[bigthree]

Yes I do still make my own canned dog food, and I have mixed her dry with it. Here’s the kicker last night when I fed her I notice that she was just eating the homemade food. What I mean is she was spitting the dry food out on the floor. My other two dogs a
St. Bernard and a yellow give me no problem when it comes to feeding time. There is one thing that I noticed with Athena the stinker the dry food is the more she likes it.

[Pitlove]

Are you still doing the homemade canned recipes you and you vet made? I mentioned before I had this problem with my dog. Now the only way he will eat is with the wet canned food on the bottom and I have to lightly sprinkle the dry on top so that the dry doesnt mix in with the wet (which i mentioned before) I tried everything else and this is what works for me personally. Consider that she has an issue with texture. I know I do as a human, hence why I wont eat applesauce.

I firmly believe that changing my dogs diet regularly has helped him greatly in becoming interested in food again. You wouldnt want to eat chicken and rice your whole life, well your dog doesnt either. Its boring and eventually they grow tired of it. It also makes for a sick gut.

[Pitlove]

The only way my dog will eat is if I put the wet down first and then sprinkle the dry on top. I’ve been using both high protein dry and wet (he actually lost 2 pounds randomly wasnt intended).

Ive just been using 5 star quality kibbles and 4-5 star canned and its busting my wallet so Im trying to see if I dont really NEED to do that.

Right now for dry I have Fromm Four Star Nutrionals and Pure Balance Bison and I also have some THK Beef dhydrated raw. I switch between those right now for variety.
I usually have an assortment of canned foods also for variety but right now Im down to just the 4Health and Pure Balance.

He gets a can of wet and now a cup of dry on top since he lost weight when I was feeding half a cup and he was already at his ideal weight. Dont want him to get too skinny.

[Pitlove]

I agree with whoever told you they are detoxing. Its very common (from what i’ve heard) for animals suddenly being fed a much better diet to have diaherra. Not sure how long it should last, someone else would have to weigh in on that. If you (like me and others) have fed the occassional by-product food or “low end” food I can imagine that now on raw they have much more to detox from their body. OR even more so if they were on dry kibble and not human grade canned.

Best suggestion I can give you is call a holistic vet in your area, someone who will understand tranisitioning to raw for felines and ask if what you’re experiencing is typical or atypical and if they feel your kitties should be seen by a vet. I would keep trying the raw. I think their bodies are just in shock from a healthy diet.

[SUE A]

My bichon is not yet a year old – weighs about 7-8 pounds. I’ve been feeding her 1/4c dry twice a day. She goes #2 4 or 5 times a day – seems more comes out that goes in. Does anyone know of a good tiny dog food that she will absorb more and not create so much waste?

[jakes mom]

I do same as Bobby, dog gets cat food leftovers and stuff they won’t eat. Have never bought a bag of cat food specifically for the dog but I’ve used up a bag of dry cat food on Jake. I don’t see that it would be an issue in rotation but I wouldn’t feed cat food exclusively to a dog.

[Pitlove]

I believe the dry NV still contains taurine, not that that helps me at all. I was actually thinking about doing the NV dry cat food in my rotation for my dog because of how high the protein would be. Definitely gonna try it at some point now!

Ill be giving my pup some more primal tonight then as well 😛

[Donna M]

Same problem plus soft stool, with my 5 yr old Welsh Terrier. He does this on a random basis – maybe 2 to 3 times per week. Also has liver issues that are under control with Usodiol. He is/has been on Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet lamb and rice dry (and stared adding a little of canned version of the same about 4 months ago). Decided to try probiotics. I just started giving him probiotics: NWC Naturals. Mixed it in with canned food. He barfed that up. Am wondering if food is NOT the issue. Been to the vet. All suggestions welcomed, on the issue.

[Peter S]

Life’s Abundance New Dry Grain Free dog food.

[Pitlove]

gave my dog one primal nugget of the cat food (cant hurt can it? serious question). he ate it just fine lol. mixed it in with his dry and canned food. the kitty is still eating her canned mixed with primal. i mixed it in really good tonight so she cant just pick it out lol!

[“Blue”]

We feed Blue twice a day with a variety of dehydrated, raw and kibble. His stools are just fine.
Breakfast-
2/3 cup Origen dry
2-3 Tbls homemade milk kefir (topper)
1/2 cup Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance/Honest Kitchen

Dinner-
2/3 cup Origen dry
2-3 Tbls canned dog food (topper) or sardines (not topper)
1/2 lb. package Darwins Raw

These foods are not mixed into one in his bowl just as we place our food separately on a plate. He absolutely doesn’t have a favorite and may start in on any one. He will usually finish one before going to the next food, but not always.

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

[“Blue”]

I started to culture milk kefir last December for myself and shortly thereafter began using it as a topper on the dry food when the NWC ran out. We now feed a good quality dry so it’s prolly not needed as a probiotic but it works well as a topper to add moisture and flavor plus the probiotics, and for cheap. Anyone else feeding kefir?

