[Susan]

Hi, after Patch finished his triple therapy antibiotics Metronidazole, Amoxicillin & Zantac last December for his Helicobacter-Pylori 2-3 days after stopping his meds, I saw a tape worm on his black bum, I looked & thought is that a tape worm then the next afternoon the same another tapeworm, they look like rice but cause it was Christmas eve the vet was closed that sells his Milbemax all wormer, Patch can’t take any other all-wormers they make him ill, vomiting & pooing blood, I rung the 24 hr vets & they didn’t have the Milbemax they had another all-wormer, so I had to wait till the holidays were over to worm him…I told his vet at the time & he said, yes he often see’s tapeworms in dogs after they have been on antibiotics but he didn’t say why, he just said tapeworms won’t hurt him, I’d prefer no worms…. so the next time he had too take the Metronidazole again, I wormed him first then started the Metronidazole the next day & when he was finished taking the Metronidazole, I kept looking at his bum after he’d poo to see if I could see any more tape worms & I couldn’t….the thing is Patch doesn’t have fleas, the fleas don’t stay on him & jump back off him, the cat did have fleas at the time & Patch doesn’t kill wild prey mice, rats, rabbits, etc…

There’s several species of Tapeworms Dipylidium Caninum from fleas & Teania & Echinococcus species from mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels, deer & sheep…you have to wash all bedding everything he sleeps on.. Does Doc eat wild prey?

I was giving Patch probiotics Protexin Soluble but it was expensive $60 for 1 month, so I found another dog probiotic Vetafarm at the pet shop with the same ingredients for $20 but I don’t think the Vetafarm was as good as the Protexin & I stopped giving probiotics to him then about 3 months ago I saw a Animal Naturopath cause I wanted to put Patch on a raw diet & she sent out human live probiotic capsules that were dairy & gluten free, I had to open the capsule & put only half a capsule on the raw meal, Patches itchy smelly skin & red paws all went away within 3 days of being on the raw diet, the only problem he was regurgitating the raw, water was coming up into his mouth about 3 hours after eating the raw & he hadn’t drank any water after breakfast & he was swallowing & swallowing it, this water came out of his mouth one day while we were shopping & went all down my shopping bag, that’s when I seen it was water & a few little bits of blended veggies thru the water, I think the enzymes were breaking down the raw meat too quickly, so I had to stop the raw cause he was getting acid reflux & a sore throat but I was shattered & so was Patch, he loved his raw Kangaroo, so I started to cook extra lean beef mince & the same, he was regurgitating the cooked meal as well….. the thing is he doesn’t regurgitate wet tin food if its chunky or soaked kibble put thru a blender, so I started looking for wet tin foods but I couldn’t find a low fat, low fiber wet tin food in the Pet Shops, Wellness has their Core grain free reduced fat but the fiber is 3%, so that will be too high when converted to dry matter, so I tried the Hills & Royal Canine low fat vet diets but they all have boiled rice & boiled rice goes thru Patch (diarrhea) the corn or something in the vet wet diets was making him itch & smell again, so about 2 weeks ago I went to the Supermarket & I started to read all the ingredients, fat & fiber in all the wet tin foods & I bought a 700g tin of Purina Supercoat Homestyle casserole Lamb Veggies & Pasta, the Purina seemed to have the best ingredients fish oil, vitamins & minerals, the fat was 4%, fiber-1%max, I also bought another brand that was duck the smaller foiled wet tin food, it had only 2% fat, we tried the duck first at night his last feed he loved it but poo wasn’t as good as they are now on the Lamb Casserole…. I would need 10-12 small foil tins of the duck a day & it works out too expensive to feed…
I also started him on the Royal Canine Intestinal low fat kibble about 2 weeks before, cause when I went to buy his regular Hypoallergenic, gluten, dairy, sugar & potato free kibble “Salmon & Sardines with brown rice & green veggies” it had a Gold sticker saying “New Improved Omega 3,6, & 9 formula” so I looked & all the ingredients were still the same, so I bought the bag of kibble but the new kibbles were smaller & black & felt real greasy, even when I soaked the kibble in water, I could feel the greasiness & Patch was getting his real bad acid reflux again, so I stopped the Meals For Mutts kibble & I gave the R/C low fat Kibble ago… but he has spewed up the R/C Low Fat kibble a few times that’s then I thought I’ll give the wet tin food a go again, I’m feeding the Purina Lamb Casserole for breakfast, for lunch & dinner the R/C low fat kibble & the Purina Lamb Casserole for his last small dinner & he doing the best poos ever.. so today I’m going to just try feeding the Purina Casserole all day & see how he goes & see if he start to get his yeasty smell again, I take out the beans & wholemeal pasta & throw it away & I’ve been adding a little bit of boiled sweet potatos & some boiled chicken, I have a freezer full of cooked foods for him that he regurgitates when feed by themselves, so I’m going to add them with the Lamb casserole tin food & see how he goes… I really think the kibble is causing all his problems with Helicobacter, S.I.B.O, acid reflux & nausea..

