[Andrea H]

Thank you for your lengthy answer! I greatly appreciate it. I’ll check out the links. I’ll also think more about serving wet with her dry. I just hate it, it’s messy and if you want to feed a good brand it’s expensive. We do offer her quite a lot of healthy human food…she’s a lover of salad (as long as the lettuce is crunchy and not wilted, lol) and loves all types of fruits. I add them quite often to her food and of course it seems to be the only way to get her to eat some of the kibble. I have never had a problem with TOTW (aside from her not being excited about it) healthwise and her coat is beautiful. She’s healthy except for the CCL tear, we’ve been quite lucky with her. I’ve read so many reviews my head is spinning. Some are reviewed well but then when I read actual comments from users many of them make me think twice. I was going to get some merrick grain free tomorrow to mix in her TOTW (of course just bought a new 28 lb bag) and see if she likes it. If she seems more interested I’ll probably try transitioning her over to the Merrick. That seems to have a better review from actual users. I just worry that the protein content is quite a bit higher than the TOTW, I don’t want my dog to start getting digestive problems…she does have problems with some dairy, poor girl can’t eat ice cream but yogurt she LOVES! I guess it’s a lot of trial and error! Being she’s 8, I want her to enjoy her next (hopefully) 8 years! Thanks again!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Andrea:
People do mix different recipes/brands of food together. I am not a fan of it because if your dog does not like the food or doesn’t do well eating it you really don’t know which food is causing issues. I also do not feed or recommend any Diamond or Diamond manufactured product due to their recall history. Their last recall was within the past few years for cat food which is not noted on DFA; you can find their recall history here:
/?s=diamond

IMO you should reconsider your view of adding canned to her diet. The added moisture is so healthy for your dog. I don’t blame her for not wanting to eat just dry kibble! I feed kibble for most meals with a topper of canned, fresh foods, or commercial raw. Here’s some info on the benefits of adding wet food:
/choosing-dog-food/canned-or-dry-dog-food/

Healthy leftovers would also be a good addition to her diet. Here’s a download that includes a menu of adding fresh foods such as eggs, lean meats, sardines, fresh vegetables & fruits to any quality of kibble according to the size of your dog. You can feed fresh foods as a meal or use them as toppers over a few days:
http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DN330EBK

Consider feeding a rotational diet. My dog does really well eating a variety:
/frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/

Some brands my dog does well on are Wellness, Nutrisource, Precise, Fromm, Annamaet, EVO, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and Grandma Mae’s. Some others often recommended on DFA are Eagle Pack, Pro Pac, California Natural, Dr. Tim’s, Hi Tek, Victor’s, Merrick, Whole Earth Farms, and Holistic Select.

[Andrea H]

Hi all! I’m feeding my 42 lb lab/pit mix Taste of the Wild dry. She’s been eating it for probably 4 out of her 8 years (possibly more). She’s never been an excited eater (unless it’s human food or wet stuff) but it’s getting worse as time goes by. She recently has recovered from surgery for a torn CCL and meniscus and during that time because we had to feed her pills she got a small daily dose of wet food with her dry and became spoiled. I would really prefer to just feed her the dry (more so because the hubs and I hate fiddling with the can, mixing the food, etc, yes, you can call us lazy). Right now I have lowered myself to sprinkling about a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of bacon bits into her food and she eats it right up. I’ve tried crumbling up a treat and mixing it in and that worked for a couple weeks.
I’m thinking she’s just tired of the TOTW or there’s something in that that doesn’t thrill her. I’ve tried different varieties to no avail. Most recent was the wild boar and she loved it at first but now not so much.
Wondered if any of you out there have a suggestion of a grain free dry that has similar protein content (think it’s about 31%) that maybe is more flavorful? She’s had no issues with the TOTW so would like to stay right in the same range, I don’t want to up the protein too much because I’m afraid of loose stools, etc. If anything I don’t mind lowering it if it’s just a little. Also, really need to keep in the same price range if not lower. We’re paying about 50 bucks for a 28lb bag right now.
Any ideas?

[Richard T]

Any thoughts on Kirkland Signature (Costco) Grain Free Dry Adult Dog Food – Salmon

[Kevin W]

Do I need to transition if moving my dogs from TOTW to Arcana/Orijen? Considering the substantial price increase I’d prefer not having to buy another bag of TOTW…

I don’t know why I want change foods but feel like I want to give this other company a try for their quality and standards over TOTW. I’ve ALWAYS wanted to feed Orijen but enver could afford it. I’ve fed my dog since she could eat dry food TOTW for almost 6 years no and has been healthy and happy (boston terrier). WE just added a new addition to the family (staffy) who who has been on TOTW for 3 months and doing great. Healthy coat, no gas, and full of energy.

So would I need to buy a bag of both to transition or can I just make the switch?

[Rajeev S]

Hi yellow lab,generally higher calorie content food is preferred but tumor cells are much likely to use fat for energy. It is recommended that food should be 25-40 % fat on a dry matter basis. For them carbohydrates food should be less than that 25% of the food.
I suggest high level of protein and fats combined with lower levels of carbohydrates are most beneficial. Going grain free is the best option for the diet. Make sure you read the ingredient label and it will be good while the two ingredients are some type of meat. choose different brand that is very important.
BARF diet is best for the yellow lab. It contains biologically appropriated raw foods and also 75% meat and 25% fruit/veggies.

