[Babi S]

Our Lhasa poo has allergies. What food is best for her. Wet and dry.
Any advise is greatly appreciated!
Thank you!!

[Katie K]

Whatever shampoo you do end up uskng, make sure oatmeal isn’t one of the ingredients. Most people think of it as soothing (and it is to us humans), but it is not good for dogs. Oatmeal is a grain, and just like grain in food, It will make yeast spread. I use Vital-ketodine shampoo on my westie. It has chlorhexidine and ketoconazole in it. And if you’re using the right shampoo, it won’t dry out your dogs skin. People used to say that back when everyone bathed their dogs with human shampoo. Out pH levels are different than dogs so they shouldn’t use the same shampoo we do. When Finn is having a flare-up, we bathe him between once and twice a week. One reason why I really wanted to respond to this though…

You mentioned goats milk. I give my dogs goats milk every day too. I recently heard that goats milk soap works miracles on dogs skin! A customer of mine was selling it and another customer of mine bought it to try on her dog who had been scratching like crazy. After just one bath, the dogs skin cleared up. I heard the same thing from someone else a couple days later. I can’t wait to try it. Btw.. I don’t think the whole human/dog pH level thing would be a problem with something so natural.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Katie K.

[Brad N]

We have two small dogs, a Pom/Shih zue and a Yorkie/Chee WahWah. We have been feeding them home made dried pork treats for almost two years. We slice up pork roast as thin as we can and dry it in a dehydrator. We do the same with chicken. They like the pork better than the chicken by far.

The dehydrator heats the meat up to 170F. We dry it for around 8 hours till it is almost the consistency of potato chips.

We also make our own dog food from ground chicken, but that’s fodder for a different discussion. We’ve been making the dog food for about 4 years, with praises from our vet on their health.

[Gwen J]

I’m new here so not sure if this is the forum I need but thought I would start here. Over the last 11 years I have read everything I could find about what is the best food for my dogs. It is so overwhelming.

I have a friend that has raised dogs (purebred and mixed) for 20 years. Currently she has five dogs of various ages. All of her dogs are healthy, have beautiful coats, bright eyes, great dispositions and live to be 12 to 15 years old. She also is heavily involved with rescuing which means she sometimes brings dogs into her home that aren’t always healthy. Rarely do her dogs have any health issues.

Because of financial constraints she has always fed what is considered ‘below average’ dry kibble (and very little people food). My question is: if what she feeds is so bad, why have her dogs always been so healthy and lived so long? I would appreciate any thoughts. Thanks.

[sascha k]

Thanks for writing. I’ll explain my thinking below.

I tend to be skeptical of vast global conspiracies myself but there is something to be said there. While financial ties are natural in any business, why is it the top contributors are the ones being most heavily (and often exclusively) being pushed? They want me to believe out of the hundreds of products available on the market, only 2 pass muster?

I’ve compared the ingredients of Hill’s Science diet and Nutrience Sub zero and while I’m no doctor, nor biologist I can tell the difference between grain filler and meat.

Just compare the ingredients below:
http://www.nutrience.ca/dog-food/nutrience-sub-zero/dry-food/canadian-pacific/
http://www.hillspet.ca/en-ca/products/ib-canine-mature-adult-chicken-and-rice-dry.html

I am not shopping for a vet that will confirm my biases but I’m looking for one that will discuss the differences in ingredients, the mass recall deaths, the research and the financial ties with me without shutting me down.

I understand a vet is a medical doctor who doesn’t have time to cater to every dumb question by an internet “genius”, but my personal feeling is that when someone doesn’t want you to ask questions there’s a problem.

I trust absolutely no one. I want the vet to distill the research to me in layman’s terms on why he/she is making the dietary recommendations. And yes this includes vets recommending the diet I prefer. Right now all I’ve got to go on is authority. It could well be that Hill’s and Royal Canin is the only commercial dog food anyone should feed their dog, but given all the available information detailed above I want an explanation for my objections.

As for the new vet I’m talking to he wasn’t implying there is a vast conspiracy of vets twirling the mustaches in the darkness. Only that there is verifiable evidence of strong financial ties and that some vets perhaps push these 2 diets a little harder than the quality of ingredients warrants.

My source isn’t some naturalnews hippy woo, but the Wall Street Journal:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB878509979865406000

[Diane W]

Well I’m glad my kitties don’t care for fish, and I’m also glad there’s not a lot of “beef” choices out there; I’ll stop getting them. There are way too many fishy varieties, though. I’m sure learning a lot by following along and from reading catinfo.org. I’m even taking a print-out of the “short version” to my vet’s office on Monday when I take my Boxers in for a bath. They’re great and don’t pretend to “know everything”, and told me they’d be genuinely interested in reading the info.
Unfortunately I’ve not done anything about un-addicting Skeetoria (Skeeter) from dry food. There has been a lot of tragedy (suicide, other death, & cancer diagnoses) in my family lately, but I don’t want more in Skeetie’s case, so I need to get on it. She’s very strong willed, but I will persevere. I’m thankful that she does drink a lot of water on her own and asks us to turn on the faucet for her so she can have fresh to her heart’s content.

