[Lynda W]

Was surprised to see Kirkland pet food on your list. Isn’t Kirkland a Costco brand? After losing our chocolate dog to unknown or unforseen circumstances we are less than 10 days from picking up our newest chocolate lab puppy and want to make sure she has the absolute best dry food we can reasonably afford. We are Costco members, this would be appealing to us. Please give us the reasons why this is on your list. Many, many thanks for any help you can provide. Lynda W

[Mark C]

I wonder what anyone’s experience with this food is. I am enticed by after reading several reviews about it. However; when I read it dog food and the ingredient list shows Salk I get a little skittish. Right now I Feed Acana which is a very good food and obviously on the ingredient list doesn’t not contain salt.? I would be interested in getting feedback on the Zignature food. Right now with the food I’m feeding I feed the single protein pork and butter not squash so the single approaching on Zignature looks close in the price is a lot more affordable so any help would be appreciated thank you

[crazy4cats]

Yes, it has:

/dog-food-reviews/lifes-abundance-dog-food-dry/

Up above you can click on “member login” and then find faq about how the foods are picked for the editor’s choice recommended list.

Hope this helps!

[C4D]

InkedMarie is right, Shawna is very knowledgable on this situation. I’ve only had experience with CRF in an older dog. A few things I can share are that when in renal failure, a wet diet instead of dry is much more beneficial since your giving the kidneys more moisture to work with. You might want to check out Grandma Lucy’s website. I believe their food is made with low phosphorus. Tripe and egg white are low in phosphorus, while organ meats tend to be high in phosphorus so you might want to avoid foods that contain liver, etc. I also found a FB page called CRF Dogs that has a lot of helpful advice, although it isn’t as active as it was a few years ago. Good luck with Alvin!

[InkedMarie]

It shouldn’t be hard to find a food without chicken, fish & lamb. There are foods that have beef, kangaroo, turkey, duck, goat, rabbit. For the dry skin, have you tried salmon oil?

[James S]

Hey There! Yeah, my 11 year old female Pit, Nefertiti, has had, “The Bumps”, off & on all of her Life. After many failed remedy attempts & vet visits, I heard that it might possibly be some sort of a yeast infection, which kinda makes sense-She licks herself, then her paws, then scratches herself-Boom! Yeast infection. So, it could be something like that. Although, I’m not sure how males would get it?
Whatever the source, what I’ve found to work best, is . .
STEP 1-I give her a bath using a Human Dandruff Shampoo like Neutrogena. The brown T-Gel works as well, but smells horrible, & seems a bit harsh, while I haven’t ever tried Head & Shouders, because the article that my ex read that suggested this remedy, said that there is a certain ingredient to look for (Wish I could tell you which one), & Head & Shouders either lacked it entirely, or didn’t have as much as the others.
Anywaze…I know they get cold quick, but I’ve found the longer you leave the Dandruff Shampoo on them, the better the results. (Like 3-5 minutes tops should do the trick. I find singing to Nef helps with her desperation)
STEP 2-I rinse her off, which warms her up, & then it’s time for the Hot Spot Shampoo. Just a normal lather, maybe wait a minute before rinsing, then. . .
STEP 3-A nice, normal Dog Shampooing. Nef & I have been digging Burt’s Bees Products lately, but any Oatmeal/Lavender/Chamomile style one should work just fine. Now, I’m NOT an animal dermatologist, but I would definitely keep in mind that some of the Shampoo’s Ingredients might have an effect on Your Pup’s Coat as well. I feel keeping it as close to Organic is always best. This way there’s no need to panic…Because it’s Organic. I digest….
STEP 4-After all that, I’ll dry her off, (while she shakes off on me) then apply Hot Spot Medication (I think it’s just the Hartz one-Not Sure-Just a small bottle-The liquid is yellow in color, & can be found in purrty much any box store, or ordered online) liberally by using a Q-Tip, or by sort of pouring it onto The Bumps &/or Hotspots (depending on the severity of the outbreak) as she tends to get both at the same time.
Well, I Hope This Helps! Again-I’m not a dermatologist, but I’ve been using this method for six years now, & it works better than anything else that I’ve found in the previous five years of failed attempts at relieving my Big Lil’ Girl! when she gets The Bumps.
P.S.-I’ve found that mixing a little olive oil, or coconut oil in with Nef’s Food (about a Tablespoon per bowl tops) helps keep her coat Nice & Shiny. Good Luck!!!!!!

[Pitlove]

It’s going to be hard to find a food that has THAT few ingredients

CANINE DRY:
Potato, fish meal, animal fat, dried beet pulp (3.9%), fish digest, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, sodium hexametaphosphate, fructooligosaccharides (0.39%), potassium chloride.

There are a few companies that make LID diets that are fish and potato based.

Merrick- Salmon& Sweet Potato
Natural Balance- Fish & Sweet Potato
Zignature- Trout & Salmon
Wellness Simple- Salmon & Potato

These foods are all available on chewy.com if ordering online is something that could work for you. You can also take a look at their full list of Limited Ingredient Diets here and see if another might work better for you: http://www.chewy.com/dog/dry-food-294/limited-ingredient-diet,FoodFlavor_facet:Fish

I already filtered it to only show fish based foods. Best of luck!

[Mia’s d]

Hi everyone,

I have a mix german shepherd dog – about 10 months old.
From the first day we got her she had bad skin problems (hard itchiness, and white scales falling of her). Finally after many visits to the vet, the conclusion was that the dog has an allergy to specific food types – after scanning through the main meat dry-food options (chicken, fish, lamb), we found that the only food that was good enough for her skin was “Eukanuba Dermatosis”.

Few months (and food bags) have past, and her skin became much more healthy. So we were hoping to find a cheaper alternative to this food, that will still be good enough for her. We tried several suggestions from the pet store (which according to them is considered “semi-medical”), but nothing was quite as good.

So as last resort, before we give up and accept our ^expensive^ future – I was hoping to get this forum recommendations on other dry food brands/types. The more – the merrier (since our local pet stores food variety is quite lacking…)

Thank you so much!