[Rajeev S]

Fats and oils are very much necessary for the balanced diet of healthy adult animals. A diet provides 10-15 percent fat and that is essential to maintain health. As it is ,it also have the other side,ie,it becomes a problem when dogs are allowed to eat more fat content foods and calorie foods without giving enough exercise to balance it.if the fat contents are too low then dogs can develop dry,itchy skin and dull coat. Unlike humans,dogs never worry about the cholesterol problem.

[Ellen D]

Hello –

I have a 3 month old labradoodle puppy. He was 20 lbs a week ago, so I’d think he’s between 20 and 25 now. He’ll be about 65 pounds full grown most likely.

I’m currently feeding him Nature’s Variety Instinct Large Puppy kibble, which I’ve now realized is even too high in calcium for him. He gets some Stella & Chewy meal mixer in with breakfast and I always give him either a scrambled egg, cottage cheese, pumpkin, or some plain meat chunks with dinner – lunch is plain kibble, as that’s at the day care most days. He gets a raw chicken wing or thigh as a treat a couple times a week right now.

I’m going to plead ignorance and admit that I thought I was doing a great thing by getting him “fancy” kibble and only realized a week into having him that there’s much, much more to dog food than dry kibble.

So my dilemma:

–I need to provide him with some form of kibble or dry-fed food for various reasons – the day care can’t mix his food, I do travel from time to time on business so he may need to be boarded 3-4 days per month, and I’m afraid if I stop kibble altogether he might refuse it while I’m away and be a very hungry boy when I return. However, this doesn’t have to continue to be a significant portion of his food. I am happy to keep it just to stuff Kongs/food toys so he stays used to it, but I need to have some on hand. I’ve narrowed this down to – Annamaet Salcha, Avoderm Turkey, or Fromm Beef Frittata.

–I am very interested in a raw diet for him, but I can’t decide what to do here. I’d like to have some freeze-dried product on hand (narrowed down to NRG Maxim and THK Love) for convenience. But ultimately, once he’s down to 2 meals per day from 3, I’d like to go as full raw as I can do – whether it be commercial or homemade or a combo. I have found what I am confident is a very good and versatile homemade recipe (from Ottowa Valley Dog Whisperer – are we allowed to post links here?). My one and only issue with this recipe is I need to sit down and do some maths and figure out what to add in terms of calcium – if I need to alter the recommendation in the recipe based on having a largish breed puppy.

–I am also interested in supplementing with raw meaty bones, as my dog really enjoys his chicken wings and chews them very nicely. Is it okay to just use rmbs as a supplement/treat kind of deal? Could/should I give him one daily or just a few times a week or is it better to just replace a whole meal with them? I would vary the meat/bone source often.

I’m trying to do the right and best thing for my puppy, and I’m 100% open to suggestions and criticism about my plans. I welcome any and all advice, as I’m new to this and my head is just spinning. Added to this is that my wife travels 5 days a week, I work full time outside the home, and we have a 4 year old (human) daughter as well as 2 cats and about 200 fish haha! So I’m a single parent 5 days a week. I’m really at the mercy of convenience. However, I can manage an evening cooking session once a week or a couple times a month and can freeze portion sized amounts. It’s just a matter of figuring out that pesky calcium balance. The recipe calls for powdered eggshell or bone meal. OR I can add whole prey meat to the recipe – I assume I would grind this – and omit the eggshell.

If I were to make the homemade diet, I feel like I would probably feed that for 2 meals per day and continue with kibble for 1 meal. And then when pup’s down to 2 meals, perhaps full homemade with kibble in the kong or as hand fed treats so he stays accustomed to it.

Last question – there doesn’t seem to be a lot of question/issue with feeding raw meaty bones or prey model diets to large breed puppies. Does the nature of a raw diet negate the need to watch the calcium levels so closely?

[JeffreyT]

Here is Dr. Karen Becker’s overview of environmental allergies…she has other good ones listed on the right side of screen. She highly recommends bathing for environmental allergies. We did her betadine foot soak and it helped stop the paw licking/chewing.

If you don’t already…use only natural, unscented laundry detergent, avoid fabric softener, scented products like room deodorizers, candles, body care, etc., use pure and non-toxic household cleaning and body care products for your family and dogs, avoid all chemicals including flea/tick treatment. For dog shampoo I stick with unscented health food store baby shampoo, and use Mercolas flea and tick spray. BioKleen household cleaners are very pure and effective. I stay away from Meyers…very toxic stuff, even though it’s sold in health food stores.
Carpet and Persian type rugs can hold a lot of allergens…consider steam cleaning but do not let them use the cleaning solution..use only the steam. Best thing is no carpet at all if it is environmental allergies.
I’ve found my dog does better with commercial raw freeze dried and frozen raw than kibble or canned. When I’m in a rush, I use Ziwi Peak or Real Meat Food Company…both air dried using grass fed meat. I think home cooking is also a good option if you can swing it.
Also, a good air purifier helps.
Keep at it and you will find the solution.