[kenneth r]

Looking for a retail store that sells Brothers complete advanced allergy care dry dog food.

[Ronald]

I switch food plans, but dog is still over weight..

I think maybe I am confused on what and when to feed this dog..

I give her a cup of wet food for breakfast and one cup sometime cup and a half of dry food for dinner..

I have her on Pure Balance..

Just what is the proper portions to feed a black lab mix, she weighs about 60 pounds..
She was nice a trim two years ago when we got her, now she has a extra large belly..

If someone could advise me on when to feed and the portions, wet and dry or all dry..

Maybe I’m with the wrong food also, what woyld you suggest..

Thanks.

Ron..

[Edward B]

PitLove,

Sorry that’s kind of funny though as I’m transitioning my dogs to Merrick dry from Blue Buffalo. Researching dog food can be a nightmare in itself but i realized something in the process. Not every dog is the same, what works well for my dog might not do so well with yours. You kind of have to tone some of the discussion out and know your dogs well and see what they do best on. All the higher end dog foods still have their own issues and you still have to keep an eye out for things that aren’t acceptable to you as a pet owner. I completely agree that you not only have to know the food but the company and their practices as well.

[Carol V]

Dear Mike and DogFoodAdvisor.com staff & friends, thank you for this highly informative and easy-to-use website. It is a relief – and yes, a thrill! – to find current and accurate dog food info that I trust. Our two dogs have both experienced significant problems with dog food. One time was when Wellness tweaked one of the ingredients in their dry dog food and another time was when I gave each of our dogs ONE chicken jerky strip (probably from China). Now that I have found your website I am confident that I can make dog food decisions that are based on sound, unbiased information vs. marketing hype. Thank you for all the time and effort that you put into this outstanding website.

I also appreciate this community in which dog lovers share their experiences, raise questions, and have discussions about dog food and related issues. And kudos on your policies on not accepting ads and on requiring civil discourse. This website is absolutely wonderful and I am so glad I found it!

Best regards,
Carol

[Pitlove]

I agree with Marie. I tend to not like to feed anything under 30% and I like to see whole meats or meat meals as the first three ingredients. It lets me know that carbs are not making up the majority of the food. A healthy dog will process quality animal protein efficiently where as they won’t process plant based proteins as well. And carbs are just unneeded in a dogs diet, however there is no such thing as a carb free kibble as carbs are used as the binder to hold the food in its kibble shape.

Dogs who eat raw eat upwards of 40%+ protein and everyone i’ve ever talked to that feeds raw has had amazing success with it and finds their dog to be far more healthy than the average dog eating kibble. Hence why I stick to very high protein diets. Some I’ve used include Orijen and EVO(before I knew they were bought by Proctor&Gamble).

edit: The % difference when you look at the reviews on this site is a difference in the dry matter basis vs whats on the GA. The dry matter basis is how the carb levels are determined as well. It means that all the moisture content has been factored out just leaving the the meats grains carbs etc left.

/choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis/

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

[Terry W]

Kenneth , I have had great results with Grandma Lucys Dry Pre-mixed and Evangers
canned chicken and rice. You have to add a protein to the pre-mixed or the dog will become a vegetarian. You just add water to the dehydrated pre-mix (it is fruits, vegetables and berries) let sit 2-3 minutes and mix in the canned food. Be sure to put the canned into a plastic container upon opening and keep refrigerated. I can’t believe the success we have had.

[Gayle R]

I’m new to Dog Advisor and want to find out a replacement for the I/D can food my vet put my senior dog on due to loose stool. I don’t think the food is very good so I’m trying to find something better. She was always a “chow hound” and never had any problems with anything she ate before. Most of her life she has been on the raw diet but it seems that is causing the problem now. Of course, the vet recommended a dry food loaded in corn which I never give her and won’t now. She just turned 12 and has always been very active (Wire Fox Terrier) but has just recently gone blind on me. She has lost some weight, still eats pretty well but I want to find a better food for her. I’d appreciate any help or thoughts. Thank you.

[DogFoodie]

It might be the fish or even the potato in the Wellness, Jen. Try a different recipe. I couldn’t use Wellness at all because it all has fish oil in it. Check the fiber on the Wellness also. It seems like fiber is pretty high in most of their dry products. I just checked, it’s only 5%, which isn’t terribly high. One of my dog’s worst ingredients for loose stool is flax and the Wellness contains flax also.

I do understand your frustration. I’ve been at this for three years with my pup! One of the most useful tools I found to determine his problems ingredients was a journal. Save the ingredient panels for each and every food you feed him and make notes. Pretty soon, the common (problem) ingredients will start to pop out at you.

Edit: My dog’s original vet gave me I/D when my dog developed loose stool, too. It’s pretty common (the prescribing of I/D for loose stool and yes, I agree, it’s garbage). I now know that my dog was already having food intolerance issues at that point, possibly aggravated by vaccinosis.

