[Christie]

She vomited 6 times within the course of about 45 minutes or so– then was set for the rest of the night. She drank some water this morning (not too much) and nibbled on a bit of her regular dry food. And she was playful and rolling around with my other dog outside this morning.

I only put about 20% of the new food in her dish last night. But it must have upset her stomach because I noticed some grass in the vomit. And she was whiny and attention seeking earlier in the night before she became sick.

I know that transitioning can sometimes be a difficult process, and some dogs go through it with no issue and some dogs don’t tolerate any change well.

I’m not going to give up on transitioning, but I might put it on hold until after the weekend as I am going to be puppy sitting and I really don’t want to worry about possible vomit on top of worrying about my 110 pound giant eating this 10 pound pup.

I hope she’s not allergic or intolerant of any of the WEF ingredients. I did notice that she was rubbing her face and pawing at her ears last night. And I did check this morning and her ears, while a bit dirty inside (my dogs love play fighting on the one area of my backyard that’s all topsoil), they weren’t red or inflamed or anything suggesting sickness. And she was trying (unsuccessfully) to bite at her tail. All symptoms that I read this morning of possible food allergies. I thought the Turkey and Duck recipe was the safest bet.

I have been transitioning both dogs from free eating dry kibble with a canned treat each night to two meals/day. And I did only start to mix the canned with the dry kibble and both dogs finished their meals rather quickly. Definitely a chance over how they normally eat. So maybe it’s a combo of the food itself and how quickly they eat it.

Hopefully it was just a one off and she’ll transition to WEF without any other issues.

Thanks again for all the help!

[Ysabella J]

We have fed a variety of high quality canned food, kibble, and premade raw to our Golden Retriever for her entire life. I’ve recently done research and am just trying to get some more opinions/options. So, in your opinion what is the best canned food out there? Personally, I think Orijen/Acana are top notch when it comes to dry, Stella & Chewy’s or Primal for raw, but haven’t found a personal favorite for canned food.

Which also brings me to.. Does anyone know a high quality canned food that uses chemical free packaging? I wish the brands I listed above had canned foods as well.. Lol. Thanks in advance you guys!

[Pitlove]

Christie- I’ve worked at a store that carried both products (Petco) and so I made a point to look into both brands for when customers had questions about them. Merrick GF has 12% more protein than WEF. WEF is 26%(29 dry matter) and Merrick is 38%(43 dry matter). Therefore WEF will be a little higher in carbs than Merrick. WEF is also lower in fat than Merrick, which helps. However, for it’s price I believe that WEF is one of the best foods in that price point. It’s very close to Purina products price wise and we would often recommend it at my old job for customers who were looking to transistion to natural foods. The price wasn’t as scary, but they are still feeding a far better food than Purina or the like. One thing I’d like to point out (as I’m currently going through this with my pitbull) that Bulldog’s are prone to yeast and yeast loves starchy carbs like potatoes. Since Merrick does a lot with potatoes and sweet potatoes make sure you are cleaning his folds (if he has some) and his ears very regularly. If you start to smell a yeasty smell consider a food without potatoes and other starchy carbs like peas.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Pitlove.

[crazy4cats]

Which dry and canned foods have you already tried?

[Jerry C]

My 10 month old Morky weight 5 pounds will not eat neither dry nor canned dog foods. I’ve tried most of the highly rated commercial dog foods available and she just refuses all offers. She will readily eat boiled chicken, turkey and ham. She also frequently eats her feces. I would really like to find a nutritious dry food for her that she likes and is eager to eat. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations. My vet hasn’t been any help either. Thanks for any help you might provide.

[Christie]

Hi everyone.

I have a 6 year old American Bulldog Mix and a 6 month old Catahoula mix. I’ve been going back and forth trying to find a quality food brand to feed them. Right now they eat Castor & Pollux Organix Adult and Organix Puppy. And they share a can of Castor & Pollux wet food once a day.

Both Petco and Petsmart have essentially rid themselves of the brand. And while I can buy online, I’m essentially looking for a food that I can feed them both.

Both Merrick Grain Free (rated on here at 5 stars) and Whole Earth Farms (rated here at 4 stars) offer dry and wet All Life Stages foods. I know Merrick owns WEF. Is there a big difference in quality between the two? There’s an approximate $15 difference in price between them and I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth it. Or it WEF is a decent brand.

My dogs aren’t happy with the C&P food. Before that they were on Ideal Balance dry (which they also didn’t want to eat). I’ve spent a lot of time transitioning from one brand to the next and I’m hoping that Merrick (or WEF) will be a quality food they will look forward to eating. I know that big brands fill their foods with ingredients dogs love to eat and sometimes it’s harder to get a dog to adapt to a higher grade food.