[Rachel A]

OK. I have looked them over and this is what jumps out to me in the Wellness line.

Potatoes
Chicory Root
Tomato Pumice
Peas

In the Blue Buffalo, there are so many different possibilities that I have decided to completely disqualify the brand. (alfalfa meal? Isn’t that for horses?)

I have noticed that Wellness has a lamb and oatmeal formula. What say you all to trying this? It will give a completely different protein and it also eliminates potatoes. The only other commonalities would be from the above list with the addition of rice.
Is there anything that I should be aware of about oatmeal or rice? I know that starches can exacerbate the problem, so I am almost at a loss at to what dry dog food I can use. Should I perhaps try the wet version? It does not have the rice. Thanks!

[Jean Ann]

Has anyone heard recent/updated information on brands of dry kibble and Aflatoxins?http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/cancer-causing-aflatoxins-found-in-dog-foods/
Article in Dogs Naturally Magazine

I feed Wellness Complete Health Healthy Weight dry to all 3 Cavaliers, and I mix it with Wellness Simple because our canine cardiologists recommends low-ingredient foods. I add a teaspoon of Wellness Stew. So far, all are doing beautifully and none are overweight.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

[Dori]

Good idea losul. I’ll give them a call and see when I can arrange this. They’re probably about 30 or 45 minute drive away. Would be interesting even though as you say I’m not going to feed their foods I’ve never been taken a tour of any dog food facilities. Thanks for the idea.

I must have not paid close enough attention to the puppy blend. I just wish dog food companies regardless of whether they’re dry, wet or raw would stop mixing everything up. There are so many dogs with food issues at this point that it’s getting harder and harder for some people to feed their food sensitive dogs.

[Dori]

I just went back onto their site and looked over the foods again. I agree with you that the only one that I could see feeding is the puppy formula. But, as I mentioned, I’m uncomfortable not knowing about antibiotics and hormones. For my husband and myself I try to buy organic as often as I can and always make sure that there are no hormones or antibiotics as best I can. Another issue that I have with their other formulas is that I don’t like that they have more than one protein. If a food says it’s beef, I’d like not to see chicken. Same with their other formulas. I think the puppy is the only one that is one protein source. One of my dogs is highly intolerant of all things fowl.

As far as the AAFCO statement, I really don’t pay much attention to it. That they have slapped that statement on so many foods that are so not AAFCO equivalent is appalling. So how can you believe any of it. There’s no one guarding the hen house. I’m a commercial raw feeder and all the companies that I feed are only ones that use human grade ingredients. Now, of course, I don’t know that to be a fact because I’m not an eye witness in their manufacturing facilities but I’m doing my best to take care of the girls as best I can. I’ve attempted to do my due diligence. If I remember correctly AAFCO figures were done for kibble, possibly canned too. I’ve read somewhere that they are suppose to be coming out this year with their new figures a bit more in line with the EU guidelines. They’re still not talking commercial raw foods into account so it’s not going to affect me or my dogs one way or the other. I would possibly be more concerned about the AAFCO statements on dog foods if I fed highly processed dry foods or if I only fed my dogs one food and never rotated. That could lead to a problem which is why we are always trying to get people to understand that they should research and implement rotational feeding. The FDA is their own little story unto itself in my eyes. The way they recommend or abolish products has no merit in my eyes whatsoever.

[losul]

Basically I think if they are putting an AAFCO label of nutritional completeness on their foods, i doubt they should be doing so. On the other hand, for me, AAFCO guidelines hold much less relevance for well rounded quality whole, foods, and really become much more relevant the more heavily processed foods. kibbles, etc. I don’t like to many excessive and uneccessary added vitamins/minerals to raw diet.

I’ve not seen guaranteed analysis of their products. The analysis they show is a bit confusing, especially the way they have broken certain items down.

I think I can assume that fat means total fat, carbs mean total carbs, it wasn’t at first plain to me from their analysis. But the total calories still don’t quite reconcile?

Going by what i can here’s the best I come up with on the puppy blend. I hope this comes out looking like a spreadsheet, never has for me before on the review side anyway 🙁

Analysis % %Dry Matter Approximate % calories from?:
——————————————————————————————————-protein 14.02 46.6
fat 7.58 25.2 about 51% ?
carbs 6.57 21.8
water 69.92
ash/other 1.91 6.3
——————————————————————————————————-
100 99.9

Going by those figures, the fat doesn’t look out of line, particularly since the product has added coconut oil and salmon oil, already. I might give consideration feeding the puppy blend (to my adult) on a supplemental basis. I’d be interested in how the veggies, particulary the kale, are processed to make more digestible., and if the mung and adzuki beans are cooked in addition to, or simply just sprouted.

Edit: yeah it didn’t come out looking like a spreadsheet, at all. I’ll have to try doing something about that later.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 11 months ago by losul.

