[Naturella]

Chris (and pitlove), although I would agree that Orijen is one of the best dry foods out there (personal opinion), it is also not for everyone. It may be too rich for some dogs, so it is good to always just get a small bag, or a few trial sizes at first (for small dogs, but I think for a beagle a small bag will do), and use that for a couple of weeks first to make sure it would work for your dog.

I have fed trial sizes of the more prominent Canadian companies and my Bruno enjoys their products. I would definitely feed Orijen, Acana, GO and NOW! Fresh in rotations, if I continue to feed kibble in the future. Also, NVI Instinct and a few other kibbles. I would try to transition to raw sometime next year though.

But yeah, just keep in mind that even the “best” does not always work for everyone, and what is the best for your dog is what works well for him/her and keeps them happy and healthy.

[chris]

I bought a 24 pound bag of the Merrick’s Grain Free Lamb and I actually was looking at it the past few days and seen that I’m not going through it as fast as I thought. I actually give him 1/2 cup of dry in the morning and I bought a good amount of wellness core canned food and I give him about quarter of the can with it in the morning. Then in the evening I give him 1 1/2 cups of dry food and doing that it seems to be doing very well with him though most the times he only eats about 1 full cup and the half I throw back in the food container.

So I was thinking I probably could afford Orijen if I did the same as you and just bought a small bag rather then the 24 pounds. As looking at the food container he ate about half the food so roughly 12 pounds of food and in 2 days it will be the end of the month. So basically if I were to just purchase 10-12 pound bag of Orijen it should last him the month. Still obviously more expensive then Merrick’s but probably worth it right?

I might just do that i’ll do some research and look at prices as I speak for around that poundage. Thanks again!

[Pitlove]

jakes mom- Keep at it! I was watching Dr.Beckers video on transitioning cats to raw and from what she said, if they have a dry food addiction or are just stubborn it can takes months up to a year to get them switched to raw! She has great tips for it in the video though if you want to check it out.

Patience seems to be the key with cats. Maybe they will be smart and take Dustins lead on this one!

[Pitlove]

Chris- I completely understand the budget thing. I feed canned food as well as dry to supplement the lack of moisture in the dry food and I have to go as cheap as I can with the canned without stooping down to Pedigree etc. So I use some 4 and 5 star canned foods from Tractor Supply and Walmart.

Natural Balance is a big seller at my store as well. Personally I dont like the food and I dont like the company now that it was sold to Del Monte. They dont have the greatest track record and I personally feel their food is way to high in carbs and they over use white potato as a main ingredient leaving their protein far too low for my taste.

Being that I feed canned as well I only need a 5 or 6 lb bag of dry food as he only gets 1/2 cup of dry with his can of wet, so even though for some of the Orijen I’ve paid 26$ for it, it didnt really bother me. But i understand that buying their largest bag usually at over 100$ is not something most people can do.

I used to buy Nature’s Variety as well. I really liked the brand but back when I bought large bags I only bought NV because we were getting 40% for the whole year as employees lol!

[Anonymous]

http://www.itchology.com/dog-allergy-help/dog-itchy.html

“Watching your dog suffer from allergies can be frustrating and heartbreaking. As pet parents, we want to be involved in helping our pets when they are struggling. This feature-rich app empowers YOU to take control of your dog’s allergy management and provide substantial data to your veterinarian. When you use Itchology it will help your veterinarian uncover causes of your dog’s itch and identify effective treatments”.

http://www.itchology.com/dog-allergy-help/atopic-dermatitis-faq.html

“Atopic dermatitis, one form of allergic dermatitis, is one of the most common causes of chronic itching in dogs, along with flea allergy dermatitis and food allergy. The persistent itch can make your pet miserable, even changing his personality. The symptoms may occur seasonally or throughout the year”.

“Atopic dermatitis is caused by an allergic reaction to dust mites, pollens, or molds. Symptoms can flare up with changes in the weather or with dry skin”.

[Sarah A]

Hi everyone,

I searched the forums for information about what to feed for pancreatitis but it seems that a lot of dogs with this issue need to lose weight. Mine needs to gain.

Lucie is a 13 1/2 y.o. standard poodle. Love of my life. When people see her they never believe how old she is. She is high spirited and a total people dog. But she has always been a picky eater (unless she has access to human food and/or the trash can, lol). A few years ago she had some elevated kidney results in her blood work and a liver result that was a bit elevated too. Also, high blood pressure. We put her on IAMS renal dry mixed with Purina NF wet (just did the calculation and the NF is >20% fat on dry matter basis). She was never thrilled with this food.

She has always has a weak immune system. A year ago she had persistent diarrhea so she went on metronidazole. We were unable to stop the metro w/out the problem returning. We recently tested for EPI (negative) but she is pos for SIBO/SID. We switched her to Tylosin and she’s doing well on that. But about 3 weeks ago she stopped eating and lost all of her energy and happiness. Pancreatitis (although an ultrasound showed it to not be “acute”) She was SO sick I wasn’t sure she would make it. She lost weight she couldn’t afford to lose. But, thank goodness she pulled through. I spent a couple of weeks cooking every lowfat/quality protein thing I could think of. Now she’s eating enthusiastically but she needs to gain weight. I’m giving her Rachel Ray wet food – this is the one food she likes and will eat for more than one meal in a row. But she is not eating enough.

Obviously her food needs to be low fat but preferably high-calorie. I’m leery of the Iams/Purina combination because she doesn’t like it much and that’s what she was eating when she got so ill. Anyone else have a similar problem with a success story to share?