[Lisa B]

I have a 13 year old 90lb great pyr mix who’s a bit underweight and super arthritic. Looking for any recommendations for her.

[Christie]

I ordered a 12 pack of Whole Earth Farms Chicken and Turkey Recipe canned food from Amazon. The package arrived similarly to what they stock on the shelves at Petco (12 pack, cardboard bottom with plastic wrap around the top and sides). I noticed when I was pulling the cans out that some were dented. I looked up safety guidelines and tested the seals on the cans. They seem fine.

Sunday night, both of my dogs split half of a new can.

The following morning I woke up to find my 8 month old puppy had a accident (on my comforter while I was sleeping!) and she had diarrhea when I let her out in the morning. She wasn’t interested in eating and moped around all day. My 6 year old dog didn’t seem affected at all.

I chalked it up to the puppy getting into something she shouldn’t have…like the cat litterbox.

Today, I came home from work and the 6 year old had a BIG smelly, accident in the kitchen and was crying to go out the second I walked in the door. HE had diarrhea and I noticed that the puppy also had very loose stools.

Both are still playful, despite their stomach ailments…but I’m withholding the canned food (I mixed it with their dry) to see if that’s the culprit. Neither is very interested in the dry food alone and both are crying for something different. I left the dry food out (mixed with a tiny bit of water to change the consistency) but I guess if they’re really hungry they’ll eat it. But I would prefer if it they waited a bit for their stomachs to settle.

I’m wondering if it could be an issue with production since they both got sick from a can that wasn’t dented, but I didn’t see any indications that people were having issues with WEF food.

I intentionally made sure that the canned food that I fed them yesterday wasn’t dented in anyway. However, I did notice that the consistency between both cans and the ones I normally buy in the store were slightly different. The ones in the store seem firmer.

[C4D]

I’m sorry David T, but I do not believe this is possible. I fed Orijen for many years and this was several years ago. I can’t even remember when Orijen was $39.99 for the large bag. This seems like a scam. Pedigree is cheaper on several other sites than you’re charging. Links (because it’s me):

Pedigree:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pedigree-Adult-Complete-Nutrition-Dry-Dog-Food-50-lbs/42425073

Purina Dog Chow (UGH):

http://www.pet360.com/product/275/purina-dog-chow-complete-and-balanced-total-care-nutrition-dry-dog-food

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Purina-Dog-Chow-Dry-Dog-Food-Complete-Bonus-Size-50-lb-Bag-Dogs/38056050

I’m not going any further. All of these prices are well below yours and I think you’re only on here to promote your website, which is selling garbage at overmarket prices. You are using the good brands as an enticement, and hopefully people will be smart enough to catch on, but I posted this in case they’re not.

[Shawna]

David M,

Diatomaceous Earth (food grade only) is pretty effective at controlling fleas. It can be messy though. It’s a flour like texture and is applied to the coat of the dog. It doesn’t prevent fleas from getting on the dog but once they do the diatoms have edges that slice the endoskeleton of the bug (flea). The flea then dehydrates and dies. You have to be careful during application that it is not inhaled as it can damage the lungs but one on works for a week or two (or until the pup is bathed). It’s inexpensive and an be applied as much as needed. It can dry out the skin if used excessively though.

Only one of my six ever has an issue with fleas (mostly at the end of the season when the weather starts to change). I use DE exclusively on her and it works every time. She’s a Pom so application is tedious to get down to the skin but she’s small so not horrible. I separate her fur, drop a large pinch on the skin and then rub in. I only put it in the areas I see / feel flea dirt versus all over.

[Anonymous]

Regarding the water content, just soak the dry food in water in the fridg overnight, maybe add something to it as a topper when served. Canned food or a bit of cooked chopped chicken or lean meat.
If you are concerned about dental, brush the teeth once a day (see youtube for how to videos).

You might find some helpful information here too http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/
I did 🙂

[Alex p]

Dry food is low mess and well formulated, so it’s a popular option. It’s no less nutritious or less “fresh” than wet foods.

Dry food in the past was the cause of urinary tract infections in dog, but manufacturers have altered the pH level of their formulations.Dogs fed on a well-formulated dry-food diet don’t run a higher risk of urinary tract disease if they’re drinking enough water. If your dog doesn’t, it’s a good idea to feed it a canned-food diet, which has a higher water content.

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

[Alex p]

Many proactive, integrative, and holistic veterinarians have long recognized the nutritional drawbacks to commercially available dry pet food.

Most popular dry formulas don’t contain clean ingredients – those approved for human consumption – and they aren’t biologically balanced for obligate carnivores (cats), and scavenging carnivores (dogs).

However, in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, we saw the production of better quality dry foods that contained more diverse ingredients. Coincidentally, during this same period, pet owners began to see the benefits of home-cooked diets because they could control the quality of the food they fed their dog or cat.

Although improvements to commercial dry pet foods addressed some of the quality control issues — and began to address the biological appropriateness of ingredients – they didn’t address one important fact. Companion animals were still consuming an entirely dead, inorganic, over-processed diet that was extruded and cooked at very high temperatures, rendering it devoid of any of the health benefits of living foods.

[Erika B]

After doing a bunch of researching on websites regarding protein, calcium, phosphorus, and listening to people’s and vets feedback, and opinions. I have decided to narrow it down to these 4 dog foods and was wondering what we’re your experiences, if you have any when feeding these dog foods, overall good? Why bad? Or simply which one would you choose or prefer and why? (Mastiff owner or giant breed owner)

Royal canin size health nutrition Giant puppy dry dog food: (vet recommended royal canin, I disagree)
32% protein,
calcium (min) 0.82, (min) – not max
phosphorus (min) 0.67% (min) – not max
3584 kilocalories, 340 kilo calories ME per cup
1st two ingredients brewers rice, chicken by product meal

Large & Giant breed puppy – precise holistic complete.
23% protein
Calcium 1.30(min) – not max
Phosphorus 0.95 (min) – not max
3528.84 kcal, 400.10 ME per cup
1st two ingredients chicken, chicken meal,

Fromm Gold
26.58% protein
Calcium 1.01 (as-is) 1.08(dry basis)
Phosphorus 0.95 (as-is) 1.02 (basis)
1st two ingredients duck, chicken meal
-does not have fruit, only veggies

Nurti source Large breed puppy
26% protein
Calcium 1.0 (min) – not max
phosphorus 0.8 (min) – not max
3,924 kcals per kg, 400 kcals per cup
1st two ingredients chicken and chicken meal

[chris]

zcRiley- thanks for the reply!