[Stanley E]

Our 10 year old Rottweiler whose organs were all sound based on ultra sounds a year ago, suddenly developed a fist sized cancerous tumor on his spleen. Removed the spleen, but he died passed away 6 weeks later. Was on Acana Duck dry food plus yogurt, pumpkin, twinlabs liquid collagen, and apple cider vinegar for over five years. Does anyone connect any of these to carcinoma?

[Howard J]

She does not take Metronidazole. We gave her Royal Canine low fat wet food a few hours ago, the ingredients are horrendous but she seems to be doing better. Probably will never give it to her again. Still looks like she is losing weight though.

Her breath does not smell good. Smells like putrid throw up, although it has gotten better. Her butthole seems to be inflamed too. I’ll try the mashed potatoes.

I’ll refrain from giving her a raw based diet, also I mine as well buy the Honest Kitchen food looks great! My only question is the Fromm wet food I have been feeding her has 44.63% Protein on a dry matter basis of 100 grams and 10.24% Fat on a dray matter basis of 100 grams. I can only imagine the fat content of Natural Instinct’s Venison Raw.

For Honest Kitchen the Zeal Dog food profile says Protein is 38.40% on a Dry matter basis and Fat is 9.25%, which is less than the Fromm wet food. However, it does not say the amount of grams, which would be my only concern. If its 100grams then she would likely do better on this food, in part because of the low protein and fat content and the better ingredients. The Fiber is much lower than Fromm’s wet food however the carbs are higher, not sure if that is good or bad for pancreatitis.

http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/media/wysiwyg/AAFCO/ZEAL-nutrient-profile-1.pdf
http://frommfamily.com/products/four-star/dog/can/shredded-chicken/technical-analysis/

Also, the As-Is Basis of fat per 100 grams of the Fromm is 2.10, which is lower than the As Received (8.5%) as well as the As Served Hydrated (4.25%). Yet, Fromms dry matter basis of 100g, the fat % is higher than all the categories in the Zeal Dog Food Nutrient Profile.

Really confusing!

[Flowers]

Hello

My Dachshund is a year old now and has been on Acana Puppy and Junior dry food. He has always been skinny But if I feed him slightly extra it upsets his tummy. Lately thought he has had very runny stools. Usually his first one of the day is normal but the ones that follow are not, I can’t even pick them up. (Sorry for those who are eating whilst reading this!!!)

I chose Acana because it was rated as a five star food but I don’t think that it is agreeing with my dog. I do wonder if it may be too high in protein. Where I live there is not a huge choice in the pet shop of dog foods so I don’t know what to change to. The choices are Blackwood dog food, Taste of the Wild, Nutri Source or one called Holistic Pro Series.

Has anyone experience of any of the above foods or suggestions as to what I can do?

Thanks

[Howard J]

Seven months ago the vet discovered that my 11 year old cairn terrier had multiple nodules on her pancreas. They said that it was either a tumor, benign or malignant or hyperplasia of the pancreas, which is common in old dogs. A month ago she was acting lethargic, depressed and had a seizure like episode. They prescribed her doxycycline after she tested light positive for anaplasmosis and from here on she got much worse. She threw up yellow, foamy bile every night. She’s always had GI PROBLEMS but the doxy made her feel very sick, she refused to eat anything, and lost 2.5lbs in the process.

We brought her back in and they took her off the doxy, they gave her an anti-nausea injection and prescribed various medications to treat her stomach and pancreas. A few weeks later her blood test seemed to have improved, her ALKP at the time of the crisis was over 6000!! However, it went down to less than 2000 with all other liver enzymes in the reference range. Everything else was normal, including the blood count, except for slightly high calcium and BUN levels.

Any who, they compared her pancreas photos from seven months ago and the nodules have not changed at all. They said they are ruling out cancer, and it is most likely something that shouldn’t be worried about. However, they are saying her liver enzymes are still high and they want to do a liver biopsy to figure out what is the problem, in order to give us a better diagnosis and to implement a treatment plan. We refused and instead opted to give monthly urine samples, as well as administrating milk thistle into her diet.

MY QUESTION: What should her diet consist of? After the supposed pancreatitis episode we introduced her to chicken and rice, which she seemed to do okay on. We then introduced her to Fromm grain free, shredded chicken and Natural Instincts frozen raw venison. She absolutely loved it, and seemed to be doing great. We fed her a small amount of the medallions. I know raw diet, especially natural instinct has high fat content, so maybe it isn’t good? She is back to Fromm with some boiled chicken and rice and her symptoms of pancreatitis seem to be coming BACK!

Her stools are muscusy, yellow, greasy diarrhea, which are signs of pancreatitis and/or too much fat in her diet. She has also been dry heaving occasionally. These symptoms have developed after we stopped giving her Natural Instinct. Today we fed her just chicken but her stools are the same. Pungent, yellow diarrhea.

Should we give her ENZYMES and/or probiotics, it seems that she isn’t digesting her food properly and the vets aren’t really helping diet wise. Is it wise to give dogs with pancreatitis raw diets and if so which brand is the best for this condition. If not, what food is appropriate for her condition?

