an English Shepherd/Great Pyrenese mix supposedly. She is 7 yrs old. She looked perfectly healthy when we adopted her other than a lick granuloma on a paw. She did have a lot of fears we were told. She is very afraid of people and cars and noises. She walks in the woods fine. She seems to scratch quite a bit so we started her on Benadryl , then cetrizine, now Chlorpheneramine.

Her first Licky/Gulpy Episode was in September. She just had her 8th one tonight. I give her Acepromazine immediately now and it seems to help her. The last 2 episodes only lasted an hour or 2 and she wasn’t totally frantic. The other episodes lasted 3-4 hours and she would vomit halfway through.

She went 3 months without an episode and started up again on Dec 17.

When she starts the episodes she just suddenly starts licking anything like the floor, comforters, carpets. Then starts gulping and gagging. I have slept in bed with her with her leash in my hand so I would know if she jumped off the bed to lick the floor or started licking the comforter again.

She really seems to be even more afraid of noises when she is going through these episodes. Any creak in the house, or noise from a cat jumping off furniture down the hall etc. She will just have a horrified look on her face.

I have read about gastritis and that it can be caused from ingesting fur. She licks quite a bit like OCD and she did have that lick granuloma when we got her. She tore up 3 sets of King sheets when I first got her also and recently shredded a pillowcase while I was home doing dishes.

So I am thinking of finding a specialist near me to have the scope procedure done to check out her esophagus for damage.

I also have her on sucralfate, benadryl, chlropheniramine, composure treats, Lean Treats by Purina, Dasaquin.

She was on a probiotic for a few months and I didn’t refill it.

Her food is Taste of The Wild Salmon, mixed with a little JM by purina and a few spoons of canned Purina Adult Chicken and Rice.

I try to walk her each day on a 20 foot leash so she can run a bit.

Thankyou again for all these posts as I a have never had this problem with a dog before.
I will let you know what I find that works.

[Darrell M]

C4D

Thanks for the followup. We are taking your advice and staying away from junk treats. As a mater of fact , for a main meal (2), we now find that buying a whole chicken, when they are on sale, and cooking it in a crock pot is now our dogs favorite meal. Of course we strip the chicken, skim off the fat and add the juice back to the chicken with a can of peas, some corn and some strings beans along with rice and cook till the rice is done. Freeze that in separate tubs and give about 4 table spoons to a cup of good dry food. He cleans the bowl spotless. We’re using this in place of the two or three table spoons of caned dog food we used to put with the dry food. There were some can foods he would not touch. Calvin is a 12 year old retired Labbradoodle that was a Guide Dog for the Blind for 10 years until he went blind in the right eye and blew out both rear knees. He weights in at around 80 lbs. and this amount of food maintains that weight as he is not that active anymore. The Vet says he is in good health otherwise.

[anonymously]

I have been using this product (dry and canned) for 4 years now for 3 dogs (2 with issues)
with good results.

Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea http://www.chewy.com/dog/dogswell-nutrisca-grain-free-salmon/dp/35033

Salmon, Menhaden Fish Meal, Peas, Chickpeas, Salmon Meal, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Pea Fiber, Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Salmon Oil (a source of DHA), Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Dried Eggs, Natural Flavor, Tomato Pomace, Carrots, Cranberries, Apricots, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Iron Proteinate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Proteinate, Biotin, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Rosemary Extract

PS: It looks like chewy carries the dog food you mentioned http://www.chewy.com/dog/victor-yukon-river-salmon-sweet/dp/120706

[T H]

I have been feeding my dogs Victor Yukon River for the past 2 years and everything has been great aside from the fact we relocated to a new area and the nearest supplier is 40 miles away and they charge $24 more than anyone for a 30lb bag. Are any of you using, and able to give a recommendation for a fish based dry food with absolutely zero poultry products? Thanks in advance.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Chad:
Here’s a link to some info on low sodium diets from Tuft’s you may find helpful:
http://vet.tufts.edu/heartsmart/diet/reduced-sodium-diet-and-treat-lists-for-pets-with-heart-disease/

and here’s a link to another forum thread about reduced sodium kibble. Even though it’s about kibble you may find some helpful info there too:
/forums/topic/dry-dog-food-with-low-salt-and-low-fat/#post-46587

[Brian L]

My dog recently had Pancreatitis and was in hospital for 4 day. He’s an 11 year old Yorkie. We think it was brought on from him eating puppy food we were giving our 6 month old yorkie.
We now feed him only Royal Canin Low Fat prescription food, wet and dry. We leave the dry food out all the time, as he’s always been good at not over eating dry food. We started giving him maybe 1/8 of a can of the Wet RC food in the morning, noon and evening. We now sometimes give him a little wet food in the AM, but feed him no more than 1/2 a can a day (he’s around 10 lbs). For snacks, he gets boiled chicken, and so does the puppy. We have to feed them apart, which isn’t easy. We also give both of them organic low fat cottage cheese occasionally for snacks.
Many people on this forum suggested i join the Canine Pancreatits group on Facebook, which has been an excellent resource.