My mother recently adopted a puppy and the shelter gave her a bag of Purina Smart One Puppy. She gobbles it up and won’t eat anything else. I’ve already schooled her on their questionable ingredients. I fed a small amount to my very picky eating puppy and I was not surprised to find the bowl empty 1 minute later and that she was literally licking it clean. It would be easy to feed her that (my vet recommends Purina Pro Plan and says he feeds his dogs that). But I know what’s in the bag and I’ve already attempted to feed my large dog their Pro Plan Large Breed dry a year ago on the vet’s suggestion, only to find nasty meal worms crawling around inside the storage container I had the food in and my dog’s food bowl (I know this has more to do with packaging/shipping than production, but still. I’ve since read up on the brand and am not impressed.

Merrick seems to be a decent brand of food. And on paper WEF seems just as good. Both are readily available at my local Petco and online. But it Merrick brand worth the extra $15/bag over WEF?

• This topic was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Christie.

[Pitlove]

This is the GA for the Hill’s Metabolic and Mobility:

Average Nutrient and Caloric Content
Dry 3210 kcal/kg (291 kcal/cup†)

Nutrient
Dry Matter1
%
Protein 28.0
Fat 14.6
Carbohydrate (NFE) 36.2
Crude Fiber 14.9
Calcium 0.95
Phosphorus 0.7
Sodium 0.37
Potassium 0.88
Magnesium 0.159
Carnitine 400 ppm
Vitamin C 324 mg/kg
Vitamin E 741 IU/kg
Chondroitin Sulfate 1174 mg/kg (ppm)
Glucosamine 738 mg/kg (ppm

The protein is highER than most of their formulas and the carbs are low which is why it is meant to help your dog lose weight. I agree that the ingredients are sub-par. Prehaps look for a food with better ingredients but very very close %’s on the GA. This food also contains Chondroitin and Glucosamine for the joints. I’m not sure if a senior formula would contain those ingredients but be high enough protein and low enough carbs to help your girl lose weight. If you switch to something that is better quality and the same %’s on the GA make sure you add a joint supplement.
I have heard really good things about this product: http://www.naturvet.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_images.tpl&product_id=39&category_id=7&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=4

Edit: Remember a “weight loss” food does not work if they are taking in more calories than they are burning. If your senior dog is less active make sure to decrease the amount they are eating as well to aid in weight loss. Also senior dogs have a increased need for quality animal protein, not a decrease. Perhaps consider looking into a raw diet for her?

• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Pitlove.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Pitlove.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Pitlove.

[Pitlove]

Hi Sharon- While I can’t give you a ton of advice on raw (others here can and Im sure will chim in) I do know that raw meaty bones help clean their teeth really well and are quite healthy for them.

I’ve also heard from a few people that they don’t feel that puppies in general should eat grain free however that is probably more towards dry food and not raw since raw is the ideal diet and contains no grains or carbs. Dr. Karen Becker interviewed a doctor who breeds Newfies and has all the pups on a raw diet. One of his Dam’s lived to 17 years old on raw.

Perhaps check out Darwins Pet Foods, they do raw and its already complete and balanced. Hare Today is grinds so you have to add your own vitamins etc. I’m sure others who do feed raw can give you some other sites or suppliers to look into. If your Newfie pup is still under 8 months you will need to make sure he’s getting proper calcium and phosphorus levels and make sure hes not being overfed. That will also aid in preventing skeletal disorders and overgrowth.

[Terrie S]

I have a 7 year old Llewellin setter that began furiously chewing his paws about a month ago. He also scratches and chews other places. I tried Benedryl, then antibiotics but am stumped. His feet are sore and his litter mate is running circles around him. I have ordered some grain free food to try. Any ideas? Thanks, tstoller, new member.

[sharon b]

I have one 80 pound husky and a 80 pound Newfoundland puppy that I am considering switching to raw food. I have been adding raw to their dry food mostly as we have been training and this makes the puppy eat his food and makes his bowel movements predictable and training now finally is established. They both seem to love the commercial raw I have been buying but I just can’t seem to find a good food for a decent price that suits them both. Grain free products gave the puppy diarrhea, and I refuse to give him anything with rice that has arsenic in it. I read several other post’s, one that there was a NH dealer that deliver’s a good raw for a $10 fee, need to research that further, also one that said that feeding raw requires less overall food and even better less overall waste (poops). Let me tell you this puppy is going to be about 165 pounds, and right now eats about 8-9 cups of dry and poops are giant. So any info on what is best to give them, neither is huge on activity, although the puppy will do some swimming but typically Newf’s are laid back, and the husky is 8, and her activity is fighting back the puppy. I am disabled with neck and shoulder issues so mixing this stuff myself is not what I want to do, but I can handle a little of that if needed. Any info is great.