I don’t really feed my dog anything raw, on a very rare occasion i’ll give him raw pieces of chicken breast or beef cubes, but that is like maybe twice out of the year. I cook everything I give him, mostly into stews or soup like foods. I use everything as a topping for his dry kibble. For example I just had done Venison cooked and pureed with spinach, apples, sweet potato. I usually make a huge mixing bowl of it all and then put it into containers and freeze it and grab one container at a time out when needed. He gets about 2 cups a day over his dry kibble.

I have several recipes made up I’ll be making. I was just wondering about squirrel since i’m tempted on going out squirrel hunting a lot this year. I was concerned mostly because I have been told they’re super high in grease and oil contents. I appreciate the reply though, thanks a ton!

[Stanislav K]

I have the same problem as you do.

I use Canine Caviar Limited Ingredient Diet Wilderness Holistic Entrée Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag and so far I ordered 3 bags from chewy. The kibble in the 1st bag was perfect in color – dark almost black. I assume it was the old formula. Poop of my dog was perfect as well. In the second bad I noticed that the kibble is different – mixture of dark and very light brown. Also the poop of my dog changed a lot. It became light in color and super firm like a rock. When I pick it up from the ground it dissolves and looks like a sand. Also my dog started to poop 3-4 times a day, which wasn’t the case with the 1st bag. I contacted chewy and they send me a 3rd bag which was also not ok. They also told me that they will contact CC and check with them.
I went to the CC site and surprise – the changed the formula replacing the oils with:
Coconut, Coconut Oil, Anise Oil, Thyme Oil.

What a screw up. I dont get why they had to ruin the only food that my dog tolerated so well.

[Angeline H]

I have a chihuahua w similar allergies that started around same age. She was on Blue Buffalo Life Source chkn/brown rice puppy formula and was doing well on it. Since she was gaining weight, Dr. advised transition to adult. BB Life Source ckn/rice:Was fine for a while, then allergies started-thought it was caused by her food. Had her tested for allergies via blood draw sample. Result: allergy to dust mites, fleas, and molds. But not the dog food. Great environmental improvements were made, along w an Rx for sublingual allergy gtt Tx.
Sx subsided. 2+ months to go. Still have to use Benadryl prn. She still has mild allergenic Sx. Which Dr. Thinks may be from Ckn sensitives causing IBS. Being managed w probiotics and Liquid salmon oil also helps both the IBS and any minor itchiness. In short, the allergenic blood test is best. Sublingual drops better than injections.

[Jenn H]

Does anyone feed their dogs a diet of kibble and canned/raw/dehydrated?
I have large breed dogs that I like to supplement their dry when the weather gets cold to keep their weight up.
My real.concern is my puppy. He’s 4 months old. GSD. Approx 30 lbs. I know I have to keep his calcium at 1.5% max. Because of that I am having a problem finding the right food.
He acts like he’s starving to death even though he gets 3 3/4 cups fed over 4 meals. Right now he’s on Wellness Core Grain Free Puppy.

I’m looking for either a food that will satisfy his appetite or something I can supplement/replace some of his kibble with that will allow me to stay within the calcium guidelines.
While I am not opposed to canned, raw or dehydrated, I cannot feed strictly those types of foods.
I would also prefer a NON grain free food. Unless a dog has allergies I know they actually need some grains. Plus it seems that grain free has far more carbs than non grain free.

I appreciate any suggestions.
Thank you.

[Peggy]

Thanks for the link DF. My dogs don’t have the ‘normal’ environmental allergy symptoms of sinus drainage, coughing, runny eyes, etc. But the dermatologist that saw them at the vet said that the symptoms of EA’s also include dry skin, excessive itching and scratching, etc. But blood tests came back negative to EA’s, so next on the list is food sensitivities, which they’ve experienced before. My son’s dad last night mentioned that “now that I think about it” (you know how men are) – the itching seemed to begin when I introduced other can foods into their diet – Wellness, Nature’s Variety, etc. I did that because Pure Balance didn’t offer much variety in their recipes. Now that they’re producing a new LID line in addition to their original grain free recipes, I’m going to forget the other products and stick with PB. They love it, and it’s a lot more economical for me. Whew.

[Peggy]

Pure Balance is a very good, quality food. This site rates it 4 – 4.5 stars for cans and 4+ starts for dry. My two love it.

[Peggy]

Well ladies, when I went shopping on Friday for dog food, I was ecstatic to learn that Pure Balance has produced a LID line of their grain free can food!
Turkey & Potato, and Turkey & Sweet Potato; Salmon & Potato and Salmon & Sweet Potato.

Their Turkey & Potato LID dry has been out for about 9 months, and I’ve been rotating it with the PB Bison & Pea grain free. My dogs love these.

Friday night I fed them the Turkey & potato can with the T&P dry and they loved it.
So I think I’m going to stick with Pure Balance’s LID recipe’s, plus what I cook for them.

A side note: Their scratching has decreased dramatically since using this shampoo twice. that we got from the vet.

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

[Kelly H]

Hi everyone. I’m new to this forum and hoping you can help me. I’m at my wits end I could honestly cry!

My dog was diagnosed in January with a liver tumour. She’s nearly 14 (lab X collie) you wouldn’t know she had the tumour she’s still her normal energetic self!

She was put on Royal canin hepatic wet and dry food long story short after many attempts and different variations she wouldn’t eat this. The vet then said she’s old and may only have 6 months left (she’s outlived this expectation so that’s brilliant! And she’s no different to when she was diagnosed) they don’t know if the tumour is actually cancerous because we agreed a biopsy would be too much stress and could lead to blood loss that could kill her.