[Patti S]

Hi Chad, and “Anonymously”,

The prescription low sodium food you can get from your vet is great, if your dog will eat it. Also, there are different degrees of sodium allowable for the canine cardio patient. Some just need reduced or moderate levels of sodium, while others need a food with drastically lower levels. Dogs need some sodium in their diets. So you should find out from your vet what kind of sodium restrictions your dog needs, especially if your dog has other health issues, such as kidney or liver disease.

These are all on a dry matter basis:
Mild Sodium restriction is 0.3 -0.4%
Moderate Sodium restriction is 0.2 -0.3%
Marked Sodium restriction is 0.15-0.2%
Extreme Sodium restriction is 0.75-0.15%

My personal problem with the Hill’s Prescription Heart Care canned food is, the fat content is at 29.0%, and the protein content is 17.3%. Dogs with a heart problem need higher and high quality protein in their diets, and lower fat. It also contains corn (not a problem unless your dog has a corn intolerance), but I know it’s a cheap filler and it’s listed as the third ingredient!
With the Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Early Cardiac diet, the first ingredient is rice followed by chicken fat. Powdered cellulose (saw dust) is amongst the first six ingredients. I just know I can feed my dog a whole lot better than this.

It’s been determined that inadequate protein intake, or deficiencies of specific amino acids, can actually cause serious heart disease and the Cardiology Subspecialty of the ACVIM has recommended avoidance of protein restricted diets (specifically for dogs with old-age heart valve disease). Also, it’s extremely important for cardiac patients to maintain a normal body weight. Excessive weight, in the form of body fat, places additional stress on the heart and in more than one way. Besides the additional work of the heart that’s required for normal ambulation and exercise, excess fat causes an “oxidative stress”. Oxidative stress disrupts normal metabolism in many ways and impairs the ability of blood vessels to expand and deliver nutrients in a normal way.

I’ve persisted and found these additional low sodium dog foods, that are very high in quality:

• Evanger’s Beef with Spinach and Kale Canned dog food – 0.1136% sodium on a dry matter basis

• Solid Gold Howling at the Stars turkey, Ocean whitefish, and Sweet Potato Recipe (canned) 0.23% sodium

• Solid Gold Hund-N-Flocken With Lamb (dry) – 0.23% sodium

Here is where you can see charts in both allowable sodium in milligrams per kcal per 100, and also by percentages of dry matter. With this information you can contact dog food manufacturers and get the sodium content. If you scroll down further (at the link below) it has a list of some over the counter dog foods that are low sodium.
I’ll say it again…. it’s SO wrong that sodium levels aren’t published on the dog food packages, but I’m willing to jump through hoops to get my dog the food he needs!

http://www.vermontveterinarycardiology.com/index.php/for-clients/feeding-the-cardiac-patient

[Laura D]

Having quite the week with our pup. She’ll be 4 next week and is a shih tzu. We have 2 problems going on, pancreatitis as well as some back issues. I’ve ended up at our regular vet and then a 24 hour one for the back problems. Between the 2 different vets and my research on foods they’re suggesting I am drowning in thoughts/questions and not sure the directions to go.

She’s been on a bland diet and given her dx’s is feeling pretty good. Pancreatitis was under control pretty quickly, but is the 2nd incidence of it (she had same symptoms but no blood taken, end of November so we’re assuming 2nd incidence.) Bland diet is going well and it’s time to put her on regular food. Main problem – she has a CHICKEN ALLERGY so it’s limiting our options.

ER vet gave me a couple of can samples of Royal Canin gastrointestinal low fat. We feed just kibble and for whatever reason it just never occurred to me to give her canned food. Not sure why.

Regular vet gave me Hills Prescription Diet Digestive Care i/d sensitive dry. This food has 13% fat and I know she needs a “low fat” diet. This concerns my somewhat because she was eating taste of the wild and it has 15% fat which isn’t that different to me. I’ve also read here that going too low fat can compromise the quality.