[Emily W]

Mine eat the Wellness Core in the evening. I have 2 dachshunds that are mine and 2 dachshund that are fosters. They eat Wellness Stew in the morning or Stella & Chewy Freeze Dry. They don’t get many treats because I don’t want them eating to much junk food.

[Bobby dog]

I am not sure if there is a magic number I can give you; every dog is different. I feed about half kibble the rest canned, raw, or fresh foods and I have had success aiming for moderate to low carbs. I have had to play around with my dog’s diet due to skin issues. I am happy to say after close to a year of lots of elbow grease and tweaking his diet he has healthy skin and a beautiful coat.

Here’s my list and carb %’s on a DMB using the data from each company’s website:
Fromm’s Shredded Beef 22%
Merrick Golden Years Medley 8%
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials LID GF Chic/Broth 11%
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials LID GF Lamb/Broth 11%
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials tub LID Duck 11%
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials tub LID Venison 11%
Nature’s Recipe tub GF Chic & Duck 8%
Nature’s Recipe tub GF Chic & Venison in broth 8%
Nature’s Recipe tub Chicken in broth 6%
Nature’s Recipe tub Chic & Turkey in broth 11%
Nature’s Recipe GF Chic & Turkey stew 22%
Nature’s Recipe GF Chic & Venison Stew 22%
Tiki Dog Kauai Luau 8%
Tiki Dog Lahaina Luau 13%
Tiki Dog Maui Luau 17%
Tiki Dog Tonga Luau 11%
Wellness Core Weight Management 16%
Wellness Stews 17%
Weruva Marbella Paella 7.2%
Weruva Bed & Breakfast 23.6%
Weruva Paw Lickin’ Chicken 9.7%

There are more foods out there, these are just local to me. Here is a site you can use to find carb %’s on a dry matter basis:
http://www.scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html

[Dog_Obsessed]

Hi pitlove,
What do you consider low-carb? The Orijen Regional Red has about 28% carbs on a dry matter basis. It seems that most canned dog foods have similar carb readings, as canned foods tend to be much lower in carbs than kibble. So I would say to browse around some of the high-quality canned foods, and find one that looks good. You can look at the DFA review to see the carb content, or if you are considering a formula that is not the one highlighted in the review and want an exact reading, then you can manually calculate the carb content. First, use this system to find the as-served carb content: /choosing-dog-food/dog-food-carbohydrate-content/
Then, use this system to convert it to dry matter basis: /choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis/
Good luck! 😀
–DO

• This reply was modified 10 years, 11 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Pitlove]

Really interested as to if any of you have found any canned foods out there that are low carb. I have an 11 mo pit with a yeast infection under his nail beds and aside from the foot soaks and anti-fungal meds, I’m trying to prevent/combat this with his diet. I’m going to be switching him from NV Instinct Raw Boost to Orijen Regional Red for his dry, but I have to feed him wet as well. I am having a hard time finding a canned food without tons of carbs, mainly potatoes. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Ronald-
I have two lab mix males, one is 80lbs and the other is 85lbs. My dogs are both just like yours, usually nice firm “output” in the morning, but soft in the afternoon. We usually walk them in the afternoons and I have blamed it on that. They get so crazy, excited on their walks still, and they are almost four years old! So, I thought maybe that gets their stomachs a little crazy. But even on the days without walks, it still seems a little soft. We mix canned food in their kibble in the morning and usually something fresh or frozen in the afternoon, such as eggs, sardines or commercial frozen raw. So, I am also wondering if it is the canned food in the morning that contributes to it. However, I only give them a couple of TBS in their dry, so wouldn’t think it would be the cause? Maybe I’ll try to do canned in the evening instead for a bit and see what happens. Let me know if you get anything figured out!

[Eliseo M]

Hello everyone. My English bulldog puppy, Tyson, is now 8.5 Weeks old. We got him on 29 March. They gave us Royal Canin. I read up on Royal Canin and also found this site which led me to purchase Blue Buffalo Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe for puppies. This is kept in stock on base (I am stationed at USAG Yongsan, South Korea).

Over the last 2 weeks his stool has been more pudding diarrhea than solid. Thankfully it hasn’t been uncontrolled (he almost always poops on a pad). It also isn’t “brown water”. He has had no vomiting. He drinks a normal amount of water. He is still active and playful and is putting on weight.

We played with his amount of food and now he gets more solid stools (still has a pudding diarrhea towards the end of the day). However, we noticed he began tearing a lot, to the point he is getting small stains. He also recently began scratching at his ears.

Today we had his 3rd round of vaccinations. The vet looked at his ears, face and eyes. She also looked at his paw pads (between toes). She said he may have a small allergy to the food.

We bought Royal Cannin Hypoallergenic food at the vet office. There is nothing on base and our options at the time were limited.

How do we best go about figuring out this food allergy?

How long should I feed him the hypoallergenic food?

Also, once I am ready to switch back to a puppy food I was thinking of going with Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free Dry Dog Food for Puppies. My thinking is this is a 5 star food and is also grain free which he may be having an issue with.

Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance 🙂

[Ronald]

Abby my dog is a Black Lab mix, female about 8 years old and weighs about 50 to 60 pounds…She is overweight..