[Susan]

Hi have you looked at “Lupo Sensitive 24/10” or “Lupo Natural Swiss Chicken” I don’t know if he can have potato flour, Lupo uses potato flour, normally when a dog has a allergy to a food its the protein in say the potatos or meat that they are allergic or intolerant too… here’s Zooplus site just put the “Lupo Natural Swiss Chicken” in the Search bar if you want to have a look at the Natural Swiss Chicken….here’s the link too Lupo Sensitive 24/10 http://www.zooplus.com/shop/dogs/dry_dog_food/luposan/lupo_sensitive/304149
Another kibble is “California Natural Lamb & Rice” large bites it has just 4 ingredients you can always add a topper some sardines etc http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products

[Pitlove]

Hi Meg-

I wanted to suggest Precise actually, however I found peas in the large/giant breed puppy and adult formulas for the Holistic Complete line. Their GF lines also use peas as the carbohydrate source. I’m assuming you are talking about the Naturals line then. I like Holistic Complete more but that is out of the question for your boy. However, it seems to me that you will have to trade off feeding grain free for grain inclusive.

/dog-food-reviews/natures-variety-ultimate-protein/ -Didn’t find any of those ingredients in this one unless I’m missing something.

/dog-food-reviews/grandma-maes-country-naturals-dry/

I didn’t look super hard but these are the 4 and 5 star foods I found without those ingredients. You weren’t kidding about how hard it is to find foods without them!

[Pitlove]

So if I as a human get GI upset or food poisoning does that mean I stop eating different foods and eat nothing but chicken and rice for the rest of my life? No. I dont know about everyone else, but I buy medium size bags that last a couple months and switch when I’m done with that bag. I don’t feed different dry foods every meal, so I would be able to tell if my dog was getting an upset stomach from the food I was feeding.

[Samantha F]

Hi- just found this board while looking for something to help with my 5 yr old Bella who is a blue brindle full APBT. First, we know she has chicken allergies. The first year we had her we battled with bumps. She was on and off antibiotics because the vet thought that was what would help since nothing else they tested her for showed up. She would have bumps, runny/mucousy stool, gas and an always rumbling tummy. After a lot of reading I decided to cut chicken out of her diet as I read that it was a fairly common food allergen. I changed her food to Orijen 6 Fish (we tried Orijen Regional Red and that affected her also) and I also started her on probiotic/digestive enzymes because of being on antibiotics so much. She was completely normal within 1-2 weeks. We rarely have issues unless she gets a treat with chicken meal or something. I am very careful what we or any visitors feed her. I check all treats that I buy for any kind of chicken products. I recently gave her a Bully stick and a different type of dry cookie. I’m not sure if it’s one of those or something else, but my poor baby has tons of hive looking bumps on her head, ears, underarms, etc. (one of her worst reactions yet). She rarely gets itchy when she gets them, but it looks horrible and Benadryl doesn’t seem to be helping. The only other thing we’ve added to her food is Answers Raw Goats milk, but she has been getting that for about 2+ months – so I doubt it’s that. Any ideas on how to bring down these hives would be greatly appreciated. 🙂

[Terrina L]

Hi Heather
I am going through the same thing 🙁 My little girl is on her last round of chemo. I too spent hours scowering the internet for any information. I’m sure that you have read on many sites that a low carb diet is essential for fighting cancer. I switched my dog to Evo. It has the least amount of carbs for the dry and the canned food has zero carbs. Also check into a supplement called Miatake DMG by VeriScience. My vet recommend that. I hope all is going well with your fur baby.

[tal g]

hi…
my name is Tal, sorry abount my english ahead!
i raise a sweet pomeranian and he is 6 month old, i wannt to buy the best food for him.
there are recommendetions?!

[Dog_Obsessed]

I’m currently looking at the Rayne Diagnostic (LID) diets. They are all super limited ingredient, which is great. I don’t think they work for long-term feeding however, which I may need to keep in mind for a longer elimination diet. The kangaroo wet food looks amazing nutritionally, but is not all sustainably financially ($40 a week). The dry food is much more practical, at something like $40 a month for Lily. http://www.raynenutrition.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VC201D-2kg
It’s not great protein-wise, with 17% as-fed protein and Sweet Potato Flour as the first ingredient, but I might have to just let that slide for the elimination diet.
Still keeping in mind the Balance It Catfish and Beans, though this might be my first choice because there are so few ingredients.

Edit: The Rayne diet I linked to is also currently out of stock, which could be an issue.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Okay, thanks for clearing that up. The other thing is the Balance It Catfish and Beans Vet dry food: https://secure.balanceit.com/marketplace2.2/details.php?i=44&cc=
It is expensive for an LID, but Lily’s never had beans as a carb before as far as I know, and she hasn’t had much Catfish either, so it could be an option.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[aquariangt]

I’m pretty much always a bag ahead on Dry-as soon as I open a bag, I order or pick up the next bag so im not scrambling at the last minute. For their toppers-I usually keep about 2 weeks worth of canned on hand for breakfast, and a 4lb box of THK (usually, Grandma Lucy’s is in there) which is the dinner topper, and I do the same as the dry food for that, when I open a box, I get the next one. More out of I don’t like suddenly being out of food and have to get one immediately than for preparedness, but that’s a nice side benefit I suppose.

[Anonymous]

I store the dry food in airtight containers in the freezer. That should keep it good for a long time…a year, maybe.

If the power goes out for a week, all bets are off.