With soluble & insoluble fibers you need to work out how Doc goes, if you have ever tried the Hills Z/d kibble, Hills I/d Gastro or the Hills W/d all these kibbles have more insoluble fiber, the Hills Z/d was making Patch do 1 big cow paddy poo in the morning, his poo was just slop & he started to smell real bad with yeast on the Hills Z/d kibble probably the Corn Starch, so Patch doesn’t do well on insoluble fiber, he does better poos on soluble fiber but soluble fiber sits in the stomach longer, where insoluble fiber passes the stomach into the small bowel, so I don’t know is that a good thing for S.I.B.O probably not…

If you can try & get Doc on wet food or raw is the best, a lean protein, like Rabbit, Chicken, Turkey, Kangaroo these are all low in fat… I never added any bone in the begining, the Naturopath said no bone or organ meat yet cause of his IBD… maybe give him his kibble for dinner & try the wet tin or raw for breakfast but I never mixed the 2 together Raw & kibble or wet tin & kibble…. I thought it will just sit in his stomach & something will happen, it always does with him lol… another thing try 1 new thing at a time so if anything happens you will know what is causing what..

[Dean W]

My don has small bumps on his back he is 18 mo. old and seems healthy otherwise…. Friends tell me they are “Heat” bumps??? I am just wondering if they might be related to the food??? I feed him a good quality grain free dry kibble,,so ????
My friends feed Hill,s Science diet and have the same problem.??????

[Ezequiel B]

Hi,

I’m sure this has been asked. I searched but only found “best puppy wet food” and the puppy foods on the editors list are all dry.

I have a 4 month old German Shepard and we’ve been feeding her Wellness Core Grain Free Puppy Formula (Wet) but it’s getting harder to find at Petco and petsmart, not sure why.

Can someone suggest alternatives?

Thanks!

[Susan]

Hi, yes they say that EPI dogs can have a high fat diet, what I’m noticing on the F/B EPI group, a lot of dogs are suffering from Acid reflux & need ant acid meds, high fat diets are no good if your dog suffers with acid reflux or if you dog doesn’t suffer with acid reflux they can get acid reflux from eating a high fat diet kibble or wet tin foods..
I wouldn’t go too low with the fat, I stick around 8%-12% max fat cause of Patch skin problems.. also sardines in spring water are good to add as a topper on their kibble for their skin….
When your dog was eating Taste Of Wild did he start his scratching & itchiness or when he was on a vet diet did he get his S.B.I.O?
You need to start limiting certain carbohydrates like, Lactose, Fructose, Resistant Starches like potato, peas, lentils, beans, legumes, banana etc you need a diet where the carbs don’t ferment in the gut & bowel causing the S.I.B.O…
Patch has had SIBO twice now & both times his skin & paws were yeasty & smelly as well….I keep a dairy but I didn’t write what foods he was eating at the time, so now I’m writing what he is eating so if it happens again I’ll know what kibbles & foods to avoid. I’ve stopped giving a little bit of banana as a treat in the morning..

The Honest Kitchen Zeal is suppose to be really good, its low in carbs, low in fat, gluten free high protein, but I think its expensive to feed a big dog, I feed 2 different meals wet tin for breakfast, kibble for lunch & dinner & a late small feed of wet tin food that I feed for breakfast..Patch can’t eat 2 large meals a day he gets pain either stomach or pancreas pain, so I divide all the meals into 4 smaller meals..

With wet tin foods the fat % is different to the fat % in kibbles..it isn’t lower in wet tin foods….. if the wet tin says 5% fat when converted to dry matter (Kibble) 5% fat is around 22% fat, so I feed wet tin foods where the fat is 3% & under so that’s around 7-12% fat when converted to dry matter (kibble).

This link is for humans with S.I.B.O it explains about foods that ferment & are no good..

SIBO Diets and Digestive Health – It’s about Fermentable Carbohydrates

I have found kibbles with just rice seem to be better then the grain free high starch kibbles… Here’s California Natural Lamb & Rice limited ingredients it has just 4 ingredients & the crude fiber is 2.5% or there’s their Chicken & Rice with 5 ingredients & the fiber % is the same as the Lamb & Rice, a few people I know have dogs with IBD & feed their dogs on the California Natural limited ingredient chicken or lamb kibble….
you will need to email California natural & find out what the soluble & insoluble fiber % is in the Lamb & rice or chicken & rice…
http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/1181

[crazy4cats]

Hi All-

Big news! I made another litter box! Lol! I used an 18 gallon tote this time. It’s smaller than the first one I made. But, it fits right under a standing storage shelving unit I have in the laundry room. This way the dogs cannot get into it. I filled it with litter and left it thinking I need to get some litter from another box to make sure they could smell it. I came back with the “used” litter and the darn box had already been initiated! Six boxes for four cats. What have I done?

The Whole Earth Farms canned food is going well. Hopefully, Purina will not change or delete it from their line up. Also surprisingly, all the cats are liking the beef, lamb and venison Wellness Core recipe. I didn’t think they liked any of these flavors, but they’re having it!

Need an update from the other crazy cat peeps!