I have been feeding her Pure Balance dry and wet food.

Wet food, chicken with brown rice in the mornings…half the can..

Dinner is either salmon or bison one cup sometimes a little more..

She has been on Pure Balance now since about the end of January this year..

What I notice is a couple of things.. Morning she has a poop it’s firm, I believer due to the dry food..
Late afternoon she has a poop it is mushy, I think due to the wet food..

Seems to be something not right here, why a mushy poop, been like this since I changed her food..

Any thoughts on this..

• This topic was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Mike Sagman. Reason: Fix Duplicate Topic Title

[zcRiley]

A reduced amount of high-quality protein and high moisture content are essential, but phosphorus intake must be restricted. Fluid therapy is a must during this time. If you’re unable to make your own food or switch to soft canned food (obviously moisture rich), then the following might be of interest to you:

(If you want to subtract potatoes & eggs): ZIGNATURE Trout & Salmon Meal Limited Ingredient Formula Dry Dog Food

WELLNESS Simple Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Salmon & Potato Formula Dry Dog Food

Of course, they do soft canned food as well. Perhaps the vet can also check to see if your pup has an intense bacterial infection or urinary obstruction, just in case.

[JPStPierre]

For 2 years now I have been feeding a home made “natural” diet.
We have 6 dogs.A bassador,Great dane,Pyrennees,Boxer,Jack Russell and Kelpie.
Every day the batch consists of a 5 pound chicken ground bones and all.Frozen veggies ,eggs and yogurt in a blender w liver added in.
This yields 10 pounds per day.We feed twice a day.1 pound ea meal for the bigger dogs.3/4 pound per meal for the other 4 dogs.
They used to have health problems while on dry.We did feed them premium food.
My lawn was a minefield of undigested food.They rarely had enthusiasm for meals.
Now when I start to grind they all get very excited.
We have also noticed that it actually costs us less doing this.
Even if it cost more I would still do this.

Wish you all well! Take care and enjoy your companions.All ours are rescues.

[Jeffrey G. P]

Can someone tell me what they think the best dog food is for a Jack? He is 3 yrs old (tomorrow) and started him on Blue Buffalo, but Vet thought it was to rich for his tummy as he always had loose stools. Vet put him on Hills Prescription ID, has been on it a year and stools are much better. Time for a change.. I give him dry and wet together. Any suggestions? Thanks…

[Anonymous]

Any kibble with chicken (salmonella), or any jerky/treats (China) are suspect, no matter what the brand, imo.

Nutrisca salmon and chickpea dry food is the food that my small breed that has allergies and a sensitive stomach likes. Her specialist/dermatologist agrees it is the right food for her, limited ingredients.

I like Wysong, but she had some GI upset with it, however, my senior small breed does best on Wysong senior.

[Anonymous]

I might start with that amount…. twice a day. If she starts getting fat, decrease the amount a little. When you speak to the vet, ask him if those amounts sound right.

I have to say, regarding the food, sometimes it depends on the dog. When I was a kid we had a shepherd mix, he got 1 can of Calo a day (comparable to Purina), not much to pick from back then, he lived to be 18 years old!

PS: Check chewy.com, their prices look good.
If I remember correctly, 1 pound of dry food = about 2 cups, so you can do the math.
A 15 pound bag will usually last me a month for 2-3 small dogs

• This reply was modified 10 years, 11 months ago by Anonymous.

[Anonymous]

I can only go by my experience, I have changed dog foods and the only adverse reaction I observed was a loose stool or two.
But, the recommendation is that you go 1/2 and 1/2 with the old and new food for a few days, mix them together.
The thing about higher quality food is that they don’t need as much of it, my 9 pound poodle mix has 1/4 cup of Nutrisca salmon and chickpea dry twice a day with about a tablespoon of cooked chicken or lean meat added.
Maybe a bite of kibble or meat as a snack once or twice a day.
I get the boneless chicken breast and sandwich steak in the reduced price section of my local market. After you cook it up, you can freeze daily servings in small freezer bags.
I find this to be cost effective. I am leery of all kibble, I try to keep the kibble just as a base, 20%-30% of the diet.

[Anonymous]

I like Nutrisca, salmon and chickpea, dry food as a base (the kibble is small), combined with homemade. See reviews at chewy.com http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

I only use kibble as about 30% of their diet, I buy boneless chicken breast, sandwich steak (from the reduced price section at my local market), cut it up, cook it a little and use it as a topper.

[Akari_32]

She won’t eat her food if it’s all dry. Hurts her mouth too much, I’d assume. She doesn’t mind a few crunchy pieces, so I figure it’s better than nothing with some of them still being hard. I do still have some mint flavored Denta Sticks that I had planned on donating. Maybe I could give her one of those every couple days, as well?

I did ask about the chewable Denamarin, but they apparently don’t have that.