[Connie T]

Hi there, I am currently cooking for my dogs and seriously considering switching to raw. I do still feed a small amount of their dry food and always want to keep it on hand in case of a situation where running to the store is not an option (power outages etc.) So if I did switch to raw I would still give them a small amount of dry food and always keep plenty of it in air tight containers. In a worse case scenario, dry would be better than nothing. Is anyone else into preparedness and have you considered your pets and how you would feed them say if the power went out for a week?

[Bobby dog]

Hi Caitlin R:
Maybe leaving your pup on Hill’s for a few weeks or more will help give her system a rest if it’s working for her.

Check out Weruva Human Style & Dogs in the Kitchen or Tiki Dog chicken or sardine recipes. Weruva Human Style and Tiki Dog are not pate’s, the meat is shredded, but they might be options to look into. I feed both of these brands and the meat is very tender. Each site has pictures of the food. Weruva’s Dogs in the Kitchen are more of a pate, but the meat is still recognizable and tender as well. Weruva’s site also breaks down each Human Style recipe into calories and metabolizable energy (ME), as fed, dry matter basis, and mineral content per 100 kcal if there is a specific requirement you need to address; just click the nutrition chart link on each recipes page.
http://www.weruva.com/dog-cuisine.php
http://www.petropics.com/tiki-dog/

[Jack B]

The Vet suggested Royal Canin Allegenic Hydrolized Chicken Diet and that did nothing but make him strain more to go. The Vet doesn’t seem to know what to do with him. What exactly is an “elimination diet”? We actually went to a Vet clinic that specialized in Allergies. We are not “letting this go”…we are trying different things but you have to give each diet change at least a month to see what’s happening.

Just to add to my first post, the allergy/saliva test showed sensitivities to whitefish, turkey, soy and wheat. The rabbit food we were giving him was Natural Instinct Limited Ingredients Rabbit Formula. Recently we tried taking him off his normal dry food and feeding him canned chicken, with some plain yogurt, canned pumpkin and rice. We were hoping this would firm up his stool, but it’s not working too good. Should we keep him on this chicken, rice, pumkin, yogurt mix for a while?

[zcRiley]

Vet did the same to me. Never went past the 1st bowl of prescription food, it was disgusting. 5 star Zignature Zssentials has no chicken, potato or egg and the results were immediate, the quality & smell is just like Orijen Adult. I also switched to chemical free Aroma Paws jasmine honeysuckle shampoo. It continues to work even after towel drying from a million swims in the chlorinated pool, dandruff is a thing of the past.

[Anita S]

My dog Kia is exercised two/three times a day ( running for ball) but has flakes throughout her coat. There are time when she is continuously biting, scratching, gnawing herself. Ending up with several hot spots. Mostly on her back hip area. I’ve tried vet recommendation of Prescription Hill diet for nearly two months ( very expensive), but she still kept up with the scratching, gnawing, and hot spots still developed. I do give her one tablet of Mega Red for the Omega benefit at least every other day. Seems to help some, but the scratching, gnawing, biting still happening and hot spots are still present. When one heals, there is another somewhere else on her body. Not sure if its her food ( Blue wild grain free both dry and can) or allergies from something else or maybe anxiety( but from what? She is a well adjusted female dog who is loved) Please help. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration to this matter.

[Linda P]

I’d like to nominate Halo’s Spots Stew wholesome lamb or chicken dry food.

[theBCnut]

If you could take some to the vet and get Revolution for all of them, that would probably be best and easiest, not easy, just easiest. Otherwise, I would probably try mixing strongid into canned food and hope that they eat enough, about 2 cc per kitty. Strongid is OTC and found at most feed stores. You can give it directly into the mouth, if they won’t claw you up. Of all the oral wormers, it’s the only one that doesn’t taste foul(guess how I know). It won’t kill everything, but it would be a starting place. Getting a fresh fecal would be best, so you know what you are trying to kill.

If you already feed some canned food, do you add diatomatious earth to their canned food? That would be a good idea going forward.

My cats always get thinner in this heat, so you also want to evaluate hair quality. Do they seem dry and patchy, or thin coated? Are they dull?

[J S]

I would do some research on struvite crystals to make sure your doc is giving you the right info. From my understanding having a high pH (non-acid) in the urine with an infection is the environment in which struvite crystals form. The battle is two-fold. First you want to increase water to flush the uti out of her system which also means frequent and low stress times outside to empty the bladder entirely each time. We take our Saluki/Husky rescue outside every four hours and have her kibble swimming in water so she has to drink that before eating (she’s never been a big water drinker). Sometimes we drip an ice cube in the water bowl to make it more interesting. I’ve also just started adding some colloidal silver to the water bowl as that helps with all infections and is supposed to help deter tooth plaque (I used CS when I had a UTI and didn’t have to take an antibiotic). We also put cranberry urinary plus powder in her kibble, but it did not stop another infection so I don’t know if we’ll continue using it in the future. We also use a powder called Biotic-pH from Wysong. The main ingredient in it is the same as in the Royal Canine food used to keep the pH lower. Our bodies have their own systems of regulating pH, but what we eat does make a difference. Increasing meats would increase an acidic environment. We’ll be switching to a non-grain kibble next to see how that works. Royal Canine is a lot of chicken fat and our girl does plump up on that somewhat. Best of all would be to get off the dry kibble completely but we haven’t been able to break that habit yet. She does get wet food, chicken leftovers, canned premium dog food, etc. along with her kibble and water stew. If we could keep her from digging in the dirt (which I think is what’s giving her the UTIs) then maybe we’d have a chance to end this cycle, but as part Husky that would be asking a lot! Best of luck as you find out what works best for your pooch.