[Michelle M]

I have a dog that has very sensitive tummy and skin – and it seems that he is allergic to anything with chicken, turkey or quail in it. Any suggestions on a good dry food? We have used raw venison and that was ok but it seemed too rich for him. He is on raw beef/bison mix and he is super itchy again so I don’t think we are on the right path. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

• This topic was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Michelle M.

[David H]

I have 2 young, healthy basset hounds who love their treats. I am well versed on the best dry and canned dog foods, but could use some suggestions on the top treats when it comes to taste and healthy ingredients.

[Pitlove]

Hi I don’t have greyhounds, though my bosses do. They eat anything and everything. Since one is diabetic, I’m assuming you are looking for a low-carb food? Look into Wysong Epigen 90. On a dry matter basis it is 4% carbs, lowest carb dry food on the market and completely starch free. A vet, Dr. Wysong is the maker of this food, though it’s not a prescription.

[Cheryl N]

Is there any information on “Pure Balance” Lamb and Brown Rice Recipe? I called the number on the bag. they told me the company “Ainsworth” makes it. USA, Pennsylvania. They could not tell me if any ingredients came from Chine. they are suppose to get back to me. But I wanted to know if you have any information on it?
Cheryl

[nietzschex]

Are there any 5-star, grain-free, small-breed adult dog foods on this site? I’m only looking for recipes that have actual ratings attached to them, that are grain-free, and that are specifically for adult small breeds.

For example, Merrick Grain Free Small Breed would not work because even though the Merrick Grain Free Dog Food (Dry) line has 5 stars, the Merrick Grain Free Small Breed recipe itself was not actually rated separately.

It’s important that the recipe is rated separately from the rest of the line because certain recipes are sometimes given a higher or lower rating based upon the site’s estimate of their total meat content and (when appropriate) their fat-to-protein ratios.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Pitlove]

Wow, really sorry to hear that all that didn’t work out. During the time that I was fighting with my dog for him to eat I tried a lot of ways of preparing his food. First I tried kibble on the bottom of the bowl with some canned on top- that didn’t work. Then I tried using my hands and mixing the kibble and canned together- didn’t work either he hated it. Then I tried feeding the kibble first and his reward for eating the kibble was a little canned- that kinda worked but there were times where he still didn’t eat. So, I thought to myself that maybe he has an issue with the texture that these combinations created so I tried canned on the bottom of the bowl with dry on top- he ate it, no issue at all! I’ve continued to do that for a long time until we stumbled on Nature’s Logic and he was willing to eat it without canned at all! Now he loves food so much that I can use canned food as a topper again and have his dry on the bottom and it saves me money and he eats no issue.

Really glad your husband is willing to let you try homecooked meals though. Thats great. Another thing to look into would be a commercial raw company like Darwin’s, so you don’t have to worry about the food being complete and balanced because it already is. With Darwin’s they do autoshipping, but you can cancel or change the order at any time and they start you off with a starter pack for 14.95$ including the shipping. If you want to go the way of making your own meals, I would highly recommend working with a veterinary nutritionist to come up with meals that would be complete and balanced. It can risk your dogs health if you feed an unbalanced raw/homecooked diet even more so than feeding a low quality kibble.

[Pitlove]

NV was the second food my dog ever ate. He didn’t like it much. But I think that also stemmed from him not wanting to only eat dry food, even as a puppy. You also won’t find Fromm at PetSmart or Petco as they don’t sell to big box stores. If you are ever interested in feeding it you will have to see if a small pet boutique in your area has it or order online.

[Madelon H]

Susan – thanks. I belong to the EPI4DOGS.COM group – they are awesome! Did/does your dog have EPI? I know they say you don’t have to have a low fat diet for EPI anymore – BUT here’s my thinking based on my personal experience. Doc, my GSD, was diagnosed at 3 months old with SIBO but not EPI (pancreas just had not completely atrophied at that time) – they did the cTLI test then and TLI was 16 B12 was 800+ Folate >24 – he had the chronic diarrhea with pale foul smelling cow patties – so he was on metronidazole and put on the Royal Canin Gastro Low Fat Dry Kibble – after 2 1/2 months all was well and I transitioned him to Royal Canin GSD Puppy – he was great – got to 95lbs until March 2015 when he started losing weight – no diarrhea – finally he had lost about 10lbs and despite my telling my vet something was wrong he said he was fine – then he started diarrhea and eating poop – I demanded another cTLI test – positive for EPI and SIBO – TLI < .4; B12 400; Folate >24. He was put on the can RC Gastro – WAY to expensive – once we started enzymes and B12 with Intrinsic Factor I switched him to TOTW Pacific Stream – poops got better but not consistent – then DESPITE being on flea/tick and heartworm meds his entire life he got tapeworms and coccidia (he had coccidia really bad as a pup) – he’s also been very itchy lately. SO my thinking after doing much research is that although they say you don’t need to restrict fat for an EPI dog I’m thinking you may need to restrict fat for SIBO – thoughts? The RC Gastro dry kibble is 5% fat and 3.6% fiber. I’m not opposed to prescription diet food if nothing else will work but I’m $4000 into this disease already and was hoping to find a comparable OTC food that won’t break my bank. I was looking at Natural Balance Limited Ingredient food that has 10% fat – do you think that it’s worth trying? I was also wondering about mixing canned food and kibble food since it appears most can food has less fat than the kibble?
Thanks so much!