The vet has been fine with doing the dental all along, it’s mom now that keeps going back and forth. After the blood work came came, he did say he wanted to do the Denamarin and Baytril for a while first, and then do the dental, but he’s never said he’s not wanted to do it (the other antibiotics, previously, were given on my request to at least help fend off some of the infection in her mouth some while I got more information, and then later, while I got mom on board). Mom’s the one keeping us from getting it done at this point. The dental is coming from her pocket, because I paid for the blood work. She’s doesn’t want anything to happen to Ginger while she’s under anesthesia, which I understand, but I do feel like it she would be ok at this point. Ginger’s almost completely different now, so much more spunkier, and actually wanting to do things. At this point, because it is moms dog, and money, all I can do it just bug her about it. Ginger’s do for a check up here in less than a week, and I have heart worm tests for the others to get done, so I’ll talk to the vet then and see what he says.

I have tried giving coconut oil before, but it upsets her stomach so bad that I don’t think it’d be wise to go down that road again LOL

[linda b]

I live in Nova Scotia and one of the grocery stores I shop at is Sobeys. I was looking for some health dry dog food that wasn’t as expensive as some are. I quickly looked at a brand called Harringtons and on the bag it said Natural Wholesome Nutrition on it and it showed a British Flag on it. I looked it up on the net and I didn’t see a bad review on it, at least where I looked. can anyone tell me if that brand of dog food is alright. also, can a brand of dog food , that is good , be left off the advisor’s list? just wondering.

linda_blackburn@hotmail.com

[Jane C]

I can only tell you of my experience with The Honest Kitchen food I am presently feeding my 8 year old J.R. She has always had a itch problem. One flea can set her wild with chewing and licking so have to watch this closely. Even then she never seemed as comfortable as our other two dogs. I was feeding all three Nature’s Logic. She is an easy keeper so never could feed even the recommended amount because she would gain weight (don’t want a fat dog). She always seemed hungry and sometimes would eat her poop, which I hated. Several weeks ago she began periodically throwing up what looked like her dinner and breakfast after eating breakfast. Did complete vet check and x-ray showed a possible ulcer. Stopped dry food and bought THK food that I add my own raw meat, rotating lean beef and turkey with a little sardine. Feeding the low end of the recommended amount. She has never thrown up again, satisfied and not hungry, stopped eating her poop and not itchy. I couldn’t be happier with these results so feel confident to recommend this food. Plan on another x-ray soon and hoping she is clear.

[Jane C]

Dog food recommended and sold in vet clinics contains corn and is not a high quality food. If you are wondering why it is sold in most every clinic it is because the clinic is rewarded by the manufacturer (kick backs). I have been dealing with a similar problem with an 8 yr. old J.R. She has a serious flea allergy, so that is the first thing to address. Even one flea sets her scratching and chewing. I will only use a topical flea treatment when absolutely necessary, otherwise flea comb daily. She is a rough coat so about March I clip her down a bit to help the flea problem. We live in the South and fleas can be awful. My best results have been to feed The Honest Kitchen food that I add my own raw meat. This ensures a balanced diet. On your size dog this could be pricy but it will be worth it in the long run. If you are using steroids please stop as they do so much harm. Start on the low end of the recommended amount and adjust. Then if you begin to see the results start adding back some dry food. I recommend Nature’s Logic as no ingredients sourced from China, all NATURAL ingredients and great company. Ck. out their website. I have 2 other dogs that are doing great on it. Hope this helps. soldiermom1

[misjea]

Have been researching dog foods because I am about to make a change. My goldendoodle is 8 years old and has been on Royal Canin chicken based dry food for entire life (Vet recommended). He has always had itchy skin so considering possible allergy. Had settled on Wellness Core Ocean Formula, but realize he is actually a senior now. Any recommendations?

[aquariangt]

Are you talking about this?

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/hills-science-diet-dog-food-adult-dry/

[Jennifer H]

What about using a roational diet with your dog so she doesn’t get bored? Finding 3 or so foods that work well with her and rotating every week or two so she stays interested. You could also look at using wet food toppers (cutting back some of the dry so she doesn’t put on weight) so there’s always something different and enticing her to eat. Just a spoonful or two mixed with the dry does the trick for a lot of dogs, and you can usually stretch the can about a week. I think I saw Farm & Fleet had several nice varieties of canned food, and Walmart also has their Pure Balance line and the Rachael Ray tubs.

[aquariangt]

Blue Buffalo is a bit of a slippery slope around here.

I’ll lead off by saying that the reviews are written in such a way that it is as unbiased as possible, following the same formula for every food. Ingredient Panel, Guaranteed Analysis which Dr Mike and team convert to dry matter to equally rate all foods. That’s all.

On paper, several Blue Buffalo formulas look quite nice.

All of that being said, it is up to the consumer to do the research from there. The forums and the review comments section are great to find out what you need to know. Blue Buffalo has been found to not be so honest about their ingredients, and the ingredient panel isn’t always what’s in the bag. Many, many dogs have had issues that they shouldnt, and people try to figure out why. They also don’t care to disclose information like who manufactures their food (its almost never themselves)

I avoid them like the plague. Taste of the Wild is manufactured by Diamond, a company of just as ill repute as Blue. The ratings are just the start of what you need to look for, and neither of those brands-while rated highly-will ever go near my dogs.