[Nicole O]

Red,

We adopted her from the shelter and don’t know her actual breed but many have said she looks like a small American Eskimo mix. She is 5 years old. As far as diagnosis. Vet just told me she is prone to the formation of stones due to the struvite and that’s why she needs to be on the prescription diet. Prior to everything, we had her on Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small & Toy Breed Light Dry Dog Food. The vet said it is her food that cause the stones to form. We had only had her for 3 years and don’t know her prior history, the size and amount of stones removed from her bladder indicated that they may have been forming for a while. She nevershowed any signs of discomfort until her UTI.

I will ask the vet about supplements and will start adding water to her dry food.

[Nicole O]

These posts have been extremely informative and I am hoping someone will have some advice for me.

History: feb2015 my pup was diagnosed with a UTI, was given antibiotics, and after completion of the antibiotics continued to urinate blood. 2nd visit the vet did an X-ray. My poor girl had her entire bladder filled with stones varying in size from a grape seed to the size of a lychee. She had surgery to remove the stones and was placed on hills C/D dry mixed with a little hills c/d wet. Everything went back to normal but FIVE MONTHS LATER she began to have diarrhea with blood in her stool. Again, I rushed her to the vet. He placed her on antibiotics and probiotics + a chicken/rice/cottage cheese/pumpkin diet for 7 days. After the antibiotics and the 7 day food change, we started to incorporate the C/D food in to transition her back. 5 days later she began to diarrhea with blood again. Went back to the vet. Did another X-ray (thank goodness the X-ray looked good). But now he is saying she’s having an adverse reaction to the hills C/D. He has now put her on Royal Canin SO dry. There is no more diarrhea, but she is also only having a bowel movement once a day.
After reading all of your posts, I don’t know what I should do. We haven’t been adding water or wet food to her dry, but will definitely start that. But knowing that this super expensive food is mostly fillers has me a little uneasy.
Any advice or suggestions?

[Sue L]

Happy to hear that your Bella is on the road to no more itches,as I am in battle mode for one of my 2 little pit girls.Only Ava who is a blue nose with white has the skin issues and Nina is just fine as long as she has her sister with her but there’s always that problem child.They are both being weaned off puppy food to Hill’s Science Diet and I’m told it should clear up her skin and itches in as long as a month but maybe earlier.She takes Benadryl,Steroids such as prentisone when I really need to get a handle on it.No more grain for these babies,I’m just praying for healthy babies to thrive and be happy.A&D ointment where she’s really red helps too and they only get bathed with WEN for Pets.Keep the faith,it’s all so worth it !!!!

[Pitlove]

My dog was a picky eater before as well when I was only feeding dry because I thought it was better. Just because you prefer dry it doesnt really mean anything since you are not the one eating it. Once I added wet food into my dogs diet and sprinkled the dry on top he instantly became interested in eating again. I also change his food frequently for variety and to keep his stomach healthy and him free of getting allergies to one type of protein or carb and that has made a huge difference in his interest in eating. Wet food is also often looked at like more of a treat and I disagree with that ideology greatly as I believe it’s an essential part of their diet to make sure they are getting enough moisture in their diet. Drinking water alone is not enough.

[Susan]

Hi, is she eating the Hills I/d Low Fat GI Restore or the I/d Gastrointestinal Health wet tin food, the fat % in the I/d Low Fat GI Restore wet is only 8.5% fat that has been converted to dry matter (Kibble) so its around 1.70% fat wet tin food, if she’s eating the I/d Gastrointestinal health it’s 14.3% fat so its about 3-4% fat wet tin food, confused?? lol Hills vet diets convert their wet & dry vet diets to dry matter (Kibble) so you need to find a wet tin food where the fat is under 4% if she’s eating the I/d Gastro…. if she’s eating the I/d low fat GI Restore you need to look for a wet tin food that’s 2% & under in fat… or do what I’ve been doing I cook a extra lean beef mince or the Turkey Breast 99% fat free mince.. or I soak Patches low fat kibble in water till its soft then I drain water very well & put soft kibble thru blender (mini processor) it comes like wet tin food & its low in fat…

[Gayle T]

I have gone thru several 5 star dry foods ( I prefer dry) and the only one my Lakeland terrier will eat is Purina savor, she loves it but it is not recommended any 5 star foods that dogs love? Help

[Caitlin R]

Hey all. My eight(ish) year old terrier/schnauzer mix recently had jaw surgery and I’ve had to transition her from dry food (she was eating Authority grain-free small breed kibble before that) to canned food, and we’ve had a heck of a time with digestion problems. Before all this she NEVER had digestion troubles (even when she gets into things she shouldn’t be eating). My vet isn’t entirely sure what’s causing them now because she’s had so many shocks to her system all at once. For one, she’s taking pain medicine (3 week course) and antibiotics (6 week course), and she’s also had a sudden change in food (from kibble to canned) which I know can also mess up her system. But, I’m having trouble finding a wet food she can tolerate. We’ve tried Wellness Core, Eagle Pack, and Whole Earth Farms. Right now, she throws up everything we try about six hours after she eats it.