[Kristen H]

I want to switch because of the Purina nonsense… any suggestions on a dry food that is similar to Merrick? High protein (I was feeding the Backcountry with the freeze dried raw pieces), meat based, grain free, local ingredients, manufactured by the company (not outsourced to an outside manufacturer), similar price? I feel like this is impossible =(

[InkedMarie]

Some of my favorite dry foods are Annamaet, Dr Tim’s, Farmina & Natures Logic. I’ve never used puppy foods so I can’t help there.

[Cindy S]

We have a 3 y/o male retired racing greyhound who is a fussy eater. He also gets easily bored with the same food, which means I have to switch things up every few weeks. This is a problem b/c I have to transition him off one brand and on to another very slowly due to the breed’s sensitive digestive system and tendency for very loose stools. They typically do best on dry kibble; however, I have tried many (many!) brands and flavors and he won’t eat the dry food unless I add something to it. That “something” right now is the canned Tripett (original formula) by PetKind, which he loves. I do think, though, that the canned foods contribute to his runny BMs. I am wondering if others who have this breed have had success with particular brands of dry and canned foods … ?

[Barbara W]

What size is your goldendoodle ? ZIWIPEAK is very expensive as it is imported from New Zealand. There are many 5 star dry or dehydrated foods on this sight, pick one, and gradually mix more and more into her current food until she is totally switched with no
ill affects. If you mix some milk in , use Goats Milk, not regular milk. I would start with a
chicken based food, just because that’s what she has been used to. If it is a large goldendoodle, you do not want them growing to fast as that can cause hip and joint problems latter.

[Pitlove]

Maria- My dog is not very active because of the summer heat down here in the south and he maintains an ideal weight with foods high in protein (above 30%),moderate to low in fat(low being under 10%, moderate probably being 10-20% just in my opinion) and low in carbs (something 30% or under on a dry matter basis). Also, your dogs will not loose weight without cutting back on how much they are eating as well. You need to feed them based on the weight you want to see them at, not the weight they are. Also, they can not be free-fed.

Leora- Same info applies to you as well. Not sure exactly what your budget is because everyone’s is different.

[Leora H]

I have the same trouble with my Border Collie every since she was spayed. My vet also recommends Hills higher grade dry dog food (except Lamb because it seriously upsets her stomach). And I have an Aussie and an old Cocka-poo (10 years)–They need some grains per my vet–and all this advertising has me totally confused as to what to feed them. Valid suggestions–and budget ideas would be great–

[John M]

looks like you can add this. http://www.chewy.com/dog/annamaet-adult-23-dry-dog-food-40-lb/dp/41940

[Pitlove]

Orijen is an excellent food, that being said, it is not for every dog. I know a few people who’s dogs have severe allergies (they are GSD’s not pitbulls but still) and their dogs can ONLY eat Acana. My pit was the same exact way about food. He was not interested in eating. He would eat for a few weeks then he would walk away from the food and I had to hand feed it to him. When I introduced canned food into his diet, he instantly starting eating again. Now he loves eating so much I can add just 3 spoonfuls of canned food on top of his dry and he eats no problem. I can make 1 can last for 4 meals that way! Whereas before, I was blowing through 2 cans a day.

As I highly recommend keeping him on a high protein food given that for a large breed he is considered a senior and they do have a higher protein requirement.

If your bulldog is not allergic to chicken I would highly recommend looking into the Wysong Epigen 90. It’s the only food on the market that is completely starch free which would help with the gunk build up in the ears which sounds like yeast.

[Jonathan S]

I have two border collies… 9 months and 11 months. They’re very fickle about their protein sources… Both are intolerant of bison and venison, one can handle beef but the other cannot. Both are sensitive to changes in fats in their diet… too much fat causes them some nasty stools, but too little and they get dry and itchy.

I had them on Taste of the Wild for a long time, but they get really twitchy moving from one mix to another. I’m starting them on Acana Sport and Agility this week. I feed them half raw food as well.

Remember with borders that their metabolism tends to run hot due to their need to work and possibly work long past exhaustion. If you normally feed once a day you might want to consider twice a day for the BC.

[Lori J M]

Can anyone suggest a dog food, both canned and dry kibble, that offers a wide variety of flavors? My dogs currently LOVE Merrick and Whole Earth Farms but since Purina bought them, I’m sure I’ll have to switch as I anticipate the quality going down. My dogs are easily bored eating the same thing every day and we all enjoy popping open a new can of stew and finding the hand-stuffed baby carrots or potatoes. It almost looks like stew out of my own crock pot! Who else makes a wholesome food similar to that?

[Randal O]

Hello!

What soft, easy to eat, dry food is recommended for small, older dogs?

We have two small rescue dogs. One was a badly cared for Puppy Mill dog who lost all of his teeth (Pomeranian mix) and about 10 lbs.
The other might be part Pikingese and Spaniel and is about 15 lbs.