I would greatly appreciate the input!

John

[InkedMarie]

April,
It is a myth that dry food cleans teeth. That would be like granola cleaning ours; it doesn’t. I believe a wet food is better for dogs with stones but I am not positive.

Regarding the surgery, you can apply for Care Credit through your vet. You can also sell anything that would bring in money. Other than that, you could start a Go Fund Me page but don’t be surprised if you don’t get many donations from strangers. Beside it being Christmas & a hard economy, some feel that pet owners are supposed to have something already in place for emergencies, myself included.

I wish you luck.

[anonymously]

Per the search engine at this site, a lot of information here. I think you will find answers to your questions.
/forums/search/bladder+stones/

Most veterinary clinics have payment plans/credit arrangements you can apply for. If she needs surgery she must be uncomfortable, stones are painful. I wouldn’t postpone. I would get that done first, per recommendation of the vet.

Oh, and dry food doesn’t really do anything for the teeth. Brush the teeth every evening, I use a medium adult brush and Petrodex tooth paste, see YouTube for how to videos.
I have found daily brushing takes about 5 minutes and is very effective, scrub the sides and back and try to get the inside areas where the tartar and plaque tend to build up.

Post surgery: As you can see by using the search engine (bladder stones) and checking the various posts and threads at this site. The most important thing you can do is increase water intake, add water to all meals, 3 or 4 small meals per day instead of 1 or 2.
Offer frequent bathroom breaks, opportunities to urinate, observe for normal flow/amount/stream. Keep the bladder flushed to avoid stagnant conditions conductive to stone formation.
Otherwise I would defer to your vet regarding diet and supplement choices, at least till the dog has been stable for a while….then discuss changes with the vet.
Some types of bladder stones tend to recur, there is a genetic component to consider.

PS: Wysong has a prescription food, ask your vet if it would be appropriate….if you like the ingredients better http://www.wysong.net/veterinarian/

[K C]

My 30 lb mixed breed dog, turning 14 next month, otherwise very healthy until her annual exam’s lab work led to a Dx w/kidney insufficiency (also called renal failure, kidney disease, renal insufficiency) and put on Hill’s Prescription Diet R/D. She was eating it mixed with a small amt of canned R/D because she didn’t seem to like the kibble by itself, but otherwise seemed to be doing okay. Until she wasn’t. She began to reject the dry kibble and eat only the wet food from it, licking it off the dry food, which she put on the floor outside her bowl. And then she stopped eating the canned food. And then the vomiting started. A trip to the vet and lab work showed she got pancreatitis from the high fat level in Rx kidney diet. The labs also showed her kidneys values, of course still showing kidney disease, had improved a little because of the diet, which was great news. She has lost weight because of the not eating much because of the pancreatitis.

She was sent home with fluids for us to inject under her skin and a medication to inject for nausea. She is currently only eating boiled chicken breast and rejecting rice, canned food, kibble, and egg whites, but she likes the Pill Pocket I put her Pepcid in. We were instructed to feed her a lowfat diet, whether it is a prescription diet (Hills or Royal Canin) or a mass market brand.

In preparation for when she is eating normally again, I have been researching the dog foods low in fat. The problem I am finding is that all of the low fat foods are high in protein. That means that in adjusting her diet to prevent a relapse of pancreatitis, as directed by her vet, I will be burdening her kidneys with higher protein, thereby assuring a faster decline. It is the worst catch-22 to be caught between two diseases like this!

Does anyone know of any dog food or diet or anything at all that would be a happy medium of low fat AND low protein, that I could present to my vet? And, be able to provide a dog all the nutrients it needs? I feel so helpless and I love my girl so much!

I thank you in advance for your help!

[April F]

My 12 year old lab mix has just been diagnosed with bladder stones and she needs surgery. The vet put her on royal canin urinary SO but I’m having a bit of trouble. First off the food is very expensive I’ve had her on a grain free fish based diet until now which I would prefer her to stay on a grain free diet she also needs to lose weight she is 66lbs and should be 45-50lbs. I’ve been reading different things about putting her on wet food and that she doesn’t necessarily need to be on a urinary food specifically. Could I mix dry and wet food? I like the dry food because it’s good for her teeth but if she needs the extra water from the wet food…. This is all rather confusing for me. If anyone can give me any help I would really appreciate it. Also a bit off topic I’ve been trying to raise money for the surgery does anyone know a place I can advertise? I’ve sent it out to family and I don’t have many friends. My brother donated what he could and we are very grateful but I can’t seem to find a way to get it out to more people. Thank you again for any help and happy holidays.

[Francis F]

Hi Mal W,

I believe that if your dog is showing stomach problems when eating these treats, you should stop immediately.

I own a toy poodle 4.5 lbs., now 14 years old, who LOVES the Canine Carry Outs beef flavor, and a blessing that he’s never had a problem with these.

Now, I only give him 1/2 of a nugget mixed with the ProPlan dry tidbits & a teaspoon of the Cesar wet food. If I am going out for a few hours, I give him the other 1/2 cut into pieces.
I actually take the time to chop each nugget 3x lengthwise & 3x wide….innocent little pooch, he loves them & is so satisfied with the small treats.