Thanks in advance!!!
–Sarah & Lucie

[c-monkey]

Hi Heather, my Buddy has Osteosarcoma (not Mast Cell). We just found out that the cancer spread to his lungs. He’s on a second round of “chemo”, and believe it or not, he’s feeling better than he was before starting the chemo (chemotherapy is very different for dogs, they seem to tolerate it far better than we do). I feed him FreshPet grain-free slice and serve on top of good dry food which I vary from month to month. I don’t worry as much about the treats (I did at first, but grain-free treats start to get expensive, and many of them he wouldn’t eat).
I strongly recommend a curcumin supplement. I use Curcuvet, found on Amazon. Buddy was given 1-3 months to live last October after his amputation surgery, and he’s still happy, jumping around and enjoying life today. I also give him “k-9 Immunity plus” treats, about 6 per day (he’s approx. 71lbs after the surgery).
I understand about being “in his face” too much, LOL! I am forever fretting if Buddy behaves in any way different than usual. Just don’t forget to relax and enjoy your time with him too (that’s what everyone tells me too, sometimes we forget when we are all bunched up with worry).

Good luck and keep us posted!

[Pitlove]

Interesting, so what are they eating now if you don’t mind me asking? My dog for the first few months of his life ate BB as well. Thankfully no issues that serious, just refused to eat for a day and thats when I changed his diet and also learned about rotation feeding. So now he eats a different brand every bag and a different brand of wet food every meal as well. I keep maybe 4-5 brands of wet on hand at a time and cycle through those as much as I can.
On the note of Blue, a lot of people on this site, including myself, won’t feed Blue products anymore. I’m sure its still far better of a food then let’s say Beneful, but I can’t give my money to a company that A) Lied for a year+ about what was in their food B) now has number of reports of dogs being sick from it leading me to believe that Blue is an overpriced bag of junk and that their ingredients have gone in the gutter to be able to mass produce more food.

I tend to agree that grain free is far better than grain inclusive, however grain-free does not mean carb free. All dry kibble needs carbs to bind the food together, hence the introduction of white potatoe to the grain-free kibble industry. That along with other carbs like sweet potatoe, legumes, peas etc. I just learned however with white potatoe, in the process of being cooked to be used for dog food (dog food gets cookd twice over, rendered and then extruded) a carcinogenic by-product is released that has been known to cause cancer in dogs and humans. Something to look into?

Basically be wery of grain-free foods as well, as they can still be high in carbs, which can be hard to digest and aggravating for some dogs. One food I personally like and many others on this site do too is Orijen made by Champion Pet Foods out of Alberta Canada. Award winning kitchens, human grade meat, poultry and fish sourced regionally in Canada as well.

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

[Anonymous]

I have never used that product. I have used Wysong dry foods, and have noted no adverse effects. I use potassium citrate tabs, as I have mentioned before.
So far, so good.
A lot of these items are acidic (leading to nausea, stomach upset) to lower the urine PH.
Maybe lower the dose? Some dogs tolerate these supplements better than others.
I would put in a call to the vet, have him call you back when he has a minute. Don’t bother discussing the matter with the vet tech (just my opinion).

[Jordan L]

Hi Vicki- good to hear I am not overthinking it and this is a real issue. My husband sometimes downplays it, but he has never owned an inside dog before and I have had quite a few. All had had different levels of itchiness/quirks, but I am trying to prevent Jack’s from getting worse while I see them developing. Benadryl makes him hyper, and he needs absolutely no help with that, so at the Dr.’s recommendation we give him a Zyrtec when he has a flare up or a mild reaction (non-emergency) to an ant bite or the grass. But we do not give him a daily dose at this point. I may talk to the dr. about that. Hopefully switching his food will be enough.

[Tracy M]

I recently took my dog in for a skin issue and after a skin scrape, urine test and Senior Blood work, I am told she has Pacreatitis.
I am very confused as to how she got pancreatitis, as she is on a raw diet. I also give her yogurt in her food .
I recently ordered the new Orijin Tundra Dry. I wanted to do a Raw and Good quality kibble. I thought this would help with cost of Raw.
I have not started her on the Tundra yet because of the diagnosis.
This is her information below:

Diets I’ve used:
Primal Turkey Sardine
Primal Duck
Stella and Chewys Duck Duck Goose
Natures Instinct Rabbit
Natures Instinct Venison
Sojos Turkey Complete

She is a 68 lb White Boxer. She went in for a skin check. She has been itching and loosing hair on her sides, behind ears, down legs, her belly. Has bumps and redness. She has irritated skin and is scratching. She has an odor when wet. I thought it was a yeast issue.
She went on prednisone and antibiotics from first Vet. I made a consult with a different Vet 2 weeks later. He did a skin scrape that was negative for mites etc. Senior blood work and urine were fine except the pancreas. Did second test to confirm. I was told it was pancreatitis. They put her on 2 more types of antibiotics and a topical steroid/conditioner for her skin.
Suggests bland diet for 2 weeks and retest.
Very confused with diagnosis. She started with the skin issue, then started drinking a lot, urinating more. She has no change in appetite, but had a bout of diarrhea.
She had a few accidents in the house and got into the trash a couple of times. These are things she never has done. When she got into the trash, I do not believe she got anything high in fat. But I’m not sure.
I recently lost my male Boxer in Feb and she has taken it hard, as well as myself.
She is 7
Anymore advice/recommendations would be great!

[Vicki P]

Hi Jordan – I’m just following your post. Sounds like our dogs have very similar issues. Matter of fact, it seems as if lots of dogs are experiencing really bad allergies… strange! We’ve been able to get our dog’s allergy issues controlled with benadryl, but I’m trying to wean my dog off of an rx dog food (you can find my recent posting here on that subject). So I’m just “listening in” on these conversations on this thread as well! 😉

Good luck!

[Jordan L]

I don’t think he is suffering or most of the time even bothered by it beyond the 20 second scratch every 30 minutes or so. But he is crated while we are at work, gets bored, and we can not curb his scratching. he has scratched his lips until he blisters or his underarms until they open and scab. Once his underarm became infected and we had to take him to the vet because there was so much yellow pus (most likely because he was bored and licked). We never let him come inside wet, we always wipe his paws and underarms if it is dewy or damp out to avoid moisture buildup. I do not think yeast is an issue, I think it is just dryness. His ears I do not know what is going on. He has been treated twice for an ear infection. We get rid of it, and a few weeks later it comes back. I am hoping this is just a symptom of his food or environmental allergy. We do our best to keep them cleaned and check them regularly for major issues, but they seem to be what bother him the most.