Thanks!

Randal

[Pitlove]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, appreciate it as always.

C4C- How long can you leave canned food in the fridge? I’d be needing it to last for 4 meals, so 2 days. I took your suggestion and tried 3 spoonfuls of canned with his dry and he ate no problem. I could save a lot of money doing this as I would only need 1 case of food a month instead of 2 or more. Thanks for putting the thought in my head to try this again!

[Jonathan S]

I’m sure this has probably been covered before, but I’m looking for a recommendation for a supplement to help cover itchy, dry skin on my dogs.

I’m in the process of rotating my dogs off their current kibble (they’re on the last of their Taste of the Wild) and on to Acana/Orijen, so I’m hoping that the change in food will help. This bloom of dry skin comes with a combination of changing the TotW mix from fish to lamb, and some hot dry weather here in Seattle. I’m also feeding my dogs raw food as half of their diet and they’re doing well with that.

I’ve experimented with a number of food supplements. The most recent that seems to work well for them digestively is Flora4. I do include coconut oil in their diet, but sometimes the additional fat can have some effects on their stool quality. I see commercials on TV for Dinovite, but I’m pretty sure that’s not where I want to go.

Anyone have any suggestions?

[Pitlove]

C4C- When I started giving him canned I gave him a whole can with his dry food on top because he wouldn’t eat any other way. I didn’t want to fight with him anymore about eating and was worried about him going days without eating. I cut back on the dry food to make sure he didn’t gain too much weight and he hasn’t which is good. Now that he is on Nature’s Logic he will eat without canned which is something that impressed me about the food as I mentioned on the NL review. I’ve thought about stopping the canned or the dehyrated raw, but I can’t bring myself to only feed him kibble. Thats why I thought about adding the ground beef or turkey. But you’re right. I never thought of how much kibble he would need to balance the raw. The recommeneded amount on the bag for a less active dog, which he is right now because of the humidity, is 2 cups a day. I’ve been giving him 1/2 a cup of the Sojo’s and 1/2 of the Nature’s Logic. But does that actually equal out to 1 cup considering they are different types of food? I watch his weight constantly and he gets weighed pretyy frequently. He’s still at his ideal weight so I haven’t changed the way I’m feeding him.

Just looking for a more affordable way to feed him and keep him healthy. It’s so hard 🙁

[Pitlove]

Hey all-

I usually feed my pitbull dry kibble with canned. Recently, I’ve been feeding kibble with dehydrated raw. Both are costing me a lot of money because of how quickly a 68lb dog goes through canned food etc. I was considering getting raw ground beef or turkey and adding a small amount of that to his dry kibble as a topper. I’m thinking with sales etc, it could be most cost effective than buying canned or dehydrated raw. Any thoughts on that?

Also, is it really just as simply as taking the raw ground up meat alone and using it with an already complete and balanced kibble? Or do I need to be adding something to this mixture?

Oh also, how long can that be left in the freezer for so I can know how much to buy

• This topic was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Pitlove.

[Debra A C]

I just picked up a bag of Evolve grain free dry – turkey/garbanzo bean/pea. You gave their regular dry 4 stars so I figured this would be a good food for my 5# Biewer Yorkie. I LOVE that the kibble is really tiny! My dog has very small teeth and I had him on Bil Jac grain free only because it was the only dry kibble he would eat. Normally even kibble made for small dogs was still a bit of work for him. He gobbled this right up; dry! Two reasons I gave this a shot: I prefer turkey over chicken (for me) because it’s just tastier and garbanzo beans are great right out of a can (dog loves them too!). While I wish it was organic I trusted that you gave Evolve a pretty good rating and the bag I bought was not too expensive, less than $9 for 4.5lbs in a grocery store. I have paid almost double that for some high end brands.

Any higher rated brands that the kibble is tiny? Thanks! Love your website.

[Pitlove]

Alright guys. I was looking into Holistic Select LBP for my boss because we weren’t sure if the calcium and phosphorus levels were too high and we carry it at work. The levels that are listed as the minimum when put into Dr.Mike’s calculator tool put it at 1.4:1 which is already approaching high. So I emailed WellPet for their as fed levels and they wrote me back today:

Dear Christa,

Thank you for taking the time to write about Holistic Select® Large & Giant Breed Puppy Health Recipe dry dog food.

Here are the nutritional values you have requested:

Large & Giant Breed Puppy Health Recipe:

Calcium: As Fed: 2.21% Dry Matter:2.40%

Phosphorus: As Fed: 1.25% Dry matter: 1.36%

Thanks again for contacting us.

Sincerely,

Michael
Consumer Affairs Representative
WellPet

When you put that into the calculator the ratios are too high. So would that be the correct levels I want to put into the calculator or the mins? I’ve been trying to find other foods to recommend LBP customers besides Fromm and Wellness Puppy to have more variety, but now I dont know if this one is safe.

[TheNaturalDog]

It’s been rebranded as Castor & Pollux Organix.