We aren’t sure what caused the pancreatitis. I was giving her a pill in a small amount of cheese prior to the recent one so i’m not sure that isn’t it?!

Anyway I guess i’m wondering if anyone has any great chicken-free recommendations? And do you feed can or dry? Are there advantages/disadvantages to either? Like I said, I have no idea why I settled on dry. With the 2 dogs feeding them eating together has been an issue, one which if they were fed canned they’d be more likely to eat on a better schedule I think. Any advice on getting things put back together and avoid pancreatitis?

[anonymously]

I would go with a prescription food recommended by your veterinarian.

http://www.hillspet.com/products/pd-canine-hd-canine-cardiac-health-canned.html (sodium 0.07% per 13 oz can)

http://www.vetstreet.com/royal-canin-veterinary-diet-canine-early-cardiac-ec-22-dry#overview (sodium 0.5% per 1000 kcal)
If you soak the kibble in water in the fridg overnight it has the consistency of wet food.

PS: Wysong also makes a cardiac prescription food you may like.

You need to consider the serving size indicated when trying to evaluate the correct sodium amounts and such. For example: On a box of crackers it will state the sodium amount per serving. In tiny print it will say a serving size is 5 crackers!

[Pitlove]

Hi Sarah- I too have a dog who enjoys my kitties canned food. Usually I can catch him in time and if I make a loud noise he’ll stop. He isn’t interested in her dry food though. I agree with Crazy4cats that a small amount of cat food will not harm them, but eating cat food in larger amounts over time could.

My dog did at one point like the cats poop, however one thing that helped was changing the style of litter box to a storage tub with a hole cut in it. If that ever becomes an issue for you that could be something to try! Cats also really enjoy roomy litter boxes.

[Carol W]

Hi all,
My sweet Yorkie, Nellie, is almost 13 and is in kidney failure. The vet has her on Azodyl and an appetite stimulant, but I can’t get her to eat. She’s been on Science Diet KD (dry) most of her life due to a liver shunt when she was about 3. She stopped eating that a few months ago, and he switched her to canned, but she only ate that a few weeks before turning her nose up at it. For the last few weeks, I haven’t been able to get her to eat hardly anything. The vet said give her whatever she wants, just to get her to eat, but she doesn’t seem to want anything. I’ve tried various dog foods, plus all different “people” food – chicken, beef, eggs, rice, peanut butter, bread, veggies (some of which she used to love), but she won’t eat any of them. She might eat chicken, for example, one day, but then won’t touch it again. She’s down to 9 lbs (from 12), and I don’t know how to get her to eat! Other than the eating issue, she seems pretty ok for her age – still loves her long walks, barking at everyone out the window, and snuggling with me. She’s all I have – no family – and I want to keep her around as long as possible. But I’m afraid she’s wasting away and I just want to get her eating again. All she’s had in the last 24 hours is 2 pill pockets with her meds. Any suggestions on getting her to eat again?

[Candance B]

I have two Labs, 5 and 7 yrs. old. One is on Hills Science diet for sensitive stomachs and the other is on Purina Pro Natural duck and rice. Both are doing well on these foods. I would like to give them a better quality food from the Editors choice’s but for sensitive stomachs. Do I lean towards grain free or not, and I would like to feed dry food.

[JeffreyT]

Hi Daniel,

After a lot of trial and error, we found our very picky maltese prefer freeze dried and dehydrated, to which water is added. It’s pricier than kibble or canned but much more palatable, and also healthier since it’s not highly processed.

Freeze dried ours will eat:
Primal
Stella and Chewys
Stewarts
Orijen
Nutrisca
Northwest Naturals
Tru Dog
Vital Essentials
Most available from Chewy
http://www.chewy.com/dog/freeze-dried-food-336

They also love Only Natural Niblets Venison and Liver but they’ll eat all the flavors. There’s an excellent sale on the chicken now.
Only Natural Pet RawNibs Freeze Dried Chicken & Liver Meal Topper for Dogs

We buy the smallest bags possible, including sample bags, because the variety keep them interested in meals, plus it’s healthier. We also add probiotics and enzymes to the food to maximize nutrient absorption, strengthen immune system and minimize stomach issues.