He does not have tummy issues beyond the normal boxer gas (every single boxer I have ever known has had this issue, regardless of their diet). He rarely gets an upset stomach, girggly tummy, or BM issues.

I am going to invest in some better medicated shampoo. We used to wash him in PhytoVet P Anti-Itch but I believe it was drying his skin out even more, so we switched to a generic oatmeal and it seems to relieve but only lasts so long.

I am leaning towards switching his kibble to a LI fish or other protein than chicken (his usual protein of choice).

[Pitlove]

I just wanted to point out how similar the ingredients in these 2 Science Diet formulas are. One is the prescription your dog is on and one is a food you can find at any pet store without a prescription

http://www.hillspet.com/products/pd-canine-id-canine-gastrointestinal-health-dry.html

vs

http://www.hillspet.com/products/sd-canine-adult-sensitive-stomach-and-skin-dry.html

both meant for “sensitive stomachs”

None of the ingredients that are in your dogs food need a prescription at all, but you are paying the premium price for a prescription food only meant to aid in disgestive health..

Point being, there are many budget friendly ways to help your dogs tummy. Amy A made a great point about adding the supplement/pre and probiotics. Your dogs stomach is sick which is why she has digestive upset. Putting healthy bacteria back into her gut will allow her stomach to become healthy and be on any food she wants without the runs.

You can defintely start with something LID to ease her off the prescription diet. I would really consider adding the some type of probiotic like kefir or plain yogurt and a supplement because when you take a dog from a food like Science Diet to a higher quality food that has biologically appropriate ingredients (not corn and brewers rice) they need all the help they can get adjusting to the better quality food.

Nature’s Variety makes a really good LID food. Natural Balance while I dont like the food does as well. LID diets tend to be a little lower in protein and other things as well which is what Susan mentioned about keeping the levels similar as to not shock the system. If your dog has been on the same food for the better part of her life that is also contributing to the sensitive stomach.

This video from holistic vet Dr. Karen Becker might also help you too

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

[Vicki P]

My approx. 2 year old lab mix has been eating Hill’s I/D for the last year and a half, and I’d like to try and wean her off of it and on to something that doesn’t require a prescription. The reason why we have her on the i/d is because she had a pretty nasty case of giardia when we first adopted her (she was approx 8-10 months old), and I think it fried her digestive system. After she was clear of the giardia, we tried her on at least 5 or 6 kinds of food, both rx and non-rx, but they all gave her pretty severe cases of the runs. We finally landed on i/d which controlled the diarrhea beautifully. She has been on it now for about a year and a half, so I’d like to try and roll the dice and get her onto something else. Plus my pup sheds a lot, and I question whether she’s getting enough nutrients. She’s always eating grass voraciously.

And yes, she does have allergies. We had her tested since she was literally licking her paws bald and getting frequent ear infections. She’s now on benadryl twice a day, and she’s no longer licking her paws at all (been stable for almost a year). She’s allergic to black ants and grass, of all the random things…

We didn’t test her for food allergies at the recommendation of my vet (can’t remember why, I think he said they’re not very accurate in dogs).

Our vet said there were rx hypoallergenic foods, but at the time that we had her tested (a year ago), he recommended that we remain on the i/d since we had finally sorted out her (severe) stomach issues.

So if anyone has any suggestions about where I can start to find an alternative, I’d appreciate it!

[chris]

I have a Beagle that is 5 years old and recently ended up with a stomach issues. I Had to him to vets many of times the past few months and they can’t seem to find anything wrong but think he may have a hernia on his right side. For now just to keep an eye on him and they told me to feed him better food and also give him 1 cup of canned food every day. So long story short I started him on Merrick’s Dry Grain Free Dry food and been buying him different 5-star dog foods through out each week. However I use to give him pig ears every once in a blue moon and same with Bully sticks. However, with the recent changes I was curious what others would recommend that would be good chews but would be very easy to digest but also last a long time.

I’ve been using this site for the past year or so and love it and I never signed up but was always on the forums reading things and learning more and more. Thanks!

[Susan]

Hi, change his diet read the ingredients to his Science Diet, corn, gluten corn etc look for a limited ingredient kibble that’s low in starchy/carbs so NO potatoes, no peas etc ……..sounds like he has yeasty itchy skin & ears…join this face book group called “Dog Allergy International Group” (link at the end) & look in their files there’s links to limited ingredient kibbles wet & raw diets also foods that are starchy & what foods to avoid….If you can feed raw, raw is the best as it has no carbs.. carbs are needed in kibbles to bind them, no good for itchy dogs but you can find a better kibble then Science Diet also sardines, buy the tin sardines in spring water & add some with the kibble or as a treat..
Shampoo…..I use Malaseb medicated shampoo it kills any bacteria on the skin but does not dry their skin out, leaving them feeling beautiful & soft….
When I rescued my boy he was in very bad condition, a change of diet & weekly baths in Malaseb within 1 month his hair started to grow back & he was itch & smell free…
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogallergyinternationalgroup/

[Pitlove]

I cant really diagnois what the issue would be, however i think making a change to his food is a really good start. You’re paying a premium price (50$ at Petco for the largest bag of the Large Breed Light) for corn, rice and by-products. I certainly think you could find a better food for that price or perhaps a little more that has better ingredients.

Not sure what your bugdet is so it would be hard to recommend a food for you.

/dog-food-reviews/hills-science-diet-dog-food-adult-dry/

The Large Breed Light falls under this rating.