So anyway the vet said just feed her what she’s happy to eat as her quality of life is paramount.

She’s had burns, wainwright (pets at home), bakers (I know it’s awful but it’s what she had before so thought she’d go back to it), Royal canin, Arden grange. The list is endless. I then decided because she was picking wet food off the dry food and spitting this on the floor that she obviously didn’t want dry food. I’ve now got her on nature diet. She has 2.5 trays a day but probably eats half a tray a day. I’ve recently added chicken to it to entice her to eat but now she’s picking the chicken out and leaving the rest.

I don’t know what to do now. I keep getting told it’s tough love time because she’s purely just waiting for me to change her food yet again. She’s losing weight which is my concern though. Do I stick with it? take the chicken out? Change her food? I just don’t know 🙁

Sorry for such a long post!
Pleaseeee help haha
Thank you

[Kim S]

Hello Norene, I have a 9 yo yellow lab that has skin issues and found out wheat was her problem early on. A little over a year ago she began to scratch and bite herself to the point of being bloody and raw. I started researching and this is where I found DogFoodAdvisor. I have found many other sites that have helped too. I looked an environmental issues, allergies, flea/heart worm meds and food. My vet was not able to help much and I took to the internet. I found that grains can greatly effect a dog and we knew that wheat was a problem for her, I went grain free only to find that potatoes are a big fill in for them and she ended up with a widespread yeast infection. I did try raw but she ended up being sensitive to chicken and lamb so that didn’t work. Here’s what helped and I highly recommend to anyone with skin issues. We did a Alternative Sensitivity Test by Glacier Peak Holistics, all done by mail. That gave me a wealth of information and confirmed all my suspects. She is now on Orijen 6 Fish and doing wonderful. I’ve also added a daily probiotic, digestive enzymes, coconut oil to her meals. I have nothing to do with Glacier Peak but there are other companies that perform these tests and sell the same products. I also have found very informative websites such as Dr Karen Becker, Only Natural Pet and obviously you’ve found Dogfood Advisor. Beware of the flea and heartworm products, they can cause a number of issues and there are natural remedies. House hold cleaning products, laundry soaps, fabric softners, fragrance sprays and such can effect your dog. I now have a green home as much as possible. Good luck and hope you find the cure. I can tell you that it will be up to you and not your vet and I do like my vet very much.

[Anonymous]

Give it at bedtime. The “holistic” stuff isn’t medication. They are considered food supplements. It will say right on the package that they are not intended to cure or treat medical conditions.

Find a vet that you trust and go by what he recommends. If you don’t have one already.
Did a vet approve the Benadryl and clarify the dosage? What is the dog’s diagnosis?

[Peggy]

I joined the forum over a year ago for my 2 dogs Tebow (Jack Russell Terrier) and LadyBug (Shepherd/Lab mix). They were both overweight and experiencing food sensitivities.

Upon advice I upgraded their food (from Pedigree). Blue Buffalo, made them sick, so I switched them to Pure Balance on which they’ve been doing very well. Problem is, PB does not offer a large enough variety of can food, so while staying with PB grain-free dry, I’ve switched them to Wellness and Nature’s Recipe grain-free cans. They love both, especially the stews.

Now comes the problem…….. !
Tebow is again itching and scratching incessantly (NO fleas), and shedding horribly. Also chewing at his paws. I noticed a week or more ago that he’d developed a raw area on his chest.
LadyBug has a series of raw areas on her lower back, backend, and upper tail. REALLY raw.

Now, Tebow’s seems to be healing up, while Lady’s was getting worse, so I took her to the vet this morning. After skin scrapes, flea combing (no fleas or flea dirt), and 2 blood tests, the verdict is…. food allergies! UUGGHH!

The vet said that ‘perhaps’ I should decrease their beef and chicken intake and feed more duck and venison. Also decrease their twice-per-week salmon meal to just once per week because her skin seemed oily (she was dirty, as I had not bathed her in a couple of weeks).

ALL of this was preceded by “perhaps” with no real clear instruction. Soooooooooo….
I am again here asking for feeding suggestions. Additionally, both are still overweight, Tebow is 5 lbs over, and Lady is 8 or 9 lbs over.

OK – hit me with it. And thanks in advance.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Frankie B-

Yay! Another cat person! How old is your kitty and how long have you had her?

Even though Nulo is a great kibble and having a water fountain is an excellent way to try to get her to drink more, don’t give up on the wet food! Especially if she is an indoor kitty that doesn’t have the opportunity to hunt fresh meat.

I am going to post links to my favorite sites that have some great ideas on how to get your cats to eat canned food:

http://www.catinfo.org
http://www.littlebigcat.com
http://www.felinecrf.org
feline-nutrition.org
http://www.naturalcatcare.blog

Wet food is so much better for their urinary tracts and kidneys. I feed about 70% wet and 30% dry at this time. Many of the feline vet specialists agree that feeding cheap canned food is still better than an expensive dry kibble.

Females are not as likely to suffer from a urinary tract blockage as males, but they are susceptible to urinary and kidney infections and stones.

Apparently, there was a cat food adviser in the works, but it took a back seat to the Editor’s Choice section. Hopefully it will come back to life! I have been feeding my cats (4) Halo kibble recently with a variety of flavors and brands of canned. It took a while for my shelter kitty to eat wet, but now he prefers it.

I hope you’ll come back and share some good kitty stuff with us! Take care.

[Faith G]

I’ve started him with one tiny chicken heart a day minced and mixed in with his dry food. He usually gets boiled chicken a few times a month, as well as a cooked egg.

I just started the chicken heart so I don’t know how well it’s working or if it even is. But he seemed to like it, and hasn’t had any stomach issues yet.

[Faith G]

I have a two year old pit mix who just got diagnosed with a stage three murmur. I have heard about feeding raw hearts to get nutrients and minerals that they need that dry food doesn’t provide.