Dehydrated foods:
Chewy sells these small sample bags of Dr. Harveys to try:
http://www.chewy.com/dog/freeze-dried-food-336/dr-harveys

Honest Kitchen sells sample bags of their dehydrated food. My pups like this less than Dr. Harveys but some pups really love it.
http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/catalogsearch/result/?cat=0&q=samples

We give Real Meat Food Co. when we’re in a hurry. It’s an air dried food made from grass fed, free range meats…..much less processed than dry and much more palatable. They love it. We buy the sample packs so it’s easy to rotate. Wellness Core has also has an air dried that’s very palatable but not as high quality as Real Meat Food Co.
http://shop.realmeatpet.com/Introduction-Dog-Cat-Food-Trial-3-Pack-FD3PACK.htm

Sometimes we do homemade for variety and add a premix.

Lastly, we always put toppers on food to entice eating….they can include their favorite treats like freeze dried Orijen, Stella and Chewy, Lakse Kronch Wild Salmon or lean meats, egg yolk, a sprinkle of parmesan, goat cheese, etc.
Chewy has a nice variety of healthy treats. Mine love the freeze dried type.
http://www.chewy.com/dog/treats-335/freeze-dried-food

[Daniel H]

Last year on January 26th me and my wife were fortunate enough to adopt an 8 week old Cavachon puppy. When we got him the rescue group had him on diamond naturals puppy food which we continued to use until he was a year old this November. He did very well on the diamond naturals and seemed to like it although he has never been a scheduled meal eater he has been more of a grazer. A few months before he turned a year old he started getting finicky about eating the diamond naturals. We left on a vacation for a few days and he stayed with my parents. My mom was worried because he really wasn’t eating so she gave him a little of the 4health canned food that she feeds her dogs and he ate his whole bowl. When we got back I wasn’t really to happy that she started him on wet food but I know it is good for them to have some variety and my mom has always fed wet and dry food so I wasn’t going to get to bent out of shape. Ever since then we have been searching for a food that he will eat consistently. He quickly started to turn his nose up to the 4health and diamond naturals so we started searching for solutions. I went online and ordered some samples of different dry foods. I ordered fromm samples, redpaw samples, evangers samples, nutrisource samples, and solid gold samples. He turned up to every single one except the solid gold barking at the moon. So I immediately went out and picked up a 4 pound bag. He seemed to really like it he was eating it with and without wet food (nutro tubs we found he liked them). That lasted about 2 months and then he would no longer eat the barking at the moon. I figured maybe he wants a variety so I contacted solid gold. They were fantastic to deal with and were very nice they sent me some samples of other formulas that they have as well as a coupon for one free 4lb bag of whatever flavor I wanted. So we ended up going away from the barking at the moon to the sunday sunrise lamb and cold waters salmon. We paired the lamb with beef nutro wet food and salmon with chicken nutro wet food. We would also put the chicken with the lamb but he would not eat the beef with the salmon. He has been doing well for months and now we are getting back into the mode where he is turning his nose up to almost any of the combonations that we put down. I don’t want to keep switching his food, I am ok with a rotational diet and think it is good for him to get a variety of food but I kind of am at the point where I don’t really know what to do should I stick with the same stuff and he will come back around to eating it should I try to switch? I contacted Diamond pet foods and they are sending some samples I figure maybe try the diamond naturals again but I hate to buy all these bags of food and have them go bad. If I could donate them after they were open that would be fine but our local humane society wont take them if they have been open which I guess is understandable. I have also tried the Solid gold wee bits bison and there chicken formula and he will not eat either no matter what wet food we use. I did buy there duck formula but haven’t opened it yet because I don’t want to waste it. Luckily our local pet supplies store has the 4 pound bags on sale for $10 and solid gold has a coupon on their website for $7.50 off a bag if I was buying it at $16 a bag I wouldn’t be very happy right now. I am just looking for some advice I really don’t know what else to do if anyone has any options I would appreciate any help or guidance. Thank you in advance.

[anonymously]

There is NO magic supplement. The trick is to add water to each meal 3-4 small meals per day soaked in water, don’t measure, just fill the small bowl, the dog will lap it up to get to the food.
The dog must be taken out to void (pee) ideally every 2 hours during the day. At bedtime and first thing in the morning. Stagnant conditions in the bladder are conducive to stone formation.
There is nothing wrong with Royal Canin Urinary SO. If you get the dry, soak it in water overnight then add water too. Once the dog is stable, few months to a year, you can talk to your vet about adding something tasty to the prescription food, like cooked chopped up chicken breast or some other lean meat.
Did you check the search engine here /forums/search/bladder+stones/
Read my posts, you may find some helpful tips
Some info at this site you may find helpful http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=bladder+stones

[Jamie08]

My small dog recently had surgery to remove a very large mass that turned out to be malignant ( 🙁 ) and was attached to her intestines. She had lost a significant amount of weight and was having some digestive problems. She’s doing well with her recovery, of course we don’t know if/when it will come back, but in the mean time I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions of what type of food may be best for her. For the days immediately after surgery I went ahead and used the canned i/d, they wanted her on a “bland” diet and she ate it fine with her pills, but now I’m anxious to get her off of that! In the past I switched between mostly Merrick and Canidae grain free dry foods with her, different flavors. Do I need to find something more easily digestible, does it matter, does anyone have any experiences? Thanks for any input!