A lot of people believe that their dog has a “sensitive stomach”. What a sensitive stomach actually is, is a lack of healthy bacteria in the gut which allow the dog to change brands and proteins frequently without digestive upset. Just like a human a dog should be able to eat any type of dog food (unless they have a known allergy to a certain protein or carb etc) and not have digestive upset at all.
The stomach becoming unable to adjust to diet change, is due to eating the same food for many years or even months.
My dog used to be the same way. If i did have to change his food and did it too fast, he would get diaherra for a few days. Since adding digestive supplements to his diet and a probiotic (i use kefir, you can use plain yogurt too) I have been able to switch what brand he eats every bag without blending his food and he has no diaherra at all. Quite a few people on this site are actually able to do that with their dogs too.

Just because you see no reason to change the dogs food, it doesnt mean your dog wouldnt enjoy variety in his diet. I highly doubt you would be happy eating chicken and rice for every meal of every day for the rest of your life. Your dog isnt happy doing that either.

Companies will tell you not to change your dogs diet. However its not because its in the best interest of your dogs health, its because they will keep you spending your money with their company. My dog eats a different brand every bag of kibble and a different canned food as well each meal. If i could afford to buy X amount of bags of kibble and change that every day I would do that too.

L M gave you some good advice about determining what the root cause of the itching and hair loss etc is, but diet is the foundation of good health, so starting there never hurts!

GL, keep us updated!

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

[Naturella]

C4C, thank you, lol! I just try to give him a lot of variety, and lucky for me, there is plenty out there to choose from for my non-allergic pup! I also like to keep track of the foods I give and if he does exceptionally well, to make note of it.

And I forgot to say that Only Natural Pet’s Power Dry is another he’s had, and I keep samples of it at my in-laws’ place for when we go to visit and Bru has to eat. 🙂

As for me, I’ve been MIA due to school and work – I worked a ton, wrote huge papers, presented them, did finals, graduated with my Master’s Degree, husband got his Bachelor’s, we had a celebratory dinner, and then I fell sick… I just worked myself sick and my immune system crashed with a bad cold/bronchitis, but I am recovering, and back at it little by little. 🙂

And I will relay your message to Akari. 🙂

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

[SdianeM M]

Sadie was on Castor and Pollux Grain Free Poultry Free dry food, but she stayed with yeast issues. After reading and researching, I knew that I needed to cut out the carbs in her diet. I then put her on a commercial raw diet. She did unbelievably better, but started having yeast issues develop again. Then, she went from loving her raw food to not eating it at all. I then started cooking organic chicken for her, but she lacks like it’s not leaving her satisfied.

Bathing her today I found a patch of fur that’s missing from her itching. As bad as her yeast was on kibbles, she never lost fur or had lesions from scratching.

We need help!!!!!

[Naturella]

I also love feeding a variety of foods to my terrier mix Bruno. Since my husband and I have adopted him in 2013, he’s had, in no particular order of dry foods: Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy, Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy, Nutrisca Chicken & Chickpea, Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF, Holistic Health Extension Original, Blue Allergix, and Lamb & Brown Rice, Earthborn Holisitic Coastal Catch, Primitive Naturals, and Great Plains Feast, Back to Basics Open Range, Wysong Nurture with Quail, Nulo Medal Series Lamb & Lentils, Castor & Pollux Ultramix Duck, Victor Salmon, and samples of Fromm, Victor, NutriSource, TOTW, Wysong, Orijen, Acana, Nature’s Variety Instinct (the Rabbit formula he was supposed to eat but it made him very sick, but other samples he did great with), Hi-Tek, Nature’s Logic, and many other foods I can’t recall ATM. Lined up we have Wellness CORE Ocean and Original, more Earthborn, Canidae Pure SEA, Castor & Pollux Organix GF, and right now he just got on Dogswell LiveFree Salmon.

For toppers we used The Honest Kitchen Embark, Force, Keen, and Love, and Big Dog Naturals Green Tripe (air-dried). I have used various canned foods too, like Weruva, Green Cow by Solid Gold, and Green Tripe from Petkind, and also some more dehydrated/air-dried like Sojo’s. Now I use some small Merrick dog cans and some cat food pouches and cans for some of the toppers along with coconut oil, yoghurt, raw egg, canned sardines, and a RMB for his Sunday dinner. I also almost always add extra water to the food when served with a topper so he eats “soup” most of the time. Sometimes I just give him plain kibble as part of a training routine or from a puzzle toy to stimulate his brain. He likes it just the same!

He gets regular treats (Fromm, Canidae, Yummy Chummies, and Think! Alligator and Crawfish Jerky, and also kibble as treats (a different brand and flavor of the main food he is on at the moment), He also has a few natural chews like cow and lamb ears, beef tracheas, bully sticks, pig snouts, fish skins, antlers, hooves, etc.

Sorry for the rant, lol, but yeah, rotations are awesome, and Bruno loves the daily variety, and I love how he looks and feels (shiny and soft). I used to take 10 days or so to transition from one food to the next at first, then about 7 days, then 3, then 0. Now he switches so quickly because he eats a constant variety of foods and treats.

And LM, I guess you can see the replies of a person, but it will be hard to follow an Editor’s Choice topic reply by reply from individual authors. And some topics are EC exclusive.