/dog-food-reviews/castor-and-pollux-organix-dog-food-dry/

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by TheNaturalDog.

[Julia G]

Does anyone know what happened to this product? It previously had a 5 star rating from this site & now it is not listed. I used to be able to find it at Petco but they stopped carrying it. Thanks for any info!

[Gracie’s Mom]

I get what you’re saying. I have been feeding Gracie dehydrated and freeze-dried raw, having not been successful with frozen, but I need more options in rotation so that she doesn’t get tired of any one food after a few weeks. Also, the expense of straight-up, prepared raw is very high. And, lastly, there’s the sometimes quite high fat content that is of concern (e.g., K9 Natural) in the dried raw foods. So, I’ve been on the hunt for several high quality kibbles and canned options to mix with dried raw, both to lower the overall cost and to put the fat in better balance. Does that make sense? I am willing to concede that allowing in some starches is going to be inevitable with this plan.

Here’s what I’ve come up with that could work for Gracie. The fat percentages are approximates based on the flavor that Mike reviewed.

Base Mix
Honest Kitchen Preference

Canned
Against the Grain (20% fat/protein ratio)
Chicken (but does contain potato starch)
Beef (but does contain potato starch)

Addiction (53% fat/protein ratio)
Hunter’s Venison
Herbed Duck Confit

Tripett (58% fat/protein ratio)
Green Bison Tripe
Original Green Beef Tripe
Green Beef Tripe and Venison
New Zealand Green Lamb Tripe
Green Beef Tripe, Duck and Salmon

ZiwiPeak (71% fat/protein ratio)
Beef
Lamb
Venison
Venison and Fish
Tripe, Lamb, and Venison

Dry Kibble:

Nulo Freestyle (48% fat/protein ratio)
Turkey and Sweet Potato
Salmon and Peas
Lamb and Chickpeas

Nulo Medal (51% fat/protein ratio)
Lamb and Lentils
Chicken and Peas
Salmon and Sweet Potato

Nature’s Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient (68% fat/protein ratio)
Turkey
Lamb
Duck

Acana Singles (56% fat/protein ratio)
Pork and Butternut Squash
Duck and Bartlett Pear
Lamb and Okanagan Apple

Wysong Epigen 90 (25% fat/protein ratio)
Chicken

Freeze Dried, Air Dried, or Dehydrated Raw:

K9 Natural (90%+ fat/protein ratio)
Venison (but does contain eggs, a borderline allergen)
Lamb (but does contain eggs, a borderline allergen)

Fresh Is Best (50% fat/protein ratio)
Chicken
Beef

Vital Essentials (79% fat/protein ratio)
Tripe
Beef
Chicken
Turkey

ZiwiPeak (79% fat/protein ratio)
Venison
Venison and Fish
Lamb
Beef

[aquariangt]

Would you say, in general, that a human diet of dry, processed food, even if considered a complete meal (think perhaps, an MRE, backpackers food, maybe a diet of cheerios, ramen, and V8 Juice? I don’t know, throwing some examples) would be more beneficial than fresh food? If so, what would be the difference for dogs?

That said, I do feed kibble with canned, fresh, raw etc toppers, out of placement in my life right now, though I fully intend to move back towards a homemade diet at some point

[Anonymous]

My dogs like it too, I only use canned foods as a standby. But I like that I can find this in the supermarket and it’s reasonably priced.
I have not tried the dry, I have a dog with allergies that does well on Nutrisca salmon and chickpea and don’t want to switch around too much.

[Blane F]

My 2yr mini schnauzer has been on Newman’s Organics Adult (dry) her entire life and she is one happy little girl. Her coat is smooth and her poop is very normal if you know what normal is. I looked at a lot of 4-5 star foods and they are very good but I just didn’t trust them as much as I do Newman’s. Someone complained their bag of Newman’s was rancid. You need to watch the date on the bag. The food has a 10 month shelve life and will go rancid because it’s all natural (no preservatives). It’s always best to buy as close to the 10 months as possible. I actually found bags of Newman’s with expired dates at Hannaford’s food store here in the Northeast. I removed from shelve and showed the manager. I recommend Newman’s.

[Gracie’s Mom]

I was just going through limited ingredient dry foods that I could add to the Against the Grain canned food, and it looks like Nature’s Variety Instinct Turkey Meal Formula may be an option. It doesn’t appear to contain anything that Gracie is allergic too. Potatoes, rice, flax, and alfalfa appear to be very difficult to avoid. I would rather have a five-star food, but haven’t found one yet. It takes a long time to look up complete ingredients for every food!

P.S. In my previous post, “Arcana” should have been “Acana”, obviously. Sure would be nice to have the ability to edit posts.

[Nate D]

It’s been a quite some time since I’ve posted here, but wanted to give everyone some information.
A lot of you are doing good with the water, supplements, etc..