But I did notice once when I bought the bacon & the patties that he vomited, so I stopped on the second episode & threw them away.

I just checked the bag & mine says in a big front seal: MADE IN THE USA and no where in the package nor ingredients does it mention China.

Perhaps the amount given makes a difference, along with the type of food he eats, expensive but worth it. ProPlan dry for small breeds since he was born has protected his digestive system.

Good luck & may this input help dog-loving owners.

[Fade R]

There’s a relatively new kid on the block: Platinum (http://www.platinum.co.uk/dry-dog-food/platinum-dry-food.html)

A guy at my local store recommended it, the spec seemed legit so I’ve tried it. Nala (my german shepherd, 1.7 years old), seems to like this food the most of anything we’ve tried before. Unfortunately it only comes in 5kg packs, so it’s relatively expensive.

But I’d love to hear of your insight on it.

Cheers.
Fade.

[Jeffrey D]

I believe my first post was a little misleading. I am giving my puppy the antibiotics, I am completely in favor of that. I was just wondering if there was anything else that would help him feel better faster. It seems like antibiotics and a lot of water are the best methods. I have also been adding wet food and warm water to his dry food. Hopefully he clears up soon because a prescription diet is not an option for him given his age.

[anonymously]

What are you feeding your dog now? My dogs do well on Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea as a base, I have been using it (canned and dry) for my dogs, for 3 years now, no episodes of diarrhea. I know, it is made by Dogswell.

Was the Hills Science food one of the prescription diets? Maybe there were other factors involved in the cat’s demise.

Perhaps you will find this site helpful http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

[MAUREEN W]

The dog had surgery 2 weeks ago to remove the stones so she is doing wonderful now. The dog was on poor cheap dry food only & locked outside for several hours at a time all summer so Im pretty sure poor diet & likely not enough water was the main cause for this. Of course I want to avoid it at all again & why i am looking for help but I dont believe for a minute prescription dog food is the answer, (have you read the label on that stuff), nothing of nutritional value in it at all in my opinion. The cost of the food is not a concern, grain free & healthy diet are what i look at for my pets. She is drinking water all day & pees alot too so just want to do whats best.
I take one of my dogs to get acupuncture & last thing she says to do is Royal Canine or the rest of the prescription foods. Im not one to take meds myself unless its vitamins& supplements & want to avoid that in dogs too. I am only used to giant breed dogs & having 3 Saint Bernards & 2 lived to almost 12 & 13 & one i have still is 11. I feel I have done something right in their health & well being to live that long. I like to research everything & glad i came across this form. I appreciate all the help & concerns. I have only her best interest at heart. I plan on getting her regular xrays to make sure shes not getting stones again. but hoped to be able to do something daily to help prevent. Maybe someone reading this had the same problem & found a good answer. Ive been told by several people whos dog had stones, to feed wet food mainly in which I have done since rescued her. Thanks

[Brenda T]

All these different brands of dogfood sound wonderful but checking out the prices, I cannot afford any of them, especially if trial and error is involved. What if I cooked beef liver or chicken thighs…. perhaps throw in green beans or broccoli? I’ve been mixing in plain yogurt with his regular food (I mix canned Alpo sliced beef with either Alpo dry or Pedigree dry). It’s pretty obvious that store brand are not the best but it’s what I can afford for my yeasty dog. Antifugal shampoo is the best? I know oatmeal only feeds the yeast so I won’t use that. I need to find a new vet as the one I am using has not been very helpful.

[Thaylia S]

Good evening, Mike!

Please consider adding Nature’s Logic to your list of Editor’s Choice foods. I have a 12-year-old female Samoyed who has had problems with food allergies for the past several years, and when I changed her food to Nature’s Logic at the suggestion of the good folks at our local holistic pet food store, Brookside Barkery and Bath, in Kansas City, MO, her skin has cleared up beautifully!

I feed both the canned and dry formulas to my two babies, and they love it! It is a little pricy, but so worth it in my opinion. As I tell my friends who say they would NEVER pay more than $XX for a bag of dog food, I would rather pay up front for the best nutrition I can find for my critters than pay later at the vet!

Thank you for your consideration of my suggestion for your list. 🙂

[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 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/
I don’t necessarily agree with all of the opinions expressed.
Some info at this site you may find helpful http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=bladder+stones

[Z B]

Up until a few months ago HEB carried a grain free canned store brand called DaLeash, rated 5 star here on DFA:
/dog-food-reviews/daleash-dog-food/

DaLeash Chicken & Veggies CANNED:
Ingredients: Chicken, beef broth, chicken broth, liver, beef, dried egg whites, dried egg product, potatoes, potato starch, carrots, peas, natural flavor, flaxseed meal, dried beet pulp, salt, guar gum, sodium phosphate, potassium chloride, sodium carbonate, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper proteinate, sodium selenite, manganese sulfate, potassium iodide), choline chloride

When DaLeash was discontinued, Heritage Ranch showed up on the shelves at HEB. Seems pretty much the same recipe:

Heritage Ranch Chicken and Veggies CANNED
Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Beef Broth, Chicken Liver, Dried Egg Whites, Potato Starch, Dried Egg Product, Carrots, Peas, Natural Flavor, Flaxseed Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Salt, Guar Gum, Sodium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Carbonate, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, D‑Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Choline Chloride.