[zuponicafe]

I just wanted to give a big shout out to this sites awesomeness! The price for the editors choice was well worth it, although even w/out it there are great things to be learned about dog food. Especially for folks like myself who thought all dog foods were the same. I’m glad I looked into things before we got our guy Loki back in Feb.
My experience feeding him different foods has been a positive one. He is a mixture of lab/shep/husky/newfie and I was unsure what his grown up size would be, so I was trying to keep things on the lower calcium side, but some of the best foods were outlandishly priced. Knowing the ratings of various foods has enabled me to feed him food that has been marked down for whatever reason and still feel like a good dog mommy & not a cheapskate.
He is now 6 months old & while exactly not the biggest dog (his puppy paws were deceiving! LOL) he is a healthy & fit 60 pounds of fun.
Occasionally too much fun~he’s prone to climbing & hopping. He’s the bounciest big dog I’ve ever met!
That said, the foods (dry) that I’ve been swapping around have included: Whole Earth Farms puppy, Castor & Pollocks Organix. Wellness Core (which is NEVER marked down!)
Nutro Max & lately Zignature Turkey. He really likes the Zignature, as do I as it’s relatively affordable.
The canned food I’ve used (I call ‘unders’ as I put it on the bottom of his bowl.) Are very varied. There are a lot different pet stores near me, so I get whatever decent brand catches my eye & is on sale.
I must say, the one can I bought of Trippetts went into the trash as I couldn’t stand the smell of it.
So there’s my long winded tale of rotation feeding.
In our case it’s been great!

[jakes mom]

Pitlove, I see what you mean, I went back on the Darwin’s site. The autoship doesn’t bother me that much. They will email a few days before they ship and I check emails every nite so it’s no problem for me to change or delay a shipment. I did shoot them an email asking about the availability of single proteins instead of the combos but have not heard back from them (just sent it last nite). I’ll let you know when I hear back.
I rec’d the food tonite. I have a couple of packages in the fridge, thawing. It’s packed very well, with a little dry ice. Everything was rock hard when it arrived. One thing you may not like is, they ask you to return the cooler box. Give you a return label so it doesn’t cost anything but may be inconvenient if you’re not near a UPS store.
I had another thought for you, too. Have you tried freeze dried raw? ( Sorry if you mentioned that in a previous post) I use Primal nuggets sometimes. Comes in a bag with chunks that you just crumble with your fingers and add a little hot water. Very convenient, and you could customize it for her with a bit more or less water depending on her preference. Look for it with the higher quality dry food, not in the fridge/freezer with the other raw products, also online, got mine at Chewy’s. Various flavors and bag sizes.
I’ll try feeding the kitties this weekend, when the stuff thaws. Wish me luck!

[Anonymous]

Hello
I am soon to be a weimaraner owner. Like every owner I with for my puppy to eat very best I plan to cook dog food when I can, but i need also dry food from time to time. Reviews on this site are very helpful but there is not many european brands. For reviewed food my choice is Acana Large breed. But there is few more brands for which I wish to hear opinion from experts. I listed links only to puppy food.

Cibau – Recomended by breader
(http://www.farmina.com/?q=en/node/100)

Brit – Recomended by breader and vet
(http://www.brit-petfood.com/products/dogs3/premium8/dry7/junior-l1111/)

Sams field – My choice because it contains 65% of meat and 30% cheaper than Acana
(http://www.samsfield.com/junior-large)

Looks promising and affordable:
Nutrivet – 80% meat grain free (http://www.new-instinct.com/dog-food/nutrivet/instinct/growth-nutrients)

Optima nova – 65% of meat (http://www.optimanova.eu/en/products/view/puppy-large-chicken-rice)

mac’s soft – 65% meat herman only (http://www.macs-tiernahrung.de/Macs-Soft/Huenchen/MACs_Soft_Puppy/MACs-Soft-Puppy-Huhn-15kg)

Simpsons – 80% of meat (http://www.simpsonspremium.com/puppy-dog-food?product_id=95)

Lower quality brands :
Meradog – (http://www.meradog.com/en/products/high-premium-puppy/sort-overview/junior2.html)

Josera – (http://www.josera-dog.com/premium/junior/)

[Pitlove]

Personally Im not really against meal simply because in a dry extruded form whole meats tend to only make up about 20% of the food as they are 80% water and the water is lost in the cooking process. Definitely still want to give this line a try though!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Carrie-
So, they must be struvite crystals then. The Hill’s s/d diet does dissolve crystals and I wouldn’t mess around with them. I feel that you should follow the vet’s advice. The s/d is to be fed only until the crystals are gone. It is not a long term food. The Hill’s c/d can be fed long term. I would assume that your vet would recommend to use that after the stones are gone. Definitely try to use as much of the canned s/d as you can afford and that she will eat rather than the dry. Also continue to make sure she gets as much water and potty breaks as possible. There are other brands of urinary vet food that you may want to look in to such as, Purina, Iams, Wysong and Royal Canin that may look better to you. But, for now, I would feed the s/d until dissolved.

After the stones are gone, maybe with the help of a holistic vet or a canine nutrition expert, you can transition to a non vet food. Another thing that is helpful in keeping pH levels more consistent is to feed smaller frequent meals and very little kibble. Good luck to you!

[Pitlove]

i know right! lucky for me EVERY food is kitty crack to her. Since eating the fancy feast she has not refused any other food thank god. She had a can of Merrick Turkey pate today and went just as nuts for it as always. i really got lucky with her. no dry food addiction and she will eat anything i put in front of her. I am the exact same way with trying to balance the quality of the foods both my cat and dog eat. I’m doing the Iams purrfect delights, max cat, WEF and FF as my budget foods, but I still always cant help but get her a few cans of regular Merrick, Nature’s Variety etc as a way to still have a higher quality food in her diet. name with my dog too. plus with the budget foods it allows me to a feed a higher quality kibble to my dog since unfortunely i do have to feed kibble.

ya i totally understand. we dont have much wildlife like that here but i would hate for her to run off. I bring her outside on her harness sometimes but she hates it lol!