I wanted to know if adding raw hearts to a dry food diet will hurt or help. He’s eating 4health from tractor supply, which is seemingly the cheapest best rated food I can find. It has 4 stars on here. We have a limited income and I can’t particularly afford an entire raw diet. I want to do whatever is in my power to help him live a long life. He’s only two and I don’t want to worry about him dropping dead for just being excited that I came home, or anything like that.

If you have any information or experience with things like this or affordable supplements you could recommend please do!!!! Thank you so much.

[Leslie R]

My dog has the bumps plus tons of itching but no hair loss. While he is not 100% and he still needs benedryl, the food change was our biggest help. Went to all fish. Check the label…just because it says fish doesn’t mean its 100%. Definitely worth a shot…

[Susan]

Hi, poor thing, she probably hurt her mouth on the sharp chicken leg bone… when I first rescued my dog, I was giving him chicken wings, but Patch didn’t chew on the wing, he chewed maybe 2 chews then swallowed the whole chicken wing, so I’ve been too scared to give him any bones, different if he chewed & chewed on the bone like a normal dog but he eats like he’s starving like he has never been given all these different foods, I was giving him chicken necks & the same he just swallowed them then he got Colitis & was pooing blood & the vet said stop the chicken necks, so I haven’t given him any bones again but a few people say turkey necks are good & bigger then a chicken neck, maybe try a turkey neck, if you want calcium just keep your egg shells, wash the egg’s shell, use the egg, then dry the egg shells out, then grind the egg shell & give 1 teaspoon grinded egg shell sprinkled on her meal once a day, your suppose to get 1 teaspoon from 1 grinded egg shell… I’ve been giving Patch Green Mussel treat they’re dehydrated I give 1 a day, I buy the K-9 Natural Green Mussel treats at the moment we have an offer buy any K-9 Natural treats & get a 50g bag of Venison reward treat free…. Green Lipped Mussel is suppose to be good for arthritis & Turmeric powder Golden paste, Turmeric, pepper & coconut oil….
there’s a group called “Turmeric User Group” on face Book in the files they tell you how to make golden paste….people say its excellent for any animals & human with arthritis…
http://www.k9natural.com/product-information/dog-food-range-au.html

[Edie B]

Thanks all for replying. I talked to my vet asking about an allergy test and she didn’t recommend it at this time. We talked about food and she basically told me a combination of what everyone posted here. She suggested Royal Canin, they sell it at the vets but also told me I could buy it someplace else. As of now Joey is still on Chicken and rice and I plan on adding dry food this weekend just haven’t decide which one I’m still researching brands. Seems like most of them have had a recall at some time or another.

[Brandon D]

after a trip to the vet yesterday it was determined that this is likely environmental allergies, and not a yeast infection. His skin is a little pink but he doesn’t itch much, chews a bit at a single paw. On benedryl 25mg three times daily for a week to see if the pink skin clears up, vet didn’t think any need for any steroid. If benedryl works( seems to help) then Zyrtek once a day for maintenance.
Appreciate all the responses, still going to consider some other food and bathing options as well.

[eva i]

I have a 5lb Pomeranian who swallows round kibble whole without chewing – no matter the size. I would like to find a 5 star premium dry dog food that is shaped like a flake / chip and not a round or flat kibble. Any suggestions on ways to search for this would be appreciated.

[Edie B]

I have a 4 1/2 year old Shiloh Shepherd who has been on TOTW since he was 6 months old. About 10 days ago he started have diarrhea which he never has had so I put him on rice and boiled chicken for a few days until he firmed up again. I added about 1/2 cup of his regular TOTW/Bison to the rice and chicken diarrhea again. I returned the food to the pet store to try a different flavor/fowl thinking it would be easier on his stomach. After a few more days on the rice and chicken, firm again, I mixed 1/2 cup of the new formula. Explosive diarrhea overnight so back to chicken and rice which he has now been on for 4 days and is firming up again. I’ve been making sure he doesn’t get dehydrated.
Now I’m looking for a new dog food after much research and finding out that TOTW is associated with Diamond Brand. I was looking at Canidae and saw in the reviews that 2 years ago it also had something to do with Diamond but don’t know if this is still true. I’m open to any and all dog food suggestions for a grain free dry dog food because this big boy needs to eat more than rice and chicken.
He had a vet visit about 3 weeks before this problem as he gets a seasonal rash on his belly every year that is usually gone by Oct so the vet suggested we wait and see if it goes away with topical ointments to sooth the skin. I live in the NE as suspect he becomes allergic to something during the changing seasons.
I’m really at a loss here on what food is bet for him at this point
Thanks in advance.

[stacey m]

Hi,
I am a dog groomer and have had a few clients with the noticeable ‘corn chip’ scent along with itching, licking, moist armpits and what looks like red angry feet, ear infections.
These dogs were always chewing and licking. Under the vets care they were given steroids and as soon as the dose was over the issue would come back.
I’d like to share what worked for these dogs with yeast issues.
The food has been changed to Nutrisca, which is a very low carb food.
No extra treats and every week they are bathed with GNC Medicated anti-bacterial/anti-fungal shampoo (left on for 10 minutes) and followed up with a moisturizing conditioner.
The dogs are also on one fish oil daily (which is anti-inflammatory) and daily benadryl (adjusted to dogs weight). The dogs ears were treated for the infection by the vet, the rest was the above mentioned protocol. The dogs who followed this are now about 95% better. Love to say 100% but every now and then one will lick but the smell, angry red inflamed skin is gone! Important to follow through with weekly baths and continue protocol for the comfort of the dog even after symptoms have disappeared.
Both Nutrisca food and the GNC shampoo can easily be bought online.

I am not a vet, I am just passing along some info that worked for some of my clients :o)

[Anonymous]

I have a 9 pound poodle mix who does well on 1/4 cup of kibble and a tablespoon or two of wet food or chopped up cooked chicken breast, twice a day. Occasional chicken liver (broiled) as a topper instead, or chopped up cooked lean meat.

I give an occasional bite of chicken or something as a snack after a walk, carrots are okay, but I would just use the regular ones, the baby carrots are treated with something?