To help, my vet prescribed a round of metronidazole and Hill’s i/d until she’s finished with this new prescription. She’s keeping the i/d down with no problems, and I have enough of the i/d left to transition her to a new food gradually. Do any of you have suggestions for high quality foods that are also highly digestible? The only extra qualification is that it needs to be a ground type food, not a stew or food with chunks.

Thanks for any help!

[Melissa L]

I haven’t tried this dog food yet, but I’m curious about Merrick’s new “Raw Infused” dry dog foods. I was wondering if you could review this new line Merrick has out?

[Anonymous]

Below is an excerpt from: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2011/10/dry-pet-food-and-dental-disease-in-dogs-and-cats/
Click on link for complete article and comments.

“One of the most common actions recommended, by veterinarians and others, to minimize the development of oral disease is feeding dry commercial pet diets. It is often argued that chewing on kibble cleans the teeth and slows the development of periodontal disease. However, there is some reason to doubt this claim. Most dry diets made for dogs and cats do not require chewing, and the kibble is often swallowed whole. And typical kibble is very easily broken apart, so it does not seem likely that it is very effective in cleaning teeth, especially under the gum line, where plaque and calculus cause the most inflammation and disease. And at least one study looking at the effect of diet and chewing materials on oral health did not find that feeding a dry diet only was associated with any less periodontal disease than other feeding methods”.

[Bobby dog]

As of last fall Blue Buffalo was using Simmons for a cannery. They opened their own kibble manufacturing facility last year; they still use co-packers:
http://www.foodmanufacturing.com/news/2014/08/blue-buffalo-factory-opens-90m-plant-joplin
http://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/4467-blue-buffalo-opens-heartland-pet-food-manufacturing-facility

Contact them if you want to know who else manufactures their dry foods and where they source their ingredients:
http://bluebuffalo.com/contact/

Check out their website FAQ’s for their statement of where their food is manufactured:
http://bluebuffalo.com/frequently-asked-questions/

[Chrys H]

For digestive problems I started with Apawthocary tincture, but similar ingredients are found in Veterinary’s Best Stomach Digest now called Gas Busters, tablets well received by both Maltipoos.
Other things in my dog resource bag are Vitalogic Stomache Digest -for humans but same ingredients in dry cap as we’re the Apawthocary product, open cap add 1/2 to dry food made wet (or your food) has plaintain, slippery elm, marshmallow, soothing stomachs aids that we humans take on occasionally as well. Probiotics, Holly Hill Health has a capsule that doesn’t require refrig & is designed to work in intestinal tract, once again human grade, open xap sprinkle on dig food for added boost especially after taking a Heartworm treatment or getting vacc or exposure to extra stress. I found that many times after my dogs as puppies or young dogs after previously mentioned known body stressors or eating muscellanouses (one’s they are too quick & you don’t believe it to be toxic just an irritant help prevent diarrhea or small dog hypoglycemia vomiting from empty stomach too long.

My 8+ yr old female Maltipoo came to us as a pup that even Vet believed to just have kennel cough. Turned out to be Parvo, survived that but due to isolation unit with high level of chlorine in air developed pneumonia as well. Today 8+ yrs old is very healthy but is very sensitive. Human Little Tummies Gripe Water and Little Tummies Colic are part of my first aid kit too.

[Christie]

I recently rescued a 4 month old Catahoula mix puppy. The limited paperwork that I received from the previous foster mom said she had been feeding her “retriever puppy food” from the tractor supply store. During her initial vet check, the doctor said her teeth (mostly baby thankfully) were in terrible condition and said I should feed her quality food. She wanted to sell me on Royal Canin, which is the only line the vet directly sells.

I have a 6 year old APBT mix who eats Ideal Balance Large Breed Dry. I started the puppy on IB’s puppy dry, but she eats both her food and the adult food. And while I know occasional snacking of the adult food isn’t terrible, I would prefer if possible, to buy 1 food for both dogs.

All of the Editor’s Choice list foods seem to be specifically formulated for adults (and there’s the separate list for puppies). I don’t want to cut quality for cost.

Neither dog is overly attached to Ideal Balance and I often have to top their kibble with canned food to get them to eat.

Anyone have any 4-5 recommendations for All Life Stages food or am I just better off sticking to the adult and puppy food?

Thanks!