[Pitlove]

I love Orijen personally. My dog has just finished two bags of it (the Regional Red and the Adult Dog) and now we are on a bag of EVO. My dog used to be quite picky as well, lately what I’ve done is wet food on the bottom of the bowl topped with the dry food and I change the dry food he eats every bag, whether it be a different protein or different brand. Gives him a variety and he has been eating great since I started doing that. Before when I was just feeding the same boring dry food all the time with no wet he would sniff the bowl and walk away. Now when I’m making his food he sits right next to me and stares at me waiting for his food and devours it when I put it down. Feeding canned food can be very expensive, and because I have a tight budget I try to go for the more budget friendly wet foods like Walmarts brand Pure Balance (5 star rated on here) and Tractor Supplies 4Health (rated 4 stars on here), Merricks Whole Earth Farms line which is about 1$ more than those so I don’t get as many and then he gets special treat wet foods like Wellness CORE, Nature’s Variety and Merrick Classic. But since those are more expensive I only do like 1 or 2 cans of each. It allows me to feed a higher quality dry food, which is where you really don’t want to skimp if possible. Canned food is far closer to a species appropriate diet for them and most holistic vets will say that they would rather see a dog eating the most dumpy terrible canned food than to see them eat dry kibble.

Glad Orijen is working for you! If she gets bored of that brand switch the brand! Just like a human being, a healthy dog can change his diet constantly with no digestive upset. You can add yogurt or kefir to the food as a probiotic and canned pumpkin for the fiber in case of diaherra. The healthy bacteria in the yogurt and kefir will help make your dogs stomach healthy enough to withstand the change in diet

[Anonymous]

I agree with Marie. However, if you must use dry food, soak it in a generous amount of water overnight, before serving.

[InkedMarie]

I recommend you stop feeding a dry food…dogs with these issues need moisture. Canned, raw or dehydrated are your best bet.

[bigthree]

I have a 2 and a half year old chocolate lab how has lately been very picky about eating her dry food. I give her Nutro Natural chicken and rice recipe and lately the only way I can get her to eat it is to mix it in with the wet food and even that is difficult. Does anyone else use this brand and if so have they had any problems with it? I would like to change the dry that I use any suggestions would be very helpful.

[Catherine M]

Thank you, crazy4cats. You’re a doll for answering my post!
Yeah, with my husband sudden passing, my sons and I had a lot on our plates to figure out and take care of, so we just did the easiest thing. That meant whatever was sold at Sam’s Club, such as Pedigree. Since then, things have settled down, and I am back to being my “what’s best” instead of “what’s easiest” -self.
In looking over the list here in this site, I decided to try all four dogs on Nature’s Recipe dry dog food. We chose the grain-free chicken, sweet potato, and pumpkin, because I know all four dogs like those foods, and chicken is easier on the liver. So far, the last day or so, since we started them on it, it has been easy to feed, and they are getting the nutrition they need.
We have two dachshunds and two papillons. One of the dachshunds is pure white deaf and blind, and he is so picky that we have been adding some of the canned Nature’s Recipe as a topper to help him eat better and gain a little weight. The dachshund with the liver problems seems to love the Nature’s Recipe, and I hope it will be kinder to her liver than anything else she’s eaten.
Anyone else who has experience with dogs and liver problems, please feel free to comment! Many thanks in advance!
Cathy

[Steven K]

I have a boxer rottweiller mix and he’s around 4 years old. He has had off and on allergies throughout the years and the vet has always told me just to give him some benadryl. The allergies seem to be consistent now and the benadryl doesn’t help so i’m thinking it might be in his food. I feed him purina one doge food, My other dog who is a 9 year old yellow lab doesn’t seem to have any problem with the food. I am looking into the Acana dry food, any other ideas are very much appreciated!

Symptoms: excessive itching on body and ears
– scratching of nose
– licking lips
– runny eyes

[Mike Sagman]

Merrick Whole Earth Farms (both dry and canned) has been on our Editor’s Choice Budget Friendly list since March 2014. You are probably looking at our “Other Budget Friendly Dog Foods List” found just below the Editor’s Choice section.

Hope this helps.

[Valerie K]

Life’s Abundance Large Breed Puppy Food – Dry

[Pitlove]

Grain free is typically best Jamie. HOWEVER, grain free doesn’t always mean carb free. So be very careful about just trusting a bag of food to be species appropriate because it doesnt have grains in it. Dr. Mike has the dry matter basis carbs on each of the reviews on this site which is very helpful for selecting one that is low in carbs. usually when the protein goes up the carbs go down, but again making sure that the first three ingredients are whole meats or meat meals. That will mean that the majority of the protein is coming from animal protein and not plant protein.

jakes mom- thanks! i think im gonna try out the Winn Dixie near me today and see if they have it. I’d love to get my dog and kitten started on it

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

[Catherine M]

Hi everyone!
I have an 8 year old long-haired mini-doxie named Sweet-Pea. She was recently diagnosed with fatty liver disease when tested at a visit for glaucoma. I am feeding raw meats (various kinds) mixed with rice and sweet potato. She had been off of the raw diet for several months, eating dry pedigree food since I had lost my husband and just taking care of things was overwhelming to me. But I went back to the raw after he diagnosis, and also am giving supplement of milk thistle for her liver. She has voracious hunger and thirst, and pees an ocean, sometimes not making it outside. I know this water drinking and peeing are related to the liver disease.

So what do you recommend to feed her? Red meat is not the best for her, although I feed other meats when I can, and doing the raw diet seems to be too much work for my 4 dogs, including her. I’m looking for something easy to digest, easy on the liver (low ammonia-producing), and easy on the budget and to feed.

Thanks for any suggestions you have!
Cathy

[Naturella]

I can’t help but wonder if maybe they get a lot of food during the day (dry and canned mixed, AND treats)? I know that some dogs become less motivated to switch back to kibble if they get a lot of food, or the kind of food they are used to (wet vs. just dry). And while I am a huge proponent of feeding moist food all the time, while implementing some of the great advice above, maybe you can think of whether you could find interesting ways to feed just kibble by putting it in a treat-dispensing toy such as a Kong (Wobbler), a Barnacle, or some sort of interactive toy/puzzle for dogs. For my dog, I do this once or twice a week, and sometimes, I just scatter his portion of kibble all over the floor and let him go all over the place to eat it. Lucky for me, he is very food motivated, and would eat just dry from his bowl at feeding time if I served that (I’ve tried). So you can try to introduce some interest by putting kibble in some toys and seeing if it works.