I used DaLeash regularly in my rotation until it was discontinued, now using Heritage Ranch. Canned versions only, so I can’t comment on the dry. The price is good at $1 a can, less if you buy the 12 pack. No complaints here. I feed a combo of homemade and rotate affordable canned foods like this one, Pure Balance and 4Health.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Z B.

[Jenn H]

Sometimes adding warm water to dry makes it more enticing.
Every dog is different. They may not like the same food or are sick of what you feed them. Sometimes they know something isn’t right w/ the food and won’t eat it.

Why do you not want to mix it with wet? Wet is little more costly, but better than dry food.

I’m assuming your dogs are otherwise healthy. It’s weird that a Lab won’t eat something. That makes me suspicious.

[Brian L]

I’m not trying to plug a website or anything, but when my dog was really sick and I didn’t feel comfortable with my local vet’s advice, i paid an online vet to give me their opinion of my dogs situation. It was $15 as I recall. justanswer . com and pay for a vet to answer your question with some advice.

But, that being said, my dog went through the symptoms you posted with pancreatitis. When she recovered, if she ever had diarrhea again, i waited 24 hours to feed her, but encouraged her to drink on her own by placing little glass bowls of water around as she would need an IV if she lost too much fluid (we had a IV bag the vet sent home with us to do Sub Q IV’s with).

She was put on Royal Canin Low Fat Gastro wet food and we just left a bowl of the dry out 24/7 in case she wanted any. After the 24 hour period would happen, we slowly introduced low fat cottage cheese.

[carol C]

Which food tastes good..dogs will eat without mix with wet. I have a lab and gs.
Ty

[anonymously]

Did you check out Wysong Senior: http://www.chewy.com/dog/wysong-senior-dry-dog-food-5-lb-bag/dp/50242
My senior was doing very well on this, however, I had to switch to one brand of food that agrees will all 3 dogs (Nutrisca).

[Debbie H]

Thank you for all of the advice. We bought 4Health dry, 5lb to start. She loved it and it appeared to love her. However, now she’s back to not eating, vomit a couple times a week, and loads of feces. The feces are good consistency, but she’s pooping out a lot. She is fed 2/3 cup twice a day which matches the calculator. She only eats 2/3 of a cup, though and most often has to be encouraged to do that. I’m starting to wonder if she is sensitive to foods. She’s had yeasty issues w/her ears since we got her as a pup. Vet said she had ear mites and gave us an ointment. It would clear some, but always come back. I can’t believe it’s mites after a year. She has no other animal contact. A friend suggested she might be having an issue w/chicken because it’s a common, though not primary, ingredient in both food choices. Back to the search.

[anonymously]

Hmmm, I would go with Wellness. I would do a combination of wet and dry food, I might even add a splash of water. I respectfully disagree with your breeder, I would not free feed. I would give a puppy 3 or 4 small meals per day, by the time the pup is 6-7 months old I would be feeding 2 meals per day, measured amounts. Maybe an occasional bite for a snack for training purposes.
See general guidelines for tips: http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

[Sarah H]

I am getting an 8 week old Shih Tzu Puppy in a couple weeks. I have been reading a lot of reviews and I am torn between Blue Buffalo and Wellness. Any opinions? They both make Small Breed Puppy food in dry and Puppy food (not size specific) in wet. I realize there are some super premium brands with somewhat higher ratings but if I am going to stick to one brand I prefer to go with something I know I can find at Petsmart. I feed my cat some of these super premium brands which I buy at the smaller stores, in addition to the brands I buy at Petsmart, but I understand that puppies should stick to one brand. The breeders currently feed the puppies Purina Puppy Chow (yuck) and Mighty Dog (double yuck), so I know I will have to introduce the new food gradually. Also, should I stick to a puppy food for the wet food or is a small breed adult wet food OK? Also what size portion of wet/dry food for an 8 week old puppy? I have read that before 3 months old they should free feed the dry food and have wet food at meal times. Thanks in advance!

[Laura M]

I think they should disclose where their food is manufactured – either canned or dry. The Whole Dog Journal is a valuable resource to pet owners – I have subscribed for years. I base my dog food choices on what I read there and what I have learned from this website. I don’t see any reason why not to disclose that information unless they are not proud of the answer that they would have to give. After the melamine situation, I will do everything I can to know all that I can about the foods I feed my pets.

[Susan]

Hi Boo, stop feeding the can wet food, I was feeding a wet can food & my boy started to scratch & shake his head, I was feeding the wet tin food of a morning & his kibble for dinner, since I’ve stopped the wet tin food no more scratching, I started a elimination cooked diet for breakfast, I knew his kibble wasn’t making him scratch its Fish & Rice kibble, he cant eat the grain free kibbles tooo many starchy carbs, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Tapioca, Carrots, Peas, etc, with his new elimination diet when I added carrots he started to scratch again & shake head (ears)….you need to work out is it from food or environment allergies??
Be careful with the apple cider vinegar & lemon juice that will dry out the skin & make the itch/rash worse, also bath in Malaseb Medicated shampoo every 5-7 days when rash is bad bath time…..I apply Hydrocortisone 1% cream on my boy red paws & under his mouth when if real red & itchy… you can buy the Hydrocortisone cream over the counter at the chemist, thinly apply the cream of a night at bed time & thru the day if needed… or try the Sudocrem its in the baby section, its for eczema, dermatitis, nappy rash etc….