[olivia m]

We’re new and don’t know where this should be posted, but here goes. We went to Editor’s Choice after joining to change our pet food from Purina1 and Little Ceaser (sp?) and from this site we linked to Whole Earth Farms and ordered a case of Chicken & Turkey Recipe (it got 5 stars). And we ordered both wet and dry. In all we spent about $65.00. Of the 12 cans, we now have 10 (9 sealed/1 open). The other half cans we threw out. They won’t touch the stuff no matter how we dressed it up. Plain, mixed with the dry, green beans (their favorite), grated cheese. Nothing. The won’t touch this stuff and this isn’t an inexpensive brand. Can anyone advise us about what to do?

[Keith L]

Can someone please help!
I have a mix breed 11/2 year old female dog. She has always been a picky eater, but she no longer eats. There is nothing wrong physically with her as far as I can tell, she still plays and seems happy, but maybe she will eat an ounce or so a day!
I have tried different brands of dry and wet food, expensive and grocery store brands. I have even made my own food, but she will not eat!

I can not sit back and watch a dog starve its self, and please don’t say a dog will not do that… I am watching it happen!

I have tried sitting with her while the food is out, tried putting her in a separate quiet room with her food, tried feeding her in her crate… nothing works!

PLEASE HELP!!!

[cms60]

I used Dog Food Advisor years ago when my sweet Betty was first diagnosed with allergies. Wish your site was active then! I’m going to have to try something new now, so I’m glad to have it! The only allergy Betty has that isn’t listed is peanuts, but they don’t seem to be in any of the foods she can have otherwise since you kindly listed the ingredients.

Here is my problem: She is now a little older and the vet says she has an alarmingly high Calcium Oxalate concentration in her urine. They recommend the prescription dog foods, but the only ones she can have with her allergies are the wet ones, and I’m not a fan of the all wet diet. My dogs have always had great teeth, and I can’t discount the fact that I make them crunch some of their food. I add anything wet immediately before they eat.

Her allergies are: alfalfa, barley, carrots, peas, rice, soy, sunflower, and peanuts. My personal research indicates she could benefit from a diet higher in protein, sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and moisture and contents with decreased urine acidifying potential. The dry food has a greater potential for problem than wet (no moisture). In contrast, there is some evidence that diets higher in fats and lower in protein and potassium are likely to increase urine acidity and cause the Ca Oxalate to precipitate out.

Do you have any suggestions about this since you seem to have thoroughly studied the ingredients? I have been feeding Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream formulation for years. Currently, I am adding a lot of water to it to increase water intake.

Thanks!
Carolyn S.

[Anonymous]

She had a 2 for tyrophagus putrescentiae.
http://purelypetcare.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-are-storage-mites.html
Commonly referred to as the mold mite, tyrophagus putrescentiae is a grain storage mite. Increased moisture and humidity are the perfect environment for storage mites to develop. Colonization of the storage mite generally goes unnoticed until your dog or cat develops symptoms. Such mites are often found in dry kibble dog and cat foods as well as boxed pet treats.

[Phil L]

I have an eight-year old Welsh Terrier that has a history of both pancreatitis and calcium oxalate bladder stones. He’s been on several Science Diet Prescription Dog foods, like W/D Dry and I/D Low Fat Canned, and neither have prevented either the stones or the pancreatitis. Most experts say the food treatment for one condition is diametrically opposed to the food treatment for the other. One post I read suggested mixing Evangers Chicken and Rice Canned with Wellness Core Low Fat Dry. Evangers food is not the Editors’ Choice List, but Wellness Core Reduced Fat is. Does anyone have a suggestion to replace the Evangers, or does anyone have a completely different suggestion for a food or foods that would be okay for both conditions? Thanks in advance!

[Nancy k]

Found this site, spent time researching a 5 star option… Merrick… Our 2 yr old yellow lab has been eating a 2.5-3 star IAMs dry food… We feed 1 cup 2x/day… Tonite gave her 1/4 cup new food and 3/4 old… 20 minutes later she left it in our hallway. Any suggestions? Not a smart idea to go from 3 to 5 star? Too much for her system?

[crazy4cats]

Hey-
Welcome to the club! Pretty much everyone on here is obsessed! I don’t really feel qualified to comment much on protein levels for a dog with a health condition. There are others on this site with some actual education in the field that may be more helpful. Generally speaking, however, a healthy senior dog is recommended to be fed a higher more quality protein level because they start to lose the ability to process it as well. Just like us humans. But as far as feeding the same brands of dry and wet together, it is not necessary. I feed mine all different brands of canned. Mostly Kirkland, 4Health, and Pure Balance Stews. I buy Wellness if I have a coupon! I mostly feed Victor kibble and they don’t make canned food. Welcome to DFA!