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

[Kelly S]

We recently rescued a small mixed-breed dog and I have been looking at Dog Food Advisor when considering food options for her. We are looking at Pet Value brand Performatrin – Ultra Grain Free (dry), which rates a 5 star on this website. The bag claims about 37% protein and the rating here claims 41%. I was in a pet store today and the owner felt that 20-30% is a better protein number for your average household dog. This means that I am back to the drawing board on food options. We have also tried a food that isn’t on this site – Performatrin Limited – Ultra Limited Potato and Turkey formula. It is less ingredients and less protein. I am at a crossroads. At this pet store, the recommended brands were: Pet Kind, Spring Naturals, Nutri-Source, Orijen, Acana and First Mate. I am on here doing further research. Any insight is appreciated. Is there a FB group for this?

[Bobby dog]

Well that just shows you what type of foods you are researching, the better foods!!

Of course you’ll have to make your own determination about feeding Evanger’s. IMO it is too bad they have such issues because they make some affordable foods and also co-pack for some nice brands too.

Here’s the info I was remembering about K3 and seafood in pet food. This is from the 2012 edition of Applied Veterinary Clinical Nutrition:
“Cat foods rich in fish (> 25% fish on a dry matter basis) are currently required by states that adopt Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) guidelines (see Chapter 5) to add vitamin K3 or menadione and not the natural form vitamin K1 or phylloquinone found in foods such as green leafy vegetables. Occasionally, the safety of oral menadione supplementation is raised as a concern, but the basis of these concerns is not supported by the published literature as only parenteral delivery can be harmful (NRC 2006).”

[DogFoodie]

I wouldn’t touch anything canned by Evangers.

Recently though, I did contact Evangers to ask how manufactured their dry diets. Brett Sher responded immediately and confirmed that Mid-America Pet Foods in Texas co-packs their dry diets. On principal, I would generally not use anything Evangers, but with my dog with an abundance of food intolerance issues, I have to consider all options.

[Dotsy M]

Some seemingly healthy dry dog foods list as ingredients multiple vegetables, fruits, & herbs listed as “pomace”. Other equally healthy dry brands just list the veggies & fruits as ingredients, no pomace by the name.
What, if any, is the nutritional value of the “pomace” version of the fruits & veggies vs. the “non-pomace” veggies & fruits.

[Naturella]

pitlove – I see. Yeah, I try to feed foods with high animal protein too, and high overall protein levels. I was just trying to make note that those even are not for everyone either. But, I do agree that if a dog is healthy and capable of digesting those foods, then they should be tried, if financially feasible. And yes, tripe stinks!!!

Also, I have noted that one can feed less of the richer, more nutritious/calorie-dense foods. I do add toppers, but Bruno gets 1/2 cup of dry for the whole day, split between 2 feedings, with various toppers at each meal. He is at the healthy and lean 14.5-15lbs. So, Chris, you may even end up feeding a bit less of the Orijen (if you get it) or even Merrick, especially if you add coconut oil and tripe to Sparky’s diet.

And wow, Chris, Sparky sure is living the good life! 😀

[Pitlove]

I’ve read too that texture and even shape can be a huge factor for cats. maybe there is a way to make the raw mixture more chunky like canned food? im not really sure. it sounds like you have a lot of the difficult parts out of the way. i had such an easy time transitioning my kitten to wet food. she would get dry in the morning and canned at night and she actually PREFERED the canned food! it was awesome. she only weighs 6lbs at 8mos. Very small for her age but not underweight at all. vet told me she was a “teacup”??

darwins site recommended for her age feeding 4%. idk if thats right but it said about 2lbs a week if I remember correctly.

[Pitlove]

chris and naturella- Orijen and even merrick arent always for everyone, however with the protein and all being similar I figured it couldn’t hurt to suggest. My dog from the beginning has always eaten a high protein food. I refuse to feed anything under 30% protein on a dry matter basis. I find there are far less carbs when you get into that realm and animal protein and fat is easier to digest than carbs and plant proteins for any healthy dog.

Also Chris, if there is ever a food u want to try but the price is outlandish, you can always get the smallest size bag and add that to the rotation to give him some variety and then next bag can be the cheaper but still good food. i have a 66lb AmStaff (named Bentley since we are sharing lol) and I keep him at his ideal weight with a 13.2oz can of whatever I have of wet food and 1/2 cup of whatever dry food he’s on with a digestive supplement in the morning and kefir at night and Im able to get 5 lb bags and have them last for a month if not a little longer. The Tripe is also an excellent idea, however as it is for supplemental feeding only you would probably find yourself feeding more dry with the Tripe. I have yet to try Tripe but I have heard the same thing Naturella said about the smell!

[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, 6 months ago by Pitlove.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 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, 6 months ago by Pitlove.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Pitlove.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 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, 6 months ago by Pitlove.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Pitlove.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 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, 7 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!