Also, if/when you do training, you can use kibble as treats and feed them their portion, or some of it, during training time. That works for me too.

But do try to stick with wet kibble (even with just water or chicken broth), it is much better for the dogs for the reasons other stated above. 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Hi Jamie F:
I can understand a busy life with family obligations! Making sure your dogs are eating properly can certainly add to the already stressful routine of taking care of your family. However, I also hope you re-consider eliminating canned foods. Here is a post with information about the benefits of canned foods:
/choosing-dog-food/canned-or-dry-dog-food/

It’s possible the canned food does not agree with them or maybe you are over-feeding a little. When you add canned or fresh foods reduce the amount of kibble to compensate for the added calories. You could even alternate between fresh foods and canned. If you still decide to eliminate the canned I suggest you continue to add boiled chicken or other dog appropriate meat to their diet. Fresh foods are a healthy addition to a kibble based diet. To keep your dogs’ diet balanced when feeding unbalanced foods, such as boiled chicken, be sure to keep the amount to no more than 10% of their daily caloric intake. Here’s info on adding fresh foods to a kibble diet:
http://dogaware.com/diet/freshfoods.html
You can find info on food calories here:
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/

As pitlove has already mentioned, consider feeding a rotational diet for variety. Look for several kibbles with different protein and carb sources. Check out the four and five star rated foods on DFA. If you buy from pet stores take the lists with you to help narrow down your choices.
/dog-food-reviews/dry/4-star/
/dog-food-reviews/dry/5-star/
Here’s some info on rotational feeding:
/frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/

L M’s suggestion for soaking the kibble and adding broth would be another option if you decide to stop feeding canned.

The Honest Kitchen Perfect Form is a supplement that contains ingredients to help with digestive upsets and firm loose stools, however it’s not a probiotic. Canned plain pumpkin helps with both loose stools or constipation.
3.2 oz Perfect Form Herbal Digestive Supplement
http://www.petmd.com/dog/slideshows/nutrition/3-health-benefits-pumpkin-dogs

Probiotics contain helpful live bacteria that may help with digestion. Adding a probiotic to their diet may also help with their gas and with transitioning to new foods. You could try something as simple as plain yogurt that contains live cultures or plain kefir; be sure they contain no artificial sweeteners. Here’s some info on feeding yogurt & kefir:
http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/05/foods-rich-in-probiotics-beneficial-for.html
Here’s some info on probiotics:
http://www.dogaware.com/articles/suppsdigestive.html#probiotics

I have used yogurt, kefir, and Swanson’s Ultra Soil Based Organisms when my dog had skin and fur issues in the past. He is doing well now so I don’t supplement with any at this time. I currently feed Actipet Ultra Probiotic to my cat for his skin and digestion issues. It has helped him a great deal. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Pitlove]

Hi jamie f- I’ve got a dog with a sensitive stomach that i am also using Origen Adult Dog for and wet food from a variety of different brands. Hes a picky dog and doesn’t like only dry kibble. One reason I would stay with the wet is because of the moisture content it puts back into your dogs diet that they lack with only dry kibble, which can lead to organ damage from minor dehydration. I completely understand the budget, I don’t have a fancy job and make just a little over minimum wage so I’m always looking for quality wet food thats lower in cost. Ive found that walmart carries a 5 star quality wet food called Pure Balance and Tractor Supply carries a 4 star brand called 4Health. I’ve had great success with both and they are cheap. The vomiting could be almost anything. and given that its not after every single meal with wet food i doubt that is the culprit.

However, if you are dead set on an only kibble diet try doing a rotational diet where you change their protein source and brand often to give them variety and add a probiotic like the Honest Kitchens Perfect Form or some canned pumpkin to help build up the healthy bacteria in their gut to be able to handle the food change. Eating one brand of food their whole life can be very unhealthy and just plain boring for dogs. just like a human dogs would probably tell us if they could that they want some variety in their life!

[Pitlove]

I have a year old pitbull featured in my avatar picture. he was for a long time the pickiest dog. i tried all sorts of different foods and combinations of dry and wet and i felt like all hope was lost for finding him something that he WOULD get excited about. i’ve always fed the same amount, that hasnt changed, but lately after i changed the way i prepare his food (using the kibble as a topper instead of wet food and using the wet food as the main source) he is excited to eat, hes licking the bowl clean and looking for more. i think your dog is going through the same thing. labs are food lovers, i don’t think shes hungry i think she loves her food! and is excited about meal time. our kitten does the same thing. meowing all the time acting like we don’t feed her, so i tested her one night. i fed her her normal 3oz can and then gave her another and she barely touched it. i had to throw out 90% of the can. so i know shes not hungry she just loves to eat just like some dogs! she gets the same way as your lab. very excited about meal time.

i dont think your dog is hungry. i think she loves food. as for her weight, if you get her on a high animal protein, moderate fat and low carb diet and cut back on how much she is eating she will lose weight. i suggest the Wellness CORE.

[maxcori2002]

My 8 year old lab is low energy and is always a few pounds overweight. She is also always hungry! I have her on the Wellness Senior. I’d like to switch her because she just seems too hungry and it is giving her terrible gas. She is also eating her own feces. Yuck. Nothing seems to be wrong health wise. She has done this off and on in her life. I have tried most additives and correctives. Just seems worse on this particular dog food. Any suggestions on a food that would leave her more satisfied and less gassy would be great. Thanks!
Cori

[idunnowhat2callmyself]

Okay, I’m just going to throw this out here because I’ve found this to be a remarkably useful website, and if there’s anyplace I might productively ask my question, it’d be here. I apologize in advance for the length of it.