[John O]

My 2.5 year old lab, border, pit bull mix has consistent bouts of loose stool and some impressive gas. We have been feeding him Taste of the Wild High Prairie (which he likes a lot) but after ruling out any treats or other items he ingests, we are concerned that it may be the TOTW.
Any recommendations or suggestions?

[Pitlove]

Your dog is probably bored of the food. Its the same as you changing your diet often so you don’t get bored, your dog would like the same variety.

Give thought to a rotational diet, where you can either rotate the protein source within one brand or the brand and the protein source every 3-4 months to keep your dogs interest peaked. Thats how I solved the problem of my dog being picky and not eating.

I would suggest staying with the 4 to 5 star quality foods and still doing the wet too. I firmly believe wet food should be a part of every dogs diet. Its much healthier for them than dry when you can’t feed a raw diet. Pure Balance is another Walmart brand that is 3.5 or 4 stars I believe for the GF. I feed the dry and wet. I’ve also used Fromm, Nature’s Variety, Orijen, and Precise Holistic Complete.

[Pitlove]

Hi Jeaneene-

Everyone here has offered good advice and given good suggestions. I wanted to touch on a couple points that people brought up and elaborate on them. Firstly the Beneful…unfortuntely Beneful is well known as a very poor quality food filled with artifical dyes, corn, by-products as the only source of animal protein and propylene glycol which is the second cousin to the main ingredient in anti-freeze. Your transition to Blue Buffalo was met with diaherra because like others said, when dogs each the same food for several years they no longer produce the healthy flora (bacteria) in their gut to be able to handle a dietary change. This is why many dogs switching foods need to be transitioned for much longer than the normal 7 day period. Now, I don’t consider Blue to be that great of an all natural food, but it is a much better food than Beneful and that will also contribute to diaherra. A lot of times dogs bodies will detox poor quality foods when fed a better one.

My dog used to have a “sensitive stomach” as most people call it and once I started to give him a digestive supplement during food transitions and kefir/yogurt as a probiotic his whole life changed. I change his food constantly now with no digestive upset what so ever. Lately hes even had one food for breakfast and something different for dinner.

Second point I’d like to make is that the theory about dry food cleaning a dogs teeth is a myth and was debunked a long time ago. Dogs teeth are carnivorus and are meant to tear and rip flesh, they dont have the grinding motion humans do and therefore often don’t chew their food enough for the dry to benefit the teeth. I feed both wet and dry and brush my dogs teeth regularly and his teeth are in good condition.

Lastly, concerning the UTI. I have only experienced it with a cat and yes he was put on the feline Urinary SO dry, which I now find a strange recommendation as the top reason for crystals is eating all dry food. Adding wet to the diet even if it is the RC canned food would keep his system flushed as someone suggested as well. If you are planning to continue feeding the dry I would highly suggest adding a canned food as well and also when the vet tells you he needs to be on an rX diet for life, that is wrong info and a way to get your money. You can certainly in time transition him back onto a normal HEALTHY diet. I would suggest something other than Beneful and transitioning very very slow.

I wish you a lot of luck dealing the the UTI though, I know how awful it can be to see your baby in pain like that.

[InkedMarie]

Regarding your first post, I want to address the Beneful then getting sick…that happens when a dog has been on a low quality food, like Beneful, for years. It probably happens with better quality food too; any food really when a dog eats it so long and gets changed to a better food, tummy upset happens.

I suggest you ask local dog owners/vets/groomers/trainers for recommendations for someone to come in to let your dogs out when you are at work. Your dog needs alot of moisture; canned, raw or dehydrated are much better than dry. If you must feed dry, add canned & water to it. He needs ample opportunity to urinate.

Good luck!

[Jeaneene S]

I really wanted to put this in the “Struvite Crystals” thread – but for some reason that particular page always shows me as *not* logged in, even when I log in from within that thread.

Anyway, I could use some help. I have a 10 1/2 year old male Siberian Husky who has – his entire life – been on Beneful dry dog food and never had any health problems AT ALL. At one point I tried to change to the Blue Wilderness (thinking it might be better for them), but he and my 10 1/2 year old female Husky had the worst diarrhea I’ve ever seen, so it was back to the Beneful kibble. (I’ve always heard dry kibble is best for dental health, which is why that’s all I’ve ever used)

Now, this past February my big boy had what appeared to be an awful UTI. So the next day, I got a good urine catch (looked super cloudy, but just yellow) and took it and him to the vet. Vet found no crystals but lots of blood (at the microscopic level) in his urine, and did an xray, but didn’t find anything wrong. She put him on antibiotics and it was gone.

On May 1 we moved to a new house, and got a new vet – had all the dogs’ files brought to the new vet (I brought them myself so I knew they wouldn’t get lost). Then, on Memorial Day, I noticed he looked like he was having a hard time urinating again and to my horror it looked as if he was even peeing blood. Immediately called the new vet and explained what it *appeared* to be; she said that even though they were closed, she would call in an rx for Amoxicillin for him. No more than a few days of being off the antibiotics, and we started having problems AGAIN (thankfully not peeing blood this time). So, hubby took him to the Vet this past Monday and with a different kind of xray, she found 1 stone the size of a quarter, 3 stones the size of a nickel, and about 15 smaller ones. Needless to say my big boy went in for surgery yesterday morning (I am picking him up today).