I don’t remember the exact amounts when she was 4 months, I think I fed her 3 or 4 small meals per day and tapered down to two meals per day when she was about 6-7 months old.

I like Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea for dry (base). I like Wysong for canned.
She’s a healthy girl at 7 years old, except for her environmental allergies :-/

PS: Start brushing his teeth every evening, see YouTube for how to videos, small breeds have lousy teeth.
You will learn what amounts work best, dogs have different metabolisms….my 20 pound dog eats only a little bit more per day.
If you don’t see the pup going to the water dish, add a splash of water to meals, some dogs don’t drink enough water. These small breeds are vulnerable to bladder stones down the road.

Tips: http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

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

[Mary C]

Need help with four-month-old male Maltese puppy food choice. Breeder recommended 2 tablespoons Iams puppy dry kibble with 1 teaspoon Iams puppy canned puppy food every other day. Recommended baby carrots for snack. Late afternoon – early evening meal to consist of 3 tablespoons kibble – until he’s 8 mos. This just does not seem to be enough for Gus.

Have been feeding less kibble and more canned. Do not have much trust in dry food. Think canines should eat meat. Suggestions please – and ASAP. Thanks. Mary

[cheryl w]

 Post Pancreatitis Diet-What Worked for My Yorkie
Below is a cut and paste of what I’ve written for my dog:-

I’ve written a long post on another forum about post pancreatic diet. I’m just going to share it here as well since it doesn’t make sense not to since I’ve been a member for a long time. Maybe it’ll help someone out there that was struggling like I did. The only difference between the post and now is I do give him daily fresh blended vegetable and fruit juice that are safe for dogs as well but I do strain to remove pulp to control fibre content.

Here it goes (I’m just going to cut and paste since it’s long):-

I happened to came across this forum and I joined to say please take advice from your vet when it comes to keeping your dog on prescription foods. I know when you check online, there are so many negative comments about prescription diets but when you truly have had a very sick dog and nothing works, these prescription diets are a savior. There is nothing wrong with by-products. By-products just means clean edible parts that are not meat. Knowing my dog, he probably loves the taste of the internal organs from the food he is getting even though I find it a little grossed out but I would imagine those internal organs contains a different nutrition profile than just meat alone.

My Yorkie had pancreatitis back in April of 2014 and was in the ER for 5 days and a few more days at the vet-I am lucky to have him back. He lost 20% of his weight during that attack which is a lot for a small dog. It has been a struggle since to get his weight up especially on low fat food but last week (Jan 2015), I weighed him and he is now back to his old weight. I find that there are a few things that really helps that I will talk about below.

i) Right now, I feed him 4 times a day and I alternate the feedings with 2x dry and 2x wet. I have done the math on how much to feed per meal and I have a kitchen scale to measure his meals each time. I have mine on RC veterinary low fat gastrointestinal both wet and dry because he wouldn’t eat the Hill’s Prescription-my dog is picky but whatever. The alternate wet and dry feedings work better than when you have to mix the wet and dry in one meal in terms of digestion. I have done a lot of research and I have looked at alternatives such as Wellness Complete Healthy Weight and even though the fat is low, it is still 20% more on a dry matter basis when I compared it to RC so be careful. That is why so many people are shocked when their dog gets another bout of pancreatitis on the Wellness Complete Healthy Weight because they looked at the fat percentage and it seems fine but you need to calculate the fat on a dry matter basis. Also, a pancreatitic dog needs low fiber and moderate protein as well on top of low fat-a lot of people forgot to take that in to consideration.

ii) I do supplement enzyme to his food because I couldn’t get his weight up for the longest time and I believe the enzyme really helps. He also acts like he is hungry all the time which makes me think he could have some symptoms of EPI as a result of the pancreatitis or it is just because of the low fat food. I test him by giving him some plain cooked white rice and my dog won’t eat it when he is not starving and he really isn’t. Talk to your vet and do your research about enzymes but I find that enzyme from an animal source works better. My dog’s weight went up when I switched from plant based enzyme to an animal based enzyme.

iii) Food moisture-I do mesh up the kibbles and put some warm water in there before adding enzymes. I mesh up the kibbles to help his digestion because I was struggling with his weight for a while and the moisture just helps. I just don’t feel good when my dog ate a ton of dry kibble and then drink a lot of water. For that, I place a mortar and pestle on my kitchen island. It is quick to clean and easy to use. The low fat kibble is also somewhat salty (yes, I’ve tried a piece or two) so adding some warm water helps to dilute the sodium as well.

iv) I do work the feedings out to include tiny bit of fresh food. I do give him some boiled skinless boneless chicken breast mashed up for easy digestion (of course there are some enzyme in there as well). He also gets about 8 blueberries a day in between feedings because he likes it. He also gets some coconut water in the am for electrolytes. Make sure the ones you buy are pure with no sugar added.

I’ve also heard people who said you could put your dog back to normal food when it has passed but I have asked my vet and I do not think it is a good way to go because pancreatitis can reoccur and he has seen dogs getting it again and again.

Again these are all just suggestions and steps I have taken for my Yorkie that has been successful post pancreatitis. I just hope that someone else who reads this could use the experience I have had and hopefully, he/she will have less sleepless nights than I did.
__________
As of today, the only changes I’ve made to what I’ve written above is I don’t feed him daily coconut juice anymore but he still gets veg fruit juice daily. I’m mainly feeding RC canned now with a 5% of RC dry because of the sodium content. He still gets blueberry daily but I peeled off the skin first.