My family’s got four dogs currently: One small, one medium, one medium-large, and one large. It’s a nice range. I try to order higher-quality kibble brands to offset the lower-quality ones sometimes brought home by other people. A month or two ago, I had a two-hour phone conversation with my aunt, who’s got one small dog on a raw diet (with wet canned stuff in the mornings.) I’d hoped to simply be able to follow her precise regimen, adjusted for our pack…and got a half-page worth of notes during that convo in Microsoft Word. I should’ve figured it wouldn’t be simple, and I suppose I could start ordering some whole rabbits or tripe or turkey necks and supplements or any of the other various things I jotted down from the site she mentioned…but the whole thing still seems so overly, excessively complicated and worrisome. She said that she hadn’t even told her vet about the switch, but had been at it for about a year now.

A few benefits stood out: Cleaner teeth naturally, because no matter how much toothpaste or how many correct-ingredient-inclusive wipes I use, nothing removes the ‘icky’ stuff (which is worst on the oldest dog.) My aunt also noted that cleaning up after them is much easier thanks to the raw–and since that job typically falls to me, I’d really appreciate that. AND potential weight loss/healthy-weight management, as well…I almost always opt for the low-fat variety of everything to be on the safe side. Fortunately the hefty Brittany did recently move down to a smaller dosage of heartworm med, and can suddenly fit behind the sofa again–so I guess it finally paid off.

I’ve given the pooches everything from the raw-coated kibbles to Stella & Chewy patties to Fresh Pet to Honest Kitchen “green slop” (we’ve had that huge box for over a year now), to dozens of kibble brands that all seem essentially identical–and so on and so forth. When I try to look up which kibble or commercial raw food to try (assuming that cans would disappear far too quickly to be worthwhile), I am instantly overwhelmed and confused–I see loads and loads of brand names and packaging and shapes, but all of the food and flavors appear to be the same. I have no idea how to even tell which to buy. The sizes and portions and pricing baffle me–how am I to tell what will feed multiple dogs of various sizes and breeds for more than a couple days? We usually get a new big kibble bag about twice a month. I simply cannot tell what the raw equivalent would be…and even for dry food, I’m now kinda stumped. Every time I’m asked to order another bag, I freeze. How to choose?!?! My list’s grown so long, and we’ve tried so many…now I usually go with whichever has the best price per pound at the time, and a decent rating/reviews. I wish I could just find the perfect brand to consistently turn to, and continuously rotate through their flavors and treats. (Deciding which treat to pick up becomes a whole other can of worms, and I’m just like, “Gods, why, why, why must this be so bamboozling?! Why the hundreds of redundant choices? The dogs don’t even care, they just want our stuff!”)

Only one of the four dogs eats neatly (my Saluki, who has a snood. 😉 The other three are slobs, knocking the bowls around and splashing before they even touch the floor. The little Beagle frequently flat-out refuses to eat from a bowl, insisting that the food be spilled onto the floor for him. Also, my mom’s a clean freak–and I’m a bit of one myself at times. For these reasons, I knew that any attempt to transition would be tough and drawn-out, if not impossible. I knew I’d have to discover the cleanest, neatest, easiest, least odiferous method.

Now, before I got older and started performing more research into these areas, my parents…well all right, let me just put it this way. The two Beagles we had at the time I was born ate cheap supermarket kibble and human leftovers, lived in the backyard, never once to my knowledge had their teeth brushed (the one had green teeth and rancid breath) or nails trimmed or even saw the vet…yet both lived happily & health-problem-free for 16-18+ years (we can’t be exactly certain because they were adopted from a shelter.) Thus it can be very difficult for me to convince these guys, no matter how many times I reiterate what the healthy-food brochures say, to go out of their way for “special frou-frou dog food” or anything they’re unused to.

WHEW. Ever so sorry to unload all that frustration here. Any advice, recommendations, or assistance that anybody ever feels like dropping would, of course, be most appreciated.

[dendad]

Thanks to this site, I found a great dog food for my two Chihuahuas. It’s Freshpet Vital Balanced Nutrition (Rolled). We’ve used it for a couple years now and until recently have been very happy with it. Then, the food started looking funny. It was dry and crumbly. I suspected that it had been frozen. I called the Fresh Pet company and they confirmed that this is what happens when their dog food is frozen. The lady says it doesn’t hurt it at all and agreed to send us a coupon to make up for the inconvenience. My question is this. If it doesn’t hurt the food to freeze it, then why is there a warning on the package that says to protect it from freezing? Anyway, I don’t think it’s the store’s fault. I’m thinking it was frozen somewhere between the factory and the delivery to the store. I hope I don’t have to research a new dog food again. Has anyone had this problem? Thanks.

[Valerie K]

I would like to nominate Life’s Abundance dry dog food – both the adult and large breed puppy. Available online http://www.lifesabundance.com

[Codex]

She said it would be easier for him to digest because dry food is more processed. That just doesn’t make sense to me.

[Codex]

Thanks for you suggestions. I was leaning towards wet food but I was just curious why the vet would tell me and her that dry food would be easier to digest.

[Lisa O]

Hi. Just wondering if anyone has figured out which brands of good dry dog food have the best price tag? I use Acana, but wondering if there are comparible foods at a better price? Thanks

[Codex]

My sister’s dog recently had more than a foot removed from his small intestine due to a blockage. However, I don’t know what part of the small intestine was taken out.

It’s been about two weeks since his surgery and the vet said we thinks he’s ready to be transitioned from Hill’s I/D to a dry food. For some reason the vet recommends dry over wet because dry will be more easily digested.

(Based on Hound Dog Mom’s suggestion on a similar post I’m going to have her give the dog pumpkin, kefir or another probiotic. Still looking for food recommendations)

[William M]

This is a private label dry dog food offered by H.E.B (a Texas only major grocer). Does anybody know who makes it and how it rates? The ingredients are almost identical to Taste of he wild. SOMEONE makes it for HEB, just wondering who? Anyone know? Thanks!