For dry food check out Zignature. I just recently heard of it. I’ve been feeding Fromm for so long.
Zignature is limited ingredient, grain free, potato free (which I was told was very important), lower in calories, etc..
All good things for helping keep ph in check and is good for dogs with kidney/bladder issues.
I contacted them about the target ph and they said theirs is 5.5. That’s lower then most high quality foods. Fromm is 6-6.5 and Wellness was 7.
A few others wrote me back with numbers all within 6-7, but Blue Buffalo told me they don’t know the ph because they aren’t prescription food. A response like that will keep me away from that food forever.
I can say that since switching to Ziganture, adding water, a tablespoon of wet food and using an occasional dose of Berry Balance my dogs ph has been holding steady and no crystals.
I did try the Wysong Biotic ph supplement, but I was not a fan of what was in it.
What works for my dog may not work for another, but I thought I’d mention the Zignature food. Might be worth a try. A lot of their formulas have cranberries and blueberries in it, but there are a couple like the new Kangaroo that do not. zignature.com

[Pitlove]

Hi again Jonathan-

I’ve heard a lot of things about pet food storage as well. I work at a small pet boutique that mainly carries natural dog foods with natural preservitives. If we catch a bag with a hole in it, even a tiny one, it gets damaged out and put on the return shelf because once air has started hitting the food the fats start going rancid.

Most of what I’ve heard about what size bag to buy depends on how fast you go through the food. I can buy 5lb or 15lb bags for by 68lb dog and I store them in a Gamma Vittles Vault air tight container. A 5lb bag will last slightly under a month and a 15lb bag will last me well over a month for him. I don’t buy the largest size bags anymore as I switch foods more frequently than that size bag would allow. That being said a small breed dog or toy breed dog is not going to eat a 30lb bag before the food would start to go rancid, so it would not be smart to buy such a large bag for a small dog. That size would be fine however for a large or giant breed dog that was not eating canned food as well (my dog eats canned so my dry food lasts longer).

[Linda G]

We are not sure of the type of stone because the analysis has not come back yet. I have always float his dry food in water to up his water intake and has fresh water at all times. His bladder has been flushed already and the vet is not recommending surgery because the stones are the size of cat litter. I was curious if those are good food suggestions since I’m not very familiar of either

[Pitlove]

Jonathan- Very understandable to be concerned about the quality of the ingredients and the integrity of the company. Most of us here feel the exact same way! Orijen is argued as the best dry kibble out on the market. Champion Pet Foods are an award winning Canadian company with an excellent track record and regional sourced ingredients. Very solid choice of food. Fromm same thing. Family owned and operated out of Wisconson for over 100 years, locally sourced ingredients including their vitamin pack (according to a rep). Fromm makes a grain-free Lamb and Lentils recipe so that could be something to look into. Orijen does have lamb I believe in their Tundra formula, but that is also along with many other proteins as well, most a little more on the novel side. Orijen Puppy, Adult and Senior is chicken based and grain-free, where as Fromm’s chicken based foods as far as I’m aware are grain-inclusive.

Hi Lisa- While ToTW has not had recent recalls the manufacturer of the food (Diamond) is notorious for their recalls. That is something important to keep in mind while feeding TotW. Best to keep other choices avaiable to you and your dogs in CASE they do have another recall under Diamond.

[Pitlove]

DogFoodie nailed it on the head! Switching dog foods is worthless if you are switching to a food that still contains whatever your dog is intolerant to! LID diets would be a good place to start in ruling out what your dog can’t handle. My vet told me to do an elimination diet for 12 weeks for my dog because shes convinced he has both seasonal and food allergies. (I personally believe its just seasonal). Consider that he could also have environmental allergies if you are noticing that he has the issues with scratching all year round even when you feed a food with a novel protein.

Oh I should note I also have a AmStaff and they are very prone to yeast and skin issues. My dog gets yeast infections under his nail beds and in his ears. I’ll be ordering Wysong Epigen 90 as soon as my current food he’s on is almost out to try to manage his yeast. It’s unlike any other dry kibble on the market as it is (dry matter basis) 70% protein, 18% fat and 4% carbs! And completely starch free!

Edit– Brothers Complete makes a “hypoallergenic” dog food as well however just like with most of these types of food including Wysong the price tag is hefty.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Pitlove.

[Kevin W]

Looks like a wonderful food, but very far out of my price range. I’m looking in the 50-100$ for 20-30lb dry kibble range. Their site states $173 for 11lbs.

[Raquel M]

Hi. i got a new puppy. The sweetest thing ever. I want to give him a good dry food. A friend told me that Orijen is the best. What do you think?

He’s only 5k now and won’t grow up much, so I don’t mind to expend some money. What I don’t have is time, so the raw food is out of the question.

Any recommendations??

[Lisa G]

I feed Canine Caviar and own a pet store. I can feed my dogs any high quality food available. Canine Caviar smells the freshest, and my dogs coat is shiny and healthy. I feed them Nulo and Canine Caviar canned and CC dry. Your post sounds very suspicious and I doubt its validity.