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

[Susan]

Hi Bronwyn, there’s one thing you have not mentioned, he’s not on an ant acid medication like Zantac (Ranitidine) or Pepcid (Famotidine)… I had an Endoscope & biopsies done on my boy & he had Helicobacter-Pylori, he was given the triple therapy meds-Metronidazole, Amoxicillin & Zantac for 21 days, after the 21 days his acid reflux returned cause I didn’t know that I needed to change his diet so I’d say the Helicobacter returned & Patch was put on Zantac & I did the triple therapy again & put Patch on a Gluten, Sugar, Dairy free kibble…. he got his appetite back again I had to give 1/3 of a 150mg Zantac tablet 1 hour before breakfast then 8-12 hours later again 1/3 of a 150mg tablet…….
Has he had a blood test to see if he has Pancreatitis??
Most of the foods he’s refusing to eat cheese & oil are high in fat, when you have acid reflux you need a low fat diet…. with kibbles the fat % has to be around 10% in fat %….with wet tin foods 3%fat & under, 5% fat in a wet tin food is about 22% fat when converted to dry matter (Kibble) same with raw & dehydrated….that’s probably why he doesn’t eat wet tin food, the fat was probably tooo high & he got his acid…. if I feed my boy wet tin food with 4-5% min fat, he starts grinding his teeth about 40-60mins after eating the wet tin food….

Your last paragraph, you wrote this morning he decided he didn’t want to eat the kibble…
if you give him a ant acid medication 40mins before breakfast he probably will eat or even liquid Mylanta, I give my boy 3-4mls of the Liquid Mylanta some mornings cause as soon as
he wakes up, I can tell if he has his acid reflux, he starts to grinds his teeth….I hate that sound now cause I know we are going to have a crap day, well he is going to feel like crap & I have to watch him feel like crap all morning, so I have 2 syringes of 3-4mls Mylanta in the fridge already made up, the Mylanta seems to work for Patch, also Slippery Elm is suppose to help with acid reflux, I tried the Slippery Elm it worked the first 2 times, then the next 2 times I gave the Slippery Elm slurry & Patch vomited, so I went back to his Mylanta…

I’d be putting him on either Pepcid or Zantac every morning & every night & you watch, he probably will start eating more & feeling better, he’s a very smart dog, he knows what foods make his tummy worse…..
also I’ve read adding water to kibble can make acid reflux worse…. I’ll try & find the link I saved it, that’s probably why he won’t eat kibble with water in it…..I’ve been giving Patch those Jatz dry biscuits as a treat, I give him 2 at 9pm & a couple thru the day, the Jatz seem to settle his stomach or line his stomach they help..
http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/acid-reflux-gerd-in-dogs-cats-natural.html

[Bronwyn L]

I have an almost 3 year old mixed breed named Kosi who has what appears to be acid reflux. his primary symptoms are discomfort (he can’t sit still) and vomiting of bile – this is particularly the case if he doesn’t eat for more than 8 hours. If I feed him meals throughout the day – particularly one at 8 or 9 pm – right before bed – he is fine. The problem is he is SO picky! he will gobble food up for 2 days or so and then completely turn his nose up at it. I have a rotation of foods I use, but nothing really tempts him.

Generally speaking he refuses to eat any and all wet (canned) foods, and will refuse his kibble if there is a single drop of water mixed into it. He also refuses any of the freeze-dried foods on the market. The kibble he eats most consistently is Taste of the Wild wetlands formula. I rotate with other TOTW formulas and used to rotate with a few other brands, but at this point he refuses all of them.

He refuses any food that has any oil or “palate enhancer” added to it. He doesn’t like cheese or most other people food (he’ll accept ham, chicken, or turkey in small quantities, he refuses all tuna or other fish), in fact the only dog treat he will eat are old fashioned milk bones (which makes my other dog happy – she gets all the fun organic jerky chews!)

I cook for my other dog (she’s 11, with different issues), and Kosi sometimes will eat her food (mix of rice, meat, veggies, etc), but the last two days has turned his nose up at it. my vet has also suggested a bland diet to use on occasion – again he’ll eat it once or twice and then turn up his nose at it for a week or more.

he has mouth issues from an injury as a tiny puppy, so sometimes he seems scared of chewing his kibble (and he chews each piece 10 times), I’ve tried small sized kibble, which he liked the first time I offered, then refused ever since. Again, he refuses wet foods or softened kibble. I’ve actually thrown out a bowl of kibble mixed with expensive Evenger’s canned rabbit (which he liked one time), and offered him a bowl of plain dry kibble, which he ate.

The problem with all of this, is that it is very difficult to keep him fed often enough to keep away the acid reflux symptoms! For example, last night he ate his evening meal, but this morning he decided he didn’t want the kibble, or the rice mixture, or anything else I offered. Several hours later, as I write this, I can tell he’s actually hungry and would likely eat his “normal” kibble, but he’s refusing to eat his food, because his stomach hurts… which just makes him cranky. He’s also built very skinny. he’s active, and his coat is shiny, but if he goes a day without food, you can see all his ribs.

I can’t leave food out for him to pick at all day, as my other dog is a corgi mix (read stomach on legs) and would gobble it all up as soon as Kosi wanders off.

I’m at my wits end!! Any suggestions?

[Angel76736]

InkedMarie, I was worried about that as I do not like to use chemicals unless I absolutely have to. Do you have any suggestions?
Patti S., Thank you for the information, it was very informative and I will try to find something along those lines.
Pitlove, Changing the quality of the food will not mean my dogs eat less. It might even mean they eat more lol. I go through 50lbs of food because I have multiple dogs, so the amount will not change no matter what the food is. As for the flea allergy and food, the vet is the one that suggested changing out the food as his skin is sensitive due to someone infecting him with fleas a few years ago his skin has just gotten worse over the years to the point that he scratches too much and too deep. Any bug bite will make him scratch. The vet said that changing his food may help with the skin sensitivity. So she said to take out food with beef. I moved to the Pedigree Chicken one from Purina Alpo Prime Cuts Savory Beef. It has not seemed to be beneficial. My vet moved when her husband got restationed with the military so now I can not ask her what would be next. I thought this would be a good idea since this forum reaches thousands of people. I am unwilling to pump him full of benadryl as the current vet suggested because the amount he would need for his size is way more then I could ever be comfortable giving anyone. So thank you to everyone willing to shoot me ideas.