[Pitlove]

http://www.chewy.com/dog/nutrisource-large-breed-puppy/dp/38141- $1.56 per/lb

http://www.chewy.com/dog/taste-wild-high-prairie-puppy/dp/34836- $1.19 per/lb

http://www.chewy.com/dog/whole-earth-farms-puppy-recipe-dry/dp/101864- $1.19 per/lb

These three foods are safe for large breed puppies and could fit within your budget. Chewy.com has great customer service and they ship fast. Many of us have used this site frequently.

[Debbie K]

I have a 9 year old beagle diagnosed with and currently being treated for hypothyrionism. He has also been suffering from allergies. We’ve tried allergy shot that no longer work and tried changing to different kinds of dry dog food. Now we’re trying the raw diet. He loves it, however I’m unsure of what protein and or grains he should be eating. He is miserable and I’m trying everything I can think of. I appreciate any help.

[JeffreyT]

Hi Craig,
DogFoodie gave you some great suggestions.
We have two very picky maltese, one with a sensitive stomach.
After a lot of trial and error with many types of foods, we found the freeze dried is the most palatable, easily digested and tolerated by our pups. I suggest starting with freeze dried that is pathogen-free (HPP process removes bacteria, salmonella, parasites, etc). Add filtered water and let soak in a few minutes. Rotating foods keeps them excited about mealtime, and is healthier than eating only one type of food. The following are some of the pathogen-free freeze dried mine will eat.
Stella and Chewy
Primal
Northwest Naturals (pretty sure it’s HPP)
Stewarts
Nutrisca
Dogs for the Earth (it’s already lightly cooked using all organic ingredients).

Honest Kitchen makes a great food. I wish mine liked it. You can order sample packs online.

I always add probiotics and enzymes to food which helps strengthen gut, digestion, immune system and vitality….we alternate between Dr. Peter Tobias, Mercola and Animal Essentials….all source non-GMO, pure ingredients. We keep Perfect Form by Honest Kitchen on hand in case of loose stools, but we rarely need to use anymore. I always start any supplement at a much lower dose than suggested and slowly build up.

When your pup gets stronger you may consider adding freeze dried foods that do not go through the HPP process since it’s less processed, like Orijen. Ours are crazy for the crunchy freeze dried like Tru Dog, which uses grass fed, free range meats, Only Natural Niblets and Vital Essentials. The only dry type food we give is an air dried, grass fed, minimally processed food from Real Meat Food Co. We buy the 3 pack sample bags for our rotation. They love this it and it’s easy to serve when in a hurry.

FYI, we use toppers on meals to entice our picky eaters. When feeding cooked food like Dogs for the Earth we add a cooked topper such as Dogs for the Earth liver and parsley treat, egg yolk, a sprinkle of parmesan, some lean meat or Lakse Kronch Wild Salmon Treats, etc. When feeding the raw freeze dried we top it with a few freeze dried treats (Stella and Chewys or Orijen). I try to add cooked toppers to cooked food and raw toppers to raw food to make it easier on digestion.

[doxygal]

I have a 10yro doxy she’s been paryllized from waist down
for 6yrs she has urinary tract infections constantly
I feed her canned food with extra water added to it and put some dry food in it also put cranberry capsules in it what else can I do she still has infection do I need different food

[Margaret C]

My dog had Giardia and Coccidia when she was a puppy but any vet’s fecal test should find those. Coccidia isn’t always treated as it’s fairly common but my vet treated it as it was only found after three cycles of treatment for Giardia so she felt it best to treat since she was a small puppy.

Considering all you’ve tried and the fact that chicken and rice doesn’t help which is a tried and true solution usually, I would suggest switching out your water. It could be that your tap water has excessive fluoride or other treatments that are disagreeing with your pup. My parents had to switch to bottled water (they just buy the generic at the grocery store in large containers) when their cat wasn’t tolerating a normal diet and had constant urinary issues as well as diarrhea regardless of food.