[crazy4cats]

Hi Suzanne-
While Purina puppy chow may not be the best food, it’s hard to say that it may be contributing to your dog’s condition. It is one of Purina’s cheapest foods. They have other lines that are rated higher such as Pro Plan and Beyond. I don’t know if there is a puppy recipe in either of those lines though. I have not fed either of them.

I am more concerned about your dog’s symptoms though. Is she still displaying them? It is very important in my opinion, that you figure out WHY she has the crystals and protein in her urine. If she is having a hard time urinating, she could end up with a blockage. I think you should have the recommended tests. If and when she has another urinalysis, please mention that you have been giving the berry supplement. It could skew your pup’s pH and it would be beneficial for the vet to have this information.

I do, however, disagree with your vet that dry food is better at this time. Keep adding water to it. Even soaking it in fridge might be helpful. I didn’t want to scare you earlier, but now that I hear your pup’s symptoms, I’m even more concerned. My cat had the exact same symptoms, so I started adding cosequin to his food, bought a water fountain and fed more canned food. He still ended up with a blockage and spent four days in an emergency vet hospital who gave him a 50% chance of survival. He had damage to his bladder from being so stretched out. I wish I would have had the ultra sound! The visit cost thousands of dollars, but, he’s still here! Maybe you can avoid that if you are able to find the cause of her crystals by having more tests. I don’t have any idea about the protein in her urine though. Maybe someone else can pop in with some information on that.

I have some links that may be helpful when I have time to get to my desk top computer today. I hope the best for you and your pup!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by crazy4cats.

[Suzanne J]

Thank you both for your very kind replies. I had a feeling that Purina was NOT the best for my puppy, & that’s why I joined here ~ to educate myself & to find better food. I would appreciate any suggestions for food, and I don’t mind paying more. I’d do anything for her health. My vet said Purina was fine.

crazy4 cats ~ The reason the vet even gave her antibiotics in the first place was she suspected an infection because I said she pees a lot without much urine coming out, and she was licking herself a lot. When I took Cookie, my puppy, back again after the first round of antibiotics she did give her a urine test and it had some protein and crystals showing up so she gave Cookie another round of the same antibiotic. A week later her second test came back even worse with even more protein and crystals. She said I had to wait a week to get the antibiotic out of her system before the “clean urine test”. She suspected a resistant infection like e-coli or something. When my vet did the clean urine test no infection showed up at all, but she still had crystals. My puppy has not been the same since that test. She was so scared they had to sedate her to do the test. Now she’s jumpy and gets scared way more easily than she did before, but that may just be typical puppy behavior. My vet was stumped and put her on Cosequin, and just from stuff I read on the Internet I also added the Solid Gold Berry Balance. I was hoping it would help.

I am going back to my vet in two weeks for yet another urinalysis. If this one is still bad I am taking her for a second opinion before I take her out of state to see that specialist. I found a vet in Gulfport that has an ultrasound machine, and I have already told them I may be coming. His machine may not be as great as the specialist in Louisiana, but at least he could give me his opinion of what I should do. I think my vet suspects a structural defect, but she admits she doesn’t know. She just keeps recommending more and more tests. The specialist told my vet his test may not show anything, but then again it might. I’m hesitant to put my puppy through too many more tests. She’s just a little puppy, & I am really hoping with good food & The Berry Balance she may get better.

Yes, I am very open to suggestions on food. I’ve been trying to get Cookie to drink more water by adding ice cubs & taking her to the water bowl several times a day. I don’t mind feeding her wet food either, even though my vet told me dry food is better. Heck, my vet hasn’t helped me or Cookie yet unless scaring us both to death counts.

[Dawn S]

My adult Springer has been sneezing for three years. It is very productive of a large amount of mucous. He has had his nasal passages and upper airway scoped, he had been on antibiotics for 6 months, and we have tried benadryl. We have tried several types of dog food. We cannot think of anything new in our home environment. He is otherwise very healthy and active. We have had to limit where we take him because it is so messy at times. Has anyone had a similar experience?

[InkedMarie]

The best food you can feed her is NOT dry: raw, canned, dehydrated….If you must feed dry, please go to the review side & look for a 3 star food. Once she does well on that, you can upgrade to a 4 or 5 star if you wish. Her current diet is a very low quality food. Be prepared for diarrhea when you transition. Transition over a week or so. If you have to feed dry, add some high quality canned and water to her food. It is very important that she get water.

It is also very important that she has ample opportunity to urinate.

Good luck!