Now the vet is telling me that I have to put him on the Royal Canin SO food (which she has already said he’s been turning his nose up at the vet’s), and the only treats he can have is if I take the Royal Canin SO canned food, cut it up in to squares and bake them into “treats”. We’re talking about a dog who is used to his mommy throwing a steak on the grill to mix in with his food (well, him and the other 3 girl dogs in the house) … getting bell peppers, apples and other fruits/veggies as treats, having watered-down applesauce popsicles, etc. Now she’s saying he can never have any of this ever again AND I have to give him this food that appears to me to be very poor quality and that he doesn’t like?! I’m having a very hard time accepting this.

I asked the vet at the Petsmart (where I am having to get the food) for a second opinion – and oddly enough – he seconded that opinion. How do I tell his regular vet that I don’t approve of this dog food, and that I’d LIKE to try a more vitamin-based/holistic approach as well as make his food for him which I feel would be better quality – not to mention cheaper – and where I can add the necessary added vitamins and minerals and would still prevent any further bladder stone issues.

Should trust both his new vet and the Banfield vet at Petsmart (his previous vet – when I called her last week also said he may have to go on a special diet for the remainder of his life too, so that makes three)? I’m willing to make his food, give him the supplements, test his urine … ANYTHING! Or am I just being unreasonable? And would it be “wrong” to go against the vet and do what I *think* is right?

• This topic was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Jeaneene S.

[kaitlin h]

Hello,

My Chow Chow is 4 years old, she has always ate Rachel Ray Nutrish. Lately she will go all day with a bowl full from the morning and not touch it once. Then I assume from her not eating her stomach is empty and she will throw up bile. I started adding wet food to her dry food and she normally will eat it. But, there are still 3 out 7 days she will not even touch the food , or she will just eat the wet off the top. Can someone help me with advice on what to do. Or can someone give me a recommendation of what food to switch her to. There are too many options out there and reviews are all similar. I asked my vet, but they promote the food they sell there, or tell me to put her on a bland diet, but I don’t think her stomach is messed up she just doesn’t eat therefore she throws up.

In search of new reliable dog food for Chow Chow.

[Patricia B]

Mine is more a question than a nomination. Well, more than one question actually. Out of the following 3, which is the best choice?

1. Fromm 4 Star beef
2. Wellness TruFood (small breed)
3. Farmina Pet Food’s N&D

My dogs have tried both the Fromm and the N&D, I have no complaints. Haven’t yet tried the new Wellness.

What would you folks recommend for a Standard Poodle with gastroenteritis. Was on Wellness Complete Turkey & Potato dry, then the dreaded Prescription i/d dry, then Wellness Simple Turkey and Potato dry and now Wellness Simple Lamb & Rice wet & dry.
Last 2 questions…in general, which is better Raw (store bought) or Dry?
Any feedback is very welcome. The Poodle is a Seizure Alert Dog of a client of mine and the company they got him through keeps insisting on the Wellness brand (probably getting a kickback). The other questions would be more for my own 2 dogs but for the Poodle too.
Thank you in advance.

[Pitlove]

Thanks C4C! I work myself into anxiety over making sure he’s getting the best (the cat too of course). I feel a lot better about feeding a lower protein dry now that I know I can supplement with the high protein in the canned food. Didnt think about it like that before!

I have so many foods for him right now its really nice. 4Health and Pure Balance canned. Fromm Four Star GF, Pure Balance and some samples of Precise Holisitic Complete for dry and THK dehydrated raw. He had THK this morning and really liked it. He also got a sample of raw food from this store we went to yesterday and had that mixed in with his canned last night with no dry! he LOVED it! and great poops this morning too 😀

[crazy4cats]

Hi Pitlove-

I think using a 3.5 to 4 star kibble with minimal red ingredients, but may have a little less protein is fine when you are adding a 5 star budget canned food to boost up the protein and moisture content of the meal. You can also add egg, sardines or left overs to a 4 star kibble to bump up the protein and add valuable fresh nutrients to the meal at a reasonable price.

The only 5-star dry food that I have found in my “network” is Victor grain free. The only other time I feed a 5 star food is if I can find one on sale or with a coupon. Otherwise, I feed a 4 star. Remember, even 5 star kibble is over processed food that isn’t even that great for them anyway!

Your dog is lucky he has such a conscientious owner!

[aquariangt]

I keep both high quality. Minimal red ingredients is huge, and then protein levels. With Liesl, who has some allergies, she gets 50% dry and 50% wet. Dani is more 75% Dry and 25% Wet, because she can eat much higher protein kibbles. Liesl’s kibbles that she can eat are more in the 27-30% range, so I supplement with a lot more wet food. Dani is really more like 35-45% protein for her kibble