I also can suggest from personal experience that if you buy high quality no-grain food (you’ve already invested in so much so I don’t think you’d mind. 😉 ) you will typically find your pet’s bowel movements to be smaller and solid as they digest more of the food and don’t have filler waste. I use Wellness Core for both my cat and dog. Each receives a quarter can of wet each day to ensure additional water volume and no constipation. The rest of the day is dry. Wellness Core doesn’t have any grain in it which grains tend to be more prevalent in allergies and inflammation.

Hope some of that helps. 🙂

[C4D]

Hi Cindy T,

What I’m about to say is completely my opinion, but I’m not a big fan of Royal Canin as I find it to be overpriced with subpar ingredients that has a vitamin pack added to it to make it nutritionally balanced. It may have some science to back it’s formulas, but in truth, everyone and every living thing on this planet really was meant to eat real food as opposed to a nutritionally complete processed food. Whatever your dog is, I really don’t feel that there is enough difference between and Maltese and a Shi Tzu to need to feed a specific breed formula. I foster dogs from Kill Shelters that are of unknown origin (aka Heinz 57) as well as have several dogs small and large, some mixed and some purebred. I feed them all pretty much the same food and they all end up looking great and are very healthy. There are differences in feeding large breed puppies as opposed to small breed puppies, but overall, if you feed a quality food with some fresh food mixed in to an adult dog, there isn’t a great deal of difference. Small Breed formulas tend to be higher in protein and fat as opposed to Large Breed formulas in general. Many dog food formulas have all life stages.

I’m not opposed to grains, if they work for the dog, but I have a dog that reacts to grains so it’s easier for me to feed all the animals grain freee. I always add fresh food to all of my dogs meals. No living thing should be eating dry processed food for their entire life. I add canned food when feeding a kibble meal and make a fresh cooked or raw meal with a balanced premix for the other meal. My “senior” dogs are lively and playful and walk a mile or so daily. They have minimal health problems, and only due to torn ccls (that’s a whole other discussion).

I’m not personally a fan of skept vet either, but ultimately, the choice is yours.

[anonymously]

Newman’s Own Organics canned turkey (95%) is a decent topper, imo.
I use Nutrisca salmon and chickpea dry food as a base, it seems to agree the best for my dog with allergies and a sensitive stomach (she is 1/2 shih-tzu), the others like it too.
I also use Nutrisca canned foods, 4 years now, no problems.
Check out chewy.com for prices and delivery.

Homemade and tips, see general guidelines http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

[anonymously]

I no longer use a lot of supplements. I do add a fish oil capsule once a day to meals, I add water to the food, especially a senior male small breed, as they are vulnerable to developing bladder stones, UTIs, take out frequently to urinate….at least every 4 hours.
Exercise/long walks as tolerated.
If you are feeding a decent diet, they don’t need multi-vits….unless your vet has recommended such. The liver has to detoxify all this stuff.
I’m just sharing what I have learned over the years.
BTW: shih-tzu’s have lousy teeth, if the vet that examines your dog recommends a cleaning and extractions, I would get it done. Then daily brushings (see YouTube for how to videos) may help to prevent any more professional cleanings being needed.
My dogs do well on Nutrisca salmon and chickpea (canned and dry) as a base. I often add a tablespoon of cooked chicken or lean meat or scrambled egg…you get the idea.
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=supplements

[Jenn H]

I just switched my 6 month old GSD from Wellness Grain Free Core Large Breed Puppy to Solid Gold Wolf Cub.
I chose Wellness because of its calcium content not being more than 1.5%
It took a while to find another brand to put in his rotation that doesn’t exceed the recommended maximum calcium amount for large breed pups.
He’s done well on both so far. I think I like the Solid Gold more. I feed him half the amount and it’s not grain free.
It’s difficult to find LBP food that doesn’t exceed 1.5% calcium. You may have to do the leg work and email companies asking for the maximum amount on a dry matter basis as fed. Annoyingly they often just put min amounts.

[anonymously]

What does your vet recommend? I would keep her diet simple. My senior does well on Nutrisca salmon and chickpea (canned and dry) 3-4 small meals a day with water added, kibble soaked overnight.

Homemade diet recipe and tips: http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

PS: I would not give a dog with the issues you describe, raw food, in any way, shape or form. Especially not a senior.