[Gina T]

http://www.trademarkia.com/heritage-ranch-by-heb-86260268.html for info and https://www.heb.com/product-detail/h-e-b-heritage-ranch-lamb-brown-rice-dry-dog-food/1866143

[anonymously]

Of course, cover and refrigerate all opened dog food in tightly covered containers. In fact, I refrigerate or freeze dry food in containers too, if I have the room.
Wet food or dry food soaked in water is good for about 3 days (in my experience).
Just sniff it, you will know if it’s going bad. Dry food without anything added in a tightly covered contained is good for at least 2 weeks, unopened bags are good a lot longer, but check the expiration/best by/use by dates on the package.

[Claire P]

He hasn’t had any dry food in over a month. The wet food only diet maybe helps slightly to keep food down. But honestly, it’s been so long since he’s had dry that I’m not sure if theres much difference. He’s still regurgitating liquid from the wet food almost daily and often several times daily. Drinking water always makes him regurgitate. He actually didn’t drink any water for over a month (i have stayed home with him pretty much 24/7 and he is overly attached to me/ deals with separation anxiety/follows me around whenever I get up, so I would know if he had any). Vets said he should be getting plenty of moisture from his wet food only. Today he drank from his bowl for the first time in a month and I was SO excited because i thought it was a good sign. But he threw it up a couple minutes after.

[Dori]

I’m assuming you feed him twice a day. If not, please correct me. I would portion his food into maybe four smaller meals so that he’s not trying to digest so much food at a time and that he doesn’t have long periods of time with an empty stomach. I’d definitely switch his water to filtered or spring, reverse osmosis would be great too. You can even buy one of those Brita filter pitchers and use that. You can also, but costs more, of course, add a reverse osmosis filter under your kitchen sink and drill a hole above for it’s own faucet and use that for his water. Yours to for that matter. There’s an awful lot of stuff in tap water that no one should be drinking let alone a dog that his having some health issues. But store bought water is perfectly acceptable. Just you have to deal with all the plastic bottles and the cost eventually adds up though he’s a poodle so he’s not going to drink all that much. I’ve got three toy dogs. Maltese, Yorkipoo and Maltipoo. No dry (kibble) for sure. It takes longer to digest and you don’t want his stomach to have food sitting around in him for that long. I should also let you know, full disclosure, that I feed my three dogs commercial raw frozen foods. I rotate the brands and the proteins with the exception of any and all poultry, fowl. But you shouldn’t start rotating foods with your dog until you can figure out what the issue is that he’s dealing with. Is he vomiting more with the dry food or the canned or does it make any difference at all? Just curious.

[Claire P]

Hello, I know this is a very old thread, but it’s the closest I’ve found to mirroring my dog’s issues. I can relate so strongly to the frustration and desperation that Lisa C. felt about Chewy’s problem. I have posted on other dog forums and basically shamed for soliciting advice on the internet instead of a vet. But I HAVE seen a vet. In fact, we’ve seen 5 vets. I adopted Frank, a small poodle mix in September (over 2 months ago). He is approximately 4 years old. He weighed about 14 pounds according to his papers at the time of adoption. From the first night I brought him home he had a severe cough so I took him to the vet by day 2 or 3 for that issue alone. He was given 2 antibiotics for what the vet said looked like pneumonia. I hadn’t noticed any GI issues in the first 2 days. From what I recall, he ate his food, but left some of it in the bowl. What I gave him those first 2 days was a mix of wet canned food and dry kibble, both Wellness brand. When I started him on the antibiotics, he started vomiting and wouldn’t hold down the pills or any food or water for days. He also lost his appetite completely, ignoring freshly cooked chicken even. The vet switched one of his antibiotics for a different one, and gave Cerenia for the vomiting. Neither of these changes helped the vomiting. After a few more days I was left with no other option but to stop the antibiotics abruptly. He seemed to improve quickly: more energy, big appetite, and no vomiting. After about 4 days though, he started regurgitating food and water. Sometimes it was right away and sometimes it was as much as 8 hours later. Frank has had blood tests, fecal and urinalysis, X-rays and barium swallow X-rays. Everything came back normal except that from the X-rays it looked like his stomach looked large and a portion of the food was passing slower than expected. He’s been on a variety of drugs, including Pepcid, metoclopramide, sucralfate, cisipride. I’ve been told to feed him only Hills I/D in small portions, but that doesn’t seem to make a difference. The fact that drinking just water can trigger regurgitation makes me wonder if it’s food related at all.

[Madelon H]

Is there a list anywhere of good low fiber dry dog food?

[Terry P]

I don’t know the name, but are you familiar with a family own Holistic product from Navasota, Texas please?
Many Thank
Terry Palczer

[Brad C]

You aren’t supposed to feed a dog with kidney disease a dry food. You need a food with a high moisture content, and low phosphorus. I use Primal raw food. It’s got very low phosphorus, and really high moisture content. Look up Dr. Becker on YouTube, she does free videos on these topics. She’s an holistic vet. who does the videos free. She’s been a wealth of info., myself, and my dog who also has kidney disease. Hope this helps.