[Mindy Q]

Last year I tool my rescue ShiTzu in for what we thought was a UTI the vet did a urine test notices an infection gave us some meds and sent us on our way. 2 days later I noticed some blood in her urine so I took her back and they decided to do an x-ray. Poor little thing was full of stones. She must have had them for years but never exhibited any symptoms. Anyways she has surgery and has been fine ever since. They put her on Royal Canin SO for her diet. My issue is the cost of the food is so expensive. I have both the canned and the dry and I will soak the dry and add a bit of the canned so that I can extend the use of both. The vet has just been bought out and the new owners have raised the prices yet again. I was wondering if there is a non prescription alternative that I can get. If I switch could I keep a check on the ph balance of her urine so that if there were to become any issues I could get her checked out right away. What do you look for in non-prescription dog foods to promote urinary health.

[Jackie B]

I feed canned food exclusively. The ratings on DFA are ratings for the type of food. So, a 3 star dry food is average for a dry food. A 3 star wet food is average for a wet food. But as you pointed out, there’s some belief that wet food is superior to dry food. I personally prefer it because it has more moisture in it, fewer preservatives than most dry foods (canning is a type of preservation), and my dogs seem to like it better. I also will buy the dehydrated foods (and serve them rehydrated) sometimes. Just my two cents on the matter!

[Anonymous]

I didn’t rush to a dermatologist either. I spent a year doing various elimination diets, trying various expensive foods, going back and forth to the regular vet and the emergency vet, prednisone, benadryl, fish oil (which I still give) blah, blah, blah. Oh, I forgot, yes, ear infections, prescription drops…
At one point I had 2 air purifiers and a dehumidifier going at the same time (both went to the Goodwill). Daily baths, special shampoos, etc.
My dog found relief after seeing the specialist. Yes, the initial testing is expensive, but the maintenance isn’t bad at all.
It is an option, and it worked for my dog.
PS: I tried raw too, it made my dog vomit uncontrollably. And the raw beef marrow bones resulted in a blockage that required emergency veterinary care.

[C4D]

I buy a lot of various foods, including Earthborn. I have The Honest Kitchen, Nature’s Variety Instinct and several others in my house right now. THK has a manufacturer date and best buy date of 1 year apart. I don’t have any Earthborn in my house but it’s made by the same company as ProPac. It has a manufacturer date & expiration date right next to each other. That’s what you would go by. I often buy bags of various dry food that has 1 year to 18 months expiration from when I’ve bought it, depending on the brand. It’s printed on the bag, but usually in the same place all the time. I think the Earthborn is always on the top. ProPac might be the same.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by C4D.

[chris]

Frances A- The only thing you have to worry about in meals especially fish meals is making sure they don’t use ethoxyquin. It’s a chemical preservative used to keep the fish meal from going rancid quickly.

In regards to that, I don’t feed my dog any fish meal or any fish dry kibble foods. Now this is from research I have done, but dogs shouldn’t have a large portion of fish as there daily diet. This can result in thiamine (Vit B10) Deficiency which can result in poor appetite, loss of weight, seizures. If I tend to want to give the dogs fish I usually buy fresh wild caught and cook it myself and add it to there food which I usually do twice a week.

TLDR: Fish meal is the only meal you really have to worry much about. I’d stay clear of it! Hope this helps!

[Jane K]

Yes. And vasculitis. They could spend a whole week doing tests and still not have a complete why so I asked for aggressive treatment for the PLE immediately. They were going to wait Fri – Tues and keep her stable if possible since it was a holiday wkend and not all the tests were available. She is 90% better in looks. Imagine a balloon with a teeny dog head. Now she looks like a real dog. Her legs are almost normal dog size. She’s kind of lumpy in the body but they said she had not been retaining more fluid after IV treatment and draining on Friday. I’ve been going with massive allergy problem but they said no. She has outdoor allergies. My husband likes to buy all those treats for her and her step-sib Border. Out of no where this blew up over the summer. I think it had been coming on but once summer hit we attributed some symptoms to her nutty behavior with allergy. She gets food funny, won’t step off the sidewalk, stays inside, and pretty much eats her feet without a shot and benedryl through the summer. Early Aug our vet told me she was fat and blamed us for over feeding. I kept arguing that a dog does not gain 9 pounds in 5 weeks. And I told them I thought she was breathing in a different pattern. I lost. We were sent home with a diet and exercise plan that masked even more symptoms. I still think I was stupid to not notice this.
I don’t think they checked for all types of cancers? No mention of kidney or liver problems. Her heart checked out fine. Her worm check in July was good. Clueless. She is probably one of the most annoying dogs I’ve ever in my life had which means we love her to the moon and back. As a cowdog she likes to herd squirrels. She chews on the sliding door on the way out and if your leg is in the way….well, too bad. She talks and sings and shrieks from her squirrel perch bench in the back of the house at the several dozen or so squirrels in our lot. They come up to the window and mock her. She helps with trash by attacking the bag all the way down the hall, out the door and to the can. She chews on the cat and then humps her. The cat allows this. We try not to watch. She doesn’t know a stranger. We got her to keep the old dog young so this is so, so sad. Old dog will be 14 in October. We shall see. She gets chicken tonight. I’m expecting a miracle. She deserves it!

[Deborah C]

I have a 1 1/2 year old Cavalier that is such a finicky eater. On her last vet check-up he asked what she was eating and I told him she would not eat dog food. The recipe I used is fresh chicken, sweet potatoes, carrots baked in the oven with olive oil, fresh peas, and brown rice. This take so much time. He then told me he would like to see her eat half what I prepared and half dry dog food. We tried the new Freshpet dry food, currently only available at Target stores 50 miles away. Lo and behold, she gradually started eating the dry food except for the round ball shaped pieces. She would just let the food roll out of her mouth, like she didn’t know how to chew it. We also have a new Cav. puppy that currently eats Hill’s Science diet for puppies and occasionally the older one will eat that food. She’s still inconsistent and we’re hoping she will come around to something she likes. Our vet also said dogs do not variations in their dog food. Unlike humans, the dogs should stay with the same food. If anyone could suggest what they have found works for their finicky eaters, I would appreciate it. Thanks.