[Susan]

Hi Donnie, maybe see a vet, the vet will probably put him on Metronidazole a antibiotic for the bowel/stomach for 14-21 days…to clear up any bacteria over growth that he may have & you start his new diet…
Can you cook up some chicken breast & potatoes? I cut the fat off the breast then cut the chicken breast into chunks & just before it boils, I take pot off stove, I drain all the water, I boil the jug & put the boiled jug water over the cooked chicken too rinse off the fat from the chicken pieces, I cut thru a chunk of chicken to see if its cooked thru, then I rinse in cold water to stop them cooking & to rinse off any white fat, the chicken chunks don’t take long to cook about 10mins depends how small you have cut your pieces…. if you cook the chicken too long the chicken breast pieces go like leather, at the same time, boil 1 big potato that has been peeled & cut up into small pieces, I prefer the brown potatoes they don’t seem to be waxy & aren’t as starchy as the white or red potatoes, then I put the cooked chicken pieces in 1 cup to measure & put in freezer seal bags, the potatoes I boil fresh every second day same with the other veggies, I add about 4-5 small pieces of the potatoes to 1 cup of cooked chicken then I put thru the blender & blend for a few seconds or you can cut up the chicken chunks & cut or mash the potatoes, see if his poos firm up…..

I don’t feed wet tin food the fat is too high, especially supermarket or crappy wet tin food..
The fat % in Wet tin food isn’t the same % as in Kibble, when a kibble says 10% fat then its 10% per cup normally, if it says 5% fat in the wet tin food, when fat% is converted to dry matter (Kibble) then that’s around 23%-25%-fat, that’s why some dogs get diarrhea when they eat dog tin food, the fat is high…… if your looking for a wet tin food then look for tins around 4% min fat & under, it will say min% fat so the max fat % you need to add another 1-5% fat on top, depends on the company, I was emailing the companies & asking what is the max% fat %……… read ingredients, the cheap supermarket wet tin foods normally says Chicken, Lamb & Beef by products or poultry byproducts then Whole wheat, cereal by products or corn gluten meal, corn etc….. the gluten meal can make them scratch, have you ever soaked kibble in warm water, then when kibble is soft I was draining the water then cuffing the kibble in the bowl in my palm of my hand & squeezing out any excess water, then I put the soft drained kibble in the blender & blend only a few seconds & it comes out lite & fluffy, if I didn’t drain out the water properly, the wet kibble would be like a ball of goo, good kibbles soften within 50 mins of soaking them in warm water, so I stick with easy to digest kibbles…I ask for samples & test the sample kibbles & soak a few kibbles in warm water & see how long they take to soften…. I feed Patch his cooked meal for Breakfast & Dinner then he gets 1/2 cup kibble at lunch time & another late dinner 8pm another 1/2 cup kibble, Fish & Rice only kibble to keep his weight on & the fish is good for his skin, coat & stomach…… he weights about 17kg=38lbs…..

The vets have their vet diets, Royal Canine Intestinal wet tin, the fat is only 1.7%max or there’s Hills I/D Low Fat GI Restore wet tin 8.5% fat, Hills has already converted all their wet tin foods….. but for the price of 4 tins of the vet diet wet tin foods, you can buy 1kg chicken breast & a bag of potatoes & make about 5 days of cooked meals, 2 meals a day…..you will need to balance the diet later if his poos firm up….cooked meals are OK un balanced for about 1 month, my vet said while your working out what your dog is sensitive too etc….”The Honest Kitchen” has their Base Diets where you add the protein & their normal diets, have you tried the “Zeal” grain free ? you just add water…. You can buy their samples for $2 I think…
http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal

If poos do firm up eating the cooked chicken & potato then slowly start adding 1 new ingredient every 5-7 days, like some tin salmon in spring water or sardines in spring water, drain the spring water, I add 1/2 a small tin salmon with the 1 cup of chicken breast pieces & 1/4 -1/2 cup of potatoes, 1/4 cup broccoli & 1/2 a zucchini for breakfast meal & put the other 1/2 tin of salmon in fridge for the next morning, salmon & sardines are good for their skin & coat, they need their omega fatty acid in their diet, he’s probably not getting enough omega 3 in the wet tin food he’s eating now, if his poos firm up on the cooked chicken & potato then add some cooked broccoli or zucchini, be careful with pumkin as pumkin is high in fiber so only add about 1 teaspoon to see how poos go, also sweet potatoes is higher in fiber then white potatoes…… I boil 1/2 a butternut pumkin & freeze little cut up pieces & take out when needed, also carrot I froze a heap but later I found when I was adding the carrots he was scratching his ears & shaking his head, that’s why it’s good to only add 1 new ingredient at a time, that way you will know if it causes any problems……

If Russell poos do not firm up on the cooked Chicken & potato or another protein & potato, then see vet….also have you wormed Russell?? when Patch starts getting tapeworms, his poos start going soft, then sloppy……..