[CAROL ANN S]

My rescue girl, white boxer Peetee ( 1 black eye) has been diagnosed with possible pancreatitis, in addition to other issues. This is heartbreaking for us. Peetee’s vet is a board certified specialist (internist) and has given me a script for either Purina Vet Diets OM, or, Hill’s PrescriptionLow Fat I/D. dry or canned fine.
I was shocked when I saw how much corn, wheat, rice, corn starch chicken byproduct meal, barley, was in the Hill’s. Purina OM seems no better: corn, soybean meal,poultry by product, ANIMAL DIGEST (whatt??), wheat gluten and so on. These were the LEADING ingredients in both kibbles. These are low fat, all right. But the product details sound like cattle feed.
Can anyone advise a decent low fat food for Peetee? The vet said low fat cheese, yogurt, and biscuits are O.K.

I am so confused…..

Carol Ann for Peetee

[Tom F]

Hi – First time on the Forum, my name is Tom, and I’m in South Florida.

I wonder if anyone has more information on BJ’s Berkley and Jensen Grain Free Duck and Vegetable dry food. I see that it’s lumped in with BJ’s other foods on the ratings pages, but there is a note that this particular variety is a 5 star food, while the chicken and rice that was tested came in at 4 stars. I can’t seem to find out how or why the duck and vegetable formula got 5 stars. As a grain-free product, this food seems like a great value, and I would consider buying it if i could get some more details.

sorry if this has been asked before, but I don’t see a search option on this forum…

Any ideas or info?

Thanks, Tom

[C4D]

Let me preface this comment with the fact that I feed a variety of foods, including some kibble, canned, fresh cooked and commercial raw food. I have had no problems with my dogs or my family, including infants in the home on a regular basis. If you are an immune compromised person, I would definitely suggest a home cooked diet with a premix raw (these are only vegetables and vitamins) added as opposed to raw meat. Salmonella, listeria, and other bacterias are in many raw foods, including the ones we cook on a daily basis for our families. They can be present on the counters and sinks of our very own kitchen surfaces unless you clean and disinfect correctly. The bacteria can be present in treats, chews and dry dog food as well. Listeria is within the soil and water.

I also foster dogs and have had my share of dogs with Giardia, ringworm, demodex (not know to be infectious) and hookworms and have managed to not have any other person, child or dog infested with any of these problems. I am very proactive in testing my own dogs to ensure that they have not become infested with the various parasites that enter my home with the fosters.

There seems to be a bit of hysteria in the traditional veterinarian community. My own vet does accept the raw feeding of dogs as well as many of the more natural products, including the balanceit program, while also carrying some of the “therapeutic diets” for those that choose that route.

The problem with salmonella, is that it can also be linked to dry dog food:

CDC link:
http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/dog-food-05-12/

CDC Salmonella General Info:

http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/general/index.html

Skeptvet, in your regard to your links, the first one was someone’s blog, which of course, everyone has an opinion. I see this as the contrary to a holistic or natural feeder/vet’s blog.

The 2nd link, was a study of 442 salmonella isolates over a 58 year period. It doesn’t even state the point of the study! So what’s the point of this link in reference to a raw diet as there is no reference to a raw diet anywhere in the link? Yes, dogs can get salmonella, but they can also get cancer, arthritis, kidney disease and a host of other things.

The 3rd link was a study of 10 dogs being fed a homemade raw diet. Really? That’s not a very large study. Certainly not one that even the study could conclude was enough to draw any real conclusions, only a suggestion that infants and immune compromised people shouldn’t feed raw and perhaps a larger study should be done.
Did you also note that even though 80% (8 of the diets) of the raw diet tested positive for salmonella before fed, only 30% (3 dogs) of the dog’s had salmonella in their stool sample? An interesting note is that one of the 3 dogs that tested positive for salmonella was NOT fed a raw diet that had salmonella. So where did he get the salmonella from? And what did the other 6 dog’s digestive system do with the salmonella?

I do believe that if you feed raw, you have to be realistic and clean effectively and take precaution if there are small children in the household. If there are immune or cleanliness issues, then a balanced, fresh cooked diet would be the next best choice.

[C4D]

Skye G, the only problem with a vegetarian diet is that many of the holistic vets found that it caused muscle waste. It truly must be carefully balanced to provide the correct nutrition for a dog.
On a side not, my husband actually had bladder stones. He did change his diet which included limiting caffeine products and drinking more fluids. He hasn’t had a recurrence in over 20 years. I’m not saying that it cured it, but I really think providing more fresh food to a dog, as opposed to dry kibble, could possibly help. This would increase the overall moisture in a dog’s system, helping to flush out the minerals that are forming.

[C4D]

Unfortunately, Dalmations are one breed that has a tendency to form stones. If you feed a fresher diet as opposed to dry kibble, it will help in keeping fluid in the system to flush out the stones. Of course you still have to watch the purines. Most of the dalmation breeders recommend poultry, eggs and cheese as it’s lowest in the purines. Many seem to recommend distilled water also.
Here are a couple of links that might help you out:

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/13_6/features/Kidney-Stones-Bladder-Stones_16231-1.html

I don’t use Flint River Ranch food, and it only gets an average rating on this site, so I’m not sure of the food, but the site has some interesting information:

http://www.aplusflintriverranch.com/article-healthydalmatiandiet.php

There are several dalmation sites if you google that offer some good information. Good luck with it!