[alberta H]

Hi Sharon… we have a 14 year old moxie who was having the same problems …. and a lot more. We had our regular vet do an allergy blood test and that did show what she is allergic to food wise. Found out we have been feeding her food she was horribly allergic to and have since changed. But, we still have to give our gal 1/2 a benedryl during certain times of the year when she starts sneezing and reverse sneezing. This helps. The problem with possible food allergies is huge though. Many homemade dog foods have rice or corn and in our pups case she was extremely extremely allergic to both those things. Because of this the vet tried 3 different dog foods (one was this dyrolized dog food and it almost killed her ..literally). So for right now, she is actually on a dog food with rice AND corn and doing fine. We were told that sometimes even with allergies a dog can handle certain foods. So it is very confusing. In our case though we wound up going to a holistic veterinarian. Because our doxie has a history of pancreatitis many of the things she is NOT allergic to (test showed she is not allergic to pork) she can’t have because of the fat content. But she is getting a holistic concoction that has been keeping her pancreas soothed and working well now and she is oddly on a food she should be allergic to but is not. If she can’t handle this dog food she is on now our holistic vet has some other recommendations we will try but for now she is doing fantastic. We believe this is because of this holistic vet (she is a “real” vet who has been to school for other things and believes in more than the standard veterinarian ways. She actually saved her life after the hydrolized dog food almost killed her (from the other vet).. So perhaps getting with your vet about 1/2 a benedryl? then a allergy test? Great luck though… our doxies are special !!!

[zcRiley]

Zignature Zssentials is a budget friendly food that worked for all of my AmStaffs’ ailments for a year now. Nothing else was working due to their allergies, diarrhea, dandruff etc. It’s their main entre but I rotate their side dishes of dry & canned for nutrient variety. Read the ingredients on Chewy.com. They offer free fast delivery. Also, Aroma Paws Honeysuckle Jasmine all natural shampoo is specifically for dry skin & dandruff. I bathe once every 2 weeks.

[Amber C]

So I’m reaching out for a little advice… my 8 years old mutt (German Shephard, Collie, Lab mix) was on, please don’t all hate me since I didn’t know better, purina for 7 years. After getting lymes disease amongst a lot of other health problems including diarrhea on a weekly basis, we hit the Internet for answers and a better dog food. He has a thyroid problem and is on pills now that have taken the diarrhea away (thank goodness!). We switched him about a year ago to Taste of the Wild. He’s tried about all different flavors and we mixed in canned and dry kibble. His coat looked amazing and his life long dandruff disappeared! Overall health was much healthier, like a whole different dog. The vet said TOTW would lead to kidney problems and it wasn’t good for him, they recommended science diet. I read about TOTW and heard so many bad reviews, so after 7 months on it, I switched over to Whole Earth Farms, again mixing wet with dry. I found the stews mixed better than the pate recipes, but he does get both cycled in with the chicken turkey dry kibble and the red meat mix kibble. He loves the food, he’s not picky at all though, he’d eat anything in front of him short of the kitchen sink, but his dandruff that he had his whole life is back. I wanted to keep him on rotation, maybe 3 different brands switching every 4 months or so, and even though everyone seems so anti TOTW, it made him look and act healthier, but im nerrors about a bad batch! There’s no other problems with whole earth farms besides the dandruff coming back. Im a little at a loss. He weighs over 90lbs, not an ounce overweight, so he requires food… lots of food and budget is a consideration. TOTW was pricey for me, but doable if it was good for him. Anyone have any suggestions or thoughts? Anything would be of help, we’re about halfway through 2 different bags of WEF, so I just need to figure it out before we run out.

[Shelly B]

Acana DRY dog food (watch for ingredients even they aren’t created equal). My Pom is on the lamb. It’s been the best for my dog with Colitis (aka a Virus). As now we are finding out the truth about this thanks to people like the Medical Medium. I follow Dr. Peter Osborne the leading doctor out there for True Gluten Free knowledge. All glutens, that includes rice, corn, and please NO SOY! Make sure to add nutrients to your animals diet. Mercola Dr. Becker is one to research on her stuff. Please avoid what more all vets recommend. Specially Science Diet that puts them through school. That food should be BURNED! Most animal food is junk. I just got one of the better of the worst.

[Karen D]

Update on Peanut, I bought a canister of The Honest Kitchen Perfect Form, it came yesterday & I gave her 1/2 teaspoon in her food as I didn’t see the part about mixing it with water to form a gel, she ate it all anyway. This morning the same & also “borrowed’ some Natural Balance Duck & Potato dry from my neighbor…..I mixed a little of the kibble into her canned Newmans Turkey & Chicken……Poops are OUTSTANDING, haha has been a long time since she has done such small firm ones. I don’t want to try giving her Keen again, why tempt fate, right? My question to the forum is this……what dry food do you recommend for a 13.8 yr. old 30 # dog… she isn’t itchy & ears are fine, the only thing wrong with her is she has gone deaf & she has those subcutaneous cysts pop up that I get removed when bothersome. Thanks
Karen

[InkedMarie]

Do a google search for Dr Karen Becker’s video on “best foods”. Generally, dry food is the “worst” but only if the wet food is high quality.

alot of us believe that owners sometimes create picky dogs. Choose a food, leave it down for 15min, pick it up if they don’t eat it. They get nothing else until the next meal.