[Marc D]

Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula with Bison and Roasted Venison Dry Dog Food

[crazy4cats]

Hi Kristin S-
I have absolutely nothing to do with rating the dog food on this site. I for one, still continue to feed Whole Earth Farms/Merrick foods. I have not noticed any difference in the food so far since the purchase agreement with Nestle Purina Company. I’m hoping that they continue to operate as an independent business. Merrick has their own manufacturing facilities for both dry and canned food. I’m looking forward to them using Nestle Purina’s money to become an even better company.

http://www.merrickpetcare.com/news-center/news-releases/merrick-pet-care-announces-purchase-agreement-by-nestle-purina-petcare-company

Purina already has a lot of grocery store type foods, why would they lower the quality of Merrick just to compete with the foods they already sell?

[Susan]

Hi Kim, when I rescued my boy 3 years ago he was weeing blood, he needed to be desexed within 1-5 days of receiving him, so when the rescue vet desexed him they did an ultra scan & the vet seen crystals, he was put on antibiotics & Royal Canine Vet Diet S/O Urinary wet tin food & dry Kibble for 6 weeks, he had to only eat the Royal Canine S/O wet & kibble for 6 weeks, so his crystal would dissolve, he had an ultra scan after 6 weeks & all the crystals had dissolved, then the vet said put him back on his normal diet, cause I had just rescued him I didn’t know what to feed him so I ended up contacting an Animal Naturopath cause he had other health problems…. Here’s her diets, it’s raw but I cooked the diet, minus any bones, if you scroll down click on the health diets he needs…. Diabetes diet & a weight reduction diet, work out the common foods between both diets & try feeding some cook meals for him, he will lose weight when he starts eating either a raw or cooked diet & the weight loss will help with his arthritis…Kibble isn’t good for bladder problems, wet foods are the better…… http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/natural-diet.html

[Crow M]

Congratulations on your new family member!

I went through the same ordeal last year with a very elderly and underweight rescue; how to put on weight safely, finding the balance between feeding him enough but not too much, so that his weight gain wasn’t too quick and his system wasn’t overwhelmed with too many fats.

I second the advice above – if at all possible, feed him 3 or 4 small meals a day instead of 1 or 2 big ones. I fed a good-quality puppy food mixed with a good-quality adult food* starting with a 3:1 ratio. As he came close to his target weight, I gradually changed the ratio to 2:2, then 1:3, and then finally all adult food.

Supplements: don’t over-do it. I’d give him probiotics and maybe a joint med, but really, good food is going to wonders all by itself.

*Earthborn Holistics Puppy Vantage, Earthborn Holistics Great Plains Feast, Earthborn Holistics Large Breed (all dry); Wellness Complete/Core Puppy, Wellness Complete Senior and Canidae Large Breed (all canned). I mix up what I feed my dogs; variety is a good thing.

[anonymously]

I would be more worried about the dog surviving the heartworm treatment, that is a priority.
Otherwise I would go by your vet’s suggestion, maybe a high quality puppy food (canned and dry). I might add a tablespoon of chopped cooked chicken or chopped cooked chicken liver, add a little water to meals. I might feed 3-4 small meals per day instead of 2 regular ones. I would not add any supplements unless your vet advises so, just more junk for the liver to deal with. I would not give raw food to an old sick dog.
You don’t want rapid weight gain, too stressful, just a gradual increase.
Also, see what your vet advises regarding the flea allergy, frequent baths? Be careful about vaccinations and pesticides with a senior dog like this….
Walks/activity as tolerated, keep him moving.

[Mom T]

I was given a 10+ yr. old, very neglected, St. Bernard/Husky mix male dog for Christmas! He is so sweet and fits well in our family. After a couple of vet visits he is overall healthy with a few issues being heartworms, severe flea allergy and mild hip dysplasia. He also roughly half his weight at 65 lbs.

The more I read, the more I am confused on how to best put weight on him. The vet recommended puppy food. With his age I am concerned about pancreas issues feeding him a high fat diet. What would you recommend for…
Wet and dry foods?
Additives to food such as raw eggs, oils?
Vitamins…Pettabs?

Thanks for your help!