[Cheryl H]

Hi Crazy4cats. I just read some of the posts you referred me to regarding food rotations and I now have another question. During Winston’s recent illness my vet stated that since he is 7-1/2 years old, he should eat a diet lower in protein. She also recommended “senior” dog foods, specifically Science diet.9 Before he got sick I had already purchased a bag of Fromms 4 Star Grain Free Lamb and Lentils and fed him a small amount to start a transition process away from the Blue Buffalo. Although I’ve read there is controversy over her assertion regarding lowering protein levels for older dogs, I decided to try Wellness Simple rather than Fromm’s because of the lower protein content and because he is still under her care. I am going to mix Wellness Simple canned with Wellness Simple dry. I am considering a Fromm’s rotation, but the Fromm’s canned that I hoped to try is hard to find locally and I’d like to try a couple of test cans before committing to the rotation. Should the same brand and formula of the dog food be used when feeding a canned/dry mix?

Did I mention I’m obsessed?

[crazy4cats]

Hi Cheryl-
I think that adding canned to dry food is a great idea for every dog and especially important for a dog that has had urinary issues. The extra moisture helps keep the tract “flushed” out.
I add canned food to my dogs’ kibble meals every morning. Yes, you will have to decrease the amount of kibble you feed to compensate for the canned you are adding. I don’t go by the guide lines on the bag. I go by calories. I just figure that most of the kibble I feed is about 400 calories a cup and most of the canned I feed is about 400 calories per can. So when I feed them 1/4 of a can, I decrease their kibble by 1/4 cup. Even though some of the kibble and canned I feed, have different calories, I still use this equation and it seems to work out fine. If your pup starts to gain then feed a little less or visa versa.

For my dogs’ evening meals, I usually add some fresh ingredients such as eggs, sardines or left overs.

If the guidelines on the bag work for you, then… better yet! Wellness is a great brand. I hope it works out for you. Good luck!

[Cheryl H]

Does anyone have a recommendation for how to determine a good ratio of canned to dry food? During one of my dog’s regular exams, three years ago, he had struvite crystals and was put on a Hills prescription diet. Once the tests reflected the crystals were no longer a problem, I switched to a Blue Buffalo dry formula. Since then there have been no struvite problems. However, due to some problems with bad bags(?) of BB and some potential food allergies I am switching him to Wellness Simple Turkey and Potato. I have read that canned food may help prevent urinary problems due to higher water content, however I would like to try a combination of canned and dry food. Wellness provides guidelines for a canned/dry mix, but they’re confusing. We’ve adjusted the recommended daily amounts of the foods we’ve been feeding him to avoid unacceptable weight gain. I assume we’ll need to do that for Wellness as well.

[Mgt Terry D]

I have used Natures Domain for years without any problems in any of my dogs.
Would switch occasionally for variety. Fed both dry and canned and my dogs today do the happy dance when I give them Kirkland dog bones.

I was in touch with Costco and know a few people that work for them…when this rumor came out Costco issued a memo to all stores explaining there was nothing wrong with the food or the manufacturing Diamond plant.
Inspections where made and they where given a high rating ….no issues.
Costco will also take back any product for any reason and reimburse the member on the spot….The person who found mold on the dog bones should have returned them..that could have been caused by moisture on the floor of Costco or in the home .

[Mgt Terry D]

My GSD/Wolfdog is the same way !! Currently feeding Wellness Core Dry I should say trying to feed…I have to add cooked chopped beef with veggies ( green)) for him to eat .
Have tried to add variety with Taste of the Wild Dry and canned Wellness Core Bison/Venison…he walks away
I also have a Rottweiler who eats anything! As puppies I fed twice a day dry only then occasionally added healthy food toppers…or mixed with canned : Taste of the Wild and when they where bored with TOTW I switched to Kirkland Natures Domain canned and dry which my WD loved but found I needed to cook his food and mix it in order for him to eat.
Now they both eat only at the dinner hour about 6 PM I should say my Rottweiler eats and my WD once every three days and it has to have cooked meat included. the WD is underweight ..I am at wits end to.. and looking forward to any suggestions you should receive. Thanks for letting me include my problem with yours

[Sherron H]

Just over two years ago, I rescued a Chihuahua. At the time, she had been eating Purina
something or other (the one with the freeze-dried chicken in it.) She seemed to tolerate it OK, but I still weaned her to something better without problems. After about
a year and a half when she started shedding profusely, we started looking for something that didn’t cause her to shed. We went through BB, NB, and several others that I can’t remember. All the better quality foods seemed to have a high caloric content. In my quest to find a food that didn’t make her shed, I caused her to gain about six pounds. We are now on a grain free food and she has lost about two pounds. But, I can tell that she’s hungry all the time. I hate this. I feel like the wicked witch of the canine world, and Poppy is just hungry. BTW, we are now on 1/2 Wellness Core grain free weight management(wet) , and 1/2 Nutrish Grain Free (dry) (on the list.)
Sometimes she has tears coming from her eyes, and a clear nasal discharge which I think is due to the weeds in the back yard.
Any ideas or suggestions?
Thanks

[Chris G]

Hello,

I was just wondering what peoples thoughts were of the vets all natural complete mix? http://www.vetsallnatural.com.au/CMsheet.pdf

We were thinking of using it as a substitute for our dogs dry food and mix in with his raw meat (barf). He seems to have gone off and not eat his holistic select dry food.

Thank yoU!